“Fair enough,” Jackson answered.
A few seconds later, Ben watched as two men, dressed in military fatigues, stepped out of what used to be a clothing store that Ben had visited with his boys. They carried the brand of T-shirts that they liked to wear.
“Lower your rifle,” Jackson said.
“You’re sure these guys aren’t just dressed like the military?” Ben asked.
Jackson nodded. “They’re the real deal.”
Ben slowly lowered his rifle, but even with the colonel’s assurances, he still felt exposed. It wasn’t until the pair were directly in front of them and they shook hands with Jackson that Ben finally relaxed.
“What kind of high-priority intelligence have you brought us, Colonel?” the soldier asked.
Jackson lifted the duffel bag off of the horse’s sidesaddle and dropped it into the arms of the soldier. “You can thank us later for preventing another Armageddon.”
The pair of soldiers exchanged a glance, and then Ben and Jackson followed the soldiers back to their checkpoint and then into the camp.
The military unit had chosen to take refuge in the remnants of an outlet mall. It was big enough to fit all of their people, and with men strategically placed on the roof, they were able to see far ahead on the outskirts of the city. Not to mention the outlet strip mall was still fairly intact and provided shelter from the elements.
Ben and Jackson tied off the animals outside of the mall and followed the soldiers inside. They received some strange stares, and as Ben studied the faces of the soldiers he passed, he knew these guys had it rough.
Face after face stared back at Ben with sullen anger. Ben knew that these military units were not accustomed to being on the losing end of a fight. The fact that one of the greatest military superpowers the world had ever seen had been fooled by a ragtag team that was no more than a militia hadn’t set well with anyone. But Ben suspected that the military wasn’t going to make that same mistake again.
Ben followed Jackson into a large tent that had been set up at the center of the outlet mall. When they entered, Ben figured it was the command center because he saw a map set up in the center of the room with a group of officers standing around it, pointing at different structures, no doubt determining where they believed the enemy was going to make their next attack.
“General McGuire,” the soldier who led them inside saluted a gray-haired man. “I have Colonel Jackson with the second division reporting, sir.”
The general saluted the soldier and then dismissed him. Jackson stepped forward and offered his own salute.
“General,” Jackson said in a stern voice.
“At ease, Colonel,” McGuire said. “I was told you have something important for me.”
“Yes, sir,” Jackson replied. “We received intelligence about a potential nuclear device in play. We managed to secure one of the components before the device could be completed.” He gestured toward the duffel bag they had brought in. “I’m not exactly sure what that piece of the device does, we had schematics, but I’m not sure if they made it to you or not.”
“No, they did not,” General McGuire answered.
Ben and Jackson exchanged a glance, realizing that the scientists were either dead or had decided to go their own way.
McGuire, along with his advisers, opened the duffel bag and inspected the contents, though Ben was certain none of them understood what they were looking at.
“Jesus,” McGuire said. “I want a unit ready to transport this to our research division. This is the highest priority, top-secret clearance.”
“Yes, sir!” The young soldier hurried out of the tent.
Once the young man was gone, the general turned to Ben, who was the only person in the room not dressed in military fatigues.
“I don’t suppose you have top-secret clearance?” McGuire asked.
Ben shook his head. “No, sir, but I can keep a secret.”
The general laughed. “I suppose that’s good enough in times like these. Now, who the hell are you?”
Jackson explained the situation, and Ben chimed in when it was necessary. After they were finished, the general gave Ben another good look up and down.
“So you have a community here that you believe could be in trouble,” McGuire said.
“The enemy knows where my family is located, sir,” Ben said. “I know it’s only a matter of time before they come back and take another shot at us. I was lucky before, but we don’t have the numbers to fend off a full-blown attack from these people.”
“If I may, sir,” Jackson said. “Despite some of the setbacks I’ve had in my relationship with Mr. Riker, I can vouch for his honesty. He didn’t have to return to me at his own risk, but he did. And I couldn’t have recovered the nuclear device without his help. He was instrumental in that regard.”
Ben was surprised by Jackson’s kind words, but he wasn’t sure if it was enough to convince the general to help him.
“Mr. Riker, I am not a man in the kind of position in power where I can start diverting resources, despite what my rank might suggest,” McGuire said. “But I can promise you right now that your people are safe. I’ll send a unit over to collect your people and keep them here until the fighting is finished. You will be well behind our lines and away from any danger before the fighting starts.”
The wave of relief that spread throughout Ben’s body was euphoric. It was like knowing that his child was sick and then hearing the doctor tell him that they were going to be okay.
“Thank you, General,” Ben said.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to planning on how to wallop these bastards,” General McGuire said. “When my aid returns, I’ll have him find you outside and begin setting everything up.”
“Yes, sir,” Ben said.
Jackson lingered behind for a little bit to answer a few
