“Sounds good. We’ll see you in a couple of days,” I say. Handshakes are made all around.
And with that, we part ways. The teams gather back into the vehicles and, climbing the hill toward the base entrance, the docks and docked sub disappear from sight.
A Secret Revealed
We begin retracing our route back to base with the only caveat that we hold up short of the second road block we encountered on the way in. The scenery and weather remains much the same. The gray skies are low over the treetops and the silver dew drops are heavy on the fir and cedar branches. Close to where we went through the second line of vehicles blockading the road, the Strykers take the lead and we halt.
I switch to the channel we previously had locked that Sam was using. “Sam, this is Captain Walker, how do you read?”
A moment passes in silence. There is just the vibration and rumble of the Humvee. Robert is now in the front seat with McCafferty in the back. Gonzalez is taking her turn on the M-240.
“Sam, I know you’re there. Let’s not play games again,” I say into the radio.
“Go ahead, captain,” I hear him finally respond.
“We’re coming through again. Are we going to have any trouble this time?” I ask.
“No, Captain Walker, if anything’s to be said, it’s that we learned our lesson. I’ll let the lads know you’re coming and to let you pass,” Sam replies.
“Any further thoughts about joining us?”
“I don’t think we really have much of a choice, do we. We’ll be set upon on all sides now if we stay, so, if the offer still stands, I think we might take you up on that,” he answers.
“Have your folks gather what they need and whatever supplies you want to bring. We’ll meet you at the bridge entrance. Make sure everyone knows to keep their itchy trigger fingers under wraps. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen because of one jittery soul,” I say.
“We’ll do that. It’ll take us while to gather everyone and our things.”
“We’ll wait. Just don’t take too long. See you there.”
I radio the conversation to the rest of the teams but warn them to keep alert. With that, we move slowly up the road and park a short distance from the wrecked vehicles still spanning the width of the highway. The bodies have been removed and no one is in sight. We park the Strykers in a triangle pointing outward with the Humvees in the center. I have Lynn call Cabelas to fill them in. With the vehicles idling, we wait.
“I was kind of hoping the SEAL Team would have joined us. It seems we could really use them,” Robert says as we wait.
“Yeah, I thought the same thing and was this close to trying to talk them into it,” I say, holding my pointer finger a hair’s breadth from my thumb. “We really could use their expertise. However, Captain Leonard needs them even more. They are his only combat force with training. They would be a welcome addition, especially seeing the night runners seem to be adapting quickly.”
“Ah, sir, we don’t need ‘em. We have Red Team and we can handle a bunch of sweaty runners,” Gonzalez says poking her head through the opening.
“Please tell me you don’t have a ‘hooah’ coming somewhere,” I plead.
“What would ever give you that indication, sir?” She responds.
“Good. I’m glad to hear it,” I say.
“Hooah, sir,” she says with a wink and disappears back through the open hatch.
An hour passes and the clouds thin in places showing a hint of sun above. Sam finally radios that they are ready and making their way to us. A line of vehicles, trucks, cars, and moving vans, appear from a side road and enter the highway with Sam’s pickup in the lead. Sam parks, steps out, and walks over to us.
“I hope there are no hard feelings, captain,” he says extending his hand.
“None here and I hope for the same on your end,” I say accepting his shake.
“No. We have one grieving wife that will have to be cared for. She went into hysterics but the doc sedated her,” he states.
“You have a doctor with you?” I ask.
“More of a family doctor, but yeah,” he replies.
“Good to have. We only have medics with us and could certainly use him or her.”
“I’m sure he’d be happy to help. So, what would you like for us to do?”
“Just follow along. I’ll have some units behind you in case someone breaks down and for protection. We’re pretty cramped at the moment but we’ll see you situated once we arrive. How many are with you?” I ask.
“I don’t have a firm count, but we have about forty all told,” he answers.
I direct one Stryker and Lynn to bring up the rear of our now larger caravan. We set out across the bridges and south toward home. I can’t believe it’s only early afternoon as it feels like a couple of days have passed. I plan to meet with the group when we return and then settle in for a nap. The day is only partially over. There is a night flight to take and I want us to be rested for another long night of work. Each step we take brings us closer to an eventual safe haven. If something like that can even exist.
We snake south down I-5 and through the gates. I have McCafferty and Gonzalez exit on our entrance to the parking lots to direct the vehicles following into a farther lot. I pull into the lot where the other Humvees are parked. The Strykers park adjacent. The large maintenance and vehicle storage garage Bannerman had started is near completion and we’ll soon park our vehicles under cover. We’ll then bring down additional vehicles from Fort Lewis and store them here. Those will be in addition to the ones we now have in the hangars and maintenance buildings up north.
The new group gathers just outside in the chilly, damp weather. With Frank’s assistance, Bannerman makes his way to orient them and assign them places. I know I’m going to hear about the overcrowding and barracks at our meeting. And, to be honest, with the new additions, it’s time we address it. With the winter and shorter days coming, meaning longer periods crowded indoors, tempers will flare. Bannerman was right to bring this up early on. It just seemed like there was always something else to do. There still is and I don’t see how we are going to be able to do this with everything else, but we also have more hands to help. And, we now have a doctor and another pilot. Not that the pilot aspect will be useful for much longer but we can rig speakers up to a light aircraft and cover more ground in our search for other survivors.
With Sam’s group, we are now around two hundred and fifty people. I’m not sure of the exact number on a sub, but if Captain Leonard joins us after his trip, that number could reach four hundred. That’s enough to do some serious work in a hurry. I almost wish that Leonard wasn’t heading back out. Although it would be nice to have more intelligence on what is going on in other places, he has a crew trained in a variety of useful areas. It will be nice when he returns. Hopefully he will see for himself what is going on and relax some on the rank thing. I once again wish there was someone with qualifications to take over. I’d like to just take a backseat for a while on the other hand, I also know that isn’t in my mentality. No, we push on, build a secure place around us, make it survivable in the long-term, and then I’m grabbing my fishing pole. Yep, with a hammock and a cooler at my side. I sigh at the pleasant thought knowing that’s what it is — just a daydream of things that will never be. I close my door and head inside with Robert.
Captain Raymond Leonard watches as the Strykers and Humvees carrying Captain Walker’s troops drive up the paved street and vanish over the ridge. The sounds of the vehicles gradually fade until only the sounds of the lapping waves are heard. He thinks over the interesting morning and conversation. Interesting is putting it mildly. He lost seven crew members today because of his decision. He realizes now that he dove beneath the waves off the Philippine shore and rose to a completely different world, one he would never have imagined possible and doesn’t quite understand. The world he once knew and loved being a part of has disappeared to become an alien one. He has a fleeting thought of staying until he understands better what they are facing but he needs to see it for himself, and not just this little corner. His mind still can’t wrap around the idea that this is world-wide.