“I have problems with your second idea. There were surely better opportunities to get to you if someone inside were providing information. And if they were staking out a place, why wouldn’t they stake out the ramp at McChord. It’s a far more likely that you’d show up there as opposed to a hospital where night runners are holding Lynn,” Frank comments.
“That leaves us with option three which means they have the means to track us at any time. That also means that they have a tremendous amount of intel on us and we have nothing on them. Like, are they local, or did the team they send have to travel? That implies a high level of coordination and organization,” I state.
“What that means is that they have satellite control,” Frank says. “And that could also be the reason our satellite communications have failed. They could have shut those comms down.”
“That means an awful lot of satellites,” Lynn mentions.
“That it does,” Frank replies. “I think we have to go with that assumption until we know anything different — work from the worst case scenario. You know that the comms and leadership are priority targets when initiating hostilities. And seeing how they targeted you, that means they have a pretty clear picture of our leadership.”
“I agree. We are at a distinct disadvantage. The implications are clear; we are dealing with a professional organization which brings us back to Harold’s theories. As much as I hate conspiracy theories, they are out there and with what happened, the little pieces, while individually not seeming like much, when put together, they present a much more worrisome and frightening picture. Have we had any word from Captain Leonard?” I ask.
“Not since we lost communication with you,” Frank answers.
“You’ve talked with our prisoner. Did you learn anything?” Lynn asks.
“Not really much other than he is a pro. I know he’s an Aussie and I’m guessing Australian SAS. I think I’ve discovered some of his buttons but haven’t gleaned anything of value so far. Unfortunately, these things take time, and that’s something I don’t think we have a lot of.”
“Do you think this a prelude to an assault, then?” Lynn asks.
“I don’t know but, if they’re after our leadership, that seems the next logical step,” I respond.
“We need to arrange longer patrols then. We can’t really afford to spare many of the teams being out, and that would put them at risk. We need aerial patrols and can have Craig and Roger conduct those in light aircraft. That way we can have some warning of anyone approaching,” Lynn says.
“Good idea. Let’s make that happen. I would venture that, because the shooter’s support team was located where they were, their main encampment is some distance away. That doesn’t mean anything and is only speculation,” I say.
“It makes sense,” Frank states.
I notice Drescoll is not his usual self, which is to be expected. He is quiet and fidgety. I let him know that it’s okay if he wants to take some time for himself — he doesn’t have to be here if he doesn’t want to be.
“No, this is where I want to be. I want to be a part of this,” he replies.
“So, what else can we be doing?” Bannerman asks.
“Well, as Frank mentioned, we have to take it that they know our leadership and may be targeting it. Greg is still out there, and we need to get him back. We also need to notify Leonard. Without our satellite comms, that means a flight down the seaboard to find him and attempt to communicate via UHF. If we are being targeted, our greatest defensive asset is the Spooky and it’s vulnerable on the ramp at McChord. We need to clear a runway nearby where it can be better protected. Bannerman, can we create a runway inside the compound?” I ask.
“There’s still some land that we aren’t using for pasture. We can grade a runway there if you’ll give me the specs you need,” he replies.
“That also means we’ll have to transport our ammo down and store it,” Frank comments.
“We can dig some bunkers but that will take time. In the meantime, we can store it in some of the storage containers. Fuel will be trickier, and we may have to transport the fuel down and store it in tanker trucks,” Bannerman says. “As soon as you get me the specs, we’ll start clearing a landing strip, though.”
“If we are looking at an attack, I think we need to start storing more of our ammo and vehicles here rather than at Fort Lewis,” Lynn states.
“Most of the crews are working to get material for the living quarters, but we can re-prioritize some crews. What and how much were you thinking? We have some space in the vehicle sheds, but it’s not unlimited,” Bannerman says.
“I’ll get with you after to see what we can bring down,” Lynn responds.
“So, let’s get Harold set up with the hard drive and see if he can dig anything out. We still don’t know this is what we’re dealing with, but I think we go along with that assumption for now. Frank, will you talk with Craig and Roger to arrange patrol schedules and, Lynn, get with Bannerman for the storage requirements. I’ll talk with our prisoner later today to see if he has any desire to share with us. If we can get a rudimentary runway carved out today, I’ll bring the Spooky and 130 down in the morning. We’ll meet tonight to discuss getting Greg and contacting Leonard,” I say.
“I think there is something else we need to discuss,” Franks chimes in.
All eyes turn on Frank.
“Go on,” I say.
“In all of this, we can’t forget about the threat of the night runners. We’ve picked up an increased presence of night runners around the bases. We don’t have a lot of cameras in place, but the pictures we’ve gathered from those few show an increase. I don’t know what that means. It could be that they are being pushed south out of the Seattle area due to a food shortage,” Franks says.
“Any idea of how many or pack sizes?” Lynn asks.
“It’s hard to tell from the occasional snapshot, but it seems like moderate pack sizes. I have no idea how many total may be in the area. Perhaps we could take the Spooky up some night and get a better picture,” Frank answers.
“We can do that. I believe our priority is to consolidate our resources, get Greg back, and contact Leonard soon,” I say.
“When you get back will be fine. I haven’t seen much of an increase, but it’s there. Let’s just not forget about it. And I’m wondering if there are any ramifications that might come from taking out the night runners at the hospital,” Frank adds.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Well, in the past, we’ve seen something from the night runners when we’ve struck. We began attacking them at night and hit one of their larger lairs, although they had moved, and then they attacked the compound here. It just seems that when we do something, they counter by changing tactics and seem to gain in their abilities. I’m just wondering if there is something that might spawn from this one.”
“I couldn’t even begin to hazard a guess. I’m hoping nothing happens as we took out the entire lot of them. But it does bear some thought. How many night runners do you think are in the area?”