The Army Comes Calling Page 5

  Hannah laughed, breaking the tension a bit.

  “And if he stops to pick up a frappacino, I hope he brings me one too. Eight years is a long time to go without one.”

  Each of the rigs was open top, with high rails. Bryan, positioned on the east side of the roof, watched through high powered binoculars and called over the radio.

  “All the trailers are empty.”

  Mark had been scouting the woods east of the compound for the previous two hours, looking for snipers or scouts.

  “All clear on the east side.”

  David had been doing the same thing on the opposite side of the compound.

  “All clear on the west side.”

  From the roof, Bryan added, “I don’t know if you guys can see all of the rigs. Each one has a driver and a passenger. Sixteen men, total.”

  That was more than they had hoped would come. If it turned ugly, it meant they might take some heavy losses.

  Bryan spoke again.

  “Okay, here comes the chopper, approaching from the west.”

  Colonel Montgomery’s extraction team had already radioed in to report they were in place. The truth was he’d been in the area for twenty minutes, a couple of miles west of the compound.

  But he liked to make a grand entrance, as many career Army officers do.

  So he instructed his pilot to lay low and hover for a few minutes.

  Just to let the tension build.

  As they approached the compound, the pilot reported to the colonel that he couldn’t touch down where he did before. There just wasn’t enough space now, with three fifty three foot trailers taking up much of the space.

  “We’ll have to touch down just south, on the other side of that small stand of trees.”

  Montgomery didn’t like it. If there were men in those trees, it would be easy to ambush him before his men could react.

  But then, the same was true of the original landing site as well.

  The chopper touched down and Montgomery hopped off with Major Koziol. They walked the seventy yards or so to meet with John and Frank, at precisely the same place they’d spoken two days before.

  The four shook hands.

  John noticed that the colonel’s swagger was gone. So was the cockiness. Instead, he had a genuinely warm smile on his face.

  At least it appeared to be genuine. Or, John noted, it may have been a smile rooted in Montgomery’s knowing that he got what he wanted. He won.

  Or so he thought. Actually, he was only getting a quarter of what he was originally wanted. But if he settled for that and was happy, then so much the better.

  Colonel Montgomery broke the ice.

  “You’re calling the shots, gentlemen. How’s this process going to work?”

  John pointed to a sandbagged bunker, built in the tree line just north of the three trucks. It wasn’t hidden from view, but then it wasn’t meant to be. John and Frank wanted the Army to know they weren’t willing to just roll over if things got ugly.

  “We’ve got two men in that bunker, and two men in a similar bunker that you can’t see, on the other side of our trailers. We’ve also got four snipers in the trees.”

  John was lying about the number of riflemen he had. There were no snipers, and only one man in each of the bunkers. And they’d been told to hold their fire unless John and Frank were in danger.

  But the colonel didn’t know that.

  “We want you to understand that at no time will you or your troops come under fire, unless you attack Frank and me. Our men have fully automatic rifles, and they are trained not on you or your men, but on our three trailers. If there are any problems at all, they will open fire on the trailers and kill all the animals inside of them. Their gunfire will be the signal for the men inside of our barns to do the same with our own livestock. In other words, if you get greedy you wind up with nothing.

  “One trailer contains cattle. One contains swine, and the other contains chickens in wire cages.

  “We will stand by while your men enter each of the trucks and count the animals.

  “Once you have your inventory, we will escort you into our compound. You alone. Your major can stay out here and oversee the transfer operation.

  “When you are in our compound, you are free to look around and examine each of our buildings, to make sure that our numbers do not exceed your own. We don’t want to be accused later on of giving you less than your share.

  “You will be under heavy guard while you are in the compound, but I give you my personal assurance that no harm will come of you.”

  John turned his attention to Major Koziol.

  “Major, you have an option. If you want to use your own trailers, your men can back them up to ours and transfer the stock from our trailers to yours.

  “It might be easier, though, to have three of your drivers drop their trailers on the shoulder of the highway and take ours. They can come back to swap them out later on if they wish.”

  Montgomery chewed on John’s words for a few moments and replied, “I see no need to inspect your buildings to count your livestock. You appear to me to be an honest man.

  “However, I’ll admit that I’m curious. I’d like to take a tour of your operation in general, to see what you’ve been able to accomplish. If you’d be so kind as to grant me that courtesy, of course. Perhaps I can pick up some ideas to take back for our own operation. You see, I’m not a farmer by trade. I’m old school military. What I know about farming and ranching would fit into my trouser pocket. You people, on the other hand, have done something few others have been able to accomplish. You’re obviously very good at it. I’d like to learn from you, and be allies instead of adversaries.”

  John was a bit leery of the colonel’s words, but was willing to accept the olive branch.

  “Very well, colonel. Follow me. I’ll give you the grand tour.”

  Chapter 11

  Colonel Montgomery took off his web belt and side arm and handed it to Major Koziol. John hadn’t insisted on it, but appreciated the gesture.

  As the three walked back toward the compound’s walk-thru gate, Hannah put out a warning on the radio.

  “Looks like we’ve got a visitor. Sami, are you still on the gate?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “Okay, they’re just outside it now. Go ahead and let them in.”

  Colonel Montgomery was impressed. It seemed this ragtag bunch of civilians were able to set up a fairly effective security system.

  John purposely didn’t introduce Sami as they passed through the gate. He didn’t want to give out any intelligence about which people in the value were related to one another, just in case this friendly visit was a ruse. He didn’t want to help the colonel identify the high value targets.

  Sami relocked the gate after the three men walked through and called in.

  “Gate’s secure, Hannah. They’re coming in.”

  “Ten four. Would you shadow them, in case John needs anything?”

  “Will do.”

  The men walked into the first floor of the big house, and John showed the colonel the key areas. He purposely stayed away from the control center. He didn’t think it was the Army’s business how extensive their security system was.

  “There don’t seem to be a lot of people around,” the colonel observed.

  “As I said out front, our shooting teams are either in their bunkers with their weapons trained on your half of the livestock, or they’re in the barns with our half. All of them have the same marching orders: if anything turns ugly, they are to kill the animals immediately.

  “Non mission essential personnel have been instructed to remain in their apartments. It’s standard protocol here anytime we have to deal with a real or perceived threat.”

  “Is that the way you see us, Mr. Jacoby? As a threat?”

  “Yes. The way you came in here demanding all of our animals, and then coming back to take half of them, is there any other way you’d expect us to see you?”

>   “No. No, I suppose not. I apologize for that. In my business, people don’t normally cooperate by my being nice and asking politely for things. On the other hand, when they can see I’m not playing around, they tend to be much more cooperative. I have my own marching orders, and I have to be firm to accomplish my mission. I don’t expect you to accept that or understand. I wouldn’t if I were in your shoes. But I would like for you to accept my apology for the way we came busting in here.

  “If it’s any consolation, we’re working toward the same goal, in the end. To help make the world relatively normal again, and to help make sure that someday everyone has enough to eat again.”

  The men were at the greenhouses now, with Sami a few steps behind them.

  “We’ve got two greenhouses, just as we have two of pretty much everything else here. I didn’t design the compound, but I have to give kudos for the people who did.”

  “Why two of everything?”

  “I can’t take credit for the advance planning the people did when they designed everything. I was invited at the last minute, just before Saris 7 hit the earth. And the only reason I was invited at all was because my daughter was best friends with Hannah, one of the people who did design the compound.

  “I asked the same question: ‘Why two of everything?’ And once they explained their logic to me, it made good sense.

  “They saw redundancy as the key to survival. In case the unforeseen happened, they didn’t want to have all of their eggs in one basket, so to speak.

  “Say, for example, a bad storm destroyed one of the greenhouses. By having the same types of crops in two different greenhouses, we wouldn’t lose all the crops. We’d lose no more than half of them. And we could deal with that while figuring out how to repair the damaged greenhouse.”

  “What if the storm took out both of them?”

  “Then we fall back to our plan B. Replace them and use our seed stores to grow new ones once the new greenhouses are built. The seed stores are also split up and stored in two different places, using the same principle.

  “And that reminds me, I have a package of seeds that Karen asked me to give you. We’ll grab them on our way out.”

  “Karen?”

  “Karen’s our resident agronomist. She’s got the greenest thumb I’ve ever seen. She can grow a turnip from a brick in the dead of winter. And it’ll be the tastiest turnip you’ve ever eaten. Your mouth will water and you’ll beg her for more.”

  “I doubt it. I hate turnips.”

  “Same goes for strawberries and watermelons and tomatoes too.”

  “She’s been able to grow strawberries and melons as well?”

  The look of little boy excitement on the colonel’s face told John that he’d finally gotten the man’s attention.

  “The seed pack I’ll give you was packed especially for you. Karen said there are over a hundred different kinds of seeds in there. Pretty much anything you can grow in a greenhouse. And there are citrus seeds and fruit tree seeds as well, in case none of the trees out there survived the freeze.”

  Montgomery was impressed. And grateful too.

  “Thank you. Will I get the chance to thank Karen myself?”

  “I’m afraid not. She’s not just a grower. She’s also a warrior. And she’s manning her battle station in the event you or your men do something stupid.”

  “Look, John, believe it or not, we are not enemies. I know I came off as harsh and uncaring the first time we met, but that’s the way I’ve had to deal with people lately. People see us as representatives of the government, and just naturally assume we’re here to do them harm. So they want nothing to do with us.”

  “We wouldn’t have treated you that way. We planned to share what we had from the beginning. We’d have worked with you, if you’d have only asked.”

  Montgomery felt sheepish, and looked at the ground.

  But John wasn’t ready to let him of the hook. Not just yet.

  “It kind of goes back to that honey thing. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”

  “I understand. I was heavy handed when I didn’t need to be. I offer you my humble apologies. Perhaps in time we’ll consider ourselves friends and I can find a way to make it up to your people. In the meantime, please give your folks my heartfelt apology. And my heartfelt thanks to Karen. I suspect she’s giving us many of the seeds that our own agronomists have been searching high and low for. And if that’s the case, then she’s just expanded the diet of tens of thousands of people.”

  “I’ll pass that on to her. She’ll be happy to know it.”

  Montgomery looked at the barns and the fields.

  “So, I assume you have so many barns for the same reason? Redundancy?”

  “Exactly. We separated each group of animals into two sections, and they are stored on opposite ends of the compound. They are never allowed to mingle. If one herd comes down with, say, hoof and mouth disease, the other herd shouldn’t be affected.

  “Likewise, the crops are the same way. We have a small crop of corn on the north side of the compound and an identical crop on the south side. If a blight or infestation is detected in one crop, it will be immediately burned. Hopefully before it spreads to the other side. Of course, if we lose both crops, we have seed stores to try again the following year.”

  Montgomery was duly impressed.

  “It sounds like the people who designed this place were pretty intelligent.”

  “I’d say so. They’re all scientists and engineers.”

  Chapter 12

  Hannah, still manning the control center, watched as Colonel Montgomery left the compound and returned to the helicopter.

  Montgomery’s men were just finishing up with the animal transfer and were securing their loads for the drive back to Kelly Air Force Base.

  She muttered to herself, “Well, so far, so good.”

  Sarah got on the radio and called out, “Hey, Hannah Banana, how about some status on what’s going on?”

  John had warned her about maintaining radio discipline. He told her ahead of time that when he was with the colonel, the colonel would be able to hear anything that came over John’s radio.

  And he admonished her not to let any unnecessary information get out.

  Hannah answered Sarah.

  “Keep manning your machine gun position, Sarah. I’ll let you know when you can stand down.”

  Hannah closely watched the monitor and saw Montgomery turn and look inquisitively at John.

  She could almost hear Montgomery’s words:

  “You guys have machine guns?”

  Hannah giggled. She’d probably get chewed out when John returned.

  But maybe not. The two of them shared the same sense of humor. And John might like it if Colonel Montgomery thought they were more heavily armed than they really were.

  Sarah pouted. She was tired of being kept in the dark and wondering what was going on.

  As John and the colonel stood near his helicopter, Major Koziol joined them. The major said, “All loaded up and ready to roll, colonel.”

  “Very well. Send them out. And tell them to be careful. The cargo they’re carrying is worth more than its weight in gold.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Koziol rendered a crisp salute and Montgomery returned it.

  John wasn’t at all surprised. It occurred to him that Montgomery was the kind of man who would always insist on the highest order of military discipline.

  Even after the world had gone to hell.

  John stood next to Frank as each of them shook the colonel’s hand and bid him farewell.

  Montgomery walked away, but only got a few feet before shopping in his tracks. He returned and asked, “Would it be acceptable if I returned soon for a social visit? I could give you an update on your animals and seeds, and perhaps I could offer my apologies to the rest of your people in person.”

  “Come by anytime, colonel. Now that we’ve decided we’re not adversaries, perhaps we can a
ll become friends.”

  “I’d like that. And on behalf of the United States government and the people of Bexar County, thank you again for your help.”

  With that, he boarded his chopper. The major climbed in at the same time, and the craft lifted off into the clouds.

  John and Frank watched until it was completely out of sight.

  The last of the trucks was pulling out at the same time.

  “Hannah, this is John. As soon as the trucks are out of sight you can give everyone the all clear. However, I’d like for the people in the mine to stay there for a couple of hours in case I’ve misjudged this guy and he returns.”

  John had spent many years as a policeman, and even though he and Montgomery had come to terms, he was still a tad bit suspicious of the man’s motives. In all likelihood, he probably always would be.

  “Ten four, John.”

  Then, three minutes later, “Okay. All trucks are out of sight now. Everybody stand down. Those of you who are in the mine, please stay there for the time being. We’ll let you know when it’s safe to return.

  Debbie asked, “But how will we start preparing for dinner if we can’t come out of the mine and get to the kitchen?”

  “Don’t worry about it, Debbie. Sami’s gonna relieve me on the desk shortly. I’ll head for the kitchen and start dinner.”

  Bryan asked, “You’re cooking dinner?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “Um… can we just have MREs instead?”

  “Oh, shut up!”

  Chapter 13

  “Okay, if everyone is pretty much finished eating, I’d like to call the meeting to order.”

  Everyone except Bryan put down their forks and pushed their plates aside. Bryan had a well-deserved reputation for being a bit uncivilized. He didn’t see anything wrong with talking while his mouth was full, even as those around him averted their eyes or cast him disapproving looks.

  Sarah had once tried to break him of that particular habit, which she found annoying and thought it would set a bad example for the children they’d eventually have.

  “But honey,” he whined, “I don’t have that many bad habits. And I always thought my good habits outweighed the bad. All in all, I think I’m quite a catch.”