Paul Kirk - Devastation Point

Connor, meanwhile, did his own assessment of the two men. Years of experience had allowed him to develop an intuitive gauge that measured confidence, inherent ability, physical attributes, and possible military combat experience. Connor had led enough teams over the years to recognize well-seasoned competence. The larger man had the rank of First Sergeant and he appeared to be unarmed. His attitude suggested that he wasn’t very happy to be separated from his weapon. Having trained such men, Connor realized that this man took serious his role in providing for the safety of his commanding officer. This fact is what caused his apparent unease.

“You’re safe, Top,” he said, trying to put the soldier at ease. “We’re standing down.”

“Are you Colonel Connor MacMillen?” asked the captain.

“Who wants to know?” asked Connor with an edge to his voice.

“Yes, of course, colonel. I’m Captain Marcus Daubney and this is First Sergeant Mickey McGuire.”

“Captain, it’s a pleasure to meet you. You too, Top. Now—who wants to know who I am?”

“Sir, I’m on duty as part of the president’s Expedition and Recovery Team.”

“Starkes?” asked Connor.

“Yes, sir—Colonel Hannah Starkes.”

“How about that, John?” asked Connor without taking his eyes from the two men. “The president’s Expedition and Recovery Team.”

McLeod’s anxiety lessened considerably at this news.

“We’ve tried to locate you for awhile, colonel,” said the captain. “May we approach?”

Connor turned and smiled at McLeod who nodded. Connor turned back to the two men. “Yeah, sure, come on ahead. Let’s see where this goes.” He pushed away from the Chevy and walked to meet the men half way, McLeod following. When they met near the curb they shook hands warily, continuing to assess each other.

“I never said that I was this colonel you’re trying to find,” said Connor.

“That’s not necessary, sir. We saw your face before and I was briefed in on your full military jacket—you know, mission briefs, commendations.”

Connor hadn’t anticipated the level of access in today’s world. “How’s it possible that you saw that, captain? Most of that data’s full of black ops and way above your pay grade.”

“Yes, sir, but—”

“That data can’t be easy to access.”

The captain nodded. “Yes, sir, that’s true. But we still got some access, colonel.”

“You hear that, John?”

“Yeah, Mac.”

“You’re Colonel MacMillen?” asked the sergeant. He wasn’t as easily convinced as Captain Daubney and wanted definitive proof.

“How many men you got backing you up, captain?” asked John McLeod. He smiled at Connor, remembering their first-time meeting.

“We got a ten man unit on the ground including Top and I assigned specifically to locate Colonel Connor MacMillen.”

McLeod was impressed by the man’s honesty. First Sergeant Mickey McGuire was briefly frustrated by his commanding officer’s revelation of unit strength. Connor noticed. “You against the direct approach, Top?”

The sergeant looked caught between a rock and a hard place, but the captain came to his rescue. “Speak your mind, first sergeant.”

“Thank you, sir. Colonel, I voted against this little waltz. I don’t like going into a situation where I don’t know who I’m dealing with. I wanna know if you’re Colonel Connor MacMillen.”

“Yeah, Top, I’m Colonel Connor P. MacMillen, 82 ndAirborne. Now, answer me this: why are you so jittery?”

“I don’t like being out in the open, sir. Especially unarmed and with the sniper hanging around. I’ve seen what Marty can do.”

“How’d you know Marty’s part of my team?”

“Amanda Abbington told us about him, sir.”

“Top, don’t fuck with me,” said Connor, searching for some sign that the first sergeant was telling the truth. “That’s music to my ears. Top, that’s the best piece of information I’ve heard in years! Alright!” Connor bear-hugged McLeod, lifting him off the ground and turning a full circle. McLeod tried to laugh, but grunted from his compressed ribs. “Captain Daubney,” said Connor, releasing McLeod, “I need a sit-rep right this instant. Please give your first sergeant orders to clear your men. I wanna hear everything.”

“Yes, sir, colonel,” answered the captain, smiling. The colonel’s exuberance was contagious. “First sergeant, radio the men the all clear and have them come in—weapons neutral.”

“Yes, sir.” Mickey issued the order. Briefly, he ignored the return chatter and concentrated on the current conversation.

“I still can’t believe we found you, colonel,” said Captain Daubney.

“Yeah, captain, it was an incredible display of logistics, intelligence-gathering, and grid searching on your end.”

“Yes, sir.”

“It’s too bad we missed you guys at the Hall of Fame in Cleveland.”

“Yes, sir, I agree.”

“But come to think of it, I did come upon a minor dustup.”

“Minor, sir?” asked Mickey, laughing and somewhat abashed by his outburst.

Connor smiled at him. “Okay, maybe not so minor. But, the only thing I care about right now is that Amanda’s okay. She’s okay, isn’t she, Top?”

“Yes, sir, my team pulled her outta the flames when she went down,” answered Mickey, matter-of-factly.

Connor offered his hand to the first sergeant once more. “I owe you my life, Top.”

Mickey was a bit out of his element dealing so intimately with a high-ranking officer, but clasped Connor’s hand firmly. “You owe me nothing, sir. It’s an honor to meet you.” The first sergeant released his grip, embarrassed by his familiarity with top brass. He continued. “I’ve heard some good things about you too, sir.”

“They’re all lies, Top.”

“I doubt it, sir.”

Connor laughed and turned to the captain. “I’m real glad to see you guys, Captain Daubney.”

“You too, sir. I agree with Top—it’s an honor to meet you.”

“Thanks,” said Connor. “John, I need you to bring our team up to speed.”

“Okay, Mac,” said John, turning toward the KFC.

“Colonel, can we hold on a second?” asked Captain Daubney. “Is John your second in command, sir?” The captain pointed briefly at John McLeod who had turned to face them.

“That’s right, captain. John’s my second in command. I’m sorry that wasn’t clear, but we weren’t a hundred per cent sure who you were.”

“I understand, colonel.”

Connor turned to John McLeod. “ Major! Please properly introduce yourself to these men.”

This was the first time Connor had used the formal designation of major to address John McLeod and the new major was a bit embarrassed by the attention he was garnering. Despite that, he smiled and said, “I’m Major John McLeod.” He sensed Connor was establishing a baseline and thought it best not to say anything more.

“It’s nice to meet you, major,” said Captain Daubney. “What branch, sir? We didn’t find any information about you. Amanda mentioned you, but never said you were a major.”

“He was a civilian before the Sickness, captain,” explained Connor.

“Yes, sir,” said the captain. “But, then—”

“Helluva resume in his pocket. He safely traveled across the United States all the way to Colorado and back from DC. He was responsible for the safety of his team and he performed admirably. I’ve assigned him the rank of major under my direct command. I trust him with my life, captain, and the lives of my men.”

During Connor’s explanation, McLeod became increasingly uncomfortable and his emotions threatened to overwhelm him, but he hid his emotions well.