I notice Krandle give a slight nod at my little speech. I see Leonard’s jaws clench and the veins in his head begin to stand out. I’m quite sure he isn’t used to being talked to in this manner but to be honest, that’s not my concern. Frankly, I’m tired and this morning hasn’t improved my mood much. I understand his position and might act exactly as he is if our positions were reversed. It must be fucking confusing as hell to just walk into this situation. However, my main concern is for the people with us and I won’t sacrifice what we have for anything. It’s not that I even remotely think I’m the best for the job and will willingly follow anyone who has more experience. As a matter of fact, I’d welcome it with open arms but until that happens, this is where we are.
“Walker,” yeah, I notice his dropping the rank, “I plan to restock and head down the western seaboard and possibly to Hawaii to see the situation there. Know that this conversation isn’t over.”
“You can’t be planning to go back into the warehouse or any others, are you? You just lost seven out of the twelve men you sent in,” I say. I feel bad for even mentioning that but it’s necessary for him to actually understand the inherent danger that buildings present.
“We need to resupply,” he responds.
“Walk with me if you will,” I say.
“Where are we going?”
“You need to see firsthand what we are facing,” I say to which he gives a small nod.
We begin to walk down to the warehouse. I signal Lynn to bring Black and Red Teams with us. Krandle walks behind with his SEAL Team. Standing back from but close enough to see into the interior through the now wide open sliding doors, we see dozens of dead night runners lying across the gray floor.
“That, captain, is only some of what your men walked into. Lynn, how many would you say were inside?” I ask.
“That’s about a quarter of ‘em,” she answers. I hear Krandle give a low whistle.
Leonard looks on, turning his head left and right. I can almost hear the gears turning as he sees firsthand what I was talking about.
“And this is in every building?” He finally asks.
“No, not in every one. There is sometimes less, sometimes more, sometimes none at all. It all depends on how they group together and where they lair up. We haven’t found a trend as yet. But, yes, this is what we are facing,” I answer.
“Now, you can gather what you can as long as it’s in the light. And I mean daylight,” I continue.
“That doesn’t give us much,” he says, eyeballing perhaps four stacks of goods that are in the daylight pouring in the open doorway. “Perhaps you could provide cover for us if we had to go in farther.”
“No fucking way! We’re not going back in there. Especially with what just happened. Those aisles are fucking death traps,” Lynn speaks up.
Leonard turns sharply to Lynn. “Sergeant, now see…”
“Captain Leonard, we have some supplies. If you’ll make out a list of what you need, we’ll see what we can send. We’ll make a convoy run up here with them,” I say, interrupting him and forestalling and argument. “Just give the list to Bannerman here before we leave and we can have it back up here within a couple of days.” I look to Bannerman for approval of the timeline and he nods.
“Okay, Walker, that will be fine,” Leonard says.
“Call me Jack,” I say.
The morning heads towards noon as Leonard consults with his crew and then meets us on the dock giving Bannerman his requested supply list. “We may be able to supply this but will have to make some substitutions,” he says after looking it over.
“That will be fine, Major,” Leonard replies.
“We can have this to you in three days providing the route is clear,” Bannerman says.
“What about if you tied up in Tacoma or Olympia?” That would make it easier and we wouldn’t have to worry about blocked roads or someone ambushing us to take the supplies,” Frank says.
“I think we can accommodate that. That is if the docks are clear. And thank you again,” Leonard responds.
“I have a question if you don’t mind. Well, actually several. Are their fuel rods being stored here?” I ask.
“That’s classified information, Jack,” Leonard answers.
“Seriously?! I’m pretty sure classified went out with the first waves of the dead. I’d like to know if we are in danger of them melting down,” I say.
Leonard mulls it over for a few seconds before replying, “No, there aren’t any stored here. There used to be but they were moved.”
“What about the rods in those subs?” I ask, pointing to the two missile boats docked nearby.
“I’m sure they are shut down but, yes, those might be a problem over time,” he answers.
“What about scuttling them offshore? We’d use them for a power supply but we just don’t have the expertise if you are planning on your trip down the coast. And if something happened…” I say leaving the question floating.
“That would have to be done far offshore with the prevailing currents and winds but it could be done,” Leonard replies, pondering.
“Do you think you and your crew could do that?” I ask.
“Perhaps, but I’d like to get away as soon as we can. We can discuss that when we return. Amongst other things,” Leonard pointedly says.
“I’m so looking forward to that,” I say sarcastically to which Leonard actually smiles. “You know, a thought just occurred. If you are thinking about setting ashore, what are you planning to do if you find survivors?”
“There’s not much we can do really. Our space is limited. We can direct them to your location if you’d like,” Leonard answers.
“That may do more harm than good with them having to find shelter for the night and with bandits around. They also may not want to depending on the distance, but the more we can gather, the better off we’ll be,” I say.
“Well, if we find any and make contact, we’ll let them know,” he replies.
That causes an uneasy feeling as you never know what type of groups he may encounter. We just may find ourselves beset upon by marauders looking to take over our compound. However, increasing our numbers will also increase our knowledge base. We are in dire need of medical personnel and a scientist or two wouldn’t hurt. Actually, we are in need of a wide range of experts.
Chief Krandle steps forward and says, “Captain Walker, sir, we’d like to join up with you but if Captain Leonard is planning to set ashore anywhere, he’s going to need us.”
“Chief, we’d be more than happy to have you anytime but I think you’re right, Captain Leonard is going to need you,” I reply.
“Chief, you are under my command so you’re not at liberty to discuss where you will or will not go,” Leonard says, rounding on Krandle.
“Technically, sir, and with all due respect, being under your command ended the moment we stepped onshore. We were under your operational command while onboard but we are now effectively back under SWC Group One. With that said, sir, we’d like to accompany you and assist under the caveat that we can accept or decline any mission you have for us based on the risk factor,” Krandle replies, standing at attention.
Leonard stares hard at the chief for several moments. “That is acceptable. Glad to have you aboard,” he finally says.
“One last thing. How do you want to stay in communication if you are in fact heading down the seaboard?” I ask.
“We could use satellite comms or phones,” Leonard suggests.
“I’m not sure about the viability of satellite communications but we can try the phones. If not, then we can just use the UHF when you draw closer,” I say. I look to Bannerman who merely nods. The unspoken dialogue is to whether he can acquire satellite phones.
“Alright. And we’ll make our way around the sound and try the ports. We’ll let you know where we decide to park,” Leonard states.