“Goddamn, mother fucking son of a bitch!” Welch tossed his empty mug across the room. It pissed him off even more that it didn’t break. “Arrogant shits announcing they took over pretty much.” His temper tantrum fell upon a quiet control room. “Get me Gilbert in Alaska.”
A few seconds later, a specialist announced, “Gilbert is on.”
“Gil,” Welch called out. “You hearing this shit?”
“I just heard,” Gilbert said over the speaker. “Did we surrender? Was there one?”
“Not that I know of,” Welch said. “But with arrogance like this, I am betting it’s not long until there is one.”
“You think they’re expecting one?”
“Oh, yeah, I think they know it’s coming.”
“So, what now?”
“Timing is still good,” Welch said. “Word is out. I’m waiting on a response and a yes.”
“What do you think?”
“I think intel is good, things are in order. I think you and others should hunker down… I’m pretty confident. This is will be a go. And in two days, this whole war will look a whole lot different.” Welch paused. “Thank God.”
Caldwell, OH
There was something intimidating about the big man named Harris, when he made his approach to the table. Cal had seen him before, he was always with the younger guy with the beat-up face. But the big man never made an attempt to register. Yet on this day, he not only made it to the table, he pushed his way through to get to Cal before the cut off. And no one argued with him. He brought the younger guy, Toby, with him.
“Name,” Cal asked.
“Harris Clemmons.”
“We need your help,” Toby said. His voice was weak and cracked.
“I don’t know what I can do,” Cal said. “Are you ill? Hurt?”
“Duh,” said Toby.
“I’m gonna stand here,” Harris said, “pretending I am checking in and you are going to answer his question.”
“How do you know you can trust me?” Cal asked.
“We don’t,” Harris answered. “I don’t care.”
“You know he needs medical attention,” Cal said.
“He needs to eat,” Harris said. “The feed us pig slop. He won’t eat it.”
“That’s not important,” Toby said. “We’re looking for our friend. She came in with us. She’s not here. We’re worried. Is she okay? Sick? Dead?”
“She?” Cal asked. “I can tell you that all women are kept separate. I haven’t registered any female deaths if that makes you feel better.”
Toby exhaled in relief. “Yes, dude, it does. Are you able to check her name?”
“Yes. What is it?”
“Marissa.”
“Marissa what?” Cal questioned.
Toby looked at Harris. “What’s her last name?”
“I don’t know. Shit.”
Cal threw up his hands. “We search by last names. It won’t even let me search first only. I’ll tell you what, I’ll look around. I’ll see what I can find out. When I come back later, I’ll let you know.”
“Time’s up!” a soldier shouted.
Cal shut the lid to his laptop. “I have to go.” He stood and reached for his items, stopping things from falling, and that’s when he saw them, the peanut butter packets. He inconspicuously grabbed them in his hand. “I will be in touch.” He held out his hand to Toby in a handshake manner.
Toby hesitated but as soon as he connected hands with Cal, his eyes widened.
“Take them,” Cal said. “It’s not much, but it’s food.”
“Thank you,” said Toby.
“Thanks, man,” Harris said.
Cal nodded and finished gathering his things. There was one other manner to tend to.
A phone message.
He wore a large bulky sweatshirt that hung pretty far covering the front pockets of his jeans where he kept that military phone. It vibrated when he received a message. No one could hear it, but his testicles knew when a message was received.
Cal had been feeling the vibration the last few minutes of the conversation.
He paused on the way to the next yard to use the porta john. Inside, he grabbed the phone from his pocket and held it near the vent for light.
“Sunday Mass at two o’clock. Lose the phone.”
Cal lowered his head in relief. If he understood the message, the liberation was going to take place the next day. Cal would be gone, but he would leave knowing he at least helped in some way.
It made him feel less guilty.
The message also gave an instruction, lose the phone, and Cal was happy to do so. Before leaving the porta john, he tossed it where no one would ever search… in the commode. When it splashed, he knew it was gone, and Cal walked out of the portable bathroom.
San Antonio, TX
General Liu stood leaning in toward a long table in his office. Other military personnel including Sergeant Huang were there. On the table was a large map of the area.
“We have a lot of manpower at these health camps,” General Liu said. “We need to move some around. The sick aren’t going anywhere. We have rebel activity up near Austin and our docks are getting hit daily down at Corpus Christi. Our men are tired. We have relief troops on the ships in the gulf. Let’s move those men in. Focus on these rebel…” He stopped talking and lifted his head when the doors to his office opened.
Fen walked in with four of her agents.
“Agent Shu, what can I do for you?” he asked.
She tried to stifle a smile, but it was hard to do. She looked smug. “General Liu, you are relieved of duty.”
“What?” he asked shocked.
“You were warned. You are charged with insubordination, sympathizing with the enemy, and treason. A field court martial has been issued. Evidence has been presented to our government leaders and you were found guilty of these crimes and you have been sentenced to death, at dawn, by a firing squad of your peers.” She looked at the agents to the left and her right. “Arrest and detain him.”
Sergeant Hung took a step toward Liu as they grabbed him.
“Sergeant,” she called out. “You are his assistant. Do we need to investigate you as well?”
Sergeant Huang stepped back.
“Thank you. Gentleman, I will have a replacement tomorrow.” She made eye contact with General Liu as he walked by her, then she followed, wishing the men in the room a good day, as she pulled the doors closed behind her.
The Kremlin, Russia
He had given all that he had left of him. His time, his concentration, his heart, but Petrov couldn’t sit on it any longer.
The time was at hand. It was time to make a decision and it was one he didn’t take lightly.
Prime Minister Winslet bailed on him. She was onboard until the last minute when she stated her constituents didn’t want to get involved and that she had citizens abroad that she wanted to bring home. When she did that, she opened up her harbor to receive goods from the United States. Not that it was enough to stop the chaos over food, but in Petrov’s mind it was enough to keep England under China’s control.
Winslet believed staying neutral and working with China was for the best. Or so she said.
It was what was best for the United States.
Petrov strongly disagreed.
China had finally admitted to the invasion and declared a strong victory.
There were still strong United States Military hubs out there. They had already successfully succeeded in disruption diversions, liberation of camps and releasing numerous small towns from the China stronghold.
It wasn’t much, but it was more than anyone expected.