Cascade box set 2, p.11
Cascade Box Set 2, page 11
Within thirty minutes Zach, Fiona, Bower and Michael were standing in the lobby of the courthouse, while soldiers moved past them, getting back in the vehicles.
Once they were alone Zach started talking. “The Hell Fire gang have given the camp an ultimatum, agree to the country being divided up in two, or war.”
There was a moment of silence as those standing around absorbed what was just said.
“Maybe… it’s not such a bad idea,” said Michael not wanting to look at anyone while speaking.
“Are you kidding me?” said Bower. “We give them half of the country, all they gonna do is get more powerful, and then come back and ask for the other half!”
“What areas do they want?” said Fiona to Zach.
“I don’t know yet. Abbey was given a map showing their plan.”
“What do you think?” said Bower.
“They have a lot of tanks, and air power. They can kill a lot of people with that kind of hardware.”
“Yeah but are we really going to trust them? That Geneva is—”
“Geneva’s out, some guy called Troy has taken over.”
Bower looked pensive as he was mulling things over.
Zach continued. “I should meet him, get a sense of if he’s someone we can deal with. Let’s get back on the road. We should be back at the camp just after sunup.”
Once back in the pickup Fiona informed Zach that the next one hundred miles contains lakes and forests and is probably a haven for E.L.F’s. He informed Wyatt and Diaz to stay alert.
As the convoy headed south towards the first of the large lakes they were to encounter, Fiona looked out at the still dark gray sky and open expanses peppered with tree like forms around her, and felt nothing. Not fear of what was hiding in the shadows or relief of finally almost being home. Her logical mind whispered the acronym PTSD to her amongst the flashbacks she kept having of two days earlier, but none of it mattered. She was a soldier, and her job was to do as she was ordered.
With Wyatt and Diaz’s help they maneuvered around the threats they intermittently came across and by 6 pm even their smaller radios were within range of the camp.
Zach’s radio cackled and Amanda Holland’s voice came through clear. “Major Felton are you there? Corporal Bell tells me you should be able to hear this? Over.”
Zach clicked on his radio. “Hearing you well councilor. We are about two hours out. Over.”
“Good. Please let me pass on my condolences to you regarding losing one of your team. Over.”
Zach waited for a response from Fiona to his right, but none came.
“Thank you Amanda,” said Zach. “I understand you are considering the plan from the Hell Fire gang? Over.”
“Not anymore, the council has come to a decision. Over.”
An unsettled feeling grew in the pit of Zach’s stomach. “Yes? Over.”
“We have decided to take their offer. This new man, Troy seems to be a reasonable person. There will have to be some negotiation over the fine detail of the border in certain area’s, but the camp and everyone inside will be safe, and we will have plenty of space to expand to other areas. Over.”
“I would have liked a chance to look over the map they proposed. Over.”
“That is not your concern Major. The council will be meeting with a delegation from the Hell Fire gang at noon today. Over.”
“Meeting where? Over.”
“A small town about a hundred miles north-east of the camp. The officers here have informed me that it’s a place we can deploy our troops easily if we need too. Over.”
Zach noticed Fiona look at him, but continued. “All the council will be going? Over.”
“That is the terms this Troy man has asked for. He said he needs to hear it from the lips of all on the council, that he wouldn’t trust just one of us to talk for the rest. Over.”
“You don’t think that’s a risk? Over.”
There was a moment of radio static before she continued. “It is a risk Zach, but we feel to avoid what might come next it’s something we have to do. Over.”
“Then I need to be with your delegation when you go to the town. Over.”
“I presumed you would want time away from all of this, at least for a few hours. Over.”
Zach sighed and nodded his head. “I should be there councilor. Over.”
“Very well then Major. Over.”
Static returned to Zach’s radio.
“This is a mistake,” said Fiona looking out of the side window.
“Yup,” said Zach.
“I might not be a military strategist, but having all of the council in one place? Outside the walls? Seems not such a good thing,” said Michael behind them.
Bowers voice came from Zach’s radio. “Zach, my squad will come with you as well. Over.”
Zach smiled. “That suggestion is appreciated Captain. Over,” he put the mike down and looked at the tinge of light blue that was increasing to the east. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
As Zach pulled into the parking lot of the Core the sun was up, but the overcast day wasn’t that brighter.
Abbey emerged from the lobby entrance and half walked half ran across the damp concrete to the convoy. Zach contained his shock of how she looked and instead was grinning from ear to ear when he got out and Abbey embraced him.
She pulled back. “I hope you don’t mind the bandages and things.”
“You look beautiful.”
She noticed Fiona getting out of the Humvee, and went to move towards her but stopped when Fiona walked away towards the lobby entrance.
Michael walked up to her and gave her a warm embrace. “You kicked their asses right?”
She smiled. “No, but it’s on my to-do list.”
Wyatt walked up to her awkwardly and just as she went to hug him there was a squawk from above together with an updraft and Mo landed with a light thud a few yards from them.
“Mo!” she yelped and tentatively walked towards and then kneeled near the winged creature.
He’s head was bobbing up and down while giving out mild squawking noises.
“It’s good to see you too buddy!” She then looked up at Wyatt. “Thank you for keeping him safe.”
Captain Bower joined them, while his tired squad walked to the lobby.
“This is Captain Bower, he and his squad helped keep us alive over the last few days,” said Zach.
Abbey stood and held out her hand, which Bower quickly shook. “Thank you Captain.”
“My pleasure ma’am,” he then smiled and followed his people in the direction of the lobby.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” said Michael looking at Abbey.
“Yes, definitely!”
Michael then followed the Captain, leaving Zach and Abbey alone.
Her face turned to one of sadness. “I can’t believe Cal’s gone. How has Fiona been?”
Zach frowned. “I don’t know, she’s mostly kept to herself. I think she’s still processing. We all are.”
“How did it happen?” The words came out with an urgency she wasn’t sure she meant.
“We stumbled upon their forces. Convoy miles long of serious hardware. We took up defensive positions and waited to record what we saw, to get the information back here. I sent Cal to the top of an advertising mast to be our main eyes. And… these creatures appeared. They wanted to attack…”
Abbey could tell Zach was having trouble making his thoughts form words, and she embraced him briefly again. “You can tell me later. For now, Holland and Garland are waiting for you inside. They are leaving soon for the town. A drone has been dispatched to scout the area already.”
Zach nodded and they both walked to the lobby. Leaving Abbey he made his way to the main operations hall where Garland, Holland, Fiona, Elijah as well as others he didn’t recognize were standing around computer consoles and screens. He was surprised to see Fiona there, but now wasn’t the time to question her motives.
“Good to see you back Major,” said Holland. She then looked up at the large screen at the front of the hall. It showed footage of trees, fields and roads from high above. “This is a live feed from our drone, as you can see the area looks quite dead. We are not picking up gang or E.L.F activity there.”
Next to the live feed was an image of the United States, with a red line dividing the continent from west of Montana heading south-east across Kansas and ending up a few hundred miles to the east of New Orleans.
“As you can see most of the areas we have already explored would be ours anyway—”
“Ma’am with all greatest respect. While they do have a lot of military hardware, so do we. Are we really willing to give up on half the country? There are communities out there, that we have no right to just hand over to those people and what happens when they return in a year’s time wanting more territory?”
Holland gave a stern look at Zach. “Unlike yourself most in this camp are not soldiers. They are just ordinary citizens who have survived the end of the world. They have no appetite for war.”
Zach had no doubt she was right about the people in the camp. Millions were trying to restart their lives, it was no surprise they did not want to plunge back into trying to stay alive once more, but leaders need to lead. He kept his thoughts to himself. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Myself, and the four other councilors will leave with our escort shortly for the town of Coral,” the middle-aged woman then turned and left with some others.
Zach looked at Garland and Elijah who were both quiet. “You have a plan if all of this goes sideways?”
“Of course Major,” said Garland. “Our delegation will go on land with a platoon, but six apaches will go ahead of them and will be stationed close by. There will also be constant drone coverage of the town and its surrounding area. It’s about as close as you can get to complete protection.”
“What about protection from the things out there?” Elijah pointed in no particular direction.
“The platoon will have two Cascaders to take care of that side of things.”
Zach looked at the old man he had ignored for months. “What’s your take on this?”
Elijah looked back up at the big screens. “I think they are playing us. At least that’s what I would do. But the council wants to play the game anyway.”
“You think we should give up on half the country?”
“Hell no! But the more time we have to gather intel on their force strength the better we can defend against it.”
Zach frowned. “Okay.”
After a quick wash, and some food and drink with Abbey in the mess hall, Zach was back on the road with Bowers squad and Fiona. He strongly advised that she stay behind, but to be honest when she said ‘no’ he was relieved. He needed someone he trusted on this trip, even if he wasn’t sure her head was one hundred percent in the right place.
It was 10 am when they left by the north gate. Two main battle tanks and five armored personnel carriers, carrying twenty-four heavily armed troops, five council members and Zach and Fiona rattled onto the main road.
The skies above them were cloudy and gray. It was only a matter of time before rain would fall.
In their APC was councilor Sawyer the man who had switched his vote at the last minute, which meant the Cascaders ended up being interned. Zach examined him. He was a slim man in his late fifties, with a full head of hair which was surprisingly gray free. He looked like someone who could sell you insurance you didn’t need.
Sawyer noticed Zach was looking at him and leaned forward holding his hand out. “Corey Sawyer, nice to meet you. Major Felton, right?”
Zach remained motionless. “That’s my name.”
Sawyer sat back smiling. “Well I feel safer knowing you’re on this historic trip.”
Fiona who was sitting next to Zach looked at the older man who was sweating despite the temperature hovering around freezing.
An hour and a half later after a few pauses to avoid running into E.L.F’s they were entering the town of Coral. The convoy pulled off the main street into a side road and soon pulled up outside a church.
“It really does get hot in these things,” said Sawyer getting to his feet as the rear hatch of the APC opened. He quickly made his way out.
A light rain had been falling as Zach and Fiona stepped out onto the road and looked around.
It was a relatively small town, with only a few buildings taller than two stories. The church they were told the meeting would happen at was a modern building pretending to be old.
One of the tanks had left the convoy a few minutes before and was stationed at one end of the street, while the other continued on for a few hundred yards and stopped. Half of the soldiers immediately fanned out into the nearby buildings, while the others formed a protective cordon around the councilors as they approach the church’s entrance.
Zach eyed the tallest building in the town, which was six floors high and on the corner of the long street they were in.
Fiona followed his gaze. “Gonna be hard to defend this position from the gang or E.L.F’s.”
“Yup,” said Zach following the group of soldiers and councilors into the church.
The entrance lobby was modest with stone colored walls intermixed with dark brown woodwork. Crucifixes hung at angles on the walls, together with the occasional statue.
Straight away Zach could see the Hell Fire gangs people had already arrived, for at the far side of the church in front of the pews was a long table, which three people were sitting at. Behind them were at least another twenty people with a tall man that Zach recognized from the cellular phone footage taken from inside the courthouse the day Tinley escaped. He also knew him as someone that Abbey had described. Even from the other end of the hall this man looked like a dog waiting to attack.
Zach and Fiona walked down the center aisle and sat halfway to the front. The councilors flanked by soldiers who had their hands on their M4 automatic rifles moved to the front, as they did a man with a tattoo on his arm got to his feet.
“Thank you for coming. My name is Troy. You must be the five that make up the council of your camp?”
Holland stepped forward. “Yes, I am Amanda Holland, to my right is Tyrell Flack, Corey Sawyer and on my left, Daniel Stone and Hilary Forster.”
“Good, please take a seat. The man to my left is Aaron Lowe and to my left Arla Vila.”
The counselors did as asked.
“On the table ahead of you, as you can see is the same map that we gave to the woman we returned to you. And—”
“Yes, about that map of yours. If we agree to those borders, we will need compensation.”
“Compensation?”
“We have or had a number of outposts scattered around the country. It is our understanding that your people destroyed them. We would want compensation for the destruction you caused.”
Zach watched as Troy was unsure how to react to the request.
“What do you want?”
“You seem to have a lot of military hardware. We want some of it. Especially your planes.”
Troy started laughing. The men and women behind him shifted uneasily. “I’m sure you do, but you have manufacturing plants, you can build what you need. Everything we have we scavenged for. So that request will have to be denied.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
Aaron leaned over and whispered something in Troy’s ear, who nodded in response. “How about—”
As Troy explained what they were willing to offer, Zach looked at those standing behind Troy. There was something off about them. None of them were armed, and except for the angry looking man with the ponytail they weren’t exactly in fighting shape. Nor were they all young. Some looked painfully frail, while others looked so nervous they couldn’t stand still. They're no match for our troops, so why are they here?
A click came from Zach’s radio. He then got to his feet and walked back to the lobby and stepped outside. Standing on the steps he clicked it on and looked up at the high building at the end of the block. “What is it? Over.”
“We have a problem. Over,” said Bower.
*****
Captain Bower stood on the roof of a once grand hotel and looked out across the town of Coral to the fields and hills beyond and saw movement. Lots of it.
Zach had asked him and his squad to follow behind them and to take up position in the highest building they could find, and to also not tell Garland. Bower was uneasy about going ‘off-book’ but he understood the importance of what was going down and if it gave their side an advantage he was fine with it.
In his hands was a powerful scope, which he had used on many occasions when his squad had been sent out. Right now he wasn’t liking what it was showing him.
He turned to Diaz who was alongside him. “You sensing anything?”
She shook her head. “They are too far out. I can only sense them within a few miles. They look, what? Ten miles away?”
He handed her his scope. “Here take a look, try and tell me what types they are.”
“Okay, but I don’t know much about the science stuff.”
“It’s the same to the north,” shouted Freeman in his matter of fact manner. He was knelt looking through his riflescope about twenty yards away on the opposite side of the old roof.
Bower continued on his radio to Zach. “E.L.F’s. A whole bunch are approaching the town, from it looks all sides. Over.”
“How long we got until they are here. Over?”
Bower looked at Diaz who could hear what Zach asked.
“I dunno, they are moving pretty fast, maybe five-ten minutes,” she responded.
“Five-ten minutes. Over.”
“Are they large? How much of a threat we talking? Over,” said Zach still outside the church.
Bower took the scope back from Diaz and looked while holding the radio. “Oh yeah, they’re large. Some look similar to what we came across at the junction in Montgomery. Huge ape looking things, they are tearing up the forests on their—”
“In the air!” shouted Hayes looking up at countless dark dots miles out.
