Kyle Pratt: Through Many Fires

Turning, he saw Maria with tears in her eyes. All Caden could say was, “How? When?”

“I came in the dump truck. We wanted to help.”

Caden looked beyond her. His father, Hoover, Neil Young and several deputies in SWAT gear along with other civilians stood with his men. He hugged Maria tight as sadness rent his soul.

Holding a silver platter, Caden eased down the hall trying to avoid the squeak of floorboards. He turned the doorknob and slowly crept across Maria’s room. On the tray was a cup of coffee, a ring and a note that read, “With all my love, Caden.”

She stirred, but didn’t awaken.

Pleased, he set the plate on the nightstand and followed the scent of breakfast downstairs. Stepping into the kitchen his mother held up an egg. “The hens laid seven this morning. Breakfast will be ready in a couple of minutes.”

He smiled and headed toward the sound of the television.

In the living room his father switched quickly between news programs.

Caden sat beside him.

Local reporters dubbed the actions of earlier in the week as the Battle of Olympia and spoke of little else. The victory at JBLM was the big news; the skirmish at Hansen was just a minor footnote. The New York networks, under the control of Durant, talked of a battle with insurgents and terrorists and the need for greater security.

Caden shook his head. An awful bloody struggle has just begun.

He stood and walked to an old roll-top desk in the corner of the room. Finding pen and paper he sat and stared blankly out the window. What could I write? What could I say that would bring some meaning or comfort? He sighed and with sudden determination wrote the first words that came to mind. “Mrs. Turner, I knew your husband, he was a good and honorable man.”

ACUArmy Combat Uniform.

AK-47The AK -47 is a selective-fire military rifle, developed in the USSR, but also used by the People’s Republic of China. In chapter 25, a Chinese soldier hits David Weston in the face with an AK-47.

CIDUnited States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC, usually abbreviated as just CID) investigates serious violations of military law within the United States Army.

EOCAn Emergency Operations Center is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management, or disaster management functions.

FuelerAn army fuel truck.

GMRSThe General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) is an FM UHF radio service designed for short-distance two-way communication similar to Citizens Band (CB) radios, but requiring an FCC license.

HumveeHigh Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), commonly known as the Humvee, is a four-wheel drive military vehicle.

JBLMJoint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) is a large military installation located nine miles south-southwest of Tacoma in Washington state.

LEPCLocal Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC) are quasi-governmental bodies, generally at the county or municipal level that do emergency planning.

M11United States military designation for the SIG P228 pistol. See SIG P228.

M2The M2 is a Browning .50 caliber machine gun.

M4The M4 is a common U.S. military magazine-fed, selective fire, rifle with a telescoping stock.

M9The M9 is a semiautomatic, 9mm, pistol in common use by the United States military.

M35A military truck in the 2½ ton weight class, often referred to as a “deuce and a half.”

MOPP LevelMOPP is an acronym for “Mission Oriented Protective Posture” and as used in the book it refers to the level of protective gear used by military personnel in a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear combat situation. MOPP Level zero means gear will be carried, but not worn.

MREMeals, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) are self-contained, individual military field rations .

MURSMulti-Use Radio Service (MURS) is an unlicensed two-way radio service similar to Citizens Band (CB).

ReconMilitary slang for reconnaissance.

ROTCThe Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is a college program for training commissioned officers.

SIG P228A compact pistol in use with many law enforcement agencies and the military where it is designated as the M11. Caden is given a M11, 9mm .40 S&W, in Chapter 13 along with two 15 round magazines. Caden refers to the M11 by the SIG name.

SINCGARSSingle Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) is a combat radio currently used by United States which handles voice and data communications.

Terrorists smuggle a nuclear bomb into Washington D.C. and detonate it during the State of the Union Address. Army veteran and congressional staffer Caden Westmore is in nearby Bethesda and watches as a mushroom cloud grows over the capital. The next day, as he drives away from the still burning city, he learns that another city has been destroyed and then another. America is under siege. Panic ensues and society starts to unravel.

Justin Garrett starts one morning as a respected businessman and ends the day a fugitive wanted by every power in the known universe. Fleeing with his 'sister' Mara and Naomi, a mysterious woman from Earth Empire, their only hope of refuge is with the Titans, genetically enhanced soldiers who rebelled, and murdered millions in the Titanomachy War. Hunted, even as they hunt for the Titans, the three companions slowly uncover the truth that will change the future and rewrite history.

Twenty years after the death of her father during the Battle of Altair, Lieutenant Amy Palmer returns to the system as an officer aboard the reconnaissance ship Mirage. Almost immediately disaster strikes and Amy, along with the crew of the Mirage, must face the possibility of performing their final duties. Final Duty is a military science fiction anthology that includes a novella and two short stories set in the same genre and universe.

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Kyle Pratt is the bestselling author of three books. The latest, Through Many Fires , is a post-apocalyptic thriller released in paperback and on Kindle in early August 2013. Within two weeks it appeared on both the Kindle Science Fiction Post-Apocalyptic list, reaching #10, and the Mystery, Thriller and Suspense list, reaching #39.

Kyle grew up in the mountains of Colorado and earned an Associate in Arts degree from Mesa State College in Grand Junction. When money for college ran low he enlisted the United States Navy as a Cryptologic Technician. “I thought I would do four years and then use my veteran's benefits to go back to college,” he once said.