part0029

Between the finishing of their house, moving in and getting over the row caused by the explosive magazine showing up, it was late summer before Rick could go out to The Farm.

The fight over the magazine wasn’t really that bad, Rick had just forgotten to tell Marsha he had ordered it, and he had been running some errands when it arrived.

For some reason having, five hundred pounds of high explosives show up on the doorstep of her new home irritated Marsha. She didn’t scream and cry. She was a cold straight talker. For the first time in a long-time, Rick felt real fear .

After a week of a little conversation, they finally cleared the air. It was actually Marsha’s survivalist mind frame, which was the breakthrough.

When Rick explained his credentials from the military; and his plans to overstate his use, so it would end up off inventory she saw the light. Before it was over, she wanted to go out and blow up stumps! He did make a resolve not to surprise her again.

He didn’t, at least not for a month or so.

He had received an email from his truck that it needed an oil change. Rather than letting it drive itself in, he took it into Pikeville and from there went onto the Farm. Rick would always think of it as The Farm. He had called ahead so he was expected. He was mildly surprised when he turned off the main road and went a quarter mile down the drive.

There was a manned checkpoint. It had a lane of jersey barriers to funnel traffic and slow it down into the checkpoint. There was a barricade to be raised to get past the checkpoint. There were three guards, as he pulled to a stop, he was asked for his name and identification. While one guard examined his driver’s license another was putting a mirror on a pole under his car.

He noticed the third guard was to the rear of the truck on the passenger side with a clear field of fire. All were armed with an AR15 variant. The stop was quick, clean, and professional. It also brought Rick’s antenna up. This operation was more serious than he thought.

He was waved through to the main compound. There the Major was waiting. Watkins was genial in his greeting and said, “Welcome to our compound Sergeant!”

Ricks's surprise at this knowledge of his past appeared on his face. “Well now, Major you have been doing some homework.”

“Not a lot really, you appeared on a list from Viet Nam as a Staff Sergeant, nothing about your career or even MOS.”

Thinking on his feet, Rick replied, “I was a company headquarters clerk, paper pusher supreme.

The Major grimaced a little and said, “There is always a need for paper pushers.”

He continued, “We are always looking for recruits for our operation.” As he talked, he started to show Rick around. Rick was again taken aback by the number of shops and barracks on the property. The firing range said it all to him.

It was as good as any he had seen in the army and better than most. Of course, that was compared to what was current to when he was in. Who knew what fancy gadgets they had these days? It didn’t matter, this was a good place to train troops. As he was thinking that a squad went double-timing by .

“Wow you guys are serious; this isn’t a weekend warrior getaway. It is a real troop training facility.”

“I am glad you realize that Rick. I know you are in your eighties, but it is a very fit eighty. We could use a professional paper pusher. Your rank would be Staff Sergeant just like the old days.”

Rick attempted a joke, “What’s the pay?” The Major laughed and said, “Well we would only charge you a thousand a month. Officers have to pay two thousand for a Lieutenant, up to five thousand for a Major.

So far, I am the only one, but if we get more people I am going to promote myself to light bird and charge myself seven grand a month.”

Watkins continued, “It cost a lot to maintain this level of an organization.” As he was saying this, they went into a large pole barn structure. There were half a dozen technical vehicles parked there.

A technical vehicle is a truck (Toyota being the world’s favorite) that had been armored up, and weapons mounted. Each of these had a pintle in the back for mounting a belt-fed machine gun. They looked like they could take fifty calibers.

Rick whistled, “It just keeps getting better and better. You have the Federal licenses for this? ”

“Yes, we do. The weapons are kept in the armory. We can field a force of two hundred men on four hours’ notice. With this as a backup, there isn’t anything in this area that can stand up to us.”

“Now that brings up to the real question, what is the purpose of this force?”

“Rick, you know as well as I do the United States is going to fall apart. When it does we want to control our fate. We will be the power in the area, and people will do what we want.”

“It’s good to be King,” replied Rick.

“You do get it, as part of this you can keep that nice new house you just built and be one of the powers of this area.”

“Sounds attractive,” replied Rick, “can I have some time to think it over or is this join or die.”

The Major gave him a dirty look, “We don’t reach that stage until it hits the fan.”

“Okay I see what you have in mind, and I could play a good supporting role. Let me talk it over with my wife, and I will let you know within a week or so.”

Don’t take too long we only want the committed.”

“I won’t I just need to think it over. ”

Rick was really thinking, “not only no, but hell no, but it wouldn’t be really smart to tell him that right now. I will try to think up a good reason to say no later.”

“Major Watkins I thank you for the tour and the opportunity. I won’t take up any more of your time.”

The Major said in a hard voice, “Rick I am glad you stopped by. I think you will reach the right decision. Your future may depend on it when things go south.”

Rick couldn’t get out of there fast enough. This was going to be trouble in the future, big trouble. When he got home and described the visit to Marsha, she also was concerned. They decided not to panic, but to think about it for several days and then revisit the issue.

That Saturday they discussed his Tuesday visit to The Farm. They had both come to the conclusion that this needed to be brought to the attention of the authorities. The following Monday Rick called the FBI office in Chattanooga.

The agent he was connected to was very familiar with Major Watkin’s group. They had investigated and found they had no plans against the United States of America. They also had the proper Federal licenses for all weapons.

Rick got the impression the group had been infiltrated as part of the FBI process of checking them out .

The group which Rick learned for the first time was called Watkin’s Rangers would only come into play if the United States ceased to exist as such. This wouldn’t be against the law because there would be no law!

The FBI appreciated his call but there was nothing they could do under the circumstances. The FBI agent while entirely professional left Rick with the feeling that he was being talked down to.

After that phone call, Rick and Marsha tried to figure out a story for the Major as to why Rick couldn’t join them. The problem was taken out of their hands when Rick received a call from the Major.

The call was short and to the point. “I hear you have been talking to the FBI. I guess you have made your decision. Don’t come to us for help later. When we save the area after the breakdown you will be taxed appropriately.”

The FBI agent had implied infiltration, now Rick understood who had been infiltrated. He didn’t think it was a government plot, just a sympathizer in the local FBI office. From the attitude expressed, Rick would bet it was the agent he had talked to.

Marsha was very upset, but Rick was very calm about the whole call. When Marsha asked him why he didn’t appear bothered he replied.

“He just changed the game from personal politics to another form of politics which I am very good at.”

“What is that,” asked Marsha .

To paraphrase Von Clausewitz, “War is a continuation of politics. I am very good at war. There is nothing overt to be done now, but there are some things I can do to help later.”

“Such as,” Marsha inquired.

“The first thing I need to do is to get up to date on scouting technology. Night-vision devices, long distant cameras to name some, I need to scout their little farm out before I decide anything.”

“You may be getting in better shape all the time, but you are still an old man. Don’t think you are Rambo.”

“Yes dear,” replied one of the soldiers that John Rambo was based on.

Marsha was smart enough not to push that issue but did ask him how he was going to find out about the latest technology.

“Since the FBI seems to be on his side, I am going to do it very quietly. I have been thinking for some time that a false identity would be useful.”

How do you go about that, meet some guy in a dark alley?”

“I guess that would be one way. What I was thinking was to find an infant that died very shortly after birth about fifty-five years ago, one that had only lived a couple of days at the most; so that a social security number wouldn’t have been issued then obtain a copy of the birth certificate.”

“Once I had the birth certificate, I would fake letters from two Doctors and the parents saying the child had been institutionalized its whole life, so it never had a social security number issued. Now that the parents were of an advanced age they were doing estate planning, so needed a social security number issued.

With the ‘Doctors’ supporting letters, this should occur. Next is an address. It will have to be in a part of Chattanooga where cash talks loudest. A long term motel that is just a step above homeless will serve. With an address, social security number I can get a driver’s license.

Now I will be able to obtain a prepaid credit card and open a checking account. With these in place, I can rent an apartment at a better address. From there I can obtain utilities, especially Internet service.

I will also want a dead drop mailbox for things like Soldier of Fortune magazine, which will have articles and advertisements for the latest toys available.”

Marsha thought for a moment, “I only see one thing that you have forgotten.”

“What’s that?”

“I will need the same. ”

“We are looking younger and younger; it is getting past the ‘Live drug’ explanation. I don’t want to end up as a lab rat, do you?”

“I never thought of that, you are right. I will get right on it.”

It took Rick the rest of the year to make it happen, but at the end of the time, they had two fairly solid identities that would stand up to most investigations. Unless someone noticed that death certificates were issued.

This shouldn’t happen as none of the states or the federal government had yet started matching birth certificates with death certificates.

They rented an apartment in Chattanooga, which had a nice side benefit when they wanted to spend a night in town they had a place to stay and did not have to haul clothes back and forth. They had rented a townhouse, with two garages because they had bought a car in Rick’s new persona.

They would park their ‘country’ car in the garage and drive their ‘town’ car. They had ended up buying new wardrobes, which were younger and more upscale than what they wore in the country .

When they stayed in town for the weekend, they would attend a show either on-screen or live and go out to dinner. Marsha even talked Rick into taking weekend ballroom dancing classes. They were polite to their neighbors but didn’t try to make friends.

Rick started the process of learning what was new in the military scouting world. He found it amazing. If they had this equipment back in the day, it would have been a walkover in Viet Nam. They had been winning the war when the country lost its political will; the war would have been over before the will was lost.

He also started exercising again. No fancy machines, just pushups, setups, pull-ups, and running. He was feeling better than he had in forty years. Marsha joined him after several weeks. Soon she could keep up on everything but the running.

Marsha could do several miles. Rick could do many miles. They both became fitter and looked younger all the time. Their skin had started to regain its tone and wasn’t sagging with age.

While Rick was investigating and buying night-vision gear, Marsha was setting up a second financial plan. If they had to abandon their real identities, they would have reserves in place to continue.

They wouldn’t be poor and on the run. Just on the run! They were spending money like there was no tomorrow but the economy was in a bubble, and they were making it as fast as they could spend it.