I poured myself another drink as everyone passed around the jug of homemade vodka. It was another celebratory night, but not like the one we had when Jenny announced her pregnancy, this was completely different. There was a sort of sadness that was cast over the group. As much as I was happy that they had wanted to help, there was still a fresh sense of fear that overtook the group. Not just from those that had volunteered to come, but also from those who didn’t. They were worried about the others, and that was totally understandable. I knew that even the people who were going to stay behind would have a rough time with the whole situation. Usually it was just the girls and I heading out on missions, so most of the people that were in the community didn’t really get to see any action, at least not since last winter. Now, though, we had people heading off to the largest bottle that we’d seen together. This was a new and nerve-wracking experience for everyone.

  After a couple of drinks I noticed that Kimmy wasn’t around the fire any longer. I looked around, and I didn’t see baby Anthony, either, so I left the group and went to find her. I didn’t take long, the dorm building was the first place I checked, and I found her sitting in the common area with baby Anthony on her lap. She was smiling at him, and I walked over and looked over her shoulder.

  “He’s so cute,” I said as he smiled up at me.

  “Thanks,” Kimmy said, but there was a certain sadness in her voice.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I just needed to talk to you,” she said. “I was trying to put it off, but I guess now is as good a time as any.”

  “Whatever it is, you can talk to me about it,” I assured her as I took a seat next to her on the couch.

  Kimmy refused to make eye contact with me, she looked at baby Anthony instead, but then she took a deep breath and leveled her gaze at me.

  “I can’t go with you,” she said solemnly.

  “I know,” I told her.

  “It’s just that I have Anthony to think about,” she said with a gesture at the baby on her lap.

  “I completely understand,” I told her softly.

  “Everyone seems to be going,” she said, and she looked back down at the ground. “I feel like I’m not doing my part.”

  “You’re doing something wonderful by staying here and being his mother,” I told her. “You two are part of the reason why we’re fighting in the first place. I want you to be safe, and I want Anthony to grow up with his mom. I want you to stay here and look after him until I get home.”

  Kimmy was silent for a moment, but then she looked at me, and I saw tears in her eyes.

  “Promise me you’ll come back,” she said, and her voice cracked. “Anthony needs his father.”

  “I promise,” I told her, and I leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips.

  Baby Anthony squealed then, and it made both of us laugh. Kimmy tickled Anthony’s belly, then she looked at me and smiled before she kissed me again.

  I made a promise to Kimmy that I planned on keeping, but it wasn’t going to be easy. There were no guarantees when it came to war. That’s why I typically didn’t make promises like that, but when it came to Kimmy and the girls, I couldn’t help but promise them that nothing would happen to them, and also that I wouldn’t let anything happen to myself.

  Promises like that were nearly impossible to keep, but when I looked around at all of the strange but wonderful things that had happened to me over the past couple of years, nothing seemed impossible anymore.

  The next morning I woke up early and went downstairs. The girls were all still sleeping, but I found Kimmy, Betty, and Rolly sitting downstairs.

  “Morning,” Betty greeted me as I came down the steps.

  “Good morning,” I said with a smile.

  Rolly didn’t greet me, he simply poured me a cup of coffee, which I gratefully took. I nodded my appreciation, and the old man nodded back, then I took a long pull of the dark nectar he’d made. It was delicious and boldly flavored.

  Once the girls were awake, then we would all head over to the fort to meet with Renee. I had told her that we would come by soon anyways since I wasn’t sure that the radio channel was safe, but now we had even bigger news. Thinking about the channel got me wondering if Anna and Bailey had managed to finish the code that we had talked about yesterday. It would come in handy for emergencies, or if we needed to reach Renee before we left, or even if anybody on campus needed to reach her after we were gone. I wanted them to be able to remain in contact while we were away, so it was imperative that we made sure that the airways were safe for them to speak.

  If the girls hadn’t managed to get it done yesterday, then I would have them work on it on the way over to the fort so that we could give it to Renee today. Besides, I figured that some input from Paige probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.

  I’d also ask Kimmy if she wanted to accompany us today. I knew that she was upset about staying behind. She wasn’t upset because she had to stay behind, she knew that it was important for her to be there for Anthony, but she was upset because we would be gone and in danger. If we could spend some time with her before we left, then I figured that might help her cope while we were away.

  “Kimmy,” I said. “Would you like to come with the girls and I to the fort today?”

  “I would love to,” Kimmy said with a nod. “Where are the girls anyway? Are they still sleeping?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I figured I would let them sleep a little bit longer. We don’t need to get over to Renee's incredibly early, it could be dangerous before the sunrise since she doesn’t know that we’re coming. I don’t want to startle any of the guards.”

  “That makes sense,” Kimmy said. “Are we going to be picking up some fuel today?”

  “That’s the plan,” I said. “Normally I would try and give her some more notice before we needed the fuel, but this is an extenuating circumstance. We need it as soon as possible, even if we have to come back and get some before we leave, I need her to know that we’re going to require a large supply.”

  I wanted us to not only have enough for the trip down there and back, but also in case we needed it while we were there. I couldn’t be sure whether or not the American troops would have fuel for their vehicles, or even if they had any working vehicles. But if they did by chance have vehicles that were able to run, then if we could bring some extra fuel for them that would probably be a big help.

  At this point I was trying to make sure that not only were the girls and I set up, but also that we were useful to the American troops once we arrived. The last thing that I wanted to do was show up and be more in the way than helpful. I knew that the document we had deciphered would already be helpful, but I wanted to make sure that we were as useful as we possibly could be, and if that meant bringing supplies to our boys then that’s what we would do.

  It didn’t take long for the girls to wake up and come downstairs. It still wasn’t light out by the time they came down, though, so I told them to pour a cup of coffee before we left.

  “We’re going to the fort today, right?” Anna asked. “Does Renee know that we’re coming?”

  “No,” I said with a shake of my head. “I don’t want to use the radios until the code is put into place.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Bailey said with a smile, and she pulled a folded up piece of paper out of her pocket. “We finished it last night.”

  “When did you even have time to work on this?” I chuckled.

  “We made time,” the blonde said with a shrug.

  “It looks like it,” I said as I unfolded the piece of paper and saw that there wasn’t a blank space on it.

  “What’s this about a code?” Paige asked.

  “Oh, yeah, you weren’t there yesterday morning,” Bailey said.

  “No, I guess I wasn’t,” the brunette replied. “What is it?”

  “It’s for the radios,” Anna said. “Bailey and I came up with a way that we can talk over them without it being obvious.”

  “So it’s in case the North Koreans are listening?” Paige asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Even though the one guy that we found didn’t speak English, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have somebody around that does. And with all the trouble that we caused them in Boston, I’m sure that they’ll be keeping an eye out on any frequency they can get their hands on.”

  “That’s smart,” Paige said.

  “If you need any help with it, then Paige and I would be happy to assist, right, Paige?” Kimmy asked. “I know it was really important, and the information was pretty dark, but I did have fun trying to figure out that code for the note.”

  “Me too,” Paige chuckled.

  “I think we have pretty much got it,” Anna said. “But if you guys want to take a look and make sure that it all makes sense then that would be nice.”

  “Oh, for sure,” Paige said with a smile.

  “We can look it over on the way over to the fort,” Kimmy suggested.

  “Speaking of that,” I said as I looked out the window to see that it was beginning to get light outside. “We should get going over there soon. I want to make sure that we make the most out of the daylight.”

  “Alright,” Anna said with a clap. “Let’s do this.”

  The girls and I took the muffins that Betty had made for us, and the coffee that Rolly put in to-go cups, then we headed out to the jeep. I had a trailer attached to the one that we had for the day, that way we could pick up the fuel more easily. We all piled in, Anna rode in the passenger’s seat, while the rest of the girls piled into the back. They were pretty small, so four of them fit into the back easily. I was glad that we didn’t have the cadets with us, either they would need to ride in the back or we’d have to bring another jeep. The cadets had also seemed pretty tired since we’d gotten back. I think seeing battle for the first time took a little something out of them, and they needed time to recuperate.

  I was impressed that they volunteered so quickly to come with us, but not surprised. I knew that they would jump at the opportunity to come with us considering they were both quite dedicated to the cause. They were both still so young, though, and they weren’t fully trained. I needed to make sure that they were ready for this level of battle, along with everyone else. I wanted to make sure that they all got some target practice in, as well as practice with the new plasma weapons. We had managed to pick up enough plasma guns that everybody would be able to carry one with them, but that required training. Not only were these guns completely different from the metal ones that they were used to, but these were also extremely easy to fire. With a normal gun you had to load it and make sure that it wasn’t in safety mode.

  I didn’t think that these plasma weapons even had a safety mode. I definitely hadn’t seen one when we had taken the gun apart, and I didn’t think that they were likely to jam like a normal gun might, either. These things were deadly machines designed to be just that. Regular guns were deadly as well, but these plasma guns were far more efficient at the task. They didn’t require any loading, or any bullets. As long as the pod that was in them was full then they were good to shoot. And the pod seemed to last just about forever. I didn’t look like the gun I had been using had depleted any of the liquid inside. I was sure that it had used a very small amount, but it wasn’t noticeable, and that was scary. These things could probably fire a million shots before they ran out of fuel. This liquid was so unstable that it needed just a barest amount in order to ionize into a dangerous plasma.

  The sun hit my eyes as I turned out of our driveway and onto the highway. It was a bright morning, and it felt good to be on the road. Even though we were only heading to the fort, there was something nice and peaceful about a long drive. I always enjoyed being out on the road, and it was especially nice when I needed to clear my head.

  The upcoming battle wasn’t something to be taken lightly, and I was playing through every scenario inside my mind trying to figure out what our best course of action would be for whatever scenario we ran into.

  It was impossible to know anything for sure until we found the American troops, and the waiting was killing me. I had to just focus on creating a plan that could be put into any different situation and on getting our supplies and everything ready for our departure. We’d already been gone for a week in Boston, and we hadn’t even been home that long, but we needed to head out again as soon as possible.

  I had told the girls that we leave within a week's time, but if we got everything situated before that, then we would leave even earlier. I just wanted to make sure that we brought whatever we could to the table, including a plan for what to do with the tankers that we had.

  We got to the fort pretty early in the morning, and I pulled up to the gate and parked the Jeep. I waved my hand out the window, and one of the guys at the gate waved down to me and opened it for us. Usually I left our vehicles outside of the gate, but we needed fuel, so I pulled the jeep and the trailer in.

  Renee was already headed down the stairs toward us by the time I got out of the vehicle.

  “Hey,” the dark-haired woman said with a smile. “It’s good to see you!“

  “It’s good to see you, too,” I told her.

  “What’s wrong?” the fort leader asked, and she stopped dead in her tracks and looked at me with concern.

  Renee was incredibly empathetic, and there was something about her where she was able to tell that something was going on even before I said anything.

  “We found a document with orders from the North Koreans,” I explained. “It revealed information about their plan. They’re headed down to Norfolk where the American troops are currently at.”

  “You’re going there,” Renee said. It was a statement, not a question, but I nodded anyways.

  “We are,” I said. “I wish that we had come here only to discuss everyday matters, but I’m afraid it’s more than that.”

  “Whatever you need,” Renee said with a nod. “You know that you have it.”

  “I appreciate that,” I told her. “We’re going to need fuel for the trip.”

  “Is it just you going down there?” Renee asked, and her eyebrows pinched together with concern. “If the American troops are there then that’s got to be a huge number of Koreans coming after them.”

  “Some of the people at the campus volunteered to come with us,” Bailey said.

  “The more people, the better, it would seem,” Renee said. “I’ll talk to my men and see if anybody wants to come with you. I can spare the hands, this place is pretty impenetrable.”

  “I don’t want to force anyone to go with us,” I said with a shake of my head. “It’s going to be dangerous as hell, and anybody who decides to go needs to understand what they’re signing up for.”

  “I know that you’re right,” Renee said. “But I want to give my people the option to go.”

  “I was going to talk to the doomsday prepper guys as well,” I said. “When are they going to meet up with you again?”

  “They’re coming today,” Renee told me with a laugh. “You came on a good day.”

  “It would seem like it,” I said with a smile.

  “Don’t let her fool you, they’ve been here every day this week,” one of the guys on guard duty yelled down.

  “Oh, that’s right,” Tara said with a grin. “Renee and the doomsday preppers’ guy had something going on.”

  “There’s nothing going on,” Renee said, but the blush that came to her cheeks told a different story.

  “I’m so sure,” Tara chuckled. “You two couldn’t keep your eyes off of each other last time we were here.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Renee said, but her cheeks got even more red. “They should be here in an hour or so.”

  “That will work just fine,” I said. “Now, about the fuel, we usually try to give you a little bit more time to get it together. And I also want to make sure that you’re compensated, so we need to discuss what the transaction will look like.”

  “Tav,” Renee said. “I already told you, whatever you need, it’s yours. I’m not going to trade you anything for the fuel. You are going and inserting yourself into this war for the good of everyone, I’m not going to be on the wrong side of history here. I want to do my part. I might not be trained and able to fight alongside you, but I can provide you with plenty of fuel for the trip down there and back. You’ve always been good to us, let us return the favor.”

  “That would be great,” I told Renee with a smile. “I’m also looking to get some extra fuel in case the troops down there have working vehicles but no gas.”

  “That does seem like it would be an issue,” Renee said with a nod. “If they could find anything it would probably be bad by now anyway. I’ll make sure that you have as much as you need.”

  “I really appreciate what you’re doing,” I told her.

  “Don’t thank me,” she said. “I’m just doing what I can, you and the girls here, you’re doing all the real hard work.”

  “Renee,” Anna said with a smile. “You know how you said anything we need?”

  “Of course,” the dark-haired woman said with a nod.

  “Well, what about that?” Anna asked with a point at the howitzer.

  Chapter 10

  “Oh, yeah, I’d almost forgotten about that thing,” Tara said.

  “How could you forget about it?” I asked. “It’s ginormous and right there.”

  “Of course, you can take the howitzer,” Renee chuckled.

  “That actually would come in handy,” I said with a nod.

  “How are we going to get it out of here?” Bailey asked.

  “That’s a good point,” Anna said.

  “I can figure out a way for us to get it out,” Paige said. “But it might take me a little bit.”

  “I can help you try and figure it out,” Kimmy offered.

  “How did they get it here in the first place?” Bailey asked.

  “It was Brody that brought it here, I’m sure,” Renee said.

  “Do you know how he got it here?” Bailey asked.

 

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