John O'Brien - Conspiracy

“I’m not sure what we’re planning after that. Like you, we’ll base our decision on what we find,” Leonard answers.

“We won’t have the sat comms, but we’ll make periodic forays out your way if possible and try to stay in touch that way. Is there anything you need?” Walker asks.

“Thanks, but I think we’re good for now,” Leonard replies, still cautious, waiting for Walker’s appeal for the sub to join his side.

“Okay, we’ll come down as much as possible and give you a jingle. That’s until Spring rolls around. Then we’ll be grounded. If there’s anything you need prior to then, let us know and we’ll assist if we can. Good luck to you, Leonard,” Walker says, reaching to shake his hand.

Leonard returns the shake and watches as Walker turns and begins heading back up the beach toward his team.

“Walker…Jack, wait,” Leonard calls out, having reached a decision.

Walker looks over his shoulder. Upon his return, Leonard tells him of the messages they received and the target they were given.

Walker pauses, staring intensely at Leonard. “Well, I can’t say that I like that news much. I’m glad you didn’t turn north.”

“It didn’t seem right. I concur that we’re dealing with a rogue group and it’s apparent they have DoD file access. We’re still heading to our home port and not sure where we’re going from there but, I’ll make the same offer to you. If you need anything, give us a call. If we have to go deep, we’ll make sure and come to periscope depth at dawn, noon, and sundown if possible,” Leonard states; the two groups are now working together.

He knows that there will still need to be a conversation about leadership but sees that Walker seems to understand this as well. Leonard is content with that for the moment.

“Thank you, Captain. That’s very much appreciated. And thanks for not lobbing missiles at us.”

“Jack, keep in mind that we won’t be able to arrive at a moment’s notice, nor do we carry armament capable of taking out a bunker of the magnitude you mentioned,” Leonard states.

“Duly noted. You and your crew are welcome north anytime. I know you mentioned that we need to have further conversations, and I welcome it. To be honest, between you and me, I’m tired and ready to throw a hammock up between two palm trees and call it good.”

“I’ll be fighting you for those palm trees. Good luck with picking up your team,” Leonard says.

“And you with your search,” Walker says.

Walker looks over Leonard’s shoulder in the direction of the chief’s team and nods. He then turns and begins marching through the sand towards his team. Leonard watches for a moment longer and then does the same.

Gav watches the video replay the control room sent to her laptop. She had directed the personnel there to continue watching for the Santa Fe . She read their reply verifying receipt of their first message but nothing upon sending the second one…the one targeting Walker and his group. She knows they received it but chose not to reply. She had focused the satellite surveillance on both the northern coastlines of Oregon and Washington and the southern shores of California. She ordered both to be covered as she needed to know which avenue the Santa Fe would take regarding the target mission.

Looking at the screen, she has her answer. They chose to disregard the instructions sent. There is a small chance they never received the communication, but she doubts it. On the monitor, she watches as a C-130 from the camp A-US-1 flies down the coastline and lands. Fast forwarding to the location of the video given by the control room, she witnesses the Santa Fe surfacing near where the Hercules landed. Watching the events unfold, she is not happy. She knows that her game is up in that arena. She played her hand there and lost again.

A lifetime of successes and now this. This is the worst possible time for things to start going wrong , she thinks, reaching over to stop the video.

She isn’t used to failure and is doubly frustrated by the timing of having to deal with it.

Returning to the sub, Leonard opts to travel inside of the Channel Islands. He is satisfied with his decision regarding Walker and that the two groups help each other. He is nervous over the technological advantage of the rogue group. The anxiety is alleviated to an extent considering the limited force Walker says they have. It doesn’t appear they can strike back quickly without traveling great distances and then all Leonard has to do is put out to sea.

That’s assuming Walker has told him everything. He’ll still operate on the cautious side just in case. He offered help to the northern group, but that doesn’t mean he wants to get caught up in a battle between the groups. It’s funny how quick humankind returns to that form of conduct when dealing with each other — might makes right.

Perhaps there’s only a small remnant of those types that made it through the downfall .

Leonard hopes this isn’t going to be the norm for the last traces of humanity. He doesn’t agree with the use of force as an initial tool, but has no hesitation whatsoever about using it to protect his crew. And, if it really came down to it, humankind. The story Walker told, if true, is a chilling one. Contingencies and theories are one thing, but actually putting something into practice like that… purposely bringing about the downfall of humanity… is downright evil. Leonard briefs his officers on the meeting and the decision he reached.

Oil derricks dot the open water as the Santa Fe makes its way south. Rugged hills hugging the shoreline give way to towns where the hills open up. Strands of pristine beach, miles long, front the large cities with beachfront houses and businesses running right up to the edge. Between the large settlements, bluffs rise abruptly out of the water with rough hills and deep valleys beyond.

Rounding the Malibu point, the metropolis of Los Angeles opens up — twenty miles of beach and waterfront property. The buildings of the past civilization stretching over twice that far inland and farther south past the cliffs of Palos Verdes. Most of that is lost from sight due to the curvature of the earth as Leonard looks through the periscope. He notes the lack of the brown haze that usually sits over the megalopolis.

Turning his view south, he can barely make out the bluffs of Palos Verdes and catches a glint from the vast residential areas that lie on top. Much farther to the south, he spies a barely visible dark smudge lying on the horizon.

Pulling as close to the shore as he dares, Leonard surfaces the Santa Fe . With Walker’s information, he isn’t feeling as exposed as he did previously. He’s cast his trust with that group and, if he’s been led astray, then so be it. If information surfaces that Walker has been less than honest with him, he’ll deal with it at that time. The northern group had several chances to take them out if they wanted to, and Leonard hasn’t seen any indication that they’re being led on. He’s rolled the dice and, for now, he’ll let them roll.

Water streams from the sleek hull as the dark shape rises from the depths, parking about midway and just offshore from the large waterway leading to Marina Del Rey. Standing atop the tower, Leonard isn’t able to see into the channel itself due to a tall, rocky breakwater shielding the entrance. The low, resonating sound of their foghorn rolls across the water and into the outskirts of city.

Sunlight sparkles off the rolling swells and bathes the land beyond, the calm broken only by occasional blasts of the horn. Leonard wants to give anyone who can hear the sound time to respond. In a city this large, there certainly has to be survivors. Although, it could be the just the opposite — that a place of this size would have an exorbitant number of night runners making survival next to impossible.