Humanity: After It Happened Book 2 (12 page)

HOT SHOWERS

With the help from Ewan over the next week, the pitched roof was now mostly covered on both sides by solar panels. Eight metal tanks lined the apex, all firmly connected to the scaffolding frame which was being secured wherever they could. Pipes ran down to the two bathrooms and the kitchen where Adam had fitted new taps. Heavy wires wrapped in rolls of tape snaked back up, powering the battery bank which in turn fed electricity to the house.

Mike said it wasn't an endless supply, and suggested a further scaffold tower or two be erected on the flat ground near the house. More materials were required for this, as well as a smaller but similar setup for the farm and gardens, and teams were deployed to recover what he needed.

The big win was what Adam and Carl had done; the rainwater reservoir tanks fitted to the guttering system now filled the upper most floor of the house, and the newly fitted electric showers - three in each bathroom - were ready for use.

Marie was the most excited, claiming she hadn't washed her hair properly for nearly a year, and organised an official opening ceremony. A ribbon was found and cut in lighthearted mockery of their old lives, and the queues went along the corridor. Neil had to use the generators to boost the power supply, as the solar panels hadn't yet had a chance to fully charge the batteries.

Dan was amazed at how the small things in life, like a hot shower, made everyone happy. Happy was good. Happy was productive.

The new hands had made the farming and gardening tasks much easier. They had four polytunnels of potatoes growing, and a handful of other vegetables which could be grown early. Ewan had been a godsend in that respect, as he brought sacks of mouldy potatoes sprouting lank shoots and they had gone in the ground to make a new crop. His return trips had also yielded pigs, a cockerel and some chickens and more cows as well as some pieces of farm machinery which made work quicker.

The general feeling was good, and people went about their daily routines with a smile.

Dan brooded, saving his own thoughts of the impending conflict for only a few who knew what he was planning.

His Rangers went out, scouting the things he needed.  He tried different scenarios out in his head, calculating problems and losses. That was the issue; he couldn't serve up a plan to the council which allowed for any losses.

He theorised with Steve over Leah's cardboard model, they pored over the maps and suggested different plans of attack which the others were invited to criticise.

Leah surprised him by saying, "Why don't you just go and ask them to let the people go?"

The stunned silence was broken by Steve laughing. Leah looked annoyed and snapped at him "That's just the start, but if you're going to laugh then I won't tell you!"

Dan looked at her more closely. She had an idea, and she had the balls to offer it in this company.

"Run me through it, kid" he said.

WAR GAMES

"Drive straight up to the gate and ask to talk to their boss" she explained. "You'll have top cover here and here" she said impatiently, pointing at two marks on her model.

"All of the people we want to rescue will be inside metal containers so they won't get shot by accident" she said, as though she spoke to a child in a weird role reversal.

"If they say no, then you shoot the guards on the top - never more than eight to ten - and deal with the rest coming from where their building is." She was annoyed because it was the fifth time she had talked him through it step by step.

He thought about it. "How do we know they'll all be there?" He asked.

She flipped the laptop round, showing her now typed notes of the debrief. "No night activity, all guards sleep in adjacent building bar the ones watching the pen.  We get there for sunrise and they'll be there." She finished with a triumphant look.

Dan looked to the other Rangers sat around the table.

"Leah" he said carefully "do you realise your plan involves killing twenty odd people?"

"Yes. But they aren't nice people and they aren't coming to live here so I can be kept prisoner too"

He couldn't argue with her logic, but he worried that he may have created a monster.

"How am I supposed to 'deal' with more than ten people rushing out shooting at me, even assuming that the ones on guard duty have been shot?" He asked, fearing the answer.

"Machine gun. In the back of a truck like in the films." She said with finality.

He hated to admit it, but she had come up with a simple plan which had every possibility of working. Their plans all fell down when they tried to extract scared people without confronting their captors.

"There's a lot more to it, but fundamentally I think she's right" said Steve carefully. Leah practically burst with smug pride.

"Ok, everyone think on it but keep it to yourselves" he said, as they left. He called Steve back and asked him if he thought Leah was too quick to suggest killing.

"I haven't pushed her too far have I?" He asked. Steve had spent a lot of time with her as her training progressed and knew her well.

"No. She's looking at this as a problem to be solved using what we have. She was never constrained by rules of engagement before, and never will be now. She's not a psychopath, she being pragmatic like you. Albeit a little cold..." He finished.

Dan laughed. "Mount the GPMG in the back of a truck like in the films! What's she been watching?"

Steve laughed with him and poured two glasses from the bottle he retrieved from a drawer.

"It has its merits, and is entirely doable. Personally, I'd like more evidence that they are actually mistreating people. I'd like eyes on myself, ideally"

"Me too, but the risk is too high" said Dan as he sipped "I'll work it out, see if Neil can weld a tripod into a Defender! In the meantime, train her hard tomorrow, she's getting cocky"

His head swam with possible tweaks to her plan, but essentially she was right; get everyone in place, demand they release the people and kill them if they don't. They still had to then calm and rescue the people inside and take responsibility for them - after all, they had been dependent on the bastards for food and shelter and probably won't know how to look after themselves. He was planning to kill twenty, and bring back over thirty.

What if they didn't want to be here? What if they wanted to stay where they are? What if some of them know the guards or are related to them?

After breakfast Dan walked outside with Ash; it was just about warm enough for shirtsleeves but his body armour gave him another layer. He smoked as he walked up to the farm to find Neil in his workshop.

"Wotcha, old bean" he said cheerfully from under the bonnet of a Defender he was servicing.

Ash ran to him and sniffed his pockets until he gave up his work giggling, and tossed him a treat. Neil always had some on him as the group now had four dogs. All of them liked him, which was no surprise at all based on the contents of his pockets.

"Hypothetical question mate?" Dan said, getting a well-deserved sceptical look.

"Is it possible to mount the GPMG on a land rover?" He asked, nonchalantly.

"Of course it's possible, but this ain't Desert Bloody Storm! What the hell are you planning, mate?"

Dan's mind flashed to pictures of the 'pinkies' with GPMG's on each side and a fifty calibre in the back.  He didn't keep secrets from Neil and trusted him not to gossip.

"I want to rescue those people to the south and we don't have the numbers to take them on conventionally. We need to surprise them with overwhelming force" he said. He ran through the basics of Leah's plan, and told him what he imagined for the heavy gun.

Neil mulled it over.

"It’s a bit cold blooded isn't it?" He asked. Dan told him it was a teenage girl who suggested it.

"You've cloned yourself!" He laughed, then faded off to his thoughts.

"If you're serious, I can do it. I need a long wheel based pickup with a removable tin back, like the farm ones."

"Done" said Dan, and left him to his tinkering.

"Bring that flash Disco of yours in for an oil change too" Neil shouted after him.

Dan walked through the farm, keeping Ash close. He saw Chris and Ewan deep in conversation by a large lean-to, basically a three sided barn where the spare vehicles had been stored. Pig saw them first and bounced over to play with Ash and lick at his face until he swatted a huge paw at her and played. She was small for a collie, not much bigger than Pete's cockers, but considering her early life she was lucky to be alive. She always stayed close to Chris with an unquestioning loyalty.

He spoke with them for a while, hearing their plans for the farm over the coming years.

Chris seemed awkward after Ewan left them, but asked him "What's this I'm hearing about a rescue mission?"

He wasn't entirely shocked that people had talked, but was certain it hadn't come from his Rangers so people wouldn't know how they planned to do it.

"I'm going to suggest it, yes. Our cattle are kept better than they are from what we've heard"

Chris was pleased, and offered any help he could provide.

"I might need everyone who knows how to use a shotgun to stand guard if we all go. I think I'll need all the Rangers on this one" he said.

"No problem" he replied, meaning it.

Dan was happy with the support, and reckoned any future coup attempts would fail based on his popularity. He lit another smoke and wandered towards the sound of single rounds being fired from a rifle. He found Steve drilling Leah on their makeshift range which was framed by high banks on each side and dead ground in front.

Steve had done well, making scarecrow type targets in between the trees. As he approached they spotted him and stopped. They seemed to be having an intense conversation, and as he got to them Steve asked if Leah could demonstrate her current exercise. She beamed at him under the weight of her vest, with the G36 hung across her chest.

Dan looked at her for a while before saying, "Continue" 

He called Ash to him and walked back a short way.

Steve stood ready with his stopwatch, as Leah drove in a lazy circle to come back to the range. As she neared, he yelled "CONTACT" and started the clock. She slammed the brakes on the vehicle and slid from the driver’s door to drop to the ground. She appeared under the open door and fired two rounds from the G36 into the closest dummy.

One in the chest, one on the head.

She rolled to the side and rose to her knee where she fired two more into the next dummy. Again, her accuracy was good. She ran forward ten metres and dropped to one knee again. Steve yelled "STOPPAGE", so she dropped the carbine to hang at her chest whilst she drew the Glock as she simulated a weapon jam. She rose as she fired two more rounds, slower this time but still as lethally accurate, then advanced at a crouch.

"RELOAD, CLEAR PRIMARY WEAPON" Steve shouted.

Leah dropped to her knee again, holstering the Glock.

She dropped the magazine from the carbine and racked the slide three times before seating a fresh magazine and pushing it home.  She chambered a round and called out "RELOADED", then stood and stalked to the end of the range using available cover to good effect. On approaching the final dummy Steve shouted "AUTOMATIC FIRE", prompting Leah to duck into cover and make herself small.  Steve then called, "ENEMY RELOADING" and Leah popped out to fire five rounds into the last target.

"STOP STOP STOP" Steve called. Leah safetied her weapons and ran back for debriefing. She was barely breathing hard.

"Twenty-nine seconds, four enemies down, no injury" Steve declared. Both looked at Dan.

"I am impressed!" He said with a genuine smile as he walked towards them. "Why five rounds in the last target?" He asked.

"No clear like of sight for headshot. Four shots to the centre mass until I got line of sight" she barked like a marine corps recruit. Dan really was impressed; their little girl was becoming quite the capable killer.

"What's your time?" She asked, in an innocent voice which oozed with challenge.

He thought about it for a while, then decided to humour her.

"Let's find out" he said, taking the G36 and a spare magazine. He thought through the exercise and decided on a different approach.

"I'm not that familiar with this weapon, so that's my excuse if you beat me!" He said jokingly.

He climbed into the Defender, put the seat back about two feet and drove a loop as Leah had.

Steve called the start of the contact, and Dan accelerated hard to the range. He skidded to a stop and took out the first two dummies with a single headshot as he rounded the Defender's door.

He ran forward, and when the weapon jam was called he fired a double tap from his Sig into the dummy before taking the position it was in.

He cleared and reloaded quickly, then stood and stalked along the left side to the next piece of cover. On being told he was under automatic fire, he took cover and dropped to the floor. The instant the "RELOADING" call came he rose and fired into the head of his last remaining target.

He strolled back to Leah and handed over the weapon. She looked at Steve, hoping.

"Nineteen seconds" he said, keeping his face neutral and hiding the smile that threatened to emerge.

Leah looked dismayed. He hadn't done that to humiliate her, she knew that, but she felt like she was being taught a lesson.

"Cheer up, kid. At thirteen I would've shot my toes off!" Dan said kindly.

He bent down to her "Seriously Leah, you're good. Really good. Keep it up and you can have my job soon"

She smiled her biggest grin before Steve told her to sprint to the farm and back before cleaning the weapons. She ran away, feigning annoyance but actually very happy.

"There's a big difference when they shoot back, mate" Dan said tiredly to Steve.

'We both know that" he said "I just wish she didn't have to find out one day"