Chapter 37

"MOTHER, HOW COULD YOU LET THEM GO?" Scott yelled.

"Scott! I didn't! She just snatched up little Jake, the bug-out bags, and flew away."

"But she took my son! Mother, I..."

"Scott, I told you that it was because of Jake that she left. It wouldn't be safe for any of us if he had stayed here. Look, Scott, there is nothing that we can do! They've gone! We don't know where, or for how long. It's up to us to keep things going! We need to work on the battle plans, because the General will be after us ... sooner, rather than later. We have to get ready! NOW!"

"Mom? What am I supposed to think? She didn't say a word to me. She just took Jake and flew away. Did I do something wrong? Doesn't she love me anymore? I..."

Scott was working himself into a hysterical fit, he hadn't always been this emotional, and Donna was getting worried. She had seen this before, with Scott's twin brother. Right now she saw that something had to be done, so she did it! She slapped her son across the face as hard as she could! The force of the slap took Scott by surprise, and knocked him off balance.

He fell to the floor. HARD!

Donna's action had the desired effect, and Scott yelled at his mother angrily, "WHAT THE HELL, MOM? WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"That, my dear son, was to get your attention. I swear you are as thick as a Missouri mule, sometimes!"

"What?"

Donna squatted down onto her heels next to her son and said, "Look, honey, your wife is different! Apparently, so is your son. We have no idea what that brain Voodoo requires of your wife, though I have an inkling after what I saw, today. I think that it takes a tremendous amount of energy. Today, Jake seriously burned Mary's hands, and then he set the playpen on fire. And those are only the things that I saw. I haven't got a clue what else he did, or tried to do, but it took everything your wife had to control the little guy. What the hell do you think would happen if they stayed here, or for that matter if you went with them. You have no such powers! You would only make it harder for Rianna to do what she has to do. Don't you see?"

"Well..."

"Oh, I know how you feel, honey. I begged her to turn around and come back, myself, but she just kept going. Afterwards, when I thought about it, I realized why she had to leave. I also realised why she had to leave the way she did. Look at the fit you threw just now. She has enough to deal with, with Jake. She doesn't need distractions. Now, please, get back to work. Things are going to be harder without Rianna here to do her Voodoo thing. We have to do things the old-fashioned way, now."

Scott nodded, got to his feet and walked off without saying a word, still in a bad attitude.

"Sometimes Scott behaves just like a spoiled child," Donna thought as she watched her boy walk away.

Sadly, Donna turned and walked toward her office, and the bottle of Scotch that John kept in the bottom drawer. She needed to pour herself a stiff drink and do some serious thinking.

Some time later, Donna picked up her sat-phone and made a call.

"Jacob?"

"Hi, Donna, I was thinking of calling you."

"Really? Well, I guess I saved you the effort then. <Chuckle, chuckle> How are things, there?"

"Actually, quite boring."

"Jacob, don't lose your edge."

"Oh, <sigh> we're as ready as we will ever be. We can stay on the defensive, or go offensive, at the drop of a hat. Frankly, I'm tired of sitting around. The only thing that is giving me pause is the fact that Vezza's old crew attacked him, and got wiped out. There were only a few survivors."

Donna sat up, alarmed, and dropped her feet off of her desk, and onto the floor.

"Wiped them all out, but how? I mean the intelligence that I have is that the General only has a few small kill squads under his command. How could he wipe out a major assault force?"

"The way I hear it, the old man set up a large number of anti-personnel devices, and some stingers. They were all remotely controlled. He let the attackers get onto the ground, then just chewed them to bits while he stood off at a distance. It was a real slaughter!"

"What's the Brigadier going to do? Hit them again?"

"He can't! He doesn't have a viable force any more. What he does have is a shit load of pissed off, bitter, widows and orphans."

"How the hell are you getting all of this Intel and is it accurate?"

"It's good stuff, Donna. I have some one inside the Brigadier's camp. I just wish I had someone inside Vezza's. The question is, I guess, whether he will continue to focus on the remaining members of his old team and their families, or will he start to look for us again? I'm not even sure he bought the ruse that we were killed in that base explosion. I just don't know."

Donna leaned back in her chair, and put her feet back up on her desk, again.

"Well, we do know that he came after some of our families," she said.

"Yes, and that's what's confusing me. Is he just trying to wipe out what he considers our roots, or is he trying to draw us out of hiding? That, dear girl, is the real question. The man is totally nuts, and is therefore unpredictable. I just wish he would have a total meltdown, and blow his own brains out. It would save us all a lot of misery."

"That's for sure! So what are you going to do?"

"Same as you. Prepare for both eventualities, and try to keep the troops sharp at the same time."

"Well, keep me posted, and I'll do the same. I have to go, now, so I'll say goodbye and good luck."

"Right back at you big guy. See you later."

Donna switched off the phone and tossed it onto her desk with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. The fact that the General had very nearly wiped out the Brigadier's entire force was troubling, to say the least. Now that the Brigadier was no longer a viable threat to Vezza, the idea that he might start to actively search out the bloodlines of her or Jacob's groups was scary!

Suddenly she sat bolt upright and picked up the phone again! She hit redial.

"Talk to me," Jacob said into the phone.

"Jacob. Donna. Sorry to bother you again but I have a question. Does your source think that the General had prior warning of the attack?"

"Funny you should ask. The rumor is that there's a mole in the Brigadier's unit, but he hasn't acted on it, for some reason. Anyhow, I've no confirmation either way. Why?"

"Ok, here's my thinking here. If there is a mole then I would be willing to bet that Vezza is going to hit the Brigadier very soon, while they're still off balance from their losses."

There was silence on the line for so long that Donna thought that she had lost the connection.

"Jacob? Are you there?"

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm still here, Donna. I was just thinking of all of those women and children. That madman will kill them all! I just don't know what to do about it. I mean the Brigadier can't defend them anymore, but..."

"What?"

"Well, if there is a mole, it could very well be one of the civilians. If we try to help the civilians then..."

"Yeah, I get it."

"There is another thing..."

"What?"

"That madman always talked about getting a tactical nuke. Well, just before his kids bought it, there was a rumor that he had one in the works. What if he has one? What if he intends to use it to finish the job on the Brigadier and his people, my people, or your group?"

"Well, logically the Brigadier's group is the largest and would seem to make the best target, but..." said Donna thoughtfully.

"That's what I mean, Donna. There is absolutely no way to know what that insane bastard will do."

"There is also the fact that if he has one nuke, he may have more. If he found a downed aircraft that was fully armed then he has at least two tacticals. Remember that Israeli plane that went missing a few years back? What if someone found the thing and sold Vezza the ordnance?"

"Aw, hell, Donna! We could toss this around 'til the cows come home, and still get nowhere."

"That's where you're wrong, Jacob. I think that we should add the tacticals into our plans."

"How the hell can we? We're two small units! How can we plan against tactical nukes, Donna? That's the question isn't it?"

"Ok, then, my place or yours?"

"Mine, I think, if you don't mind. We have some things going on here that I need to be near."

"Your place it is, then. When?"

"Two days from now sound ok to you?"

"Um, yeah, fine."

See you then."

"Right. Bye for now."

Donna leaned back further in her chair and began to think in earnest, "Damn! Nukes! That just takes the cake! Shit!" she thought.

"What would John do?" she asked herself out loud as she sat up and began to rummage through the desk.

She had never removed John's things from the desk because his stuff made him feel closer somehow. She knew that somewhere in all of that detritus was a small notebook with 'What if?' scribbled on the cover. It was the closest thing to having the man sitting with her.

John had a habit of jotting down any and all scenarios that came to mind. Perhaps a counter to tactical nukes was one of those scenarios.

Rianna made it as far as the front porch of the cabin, and then just about collapsed into one of the chairs. She was totally exhausted.

"Sam, do you have any coffee ready? I need a pick-me-up before I settle in."

"You know that there is always a pot going, child. I will get you a cup, and then unload the plane. You stay here and watch your son and Pesq, play. That animal loves your little man. He will wear Jake out so that you can rest a bit."