Protection and Preservation Book 08Chapter 8
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[Atlanta, Georgia]
We had made two blocks when we saw the Mustang. Shirley stopped it and jumped out and into my arms. She held me tightly. “You had me worried, Jack. I can’t lose you.” I comforted her. After a moment, we moved back to the car. Ted and Mike got in back. I drove us and took an easy, circuitous route back to our temporary headquarters. Shirley called in and told Janice what was happening. We all met back at our temporary house.
I said, “We will leave in the morning. Ted and I will be up the hill and will take the Mustang. The rest of you will take the trucks. Shirl, you drive my truck.”
“Yes, Jack,” was all she said.
We all went to bed for the night. In the morning, I had everyone police the place to remove any signs of our presence. Ted and I went to over-watch while the rest began to move out. They were as quiet as possible. A couple of people seemed to notice but made no effort to say anything to anyone. I had the keys to the Mustang. Shirley reported that they were all well away. Ted and I went down and cranked up and left. He spent most of his time looking behind us as I drove and watched the rear view mirror though neither of us saw anything.
We had an uneventful trip back home. Once there, we prepared to talk with my dad. I had Janice download and print out maps with plans for our attack. Shirley was not happy when I had her leading the backup group and sniping. However, she admitted that she knew where the house was located and could shoot as well as anyone.
Shirley, Janice, and I met with my dad and my mom and Uncle Jack. They liked my plans and went over with the three of us what we had found and our experiences while there. Finally, Uncle Jack said, “It’s a good plan. We will need about a week to make it happen.” Janice started to say something but he raised his hand. “I know that there is going to be more misery there until we stop it and some poor woman may die. However, we know the people here. We can’t lose any so we will do this right, finish it the first time, and minimize casualties. Janice, have you thought about Shirley or Jack being killed?”
“No,” she looked distraught, “I just see those poor women and feel so sorry for them.”
“I do, too. I don’t think the Blasters would ever threaten us, so this is as much about saving those folk as it about terminating a threat. Now, the two assault teams will need full body armor which we can obtain from an army base. The backup group should have it, too, or vests at least. The back group will be okay with vests in case they have to come down. The assault groups will also need silenced pistols. This is supposed to be stealthy. Rifle shots aren’t quiet.”
Shirley said, “We can get some more sniper rifles, body armor, and vests from one of the bases. Where will we get silencers?”
When we returned home, Shirley and Janice went online to check out the army bases and National Guard armories near us. I went outside and caught up on chores and checked out my generator water wheel. All was well. I cleaned up a few things.
Jeff came over for lunch at Linda’s invitation and I got to meet him in person. He was younger than most of the hams we had met thus far being in his early thirties. He admitted that his dad had been a ham and given him the bug. He and Linda seemed to get along well. Perhaps, a romance was beginning there. I would ask Shirley later what she thought. Janice reported on their online findings at lunch. They had found a good base that, suggested by the groups headquartered there, would have the items we needed. We would go there tomorrow.
Talking with Shirley later that night in bed verified my thinking. She said that Linda was interested, but cautious.
We went to the base the next day. Janice’s research was spot on. We retrieved plenty of body armor, more sniper rifles, and even found some silencers for .45 pistols along with a number of the pistols. We also grabbed plenty of ammo for both the rifles and the pistols. We found some manuals and cleaning kits for both which we took, also.
We gathered our groups together and prepared as best we could. Ted would lead from one side and I would take the other. Shirley had the backup group and Ben would be in charge of the back snipers. Janice would go with Ben and coordinate communications just in case. Michael and Mike would be with Shirley. Everyone had earphones and throat mikes. We had worked out a series of signals for each part of the attack. We would go up tomorrow morning and attack that night to utilize the cover of darkness. We thought about cutting the power but decided that there would be a warning in that. We did have a separate two-man team who would cut the power on command. We had the goggles and they didn’t so, if the alarm was raised, the power team could cut power on their own or at the request of a team leader. We were as ready as we could think to be.
We borrowed a school bus to transport most of our people. We had also borrowed three SUV’s to get our folk in place. We pulled in at our same temporary headquarters as before. Our teams split up and went to their posts. We would start at ten in the evening or later. Our back watchers would determine the actual start time because they would watch for the Blasters to go to bed and let us know. Our target was to have everyone in place by eight and wait. They had two sniper rifles with silencers and those people would start shooting as soon as the signal was given. We wanted any late folk out of action before they could sound an alarm.
Ted and I each loaded our team into a SUV and left. We would have to go a long way around to avoid noise being heard. Our watchers would let us know if there seemed to anything happening. I took my guys way around to avoid noise. We had the only side that hadn’t been actually been scouted. We began to walk in watching for any sentries or cars with people. It took us two and a half hours to get in position. We finally got in position though were ten minutes late. Everyone was set. Janice and Bennie had been running a commentary every few minutes to keep us advised of what was happening with the Blasters.
My guys were comfortable in their places and were watching for any sentries that had been put in place since we had been there. On our side, we had no prior experience except for what we knew from the other side.
“Jack, this is Ted.”
“Go ahead, Ted.”
“We have a sentry on this side. What about you?”
“We haven’t seen anyone yet but are looking. Stand by.”
“Team One, you heard Ted. Let’s find the one on this side. Be extra careful not to be seen.”
A few minutes passed and I heard, “Jack, this is your Uncle Jack. I’ve found him. Marshal has him in his sights. We will handle him when the time comes.”
“Good. Jack standing by.”
“Jack, this is Janice. They’re quieting down. They were whipping a woman earlier. She’s still there tied to a wall hanging by her arms.”
“Okay, Janice. Keep watch. We will move as soon as you and Ben agree that it’s time.”
We were still there almost an hour later when Janice came on the air. “All teams alert. There are just two still outside. Bravo is one of them. We are getting ready to take our shots. Stand by. Very soon!”
Not more than fifteen seconds passed and she said, “Shots fired! Go! Go! Go!” My uncles, Jack and Marshal, took out the sentry and we started forward as quickly as made sense. We wanted to be stealthy but quick.
“Front sentry down.” Shirley’s voice came over the earphones.
We entered the complex with our pistols drawn except for Uncle Marshal who still had his rifle and Uncle Jack who had an Uzi type sub-machine gun. We started in teams of two on the different apartments in the complex. We would enter quietly with our goggles on. I found Dave and shot him twice in the chest. He was with a younger woman who jumped up and started to scream. I grabbed her and put my hand over her mouth. “Shhh! We’re here to help.” I told her in a low voice. She relaxed and exhaled. “Okay, stay here and stay quiet.” She nodded. I released her and left for the next apartment.
This one slept by himself and died in his sleep. As we entered the next, shots were fired. Janice came over the radio, “Someone has started an alarm. Move fast. Backup group cross the road and prepare to support Side Teams.” I went into the bedroom. The guy there was pulling on his pants. I came in and he moved for a gun. Mine was already out and I shot him. The woman with him said, “I’ll kill you!” She reached for the gun and I shot her, too. Uncle Jack was at the front door when there was a loud shot from a shotgun. He fell back inside the door. He had taken the shot in his chest and it had knocked the breath from his body. I looked out and shot the man with the shotgun. I stayed in the doorway for a moment until I heard my uncle say, “I’m okay but I hurt. It was a real blast. Go!” I looked at him and he was sitting up with his gun in hand.
“Okay.” I said. “Alert. Side Team One, Have one of our men hurt but not seriously. He’s in Apartment 22B.” I had looked at the door for the number. I continued on a bit more slowly as I had no partner, now.
“I see a single.” over the radio.
“It’s me, Jack.” I said as I waved my hand.
“Okay, Jack. Watch this area. You’re without a partner.”
“Okay.”
There was little chatter. With two groups working toward the middle and anyone who went out back being shot, it was over quickly. We lost one person, Mike, to an unlucky shot to the face. That was the only area we couldn’t protect. Shirley was with his body and his dad. That Blaster was dead to Shirley’s gun. The back team joined us.
We rounded up twenty-two live men and forty live women. Janice cut down the woman on the pole. Her back was badly cut from the whipping. Both of her last two tormentors were dead to the backyard group snipers.
[Janice] We were airborne again after lunch and flew to Oklahoma City for the evening. We found the airport and landed. I taxied to the general aviation section. We were getting good at this. We left the plane and found fuel and refueled. Then, we looked around to figure out where we would eat and sleep this evening. We found a lounge and put the cushions on the floor and rolled our sleeping bag over the cushions. There was an attached café and the natural gas worked. We would have an easy...
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[Janice writes from Mexico] The man said, "I apologize for Raymon's actions. I am Martin Gonzalez. We are glad to see someone new. Where are you from?" Robby said, "I am Robby Cook-Thomas-Sullivan and Janice is one of my spouses. We are residents of the communities of Preservation and Protection up in Georgia and Tennessee. We also represent Port Lavaca, Texas. "We are on an exploration trip to make contact with surviving groups to let people know they aren't alone." The woman...
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[Janice writes on the way to Newfoundland] We landed at Reykjavik and began refueling. One of the Icelanders came up and asked, "What is wrong? The other plane flew in and then left quickly." I said, "One of my daughters was shot. She is in the other plane and they are headed for St. John's, Newfoundland, as quickly as possible. We have a doctor and hospital plane meeting them. She will need surgery if she is to survive." "We will be hoping for you and your daughter. Good...
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[Jack] She continued, "We are going to marry them. Our full-time residence will be in Protection but we want to keep the house here and will make frequent trips to see you and everyone else we know and love here. We also talked to Tom and Vic about a larger plane to bring all eight of us here. "You haven't lost a son and daughter but have gained another son and two more daughters plus two grandchildren with another on the way." We jumped up and hugged. Shirl told them that she looked...
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[Preservation – Jim in Utah] I lay in bed and moved to the radio only for the net for four days. The east crew who were following my route finally worked their way beyond the rocks and should meet me today. I was looking forward to seeing someone. They had a paramedic with them and the doctor was waiting in Salt Lake City for my arrival. A day later, I arrived back in Salt Lake and immediately went into the operating room where they worked over my leg. I was put under but was later told that...
The meal progressed nicely very similar to others I had been to over the years in other places. Everyone was friendly and I enjoyed talking to many of the men and women in the community. Covertly, I watched Charlie and Andrea. She looked like no girl I had ever seen. Interestingly, she seemed to enjoy Charlie's company. He came by my seat during desert and whispered, "Wow! She's smart." I whispered back, "Just be you. Watch out for other guys who might be jealous." "Yes, mom!" He...
[Preservation – Janice] "Honey, should I break one first so he knows we're serious?" "No, we'll start easy. If he hesitates or lies, we can always start then. Now, James, how many in your community?" He locked his jaw planning not to say a word. Bennie went over to Marv and Bubba and tied them up and gagged them. He went over to James and put his foot hard on his right wrist. He reached down and grabbed the little finger and pulled back until it went, "crack," and broke. James...
[Janice] We watched as two wagons pulled by horses came toward us with people waving excitedly. We stood with hands hanging loosely at our sides until they came close. We waved back as they came close. They pulled up about fifty feet from us and piled out. Two men and two women approached us slowly and with a little care. I noticed one of the men eying me a little harder than really appropriate. Bennie saw that and gave him "the look." He moved his gaze away from me. The other three...
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We landed in Taipei. We were met very soon by a group in trucks and military vehicles. Ellis was with us again. He began to speak and was interrupted by a man who kindly said, "Many of us speak English and practice it regularly. Let us use your language." We were surprised but he quickly continued. "My name is Lee Shan. We would be friends. Please call me Shan." He shook David's hand. "I believe you are the leader of this group?" David said, "Yes. My name is David Lewis and this is...
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Later that afternoon, David got on the radio and arranged for Ben and Noah to meet by radio and talk. David listened in and told me later that those talks were productive. Both men wanted to stay in contact and work together in whatever way possible. We made plans to leave a radio and antennas set up and operating. Ben worked with people in his community in Adelaide to have the radio maintained and appointed a regular listening watch. During all this time, Sophie and George were together...
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[Janice writes from Mexico and El Salvador] We left for Belize without incident the next morning targeting the primary airport. According to our map and book, it was in Ladyville. In honor of the name but mostly because it was our turn, I piloted and Pam was my copilot... The flight was uneventful. Landing was a bit tricky. If possible, this area had suffered more than the Cancun area. I found landing tricky because of the broken appearance of the asphalt. It was bumpy but useable. Tom and...
[Preservation - In Missouri] We waited for more news about Dave being broken up about his wife's death. A few minutes passed. Mel came on sobbing. "Charles is. Charles is dead. Dave is, too. We're coming in." Pam and I looked at each other. A young woman came into the room. I said, "Monitor the radio. One of the Bradley's is coming in. We're going in to meet them." We left for the garage area. We went armed. I think anger showed on both our faces. When we arrived, the machine gun...
[Janice writes] I found it hard to believe that, within twenty-four hours of reconciling and marrying, Andy and Charlie would be off in separate directions to complete commitments they have. I managed to trap him alone while Andy talked to her parents. "Charlie, is everything really okay? This separation worries me." "It shouldn't, mom." "It does. It's me, Charlie. Explain things. I'm feeling very old and very slow." He hugged me. "Mom, it will be a long time before you're old...
[Preservation – Janice] It was Thursday when our sentry post advised us by radio that we had company coming from Atlanta. We had a quick pow-wow and decided that a couple would be heading over to High Falls park to "prep it for winter" with the plan that they would be seen and talk to the Triple-A party coming down the road. They carried a radio in their wagon but would keep it hidden and off when they met the Triple‑A contingent. They reported that they saw the Triple-A coming down I-75...
[Preservation – Janice] The next morning, we had a quick breakfast and set out with Amy to have a look at her horses. She actually had a small herd of ten with a stallion, mares, and colts. There were also two geldings in the herd. One of them came up to her nickering softly. She grinned at us and said, "This is Billy. I usually ride him or one of the mares." Billy was a fine looking horse and all of the horses in the herd were looked like they had been kept well. Amy obviously knew how to...
[Preservation – Janice] Our next planned stop was Washington. When Jim had been there after the Day, he found almost no people there. We tried not to have any expectations as we entered the nation's capital. We found no people though some signs of visits over the years. We set up camp in the Mall area, which was overgrown. We picked a small building and broke in to establish a base while we toured the sights of Washington. It was fun. It was sad. It was not an area that would lend itself...
[Preservation – Janice] At Cincinnati, we crossed into Kentucky following I-75 across the river and moving pretty much south. We came to Boone County and Bennie expressed an interest in seeing something having to do with Daniel Boone. I gave him my best withering look and suggested that we really didn't need to make this trip longer than it already was. We celebrated the first of September at the point where I-71 peeled off to the southwest. We continued to follow I-75. This point was in...
[Janice writes from Estonia] It was mid afternoon when Anton returned with a pretty woman about his age and three young children. He came up to Charlie and me. He said, "This is my wife, Marta, and my children." Charlie said, "Hello, Marta, it's good to meet you. This is one of my mothers, Janice." "Hello, Missus Janice. Your communities practice plural marriage?" I said, "It's good to meet you and your family. Some are in plural marriages. Most marriages, like Charlie's, are...
[Janice writes] Our learning efforts were beginning to pay off. Everyone was learning and Andy had a totally new attitude about helping and teaching. I would describe her as wistfully beautiful. She had lost something but I could tell she hoped to get it back. It, of course, was Charlie. The new attitude from her was utterly attractive. Along with her physical beauty, the young men were being drawn in. She politely ignored their overtures that started less than a week after she returned to...
[Janice] We headed for Milwaukee and circled the area to see if we could attract any attention. We made some widening circles but saw no signs of recent habitation. Our next planned stop was Minneapolis/St. Paul, the twin cities. We watched the ground closely but saw little signs of cultivation or harvesting on the trip as we flew low and slow. We circled around twice to catch anyone using smoke to get our attention but saw nothing either time. The main airport was blocked by a couple of...
[Charlie writes from Lisbon] We settled in at the terminal with food at a couple of tables and our peoples met one another. A surprising number of the Portuguese spoke English. I guessed it was due to Monica Lewis. We began to tell our stories and I found that I was mostly, but not totally, correct. I asked Mom Janice to tell our story. She did it quite well including some of the early days of Preservation. She told of gaining airplanes and the trips and places where we had friends, naming...
[Preservation – Janice] Jenny and Amy tended to the abused woman finding clothes and helping bathe her to start the healing process. Her husband was the dead man, which didn't help things except for her to know he died defending her. No one else had been hurt other than tied up. I quietly talked to one couple, Dave and his wife. Marie was a nice looking, older woman about the same age as Dave. I said, "Who were the rapists?" She pointed out two others and said, "The other two are dead...
[Preservation – Janice] We got up early and hit the road trying for as direct a route as possible. We saw no sense in going to Augusta and Savannah was out of the way. We crossed the Savannah River and kept going. It took us two days of steady riding to reach Eatonton and the Rock Eagle 4-H Camp which we had enjoyed before. We used the same building as before and called in to Preservation. Jack said, "Where are you now?" I replied, "We are in the Rock Eagle 4-H Camp just north of...
[Preservation, West Georgia] Mike is two years old. It's late spring of 2014. It amazes me to realize I track time now by my son's age. Shirley and I are trying for another. Actually, we have been trying just without success in getting Shirley pregnant. She said that we enjoy making love too much to worry about her becoming pregnant. Janice and Bennie married six months ago and they had a church wedding after making their public announcement. I gave away the bride and Shirley, holding...
[Preservation – Janice] We bedded down for the night with me taking the first watch. Bennie was right. Steve didn't think about having a sentry. That could be hazardous unless you were a very light sleeper. Kevin would be next and I woke him gently. He woke easily and took my place. Bennie would be next with Laura being the last. We had a shotgun to use on watch. Its purpose was to wake everyone as much as to provide some firepower. I felt Bennie leave later and then return much later. He...
[Jack] They flew into the Carrollton airport to be met by Shirl and me and by Bennie's dad and step-mom. It felt good to have them back but I knew something was different. Bennie and Janice talked for a day. I could tell they were troubled about something but waited for them to talk to us when they wanted. Shirl said that I should ask them what was wrong but I counseled that we should wait. They came over the next morning after breakfast and chores. Bennie said, "We need to talk to both...
[Preservation – Janice] It was a quiet night and we started early the next morning. Bennie wanted a defense in depth with wide coverage. He was concerned about the dogs returning and wanted to be ready and able to keep any interruptions from our observers, particularly since Carolyn was not very mobile. The observers, Ann and Carolyn, were at the ridge line with Laura and me. Laura was there to take notes but I was there to shoot animals as necessary. Back about twenty feet were Bennie,...
[Preservation – Janice] Convalescing wasn't easy. Bennie and I celebrated Halloween and Thanksgiving as real patients. I could walk a little by Thanksgiving but it was painful. It was mid December before Bennie was trying to walk. He was weak from lying in bed and stiff from not having been able to move. It was so good to sleep together in a real bed though. We started what Doc Ollie called our rehab period right after the New Year. It was torture but we stuck to it. We both wanted to...
[Preservation – Janice] We went out the back with my horse and picked up Bennie's. We stayed in the woods trying to shield our movements from the hill post. Bennie said, "Leave your radio on simplex and try to call Amy. Act like you're concerned but still in the rest area. Let's see what you may hear. I'll monitor Jim on the triple nickel." I nodded. "Amy, this is Janice. Do you read? Are you okay? Over." There was no answer. We wanted to get there immediately but that was our...
[Janice – In Phoenix] He told me and I repeated it out loud as Pam and I stood and started moving. I said into the radio, "Dog attack on our son!" Angela said, "I know where that is. I will take you in our truck." Bennie and Robby came in with rifles throwing one to each myself and Pam. The six of us left for Angela's truck in a hurry. I got in the truck and said, "Charlie, we are headed your way. Ted's wife, Angela, is driving us. Are you okay?" "Yes and no. We're where the...
[Preservation – Janice] I was asked to help but Bennie and his healing took precedence to me. I took him back to Preservation and our home in a wagon as soon as possible. The radio called me back the next day. Poppa wanted my help. The Triple-A people had to be handled and Bennie and I had been the star performers in that process. The fact that all the crops were in helped gave us time to handle things. Poppa's mother offered to watch Bennie for me. I was reluctant but Bennie insisted that...
[Preservation – Janice] We had followed I-93 into Boston but deviated from it to meet up with I-95 outside the city. From there, we would trace a path up to Portland. It appeared that this portion of our trip would be a bit over one hundred miles or four to five days depending upon our rate of travel. It took five because we took a detour to the Bush place in Kennebunkport. It was interesting though storm damaged. This area might not get hurricanes but sure received storms! We arrived in...
[Preservation – Janice] It was quiet for a moment. Poppa said, "Is there any further new or old business before we hear reports?" He paused a moment. "Hearing none, the chair recognizes Janice for a report on the trip to Talladega to investigate some field raiding." He looked at me and I stood. I said, "Mitch reported that one of his fields had been raided repeatedly and he and his people couldn't find the raiders. Poppa asked if we, Bennie and I, would investigate the situation. We...
[Jack] George came on through the repeater, "Jack, everyone is okay, here. The plane suffered some kind of electrical fault. They landed a bit hard and the plane is wrecked. We're loading their luggage and people into the trucks. Once we're loaded, we will attempt to contact those waiting in the woods. Vic says he isn't seeing anything threatening here. He will expand his circle to cover you and will work the repeater." "Roger." I thought for a second. "Shirl, pull forward even with...
[Preservation – Janice] A few moments later, they brought another man into the room. He was younger than the rest had been, early twenties if that. He looked at me like I was a prime piece of meat. I said, "Number one is that I'm not interested and number two is that I'm married to a wonderful man who is great to me. Number three is that I can lay you on the floor screaming in pain without breaking a sweat. You will answer questions. Ben won't stop you from trying something though if you...
[Preservation – Janice] Bennie and I had settled into our routine. Laura's lessons in self-defense were coming along nicely and Kevin was learning from Bennie. He was a better shot than Bennie with a bow. Usually, he went out hunting with a pistol, knife, and bow and brought back a meal. It was fun to watch the circling around as he and Laura got to know each other better. Both had competition from others in our community because both were attractive and were developing good survival...
[Janice writes] I went to the four men and said, "I have questions that will be answered. There are two choices. You can scream or answer. My young daughter had to kill two of your evil friends when they attacked her. She is upset and so am I. If you want any hope of returning to your people, some one needs to talk." I looked the four over. As usual, I picked the largest. Robby hadn't tied any of them. I said, "You, get up. Which arm?" "I'm sorry. What do you mean?" "I'm going...
[Tennessee] It was mid July when Abe came to see me late one afternoon. We sat down on the front porch with a cool drink. Abe said, “Mister George, I haven’t told anyone this yet because I didn’t want to alarm anyone. I haven’t even talked to Angela and Claire. “We have some trouble coming from the west and we need to prepare for it. We’re going to have to fight to live up to our name. It’s our duty to protect those in our care.” I said, “Abe, do you know what kind of trouble?” “No, but...
[Preservation – Jim heads out of D.C.] I motored out of Washington in no hurry and watched the road and out the sides for people or signs of habitation. People seemed to not hang around on main roads. Since I tried to avoid sticking out, I understood that thinking. I left taking I-95 north. I wasn't worried about traffic and didn't take any loops. I went right through downtown Baltimore and then to Philadelphia. I had seen the Liberty Bell before and didn't remember anything else that I...
[Janice writes from England] Early in the morning, we, my spouses and older children, talked about the two groups. Mel said, "Don't go to Wales. We will lose people. Birmingham will be okay but won't accomplish anything worthwhile." I called the entire group together over breakfast to talk about the two areas. Poppa wanted to visit both and was pushing hard. Finally, I shouted, "Enough! Poppa, if we go, you will be in charge but must leave the plane last. Your wife, one of my fellow...
I saw neither George nor Sophie the rest of the evening. I rejoined my husband at the table in the terminal. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze as I sat down and joined the conversation. Basil was sitting across from me and asked, "Would you go off with me, Bobbi?" "Sure, but you would not like the result." "Helen wouldn't mind." "Perhaps, but I would. David is so much more man than anyone else in the world that I no longer tolerate much from other men." Basil didn't quit. "You...