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  “Yes sir. I mentioned that while watching the attack, it appeared that the actual device used as a weapon was some type of plasma emitter, for lack of a better term. Whatever they are, they seem to have found a way to convert our atmosphere into a plasma charge, much like a lightning bolt only more controlled. The disks we see are doing the damage but I think they are getting instructions from something in the bright areas above.”

  “What are you basing that on?” Bobby Houser asked.

  “Well sir, there is a certain logic to it. That would be the best tactical means of assuring total destructions.”

  “Forgive me but I still don’t see what hard facts you are using to base that assumption on,” he said condescendingly.

  “I’m basing that on twenty-three years in the military.”

  “I see,” he said.

  “Sir, not to put too fine a point on it but have you ever been in the military? Have you ever been in a battle? Have you ever actually killed or seen men killed? Had blood on your hands? Watched the guts fall out of one of your friends? I have. Far too many times. I didn’t ask to be here. I was invited by the President to give my opinions. What you decide to do with them is up to you,” the Gunny Sergeant said, looking directly into the eyes of the Attorney General.

  “He is right,” Tony spoke up, “I was in the military as well. The things lower down need to get intelligence from someplace. It would make sense that it was from higher up where they could oversee the entire operation. It’s what we do with our satellites and spy planes. I think Gunny is right on the button.”

  “Okay,” the President said, “So what do we do about it?”

  “We need to bring down the communication centers. If we can do that, the disks will no longer be able to function,” Tony told him.

  “I agree,” Gunny replied.

  “I understand that part. What I am asking is, how do we go about that?” the President said.

  One of the best traits of President Coaler was his propensity for letting others have their say. He encouraged a free exchange of information. He liked to sit back and just take it all in. Once he had formulated a plan of attack, he would quickly act on it. He had certainly grown to respect Master Sergeant Baker. He stood up for what he thought was right and wasn’t intimidated by the Attorney General one bit.

  “We need to put together a list of places where our scientists might have survived. We have military and private sites deep underground and buried in mountains; there is NORAD for instance and many others. If we could get in touch with them and get them working on solving the problem, we might have a chance,” Tony suggested.

  “Good plan. We still have the problem of contacting them,” Coaler replied.

  “That may boil down to sending our Marines out to physically contact them,” Gunny said.

  “How would we go about it Gunny?” the President asked.

  “Send them out in pairs. Give them their assignments and hope at least one group can get through.”

  “We could lose them all by sending them out,” he replied.

  “Yes sir we could, but what good does it do keeping them here? Inside this bunker we are going to accomplish nothing. We already know what the situation is above ground. It’s time to be proactive in my opinion.”

  “Gunny is right. I don’t like it especially but unless we make contact with someone with knowledge of how to attack these things we are not going to survive over the long haul,” Tony interjected.

  “Alright. I want to think about this a while. I’ll give you my decision by noon. In the meantime, Ron, I want you to round up everyone and start gathering information regarding the locations of our underground military and scientific facilities. Leave none out. I don’t care how secret they are supposed to be. I want them all. With a little luck, we may find one still operating,” the President said, standing to indicate the meeting was over.

  “Tony, Gunny. I would like you to stay for a few more minutes if you don’t mind.”

  The two sat back down.

  “Gentlemen, I know the Attorney General can be a little harsh at times but he means well. Please, don’t take it personally. He is a lawyer; what more can I say?”

  “Yes sir,” they both answered.

  “Okay, now that’s out of the way. What I want to know is am I sending these fine men on a death mission? Enough people have been killed. I don’t want to sacrifice them if there is absolutely no chance of success."

  “Sir, in our line of business, there are no guarantees. We go out and do the best we can. Every time, no matter what the circumstances are, we take risks. It’s something all military people accept. It's not just Marines. If the Navy or Army was here they would be equally willing to go out there and do the best job they could. It’s how we are made up. Just about every military person knows that freedom is just a word to some but to them it is a sense of honor and we are willing to give our lives for it. A lot of people don’t understand that but we accept that as well. It doesn’t change one thing,” Gunny told him.

  “He is right Mr. President,” Tony said, “People often make fun of military people. Some think we are simple minded but the truth is, we are the backbone of the country. I am proud to be a veteran and have never regretted serving in the military.”

  “Thank you gentlemen. I need to be reminded of that from time to time. You know, I think America would be a better place if every President had to serve in the military before they were allowed to become Commander-in-Chief. It’s a title, but we seldom understand what it means to the soldiers on the frontlines,” Coaler replied.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “You’re sure you want to do this?” James asked for the third time.

  “James, I said I was sure the last three times you asked. Nothing has changed. Staying won’t accomplish a thing. We need to find out if others are alive.”

  “Yes but the real question is, then what?”

  “I don’t know but we will run out of food and water and then what will we do?”

  “May I make a suggestion?” James asked.

  “Of course. We are in this together,” Alice said.

  “Let’s pack three days’ worth of supplies. If we haven’t found anyone by that time, we come back, re-supply and head off in a different direction. By staying close, we can always get back if we need to,” James suggested.

  “That sounds good to me. I’ll pack the bags; you get what you think we might need in the way of guns and ammunition. Do you still have your .45?” she asked.

  “I have it but it wasn’t loaded.”

  She just looked at him for a moment.

  “That certainly wouldn’t have done you much good. What were you going to do, throw it at them?”

  “I was hoping not to have to even get it out,” James replied.

  “In the locker there are a several handguns. Rifles and shotguns are in the cabinet. Get what you think we will need,” she told him.

  “Do you want to say goodbye to Jeb before we go?”

  “I’ve said my goodbyes. This is a new chapter and I can’t go back to what was. I can only look ahead now.”

  “You are one tough lady,” he said.

  **

  James was standing at the top of the stairs.

  “Alice, once we get outside I want you to keep at least ten feet away from me and try to really stay alert.”

  “Why so far?"

  “Like I said, I think they can detect movement. We will move slowly and if I stop you immediately stop and stand totally still.”

  “And if they see us?”

  “Then I guess we are just cooked. Running won’t do any good.”

  “How encouraging,” she said.

  “I know but it’s the best advice I can give you. I thought I was gone the first time but they just went right over me. It’s better than running, I know that for sure,” he told her.

  “Got it,” she replied.

  James opened the door and looked around before stepping out of the
bunker. Alice followed a few seconds later.

  “Wait until I get to the corner of where your house used to be before you start following me,” he told her.

  She nodded and he slowly walked over to the foundation that was once the home of Jeb and Alice Foster. They had decided to try west first. The machines had initially appeared in the west and moved to the east. James was counting on them continuing on in an easterly direction.

  They walked in silence for two hours before James called a halt. They sat down near a collapsed building and ate a power bar.

  “Are you doing alright?” he asked Alice.

  “Sure. I don’t see how anyone could have lived through this,” she said looking around.

  “We did,” James reminded her.

  “I was in the bunker. You? I don’t really understand how you survived. I know you stood still but others must have done the same thing,” she reasoned.

  “You may be right. That’s why we need to find them,” James agreed.

  “Shall we press on then? We only have a few more hours of daylight.”

  “Finding a place to hold up for the night might be a little difficult. Not much is still standing.”

  “Have faith, we’ll find something,” Alice said, smiling for the first time in several days.

  **

  “We need to find something pretty quickly or we are going to have to sleep out here in the open,” James said, looking around.

  “How about that building? It’s still partially standing on one side,” Alice suggested.

  “It doesn’t look very safe.”

  “It’s better than nothing. I sure don’t want to lay on the ground with no sleeping gear.”

  “You stay here. I’ll go check it out.”

  “Just be careful,” she warned.

  James made his way over to the building and cautiously entered it. He reached into his pocket and took out his small LED flashlight.

  As soon as he turned it on a gruff voice said, “Turn the damn thing off. Are you trying to get us killed?”

  He almost jumped out of his skin.

  “Who’s there?” he finally managed to get out, “You scared the crap out of me.”

  “Get the hell out of here. They could come back at any time,” the man said angrily.

  “Hold it. We are survivors just like you. It’s getting dark and we have to have a place to stay for the night. We will move on when the sun comes up.”

  “We? How many are you talking about?”

  “Just one other. How many are here?”

  “My wife and I.”

  “Is it okay if we stay for the night?” James asked.

  “What do you think Bea?”

  “I guess it would be alright. It would be kind of nice to talk to another person.”

  “Do you have food?” the man suddenly asked.

  “We do. And water.”

  “Fine then. We have some but we don’t know how long we are going to have to make it last.”

  “My names James Flynn. The person with me is Alice Foster.”

  “I’m Joe Walker, and my wife Beatrice is with me. I call her Bea,” Joe told him.

  “I’ll get Alice. We are moving pretty slowly so it will take a few minutes.”

  “Good. That’s good. Slow is better as we found out as well,” Joe agreed.

  Five minutes later they were all inside the partially collapsed building.

  **

  “Have you encountered any others?” Bea asked while they were eating.

  “Not so far. We were in a bunker and just left today. You are the first that we have found. By the way, you scared the pee out of me,” James said.

  “You didn’t do much for me when you turned on that light,” Joe replied.

  “How did you survive?” Alice asked.

  “We don’t really know. We were in the park having a picnic when all of this started. We saw people running every which way but as soon as they moved it seemed like those things would zero in on them. I told Bea to just stay still; running wasn’t going to do any good.”

  “That was really smart of you. I think that’s how you survived. I essentially did the same thing. I just closed my eyes and more or less kissed my butt goodbye. The next thing I knew they had moved on. Movement seems to be the key.”

  “What about you Alice?” Bea asked.

  She told them the story of running to the bunker and her husband getting knocked down the stairs.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” Bea told her.

  “What are your plans?” James asked.

  “We don’t really have any. We know that we need to keep looking for food and water. We find some every once in a while but it’s getting harder to locate,”

  “We have enough for two more days,” was all that James was willing to say.

  He was hoping that Alice picked up on not telling them about the bunker and the additional supplies. He didn’t need to worry; she was hoping the same thing.

  They finished eating then settled down as best they could for a night’s sleep.

  **

  James was the first one up the next morning. He cautiously went to the opening and looked outside. He froze. He could see something that looked like a pod skimming just above the earth.

  He went over and put his hand over Alice’s mouth and woke her up. Holding his finger to his lips he pointed to the doorway. Her eyes got wide and she shook her head she understood.

  He woke Joe and Bea carefully, pointing to the door. They both acknowledged that they understood.

  “What do you think they are doing?” Joe whispered in James’s ear.

  “Rounding up any survivors probably. No more talking,” he whispered back.

  They waited, crammed as far back from the entrance as they could get, not moving and not talking. Alice was practically holding her breath. It seemed like an eternity before James got on his hands and knees and slowly made his way toward the entrance. He cautiously looked out but saw nothing. He waited a good five minutes before he stood up and stepped out. Whatever it was, it was gone now.

  “It’s safe,” he whispered.

  Joe and Bea stayed back but Alice came to join him.

  “We have been doggone lucky. Eventually our luck is going to run out,” she said quietly.

  “You may be right but what else can we do but push on?” James told her.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “Do you think it’s safe?” Fingers asked.

  “How the hell do I know?” JD answered.

  “You seem to know everything.”

  “Not about this I don’t. The only way to find out is to go up and see what’s there.”

  “You go. There is no used both of us sticking our heads out,” Fingers told him.

  “Thanks a lot. Maybe we should flip a coin to see who goes,” JD answered.

  “That’s okay, you can go. I don’t mind.”

  “What a sport,” JD said as he started to climb the stairs to the Dyckman Street station.

  “Go slow.”

  “Gee, I never thought of that,” JD replied.

  He made his way as quietly as possible up the long flight of stairs and down the tunnel to the surface. The devastation was just as widespread as it was at the 191 Street Station. He guardedly made his way outside trying to see in all directions. He was shocked to find nothing.

  Maybe they have gone for good, he thought. He took out his battered binoculars and scanned the horizon. Nothing was moving as far as he could tell.

  When he got back down to the station he told Fingers what he had seen.

  “What if they are just waiting for us to come out?” Fingers asked.

  “All I can say is I didn’t see a thing. The other thing is that I’m getting pretty hungry. We have to find food and water or we won’t make it anyway. I know it's a big risk but what choice do we really have?”

  “Man, this really sucks,” Fingers said.

  Fingers finally agreed to go to the surface with hi
m. When he stepped into the light filtering in, JD really saw him for the first time.

  He sounded bigger from the deepness of his voice but he couldn’t have weighed much more than 130 pounds dripping wet and was no more than five foot five inches tall. His face was dirty over a fair complexion and he had a scraggly beard.

  “I guess I should say nice to meet you,” JD said holding out his hand.

  “Pleasure is all mine,” Fingers said.

  When JD shook his hand he realized how he had gotten his name. He only had two fingers on is right hand. He saw JD look down at his hand.

  “Lost them down here. I was lucky I didn’t lose more than that. They got caught in a switch and it cut them clean off. Hardly bled at all. Hurt like hell but I still think I was lucky. It could have been my whole hand,” Fingers told him looking at the stumps of his fingers.

  “Do you think we should go back and get Ben and Vivian?” JD asked.

  “It would be the right thing to do. They are going to need food and water too.”

  “I agree. We can ask them if they want to come but I’m not about to stand there arguing with them. They either come or they don’t,” JD said.

  “I totally agree. We can make the offer but that’s all,” Fingers replied.

  **

  “That’s about it in a nutshell,” JD told Vivian and Ben when they got back.

  “You saw nothing at all?” Vivian asked.

  “Nothing. Here is the thing. None of us has water which we need desperately. We are going to need to find food as well or we will get weak pretty fast. Foraging for food and water is all we can do at this point. We can move in pairs and keep a reasonable distance but whatever we find, we all share,” JD told them.

  “What about shelter?” Vivian asked.

  “We will just have to do the best we can. Look for buildings or anything still standing. I know it isn’t going to be a walk in the park but honestly, what other choice do we have. Staying here certainly isn’t the answer,” JD told her.

  “Do you think our government survived?”

  “I don’t know. They seemed to catch us pretty much off guard. I would like to believe they are working finding a way to retaliate or at least stop them,” JD replied.