The Independents (34 page)

Wayne
, as usual, had outdone himself with the evening meal. All around the large dinner table, napkins were placed on top of empty plates while last sips of water were taken. It was almost as if every man and woman seated at the table were afraid to waste a single morsel of food given the starvation being experienced by the rest of the nation. The sound of chairs being scooted back from the table could be heard th
roughout the estate as the well-
fed attendees rose and prepared for the serious business yet to come.

Th
e twenty people staying at the s
enator’s home had begun arriving by helicopter, private car
,
and even military escort some hours ago. For the most part, th
eir leader had remained secluded
, giving his guests time to acclimate to their new surroundings. When din
ner had been announced, the attendees
had promptly arrived and been shown to their seat
s
. The meal had been consumed with little conversation. These were serious people, with a serious mission
,
during serious times.

The
dignitaries
included United States Congressmen, career military officers
,
academics
,
and
even
a Supreme Court Judge
. Senator Moreland hoped that one day this group
of distinguished patriots
would be considered the founding fathers of
their time
.
While the Constitution was never questioned by anyone in the organization, the interpretation or meaning would have been heartily debated given the opportunity. This night however, there would be no chance of that h
appening. They all
understood that if the actions they had
initiated
failed, there would
n’t
be
a
need to even read the founding document, let alone discuss its intent. They had to establish order and leadership in a significant portion of the country before it was too late. Th
e
recent news that they were
going to have competition from t
he
President
of the United States
was a little disconcerting
. Everyone kn
ew the significance of that information
. Everyone understood the potential for civil war.

No one had to call t
he meeting to order. As the participants
took their seat
s
,
Wayne
distributed a
packet of p
apers
to each of th
e attendees
. Inside each neatly bound bundle were intelligence briefings, strategic milestones
,
and lists of deliverables for each and every person seated at the meeting.
After
Wayne
finished his deliveries,
Senat
or Moreland waited for them
to browse the contents within.

The s
enator casually strolled to the front of the room and cleared his throat. The room fell quiet.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for attending our conference. I know the journey here was difficult for many of you, but I felt the situation warranted the effort. As you all know, we
’ve
been extremely successful these last few weeks in recruiting others to our cause. We now control over 30% of the active duty armed forces and over
4
0% of the Reserve and National Guard units. Our brothers in the
military
have decided our cause is ju
st. As of yesterday, Dade count
y Florida joined our network
,
and
martial law was lifted
by the
c
ommanding g
eneral of greater
Miami. We are busily trying to re
establish basic services and provide food for the general population
there
. Our first tanker of fuel refined at the
facilities under our control in Texas will arrive at the port of Miami tomorrow. We intend to have electrical power restored in a few days
,
as well as a reconstitution of the Miami police and fire departments. Already, the military units that were controlling Miami are making arrangements to withdraw and can be deployed wherever we feel is necessary.”

Moreland glanced
around the room at the app
roving nods and gestures. He had started
this meeting on a positive note
,
even though
everyone
knew the tone was destined to change.

“U
ntil now, we have not directly confronted the forces loyal to the
president
and the executive branch. Always, we have either offered leadership to areas ignored by the pentagon or recruited those who were disenfranchised by the illegal martial law being forced on the people.”

Again, many of the heads in the room nodded their understanding and agreement.

“As you all know, that situation is about to change. Six weeks ago, our experts agreed and recommended that we focus our efforts on the Mississippi River Delta. We designated the plan D
elta1. Once rule of law is
esta
blished i
n this region, it will house
a central
ized base of operations,
spreading out both east and west. Our plan had always been t
o use our strength in the geographical center
of America as a negotiation point with the
resident
should a confrontation ever become necessary. Recently, we learned that our idea had been validated by none other than the Pentagon and those loyal to the
president
. They have arrived at the same basic conclusion. Our sources inside of the
president
’s staff inform me that they still have no idea of our existence, let alone our plan.”

The s
enator glanced
around the room
, after noting a collective sigh of relief from his audience.
For days, there had been the fear that
the Independents
also
had a mole inside of the
ir
operation.

The s
e
nator’s tone became very somber.
“There is an excellent chance
the
president
is about to be briefed on our existence.
One of his emissaries
, sent to scout Beaumont
,
Texas,
rejected recruitment
,
and worse yet, esca
ped interception by our agents.”

Both
Wayne
and Senator Moreland carefully watched the reaction in the room. After a short pause, he continued, “
Neither
I, nor anyone else in the room, authorized the actions that were taken in an attempt to recruit that particular emissary. It was poorly handled
,
and those responsible have been relieved of their positions. Regardless, there is now a man who knows far too much information about our group,
its
plans and
sensitive
operations on the loose. We believe this man is trying to report back to the
president
. As of this afternoon, he has not, but that could change at any moment.”

The s
enator
took
a few sips from a glass of water beside his chair. He
used the time to gauge his audience’s reaction again before he continued.
“So my esteemed colleagues, we have a decision to make. Do we back down from Delta1? Or should we continue, knowing full well that eventually we will have a confront
ation with our fellow Americans?
This confrontation, as we all know,
would most likely lead to civil war.”

One of the guest
s
ra
ised his hand to comment.
“Senator, what is the status of the Navy and the Air Force?”

Moreland nodded to one of the generals who
were
in attendance. The military man faced the room to make his announcement. “The Navy’s carrier battle
groups are in port, scattered prominently at major bases along the US coast,
such as San Diego
and
Pearl
Harbor.
M
ost of the sailors have been re
tasked to secure the bases. We know that San Diego and Norfolk are having trouble hanging on due to the level of social unrest. We have several smaller vessels under our control, but the big ships are not operational at this time. From what I am told, the Navy can barely feed its own, much less put to sea and project any power.”

The general officer clea
red his throat and continued.
“The Air Force seems to be sitting this one out. We don’t believe either side has much in the area of
large-scale
air assets. They seem to be in a similar situation as the Navy in that guarding their own bases is about all their personnel can handle. We have a few Air National Guard units at our disposal, but nothing of consequence. If this turns into a fight, it
is primarily going to be a land-based conflict
.”

Several head
s
nodded their understanding
, and the general sat down. Senator Moreland
returned t
o the front of the room and scanned the faces of the attendees
as if to ask if there were any further questions. When no additional inquiries were made, a break was called to give
the participants
a chance to discuss what had been presented.

The s
enator had
wanted
everyone together due to the sheer gravity of the decision. He had expected hours, perhaps even days of serious debate. It came as
a complete shock to both
Wayne
and him when, after only twenty minutes, a vote was taken and a path chartered. O
peration Delta1 would continue, despite the potential threat represented by the
military
forces loyal to the
president
.

After the meeting had adjourned and the guest
s
had
al
l left, Senator Moreland relaxed in
th
e great room while he
surveyed
the valley below. He replayed the day’s events in his mind before deciding to retire.

The valley
that
sprawled below the mountain estate
was blessed with wisdom more ancient than that of man. Often it had sustained life, when the mountains around it became barren.
The decisions made during the gathering meant no mo
re to the valley
than the first Continental Con
gress had meant to the bedrock
under Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia
.
It wouldn’t have mattered if t
he valley had shared its sage advice.
Men had long ago forgotten its language.

Bishop drove the Hummer to the Meraton gas station
.
After the blocking van
rolled aside
, he pulled into the
compou
nd, and
the entrance
immediately
closed
upon
hi
s passing. Roberto observed the deep stress lines in Bishop’s expression and attempted humor to raise his spirits. The mechanic carefully examined
the once beautiful car
, kicking a tire for good measure
,
before he said a word.
“Let me guess, your state safety inspection is expired
,
and you want an oil change?”

Bishop just looked at the man and blinked. Roberto decided to keep going,
“I sure am seeing a lot of bullet damage these days. What do you have in mind?”

Bishop
finally
smiled and responded.
“I will trade you two MP5’s and six full magazines
,
if you will make some modifications for me. I need this done by tomorrow morning. Did you ever see an old western movie called
“’
The War Wagon?
’
”

Roberto smiled and
tried to be funny again
. “What a classic!
I used to have the Spanish version on Betamax years ago.”

“Well
,
sir, I want to create a slightly mo
dernized version of the war w
agon
,
minus the horses. I need to
‘
up armor
’
this vehicle.”

Roberto’s eyebrows arched,
“Are you planning to haul
gold like they did in the movie?”

Bishop shook his head,
“Nope. I plan on hauling something more valuable, but not as heavy. I need the car to be bullet resistant
,
and I’ve got a few ideas
about
how to do that.”

Roberto thought for a few moments about Bishop’s
request
.
“I don’t have
much
steel plate around here, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Bishop shook his head, “No, that would probably
take too long
anyway. I’m thinking more about surrounding the passenger compartment with sand. I also need the top cut off
and the back seats taken out
. Remove all the glass
;
make as much space
inside as you can
. I’m visualizing something like
a Baja dune buggy, only Hummer-
sized. I want you to check all of the vital mechanics as well – this baby took some heavy fire
,
and who knows what got hurt in the process.”

Roberto circled
the Hummer again, scratching his chin
, and then examined
underneath
the vehicle
for several minutes. Bishop
explained his ideas about
fill
ing
the
door panels with sand and creating
another barrier behind the front seats that would protect them from anyone shooting from the rear.

After inspecting the engine compartment, he looked at Bishop and extended his hand, “Deal.”

Bish
op shook the man’s hand and asked
, “Can you have it by in the morning?”

“Yes, it will be ready.
It’s not like I have a long waiting list of customers these days.
”
Bishop finally laughed.

After Bishop
left the garage, he looked
for Terri.
The two had quite a few
decisions to make and kept being interrupted.
Bishop found his wife
in the hotel pool swimming in a pair
of his old gym shorts and a t-
shirt. Bis
hop waited until she came up for air
and then gave a long wolf whistle.
Her head snapped around, surprised to see her husband sitting in one of the lounge chairs.

Terri rubbed the w
ater out of her eyes and smiled.
“Hey
,
babe. You okay?”

Bishop leaned forward.
“I’m better now
,
sexy girl. There’s nothing like seeing a pretty lady in a bikini at the pool.”

Terri stood, pretending to model her swimsuit, “Do you like it? It’s the latest Paris fashion.”

“I think it looks great on you. I think it would look even better in a pile next to the pool.”

Terri splashed water
at
him, “Pervert.”

The
y
both laughed
, and then Terri’s voice betrayed her melancholy.
“Bi
shop, there for a few minutes, it was like being back when
life was normal. While I was swimming, everything seemed to
melt
away
,
a
nd I could even imagine our just vacationing at a normal hotel and taking laps in
a normal swimming
pool. If a waiter had approached me to see
if I wanted something from the bar, I wouldn’t have been surprised. You don’t think I’m going crazy
,
do you?”

Bishop thought for a moment, “Te
rri, I think the occasional day
dream is healthy. If we had been
here back when
the world
was sane, and you had been day
dreaming about
being in Las Vegas, would you have been worried?”

Terri had to think about that. “I guess you’re right. None of this seems real sometimes
,
Bishop. I can’t wrap my head around everything that’s happening. It seems like we were just getting settled down and mellowing out from that trip out here
,
and now it all starts again. Is there any way we can get back to a boring
,
old life again?”

Bishop laughed.

Terri gave him a quizzical look meant to inquire,
“
W
hat’s so funny?”

“Babe, I know you didn’t
realize it
, but actually this existence isn’t so much different for me.” Bishop looked down
at his feet and then continued.
“I guess it’s amazing what you can get used to.”

Terri tilted her head in thought, “Bishop, look at us. You’re sitting in what has to be one of the most beautiful
places
within 300 miles, yet you have all that gear on. I
can’t remember the last time I saw you wit
hout
that
armor, vest,
rifle,
and all those pouches hanging off of you. Don’t you want to
get back to a time when you watch a basketball game on a Saturday afternoon in a t-
shirt and jeans? How l
ong can people stay prepared
for war every single minute?”

Bishop sighed.
“Believe me darling, I think about it all the time. This crap is heavy.
”

Terri decided to swi
m some mor
e while Bishop relaxed. She completed
two more laps and the
n
stopped in front of him, holding onto the edge of the pool and breathing
hard. She pulled herself out of the water a bit more, rested on her elbows, and looked him straight in the eye.
“You have to go to Alpha
,
don’t you? You have to go do that thing for
the Colonel
,
too.”

“Terri, I won’t
do squat
if you aren’t one hundred percent
cool with
it
. I
’ll
stay right here with you and
the baby
,
and it will never be
mentioned again. Zero regrets.”

She shook her head, “No, Bishop.
I know I flew off the handle when you first told me, but I get it. I understand what it could mean. I
f there’s any chance of life
returning to something even close to what we
all
had, we need to take the gamble.”

All of sudden,
Bishop found his feet interesting again.

“Bishop, look at me please.”

He looked up and ducked
quickly
as Terri’s wet shirt flew through the air at him. He smiled and
jumped up to
hang the “Pool Closed” sig
n on the gate. As he strutted
back
, h
e had to duck again when his soaked
gym shorts flew
past
his head
.

Bishop woke up before the sun rose the following morning. After th
ey had finished their “swim,” Terri and he
enjoyed another wonderful meal prepared by Bet
ty. They had sat for hours studying Bishop’s plan,
and as usual, Terri had provided some
excellent suggestions. They
retired early because they both knew the next few days would allow for little sleep. Bishop was going on a trip, and Terri wouldn’t rest well while he was gone.

Doc Hopkins
was visiting his patients early
,
and Bishop wanted
to review
the information abou
t the equipment he desired. The two
found a candle and sat at one
of the garden tables discussing
all of the pictures
and lists
. As Bishop took a crash course in medical gear, one of the pictures
caught his attention
. It was a computer screen mounted on a small
cart with some other boxy equipme
nt and was labeled as an ultrasound
machine.
Bishop had heard the term before and something about the computer screen jarred his memory. “Doc,” he said
, pointing at the picture, “W
ould you be able to use this machine to look at a broken bone?”

“Oh yes, it
’s
better than an x-ray machine in several aspects. Why do you ask?”

“I spent a little time
with
Mr. Parker
yesterday
.
Turns out h
is grandson played football
at the college in Alpha.
He mentioned that
he
once
went
into the locker
room
when his grandson was injured. According to him, while he was back there, he could see the
broken bone on a computer screen
. He
told
me
when the team doctor rubbed
t
he kid’s leg with ‘some gizmo,’
t
hey got the picture right then and there.
”

The d
octor’s eyes brightened,
“That’s an ultras
ound! Th
at would make sense because that machine is
very portable. It would be a good addition for a sports program because they are easy to use and can see ligament or tendon damage as well.”

“So one of these would help you with
the Colonel
?”

“One of those would help me with
the Colonel
and just about everything else around here. They were developed to use on pregnant women because you can
’t
use x-rays due to the radiation.”

Bishop’s head snapped up and
he made eye contact with the doctor.
“This would help you if Terri had a problem?”

The doctor was slightly taken aback by the intensity of Bis
hop’s expression.
“
Most likely it would, but nothing is one hundred percent
.”

“Thanks Doc,
that’s
all I needed to
hear.” Bishop stood
to leave
when the physician stopped him.
“Bishop, wait.
The Colonel
gave me this for you. I almost forgot,” and handed Bishop an envelope.

Bishop found two hand
written letters inside. One was addressed to the
President
of the United States and the other to the commander of Fort Bliss.

Bishop looked up from the papers,
“Thanks
, Doc.
I hope to see you soon.”

“Good luck.”