Without Law 19, page 2
“Okay,” Minji agreed. “Do you want any assistance?”
“No.” I shook my head. “We can handle it, that’s not a problem. I’d rather have you stay and watch the ship and supplies.”
“Good point.” Minji nodded. “The ship is pretty well-stocked.”
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it, but I want to check the area and see if there are any signs that North Korean troops have been around here lately.”
“I didn’t get a good look,” Minji said. “But I did notice it didn’t look like there was anybody on land while we navigated the river.”
“I didn’t see anybody, either,” I agreed.
“I’m sure all the citizens have fled by now,” Minji said.
“I hope you’re right.” I let out a deep breath and pushed my hand through my hair, then I turned back to Minji. “Radio us if Hammer shows up, or if you need anything. We won’t be out long.”
“Sounds good,” Minji said. “We should get heading inland as soon as Hammer and the rest of the group arrives.”
“We will,” I assured her. “It’s early afternoon already, so we don't have a whole lot of daylight left. I’d rather do something while we wait for Hammer to arrive, though. And it will be good to know what’s in the area since we’ll have to leave the ship here.”
“Of course.” Minji nodded.
“Alright.” I smiled. “We’ll be back soon.”
“Be careful,” she said, and she bit her lip, blushed, and looked down.
The beautiful korean woman and I had a fling about a week ago, and she’d been embarrassed ever since. I knew she still wanted me, though, and there was no reason for her to be embarrassed about anything. The girls certainly didn’t mind, and as long as they were okay with it, I didn’t see a reason for it to feel wrong.
But, we had to work together, and Minji hadn’t known me long. She struck me as a shy person, and I thought she was just embarrassed at how sudden our lovemaking session had been. I’d welcome another, though, I was only waiting for her to get more comfortable and make the first move.
I walked back down to the deck, then I found the girls on the dock. They were all geared up and ready to go. They had bulletproof vests on, even though those wouldn’t help against a plasma attack. There was no telling what was out here, though, if anything, and it was always better to be safe than sorry.
“We brought your vest, too,” Anna told me as I walked up.
“I figured you would.” I smiled and took the Kevlar. “Thank you.”
“So, where to first?” Paige asked.
“Let’s check the surrounding area,” I said. “I don’t want to go too far. We just need to see if there are any NK troops in the area.”
“Right.” The brunette nodded and led us down the dock and toward a small building up a hill to our right. “This way.”
As we walked around the area, I noticed Savannah looked ransacked, but not destroyed. It didn’t appear to have gone through the same turmoil the north had.
Between the Canadian rush to get down south, the national guard traipsing around like they owned the place, and the NK troops heading south, too, the North had been hit hard, and there were entire cities that were nearly leveled.
Savannah wasn’t like that, though. The city was still mostly intact, though a little dirty and worse for wear. I saw some windows busted out of storefronts, as well as a few vehicles, but that was really it. There wasn’t a huge amount of garbage on the ground, nor an ungodly amount of dead bodies like some other places we’d gone.
“Looks like the locals fled pretty quickly,” I said as we looked around.
“It looks like it.” Paige nodded. “Seems as though they took all the supplies, then they hopped on their boats and left.”
“Would boats even work after the EMP?” Bailey asked, and her blonde eyebrows pinched together.
“As long as they’re not mostly electric,” I said. “But, honestly, any boat that’s light enough could be turned into a sailboat with the right supplies.”
“I guess I hadn’t thought about that,” the blonde said, and she cocked her head to the side curiously.
“I bet a bunch of people had sail boats, too,” Tara added. “Rich people always have sailboats, even if they don’t know how to use them.”
“Did your dad have a sailboat?” Paige asked.
“Mhm.” Tara nodded. “And I never saw him take it out once.”
“Oh, wow,” Anna snorted. “You and your rich people stories.”
“Hey, those rich people stories have come in handy a time or two,” Tara reminded her.
“I’ll give you that,” the redhead conceded with a laugh.
“I don’t see any signs of NK troops,” Paige noted as we continued to walk through the Savannah streets.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Tara blurted suddenly, and she ripped off her tank top to reveal a sports bra underneath. The platinum-blonde panted for a second and fanned herself with her hand.
It was incredible what a change in climate we’d entered into. Coming from Vermont, then Massachusetts, down to Virginia, and now to Georgia, the air felt sticky and warm instead of cool and fresh like I’d gotten used to. It reminded me of training, though, and I couldn’t help but smile as fond memories of my time in the service came rushing back.
Even just being down south for a few moments and walking around, I already found myself quite warm, and there was a small amount of sweat on my shirt collar, so I couldn’t imagine what my poor pregnant woman was feeling.
“Are you alright?” I asked the platinum-blonde.
“I’m okay,” she said with a shake of her head. “Sorry.”
“Geez, you’ve just got to be naked all the time, don’t you?” Anna teased.
“I’m hot as balls!” Tara fired back, and she threw her head back so I could see the sheen of sweat that covered her entire body. “Is nobody else as hot as I am right now?”
“I guess not,” I chuckled. “I’m warm, but definitely not that hot.”
“You’re pregnant,” Bailey reminded her with a laugh. “Of course, you’re going to be hotter than everyone else. Your blood volume increases like crazy while you’re pregnant.”
“What?” Tara asked. “Are you telling me I have more blood now? What the hell? I figured the little gremlin in my stomach would be sucking it all up.”
“Well… they do,” Paige laughed. “Hence why you need more.”
“Oh, right.” Tara pursed her lips.
“Oh, and that’s also where the pregnancy ‘glow’ comes from,” Paige added. “The extra blood gives you a kind of rosyness.”
“Hm.” Tara nodded. “I’ve heard this pregnancy glow is supposed to be pretty cool. Hopefully it will be worth all the vomiting.”
“Our baby will be worth all the vomiting,” I laughed. “And you’ll look gorgeous no matter what.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Tara rolled her eyes. “You have to say that because I’m carrying your child.”
“I technically don’t have to say anything,” I told her. “And if I say it, I mean it.”
“We know.” She rolled her eyes again, but then she flashed me a smile that quickly turned into a grimace. “Can we keep going, already? I’m sweltering here.”
“Oh, of course,” Paige said, and she continued to lead us through the streets.
“Haven’t you been to the south before?” Bailey asked.
“Tons of times,” Tara said. “But even when I came in the summer, I don’t remember it being this fucking hot.”
“It’s fall,” Anna reminded her. “I’m sure it’s a lot cooler now than when you came in the summer.”
“Probably,” Tara agreed. “It has to be all this extra blood, then. Have you guys never been to the south?”
“I came down for a cross country nationals,” Anna said.
“I’ve never been.” Paige shook her head.
“Me, either,” Bailey agreed.
“How are you guys not hot as hell, then?” Tara asked.
“Eh, it’s warm.” Paige shrugged. “But it’s not that bad.”
“I like it.” Bailey smiled. “I’m always so cold, it feels good out here.”
“Okay, fuck you,” Tara said with a point at Bailey.
“Sorry,” the blonde chuckled.
“What about you, Tav?” Anna asked me with a grin. “How’s it feel to be back? You did your training in Georgia, right?”
“I did.” I smiled and nodded. “I guess I hadn’t even noticed, it just feels like I never left.”
A voice came through my walkie, then, and I grabbed it off my hip to listen.
“Tav, come in,” Minji’s voice rang through the small speaker.
“Tav here,” I said as I held the button down. “What’s going on?”
“Hammer and his crew have arrived,” she explained.
“Oh, thank god,” Tara groaned.
“We’ll be right there,” I said into the walkie.
“See you soon,” Minji agreed.
Paige led us back to the ship, and on the roundabout walk, I took in the small details of the nearby area. I still didn’t see any signs there were NK troops near here, nor that they’d ever been in the area. The place was too intact, and I didn’t see a single burn mark that looked like it’d come from a plasma weapon. It was almost strange to think the NK troops hadn’t been here, it seemed they’d infested everywhere else.
Before we made it back to the ship, I saw Hammer and the whole convoy parked near the Savannah port authority.
“Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes,” I chuckled as we walked up to the SEAL.
“I could say the same about you,” he joked and reached out his hand to grab mine. “It’s good to see you.”
“You guys know it’s only been, like, a day, right?” Tara asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Never know what can go wrong during times of war,” Hammer said. “Arriving at a new place is a victory in itself.”
“I’ll second that,” I agreed. “I’m glad you all made it safely.”
“You, too.” Hammer nodded, then he pursed his lips. “Were you all scoping out the area?”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“See any NK soldiers?” he inquired.
“None.” I shook my head. “I didn’t even see any signs they’ve been here.”
“Really?” he asked, and he jerked back slightly with surprise.
“What about you?” I asked, now suspicious of his long road trip. “Did you all come across any troops?”
“No soldiers.” He shook his head. “But there were some signs they’d been there. Dead bodies, plasma blasts, a few leveled buildings here and there.”
“Yeah, that definitely sounds like our NK friends.” My eyebrows pinched together with disdain.
“Like I said, I didn't see any soldiers, though,” he reiterated. “They’ve probably moved on by now.”
“Even so, we should be particularly careful on our trip inland,” Anna said.
“I couldn’t agree more,” I told her.
“Everything’s gassed up and ready to go when you are,” Hammer told me.
“Thanks.” I clapped the guy on the back. “Let me go inform everyone on the ship.”
“We’ll wait for you here.” Hammer nodded.
“Put a couple guys on a nearby roof,” I told him. “I didn’t see any signs of NK troops, but that doesn’t mean nobody’s here. Better safe than sorry.”
“Good call, Captain ranger.” Hammer nodded and called a couple of his SEALs over to him as the girls and I walked back down to the dock.
I let the crew know it was time to leave, and everyone except Pike, Smith, and a couple civilians went to their rooms to gather their belongings. Pike and Smith were trained maritime pilots, and if anybody was able to navigate this ship around, it was them. They were also a couple of Hammer’s men, so I knew they were trustworthy.
I didn’t want to simply leave the ship unattended. Besides, we didn’t have room to carry all of the supplies we had on board, so someone needed to watch them until we could get back to collect what we had to leave behind.
We took what we could and packed it into the jeeps, along with our small personal bags.
By the time everything was packed and ready to go, it was mid-afternoon, and I knew we only had a few more hours of daylight left before nightfall hit us. Still, I didn’t want to wait to get to our boys. There was no telling what kind of trouble they were in, and if I still had daylight, I was damn sure going to use it.
The girls and I hopped into one of the jeeps, and I had to admit, it felt good to be in the driver’s seat again. The ride down had been smooth sailing on the ship, but it wasn’t the same as driving myself.
There was something about being in the jeep with the girls that simply felt right.
Anna climbed in the passenger seat, where she always sat, and put her foot on the dashboard. The redhead rolled down the window and a small breeze gently pushed her flyaway strands of hair around her face.
Bailey, Tara, and Paige all climbed into the back.
Tara was right behind me, so she could see me in the rearview mirror, of course. Bailey was in the middle, as always, because she was too nice to demand a window seat every now and then, and Paige sat behind Anna with her map on her lap.
I waved to Hammer, pressed on the gas, and pulled us out onto the road. I breathed in deep as the southern air hit my face, and I couldn’t help but smile to be on the road again.
The ship ride down hadn’t taken too long, but I was eager to get to the American troops. The NK troops my team and I had taken out up to that point were nothing compared to what our boys down south were up against.
The entirety of the NK army was down here, according to the cowardly soldier who’d given up his brothers. And if there were thirty-thousand troops like he said, I had no idea how many of ours were left.
The main unit of the NK army was bound to have some crazy weapons, and even though our boys this far East had to have known about their arrival, I wasn’t sure how they could prepare to combat such powerful weapons.
Even now, I’d made sure to stock up on plasma weapons since I felt it was best to fight fire with fire in this situation. The weapons they’d created were simply too powerful, and if we tried to use regular weapons against them, we’d lose in a heartbeat.
The windows were all down as we drove East along the main strip. The American soldiers would be somewhere near the Appalachian foothills, so we had a little bit of a drive to get there.
The sun was high in the sky, and it reflected on the road ahead of us as we drove.
It had only been a half hour when suddenly, I heard something.
“What is that?” I asked, and my eyes narrowed.
“It sounds almost like voices,” Anna said, and she leaned toward the dash. “Or static.”
“I don’t hear anything.” Tara shrugged.
“Maybe it’s the radio,” Paige jokingly suggested.
“Could it be?” Anna asked, and she reached for the dial.
“No, I was kiddi--” Paige’s words were cut short as Anna turned up the dial on the radio, and a man’s voice came through the speakers of the jeep.
“Holy shit,” Tara breathed, and in the rearview mirror I saw her eyes grow wide.
The voice was staticky, but then Anna fiddled with the dial and it suddenly became crystal clear.
“Is that…” Bailey trailed off.
“North Korean.” I nodded.
That could mean only one thing: we were in enemy territory.
Chapter 2
“How the hell is this even happening?” Anna asked.
“Right,” Tara said. “I thought radios didn’t work?”
“We have walkies that work,” Paige pointed out.
“Right, but those aren’t, like, the car radio,” Tara countered.
“But they work from a radio frequency,” Paige explained.
“Paige is right,” I agreed. “There must be troops nearby, and they’re using this frequency to communicate.”
“Well, shit, what are they saying?” Anna pushed.
“I don’t know.” I shook my head and reached for my walkie. “Minji, come in.”
“I’m here,” the North Korean woman said over the speaker. “Is something wrong?”
“What station is this?” I asked Anna.
The redhead leaned down to look at the dash in a panic. “Uhhh, 97.3!”
“Tune your radio to 97.3,” I said into the microphone. “We’ve come across an enemy line of communication.”
“Fuck, um, okay, hold on,” Minji stuttered, and I heard her fumbling with something. A second later, I could hear the same broadcast in the background of her vehicle. “Okay, I got it.”
“I need your translation skills, Minj,” I said.
“Did he just call her Minj?” Tara whispered from the backseat, but I just flashed her a glare in the rearview mirror, and she sat back and pressed her lips together.
The voice on the radio kept talking, and after a moment, Minji came back on the walkie.
“Okay,” she said. “It sounds like there’s a smaller foot troop outside of Augusta. They’re on their way to Atlanta to meet up with another troop for a pincer attack on our men.”
“Shit,” I cursed and pressed the button again. “Did they say how far outside of Augusta?”
“About an hour,” Minji said.
“Paige,” I said, and I looked at the brunette in the rearview. “How fast can you get us to Augusta?”
“Uh.” Paige’s eyes went wide for a second, but then she pulled out her map and looked it over. “It’s cutting it close, but if we hurry we can get there in less than an hour.”
“Get us there,” I told her, and I pressed the button on the walkie again. “There’s been a change of plans, Minji. Tell Hammer we’re headed to Augusta.”
“I’m with you, Brother,” Hammer said into the radio.
“Try and keep up.” I smiled and hooked the walkie back on my hip, then I pressed down hard on the gas and hooked a right when Paige told me to.
