Through Many Fires (Strengthen What Remains) Page 23
“We’re not rebels…”
Turner already had his back to Caden and walked away.
Reluctantly, Caden climbed into his jeep and the two men parted company.
Back in his foxhole a few minutes later, Recon 3 came over the radio, “Vehicles are moving forward with troops along the side of the road. We’ve got to move.”
In the distance came the sound of gunfire. Recon 3 fell silent.
Through the light of early dawn, Caden saw five Humvees pull up and stop on the opposite shore. Turner’s troops hurried into positions as gunfire from both shores commenced. The rest of the convoy must be behind the trees.
Pings and thuds sounded on both sides as he lowered his profile behind the rocks and dirt at the edge of the foxhole. A tree limb fell in front of him and a bullet ricocheted off a nearby rock. Gunfire became a continuous roar.
They’re expending a lot of ammo. Do they think we will return fire and run out first? Just in case he turned to a nearby soldier. “Unless you have a good shot, hold your fire. Pass it along.”
Turner can’t get by us this way. It’s three hundred yards across the lake. We could shoot back and forth all day to no great effect and, apparently, he doesn’t have mortars.
Gradually the soldiers from the armory slowed their pace, but the troops on the far side continued and roared the engines of the Humvees.
The sun was still behind the trees, but daylight now illuminated the battlefield. Caden spotted a soldier running along the tree line of the far shore. He fired and missed. The man raced for cover.
“…come in. Please Caden, come in.”
Was that Maria’s voice on the radio? “Maria? Is that you?”
“They shot two of your men near the farm. After they left I went to help them but they’re dead.”
“Get away from there!”
“I will but I’ve got to tell you—the convoy is heading down the road by the farm. I think they’re going to the logging road where the men removed the culvert.”
All this shooting and noise—it’s a diversion. “Roger, thanks. Now, get away from there.”
His mind raced. Caden ran to Brooks. “Keep fifth squad here and hold this position. I’m taking the rest of the soldiers to the logging road.”
Caden was leaving only ten men to guard the causeway. Turner had been outmaneuvering him all morning. If Caden was wrong this time and Turner attacked across the causeway his men would be overwhelmed, but decisive action was required.
Two deuce and a half trucks carried all of Caden’s soldiers down the bumpy logging road. They stopped about a half-mile from the river. Caden heard a bulldozer nearby. With point men in the lead, he deployed the squads perpendicular to the narrow dirt road.
Progress through the forest was slow. The bush, knolls and trees provided many places for an opponent to set an ambush. With each yard forward the bulldozer roared louder and Caden’s apprehension grew greater. Each twig that snapped under his feet sounded to him like a thunderclap.
A gunshot.
The men dropped to the ground.
Rapid fire.
The guardsmen shot blindly into the forest.
“Cease fire! Cease fire,” Caden yelled. He listened. The steady roar continued, but it came from hundreds of yards in front of them. They’re not shooting at us, but if Turner’s men didn’t hear our shots, this is our chance to get close. Then together they moved out.
By the sound of the dozer and gunfire, Caden knew he was only a few hundred yards away so, with the First Sergeant and a few other men, he crawled ahead. Seeing two soldiers about thirty feet ahead, they stopped.
Caden signaled he would shoot the one on the left, Fletcher should get the other.
That accomplished they quickly moved on to the ridge line above the river. Peeking out from there they could see the main body of the convoy. Turner had about 100 soldiers firing as they moved up the slope from cover to cover toward the opposite ridge. Near the top was a dump truck at an angle across the road blocking any retreat of the convoy.
They don’t know we’re here. Caden had no idea who his allies were, but he was thankful for the help.
The bulldozer worked to narrow the river where the culvert had been. Logs had been cut and brought down to the shore. One already spanned the opening where the culvert had been. Caden wasn’t sure if the plan was to make a temporary dam or a bridge. In either case it wasn’t complete and he was there to stop it.
Turning to Fletcher, Caden said, “Get the men and deploy them along the ridge. Tell them not to fire until I do.” Then he waited anxious minutes as the men came up and positioned themselves along the edge.
Finally Fletcher gave him the thumbs up.
Caden took careful aim at the dozer driver. He pulled the trigger and the man dropped.
All the guardsmen opened fire.
Many of Turner’s soldiers fell. The others scurried for cover.
The sound of gunfire rose to a constant thunder.
Bullets pinged on both sides as dirt flew up in Caden’s face.
A man to his right rolled down the slope and lay motionless.
Bark and tree limbs fell like rain.
It was clear to Caden that he held the superior position and Turner’s losses were much greater. After a few more minutes he shouted, “Cease fire.”
The crescendo of fire peaked and faded into silence.
“Your position is hopeless,” Caden shouted, “Throw down your weapons and you will not be harmed.”
There seemed to be confusion from the convoy, and then a female voice shouted, “We surrender.”
“Pile your weapons in the road and line up along the shore.” As the soldiers of the convoy stacked their arms, Caden, had the medic check the wounded and, with the rest of his men, crossed to the other side of the river. “First Sergeant, secure their weapons and search them.” Looking at the soldiers he had just been fighting he asked, “Where is your commanding officer?
In a shaky voice a young woman said, “I guess that’s me.”
“Where’s Captain Turner?”
“We don’t know, sir.”
Pointing to her he said, “Come with me.” Together they checked the wounded and the dead.
Caden found Turner half-submerged in the river. He pulled him from the icy waters and collapsed alongside him. Cold fingers checked for a pulse, but the gaping wound to the neck told him the sad news. Gently he closed the eyes and cradled the body in his lap. You said a lot of good men would die today. I knew it would be true, but I swear I never thought one of them would be you. I’m sorry.
He didn’t know how long he sat there, mourning the death of his friend. Hearing movement behind him he rested the head on the shore, stood and saluted a fallen comrade.
Turning, he saw Maria with tears in her eyes. All Caden could say was, “How? When?”
“I came in the dump truck. We wanted to help.”
Caden looked beyond her. His father, Hoover, Neil Young and several deputies in SWAT gear along with other civilians stood with his men. He hugged Maria tight as sadness rent his soul.
Epilogue
Holding a silver platter, Caden eased down the hall trying to avoid the squeak of floorboards. He turned the doorknob and slowly crept across Maria’s room. On the tray was a cup of coffee, a ring and a note that read, “With all my love, Caden.”
She stirred, but didn’t awaken.
Pleased, he set the plate on the nightstand and followed the scent of breakfast downstairs. Stepping into the kitchen his mother held up an egg. “The hens laid seven this morning. Breakfast will be ready in a couple of minutes.”
He smiled and headed toward the sound of the television.
In the living room his father switched quickly between news programs.
Caden sat beside him.
Local reporters dubbed the actions of earlier in the week as the Battle of Olympia and spoke of little else. The victory at JBLM was the big news; the skirmish at Hansen was just a
minor footnote. The New York networks, under the control of Durant, talked of a battle with insurgents and terrorists and the need for greater security.
Caden shook his head. An awful bloody struggle has just begun.
He stood and walked to an old roll-top desk in the corner of the room. Finding pen and paper he sat and stared blankly out the window. What could I write? What could I say that would bring some meaning or comfort? He sighed and with sudden determination wrote the first words that came to mind. “Mrs. Turner, I knew your husband, he was a good and honorable man.”
Glossary
ACU Army Combat Uniform.
AK-47 The AK-47 is a selective-fire military rifle, developed in the USSR, but also used by the People’s Republic of China. In chapter 25, a Chinese soldier hits David Weston in the face with an AK-47.
CID United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC, usually abbreviated as just CID) investigates serious violations of military law within the United States Army.
EOC An Emergency Operations Center is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management, or disaster management functions.
Fueler An army fuel truck.
GMRS The General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) is an FM UHF radio service designed for short-distance two-way communication similar to Citizens Band (CB) radios, but requiring an FCC license.
Humvee High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), commonly known as the Humvee, is a four-wheel drive military vehicle.
JBLM Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) is a large military installation located nine miles south-southwest of Tacoma in Washington state.
LEPC Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC) are quasi-governmental bodies, generally at the county or municipal level that do emergency planning.
M11 United States military designation for the SIG P228 pistol. See SIG P228.
M2 The M2 is a Browning .50 caliber machine gun.
M4 The M4 is a common U.S. military magazine-fed, selective fire, rifle with a telescoping stock.
M9 The M9 is a semiautomatic, 9mm, pistol in common use by the United States military.
M35 A military truck in the 2½ ton weight class, often referred to as a “deuce and a half.”
MOPP Level MOPP is an acronym for “Mission Oriented Protective Posture” and as used in the book it refers to the level of protective gear used by military personnel in a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear combat situation. MOPP Level zero means gear will be carried, but not worn.
MRE Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) are self-contained, individual military field rations.
MURS Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS) is an unlicensed two-way radio service similar to Citizens Band (CB).
Recon Military slang for reconnaissance.
ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is a college program for training commissioned officers.
SIG P228 A compact pistol in use with many law enforcement agencies and the military where it is designated as the M11. Caden is given a M11, 9mm .40 S&W, in Chapter 13 along with two 15 round magazines. Caden refers to the M11 by the SIG name.
SINCGARS Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) is a combat radio currently used by United States which handles voice and data communications.
Also by the Author
Through Many Fires Terrorists smuggle a nuclear bomb into Washington D.C. and detonate it during the State of the Union Address. Army veteran and congressional staffer Caden Westmore is in nearby Bethesda and watches as a mushroom cloud grows over the capital. The next day, as he drives away from the still burning city, he learns that another city has been destroyed and then another. America is under siege. Panic ensues and society starts to unravel.
Titan Encounter Justin Garrett starts one morning as a respected businessman and ends the day a fugitive wanted by every power in the known universe. Fleeing with his 'sister' Mara and Naomi, a mysterious woman from Earth Empire, their only hope of refuge is with the Titans, genetically enhanced soldiers who rebelled, and murdered millions in the Titanomachy War. Hunted, even as they hunt for the Titans, the three companions slowly uncover the truth that will change the future and rewrite history.
Final Duty – The Alien War Anthology Twenty years after the death of her father during the Battle of Altair, Lieutenant Amy Palmer returns to the system as an officer aboard the reconnaissance ship Mirage. Almost immediately disaster strikes and Amy, along with the crew of the Mirage, must face the possibility of performing their final duties. Final Duty is a military science fiction anthology that includes a novella and two short stories set in the same genre and universe.
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About the Author
Kyle Pratt is the bestselling author of three books. The latest, Through Many Fires, is a post-apocalyptic thriller released in paperback and on Kindle in early August 2013. Within two weeks it appeared on both the Kindle Science Fiction Post-Apocalyptic list, reaching #10, and the Mystery, Thriller and Suspense list, reaching #39.
Kyle grew up in the mountains of Colorado and earned an Associate in Arts degree from Mesa State College in Grand Junction. When money for college ran low he enlisted the United States Navy as a Cryptologic Technician. "I thought I would do four years and then use my veteran's benefits to go back to college," he once said.
His first assignment was with a U.S. Navy unit at the Royal Air Force base in Edzell, Scotland. While on leave in Israel he met Lorraine from Plymouth, Devon, England and married her the next year. Together they spent the remainder of his twenty year naval career traveling around the world from Guam to Japan, Hawaii and other places.
Even before he retired from the service he wrote short stories. In July of 2012 his debut novel, Titan Encounter, a science fiction space opera, came out on Kindle and later in paperback. His second book, Final Duty - The Alien War Anthology, a military science fiction short story collection, is out on Kindle since January of 2013. Through Many Fires was released both on Kindle and in paperback in August of 2013.
Today, Kyle and Lorraine live on a small farm in Western Washington State. Kyle firmly believes the future of leisure writing is digital. You can easily find and follow him online.
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Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter one
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
&nbs
p; Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Epilogue
Glossary
Other books
About the Author