Beginnings

[The Stig]

Beginnings

Copyright 2010: No reproduction without my consent.


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"Shit" thought John. Hauling six-gallon containers of water out to the shed had suddenly gotten very old. He was on his fourth trip and the luster of adding to the water stocks had worn off.

"Oh well, at least this part of the chores are done", he muttered under his breath as the last load were put into place. It had been a long summer of rebuilding stocks after a relocation to the area. Some supplies had been used in the process of moving, while a couple of cases of MRE's turned up missing when the moving truck arrived.

Walking back towards the house John decided it was time to take a break. Pouring a cold soda and making a sandwich his thoughts drifted off to all that had happened in the past year. The promotion, the move to the south, buying a dream piece of land. It seemed that everything was falling in place for John and his young family.

Christy, his wife and Ava his daughter had gone into town to do some shopping. Ten years of marriage had brought the small family closer together and things really started clicking in their lives. Now they had twenty acres in a rural area complete with a shed, a barn, a creek and plenty of woods. Lots and lots of woods.

The transition from the north had gone pretty smoothly. Other than the missing MRE's the moving company did a suitable job and the people of the town warmly welcomed them despite being Yankees. It didn't hurt that John out-shot the good-old boys at an impromptu shooting competition and then sprang for a couple cases of Coors to celebrate. He still took ribbing but people grasped he knew how to handle himself.

Finishing up his meager lunch John decided to take a walk out into the woods. Looking around for his boots he noticed the dog wasn't following his every move. "That's odd" he thought chalking it up to a hardy nap. Coco wasn't a young pup anymore. Grabbing his Jumbo Versapack from Maxpedition he took up a brisk pace and headed off in a direction away from the house. Stepping over felled trees and bending under branches within 10 minutes he had made his way back to an as yet explored portion of the land.

Sitting atop a stump sipping some water the deafening roar of the A-10 startled him. He barely caught a glimpse of it through the trees. It was low, no more than 200 feet above the deck and the lead aircraft was followed by another in close trail formation.

Something wasn't right. The country had been in turmoil for months after the impeachment of President Crutchfield. His administration had promised a new hope and in 6 years had only delivered a deeply divided country. Tensions grew as the economy crumbled and different regions of the country started pointing fingers. Nobody knew where things were headed. Then there was the sex scandal and the lies during the deposition. The country had excused that once before but the acrimony wouldn't allow it a second time.

As the downward spiral of the country tightened, different factions started popping up. Crutchfield supporters, the new president Alan supporters, different regions of the country, different economic classes. Seemingly everybody and their brother was touting their new group and cause.

John and Christy had moved south to both get away from the turmoil and be in a better position to cope if something did happen.

His walk back to the house transitioned into a trot as he picked up the rumbling in the distance. By the time he broke into the clearing and could see the house he was sprinting. Coco was at the backdoor barking like mad.

Crashing through the back door his thoughts were already hurriedly but clearly doing a mental inventory of where all the vital supplies were located. He swore again as his sweaty hands flew off the doorknob to his office. As Coco panted in the corner of the office John's internet browser wouldn't load. "Dammit" he swore. After trying to refresh it three times he glanced at the modem. The service light off.

Suddenly the police scanner in the kitchen went off. He couldn't make out the announcement but the part he caught, the part that chilled the blood in his veins, was something about "cutting off the district".

He looked at Coco who stared back at him as if to say, "now what cowboy".

Gathering his thoughts and doing some square-breathing he moved towards the gun cabinets and other supplies. He knew this whole thing just wasn't right. And the rumbling in the distance hadn't gone anywhere. He moved quickly but without hesitation.

As he was slamming home a mag full of M855 into his AR15 it hit him. And it hit him with the force of a two-by-four to the solar plexus.

Christy and Ava had gone to the coast, 30 miles away, and he had no idea where they were.

[The Stig]

At 5' 8" and 190 pounds Dink Roberts didn't instill a lot of fear into people, but the minute someone judged him on his physical stature they had lost the battle. With his black hair cut high & tight and tan skin some folks took him for ex-military. What he was, however, was pure backwoods good ole boy. His friends trusted him with their lives, his enemies never knew what hit them.

Life had taken some strange twists and Dink found himself a Deputy Sheriff. Sometimes he'd look at the badge and laugh that hillbilly like him would don a uniform of the law. Life hadn't always been fair to Dink, but the job was good pay and he had access to some fun equipment.

As he swung the wheel of the Suburban to take a corner he whistled out loud. "Damn boy, you is up a creek now". The wheels of the Subruban clung to the road as he expertly wove across the Madacam road. His mind drifted back to the events of the previous two days.

Sheriff Ketch was an unabashed Crutchfield supporter. Dink wasn't a big fan of either. After the impeachment it was an open secret that Ketch had traveled to Boston to meet with some of Crutchfield's people and perhaps the man himself. Nobody knew why such a low level players was heading north but everbody had their guesses. Ketch was the sort of Sheriff that had wormed his way into local politics and like a lingering cold just wouldn't quite go away. And after Crutchfields fall, public opinion of Ketch stayed guarded although few actually trusted him.

It didn't hurt that Senator Miles Donovan, supported and protected Ketch. Donovan, the auto dealer with ties to all sorts of "creative" businesses, had also inserted himself into the local scene. His fans were few, but they were vocal and had the money to be obnoxious and throw their weight around.

What John Miller didn't know was that the previous day in the Midwest part of the country a riot had broken out when Crutchfield supporters clashed with local police. The Midwest was President Alan's territory, but Crutchfields supporters from the North East had staged a political march and then attacked police when they responded to the scene. To make matters worse, North Eastern politicians, most loyal to Crutchfield, started calling for sanctions against Midwestern states. Those politicians not calling for outright sanctions against a fellow state of the union still oozed their normal North Eastern arrogence. In the period of hours rhetoric boiled over into threats which lead to action. A host of fistfights, riots and several shootings broke out in border areas. President Alan, uncharacteristically, responded in the worst ways imaginable and only served to make the situation worse.

Old scores needed settled, lingering regional bias surfaced, the simmering rage exploded and suddenly angry speeches turned into battle cries. In a mere 36 hours the situation that had brewed for 25 years had gone super-critical.

Down south, people were also divided but not along such clear lines. Things were much more reminiscent Yugoslavia in World War II than a clear cut "us versus them". People had shifting loyalties, other motives and generally weren't beholden to a "Yankee problem". Sheriff Ketch and Donovan had different ideas however. They saw a chance to consolidate power, and like Donovan's relatives in County Mayo used to do, they took it with brutal force.

When Dink reported to work that morning orders had already gone out mobilizing the State National Guard. Those State troops that did respond locally were augmented by contracted security forces paid for by, none other, than Senator Donovan. The Governor of the neighboring state, Delacroix, already a Donovan fan, had allied with him. The Governor of Donovan's state was missing thanks to Donovan's handywork which meant Donovan was running the show in a large area. Several other neighboring states were teetering on the edge of allying with Donovan, due to his promises and mostly his pressure. Thanks to the problems up North, Donovan was able to make his moves unmolested.

Sheriff Ketch was smart enough to know which of his men he could trust and which he couldn't. Dink, and several others deputies were tasked with rounding up some locals the Sheriff didn't care for. It was more of a test for his men than anything. Dink saw right through the ploy and to buy himself time he agreed, signed out a department Suburban and headed out to the rural areas.

His first stop was his apartment. He knew he'd likely be tracked via the GPS unit in the Suburban so he made a pretense to Ketch of forgetting his cellphone and how he needed it to trick the person he was picking up into going with him. It was a thin ruse at best but it worked. Entering his apartment he swiftly went to the closet where he kept several backpacks of important gear stored behind some old boxes. Grabbing those he also grabbed his rifle and another handgun out of the gun safe. Moving quickly and with purpose he used a chair to reach into a cut out at the back of the closet that was hidden behind a false panel. Out of it came a large cloth sack filled with cash money.

As he made his way to the door, he turned and looked around the apartment he called home the past 10 years. Seeing the picture of his wife and daughter he walked over and kissed it. "Sorry girl, I have to go". He patted the sack, knowing it held the $20,000 settlement from the insurance company after the accident. Then he laughed out loud at how maudlin he was being. "Like a bad movie boy" he muttered as he closed the door to the apartment he'd never see again.

His first stop was the Thompson Ranch. He knew Fred ever since Fred had broken up Dink's first fistfight 25 years ago. Dink had looked up to and in on Fred ever sense. Working quickly they loaded up Fred's truck. "Look Fred, you have to drive North and drive like the wind". "They are tracking my truck by GPS so if I'm here much longer they are going to get nervous. If I leave now I can trick them into thinking I talked you into coming with me. Get in that truck and get to your family in Ohio." Fred looked Dink in the eye but no words needed to be exchanged. Fred was in his F150 and spinning out of the driveway before Dink got back to the Suburban.

"Base this is 232". "Go ahead 232" came back the static laden radio call. "Yea, base, I got Fred and me and hoss are coming back in". "232, base. Copy. See you in 45". Dink tossed down the radio mike and spun out of the driveway. The cows looked at him as if they knew something he didn't.

The route back to base conveniently took him past John Millers place. Dink's hastily conceived plan was to make tracks to Millers, disable the GPS unit, get John and the girls and get the hell out of dodge. "Dink, boy you is up a creek now".

Stopping the Suburban and hopping out Dink laughed when he though about how he got the GPS sales rep to tell him where the unit was hidden on the suburban during a long night of whiskey and cards. It was one of the many nuggets of information that Dink had filed away over the years. Looking under the back of the truck he reached under the bumper and quickly felt the box in a recessed area. Using his knife he quickly cut the wires.

Now he figured he'd have about 40 minutes before Ketch's men showed up if he was lucky. Less if they happened to have "contractors" in the area. As he made the turn into Millers driveway he could see John's figure moving between the shed and the house with Coco loyally following. Before John could do anything rash Dink used the PA, "Miller. It's Dink. We have to move!".

[The Stig]

"What the hell are you talking about Dink?" John asked emphatically as they trotted into the house. Dink gave him the 20 second overview and John just laughed. "That explains the A-10's and all the noise then. Once I heard those I knew something was up. Well, I guess we moved from the frying pan into the fryer, didn't we". "John", Dink said with false earnestness "we didn't invite you Yankees down here, you moved here your damn selves...enough of this, get the girls and lets go".

Johns eyes told the story. "Where?" asked Dink. " Don't know", John replied, "somewhere along the coast. I tried the cell phone but the cells are overloaded". As they were getting back in the truck to go John looked at the house, the land and Coco who stood on the porch tail down and motionless. "Well, I guess it was too good to last".

As the truck lurched back down the road, headed for the coast, they began crafting a plan for how they'd find the girls.

****
John marveled at the clear blue sky as the Suburban flew down back roads aimed at the coast.

"Boy, we've stepped in this one big time. I reckon Ketch will put two and two together pretty quickly and have his folks looking for me shortly." Dink tossed out after a few minutes of silence.

"Yea, the second the GPS unit went off-line they knew you were off the reservation. Won't be long before they swing by my place too I'd guess" replied Miller, stirred from his thoughts.

Dink continued, "Ketch is a pompous jackhole but ain't no dummy. And we're not exactly flying low profile here" alluding to the Sheriffs Department truck in which they rode.

Miller outlined his plan. "I agree, I figure once we get to the coast we can blend for a short while since we're in a different jurisdiction. He can't search everywhere. If we run into other LEO's however, we might have problems because I'm sure they'll come up with a pretext for a BOLO on this truck. Christy should recognize that shits falling apart and if I know her she'll make it to one of two places we've always talked about as rally points. We can use our LEO vehicle to get through any crowds, pick her and Ava up, and then haul ass out to the boonies until dark".

Dink rubbed his chin as he eased the Suburban into a sharp turn. "Miller, that's a pretty thin plan".

Miller chuckled. "Got any better ideas?"

"No. I reckon not" was the reply.

Miller continued on, "If we can get them we can circle back via the west and park out until dark. Then we can get back to my place, grab some supplies".

Dink eyed his friend. "You realize they'll probably take up at your place for a while right?"

Miller continued on ignoring the interruption, "...once we get some supplies we can get the hell out of here. You heard from Webb?"

Webb was an interesting character. He was young and came from money but he never acknowledged that he did. Those that didn't know him stayed clear of him as he was quiet and reserved. People weren't even really sure what he did for a living. Those that did know him liked him immensely, knew that he meant business and didn't mess around. He was dependable and skilled in the ways of putting a hurt on people. All in all, he was a good man to have with you rather than against you.

"Nah" replied Dink, "he texted me once the news broke of all the problems up north, and again when it was clear the military was being mobilized down here but in all the excitement this morning I had sorta forgotten about him".

"Ok. We'll figure out how to get in contact with him later. For now lets focus on getting the girls, getting supplies at the house without getting nabbed and then we'll find him"

Dink laughed, "with any luck he'll be sitting on the porch with a cold one waiting on us".

Miller wanted to laugh but he knew his plan had two major flaws. It depended on Christy recognizing that something was amiss, and more importantly, that she chose the right rally point. They just weren't going to have enough time to hang out in several places all day before word spread to the local LEO's that Unit 232 was "to be reported for officer dereliction of duty".

[The Stig]

Edgewater Mall along the coast had all the charm and originality of any other shopping mall in the states. That is to say, none. Surrounded by a sea of parking spaces and lost in an ocean of SUV's and soccer moms there was nothing to differentiate this mall from the identical ones elsewhere.

As news was breaking of the problems in the North and Senator Donovan's announcement that he was mobilizing the State Guard as a "safety measure" to protect the people most folks continued on with life as if nothing new was happening. They pressed on with their routines and self absorbed lives. As such the mall was running as busy as normal with only minor disruptions. Most people didn't notice the greatly increased LEO presence as they focused on buying their next useless item.

One person who did see the news on a TV screen in a local electronics store and notice the troops moving through the area from Camp Shelby was Christy Miller. She also knew something was wrong when helicopter and aircraft traffic increased significantly throughout the morning. By that afternoon she was trying to make a call back to John. The first call went through but he didn't answer. All subsequent calls were blocked.

Now she had a decision to make. Get in her car and drive home or go to those rally points John had always told her about. Being a good country girl Christy was no wilting flower. She could cook and shoot and loved to camp. She had mostly accepted John's direction when it came to "being prepared" as she agreed with it. At times she thought he could be a little paranoid but she also appreciated that he cared enough about her and Ava to protect them.

Her instincts were to get in the car and make tracks back to the house but then she saw the confusing news reports about "accidents" and "highway closures" on the TV at the restaurant where they ate lunch. She was glad Ava was blissfully unaware but her suspicions were sent into overdrive when a local sheriff deputy being interviewed on TV said the highway was closed "for a while...just for the protection of people in the area". He also muttered something about how cell service was "overloaded" and wouldn't work. It was at that moment she decided to go to one of the rally points John had told her about. Something just wasn't right.

Her next problem was determining which one to go to. She reasoned that because she was to the east side of the stretch of cities she should go to the east one. She prayed she was making the right decision.

****

As she slipped into the back table of the bookstore cafe she could see Edgewater Mall across the street. She ordered a soda and ice cream for Ava and sat down to wait. She figured that between eating at the cafe, window shopping for books and sitting through a couple kids plays in the childrens area she could kill several hours without sticking out and while remaining fairly public. It was exactly as John had intended.

After the icecream came she looked at the waitress. "You know, I'm hungry too. Why don't you bring me a sandwich and a coffee. Just surprise me with something". The waitress was older and used to such requests. "No problem hun" and she twirled off. Christy sat back and decided to relax as best she could.

***********

What Christy noticed as she ate her meal was the increasing leo presence across the street. It seemed like more and more police officers and guys who looked like police officers were moving into the area. As she downed some really good bacon sandwiches with some coffee the thought crossed her mind that maybe it was some sort of security procedure.

What Christy didn't know was that Senator Donovan had ordered the local sheriff to seal off the mall and have everyone searched on the way out. The people would be questioned and any weapons would be removed and would all be done under the guise of safety. People who were on a list of names would be asked to accompany the officers to a special area for some questioning. That "questioning" would be performed by some of Donovan's contractors, and it would be performed far away from the mall.

It was all a trial run as Donovan wanted to see what he could get away with. He figured worst case it would be a major disturbance and he'd play it off as a one time stunt pulled by an overzealous local Sheriff. If it went the way he thought it would go people would unwittingly approve the idea of random checks and searches and at the same time he'd get rid of some potential problems and start a crack down on firearms. His bet was that this end of the state was so far away from the problems up North that people would just accept the "safety" changes without a fuss.

What neither Christy or John Miller knew was that both of their names were on Donovan's list thanks to their friend Sheriff Ketch.

[The Stig]

After finishing her sandwiches, Chirsty and Ava strolled the isles looking at books. An hour or so had passed and so far things were looking good. She didn't really know how long she was going to wait or what she'd do if John didn't arrive. She figured if she over-reacted she'd slink back home and have a good laugh over the whole thing.

It didn't take long for her to realize she hadn't over-reacted when she saw that the police had taken up positions at several entrances to the mall and the parking-lot was closed off so nobody could leave. She couldn't believe the number of black SUV's filled with guys in dress pants, polo shirts and sunglasses that were suddenly nearly everywhere.

Not being a fool she moved to an isle that had a good view of the window towards the mall and the front door. Ava was distracted by the sea of books and her Mommy's suddenly willingness to let her look at every one. The minutes crept by for what seemed like an eternity. Everything seemed to be going well until a couple of the guys wearing sunglasses and polo shirts came in the front door. Her heart nearly skipped a beat as she tried to quickly look away without looking like she was quickly looking away.

She watched as they began going up to people to speak with them.

*********

Dink backed the Suburban into a parking space at the back of the bookstore parking lot between two large vans to help hide from view. He turned off the motor and looked at his friend John Miller. "Well Tex, suppose we ought to go look at a picture book?" he said with an exaggerated draw.

The route the took to the store allowed them to see the mall. It didn't take long to grasp the situation and that it was bad. Running into other LEO's was exactly what they didn't want. They gave each other knowing glances as they both understood that this might not go so easy.

Miller broke the silence. "Ok Dink. I guess our only option is to stroll into the store and pray Christy is there. I didn't see her car but that doesn't mean much.".

"Partner, I didn't see her car but I did see a bigass black SUV out front. That can't be a good thing" replied Dink as he scanned what he could see of the parking lot. "Why don't we split up? If they happen to have memorized my name and recognize me from my name-badge you don't want to get hung up. Go in, get the girls and get back to the truck". Dink handed him a spare set of keys just in case.

They eased out of the Subruban and made their way up the opposite side of the building. They scanned their surroundings as they moved towards the front door and John breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Christy's car.

*****

The contractors sent to check out the store were just about to turn the corner down Christy's isle as John entered the big store. Christy had already moved as many isles as she could without being obvious. As they turned the corner and made eye contact with her her heart sank. She didn't know what was going on but she knew this was bad.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the waitress from the cafe appeared. "Oh darling" she said with a sweet southern draw "I think your daughter has made a dirty diaper and it's leaking" as she stared back the contractors. Christy, playing along started to fuss over Ava. "Oh goodness, it's everywhere" she blurted out with mock surprise as she prayed Ava would play along. "Come on sweetie" said the waitress as she took Christy by the arm and guided her towards the bathroom. "lets get you cleaned up".

The contractors looked at each other with bewilderment and not quite knowing what to do they basically did nothing as Christy and the waitress disappeared into the bathroom. At that moment Dink and Miller were entering the store. It didn't take long for them to all notice each other.

Dink, still in uniform, strode directly towards the contractors with purpose. "Hello there boys. I need to talk to you for a minute about these orders I've been given" as he motioned to a piece of paper in his hand. Miller used the distraction to make a beeline for the bathrooms where he saw Christy a few second earlier with a waitress.

******

"Daddy!" exclaimed Ava as Miller strode into the bathroom. Christy looked up with a huge sigh of relief. Before she could say anything John cut her off. "We need to leave, and leave now" He queried the waitress, "I don't suppose this is like the movies and there is a convenient window in here?" The waitress smiled back "Sugar, I'll do you one better. The back door is unlocked and the alarm is off". She looked at Christy "the manager likes to sneak out back for a smoke and disables the alarm" as an explanation.

Swooping up Ava in his arms, he followed the waitress out of the bathroom and quickly down the back hall. He glanced around before they turned the corner and saw Dink walking through the front door with the contractors. They got to the back door and Christy turned to the waitress. Before she could say anything the waitress, with big tears in her eyes, said, "sweetie, my parents lived in Budapest after the war. I knew what was going on from the minute I saw all the police at the mall. Go. Be safe."

Miller, still obviously in charge, didn't have time for a Lifetime Movie scene. "Mamm, I don't know your situation. But if you need a ride out of town I can get you out of here. But you need to come with us right now". The waitress didn't hesitate "what the hell, I don't have anything to live for here other than pissing off my manager. And with that they left the building.

******

As Dink eased the Suburban out of the parking spot and along a side street Miller kept an eye on the SUV at the front of the building. The contractors sat in the front seat but appeared motionless.

He turned to Dink "something you need to explain buddy?"

Dink looked at him with a twinkle in his eye. "You know how I always accused you of cheating that first time we shot together? Well, the fact is, I've been known to play dirty too".

From the back seat the waitress piped up. "My name is Patsy, by the way".

[The Stig]

Sheriff Ketch was an obese, ill-shaven and ill-mannered man. He was little liked other than by those with equally unpleasant character traits. Ketch was arrogant to a fault and just not a likable man. However, he was also a political animal and he knew how to get along with others just enough to get his way so guys like Dink Roberts worked for him too. He found his way into county politics years back and never let go as he climbed the ladder.

Little was known about him prior to getting work in the department. Rumor had it he washed out of a military branch as a young adult and carried the chip ever sense. He started as a deputy and within a few years was running for Sheriff. When pictures of his opponent, another deputy who was the favorite of the retiring Sheriff, in bed with a known prostitute found their way to the internet it didn't take a fan of detective movies to figure out who was behind them. Nonetheless, it was just the margin Ketch needed to get elected.

Somewhere along the way he and Miles Donovan met. While Ketch was still bit player in Donovan's plans he recognized Ketch's utility right away. Through the years money and favors seemed to show up from the state Capital just in the nick of time to help Ketch. For his part, Ketch had survived by keeping just enough people in his camp and hoping a large number of other folks just didn't pay attention. So far, they hadn't.

But this was different. Now he was having people brought in on the filmiest of pretenses. Despite the problems in the North and Donovan's actions with the military, Ketch knew he had to be careful. If he started playing local dictator people would resist. If, however, he could keep riding Donovan's coattails under the guise of "safety" and not being overt he may be able to tighten his grasp on the county without drawing undue attention. That is, until it was too late.

So far nobody in town had complained. A couple of the trouble makers and deputies he didn't trust had already been rounded up and sent off with the contractors to lord knows where. They were few enough in number that people didn't notice them missing. It was early enough in the situation that he was able to placate people with the "we're following the advice given too us by the State Capitol" line.

His trump card was Donovan's contractors. While they looked the part in their crisply creased BDU pants and polo shirts the fact was they were a bunch of rogues and thugs spoiling to take advantage of the situation. There were many good military contractors organizations in the country staffed with honorable men. Donovan's wasn't one of them.

Ketch was smart enough to sweat the details. One of those details was Dink Roberts. He had been sent out to Fred Thompsons place several hours back. Dink and Thompson both subsequently vanished. A car load of contractors swept John Millers place and he was also nowhere to be found. It didn't take a rocket scientist to add it all up since Roberts and Miller were good friends. He played the safe bet and put out a BOLO for Dink's vehicle and otherwise sat back. Dink Roberts was too well liked for Ketch to make an overt move just yet. For good measure he dispatched some contractors to Millers place although, recognizing the situation, he had them wait for nightfall before heading out.

Ketch sat back in his chair and studied the situation. Roberts and Miller were but several issues on his mind in a county full of issues. But they were the problems that kept pushing into his train of thought.

"Deputy!" Ketch bellowed out to the desk Sargent.

"Yes Sheriff" came the reply from Ketch's man.

"Tell those contractors to swing by Fred Thompson's place again for good measure before going to Millers place"

"Yes sir"

********

It took several hours to drive back up from the coast taking a circuitous route on back roads. They found a wooded spot outside of town and pulled deep into the brush.They all dozed lightly and then Patsy and Christy tended to Ava while Miller and Dink discussed another in a string of the days hastily conceived plans.

Dink, changed out of his uniform, ate a power bar he retrieved from his bag as they leaned across the hood of the Suburban. "Skip, you sure you need to go back to your place?" he asked his friend.

Miller glanced back. "We're going to have to cover a lot of ground before morning to have any hope of getting out of here. Then after that we'll have to drive for lord knows how long since the situation in the North is unresolved. While I appreciate your granola bars, I think we might want to add a few more supplies to the mix. That, and I don't think you want to be changing Ava when we start using roadmaps as diapers".

A smile flashed across Dink's face. "Well, you do make a good point. What do you have in mind for getting into your place without having to dance with the devil?"

John took a bite his own granola bar as he laid his plan. "We drive the back way into Fred Thompson's place. We park and leave the girls. There's a foot trail that starts out near his house and goes several miles through the woods to my place. Most people don't know about it, and it can't been seen by air. We make our way to my place to see if we've got visitors. If we do we'll deal with them. If we don't, you run back for the truck and pull it around quick as you can. We load up all our gear in our truck and hit the road".

"Why do I have to run back for the truck?" protested Dink jokingly.

"Because even you, my friend, don't know where all the toys are hidden in my place" shot back Miller.

****

Night had fallen and they made their way to the back part of Fred Thompson's land. They pulled the truck into the brush and instructed the girls to not make a sound. Thankfully, Ava had fallen asleep making their chore that much easier.

They left Dink's suppressed AR15, the semiautomatic commercial version of the military 16" barreled M16, with Christy in the event they were discovered. Christy had shot it before on various occasions. Patsy had eyed the weapon as Dink reminded Christy about the location of the safety and magazine release but didn't say a word. She seemed more interested in tending to Ava.

It only took 10 or so minutes to make their way across the wooded lot towards Fred Thompsons house. The beginning of the trail to Millers place started near the house. They swiftly and quietly negotiated the wooded area by moonlight and did so without words. This was a world both men were comfortable in so they soon neared the beginning of the trail.

Dink saw it first. The lights were on inside Fred's house. That wasn't good.

"John" Dink whispered motioning towards the house. "The lights were off when I left there this morning".

Miller didn't need to respond for Dink to take the lead and start carefully making his way towards the house. After ten minutes of maneuvering around the edge of the wooded lot it became clear they were alone. Miller maneuvered around the front of the house to ensure it was clear while Dink moved up to the house and peered into a window, eyes adjusting to the bright light.

He caught himself from gasping out loud when he saw Fred's body. He was sprawled out across the floor, gunshots clearly viable in his back. The carpet was stained with blood that had already darkened.

"Dammit Fred, you were supposed to listen to me better than I ever listened to you" he thought sadly.

[The Stig]

It was clear that Fred had, indeed, not listened and come back for something. Luck was not on his side and he came back just before the contractors dispatched by Ketch had arrived. Their youth and brutality won out over his age and declined skills.

It was also clear that the situation had elevated from merely bad to very dangerous. Contact with Ketch or his men risked being detained and sent who knows where for who knows what for who knows how long. Contact with a group of contractors would have far less pleasant outcomes.

They quickly moved back into the shadows of the woods and double timed it to Millers house. It didn't take long to cover the several mile trek despite the darkness and uneven path. They slowed and collected their breath as they moved towards the clearing around the house, shed and barns.

"Let's work the perimeter as much as we can" whispered Miller "to clear as much as possible".

It didn't take long to spot the big SUV parked out front and see the contractor leaning against it on a smoke break. A little more maneuvering soon revealed the other contractor walking around inside the house.

******

Back at the truck Patsy looked at Christy with a look of worry.

"Don't worry" Christy said reassuringly "they can handle themselves".

Patsy smiled back a forced smile. " Darling, I figured as much or else I wouldn't have come along on this adventure" she whispered. "I just hope Mr. Murphy doesn't come knocking tonight".

Christy smiled back but didn't reply. Inside she was thinking the exact same thing.

*****

Dink maneuvered as close to the shed as he could get without walking into the moonlight drenched opening. He aimed to make a noise to lure the contractors out and into the open. Since they foolishly left the departments shotgun back in the truck, and they didn't want to make more noise than was needed, they hoped to draw them both into a position where Miller could get the drop on them.

The rock crashing through the shed window was all the noise that was needed to draw out the contractors. Miller smiled as he realized his friend had come up with a practical, if not sophisticated solution. The contractor at the SUV spun around and started trotting towards the shed. Within seconds the back door to the house flung open and the other contractor appeared. They moved cautiously to approach the shed from different angles.

Once they had gotten close enough to the shed, Miller and Dink both popped out of the shadows, pistols drawn. Dink couldn't resist, "drop your toys boys" he blurted out. The contractors both knew they had been had and did as instructed. As they dropped to their knees Dink approached them from the rear and told them to toss their handcuffs behind them. Miller hung back and covered them.

Within seconds the contractors were hand and leg cuffed. Dink had taken a few steps back and spoke first. "So boys" he said in a low draw "what brings you to this part of town?"

"You know exactly why, Roberts" one of them spat back.

Before Dink could utter his next witty reply, there was a slight motion behind them. Miller knew right away they had made a mistake and cursed himself for it. It could prove a very costly error.

The third contractor appeared, almost as if by magic and had the drop on both Miller and Dink. Miller dropped his weapon as did Dink. The contractor remained half hidden in the shadows so neither Miller or Dink could read his movements. He ordered them to to release his companions and Dink sheepishly did so.

"Looks like we allowed ourselves to get hogtied" Dink said with forced enthusiasim.

"Yea, you two were much easier to get then we thought you'd be. Pitty" replied back the contractors ringleader.

Soon they were being marched back to the truck around front. As they walked Dink and Miller both looked for an opening but none presented itself. As they approached the truck one contractor lead each captured man to a different side of the truck to help them, however forcefully, into the back seats. The ringleader took up a position directly behind the truck but far enough back that he could cover both sides.

Miller glanced at Dink as they were separated and pushed to either side of the truck. Both men knew they had been had and they'd have to get very luck to get out of this scrape.

*****

Fortunatley Ava slept and Patsy dozed as well. Christy keep peering into the darkness awaiting any sign that her men had returned to get her. She had utmost faith in John but she knew things can, and do, go wrong.

"Please John" she said to herself. "Be safe".

****

As the SUV door was being opened and Miller was being shoved inside, he heard the dull "thump" noise. Half of the ringleaders head vaporized in a mist as he slumped forward. One second he was covering two wanted men, the next he was a twitching lump on the ground.

The contractor that had Dink groaned out a surprised "oh!" as he turned to look back at his boss. In doing so, Dink was able to shove him and begin moving away. A fraction of a second later two rounds crashed into the contractors chest, a mere few inches apart. He crumpled over and fell to the ground.

The third contractor, slow to realize anything bad was happening now knew he was in grave danger. He immediate let go of Miller and begin trying to run. All that he accomplished was that he died tired. Another "thump" noise shot through the air and the third contract crumpled into a heap much like the others.

Miller and Dink made their way around the front of the truck out of instinct as much as anything. It took a couple of seconds before they picked up the slight movement. Then, from a hundred yards away came a shape out of the darkness. It took a moment for them to begin to recognize the shape as it approached but soon the fancy AR with night vision scopes and helmets with mounted thermal glasses left little doubt as to the identity of their savior.

Dink said it first. "Webb. Dammit you sure made us work for that one".

The smile that went across Webb's face was clear even in the darkness.

[The Stig]

Dink was still giving Webb a hard time when they got back from bringing the girls in from the truck.

"You sonofbitch. You know, you could have taken them out a lot sooner than that" razzed Dink.

Webb just smiled back. "Would you prefer that I had waited a bit longer?" he kidded back.

Miller cut off the banter with a wave of the hand. "Ok, we need to load up and get out of dodge. My guess is those contractors had to check in on some schedule so who knows how long we have. Webb, what's the situation".

Webb genuinely looked horrified that the entire room turned towards him. Shooting people from 100 yards away, at night and near friendlies was his comfort zone. Public speaking was another story. But he dove in with both feet....

"Well," he started off nervously "The governor is missing. The state government has rolled over and Senator Donovan has taken control of the state and mobilized the National Guard and any Federal military units in the area. Only about three quarters of the men reported for duty. Another quarter left when they realized what Donovan was up to. So he's got some troops to play with but mostly national guard units and whatever happened to not be on rotation. No complete units.

Webb continued, "Donovan has cloaked sealing off the state in terms of "providing security for the area while the North sorts out its issues". I read it more as a power play and he'll saddle up with whoever comes out on top up north".

"Which I'm sure he's hoping is Crutchfield" suggested Dink.

Webb concurred and continued, "Donovan has encouraged people to continue life as normal but truck traffic at highway border crossings is being searched and people are being encouraged to not leave the state. They don't have enough troops to completely seal off the area so there's some pretty big gaps. Governor Delacroix next door has sided with Donovan so that gives more troops to play with."

Miller interrupted, "whats the local scene like?"

"Ketch is playing it safe" Webb replied. "There's been more LEO activity and as Dink told us he's moving quietly to remove opposition in the county. His supporters have been seen going in and out of town hall all day. There's been no signs of him making a full scale play to declare martial law or anything but I'm sure it's on his to-do list. My sources tell me the activity Christy saw at the Mall was a trial run by Donovan to see what people would put up with. I wouldn't be surprised to see the same here on some level. There's been no effect on the infrastructure as yet so basically it's life as normal for those he hasn't moved against until Ketch decides what to do next."

Miller took it all in and made a decision promptly. Dink and Webb didn't have to do a damn thing he said but they trusted him as much as he trusted them. Everybody agreed getting the ladies to safety was priority one.

Webb piped up again. "Listen Miller. I have someone coming into the county airfield at 3:00am. That gives us a couple hours to get over to the airport. I have land in Wyoming. The western states are laying low waiting to see what plays out in the North/Midwest. California and Oregon are making noises about joining with Crutchfield but nobody cares about them. It's a two day flight based on flying low and taking a more 'scenic' route according to my pilot. Problem: we can't all fit in one load. I had anticipated you, Christy and Ava flying out first and Dink and I following later on". Obviously the addition of Patsy to the mix had thrown all that off. She quickly grasped that.

"Listen yall. I'm the party crasher. John, you said you could get me out of town and you did. As far as I'm concerned we are square. If you could just give me some food I'll get out of your hair...."

Miller quickly cut her off. "Patsy, people here are going to wonder why you suddenly showed up. You have no car and no reasonable explanation for how you got here in the middle of the night. If you go back home you might be able to blend back in but there's going to be a lot of questions at the bookstore for you to answer. Especially after they discovered Dink's handiwork. And the coast appears to be Donovan's testing ground for social engineering anyway."

"But, I don't want to burden..." she said in her defense.

"You will be nothing of the sort" Miller replied. "You are welcome to join our group. You girls can all fly out on the first flight. We'll stay low until the second and then join you later. All I ask is that you continue to look after Christy and Ava. Deal?".

After a small pause she responded "deal". She sounded a bit dazed.

"Alright" he announced. "Lets get the ladies to the airport ricky-tick. They'll be first out thanks to Mr. Webb's generosity. Us boys will camp out for a few days and catch the return flight. Then we can lay low in Wyoming until this thing blows over". He paused for a few seconds for the objections he knew he'd never get.

[The Stig]

They quickly loaded up the Millers truck with as much gear as they thought they'd need to send with the girls and then use to hide out for four days. Miller sent Webb with the girls and Coco in the truck. Coco, who was just happy to have her people back, wagged her tail and guarded Ava and Patsy. They headed out first.

Miller and Dink quickly consolidated several bags worth of gear into two each. They also broke out Miller's supply of war-belts and chest rigs in the event they ran into trouble. He added his own suppressed AR to the one Dink had reacquired from his truck. They also grabbed radios and other interesting gadgets that might come in handy at night.

While Miller topped off the gas in the ATV's Dink drove his truck into the barn and covered it with a tarp. It wouldn't fool anybody looking for it but at least passersby wouldn't spot it. They figured to use the ATV's to cover as much ground as possible between here and the airport. They'd have to hoof the last mile or two to avoid detection as it was guaranteed that Ketch would have men at the airfield. Once they dealt with them the truck could be moved into position.

Once they rounded up what they needed, they went back around front and hauled the now cool bodies of the contractors off as far as possible into the weeds and tossed them into a small ravine. Their SUV was also driven into the bush to conceal it. It was a hasty job, one that wouldn't fool anybody looking closely, but was enough to avoid immediate detection. Dink grabbed one of their radios before turning off the SUV.

With that they extinguished the lights of the house, each mounted an ATV and they made their way down the driveway. For the second time in as many days, Miller looked back and thought "I knew this was too good to last".

****

Ketch knew something was up. The contractors at Millers place were 30 minutes overdue from checking in and the radio protocol for checking in after the allotted time frame was not being followed. Wasting only a couple of minutes he picked up the phone and called Smythe.

Smythe was the leader of the contractors assigned to assist Ketch. Technically Ketch was in charge and Donovan was glad to allow that allusion to stand for now. Smythe, however, was Donovan's eyes and ears in the area. Smythe was as hard as they came. He was skilled, no pushover and had a ruthless streak that would have fit in well in African tribal warfare. Tall, lean and bald and always in an impeccably clean outfit he played the role of hired gun to the tee.

He had purposely let Ketch run the show and allow his men to report in to the Sheriff in the beginning. If Ketch performed well so much the better and Smythe could focus on operations elsewhere. If Ketch failed, it opened the door for Smythe to retake charge of the operation and swallow up Ketch's organization, men and equipment in the process.

"Smythe?" Kretch asked when the connection was made.

"Yes Sheriff, what can I do for you?" inquired an almost friendly voice.

"Listen, unit 5 was sent out to Millers place earlier tonight. They blew a check-in time and aren't following the subsequent blown cover calls" Ketch let the statement hang in the air.

"Yes, Sheriff..." answered back Smythe who preferred to let the other person ask the favor instead of volunteering any assistance.

"Well " Ketch continued "I'm getting ready to send a couple of my boys out there. Do you have any men you'd like to send along?"

There was a brief pause from the other end before Smythe answered. "Yes Sheriff. I'm sending you 3 men to go along with your deputies. Wait for them to arrive and send them in together. If Miller and anybody else is there in ambush you'll need the extra firepower. If they are gone the 10 minutes you have to wait now won't mean anything anyway".

Ketch thanked him and hung up the phone. He paused for a minute trying to think through what Smythe might have been up to. While he admired Smythe's efficiency he didn't trust the man. After a few seconds he bellowed out to his desk Sargent. "Patty! tell Junior to get in here".

****

At five minutes past three in the morning they heard the sound of a plane flying low. It continued to get closer and closer until almost the last impossible second it flipped on it's landing lights. The field was a small country airport so there was nobody in the control tower.

Webb had taken care of the two guys Ketch had stationed in the small terminal area. So unless anybody else showed up they should be able to make the hand off unmolested.

The airplane touched down just past the end of the runway. Webb had been talking to the pilot on a handheld and told him to simply land, back taxi and be ready to go as soon as they loaded up. As soon as the planes wheels chirped Webb, Miller and the girls drove the truck through a hole in the fence and headed right at the airplane. Dink hung back to provide cover in the event it was needed.

They pulled along side the idling twin engine airplane. The pilot wisely left the engines running and hopped out of the plane. Webb and pilot spoke briefly while Miller escorted the ladies and dog to the plane. After loading in Coco , he helped Patsy and Christy into the plane and then handed up Ava after giving her a big kiss on the forehead. She looked back at him groggily.

"I love you girl. I'll see you in a few days" he said over the roar of the engines while handing her to Christy. Patsy helped get Ava settled in while Miller and Christy started grabbing the bags out of the back of the truck. They loaded up the four that Webb allowed them to avoid overloading the plane.

Christy gave Miller a huge hug. "Are you sure about this?" she asked him holding him tightly.

"Sweetheart" he said with mock seriousness "I'm not sure about much since this morning. I'll see you before the end of the week". They kissed and then she climbed into the plane and Miller shut to door. He gave a thumbs up to the pilot and he and Webb drove off in the truck.

Before they got back to the fence the pilot had rammed the throttles forward and was moving down the runway. Soon he rotated and he pulled up the wheels. He kept the plane low and zoomed off into the night after extinguishing his lights. The truck hadn't made it back to Dink before the sound faded in the distance.

Miller turned to Webb. "You sure this pilot friend of yours is square?".

"I hope so" Webb replied "he's my brother".

[The Stig]

As morning broke over the county much had changed. Up North the situation deteriorated further and some skirmishes between troops had started to break out. Everybody realized they were sitting on a powder-keg and the drunken neighbor had some fireworks. President Alan, normally very good in these situations seemed to have a tin ear to the problems facing him which only gave Crutchfields supporters more reason to keep gearing up for a fight. Things would get worse before they got better.

In the state capitol, Senator Donovan had convinced his other neighboring state to join in under his "protective umbrella". With three states worth of national guard troops, as mixed and matched as they were, he had enough forces to do what he wanted. That morning at 6:00am he issued an order of martial law in the area which included a curfew, random safety checks and the beginnings of gun confiscation. What Miles Donovan wanted was to exert his grasp on this new area under his temporary control and make it his for the longer term. He planned to use the uncertainty of the North as justification and by the time the dust settled Donovan's rule would be too tight for things to ever go back to normal. He wanted the control, he wanted the land, he wanted the natural resources of the area, he wanted the power. In short, he wanted it all.

Being the consummate politician he released statements to all the news outlets assuring the people of the area that this move was "temporary" and "for their safety". He reassured the people that telephone service, both cell and hardwire, would only be shut down temporarily. The systems had mostly crashed under heavy volume anyway but he used technology designed for national emergencies to make sure they were shut down for good. The same went for internet access. And with a big smile he told people not to worry when they saw Humvee's loaded with troops going down their streets as they were there for protection against looters as the local television reporters dutifully nodded in agreement.

Smythe realized that all might not be well in Ketch's county. Five of his men were missing due to unknown forces although everything pointed in the direction of this Miller and his group. Ketch seemed to have things in hand, and Smythe was willing to give him a little more rope but the idea was for Ketch to loose his men, not Smythe's. Smythe decided he'd make a surprise visit to the good Sheriff later that morning.

At the town hall it was becoming equally obvious to Sheriff Ketch that Miller's group was a problem. Thus far Ketch had kept the few citizens who voiced concerns at bay and the vast majority remained in their coma like states anyway. He could have rolled tanks down Main Street and most of those people would not have noticed. But Miller poised a problem on several fronts. First, people liked him and there was always a risk of him starting some sort of resistance to Ketch's plans. Ketch still had to play things carefully since there wasn't any immediate danger in the county. Further, if things did get ugly Miller, Dink and presumably others knew how to fight as they had already demonstrated. But right now the big problem was not knowing what Miller was up to. Had he just left the area as one of his deputies surmised when they found the hole in the fence and the tire tracks leading into the airport grounds? Or was he laying low waiting to act? As is often the case, not knowing was the hardest part.

Senator Donovan's move to declare martial law wasn't going to help matters either. For now he had most of the county going through the motions after the uncertainty of the past few days. Just the mention of curfews and gun confiscations would stir up a lot of activity in the area. He was sure to get a lot more visitors today.

****

At the impromptu campsite Miller realized they weren't in a much better position either. They had to stay on the run for four days before Webb's brother returned. And the plain fact was they weren't going to get away with another middle-of-the-night escapade at the airport as Ketch would have it, and any other known airstrip in the county on lock-down from now on. Also, bodies were laying around that Ketch could easily use as leverage against them whether the killings were justified or not.

They had not yet learned of Donovan's actions so the choice to just start driving and hope to contact Webb's brother while en-route was the most likely option. But that was not without risk. They had to avoid detection, travel by truck as far as possible and then go overland when fuel ran out. Chances were good Ketch would have the contractors and possibly the military join in the search for them. And then they still had to contact Webb's brother somehow. Webb was able to make the original flight arrangements with ease at the first sign of trouble up north. Now, they were dependent on the handheld radios to link up. The last thing they wanted to was to cover a distance in four days and have Webb's brother land back in the town where they started.

The stark reality was that they were in a very precarious position.

****

The men quickly and quietly cleaned up their small campsite as the early morning mist filtered through the woods where they had made camp the previous night. They only had a few hours to sleep so they took turns one hour on, one hour off to maintain a guard but get some rest.

As Miller squirted some extra lube into the gas ring ports on the bolt of his AR he broke the silence. "Hey Webb, if we get to a Ham radio in the next twelve hours can we get a message to your brother so he'll have it when he lands?"

Webb nodded the affirmative.

"Ok", Miller continued, "We can't get back to any of our places as they will be too hot. It's going to be risky but I think we can make it to Jason Klepper's place on the outskirts of town. I know for sure he has Ham equipment with the signal strength to reach out a ways. He's friendly to all of us so I think we can slip in, get word out to Webb's brother and move out again. And he's close enough to town that anybody listening for a broadcast might not be looking so close to home. My thought is we then hoof it thirty miles over to Lumberton. There's a long stretch of route 15 that is straight enough to land a plane but isn't so obvious that it will attract much attention. The terrain and cover is pretty good on the way over to Lumberton so we can stay low profile. I don't think it's going to be long before they put birds in the air" obviously referring to helicopters or other aircraft.

Dink chimed in. "That sounds about right to me. It don't hurt that I have some extra supplies squired away at a little shed about half way to Lumberton".

"Outstanding" Miller replied. "I figure we have to kill four days. Two for the plane to get to Wyoming and then two more to return back here. Longer if Webb's brother needs a nap or gets delayed. We'll burn a day today waiting for night so we can sneak into town to see Klepper. We'll soak up another two days getting to Lumberton by taking a nice nature walk. We'll have some extra time in the schedule in the event we are derailed en route and then we can just lay low for a bit until our taxi swoops out of the sky to get us." Miller looked at the other men to solicit suggestions or complaints. As usual they offered none.

"Alright then," Miller concluded. "Lets ruck up and cover the ground to get near town. Then we can hole up and get some shuteye until nightfall."

****

As Sheriff Ketch poured himself another cup of dreadful police station coffee he realized he only had one card to play regarding Miller and his men. He didn't want to play it since they were popular in town and people were likely to not believe the claims being made. But he was counting on one of his sycophants coming through and turning over the men or information that would lead to them.

He would release orders to apprehend John Miller, Dink Roberts and anybody else with them on the charges of suspicion of murder of the 5 missing contractors. He could use his contractors more openly to help in the search and the military force that was being sent to town to help "keep order" could maybe join in the fun too. The ruse of a manhunt would help distract townspeople from remembering that soldiers with weapons were walking the streets.

After downing another gulp of the hideous coffee and making a grimace he issued the orders that Miller and his men were to be apprehended and should considered very dangerous. "Who knows, maybe an angry contractor will take them out and get the whole mess out of my hair" he thought to himself.