Dark Road (35 page)

…

“Things are going from bad to worse,” Eric said as he began the briefing for what he thought of as the executive council.  “We have an independent report confirming that units loyal to the Colonel just shot down two helicopters inbound to Fort Gordon from Fort Benning.”

Eric paused for a moment before he continued.  “We have no further information regarding survivors at this time.  There were a total of four choppers and they were engaged at the extreme edge of missile range and the other two were too far out of range.  They skirted what they hoped was the fire zone and continued on to Gordon.”

Mallory let Eric finish before she said anything.  “How many people did they lose?”  She asked.

“Benning is reporting eight on the choppers that went down,” Eric said, “including ordinance and supplies.”

Mallory closed her eyes.  “It looks like the Colonel may feel, justifiably so, like he owns the skies.”  She said.  “This may also explain why Ben hasn’t committed to anything yet.  Getting supplies down here would take time over land and the skies are more dangerous than we thought.”

“Apparently so, ma’am,” Eric said.

“Do we stand any chance against them if they decide to come at us Mallory?” Joel asked.  “If your friend decides he can’t risk helping us out, that is.”

Mallory shook her head, “That really depends, Joel, but even if we win,” Mallory sighed.  “Even if we win this battle we may end up losing the war.”

Joel nodded.  “I think I understand.”  He said.  “We’re on the defense and we know the lay of the land.  We can make it expensive for every step they take but we don’t know when they are coming, the defenses are fixed, if they use the helicopters they can move around, and they’ve already proven, twice, that they are willing to be ruthless.”

“That pretty much sums it up,” Eric said, “and we have to assume they’ll want to do something about us sooner rather than later.”

“Although the value of fear and worry is often overlooked,” Mallory said.

“I think you’re giving the Colonel too much credit,” Eric said.  “The fact that you were able to rattle him as much as you did as quickly as you did…I don’t think he’s going to let us sit for too long.  Look at how much we’ve been able to get done, and how quickly we’ve been able to do it, and how quickly Joel was able to quash the majority of the rebellion.”

“There’s still talk of a split,” Joel said.  “Not everyone was convinced.”

“And there’re still disgruntled troops who say that the military is providing all of the protection and most of the skills,” Eric said, “while the civilians just sit around and talk about patriotism and voting.  I’m not saying that everything is lovey-dovey and life here is perfect, but the majority of the people are content with what we have and how it’s going.”

Joel nodded.  “So, how do we defend ourselves from the loyalists?”

…

Life had to go on, but for the first couple of days after the announcement of the shot-down helicopters, everyone was constantly looking towards the skies.  When clouds started rolling in, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief at the thought that nobody would want to be flying in inclement weather.

“So, Major,” Joel asked, “how likely is it that we won’t get a visit while it’s raining?”

“It depends on how bad the weather is.”  Mallory said bluntly.  “Unless it’s a real downpour or a thunderstorm with unpredictable winds, they could still drop in at any time.  I assume you’re talking about the Black Hawks.”

Joel nodded.  “Obviously if the Colonel is going to come marching in, the weather isn’t going to matter one way or another.”  He said.  “Then again, that’s what the sentries are for.”

“True enough,” Mallory said.  “And before you ask, no I still haven’t heard anything from Major Franklin.”

“Have you…”  Joel started.

“Yes, I’ve made another call—several, in fact” Mallory said, “and was told that the Major was unavailable.  I don’t know what that means.  I don’t want to beg, but I’m considering it.”

“Well,” Joel said looking skyward.  “Here’s hoping for the mother of all thunderstorms.”

No sooner had Joel said the words than there was a rumble off to the west and a muddy-pawed Millie made her appearance.

“From your lips to God’s ears,” Mallory said.

“And it must be a bad one coming for you to show up, you big coward,” Joel bent down and got a face full of dog breath as Millie alternated licking him and whining.  He scratched her neck and back and stood up again wiping his face.  “She hates thunderstorms almost as much as Rachael does.”

“Then you better get her home to Rachael and take care of them both,” Mallory said.

…

“One day,” Joel muttered while he was massaging Rachael’s feet.  “One measly day of storms is all we get.”

“Hey!” Rachael snapped, only half joking.

“Ok, sorry.”  Joel said, only taking the reprimand partially to heart.  “I know you hate thunderstorms, and even more so when you’re pregnant, but, well, it meant holding things off while it was bad.”

“I know, but,” Rachael shrugged, “I’m not looking forward to this any more than you are. Really, I’m not.  Frankly I’m scared to death, but we don’t joke about thunderstorms, ok?”

Joel laughed.  “Ok, no more joking about storms,” he said.  “How’s the mattress holding up?”

Rachael squirmed a little before she answered and then made a face.  “Not too much longer and we’re going to have to move.”  She said.

“I was afraid you were going to say that.”  Joel sighed.

Their queen air mattress had lasted almost three months before getting its first hole, which was unheard of for even a high-end mattress like theirs.  Unfortunately, that had been the first of many and within a couple of weeks it was, as Joel’s grandfather used to say, more holey than righteous.

Joel had been using pine needles and leaves as a fill and covering it with the old air mattress, and replacing the fill a couple of times a week, but the further along Rachael got, the less acceptable that was becoming.  Without something to at least secure the fill, or a frame and rope base to lay everything on and give a combination of support and cushion, it wasn’t much better than sleeping directly on the ground.

“We have four people in the family,” Joel said.  “There are still cabins for four available.  I’ve been holding off on moving us to one so it didn’t look like I was taking advantage of my position but I think it’s beyond time.  I’ll have Josh start getting things packed and he can actually drive the stuff down there.”

Rachael smiled.  “He’ll be happy to have some driving to do.”  She said.  “You know he’s been learning right?”

“Yes,” Joel said.  “Some things still need to be taught, including Driver’s Ed.”

…

Josh wasn’t really a morning person but he wasn’t going to turn his nose up at a chance to drive.  The cabins and lodge were located on Cub Creek Lake, well south of where the original encampment was located, which was just west of Maple Creek Lake.  It wasn’t that much of a drive, about eight miles one way due to the curving nature of the roads, but he was allowed to drive by himself so he was all for it.

His dad had given him an extra military radio, just in case something happened—typical overprotective father. 
“Don’t lose it and don’t use it unless it’s an emergency!”

Josh grabbed a couple of sleeping bags and headed into their new home after unlocking the front door.  “Home sweet,” Josh made a face at the smell, “stale home.”  He tossed the sleeping bags in the room that he and Maya would be sharing and checked out the other room.  “Oh, mom and dad are gonna’
love
that.”  Josh laughed.  “Bunk beds.”

On his way back to the Suburban he stopped and cocked his head with his ear skyward.  “Wha…” he muttered, and then it hit him.  He hadn’t heard the sound in almost five months so it took a second to sink in.  It was the sound that everyone had been dreading for almost a week…helicopters.

Josh grabbed the radio on his belt and hit the transmit key.  “Mayday mayday mayday!  This is Josh Taylor.  I’m at the cabins at Cub Creek Lake and I hear helicopters approaching.  Come in anybody!”

When he let go of the button he got back a burst of static and then nothing and when he looked at the display it read “NO OPER”.

“No Oper?” Josh said.  “What does that mean?”

…

“Delta leader to Delta base,” the wing commander radioed back to base.  “We are approaching what we believe to be the southern perimeter of Promised Land.”

“Acknowledged Delta Leader, satellite communications have been locked out for that unit,” came the reply.  “All mobile and portable comms should be disabled until they take their portable relay offline.  There are no indications they are aware of this limitation or the resolution.”

“Good copy Delta base.  We should be on target in less than five minutes.”  The wing leader wasn’t happy about the job he’d been sent to do but he’d be less happy to find himself and his family turned out of the base, or worse, he and his family shot for treason or some other trumped up charge by the Colonel.

…

Josh repeated his call again as the sound of the helicopters grew closer, with the same result—no response and apparently no signal.  He looked around frantically, wondering if he should try to drive back to the base and warn everyone, or if he could even get there before the helicopters.  While looking around wildly he saw the CB antenna.

“Who’d have thought we’d ever need to use this again?” Josh said as he jumped back into the Suburban and started it up so he wouldn’t kill the battery.  He tried to remember everything that friendly trucker had told them about how to use the rig, and everything the Sergeant Lake had told him about radios in general, and then decided to throw caution to the wind.

With the channel set to 40 and the power as high as it would go, Josh mashed the handheld microphone button and transmitted for the third time that day.”

…

Mallory was walking by the radio tent just as Specialist Cox switched to the blinking CB frequency that was transmitting and “DAY MAYDAY!” came blaring out of the speakers.

Mallory dodged into the tent to see what in the world was going on as the voice was so distorted it was impossible to tell who it was.

Cox turned down the speakers, which helped some, and they got the rest of the message. “This is Josh Taylor.  I’m at the cabins at Cub Creek Lake and I hear helicopters approaching.  Come in anybody!”

Mallory grabbed the microphone and Specialist Cox was all too happy to oblige.  He knew he was no good with kids.  “Josh, this is Major Jensen.  I copy you hear incoming helicopters.  Can you see them?”

“No ma’am,” Josh said, “but I can tell there’s more than one because of how it sounds.  There’s,” and then Josh paused and Mallory could hear the Black Hawks going overhead.  “I counted three just now, but I didn’t stick my head out the window and they weren’t in a line.”

“Stay there, Josh,” Mallory said.  “You’re safer there than here, so please, stay there and get off the radio, now!”

“Why didn’t this come in over our regular squad radios?” Mallory asked Cox as she pulled hers off of her belt only to be greeted by the “NO OPER” message.  “Never mind, I just answered my own question.  Sound the alarm.”

Chapter Thirty-Six

Mallory had just stepped out of the tent when the sirens started up, which actually drowned out the sound of the approaching helicopters. 
“I don’t know if that’s better or worse.”
Mallory thought to herself.

People stopped whatever they were doing for a heartbeat and then panic set in, and it was no better with the military personnel than with the civilians.  Across the road from her she actually watched two people turn around and run directly into each other, knocking each other down.  To their credit they helped each other up, but it was a classic comedy bit that wasn’t the least bit funny in real life.  All they needed now was for someone to run out from between two tents and scream “My baby, my baby, has anyone seen my baby!?”

Based on the sound of the ‘Hawks over the CB she guessed they had about five or six minutes, at the outside, to try and get ready.

Mallory was almost to her command tent when Eric caught up to her and the alarm cut off.  “Thank heavens.  That was getting annoying,” he said.  “You still haven’t changed your mind about this?”

“No.  I’m not going to put myself in any more danger than anyone else,” Mallory said, “but I’m not going to hide like that cockroach, Olsen.  We need every rifle we can get, Eric, and the last time we were at the range I matched you.”

“We can’t afford to lose you,” Eric said.

Mallory made a rude noise.  “Bull,” she said.  “We can’t afford to lose.  If I die, then command falls to you, and I brevet promote you to Major.  Shut up and move.”  And Mallory went into her command tent to unlock her rifle and put on her gear.”

…

“Delta leader to Delta base,” the wing commander radioed in.  “We are one minute from insertion.  Our next transmission should be from the ground.”

“Good copy Delta leader,” was the only response from Delta base.

“Remind me again why we’re doing this,” the pilot said to the co-pilot.

“Because we’re good little soldiers with families and we’re just following orders,” the co-pilot replied.

“You do realize that defense doesn’t hold water at The Hague don’t you?”  The pilot said.

The co-pilot chuckled.  The pilot hadn’t been kidding.

Forty-five seconds later, their threat indicator lit up like a veritable Christmas tree of warning lights.

“We’re being painted by three, four…no SEVEN SAM radars!”  One of the crew chiefs yelled over the in-flight comm system.

“You don’t need to yell, Simmons.” The pilot said calmly.  “We’re all right here.”

“Break and evade,” the pilot radioed to his squadron.  “Rendezvous south of the park.”

“Delta base this is Delta leader,” the pilot said as he began to take evasive action.  “Houston, we have a problem.”

…

Mallory heard the sound of the helicopters approaching; literally coming straight for where they were and then they were suddenly…moving around.