| |
AOS CAMP:
Joyce slows the motorhome, and Christa and Judy jump out, taking the suitcase of samples with them as they run between the tents into the woods. They suspect Everex will have soldiers still searching the forest for them, and Joyce tells them where to hide, and that she’ll join them as soon as she can.
Joyce parks in front of Sergeant Major Davis’s cabin and walks through the motor home to the side door. When she opens it, Davis and four men are standing in front of her. “I need a place to stay. Let me have your cabin while you’re gone.”
Davis grins sadistically. “Okay, Joyce, but if you move in, you stay here with me when I get back.”
Joyce knows she won’t be there, even if he does return. She smiles at the thought, knowing Davis will misinterpret it. She grabs a suitcase before stepping out of the motorhome.
Davis waits until the other men are in the RV, then indicates for Joyce to go into his cabin. He follows her as far as the door and stops. When she starts unpacking her suitcase, he smiles leeringly, knowing he now has what all the other men in camp want. “If I wasn’t so busy, I’d get a quick one before I leave.”
Joyce turns to him and smiles. “I think there will be plenty of time for that when you get back, don’t you?”
Davis grins. “Save it all for me, Joyce. I’ll arrange it with the Major.”
Joyce smiles again. This is working out better than she hoped. “Sure thing, honey. I’ll see you off.” She follows him out to the motorhome.
Davis sees the other men watching and grins up at them. “Guess who’s out of service, guys?” he says and grabs Joyce around the waist, pulling her close. He gives her an overly zealous kiss, then climbs into the RV.
When the door slams shut, Joyce spits nastily, wipes her hand across her mouth, then grabs a short piece of string hanging out of a side compartment door. She yanks it out, and with string in hand, grins, and enters the cabin.
***
The truck stops in front of the jail, and Mark follows his dad and the two soldiers into the building. Mark watches them shove his father into a cell with two other men he doesn’t recognize and sees his mother in the next cell with Marcia.
It’s all true, he thinks as his parents exchanged stares. They turn toward him, and he sees a pleading look in their eyes. How could they do this to me! He glares at them for a moment, spins around, and stomps out of the jail.
Mark feels so much rage he doesn’t notice all the people rushing around him. He finds Pam sitting on a log bench outside the dormitory and sits next to her.
“Did you find Dad?” she asks.
“Yeah. He’s in jail.” He stomps his feet and leaps off the bench. “How could they do this to us!” he yells and stares at his sister.
Pam looks up at him. She thinks the camp is all right, and is glad she’s found a boy who really likes her, but she knows this army means everything to Mark. “It isn’t their fault.”
Mark looks away. “I hope they get shot!”
“Sit down and listen to me.” He continues to pace in front of her. “I said sit!”
Mark stops and stares at Pam. She looks just like mom does when she’s scolding him, so he does as instructed, a scowl frozen on his face.
“They didn’t have a choice,” Pam continues. “The spies were blackmailing them and threatened to make up stories to get you in trouble if Mom and Dad didn’t cooperate. That’s why they did it.” She watches his scowl melt away in surprise.
“They did it for me?” Mark asks. Pam nods, and Mark thinks his heart will rip apart. I didn’t know they loved me that much. If I try to help them, I’ll be kicked out of the army. I love being a soldier! I have a uniform and everything! But I can’t let Everex shoot my Mom and Dad! He buries his head in his hands. What should I do?
Pam sees her brother’s anguish and knows he’s torn between two loves. She decides to make the decision for him. “We’re going to get Mom and Dad out of jail,” she says firmly.
Mark looks up at her, his eyes still full of anguish. “If I help you, they’ll kick me out of the army.”
Pam laughs harshly. “So what? This isn’t a real army. It’s just a bunch of sick-headed people holding a bunch of scared people hostage. You saw what they did to Mr. Berry. Do you think a sane person would have done that?”
He knows she’s right. As much as he admires Major Everex, he does seem awfully mean to everyone. “So what do we do now? Everex will probably shoot them before he leaves.”
“I found out that Colonel Blackwood is going to lead the army, and Everex is staying here in case the Colonel fails.”
“How will we get them out of jail?”
“I don’t know yet, but whatever we do, we’ll have to wait until the Colonel leaves with most of the soldiers. Let’s go to my room and try to think of a plan.”
***
Joyce meets up with Christa and Judy at the secret location and tells them about getting Davis’s place. “I think the army is ready to leave. When they’ve gone, come to the cabin. I’ll be waiting.”
Christa gives Joyce a hug. “Thanks. We really appreciate this.”
Joyce smiles. “Anything to get out of this madhouse.”
***
It’s after 9:00 P.M. when Jerry Monroe parks his truck in front of Blackwood’s cabin. He and the Colonel have become friends, of a sort, and he offered to use his truck as the lead vehicle and act as the Colonel’s driver. He was surprised at Blackwood’s reaction and gratitude and realized the Colonel is scared to death about all of this.
He climbs out of the truck and walks up the steps. The door is open, and he sees Blackwood scurrying around inside, his arms full of papers and rolled maps. “Can I give you a hand, George?”
Blackwood turns and smiles nervously. “I’m glad you’re here, Jerry. I can’t make up my mind what I’m going to need.”
Jerry smiles reassuringly and takes the maps out of Blackwood’s arms. “Let’s see. I don’t think we’ll need all of these. Put your gear in the truck while I sort these out.”
Blackwood smiles gratefully. When he steps out of the cabin, Everex is waiting for him.
Everex notices Blackwood’s nervous expression. “I hope you’re ready. The rest of the convoy is waiting.”
I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for this. He sees the wary look in Everex’s eyes and tries to think of something appropriate to say.
Monroe hurries down the steps. “I’ve loaded everything you ordered, sir,” he says for Blackwood’s sake. “We’re ready to move out.”
Blackwood gathers his courage and stands tall in front of Everex. “Take good care of my camp, Major,” he says with forced bravado. “I expect everything to be in order when I return victorious.” He turns and climbs into the passenger side of the truck, then releases a deep sigh to calm his nerves. If I return.
“If you’re not victorious, you’d better not return.” Everex watches the truck drive away, turns and hurries across the parade ground and down a trail that leads to the end of the convoy. At the end of the line of troop carriers are two fuel trucks, followed by the big Roadmaster motorhome Davis and the rest of his elite guards took from the whore. He hates to send all his personal guards with the convoy, but he doesn’t trust the Colonel’s leadership. He preemptively gave his guards orders to shoot the Colonel if he decides to back out of the attack or tries something stupid.
Everex waits until the last taillight disappears, then climbs back up the trail. His thoughts turn to the spies in jail. I think I’ll have a little fun with the amazon woman before I shoot her and her friends. As he strolls across the parade ground, a young soldier runs up to him, panting fiercely. “What’s wrong?”
“Some soldiers have deserted!” he manages to say between breaths.
Damn! I only have a dozen soldiers left in camp. I can’t afford to lose a single person. “Sound the assembly bugle. I want everyone here on the double!”
When the boy runs off, Everex stares across the far end of the parade ground at the jail. They’re not going anywhere. I’ll take care of them in the morning. He continues across the parade ground and stands on Blackwood’s porch as the first soldiers run to assemble before him.
***
Christa and Judy listen to the growl of the convoy trucks fade away, and run from the woods to the cabin Joyce had indicated, with Judy carrying the suitcase of samples. Although Joyce said the plastic explosives couldn’t go off without being detonated, Judy is still nervous about being so close to it. As she follows Christa through the door, she gently sets it down just inside and hurries to the far wall of the room, collapsing into a cushioned chair as she stares up at Joyce.
Christa smells dirty socks and sweat and wrinkles her nose in disgust. “I suggest we come up with a plan.”
The three of them exchange looks when they hear a recorded bugle echo through the camp. Joyce indicates for Christa and Judy to sit tight, and steps out of the cabin. She watches several soldiers run past and knows they’re going to the parade ground. She steps back inside and closes the door. “Everyone’s assembling. I don’t know why, but this might be our only chance to help your friends.”
“What should we do?” Christa asks.
“I showed you how to set the timers on the explosives. Now’s a good time to set them up as a diversion.”
“Out on the main road, I think.” Judy tells her. “When the soldiers run in that direction, it will give us a chance to blow a hole in the wall of the jail.”
Joyce shakes her head no. “The road is fine for the diversion, but we can’t use this stuff on the jailhouse. We’d kill everyone inside. When you get back, I’ll try to get the guard to come outside and you can hit him over the head or something.”
Judy gets up. “Okay. Let’s do it.” She walks nervously to the suitcase, but stops short and looks at Joyce. “Maybe you’d better show us one more time.”
Joyce smiles, opens the suitcase, and shows them what to do.
***
Mark and Pam hear the bugle call and follow the rest of the soldiers. They stand to the right side of the crowd in front of Blackwood’s cabin and see Everex as a silhouette in front of the porch light.
Everex stares down at the crowd. Nearly all of them are people he’s forced into training. Most of them were never issued a rifle or pistol, and he’s not sure which people he can trust. “Listen up!” he shouts. “I need volunteers to watch for deserters. I’ll issue a rifle and give a promotion to anyone who wants to stand guard. We need everyone here to protect our supplies from the fanatics if the Colonel fails. If even one person leaves, it increases your chances of getting killed.”
Pam raises her hand and pokes her elbow lightly into Mark’s ribs. “Raise your hand.”
“I thought we were going to rescue Mom and Dad?”
“We’ll have a better chance if we have guns.”
Mark raises his hand. Maybe I’ll get a pistol.
Everex sees several hands rise from the crowd and recognizes Mark and Pam in front and to his left. He’s surprised since their parents are in jail. He decides to talk to them before issuing them weapons. “Follow me to the munitions issue building,” he tells everyone and descends the steps.
In front of the munitions building, Everex takes Mark and Pam aside. “What are you up to?”
“We’re soldiers, sir,” Mark answers and stands at attention. “This is our army, and we have to protect what’s ours! Right, sir?”
Everex stares at Mark, trying to detect any sign of deceit in his eyes. “What about your parents?”
“They got what they deserved,” Pam tells him. “A little time in jail will straighten them out.”
Everex grins, but not for them. They don’t know he’s going to shoot the prisoners personally. “Very well. Check out your rifles.”
“I’d like a pistol, sir,” Mark tells him, but Everex doesn’t reply. “You said if I proved myself, I could wear a pistol.”
Everex remembers when Mark first came into Blackwood’s cabin. Why not? A pistol is the only thing the boy really wants. Maybe this will assure his devotion to me. “Very well, Sergeant Woolly.”
Mark feels a stirring of pride. Did he hear right? A promotion? He smiles at Everex and salutes smartly. “Thank you, sir!”
When Everex walks away, Pam looks at her smiling brother. “What are you doing?”
Mark looks at her, still grinning. “Did you hear that? I’ve been promoted!”
“What about Mom and Dad?”
Mark’s grin fades. “Well, they could have turned the spies in right away. Major Everex would have believed me instead of the spies.”
Pam is surprised by Mark’s change of heart. “So you’re going to let them be shot?”
Mark stares at the ground, slightly ashamed. “I just can’t be a traitor. The Major needs me.”
“Does that mean you’d shoot me if I try to save them?”
Mark glances at her, then back at the ground. “I, uh. Well, no, I won’t try to stop you.” He looks into Pam’s eyes. “But if you get caught, you have to tell the Major I didn’t know anything about it, okay?”
Pam feels deep disgust for her brother. How can he turn against their parents? “Fine!” She steps in line to get a rifle.