surroundings.
“Whatcha thinking?” Lynn asks noticing my withdrawal and bringing me back to the present.
“I was thinking I could take Bannerman, Wilson, and Red Team and just scout the area. We could also take the measurements on the entrance doors and go find some security doors that we’ll be able to mount. I’m thinking of the ones you pull down and lock. We could head over to the armory first and see if those doors might work as well,” I say.
“Sounds like a good plan if you want to do that,” she replies.
“Yeah, I think we’ll do that. I want to head back to the armory to take measurements and see how hard it will be to remove the doors. We’ll then head off to the range to sight in our weapons and meet you at Cabela’s. We’ll be out of radio range so we won’t be able to communicate but call and when you get close.”
“Okay. Don’t you go in without the rest of us there, Jack,” Lynn says looking directly into my eyes.
“I won’t,” I respond.
“I mean it, Jack. I know you so promise me you won’t,” she says keeping the direct eye contact.
“Okay, I promise. We’ll just scout around. We’ll leave you our transport so you can hand out the equipment prior to your heading to the range. I think we should use the weapons and gear we pulled out of the Special Forces armory. There’s enough to go around ten-fold. Leave a team here on the ramp,” I say.
“Just remember you promised,” she says.
I know. I’ll be good. Just leave us three Humvees.”
“Okay, Jack,” she says and turns, beginning to issue instructions.
“Hey,” I say interrupting her yells.
“What?” Lynn asks turning around.
“I love you,” I say so that only she hears.
“I love you too,” she says. Smiling, she turns and picks up where she left off.
I gather Red Team, Bannerman, Frank, and all of the others who are coming with me – meaning my family, Kathy, Little Robert, Kenneth, and, of course, Mike. I give them a rundown on our plans. I have them follow me to the transport truck and begin issuing gear ensuring everyone has one of the M-4’s and night vision goggles. I also distribute the infra-red aiming units. We sort through the black fatigues and tac vests and head into the aircraft in shifts to change. I issue the gear to Red Team, Bannerman, Wilson, and Robert taking one of each for myself. I gather a few spares, set them in the Jeep, and send Red Team into the open hangars to gather any sets of tools they can find.
I have Nic, Bri, and Michelle also find dark fatigues that fit and head in to change after everyone else finishes. They haven’t changed in some time and I’m sure they would like to regardless of what that clothing may be. While they are in the aircraft, I wave Robert over to join me and we walk over to the base operations building, slinging my new M-4 across my back. I also keep my current one because I know it is sighted in and want it handy just in case something comes up.
The black uniform and vest are soaking up the heat as the sun’s rays stream down. In the shadow of the building and with Robert at my side, I peer in the glass panel set in the door, checking out the hallway beyond. The hallway, as before, is partially lit from the radiated light through the glass panels. Nothing is moving and I open the door. Stepping inside, I look into the weather shop to my immediate left through a sizable pane set in a wooden door. The interior is well-lit from light filtering in through the large windows on the building’s front. The room looks the same as before. A small amount of dust is gathered on the floor. I don’t see any tracks in the dust so know that this room has not been entered since my last visit.
I proceed in. Dust stirs faintly from the breeze created by the opening of the door. Robert is behind me as I walk into the room proper. A rank smell of decomposition rises to my nose; not overpowering but it is unmistakable.
“Whew,” Robert says quietly.
“I know. That’s something you never get used to. I’m guessing it must be the ones I shot in the back room last week,” I say waving my hand in front of my face, trying to fan the smell away.
We walk over to the desk amid the dust and odor of death. Peering over the counter, I see a variety of phone books off to the side. I can barely reach them over the counter but paw through, pushing some to the side until I come up with on for the Olympia area. Grabbing that one, I bring it up and look through until I verify there is a place in the area down south that has the type of security doors I am thinking about using as our main line of defense at Cabela’s.
I take the phone book and we exit onto the ramp. The girls have finished changing by the time we arrive back. The noise of voices and doors shutting permeate the area as the other teams get ready to head out on their search. Vehicles start up and proceed off the ramp individually, heading off to the areas Lynn assigned them. My thoughts go with them and I hope we can find those still holding out; hoping also there are a few of them. It’s a funny thing, sometimes I think we have quite a few people with us, and, other times I think we are woefully inadequate. Billions of people have been reduced to, well, as far as I know, us. That is mightily mind- boggling.
The last of the vehicles depart, their sound fading into the early afternoon. Mullin’s second group is left behind to guard the transport trucks. I leave instructions with them to make sure the aircraft is closed up before departing. I look around at Red Team, currently setting large cases of tools in the back of a Humvee along with some of the ammo cases, and those going with me. I have to tell you, it is very strange seeing Nic and Bri dressed in black fatigues. The dire situation we are in comes into a greater light seeing them clad like that. It really makes me realize how far we have come and also how far we have to go. Without the services we have become accustomed to, we will slide further into another potential dark age. That could be either a good or bad thing. All I know is that it will be different.
Piling into the Humvees and the Jeep, we begin our own trip. I have Mike jump in the back of the Jeep and Robert climbs in the passenger side. The 130 is sitting on the ramp with the rear ramp still open and the sun’s rays reflecting off of the surface of the wings and fuselage. With a last look around and giving the old bird a silent thanks, I close the door and drive off the ramp heading to the armory; the three Humvees carrying the others in my wake.
We stop briefly at the armory and take measurements of the doors. Looking at the hinges, it will be work getting them out but not impossible. They are basically bolted into the thick concrete walls. We’ll just have to make sure we have the right tools. Those we gathered from the hanger should suffice. And of course lots of people to lift them and something to transport them.
Gonzalez and Henderson were based here prior so know the way to one of the firing ranges. We drive that way with the sun slowly making its way across the western sky and me trying to will it to stop. It doesn’t listen. We manage to make our way to one of the ranges and park close to the firing line. I step out and dust eddies around my boots as they hit the ground. The range itself is surrounded by trees with the all-too-familiar dirt berm set up on the far end. Several covered sheds dot the firing line with individual positions marked with small, white, box-like indicators. The range itself is quite wide but the downrange targets are shorter, which is okay as our engagements have been short range ones and its best to sight in at the engagement distances we’ll be facing.
I have everyone attach the aiming devices and make sure the suppressors are attached. The M-4, as do others weapons, has a different ballistic trajectory with a suppressor attached so it’s important we sight in with them on. We spread out on the firing line and I give a lesson on the operation of the aiming devices and SpectreDR sights. I gather the spare carbines I threw in the Jeep and hand them to Nic, Bri, Michelle, and Mom.
“Dad, what?” Nic says holding the carbine.
“You need to learn and I’ll be more comfortable knowing you have them and can use them. I’ll show you how they work and the nuances,” I say assigning them places on the line next to the rest. They had a small lesson with the M-16 back in Kuwait but I want them to become more proficient. I hand the remaining spares to Kathy and Kenneth. Little Robert is a little young to be handling a weapon of this size so I leave him out.
I give the okay to commence firing. The soft sound of suppressed rounds being fired on semi-automatic fills the air. I make sure the girls’ and Mom’s carbines are set on semi and show them how to sight in using the SpectreDR – how to change the magnification and to make adjustments until the reticle is matched to the bullet impact point. After getting the sights correct, I have them switch to the aiming device, setting it to the visual laser. The infra-red laser will track the same point as the visual one. I let them shoot through a couple of mags until they
