The drills continued in the distance, but Beckham turned to look at a Jeep that squealed to a stop beside them. A man with a black mustache hopped out.
“Captain Beckham,” he said.
Beckham recognized him. It was Sergeant Ken Sharp, a soldier who had helped protect S.M. Fischer’s ranch, before joining up with Cornelius.
“General Cornelius sent me,” Sharp said, out of breath. “He’s requesting you in the CIC now.”
“Is there a problem?” Beckham asked. He guessed it had something to do with the plane.
“It’s better if I let Cornelius and Ringgold explain. We don’t have much time.”
Beckham turned to Horn. “Big Horn, you finish training. I’ll meet up with you and Rico later. And for God’s sake, before we do, take a shower.”
Horn lifted his arm and sniffed under his pit. Then shrugged.
Beckham got into the idling Jeep, and they took off for the old Harbor House Hotel along the docks of the northwestern side of the island. Cornelius had turned the building into his command information center (CIC).
Sergeant Sharp jumped out first, followed by Beckham. They entered the hotel lobby where officers milled around desks filled with computers, radios, and mounted recon images from drones and scouts.
“This way, Captain,” Sharp said.
He took Beckham into a wide room with a large rectangular table lined by dozens of chairs. Maps of the United States, Texas, and other regions where the Allied States still had outposts were posted on the walls, along with various screens showing live feeds from those outposts.
Seated around the table were familiar faces like General Cornelius with his white mustache, President Ringgold, as well as General Souza and his LNO, Lieutenant Festa. A few of their support staff, including Chief of Staff James Soprano, were also at the table.
Those that Beckham did not recognize wore military uniforms with the red and white flag of Canada emblazoned on their shoulders.
“Captain Beckham, thank you for joining us with such short notice,” General Cornelius said. “Our brothers from the north have arrived bearing gifts. This is Colonel Maurice Stilwell from the Canadian Armed Forces.”
A man in his early sixties with black thick-rimmed glasses and a square face stood and shook hands with Beckham.
“Pleased to meet you, Captain,” Stilwell said. “Your reputation precedes you.”
Stilwell introduced the rest of his officers and the political dignitaries who had joined them.
“Please, everyone, take a seat,” Ringgold said. Beckham found one next to General Cornelius. “We’ve got much to discuss. First matter of business, Colonel Stilwell brought the seismic detection system equipment that Ghost retrieved from California.”
Beckham’s heart lifted at that. The technology that Team Ghost had fought so hard to recover had finally made it into the Allied States. Deploying the devices would help them detect incoming Variant forces and defend against them before they tunneled under outpost or base walls.
“How’s Team Ghost?” Beckham asked.
“I’ve heard they’re doing well,” Stilwell said.
“They’re still stationed at Banff,” Ringgold said. “Since we’ve lost all our bases up north, we’re keeping them in Canada.”
“That way we have someone who can respond to threats quicker in those regions,” Souza explained.
“In exchange, we’ve brought some reinforcements,” Stilwell said. “Most importantly, we have engineers to help install the SDS equipment you requested.”
“We’ll be sending half the engineers and SDS equipment to Outpost Houston,” Ringgold said. “Houston was nearly destroyed from their last attack, and they’ve consolidated into an area roughly ten percent the size of the initial outpost. They’ll need everything we can send them. The other half will stay in Galveston.”
She gestured to the soldiers. “Captain Beckham, you, Master Sergeant Horn, and Sergeant Rico will help set up the defenses around Houston. We want to keep what little is left of the outpost. It’s our first line of defense against attacks headed to Galveston.”
“We also brought two platoons of soldiers who are willing and ready to assist in the fight against the Variants and Chimeras,” Stilwell added. “We can assign them to your defenses or scouting parties as necessary.”
Beckham tried to hide his disappointment. Two platoons would be nothing against the coming storm.
“The Mexican President also vowed to commit forces,” Souza said. “In total, we’re looking at coordinating the deployment of two-thousand additional men and women to assist the Allied States.”
Beckham liked the sound of that better, and he saw the worry in Ringgold’s features seemed to fade for a moment, too.
“We’re grateful for Canada and the Mexican Federation’s assistance. It’s good to know that the Allied States is no longer in this fight alone,” she said. “With our joint forces and the tireless efforts from our scientific community, I am confident this is the turning point in this war.”
The conversation continued for nearly an hour as they discussed the logistics of the incoming reinforcements. When the meeting finished, the group began to disperse, but Ringgold stopped Beckham before he could leave.
“Reed, I know you only just got to the island, but you and Horn will need to start preparing immediately to escort the Canadians to Houston with the SDS equipment,” she said. “Now that we have it, I don’t want to spend another day without being tapped into the Variant network, either. Kate and her team will go with you.”
“When do we leave?” Beckham asked.
“In two hours.”
— 2 —
Doctor Kate Lovato picked up a box of laboratory supplies from the warehouse floor and carried it to the back of a waiting transport truck parked next to an Interim Armored Vehicle (IAV) Stryker. Her lab assistants, Ron and Leslie, situated the box among the other crates and supplies in the back of the truck destined for Outpost Houston.
Beckham, Horn, and Sergeant First Class Jeni Rico from Team Ghost were helping load equipment. Even Javier and the girls lugged smaller pieces of lab equipment into the truck, eager to spend as much time with their parents as they could before they left.
Sammy Tibalt, their resident computer engineer, picked up a small crate with a groan and waddled toward the
