G Hopf: Sanctuary

“Why did you mutiny?” Barry asked.

“I told you a half truth. The truth is, the United States has been effectively destroyed. Washington, D.C., is gone, New York City is gone, the U.N. is gone, and the president and Congress are all dead. It is true that the devices that destroyed our infrastructure were detonated over Europe and Asia. Australia is the only country besides nations in South America and Africa that were left untouched. What you have experienced here has happened across the entire nation. Many cities have fallen into chaos. I haven’t embellished or misrepresented those facts.”

“How can we trust you?” a voice called from the room.

Barone put his hand up, gesturing for patience, and continued, “I’m not going to bullshit you anymore. I’ll tell you everything. If you want us to leave, we will do that, but let me explain myself first.” He was prepared to handle the consequences and he now felt that if he was able to present his case to the people, he’d win. When he and his group had arrived, the towns of Coos Bay and North Bend were faring well, considering the circumstances, but they were not without challenges. What his group offered them was security and hope. He knew he had leverage just by threatening to leave.

Crosstalk and chatter began to rise in volume.

Roger Timms stood and faced the group. “The colonel has proved to be helpful to our communities, and I say we hear him out. We can convene later about this. Let’s show him the respect he deserves.” He turned back toward Barone. “Go ahead, colonel.”

“Thank you, Roger,” Barone said with a slight smile on his face. He then began to explain everything, starting from when he was first informed of the attacks while he was stationed in Afghanistan. From there, he took them to the shores of Southern California and described what his men discovered there. He went into the conversations he’d had with leadership elements of the United States, including his conversation with Conner. He left nothing out, except what happened in Salem and in Portland. He knew that would not fit into the narrative he was creating. He wanted to showcase himself as a leader who was willing to buck the system to protect his family and other Americans at the risk of losing it all. When he brought up the choice to come to Coos Bay, he emphasized that there were other places outside the United States they had looked at but it was his devotion to America that made him settle there. He finished his lengthy monologue by saying, “I appreciate you all listening while I droned on. My people and I want nothing more than to continue working together to make a new place to call home. We have something to offer, and you have something to offer. We need each other in order to survive this, so please keep this in mind when you all meet later.”

Most in the room nodded when he finished. Roger stood again and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s meet at the Coos Bay City Hall to discuss this.”

Everyone stood up and left. A few walked up to Barone and shook his hand.

With the room vacant except for Barone, Simpson, and Roger Timms, Roger took the moment to say something to Barone personally.

“Colonel, thank you for your candor and honesty. I wish you had been honest with us from the beginning, but now, having heard what you went through, I can understand why you weren’t. I wanted to again express gratitude for all of the support you’ve shown us here. Regardless of what happened in the past, I want to continue our partnership. I’ll do whatever I can to make sure this is managed properly.”

“Thank you, Roger. It’s good to know that I have a friend here.”

“You do,” Roger said, then put out his hand. They shook, and Roger turned and left.

When the door shut Barone turned to Simpson and asked, “So, Top, what do ya think?”

“I wish you would have told me you were going to tell the truth. I don’t know where this goes from here. I don’t think they’ll tell us to leave, but if they do, I don’t think we can just pack up and go without having issues within our ranks again. A lot of our men have found a place to call home.”

“You’re right. This isn’t easy. We have assimilated quite well—that’s why we have to make this work,” Barone said, pulling up a chair to the table where Simpson was sitting.

“Top, you’re a good observer. Out of that group, who do you think we can trust? And more importantly, who can’t we?”

“Good question, sir. If there was one I’d keep my eye on, it’s Barry Milford.”

“Why do you say that?”

“As soon as we arrived, he was the guy giving us a hard time. I swear that jackass was knocking on my door every day.”

“Hmm. He sounds like he’s a busybody. I don’t know if he can cause us any trouble,” Barone said, somewhat dismissively.

“And I’d watch Brownstein. She’s a real firecracker. I’ll keep my ears open, and pay special attention to any suspicious behavior.”

“Do that. Now, how are the long-range recon patrols going?”

“Good so far. We’ve had some incidents, minor stuff. Overall, we’ve been well received in many towns. The joint civilian/Marine patrols have worked very well. It further integrates us into this area and will make it harder for them to challenge us.”

“All good news. Keep it up,” Barone said, standing up.

As Barone was leaving, Simpson called out, “Sir, I almost forgot. Cruz is refusing to eat again.”

“You know what to do. Force-feed him. We can’t afford to lose him,” Barone answered smugly.

As the door was closing, Simpson said, “Roger that!”

Pablo was enjoying watching his forces destroy the last remaining bridge that led into Sacramento. Sitting atop his T-72 tank, he felt like a warrior leading his men into battle. As he viewed the demolition through his binoculars, a smile cracked his handsome face. With the destruction of the Interstate-5 bridge, he now controlled all routes in and out of the city. His forces had now encircled the entire city, poised to attack.

Atop the tank, he had a panoramic view of the downtown skyline. The setting sun’s rays were casting shadows on the buildings. It was quiet; so quiet that he could hear the breeze carry dried leaves across the road. He took a moment to appreciate the solitude, for soon the peaceful quiet would be shattered by his artillery and mortars. He had attempted to negotiate with the governor but those negotiations broke down two days ago. Since then, he had ordered his men to set up checkpoints and close down all roads that led in and out of the city.

He was shocked by how far his army had traveled in the few weeks since their arrival. San Diego was the first city to fall, but there wasn’t much to taking it since his Villistas had already been terrorizing the population. It was more of a symbolic takeover than a tactical one. He had sent recon teams into Los Angeles but that proved to be impossible to take so far. The gangs that had plagued law enforcement before the lights went out had turned into a force to reckon with after. They were organized and knew how to communicate and maintain structure without modern technology. Only one of Pablo’s recon team had returned, and given the information they came back with, he knew that Los Angeles was a target that would have to wait. The smaller cities along the way fell easily. Local law enforcement or small detachments of the National Guard were no match against his fully armored and equipped army of twenty-five thousand men. That’s what you get when Venezuela sells you their 2nd Infantry Division for $20 billion in gold, he chuckled to himself.

Pablo looked down at his watch and saw the time was nearing.

“General Pasqual! Come here!” he called out to his second in command.