"Fuck me," Bunny breathed.
"God already covered it, so I'll pass," he said as he stood. "We thought we were pretty well screwed until a few days ago. That's when we made contact with Colonel Summers in Oahu."
Bunny stared at him as he pulled out a map from the stack on top of his filing cabinet. "Hawaii?"
"Hawaii." He nodded. "Colonel Summers can contact us once a day, for about an hour, as one of the older military satellites passes overhead. According to him, he and his men managed to clear Oahu of the dead, as well as secure several thousand civilian lives. He doesn't have the manpower or resources to sweep any of the other islands though, much less try to rebuild anything. They're on borrowed time, same as us."
"But together..." she started.
"We stand a chance," he finished, dropping the map in her lap. "With Honolulu as a base of operations, we stand a chance of reclaiming something. Here, we don't stand a chance at all."
She looked at the map for a moment. "So, what's your plan?"
"Midway airport," he replied.
She nodded. "Tanner said you were using it for a Blackhawk refueling station."
"Among other things, yes," he said as he dropped back into his chair. “But we’ve also managed to secure two runways, three jumbo jets and two military cargo planes. Pilots, I've got. Cargo space, I've got. Jet fuel, I've got."
"A way there," she intoned.
He pointed at her. "That, I don't have. Moving over a thousand people, along with nearly five hundred soldiers and equipment, is no easy task. Under these circumstances, it's pretty well impossible."
"A lot of them could ride the Blackhawks," Bunny said. "But not all of them."
"Not by a long shot," he agreed. "Now, we've got some APCs parked behind the motor pool, and enough wheeled vehicles to move the rest, I think. The trouble is, we have to go through the Gaunts to do it, so it's going to have to happen all at once."
Bunny leaned back, thinking about that. "I don't know how well that would work."
"Yeah, well, I've got an ace up my sleeve that'll make the trip go a little smoother. However, there’s one thing that would really make a lot of difference. I just have to be patient, wait for it to get here."
Bunny started to ask what, but then realized she knew. She knew exactly what he was waiting for. "Snow."
Williams smiled. "Snow."
"The Shamblers would get bogged down in it and pose little threat," she said, seeing all the possibilities.
"The only ones we'd really have to worry about would be the Bouncers, just because they're so damn fast, but even then, there's not nearly as many of them, and we could mount a solid defense," he told her.
"That's pretty brilliant, I admit," she said. "Unless the first snow grounds the planes. Then what?"
"Start praying?" he offered. "I didn't say this plan came without risks. Everything we do now comes with risks."
“Fair enough,” she agreed. "Okay, so what do you need me to do? How is it you think I can help?"
"This guy, Pete, he changes the playing field in ways I can't anticipate. I don't know how he thinks much less understand what he thinks. He's an unknown I do not need right now," Williams told her as he leaned forward.
"Won't argue with that," she said.
"So, here's what I want you to do," Williams said. "First, I want you to go out with a Blackhawk team tomorrow and find this friend of yours, this Marco. Provided he still thinks we're off the menu, enlist his aide in scouting Pete's activities, and report them back."
Bunny nodded. "Second?"
"Help drive these people out of here," he replied. "Without jumping anything."
Bunny couldn't help but grin. "No promises."
"I'll take that as yes. Are you on-board?"
She nodded. "Count me in."
“Good," Williams said as he reached out and shook her hand. "Now go see Mills about the Beast. You'll need time to familiarize yourself with it and get a good night's sleep. Tanner will be your escort in the morning."
"Yes, sir," Bunny replied with a salute, suddenly feeling her boredom fall away.
As Bunny returned to the motor pool, Mills crawled out from under a Humvee. He looked up at her with his usual suspicious gaze, a narrow squint he gave everyone, and started wiping grease off his hands. She leaned against the hood of the vehicle, waiting.
"Where'd you wander off to?" Mills asked after he stood. "Got three oil changes to do, and this batch of jock itch they call soldiers sure as hell ain't gonna do them right."
"Had a nice long talk with the Colonel," Bunny replied.
"That so?" Mills stared at her for a long time. "Bout what?"
"He's sending me out of the camp tomorrow to look for someone," she said as she leaned over and looked at the engine. "Probably will be gone all day."
Mills threw his rag at the sink and missed. "Well, fuck me sideways. Only decent mechanic I got and the Colonel has her running errands."
"You have plenty of decent mechanics," Bunny snorted. "You just like the way I look bent over the front of these things."
Mills laughed. "Yeah, well, what can I say. Better than looking at these bums' bums. So what's the mission?"
"Can't say," Bunny said. "It's all top secret and shit."
"Ain't you just a big shot," Mills chuckled. "Well, who's goin' with you?"
"Tanner. Williams thinks I need a bodyguard."
Again, the grizzled Captain chortled. "Need one, or does Tanner just want to be one?"
"He does seem to like chasing his own tail," Bunny admitted.
"Young pups do that, Bunny. Young pups do that," Mills told her
