Missing (19 page)

     They were indeed right, and were truthful and honest about everything they’d said.

     But they weren’t telling Sami everything.

     They weren’t telling her that they’d already gathered together without her several hours before.

     And they’d already decided to keep her away from Hannah for the time being.

     At least until Mark could assess the situation in San Antonio.

     No one had a clue what kind of shape Hannah was in. If Hannah was bloodied and bruised, the mere sight of her might traumatize Sami. Sami would think that if Hannah sustained such horrific injuries and survived, then her father must have sustained much worse.

     And that certainly wouldn’t help her state of mind.

     They also wanted to be sure to keep Sami away for another reason.

     They wanted for Mark to tell Hannah, as well as the nursing staff, that there was to be no talk of the crash. No horrible details of how the victims must have suffered, no details of how they died or the pain they must have felt.

     Mark planned to forbid all talk of the crash. For it wasn’t just Sami who loved John or considered him a very close friend.

     All of them did. And reminding them of the pain and terror John might have gone through before he died wouldn’t do any of them any good.

     Sami asked, “Is there any word from Bryan yet?”

     “No. But you know how he is. He went off half-cocked when he heard about the blood they found. It never even occurred to him that he might be out there for awhile and would need a new battery.

     “But remember, he’s been a hunter for most of his life. He’s very good at wandering through dense woods for a couple of days, and he’s always found his way back before. Only this time, when he comes back, he’ll be bringing Sarah with him. Just wait, you’ll see.”

     Lt Col Weiss joined them.

     “Am I butting in?”

     “No, sir. You’re welcome anytime.”

     He reached out to Sami and took her hand in his.

     “I’m so very sorry, Sami. If there’s anything I can do, or the Army can do, you just let me know. Your control center has our frequency and can get ahold of me anytime, day or night.”

     Sami tried to say something, but choked on the words.

     All eyes were on her, and Karen wrapped her arms around her, but nobody rushed her.

     Finally, she tried again.

     “Colonel, when is my Daddy coming home?”

     Weiss fought hard to get his own words out. A small tear formed in the corner of his left eye, but he wasn’t ashamed. And he made no effort to wipe it.

     “They tell me he’ll be brought here in a couple of days. In the best casket in San Antonio, draped with an American flag. It’ll be a homecoming befitting a true American hero, I assure you.

     “Would you like for a military chaplain to perform the burial service?”

     “Yes. I think Daddy would like that. Thank you.”

     “I’ll have Chaplain Benedict contact you on the ham to tell you exactly when your father will arrive, and you can keep him advised of the funeral plans.”

     “Thank you, Colonel.”

     “You’re welcome.”

     “I see your people are packing up their things. Are you leaving us?”

     “Well, most of us are. The crash rescue team is, anyway. The general has decided we’re no longer serving a purpose here. The hundred man contingent of volunteers will stay until your friend is found and the search is called off. Captain Martin will come inside to replace me when I leave, and he’ll direct the volunteer effort in my absence.”

     Frank Woodard held out his hand.

     “Thank you, sir. You and your people have been professional and courteous in every way.”

     “Don’t mention it, sir. I’m sorry we had to meet under such conditions.”

     Sami started to say something, but hesitated.

     The others gave her a moment to reconsider.

     “This may sound odd, colonel. But if you’re free on the day of the funeral, would you consider attending? You put your heart and soul into finding our loved ones and bringing them back safely.

     “My father was a man who loved the military, and who always made a point to give people their due. I think he would have wanted you to attend.”

     “I appreciate the kind words, ma’am. Actually, my team worked much harder than I did. But on their behalf, I graciously accept your invitation. It would be a great honor for me to attend.”

Chapter 39

     Mark had been born and raised in San Angelo. It wasn’t the geographical center of the great State of Texas, but he’d always told people it was.

     It was just easier than explaining to people what part of the huge state he lived in.

     San Angelo was almost two hundred miles due north of San Antonio. San Antonio was the better known and larger of the two cities. But it wasn’t home.

     Mark had been to the Alamo City a few times before the freeze. Usually to accommodate out of state visitors or relatives who wanted to visit the Alamo, or watch a Spurs game.

     But Mark had never been to the south side of San Antonio, or seen what was once one of the largest military complexes in the world.

     The van carrying Mark and the other passengers exited Highway 90 on Military Drive, which definitely seemed appropriate.

     It drove under a huge curved sign that covered the highway and proclaimed, in letters that were five feet high:

    WELCOME TO LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE

                    Gateway to the Air Force

     The driver explained.

     “Lackland Air Force Base was once the only basic training base the Air Force had. Before the freeze, that is. Every enlisted man trained here, to learn how to march and wear a uniform and such. Then they were dispersed to other bases for additional training in whatever specialty they were assigned.

     “If you look around you, you’ll see dozens of three story dormitories. They look a lot like college dorms, but they were actually home to the basic training flights. For many years, the Air Force took in a new group of ninety six newbies every other day, trained them for six weeks, and sent them out into the world to fix their airplanes, program their computers, put out their fires, and a thousand other things.

     “The last few years before the blackout, the Air Force downsized. But they still needed just as many dormitories because they extended the basic training program from six weeks to eight.

     “Back then there were rumors that the Air Force had a lot of contracts in the works for a lot of new dormitories when the Department of Defense and Congress ordered them to close a lot of bases and cut back on their workforce. Word had it that to protect their contractor buddies from losing money by canceling the contracts, the Air Force merely extended the amount of time each trainee had to spend in basic training. Longer basic training meant they still needed more new dormitories.

     “And whether or not the rumors were true, the additional dorms were built. And that turned out to be a good thing for the men and women who now occupy them.

     “What do they use the dormitories for now?”

     “Well, that depends. The people working the agricultural programs over at Kelly Air Force Base use some of them.

     “But most of them were turned over to the city of San Antonio. Right after Saris 7 hit the earth, the city was a very dangerous place. Marauders scavenged whatever food and water they could find, and anyone who tried to stop them or got in their way was shot dead on the spot.

     “The police force and sheriff’s department were decimated. Most of the officers just walked off the job to die with their families. Those who stuck it out were vastly outnumbered.

     “Street gangs saw the lack of law enforcement as an open invitation to act out old grudges or debts. They killed rival gang members at will, knowing that the police would no longer come after them. The cities became battlegrounds for the rival gangs, who were shooting up the streets without caring who got in the way of their bullets.

     “In short, it was chaos.

     “In an effort to keep order, the city told its police and sheriff’s deputies, in essence, if you stay on the job and protect our citizens, we’ll find a way to protect you and your families. So they moved the law enforcement officers onto Lackland Air Force Base.

      “Nearly all the Air Force people moved off the base when it closed down shortly before the meteorite’s impact to go and be with their families. So the dormitories and base housing units were pretty much vacant, and most of the military residents left their furniture and other belongings behind.

     “It was therefore incredibly easy, then, to move the police officers in. The city basically said, “If you’re a single person, go find a dormitory room that’s unoccupied and claim it as your own. If you are married with a family, go find a base housing unit that’s furnished but abandoned, and move your family in.

     “Almost overnight it went from being a military base to a highly secure fortress to house the city’s policemen, firemen, politicians and their families.

     “Initially, there was a lot of resentment among the regular citizens. They were angry because the city council and the mayor now had safe homes and protection from the street gangs and the marauders.

     “And then slowly but surely, people understood the real intent behind the city’s decision.

     “In the first two weeks after the world learned about Saris 7, San Antonio lost eighty percent of the police force. The city had to figure out a way to replace them so they could take the city back from the street gangs.

     “Their new housing policy did that. The good and decent families were so desperate to get away from the gangs and into safer places that they were volunteering in droves to join the police force.

     “Even after the dollar crashed and money became worthless, they kept volunteering. Because money was worthless anyway if they were dead. They really didn’t want the money. They just wanted to live on the base where they were safe.

     “And that safety and security was so valuable that men were becoming cops and working full time for free. Just so that their families could live on the base.

     “Before long they did the same thing with all the other bases in the city. Fort Sam Houston. Kelly Air Force Base. Randolph Air Force Base. Camp Bullis, and Camp Stanley. One by one, they became what the locals called “safe zones.”

     “After a few months two things happened. First of all, the freeze killed all the weak, or drove most of the population to suicide.

     “And second, the number of policemen and deputies living in the safe zones swelled so much that they were able to kill most of the bad guys or run them off. And eventually they took back the city.

     “Shortly after the freeze, the mayor made a big speech, in which he claimed that was the intent of the housing decision all along. To encourage police recruiting so they had enough men to win back the city.

     “Of course, the naysayers said the mayor was full of it. They said the mayor and city council were just trying to save their own asses and the asses of their influential friends. And that the swelling of the police force was just an unintended consequence that they wanted to take credit for.

     “Whether intended or not, I owe my life, and the lives of my family, to that one decision they made way back then.

     “You see, I started out as a cop right after the freeze. I was one of those guys who became an unpaid policeman just so my family and I could be safe. I did that for two years, until the bad guys were dead or ran away. Then I joined the Army.

     “And the rest, as they say… is history.”