Vardo number one opened up and Blaze emerged with Yue behind him and a few others. Drew held back on his urge to wave at Yue. No matter what other opinions he had of Blaze the guy was smart enough to have brought Yue out when talking was going to be critical. Looking at the large number of men with automatic weapons all around them Drew hoped they actually got a chance to talk.
Drew leaned forward but couldn’t hear what was being said between Blaze and the well-dressed man below. Whatever was discussed must have worked out because an unworried looking Blaze put his radio to his lips and announced that everyone could come out. Extremely outgunned everyone slowly emerged from the trucks. The soldiers still had their weapons where they could get to them easily but weren’t actively pointing them at the trucks anymore. That was a step in the right direction.
Drew hopped down from his seat and walked over to see Yue. She smiled nervously and hugged him. She put her lips close to his ear when she hugged him.
“The suit is full of it. Don’t trust him. You can trust Blaze.” She dropped the hug and went back to focusing on what was being discussed between Blaze and the suit.
LeBron wandered over and gave Drew a quick bro hug before turning to try and focus on the discussion as well. The suit was congratulating them on making it this far. He raised his voice to let them know that they’d managed to stumble on a base supporting the continuation of the United States. They happened to be in need of men who could escort supplies across the country. It was kismet. Drew saw a few of the clan who identified way too strongly with their fake gypsy roots getting excited about the mention of it being fate that’d brought them there. The guy was reading his audience and working to manipulate them. Drew started getting a bad feeling about this.
Dusk was coming on strong, so the man in the suit insisted they all go inside. The men and women would be sent to separate barracks. There was some visible angst about being split up, but Blaze told everyone to chill out. Yue gave them each a hug before walking away . She admonished them both to ‘Stay Frosty’ before leaving. That was some slang she’d picked up hanging around with their dads old cop buddies. Plenty of them had served in the military first. It meant to stay on your toes. It did nothing to assuage Drew’s feeling that this was all a really bad idea.
In the men’s barracks they were served ice cold beer and hot pizza. They were allowed to keep their weapons. The man in the suit introduced himself as Special Agent Leander with the Department for the Continuation of the United States. He welcomed them all to the hospitality of the United States government. He told them they’d be working hard to earn their place here but that they didn’t have to worry any longer about not having a place to call home. He excused himself and left as the party was just getting going.
Chapter 36: The Gift Horse was a Trojan
Drew woke up the next morning with a headache he didn’t think was fair given that he’d only had two beers with his pizza. He stood up off the olive-green cot he’d been sleeping on to look for the bathroom. Something felt off. He patted his body and looked frantically all around the cot he’d been sleeping on. Around him he saw a few others doing the same thing. Most of the men looked to still be asleep. A lot of them had crashed right on the floor.
“Don’t bother. They took our weapons. I’m guessing the beer was spiked. That was so stupid.” Drew turned around to see Blaze standing there. The man looked like he had a world class hangover. That could probably be attributed to being roofied the night before.
“What do we do?” Drew said. The act of speaking made his head vibrate painfully.
Before Blaze could answer Special Agent Leander walked in. He was flanked by soldiers with guns again. He made a bee line for Blaze. A few more camouflaged men came in and stood against the walls with their weapons in their hands. They were no longer even bothering to pretend to be friendly. Leander stopped about five feet from Blaze.
“I’m going to say this once. This base serves as a logistical element of the United States continuation forces for the southeast. We really are looking for truck drivers and labor. You’ll agree to do that for us. The missions you’ll be sent on may be on the verge of suicidal. If you ever want to see your women again, you’ll carry the missions out successfully. We flew all the women to another base last night. You’ll be provided with appropriate weapons when sent out on missions. Otherwise you’ll not be issued a weapon until it’s decided you’re trustworthy. You’ll live here and we’ll feed you when you’re not out on supply runs. You’ll do as ordered as soon as you’re ordered. Is all of that understood?”
Blaze looked around helplessly. Several of the men who’d woken up had wives or girlfriends that’d been taken. Everyone who’d been with the clan for a while felt like they were part of a family. Blaze knew they had a few guys who wouldn’t care if they never saw the women again or not. Those men would value the security of a home base though. At least until something better came along. He nodded his understanding to Leander.
“You’re doing the right thing. Trust me this will all work out for the best.” Leander patted Blaze on the shoulder like he was a child then turned to leave. Harley was standing directly
