Through Many Fires (Strengthen What Remains) (10 page)

He
turned forward again, but continued to talk. “There are still a few restaurants
operating in Olympia. They serve the military and political types mostly and
get food from area farms. We get the vegetable oil from them after they’re done
with it, filter it and use it to run our bus.”

Maria
gripped the bar in front of her as the driver weaved around abandoned vehicles.
“So the regular buses aren’t running?” She asked again.

“
Nope.
They’re barely keeping the lights on in this area.”

There
were places where cars and trucks were stalled, wrecked or abandoned but, the
driver explained, the police and military kept the freeway passable. Caden had
driven this freeway many times as a teen and while going to college and soon he
recognized the Olympia area. Minutes later the bus pulled off the freeway and
down empty streets. Soldiers or military vehicles were at many of the
crossroads. Some shops were open, but most were boarded up or burned out. They
turned off Capitol Way onto a side street and almost at once Capitol Lake was
to their right along with Heritage Park, but it wasn’t a park. It was a huge
refugee camp. The capitol stood on top of a large hill before them.

“
This
is as close as I can get you,” the driver said pointing to the building.

As
they stepped off the bus Maria gripped Caden’s arm. “That was one wild ride. I
feel like I should kneel and kiss the ground.”

Caden
heard her, but his gaze was locked on the sea of tents, cars and people that
filled what had once been a green, lakeside park.

As the
bus pulled away the smell of french-fries was quickly replaced by the smell of
human waste. In the distance police sirens wailed. Immediately to their left
stood a huge tent with FEMA printed on the side. Before them, almost blocking
their way, stood an uncountable number of tents, cars, RVs and campers. Smoke
rose from hundreds of campfires. Along the edges of the camp were Humvees and
soldiers.

Somehow
he had expected conditions to get better as he got closer to home, but things
weren’t better. Lifting his gaze to his immediate destination, the capitol, he
was filled with both dread and a feeling of destiny. Freedom, law and order
were all holding on by a thread. The nation would either regroup, fight back
against those that attacked it, or descend into tyranny or worse, chaos.

He
turned to the woman by his side.
And what about Maria? What about Becky?
There too, he was at a crossroads. He needed answers and he knew where to get
them. “Come on,” he said pointing to the capitol, “that is where we need to
go.”

M
aria gazed at the
capitol high on the hill. “How do we get up there?”

Military
vehicles clogged the road. Caden decided to avoid it. “Follow me,” he said and
headed into the camp. He looked toward the capitol every few minutes to keep
his bearing as they walked through the maze of tents and vehicles. “This is
less organized, dirtier and colder than Fort Rucker.”

Maria
nodded and held the baby tight.

Brightly
colored tents stood side-by-side along meandering paths of mud. The smell of
damp, sweat and waste filled the air. In any wide spot along the way people
huddled around a fire. Children clustered under blankets in the doorways of
tents. After several minutes, Caden gave up avoiding muddy puddles and trudged
right through them. Soon the lower half of his jeans were more brown than blue.

It
took longer than thirty minutes to cross what had once been a park. At the far
end they came to a ten foot high chain-link fence with rolled barbed wire on
top.

Caden
followed the fence to the bottom of the walkway. There was no gate.

“
They’re
shutting these people in,” Maria said with a hint of fear in her voice.

“
They
were building a fence around the camp at Rucker.”

“
There
were gates. People moved in and out all the time.”

“
Perhaps
they will here.”

“
This
camp is more crowded and these people seem hungrier, more desperate.” She shook
her head. “I don’t want to be inside when this fence is done.”

Caden
didn’t want to be in the cold, muddy camp either. “Come on.” Following the
barrier, they moved back in the direction they had just come. It didn’t take
long to find troops erecting a new section of fence. Unsure if anyone would
challenge them, Caden moved a few yards beyond the soldiers. They stepped
across the invisible line and turned up the roadway. No attempt was made to
stop them.

Maria
looked back. “Why would they stay inside?”

“
For
the promise of food and,” he said pointing to the soldiers, “perhaps security,
and because they have no other place to go.”

Maria
turned and headed up the road toward the capitol.

Caden
followed and within minutes they came to a Humvee and several soldiers at a
roadblock. A private called out, “The capitol campus is closed. Return to the
camp.”

“
Wait here,”
he said to Maria. Taking one step forward he said to the soldiers, “My name is
Caden Westmore. Governor Monroe is expecting me.”

The
private stepped forward, locked eyes with Caden and slowly scanned down to his
mud encrusted shoes and pants. “You’re kidding, right?”

Caden
showed his Homeland Security badge. “Call the duty officer and give him my
name.”

The
private told him to wait and walked back to the other soldiers. A couple of
minutes later the soldier returned along with a staff sergeant. “Normally the
Governor’s visitors drive up,” the senior man said.

“
It’s
been a long trip, staff sergeant. May I…we, go up now?”

“
No,
not yet.” The man paused and looked hard at Caden.

He met
his gaze.

“
You
been in the service?”

“
Army.
Seven years.”

He
nodded. “What was your rank?”

“
I
made captain before the last force reduction.”

“
Okay.”
A slight smile crossed the soldier’s face. “A lot of people have tried to get
past us over the last few days. Most are desperate, some are mad or scared, but
you’re not any of that—and you got my rank correct. Well sir, why don’t you and
your wife…”

“
Friend.”

“…
come
on up here and we’ll get this sorted out.”

It
took a while to contact the governor’s staff, but in less than an hour Caden,
Maria and Adam were stepping from a jeep at the foot of the capitol.

Maria
sighed, “I always seem to be looking up at this building. So many steps”

“
Forty-two,”
Caden said with a smile. “Washington was the forty-second state in the union.

“
I
wish it had been the first.”

“
Let
me take the baby.”

She
handed Adam to him. “Thanks.”

As
they reached the top of the steps, David Weston came out of the building
holding a clipboard full of papers. He greeted them then turned to Caden. He
said, “The Governor is in a meeting right now and would like you to join them.”
He looked Caden up and down and said, “Maybe after you clean up.”

Caden
handed the baby back to Maria and headed for a lavatory while David settled
Maria in a nearby guest house.

Caden
left his duffle bag just inside the door of the conference chamber. Governor
Monroe sat at a long table that dominated the center of the room. Men and women
in business attire and military uniforms sat all around it. Many more sat in
chairs along the walls. Caden found an empty seat and then turned his attention
to an army major briefing the group.

“
That
is correct the last fully successful attack was against San Diego over a week
ago. Since then we have captured the Detroit bombers and were in pursuit of the
Seattle bombers when they detonated their bomb. We believe the terrorist
network involved in these attacks has been broken. FBI and DHS are pursuing the
remaining perpetrators.”

The
governor nodded. “Can we get the people back home?”

“
Well
sir,” a civilian said, “we, FEMA, are using the media to spread the word that
it is safe to go home. A significant portion of Seattle and Tacoma residents
are now in two main areas. In the north, beyond the restricted zone, there are
several camps along the freeway. Going south, the camps again follow the
freeway from Olympia toward Portland and also west toward Aberdeen.

“
Using
food, fuel and security as an inducement we are attempting to move these
populations back to the clear areas of Seattle and Tacoma and surrounding
communities. For those that can’t go home, we are setting up two large refugee
camps, one north of the metro area and the other to the south.”

“
There
are hundreds of makeshift camps,” another person said. “If you come in from the
north you can see one just down the hill from here.”

FEMA
guy said, “We are fencing that area so no more people can get in…”

Maria
was worried about getting out, but people want to get in!

“…
and
as fuel becomes available we will relocate them to the southern camp or return
them home. However, we are hampered by logistics. Our most critical shortages
are in food and fuel, but almost all supplies are at critical levels.”

Again
the governor nodded. “Unless we get the economy moving the people can’t go home
to their jobs, but unless the people go home to their jobs the economy can’t
get moving.” He sighed. “How many Washington refineries are operating?”

“
Only
the Tacoma facility was damaged in the blast. The others are operating, but the
pipeline was cut by the bomb. We have enough fuel to support military, police
and fire operations and keep hospitals with power problems operating. No more.
We just do not have the fuel to move hundreds of thousands of people back to
their homes and even if we did they would starve after they arrived.”

Someone
asked, “Can we get aid from other countries?”

“
The
Durant administration tells us that some will be coming from Canada, Australia
and South America, but not enough. Trade with Europe has halted and that, along
with the collapse of several large banks, will likely send their economies into
a downward spiral. The Japanese stock market has been closed for a week. Their
economy is in depression.

The
only economy strong enough to send significant aid is China and, we have been
informed, they are demanding trade concessions and continued payment of our
treasury and other debts to them in something other than dollars.”

Briefings
continued from each advisor or agency representative, but Caden’s attention was
drawn to a large map at the far end of the room. It displayed the Seattle metro
area with a red oval enclosing the southern portion of the city, several
suburbs and the international airport. This area was labeled, ‘Blast Damage.’ A
slightly larger area outlined in blue line was labeled EMP.
At least the
bomb was detonated at ground level. If it had been launched by even a short
range rocket the electromagnetic pulse would have covered the entire metro area
or more.

A wavy
orange line labeled, ‘Fire Damage,’ outlined a much larger area. An even larger
black oval extended south into Tacoma and east toward the mountains was
labeled, ‘Fallout.”

Waterborne
disease, looting, burning, shortages of bandages and pharmaceuticals, brownouts
and blackouts and it will all probably get worse.
Caden slumped over in
his chair as the weight of the troubled nation pressed down on him.

Suddenly
people stood and moved toward the door. Roused from his thoughts Caden looked
for Monroe and found him in a cluster of people still talking and listening.
I
really want to explain to him about Maria, but how do I get a moment with him?
He
stood and continued to watch the governor. Their eyes met.

“
Caden,
stay there. I want to talk to you.”

He
smiled weakly and nodded.
Monroe knows I deceived him about Maria. I should
have just told him the truth. This job, my career, they’re over.

Monroe
walked over with a serious look on his face. “These meetings are depressing.”
Then he smiled and shook Caden’s hand. “I know you want to see your family, but
I need you to do some things for me while you’re down there.

“
We
don’t know much about how the people are doing in those communities. I want you
to assess the needs. Maybe we can help.

“However,
there is good farm land in that area. This spring we need it planted in crops
we can use to feed people there and in this area. I need you to be my liaison
to local community leaders and farmers. Can you do that?”

“
Yes
sir.”

“
One
more thing. As you know there is a National Guard armory in Hansen.”

Caden
nodded.

The
governor paused as if in thought. “I told you I wanted you on as an advisor,
but right now I have a more pressing problem. The commanding officer of the
Hansen armory is dead. I want you to assume command.”

“
I’m
not in the National Guard.”

“
You
are now—Major. I need you to secure the armory and hopefully find someone local
to command it. I would prefer to have you here in Olympia.”

Caden
took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yes sir, but before I go there is
something I need to tell you. I…I haven’t been truthful with you about Maria
and Adam.” As briefly as possible he explained when and how they met. When he
was done he said, “So you see they are actually not my family.”

“
Yes,
I knew.”

“
You
knew?”

He
point to Caden’s finger. “No wedding ring and no mark for one. I had David do a
background check on you.” He shrugged. “I figured you were helping someone in
your extended family or a friend. I’m glad to know the facts though. What you
tell me about Maria is impressive and you did the right thing by helping her
and Adam.”

“
I’m
sorry about the deception, sir.”

Monroe
smiled. “Trust me in the future. Find David and he’ll get you everything you’ll
need, and then go visit your family, find out the status of the situation in the
county and then get back to Olympia by this coming Monday. We have a huge
amount of work to do.”

What
day of the week is it? “
Yes sir.” Caden smiled. “I’ll see you on Monday.”
Whenever
that is.
As he left the conference room he pulled out his phone and dialed
home. Again, all he heard was a rapid busy signal.