At this, Prig and his fellow Marines went quiet, each seeming to reflect on the situation. There was no easy answer to Malin’s question, of course, and if Fish was not yet ready to swim back across the bay, how did they expect to get back from the camp?
Raymond spoke up then. He was sitting at the same table as George and Dr. Ruzka, watching his son pick at his food. She’d assumed he was largely disengaged with the conversation—probably upset that all of these people were adding to Daniel’s stress.
“You could take the sailboat across the bay,” he said. “Assuming any of you know how to sail.”
He’s interested in the medical supplies, Elna thought. That’s where his sudden interest comes from.
“No, none of us are sailors,” Prig said, glancing at his fellow Marines. “I don’t suppose a few of you island folk would be willing to come with us? I know it’s a lot to ask. Look, our team is too small to disband the entire camp. Even if we can get across the bay, we’re not going to just charge in there and provoke an open fight. This is going to be more of a stealth mission. We’d do our best to keep you safe.”
Elna would have volunteered if she could have gone alone. Staying on the good side of these Marines seemed like a smart idea. However, it would take at least a couple of people, preferably three or four, to operate the sailboat in the rough waters of the bay. She did not want to drag any of her people back over to the militia camp.
When she hesitated to reply, she noticed that every islander, including Dr. Ruzka, was looking at her. Still, she didn’t know what to say.
“Okay, I’ll level with you,” Prig said finally. “This isn’t just about recovering one of our men, and it’s not just about getting in that bunker. Marines don’t leave anyone behind, but there’s more to it than that. You want the full story?” At this, some of his people shifted uncomfortably in their seats, and the woman named Archer seemed like she was about to say something, maybe to protest, but Prig either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “The truth is, there’s an enemy headed our way that will make Rod’s militia seem like rubes. We have to get our man and get the communications up and running before they arrive.”
“A worse enemy?” Norman asked. “You mean, a bigger militia?”
Prig shook his head. “A hell of a lot more dangerous than a militia.”
“You mean…them?” Norman asked.
“The people who fired the missiles that caused the EMP?” Prig replied. “Yeah, they’re sending a little mercenary care package our way. Look, I wouldn’t ask for civilian help on a dangerous mission if the lives of millions of people weren’t hanging in the balance, but that’s the situation, folks.”
Elna felt a cold knot in her belly.
“Why is this one man so important?” Malin asked. “I get the ‘no man left behind’ philosophy, but why does your rescue mission take priority if millions of lives are at risk?”
“Because we need this specific person,” Prig said. “Golf is our technical specialist.”
“His name is Golf?” Malin asked.
“That’s what we call him. He’s the one who’s supposed to get us into the bunker and get the equipment up and running. Plus, he has the door access code memorized. He’s the smartest member of our team.”
“Not smart enough to avoid being captured, though,” Malin said, and Elna almost smacked him.
“Not his fault,” Prig replied, bowing his head. “We had the access code on a thumb drive, but we lost it. Got robbed at night on the way here. Roads are full of feral groups of thieves and freaks.”
“Don’t I know it,” Elna said.
“So, our tech guy is the only option,” Prig said. “We can’t blast the bunker door open. It might damage the equipment inside.”
Elna glanced at Malin. This was not a decision that she felt comfortable making unilaterally, no matter how much the islanders wanted her to. Malin must have read this on her face, for he said, “Staff Sergeant, this is a lot to process, and I think we need to discuss it amongst ourselves. Would you Marines excuse us for a bit, so we can hash it out?”
Prig immediately nodded and rose from his seat, wiping his mouth on a napkin and tossing the napkin onto the table. “I understand. Take your time. Discuss it thoroughly, and make sure you’re all on the same page. We’ll be inside. Come and find us when you’ve reached a decision.”
He made a small hand gesture, and all of the other Marines rose from the table in unison, making a sudden, almost harmonic sound. When he strode across the veranda to the front door, they followed him, falling in line. Even Miriam and Chloe rose and followed them. Elna waited until they were inside, the front door closed again, before she spoke.
“What a mess,” she said. “I’d like to hear what everyone has to say.”
George Pasqualee gave his big white beard a generous scratching and said, “Well, it’s not as if we’re dealing with a criminal enterprise here, Principessa. These are United States Marines. The good guys!”
“Yeah, Marines working for a barely functioning US government, from the sound of it,” Malin pointed out. He reached over to Prig’s table and grabbed one of the bottles of wine. It only had a small amount left, but he poured it directly into his mouth.
Dr. Ruzka looked like she was about to stand up again, but she caught herself against the edge of the table and kept her seat. “They’re going to the camp one way or another, whether we help them or not. They’ve made that clear. But we really need medical
