William Weber - Turning the Tide

First, a thank you to the early readers who were kind enough to comment on early drafts of the manuscript. In no particular order, John Alex Groff, H. Rossi, Stephen Myers and Gary Stevens. Each of you was invaluable in helping to shape this book.

To my wife and family for always being there. And finally to the fans who make it all worthwhile.

When an EMP plunges the country into darkness, John Mack decides to use his military training to help his neighbors deal with the crisis. Their difficulties soon worsen when they become targeted by a ruthless gang of criminals, leaving John to prepare those around him to fight a battle they can’t possibly win. The resulting carnage leaves the streets of Willow Creek devastated.

After fleeing to his cabin in northern Tennessee, John discovers that a tyrant named The Chairman has taken hold of the local town of Oneida. His home goes up in flames and his loved ones are kidnapped.

His path of vengeance leads him to a group of Patriots, many of whom have also suffered at the hands of The Chairman. Together they storm Oneida and end The Chairman’s reign of terror.

Everything they thought they knew changes when they learn that the EMP was only the opening salvo of a larger invasion plan and that the armies of Russia, China and North Korea are poised to push across the Mississippi River in order to complete their conquest.

Standing in their way is the tiny town of Oneida. Together with the help of disparate elements of surviving US forces, they just manage to hold on. Bypassed by a frustrated enemy, Oneida becomes a symbol of resistance as the stage becomes set for the final battle which will decide whether America will remain forever free or live in tyranny.

The late bestselling author Elmore Leonard once said: “When you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip.” Dutch’s words rang loudly in my ears as I sat down to tackle the Last Stand series. My goal was always to tell an educational and entertaining tale. To say that I’ve been surprised by the reception the series has received would be a massive understatement. Even more astonishing has been the support and well-wishes from readers all over the world. It’s been a great ride so far. Thank you again for joining me. And know that although the Last Stand series is coming to an end, this is only the beginning.

APC: Armored Personnel Carrier

GPS: Global Positioning System

HE: High Explosive

IED: Improvised Explosive Device

IFV: Infantry Fighting Vehicle

KIA: Killed in Action

JTAC: Joint Terminal Attack Controller

MBT: Main Battle Tank

Colonel Higgs: Frontline commander

Colonel Guo Fenghui: Aide to General Liang

Colonel Li Keqiang: Head of Chinese Military Intelligence

Devon: Young security guy

David Newbury: Concentration camp survivor

Dixon: Soldier at the front

General Brooks: Head of forces in Oneida

General Dempsey: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

General Wei Liang: The supreme commander of all Chinese and North Korean forces

Heller: Explosives expert

Henry: Ham radio operator

Huan Wei: Chinese prisoner of war

Jang Yong-ho: Camp Commandant

Jerry Fowler: Former employee at Y-12

Moss: Head of security

Ray Gruber: Vice Mayor of Oneida

Robert Rodriguez: Electronics specialist/radio operator

Zhang Shuhong: Chinese special forces commander

American:

A-10 Warthog: Tank-destroying plane

Ac-130: Ground attack aircraft

Abrams M1A2: Main battle tank

AH-64 Apache: Attack helicopter

AT-4: Disposable anti-tank weapon

Barrett M82: .50 cal sniper rifle

Bradley: M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle

F-22 Raptor: Fighter jet

Javelin: Fire-and-forget anti-tank missile

Remington 700: Sniper rifle used by Reese

M249: Light machine gun

M4 Carbine: Assault rifle

SAW: Squad automatic weapon (light machine gun)

Chinese:

QBZ-03: Assault rifle

Type 77: Officers pistol

ZBD-08: Infantry fighting vehicle

Russian:

AK-47/74: Assault rifle

BTR-T: Infantry fighting vehicle

Mil Mi-28 Havoc: Attack helicopter

RPG: Rocket-propelled grenade

Sukhoi Su-27:Fighter jet

T-90:Russian main battle tank

TOS-1:Mobile rocket artillery

The early-morning sun warmed John’s face as he listened to the caged pigeons cooing next to him. He was trying to process a million jumbled thoughts at once.

Oneida’s streets and buildings still bore the deep scars of battle. Burned-out vehicles and piles of rubble clogged the entire length of Alberta Street. The enemy dead had been thrown unceremoniously into a mass grave, weapons and equipment salvaged for later use. Even though the Chinese troops had backed away, the loose ring around the town served as a constant reminder that another attack could happen at any time. Next to him Wilbur Powel was talking, his words muffled and distant.

“They’ve been used for at least a couple thousand years,” Wilbur was saying. An older man with wire-rimmed glasses and a bad combover, he’d once run a small insurance company in Oneida. That was, before the EMP.

“What’s been used?” John asked.

“Carrier pigeons. I was saying they’ve been used for centuries. Way back to the ancient Persians.”

Oneida was observing strict radio silence before the mission to the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. Any information going to or from the town would either need to be sent over land by messenger―a risk that was far too great given that PLA troops still encircled the city—or by carrier pigeons. That was where Wilbur came in.

“Used ’em in both World Wars. Fact, when the Germans caught on, they sent hawks up to hunt ’em down.”

“What’s this?” John asked, referring to a wire in the cage.

Wilbur glared in with his one good eye. “That’s the signal wire, which rings a bell when a bird arrives with a message.”

John smiled. “Sorta like email.”

“I wouldn’t know nothing about that,” Wilbur spat. “Rotary phone and a typewriter were all I ever needed. Only good thing that came from that pulse bomb I suppose was that it fried the cell phones those teenagers are always staring at like zombies.”

“You’ve got a point there,” John said, unable to keep from thinking about Gregory, nor feeling the sting that came along with not having freed his son. “So where can we send them?” John asked.

Wilbur stared up at the sky and pursed his lips. “Least half my birds were killed when a Chinese shell landed nearby. I do got one group that can travel as far as Greensboro.”