Nathan Jones - Determination

Aware of his condition, the men in uniform generously offered him the window seat in the cab. The drive south didn’t take long at all, but with the discomfort he was in it couldn’t be over fast enough. Especially with the way he braced himself in his seat to avoid jostling, which steadily tired him out.

Lewis occupied the time by talking to the driver and middle passenger, who’d both served under Erikson along the Wasatch Front. Both men had participated in the brutal fighting against the Chinese, and had been part of the rearguard for the General’s nightmarish retreat with the civilian refugees.

Neither one seemed particularly interested in going into detail about their experiences, and Lewis had the impression that they’d been transferred to lighter duty well away from the front for a good reason. To give them time to recover from what they’d gone through.

As the truck pulled up to Davis’s camp, Lewis noted that it looked way different from when he’d seen it last. He’d heard that the sergeant had opted to move it up onto the south slope in the canyon after the helicopter attack, and had approved the decision, but it was still a shock to see.

It also wasn’t all that well hidden. Maybe from overhead it was more obscured, but from down on the road it was obvious that most of the tents had been set up in clearings, which sort of defeated the purpose. Also a lot of stuff had been cleared away to make room, even some of the trees, which didn’t help.

The soldiers left him and his defenders to find their own way in the camp, while they headed up to the command tent to talk to Sergeant Harmon. Lewis wanted to talk to the man too at some point, but at the moment he would be more than happy to just get to the Aspen Hill camp. The hike up over the ridge and back down to where it was on the southern slope was going to be brutal.

Halfway through the camp, picking their painstaking way up the slope, a sharp whistle stopped them. Lewis and the others turned to see Raul Gutierrez, accompanied by a couple of familiar faces from the defenders who’d come down with Jane, emerging from what he assumed was the mess tent. They were carrying pots of food, and he guessed they were picking up lunch for their squad.

The former soldier clapped him on the shoulder and shook hands with the other defenders. “Welcome to the war zone. Although I’ve heard you guys have been tearing things up around Aspen Hill, so you know the drill.”

“Thanks,” Lewis said, propping himself up with the help of just one defender so he could shake hands too. “I heard you got one of the new squads, congratulations. You were due a leadership position way before now, honestly.”

Gutierrez shrugged. “I was an outsider, it took time to prove my trustworthiness. Besides, Matt and Trev both did good jobs. Same with you and Jane up north.” He motioned down the canyon along the slope they were on. “Want to come say hi to everyone?”

From what he remembered from his previous visit, that was the direction of the emplacements overlooking Highway 31. “You’re guarding the canyon now?” Lewis asked.

The former soldier nodded. “Half of us. Mine and Ben’s squads are manning the southern position in the canyon, while Trev and Jane’s squads are on the other side of the ridge on the southern slope. We have over four squads’ worth of people, you know. Closer to five with the guys you brought, once our wounded are back in action. That’s way more than needed for what Matt was assigned to guard, but Sergeant Harmon was willing to give us duties that didn’t split us up too far.”

“Well that’s good.” Lewis didn’t want to be rude, but he was in a hurry to get somewhere he could lie flat. Preferably with a willowy redhead wearing a matching wedding band curled up against him. “Why don’t you and Ben come around to our camp tonight for dinner, if you’re off duty?”

His friend gave him an uncomfortable look. “I don’t really like leaving my position, even when I’m off duty. I like to stay on top of things.”

Lewis grinned. “I’m not asking you to a party, Raul. I figure even if we’ve all got our assignments, there’s still some things the squad leaders should discuss.”

Gutierrez grimaced. “What, like supplies and rosters? I could be spending that time sleeping.”

“No, like the fact that we’ve got more people than we need to man the positions.” Lewis leaned in, immediately regretting it when he nearly fell on top of Gutierrez. “Davis did say he wanted us to find opportunities to hit at the enemy, right?”

The defenders murmured their approval at that, and the former soldier’s eyes lit up. “Now that’s a meeting I wouldn’t mind attending. I’ve been going crazy waiting around for the enemy to come to us.” He offered his hand again. “Listen, I need to get this food back to my squad. I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

Lewis awkwardly returned the handshake, then got propped up between the two men helping him again. As Gutierrez and his squad mates headed off to their lunch, he turned to look up the slope. “Let’s go check out our new home away from home… away from home.”

His cousin’s arrival was a pleasant surprise for Trev.

Although if he’d hoped that Lewis would take over leading the volunteers the moment he arrived, that obviously wasn’t going to happen. His cousin’s face was gray after the relatively short hike from the road, and the two men propping him up were practically carrying him as he struggled to drag his feet into each new step. Trev hurried over to take the place of one, returning Lewis’s weak smile of greeting as they continued on into camp.

Jane, who’d been out on patrol, had rushed back when she learned her husband was here. As soon as she saw his condition her face paled, and she immediately moved to take his other side and guided him toward her tent. Trev had expected some sort of scolding, but all she said was. “I think this was more than you could handle.”

“Probably.” Lewis’s head was lolling with every step, but he struggled to lean in and kiss her cheek. “Worth it.”

“Good idea or not, it’s good to see you,” Trev said. He turned to the defenders who’d come with his cousin. “Welcome to camp, guys. If you want to start setting up your tents, we’ll get you to work right away and introduce you to how we’re defending this hillside.”

The new volunteers nodded and headed deeper into camp to greet friends, the one carrying Lewis’s pack pausing to set it beside Jane’s tent. That left the three of them to themselves to help him over to the tent and the rest he needed.

In spite of Lewis’s condition, he was smiling as Trev and Jane carefully manhandled him down through the open flap. “It’s good to see you too, man. It’ll finally be the two of us going after the blockheads. That’ll be something to see, huh?”

Trev paused lowering his cousin the last foot or so to the waiting sleeping bag, feeling a wrenching in his gut. He quickly recovered and set him down, trying to keep his voice casual. “Going after them, like your raids around Aspen Hill?”

Lewis caught the edge in his tone and gave him a sharp look. “Yeah, something like that. We’ve got more people than we need, and running a few raids would take the pressure off Davis and his Marines taking out roads. Spread the enemy’s attention out.” He paused. “Some of the other volunteer squads are attacking into the valley, aren’t they? I’m sure I heard that.”

“A few,” Trev agreed reluctantly. “Vernon, Harvey Fredrickson, some of the groups farther north. Nothing big, mostly taking potshots at patrols or emplacements, but they’re out there.”

His cousin and Jane were both staring at him now. “Okay then,” The redheaded woman said slowly. “I’ve brought up us attacking the blockheads before and this is the first time I’ve seen you balk. What did you have in mind for us?”