The Last Flag, page 6
part #2 of EMP Survivor Series
“Are you surprised to see me?” Charlie asked.
“No,” Sir answered. “You knew what would have happened if you didn’t come.”
It was the casual nature of the threat that made it so ominous. Charlie had no doubts about the heinous lengths Sir would travel to achieve his goals. The man was soulless. And while Charlie might have come here to set himself apart from it, Sir and The Bunker had ways of pulling an individual back into the collective.
“Even though I knew you’d come, you did surprise me with that outburst,” Sir said. “It was bold. Even for you.”
“I don’t plan on sticking around,” Charlie said. “When this is over, I’m done. I want to make that abundantly clear.”
“I remember you saying that the last time you left here,” Sir said. “You were so adamant, just like now. You were convinced it was your last mission.” He stepped closer. “But I know you. I know the real you. And no matter what kind of life you think you’ve built at home, what lies you’ve told yourself, or how many times you think you can get out of this with your life, deep down, you know the same truth I do. You’re a killer. And you came back here because it’s a chance to let loose some of that anger that’s been bubbling up inside since you left. Pretend all you want, but the truth always comes out.” He clapped Charlie on the shoulder. “Welcome home, son.”
As he watched him enter the debriefing room, Charlie stood, paralyzed by Sir’s words. Charlie had known this would be difficult. But only now did he realize how impossible his task indeed was. Because no matter how hard Charlie tried to fight it, he feared Sir was right.
9
The debriefing room was more crowded than usual, with all contractors stuffed shoulder to shoulder like sardines. The room was only designed to hold maybe a half dozen men comfortably, so the nearly thirty bodies crammed into the space put everyone on edge.
Charlie stayed in the back, keeping his eyes on Sir the entire time. He hated being back here, and what was more, he hated that it was Sir who believed he had the upper hand. And Charlie hated it not just because of Sir’s arrogance but because it was true.
All of the skills Charlie had accumulated over the years couldn’t bring down The Bunker alone. He had run through the scenarios thousands of times, and they ended with him and his family dead. Because Charlie knew if he made a move against Sir and The Bunker, they wouldn’t be satisfied just killing him, they’d kill his entire family to make a point. This is a point to anyone who would dare to do something so stupid and bold against The Bunker.
Sir was ruthless in that regard.
The truth hung over every contractor and employee in The Bunker. It would be so difficult to convince anyone to band together and fight back against authority. Going against the grain wasn’t in these men’s self-interest. The men Charlie was surrounded with were here because of the money and the thrill of staying in the fight.
A few of them might be like Charlie, with families to support, and if he were in their shoes, he would believe a man thinking what he did was suicide. And therein lies the problem.
So, for now, Charlie played along with Sir’s plans, and he listened to what he had to say, but the first opportunity Charlie saw where there was a legitimate way for him to bring this place down, he was going to take it.
The lights dimmed, and the projection on the wall turned the room’s attention to the presentation. Sir stood, making his way from the table to the front of the room, and stood off to the side.
“You’re all here because Bunker protocol was activated,” Sir said. “An unprecedented attack has engulfed our country, and the EMP was only the beginning.”
Despite every contractor’s experience and skills, an uneasy feeling traveled through the group. The Bunker’s purpose was to prevent such an attack from ever happening. So, the fact that it happened was cause for concern.
“Three days ago, we engaged in a war game simulation against Chinese and Russian aggression,” Sir said, bringing up a map of Asia where the two countries were highlighted. “It’s no secret the pair have been silently cozying up to one another over the past few years, and we wanted to run simulations to gauge our preparedness levels in an attack.” He clicked another slide that zoomed in on China. “At the time of the simulations, all intelligence agencies believed China was not in the mood or mindset to engage in conflicts with the western world. Their diplomatic, economic, and military efforts have been to fortify their hold on the eastern pacific region, challenging certain island nations in the area. Russia, however, has been preparing for conflict for the past decade. Strengthening their military and fortifying their economy against sanctions. All analytical assessments came to the same conclusion that Russia is preparing for a long, drawn-out conflict.”
When Sir clicked to the next slide, Charlie glanced around the room. The contractors were hard to read, but he noticed a few worried expressions.
“But our intelligence community failed to get right was that China was also running simulations with Russia as an ally,” Sir said. “We took their war games as a sign of what might happen in the next five to ten years. But we failed to realize the practical gains in their offensive platforms. And the lengths they’d go to accomplish their mission.” He clicked to another slide which showed the outline of a missile. “This is a Chinese D4-41 ICBM. It’s the missile used for their nuclear warheads. They’ve been increasing their nuclear capability over the past decade and are accelerating their growth of those weapons.”
Charlie frowned. He knew a nuclear detonation could employ an EMP, but if the Chinese had used a nuclear warhead, he would have been able to see the blast or feel the effects of radiation by now.
“While our intelligence efforts were centered around their efforts for improving their nuclear capabilities, they were also testing efforts for cyber and technological warfare,” Sir said, and he clicked the next slide.
An image of another missile appeared on the screen, similar to the previous ICBM, but it was smaller and more discreet.
“This is the Chinese A7-99 ICBM,” Sir said. “It is not nuclear-capable, but upon detonation, it can emit an electromagnetic pulse to wipe out an entire-time zone in the United States. And four of them were launched three days ago.”
The silence broke, and murmurs filled the room, no one certain of how this would have been possible. Charlie knew The Bunker possessed sophisticated defense capability to intercept missiles, especially non-nuclear weapons.
“The missiles were cloaked with a new technology, and by the time they appeared on our radar, we were unable to intercept them with our defenses,” Sir replied, reading the minds of everyone in the room. “Thus, our current situation.”
“Why?” Charlie asked, speaking up in the room.
There was no protocol for asking questions during a debriefing, but contractors generally agreed to wait until the end to ask anything. But seeing these extraordinary circumstances, Charlie was prepared to shake things up a bit.
“Why what?” Sir asked.
“Why would China instigate such aggression?” Charlie asked. “If we go dark, then so does the world’s economy. All intelligence suggests China wants to be rich. This goes against their economic agenda.”
“Perhaps we misread their intentions?” Sir answered. “Perhaps there was infighting amongst the top leadership and a different direction was drastically taken. Perhaps you should keep your fucking mouth closed.”
A few contractors around Charlie snickered, but he wasn’t deterred by Sir’s dressing down. He took it as an opportunity to grow bolder.
“We’re here because you failed,” Charlie said.
The accusation was unprecedented. No one had ever challenged Sir that way; no one even thought it was possible. The man carried a heavy fear from those who worked in The Bunker, and it was the fear that kept everyone in line. Once the fear was gone, Sir had no real power anymore. At least that was what Charlie told himself.
Everyone waited to see how Sir would reply, but Charlie had to hand it to the man. He never skipped a beat as he looked at Charlie dead and said, “We’re here because some of us walked away.”
And just as quickly as Charlie had gained ground, Sir had pulled the carpet from beneath him with the simplest quip.
“If that’s all,” Sir said, continuing his debriefing.
Charlie knew better than to continue to engage. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to accomplish. Maybe he just wanted to show the others that this man wasn’t the mastermind everyone had believed. He tried to poke holes in the impenetrable façade Sir had built around himself. He wanted to show the others they could win.
“While we weren’t able to stop the missiles from reaching our shores, we were able to perform a counter-attack before we lost strike capabilities,” Sir said. “Russia and China are currently in the dark, their countries disabled by our EMP capabilities.”
Charlie knew about the counter-attack measures, but he was still surprised by the Chinese aggression. It wasn’t like them to start a fight they didn’t believe they could win, and while they were a country on the rise, the odds of them winning a battle against the United States were low. People would resist. Imposing rule over another country in this day and age was a tall task. But perhaps China wanted to prove they had the biggest stick on the block, the same one the United States had been carrying for nearly a century.
“Just before our intelligence went dark, we were tracking a unit of Chinese soldiers invading from the Pacific Coast,” Sir said. “Their last known location was just north of Seattle and heading due east.”
Charlie tensed. The location where the Chinese had infiltrated the land was close to Beckett Island.
“We believe they’re heading to one of our satellite facilities here,” Sir said, clicking to the next slide. “This facility is key to pulling our country out of the dark ages. If this falls into Chinese hands, we will either be dead or speaking Mandarin within five years.”
Charlie had been a part of some critical and dangerous missions before, but he’d never heard Sir speak about a mission so bluntly.
“Your objective is to intercept the enemy here,” Sir said, highlighting a point several miles before the town where the satellite facility was located. “The low-lying area will provide a good opportunity for ambush. And based on the last trajectory of the enemy forces we had just before we lost satellite communications, we calculated they’d arrive at the facility by this afternoon.” Sir checked his watch and then looked to the rest of the crew. “I don’t need to tell you how important this is. That facility cannot fall.”
“How many enemy fighters?” Charlie asked.
“No more than twenty,” Sir answered. “But these are special operations soldiers, so proceed with caution.”
Even if those fighters were special operations, Charlie knew The Bunker wouldn’t have needed to recall all of their contractors. A handful of their soldiers would have been able to take on twenty combatants, especially in an ambush situation. But considering the stakes, Charlie figured The Bunker wanted to mitigate risk.
“You all have thirty minutes to gear up and prepare for the journey,” Sir said. “Every second counts on this, and I don’t want to waste more time. Dismissed.”
The contractors flooded out of the room, everyone desperate to get out of the hot, stale air.
The contractors were all assigned lockers, where they would be able to procure their weapons and ammunition, all of which were top of the line. They had every toy imaginable, and a few upgrades to the scopes would allow the contractors to pick apart the enemy forces from a comfortable distance.
“That was ballsy back there.”
Charlie glanced to his left and saw Blue Eyes removing gear from his locker next to him.
“You think you’re special or something?” Blue Eyes asked.
“No,” Charlie answered. “But I’m tired of not calling out bullshit when I see it.”
Blue Eyes nodded. “Well, let’s hope you’re as good of a fighter as everyone says you are because I don’t need someone with a mouth on this mission. I need someone with a quick trigger finger.” He opened the chamber on his AR-15 and inspected the sights. “You still remember how to use these?”
Charlie reached for the weapon, quickly disassembled it, and put it back together, staring Blue Eyes in the face. When he finished, he set the rifle down.
“Good,” Blue Eyes said. “Let’s hope you remember where to put your trigger finger.” He laughed and then grabbed his gear and walked away.
The mood was lighter in the room now that everyone knew their mission. There was always nervous energy, but this was something different. The contractors were eager to get to work. They started thinking too hard about a task when they lost their nerve. It was best to keep pushing forward.
But while the other contractors were worried about the mission, Charlie was distracted by the man in charge. He knew he had put a target on his back by speaking up, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the last time the pair had spoken.
When Charlie had decided to leave The Bunker and move his family to Beckett Island, Sir had presented him with an ultimatum. The task Sir had given Charlie was nearly impossible to complete. But he’d done it and earned his freedom.
But the cost of that freedom was higher than Charlie had expected, and now that he was back in the mix, hoping to spare his family from the horrors of what was to come, he would be forced to pay a new price. But if his time at The Bunker had taught him anything, it was the fact that something else was always happening just below the surface. If Charlie could discover Sir’s true intentions, it might just give him the leverage he needed to rid himself of this place.
10
Shelly checked the map, making sure she hadn’t gone off course. She had borrowed the map Charlie created, which marked all of the stores in the area and what resources they provided. The diving store was close, but given the environment and circumstances, anything could happen during the three-mile walk.
The horse would have been faster, but she had forgone it because she wanted to remain nimble and discreet. The horse would have attracted attention. And until Beckett Island was up and running on full steam, Shelly wanted to keep the location a secret from everyone else. The last thing they needed was more mouths to feed when they didn’t have everything they needed for themselves.
From what Shelly saw on the trip toward the dive shop, the local areas had remained relatively unscathed from looting and destruction. The smaller communities looked to have banded together on the island, but she came across a few folks who didn’t enjoy watching outsiders pass through their towns.
Not wanting to cause trouble, Shelly stuck to the woods after that, moving silently through the forests alongside the road. Of the things Shelly noticed in this new world, the quiet stood above all else. There were no cars, no boats, planes, the humming of electrical lines, nothing but the sound of the forest and nature.
It was surreal.
Shelly had camped before and spent nights in the middle of nowhere when she’d experienced this kind of silence. But having it happen here, so close to civilization, was unnerving. She could only imagine what some people out here might be going through.
Humans have always been resourceful. It was the only reason we’d survived for this long. But Shelly had also seen humanity’s darker side and knew what happened when people were desperate. They grew violent and angry, and if that violence and anger were allowed to fester, grow, and spread, it wouldn’t matter where Shelly and her family went. Anger always burned everything to the ground.
Shelly had seen the worst people during her tenure in law enforcement. It was perhaps the only job in the country where you were both loved and hated in equal admiration. Anyone wearing a badge was an enemy if you were on the wrong side of the law. If you needed help, then anyone with a badge was a hero.
Shelly never saw herself as either. She was only concerned with keeping people alive when she could, whether that was the criminal or the victim. She wasn’t the executioner. She wasn’t the person responsible for casting judgment. She only carried out the laws written by the people. That was her purpose; that was her job. And she believed she had carried out those duties every time she stepped out in uniform.
But of course, not everyone saw it that way.
The time alone on the walk gave Shelly plenty of time to think about the past, her choices, and her regrets.
One particular regret at the forefront of her thoughts was what had happened with her brother. Of all of the terrible things and bad decisions Shelly had watched Danny do and make, kidnapping Benji never had entered her mind.
This wasn’t the first time Shelly had thought about what happened between her brother and her on the day of the EMP. She’d had nightmares about it, pulling the trigger and killing Danny to save her son. It was an impossible choice, and Shelly believed she had handled it as best she could, but that didn’t diminish the guilt she’d experienced. She wanted to rid herself of that guilt, but no matter how many times she replayed the events in her head or what justifications she used, nothing provided any relief.
Shelly suspected killing her brother was something she’d live with for the rest of her life, and she hated Danny for what he’d forced her to do.
What did he think was going to happen? He must have known what Weber planned to do after they kidnapped children. Weber was out for revenge and would do anything to have it.
Even before Danny abducted her kid, it had been hard for Shelly to reconcile the man he was with the boy she knew. He’d always gotten into trouble, but it had never been anything wrong. Still, she wondered if bailing him out for all those years had an inverse effect on Danny’s psyche.
But of all the choices the pair were involved in together, all of the crossroads they met at, it was the moment she pulled the trigger three days ago that she kept replaying in her head.
