The Independents (23 page)

He got up and dressed, deciding he would only take the rifle. He quietly brushed his teeth with one of the small hotel tubes someone had left in the room. He was surprised at the sensation in his mouth.
After lacing up his boots, he gently opened the door and exited into the cool night air.

Some habits just don’t go away, and he subconsciously checked the perimeter of the hotel.
Meraton
was asleep at this early hour
,
and it would be some time before the sun rose over the hills to the east. Everything was quiet and peaceful except for his troubled mind. He was walking through the gardens when the sound of footfalls made him pause. Bishop moved into the shadows and waited to see who was coming his way.

“Good morning
, Doc.
I was just thinking about you.”

The physician was
surprised,
but quickly composed himself. “Bish
op, what are you doing up at this
god
awful hour? Is everything all right?”

Bishop sheepishly responded,
“Sorry to startle you
, sir.
I woke up early and was just taking a stroll. My apologies
.
”

The doctor waved him off.
“No problem
, Bishop.
I w
as just on my way to check on a couple of
patients.
Betty
is up
,
too. I smelled coffee brewing when I went through the office.”

Bishop smiled an
d thought that was one
hell of a
good idea. He nodded at the d
octor and headed for the
main building
. As he opened the door, he called out so as not to frighten any
more of the good citizens of
Meraton
. He also knew
Betty
had an old
double-barreled
shotgun and kept it handy.

Betty
came out of a back room
, smiling.
“Why you
’re
up early
,
Bishop. Come on in, coffee?”

“Yes ma
’am
–
b
lack
,
please.”

Betty no
dded and turned for the kitchen.
“Coming right up.”

Bishop walked around
to
the hotel’s lobby. The building was over 100 years old and had aged well. The wooden floors were covered here and there with
southwestern
throw rugs and
oriental
carpets, but they still had
that smell
from years of being oiled and waxed.
The walls were finished in a thick, rough paneling
,
darkly stained
,
and adorned with numerous examples of local hunting trophies
. Bishop couldn’t
identify the wood
, but he easily recognized
all of the
local wildlife
.
He returned the blank stare of a very large mountain lion fixed onto an oak pedestal. N
ow a permanent hotel lobby fixture, it had once
roamed the Glass Mountains, only a short distance away.

The floor creaked as Bishop milled about. H
e couldn’t help but think about the
age
when this building had been constructed. The quality of the glass in the large windows distorted the light
;
and while the windows
allowed a view outside, it wasn’t nearly as
clear and sharp as
that of modern glass
. He could
tell one of the big frames of glass had been repaired
,
as
it was more transparent
than the neighboring panes
.

As he gazed
out onto the sleepy town’s main drag, he couldn’t help but recall the last time Terri
and he
had been here.
Bishop had expected the worst as they began their journey from Houston.
While he had known the trip would be difficult, nothing could have prepared them for the
nightmare of gun battles, scavenging and
desperate
human
behavior they had encountered along the way. They had barely survived being chased, shot, and ambushed during the
600-
mile journey.

It was only after they
arrived
here
at
Meraton
that things began to look up. The small, isolated b
e
rg was still “civilized” and had even established trade and commerce.
Even t
his small island of “normal” behavior was soon disrupted by a gang of ban
k robbers who tried to control
the town.
It seemed to Bishop that no pa
rt of the country, regardless
how remote, was
immune to the wave of human desperation that
swept the land
.
Good had triumphed over evil in
Meraton
, but it had been a close call.

Despite Terri
’s
pregnancy
, they had not returned to the town
since
.
She seemed to be doing fine, but both of them knew it would be wise to
come here
during the last few weeks of her gestation.
Now Bishop was wondering if that would provide an
y security for the
future of
h
is
expanding family. Doc Hopkins
had accidently blurted out
a story about losing a laboring
mother and
her unborn
chil
d. That was cause for concern to any prospective
father
, let alone one on the brink of raising
a family while the entire world seemed to be going
insane
.

Bishop desperately wanted
Meraton
to work for so many
reasons.
The tiny town
served many purposes for him personally
,
a
nd would no doubt become even
more important as
Bishop’s family grew.
Betty
brought him
a steaming cup of coffee
,
and Bishop blew on the rim of the cup to cool it off. She watched him for a moment and said, “Bishop, you seemed troubled. Is it your friend? I know these are difficult times, but I
want you to know I believe the d
octor is doing everything in his power. He
’s
a frustrated man most of the time these days.”

Bishop
anxiously
shifted his weight
from one foot to another.
“He told me
about losing
a new mother and baby not long ago. While I know I shouldn’t, I can’t help but think of Terri.”

Betty
shook her head, “Oh my, Bishop. He shouldn’t have done that. He
’s
an excellent doctor, but I think his people management skills leave a little to be desired at times. I’m sorry he
’s
worried you.”

Bishop was about to respond w
hen the back door to the office
opene
d, and the d
octor came rushing in. “Bishop,
the Colonel
is awake and wants desperately to talk to you. He said it’s urgent. I couldn’t settle him down
until I agreed to bring you to him
.”

Bishop
left
immediately and quickly
dashed
th
rough
the gardens. He knocked lightly on the unlocked hotel room door and then pushed it open.

The Colonel
was lying with several pillows propping him on his side, facing the door. He nodded slightly as Bishop entered the room
;
and with his eyes, motioned for Bishop to take a nearby chair.

“So, you got her back. Thank you
,
Bishop;
I will rest easier knowing she is safe from those crooks or whatever they were. I
’ve
been thinking about something…something very important
,
and hav
e made a decision. I asked the d
octor to have you join me
,
so I can
fill you in.”

“No problem
,
sir. How are you feeling?”

The older man’s voice softened.
“Not good
,
Bishop, I’ve been better. I think this sawbones is a good enough physician, but he
’s
bullshitting me
,
and I wish he
’d
stop.”

The Colonel
coughed again
,
and the motion caused him pain. After a
short pause,
he continued, “Bishop, about four weeks ago, I was called into the commander’s office in Houston. He had a printout of a letter
from the
President
of the United States, addressed to me. It seems that someone has finally gotten their head out of their ass and want
ed
to try and put the country back together again. That printout was a half-assed cross between an order and a request from an old friend. I read the damn
thing three times. I think the g
eneral sitting across from me thought I was slow or something. Anyway, I accepted the mission. I figured I had one
last
dose of ass kicking left in me and it seemed like an important
part
in trying to rebuild the United States. I love this country
son;
I truly do. I
’ve
spent so much of my life in other places and probably realize more than most what we really have…had here. ‘Fuck it
,
’ I said,
‘
I’m
in.’ I told the g
eneral to confirm
that
I would indeed accept the assignment.
”

Bishop was surprised by this revelation and wanted to immediately ask a hundred questions. He decided there would be time for that later and kept his mouth shut waiting for the man to continue.

“That
Betty
woman told me what you did here
,
Bishop. How you took a risk for the town and its people. Your wife told me how important it was that this little speck of civilization survived. I always had you figured for
a
smart operator, probably a little deep
er thinker than most. When the d
octor told me my
g
randdaughter was back safe thanks to you, it made up my mind. Do you remember what I said to you when you pulled that Marine out of the burning Humvee back in Iraq
,
son?”

“Yes sir, I do.”

“Well, most guys in our profession don’t worry
too
much about anybody but themselves
and the other men on their team
.
You really can’t blame them
-
it’s probably how they have survived.
You were different then, and after what I
’ve
heard lately, you
still are
. That’s why I
’ve
decided I can trust you with this…that’s why I need to tell you what is going on.
Normally, I would take this
to my grave rather than violate a trust. Now, I think I’d be committing a worse
sin
by not filling you in. Can you bring over my briefcase?”

Bishop looked around the room and found
the Colonel
’s briefcase. It was a stainless steel model with
heavy-duty
combination locks.
The Colonel
waved him off when Bishop started to hand it over.

“Son, let me tell you the combination, and be very, very careful you get it right. There
are
two ounces of white
phosphorous
inside. If you don’t enter the combination perfectly, a glass vile will break and everything inside
will
instantly
burn
.
”

After Bishop entered the combination, he gently opened the case and was relieved that the three folders inside were intact. He could see two glass tubes of white powder were indeed attached to the locks.

The Colonel didn’t waste any time.
“Bishop, I need you to read the content of those three folders. I
request
you do so in private
,
and I have to ask you not to share the contents with anyone
, not even your love
l
y wife
. I don’t want to be dramatic or anything, but the future of our country could be
at stake.
I
’m
now convinced that
there a
re
powerful
people who want to control this land for their own purposes. I have to rest again. Come back after you have digested it all
,
and I’ll answer your questions then.”