Alex didn’t have any intention of producing his hands for general examination. He’d fought to keep the trembling hidden since he arrived last night.
“How many P-STIMs have you taken, Captain?”
“See?” Kate said. “He knows.”
“Four in the past thirty-six hours.”
“Jesus,” muttered the staff sergeant.
“It’s the only way I’ve been able to function like this.”
“Is that a lot?” asked Kate.
“They’re recommended for one-time dosage, at night, during extended combat operations. Yes, he has a shit-ton of amphetamine in his system. Frankly, I’d feel more comfortable if the captain had a seat inside and let this filter out of his system.”
“I’ll take a break once this Eli Russell character is dead,” said Alex.
“Who’s Eli Russell?” asked Kate.
“Our prisoners identified him as the leader of this group. I haven’t walked them around to look at the bodies, but I think he escaped. This was only half of their group.”
“You’re not going anywhere. Your family needs you in one piece. You have the vast resources of the Marine Corps and Homeland Security at your disposal; why don’t you let them handle this?”
“Are you being sarcastic?”
“Not really. Call Grady. Maybe he can send a helicopter or a drone to blow the place up. Designate the location as a critical threat.”
“Sounds like a better plan, sir, for now,” said Evans.
“I’ll contact Grady.”
“Thank you,” Kate said, hugging him tightly.
“I’ll go check on the prisoners,” said Evans, slipping away.
“Staff Sergeant?” said Kate, standing next to Alex.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Thank you for moving the bodies. It would have been too much for us right now. We’ll get your men some real food tonight.”
“Not a problem, ma’am, and we’re fine with MREs if it’s too much trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. I’ll throw some beers in the freezer a little later—if Captain Fletcher doesn’t have a problem with that.”
“As long as I get one, there’s no problem,” said Alex.
“Thanks, ma’am,” Evans said and jogged to the barn.
“Sorry, hon. I just thought I could put an end to this right now. What if they come after us again?”
“I can’t imagine they’ll return with the marines here. Let Grady worry about this. Designate this guy, Eli Russell, as the top threat in southern Maine. It’s not like you’ll be out of the loop on what happens.”
“You’re right,” he said. “Let me call Grady and see if he can scare something up while Russell’s trail is hot.”
Kate nodded. “I want you inside taking a break when you’re done. Mopping and sweeping doesn’t take a lot of energy. We have most of the bigger pieces cleaned up downstairs.”
“What happened to resting?”
“Yeah, that’s not happening. We’ll be at this most of the day just to get the house in basic shape. All hands on deck.”
“I’ll be right back,” he said and kissed her on the forehead.
Alex walked toward the garden, looking for a little shade behind the house. He still felt exposed outside of the house, despite walking nearly every square foot of the forest to the north and east of the clearing. The prisoners told him far more than he had conveyed to Kate, and he had no reason to doubt their words. Not after what he did to the scumbag who kept insisting Eli would return to “rape every bitch in that house.” Dying of natural causes involved a long, painful process in front of his scared-shitless comrades. They nearly talked over each other to give Alex information.
The ROTAC indicated a full signal from his resting spot on the slanted metal bulkhead door. He scrolled through the preprogrammed directory and selected “Patriot.” It was the only call sign listed without a follow-on number or letter. Had to be Grady. He pressed “Lock,” which initiated an encrypted protocol connecting his radio to Grady’s. “Connected” flashed on the digital display a few seconds later. He remembered it was “push to talk” technology just as Grady’s voice broke the silence.
“Alex, Evans called as soon as Lianez hit the road. Sounds like you gave it to them good. I’ve arranged for priority treatment of your wounded at Goodall Hospital in Sanford. Is everyone else okay?”
“We have some minor injuries that can be treated here. Thank you. I have a situation that requires immediate attention. Can you spare a full squad right now?”
“Right now?”
“Affirmative. I need additional marines to conduct a raid against the militia headquarters. I interrogated a few of the surviving militia and confirmed the location. It’s less than nine miles from here.”
“Alex, I can’t spare any marines right now. A quarter of the marines I had in Boston are missing or en route. We’re getting ready to evacuate north to the Londonderry Reserve Center.”
“What happened to the rest of the battalion? Where are you now?”
“National Guard Armory in Melrose. As for the missing units, I think we’ve had some desertions. Striker units found an abandoned Matvee in Watertown. At least they zeroed out the crypto in the vehicle radios. Homeland’s Cat Five plan estimated a forty-three percent no-show rate for my battalion in the event of an EMP-related scenario, so we’re actually in good shape, according to the plan.”
“I’ll take one vehicle with half of a squad. The group that hit my house is the same group I ran into on the way out of Maine,” said Alex.
“The group executing civilians at Milton Mills?”
“Affirmative. Somehow they figured out where I live, and it doesn’t sound like they’re going away. This was only half of their group. Trust me when I say they will be big trouble for the Recovery Zone. They planned for the possibility of your marines returning and set off a sizable IED next to one of the Matvees.”
“Evans briefed me about it. High-order detonation car bomb. No damage to the Matvees.”
“They have a bomb maker in the group. He won’t make the same mistake twice.”
“I can’t send anything your way, Alex,” said Grady.
“Can you pull some strings and detach some National Guard folks in Maine? They’re standing around in droves at the border crossings.”
“I’ll give it a shot, but I’m not optimistic. FEMA hasn’t officially designated the Regional Recovery Zone yet, so technically, I don’t have any jurisdiction in Maine. I do, however, have a mission, which is why Staff Sergeant Evans was on his way to see you.”
“Hold on, Colonel, let me put my wife on. This sounds like something you might need to clear with her,” said Alex.
“Funny,” uttered Grady. “I do have your signature accepting an emergency commission in the Marine Corps for an indefinite period of time.”
“Sounded like a good idea at the time. What are we talking about?”
“Babysitting duty. The remnants of Bravo Company are headed to the Sanford Regional Airport. ETA two to five days, depending on what I can scare up for transportation. Bravo Company is in bad shape. Thirty-two marines have reported for duty as of this morning, and the company gunny isn’t holding his breath for any more. They’re scattered all over the state. A good number are likely dead from the tsunami.”
“Sounds like they’re in good hands,” said Alex.
“Gunny Deschane is squared away, but without an officer, he’ll have problems cutting through the red tape that’s bound to clog up that airport. With your provisional identification and rank, he should have smooth sailing.”