Families First: A Post-Apocalyptic Next-World Series Volume 6 Battle Grounds Read online

“No, you’re right,” said Mike. “That’s not me at all,” he said, walking back into the conference room.

  “I will be here for the Battle and then will move on,” Mike said, getting looks from Lonnie and Vlad.

  “I figured he made a deal with Sergio and already had a job lined up,” Lonnie whispered to Vlad.

  “I will stay to fight before leaving, as well,” said Sergio.

  The meeting ended quickly with only a few more clarifying questions from the Council.

  * * * *

  “I was just testing you back there,” said Sergio to Mike. “The guys I’m talking about are out there. They exist, and I’ve met a few. They will sink an entire ship of men, women and children without a second thought. Bring down a passenger airliner, crashing to earth, and sleep well that same night. You’re not one of those, and neither am I. We, you and I, are dead set in the middle of the pack and only kill bad guys.

  “I kill bad men, or at least those shooting at me first. I’ve only ever killed one woman dressed as a man, and never a child. You’re the same—‘honor among thieves,’ they call it. Not enough remorse to be a boy scout, but enough to only punish the bad men. There is a spot for us in this Next-World—a most important one, at that. I was considering asking Ronna for a special assignment. Now, with you, I’m sure of it.”

  “What are you thinking?” asked Mike.

  “Me and you out on our own but with the backing of the United States Military. We do what we have already done. Infiltrate groups looking to do us harm. Baker is the one you have heard of, but not the only one, by a long shot.”

  “Okay, I’m in, on one condition,” replied Mike.

  “What’s that?” asked Sergio.

  “I want to know why my old boxing trainer, Joey, was hired and paid up front to put up boxing rings in FEMA camps a whole two weeks before the EMP hit.”

  “Okay, anything else?”

  “Where is the President, Vice-President, Congress and the Senate?”

  Sergio laughed. “It’s funny you should ask those things, but before I tell you anything I need to know if you’re in. Not like, ‘I’ll join the team and see how I like it,’ but ‘yes, I’m in and will spill my blood before letting anyone harm our Government.’ Take your time. It’s a big decision, and you don’t have to answer now, but soon.”

  * * * *

  Mike met with Vlad and Anna, Joy and me before asking Javi to join in.

  The whole thing went as one might expect, with Javi voicing feelings of abandonment at first, and eventually understanding, as only a young boy could, that he would be taken care of and get to stay with his friends. His dad would be off in far lands fighting for good, like a superhero, but not before fighting bad guys here first.

  “Are you up for this, Anna?” asked Vlad.

  “If I wasn’t, would you still do it?” she replied.

  “In a Moscow minute,” he told her, getting a smile.

  “I don’t think that’s the expression,” she said, “but you have said all I need to hear. Yes, yes, I am up for it and will love every minute of it,” she added, showing off her perfect teeth and bright blue eyes.

  “Sign right here, and here…initial here and here,” Vlad said, joking.

  * * * *

  Mike asked Sergio outside, carrying four beers. “It’s a beer summit!” said Sergio. “Am I right?”

  “Something like that. I’m in for all of it that we agreed to.”

  “Okay, then here’s what I can tell you and it doesn’t leave this bench,” said Sergio.

  “Your guy Joey and the other guy, Pauly, worked at the boxing gym the Colonel used to train at, but you probably already know this.”

  Mike nodded his head yes.

  “They were hired beforehand because we knew of the attack a month prior to the day. North Korea, backed by China, had us locked in for months before. They had 9 EMP weapons in place, including the one on the satellite that the President said caused all this mess. It was actually a scud missile fired from a tanker ship off the coast of southwest Louisiana and detonated over the Midwest, causing a chain reaction of our power grids to fail. There were seven others in place besides the one on the satellite, and we couldn’t intercept them all.”

  “How could we let that happen?” asked Mike.

  “It’s just politics,” replied Sergio. “We have known about EMPs and what they do to power grids since the 1950s, but no administration gave it enough thought to harden our electrical grids against it. Sure, most Military aircraft and machinery are hardened, as is the White House and Air Force One. But we could never get both sides to agree to spend the money on the grids. In the end, we knew it was coming and couldn’t stop it, so we had the FEMA camps up and ready when it did. As to your second question about the location of the President, VP, Senate and Congress—and don’t forget about their families—I would ask first, where do you think they are?”

  “East Coast, DC, maybe New York,” Mike theorized. “I heard they are the first to get the power back on.”

  “You’re close. It is the East Coast but way south. I can’t tell you exactly where yet, and only learned it myself while interrogating some bad dudes a few weeks back. Basically, I haven’t confirmed it with Ronna or the Colonel, but the information is solid, I believe. But there’s a problem. They can’t stay. There are 435 men and women in the US House of Representatives and 100 in the Senate. Add in the President, Vice-President, Supreme Court, State Governors, and all of their families, and we’re looking at well over 2,000 people holed up and vulnerable to an attack. The plan was to evacuate them on Navy ships to a predetermined location, an island under our rule and stocked with prepper food for the last ten years.”

  “I remember hearing about that,” said Mike. “People were complaining that the Government was buying all of the freeze-dried foods and ammo—for a few years, at least.”

  “That’s right, and now it’s stored on an island that they can’t get to safely. You see, they thought there was more time to get out before the day. My mission is to help them do just that.”

  “Okay, that makes sense…kind of,” said Mike. “But then, why are you here? I’m sure your superiors must think that the Government is a bigger priority than saving a valley.”

  “But it’s not. This stand we are taking here is the key for everything else to come. Win it, and we send a powerful message to Beijing. Lose it, and our Government will scatter like cattle in a wildfire. It’s the first big test of our resolve as a united country—the battle for all battles to come. Make sure all those not on the front line are secured underground, for this will test every one of us, and the Colonel’s men will have both allies and enemies you have never heard of before. Should we live through this, we will be assigned to the team, ensuring the safe transition of our Government and their families across the water. Can you do that?”

  “Yes. Yes, I can,” replied Mike.

  * * * * * * *

  Chapter Eleven

  Saddle Ranch

  Loveland, Colorado

  “Okay, then. Let’s give Baker a run for his money,” said Sergio.

  “What about Baker? I mean, if he even shows up?” asked Mike.

  “Oh, he will. He’s at every major skirmish. That’s why Max even saw him. I’ll take him out, up close and personal. I know Max was gung ho about it, but he’s got a love interest now, and as long as Baker ends up dead I think he won’t mind how it’s done. For me, Baker’s future is personal for the brand he had put on me, like yours, and it gets me the credit I need to win our next gig.”

  “That all makes sense to me. One more question, though?” asked Mike. “Assuming we get everyone to the island in one piece, then what?”

  “Then we figure out how to bring them back,” Sergio replied. “They are still Americans, and when this country is safe again they will want to come home.”

  “Time to go to work,” said Mike.

  * * * *

  Mike would spend time with Javi every day, wh
o was moved into Vlad and Anna’s small apartment. Mike mourned Sheila, whom he had only known for a month, and thought she and Kelly might be the last two women in his life. Joy was right. He didn’t fit in here and he was happy to have a new opportunity to look forward to.

  The next few days were mostly a blur for everyone, with John making the final decision on telling every adult resident what was about to happen. The Council was split on it, with half not wanting to incite panic and the other side wanting a clean slate.

  I heard about it from my parents a day before the announcement and kept the news between Joy and me. She and I were on the same page, agreeing that we would want to be told, had we not already had the pleasure of such life-altering information. In the end, it was John’s choice, and he gathered every able-bodied adult, minus a few volunteers from our camp who already knew and offered to watch the kids for an hour.

  “Thank you all for being here,” he started when all arrived at the Pavilion, speaking to a crowded house. “As many of you have heard and seen, no doubt, we are upgrading our security and border perimeter in conjunction with Samuel and The West members. I’ve heard there were many questions about the helicopters the other night, and I will explain that as well. First, let us pray:

  “O Lord, we are gathered here this afternoon with full hearts and anxious minds. Help us to band together as a family through this Valley and work as one unit to defend what we have worked so hard to build for the last almost 60 years. We thank you for healthy residents and bountiful crops. In your name we pray. Amen.”

  The announcement immediately followed before attention could be lost.

  “Those of you residents who have been here from the beginning, as well as our new guests recently, have no doubt noticed we are beefing up our security, as I have said before. There are two reasons for this,” he continued, explaining both the need for extra security in general and then dropping the Baker bomb, with all of its gritty details, to a mostly stunned audience.

  “Are there any questions?” he asked, with almost every hand in the room going up—except, of course, for our group, who had already taken plenty of time to digest it.

  Questions, at least the first two, were “Do we all have to fight?” and “Can’t we just hide in the woods until they leave?”

  “The answer to both is no,” John said.

  “All able-bodied men and women will have key roles in defending this Valley. Our seniors and children will be safely hidden and cared for until it is over. Don’t forget—we have the word of Samuel’s friend, the high-ranking Colonel who has already once come to the rescue of Lance and his group on Raton Pass, on the Colorado/New Mexico border. He and his soldiers will be key in our fight for victory. It is, however, win or die,” he added soberly. “Anything less than a total victory will put us in grave danger in the foreseeable future.”

  More questions followed, one after another, like a White House Press briefing, with John staying a full two hours more, until there were no more.

  He finished with the same speech as before, about those who may want to leave the Valley, but again stating it was a one-way ticket. Several families, and maybe ten more single men and women, lined up an hour later to say good-bye.

  I was not surprised to see every member of our group staying. We had already seen what was beyond the Valley walls, and the difference was that inside there are occasional skirmishes and even a battle or two; and outside was no-man’s-land, where the first night in a new spot could seem easy, but the second, third, or even fifth, night could be your last. I answered questions as best I could from those choosing to leave, wondering which way to go. The fire to the west was obvious to everyone, seeing the smoke over Green Mountain.

  “There are people—the exact ones we are preparing to fight—to the southeast,” I told them. “If it were my family and I was dead set on leaving, I would head north. Keep in mind, you have about 30 miles north before the terrain changes drastically and you no longer have the protection of the mountains.”

  They were in for a hard road, but I understood their fear of what was coming.

  “We can’t save everyone,” I told Jake, who was giving the same type of advice, except to head straight south towards Boulder.

  * * * * * * *

  Chapter Twelve

  Baker’s Camp ~ Colorado

  Baker was furious at being deceived by Sergio and Mike, and out of his mind over losing his granddaughter, who he told everyone had been kidnapped. The man in charge put the blame on his top two men, citing conspiracy and collusion to undermine his authority. The penalty would be death by walking. Each man was fitted with a 100-pound pack and twenty-pound ankle weights. They walked behind the last truck, chained to its bumper. “Only release the chains when they fall and make sure they don’t see another day,” he instructed his guards.

  While he would never admit it to his followers, or even close confidantes, he questioned his authority to lead a group this large and decide the ultimate fate of his closest soldiers without being challenged man-to-man. The last two men who tried to take his Sally and run were dealt with swiftly, not by him personally but he did give the orders. This time he missed the heads-up with that Max guy and offered a more-than-handsome price for his head.

  “Sergio will be up close and personal,” he told his men. “I want to look that traitor in his eyes before you do it,” he told his meanest soldier and now number one guy, who he called The Eraser. “Nobody touches him but you!” he screamed.

  “Yes, Colonel. Whatever you need. I never liked him anyway.”

  Baker walked the camp as they packed up efficiently, like a 20-year-old circus heading for a new gig every few weeks. He wanted to be seen, needed to be, and barked orders to his men while waving his arms in the air. To an outsider, it may have looked random, or even foolish, but this man ran his crew and all those inside the camp walls with an iron fist and demanded complete loyalty, with the exception of a few gone rogue.

  “There are a few in every lot,” he told his closest men. “I trust the rats have all been chased from the gutters,” he added.

  The camp was divided, with half wanting to stay and not get back on the road, and the other half eager to be finished, once and for all, with a final trek.

  “We head out at first light,” Baker said. He told his soldiers to let the people know the sermon would be held on the road tomorrow.

  * * * *

  All were packed up an hour after first light, with forward observers already en route. They were instructed to secure a small plot of land one valley over from The West and Saddle Ranch properties.

  Baker rode on his chariot, known as a palanquin, or a covered litter used by ancient Indian and Chinese Royalty, carried by two to four men, and up to a dozen, depending on the miles ahead. He traveled in the middle of his large caravan, including thousands of men, women and children. The self-proclaimed Colonel had no interest in being the first or last in the migration and vulnerable to an attack.

  An epic journey across the plains of Northern Colorado to Saddle Ranch was only 50 miles, and that included detours, taking a few days to reach the valley adjacent to the goal. Forward scouts gave the all-clear, eliminating the few ranchers they encountered occupying the valley for the past fifty years.

  Two nights and three days were enough to make the journey to the smoke-filled valley. Baker ordered a week-long camp setup, complete with a compact dirt runway and a helicopter pad. High altitude drones surveyed the area of interest and confirmed to Baker that he had made the right decision to secure the pristine Valley for his followers. His tent flanked the very river Lance and his friends snuck down to fish many years ago and were greeted with rock salt from a shotgun by the same farmers who were buried one day ago, only two feet deep.

  * * * * * * *

  Chapter Thirteen

  Saddle Ranch

  Loveland, Colorado

  “We’ve got company,” announced Mac at the usual morning meeting.

  “I
rode the Rimrock with Cory last night and saw the first wave of them, maybe twenty in all, invade the adjacent valley. A trip over this morning confirmed they had secured the land, and our neighbors to the east are no more. We can only assume that valley will be overrun with hundreds, or possibly thousands, of refugees under Baker’s command over the next days.

  “Our efforts on this side need to be stepped up indefinitely until the Battle for the Valley is upon us. I am designating a twenty-four-hour detail to secure our Valley, starting right now. You, you, and the guy over there,” he pointed. “You’re all in advanced security notification. Drake is your lead. I’m going to catch hell from my girlfriend on this, but it’s for the best.”

  Drake, up and about for only an afternoon, was up for the task. “Let me get my dogs put up, and you have me for the night,” he pledged.