Chapter 6

[Preservation – Janice]

We got up early and hit the road trying for as direct a route as possible. We saw no sense in going to Augusta and Savannah was out of the way. We crossed the Savannah River and kept going. It took us two days of steady riding to reach Eatonton and the Rock Eagle 4-H Camp which we had enjoyed before. We used the same building as before and called in to Preservation.

Jack said, "Where are you now?"

I replied, "We are in the Rock Eagle 4-H Camp just north of Eatonton and south of I-20. We've been here a couple of hours taking it easy. We can start out again in the morning. What do you want us to do?"

"We have had no contact directly with the folks who came in. They have been sending scouts out the Interstates and around the Perimeter. They have not tried to make contact with anyone. We have pulled up some military radios and are tapping into their communications now though those are infrequent. From what we have heard, it seems that they have few radios. We don't think they are on to our HF though we aren't so sure about the VHF repeaters. Their comms don't sound overly aggressive but, with no contacts, we just don't know.

"We want you to ride in on I-20 and try to make contact. It's risky but we don't think they will attack a couple where a squad of men might not have such a good reception. Leave the HF where you are and don't refer to it. Hook up with the VHF on 145.33. We have a repeater with no tone that you should be able to reach from there. We have it relayed to here. Get an HT out and try it."

"Okay. Bennie is doing that while we talked. What is the view of Preservation on all this?"

"We are interested in peace but aren't going to be a subject people to have it. If they have any interest in it, I think we can work something out. Suggest that our base is along I-75 south when you start talking if a location has to be given. We will have people there as well as Newnan and just south of I-20 west of Douglasville.

"Is Bennie ready to test?"

"Bennie here on VHF, Jack. Do you read?"

I couldn't hear a reply because he as on VHF only. I picked up the HT and unplugged the earpiece so I could hear. " ... coming in fine through the repeater with very little white noise." I heard Jack say.

'Very well. We will do as you say. Any other instructions for us?"

"No. Let's go back to HF."

"Okay."

I picked up the mike and said, "Okay, we're back. Is Momma there?"

"Yes, here she is. I love you, Janice."

"I love you, too, Poppa."

"Hello, Janice." Shirley said.

'Hi, Momma." I said. "I just wanted to hear your voice. It's been quiet lately. You and Poppa will have to come out here in the spring with the kids. It's a beautiful spot."

"We will. It will be just the six of us. We can play in the lake and see the eagle. It sounds very peaceful."

"Very much so. We'll look forward to it. Okay! Bennie and I are going to bed and get a good night's rest and start out in the morning."

"Talk to you later. Be careful tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you, too, Momma. Janice and Bennie out."

We woke up early the next morning, ate breakfast, and loaded up after hiding our HF rig and other items that we wouldn't take with us. I just hoped we'd be able to pick it all up later. We were a little anxious but were hopeful we could work something out to have everyone be happy. We left the Camp and went north to I-20 and began to follow it west heading for Atlanta. Bennie mentioned that he hoped we could get to Conyers or closer before meeting anyone.

We went along, side by side, at a casual clip with Bennie leading our pack horse. We traveled most of the day eating lunch in the saddle. We had just passed Conyers when we saw two big SUV type vehicles coming toward us. As they got closer, we could see that they were Humvee's and looked to me armored for military use rather than the old retail sale Hummers. They stopped ahead of us pulled across the roadway in a blocking position. Bennie announced their presence over the radio and added for our listeners to stand by. The men were getting out of the car but, while they had weapons, they were holding them at rest. That gave me some hope.

Bennie said, "Hello, who are you guys?"

One of the men said, "Who are you? This is our territory."

Bennie responded, "I am Bennie and she is my wife, Janice. We are from Preservation around to the south of here. We were visiting friends east of here and are on our way back. There was no one in this area a couple of weeks ago when we went through. What do you mean, 'your territory?'"

"We came here and we now claim this as Triple-A territory. We control Atlanta and any who come here. Is that a problem for you?"

"It may be though I would have to talk with our leadership before venturing any statement one way or the other. Like I said, we have been gone for a few weeks. I don't speak for the community."

"This is our territory. None may pass unless they become a Triple-A."

"Oh, I guess we will turn around, retrace our track east, and turn south well out of your way."

"No, you're in our territory. You are our prisoners and will go to our leadership. The question is, 'Are you going to fight and die or come with us peacefully?'"

"Oh, we're not fighters. We'll come with you." I looked at Bennie when he said that wondering what he had in mind.

Bennie insisted on keeping our horses and riding them. They were reluctant but finally let us do that. We followed them and Bennie whispered to me, "Okay, Janice. This may be the best chance to find out how and who governs them. It's risky but is the best shot we have right now. Jack, I assume you are listening and will continue to do that. Hold off on anything for right now."

"Roger. I don't like it though." I heard Poppa Jack say. I nodded.

We followed them along I-20 to the Perimeter and turned northward. We were passed off to another crew who simply didn't seem to care if we rode our horses since that's how they got us. We followed them all the way to Northlake Mall where they turned in. They were using the parking lot as their main point. Bennie reported that to Jack as if it were a conversation with me.

We pulled up to a grouping of vehicles with a generator thumping about one hundred feet away providing power. They were using a lot of fuel that made me wonder about their source because the big fuel depot in Doraville had burned years ago. There was a limit as to what you could drain from gas stations, convenience stores, and distributors. I wondered out loud about that issue casually, which gave Poppa Jack the information. It also suggested to me that they would be in bad shape if all the fuel went away. I said as much to Bennie and he nodded. Poppa Jack gave me a "Roger."

I was a little surprised that our radio items hadn't been noticed. Mine was hard to see since the earpiece and wire were hidden by my long hair. Bennie's was a bit more visible though we had colored the wires a long time ago to make them less noticeable. As long as possible, we would let them be there and active to give Jack as much information as possible. We dismounted and tied our horses to a light pole and went to the gathered vehicles. I guessed we were about to be questioned. We had left our guns with the horses but still had our knives though the idea of fighting our way out with knives didn't appeal to me. We were ushered into a large vehicle.

Inside were two men, one was a big, burly guy and the other was a smaller, more normally proportioned man with a little gray at the temples. The eyes of both men were lively and intelligent. For the first time, I worried. These two weren't the usual brutal types that we had faced before.