Chapter 10 AFDRNDADAERNTKESHOENMDLSNPOFWRNULFRELOMOLEANTOTCIEIMLHCWQNO Myles was with Sarah and Tanya in the courtyard outside the downstairs entrance to his quarters. Their children were with them, they two young boys exploring the small garden, climbing on the benches, examining the plants and the occasional insect, as small boys will do. Sarah and Tanya kept a close watch on them, occasionally helping one up from a fall or applying a comforting touch to a scratch or scrape. The boys were quite hardy, and minor mishaps never induced tears or other signs of distress. Sarah sometimes played the part of mother almost as much as Tanya when they were all together, without ever introducing any role confusion. It seemed to Myles that Tanya was at times a sister, and at times like a child to Sarah. No matter, they loved each other as intensely as they loved him, and Sarah never seemed to regret not having children of her own. They were, he thought, two remarkable women. Tyler had visited them earlier as he was preparing to depart on another mission. He would be joining Alex and Gordon on a mission that worried Myles, given his relationship with Tyler and Tanya. He believed that Tyler would be as safe with them as he could be anywhere, but still it was dangerous. But Tyler would not be dissuaded, and Myles, despite his apprehension, would not overrule him. He could see that Tanya and Sarah were uneasy, without even knowing the particulars. And so was he. He watched the boys playing, he knew that for them to have a chance at growing up in a peaceful world without the dark cloud of man-made terror hanging over it. His phone buzzed and he looked at it. 'Dinner at eight?' the message read. A question from Sir Walter was not exactly a question, even if it looked like a dinner invitation. Myles tapped the reply button, pointed toward the building where Sir Walter resided as Sarah and Tanya looked over at him. It was not quite seven, so there was plenty of time to get the boys to the governess and get dressed for dinner. "I'm going to have a smoke" he said as they left. "I'll see you shortly." He smoked one of the long slim cigarettes he sometimes got from the Whiskey Sierra group. The freehold, located in three main and several minor enclaves in the wilderness along the Black River, had a couple of large tobacco farms and made some good cigarettes. He knew something must be up, as Sir Walter had gone to visit his family two days earlier and usually stayed longer that he had this time. Finishing the cigarette, he went up to his quarters to prepare for dinner. He didn't see Sarah and Tanya, but as he went to take a shower he heard laughter from one of the bathrooms - presumably they had already started. As he emerged, towelling himself with a large fluffy towel, he saw the the girls engaged in a similar activity, continuing to chatter and laugh as they dried each other, and then gave him the same treatment. Too bad we don't have more time, he thought, but later is fine. Still, he suspected that their merriment masked worry - not only about Tyler's mission but about the state of the world in general. He admitted to himself his own uncertainties, but there was nothing to be done. Perhaps, he thought, some of us will not survive this. He thought of something Sir Walter had once told him. "It has been said by some that it is better do die on your feet than to live on your knees. But what most people don't seem to consider, is that if you do choose to live on your knees, you will still die eventually. Probably after a rather miserable and pointless life." He suspected some of Tyler's motivation was the treatment he had received when he had been a prisoner of the state before, along with a determination not to allow his sister and his friends to suffer a similar fate. But he had always had strong principles about certain things, which was what got him into trouble to begin with. Something told Myles, though, that he was going to be all right. He wished Tanya could experience that same certainty. Dinner was the usual, a simple but enjoyable meal that rivaled the fare of many expensive restaurants. Later, Sir Walter and Myles poured wine for Sarah and Tanya and brandy for themselves, the conversation became more serious. Myles told them that Tyler would be joining Gordon and Alex, with a large force of men from several militias in the north part of Colorado, to attack an Army installation. It was not especially well defended, due to its use and the fact that the Army apparently did not believe such an attack would ever happen. The fact that a large convoy had been nearly annihilated by a band of partisans did not seem to have impressed them and, as Myles explained, the base had some secrets the Army did not want even its own personnel to know about. "We've had several deserters from there in the past year or so" he said. "And they wanted them back in a serious way. They were all over the country, several hundred miles out, trying to find them. They probably didn't know we had some of them, or they would have been even more nervous. "Tanya, what they did to Tyler when they had him is minor league stuff compared to what they are doing there. Without being too unpleasant, the fact that on recent raids on suspected dissident organizations, they have often targeted those with young women and children who are unlikely to be actively involved in the resistance, should give you an idea of what they are up to. And we have eyewitness to it - four men who deserted at different times over a year and a half or so, all giving us the same story. It seems this place has the worst the Army has to offer, and their victims are in a bad situation - the ones still living, anyway. "And that is one of the reasons Tyler wanted to be in on this." Tanya and Sarah sat silently for a few moments, their eyes damp with the tears they were holding back. Myles suddenly wished he lived in another universe, one with all the good things in this one and none of the bad ones. But don't we all want that, he thought. At least the sane ones among us. "Tyler is primarily involved in planning and organizing the raid. We have good intelligence from deserters and others inside who haven't yet left. At a crucial time, sentry posts will be deserted, gates left open, and other accommodations will be made. There are still a few men in there who don't want any part of what is being done there, and they certainly don't want to get killed when we come in. "It's as much a rescue as an assault - there are quite a few prisoners in there, and we want to save them. And as soon as it's over, we'll be updated so you'll know Tyler is safe." That seemed to help a little, Myles thought, but he knew they wouldn't be at ease until then. Sir Walter smiled slightly as Myles finished, and Myles knew something big was coming. "It's possible, Myles, that we may be busy with the other project soon" he said. "There's dry land, or at least damp land, on the west coast. Roland called me when I arrived at my home, so it was necessary to cut the visit short." He was referring, Myles and the girls knew, to the west coast of the sunken continent of Atlantis. It was that close, then. "A ship is hours away, or possibly already there. A flag will be planted, and other ships will follow. It appears other areas will soon emerge - but whether it is a slow process or we see a sudden movement, is anyone's guess. But as we see more and more exposure, it will be time for us to get out there. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tyler saw Alex and Gordon waiting outside the terminal as his pilot taxied the aircraft into a parking area. By the time he had disembarked their car had arrived, and in minutes he was on his way to a safe house in the hinterlands. He was happy to see them again, but this was a serious mission even by comparison with his experiences. He knew better than they the consequences of falling into the hands of the enemy. While Tyler was familiar with main objective of the mission, he had not had much time to study the target. Gordon and Alex went over it with him soon after the arrived at the safe house. The other members of the planning group would be arriving over the next day or so. "What we are looking at," Gordon told him, "is a black site located near, and under the control of, Fort Hays. The site is disguised as an industrial operation, with most of the buildings looking like this" as he showed images of the site. It looked like some sort of manufacturing, mining or other operation - large metal buildings in flat industrial colors, mostly shades of grey, brown, or white. Almost all the roads and parking areas were paved with what looked like crushed white rock, and most of the vehicles were dusty trucks and bland automobiles, mostly white. Some of them had decals on the doors, of the type used to identify corporate vehicles. "EMDAC Civil Engineering is what most of the vehicles have on them" said Gordon. "There is a company with that name, we haven't been able to learn anything about it beyond the usual statistical stuff. We have found that the site is relatively well-secured, in a stealthy way. The entire facility covers maybe a couple hundred acres, but they maintain a watch over a much larger area, probably two square miles or so - you can't get close to it without being seen. "We sent in one probe, got no closer than a half mile to the perimeter before being accosted by security personnel. Our men were riding off-road bikes, and dressed the part of a group of bikers exploring the back country. They were politely told that they were on government property and would have to leave, which they did. "We don't dare send in another, that would definitely put them on a high alert. Not that it matters much, we have good information from the deserters we've interviewed. When we make our move, we'll have some inside help - there are a lot of unhappy soldiers in that outfit, and when the time comes they'll prove valuable." "Are we going to have difficulty getting to the facility" asked Tyler "with close to a mile of ground to cross?" "Not so much" said Gordon. "The sentries in the forest are spread fairly thin, although it's likely they can call for reinforcements if they suspect an attack. Which would be a good thing - drawing them out and scattering them in the woods will prove useful. If we make several feints, withdrawing once we have a fair number of personnel chasing them, the actual attack force will have an easier time. That's the real trick." "What are our resources?" asked Tyler. "So far our Red and Blue associates have committed four hundred men, with some fairly decent home-grown armored vehicles. Kurt will probably be able to commit two hundred. That's a good situation all around - his people are all homeless, and it will give some of his men something to do, not to mention revenge. They're staying with us at various locations anyway, so they might as well be in on it. "We're looking at a way, and this will depend on how much time we have, to put a militia force of some size into the mix - but that's still in the planning stage." "How large is it likely to be?" asked Tyler. Gordon grinned. "As large as we dare" he replied. "Most of these largely unorganized militias are not only unorganized, but undisciplined as well. They're motivated mostly by their hatred of their perceived enemy, which is useful, but there are invariably members who have other motivations. Having a large force go out of control could be disastrous, so we're looking at no more than a couple of hundred. With over six hundred men, plus about a hundred of our own, a force of that size doesn't pose a threat even if they go completely off the deep end. And the guys we're working with aren't going to have that problem." "You said the Reds and Blues had some makeshift armor" said Tyler. "Is there anything beyond that?" "Not much from our allies" said Gordon. "But we will have some professional gear coming from our own inventory - a dozen Typhoons. We could probably take the place with just those - just go in wide open, blast everything until nothing is moving. Unfortunately, that doesn't quite work for this mission." That was certainly right, Tyler knew. The League had acquired a large number of the old but serviceable Russian fighting vehicles several years earlier and restored them to like new condition, and added a few new features. One of them, with its machine guns, three inch cannon and rocket launchers, could level buildings and remove any personnel in its path, and then unleash up to a dozen heavily armed troops. What a dozen of them could do would be impressive indeed. But it was not only a reprisal raid - there were a large number of civilian prisoners in there, and getting them out alive was as important as making enemy personnel dead. Tyler had once been a prisoner in their situation, and was interested in both the rescue and revenge parts, but wondered if the desire revenge was something that could go out of control. Alex had been studying his computer most of the time, and looked up. "It looks like we're set for tomorrow" he said. "Red and Blue team leaders will be in early, and of course Kurt is just a short distance away. We should be able to get a lot done." "That's about it for now" said Gordon. "The next phase is planning the actual operation. Putting the other pieces in place - the militia, our inside men - will have to be done once we have the board set. You guys want some steak and whiskey or something?" The safe house had the appearance of a hunting cabin, with a rather austere appearance. The pantry was well stocked, however, and before long they were grilling steaks on the back porch, and afterward sat for a while sipping whiskey and smoking cigars. The conversation was deliberately not business-related, as they enjoyed a brief break from the unpleasant world in which they were now operating, sharing talk about their families, their life before, and what they hoped it would be at some future date. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Myles awakened to the sound of rain, a gentle murmur he enjoyed awakening to on days when he didn't have to get up immediately. There were few of those days now, and this was not one of them. Sarah and Tanya were in their favorite positions. Sarah's head on his left shoulder, one hand on his arm, and Tanya was on his other side, her silky black hair spilled across his other shoulder and splashed over her ivory-colored pajamas. Both were sleeping in what seemed to be absolute silence, so peacefully he didn't want to wake them. But soon he would have to. He listened to the rain, splashing on the exposed part of the balcony outside the bedroom, seeing the sky lightening much later than usual due to the clouds. Sarah stirred slightly, and he looked down into her smoky blue-grey eyes. She smiled and moved her head just enough to kiss his cheek. He sensed that Tanya was awake as well - she had once slept soundly enough that he could often get up without waking her, but was a much lighter sleeper now. Likely something to do with having a couple of children, he thought. He bent his head slightly to kiss her on the forehead, then sat up. Following his lead, they got up as well, and they all headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Afterward, Myles spent a few minutes with them before going to meet with Sir Walter. The rain was ending, and he opened the doors to the balcony. They stood for a while just inside the doors, enjoying the cool fresh air, before Myles kissed them and left. He knew his absences were mitigated somewhat by the children, and was glad not to leave them with nothing to do. He would have liked to think their concern for Tyler was somewhat tempered as well, but he knew better. And having almost lost him once before, he knew Tanya would not be at ease until he returned. He didn't want to consider the consequences of losing him. Sir Walter had a video running on one of the large screens in his office, and Myles knew when he saw it that it was of Atlantis. Against the deep blue of the north Atlantic Ocean, the emerging land mass looked somewhat like a coral atoll, if a very large one. But it was now defined as a long ridge of hills stretching in a long shallow arc, with the area enclosed within now being revealed as a sandy beach. Several ships were present, apparently anchored some distance away, and there were some rather large boats on the beach. The overhead view changed to one at ground level, and he could see men moving around on the beach, with several vehicles present. Finally the camera focused closely on the flag of Atlantis, on a pole driven into the sand. "Yesterday, our men beached several boats on the newly exposed area" said Sir Walter. "So, depending on how traditional one wishes to be, it is ours. Of course, tradition means little these days to many people, so time will tell. "It's around two hundred miles along the west coast, which is largely a low mountain range. There is land on the other side of the mountains, though, and it appears to be rising. Thus far it has been gradual, and no major seismic events have been observed. "This area is separated from the main continent by, depending on how much of it ends up above water, probably forty to fifty miles. The depth of water over the mainland continues to decrease, and the rate of ascent is increasing. We may be looking at parts of the continent on all coasts being exposed soon." Myles didn't know what to think, or even how he felt at the moment. He knew Sir Walter must be quite excited, even though he would never show it. This had been a part of his life for many years, and until now - perhaps even now and for some time to come - doubt had always been factored into his thoughts and feelings. And Myles now suspected the mix of excitement and apprehension he was experiencing was something they shared. "We have the Fort Hays operation coming up" said Myles. "Probably in about two weeks - how does that fit into our planning?" "I'd like to be here until it's over" said Sir Walter, "but if I have to leave before then, you can handle it. I'll defer to Chris on when I and the other Knights should go out, or indeed if we should all go. Having all nine of us together at times like this may not be wise. In fact, you and I must get into a habit of traveling separately - there is too much at stake to risk sudden loss of key leaders." "For now, one of our major problems is getting a dozen very large armored vehicles out to the operation zone. I have a conference call set up in about an hour, with Alpha Romeo One and Tango Zulu. Each of them will be sending six units - splitting them up on two routes is a good start. We'll have to disguise them and put them on trucks. Victor Echo will be joining us - they're providing the trucks. The Typhoons were big, but removing the turrets and the large wheels would greatly reduce their size. Crated and labeled as industrial equipment they should have no problem being moved on large trucks. Diversions would be arranged to distract law enforcement agencies along the route, but if they were detained for inspection it would just be a bad day for the enforcers. Still, it was a big operation and one fraught with danger. The escorts could defend the shipments, but if they were exposed the operation would have to be called off. Getting the trucks would less difficult. As the larger freeholds operated a variety of businesses in the outside world, and in addition to revenue generation they were sometimes useful in these types of operations. Transporting the Typhoons would be relatively simple with the trucks being owned by League members. The preliminary details worked out, a status update call was scheduled. The encryption methods used were completely unbreakable, but required some preparation. Another call was in the works, this one to Tyler and his comrades. By now they should be in the early stages of planning their operation, and Sir Walter was aware of the morale value of regular contacts. But it was time for lunch, and so they repaired to the nearby dining room, enjoying a brandy while waiting for Sarah and Tanya to arrive. Myles had noticed some time ago that Sir Walter enjoyed their company as much as he did. He had a wife and two daughters whom he seldom saw, and regarded Myles as a son. When Sarah and Tanya came to Mike Charlie, he quickly extended that relationship to them as well. Thus they were, as often as was practical, present at most meals. Of course, Myles reflected, they were two of the most beautiful and charming women on earth, and he was fairly certain he didn't deserve them. He also suspected that, like him, Sir Walter found them a pleasant diversion from their daily work. They enjoyed a quiet lunch with no business talk, which seemed to put them all into a more relaxed disposition. After lunch, and promising to update after their call with Tyler, Sir Walter and Myles went back to work. With the logistics settled, the remainder of the operation would be the planning and execution. In the afternoon they were able to set up a conference with Tyler, Gordon and Alex. Wanting to minimize the chances of difficulty with getting the Typhoons in and out, Tyler needed a better view of the area to map the trails in the forest. Low-flying aircraft would be noticed, so something else was needed. Myles suggested seeing if one of the surveillance aircraft from November Alpha could be used. The aircraft monitoring the changes in the ocean operated at up to 30,000 feet and had high-resolution cameras that were equal to anything in use by governments or private operators. There were only two of them, but surveillance of the continent had never been a continuous activity, so Sir Walter believed it was feasible. The airspace over the target was not restricted - whether to avoid drawing attention or for other reasons - so a couple of high-altitude flights would not raise any alarms. Tyler believed that once they had the aerial photographs showing the forest trails, along with some help from the ex-military men who had been there, they would be ready to launch the attack within ten days, provided the Typhoons were in position. Myles felt apprehension beginning to grow, knowing that this was a big operation. In some ways it was as significant as the triple assassination that had started the war almost four years earlier. But drawing a small force led by incompetent bureaucrats into a trap was not quite the same as assaulting a military installation. They would have to seize and hold it long enough to remove the prisoners, and then escape with a dozen large armored vehicles and a fleet of smaller machines. Sir Walter, seemingly always attuned to Myles' moods, notices. "This is a big risk" he said. "But the effect will be quite profound. The loss of a secret installation, prisoners freed - and they will know deserters must have been involved in the planning. They're already spread thin, and really don't have the resources to chased down whoever did this. They will try, but will only waste scarce resources. The rewards for us are great. But I'm not happy about risking some of our best men. But this is a war." "A reprisal operation was necessary" said Myles. "And once we set out, we couldn't have kept them away if we tried." "We're extremely fortunate to have them" said Sir Walter. After a long pause, unusual for him, he continued. "You should probably get back to Sarah and Tanya. This is going to be a long wait for them."