Bug Out! Part 4: Mortars and Motorhomes (13 page)

“We’ve been very impressed with your team as well,” Jerry said. “Major Hobbs, Lieutenant James, and your new Sergeant, and the privates too. Top notch.”

“Thanks, Jerry, I’m proud of them too,” he said. “I’ve got two things to discuss with you.”

He walked back over to the coffee area and added a little more cream to his coffee.

“Strong stuff,” he said, laughing. “First of all, I’d like to have permission to keep Major Hobbs and his detachment at the RV Park for the time being. I’d also like to augment his force to replace the people we lost there.”

“I think all of us in this room are for that,” Charlie said, “but the park belongs to Hilda. We’d have to get her okay. I’d be shocked if she would have a problem, though.”

“Can you be sure that the replacement troops aren’t going to turn?” asked Jerry.

“We think so,” the General said. “There was an intelligence breakthrough on that a couple of days ago, and we were able to pinpoint who the remaining plants were. They’re all in the brig now. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you we are 100% sure we got them all, though. We still need to be careful. We’ll only bring longer-service assets into the RV Park this time. We think that will protect against any residual issues.”

“Well, that’s good news,” Jeb said.

“What else?” asked Jerry.

“Here is the difficult part of the conversation,” the General said.

Jerry shot a glance over to Frank and Jeb.

“Go on,” Frank said.

“This area has become very dangerous, because it is where the Northern and Southern branches of the enemy forces are attempting to link up. They can’t go east, because of the Rocky mountains on the north end of that corridor, and New Mexico on the south. Texas is helping New Mexico to mop things up now that they’ve stopped the enemy in the south.”

“Does that mean we can move east to get out of here?” asked Jane.

“Maybe, but let me finish,” the General said. “The enemy would like come down through Idaho into Nevada and use that as a staging point to attack California, but the terrain there is just too difficult, and forces in California are now starting to focus on the eastern border of that state and on into Nevada.”

“What happened up in Washington State?” asked Jerry.

“That was a real blood bath, but the local forces and the citizenry won. The enemy won’t be trying to come through there again. They are coming down through Montana and Wyoming and into Utah….and right down our throats.”

“Don’t we have Arizona locked up now?” asked Jackson.

“Yes and no,” the General said. “We control all of the cities, but there are a lot of forces hiding around the Grand Canyon area. We aren’t going to bomb around there, so we are having to root them out with ground forces.”

“Where do these guys think they are going to go?” asked Earl.

“Well, that’s the real question,” the General said. “They can’t go east in large numbers. They can’t go west in large numbers. We are now starting to pull assets from Northern California into Idaho and Montana, so pretty soon they will be cut off from coming down through there or even escaping back to Canada. The Canadians are making real headway against these folks too. We think that they are going to rally in Utah and then try to break into much smaller forces and cause as much damage as they can. They know they’re essentially on a suicide mission now. They can’t even go back to Mexico at this point.”

“So you are telling me that this war is close to over,” Jane said.

“Yes, we are getting there, but it’s going to be a long bloody process to get everything cleaned up in this corridor, and there’s very intense fighting still going on down in Mexico. I need to focus on this area and make sure that enemy strength doesn’t grow, and that the enemy can’t freely escape into the rest of the country, even in small groups.”

“There’s something hanging out there that you really don’t want to bring up,” Jerry said.

“Yes. There is a rallying cry that the southern forces are using to help hold themselves together, and it’s the reason this particular area continues to get hit. I need to remove that rallying cry.”

“What is it?” asked Jeb.

“You, Frank and Jane, Jerry and Jasmine, Charley, Earl, and Jackson. They have made you all out to be the devil incarnate, and as long as you are around here, there will be problems around the RV Park and the town too.”

“So what are you proposing?” asked Frank

Frank looked the General in the eye,
waiting for a response. Jane put her hand over his on the conference room table. The others were all sitting around the conference table, looking at General Walker. You could hear a pin drop.

“Do you want to relocate us or protect us?” Jane asked.

“I want to relocate you guys, and then spread the news around,” the General said. “It won’t get rid of the enemy here…..but it will move the focus away from the town and surrounding area. Without you guys as the big villains, there are some people in the local militia that will probably just sink back into the woodwork and give up. It may break the alliance between the southern militia and the Islamists.”

“You’re thinking that a lot of these militia kooks are only staying in the fight to get revenge on us?” Jeb asked. “Sounds a little thin to me.”

“Believe it or not, that’s what our sources are telling us,” the General said. “The good news, though, is that the southern militia is holding on by a thread, and you guys have just taken out their two strongest leaders.”

“Lewis and Officer Simmons?” Jackson asked.

“Yes,” General Walker said. “If we can get you out of the picture, they lose the most important propaganda tool they have left. They are teetering over the edge now, and that might just push them over.”

“Who’s running that group now?” Jerry asked

“We aren’t sure. It’s either somebody from the Yuma core, or somebody from the Williams core. We do know one thing, though.”

“What’s that?” Earl asked.

“The militia members are a big help to the Islamists, because they know the territory and the people. If we can break that alliance, it’s going to leave the Islamists adrift, and we will be able to mop them up much easier.”

“Why the heck are the militia folks helping these guys, anyway?” Jackson asked. “I knew some of these folks. They hate people from the Middle East. Frankly, they hate anybody that isn’t like them.”

“The militia leaders have been successful at duping their membership into thinking that the U.S. government is the biggest danger. They thought that the Islamists would help them overthrow the government, and then they would simply take control and squash them.”

“That sounds pretty stupid to me,” Jasmine said.

“Well, yes and no,” Jerry said. “These Islamists are true believers, and that keeps them from being rational. The militia probably thinks they will start pissing off the citizens after the U.S. government is gone. You know, the old ‘convert or die’ routine that backfired on them in California. The militia probably thinks that they can turn the people against them at that point, lead the fight to take them out, and look like heroes.”

“That’s as stupid as the BS that Manson was trying to sell to the hippies,” Jeb said.

Jerry looked at Jeb and grinned.

“You know it and I know it, Jeb. But these folks aren’t exactly mental giants.”

“Probably why our little rag-tag outfit has been able to beat them back every time they’ve come against us,” Frank said. “Alright, General, we know what you would like. What are the details?”

“I can’t force you folks to go along with this, so let’s start with that,” he said.

“Sure about that?” asked Jerry.

“Yes, we are not under martial law in this territory.”

“So are you thinking you could caravan with us to someplace else?” asked Charlie. “A long line of slow-moving motor homes is going to be an easy target.”

“I wouldn’t advise that,” General Walker said.

“What would you advise, General?” asked Jeb.

“I want to airlift all of you out. I’d suggest someplace to the east….perhaps Texas, but any of the lower Midwest states or the southern states would do, as long as they aren’t right on the coast.”

“What about our rigs?” asked Charlie. “And the RV Park?”

“I suggest you leave your rigs sitting where they are.”

“But those are our homes,” Jerry said. “A lot of us are full timers. Everything we own is in these rigs.”

“We can’t do a lot about the contents in your rigs. You can take what you can carry in a few boxes. As for the rigs themselves, Uncle Sam will take care of that. If you help the government out with this, you will be provided with brand new rigs when you get to your destination. And you can pick up your old rigs here after the war is over, assuming they are still intact.”

“Crap,” Jeb said. “I was just about through the shakedown on my rig. Not sure I want to go through that again.” Earl and Jerry shook their heads in agreement.

“I know it’s an inconvenience for some of you,” General Walker said. “Staying at the RV Park might result in you not living through this war, though. You might want to consider that in your thinking. Not all of you have new rigs, either, from what I’ve heard. Some of you could use an upgrade.”

“That’s true, but not all rigs are created equal,” Jeb said. “Are you going to stick somebody who has invested in a DP with some el cheapo entry level gasser?”

“What’s a DP?” asked the General.

“Diesel Pusher,” Frank said. “Big bucks. Some of them cost several hundred grand. Entry level gassers start at about 70 grand.”

“Oh,” the General said. “I can’t guarantee exactly what you’ll get, folks. Sorry. I doubt that we’ll be giving you pieces of crap, though. They will be new serviceable units, good enough to live in. And don’t forget, you will still own your original rigs. They have as much of a chance of surviving with you gone as they would if you stayed around here. Probably more, since you won’t be drawing the bad guys over anymore. Most of you have insurance too, right?”

“Well, maybe so, maybe not,” Jeb said. “But I ain’t stupid. This is probably going to be our best choice. Every time we kill off a bunch of these cretins, they just send more. We won’t keep winning forever. We’ve been lucky so far.”

“What’s the strength of the enemy in this corridor, General?” asked Jerry.

“That’s classified,” the General said.

“Bullshit,” Jerry said. “We are leveling with you. Now you level with us. We’re on the same side. We need the info to make our decision.”

General Walker looked down, thinking. Then he looked out at the group.

“OK, I’ll tell you what I know, but if this gets out of the room, I’ll be coming after all of you folks, and you’ll land in the brig.” He had a stern look on his face. Everybody in the room nodded yes, looking at each other. There was a hush in the room.

“We agree,” Charlie said.

“Alright. There are over two hundred thousand Islamist fighters between the Canadian and Mexican borders in this corridor. There are also about three thousand in the militia.”

“Holy shit,” Frank said. “How did so many get here?”

“A lot snuck over the northern and southern borders before we locked it down…..before the war started, even,” the General said. “There are also a huge number that fled from the west and the east, after they were defeated in California and Texas.”

“I hope the jerks in Washington are proud of themselves,” Jerry said.

“Let’s just say that this debacle has ended a few careers,” the General said.

Jane looked up at Frank, and then over at the General.

“Would it be possible for us to go home to California?” she asked.

“I’m sorry, but we aren’t letting anybody back into California at this time,” the General said.

“Why not?” Jane asked.

“It’s stable, and a base of operation for this half of the country. Since there’s not a good enough way to tell the good guys from the bad guys right now, the folks in DC have just sealed it up for everybody. Nobody gets in.”

“Our son is in there,” Jane said. There were tears in her eyes.

“Remember, he enlisted,” Frank said softly. “He isn’t just hanging around there. I’m more worried about our daughter.”

“Sarah,” Jane said. “General, our daughter is in Boise, we think. What is going on there now? Is it safe?”

“Yes, we stopped the flow into that area,” the General said. “Nowhere is completely safe, but Boise is a whole lot safer than here.”

“We need to get her on the phone,” Frank said. “She might have gone back to Portland by now.”

“Portland is pretty safe, too,” the General said. “I’d rather be in Boise, though. There’s no harbor nearby. If you can get ahold of your daughter and she’s still in Boise, tell her to stay there.”

“Well, folks, we’ve got some thinking to do,” Charlie said. “Why don’t we all go back to the park and discuss it?”

“Yes, do that, folks. I’ll give you a couple of days to think about it,” the General said. “And remember that the info I gave you guys about the strength of the enemy is classified.”

“We can say that the strength is such that it makes it unsafe to stay, correct?” asked Jasmine.

“Yes, just don’t say the actual numbers,” the General said. He rose to leave. “Thanks for your time, folks. I’m going to go get the detachment over here to pick up our prisoner. I’ll be at the RV Park this evening.” He put down his empty coffee cup and left the conference room.

There was silence for a few moments. Everybody just looked at each other.

“What are we going to do about Chester?” asked Jane.

“The coroner should have picked up his body by now,” Charlie said. “I called him on the way over here.”

“Are we going to have a memorial?” asked Jasmine.

“I think we should,” Jeb said.

“I agree,” Charlie said. “Let’s talk about it when we get back. I’m not looking forward to telling Hilda.”

“Yeah, I could imagine,” Jeb said. “You aren’t going to leave without her, are you?”

“No,” Charlie said. “I’ll have to convince her to go too. I can’t leave her behind. I’d stay rather than do that.”

Jeb walked over and patted him on the back.