It had been a long ride into the base, I had decided to take the turret, and allowed Jeff to drive in. He had done good for his first time driving, all things considered, and he had been practicing. I just wanted him to have a bit more, but, considering the BBQ was today I assumed most people would be excited for it, and not in the mood for trouble. I was right
"Airforce base, this is Foxtrot Uniform." Jeff said timidly on the radio. Besides being able to talk easily, something now seemed a bit more, formal, like I was still in the Marines, we were wearing the humvee's head set's. I could hear his radio call.
"Foxtrot Unform?" Percy asked. "Little man is that you?" He chuckled.
"I am not little man." Jeff groaned.
"That's what the team that you went out with is calling you." Percy chuckled. "Does big man have his hands full?"
"No I am riding turret, we are just letting you know we are three minutes out." I groaned at my new call sign. "Jeff..." I sighed in the comm to him. "That little man is going to stick."
"I figured." he sighed. "But I got a nickname, so that makes me badass right?"
"Yea." I chuckled. We got to the base, Percy and the commander met us. I hopped out of the turret.
"This is a great day, wait until you see it." The commander said more excited than I had seen him in every, I was sure he had age regressed to that of a ten-year-old. He took us to his office.
Standing at the window that overlooked the airstrip he pointed out it. "Look!" I glanced at it, it was full of people, more than I had seen in a long long time. "Most of the fucking city is here."
"Sir!" Percy scolded jokingly.
"Where are they?" The commander said looking intently out the window. "There!" He blurted, there are two large groups of kids playing!" He pointed. It was really good to see him get that excited over playing kids, he understood it's importance, better than that, he was going to be the right man for the job, of keeping order in the town.
He turned to me and looked at me seriously. "Percy, why don't you show Little man, to the Play Box's." The commander said firmly. Percy nodded, a quick glance and a nod, from me, Jeff didn't object. "Well...." He sighed when we are alone. "You need to know where we sit." He sighed again. "At first I thought you were the sword, and I was the soldier, It made me feel strong and powerful..." I nodded at him, he was downright argont. "Then I got to thinking, after what you said about the right people for the job, that I wasn't the soldier, and you were. That bugged me for a day, then I saw those kids, now it dosent." I nodded my head a few times slowly. "Now it bugs me that I got bugged."
"What I mean to say..." He started but I waved him off. "No, you saluted me, and called me sir, when I needed you too, so it's my turn." He said in his 'I will make it an order' tone, one I had learned to roll on, I nodded again at him. "I mean, is you tell me what to do, and I'll consider it an order."
I nodded and took Murl's list out. "I need these things, and thirty or so to dig a ditch. in three days, taken to our friends house, and he will take you to who wants these things." I handed him the paper towel. "We need this rancher..."
The commander waved me off. "You said you needed it, that's all I need."
"No, you need to know why, if people found out you were doing what I said, there would be doubts. With the exception of those who were on the mission even among your own people, you need to know what I am doing, and why so you can take credit."
He smirked. "You then are my top advisor then." He said looking pleased. "Sorry, this just bull shit, you should get the credit, but I have a plan for that." He paused, and looked like he was going to change gears. "We have a plan for the wind farm." I nodded at him eager for him to fill me in. "We cleared the road, took and held the outer hostile checkpoint, then set up our own, three miles out."
"Any traffic in or out?" I asked.
"No, but we think they need supplies, we have held that point for three days."
"They could be good for three months." I pointed out.
"Yes, but our intel suggests, they may be running low on supplies. As of today, they started to move in boxes, from another concealed location, we assume they are supplies." He slided a tablet from under a stack of folders, and displayed a picture of someone carrying a box." I stared at the picture. "Ohh it was kept in someone's locker it survived the EMP."
"No." I said swiping in either direction, those weren't boxes, those were crates. I found one that was clear enough to read the words stamped. "Those are crates, civilians would use, boxes or plastic totes, at least this close to the end of the world, crates take time to make."
"So?" He gulped.
"That..." I pointed to the picture. "Is Russian, and it says ammunition."
"Did you have to say that now?" He grumbled. "It was such a good day."
"It still is." I sighed. "We have to have a drone in the air, I don't care if it leaves all the others out of commission, how fast can you get a drone up?"
He mulled my words over sighed and picked up the phone on his desk. "Get me Mitchels... I don't care, get him in my office." He said annoyed.
"Sir, it's still a good day." I pointed out. "Relax..." I made Jeff's hand gesture for him
"That's a Jeff thing..." He chuckled. "Isn't it?"
"It works doesn't it?"
He nodded. "It does."
There was a knock at the door, and a young, Airman walked in. "Cheif I am sorry to take you away from r and r." The commander sighed. He looked at me. "I'd like to introcude you to Big Man." He waved to me.
"Sir." The chief stood at attention at me, I waved him off.
"We need a drone, yesterday, I know you've been working on them, could you take the working parts out of all of them, and get us one in the air by tonight?"
The chief shook his head, the default answer from any navy mechanic when asked for such feats, then sighed, indicating he might be able to work some magic. "Well maybe." He stared into middle space, as if he was looking at the drones. "For manual flight." He nodded. "The drone can see some GPS Seattleites, with it's enhanced GPS antenna, just not enough to get a lock."
"That will do, I hate to take you away from the party, but please get it done."
"Uh, sir, it's not a problem." The chief sighed anxiously. "I have never been one for parties, and this is just about the biggest part I have seen."
"Permission to go have fun then." The commander laughed.. "dismissed."
"Now what?" He asked, alone again.
"I think we need, to talk about making this a massive operation."
"How massive?" He asked.
"How many troops do you have that are ops proficient?" I asked. "And include any who might be excluded on technicality."
He noded. "Ballpark, three thousand."
"How many armored transports and light armor do you have?"
"About forty humvee, a dozen 12 man transports, two dozen light tanks."
I nodded, my fingers making a triangle supporting my head, by the bridge of my nose. I thought, My initial show of force was now not a luxary, it was called for, now. "If we get a drone tonight, we get intel, and we ride tomorrow, I want those transports and humvee's full, of your best men and woman."
"What about the base?" He asked.
"Double your security, and leave a tank at every gate."
"Ok, It will take some rearranging, most of my best men are on base security... But consider it done." He paused, then sighed. "Can I ask you a favor?" I nodded at him. "Would you say a few words, about the College op?"
"Yea, but I am a Marine, not a public speaker." I sighed.
"Let's go find..." He looked at me. "Your man, and get you two something to eat." I looked at him, trying to dertimne his intent. "It was meant respectfully, I said I wanted an inclusive military, so I told my people that you were gay, Jeff was your partner, and that if anyone had any issues with that, they could bring them to me, and I would set them straight. I also pointed out that an Issue with you is an issue with the person who would save us all."
"And if they don't bring them to you?" I sighed. "I have heard that speech before." I sighed.
"Brass isn't unaware of what goes on,,," He said sounding a bit shameful. "Sometimes we need a complaint, but I don't not now, I hear about it from you, Jeff or anyone, well I don't need a man or woman that bad. It's always been a few bad actors. Bad actors, almost always get scared when I call them in and tell them I heard all kinds of reports, from my regular sources, they have been breaking regulations, they cool it."
"You did something." I pointed out.
"Will do." He pointed out. He took me to a booth that was surrounded by a mob of teenagers, the PlayBox booth. But to both of our surprises, the circle was around Jeff. "Tell us about when you roared down the bridge again!" A voice shouted.
"Oh." I chuckled at the commander.
"OH?" He chuckled back.
"Someone just achieved Hero status." I sighed. "Now we have to grease the doors when we get home."
"Some times I think you two have been married for forty or fifty years." He sighed.