Holding Their Own: The Toymaker (9 page)

Movement appeared between the buildings, a short procession of men parading back toward the lot, several carrying what appeared to be a set of common beer coolers. They strolled out of the lab’s main gate like they were on the way to a football tailgating party with an ice chest full of brewskis.

Hack exchanged looks with the Apache and nodded. “That’s what we’re after. That’s the prize in those chests.”

The Indians waited until the goods were halfway back to the helicopters. Hack heard the man next to him unsafe his weapon, and then all hell erupted in Los Alamos.

The Natives sprang their trap with deft skill and unquestionable bravery. Gunshots rang out all around the perimeter, most of the security force falling in the first few seconds.

Hack saw another group of his friends rise from a row of overgrown shrubbery not far from the men carrying the nuclear containers. Anyone who didn’t hit the ground immediately was shot.

One of the helicopter pilots must have decided on an escape, the sound of his engine making it clear he intended to take off. In seconds, he was looking at three rifles pointed at his bubble canopy. Wisely, he changed his mind.

And then it was over, the victorious Natives yelling and whooping in celebration.

“Stay here, Grandfather,” ordered the Apache. “I will send a man back as soon as I am sure it is safe.”

Hack did as he was told, watching as the bushwhackers disarmed and searched both the survivors and the dead.

It was only a few minutes before Hack’s escort arrived to retrieve him. Three of the senior Apache surrounding the toymaker as he approached the captives.

Hack didn’t care about the men from the helicopters. He made for the coolers.

What he found were four heavy, thick stainless steel and lead boxes, each equipped with stout-looking seals and numerous warning stickers plastered all over the exterior.

Pulling the PJ’s Geiger counter from his pocket, Hack scanned the exterior of containers. With relief, he found they hadn’t suffered any damage during the battle.

“Who
are
you people?” one of the captives shouted indignantly. “Stay away from those containers. You don’t know what’s inside of those! You’ll kill us all if you open those boxes!”

Hack walked over to the protesting man and took a knee beside the prone fellow. “And you might be?”

“I’m Dr. Roland S. Pataki, head of research at Oak Ridge National Laboratories,” announced the prisoner. “Who are you people, and why are you doing this? We are here on the authority of the.…”

Hack put a finger to his lip, ordering the man to be silent. “Welcome to New Mexico, Doctor. I regret to inform you that you no longer will be burdened with that cargo. Furthermore, I would suggest you shut up and do what these young men command. They aren’t the most patient gentlemen on the planet.”

Then, without waiting for a response, Hack strolled over to a younger captive. “I have a message for you to deliver. Tell your superiors that the joint Native American Nations of New Mexico have taken possession of these nuclear materials. Tell them that we only want to be left alone. If they try anything… anything at all to interfere with us, I will scatter a radioactive cloud from here to the Mississippi River and make the land uninhabitable for the next 1,000 years. Do you understand?”

The man nodded nervously.

“Repeat it back to me,” Hack ordered.

Finally satisfied that his message would be properly relayed, Hack turned to the Apache leader and said, “Let them go. Take the boxes and all of their weapons and disable their radios. Then let them fly back to wherever. We need to get those containers back to my cabin ASAP.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

“Okay, next on the list is the floral arrangements,” Terri announced, moving her pencil one line down on the pad in front of her.

“Really?” Nick hesitated, throwing a frustrated glance at Diana. “We’re living in a post-apocalyptic world where half of the people aren’t eating enough, and we’re going to have flowers at the wedding? Are you gals going to get on the shortwave and dial up 1-800 BOUQUETS?”

Terri tossed a wadded up sheet of paper at the less than enthusiastic, testosterone-charged half of the wedding party. “They don’t have to be fancy flowers,” Terri countered, “but at least the reception should have some color on the tables. We can send some of the church kids out to pick wildflowers.”

“Can’t we just go to Vegas and have Elvis marry us?” Nick countered, only half teasing. “I hear they even have drive-thru chapels that will do the dirty deed while you sit in your car.”

Diana threw her pen across the table, Nick avoiding the impact with a deft tilt of his head. “Are you going to sit here and do this all day?” the Alliance leader challenged. “Because if you are, I can think of about 100 shitty jobs you could be out doing instead. And by shitty, I mean really shitty. I hear the sewers are backing up in Austin… I’m sure I could persuade the council to assign that task to you personally. Dirty deed, my foot!”

Terri tried to suppress her snort but didn’t succeed. Bishop had been the same way before their wedding.
Why do the guys always act this way?

Throwing up his hands in mock surrender, Nick said, “Okay, okay, you win. I know when I’m strategically outmatched. So we need flowers. What else?”

“General Owens has offered a variety of contributions from the military, including an honor guard, a flyover by a formation of fighter jets, and the marching band from Fort Hood,” Terri continued.

“A flyover?” Nick said, shaking his head. “I don’t think that’s a good public relations move. The price of fuel has been going up all over the Alliance, and I’m hearing a lot of bitching. Wasting jet fuel on something like us getting hitched doesn’t seem like an appropriate allocation of resources.”

Before anyone could respond, there was a knock on the door.

“What now?” Diana grumbled before acknowledging the interruption.

An assistant poked his head through the opening, “Ma’am, I just received word from General Owens at Bliss, there’s a situation developing out there that requires your attention.”

“And this can’t wait?” Diana responded, the annoyance thick in her tone.

“No, ma’am. The general was very clear. He needs to speak with you on the radio immediately.”

Shaking her head in disgust, Diana glanced at Nick and Terri. “I’m sorry. Let me quickly take care of this. Believe me; I do not want to be wearing combat fatigues when I walk down the aisle. I’ll be right back.”

As she rose to exit her office, the aide looked at Nick and continued, “Sir, the general also requested your presence, if at all possible. He said to tell you, and I quote, ‘It’s concerning a potential N-level event.’”

Nick’s face blanched stark white, the big man rising quickly to follow Diana. Almost as an afterthought, the ex-operator turned to Terri and said, “I don’t know how long before we’re back. Aren’t you glad you retired from public service?”

Terri smiled politely, but Nick and Diana were both gone before she could answer. In reality, she was indeed glad to be out of the leadership game. She couldn’t count the number of times such a message had interrupted her day back when she was part of the Alliance’s government.

And it was never good news.

It seemed like there was always some potential disaster, threat, outbreak, or problem to deal with. No, she was glad her biggest problem today was getting Nick to participate in the wedding preparations.

Smirking, she thought, “And that might be the biggest problem I’ve ever faced.”

She decided to check in on Hunter, her son just down the hall in the courthouse’s nursery. After seeing he was sleeping comfortably, Terri then thought some fresh air would help clear her head.

She stepped out onto the front steps, scanning the hustle and bustle of downtown Alpha, Texas.

A comparison to just a short time ago was inevitable. Escaped prisoners had taken over half of the town, the remainder belonging to a church. Diana had become the congregation’s leader, eventually winning what had become a civil war to control the town.

Alpha was a much different place now. Shops were open. So were the schools. Pedestrians walked without fear along the sidewalks, a few automobiles and trucks plying the blacktop streets.

But by far the most common mode of transportation was the bicycle.

Terri would have never guessed so many of the two-wheelers existed before the collapse. Now, it was common to see women peddling back from the market with the handlebar baskets full of goods. Child seats, luggage racks, and even small trailers were valuable commodities to the post-apocalyptic family.

When she was growing up, the image of a young boy towing a Red Flyer wagon was the symbol of iconic Americana. Now, all means of non-motorized transportation were a necessity.

Gasoline and diesel were being refined, but the supply was still extremely limited. So far, Diana and the Alliance brain trust had only managed to jumpstart a single, large refinery along the Texas coast. That, and a smaller unit in Midland Station, were trying to supply a region of over 10 million survivors. It wasn’t enough.

With supply and demand playing their age-old game, gas and diesel were far too expensive for casual consumption.

With a bike, a cyclist could travel over twice as fast as walking. With baskets, makeshift saddle bags, and an assortment of creative carryalls hauling cargo, peddling made sense. And, unlike horses, there is no need to feed a bicycle.

“We’ll probably be a healthier society for the effort,” Terri observed, watching an elderly couple peddling down the street. 

Nick appeared at her side, startling the young mother. The big man’s capability to move so quietly had always amazed her.

“Terri, I’m so sorry, but we’re going to have to go to Fort Bliss. Something’s come up.”

“Is everything okay?”

“I’m not sure. General Owens has come across information, that if accurate, it isn’t good news. But facts are few and far between right now. You know how these things go. It’s probably nothing, but he wants Diana and me over there on the base - post haste.”

“I’m sorry, Nick,” Terri replied. “I know Diana and you wanted to finalize the arrangements right away, but I can come back to town next week.”

Diana then appeared, her disappointment at the delay painted all over her face. After apologizing and hugging Terri, she turned to Nick and said, “Let’s get going before our general has a kitten. This must be serious, because I’ve never heard him so adamant that we get over there.”

“Any idea what the threat is?” Terri asked out of curiosity.

“No, not really,” Diana replied, shaking her head. “The general didn’t want to talk about it over the radio.”

“Good luck, you two, and say hello to everyone over at Bliss. That hospital saved my bacon more than once,” Terri smiled. “I guess I’ll take Hunter back to the ranch a day early. I’ll drive back next week, and we can finish then.”

Diana couldn’t get accustomed to the military personnel treating her like some sort of visiting dignitary. She’d been a pilot in the Navy… and understood respect and discipline, but every time she stepped foot on a base or fort, it was as if a king had arrived.

“You are just like the president to them,” Nick had stated, noting her discomfort. “All of these men were raised in a society where civilian authority controls the military. You’re the ultimate elected official in the Alliance, so you’d might as well get used to it.”

They entered the base’s extensive headquarters building and were immediately shown to General Owen’s office. After a quick greeting, the Alliance’s top military commander showed them into a large conference room.

The general got right down to business, “We received a radio transmission from Washington a few hours ago. I’m not sure what it’s all about, but my counterpart in the Pentagon was pissed to high heaven. Excuse my language, ma’am.”

Nick shrugged, “So? Those guys haven’t been happy since the Alliance was formed, and we inherited the military assets in Texas. I’m still not sure why you summoned us, General?”

Owens continued, “My ex-friend began the conversation with the question, ‘What the fuck are you people doing in New Mexico? Why did you kill our people? Why do you want fissionable materials?’ That’s why I made the call to Alpha and requested your presence.”

Nick whistled, “Ahhh… now I see. What the hell’s going on?”

“I have no idea, sir. We have no operations in New Mexico. Nothing even close. Other than Bishop’s report concerning his little adventure in the Land of Enchantment, I don’t even have any Intel on the state of affairs over there.”

Diana spoke up, “And when you informed your friend at the Pentagon of those facts, what did he say?”

“That’s when he said, ‘Yeah, right. Tell it to the president. He wants a private conversation… pronto. We’re supposed to connect with Camp David on an encrypted link in just under two hours.”

Navigating the entrance to their canyon home required all of Terri’s attention, the large boulders and rock formations allowing just a wide enough lane for the pickup to squeeze through. Hunter, riding in the reverse-mounted car seat beside her, seemed to sense he was returning home.

“You’re anxious to see your dad, aren’t you big boy,” she cooed at the smiling child. “Either that… or you think I’m going to feed you again.”

The lad’s eyes opened wide with excitement, his little arms moving with rapid motions that signaled glee. “Just like your father, you like the desert,” she noted. “You can’t take the country out of the boy.”

Terri knew something was wrong with Bishop the moment she laid eyes on her husband. Having heard the truck’s motor, he was walking from the bat cave to greet his family, but she could tell from the slump of his shoulders that something was troubling her mate.

After a quick hug and peck at the driver’s door, Bishop moved around to unbuckle Hunter and raise his son in an embrace. “You’ve grown a bunch, big guy,” the proud father noted. “What were they feeding you in Alpha?”

Hunter didn’t answer the question, instead choosing to giggle and squirm against his father’s chest. “He missed you,” Terri stated. “When we turned into the canyon, he started smiling and looking around. I think he knew he was about to see you.”

Holding Hunter with one arm, Bishop made to help Terri with her bags and boxes, but she stopped him cold. “What’s wrong, Bishop?”

“Nothing. What do you mean?”

“Bishop?”

Her probe melted the façade he’d put on, a grimace crossing the Texan’s face. “There was… we had a hail storm two nights ago. Look at the garden.”

Terri set her belongings down, navigating around the last of the boulders so she could inspect the damaged plot. “Oh, goodness,” she said, a mixture of sadness and sympathy filling her eyes. She went to her husband and reached for his hand. “I’m so very, very, sorry, my love. I know you worked so hard on that garden.”

He sighed, squeezing her hand and lowering his head. “I don’t know what we’re going to do,” he confessed. I went hunting yesterday, and despite the rain, I didn’t even see a rabbit. The garden was the best ‘sure thing’ between our little family and starvation.”