Life and Its Little Oddities

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Book 1

“The Economy Series”

Author: John O. Darts

Edited 8/2009

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Chapter 1

As an optimist I always bought a ticket for the Power-ball drawing. The North Carolina
education lottery is how they sell it. But I have always been a player and just figured it
was a fun way to be taxed. My normal play was to buy two games for 10 drawings and
let the computer pick them. That was a twenty dollar investment each month.

The odds of ever getting a break even or more out of this than what I invested, was slim
to say the least. But the ticket this time had power balls of 7 and 11. That was really odd,
as it had never happened before. So I just sat back and watched the drawings over the
month. Slowly the dollar amount climbed to way more than anyone could possible need.
Especially at my sixty seven years of age. Now had I been twenty that might be spent if I
ever won?

It was mid May and I was not working for the company that brought me to the state. The
owner had been an old friend and needed some cheap help, as he had poorly managed the
company. Being on social security I could help him and did not need much money as
income. Matter of fact he paid me under the table, which made it better for me.

The night things really got odd I was watching the drawing for Wednesday. The total was
estimated to be $170,000,000 at 5.7 million a year for 30 years or $88,100,000 in cash
before taxes. Now that was a lot of money by any standard. The numbers and power ball
came up and my shock was enough to kill most people. I had hit an impossible shot at
the odds of about 195 million to 1!

I sat in shock for some time and just wondered how my life at this point had changed. It
was for sure the 30 year payment plan would not work for me. But neither would the
cash, as on my death the government would suck up every dollar they could. At 67 that
could happen any time and I knew it.

It was time for some thought and planning before I so much as opened my mouth. That
meant tax planning and estate planning quickly. But for now I needed sleep and some
time to let my brain work. I had found over many years that sleep often answered many
questions for me.

That next morning I started looking for a very good attorney with tax and estate
background. It had to be a firm with some wealthy clients and a very good reputation.
Not too large, but able to handle my needs. I had a real aversion to attorneys. The law
any more was just a game of who could buy it without getting caught. Honor was a thing
of the past, as people just trusted no one any more.

This search was no easy thing as I soon found out. I used a phone book, the Internet and
finally found a small firm that might be able to help. It was 5 attorneys and all were older
and not some young gun. At my age I wanted no smart ass that felt he knew it all. I was
sure that my willingness to question any advice would benefit me.
The issue now was how far I was going to have to travel for this meeting. I found the
firm in Winston Salem, North Carolina, and they did represent old money there. Ms.
Williams was the attorney I met with and she was sharp. She made notes of what I
wanted to do and smiled at not wanting to pay more taxes that I had too. She ran a
photocopy of my lottery ticket and asked if they could go with me to be paid?

I agreed to this as we now had a contract and they were on a retainer. So arrangements
were made for her to pick me up at home on the next day. I had decided to take the lump
sum payment and hide the money as best possible. They would take the check and open
a trust account with it. As we agreed on investments it would come from the trust
account.

In the past I had a running argument about taxes with IRS and gave them the paperwork
to handle it. I owed them nothing yet they decided I owed them about $170,000. They
were charging me taxes on my wife’s insurance money, which was not taxable. She had
died when I was 57. I expected to get a good sum of money back from the State of
Virginia and the fed. But the lawyers could handle that.

My first step was to get the money. So I drove home to Durham and stopped at the store
for food tonight. It seemed a steak, baked sweet potato and salad would do nicely.

Once it was fixed I sat at the computer desk and ate. I wanted a debit card for my
account and certain items purchased for me. It was time to stop driving and have a driver
take me where I wished to go. I wanted at least 10,000 acres of land and a home built to
my needs. It would need to be with a National Forest or Park blocking off part of the
access. I wanted isolation from most of the world with as much safety as possible.

This list I printed and had it ready to give to Ms. Williams tomorrow. It also had the
requirement that fifteen million be purchased in gold and sliver coins and be stored in a
vault once my home was built. The liberal government the country now had was going
to screw everyone they could. I did not plan to be one of the ones getting screwed. How
the legal firm covered this investment was up to them. But I wanted no one to know of it.

The ride to the lottery offices was nice, as I did not have to drive. I handed the paper
over to Ms. Williams and watched her read it. “John, I'm not sure where you're headed
with this?”

“I see this country right now as weak. The government has stepped into the business
world and is trying to direct it. They have control of most of the banks and are spending
money like drunken sailors. So land is a good investment, as is gold and silver.”

She smiled at me and shook her head. “You see things pretty clearly from those
comments. So you would like to have your own country from what your saying.”

“That pretty well spells it out. I want someplace where if things go to hell it can be cut
off to some degree. So making it independent in many ways would be a goal. But I want
to be in the background and not out front. My home will be hopefully set in a valley that
is protected. Where I can watch what is going on, but not be seen.”

“How do you intend to make money to afford this?”

“I almost have enough right now. But I'll build wind turbines to produce power, use what
is needed and sell the excess. With the push for green power I can do this with little
notice. I'll start an investment bank and also handle general banking for the community.
Once more the ownership will be clouded.”

She smiled at this idea that was forming. “It may be possible to reach the goals you're
looking at. But you're going to have to protect it for it to survive.”

“That I have plans for as well. At first I'll need the local police and sheriff's men doing
that job. Later I'll have a small force to back them up if things get bad.”

“You do expect a crash for this country?”

“Yes and it is going to be a big one. We're the world’s largest debtor nation. Now when
your paper money will not buy oil and you have little gold reserves what happens?”

“I assume you have family, John?”

“Oh yes, but they have forgotten about me for most of them. So this will not be a family
situation and will be for the best of those involved. I see using the abilities of each
person to help the others. The odds of me being around twenty years from now are very
slim. That will require teaching others to lead.”

This was really interesting to her and she was intrigued right now. Once they reached the
building the whole thing only took a few hours before it was done. But John was pleased
to get out of the building.

“Here are two debit cards that will draw on your account. Now what kind of help do you
want and where are you going to live?”

“I want a driver and a car for travel. It might be wise to start looking at places where
land is available in large parcels. Now I could care less if the driver is male or female.
Be sure they understand I have final approval before they are hired. They would need to
be single and not tied down. But if a woman has may be just one child I might consider
her. The child would need to be over 6 and under, say, 12. That age group is one I do
OK with.”

She laughed at this. “I can’t see you not getting on well with any age group.”
“I do prefer smart people and ones who like to discuss things. They will find I am not
much into follow the leader in most areas. There is zero respect for most politicians and
that fits many attorneys as well. If they aren’t good attorneys they head for politics.”

Now she was really laughing. “I can’t argue with that statement John. This state has
produced far to many bad politicians. Most have been lawyers and poor ones at that. But
I get the feeling you're some what conservative?”

“That would be a mistake to believe. I am conservative in fiscal areas and liberal in

many people areas. I believe in having laws and people living within them. But today
most have no idea of what the laws are. We keep making laws and not repealing the old
ones. Our laws are so massive in numbers no one knows them all. But the worst part are
the ones that can be interpreted many different ways.”

“Now you know why I got into tax law and estate planning. I could not agree more that
our system is a complete mess. But I see no way to clean it up with the political situation
that exists today.”

“I see several ways to start that ball rolling. But it'll take time and reaching some goals
first.”

She dropped John off and headed home. The idea of testing him was at the front of her
mind. An old friend had told her about her maid’s niece who was 26 and had a 7 year old
daughter. She had been told the girl was pretty and smart as hell. But she had bad taste
in men. The car she had coming was a Mercedes Benz with an armored body. On her
way home she called her friend and ask her to have the girl come in and bring her
daughter the next day.

After calling the dealer and being sure the car would be ready her mind was made up.

The girl showed up the next day and she was a real doll. Her build was slight and not
overly endowed, but well put together. Her 7 year old was a copy of mother, of course
without the older woman’s shape. But the attorney saw intelligence and a very out going
person. They talked for a good hour before she decided to send her to meet John.

“Now your final interview will be in Durham with John. He is 67 and very wealthy and
not looking for a wife. You would be expected to be his driver and gofer. The pay is
very good and John said he would be willing to take a single mother for this job. So do
you have an interest?”

Dana sat back and considered this. “You say he is not looking for a wife, so is he looking
for some young playmate?”

“I really don’t think so. My instructions were male or female. He wanted someone smart
and able to discuss ideas and issues with him. To be completely honest he only said he
would consider a single mother. But the child had to be between 6 and 12, as he got
along with that age group better. He made no suggestion of either a boy or girl as the
child. So I have assumed it made no difference to him. But I am sure there is nothing
you could do to improve your chances of the job, which a man could not use as well. He
wants smart, good communications and not sexy as requirements.”

This now hit Dana as something she just might be interested in. “OK how do I meet him
for an interview?”

“I have 3 people for him to interview tomorrow. But being able to handle a Mercedes
Benz S63 AMG is a big part of the job. The car costs over $131,000 base price and must
be cared for. Here it is armored and will protect those in the car. That added another
$40,000 to the cost. This requires training and a drivers test. So you’re my outside shot
for this job. For you it is no sure thing and you will have to be better than the others. But
I owed my friend a favor and this pays it off.”

Now Dana was really worried. “You weren’t kidding about being better and the man
wanting someone smart were you?”

“Dana I don’t make a habit of kidding anyone. I made the time to see you, explained the
requirements and have offered you an interview. That is all you get from me. How you
handle the chance will determine if you get a job or not. The person hired will almost
live with John for the first few weeks. He is going to be traveling, looking at property
and spending a lot of money. His driver will be on the road with him and I am sure he
will want opinions on what he just looked at. So think about it and let me know if you're
interested?”

Dana considered her answer carefully. “I would like to at least talk with him. Now what
do I do about my daughter for the interview?”

“She will go with you. In fact she will be interviewed as well. Now that will be a very
different type interview. He will possible ask to buy you dinner. That way he can see just
how you and your child will interact with him. From my observations John is very laid
back and easy to talk with. He does not dress formally and likes casual clothing. I would
be shocked to see him in a suit. He said those days were done for him.”

“What do I do first then?”

“Tomorrow morning the dealer will run you through a class on the vehicle. A S63 AMG
is a high performance vehicle and has a lot of power. If hired you will take a driving
course for professional drivers. Anything a driver for any Embassy of the U.S. knows
you will know as well. Now do you have any criminal history?”

That seemed odd to her. “No, why do you ask?”

“Because you will be armed and have permits to carry a gun concealed. Once more
training will be provided. Anyone walking around with tens of millions in wealth needs
to be protected. In this John will not know the extent of the steps we have taken to
protect him. At least not to start with.”

“I am more dangerous without a gun. Currently I have four black belts of the highest
levels in four different forms of martial arts. Guns attract violence at extreme levels. An
innocent female and child raise no concerns from men. It also provokes no action that
would cause harm to John. Now if you question my abilities then feel free to get
someone hurt checking them out. Or call the state police and ask who teaches their hand
to hand combat courses? I can’t make a living at it as I only get 4 classes a year. Now
does this job have a salary?”

“It does not have a salary Dana. John said that would be unfair for the person taking it.
So he said he would pay $15 dollars an hour straight time as that covers meals times and
just sitting and talking as well. So if you are on the clock 8 or 16 hours you get paid for
that. That means the driver makes between $120 and $240 a day seven days a week. You
would simply logon to your payroll account and enter your income expected for that
week. It will be paid and taxes taken out to pay for that amount. Your income would be
direct deposited to your account.”

“I'll be at the dealers first thing in the morning Ms. Williams. Now if it is possible I
would like to be John’s last interview. It will make things work for my daughter better.
She will have to stay with a friend until I am through at the dealership tomorrow.”

That also would give her an advantage being the last interview. “OK I will agree to that.
Now does your daughter ever speak? I have not heard her say a word.”

“Yes she talks and you can’t shut her up. But I made her a bet when we came in today
that if she could go without saying a word I would buy ice cream for her.”

The girl just had the biggest grin going at this.

“Young lady I'm impressed. You have a very strong will to do what your doing.”

The girl just sat smiling and saying nothing.

“Let go honey and I’ll pay off now.”

The girl jumped up and took her mothers hand and they walked out the door. Once they
got to the car Dana now was curious. “Well what did you think?”

“I think she's going to get in trouble with John. When he finds out she's doing things
with his money he is going to be mad.”

“What makes you think that Kelly?”

“She sees John as laid back and easy going. But I think he is far different than she thinks.
Not mean or anything like that. Just a much stronger person and a lot like grandpa was.
He would tell you softly what he wanted and if you failed to do it right he would bite
your tail.”

Dana laughed at Kelly’s way of seeing John. But she knew her ability to see far deeper
than any kid her age should be able to. “You may be right, Kelly, and we'll be completely
honest with him tomorrow. But what makes you think he is like dad was?”

“I don’t know Mommy, but I watched the lady and she does respect him. She doesn't fear
him yet, but I think she will soon. I really want to meet him and get to know him.”

That was all Dana needed to hear she was hell bent to get this job.
Chapter 2

The day for her interview started with a lesson on driving the S63 AMG Benz. Dana
was driving around the city and it was a blast the way the high performance machine
handled. By the time she had finished the course on maintenance she was ready for the
interview.

She got to her friends house and took a long bath. It was almost 3 PM and she got
dressed and did her hair. Then she got Kelly ready for her part. The two beautiful
ladies went out to her old van and headed to meet John. Both were surprised at the small
apartment house he lived in. It was very nice just old and not big. The size inside was
also another shock as it was half packed up for moving.

“Sorry ladies I want out of here in the worst way. So I have been packing and getting
ready. Now I would love to sit down and have some food with the two of you. So to
keep things fair I’ll drive my car and you can follow me. That way you can leave at any
point you get upset with me. I don’t want you to feel trapped in any way.”

Kelly looked at him with a set of bright blue eyes. “John you are just like my grandpa
was. I just knew you were going to be like that.” She ran over to him and hugged his
legs.

John squatted down to her level. “Little one I'm pleased to get a hug from such a
beautiful lady. But your mother may not approve and we don’t want her upset with me.”

Kelly looked him right in his eyes and smiled so big it lit the room. “Mom always let’s
me make up my own mind about who I hug and kiss. In my book John you're a keeper
and I want to know you a lot better.”

That brought a smile to the man's face. “Sugar you're for sure a keeper and some man is
going to be very lucky to get you. Just be willing to hold out for what you really want.
Don’t ever accept second best, or less than what you want.”

Dana was pleased to see how Kelly and John talked with each other. It was like how she
talked with her dad. “OK guys, lets go have some dinner. If you want, John, I’ll drive
and you just direct me where to go.”

“I would like to go to the Cracker Barrel and have some quiet time talking if that is OK?”

They got into her van and she drove following directions. Once on Hillsboro road they
got to the restaurant quickly. It took no time to get seated and start talking. John gave
them a pretty good background of his life, of the money he had won and the idea he had
of building a safe area for what he was sure would happen.
Dana had a great deal of respect now for John. “Well, we see things pretty much the
same way. Dad always said one day this country would fall apart and that is happening
now.”

“I am looking for land first of all and I mean a lot of it. I want around 10,000 acres to
start with. I should be able to get that in 3-4 small valleys. It must be backed up by
National Park or National Forest land. When the government falls apart that land is up
for grabs. So for our people to have land we must be in a position to obtain more of it.”

Dana did not like the sound of what she was hearing from John. “I keep hearing you
don’t think you will see this to the end?”

“Look dear I am 67 and have had double bypass surgery and one heart attack. So I don’t
bullshit myself into seeing a longer life than what is really possible. I have a sugar
problem and have had it for 24 years now. That requires pills and insulin just to keep it
in check. So I accept the fact of the downside of my body’s condition. If I can help
some people survive and learn during what is coming I've met my goal.”

Dana was now smiling at John. She saw he was honest and just wanted to make things
better for as many people as he could. At 67 he did not expect to out live the money he
now had. “I don’t understand why you’re taking this path?”

“If I died tomorrow there are almost none who would notice I was gone. My wife died
ten years ago and I am only really close to my nephew and his family. The government
would eat up most of the money and it would do no one any good. Giving it to family
would destroy them and that is a proven fact. Just look at all the people who have
inherited money. So I'm going to do my best to assure that at least some people have
good lives after I am long gone.”

Kelly scooted closer to John and was holding his arm now. “John I don’t want to lose
you like I did grandpa. Even if you don’t hire Mommy I want to be where you are.”

“Little one I am not going anyplace right now. As for your mother she has the job if she
wants it. But I am not so sure that is a good deal for her at all. She is a beautiful young
lady and has eyes that a man could drown in. Being tied to an old fart like me is not a
way for her to find someone special for both of you.”

Kelly launched herself into John’s arms and hugged him. “Thank you John and I
promise to be very good when we travel. But we need you and not someone else.”

“Sugar to get a hug like that you could be bad and I would forgive you.”

Dana had watched all of this and saw a very loving and lonely man sitting there. It made
her even more sure she liked John and knew the three of them would have fun together.
But she knew she needed to be careful, as he did not trust people very much. Like her
dad he started people with a small investment of trust and it was their actions that made it
grow or disappear.

“Now Kelly, you watch how you jump all over John. He doesn't know you yet, and has
not seen how you act when pleased or excited. So you need to learn about him and what
he likes and does not like.”

“Yes Mommy. I am sorry John if I did something wrong.”

“Little one you did nothing wrong at all. I am just getting older now and did not expect
such and outpouring of love. You are a ball of energy and I enjoy seeing it explode. It
has been far too many years since I have seen that. So just be ready for this poor old
man to have a heart attack if you catch me at the wrong time.” He was laughing now.

Kelly cocked her head and looked into his eyes. “I hope you're kidding me John. There
is no way I want to hurt you.”

He hugged her and was pleased with how serious she looked. “Yes dear I am giving you
a hard time. But that is part of the fun two people can have when kidding each other.
Listen to what I say and how I say it, then think about what I said. You will learn from
my tone of voice and how I act what is real and what is play.”

They had eaten and enjoyed some dessert as John could have sugar free pie here. Dana
was now ready to hear what the plan was? “OK, what am I to do tomorrow and how do
we get this started?”

“I'll have the car sent to you tomorrow. For what they got paid they can deliver it. You
will need to discuss with Kelly’s teachers what will need to be done about her school
work. Pack a bag for each of you and I will have one packed and ready for when you
pick me up. Don’t pack a lot as we will be buying a lot of new clothing as we go.”

“I should be able to pick you up at say noon. So where do you want to go first?”

“The lawyers will be the first stop. See the two men sitting over to your left? They have
been watching us far too close. My guess is they are security people and I'm not paying
for them. My agreement with the law firm says I must approve any expense before the
money can be spent. So I am going to have a little talk with Ms. Williams as she has
over stepped her bounds. This is why I hate attorneys so much.”

“She wanted me to carry a gun and take driving classes. I have black belts in martial arts
and don’t need a gun so I refused to agree to that. I have taken the State Police driving
classes and feel that should do for most needs. But she said that she was going to take
some other steps. I didn't know what or if you wanted to know? But she is a very
conniving lady. I owe you and not her, so everything will be completely above board
with you.”
John stood and walked over to the men. “Now lets get something clear here. I am not
paying you or approving payment for you. Let your boss know Ms. Williams has stepped
way out of line. If you try to continue to follow me and cover my home, I will have the
police arrest you. For you two it is better to just get up and leave now, so we don’t have
additional problems.”

The men were shocked and then someone turned the lights on. They knew John saw who
they were to be working for and he did not want it. “This is not the first time this has
happened with that woman. We will just leave and let you handle it tomorrow.”

Once John returned to the table Dana saw his smile. “That was smooth and very polite
John.”

“They were following orders and felt they were in the right. Now here is a Visa check
card for you to use as needed. You will pay for everything with it and I mean everything.
That will cover gas, food, clothing, motels and any other expenses. Get a couple
thousand out of the bank in cash for when it is needed and keep it on you. You can
withdraw $1,000 a day in cash.”

Dana just looked at John. “You understand the access you just handed me?”

“Look I just hired you and said I trust you at a basic level right now. I can see any card
spending as it happens online. Once you get me home I’ll give you a copy of your
employment agreement after you read and sign it. It sets your minimum income and
provides you with directions for spending. Your entire job is spelled out and clearly, so
there are no misunderstandings. As a part of the deal I will provide Kelly with a trust
fund for her to draw from someday. But that will only be in gold and sliver coins. That
is not in the agreement, but I'll add it if you wish for it to be in writing?”

“I appreciate your offer for Kelly, but that is not required, John.”

“Dana, her time has value the same as yours does. She brightens up my world and that is
worth a lot to me. So for me it is something important.”

They walked out of the restaurant and all were smiling. Once at John’s he got her to read
and sign her agreement. Then she gave him back his copy. “OK now I am employed for
at least a year. So I'll see you in the early afternoon. That is if the dealer gets off his tail
and gets the car to me.”

After Dana and Kelly left he called the dealer and made sure they were ready to deliver
the car when called. He dropped the law firms managing partner an e-mail and asked to
see him in the afternoon that next day. Then read the news on the direction the world was
heading on an economic front. That was not good and there was no way any politician
was going to make it better.
The U.S. was fast becoming a very socialist country in many ways. But giving money
away did not improve the economy. That was built on jobs, and jobs came from
company investments. From what he could see there was no way the country would last
longer than a year or two at best. Government was doing its job of destroying what built
the nation.

John headed to bed and to sleep quickly. The next morning after a small breakfast he
packed a bag with enough clothing for a week and knew he could buy more as needed.
Money for sure was no problem, as after taxes he would still have well over fifty million
dollars. But it frosted him that the federal and state governments got around thirty eight
million just for existing.

At twelve thirty Dana showed up with her smiling face. “They did show up this morning
and dropped off the car for me. That was the first shock. Second, Ms. Williams called
me and told me I was to say nothing about our conversation. I told her that when asked I
had already told you about it.”

“Don’t be concerned at all about her. I e-mailed her boss for a meeting today and I am
sure he talked with her. Once I am done she will not be involved with us in any way.
People get one strike when starting to build a trust factor with me based on money, and
she blew her's when she agreed to one thing and did another.”

Kelly had been sitting in the back seat doing her schoolwork. “Hi John. I'm getting my
work done online and this is better than sitting in a boring classroom. I will get to be
computer schooled the rest of this year.”

“You will be very much into computer schooling if you and Mommy stay with me. I will
have classes for you each year based on your abilities. Grades are fine for average
students, but they tend to hurt very bright ones. So you may be at different levels in
different subjects.”

“That sounds cool. I'm doing work one grade ahead of my age now. But it is easy and I
really don’t have to work hard to make A’s.”

They pulled up to the attorney’s offices and John got out. “Dana, you two stay here
please I will not be but a few minutes.”

John came back to the car after less then ten minutes. “OK, head towards the mountains
now. I have two pieces of land to look at and we will have to do some major outfitting
for these. So Waynesville is the best town close by to find rooms for tonight. I'm sure
Ashville will be far too busy.”

Dana used the cars built in communications system to set up rooms for them. The
directions came up on the screen for her to follow. So they got to the motel quickly
without getting lost.
Over the next few days a lot of land was looked at and turned down. Finally John found
an auction of a coal company and its lands in Southwest Virginia. It was not far from
Grundy Virginia and well into the mountains. The land area was over twenty thousand
acres, but it was the coal below ground that had in the past had value. Now it had little
value due to the government's actions.

Dana, Kelly and John looked over the land and knew this would be a place that could be
defended. There was just one road in and out so traffic would be no problem. The town
had been owned by the mine and for the ten million purchase price it now belonged to
John.

They sat in the old owner's house and looked over the small town. The company had
built a small landing strip just outside of town and it would handle up to twin engine
aircraft. It had none now, but that could be fixed. But it did have underground fuel
storage. The town also had three filling stations and one fuel dealer. In all there was a
base here for starting what he was looking to do.

The company he had set up in North Carolina bought the mine property. It then quickly
dropped all mining permits for coal, in trade for an agreement not to hold the new
company liable for any environmental problems. Now John first set up a mining group to
cut into the mountains and build storage rooms. Second was to buy four large wind
turbines and start getting them erected and hooked into the electric grid.

John flew down to Norfolk and started hiring security and engineering personnel as the
Navy was reducing their force. He had been able to hire fifty three Navy Seals as
security and twenty Seabees to run construction. The Seals were charged with obtaining
enough weapons and ammunition for a six hundred person force and the construction
people getting the equipment needed to do any construction job. This was going to be a
long term project and he needed to get off the mark fast.

The Navy people he hired believed just as John did and wanted someplace safe for their
families. Commander Dave Weathers was the senior Seal and took command of the
security force. Because John owned the town Dave took over as Police Chief for now.

The laying out of farming areas and places to grow livestock were at the top of a list of
many projects. The construction was in two areas. One was the power production and
building of secure storage rooms in the mountains. The other was for future needs for
food, meat and fuel. But with three valleys belonging to the company there was room.
The bank here belonged to John’s company and all funds left were moved into it. So
control was getting tighter.

The armored car pulled up in front of the bank and unloaded the gold and silver coins he
had purchased. When the truck left John had them moved to one of the vaults in the
mountainside. He now had six of these and had started buying dehydrated food supplies
to fill in where needed. But here the rooms could be drawn down to zero oxygen and
inert gasses used to keep the food safe for a long time.
The summer has passed quickly and now fall was here.

“John what are your plans now for the coming winter?” Dana was in her 'I want' mode.

“Well the way I see it now we stay here in this house for the winter. Our new home will
not be done before spring. We just had so much to do before we lost the warm period.
Inside the mountain it doesn't care if it is ninety above or below outside. The temp stays
the same inside. So people will be working all winter on the different areas inside it. The
first that must be completed is the computer room and living area. I have servers and
mainframe super computers to install now. They all need to be checked out as some need
repairs, but I need the computer hardware and software people to run them.”

Now Dana smiled at John. “I have two very good friends who are major hackers.
Neither have ever been caught and are not into stealing from anyone. But there are a lot
of people looking for them. They are good with both hardware and software, so you
might want to talk with them?”

He spent the next three hours explaining what he wanted to do. “Now you go interview
them and see if they are what we need. If so offer them a job and safety for them to work
from. I bought a satellite for us to work from which cuts out anyone knowing where we
are. The company that owned is was broke and sold it cheaply. We are always connected
to it and cannot be traced.”

“What did we need it for?” Dana was curious now.

“To assure us communications later, as that will be gone for most places.”

“Your see a major disruption of all industry don’t you?”

“Yes and of almost all government services. Things are going to be very bleak over
much of the world. This is a global disaster and a man made one as well. It took poor
planning by government, poor judgment by consumers and lots of greed to bring this
about. But spending by government without having money made these things happen.”

Dana had learned much from John and she saw how this happened. Not being able to pay
off the national debt was going to bring the government down. The Arab world was
going to cut off oil supplies and China was going to stop selling to the U.S. except for
gold and silver. That meant a loss of the ability to survive, as much of the industrial base
had already left for other countries. The U.S. just did not have many of the needed basic
industries any more.

The state governments would also fail as the taxes they needed to survive were going to
disappear. This would eventually trickle down to the smallest government body. Now
what John was building was a small government body where it acted like a large one.
But it was backed by gold and sliver money. He had bought over 25 million dollars in
coins and 5 million dollars in bars for the bank. He had millions in food, computers, the
satellite, land, buildings and equipment. The investment had been heavy and fast by any
standard.

The final steps to be taken were started now.

Chapter 3

The plans were slowly coming together and things were looking up. Dana had gotten the
two hackers from Durham that was setting up the computer area. They had gone nuts
over the amount of equipment and where I wanted to go with it. We had the ability to
build a storage area where most of today’s knowledge and information could be held long
term. They were free to hack into any system and copy the data. But they could do no
damage to it.

I was reading a report Jimmy and Tommy had done on how best to store and retrieve the
data we were accumulating. They had been cutting out the fluff and junk and just
keeping the solid information. If it could not be proven it was just theory and not fact.
Fact was stored one place and theory another. The databases were different and easy to
search this way. We had every news group stored going as far back as the largest system
on the net. That would just get added to each day until things fell apart. But some day it
would be fun to go back looking at all the groups and postings made.

Dana walked up behind me and started to rub my neck and shoulders.

“Lady I’ll give you about ten years to stop that.”

“Is that all I get? The way your muscles feel it could take a lot longer to get the knots
out. Why haven’t you said anything?”

“Sit down a minute and let me say a few things.” Dana sat at the table looking directly
into John’s eyes.

“First of all you're my friend and someone I trust completely to discuss anything. I have
no right to expect you to be my nurse, maid or servant in any way. Matter of fact I see
you more as a daughter or may be really a granddaughter at my age. You're beautiful,
sexy as hell and deserve a life of your own without limits being placed on you. Now that
is just how I see things and it worries me for your future.”

Dana took her time deciding how to reply to this. “John, I have never known a man since
my dad that I care for more than I do you. Kelly is in love with you and would never
leave your side. So you're just going to have to get used to us hanging on to you. We
both want your attention and love.”

This comment just floored him. He was not sure just how to take it and did not dare ask
right now. The fear was she meant just what she had said and he found that scared him.
He was past the games playing days and relationships not built on unconditional love.
But for him to have any attachment beyond where he was now just did not make sense.

“Look, the two of you are all the family I have now. So just let me adjust to that for
now.”
They walked to the white board mounted on the wall. It was a large one like would be
used in a school in place of a black board. Listed there was the income to the company,
expenses being paid out and purchases being made on one part. In the middle was a tree
shaped form that showed what would be needed to survive and grow. This was in colors
as to what was covered, being handled and what needed action. It looked like confusion,
but really was a visual plan.

“Dana, you need to see how near the hydroponic areas are to being ready. They should
be close to having the fiber optic cables in place to provide sunlight for the plants. The
lenses we have should do fine to assure good growing light and the back up grow lights
should make up for days of little or no sun. Please also check the area where soil is being
placed for trees and bushes not grown in the U.S.”

“I love walking through those growing areas. With the miners we have the areas are
really large and very different for me. But people seem happy with the way things are
going. Once we took over only eighty two families have left the company. They have all
been replaced with the Navy people coming in.” Dana did love the below ground areas.

“Just check out how it looks compared to your last visit. We will need some food from it
this year to be able to employ people and prove it out. What is over produced we will
freeze dry for later use. But the growing area must be sealed pretty tight, so we don’t
lose too much moisture. Check the make up air to be sure we are keeping the CO2 levels
where they need to be.” John knew he had a limited time to get the things he needed,
before they were not available.

Dana headed to the food production area a good half mile below ground. The way it had
been designed it was a set of concrete pools about 30” deep. Each pool could handle two
large floating trays for food across the pool with 2,000 smaller containers per tray. With
fifteen pools running most production could be handled for the town. It would be added
to as needed, but for now it was way ahead of the industry.

The growing area for trees, bushes and planted food was very close to ready. The soil
needed now was down here. Planting was being done and the sprinkler system was
working for watering. Right now the grow lights were being used. The holes running to
the surface allowed her to see the light where sunlight would be piped down here. The
soil growing area was much larger now than she remembered it to be. She must have
walked a mile just looking it over. There were columns holding the rock ceiling up and
between them always a hole going to the surface to bring light down.

The underground area was a world unto itself. The top couple hundred feet are around 55
F, after that it starts increasing about 1 F per 100 feet. So at 2500 feet the temp was close
to 78 degrees here. That was great growing temp for almost any thing and it stayed the
same 24/7 all year. So there were many levels of storage, food production and shops
being built into the mountains owned by the company. The design of several laser cutting
robots helped cut out many rooms. A few places caves were below ground and just
needed roof bolts and grouting to make them safe.

But they always connected the rooms and levels with walkways and elevators. None of
the coal areas were used and no areas were above or below where shafts existed. Safety
was always a major concern. It was almost certain that one day the coal would be needed
to make a fuel substitute but that could be worked on later as it was needed. So that area
was left connected to the system, with sealed doors to stop any gas from leaking into the
other tunnels.

John was still working when Dave came into the office. “Well boss, we have the area
pretty well buttoned up. We will know if a human is five miles away with any vehicle on
the road and fifteen miles over land. There is a good set up of video cameras in the four
valleys we own with both day and night vision capabilities. This will cover anything
moving in them from all angles. I have set up command posts for each valley and the
team there has set up to control their area.”

“Is there any thing you need long term to be able to defend this area?”

“Yes, but it is all aircraft now.”

“Can you get what you need and how much are we talking about?”

“I have a deal set up to get exactly what we need. All the craft are considered junk and
we just need to drive in and pick them up. The aircraft are broken down and engines
boxed. It will take about thirty semi loads to get the full package here. That includes
thirteen trailer loads of ammunition, extra engines and electronics. Then we need to use
the same trailers to move the defensive systems here. Out total cost are scrap values of
two hundred thousand dollars.”

“I assume I don’t want to know how you did this?”

“Nope you really don’t want to know that. But I will have a bill of sale on the scrap for
the company and it is all legal and above board that way. I have hired six more men and
two women that will be coming to set all this stuff up here. They are building
underground hangers for both the fixed wing and rotary aircraft now.”

“I assume those large stone buildings going up are from the underground facility?”

“It seemed like a good use of the materials when we started. It does give people a nice
target for any bunker busters. If someone attacked them we would not be hurt in any
way. The fixed wing hanger is in the mountainside and the rotary is below ground in
another valley. Putting both here at the strip seemed to be tempting fate.”

John liked what he had heard so far. “What are the defensive systems?”
“Those will make us money. They are older missile launchers and the missiles for them.
We have contracted to remove them and scrap them. We will be paid four thousand a
missile for its destruction and five thousand to remove each of the launchers. The total
pay off is just over $840,000 for that job. With the electronics and guidance systems I
bought we should break even on rebuilding them and installing the equipment here.”
Dave was very pleased with himself.

“Well you have earned your pay with that. Now what about pilots for the aircraft?”

“That I have covered as well. We will have four fixed wing and eight rotary pilots with
maintence people for both types of craft. I also have the defensive systems people for
that equipment as well. The full number of security people will be right at one hundred
fifty. The people living in our four valleys are just over thirty eight hundred and that
gives us right at eight hundred additional men if needed to defend the area. It would take
a good size army to take these valleys.”

It seemed Dave had done his job well. But fuel was going to be the major problem now.
“We need more fuel stored to be able to use the craft long term.”

“I have two tankers bringing fuel from the Bluefield, WV rail yards and we have enough
storage for about five years of normal flying. The military has purchased a few extra tens
of millions of gallons jet fuel. We are a storage site for a small part of that. But it will
keep us well supplied once things fall apart. But that seems to be running at a slow
speed.”

John smiled at David and knew he just did not understand. “Look, the binder in the glue
that holds any country together is a belief in itself. Over the years since WW II
Americans have gone from a strong faith in our country and leadership to little faith.
Politicians are today seen as untrustworthy, crooked, untruthful and that just keeps
slipping. In place of doing what’s best for everyone, they tend to just do what they want.
Trust is fragile and right now it is broken. But money runs the government. It must run
out of that to fall.”

David saw the way John was looking at this. “But they can print money forever.”

“True, but it must have value to be used. Before Hitler and WW II, in Germany it took a
wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread. The real worth in the dollar is being
eaten away by spending money and just adding it to the debt. Once the debt is high
enough the country fails, as the debt becomes worthless. We buy most of our oil from
other countries, much of the non-food items sold in stores are made outside the USA. So
setting a date for a failure is not possible. But right now you have states cutting their
budgets and raising taxes to stay solvent.”

Dave, “Economics was never something I had any interest in. But now I see how many
different ways things are tied together. So we have built a house of cards and some day
one will be taken out that brings it all down?”
“That pretty much says it all. No one knows what that final card will be that causes the
collapse? But everyone with eyes sees the weakness. Most people tend not to think about
the problems until they have to face them. Then they have no idea how to solve them. If
their family is hungry, cold and there is no food available what do they do then?”

David saw things in his mind he did not like. “I now fully understand the preparations
your making. Before it was just a mental game and now it is a nightmare I don’t want to
see. But you're saying the entire world is going to see this?”

“The economy is a global thing. But the developed nations are the ones that will pay the
price. A desert nomad will live the same ten years from now as he does today. The world
for them will not change at all. But with the environmental change demands, loss of an
economy, jobs disappearing and the inability to feed their families, many will die in
developed countries.”

David sat back and considered this statement. “I see a lot of what your saying. But
Global Warming is a problem.”

“David, when did that condition start?”

“In the period where we have been burning coal and using carbon based fuels.”

John chuckled at this response. “I hate to tell you this, but it started at the end of the last
ice age. The weather has been changing and getting warmer. Once it hits a point it will
get colder I would think and start another ice age. Did man speed it up some? I am sure
we did and have no idea how much. But burning rain forests, forest fires, volcanoes
erupting, solar storms and many other things have also impacted it. That issue has
become a way to reduce the economy of developed nations and increase the economy of
poor ones.”

Now David really looked confused. “I am not following you?”

“Every step taken has or will weaken the economy of any developed country right?”

He considered this. “Yes.”

“So only poor undeveloped countries would have the ability to offer zero regulation of
gasses to industry right?”

“I see where you’re headed now. Yes they could allow industry to come and do as they
wish. So you see industry leaving developed countries and going to undeveloped?”

“Not really as they just don’t have the trained workforce. But it is one more card pulled
from the house of cards. The people wanting to restructure the world just don’t see the
disaster they are creating. Their vision is far to short for them to see anything but what
they believe.” John was teaching a class. He had not seen Kelly slip in and take a seat
and just watch and listen.

David just was lost in many thoughts running through his mind. “I can see how these
changes would destroy America. Is there no way to fix this?”

“I don’t think so David. People have lost faith and are following someone else’s plan
now. The politicians have stared to feel they have the answers for every problem. If we
keep moving the direction we are it will fall fairly fast.”

“I have never seen any sign of political leanings in you. Why?”

“Maybe because I am neither republican or democrat. If anything I am a centralist. The

best thing we could do is rebuilding America’s values. That would require cutting out
many programs that now exist. Cutting taxes at federal levels and allowing state
government to handle more of its peoples' governing. Dumping the IRS and setting up a
federal flat tax. Pulling all military personnel and equipment back home. Closing
overseas bases and developing a closer relationship with Canada and Mexico would help
a lot. Then let the rest of the world find its own way.”

This was a complete shock to David. “That is a very different view.”

“I am sure it is. But it is today a realistic one. This country cannot be the policeman for
the world. That is unless they want to pay us to do that?”

“What about the UN?”

“They have been a failure so far. So ask them to move elsewhere. We would just drop
out and let them do as they wish some place else.”

Now David saw a lot of reason in these steps. “It should happen, but it won’t.”

“David, the world needs us far more than we need the world. Our problem is the political
elitist.”

Kelly was pleased with what she heard John say. It made sense to even her. “John, I
understood what you said all but the elitist word?”

“It is someone who believes in rule by an elite group. May be I should say a special
group who all believe the same thing?”

“You said rule? Like a king or something?”

John had to laugh and David did as well. “Yes pumpkin, they feel anyone who does not
believe what they do is of no value and should be stopped from speaking.”
Now Kelly cocked her head to the side and considered this. “But we have free speech
here.”

“Not if they had their way, we wouldn't.”

David saw just how Kelly was talking with John. Her smarts were showing big time
now.

“OK then, how did they get elected if they believe that?”

“If you never say what you believe then no one knows do they?”

“I would think they were asked what they believed?”

“In that case they would lie and never show their true beliefs.” John tried to keep this as
simple as he could.

David saw now he has missed a lot in listening to politicians. “Kelly, I have heard them
lie and never questioned it. They say one thing and vote another way. But this
conversation has opened my eyes more than ever before.”

Kelly looked a David in a funny way at first. “How could you still be learning?”

He laughed at this. “Kelly, everyone who is intelligent learns forever. No one has all the
facts, knowledge or ability to store all knowledge. So learning is a life long event.”

She was pleased that it was not just her doing the learning. “John, how do we run things
here once it is all built?”

“Well dear it is going to be a little different that our current government. But we'll have a
group of us who make the decisions for the community. Here I own the land, company
and hire the people. So if they disagree they can leave. We are not a country here and for
now we are part of the USA. I have not come up with any plans for later on just yet.”

David thanked John and left the office.

“Little lady what can I do for you?”

Kelly walked over crawled into his lap and just snuggled into his chest. “Just hold me
John. I need to feel loved.”

That brought tears to his eyes. “Little one you’re always loved by me.” He bent down
and kissed her head.

She just melted into him and felt so good. “I need some time like this every day. You tell
me you love me, but I really need to feel it.”
Dana had heard Kelly’s comments and went to fix dinner. She was smiling at her
daughter’s ability to wrap John around her finger. Kelly at 7 and almost 8 was smarter
than most girls of 13 or 14. She did need to feel John’s arms around her to complete her
world. But she was able to handle things mentally most adults could not.

“Pumpkin, how about us taking a walk?”

Kelly loved the walks with John. She jumped up and grabbed his hand. “OK lets go and
enjoy the weather. But slip a jacket on as it is getting cool out there.”

They walked down the hill and through the town. A lot of people spoke to John and she
loved the way people treated him. They seemed very happy with the changes and life
here now. She knew nothing of life before she came here, but people seemed to indicate
it was really bad.

Once back home they cleaned up and all sat down to eat dinner.

“Dana I just can’t believe the food you keep putting in front of me. You should have
owned a restaurant before me.”

This pleased her and she blushed. “I cooked for dad and he was the one I learned to cook
for. But it pleases me so much that you enjoy it.”

He knew he had to ask her. “Dear I am still worried about your life that is being wasted
being around me. “

Kelly was now shaking her head. “John, for as smart as you are there are times you're
dumb.”

That caused both adults eyes to open wide. John was the first to respond. “Would you
care to explain?”

Kelly just smiled at him. “Mommy has fallen in love with you, silly. It happened the
very first time she met you. I've never seen her so happy as after she came home from
meeting you.”

“Kelly, I am way too old for Mommy.”

“By whose rules? Is this you being an elitist?”

That sat John back on his heels. “It's not normal for old men to take very young wives,
Kelly.”
She smiled, as she knew she was winning now. “John, normal is not what you, mommy
or this community is. Once things fall apart no one knows how long they have. So it
seems people should take what they can and do it now?”

The logic from this little girl floored him. He looked at Dana and saw her smiling at
Kelly. “I seem to be the minority here. So Dana we will discuss your feelings after
dinner and make some decisions from there.”

The rest of dinner was silent and much thinking was happening. After they finished John
retired to his room and a hot shower to get the stress out of his shoulders.

Dana had Kelly helping her. “Mom, just be honest with John. All he can say is no, and
that puts us back where we are right now.”

They had loaded the dishwasher and now were storing the packaged leftover food. “I'm
just scared that he will say no, honey.”

“Just don’t accept it, Mom.”

That idea had never crossed Dana’s mind. “What do you mean, don’t accept it?”

Kelly considered how to say this. “If he says no, just sit on his lap and kiss him. If he
says no again then go further. But don’t accept no as the answer. You could do this
without thinking with any other man.”

Dana just looked at Kelly. “Are you sure your just 7 and almost 8? Living with you
makes me feel really dumb at times.”

Kelly knew what Mom’s problem was. “Look Mom, he is never going to toss you or me
out. So quit being scared he will. He just needs you to be honest with him and not let
him make the wrong decision.”

“God, you sound like Dad and John both.” Dana was still scared to death.

But she headed to her room, showered, and got ready to sit down with John. Many small
decisions were made and she used no make up. But she also did not wear a lot of
clothing either.

John was drinking coffee when she walked into his room. “I hope there is some for me?”

He smiled and poured a cup for her. “OK we need to get some things straight before we
start. I have placed all past decisions in reserve. So you're not starting with any already
made decision to over come.”

“Thank you.”
“I am 67 and my health is less than good. No, I am not under any death sentence, but I
do have many problems.

Dana now had heard his worries and they did not worry her. “Dad built back before my
time a new technology. It was something he developed slowly as others made advances.
When I was 10 Dad found out he had cancer and they gave him 6 months to live. His
technology kept him alive until two years ago. His big break through was when nano
technology came into being. But his cancer was far beyond even that ability to save
himself.”

This was interesting and yet, “I am not seeing where you’re headed?”

“I moved that equipment and the production equipment up here three months ago.
During the time I read Dad's notes and books and have built a batch of the latest formula
he had. It has been tested on animals so far and it does work. At least it works on them.
It has not been tested on a human yet, but Dad was sure it would solve anybody's
problems.”

John considered this and it did interest him. “I’ll keep that in the back of my mind,
Dana.”

“So the problems your talking about may all be solvable. But even if there not, I want a
relationship with you.”

This hit John hard. “Dana, I don’t wish to disappoint you. But it would not be much of a
relationship for you.”

“If it were my choice that's all I ask. I will take any relationship be it good or bad.” Now
tears were running down her beautiful face.

John just could not sit there, so he got up walked over and sat then he held her. She just
melted into him and it did feel good to have a woman against his body. But he was being
very careful not to do anything wrong. He did not want her upset with him.

Once things calmed down she looked at him. “Don’t look so worried I am not going to
fall to pieces or get mad. I liked your holding me and it felt so good to me. John, I just
want to be your woman and it is that simple.”

He looking into her eyes could see she was being honest with him. “My dear Dana, I just
don’t see how you benefit from this?”

“Why do you have to see it?”

Now he really had a question to try to answer. “I guess honesty is the best way to answer
that. It would end my life, so I never want to lose your or Kelly’s company. It would be
so easy for a man to really upset a young lady and have her get angry enough to walk
away. I’m not willing to cause you to get that angry with me. Due to that I walk a very
thin line the way I see things. For me just having you in the same room makes me feel
good.”

Dana hugged him and kissed him on the lips. You could see the shock on John’s face.
“Dana, I hope I’m not dreaming right now?”
Chapter 4

It was an eventful time for Dana and John after he knew she loved him and wanted him.

“Let me explain just what I believe, my dear. It is called unconditional love. If I do

something for you it is done with no expectation of any return. That was given to you
without conditions. Far too many people expect to be repaid for everything they do or
give to another person.”

This he could see caused confusion to her. “I'm not seeing what you’re talking about?”

“If you look at all the people you have known, did any of them do things without
expecting something back?”

Now Dana was searching her memory. “Well, Daddy never expected anything back, but I
can’t think of another.”

“Most people say they love, but it is themselves they really love. That they hide from
everyone around them. In life there are givers and takers. Then people who give and
take both. But there are a few who just give and never expect anything back. Anything
that comes back is something given to them as a gift. It was never expected or even
considered by them as due to them. That small group is considered unconditional lovers
or humans. They will give forever and never expect any return.”

Dana saw how John was very much like that with everyone. “How does it work for
you?”

“I am never disappointed, as I did the best I could and expected nothing coming back. If
someone does something for me, or gives me anything, then it is truly a gift. For sure it
was not expected.”

Now Dana’s mind was going millions of miles per hour. “Having just one person
providing unconditional love in a relationship would cause failure as some point. A taker
would just suck the giver dry at some point.”

“That does happen often to givers. But unconditional love can only work between two
who believe the same thing. If both are always giving to the other both have a great life.
It is so much fun to see the pleasure on the others face.”

Now she knew why he was looking so pleased, as he watched her just a short time ago.
“This is all kind of new to me, so your going to have to help me understand, John?”

“Do you have any idea of how much pleasure your giving me right now?”

She was doing nothing and just talking with him. “That I really don’t understand?”
“I get to lay here with a gorgeous woman beside me and look at her beautiful body. That
is a gift and I am enjoying it a lot. We are talking about things that are important to me
and you're involved. We are together in my bed and that is a gift to me as well.” He
moved and kissed her with passion now.

She looked at him and into his eyes. “You do know I am never leaving this bed as long
as you're in it, don’t you? Once I looked into your eyes I saw a love that never before
had I seen. The whole thing was way beyond anyone’s ability to describe accurately.”
She had just smiled at him the whole time.

With the covers pulled over them the two went to sleep holding each other. It was a very
peaceful night and both slept deeply.

They had breakfast and Kelly saw things were very different between Mom and John.
“OK guys, I know I’m not 8 yet and so I’m not very smart. But things are very different
today.”

Dana spoke first. “We have come to an understanding that we do love each other. I'm all
for it and John is still adjusting to it. It might be possible that one day I can catch him
when he is weak and get him to marry me! If so you would have a Daddy and not an
unknown on your birth certificate.”

Kelly cocked her head and looked at John. “Would you consider being my Daddy, John?
I've always wanted a Daddy like other kids have.”

She had asked and supported her request in a way he could never reject. “In most ways
you're my daughter now Kelly.”

“That may be true, but I want it on paper and legal.”

Dana was enjoying the help Kelly was providing. “Thanks for the help daughter, but you
have classes now.”

Once Kelly left John just had to ask. “What happened to her father?”

Dana hung her head and started to cry. John could not handle this, so he came over and
held her.

“I have no idea who her father is. It seems I was raped by a group of boys and left naked
in the woods. Dad found me bleeding to death and got me medical help. To be
completely honest, I have never wanted to be touched or held by a man, before you came
into my life. So I will tell you something no one but Kelly knows. I never even dated
anyone or allow any male to get close to me.”

“That is why the black belts?”

“Yes and no. The yes is I was looking to be able to protect myself. The no is I really
liked it and became very good at it.”

“I assume they never found the boys?”

Dana now knew she had to be honest. “Dad found them all and none will ever father
another child. He told me just before he died. That was also when he told me completely
about his discovery of the nano technology.”

“You have mentioned that twice now. What is it?”

“Dad was a genetic scientist. He was brilliant and wanted nothing to do with the genetics
labs or pharmaceutical industry. So he had a small lab in our basement. He sold three
different new drugs for cash and financed his research with that. The three had made him
seven million after taxes, when that was a lot of money. He invested it and used just the
profits for his work. When he was told he had cancer and just 6 months to live he got to
work. I was just 10 at that time and was scared to death I was going to lose Dad.” Her
tears were flowing once more.

Then she got it back under control. “He started to work with ways to change cells that
are bad or not functioning. In three months he had his first step in the process and tried it
on himself. That stopped the growth rate by a lot. So he really went to work and made
even more headway. He took that injection as well and it stopped the cancer where it
was. So he lived a lot longer and finally developed his life formula. He believed it
would possibly double the length of a humans life?”

“That is very interesting. You said you had done animal tests?”

“Yes, I have taken several very old primates and turned them into young ones. Not into
babies or even adolescent apes. But into say early twenties for a human. They did get
younger, body wise, organ wise and mentally.”

John considered this for sometime. “What is the negative side to this?”

“From what I know and have seen there is no down side. The worst case had one very
sick male ape that should have died within 24 hours that lived several weeks.”

“How many shots did this take?”

“Just one shot and then you follow the blood tests. Dad built a scanner that is
computerized and can identify every abnormal thing inside a human. Once you're
scanned it will slowly start a report on you. But with its chip capacity it is slow.”
“Have Jimmy and Tommy hook the CRAY into your machine. It should help do the scan
reports quickly. Just that could save lives here. We may want to scan everyone before
we are done. If this works well it could become the first doctor anyone sees.”

Dana could see how the scans could help everyone. “I’ll get with them this morning.
But I want you to have a scan, so we can test it with what we know about your medical
history.”

That seemed smart. “Call me when you're ready and I’ll come down.”

John went to his office and worked that morning on several items to clear up for David
and some purchases to make for the future. The morning flew by for him, as he was just
so relaxed. When Dana walked in with a tray of food and coffee for him he was
surprised.

“I thank you for caring about my blood sugar. By now it is most likely pretty low.”

“The boys are recompiling the program to run on the CRAY faster and we have a scan
that was run of one of the miners. It is a test scan and we are looking to get english back
when checked. The first run came out with God knows what language? They think we
can get back in minutes what took the old computer hours to days.”

“Then it is in your hands, dear. I have about an hours work and then I'll come down and
look at your setup.”

Dana got up and hugged and kissed John. “I really like doing that.”

He just smiled at her. “I like your doing that also, dear.” Then he smacked her butt
gently.

She wiggled her butt at him as she left the room. It was a great day for her and she felt
liberated.

For John it was nice to see her so free and open. It was not something he had seen
before.

The work went quickly and Kelly came in and sat on his lap. She looked at him for a
time. “Will you really become my real Daddy?”

Here John saw real worry and some fear. “Little one I would do that any way I could.
Your very important to me and a part of my heart. But it also requires Mommy’s OK.”

He saw the confusion now. “But some times she hates me, John.”
He had to walk very carefully here. “I don’t think she has ever hated you. Your Mom is
a very complex lady, Kelly. Sometimes she is a very confused lady. She is just finding
out what love is all about. That is normally done at a much younger age.”

Kelly gave this some consideration and saw John’s point. “But she loved grandpa.”

“It is one thing to love a parent and another to love a man not related to you. A few
months ago she didn't know who I was. Last night she found out some of what love is all
about. We also talked for a long time, so she learned how I love unconditionally.”

Kelly understood this better than John knew. “You mean like you love me no matter how
good or bad I have been. You always give to me and do things to make me feel special.”

“I think you understand it very well.”

She smiled at John. “I try to do the same with you too.”

Once they had finished talking they walked to Dana’s area. She had asked for a room
fifty by fifty. It had needed 440 volt power, a desk, and library area. John had seen the
room just once before the lab had been moved. Now it looked like a chemical lab for any
drug company.

“Boy, I am glad you're here. We just got the CRAY handling the scans and it works great.
So first, Kelly, get on the scanner and lay down. I need to check your last scan with this
one.”

Kelly got on it and lay back and just looked at the ceiling. The table was long and looked
like glass. Now the ring of light was circular and ran down the table and back to the top.
Kelly got off and jumped into John’s arms.

The printer was spitting out pages very quickly. For Kelly there were sixteen pages of
data. “I have never seen this much data on Kelly before. So we may have a lot more
information using the bigger computer.”

She and the doc for the Seals, Sam Taylor, started going over the information. Sam was a
very good doctor. He had handled more wounds that should have killed, than any normal
emergency doctor. But this new tool had his full attention.

Sam looked at Kelly and smiled at her. “Young lady I had no idea your brain was using
over twenty percent of its ability. Most of us humans use ten percent or less of ours.”

Kelly just smiled at Sam. “Thank you for that answer Sam. Mom says I am 7 going on
14.”

“Well you're 7 in physical age, but your brain is well above even 14. I am sure that's
often difficult for you.”
“Not any more, as John treats me like I am an adult. He never talks down to me and will
discuss anything I want to know about. He told me if I did not want a complete answer
not to ask the question.”

Sam smiled at John. “You’re a good man John. Those are good rules for every father to
use. Damn shame they don’t have classes for fathers.”

“Do you have children, Sam?”

“Yes, but they don’t claim me or talk with me. I was gone too much and being a doctor
they felt I should have been home for them.”

“Sounds like your wife poisoned the well Sam.”

He laughed, “You see right through me don’t you?”

“It's not seeing through you, Sam. It's understanding how things happen in life. Your
description told me all I needed to know. Children would never stop trying to build a
relationship unless someone poisoned the well.”

“OK, let me consider what you just said. Get on the table and lets see just how bad off
you are.” Sam was ready and the table light started moving forward.

John felt odd getting on the table and finally laying down. He had been told to empty his
pockets, remove his belt, shoes and any metal jewelry he was wearing. Doc checked his
fly to be sure it was plastic in the zipper.

“This machine does not have any problem with plastics or cloth. It is just not seen. But
that metal plate with screws in your neck is going to cause a lot of notes. So just relax
and enjoy the rest.” Doc was very good at calming people and getting them to relax.

“How did Dana get you into working with her?”

“She let me read some of her Dads notebooks. That man was also very bright and
worked outside the box. He accepted nothing as fact unless he tried it and knew just what
was true.”

The light had run to his head and back to his feet. Then it started a second pass. So he
just waited to see how many would be run?

“OK John, your going to make the printers run for a time now. So you might as well go
ahead and get the things on your to-do list handled. Dana can bring you up to date on
your medical condition later tonight.” Sam went back to studying Kelly’s print out.
Kelly and John left the lab and went to check the new shipment being stored in one of the
vaults. It was MRE’s and freeze dried vegetables and meat that was being stored in
several vaults in the 4 valleys. The driver was one of David’s men, as no one from
outside was allowed to see the vaults.

David walked up and patted John on his shoulder. “We are close to having the food
needed for three years. Each valley has enough for the people there to survive, with zero
food produced here. As of now weapons are close to being done and our air force is
underground. So from my point of view, I am satisfied with where we are.”

“My one question David is, do we have enough personnel to defend these valleys?”

“That really depends on the basis of, against what?”

“I'm not worried about the country sending an army against us. But I am concerned
about the people in cities coming out to pillage and take what they can. Some will have
broken into armories and would be well armed. It is possible they could have tracked
vehicles or armored vehicles. So we have to know we could fight against that kind of
force.”

“Those have already been considered. The only real worry I have is if some fool decided
to drop nuclear weapons. But we are far enough from any hot spot I can’t see us being a
target. Would I like another hundred men? Hell yes I would. But are they really needed?
No not really, as long as the miners help us.”

That was a most interesting way of spelling it out. “I know we are never going to need
all the food we are storing. Our production will far out strip our needs and the stored
food is back up. But an old friend at Bragg contacted me. They just cut Special Forces
personnel by fifty percent. So he has 84 men and their families looking for jobs. All his
people have at least 7 years wearing that green beanie. Most have at least 14 years
experience. They all served time with him in Delta Force.”

“We have worked with many guys from Bragg and that is no problem. But they would
need to handle two valleys on their own. It also means we need some more housing for
families.”

“Not really David. I have the apartments built into the mountains almost ready. The
design was for four bedroom apartments and squad rooms below the apartments. If you
look every valley has one of these complexes in it. It allows for the military personnel
not to worry about families. It would take a direct hit with a nuclear bomb to get them.
The living areas have passageways to the vaults for food and other needs. Water is piped
from inside the mountain for drinking. Power is also underground and off the wind
turbines.”

Kelly had been following this. “It is really cool, David, the way it is set up. Each is like
a small village, and each have a school as well.”
“Go ahead and invite them, John.”

“Not my area David that is yours. So you talk with Colonel Carlton Rider and work it
out if you want to. Here is his phone number and times he would be available.”

“You do know he out ranks me don’t you?”

“He may in the military. But this is the real world and my company employs you. Here I
decide who is in command and if others don’t like it they may leave. So make that real
clear to the colonel. Any disruption to life here and they're gone.”

David could see the fire in John’s eyes. “Yes sir, it will be handled.”

“John, why did you come down so hard on David?” Kelly was confused with this.

“He questioned if he would be in command after I have told him that is his job. This is
not the Boy Scouts and I am not his mother. He has been given command and I expect
him to handle it himself.”

That sounded reasonable to her. “I can see that and why it got under your skin. But what
if the new guy is better than David?”

“What if your body was 14 and your mind 7?”

A big smile came to her face. “I get it now. What if proves nothing. So you sit back and
wait to see how things go.”

“Yes and no dear. I know just how good David is and I also know how good Carlton is.
Each has strengths the other does not have. But between the two they have no real
weaknesses. So knowing them the way I do David will have overall command and yet he
will listen to Carlton. David is the planner and Carlton is the battlefield leader. They will
make a great team.”

It was always interesting how John saw things. Kelly loved watching and learning from
him. She felt he was just so smart and he seemed to see inside people’s minds. But it
was even more than that. He never said a mean word to anyone, was willing to listen to
everyone and made large decisions only after much thought. His favorite quote was one
from a boss of his long ago, “I’ll never fire you for an error of commission, but you're
gone in a heartbeat for an error of omission.” He said the simple way to put it was: make
the damn decision!

Once John had made the decision where to spend the money he never looked back, it was
a done deal once made. So he just kept moving forward and finding holes and filling
them. It didn’t matter if he had ten hours, days, months or years, he was going to leave a
solid structure behind.
Chapter 5

As Thanksgiving approached John had been very secretive and had spent a lot of time in
his office. There was a large semi that pulled into town just the day before the holiday.
Of course Johnstown was a small village really. But it did have several different types of
shops, a courthouse, company clubhouse and park in the center of the so called business
district. Here there were no bars or places for men to hang out drinking. Beer and wine
could be bought at the grocery store, party store or gas stations coolers. But no hard
liquor was sold here at all. In Virginia it is in state liquor stores, as it is not sold any place
else.

John had met with David and Carlton early that afternoon. Kelly knew he was up to
something and she just had no idea what it was. He had taken one of the helicopters and
gone someplace just two days ago. She just wouldn't ask him and he didn't offer her any
answers. That night a truck from the security force drove to every home and dropped off
a turkey. In the apartments inside the mountain one was carried to every door.

Dana was surprised at the size of the bird. “I assume that the company some way has
done this?”

John smiled at her. “Yes my lady, every single home will have one of those as will the
bachelors food service area with three of them. There are fifteen unmarried men, as well
as six ladies here now and we keep them in one apartment area of small living quarters.
It has its own central kitchen and dinning area.”

“What did I see sitting outside the back door?”

John decided to have some fun. “I don’t have a clue what you saw, Dana. Kelly, why
don’t you go check it out and let me know?”

She was off like a shot and they could hear her scream. “John, it is a beautiful Christmas
tree.”

John tilted his head and looked at her. “What makes it so beautiful, dear?”

“It was never cut down and has a big ball of roots. The branches are all well shaped and
formed. I saw no places where there were holes that had to be filled.”

“That pretty well describes a beautiful tree. But is it tall enough to look good in the
house?”

“I could not reach the top without a ladder. It must be at least three times a tall as I am.”

“Well we will put it up in here tomorrow, darling, and after Christmas we'll plant it out
back. Each Christmas we'll have another tree and always plant it out back. One day you
will have a forest back there of Christmas trees. Each tree will tell a story for you that
will remind you of that Christmas.” John watched her eyes sparkle with that idea.

“That is so neat to think that many years from now, I will be able to go back and
remember each Christmas. But this tree deserves a special place as it is number one.”
Kelly was in a very thoughtful mood.

“Princess I’ll let you plan it and make those decisions. The Christmas forest is your
project.”

Kelly was just blown away that John had given her the responsibility for that. “Thank
you John as it means a lot to me.” She then was off to explore the space she would have
to plant her forest.

Dana came over and sat on John’s lap. “You’re a very special man. The base for
memories you have just planted in her head will last a lifetime. It is those kinds of things
I really miss most after dad. He just worked hard and did his best to protect me. But he
never gave me the mental things you give Kelly.”

John loved making Kelly feel good about herself. “Well Dana I need to ask you a
question now that I have not died from your shot. Matter of fact it seems to be working,
as I do feel a lot better now days. So considering whatever time I have left, would you be
willing to share that with me as my wife?”

Dana’s eyes flew open wide at this offer. “Oh yes and it will be far longer than you think,
my lover.”

A small box was pulled from John’s pocket and handed to Dana. As she opened it she
almost fell off his lap. It was an absolutely beautiful diamond engagement ring with a
good five caret stone in the center of many more stones. The tears were running down
her cheeks. “I hope that is joy and not hurt, Dana. I would hate to think I did anything
that hurt you.”

“It is pure joy and you would never hurt me or Kelly in any way. But understand one
thing John. The money had nothing to do with our feelings for you. It may have been
what brought us together but never was a factor in my feelings. Now when can we get
married?”

“That dear is your project. I will promise to be there when you direct me to. Now
tomorrow I am cooking Thanksgiving dinner for us. So you need to just stay out of my
kitchen.”

“I have never seen you so much as boil water. You think you can handle that?”
“There are many things that will surprise you dear as you spend more time with me. I am
a far better cook than most. So you will just have to take my word and risk it.” He
laughed and was enjoying Dana’s facial expressions.

The day went by quickly and the next morning John was busy in the kitchen. He had the
dressing made, the bird stuffed and it in the oven before Dana and Kelly even came down
for breakfast.

John had learned that the trick to good dressing was to stuff the bird with it hot. It also
started the bird cooking inside faster. Using the stock from boiling the giblets, adding the
onions with celery sautéed in butter, with chicken broth added during boiling them
always worked. He added it to a dry seasoned herb dressing mix. Then it went into the
bird at a good 160 degrees.

He was sitting and drinking coffee when the girls walked into the dinning room. “It's
about time you two got up. I have made the dressing, stuffed the bird and have it baking
now for a good twenty minutes.”

Kelly loved it when he teased them. “Well that is a Daddy's job so get used to it.”

John eyebrow went up looking like Sprock from the old TV series. “Just who told you
about someone being your Daddy?” That was said very serious.

“Mommy said you finally stopped being an old man and asked her to marry you. I
advised her she needed to wait and see if this was a real change or just an oddity.”

Now John was laughing so hard he was about to fall out of his chair. “Young lady you do
know how to turn my own words on me.”

Kelly just seemed to fly from where she was to John’s arms. “I love you so much and I
am so happy today. There is nothing I could ever have wanted more than what you and
Mommy just gave me.” She hugged John tightly and then she kissed him soundly.

Dana was happy also at how this was going. “Well, husband to be, are you going to feed
us?”

Kelly looked him directly in the eyes. “Can I work with you today please, Daddy?”

“Come on, we'll see if we can satisfy your pushy Mother.” The two walked into the
kitchen smiling.

The rolls had been baked while the dressing was being made. So there were several
kinds of sweet rolls and coffee. He had made cinnamon nut and dainish pastries. The
large plates were placed on the table and the coffee cup for Dana filled. He had brought
milk for Kelly.
Dana had never seen such beautiful looking rolls. “Who did you get to do this?”

“That hurts lady, as I was up at five this morning cooking for the two of you. You know I
never lie. I have prepared and will have cooked everything I serve to you. It may seem
odd but as I told you, I am a very good cook.”

Kelly’s eyes got really big when she bit into her cinnamon roll. “This is great Daddy.
Will you teach me how to do this?”

“Sweetheart I will teach you anything you wish to learn and I know how to do. If I don’t
know how I will find someone who does to teach you.”

He found his arms filled with an excited little girl. “Thank you so much. I've dreamed of
your being my real Daddy and now it's going to be true.”

Dana looked a little ashamed. “John, I am sorry I questioned you about your skills. It's
for sure you do have many I have no clue about. But these rolls are restaurant quality and
for a very good one at that.”

“I have owned two restaurants dear. Each when I bought it was losing money. When I
sold them they were making very good money. Cooking is something I did to relax and
clear my mind. So I am a very good chef and many people knew that from the
restaurants. I cooked five nights a week because it was fun and we were always busy on
those nights.”

Now Dana was shocked at John’s comments. “You were a real chef?”

“I guess seeing as I owned the restaurants as well. Don’t get the idea that I graduated
from some restaurant school. My grandmother taught me how to cook as she did that for
her mother. Her mom rented a hotel in Newport News, Virginia during the time of sailing
ships. She provided rooms and food to ship captains and officers. That was in early
1900’s and they had a French chef who taught grandmother.”

“That almost seem like it would be impossible for her to have lived then.”

John had to smile at this. “Well the big family secret is she had my Daddy when she was
13. She always said she and dad grew up together. Grandmother was born in 1898 in
Petersburg Virginia. Her mother had lived during the civil war.”

The history lesson was one that interested both girls. They had both sat and eaten while
listening to it. Dana was the first to speak. “I see you know a lot about your family.”

“Not really dear I just know a lot about the ones I cared about. Now how was your
breakfast? It seems you two have cleaned the plates out of food.”
The two girls looked shocked after seeing both plates were indeed empty. “I have never
eaten that much before.” Dana just shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it as there's a ton of air inside those rolls. I did fix over seven dozen
and the rest are in the freezer for later. Now if you ladies would please get out the
decorations and plan how to make this house look like it should for the holidays I’ll get to
work.”

The girls spent a lot of time decorating the house inside. They were having more fun
than either could remember. For both John was different in how he saw holidays than
grandpa or dad had been. He loved them and the happy times they created. So John’s
way was the way they wanted things to be.

They were called to the kitchen at 3 PM and told to load their plates. The girls could not
believe the food and how good it all looked.

“Daddy, I don’t know how to decide what I want.” Kelly was wide eyed right now.

“Well, try a spoon of everything that looks good, and then come back for more of what
you liked best.”

John had his plate and they went to the dinning room and enjoyed a fine meal. Kelly
went back several times for a little bit of this and that. Dana was impressed and knew he
was a better cook than she was now.

“I am not sure I can ever compete with you when it comes to cooking.”

“Love that is not a competition in any way. I enjoy cooking for holidays and that is what
I did. What you cook for Kelly and I is also enjoyed by us. There is no competition in
this area at all. Looking back I can’t remember a bad meal served by you to us.”

Kelly saw her mothers worry. “Mom get a grip and stop worrying about cooking.
Should John worry about not making the house look nice because we did it?”

That hit the right nerve and the laughter came quickly. “I get the point girl, and will work
on my security issue.”

After cleaning up they all walked into the living room and John saw the work that had
been done. He brought in the tree and placed it into a tub and then added sand around it
to stabilize it.

They decorated the tree and it took a couple of hours. So at 6 they took a walk down
close to the park in the center of town where there were many people.

The small gazebo was lighted and there was a microphone there with a set of speakers
and drums set up. It seemed like every family was here.
John told the girls to wait for him and he walked up on the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen
and all the younger ones as well. I will be brief but I do have a few things to say. First of
all most of us do enjoy the holidays. But that spirit really needs to always be with us.
Not just to be allowed out for a short time each year.” There was a lot of applause then.

“Far too often we as humans fail to do what is right. The coming times are going to test
our abilities to meet that goal. So let me state the priorities for all to hear. First of all,
your families come first. Second on your list are neighbors and friends. Third are those
who are wounded, sick and pose no threat to the first two. Children always fall into this
group without injury or sickness.” The applause was really loud now

“Once government starts to fail we'll see people coming to steal what we have, while
some will be looking for safety, and we must be able to know which group they fall into.
Children will always be offered protection here. But each of you needs to consider how
far you're willing to go. Adults will try to use children to gain access. Now, some of you
will be approached by old friends and those you have worked with. Before you come to
me and ask if they can come here, question if you’re willing to risk your family's safety
for them?” It was dead quiet now.

“I assure you not many will be allowed to move in here from now on. The ones coming
in will have skills we will need. Now please stop thinking about this for a time and enjoy
what has been prepared for you tonight.” John reached down and flipped a switch and
the entire town lit up with Christmas lights.

A group came up and instruments came out. One girl hugged John and said thanks. Then
she stood at the microphone. “We are part of the Fort Bragg group that moved in a
couple months ago. It is always nice to know who your booing.” She was laughing now
and people enjoyed her.

The group started up and she sang like none of them could believe. She had a voice that
should have been doing records. They did over fifteen Christmas carols and had the
whole group of people enjoying themselves.

Once Tammy was done she came over to John and Dana. “Lady your voice was
absolutely beautiful. Thank you for a great start to this holiday season.”

Tammy just beamed at John. “My daughter said you were the sweetest man she had ever
met.”

John was puzzled now. “When did we meet?”

“You went to school and were reading to her class. She was the one who crawled up on
your lap.”
He could remember the cute little black haired girl doing just that. “You tell that young
lady she has to watch out. Her eyes are the kind a male could drown in. Boys soon will
be chasing her and they could easily fall in.”

“She was right, your as sweet as she said. But right now I want to thank you for what
you're doing for all of us. What you said tonight had to be said and it was a very good
time to do that. People will be soon starting to regret they left here. But the question is,
can we trust them?”

“Tammy, I now know every person here, and I know the ones who left. Most were
single, heavy drinkers and had poor employment records. So they did me a favor by
leaving. I have hidden as much of our facility as I could. The only outward sign of
prosperity is the power generating done here. We are selling every volt we can generate
and are building more capacity. That has kept many from looking very hard at us. The
high wall along the road has also stopped many from looking here as they get the feeling
this is like a prison.”

Tammy was now almost rolling in the grass. “Man if a prison was only this good I’d
jump at being there.”

“Here is a deal I wanted to offer you and the band. If you would be willing to do a
couple of dances at the club over there a month, I’d be willing to pay extra for your time.
We need entertainment here, and a disk jockey, and a once a year talent contest is just not
going to do it.”

“Tammy considered this for a time. “We will gladly do that, but not for money, John. If
you're willing to put in a stage, lighting, sound system and come to them we will do it for
free. We have someone who can handle sound and one for lights.”

“Dana, that is your next job. Get with Tammy and see what she needs, and make it
happen for me.”

The way John had handled it was like any military leader, but without the bidding it was
nice. Dana set up a meeting for the next day and she, John, and Kelly walked to the
house.

Kelly just hung on to John and hugged his arm. He finally bent down and picked her up.
“Little one I am not going anyplace you're not. So why do you seem so worried?”

“It's not that I'm worried. I'm in love with my Daddy. You don’t know how nice it is to
have a Daddy. I had a grandpa once and loved him, but I've never had a real Daddy. It's
just so hard to explain to you.”

“Look at me, Kelly. I have had two daughters and loved them dearly. Once they married
they both just vanished from my life. So I am getting something very special to me as
well. I get a beautiful daughter who shows me she loves me. One I don’t think would
ever just walk away and leave me out of her life.”

Now he could see anger in her in her face. “Why did they do that?”

“Well, one I tried to help her and her husband. He really didn't want to work, so I fired
him and offered her the chance to stay with me. The other was a stepdaughter, but I
always treated her like my own. Her husband convinced her I cheated her out of money
when her mother died. We educated her and paid for a nice wedding for her. I gave her
money and helped them buy a house. But that was not enough.”

Dana was now mad as Kelly was. “You have been badly treated, John and now I
understand your not wanting family here makes sense”

“Just hold up ladies and get over the anger. There's nothing in a father daughter
relationship that says it has to last. It's not a marriage, and the daughter does not get to
pick the parent. So they have every right to change as they wish after they leave home.
Now here, Kelly has picked me and Dana has been cooperative in this decision. For
some reason I think Kelly and I will always be close.”

Kelly kissed me hard and looked me in my eyes. “We will always be close I promise
you.”

“It is time, Kelly, to go get your bath and get ready for bed. We have some things to do
tomorrow if you want to go with me?”

Dana enjoyed seeing the pleasure Kelly took from her and John’s relationship. It was a
very close one and meant a lot to her. It was like the sun rose and set with him in the
girl's eyes. But she felt the same way with him. He had never pushed her or did anything
that every made her the least bit uncomfortable. In fact she had been required to push
him into their relationship. Seeing herself as the aggressor was very different for her.

Sam Taylor and her were ready to rescan John next week. That first report scared her to
death. His physical condition was much worse than he even knew. But once the shot
was given things slowly started to improve. He even today looked a few years younger
than three weeks ago. But this was all new to her, and to Sam as well. They had no idea
what to expect and John was the first real test case. But things did look like her dad had
found the fountain of youth.

That next day after breakfast it was time to leave. Kelly and John went to the small
airport where a small Beech-Air twin was waiting for them, and the day was cold at this
elevation. They flew to Roanoke and landed at the city's airport. The Valley View Mall
was just across the road from the airport, and a major shopping point for a lot of SW
Virginia.

“Daddy, I've been good and not asked questions, but what are we doing?”
“Well, Christmas is coming up right?”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever shopped for your mother where money was no problem?”

“I have never had more than a few dollars to buy something for her.”

“Well sweetheart, you have no money limits today. That is, as long as the gift is
reasonable.”

Kelly was not sure what that meant. “What is reasonable, Daddy?”

“Well let's say you found a dress you liked and did not know her size. So you decided to
just buy them all and she could wear the one that fit.”

“That is not unreasonable Daddy, that is stupid. I know all moms sizes and what she
likes and does not like. But I also know what mom has always wanted. I am just not sure
they sell them here.”

“What is that, sugar?”

“She has always wanted a hot tub, and I mean a big one. We have room for one in the
basement back storage area.”

John considered it, and knew that they could build off this. “Here is what we will do for
mom. You get her a hot tub. I’ll supply a steam room and nice indoor swimming pool.
We will do ours smaller than the ones we build for the people in town. How is that?”

“Your going to build two pools?”

“I am going to build two recreation facilities. A smaller one for us, and a large one for
our people. We have that building at the end of the city square that a pool, hot tub, and
steam room would all fit in nicely. The school could use the pool for PE and teach the
kids how to swim. But it would be a nice place for people to have fun with the family
during cold weather.”

“I don’t understand why two facilities? Why don’t we use the big one?”

“Sugar in an organization like I have built I cannot get too close to the people. If I get to
close I lose their respect and I become someone they don’t look up to. The leader must
always have some space between them and their people. Now the military side is easy to
handle, as I am the General for them. The workers want someone to blame for problems
and troubles. That is always the boss, politicians or the President. So I can’t be a worker
or a security person as they all report to me. I make the decisions and that is final for
them.”

“That seems like a lonely way for someone to live.”

“If I didn’t have you and Mommy it would be for me. So for me to have them follow my
directions, I need to not associate too closely. I have agreed with Tammy that I would
attend dances. That I will do and you and mother will be with me.”

They did their shopping and John bought many items for the girls and others he needed
gifts for. Everything was to be shipped via UPS to the company. They had a nice lunch
together and went to the spa shop to buy the tubs and steam rooms. He got a pool
company to offer to work for an hourly rate to build the two pools. It was winter and
they for sure had no work coming soon. With the economy they might be out of business
by summer? The extra parts he wanted were sold for just 10% over cost.

They were back on the Beech-Air and taking off. “Well my dear what do you think about
flying?”

“I like it, but I wished I could do it myself.”

“When you turn 16 I’ll see you get the chance. But you have to get good grades for that
to happen.”

Once back to Johnstown they headed home. They were well ahead of Dana’s getting
home, and John took the time to read to Kelly. It was something she loved for him to do
with her. Then he needed to get back up to date.

John sat at his computer reading the news reports. It did not look good at all. Oil was up
again, treasuries were not doing well, and the dollar was having to be supported by
China. It was support it or lose billions on the currency they had now. But the federal
and state governments were spending far more than they could cover with taxes. This
was causing a lot of confusion with the public as they were being told things were getting
better. How could going further in debt be making things better?

He saw the way the world was having problems with economies, employment, and
finding ways to pay for it all. No developed country had a currency worth the paper's
value. It was coming close to each having to admit they were insolvent. The game of
hiding this was close to being over.

Looking at the way it was all coming into focus, he could see the potential for many wars
between countries. The major players he felt were going to be the EU, Russia, and
China. Here a lack of money was going to stop some of the aggression, but the early part
would be violent. The largest concern was the willingness to use nuclear weapons by
Russia or China. Neither country set a very high value on life. Both wanted power over
as large an area as they could get. How would lack of the financial resources hold them
back or would it?

This was very depressing to John. Then David and Carlton walked in. “Why do I feel
that my bad mood is going to get worse?”

David just shook his head as Carlton smiled. “It is really not that bad yet boss. The
security force found six boys attempting to enter the tunnel system. They had been smart
enough to watch before trying to get in. So they came close to being successful.”

John considered this and now had questions. “I want to know a few things. One is how
did they get in here? Two is where did they come from? Three is what were they after and
four is were they sent or encouraged by someone else?”

All were sound questions that could require further response. Carlton took this one. “We
know how they got it as it was over the mountain. But none of the kids has said one
word yet. I had Jimmy get me data on each of them and they seem to be part of a gang.
You would not want your daughter going out with any of them.”

That was really interesting to him. “OK, I am going to the court house and will be on the
bench. Bring them in one at a time. I want both Seals and green beanies in full field
uniform at the courthouse, of course fully armed.”

Neither man knew what John was going to do. But they were glad it was not them
walking into this court. They knew kids could be very dangerous as Iraq and many other
wars had proven. These boys being maybe sixteen so he guessed eighteen were old
enough to fit that group.

They headed out to get this show ready and were looking forward to seeing how John
handled this. They just could not see how the courtroom would help?

John dressed in his black robe walked out and went up to his bench. There were twelve
security people in the room and all were heavily armed. The two women and John had a
talk and they giggled at things he said. Finally it was set.

“Bring the first prisoner in.”

The boy walked in looking at all the armed military personnel. You could see fear in his
eyes now. He had walked into something he had not known existed.

One of the female troops walked up to the boy. “What is your name?”

The boy stood there and said nothing.

The prosecutor walked up to him. “Boy, your in deep shit. You have entered a secret
military installation. You saw warning signs posted and still come in here. If you could
read they said you would be shot on sight. Now, if you notice this is not a normal court.
Because you never going to be able to tell anyone about it, look all you want. But,
understanding your never leaving here alive is important. We can cut your balls off and
let you serve as a whore or as a gardener. But if you don’t answer questions your just
going to be dead. Now do you understand?”

The boy nodded his head but said nothing. The woman reached down and grabbed his
nuts and squeezed them hard. The boy screamed and it could be heard all over the
building.

“Place him in a holding cell for execution.” John just shook his head at the boy and
looked disgusted.

It was the third boy that finally broke. He spilled his guts for over two hours.

David and Carlton walked back into the court. “That is a real mess boss. How are we
going to handle over two hundred gang members? Later we could simply fight them and
kill them.”

“Spend time with that boy and understand each leaders habits. Then send in teams to
take them out by kneecapping them. Use a knife or bat rather than a gun. I want notes
pinned on each target pointing at a different gang. They can help everyone by fighting
among them selves.”

That seemed like a good plan. “What do we do with these boys?”

“They can work or sit in prison I really don’t care. Use them a dummies for hand to hand
fighting if you want. But if they are going to be any place close to a female cut their nuts
off. We don’t need their genes in our world.”

That knocked both men off their chairs. “Your serious aren’t you?” David was blown
away.

“Why don’t you take one home and let him sleep with your daughter?” John was ticked
now.

David looked like he had been pole axed. Carlton was amused at his discomfort. “That
one you had coming David. Each one of those kids came from a long line of losers. We
don’t have the time to spend four years tearing them apart and rebuilding them. It's our
families at risk if we try it here. It will also be safer for new children coming to us later.”

David was not happy, but he could see no way around this. None of the boys could be
trusted, as they were never taught how this worked. Most thought work was for fools and
they would never do any if possible. “How many are going to survive this John?”
“May be none or at best one. Remember the small rooms I had built with a soil area and
grow lights?”

“Yes, it is well down below ground and has only an elevator connection to other areas.”

“Put them one to a room and give them the packages outside each room. Tell them their
survival depends on their reading what is inside and following instructions. But they will
not see anyone or talk to anyone for many months.”

“What happens if they don’t open it and read it?” David really did not want to hear this.

“They will kill themselves. The seeds for food are inside that package and the
instructions for using them. If they punch in the code then meat will be delivered once a
month. Each will have a wristband that will advise of health problems. That they cannot
remove so we will get reports all the time. Their life is in their hands.”

“But that is like murder.”

“I don’t see it that way, David. It's up to them to feed themselves. We supply all the
seed, soil, grow lights and meat they need to survive. Each room has plenty of water to
drink as well. Should it be our job to cook for them, grow their food and clean their
living areas? If you were their prisoner would they do that for you?”

Carlton saw how John handled David. It was impressive to him. But for him he agreed
with John’s way of handling this. These boys had guns and would have killed not to be
caught. Here they would have stolen whatever they could have. They cared nothing for
anyone except themselves and did only what they had to do to survive.

“David, have them taken one at a time down to their new quarters. Understand I am the
only one who can unlock their doors after they are shut in. Now you have a decision to
make for you and your family. Do you want to stay or not? I would suggest you talk
with your wife before deciding that. But I will have the Beech-Air take you and them
anyplace you want to go, if that is the decision. If you think today was tough then you
don’t want to see the future. It is going to be a nightmare.”

Now David was really shocked. “You want us to leave?”

“Your not listening once more, David. I said if that is what you decide. Right now your
ticked at my decision to protect this community. It is my decision, and I will make more
that some people don’t like. My job is to protect my family and every person here. I'm
willing to do whatever has to be done to accomplish that. Turning those boys lose would
have brought back a lot more of them later. That would have cost us some dead people
here. I will not risk my people’s lives that way. If those boys could not read the signs
posted shame on them.”
It was like David had cold water tossed in his face. “I see your point John and should
have had no position. But they were just kids.”

“No they were rapist, killers and thieves. Their boyhood was long past. I had a file on
each one before I came in here. The one that cracked had killed two boys and got away
with it. He was just the average one in that group.”

Now David was shocked. “How in the hell do kids get away with murder?”

“That same way you wanted him to get away with what he did here. U.S. law no longer
is doing its job. It protects the youth offender and lets the victim fare for themselves.”

David left the room shaking his head with Carlton right behind him. John hoped this set
the stage for the many hard issues that he knew were coming.
Chapter 6

Things were now going well and you could bet something would screw it up. The
building behind the house went up fast and the pool at the square was moving along fine.
The pool crew had promised they would be done at least three days before Christmas
with the big one and a week before with the small one. The electric heaters were in place
in the smaller building, while the large one had been converted many months ago.

Today’s news was constantly talking about how sales were down at the retail stores and
malls. How odd with so many unemployed, jobs being lost and unemployment funds
running out, John thought. States could raise their taxes as much as they wished and
never get enough money to pay their employees. Cities and counties in Virginia were
now going bankrupt at an amazing rate.

To be solvent you need to be able to pay your bonds that were due, payrolls and buy
needed supplies. Without state help for schools many governments were having to close
them. The sales tax was not producing enough income either as less was being bought.

Looking at the current picture it was slowly still sliding down hill. Government said a lot
of things that were just smoke to cover just how bad things were. It was sound bites that
the news media bought and sold to people. When it all fell apart the media would sit
wondering how it happened? They would never see they were a big part of the how it
happened. Real news reporting had long been gone from its place. Today if it was
sensational and not germane to the story, report it and cause a scandal. That reporter
would be rewarded for it. Ethics in news just did not exist any more.

Sam came in to John’s office and sat. “Well, I need more blood and another scan.”

John had to laugh at this. “This time Sam I am not playing your silly game without
answers.”

Sam knew he had to at least let some of his research out. “OK I'll tell you some of it.”

“Good bye Sam and have a nice day.” John went back to reading.

“Are you always this tough?”

“Ask David that question Sam.” He kept doing what he was into.

“No thanks I have heard all about it from David and Carlton. You do know you can be a
real prick, don’t you?”

“Sam do you know who you work for? You just stepped way over the line, and I will not
allow that. So get your ass out of my office, and when you can come in here and act like
a gentlemen then maybe we can discuss what you want.”
Sam knew he had been dismissed and got up and left. He went to Dana and confessed his
transgression.

“It makes me mad Sam, what were you thinking?”

“I was not thinking or this problem would never have happened.”

“I would suggest you not try to see him for a day or two. The economy is crumbling and
it is cutting in to his heart. He knows the number of children that are going to die from
this, and it eats at him. Many will not see a good Christmas this year, and some will see
their last Christmas. That he can do nothing about. We don’t have the resources to take
them in, and could never find them all if we tried.”

Sam felt the knife John was feeling now. “I have never felt like this before Dana. How
can he carry that kind of pain?”

“He knows the people here will survive and many children will end up here. He has
planted information on safety for children on the Internet and some will see it. Parents
looking to start a new life will leave them here. We will only take the very young, like
from infant to around ten or eleven. Older children can work and help build a life for
their family. We can feed 2-3 young children for every adult's food ration. So we take in
no adults and just children.”

Sam knew better than to question where children could live here. If Dana said that would
happen you could bet on it. He was watching Dana run a test. “Who do we have
pregnant now?”

“Just me Sam, so it's no big deal.”

Sam’s eyes shot up and he was looking intensely at her. “Your just pulling my chain
right?”

“Not in the least, Sam. I have run it twice and both results say I am going to have a baby.
So now I get to tell the father. Do you think he'll marry me?”

“God, girl, he will be the oldest man I have ever seen produce a child.”

“He told me his great grandfather produced one at 70. I just prayed that ability ran in his
family. You know, Kelly is going to be beside herself when she hears this.”

Sam was pleased for her and yet he wondered just how long the improvements in John’s
health would hold up? That was all new ground, and he just could not believe it was a
long-term thing.
Dana decided she was just going to have to call a family meeting. Once John and Kelly
were seated in the family room she got started. “We have two issues to be considered
here. One is the nano shot has cured seven cases of black lung and two cases of cancer. I
don’t mean slowed down I mean cured.”

John was amazed at this report. “Darling, your Dad was a genius, that's for sure.”

“Now the big issue is, we are going to have a baby, and I need to know how you two feel
about that?”

Kelly was up and hugging her mother in a flash. “Is it a brother or sister, mom?”

“To early to tell, dear, as I'm just a couple weeks pregnant.”

John walked over to her and held and kissed her. “I thank you, love. You need to slow it
down a little, and let me carry more of the load.”

“John, I'm doing fine, and I'll keep moving at my current pace. The wrong thing to do
would be slow down. But thank you for trying, dear. Now, do you think you might be
willing to make an honest woman out of me?”

“Any time you complete the arrangements, as I told you before.”

“Do you have the license?”

“Yep, and a circuit judge willing to stop by and do the service. I also have the paperwork
for him to sign for Kelly, making her mine. He has already reviewed it, and it was
published in the paper. So it just takes our wedding to finish it.”

Dana pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. It was an earth shaking experience for
her. She had never felt this before and hoped she would again if that were possible. It
was something she had never experienced with John. But his willingness to marry her
with no questions was just more than she could handle. Then having the paper work for
Kelly was beyond what she had ever expected. God, she loved him, and she knew Kelly
did, as well.

Then there was noise in the kitchen. “What is that, John?”

“Hopefully it is our dinner being cooked.” John said and Kelly laughed at her mom’s
expression.

“Mommy, Daddy got us a cook so we have more time together. Mrs. Minch is very nice
and her kids are grown and long gone. Her husband died three years ago and she's
lonely.” Kelly spit it out like a machinegun.
This was another of John’s good deeds. “I assume someone came and ask about doing
something for her?”

“Nope she pulled a gun on one of the security men who came and asked her if she might
not be more comfortable in one of the small apartments. She told him when the company
tried to do that she shot the man. I found out she did that just as she said. So I was asked
to go talk with her.”

Dana was still waiting for him to go on. “Well don’t just stop there.”

“Well, I got there and she gave me coffee and pie, and we talked. She had applied for
several jobs, and was never given one. Before her husband died she ran the club
restaurant and bar. She wants to stay at her old home and will work for us. Our
agreement is she will cook breakfast and dinner for us. We eat little at lunch and often
nothing. But she said she would be sure we had things to warm up.”

That seemed like a good plan to Dana. It would make the baby coming easier for her.
“Fine, as long as I get to cook on weekends.”

“Sorry dear the deal she wanted was for 6 days a week. So you get Sundays only unless
there is a Saturday night dance at the club. Then she'll help handle that.”

“The two dances a month will always be on Saturday nights. The first dance will be New
Years Eve and then the second and fourth Saturdays. The band has all new instruments
and Tammy has a full wardrobe for performing. That seemed fair as they are not getting
paid for the shows.”

“I am not arguing in any way dear. Will the stage, lights and sound system be done by
then?”

“The stage is done now, with an entrance from the back. The band and Tammy have
dressing rooms now. The sound system is wired and the speakers will be installed just
after Christmas. The lights were a little trickier in that the ceiling was not the right
height. It was far too high for a normal system. So platforms had to be built for that.
Two platforms with one on to either side of the room, a light bar in front of the stage and
one platform for the back of the room. Those will be installed next week. But come New
Years all will be ready and checked out.”

Just then Mrs. Minch called them to dinner. They all demanded she sit and eat with them.
She did argue, but you could see she was pleased. The talk flowed about their day and
the older woman knew she was included, as they said just what they felt. She would
never repeat it to anyone else. What was said was family business and not for others to
know. But she felt that she was part of one once more, and that was a very good feeling.

After dinner Dana, Kelly and John walked the city. They stopped by the city pool and
looked over how it was coming along.
“This will be a great place to come a few evenings a week. The fact that the whole
family can come and use it together makes it very nice.” Dana was able to see just how
busy the pool would be.

As they walked through the cold weather it did make them come closer together. Kelly
hung on John’s hand and arm as did Dana on the other side. John enjoyed this closeness
and savored it. Once back up the hill and into the house the warmth felt good.

Kelly headed to get her bath and Dana went with John to the living room. “I saw the
Governor of California today closing down many programs and departments of
government. This is really getting bad isn’t it?”

“California was a welfare state and one that tried to transfer wealth from one group to
another. That is a socialist ideology. Now the far liberal left are socialists and the far
conservative right are fascist. They are so close together at each end of the spectrum it is
frightening. But these groups are small compared to the many that they sell what sounds
like good ideas to. So here the fact one group worked and one did not, didn’t make any
difference. It does not work because the need for more and more money keeps growing
to support those not working, that is until there just is no place for it to come from. The
left demands more and the right fights to keep what they have. That's where civil war
comes from.”

Dana looked at John and she knew he was educating her. “Why do these problems start
and grow?” She had heard civil war and did not want to go there.

“First of all, understand education is the key to making money and supporting a family. I
assume you have noticed everyone here gets paid and has a job, even if it is housewife?
She does not get paid directly, but her husband does, and she really works for him
keeping their home and also raising their children. So they are partners in his job.”

“I never looked at it that way before. But we have a lot of adults taking classes to learn
more here. Wives also seem to take them as well. Why?”

“Your going to have our baby and you have Kelly now. Are you going to have to help
them grow up forever?”

“No.”

“Then you had better be prepared to get a job when they no longer need your help right?
Jobs give people self satisfaction. Here, pay is based on many issues. It is not nearly
what people could make elsewhere. But they can live very well here on what they do
make. Here, there are no taxes on their income.”

Now it dawned on her. “OK they are preparing for later. But how do they know what
kinds of classes to take?”
“Jimmy and Tommy have every job we see needing to be filled for the next ten years
listed on our local area network. It shows the education we would like for the person
filling that job.”

“I assume you will have several apply and say they are all qualified what do you do?”

“Every job will have a test that must be taken and passed. The high score gets the job, if
they passed the interviews. The interview is a week working with people doing that job.
They each get to evaluate that person before our testing them. Finding good people with
good attitudes is important to successfully filling any job. So people doing that job know
what is needed to succeed best of all.”

“Why is California having so much of a problem now?”

“Because it paid so much more for government employees their cost of living grew like
mad. Take most of the large states by population, and their cities, and they all have a
high cost of living. It would shock you at what living in New York City costs. The utility
bills and cost of an average apartment in New York City would completely support a
family in many small towns. Many of these costs come from taxes by government. So it
is not just California that has this problem. Theirs is just larger than most.”

This whole problem John was planning for, was starting to make a lot more sense to her.
“Did this happen over night?”

John laughed at this. “No way dear, it has taken many years to bring the house of cards
down. Many bad moves were made to get us here. One being social security was a large
fund and was sitting there waiting to be needed. The politicians decided to take it and put
IOU’s in the fund for it. They spent that fund on welfare and new programs they wanted.
So today paying social security is draining the governments tax collections. They don’t
have more money coming into the fund than going out today. This happened a good
number of years ago and now it can’t be fixed and keep the programs it started running as
well.”

“It all comes back to poor management by government?”

“My dear, most of the politicians are lawyers. They don’t think long term at all. Their
idea of long term is finished with a judge’s decision. They don’t even have to worry
about the effect the decision they created causes ten years from now. That is some other
lawyer’s job. Here you have people who could not manage any manufacturing plant,
large retail store or for that matter a restaurant, and they are running a country. They
have little respect for those they are supposed to serve. God forbid they should ever be
honest in what they say.”

“You really don’t care much for lawyers, do you?”

“Nope, at least not for most of the arrogant fools. Sorry sugar, that group just is one I
would not trust and will have zero of them here.”

Dana got up and came over and sat on his lap. “Thanks for answering my questions,
love. I am sure to you some sound dumb.”

John looked at Dana and she could feel his frustration. “My love, I am willing to share
anything with you. You're never dumb in any way. Hell, I am still learning each and
every day.”

Now Dana smiled at him and melted his heart. “I jumped on Sam after he told me how
stupid he had been.”

“Now Sam was dumb, dear. He forgot just who he worked for. The problem here is I
have to draw a line and never allow others working for me to step over it. Thank God I
have you and Kelly to be completely human with. Pulling this together has been hard,
and the two of you have given me a lot of relief from the pressure.”

She had seen his way of dealing with others but never questioned it. They headed up
stairs and she went to get a bath and John to read to Kelly. He read every night to the girl
and she loved the time with him. This had also made her understand he did always keep
his promises to her.

Once he had Kelly tucked in and kissed goodnight he went to get his shower. That was
part of his day he did enjoy. The shower here had twelve heads and hit him from many
angles and levels. The pressure was high and he loved the way it relaxed him.

As he crawled into bed Dana rolled over and held him. “Lover I don’t understand this
but you have turned me into a wanton woman.”

“Baby, you have been adjusting to me for some time now. You never trusted any boy or
man after the rape. There were many walls built up to protect you. So it has been slow
going for you to take them down.”

His understanding of this did surprise her. “I still don’t trust most men or older boys
John.”

“But, my love, you finally completely trust me and that is what counts here. You have
opened yourself up completely to me without reservations.”

She had to agree this was very different and it felt good. But she did not see that, before,
her trust was not really complete. “I have always trusted you John.”

“Yes, that is true Dana. But there is trust, and then there is trust. One is hard to tell from
the other outwardly. But it is much deeper, where you have completely opened yourself
to the other. For you, I would never have expected to see you do that due to your trauma.
But thank God for some reason you did, and I appreciate it.”

That next morning they sat down for breakfast and were shocked at the food ready for
them. Mrs. Minch had really fixed a big breakfast.

“Now Greta, sit down and eat with us. We'll never get all this down.”

They ate and talked about plans for the day and things that needed finishing before
Christmas. It was an enjoyable hour spent together and Greta fit right in. She had
suggested they build a toyshop, and only sell toys made here in the town later on. Many
ladies could make dolls and dresses that the shop could buy and sell. John decided it
might be a good time just after Christmas to buy some toys returned to the manufactures.
Then just store them for other holidays and birthdays.

He knew his next check from VEPCO was going to be around three hundred thousand
dollars. He would see just how many toys he could buy with that and stock his toy store.
But he also would use a vault to store more than the store could take. He had a small
shop with injection molding machines and die cast machines. They could do some toy
work as well that would be modeled off ones he bought. That was added to his list of
items to do.

The morning went quickly. Jimmy and Tommy had spent a very good period rebuilding
several large computers. Now they had an excellent Internet system on their machines.
They were backing up all the data they got each day and downloading schools,
universities and government systems. We would have the very best base for building new
knowledge later. A child could take every class from 1st grade to graduating college on
our computer system. The two had done great and John was very pleased.

The small issues that had worried him were slowly being solved now. They could do
most things that a community would need to survive. But they did not build firearms,
make gunpowder or produce anything lethal. If they had to they most likely could figure
it out. But food, clothing, education and a good family environment were being built
here.

The furniture shop made everything by hand and some was sold over the Internet to the
few who could afford it. It helped pay for the equipment and provide some against
salaries. But getting hand carved solid wood furniture was today not easy. We were one
of the very few who did that. Each set was different as there was no line of the same
things. So that group of the very rich still bought things like this. The hard woods here
allowed the production of top quality products.

The ranches were now producing meat animals, and shelters had been cut into the
mountainside. Just two valleys were used for this. We would produce over a thousand
head of cattle, five hundred head of sheep and a couple thousand pigs each year. There
would be chickens and turkeys as well. The trick that was worked out were the tanks for
producing fish. We produced several types of saltwater fish and processed them, then
stored them frozen. Meat was something we would not run out of.

A big need was grains, and wheat, oats and corn were the main ones for us. All these
were bread grains and cereal ones as well. Next were potatoes both white and sweet
ones. These were often freeze dried so we lost none. We needed sugar and that came
from sugar beets. The unused portion was great food for feeding animals out. Of course
we had some cows to supply milk and that took silage and ground corn. So our farming
was something we had to protect. We had good tractors and plenty of fuel for the diesel
engines. It would be several years before we needed more fuel for that.

Here the mountains allowed for the fruit trees to be grown up the sides of them.
Knowing that there would be frosts when trees were in bloom protected areas were
picked and electric heaters placed to assure that would not kill the blooms. By blowing
the heat up the side of the mountain and holding it in a smaller area, frosts could be
prevented for destroying a harvest.

Many steps had to be taken to prevent crop failures and weather disasters. But as each
was identified a study was done to find solutions that would work. It was all going to be
planning and having answers before there were problems. But elevation, cold temps and
moisture were the main issues here. This is where the hydroponic gardens would help.

The case study John had built was growing each day. He had been documenting each
day’s work and accomplishments. It provided him a reference to go back and look at
why a decision was made or what factors were involved. That allowed him to go back
and change some decisions based on better data. Being on computer he could search for
key words and find where that decision was made and why.

Tommy took John’s notes each day and built a decision tree for him to use. That gave
him a good visual picture of what was happening and what was done. It also helped John
focus on where he needed to go next. Anyone assigned a task was required to fill out the
decision tree form when they were done. These were shown in red on the tree and
allowed John to check them out before they were passed over. Each decision needed to
be reviewed and he spent lots of time doing that.
Chapter 7

Life in the mountains was nothing like being in any city. There was no hurrying mass of
people, or cars and trucks filling the streets. The so called town of Johnstown had no
more than just over two hundred houses. There were twenty store or larger buildings
around the square. The club and one restaurant were places to get out and have a meal.
Of course food was cheap here, as the main cost of meals like this was the labor.

The miners were given a longer dinner break to be able to use the restaurant. A bus ran
between the mining sites, picking them up and dropping them off. The bus was an
electric one so as not to cause noise in the town. But it supplied transportation for the
valley people to come into town and shop or just visit friends. That was the only public
transportation vehicle allowed here. Golf carts were used by security force personnel and
they also were electric.

Carlton walked into John’s office. “Boss we need to make a couple decisions.”

John always worried about the 'we need to make' comment. “Why do I need to be
involved?”

“Because you make the rules and I’m asking you to break one.”

John poured himself some coffee and offered Carlton some before sitting back down.
“Now tell me the story.”

“I have a friend who is a priest, and he knows of an orphanage that is just being taken
over for failure to pay their mortgage. Unfortunately it is not a big one or church
supported. So no one gives a rat’s ass what happens to the children. There are two young
ladies running it and they would have to come as well.”

Now John could see the problem as adults were not to be brought in. “How many
children, Carlton?”

“My friend said they had thirty one. There are eighteen girls from 2 to 11 and thirteen
boys from 3 to 9.”

“Do you know about any health problems?”

“As far as he knew they are all healthy and getting enough to eat now.”

“Where do they come from?”

“It seems odd but they are all from the Myrtle Beach area. Land down there still seems
to have value. So families are being evicted often now.” Carlton was surprised at this.
“What are you considering doing right now?”

“Well we have two choices at the moment. We can buy a pig in a poke or we can go
down and talk with them.”

John liked Carlton’s honesty and decided to fly down. “OK set it up, and have the
Beech-Air ready.”

“The plane is ready now and the engines are running.”

That caused John to laugh. “You think you know me, don’t you?”

“The only ones around here who can come close to saying that are Kelly and Dana. The
rest of us don’t have a clue most of the time. But with 31 kids on the line I was pretty
sure I knew how you would see things.”

Once off the ground John relaxed and dozed during the flight. When they landed there
was a car waiting to pick them up. It was an old Ford sedan and the priest was standing
beside it. Carlton introduced him to John.

It took about thirty minutes to get to the home as it was well out of the business areas.
No place close to the ocean and really back in swamp land.

The three men walked up to the old house and John could see they had tried to keep it up.
But here the fight was a losing battle. The moisture was always going to do more
damage than they could fix. You would have to slowly replace every board and bit of
paint over and over.

A young attractive blond came to the door and hugged the priest. “Gentlemen this is
Krystal, and her partner in crime, Sandy. They have given up trying to have a life to
attempt to raise these children.” Father Collins was pleased with these girls.

That was not missed by John. “Ladies, it is a pleasure to meet you. I would love to hear
how two very pretty young ladies ended up running an orphanage?”

The smile and his interest got the girls talking about how this happened. By all rights, if
South Carolina had been in better financial shape it would never have occurred. Sandy’s
mother was the one who had run this for her church. It had been a church project for
many years now. But her mom was killed in an accident and she stepped in until
someone could be found. The church was falling apart and its doors were now closed due
to this crisis.

John had listened very closely and liked Sandy a lot. “Krystal, where do you come into
this?”
The girl blushed at this request. “It was either come help Sandy or become a hooker. My
family had thrown me out, and I had no money or place to go. Father Collins suggested I
come here and try to help Sandy. So I have been here for almost a year now.”

That had been very honest and to the point. “I could really hurt people who do that to
children, let alone their own child.” John was ticked now, and everyone could see it.

Krystal looked into his eyes and saw his compassion. “Don’t think about them, I am far
better off now. Father Collins knows this but I was raped from the time I was seven till I
pulled a knife and threatened to kill my father. I have hated men for many years now and
am just finding out there are many good ones out here.”

John looked sad and knew he was not hiding anything from these girls. “May I meet the
children?”

They had the children line up and introduced John and Carlton to each of them. John
stepped out front of the group and looked at them. “Now, I am sure you know this house
has been lost to the bank. So it will require your moving away from here.” He could see
some leaky eyes now.

“I have a community in the mountains of Virginia. We raise our own food, make most of
what we need, and many of us live in apartments inside the mountains. There is a large
area for children to live in there as well. It would require your going to school, learning
to help around your living space, and the older of you helping with the younger ones.
Learning to live inside a mountain is not really that hard as you don’t really see the rock.
Now, what do you think about that?”

There was excitement in their eyes now. Sandy spoke for all of them. “If you want us
we would love to come.”

“I do want you, but I also need a semi to move the furniture from here, and a bus for you
all to travel in.” Father Collins quickly said he would get whatever I wanted.

I talked with the good father and gave him seventeen thousand in cash for new beds,
mattresses, chests, desks, chairs, several couches, and recliner chairs. All to be loaded on
a truck and delivered to me at the company. He was told to buy the very best quality. If I
owed him, he needed to e-mail me and I would transfer it to his account. But if I was
owed, find someone needy and take care of them.

The bus I gave a credit card number to, and then a thousand to Sandy and Krystal for
food during the trip. They both were told to feed the kids well, and be sure to eat all they
wanted. They were to buy two large coolers and keep drinks cold in them for everyone
on the bus.

Both girls grabbed John and hugged him. They knew they had found someone to believe
in.
Father Collins told the girls he would be back after taking John to the airport. As they
drove the man was smiling. “Carlton said you would never leave those kids in bad shape.
But to be honest I never expected what happened. You need to know I have never seen
either girl hug any man for any reason.”

“Krystal, I can understand that with her. But you can bet something really bad happened
to Sandy also, Father. They both have walls built up around their minds and bodies.”

“I am not sure I could pick that up.” Father Collins was surprised at John’s comment.

The flight back was a quiet one. John had a lot to think about, and plans to be made
before the girls got there. There was much work to be done.

Back in his office he looked over the e-mails he had. Father Collins had picked up all the
furniture he had asked for, and the truck would leave tomorrow to deliver it. The store
had tossed in sheets, pillows, pillowcases, blankets, and bedspreads for the beds. He had
picked up desk lamps as well as tables for the sitting area. But he had over a thousand
left and felt bad.

The e-mail back said find people who needed help and provide it, without saying where
the money came from.

Krystal dropped him an e-mail just saying thanks. She was so pleased with John she
really looked forward to getting there.

As John was smiling Dana walked in. “What young lady have you hooked now, husband
to be?”

There were times he was sure she could read his mind. “Well really, twenty of them dear
how did you miss that?”

The look on Dana’s face was one to really enjoy. “You're kidding, right?”

“Not in the least, my dear. We have two older girls that will need some of your help.
Then eighteen little girls, with thirteen little boys on the way. So our orphanage is
starting somewhat earlier that I expected.”

Dana knew John liked the idea of children being here. “What about the older girls and
their problem?”

“Krystal is 23 and a real sweet young lady. Her father had raped her since she was seven.
Due to that there is a major block dealing with most men. Sandy is 20 and I have no idea
what happen to her yet. But she also blocks out men. But both girls hugged me before I
left and thanked me for my help. They have some major damage, my dear, and need a
friend in a bad way.”
Dana’s heart just melted at this story. “They have been taking care of 31 children?”

“That is pretty well the story, and for over a year now. Sandy’s mom did that for a long
time before she died. Sandy took the money she got from insurance and kept the place
running as long as she could. If father Collins had not let Carlton know, things would
have really fallen apart.”

A panic look hit Dana’s face. “God, we need furniture and bedding for them.”

“Do you think you're dealing with an amateur? It's all taken care of, dear. That truck will
be delivering the needed things tomorrow. Security will get it all down below and set up
with beds made. Two of the older ladies here are going to handle the cooking for them.
One of the security teams wives will teach classes for them to start.”

Dana just shook her head. He was always in front of her and had problems solved before
they were problems. “What is my job here then?”

“Once more, these two girls need a friend.”

Dana sat on his lap and just held him. “John you're one unusual man.”

“That I am not so sure about my love. I'm sure if you looked you could find more like
me and better yet, younger.”

She hit him on the arm and looked ticked. “Don’t you try to get out of marrying me
John. With more girls coming than boys it is going to make it harder to find a husband
later. Our numbers are already out of balance on that issue.”

Balancing the male to female issue is one he never considered. “How do we balance the
sexes here dear?”

“We have 0.75 males to every female below the age of eighteen. There are 0.97 females
for every male above that age. The lower aged girls who are not pretty will have little
chance of marriage, at our current rate of sexes produced.”

“That's one issue I will have to worry about later, dear. Right now I have an orphanage to
set up, and a wife to marry. The judge will be here tomorrow at noon. So you had best
be ready. Fail to show and I’ll just replace you with a younger model.” The look on
Dana’s face made him laugh.

“Unfortunately I can see Kelly jumping right in line for you. I have never seen the kind
of love that shows in her when she is with you.”
“Kelly has looked for a fathers love for a long time. Grandpa just was not the outwardly
affectionate man she needed. He was afraid to show his feelings and that was a shame
for both of you. You both needed a strong man who showed you love openly.”

They just sat and talked until Kelly got home. She was in John’s lap so fast it would
make your head spin.

“I did really good today, Daddy. We got all our tests done now before Christmas. The
teacher told me I had all A’s coming if I keep going like this after the holiday.”

God for a seven year old to be in sixth grade and getting straight A’s? “My little lover
you are one smart lady. But you need to know we have new children coming to live with
us. I’m going to need your help getting them settled. So are you willing to do that for
me?”

Kelly hugged him and just beamed at him. “Of course I will do anything you ask me to.”

“Then you need to know if mom shows up to get married tomorrow, the judge will sign
the paperwork making you mine.”

Her hands went to her hips and she looked stern. “I’ll make sure she shows up. But if
she does not want to marry the best man in the world, can I?”

Dana was now laughing hard and tears were rolling down her face. “See, I told you she
would volunteer for replacing me.”

Kelly was just hugging John and had her face buried in his neck. She was now going to
have a real Daddy, and a judge will have said he was her Daddy. That was very
important to her.

At dinner that night John told his ladies and Mrs. Minch about the orphanage and the
girls running it. He did not get into the girls problems, but covered the financial
problems, the steps he had taken, and what needed yet to be done.

Mrs. Minch would handle the overseeing of the food crew and be sure the food needed
was on hand. She had two more friends who would provide part time help for the kids.
The object was to get both of the girls who had carried the load time off here. They
would not be tied 24/7 to the kids from now on.

Dana was going to get the schooling ready with Tommy and Jimmy. There was no way
the little school would be able to handle that many more kids. So a room would be set up
for classes for the kids in their area. There would be computers for all of them and
Jimmy would set each up with their own password to log on to the system. They all
would need to be tested to figure out where to start them on our system. The really young
children would have a playroom to keep them away from the ones studying.
These children would use the new pool at the same time as the ones from the town
school. As more children came in they would use this new schoolroom as theirs.

Kelly now was considering her options. “Daddy could I start doing my school work here
at home?”

This John had been expecting for some time. “Why would you want to do that, sugar?”

“Because I am held back and not allowed to go as fast as I could. If allowed to I could
complete two or three years of work each year. Right now the teacher won’t let me move
that fast.”

“Dana, is the teacher holding her back?”

“Yes, I am afraid she is. If she can do her work here and you're able to answer questions
for her from time to time I see no reason not to set up a computer here for her. But she
would need a little help from an adult.”

“Call Jimmy and have him set her a computer over by the window. I want a small
workstation set up for her school room and the window is to be left so she can see out of
it.”

Dana called Jimmy and set it up for the next day when they were doing the new
schoolroom. “You do know even in a cubical she will be able to hear anything said
here?”

“Hey I don’t say anything both of you can’t hear. You two have been in on everything
from day one now.”

“I am not sure I could handle that, my husband to be.”

“Kelly is smart enough to wait till someone leaves, before telling me I just did something
dumb. I trust her judgment, and yours, above all others. So why should I mind her or
you hearing anything said in here? I can’t remember sending you out when someone
came in or a call was received?”

Both girls felt proud of what John had said. It showed on their faces. “But you know I
would never say you were dumb don’t you Daddy?”

“Sweetheart never say never on that issue. I have been known to both say and do some
dumb things in my life. Most of those times was when I was younger. But it is nice
having someone acid test my thinking.”

The next morning the girls got together and planned the day. John followed the events
for getting the area below set up. He went down and made a few suggestions on the
school. The sleeping quarters were quickly filled with furniture and the lounge with
sofas, chairs and tables. A large box of toys was moved into the playroom and one of
games, books and toys for the lounge. Each bed had a stuffed toy on it and there were
just two kids to a room. The bathrooms were one for boys and one for girls. A terrycloth
robe was hanging on the back of each door for every child.

John was pleased with his new quarters for the kids. He went up, took a shower and
dressed. As he walked into his office at the courthouse the Judge came in as well.
“Where are we having this dog and pony show John?”

”Fred if Dana hears you say that she would kick your balls off. Just remember she has at
least four black belts.”

That did make him think for once. “You have a point John. Where would the lovely lady
like to do this?”

“It will be in the court room as we will have a few witnesses. So get that robe on and
here is the license and the adoption papers. There are three copies there. One is for
Kelly, one for the clerks office and one for me.”

The judge did not know why Kelly needed one, but he was not going to ask? The two
men walked into a packed courtroom and the judge was shocked. There had to be a
hundred people here and more in the hall.

Fred did himself well on the wedding service and handled Kelly’s adoption with great
fanfare. The little girl just beamed at him and he felt so good about it. But the real
shocker was when John kissed his new bride they just got lost from everyone there. He
had never seen anything like that before.

John handed Fred an envelope and the couple left with Kelly. The club was loaded with
most of the people here. There was a lot of applause when they came in and a large cake
was rolled out. Food had been set up as a buffet. Dana, Kelly and John took a seat at a
table as people came by to congratulate them.

The reception lasted for just over an hour. Mrs. Minch had offered to take Kelly for the
night, but both parents said thanks but no thanks. The day was already incredible as far
as Dana was concerned. Her entire life had change because of John and so had Kelly’s.
It had all been for the best she knew. But she still could not get her mind around how her
body lost any control when John took over. He just turned her into a shattering
earthquake. That was a worry for her as she had always stayed in control of her
emotions.

They walked home and the wind was really just going through their clothing. The cold
was biting their skin. Once in their home John turned to the girls. “We are going to get a
small electric vehicle for us to use. I have seen a guy not far from here that is taking
jeeps and converting them to electric. He even has a small propane heater in them. My
big reason for looking was the security force. But it might save a life in the family to
have one of our own.”

Dana started to protest. “Mom, your wasting your breath. Dad didn't ask you if you
wanted one, he said we are going to get one.” Kelly was now smiling.

Dana looked at Kelly and knew she was exactly right. “Do you have any idea how hard
it is to live with a child as smart as you?”

“Nope I don’t have to deal with her so I have no clue, Mom. But if I get some ideas I’ll
let you know.” Then Kelly skipped off to go to her room.

“I just saw a seven year old leave here skipping. But my discussion was with a good
twenty five year old just two minutes ago. How in the hell did this happen?”

“Darling it just did, and it grew inside of you. So either you have to take a lot of the
blame or a lot of the credit for her. From my point of view I am very pleased with her. I
love having a smart child like her.”

“I don’t love it, and just barely am able to deal with it.”

John walked over and held her tight. “Now, it is not Kelly that is bothering you and you
know that. It is me and your reactions to me now. So we might as well go talk about it
and try to find some answers.”

Dana could see John was not a bit mad or angry. “OK I love the feelings, but today was
totally embarrassing.”

They were sitting on the couch in the living room. “Now I noted this the first time right
after I said I would marry you. I believe I also said I would adopt Kelly as well then. So
something inside you completely let go in your mind. You have had to build a very good
defense after the trauma you went through. Kelly had to almost feel like a curse, as she
reminded you of that event just by seeing her. Remember I told you your life started the
day we met and nothing before had any significance to me.”

Dana was now in her thinking mode. There were many issues she had before and most
were nothing today. “Do you think what is happening is some kind of mental
breakdown?”

“Not in the least dear. I think before this reaction would have happened, at may be a little
less violent level. But it seems you were a pretty sexual lady back in high school. I am
not saying you did anything about it, but be assured it was there.”

Remembering back, Dana could remember the frustration she felt many times in high
school. There were boys she wanted to date and she was never allowed to do that. Her
dad never let her get very far away. He seemed to have zero trust in her. “I can see many
things in my past that says your right about high school.”

“Well darling I guess I had better admit that I have cheated. I went to the library of your
dad’s notebooks and found one I have been reading for some time now. I found it shortly
after the first time you went off the way you did. One of the side effects for a woman of
the nano technology is a sensitivity sexually. Your dad had injected you while you were
going to high school. He did not know this would happen to you then. But it did for
another woman he was using to test the shots on. So he felt he had to watch you even
closer.”

This now confused her. “I was never affected before? So what changed that opened this
up?”

“May be with me now you feel completely safe and let all defenses down? That wall
before was pretty high love.”

This she could see and it had to be at least a part of it. “There has to be more to it than
just that.”

“You understand your body is run by electricity right?”

“Yes, of course it is.”

“Then you know there is a magnetic field that is an ELF frequency around you right?”

“Yes I have heard about that.”

“You know that when two fields fit together well there are side effects?”

“Now that I have never heard.”

“In the magnetic area it is an extreme attraction between two poles. In the ELF it is a
building of a stronger signal when the two match. With your sensitivity built up over
time by the shot you got years ago, you’re the one right now feeling strong emotions.
With others that wall protected you.”

“How does it affect a man?”

“Your dad was not very clear about that. So I have been tracing my feelings if and when
any thing shows up. But so far most has had nothing sexual about it.”

Dana just curled into John side and felt so good there. “Enough of the questions, I just
want to be held by my husband.”
Nothing seemed to pass by Kelly without her seeing it. She had not expected the
conversation she had listened to. But she was a very smart young lady in a child’s body.
This was something to research for her and it could help her mom and John as well.
Chapter 8

The day was a cold crisp one and John liked them. He had headed down to check the
housing for the children and saw that no decorations had been placed there. He went into
overdrive and had a tree and each room decorated quickly. There was every security
person awake working to be sure the children would enjoy their new home.

In the lounge the Christmas tree was fifteen feet tall and was a live tree. It had to be
lowered down the elevator shaft with the car down an additional level. This took twenty
men to make it happen. But now it was up, lighted, decorated and looking like Christmas
was here. This John was sure would help the children transition.

Once everything was cleaned up he was told the bus was entering the gates. So Carlton,
David and he headed up to the entry point for their living area. The bus pulled up to their
position and the girls got off.

A group of security people unloaded the baggage area of the bus and it was quickly sent
down to the living area. This surprised the girls. “It took us an hour to pack that so we
got everything here.”

“Do you have things on the bus that need unloaded and moved?” Carlton was being his
efficient self.

“Yes sir we have about the back twenty percent of the bus loaded with things.” Krystal
was pleased to not have to do anything.

That was now quickly unloaded and moved down to the rest of their goods. All the
children were brought off the bus one at a time and each handed a new very warm coat
before leaving. Being treated like this was new to them and they felt loved.

They were placed into groups and John took the younger children and Sandy with him.
They got on the elevator and went to the lounge room. Upon getting off the kids were in
awe of the room, tree and decorations.

“John this is so beautiful and I just don’t know what to say.” Tears were running down
Sandy’s face.

As each group came down they all were awed at the room and its beauty. Dana and Kelly
were introduced to Sandy and Krystal and then to the children. Rooms were assigned to
the children and they were shown to them. You could hear screams of joy from all over
the living area.

The adults sat at a table in the dinning area and allowed Sandy and Krystal to get their
composure back. Dana was enjoying the impact John was having on the children and
these two sweet girls. She had immediately like both of them.
“Now it is time for you to see just how this place is layout and how it has been set up to
work. Understand you're no longer going to have more work than you can do. Meals
will be prepared and served to all of you. Classes are by computer and there will be an
instructor there during class time. Housekeeping here does general cleaning. Both of
you will have some free time each week to enjoy yourselves.” John hoped this did not
sound too pushy?

Krystal looked at John closely. “Free time what is that? I love to read and have not
opened a book to do that in a year now. To take a walk without a dozen children around
me has not happened in that time either.”

“You will have almost any book to read on computer that you could want. Besides both
security and me will know where every child is 24/7 here. They are being fitted with a
waterproof tracker that acts like a watch. So you can sit in the office and see where each
child is at anytime.”

“You mean like a camera picks them up?”

“No not that intrusive at all. It just places a dot on the map of this complex with their
name beside it. But we can locate them anyplace within our land area. My company
owns four valleys here and that is a lot of land. We raise our own meat animals, produce
our own vegetables, grains and fruits. So we are very self sufficient.” John hoped this
eased their minds.

“What happens if a child takes that locator off?”

“It can’t be taken off Krystal and that is for their safety. Of course if they wish they could
have an RFID seed planted under the skin as we all have. That provides the same
information to the sensors for locating people.” David was now very professional.

“Why do you want to know where everyone is?”

“That is simple as we protect our people. Things are getting very bad out there and some
people are getting desperate. As the economy gets worse people will start doing
whatever they have to so they can eat. If that means steal it or kill for it, they will do that
as well. The world is becoming a very dangerous place. We caught six boys who tried to
break in here and steal what they could. If they had found a girl they would have raped
her no questions asked. If some young girl was where those boys had been we would
have been checking on them fast.” Carlton was now talking to assure them.

This seemed very reasonable to both girls. “I think the best way to do that is use implants
on all of us. The world is dangerous and both of us know that well.” Sandy was now
shaking.
Dana reached over and held the girl. When Sandy calmed down she looked at Dana and
smiled. “I have been where you and Krystal have. In my mind I was sure I could never
love a man or be held close by one. Then I met John and both Kelly and I fell in love
with him. Yesterday we were married and Kelly adopted officially by him. I found my
life did not end when Kelly was conceived, it just started then.”

Both girls were shocked at Dana’s honest admission. “How can you handle that so easily
now?” Krystal just had to know.

“Before it was not easy dear. I was a mess and angry with everyone including my
daughter. Then I started to learn how to focus my mind and slowly started to work my
way out of the mess. We humans tend to make things far worse than they are. When we
start to take control of life it does get better. You two have done that by putting yourself
into these children. Then you have left the place where bad things happened. So here
you have a new start and can make of it what you will.”

The girls were shown the entire complex for the orphanage and school. Then they
walked through the town and were shown the pool to be opened on Christmas day and the
club for dances.

“We do have a few gifts for the children, but not nearly enough. How do we find and buy
what we need here?” Sandy was the organized one here.

“First of all you, Krystal and I will sit down with your list and handle it. But I am not
sure if you saw it, but many are walking around right now with their new stuffed toy. We
placed one on each bed before they got here to show them someone cares.” John was
smiling at both girls.

“I saw them but had not paid attention I guess. But that was a nice thing to do and I
know they enjoyed it. We would have waited for Christmas to give those to them.”

“Oh but I own the toy store. So I can do things others can’t. That I guess makes me
Santa here?”

This statement brought laughter from the group. “It almost sounds like your Santa and
the Easter Bunny rolled into one.” Krystal was still laughing.

“The children’s happiness and well being is important to me. Hopefully they can repair
the damage done to this country and build it back stronger when they get control. So the
future of the country depends on them and their abilities. They are the future for all of
us.” John was very serious now.

The rest of the trip, including riding the bus to the other valleys was of great interest to
the girls. Now they had a picture of what had been built here. It was impressive and far
more advanced than they had even considered. The original idea for them was a hippie
commune and not a well run company like this was.
They did get their children assigned to rooms and slowly moved clothing into them as it
was found. The first meal of lunch had been enjoyed by the kids and girls, as they had no
cooking or clean up to do. It took the rest of the day to get the kids settled into their
rooms and start a list of rules to live by here. Krystal had noted several doors that were
locked now. But with a girl’s hall and boys as well, it did divide the kids enough to keep
many problems down.

The next day they were in John’s office and Kelly was sitting with them. Or at least she
was on John’s lap. Krystal just had to ask. “What are all the locked doors for John?”

“Just more rooms for children. We have the ability to take several hundred children if we
need to. As the social structure falls apart there will be many children who cannot be
cared for. Parents trying to start over new someplace, will not be able to take young ones
with them and care for them. Many of those people will come by here on their way to a
safer place. Some people in a few towns around know we can take children and they
would be safe. But we only take them from toddler to around 10 or 11. That is why we
built what we did.”

“You have really looked far down the road. But will things get that bad?”

Kelly now was ready to support John. “He is very good at estimating what the next
quarters numbers will be. I see them before the quarter and after it is over he may have
missed by a percent or two. That is far better than the government can do, they lie to
themselves.”

Sandy now was really confused. “How is it your vocabulary is so advanced and you
seem to know so much?”

Kelly just beamed as John started in. “She may be seven in body, but she is a young
woman in mind. Right now she is close to a seventh grade education level. The nice part
is she does very well socially and loves working with the other kids.”

Krystal just shook her head. “God I am glad I did not have that happen to me as a child.
I don’t think I could have handled it.”

“It was important that Daddy be the one to tell you about me. By the time I am 10 or 11 I
should be close to finishing high school. But I still have a lot of things that are child like
and I enjoy. Daddy does not want me to push myself to far to fast. So I am his little girl
and love the feelings I get from that.”

Both girls smiled at this and saw how in love she was with John.

“Ladies here is my list for each of your children and what I think they need and hopefully
will want.” John gave them a list and let them go over it.
Sandy the money manager was white faced. “This would cost way to much to handle
John. There is no way we could spend over two hundred dollar on each child.”

“Now lets get a couple things straight here for you. One you work for my company now.
I admit your salary is not a lot, but you do get housing and food that your not charged for.
So here are your bankbooks to track your money. It will show in your account on the
computer.” Both girls’ mouths hung wide open at this comment.

“Second all costs for the children’s needs are a company expense item. So all you need
to do is just check your on hand items against the list I gave you. The children will be
having gym at the pool at least twice a week. So bathing suits are a needed item. Each
child has a computer in their rooms, so they can play games and use it to study. But the
games they have access to will be determined by grades in school and age. Gifts of
games are rewards for them. We have one server that is nothing but a game center. You
can see all the games, but can only play the ones your authorized to. No game will load
until the home work is done for that child.”

Now the girls were just blown away. “What do we do here?” Sandy was not sure she had
a real job.

“You two manage the center, provided the love they need and most important encourage
and guide them. The responsibility you had was far to great to do the job you needed to.
At the age you have them they need lots of love and hugs. So enjoy them, have fun with
them and make life enjoyable for them and you.”

Both girls came around the desk and hugged John. Krystal was just shaking her head.
“Damn I am sorry Dana found you first.”

“Well ladies I have Dana and Kelly here, they would never let me slip away. But you
will find some nice unmarried men around here. We all have the same belief that the U.S.
is falling apart. I have enough highly skilled military people to keep things pretty safe
here.”

“You have military people here?” Krystal did not believe what she heard.

“You met Carlton when we came down and David you met when you got here. Now they
are both military and very good at what they do. Each was Special Forces and
commanded a team. David did so for the Navy and Carlton for the Army. All our
military is Special Forces and they are charged with safety for us all. There are just at
under two hundred of them here.”

“How do they manage to train as I saw nothing like that happening?”

“First of all, most work normal jobs here. We have food to grow, energy to produce,
water to purify and sewage to treat. There are processing stations for meat and freeze
drying rooms to handle what cannot be eaten now. Those all take labor to keep them
running. We have bankers, library personnel, engineers, teachers and just about every job
you can think of working here. So the security force trains mostly on weekends. It is just
a once a month training system, but that should work OK. These people are already pros.
Now every boy and girl must spend two years in the security force after they graduate.
Looking forward we will need more trained people down the road.”

It made sense to the girls, but they were not sure they could do it? “Where do we train?”
Sandy asked John.

“You don’t Sandy that is future plans for our children, after they have grown some. But
the ones here from the old mining community are starting to train now. They have Seals
and green beanies teaching them. It so far is very successful and the young people like
it.”

“But you’re teaching aggression and killing.” Sandy just was not seeing where it was
going.

“Look if you wish to let someone take your life I can’t stop you Sandy. But I damn well
am going to protect the children you brought here. Now if that means I have to kill some
bastard so be it. It does not mean I like killing, as I don’t. But I am willing to do what is
required to protect those kids.”

Krystal really liked this man. “Count me in with you John. But I would like to know
more about defending myself.”

“See Dana as she has black belts in a few forms of martial arts. She taught hand to hand
combat to the North Carolina State Police. There is not one of the Special Forces people
here who can beat her. Now there is one class a week at the gym in the high school. It is
a mixed class and no age groups. Then the special forces people have two more classes a
week there for older children and adults.”

“I think Dana’s is the right one for me to start with. It is time for me not to be a victim
any more. Besides I would like to help protect the children if needed.” It was a big step
for Krystal.

Sandy decided it was time for her as well. “Count me in also. I will just have to see if I
can cut it.”

Kelly had followed all of this. “Hey I’m pretty good for my age and size. But it is fun
and does help keep the muscles in good shape. I can’t beat Mom yet but one day that is
going to happen.”

Sandy had not said a lot when John talked of what he felt was coming. “John I would
like an answer to a question that is bothering me.”

“I will answer it if I can Sandy.”

“You have said things like when things get bad, people will try to steal or kill to eat and
other things that worry me. But why do you think this is going to happen?”

Now he considered just how to explain this to her. “The last time America was in this
bad of shape was the great depression. Today most of the banks will survive this, but a
lot of the control of banking is now in government hands. The auto industry is in the
same condition. The U.S. debt is so high we don’t have the gold, silver or other precious
metals to handle it. States are running out of money and taxes are going up fast.
Business who creates jobs is being taxed and regulated out of the market. Most of the oil
is purchased from foreign companies and governments. But America is being told they
should not use oil because it is bad for the environment. A new science called Global
Warming has been created from nothing to prove this point. But Global Warming has
been going on since the last ice age. It can be caused by volcanoes erupting and other
ways as well, such as burning rain forests, forest fires and the likes. There is so much
happening and so little honest news put out people don’t see what is coming.”

Sandy now saw some of John’s worry. “OK I am with you so far.”

“The last time this happened every country had many changes happen. Some were good
and some were not. Germany was very much like we are today at that time. But Hitler
rose there and millions died. I can see here some forms of racial fighting happening, as
long as government cannot step in. Mexico is going to be even poorer. Canada will
survive, but it will not be easy. When politicians are no longer paid do you think they
will continue to govern? As federal offices are not paid they will close down. That will
happen when the debt is no longer financed by the world. At that point U.S. money has
no value at all.”

Sandy and Krystal just had never looked at this from John’s view. “I see the debt is big,
but they say it can be paid off.”

“What is it going to be paid off with? We are talking debt with 12 zeros behind it and
most can’t conceive that. We don’t have the precious metals, manufacturing has left this
country over the last thirty years and far too many jobs are in service areas that produce
nothing of value. The socialists have taken control enough here to destroy what was built
long ago. So we will see the U.S. fall and it is going to hurt.”

“How is your currency better than what we have now?”

“I bought gold and silver coins and have them here. What I originally bought is now
worth almost double what I paid for them. So I have around forty eight million to back
our credit system here. The name credit was to make people understand it is different
from the dollar. That way we did not get arrested for issuing a new currency, as it is not a
printed monetary currency. It is a computer based currency and only usable here in our
company compound. You each will find a card in your bankbooks that can be used as a
debit card here. But you can buy anything offered on the net if you wish. The value of
the credit is set daily to its value to the dollar. From its creation it had grown stronger
and the dollar weaker. But all other currencies are weaker over the past six months also.”

“This has been kind of mind blowing to me John. You have created a world within a
world. But I seem to understand this one better than the one I came from? That is a little
confusing.”

“Here what you see is what you get. There are no questions you have that would not be
answered. The laws here are complete in a book of just ten pages. Now there are no
taxes on your income and the company owns the businesses here. That is what makes
things as low cost as they are. But you will see that as you do some shopping or eat at the
club or diner.”

The two girls got up hugged John and headed back to their world. “Can it really be this
good here Krystal?”

“Come with me for a little bit. I have been a little more adventurous than you have and
we need to walk downtown.”

The two girls walked the shops and enjoyed meeting people. They saw how little some
things costs and how high others were. If it was made locally it was low cost and if not
the cost was higher. But the grocery had very low prices for the food there and there was
lots of it.

They saw the new pool being built and the clubhouse. Both were pleased that dances
were held for families to come. Young children were handled in a nursery and older ones
in a playroom. There was an adult dance floor and one for children as well. This small
town was well set up for people to live a nice life.

“What do you think Sandy?”

“Right now I think the kids are safe and will be well taken care of. The rest of this is
such a shock to me, it is going to take some time before I come to grips with it. It seems
John put his money where his mouth was and I mean a lot of money.”

The office was pretty still now. Tommy had installed the workstation and computer for
Kelly. John was looking out the window and wondering what was coming and how fast?
There was no longer any relationship between reporting and fact. So he had to search for
small pieces of truth and assemble what seemed logical. Then hope if he acted it was at
least close to the truth?

Christmas was very close now and John was ready. He really needed the break and was
looking forward to the holiday. When one of his mining supervisors came in he was
surprised. “Sir we need to talk some.”
“OK what is the problem Simon?”

“We were cutting those extra rooms you asked for. In the last we hit the largest seam of
gold I have ever seen. I don’t mean flakes it is solid and a major find.”

John was not too shocked. “Where have you seen gold seams before Simon?”

“I worked in South Africa in the mines for a time. But I never expected to see this kind
of find here.” He was excited and almost shaking.

“Calm down Simon and just take deep breaths. We can’t let anyone know of this find. If
any government knew of it, they would try their best to take it away. So we will just
block that room off and finish the rest. Be sure no one has samples of that gold, as I
don’t want it known by everyone. Let them know that if word gets out their ass is in deep
trouble with me. That included you Simon, as your responsible for all of them.”

“Just me and Willy knows about the gold boss. He knows how to keep his trap shut and
I'm sure he has no samples. But I’ll check him to be sure.”

“Both of you if this stays secret will do well. You will need to find a few more who are
good at not talking. Then as a group you will mine and refine the gold into coin blanks.
Those jobs will pay well, have special living quarters and will be well taken care of.”

Now John’s worry was showing. “This really worries you doesn’t it?”

“It could destroy everything I have done here. Greed is the root of the political animal.
Here they would not stop at just taking it, they would nationalize the mine toss us out and
claim it was for the peoples good. They were just protecting the peoples assets.”

Simon could see someone in government doing just that. In the past he would have
agreed with it, but that was not the case now. “You had better have a guard on that area
sir.”

John called David and he was there quickly. The find was explained to him and he did
set up a guard. Most were told it was a fault that needed some watching. So mining was
shutdown for a time there.

After Simon and Willy left David was ready to go after them. “If either one of those men
say anything we're going to be screwed.”

“If you said anything we would be screwed. Those two are not leaving the compound
and their Internet traffic will be watched. Neither uses it much so any activity will be
odd. But I do trust them and will accept their word. If you see any areas to worry about
let me know.”
David just could not argue with this way of moving forward. “OK boss we'll watch and
wait.”

The company now was at its greatest risk by being very rich. So showing debt to the
government was the better way now. The company owed John 55 million and was
paying interest on that. It had several construction companies John owned that were also
debt holders. None made any money as all showed losses. But that was the way most
companies today were operating. If any made a lot then government would be all over
them to see why. It needed money and would find it wherever it could.

The day before Christmas John decided to hold a little party at the pool. Everyone had
been invited and tables set up for food and drinks behind the glass observation area. The
people were just beyond belief with what they saw. The pool was Olympic size with
diving boards. The hot tubs were of two types one above ground and one sunk into the
floor. Then the steam rooms were in each bath area. One was for the men and one for
the ladies. By being in the bath areas, no one had to worry about being seen without
clothing by the other sex.

People came by and thanked John for the facility. Kids wanted to just strip and swim
now. It was a happy crowd and everyone was part of that.

“My friends I thank you for your comments today. It is my hope you all enjoy this pool,
hot tubs and the steam rooms. There will be scheduled events here and scheduled open
swimming periods. The schools will use it during the daytime for two hours a day for PE
classes. Please see the manager for any requests you might have. But the pool schedule
will always be posted on our intranet. It opens at 7 AM and closes at 11 PM seven days a
week. So I am sure you can find a time to use it.”

The applause was loud and heart felt by most. People felt safe and secure in their jobs.
Watching thousands of jobs disappear according to the news, made their world safer
feeling to them.

John, Dana and Kelly left and walked the streets of the town. “Darling what is eating at
you?” Dana could just feel it.

“We found a new large vein of gold below ground today. It should produce many tons of
gold bars. But if the government finds out they will come and take it. You know
everything belongs to them now. What they don’t own outright they tax until they do.”

Dana was now ticked and so was Kelly. “Daddy no one here would ever tell them what
we have.”

“I sure hope you're right little one. Only a very few people know about it now. But that
is bound to grow over time. We have to hope the government fails before anyone outside
knows. If they did find out we would be at war with our own government.”
Chapter 9

Christmas Eve was tonight and John had many things to get done. He had purchased a
Santa suit and was ready to pose as the fat man for the orphans. That for him was a new
job and one he looked forward to. The wig and beard looked real and was nicely fitted to
him. That was his job in the morning even before his families gift giving. They all would
eat breakfast with the children and then go up to their private time together.

Tonight there was a singing of Christmas carols at the park in the square. The theater was
running a movie about Christmas for families with children. Hot spiced cider, roasted
nuts and hot chocolate were being served outside tonight. Lights had been placed all over
the park for the holidays and would all be on tonight.

This was a very different way of celebrating for everyone here. The goal had been to pull
the people even closer together. They needed to feel a part of one very big family. It did
seem to be working as each step happened. But this pulling together was slow going as
new people were added.

Kelly was having a blast, as was Dana. This was a period of time neither had experienced
this way. They had enjoyed Christmas, but never with the amount of events and things
going on like here. Both got to know a lot of people and found they liked them. The nice
side was people really liked both girls as well.

As the three walked the park and drank cider or hot chocolate they just enjoyed being
together. It was really cold and everyone had dressed for that. The children from the
orphanage were just beyond themselves with the magical beauty of this park tonight.
Once the singing was over they were all going to the movies. That was something most
had never done before.

“John, this is a real treat for the kids. I haven't seen them this excited over anything
before. People here are stopping them, introducing themselves and hugging them. They
are feeling more love than ever before.” This was bringing tears to Sandy’s eyes now.

Dana held Sandy and patted her back. “There is a lot of love here, Sandy, and it all starts
with the man I’m married to. So just enjoy it as I am sure the children are.”

The singing took just over an hour’s time and then people walked, talked or went to the
movie. Kids were playing and running every which way now. They had preformed their
part as each class had done two songs. The people were singing with the classes they
were a small to help provide volume.

John walked the girls back to their home and they all sat before the tree. “You know it has
really stayed nice, Daddy. But moving it from the warmth in here to the cold outside
might kill it.”
“That will not happen, sugar. It will not just get dumped outside. Once the decorations are
off men will come get it and start the process of getting ready to replant it. So you just
have to decide where that will be come spring and just how it will be marked for the year
it was a Christmas tree.”

“Where will next years tree come from?”

“I bought a tree farm just down the road from the valleys. It went broke and the bank
took it over. So my bank bought it from the one that had it. I hired the man and his family
to run the farm. The land is petty well protected from the backside, so we are the area
where it would be vulnerable. I didn't know it but the road running by here stops there.
They will supply trees to us each year and plant more as needed. But it is also a beautiful
area and well fenced. So security is raising horses there as well. We just need a few
hundred trees each year and not thousands like they had to produce before.”

The Christmas music running in the background had been soothing to them. But
tomorrow would start early. So they hugged and kissed Kelly then headed off to bed.

Dana was in a mood and John could feel it. He didn't understand what it was, but she had
pulled back into a shell. He waited in bed for her to finish in the bathroom and come back
to the bedroom.

They snuggled together and dropped off to sleep. The alarm jolted John out of a nice
dream. He slowly got up and shut it off. Stumbling into the bathroom he took his leak and
hit the shower. He felt hands on his back just a couple minutes later. “How about me
washing your back?”

”I smelled coffee when I got up, so I know Mrs. Minch is here. Santa needs to get dressed
and down to that coffee. Then ready to handle the kids.”

They dried off and got dressed and as they walked down the hall Kelly showed up. “Boy
do you look good in that outfit, Daddy. The children will be really happy to see you.”

“You and Mommy are my helpers today. So don’t think you're going to get off easy.”

She laughed, but it excited her to be involved with daddy in this. The kids were not going
to know it was daddy as good as the suit, wig and beard were. He looked just like that
jolly old man in every movie she had seen.

Mrs. Minch was impressed as well. “Boss you look just like that old man. The kids will
be impressed.”

“Now here is the plan for passing out presents. There are twelve presents for each child.
This controller is set to light a small LCD light on each gift by when it should be given.
All the gifts with lights must be passed out before the next one can be lighted. Be sure to
push on the light once you hand it out to shut it down. There will be thirty three gifts each
time with lights and they include the girls. Once everyone has opened their gift the next
set of lights will be turned on.”

“What can I do to help, John?”

“You have breakfast detail don’t you?”

“No, I will be sure it is ready on time, but I wanted to watch this.”

“In that case you be sure that all gifts to be given, are found for each round. It is possible
one light may fail.”

Santa and his helpers got to the tree in the lounge before the children were dressed and
out here yet. A large chair was set up for Santa close to the tree. Marked places on the
floor and two seats were in place for the children, Sandy and Krystal.

Once seated the children came in and the little ones ran to Santa. They all got their hug
and were directed to sit on the floor, in the box that had their name. Kelly and Dana had
done well placing the pictures to names. They helped get them in the right place.

Santa told them he had brought many gifts for them and wanted to be sure they got them
due to their move. So he had saved them this year to be last, this way he could be here
and watch.

The first presents were lighted and passed out quickly. Sandy and Krystal were shocked
they were given a gift. When they saw the Ipods they had it was beyond belief.

As the morning went on clothing, jewelry, electronics and toys were passed out to the
children as well as Sandy and Krystal. The piles of presents were high at each location.
Santa wished them a merry Christmas and headed home.

John, Kelly, Dana and the group headed to breakfast, as soon as John got there. It was the
best Christmas these children had ever had. It caused excitement like Sandy or Krystal
had never seen.

Sandy walked over to John and Danna and hugged him. “John, I have never been treated
that way before at Christmas or any other time. Mother hated it, but the church when they
were involved made it at least acceptable for the children. But it was like Krystal and I
were a part of your family.”

“Sandy the two of you and these children are part of my family. I could never enjoy
Christmas if you, Krystal and the kids didn't.”

After tears and hugs from the two girls and many hugs from the children they left. Once
seated in the kitchen with coffee, and tea for Kelly, they tried to get back to normal.
“I think it is time to show Mommy what is out in that new building, Kelly. What do you
think?”

“I'm not sure she is ready for that yet. But we did buy most of it in Roanoke on our trip.
So maybe we should let her see it?”

Now the interest was really up for Dana. “Don’t be pains in the butt you guys.”

They led her out to the building and walked in. The skylights allowed for good vision and
she was yelling at both of them. “God, this is our own pool?”

“Yes, but if you look over there that is what Kelly decided she wanted to buy you.”

The hot tub was big enough to handle at least six people. “How did you get one so big
that is above ground?”

“The girl made me look until we found one.”

“What is that at the end of the pool?”

“Just a steam room and big enough for six people. That is for after your classes to start to
relax your muscles. Then the hot tub, and after that the pool.”

“Did you put a bathing suit down here?”

“Nope I figured you would decide what you wanted here. There are lots of towels but that
is it.”

“John my love I am going to enjoy this facility a lot. But if it is really mine then it is a no
clothing facility. I am comfortable around you and Kelly without clothing. So I want to
get used to that here. Kelly has always been a nudist as she was hard to keep in clothing.
But she must have either you or me here to come and used this area.”

“I guess I can live with that ladies.

After dragging Dana from the hot tub they dried off and dressed. Once in the house and
settled in the living room the gift opening started. The girls ended up very well dressed
and with nice jewelry. But he had saved the main gift to last for each.

“OK Kelly go to your room and open the big cabinet at the foot of your bed. Here is the
key to allow that to happen.” Kelly scrambled up and was gone in a shot. John and Dana
walked slower behind.

The cabinet was large and had not been there when she got up. But she put the key in and
turned it. The doors swung open and there was a large flat screen with a rack holding
maybe 500 DVDs. “I have never seen anything like this, Daddy.”
“That's because there is no other like it. You can watch DVDs, play computer games with
the controller or use it as a computer while sitting in bed. The key board, mouse and
controller are wireless.”

Kelly jumped into John’s arms and hugged him. “Life with you is so much fun. I love
you ever so much, Daddy.”

John hugged her back and just enjoyed the love she always showed him. “OK, now it is
Mommy’s turn.”

They walked into one of the empty rooms and Dana was beside herself. It was a complete
nursery and had everything you could ever want. “How in the world did you do this
without my knowing?”

“It wasn't hard as you never come in here. But on the wall is a speaker system connected
to one next to the bed for you to hear the baby. So, love, you will never wonder about his
or her condition. The sound system is so sensitive it will let you hear breathing.”

She just hung on to her man and cried. “How is it I was so lucky to find you?”

“Some might say cursed as you got an old fart.” He laughed and knew he had been
honest.

“Well for an old fart you are impressive. Start thinking about names for twins, one girl
and one boy, old fart.”

Kelly was just beside herself now. “I get both a sister and brother? This is great and I'm
loving it. Man what a Christmas this has been.”

This new information did hit John and he was shocked. “Twins and not just one? I am not
sure what to say love. But how did you find out?”

"Sam was worried about your age and the effect it might have on the baby. So he did
some testing of blood, urine and fluid from the uterus. There were no problems he could
find at all. Both are growing well and seem fine in the scan.”

“It has nothing to do with Sam, dear. But you and all the mothers to be will having a new
doctor soon. I got a request from an old friend and he and his wife are coming. She is
OB/GYN and he is a surgeon. We have a hospital almost completed now below ground. I
saw we were going to really need a surgeon bad at some point. Clem is a very good one
and Julie his wife is a sharp lady. She is kind of blunt but you always know exactly what
she thinks.”

This was not expected and yet it was good news. She knew Sam was no OB/GYN and he
was even worried. “How many doctors will we have?”
“The only areas I was worried about were surgery and OB/GYN. But I have two MD’s
who are researchers coming. We are going to need to make out own drugs later. In Boston
where they are right now things are getting bad. So they are leaving after the first of the
year to come to Roanoke. I'll move them here from there.”

“Are you going to let them check out dad’s drug?”

“That is not my area, dear. What your dad developed is your birthright, and I have no
rights there at all. My worry is not having painkillers, antibiotics and some drugs for
treating conditions. I will not lose someone for a dumb reason.”

“That seems reasonable, dear. But I really want someone who is an expert checking out
dad's drug. I really don’t have the education for making it useable or even deciding how
best to use it.”

“You work with them when they come, and you will still have control. Now do you think
I might get some lunch?”

“If you'll take soup and a sandwich I’ll fix lunch, Daddy.”

“That is the best offer I've had, sugar. I would love soup and a sandwich.”

Dana looked at John and smiled. “You know she is going to get her school work done so
she can cook for you.”

“I certainly hope so, as I tend not to eat lunch now days. It will be nice having a lunch
partner and talking with her.”

Dana saw just how much John loved her and now his daughter. It showed all over his face
right now. “If I didn't know better I would think she is yours.”

John looked directly into Dana’s eyes. “She is mine and I will not hear anything else.”

The firmness of his voice left nothing to debate. “The way you said that, said you really
meant it. So yes, from now on even in my mind she is yours. That, my husband, is a real
compliment to both of us ladies.”

They enjoyed the rest of Christmas day and played games together. It was not the normal
day for any of them. But its very difference made it fun.

That next morning John got up to find the ground covered with a good foot of snow. It
was a shame it had not come for Christmas, yet it was always nice to see. Many of the
children had gotten sleds for Christmas and now they would be put to good use. The best
hill in town was the one going down from John’s house. It dropped off into a street going
downtown. There was a good hundred foot drop to the street.
After breakfast he had the snow blower out and cleared off the path for walking. Then set
up a good downhill run for sleds. It was marked on both sides with orange cones like they
used on highways. Many children saw him out setting it up and came to see what he was
doing. Once the rules were explained they all agreed. So he sat out twenty saucers made
of plastic for children who had no sleds.

By the afternoon the hill was loaded with kids. He sat in his office and watched them for
some time. The interest was how well they would play together. He found his bullies and
his weak ones always picked on. The three boys and one girl were shocked when security
came and got them. Each was shown video of their action when the parents came for
them. The law was laid down and parents were not happy with their children.

There was just no reason to allow children to learn that treating others poorly was
acceptable. Kelly had watched and listened to the whole event. “I see why you did that
Daddy. But I'm not sure I understand how you knew it would happen?”

“In every group there are some who wish to force others out. It could be because they are
smarter, smaller or prettier. But you will always find some bullies in every community. I
decided today to start retraining them. Not only did the kids get warned so did the
parents. Children learn that from parents most often.”

“I'm not sure what warned means?”

“If this gets worse then they will be asked to leave here. I don’t play games with people,
Kelly. Either we are a close family group, or if you don’t fit, you can’t stay.”

This really confused Kelly. “You would send the parents away because their kids did
something wrong?”

“Not at all, dear. I would send them away for training the child to be that way. Most of
the kid’s parents were miners here. They all were prejudiced as they come when we first
got here. As a group they had many people, ideas and politicians they liked or hated. If
you didn't see things their way, they were ready to fight. Kids over time learned this way
of handling things. So parents taught their children many bad habits.”

It was a clear picture for her. “I see what worried you now. Bringing hate into our world
would never be good.”

“There is far too much of it that exists today. But as things fail it could become a cancer
that eats us up. During a time of strife we will have to depend on every person here.
Someone who would allow one of us to be hurt, killed or would help our enemies I don’t
want here.”

Kelly saw something like it just lighted up. “You expect us to have to fight people to
survive right?”
“Not just fight, dear, but to kill if and when attacked. The cities will have thinned out and
gangs will know the only food is in the country. They will come willing to kill, rape and
destroy any who stand in their way. We have food and many things they will want. I
assure you buying them is not their way of getting what they need.”

“That paints a very bad picture of the future doesn’t it?”

“Bad, but I feel sure it is accurate. It will not be tomorrow, but in a year or less I expect to
see this happening. Large cities have seen gangs controlling larger areas already. Courts
are so backed up, many cases in large cities take a year or better to even get before a
judge. States are saying releasing convicted felons is needed due to less taxes coming in.
Most of these people are dangerous. The new administration says treat the drug addict
and often they are also the sellers, robbers, muggers and the likes. So those people will
stay in business while government supports them.”

The picture was getting bleak and government was making it worse. ”Do you think we
will be safe, Daddy?”

“That was why I brought David and Carlton in here. We have tracked vehicles for
fighting and both choppers and fixed wing aircraft. Unless the government orders the
military to come here and take us out, we are OK.”

“I hope you don’t mind the questions. But it has been hard to see just why you did some
things. It I guess is my older mind doing the questioning.” She giggled in her little girl
way.

“Your older mind scares the hell out of me at times. I will be glad when your body
catches up with your mind, love.”

“I am not sure what you mean so please explain it to me?”

“OK you're seven and soon to be eight. But your mind is a good double your age in
intelligence. I am talking to my daughter seeing a seven year old and then she says
something I would expect from a twenty year old. It would not be so shocking to me if
your body were the same age as your mind was.”

“I can see that as it would shock me if the twins came out talking rather than crying.”

John had to laugh but wondered if that were possible? These shots did have some odd
side effects to them. One being how the mind developed in a child.”
Chapter 10

We had made it through the Christmas period and the news was complaining about the
bad retail situation. Many stores had over bought and now were stuck with merchandise
they could not sell. They were trying every gimmick to get shoppers in to clear the
inventory at just their cost. But money was very tight and people were not cutting it lose.
Little did they know each month that same dollar was worth less.

The innocent of the country were getting shafted big time. That didn't mean the young,
but those who just accepted what government and the media told them. A great many
young and older people fell into this category. Life for them was going to be shocking as
it all fell apart.

The mortgage issue had cost many their homes and caused anger. But that had been
directed at the banks and not policies started by government. Those led to the crash of
that market. One President had opened up the loans from Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac to
more people. They offered lower down payments and lower early payments for low
income people. But they would increase, as they were more stable the government said. It
did increase and they were not more stable. The increase in housing starts had made the
economy seem far more secure than it was. The collapse was taking down the rest of the
country.

Many people who had been well trusted were found to have stolen the money they
managed. Companies that had invested in mortgages were now finding that investment
was worth little. Brokerage firms were collapsing due to the investment they had made.
Attorney Generals went after every company they could for the real estate investments
sold by them. The stock market took some major dives and people were feeling the
pressure from every side.

The media had focused on the number of foreclosures and this was hurting the banks
bottom lines. It just got worse from there. Those reports kept the economy falling into its
black hole. Each reporter telling of more bad things they saw or expected to happen.

The driving feeling here for John was that his prediction was closer than even he had
guessed.

The day was a bright one of clear skies and no clouds. That was when Clem and Julie
drove up to John’s house. John knew Clem very well as he had done surgery on him
once.

“Come in and enjoy the warmer condition.” They walked in to John’s office.

“How would you like to sell this place John?”

“Well if you have a couple million in gold I would consider it.”

Clem looked at John in complete shock. “First of all two million seems kind of high.
Second gold rather than US dollars is really odd.”

“How much is your US dollar worth today?”

“I have no clue what the exchange rate is?”

“In gold it is $1,131 per ounce. I was buying gold a few months ago right at $670 and
ounce. What a dollar is worth compared to any other currency has zero meaning. All
currencies are poor risks today. The fed is printing more money to buy treasury bills. So
they are paying debt off with money that has little value.”

“So how are you going to handle money here?”

“We use a credit and it is completely a computerized currency based on gold and sliver
values. 1,000 credits are worth sixty two ounces of silver or one ounce of gold. Here we
have enough gold and silver to reclaim our credits thousands of times over. Our current
vault value is right at five hundred billion and growing. It is growing by a few million a
day. So if anyone leaves they may draw their money in gold and silver coins.”

That shocked Clem and Julie. “You're joking right?”

“Not at all would you like to see that vault? Here it is on my computer screen.”

They walked a round the desk and saw stacks of gold bars and many bins of coins just
sitting there. Workers were walking in and out so you knew that was real.

After sitting back down they now had many questions. “You sure didn't have money like
that when I knew you before.”

“Nope, but I was lucky and hit on a Power-ball ticket and won big time. I invested by
buying the coal company here that had gone broke. I cut an agreement with Virginia and
closed all mines. What I really wanted was the land and the lime stone and quartz
mountains.”

“Why the mountains?”

“They allowed me to hire the miners and build a lot of what I needed inside the
mountains. We hit a major gold vein and it is adding to our ability to survive what is
coming. No, I have not, and will not tell the government. They would simply come in
here and take over after tossing us out. Money is needed so bad by governments they will
do anything to get it. Being a legal action is not even considered.”
Julie smiled as she heard this. “I know that well John. Medicare wanted me to handle a
woman’s appointment and check up for almost no fee. I was lucky to break even after
paying my expenses.”

“Well here we don’t pay a lot as you have been told. But it doesn't cost a lot to live here
and I assure you food will be plentiful. You should be able to save most of what you
make. You have a twenty bed hospital for you to use and run. There is no equipment that
you don’t have there. Sam Taylor is your emergency room doctor and handles all military
problems. Now insurance is not needed as the company pays you.

“I have a check here for three hundred thousand and change. We will have about five
hundred thousand more coming when the house closes. How do we protect it?”

“The bank will do that for you. We keep almost no US dollars and buy gold and sliver
coins. But what you bring in here is your money and will be invested in precious metals.
That value in credits will show in your account. That you can see online anytime you
wish. But understand your money will never again be worth less than when it was
converted here the first time.”

Both doctors were pleased with how things worked here so far. “But what can we do with
even gold later?” Julie wanted to know.

“There will come a time when the country is free of most of the strife and fighting. Then
land and businesses will be sold for gold and silver or whatever the new currency is. So
come that time buy your own hospital and run it for a profit.”

“How will the fighting be stopped? “

“It will come from those who used force being killed off. The military will hold up on its
bases or in major cities. The ones in cities being mostly National Guard troops. Cities
will be dangerous places for the next few years and that will force some good people out.
Hopefully they will survive this mess. But we all know many won’t and they are a true
loss. A major problem will be the command in most larger cities will be military and not
political. DC will be a ghost town at the end. Too many people and too little food will kill
it off.”

Both doctors could see John’s idea. “I am sure glad we decided to come here. Looking at
it that way not many places will offer any safety.”

“Here we have a good defensive force with strong weapons technology. The road you
came in here on leads just down to a tree farm and it stops. So almost anyone coming up
that road is trouble for us. It is also trouble for them if they are aggressive. Our Special
Forces people are used to small group fighting. A small team can hold down a couple
hundred attacking fairly easy. Over rough terrain they are far better yet.”
“Now I understand why here. You're really on a dead end road. So anyone coming is very
open to being repelled.”

“The only reason for the road being paved was the coal mines. For years this was a dirt
road and holes were filled with crushed stone. It does not show up on the state road map
at all. We have at least two mountains between us and the world outside we have to
watch. So yes, we are pretty protected. That was luck in what I purchased.”

Kelly came out of her cube and ran over to John. “All done, Daddy, and now I am all
yours.”

Both doctors looked at each other. “Aren’t you a bit old for having children?”

“I guess not as my wife is pregnant with twins right now.”

Julie looked at John and shook her head. “You have to be well over sixty even if you look
more like upper forties. So the odds of a woman conceiving from your sperm are very
slim.”

“Well my great grandfather sired one at 70, doc. It's not like my children will be poor
after all this is over. Besides, I'm going to live for many more years. I have no health
problems right now at all.” John was smiling at both doctors now.

“Can we see where you're putting us to live, and the hospital?”

They walked down the hill and into the city. At the edge of the park was a door set into a
stone building may be eight feet square. John opened it and they found an elevator
waiting for them. It took them down a good hundred feet and opened. Both doctors
looked, and it was very much like walking down any hall in a hotel. They got to the next
elevator and went up to what was called eight on the buttons.

“This is your home area and one I built for me before we moved into the house. So enjoy
it and the things I built into it.”

They walked to a door and John had them both place their hand on a scanner. Then he did
and the door opened. It was a big, very nice apartment and as Clem and Julie walked
through it they were much impressed.

“This is nicer that the house we just sold. I really like the big screen views of the outside.
They are like windows. The bath is the biggest I have ever seen.”

“I think you'll enjoy this. The nice thing is, we go out to that elevator and go to 1 and
you're in the hospital. It takes under three minutes to go from here to there. You are 800
feet over the hospital here. We have good air systems and heat controls for each level.”
“We do have a truck coming in this morning with the things we wanted to keep. All
furniture was sold except for a couple of items. Here is the check to be deposited and all
our money we are carrying. If 1 is the hospital we can find it ourselves.”

“There is a map of the subterranean tunnels and where they go in your office here. You
will be contacted by security and a RFID seed injected into you to assure we know where
you are. It also allows entry to restricted areas where you're approved for them.”

Now the doctors walked the apartment and looked closely at everything. They went then
to the hospital and were pleased with how well it was set up. There were no semi private
rooms, as each was a private one. A good lab, radiology area fully equipped, surgery,
delivery and emergency room were all there. They met Sam and liked him a lot. He was a
good doctor with a ton of experience.

“Each person who is here for treatment is wired into our system. Heart rate, blood
pressure and oxygen levels are constantly checked. We have two nurses on duty every
shift and one is senior and in charge. They work twelve-hour shifts and work four on and
four off. So with sixteen nurses we cover the hospital all the time. The rest cover the labs,
surgery, emergency and delivery areas. Most work right now is deliveries and accidents.
But once the military gets active that will change. How much experience do you have
with bullet wounds?”

Clem was not shocked at this question at all. “Actually quite a bit. I was a Marine Corps
doctor and did my time to pay off my loans. Until a few years ago I was a reservist.”

“Good because I can handle the normal wounds, but those needing surgery and in delicate
positions are not my bag. I just don’t have the hands needed for a good surgeon.”

“As long as you take care of the easier to remove bullets, I’ll handle the ones that require
cutting and patching.”

“You have a deal doctor and one I am very happy with. Now let me warn you as I have
already had my ass bitten off by John. I told him he was being an ass and he came down
on me like a ton of rock.”

“Look, Sam, let me make one thing clear. He is the boss here and no way will I tell him
he is an ass. That shows you just how dumb the military is allowing doctors to become.
He is the same thing as the President here. Now as an officer would you tell him that?”

That registered with Sam. “I guess I did really step out of line big time. He was just
demanding more information than I was ready to provide.”

“If he wants information qualify it, but give it to him. Here we have no right to hold back
on him, and he is the only one that is true with. If you start holding back now, then when
he is making major decisions you're going to fail him and this community.”
“How in the hell did you get so smart about command?”

“It is simple rules we always followed in the Marine Corps. You Special Forces types
have learned to operate without authority. That is hurting your command decisions now.
You're not operating now in BFE, so you had better start to think like you did long ago.”

Dana walked in to the lab with samples and was introduced to the doctors. “Well, Julie,
you will be delivering mine and John’s twins.”

Julie was in complete shock now. “You're John’s wife?”

“Sam I think that is right isn’t it? I chased the hell out of him until he collapsed.”

Now Clem was laughing like mad. “She just got you, dear.

“Look, lets get this over with. I have heard every age reason not to marry John, or why I
should find a younger man. Mostly from John, and I have told him to mind his own
business and let me mind mine.”

“I guess that put things into a perspective for me. Now I hear you have a set of twins
coming?” Julie was all professional now.

“You have a good 8 months to handle before they get here. Tests show fraternal twins one
boy and one girl. Now, you have a lot of reading to do before you come close to
understanding John, Kelly or me in a physical sense. Kelly is age 7 with the intelligence
of around 14 or 15. Give her a few moments and she can discuss any topic at great length
with you. So far I have found no test to measure her IQ. The odds are these twins will be
the same way.”

That statement left a lot of questions for Julie. “OK, where do I start this reading you say
I need to do?”

Sam spoke up. “We have her lab right next to the hospital. Her dad’s notebooks are in
there. There are two researchers coming in to work on drug manufacture here. We are
going to need basic drugs and will not be able to order them from a distributor. They will
also study the new drug Dana’s father developed.” He quickly added the drugs he had
developed and sold to pharmaceutical companies they knew.

“God, Dana, your dad was one smart man. I met him just once at a meeting on Duke’s
campus. We talked for about an hour and I enjoyed him a lot. He was opinionated, and
very blunt. But he always made a lot of sense on the subject being discussed.”

“Dad's greatest failing was his inability to allow others an opinion. What he had no
interest in he ignored. Thank God John has taken over the education of Kelly. She is only
allowed a half day of school now. Then she spends a half day working with John. He says
she gives him a different outlook and it helps in decision making.”
Clem saw Sam didn't think Kelly was that smart. “I very much enjoyed meet her in
John’s office. Now I have a test for IQ I really like, as it is not questions, but geometric
designs. It was developed in Europe and can be used on a very young child.”

“Feel free to give it a go. Duke’s people just gave up on her. They said the scale today
just did not go high enough with any accuracy. That was due to such a small sample size
at Kelly’s level.”

John and Kelly were today inspecting some of the approaches to the valleys. They both
were mounted on good horses and riding trails to lookout posts. Each post protected a
good part of their valley here. At each outpost they saw just how well it was hidden and
the electronics to help stay safe. You could hear footfalls, see heat signatures and watch it
all on a map.

Once they returned to the command post the briefing was a quick one.

Back home Kelly went to her room to play with her DVD player. John headed to his
office. He had several issues to check, and then tonight he was master of ceremonies at
the New Years Eve dance. The last year had gone quickly and far different than he would
ever have guessed. For sure he never expected to marry again and having children? That
was just never possible without a wife capable of it.

The score he had set for events and conditions was now a 9.1 on a scale of 10. When he
had started this that had been a 7.3. So things had really turned for the worse and done so
fast. He expected governments to start failing at 9.5. Things were close and it could start
to happen over night at any point.

Dana when she was dressed looked like a goddess to John. Her trim body, pert small
breast and long legs were features John loved to look at. Nothing about her disappointed
him in any way.

“Why are you standing there looking at me?”

“Because, love, I get lost just doing that.” John returned to her.

“That is not the truth husband, as I am carrying two babies that comes long after the
looking.”

Kelly came in just then. “Daddy button my back up please?”

John squatted and did her buttons up the back of the dress. “Why in hell do they put
buttons up the back of a dress for a child this small?”
Dana was laughing now. “One is so they can’t take it off. Two, it gives fathers something
to do and feel useful. Three is it used to piss me off when I was her age and that had to
make someone happy.”

They were all laughing now and it felt good. “Ladies lets get down to the club. I have
taken the liberty of securing transportation for you. Walking down that hill did not seem
like a good idea tonight.” He helped them into their coats and walked out the front door.

There stood a carriage drawn by two white horses. He helped both ladies in and covered
them all with the lap blanket. “Daddy, this is fantastic. I have never dreamed of riding
like this.”

“Well for my queen and princess nothing is too good. But Jackson will stay around the
main city and take the people at the dance for rides tonight. It seemed like a good way to
bring some romance into tonight’s festivities. Then after the dance he will take us back
home, ladies.”

The girls were holding on to him and they loved how he treated them. “Where did
Jackson come from?”

“His dad runs the tree farm down the road. We are raising horses there and Jackson is
doing the training. He is teaching riding, so our people use the animals correctly. Matter
of fact there are now three horses in the stable behind the house. Riding is very good
exercise and I love to ride. So there is a horse for each of you stalled there.”

Kelly went nuts and hugged her daddy. “I loved riding with you today. Are we going to
do a lot of it?”

“I intend to ride every day for the pure enjoyment I get from it. But a horse lets me get
around without burning fuel. Try taking an electric vehicle to the top of a mountain and
see how far you get? A horse will do that easy and you even get to enjoy going along.”

Dana had said nothing to this point. “I am afraid of horses, John.”

“That is good as only a fool would not worry about something bigger than they are.”

That hit Dana as really odd to have someone say. “But that means I will not be riding
with you.”

“Fine, it is your choice, and I’ll send your horse back to the ranch.”

Kelly was watching her daddy handle her mom. She always learned a lot from these
situations.

“But what if I want to try it later?”

“You can go see Jackson and let him teach you.”

“But if I did I want you to teach me.”

“Nope that is just not going to happen. I was willing to teach you to start with. You
rejected my offer and I accept that. Kelly was scared today, but she trusted me to make
sure she was safe and it worked out for her. But I will never force you to do anything
where you don’t feel safe.”

Damn him for being so considerate. “We are all going riding tomorrow and that is the end
of it.” Dana had walked into the lion’s den now.

“What has brought this on?” John just did not understand it.

“You never push me to reach beyond myself. I just don’t understand it?”

“We have had several conversations where you have vented at your father for pushing
you into things. You seemed to feel he was manipulating you that way. So I have decided
never to do that, as I like just who you are now. Besides, pushing you to do something
you don’t want to do is not unconditional love.”

She mellowed at this set of comments. “You're right and I was over reacting to your not
pushing me.”

“Just remember for the next eight months or so you're going to be a ball of hormones and
conflicting issues. What you accept today is going to piss you off tomorrow. That just
comes with being a mother during the time you're doing all the work.”

“Thanks for loving me and keeping me straight, love.” Dana snuggled into John’s arm.

They arrived at the front of the club and got out of the carriage. Jackson went to the back
and brought out a sign for free carriage rides for New Years Eve. This was placed on a
stand and he waited for people to come.

The table for John and his family was beside the stage and elevated so all could see them.
Just before the dance started John went on stage and took the microphone, made sure it
was live, then addressed the crowd. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our
first New Years Eve dance. Food will be served buffet style for those who are hungry.
Jackson has a beautiful carriage outside for rides, if you would like a little fresh air
tonight. You young people are welcome to ride as well in groups of 4 to 6. Security will
change at 11 PM, that way all can at least have some time here. Breakfast will start to be
served at 12:30 AM and the club will close at 2 AM. Happy New year to all of you, and
may God bless us in the next year.”
The band came out and the dance started on time at 8 PM. Clem and Julie came in and sat
with them for a short time. They were still excited about their apartment. Then they left
and for the next hour people were stopping and talking.

Carlton tapped John on his shoulder. “Need to see you boss, in private.”

When they got out doors Kelly was with them. But Carlton knew that was all right. “We
got hit tonight and were caught flatfooted. I have two men in sickbay with minor wounds.
I have had to put one chopper up with FLIR abilities and we have seen a group of about
fifty getting ready to attack. There are going to be a lot of dead people, boss.”

“Can we get behind them and take out their leadership?”

“I have two teams now working their way into position. But the majority are going to be
coming at us before we get to them.”

“How the hell did they get here and how did they know where to come?”

“The driver for the doctor's truck is one of the leaders. I would guess he brought the
others with him and dropped them off before his delivery? We refused him entry due to
security reasons and did the delivery ourselves.”

“It seems we have a choice right now. Either we let the world know we are here or we
close the mouths that would do that? That is not hard for me to make that decision. One
small leak and we would have every state cop and FBI agent all over here. Take them out,
and if any survive give them a room to farm. But no one leaves here, do you hear that?
Be sure any bodies are never found as well.”

“Loud and clear, boss, and it will go as you wish. I felt the same way and have made the
plans based on expecting you to see it as I did.”

“I need to go back and warn Dana of why I will be gone for a time.”

“You go, Daddy, I’ll take care of mom.”

With that he and Carlton were off in a shot to the control center. They both were on a
dead run and made good time. Once inside John filled a cup with coffee and sat back to
watch the men working.

Several trails coming up the mountain from the next valley were being used to come over
the mountain. The IR images were clearly showing from six to eight men moving up the
mountainside per trail. The FLIR or forward looking infrared imager, was showing each
man's position from bottom to top of the mountain. That included our personnel waiting
for the enemy.
Yes, these men were seen as the enemy and that was not open for discussion. They would
steal and kill with no reservations. So we would do it faster and better. The enemy had
fifty men and we were defending with twenty six. Two three man teams were moving in
on the leaders. Then there were twenty to handle those coming up the mountain.

The noise from the enemy coming up the mountainside was so loud, you always knew
where they were.

“Carlton, where did the two men get hurt?”

“They were walking sentry in front of the gates when they were shot from down the road.
I think they expected us to leave our posts and rush them? Instead, we closed the gates
after bringing the men inside. Sam checked them, and we had one shoulder wound and
one leg wound. Both were muscle wounds and he was treating both when I came for
you.”

“Why would they shot for an arm or leg?”

“They had flack jackets and helmets on and those areas were not protected.”

“No more guards outside the gates. Use an IR camera and keep the men behind
protection. If needed park a Bradley armored vehicle there and let them use it as a post.
With its weaponry they could fight a small war with men on foot. With the M3/A3 you
have the best possible defense weapon and the best electronics as well.”

“It does handle 5 men pretty well, boss. With the missiles it has we fight either air or tank
opponents. Up here, either would have a hard time hitting us. But the chain gun would
clear that road and fast. So we will put one at the gates for a sentry post.”

“Be sure the mailman does not get all bent out of shape.”

“He no longer comes up here. I have a jeep meet him down below and get the mail for us
and the tree farm. He is very happy not to make that ride up the two mountains each day.
He knows he can get his packages off loaded as well so he always brings all he has for
us.”

Then the firing started on the mountain. It was loud, and could be heard outside, but it
sounded like firecrackers. Of course, military people knew exactly what it was.

John watched the men coming in on the leaders just take them out with not one knowing
all had been killed. Everyone was a head shot and the driver from the truck lost a part of
his head. It was all bagged up quickly as there was a need for the body. It was loaded in
the truck and driven to a spot where the driver stopped. He pulled the original driver into
position, removed the bag from his head and took the brake off to let the truck roll
forward. It went off the road and dropped three hundred feet before it exploded.
The fire could not be seen from the road and neither could the truck. So if found there
would be questions, but it did look like an accident to any who would see it.

A large backhoe came into the clearing and started digging a hole. As the bodies were
brought down they were placed in the hole dug for them. All ID was removed and placed
in a sack for later review. Once done and covered two smaller trees were planted over the
top of the hole. It was hoped they would grow there as a marker.
Chapter 11

Once things were well in hand John slipped back into the dance. Dana never said a word
to him and he did not push it. She seemed cool and spent her time talking to friends. So
John danced with Krystal and Sandy who were sitting at his table when he returned.

The dancing seemed to piss off Dana more. So he just sat and drank coffee and talked
with Kelly and the girls. It was a no win situation for him that night. But some discussion
was going to happen before they went to bed.

The night went by slowly now and Dana acted like a child. Kelly was older than her
mother when it came to dealing with others. John stood and walked to the stage and took
the microphone.

“My friends you all need to know our land and installation was attacked tonight. I am
sorry to say we had two wounded at our front gate on guard duty. The wounds are not life
threatening, but both are hospitalized for a couple of days at least. The attacking force
was fifty men all from the Roanoke area. No one on the attacking force survived their
attack.” That caused a buzz in the room.

“It was my decision to make if we tried to arrest these men, or if we just treated them as
they would us? Rather than bring a load of state police and FBI up here I made the
decision to just fight. If any here doesn’t agree I am sorry about that and you may leave
as soon as you let me know. My job is to protect you and never put your lives at risk and
that is what was done.”

Now applause was loud and long. “It is now just one minute until midnight. The lights
will go out for 60 seconds at exactly midnight. So to all of you Happy New Year.”

The band started back and on time the lights went out. John was now one year older.
Once they came back on a large cake was rolled out and all stood to applaud. Dana had
no idea what was going on.

Mrs. Minch walked to the microphone. “John, from all of us, Happy Birthday, and here is
your cake. We would have put all the candles on it, but no one would issue a fire permit
for that size blaze.”

The laughter was all over the hall. Mrs. Minch walked up to John and hugged him.

Dana was shocked, as she had forgotten about his birthday. Now she was embarrassed as
well as angry. This was not a good day at all.

Kelly with her smile came to John and hugged him. “Daddy, will you dance with me
please?”
He picked her up and started to dance holding her to his chest. The band was playing and
people enjoyed his show for the children. Many daddies followed suit and the floor was
soon loaded with fathers and daughters and mothers and sons. Dana walked out and
headed home.

Kelly had seen her mom walk out and knew she was in an angry mood. But for the life of
her she didn't know why? She didn't say anything when told why dad was going to the
command center. So this was a worry to her.

They stayed until the club closed at 2. John had sent Jackson on and he and Kelly walked
to the house. “I will be up before you will, so come look for me here in the office in the
morning, OK?”

“Sure Daddy, but give me one more kiss and hug before I go to bed.” John did as
requested and she skipped off happy with her daddy.

He sat in his office and turned over Dana’s attitude tonight. There was no real reason for
it and he had done nothing to cause it. At least not that he could see. But he was in no
mood for that talk now. It would just have to wait. He slipped off his suit and crawled on
to the office couch with a blanket he kept in there. It took no time and he was out.

The light showing from outside was little when he walked to the kitchen and started the
coffee. He picked up a wool shirt and jeans off the dryer, so with his wool socks and
boots he knew he would be fine, weather wise. Once dressed he got the coffee and sat at
his desk to consider events. It was one reason why he had not considered marriage
before. He just did not like the games people play.

Dana walked in and just stared at him. “You never came to bed last night.”

“I was in no mood for a fight, trying to be started and slept on the couch here, thank you.”

She knew he was angry and hurt as well. “Look the issue is not you and it is mine to deal
with.”

“Fine and I will stay way outside your area while you do that. May be Kelly and I will
move into the hotel for a time?”

“You're just going to turn your back on me?”

“Nope, I am just giving you the room to handle YOUR issue. That statement told me to
butt out and leave it alone. I am doing so, but lady you have hurt me and that I have a
problem with. So if your trust factor with me is so small, I need to just be away from you
or I’ll do something wrong. I have been down this road with a wife I divorced long ago.
Understand I can’t close you out when you have already closed me out.”
John stood and walked out the door and to the mudroom. He pulled on his boots, his hat
and got his coat on. Then headed to the barn. He had his horse saddled when Kelly came
out.

“Daddy, why didn’t you wait for me?”

“Dana came looking for a fight, and I just was not willing to do that.”

He got Kelly’s horse ready and they mounted and headed into town. They stopped at the
restaurant and tied their horses at the rail. Both went in and ordered food and John coffee
and Kelly tea.

“This used to happen with grandfather from time to time. She just got real mad and said
nothing to me at all.”

“Well, love, we are moving to the hotel for a few days, to let her get over whatever it is.
If she can’t get a handle on it I will be moving out. I have far too much happening now to
risk all our lives over someone’s anger they can’t handle. Had I known this happened to
your mom I would never have married her.”

“I am glad you did Daddy, but I understand how you feel. This the last time went on for a
couple of weeks.”

“I don’t have two weeks to allow that Kelly. Either she handles it or I move out to
someplace I can work. There is far too much on the line right now for me to allow her a
lot of time.”

After they ate Kelly had made up her mind. “You go ahead and ride Daddy. I am going
back to talk with mom. It is time for me to hit her up side her head. She is messing with
all our lives and has no right to do that.”

Kelly walked into the house and saw her mom sitting at the kitchen table. “I am really
pissed at you, mom. So I've come back for us to talk. Now, if you don’t want to talk then
be ready to lose Daddy and me. I will not be treated ever again like you treated me
before. I remember your slapping me across the face for getting in your way. So don’t
give me that I love you bullshit. The one thing I have always known is that you never
loved me.”

Dana was white faced and knew she was going to lose them both. The tears started to roll
down her face. “I found out that your grandfather was your father. It took a couple of
DNA tests and the answers were all there. Yesterday I opened a box that he had locked up
and found the letter in there that told me exactly what happened and how it happened. I
was lied to and have lived a lie for years now.”

“So you treat Daddy like crap and that makes it better? You could not even sit down and
talk about this with him? You're just like grandfather was, a very self centered person.
Now Dana was shook and it showed. “I am not sure if John will ever want me again
Kelly. You, I at least know he loves, and will protect you. But I am really damaged goods.
Yes I did a lot of procuring for dad long before you came along. But what do you think
John would say about that?”

“He for sure would not blame you for your fathers actions. John never does anything to
hurt people he knows and likes. But when you turned your back on him rather than
coming and working things out it hurt him. You said you did not trust him with your
actions.”

“I never saw it that way Kelly. But you're right and it must be corrected. This is going to
have to be a family conversation. So you will have to be involved as well. He has to
know all this before he can make any decisions.”

“Mom don’t expect John to make any decisions. We will make them and he will accept
them. He is not like grandfather at all. John does not make our decisions as he just makes
his own. Now if you want to lose him just keep treating him like crap. It is for sure he
never treated you the way you're treating him.”

That was like a slap in her face and she knew she had it coming. Dana just dropped her
head and let the tears roll. This whole thing had been a nightmare.

When John got home and had taken care of his horse, he walked into a house that was in
turmoil. Of course he knew things were going to be bad, but not just how bad. He walked
to the bathroom and washed up after using the toilet. Then walked into the living room
and sat down.

Kelly got up and moved to his lap and just leaned back on his chest. Not one word was
said and time seemed to stand still. Dana was looking for how to start and was lost for
right now.

Then it started to roll out of her. The fact her father was Kelly’s father and that he had
kept this knowledge from her as long as he lived. Her being pushed to procure children
for him or he would just start to use her. That started when she was 6 and just got worse
each year. Then her finding out what he had all ready done to Kelly was pushing her over
a mental cliff.

During this whole recital John sat and just looked calmly at her. “OK Dana life is a bitch,
so why are you mad at me? I don’t think I did anything that hurt you did I?”

Very meekly she shook her head and said no. “I just didn't think any body could accept
what happened and still love me. What I did to other girls can never be forgiven.”

“Here I question your premise as you did nothing to the girls. Your father did, and you
were under duress to supply them. At the age this started you had no moral convictions.
Later it did not matter how you felt, he had control of you. The difference between him
and me is I don’t own you in any way. If you do something for me it is because you want
to, not because it was demanded.”

She had lost sight of how she lived now. It took her just a few seconds to get up and be in
his lap beside Kelly. “How could you possibly care for me?”

“The real woman is inside you doing her best to get out. Your life has had some very
disturbing issues in it. Now, that is disturbing to you and not to me. Little girls have this
habit of falling in love with fathers who show some care. They also fall in love with ones
that don’t care and are willing to do incredible things to get them to care. So Kelly is very
much in that condition now. It is my choice as her father how I treat her. She would
accept any request I made of her, willingly. But the question always is do I want her to
hate me later in life? I could abuse her and have her not hate me, but that is not
guaranteed.”

Now Dana’s eyes were getting opened even more. “You're saying most little girls have to
depend on their fathers not to take advantage of them. That they love their dads and
would do anything asked of them?”

“I don’t know many girls in loving homes that does not fit. Most compete with mom for
dad’s affection. Sex can be pleasurable even for a small child if done right. Of course full
adult sex is not really safely possible for young girls, but there is far more where no pain
exists. There is no reason to damage a child just to satisfy a desire.”

The relationship Dana had with her dad now took on an even different look. “You don’t
see me as guilty for bringing other girls to my dad?”

“Nope not at all dear. I am sure if I asked Kelly she would find the neediest little girl in
the orphanage and bring her to me for sex. She would feel no guilt as I had asked her to
do it. You know Daddy’s can do no wrong, right?”

This Dana had to think about before she went on. “You seem to be saying dad built the
relationship with me to maintain control of me. Then he continued to use me as he wished
over a long period of time?”

“It kind of looks that way doesn’t it? He also started to build that relationship with Kelly.
Your dad might have been bright, but he was a user of people. No not people, children, as
he I think was not able to perform at an adult level. At 16 he had to knock you out to
impregnate you with Kelly. You were a cherry and had to be tight as hell. Yet he had to
rape you to be successful. What an odd man.”

This statement hit a note with Dana. She could just barely remember some times she got
up in the morning sore. So the rapes had happened more than once. But rape it was and
she hated him for that. “I see I have a lot to learn and accept, John. But this does not seen
to bother you and I find that unusual.”
“Look what we are discussing happened long before I ever knew you. You have done
nothing I know of while we have been together that worries me. Until yesterday you have
always treated me like your lover and I enjoyed that. In the same respect I am a one
woman man and if I ever wanted to cheat, I would tell you we needed to divorce. I don’t
play around on someone I love.”

That had been very straightforward and honest. “What about Kelly’s needs, she also has
some here?”

“Look I am not going to rape a 7 year old. I will love her to death and do anything for her
possible. But sex is not part of that equation, Dana. If you come to me at some point and
ask me to teach her some part of sex that would not do damage to her, I would consider it.
But she would have to ask me as well, and discuss why it was important to her. If the
logic was sound and she fully understood it, I might consider talking with her with you
present. But I am not your dad and will not take advantage of our family situation.
Remember the key word is might.”

Dana was shocked at how John wanted her involved in any possible sex education with
Kelly. It for sure was not for his pleasure, as it was to teach Kelly. He knew the limits of
the education here and the future was to be bleak that way. Both the miners and military
were not big on sex education for children. It was going to mean some very unhappy girls
when they had their first experience.

“How do we repair our relationship, John?”

“My question was never did I love you, it was can I live with the new woman that had
moved in? If my original wife is back I see no damage to our relationship. But if that
other woman comes back then there is a problem. One that will cause me to move to
where I can meet the obligations I have. I don’t play games and don’t like to be played
with, be that accidentally or on purpose. So any decisions are in your hands, dear, not in
mine.”

Kelly smiled at her mom and Dana knew she did understand John better than she did.
“Kelly told me that any decisions would be mine and not yours. I am ashamed that my
daughter knows her dad better than his wife does. But I am willing to work to bring
myself back into line with who I was before. The short time you were gone I did miss
you and was afraid you would never come back.”

“Just so you know, if we had been dating I would never have married you. Had I seen this
back in North Carolina then you would still be back there. You're quite fortunate that you
made it as far as you did. We have one Psychiatrist coming in to handle trauma from
fighting and killing. She has done this before in the military. It would be a good idea if
you set up and appointment and talked with her about your problem. I suggested the same
thing to Krystal and Sandy. Her name is Dr Susan Kissel and she starts tomorrow in the
town. Her office is in the pool building so people have no idea who is going to see her.
But you must have an appointment to get into her office.”

“I will of course do that, but why not just you and I work it out?”

“Love, in a perfect world we could do that. But this is for sure no perfect world. So it is
better you get professional help that is outside and can be objective. They can suggest
things that I can’t and in some cases would possibly not think of. So that is a far better
option for you. That will also give you a sounding board for how you see things. No one
can cure you of your problem, but they can help you cure yourself.”

“OK, I’ll do it and go that way. But I don’t know about telling a stranger about all of
this.”

“She will have a complete report on her desk tomorrow, dear. It will be no more than the
story from my point of view. Of course what you have told me, and what Kelly did, will
be included as well.”

“Does Kelly need help like that?”

“She seems very well adjusted and we have discussed what her grandfather did to her.
That she understands can’t be changed, but it does not affect how much I love her. So I
have become her point of stabilization. Unless she wants to sit down with the doctor and
talk it out, I will not force her to do that. But it is her decision and no one will push her
one way or the other.”

He seemed to be taking that position with both of them. But if the doctor was also
working with Krystal and Sandy she was sure she could get help. Right now her
hormones were raging from the conception and she needed someone to guide her.

Dana went in and started dinner, as she had given Mrs. Minch a couple of days off to
spend with her daughter and family. Tonight would be an easy one as she had steaks out,
and would fix potatoes in the microwave. All she would have to do is fix a salad for each
of them to finish it off.

John and Kelly went into his office and he started to build the document for the doctor. It
had to be accurate and as complete as possible. So he worked quickly to get it outlined,
then he would go back and fill in the facts. This he felt was the least he could do to help
Dana. He knew enough about psychology to know what she was going to face. So giving
her a good start was within his power.

“Daddy, it seems you're leaving a lot out?”

“This is by no means a finished product, sugar. It is an outline for me to build on later. I

have to be careful to not state opinion as fact. Our minds are very complex and finding
what is really the problem is not always easy.”
This confused Kelly. “What do you mean the real problem?”

“What your mom thinks is the problem now may not be the problem really?”

“I don’t understand that, what do you mean?”

“Lets say you are concerned about what happened with your grandfather. The reason for
that is everyone says that was bad. But really down deep you liked it and don’t feel bad
about it. So your outward emotions reflect what people around you expect. But inside
you're happy with what went on and angry you can’t be honest. It would drive you to cut
off relationships with many others you liked at one time.”

“I see what you're saying about the mind being complex.”

“Sugar, we all make ourselves into who we wish to be. Most often we tend to assume
traits and actions of those around us we respect and like. Over time we build a person we
like. Now, in your moms case that image was destroyed and she must rebuild who she
is.”

Now it hit her just what happened to her mom. “That has to be hard, Daddy.”

“The older you get the harder it is. Our minds become less and less flexible as we grow
older. So if this had to happen now is a pretty good time for your mom to rebuild. She is
young and still flexible in her thinking. But she is going to have to want to rebuild, and be
willing to accept the pain and different person she will become.”

They had dinner and talked about light things. None of the last twenty four hours was
brought up.

The next morning John was in his office early and polishing the document for the doctor.
Dana walked in to let him know she had breakfast ready. “What are you doing?”

“Just finishing up the data for the doctor for you. You will need to read it to be sure it is
accurate. Kelly will also need to read her part to be sure I was accurate there as well.” He
started the printer running and they headed to eat.

Dana read the document slowly as did Kelly. Both said it was very accurate and added
nothing that was not said or did not happen, that he had accurately depicted Dana’s father
and his ways of controlling them. But Dana questioned John’s statement of her having an
identity crisis?

“I don’t think there is any identity crisis. Why did you say that?”

“Two days ago you knew who you were and where you were headed. Can you say that
now?”
“No I guess I can’t, but where did that person go?”

“That is something you will need to find out? We all have identities that get lost from
time to time. It does not happen as much at my age, as we have a firm grip on who we
are. That comes with a long time being the same person. It also comes from the rules we
have built.”

This she understood and knew she needed to develop the rules for her life. “Like never
lying, always keeping promises, not acting without consideration or listening without
interruptions to others.”

“I have many rules that keep me the same person everyday. It makes it very comfortable
for others to work with me. They know what to expect and it is very consistent.”

This she had seen and never considered the rules he had to have in place. “I see some of
what you're saying. Just send this report to the doctor and ask her to let me know when I
can see her?” Dana headed to her lab now and work that she had to get done.

John shot off the report with Dana’s request. He invited the doctor to stop by and have a
discussion with him that was totally unrelated to Dana. It was time for her to know that
all final decisions stopped here in this office. Once he had made a decision it was his
responsibility and no one else’s. He had always liked the idea of where the buck stopped
and for him it was at his desk.

The news was getting worse as the retail sector was starting to have companies going into
bankruptcy. In the early stages it was the smaller independent companies. Larger
companies could take millions to hundreds of millions in losses before the stock was
worth nothing. Every dime of asset value and stock money available has to be lost or
owed before a company is broke. So a large well funded company could last for a few
years before collapsing. A small poorly funded one dropped off in weeks. That was just
the nature of business.

One of the major employers of people was the auto industry. It had been falling off the
table for some years now. But the current government was trying to assure union jobs and
pressing it into bad moves. This was going to hurt all Americans as debt was forgiven and
government became the main stockholder. Billions in money invested by older Americans
was lost in one shot.

The parts makers were also hurting and not doing well. So, many of them would close
their doors. It looked like before it was over GM and Chrysler would go down the tubes
and Ford would be the only US manufacturer left standing. The government could not
manage itself, let alone the auto industry. But that was overlooked by almost everyone.

The best guess John had was that a few state governments would fall before summer. The
federal government did not have the funds needed to take over running them. So states
would end up in chaos without laws and government. Police would not be paid and would
not work. Trash would not be picked up, stores would not open due to no food or goods.
That was the way the start to this downhill slide looked.
Chapter 12

It was now early March and the government of Virginia was calling itself broke. This was
not the first to take that step. The early victims were the states in New England and the
Midwest. Of course California was the first to really go broke. They just would never
admit it.

John had tightened up the security for the valleys. The road was now blocked off with a
gate and walls. With no traffic that could use it to move from one point to another, it was
taken out of state service long before. Once the county agreed it had been done, the wall
and gate was built. It was a good three miles from the town to where the gate was.

All power generation was now for the town and valley use. So three of the turbines were
closed down for now and two ran just part time. All landlines were cut to the town and
there was now no phone service except by wireless methods. Removing the wire that
brought it down to the VEPCO lines cut the electrical feed coming from the wind
turbines. There would be no more power going to the company.

Building a gate house of stone and well fortified was an early project. There were both IR
and night vision cameras hidden in the trees up the mountain, to provide help in
defending the gatehouse. The goal was no surprises any more. Each day a new crew of
ten would take over the gatehouse.

That was two snipers and one gate controller during the day and a team of seven for night
fighting if needed. Anyone walking into this area at night was looking for real trouble.

The teams were well placed and heavily armed. There were two Bradley fighting vehicles
and one M1A2 Abrams tank sitting there each night. The total for seven tracked fighting
vehicles helped be sure they could defend the road. They were only out at night right
now, but their FLIR abilities let them see any heat signature.

The troops were now at high alert and looking for any possible attackers. Each mountain
had one lookout with IR and night vision abilities looking for possible people invading.
These posts were dug into the ground and concrete walled. Each had two automated
machine gun emplacements protecting it.

At night there were always twenty men out holding down lookout posts. The way it
worked was a trooper had one night of guard duty out of every six days. No one got burnt
out this way. The object was to keep people fresh and very observant.

It was early in the day when John received a call to come the control room. He walked
over and sat down with David. “What seems to be the problem?”

“No problem boss. You said that sooner or later people would start coming with families,
to move into the mountains. We have a group of around sixty people at the gate down at
the bottom of the mountain. There are may be twenty adults and the rest are children of
different ages. How do you want to handle this?”

“How much in goods do they have?”

“There are two horse drawn carts filled with goods.”

“Send the bus down and bring the main body up. Let them bring their carts up to meet the
rest here at the control center. Call the restaurant and have them get ready to feed these
people. Be sure the restaurant is cleared of our people before you send them in. Have
Sam ready to help any who are sick. Call Jackson and advise him he needs to get the
ferry ready.”

Thing were now under way and would be handled smoothly. So John went back to his
office and followed the people on the camera system. They looked like normal middle
class people, who were better dressed than most for the cold here. The children looked to
be in pretty good shape and none looked sick. They ranged from around 2 to 16 years of
age.

Once everyone had come up to the gatehouse the bus took them all to the diner for a
meal. The fact we had electricity and food like they had not seen in some time caused
many comments.

John walked into the restaurant and took a seat. Two men walked over and sat down with
him. “I am Jason and this is Clancy. We are the party leaders and guides.”

“OK, now what do you need from us and where are you headed?”

“I am not sure you can help us that much. We have been looking for ammunition for the
rifles we have and food that is freeze dried. That is all hard to find any more. Our
destination is an area of timberland Westvaco owns of just over one million acres. There
are no roads in or power lines cutting through it. It is just to the north and east of here.”

“Let me ask how are you going to be sure the young children survive?”

Both men hung their heads. “We both know we will lose many of them. But we could not
leave them at home and go through the hell there.”

“We have an orphanage here that will take children from toddler to eleven. The
agreement is they stay here until they decide to leave. Families leave all rights to that
child here with the home. As you saw coming up here we are very well protected. My
people are Special Forces trained and we have the firepower to back them up.”

“Yes we saw the tracked vehicles coming up. But there were just three men at the main
gate.”
John laughed at this comment. “You were under more fire power than you saw. There
were seven snipers watching you and people in every tracked vehicle. We don’t ask
questions first, so you were closely watched to assure you were safe.”

“Just how well defended are you?”

“That you will never know for sure. But we can supply you with the ammunition you
need, food and a solar communication system for later. Once you have a camp area where
you're going to stay, if you let us know where you are, we can provide a little help from
time to time.”

“We will be over a hundred miles from here.”

“That is nothing a helicopter can’t handle. But we are kind of a gatekeeper for people
moving to safer places. Now, are all your men and older boys armed?”

“No, we were able to get rifles for half of our people. Then only one in three have enough
ammunition.”

“We'll trade you weapons that use the same caliber ammunition, for the ones you have
that don’t. Then we'll supply you with needed food once we know how many to feed and
what you have now. We don’t have extra wagons, but can offer you a couple of horses for
pack work. But this will be your last supply point I am afraid.”

The men were shocked at John’s offer to them. “How in the world can you do that
much?”

“I have been getting ready for this now for some time. So I am better than well prepared.
As I find people who fit your group, I will advise you and send them your way with
supplies. But I will also send some on to other safe areas to build settlements there as
well. You will know where they are and they where you are.”

“That is both dangerous and helpful. If the wrong people find out it could be very bad for
us. But if there are people who when times are bad they could support you it could help.”

“We would of course be very careful who knew where you were, and if needed, supply
help to defend your settlement.”

“How could you do that?”

“I think a couple of Cobras and a gun ship might help?”

“You're that well equipped?”

“Better than that, my man. Now are you going to need drugs for injuries and sickness?”
“We did pick up some antibiotics and things for colds and flu. But we have no doctor and
no one who could give shots.”

“That we can help with. Now if you have someone very sick you can call our doctors and
they can walk you through finding out what it is. Then they can recommend treatment for
that person. But as a group you need to make decisions on who should be placed at risk
and at what age level. Then we will be happy to accept into the school and living quarters
the children most at risk. Those you feel might not survive out there.”

The men talked for a time and made some decision. “We are not sure just who will be at
risk among the children. But the ladies need to be involved in this. Do you have any
recommendations?”

“No, that is not my place. But you are going to have to have everyone able to work once
you get where you're going. The group will not have time to watch children. You will
need homes, defensive positions and some areas staked out for farming come spring and
summer. Supplying milk early on will be a tough item to handle. Life for any child will
be no fun in this new world. If they are there they will need to work.”

“We need to talk as a group. I would rather do that without outsiders if possible?”

“Fine, just let the security team at the gate know if you need me. We need to get you to
the ferry crossing by late afternoon. There are three small houses there where your people
can sleep. In the morning Jackson will take you across the river and give you maps. Once
settled you will need to come back to the river crossing and pick up some cattle to start a
small herd.”

As John left the men started outlining the problems in front of them. This included the
help offered here by John. The discussion ran for a long time before finally coming to
some decisions.

The decision to leave children behind was not an easy one. Here the cut off of 11 was a
help, in that any child 12 and older had no choice. The mothers were not happy, but
understood the chance of their child dying was high if they went on. Children not born to
hardship just did not do well in that condition. It was winter and many had colds right
now. That could easily lead to many lung diseases. Hospitals were no longer an option
out there, or even back home.

The decision ate at many a man and woman. But they ended up trying to give the child
the best chance to survive. John was called to the control center.

“Here are the children we feel would be best off staying. It has been hard for all of us to
take this step. I know the ladies would like to see where the children will live just to settle
their minds.”
John nodded to Krystal and she walked up and guided the ladies off. The planning for
these people to move forward was well advanced. Everything was already at the center to
be loaded. The old guns that were of a different caliber were taken for reworking. One
pair of night vision glasses was supplied. They had a solar recharger so the batteries
stayed fresh. The radio system that hooked up with the satellite was ready and took little
training in how to set up and use it.

“You have given us more to keep us safe than we had when we started.”

“My people advised me of what others would need to survive out here. We either bought
or obtained via friends what we would need to provide. Keep your brass and bring it back
to the river each year and we will reload it for you. That is something we cannot make
more of for you without more base brass.”

Once the women were back the group left for the crossing point. It was a much smaller
group of just thirty one people and ready to fight if needed. Twenty nine children had
been added to the orphanage, the oldest being a boy of 10. This brought the orphanage up
to 60 children.

Kelly went down to the living area for the kids and talked with most of the new comers.
The amount of colds here was a bad thing. It would run through the entire group. This
group was now separate from the others until they were over their colds. Sam was dealing
with all the kids and doing very well for someone who does not like children.

This group was a little better educated than the first. Here there were no fat children, as
most of any fat had been worked off before they got here. Most seemed glad not to have
to go with their parents. That question became one with a good answer. The parents had
required that they work and do without any play. If they were caught playing they were
punished.

Kelly knew today was not fair, like the many days before. That was just the difference in
economic times.

Dana had met with Dr Kissel and liked the woman. She had asked many questions and
just let Dana talk about her feelings. They had set up a schedule of three meetings a week
for the first month. Then they would workout a new plan from that point. But just getting
some of what bothered her off her chest seemed to help. She at least was not nearly as
tense and was left wondering why she had attacked John the way she did?

The confusion was really bothering her and she knew next session she would have to
address it. John had done nothing, he had not even known about her problem. Yet she was
angry with him. It just made no sense to her at all.

Once back at her desk she got into the study she was now running. Julie had helped her
set it up and outline what she was looking for. Not being a doctor made some of this hard
for her. But she had spent years doing research without the degrees.
The wagons moved down the road, the people looking very well armed. David had talked
with the ladies and let them know a good part of their safety depended on them. They had
been armed with shotguns with quadruple-ought 5 ball loads. It sent out 5 balls of round
38 caliber shot. Not good for long distance fighting, but deadly in close. Like less than
fifty yards where most woods would require people to be.

Jackson set the females up, and let them shoot at targets for half an hour. They got really
good at hitting close to where they aimed.

“Ladies, you don’t have to be real accurate with a shotgun. Once the shot is just twenty
feet away it is spreading out rapidly. So with one of these, volume of fire is more
important than aim. Every time you shoot there are five bullets flying down the line of
fire. They are each the equal to a 38 police special bullet. You are using pump action
guns. So you have five shells ready to shoot 25 lead balls as fast as you can pump the gun
and pull the trigger. Keep them belt high or lower for close in fighting.”

The ladies now felt like they could add to the defense as well as the men. “How long can
we help the men?”

“John supplied you with 1,000 shells per gun. That is forty boxes of shells for each of
you. They are packed twenty five to a box. You also need to understand these will bring
down meat animals. But once more you have to be close to do that.”

Jackson showed them how to strip and clean their new guns. Each was a fast learner and
really good at putting it back together.

During this time the men had been shown a lot of areas to avoid. Places where families
had been in these mountains for many years and others where attacks could be made. A
route had been suggested with a line showing how to get where they wanted to be.

Two men had been trained to set the packs on the horses and load them properly. There
was a real trick to not getting the horses sore. The rest of the day had been a training class
for them and they had really needed it.

After a good nights sleep they got up and cooked breakfast. It was still dark and they
were packing the wagons and packhorses. At first light Jackson came down and loaded
them on the ferry. He fired the motor up and took them across the river and landed them.

All were thankful for the safe crossing and for being dry on a cold day. Had they been
required to do this on their own, they would have had to float the wagons across. It was a
wet messy business and not one for winter weather. Especially on a river they knew
nothing about, but showed it was deep with slick rock sides. This would be a good way to
lose people and goods they could not afford to lose.
Jackson came back and tied up for the rest of the day. He had horses to train and this ferry
work was a job he never looked forward to. The danger the river provided was a worry he
did not need.

Once he got to the barn he saw the two boys he had been assigned to train. Both were
seventeen and strong as an ox. Their dads were miners and they had played football when
there were team sports. The taller boy was Simon and the smaller one Thomas.

“Good morning lads, this is just day one of your learning to hate me. The reason for that
is I am going to push you beyond your limits and then push harder. You're going to be
traveling places where most would get killed. My job is to teach you how to survive out
there.” Jackson waited and nothing was said.

“The reports you communicate back here will save hundreds of lives. People like the
ones that left this morning will be depending on your information. One small error will
cause the deaths of people who trusted you. Now are you sure you can handle that?”

Both boys said at once. “Yes sir we can.”

“To start have either of you ridden before?

Both had and spent hours on horse back. “That was why we asked for this job sir.”

“How are your shooting skills?”

“We are both dead shots and killed most of the meat for the family.”

Well at least David had sent two good boys to start with. “Our job is going to be doing
the scouting of safe areas for settlement. Slowly we will train small groups of young men
to do this as well as fight when needed. You will find things will become harder as we go
forward. People will be far less trusting and often will shoot first and ask questions later.
So building up relationships with a few good people will help a lot later.”

“How is this training going to work, sir?”

“Once you're checked out with the horses, guns and maps you will be assigned to one of
the special forces people to start running training missions. Sometimes you won't want to
be seen. Other times you'll try to meet certain people and start building a relationship. But
you will always be watching and looking for people who are trouble. Those will be noted
and you will move on to the next person. When gangs are found they must be tracked and
broken up or killed off. Those decisions will be made by John and not by you. You can
make recommendations and that is it.”

They were getting the picture now. They were the eyes and ears for the fighting force and
looking for places people could settle with some safety. But they also had to be ready to
fight. “I am sure we can handle this. It uses a lot of the skills we have already developed.
Besides both of us like adventure.”

“Look it is dangerous and not adventure. Here you will be risking your own lives each
day. So you both must use your heads and not take risks without weighing the odds of
survival. Understand, you're not bulletproof! Just one bad move could get both of you
killed.”

Some of the real world was now invading theirs. It caused them both to see just how bad
the world had gotten. Things today were nothing like when they were growing up, and
this was no game. “I think we see the real facts now, sir. Just teach us what we need to
know.”

John was working on the money situation here. The credit was the only usable currency
other than precious metals. Today he was checking to see just how much money was lost
each month. Oh it was still in the bank, but people controlled it and not the company.
That was one small hole every government always had.

After a long search and discovery he found he lost just about eleven percent per year. It
would by no means bankrupt the company, but it did drop the reserves. This would have
to be considered and watched to assure it did not grow larger.

He stood and walked out to the barn for some air and a break.

“Hi Daddy, you getting stale also?”

He laughed at this. “Yes, sugar, I sure was getting stale. I'm trying to balance our money
to keep us solvent. That is a job for someone far better qualified than me. But right now I
need to understand just where we are.”

“It really sounds like a computer problem for Tommy and Jimmy. They have all the data
to do it and track it.”

She was right and that never crossed his mind. “Thanks for the help. That never crossed
my mind, and it should have.”

“With all the things going on I wonder why you didn't think of it? You're going to have to
slow down if you want to think of everything.”

He knew the truth when he heard it. “You're right my little one as usual. But right now is
no time for me to slow down. There is far too much happening and we must stay ahead of
it. One way to see it is its like when the lights went out in a city and stayed that way. At
first there is anger at a temporary disruption, and then understanding that this is for good.
So if I fail to keep people in the loop, we face problems like the one with power. It is
more that there is a problem, than why it exists for most people. They want to know
someone is working on it.”
“People are confusing to me, Daddy. If they don’t know there is a problem, how do they
expect others to know it exists?”

“That is just human nature, dear. People expect others to be perfect, but always excuse
themselves from that list.”

Kelly laughed at that, but knew it was true. “Are we going riding?”

“I’m afraid not, dear. We have another group coming up to the control center. This one
really worries me as there are far to few children in it, and way to many men.”

“Do you want me to wonder around and talk with some of the kids?”

“That would help, but security must know exactly where you are. I really have bad
feelings about this group.”

Kelly went into the house and dressed down to poor city standards. She added some dirt
and made sure she looked like she had been playing. With the poorer looking clothing
and dirt she would not draw much attention.

John headed down to the center so he was there before the new people. “David, I am
worried about these people.”

“So am I boss, something just isn't right.”

“Warn everyone that Kelly will be around here dressed down to a poor level. They need
to keep a watch out for her all the time. Also keep her RFID feed running for me. Get the
snipers out and bring around fifty men down fully armed and dressed for a fight.”

That was set up quickly, as David had pretty much the same feelings John did. Today you
just did not completely trust anyone. The mix of this group seemed to be wrong, as the
ratio of black to white, and male to female was just not right.

This crossing point to West Virginia was the only one not controlled by the state police or
National Guard. No one knew how long that would last? The state could not afford to
keep the borders sealed forever.

The group stopped outside the control center's main yard. You could see worry on many
male faces. There were around fifty plus adults in this group.

“David, I am not happy here, so just disarm and arrest the entire group.”

Two Bradley chain guns swung into position, as did one Cobra overhead. “Everyone
hands up, and do not reach for any weapon. If you do you will be shot, no questions
asked. If there is no reason found for this action, we will apologize and compensate you.
But for now we will take no risks.”

The men looked around and saw they had no chance to survive. But two of the female
members decided to push the envelope and were killed quickly. At that point every man
and woman were cuffed. Each child was searched and moved to a fenced play yard.

The troops searched each of the adults and found many weapons. In the one wagon they
found weapons, ammunition and one machine gun ready to set up. They were very well
armed and ready for a fight. They were not migrating anyplace that the troops could see.

Kelly had been talking with the children and was getting a lot of information. These
people were from Roanoke, and friends of the band that had attacked here before. They
had brought over one hundred children and were hiding them down below to sell as
slaves. But wiping out this small town was first on their list.

Carlton took ten men and went to get the rest of the children. With the location pretty
well pointed out, they could work their way into finding these men holding the children.

A backhoe was send back to the clearing where the last group was buried. One more
trench was dug for bodies. John was really pissed at these people and was going to end
this slavery issue now.

The men and women were stripped and cuffed hands behind backs and then connected to
a long chain running person to person. It was cold enough for this to take a lot of the fight
out of the prisoners. They were allowed to keep their boots or shoes on just to keep
complaining down.

It was almost two hours later when Carlton came riding up to the center. He got off the
bus and led the children into the building. “We got ninety three and that is all that was
left. It seems three died last night and men raping girls not old enough for sex caused
that. In questioning the children the men used both girls and boys and the women used
the boys for their pleasure. There is no child over nine here and many at four to seven. ”

“I see no reason for any court proceedings after that report. They are either directly guilty
or by being an accessory to murder and rape. Take them to where the others from
Roanoke are buried and do as you wish with them. But bury them and let God sort it out.”

The group was marched down to where their friends were waiting for them. Not one man
felt anything but anger and hate right now.

Sandy and Krystal came to the center and were totally shocked. “Where did you get all of
these children?”

“They were taken from mothers and families in Roanoke and brought this way to be sold
as sex slaves or working slaves. Most have been beaten and some raped. Get Sam and
Julie to come down and check them out physically. Get Susan Kissel to come talk with
the older children first.” John now had the girls directed.

The girls led the children down to the new dorms and opened up four so all could have
beds. Each dorm had rooms for thirty children at two to a room. They were told by sex to
strip and go to the girls or boys showers. Once they were clean each was given a robe to
wear until the doctors checked them out. Sam handled the boys and Julie the girls.

It was getting close to dinnertime and food for the entire group was also being prepared.
Mrs. Minch had, at John’s request, taken over the food service for the children. So the
food had vastly improved here and she took great pride in how well the kids were doing
health wise.

Two troopers came down and asked to speak to several children. After the discussion they
got back on their communications gear and three young girls were sent back to the center.

John met them in the conference room. “OK now I would like to hear your stories. But
understand you will tell them to three different people. Each of you will be in different
rooms. Every fact will be checked out and just one error means you're dead. You will
answer each and every question without hiding any facts. Now, am I understood?”

The yes sir came very softly. But it could be heard. “David, you take that one and
Carlton, you get that one. Here is your list of questions that must be answered in full.”
John had pointed each girl out.

The two men left the room and went to interrogation rooms.

John looked over this small girl of may be sixteen years of age. “OK, now what is you're
name dear?”

“Shelby, sir.”

How old are you, Shelby.”

“Fifteen, sir.”

“Shelby, what happened that ended up with you're being with these people?”

“My dad owed one of the men a debt and he was told he would take me for payment. So I
was given to him. I was raped every night since that happened and thought it would never
stop.” Now the tears rolled down the girls face.

“That has stopped, dear, and will never happen here. Don’t get me wrong, sex is allowed
and enjoyed in our world. But forced sex is against the law and punished harshly.”

The girl cocked her head and looked closely at John. “You're the one aren’t you?”
“I sorry, I am not getting your meaning?”

“Your picture is on the net, and some very scant directions to Shangri-La. A place of
food, work and safety for any child brave enough to search for it.”

John turned on his laptop and his picture was there as was the ad and directions. “I am
afraid you have caught me, dear. To use those sites you must think like a child, and not an
adult. To them the directions are pretty clear.”

“But you don’t think like a child?”

“No but my seven year old does. Kelly put together the tips and suggestions for the ads.
But she is a seven year old body, and a mind that is your age.”

That Shelby was just not believing. “That does not work, sir.”

John stepped over and called on the intercom for Kelly. Then a cute seven year old girl
walked in and gave John a big hug. “I have to use every excuse I can to get enough hugs
from Daddy.” This was said with laughter only a child could produce.

“Is he really your dad?”

“Yes he is and we share the last name also. But he did adopt me and worked with me to
help me find a peace I never knew existed. Before Daddy, I was abused and he has helped
me handle that issue. I had choices in front of me and he answered the questions for me
to let me make decisions.”

Shelby was first shocked at her language abilities and then her logic. “How is it you don’t
act your age?”

“Look I am in sixth or seventh grade at 7 or almost 8. The fact is I am in different grades

in different subjects. But I was reading books at 3, so life has been weird for me. But with
Daddy, I always get honest answers and complete information. Our agreement is if I
don’t want the complete honest answer then don’t ask the question.”

Both girls laughed at that. “God, I wish dad had been that way. But to him my sister and
me were nothing but sex toys to be used. He dealt drugs, and had a large client base.
Many were offering daughters to him with money in short supply. So my sister and I were
expendable.”

“Is your sister in the kids being helped now?”

The girl hung her head. “No sir, she was raped by ten men and she died from blood loss. I
buried her near a river and said the only prayer I knew for her. What is going to happen to
me now, sir?”
“Daddy we have an extra room, and with Mrs. Minch gone, we need some help with the
house. I think this young lady is a good example for mom to learn from also.”

Shelby knew something was not being said here. “I am sorry but what kind of example
am I?”

John brought up the report and turned the laptop to the girl. She read the entire report and
shook her head. “God, she had it easy.”

John needed for Shelby to sit back and listen. “That may be true from your point of view.
But it is far from her point of view. You both were raised at different economic levels of
life. So the ideals and basic concepts of life were different for each of you. Things she
held as being right were turned upside down by her dad. He sucked her deeper and deeper
into his black hole. Then, when it could get no worse, it did, as she found out that Kelly
here was fathered by her dad. She had always been lied to and told she was raped by
boys.”

Now Shelby could see a lot of differences and she felt for Kelly’s mom. “I always knew
what dad and I did was wrong and really didn't care. It was not that unusual for kids to
have sex with parents or friends in my neighborhood.

John was not so sure bringing Shelby into the house would be a good thing? But they
could try it and change plans if needed. “Take her down to see Julie and get her blood
tested for any problems. Then get her over to the store and get her clothing for in the
house and outside. Once she is settled into her room bring her down to the office and we
will discuss her position.”

As matter of fact the way John handled it Shelby was surprised. “I thank you, sir, and I
will do what ever is asked of me.”

The two girls went off to get Shelby set with clothing. David walked in and smiled at
John. “It seems you found out what I did. None of these girls were involved and all were
being used by the men.”

“That pretty well spells it out. So how old was yours?”

“She was sixteen and had dropped out of school. She said she could not learn.”

“The home life these girls had didn't open the way for learning from books.”

“That is for sure, and Carlton had the same results. His was fourteen and was not sure she
had any skills. So what are we going to do with them?”

“Shelby is fifteen and coming home to work filling in for what Mrs. Minch did cleaning
wise. I am not so sure she can handle cooking yet. But she can most likely be trained over
time. My gut says we don’t want them close to the younger kids now, due to what they
have been through. Placing them where they can hustle men will not work either. So tell
Jackson he has two girls to teach how to handle his horse barn. That barn has a small
apartment in it for a working hand.”

“Is that fair to Jackson?”

“Take them both to the store and outfit them for the barns. Be sure they have food for
their kitchen and linens for the beds and bath. Then have Jackson pick them up and settle
them into the barn apartment. Be sure to tell him if they come after him knock his self
out, but treat them like ladies. ”

David like just how John had stated the case. “I sent blood samples to the lab for a quick
check. Both were fine on the quick check. So I think Jackson will be OK if they do attack
him.”

David went out and collected the girls and went to get what John ordered done complete.

Chapter 13
The time of late winter was bringing many each week to the crossing. It was not because
it was well known, but because the state had blocked off so many other routes. The
government of West Virginia had fallen and local towns and counties had formed
protective associations. Only a few people could provide passes through these protected
zones. Because of the care John and his people took processing groups, he could write a
pass for most of the southern part of the state. People he did that for were always passing
through and never planning to stay.

The wooded places picked to send people to were remote enough not to draw much
attention. The first group to pass through was now well housed in caves they had found,
and were building cabins. They checked in once a week and updated the center on their
location. Information was passed on to them for future use. There was two more starting
their building now.

So far they had twelve groups out building communities. But three were well ahead of the
rest. Each would receive new people from time to time. But all were in either federal
forestland or pulpwood and timberlands. None of this had an owner now days. Due to
lack of roads and development, existing government just had no interest in this land.

Current news reports John was able to pick up showed DC was a ghost town. The federal
buildings had just been locked up and left. Richmond was no better off except gangs had
burned most of the state buildings. At least in DC the troops had been there long enough
to see the gangs that were left leave the city. Food had been the main driving force as a
reason to leave.

Looking over the world no major groups except China and Russia had operating national
governments right now. Japan was reorganizing its government. But the EU was a mess
of small local governments trying to run their areas. National pride was getting in the way
of any progress.

China and Russia were hanging on by their fingertips. Both groups of people were so
used to being forced to accept whatever government said or did they were slow to fight
any demand. But that was changing, as food was no longer available to the government.
Before, this was a club to beat people into line. It started in the far reaches of each
country and would slowly, like a tide, cover it all.

John was worried about building his area of support and control. The area of land he had
for the company would support him and his people for some time. But they would need a
wider area of influence to be able to organize a stronger mini government. The goal was
to take the southern half of West Virginia and the southwest part of Virginia. This would
give them people and land to build a civilization. It would take time to build this from
Bristol to the Blue Ridge in Virginia, and from Wayne to Charleston to Elkins south in
West Virginia. This was not an easy place to travel and communications were going to be
tough. But there was safety here as the mountains made some rough barriers to overcome.
Once the maps were posted in the command center and in John’s office it was now
everyone’s goal. The area in green was the safety zone and it was small. But they had
three other areas now with small green dots besides their living area. The mountain areas
were considered by many to be undereducated, and the people not nearly as bright as city
folks. That was far off the mark as people here were far better at handling adversity.

The attitude of self sufficiency was one long taught here. It was true they did not have
some of the writing skills, reading abilities or even advanced math skills. But they did
know how to survive and care for their families. That was something all the degrees
could never teach.

Carlton was slowly recruiting men from the surrounding areas. He set up small military
camps that small towns and farmers could call on for help defending their land. These
people were paid with food and ammunition they needed. Money was far from their
needs right now.

Over the past three months groups totaling seven hundred troops had been formed for
defense. If they were out numbered they could call on John for help and support by
chopper or gun ship. He could get them help fast once they contacted the command
center.

One advancement made was the solar power chargers for cell phones. They also had most
of the cell towers back up in the areas they existed around Shangri-La. These would be
added to as time went on. But converting them to solar and battery reduced the traffic
they could handle from the old days.

It was a nice day and John was sitting outside just looking at the mountaintop. “It's time
you took a break, dear. From the start of the year things have demanded your attention.
But now it seems to have settled down some?” Dana was once more a happy lady.

“I was just sitting here wondering just how long it is going to take to rebuild? That made
me think of what changes will have to be made to govern the people? The way it was
done before just didn't work. Parties and elections are not the way of a solid government.
Too many ideas and no experience tend to cause failure.”

“I've been reading your ideas on that. They seem fairly sound and well reasoned out. One
I really liked was no lawyers, and laws that all could understand. The fact police were
just gatherers of fact and reported it to judges was nice. A judge being appointed for life
meant no interfering with honest justice. Having a supreme justice to review every
conviction and with the right to over rule a decision, will make a judge think. A judge
getting convicted of misuse of their authority by being overturned too often would send a
real message.”

“Law is the only way to control people and do it fairly. They need to have rights, but they
must be the same for everyone. Here the law is equal and if you feel wronged file your
own case. But if you lose it will cost you for the time of each person involved. If you win
then the loser pays that cost. But I have a long way to go before I have a sound format for
a government that should work.”

“Well we know the one we had didn't work in today’s world. So what is done this time
needs to be different than before.”

“The problem as I see it is, the federal government tried to oversee far too much. There
was no clear dividing line between local, state or federal responsibility that could not be
over stepped. Each level of government must have limits and responsibilities spelled out
clearly. Failure to meet those requirements should be a crime. Someone must be held
responsible for every action taken.”

“Where do you start, my dear?”

“I guess a meeting of selected people for now. We are going to have to find ways to
finance a government, keep from taxing people to death and make the money have value.
That is just to start, Dana.”

They walked into the house and Shelby had dinner ready for them. She had turned into a
fast learner when it came to cooking. The group discussed John's problems coming up,
and some ideas were offered. It was fun for them to discuss it and John enjoyed listening
to ideas about how to defend them. None were fit as they were stated to work, but small
pieces were stored for future consideration. Great ideas were made up of many smaller
pieces and fitted together.

Dana and John listened to music for a good two hours after dinner, then both headed to
the shower. This had now become a common every night happening for them. They
enjoyed the washing of each other’s body and the closeness it brought to them.

“God I get so over sexed just washing your body, John.”

“Not over at all, my dear, just well sexed up for making love. The two extra passengers
are, I hope, not too disturbed by our games.” John laughed at the look on Dana’s face.

“What do you mean, disturbed?”

“Kelly says they will come out talking.“ Now both were laughing and yet they knew she
might not be far wrong.

She laughed and snuggled into him to be held. Once under the covers they drifted off to
sleep.

The next morning John was first up as usual. He had finished his shower and was shaving
when Dana walked in. “How can you get up so early? I still need a couple hours sleep to
catch up from last night.”
“Look I hate being up early, but know I have to do it. So better to just do what I know
must be done than fight it. If I am tired I’ll just take a nap and then keep going.”

“It would be nice if I could do that. But I just don’t seem to be able to accomplish it.”

“Catch David or Carlton and ask them how they train their people to get short naps on
marches. They keep their people very effective with short nap times.”

Kelly and John went riding that afternoon. The area was very cool, but not cold. They got
to the river barn and stable. Jackson was training a new group of boys for scouting. John
and Kelly watched this for a good time before Jackson saw them.

“Hey, boss, you are supposed to let me know you’re here.”

“Why, I found what you were saying and doing was interesting. So it lets me get an idea
of how we are training people. Now, I need a group to ride to each small city or town and
ask to meet with their counsel. I need to know if they would like to look at forming a new
country out of many areas in West Virginia and Virginia. It will take a lot of work,
planning and compromise by everyone. But we have to start rebuilding something that
works sometime.”

Jackson saw the idea was a good one. “I would like to do this run, boss, and I’ll take
these young men with me. It would be a good training mission for them. Now, do you
have this all printed up for them to study?”

“Yes, stop by the printing plant and pick up two bundles, that will need to be handled on
a pack horse. You're not going to be able to hit every town, but get as many as possible.
Then let those discuss it with others. Leave several copies of the information with each
town. Post copies at cross roads that are heavily used. It could take as much as a year to
get the first meeting pulled together.”

“If we don’t do something it will never happen. I will not enter Roanoke or Bristol,
Virginia, as they are both way to dangerous. But we will get smaller areas and be sure
some loose ones get carried into the larger cities. I do hope no map or directions are on
these?”

John had to laugh. “I am not that dumb, Jackson. You will have one hundred solar
chargers for cell phones and a number is printed in the information. But that is the only
contact information there is. You will need the name of the user and numbers of any cell
phones to be used, so we can add it to the circuit. So take your time and keep security
posted on where you are and where you're headed.”
“Done, boss, and we'll head out early tomorrow morning. I’ll get the packs set up and
draw food for us. We'll have to make a few stops back here to restock and move in a
different direction. But in the next 60 days we should have most of this completed.”

“You can send a couple of other teams out, Jackson.”

”That is true, but then I would not get the same feelings on how this is going to go?”

“My guess right now is something like, hell no. But that will slowly change, as the
problems get worse. It is time to start tilling the soil, so we can plant when the time is
right. People are not ready yet for any government that would have control over their
daily life. But that will soon be changing for most. You will find people like others to
handle problems they can’t. Those are growing each day now.”

Jackson just shook his head. “I for sure don’t understand what you're saying. But I’ll get
the word out to the towns and people.”

As they rode back home Kelly had her usual questions? “Daddy, why aren’t people ready
for a fair government?”

“They don’t know it will be fair? So they'll have many questions that need answers
before they would agree. Often, they have been promised things that never happened.
That was just how politicians worked before.”

The answer did make sense and she knew it was honest. “Can you offer something
better?”

“I have some ideas that would work, but people would need to buy into them.”

They unsaddled the horses and brushed them down before stalling them. Next was hay
and some grain to keep them until morning. Dana did not like riding much so her horse
had been sent back to the river barn. This had become Kelly and John’s way of having
some time together most days, without schoolwork or his job in the way.

The life here had changed so much over the last few months most would not recognize
the town and people. The men and older boys were wearing uniforms and always armed.
Many of the older girls had accepted a period of military service, so they were uniformed
as well. This had caused some to raise a fuss for a time, but the girls had cooled it
quickly.

Many were in communications, nursing, maintenance, supply and the likes. But there also
were tracked vehicle crews, pilots, snipers and a few in the scouts. These were not
wallflowers and hated to hear people say they should be.
John was a little surprised when he walked into his office and found Carlton sitting there
with a girl of may be eighteen who could not weigh more than ninety pounds soaking
wet. She might have been close to five feet tall, but sitting down he could not tell.

“Now Carlton, why do I feel I am not going to like this?”

“Maybe because you're not, boss.”

I looked at the girl and saw just how serious she looked. “Go ahead and tell me the story.”

“Dink here was working field cleaning a weapon to get the protective coating off, as it
was a new weapon. She was alone in the area we use for this activity. One of the troopers
I brought from Bragg decided he was going to rape her. That didn't work out well for him
at all.”

John sat back now and wondered just what had happened? “First of all why do you call
her Dink? That seems a little derogatory to me.”

“Sir, it is OK with me as my dad called me that from the time I could remember. I am
small and it started as dinky duck and just grew to Dink.”

Well if she didn't mind I was not going to push it. “What happened while you were
cleaning the weapon?”

“The guy watched me for a time and I said nothing to let him know, I knew he was there.
He then came out and told me he was going to enjoy raping me. He made the mistake of
dropping his pants and I took his knee out. When he started to get up I dropped him with
a kick to his balls. After that he didn't try to stand again.”

I had been watching Carlton and saw his smile. “Just how big was this guy?”

She considered this before answering. “Maybe six three and 210 pounds? He was very
well built and I'm really sorry I hurt him so bad.”

It was all I could do not to laugh. This little female had taken out one of Carlton’s bad
boys and she was sorry? “Where did you learn to protect yourself that way?”

The girl blushed and was slow answering. “I have taken classes now for the past year
with Dana. She said I had a natural talent and spent a lot of extra time working with me.
But sir, I lost my temper and let that control me. That just was not the right way to handle
this.”

John was not sure what he would say was the right way? “First of all the man was
breaking the law. Second that particular law calls for life in prison for a conviction. He
didn't have to complete the rape, just state that was his intent. Now it just so happens we
have a video camera and sound down there. My gut tells me you have been rather kind in
how you described this event.” He called Jimmy and had a copy of the feed sent to his
computer.

They all sat and watched and listened to the entire event as it played out. The trooper was
crude and very explicit as to what was going to happen. The girl was blushing the entire
time it played.

John picked up his phone and called the hospital. “Sam, this is John, and the guy you
have with the knee problem, I want him castrated for his crime. Ask Jimmy to give you
the feed from today’s fight and you will see why. Carlton is sitting here as we talk and is
nodding his head as well.”

Dink looked distressed now. “Why did you do that?”

“It was do that or put him in prison for the rest of his life. We could never trust him
around any young girl any more. I know I would cut his dick off if he pulled it out on my
daughter. So now he has no reason to do that. Over time the urge will just go away. But
his next assignment will be a front line one.”

“I feel bad about creating all this trouble.”

“You saved us a disaster, Dink. If he had gone on an assignment and raped a town girl
while out, he would have caused us a major problem. We have to be people others can
trust to turn things around. We had a weak link and you found it and fixed it.”

The girl understood what John was saying and could at least accept it. She and Carlton
stood and left the office.

Chapter 14
The spring was getting busier as people were looking for more food and cities were no
longer able to supply it. The larger cities had every food store broken into and carried off
long ago. Because of lack of power no fuel could be pumped and most fuel stops were
empty of food, but not of fuel.

Jackson had been out now for a good while trying to contact people and get John’s plan
to them. The West Virginia area had been covered pretty well. Now he was working his
way to Blacksburg and just outside of Roanoke. With a well armed and mounted troop of
twenty he was not worried about being attacked. But he had divided responsibilities and a
small protective force riding just out of sight. They had communications with the base as
well as Jackson.

The lunch break had not been cooked food, so they used power bars to be able to keep
going at a good pace. This had been watched by a small group of gang members from
Roanoke. They had been looting and raping the small farms out here. From what they
could see it looked like close to a fair fight. They did not like that, but the horses would
make their lives easier.

The group set up to fire from cover and at a range of just about fifty yards. With their
small caliber weapons that was just about max range for being accurate. Each chose a
position and waited for a hand signal.

Once in position they were aware only of what was in front of them. Each had a target
and was ready to kill them. The leader was the first to drop as a crack of a pistol sounded.
The gang never got more than a couple shots off.

Jackson walked over and looked down at the dead bodies. “Damn fools had no real
training and paid for it. This is the seventh group we have removed from our area so far.
Load up the loot they had including the weapons and let’s get out of here. We will let the
buzzards do their work.”

This group had one scrawny packhorse and it was now loaded. They headed into
Blacksburg and the police station if it still existed?

In the town they saw some people walking the sidewalks. As a group they looked like
normal town people. Jackson asked for directions and was given good ones.

His troop dismounted and held their horses until one officer came out. “Sorry to bother
you officer. But a group of around thirteen I believe were raiding farms around this area
attacked us. They are dead and we wanted to drop off their loot and let you sort it out.”

“Who the hell are you people?”

“If you have heard of a place out here called Shangri-La then you know where we are
from. Now I need to talk with whoever is leading this town and give them some
information.”

“What is your hurry?”

“I have air cover tomorrow to go down Christiansburg Mountain. We expect to have to

fight our way down to Salem to deliver the same information. So far people as far as the
southern half of West Virginia have it and now we will be sure it is out there from
Roanoke to Bristol.”

The officer knew he had some strong people here. “What makes you think you can leave
here?”

Jackson picked his mike up and said now. Suddenly three choppers and two gun ships
were sitting behind him. “Now I have fifty Special Forces personnel in the choppers and
you know what the gun ships can do. So get the people I need here and now.”

The officer said nothing else and ran into the station and three men came out. They
looked at the backing here and knew this was no game. “OK I'm the mayor, this is the
judge and our police chief.”

Jackson handed them one copy of the information John had printed. “I suggest you read
that carefully and consider it. Here is a cell phone and I'll need a name to set it up. John
will only talk with one of you so make a choice. Then use this solar charger to keep it
operational. If you're in agreement with us we'll provide support as you need it like what
you see behind me. It takes just twenty minutes to get this much support here.”

As Jackson turned to walk to his horse, one officer lifted his weapon and was shot fast.
Not to kill, but to disable. “That man is one who was providing information to the gang
we killed. He has a brother here who was working with him as well.”

The police chief pulled his gun and took aim at the mayor. “You're under arrest and God
help you if the people find out about this. They'll storm the jail and hang you with that no
good brother of yours.”

Jackson and his men headed off with the cover he needed to assure his getting out of
town. He was always surprised at how hard it was to get away after leaving the
information. They camped on top of the mountain and posted a guard at the top to watch
for human traffic.

Tonight they cooked a hot meal and enjoyed a good nights sleep. It took an hour to work
their way down the mountain. The gun ship had taken out several gun emplacements and
stopped groups from killing his people. Using IR to find those points and then using the
chain guns made fast work of that site.
As Jackson came to the bottom of the mountain he was shocked to find two girls sitting
by the road. One was may be fifteen and the other ten. “Ladies, what are you doing
here?”

The older girl looked up at him. “Just waiting for our new owners, sir.”

He dismounted and walked over to the girls. “Look, where we come from no one is
owned. Girls your age are in school, and for sure cleaner than either of you. We also
make sure our ladies are well fed.”

The girl blushed and he liked seeing it. She was beautiful and someone a man could fall
for easily. He offered both girls food and water. Both took it quickly and disposed of it
fast.

“Now, are we going to have to fight our way down the entire highway 460 to Salem?”

“No one has ever gotten down the mountain before, so that was the only guard posts.”

“Where do you two come from?”

“Our family was part of a group leaving for Shangri-La and were ambushed here trying
to leave this valley. That was almost a year ago.”

“Well, ladies, Shangri-La has come for you. Now we are going to have to put you behind
a couple of us to get out of this area. But we will have a chopper coming to take you back
to our base. There you will get medical attention, food, clothing and any care you may
need. Understand a lot of questions will be asked and the answers are important for the
future.”

“We will answer any we can, sir.”

“Look, you don’t have to call me sir. Most called me Jackson, as I prefer it to Samuel,
which my mother named me. I run the out riding patrols for our camps safety. That
covers training horseback riding, rifle training, survival, map reading and many skills not
used for many years now.”

She was impressed with Jackson, and it showed. “Can I ride with you?”

“For whatever time it takes to get you on a helicopter and back to base.”

He lifted the ten year old up behind his number two and she weighed nothing to speak of.
He could feel her ribs, and her legs were almost all bone. “I assume that is your sister?”

“Yes, she almost died this winter as she had bad bronchitis. I was able to get food for her
by stealing it from the men holding us. They were going to let her die. She is still not
strong and has some bad times yet.”
“I am sure they will put her in the hospital once at the camp. We have the drugs she needs
and lots of good food to put some weight back on. I assure you Mrs. Minch will see to
that.”

“The place you're talking about sounds like heaven.” She held on tight to Jackson as they
rode.

He heard it well before most did and pulled up. Once down he got both girls and led them
to a spot for the chopper to land. He walked them to the cabin and lifted them up to the
door. The older girl leaned out and kissed him and he almost fainted.

The crew not having seen this, lifted off before he could close the door. So the girls had
to fight to get it closed.

Simon and Thomas rode next to Jackson as the group started the trip to Salem. They
knew he needed support right now.

Once the chopper was down the girls were taken to John’s office. Shelby had food laid
out for them and lots to drink.

“Ladies, fell free to eat as much as you wish. But if you go beyond reason you'll get sick.
We will keep feeding you for some time more than just three meals a day. You have lost
weight and muscle mass and need to rebuild it.”

Both girls smiled at John. But Pam had a question. “Sir, will I ever get to see Jackson
again?”

“I'm sure you will, but for now he is doing something for me very special.”

“I want to get to know him well, sir. He is a man that I can respect and I think we hit it
off in many ways. It's not that he did anything, but the look on his face said he wanted
to.”

John smiled at this and knew she was most likely right. She was just far too beautiful a
young lady. He asked many questions and most they could answer. Just a few were things
they didn't know.

Julie came in and watched John talk with the girls for a time. “OK ladies, it's time to
come with me. I'm Julie, and your doctor for the next few days. You will be spending the
next three days in the hospital and then we will settle you into quarters I'm sure you’ll
like.”

John enjoyed Julie and liked her way of dealing with children. “Now, if you listen really
well, Julie has been known to bake some very good chocolate chip cookies and give them
away.”
Both girls were laughing as she led them away. “Well, Dave, what do you think?”

“It doesn't sound good at all for Jackson. They will not be able to come home as they
went in.”

“I gave them two different routes out different from the one in. My hope is they take the
Poor Mountain to Bent Mountain way out. They'll hit 221 between the two mountains.
It'll be easy to fly over and protect them. They also never have to go all the way into
Salem for that meeting. The other is by 311 to old 42 that comes out north of Blacksburg.
This way we keep them directly out of the city's downtown. No fighting going in or
coming out.”

“I have a troop leaving for Pulaski and down route 11 to cut their work short. This will let
them get a break, as they have been under the gun now for two months.”

“If you're going to bring them back then the 311 route would be best. Where they meet
460 north of Blacksburg they are about 100 miles from home by horse. They can move
over back roads and never be seen.”

“I’ll order it and be sure they are covered. Jackson has done an outstanding job, both in
training, and in getting people to respond to us. We now have eighty two towns interested
in initiating a more formal government. A date has been set for the last Monday in August
for a meeting here. If we get the same response on the Virginia side then we have a good
chance of pulling this off.”

“In my humble opinion we'll carry the Virginia cities and counties. Then we have a much
larger area to cover and control. That could end up being a nightmare or a pleasure?”
John was really not sure which.

“Well, boss, I’ll handle Jackson for now and follow my troops moving to Bristol.”

“How large is that force?”

“I sent fifty in two groups of twenty five to make it quicker. But we will cover most of
the towns of any size at all. That is any town over one thousand people before this
disaster.”

“Be sure that county leaders get information also. Remember in Virginia counties are
separate government entities. No city is in a county and no county had authority in a
city.”

“You know that always confused me.”

“It is the way the commonwealth set up years ago. For most not raised in this system it
would be confusing.”
John moved to his next project and was ready. “OK, Kelly, you have been a very quiet
lady.”

“Rhonda is really bad off, John, and Pam is doing all she can. It is more mental than
physical. I think she saw her mom and dad killed and it has gotten to her.”

This made some sense to him. “I never heard her say a word while they were here.”

“She may speak to Pam, but not in front of others. Pam needs Jackson to be a rock for
her, to shelter her right now.”

“If Susan agrees with you I will act and fast. But you need to go talk with Susan, and let
her talk with both girls.”

Kelly was off in a flash and waiting for Susan when she got to her office. “To what do I
owe this visit?”

“We have a problem, and you need to get involved.” Kelly explained her ideas and
thoughts to her.

“I think you're right, dear, and smart as hell to pick it up so fast. Tell your dad I need
Jackson as soon as I can have him. He is the one both girls feel they owe their lives to.
I'm really going to make him uncomfortable for a time.”

Kelly headed to John’s office and Susan to the hospital.

John asked, “OK, what is the situation now?”

“Susan wants Jackson, and she agrees with me about the problem.”

“I sent for him after you left. He met with the Salem people and was heading back home.
So Simon and Thomas will bring the troops back and we're picking Jackson up.”

“Tell Susan I want to see her before she takes any actions.”

Kelly was off once more to talk with Susan. John called Krystal and Sandy and asked
them to come talk.

As the two girls sat down, “OK, I am not going to like this ,I can tell, Sandy.” Krystal
was firm in her statement.

“Seeing as I don’t like it I am sure you won’t either.” Then he explained about the two
girls and the most likely problem.
“That would be hard to take for an adult. But a nine year old, and may be a fourteen year
old? If Jackson will take her I think you need to let them marry. That will also help with
her sister by giving the little one some new family. Family really needs to be replaced,
and fast.” Krystal was quick with her conclusions.

“I have Susan with them now, and she is checking them out. But from what I'm hearing
you don’t want them down in your area?”

Sandy now took up the task. “Every kid we have has problems, but none like these two.
We don’t need new serious problems to be added into the mix right now. Our little world
is way overloaded.”

He now knew exactly where he was. “OK, girls, thanks for the information. If I decide to
send them to your area I will replace you before I do that.” Now he turned and started
working on his next project.

Sandy looked at Krystal and shook her head. “I think we just got told we are on very thin
ice. John expected help from us and got bull. So I can’t much blame him.”

“May be we need to go back and apologize?”

“No way am I going back in there right now. He has never complained about us needing
anything. If we needed it, we got it. That may not be so easy for a time now.”

John was not happy with the response he got from Krystal and Sandy. But as he
considered it he did see where they were overloaded right now with children. Both had
little time to deal with individual problems.

Susan walked in with Kelly and took a seat. “You sure bring me some troubled people
and children.”

“You chose your field, so live with it.”

Susan laughed and enjoyed this jousting. “True, I did, and often ask myself, why? But
we have two troubled girls. The little one saw her parents killed and it is doing a number
on her. Pam feels guilty for not protecting her sister and needs to prove she has value.”

As John listened and understood the problems, he could see where Jackson might be able
to help. “What if I let Jackson and the two girls move into that old farm house down by
the river. They could help him with the horses and some general farm work for now. It
has three bedrooms so each could have a room for their own.”

“You know Pam is going to go after Jackson, don’t you?”

“That needs to work itself out without our help. We don’t need to become matchmakers
here, just let whatever happens happen. If we try to manage it then any blame for errors is
ours. I will not suggest their getting together or put road blocks up to stop it.”

“I will need to see both of them for some time to come.”

“Then do it out at the farm where you can sit by the river or under a tree. The less people
around both girls for a time the better. I have a good young Golden Retriever being
trained for protection. I will have him sent to Rhonda and give the little one something to
bond with.”

“That will work nicely, and she will bond with him. I don’t mind doing my visits out
there either. It just might open things up quicker? Will the bus take me that far?”

“Nope it won’t, but stop by the command center and they will drive you and pick you
back up. Just tell Carlton I said to handle that for me.”

Susan left the office. John ordered the farmhouse be cleaned and made ready for use. He
had nice furniture installed and all household goods needed put there.

Jackson walked into the office. “OK boss, what’s the big hurry today?”

“You have been elected baby sitter of the year. Thomas and Simon will lead the teams on
all future missions. Your job will be to train more scouts and get them mounted on good
horses. Now, there is just one more small problem. You will be helping the two girls you
found
re-adjust to life. Use them at the farmhouse, and in the barns and fields. They need to
learn and adjust to being free once more.”

Jackson knew he was in trouble now. “John, if that older girl Pam asked me I would try to
walk on water. This is not a good idea.”

“They trust you, and that is something they don’t have much of. Both need someone they
trust to talk with, and need to feel someone cares. They need work to build self-esteem. I
am asking you to take on an adult job for these two girls.”

“But what if I fall in love with Pam, and she does not feel that way about me?”

“Like a man you will just have to suck it up and go forward. Now get out to the house
and make sure it will be ready in two days. You did one hell of a good job on your
mission, and I know this will go fine.”

Jackson felt like he was walking to his execution. He knew nothing about females and
was sure he would screw it up.
Carlton had been waiting for him and saw his worried look. “You look like someone just
shot your horse.”

“I feel worse, and it is not going to get better. John wants me to help those two girls get
back into life. I know nothing about females, and even less about dealing with problems
they have.”

“Now I know you are a human male. None of us is all that smart about the female of the
species. They're always a big question to us and we just never seem to find the answers.
We're logical, and females are emotionally driven. If you ever understand one then you're
way out in front of the rest of us.”

Now Jackson laughed, and felt better. “I’ll get the house set up and food in so we can at
least eat. Has anyone told Dad I won't be staying at home?”

“Yes, and he knows why. You will have no problems there . The guards along the river
have been told to keep any away from the house. They also will stay unseen.”

Jackson went to the jeep and was driven home. He had lots of work to get done and
wanted a plan in place. He walked into the house and was surprised it was clean and well
stocked. The beds were made and baths had towels. His clothing had been moved in and
he saw each girl had new clothing in drawers for them. The house air conditioning was
running and felt nice. Here it didn't take a lot of this in summer to keep a home feeling
good.

When he got to his office he sat at the desk and started on his planning. This was a place
he felt comfortable. It took little time to get a basic plan together and start looking where
the girls could be fitted in. After a couple hours he decided a shower and some food
would be nice.

Once in the kitchen he started coffee. In the refrigerator he found all kinds of cooked
food. He dished some out and set it in the microwave and warmed it. The cooking at first
was solved.

Susan walked in and saw the coffee. She got a cup and sat down across from Jackson. “I
assume you're accepting John’s request?”

“With great reluctance and fear. Pam is enough to make a man wilt and I don’t want her
hating me.”

“Well, both of those girls see you as their savior. Both had given up and were just
marking time before they died. They had been planning it as much as they could without
Rhonda talking.”

“God, I hope I can help them? But I'm scared I'll do something that will hurt them or
make them not like me.”
“That's not likely Jackson. If you don’t try to force them into anything and they walk
willingly into it, there will be no problem. Understand, both these girls have been used
and abused since their parents died. For a nine year old that can be painful and not
pleasant. For Pam it was really hard, as she had to protect her sister as much as possible.
She feels like she failed her little sister. Neither girl has felt anyone loved them in a long
time now. Then fun, that's a concept they both don’t understand any more.”

“OK, I get the picture. When will they be coming here?”

“In just a few minutes. Just let them take the lead and please don’t reject either of them.
They need one human they can trust and depend on. For both it has to be a male and one
they can love. Both seem to think you fit that description.”

That was a nice thought, but he was worried about being dumb and destroying any
relationship. He would remind himself to think with the right head.

When the girls came in they ran to Jackson and hugged and kissed him. He could feel
their love and it felt good to him. “You two look so much more beautiful now than the
last time I saw you. You were kind of in rags and not very clean.”

Pam smiled at the picture he had shown them. “I guess we were pretty bad off. But then
you came into our lives. From then on things have gotten much better.”

Both girls held onto Jackson like he was keeping them afloat. “Are either of you hungry
or need something to drink?”

“No, we'd like to see the farm, and John said Rhonda had a present here for her.”

“OK then, follow me and we'll go looking.”

They walked by the river, and to the fields were the horses were. Then to the barn where
Jackson had brought in two smaller horses for them. They were fascinated at the size of
the land here and how well protected they were.

“Now Rhonda, go open stall one, please.” The small girl went slowly and she seemed
concerned. “It is nothing bad, dear, it is your present.”

She smiled and opened the door. A big furry ball of golden hair came out and started
licking her face.

“Cody, sit and shake her hand like a good dog.” Pam was now laughing at Rhonda’s
pleasure.
The dog sat, lifted a paw to Rhonda, and they shook hands. “Now, sweetheart, if you
want him to do that again you need to learn to tell him. He reacts to many verbal
commands. But he will always protect you from anyone.”

Pam was looking at Jackson and saw where he was headed. “Sis, now that we're safe, you
need to think about talking once more. It may not be easy, but here you're safe with
Jackson.”

The girl heard it all and just held on to Cody and hugged him.
Chapter 15

For Jackson, living with anyone was a completely new experience. He had moved to the
barn when his mom died, and had lived basically alone since then. John’s offer was a
great job for him and he loved the work.

Jackson’s dad had kind of lost it when his wife died. He wandered the tree farm and
trimmed and shaped trees all day long. It was like he expected this Christmas he would
hit it big? When John bought the place the money had been placed in the bank. He had
said it was for Jackson to care for his dad. But everyone knew John did that and did it
well.

Pam came to the barn with Jackson, as did Rhonda. They were shown how to water then
feed each horse, and then allowed to start doing it themselves. It was a new experience
for both girls, as they had no one standing over them or yelling at them.

Jackson had fed the horses in the corral and made sure the water tank was clean. He
walked back into the barn and saw the girls had done their jobs. “You did that fast and
really well, ladies. Here we always feed the animals first before we eat.”

They followed him and watched him handle a mother and her foal. The foal loved to be
around Jackson and slowly Rhonda came in. He let her do this her way and never seemed
to push her or encourage her. The foal finally let her rub his head and she laughed for the
first time Jackson had heard it.

“Little one, you're pretty good with these animals. The foal seems to really like you.”

The smile could have been rated in candlepower. It lighted the stall like Jackson had
never seen. He reached over without thinking and hugged her. Rhonda grabbed him and
hugged him back hard.

Pam had been watching, and liked the way Jackson worked with her little sister. The fact
that she grabbed him and held him said a lot to her. Her sister had never been willing to
get close with any man before. She had been held down and raped, as she had, but never
had Rhonda grabbed a man and held on to him.

Susan had warned her that because of Rhonda’s early sexual activity she might go after
Jackson. It would mean sharing him with her for both to be happy. There was the
possibility it would be just a passing thing. But it also might not be?

Slowly the two let go and walked out of the stall. Rhonda was holding one of Jackson’s
hands and Pam took the other. They walked to the house and Jackson sat them down in
the kitchen. Cody had followed them and just watched what happened. He moved to the
mat at the back door and lay there for now.
“Here is how this will work for us. I'm a good cook, and will work with both of you to
make sure you know what you're doing. But we will share this work, and the cleaning up
as well. There is little you could want we can’t get or don’t have. Now, I never waste
food here, as there are far too many today going hungry. So don’t cook more food than
what we need for that day. If you do, we'll be eating it the next day as well.”

That caused a lot of laughter. “I like leftovers Jackson, so two days of the same thing is
OK with me.” Pam could not resist pushing a little.

“Hey, if you want we can have the same food for everyday for a month. But when I get
tired of it I'll have to go back to leading patrols.”

Rhonda jumped up and into his lap. She was shaking her head no.

“Little one, if I did that you could come with me OK?”

The smile lighted the room and he loved seeing it.

“You do know you're going to have to think about taking to me, don’t you? I really want
to hear what I know will be a beautiful voice.” She beamed at him and he saw he was
getting to her.

“Love you.” It was so soft he almost missed it, but she had said it.

“Little one I love you too.” He kissed her head and she hugged him tight.

Pam was beaming as well, she had not heard a word from her sister in many months, and
now she was willing to talk with Jackson. She had tried many times to get her to talk
without success. “She talked to you and I have not heard it in months now.”

“She is one very smart young lady, and will try to talk with us now, I am sure. It's hard to
get answers if you can’t ask questions?” Jackson had a big smile on his face now.

Jackson started warming dinner and the girls set the table and got drinks.

After dinner he sent the girls off to get their baths. He sat at his desk and wrote Susan
about what had happened today. It had been agreed he would keep her updated on events
and help her understand the girls.

He was following Simon and Thomas’s current location. It shocked him when he got an
arm full of naked little girl. “I think you failed to put any clothing on.”

“Don’t have.” Her smile was just beautiful.

He picked up the naked girl, walked into her room, and pulled out panties and a
nightgown for her. “You have lots of new clothing here, and it is all yours, love. I can’t
have a beauty like you running naked all over the house, it would drive me nuts.”

She laughed and liked how he had said that. “Mine, really?”

“Yes, this is your room and everything in it belongs to you. See the stuffed animals and
the doll, those are yours also.”

She was in heaven and knew life had changed for her. Cody had come with them to the
bedroom and was laying on a rug beside her bed. Jackson got her ready for bed and
tucked her in. He kissed her on her forehead, eyes, nose and lips. He rubbed her back
until she just dropped off to sleep. Then got up and walked out to his office.

Pam was waiting for him in his office. “How did you get so smart about a young child’s
needs?”

“My mom was sick from the time I was eight. She died when I was ten and my dad's
mind left then, also. So I really had little of a childhood. With Rhonda, I just ask what
would I have liked? For me, life has been pretty lonely, at least until John got here.”

Pam’s heart went out to this man. “How can you be so loving after all the hard times you
have had?”

“Mom taught me that love was the only thing any of us had to give freely. That it was the
real money of life and could never be stolen by anyone. So we each needed to find people
to invest it in. Until now I have been hording it and now I have two beautiful ladies here
to shower it on. So just tell me when I am annoying you and I will stop at once, please?”

“Samuel Jackson you could never annoy me. I've loved you from the moment I saw you.
Don’t ask me why as I could never explain it. Now you have Rhonda, who is also in love
with you. But I do agree with your mother about the real money in life.”

“I think you're getting the worst of the deal, Pam. You need to know I'm not very book
smart and there is an awful lot I don’t know. You might say I'm just a plain old country
boy. Now the horses, I love raising and training them. Teaching the scouts how to ride
and shoot is fun for me. I do teach them how to stay alive and find what they are going
after. We don’t use the Special Forces people for that job.”

“Who are they?”

“The ones who picked you up and brought you back in the helicopter. That includes the
guards at the gate, patrols around our land and the guys who killed off the ones holding
you. That gun ship is a real killer machine in the right hands.”
“How did they miss us as Rhonda and I were just a few feet away from the guy manning
the machine gun?”

“They have infrared abilities to see people by their heat signature. You two girls were
much smaller than what they were looking for. It helped, I'm sure, that you were away
from the gun. Look, I want some hot chocolate, how about you?”

Pam’s face lit up like a light had been turned on. “God, I never expected to taste that
again.”

“As I told you, we have almost everything that was available before. John bought small
food manufacturing plants and cut rooms for the equipment in the mountains. He's one
smart guy. We freeze dry a lot and have over two years supplies of almost everything we
need. When a patrol is out we eat well and still give a lot away to people who need it.”

“But chocolate requires cocoa beans to make it. Those are imported and don’t grow
here.”

“Would you believe we have a small forest of the trees below ground in one mountain?
John has built a lot here over time. We generate enough power for all our needs and could
produce a lot more if required. You might not have considered it, but we are inside an air-
conditioned house. Tonight’s dinner was cooked by electricity and we have light bulbs
burning for light. He led her into the kitchen and fixed them both a cup.

Now the fact she was living as she had once lived hit her. “This had always been around
until the crash. Then we were out in the countryside and cooking out over fires. Dad said
the best bet was to head to Shangri-La and see what help they could provide. So we were
headed here when we were taken and they were killed.”

“Did you see the ferry out at the river? I have taken many across the river and directed
them to new settlements being built. We make sure they have guns, ammunition, food,
live stock and seeds with tools for spring planting.”

“So this was the right place to head for?”

“Yes and if your family had come on 311 to 42 I would have known it and been able to
help them. We have watchers that keep me informed of movement from that direction.
My troops stopped and gave them all they could spare, and more of the converted cell
phones. Matter of fact they gave them the horse I was riding and the tack as well.”

“But that was your horse.”

“I never ride my horse out of here. On patrol I always took a good mare that was steady
and not my stallion. He was left with the herd to breed while I was gone.”
Pam looked at him and she wanted to ask him a question. But did not know how to do
this? “Jackson, can I sleep with you tonight?”

He considered this and knew he wanted to, but he knew almost nothing about sex with a
young lady. “Let me tell you something, Pam. I have never had sex with a girl, so I don’t
have a clue what to do.” His face got very red from the embarrassment.

“I can’t say that Jackson, as I have been raped many times. My prayer right now is that
each of them burns in hell. I have learned to hate sex and everything to do with it. But for
some reason with you I don’t feel that way.” Her head was hanging down and she had
tears leaking down her face.

Jackson reached deep inside himself and started to talk. “Our life started the moment I
met you, Pam. What happened in your life before means nothing to me and should not to
you. Now if you can live with that, then we can see how life works between us? But
understand, the doctor said your sister was going to want me, and not to refuse her if she
asked.”

“I know that silly, and with what you've done for her so far I'm happy. Before I didn’t
know if she would ever talk. She sure wouldn't talk to me.”

“Look, the doctor said for me to let her take any lead. To make sure she did nothing that
might hurt her more than she has been. But by being gentle and loving I might bring her
to a different vision of what loving is about. Her statement was show her the difference
between raw sex and making love. Now, she didn't want to hear I didn't know that
difference myself.”

“Just remember, our life started when we met, and don’t go further back. But know I will
be here for you and Rhonda as long as I live. You both have a home here for as long as
you want it.”

A body came flying out of the dark and landed on his side. Rhonda held him in a death
grip and tears were running down her face.

“Hey little one, why the tears?”

“You want me, too.”

“Of course I want you, I love you. I never had brothers or sisters and have never been
married, so no children. You will find I was a very lonely person most of my life.”

Rhonda came up and kissed him soundly on the lips. “I love you.” She held him so
tightly he could not believe it was a ten year old.
“Now as big as this bed is, why don’t we all go to sleep together? One of my girls on
each side of me. Morning will come soon enough and we need to be rested.” They
adjusted to each side and both held on to him.

That nights sleep was good for all of them. As the sun woke Jackson up he looked to
either side and smiled at the girls there. How could any man be this lucky? After around
fifteen minutes he had to get up and go pee. He turned the shower on and stepped into it.

He had started coffee, and was doing bacon in the oven with pancakes on the griddle. As
soon as the coffee was ready he poured a cup. This he really needed today, as he didn't
sleep as much as usual last night.

But they all sat down to a good breakfast and cleaned it up fast. Then everyone helped
with the dishes and cleaning the kitchen.

“OK, Jackson, what are we going to do today?” Pam wanted to know.

“You two are going to take your first riding lesson to start. I need to get you where you
feel comfortable and in control of your horse.”

Both girls were happy about his statement. “Are you going to pick the horses?” Pam
wanted to know this.

“No you're going to pick them with my giving you information on each horse. These
horses will be yours to ride any time and also your responsibility to care for. After you
pick your horse no one else will be riding it. That will also be true of your saddle, saddle
blanket and other tack. So you both have a lot to learn to treat the horse right.”

Both girls had a determined look on their faces. It was a new area for both of them and
like all kids they really wanted to learn this.

“Where do we ride at first?” Pam needed lots of knowledge.

“The corral is where you'll start. Once you can move around it with control then we'll
start riding outside. But to start with it allows me to stand inside in the center and watch
and make suggestions. This should be fun and not work for either of you. So don’t try to
make work out of it.”

He spent a lot of time helping them choose a good starter horse for each. Then he had two
saddles ready that had been built for their sizes and on Rhonda’s he could shorten the
stirrups so they fit her right. They each got a load of tack and tools to care for their
animal and stored it in a box with their names on them.

“Now, ladies, we are going to go have lunch and relax for a little while. If you have
questions I will try to give you answers. Enjoy this now, as come school time you will be
doing a half day of school in my office five days a week. It is taught on computer here,
and you can go as fast as you wish. So you can finish school long before you would have
in the past.”

The girls were really feeling overloaded and liked getting a break. When they got home
John was sitting on the porch rocking and looking out to the river. Both girls went into
the house to clean up.

“Boss, you’re the last person I expected to see here.”

“I brought Kelly and lunch, as I wanted to talk with you and the girls.”

Jackson knew John did nothing by chance. But what this was about he had no idea? They
walked into the kitchen and he saw Kelly had lunch fixed and put on the table waiting for
them.

Everyone sat after Kelly introduced herself to the girls. The food was really good and
Shelby had done an outstanding job on this. After they finished with just general talk it
was now time for business.

“Ladies, and Jackson, we have a major problem coming at us. The two troops out have
picked up around ten more young people and kids who had been made slaves during this
problem. Each has been freed and is being sent back here. The area for orphans just is not
set up to handle these types of problems. So I would like to build a large home for boys
and one for girls down here by the river.”

Pam looked at John like he was nuts. “Why not just a couple of houses and let them have
a room for themselves. You can bet each one has been raped many times, so dividing
them into sexes is dumb.”

John smiled at this strong willed girl. “OK, that's why I'm here. I have no idea how to
handle this the right way. So right now I need advice, Pam.”

This caused some raised eyebrows. “You want our advice?”

“Look you and Rhonda know what these kids need and I don’t. So for me to jump in and
start ordering things to happen is dumb. I need the two of you to tell me how to help you
and them.”

Jackson now could see he was going to get buried in this project. He decided he liked it
and was not going to fight. “John, I need the space with large personal rooms for each of
them. The building needs a schoolroom, and a medical room for Sam and Susan. We need
a common dining area for all of us. That will require cooks and servers. Here Pam,
Rhonda and I will lead this group and help where we can. But we will live here and
alone. I love both these females and will do anything needed to protect them. My life has
been very lonely and now it is full of happiness. I will not give that up.”
John had a smile that just blew the girls away. “Jackson, I am very happy for you.” He
reached into his pocket and withdrew an envelope. “Here is the title to this house, and the
fenced in land around it, for you and the girls. Your salary for running the youth program
will be paid into your account at the bank. Both Pam and Rhonda will draw 100 credits a
month for their work. You guys need to tell me what kinds of work we need to assign
these young people. They will go to school half days and work half days. We will pay
them for quality work and you will determine if they met that goal.”

Pam was now smiling, as was Rhonda. “John, thank you.” Rhonda got out.

“Little one, you're very welcome, and I thank you for being willing to help others.”

Jackson had been thinking for a time now. “John, I need a jail also down here. We can put
it in the barn as no one could hear yelling from there. But we are going to get some rough
kids and ones with a lot of anger.”

“I don’t want you having to handle that. You call Carlton, let him do it, as he has a jail
and ways to handle hard people. Those kinds of kids I don’t want down here, as it will
breed problems he could have stopped. Also, get Dave to put in a security system around
the homes and around yours for the center to watch. They'll have to learn to live with the
rules you guys decide on and not break them. But the rules you make must be posted
here, on our intranet and a copy given to me for the court.”

Pam now was confused. “You don’t have laws here?”

“Sure we do and they are ten pages long. But each community has added rules just for it.
Please note they are rules and not laws. Rules may change over time and even be
canceled where appropriate. But you and the children will decide that later.”

“Do you have any idea of the ages we are looking at?”

“It seems from about eight to fourteen so far.”

“I want teens in one building and preteens in the other. That way we don’t end up with
some teens ruling the younger kids. If we could get one single Special Forces member to
act as house parent that would be nice.” Jackson had his own ideas here.

“I have a girl called Dink I think would be a good one for that job. God help any guy who
tried to hurt one of her's. I am sure she has a friend who she would recommend as well.
She was doing work for Carlton and training when some guy decided to rape her. She
sent him to the hospital, and he was Special Forces trained.”

The girls and Jackson liked her background. Pam was the one to lead here. “Can she
come and stay until we get the new buildings done? I think she needs to help us make
some decisions for the entire group. We have one extra room as I'm sleeping with
Jackson. I will move my clothing into our room.”
“That doesn't shock me, Pam. I am more than forty years older than my wife and I love
this adopted urchin sitting next to me. She does her homework in my office and hears
everything said there. You will find she may be young but she is very smart.”

Kelly was beaming now. “Daddy is the smart one here. He is holding the adults in line
and letting us make a lot of decisions. They have to be good decisions, but they're ours.
Because of him I'll finish high school by the time I’m twelve and start college.”

Now Jackson saw some of what she was saying. “Will you come and attend meetings and
work with us? We need you to bring the knowledge of where we can and can’t go with
our rules.”

Kelly looked at John. “Sure' dear' get Carlton to drive you in bad weather and ride if you
want in nice. I think they'll help you see more of life and you'll help them stay on track.”

Pam did not understand this comment? “What do you mean stay on track?”

“Pam it is simple, as all humans lose their direction from time to time. If the goal is to
climb a mountain that seems simple. But if you break a leg on the way up do you get
medical help or finish the climb?” Kelly enjoyed this kind of discussion.

“You get medical help so you don’t do more damage.” Pam knew this was right.

“But that break might mean you will never be able to climb that mountain again.”

“You still get the medical help, Kelly.”

“So goals do change and we must learn to expect that to happen. Each child you take here
must have it's own set of goals. One set does not fit everyone. Trying to fit everyone into
a mold that someone likes, just does not work. It destroyed our government and caused
this problem. We each are different and that must be celebrated and allowed.” Kelly had
her million watt smile now.

That lighted them all up, and now they could see just how difficult this could be if not
done right. “Wow, this is more complex than I ever thought.” Jackson now was concerned
about leading this.

“You're just building us a picture of what a new country needs to look like. I assure you
the United States is dead and buried. We are going too have many young people that need
help and direction, as a new country is pulled together. That means we need new laws, a
better understanding of how people should be governed and a very good money system.
But we need to teach the youth what is truly important for life to be good. Like close
families, helping neighbors and treating everyone fairly. Once most of that existed in the
USA and over time politicians changed that.”
Each could see John’s burning fire of change. “How are you going to make that work,
John?” Jackson was hooked with this.

“People will vote to enter a new union. That will require them to accept the new laws, a
new type of government and in return they get a solid money system. We'll operate a
small military and no new laws will ever be enacted without the people’s agreement.
Government will not make laws. There will be no lawyers in the new social structure. If a
law can’t be understood by any ten year old then it's a bad law.” John handed each of
them a small booklet very few pages thick.

They all looked and read most of the book. “Why no lawyers?” Jackson really wanted an
answer to that.

“Most politicians were lawyers, second, the law was open to interpretations because they
wrote it, and the better your lawyer the less chance of conviction. Laws need to be black
and white and easy to understand. You either broke the law or you didn't.”

Pam smiled and liked what she heard. “I hope we can do as good a job as you have so far.
This book is simple to read and understand. It has no big words in it and I could
understand everything. For Rhonda I only had to answer two questions and she
understood it.” The little one was smiling and nodding her head.

“These are the main laws and everyone will need to live by them. Government will make
its money by supplying electricity, water, sewage, communications, garbage pick up and
a tax on imports or exports. Normal taxes will not be as before for anyone. A city or
county can charge a sales tax as long as it is at or below 2% and is limited to certain
items. There will be no states any more. That just added taxes on top of taxes. People
need to earn their own money and support their families. They damn well don’t need to
work for the government a good part of the year.”

Here John had believers and they liked his strong feelings. “Will you come sit in and
listen to us sometimes? Just having an adult here will cause some to think it through
better.”

“As long as you don’t expect me to say a word during any meeting. Don’t allow any
attempt to drag me into discussions. I'm coming to learn, and not control or direct the
meeting. But when I come as judge that will be completely different. There will be a
court monthly for rule or lawbreakers. The laws you have in the book and the rules you
will make for all here to live by. But those rules may not conflict with any law.”

This caused some questions. “How could they conflict?”

“I have set the age for voting at 15, the age of consent at 12 and the age for military
service at 18. So if you had a rule saying someone 12 could not marry or have sex it
would conflict with the laws in the book. We are going to have a much younger country
to start with and that makes opening up the age limits necessary. School will be year
around and you're expected to finish high school at 15. College will be year around and
three years is what that should take. Education is important, but going out and doing
something constructive is as well.”

This little meeting broke up with that. Kids were going to have to learn to mature more
quickly in this new structure. So teaching responsibility was going to be important.
Chapter 16

The entire town was out in the park tonight. The band had set up and the park had been
lighted. There were grills going and lots of food for people to load up on. This was
somewhat like a Fourth of July celebration for most people. But John had set this up, and
wanted everyone to have a copy of the law book. The company rules for this area were
also given to all.

Many stopped John and had their say about the laws and rules. Almost all were positive,
and the few that weren’t were more over the ages than the law.

John walked up to the microphone and stood at the lectern. Things became quiet and
people moved closer. “I hope you're enjoying the small party tonight.” The applause was
loud and people were enjoying this.

“This is July fifteenth and the first day our laws are in complete control here. So in a way
it is the start date of this new country whatever it becomes.” Now yelling and applause
was over powering.

“Each of you voted for or against these laws. Every law was open to your vote and the
majority voted to accept them as written. Matter of fact the vote was eighty five percent
for and fifteen percent against the most questioned law. That was the 12 year old age of
consent. Let me explain something to you. Many older people have died during this
period. You're going to find most of those left are younger, and more females were killed
than males. We need to start rebuilding our population, and that takes marriages to
happen. According to our doctors a girl at age 12 can easily have a child and yes, there is
a little more risk. But with good medical care she should have no problems. So we acted
to meet the conditions we know are out there.” People were now more understanding of
the reasons for this change.

“This new government is a corporation in most ways. It will sell power, communications,
water, sewage and handle trash in each area. No government will make any law for its
people and can only make rules for the community if it's people agree to them. People
will control government from now on.” The crowd went wild, now.

“The country government will own and run all banks. Printed money will be backed by
gold, silver, gemstones and food stored by the government. But a person can walk into a
bank and get gold or silver if they can prove a need for it. I have well over two hundred
billion in just gold bars. Before I'm done we will have well over one trillion in gold. Now
that is power to deal with the world, as they are in trouble as well.” The people were
talking now.

“So the main government will run banks, electric companies and telecommunications
companies. That is where our income will come from to do what we must in the world. If
you work for the government and cheat, steal or misuse public money you will be shot.
No question about that. I will own the gold that this government runs on and that puts me
at the head of the board of the corporation. You're standing at the seat of this government
now.” People were completely silent, as this had not been expected.

“That doesn't mean banking will not one day be run out of Richmond. It's possible that
agriculture could be run from Tech at Blacksburg. But those areas will not be making
laws they are to support the people and make the entire country productive for us all.
There is no law that will solve your problem. Get your butts in gear, solve the problem
and you don’t need a law.” Now people were really yelling. As John walked away he was
patted on the back and his hand was shaken over and over.

He got to Kelly and Dana and they were enjoying the way people were so pleased with
John. “Well, Daddy, I think they understood what you're looking for now. It will be very
different from the past.”

“Yes it will, and one day you may be running this. So listen well and understand power
will always be with the family, as we are the money that started this. It will be our gold
backing the banks and money. The trick is to not get so large that we lose control of our
own money. The old USA was far too large and you had many different groups that didn't
see things the same way.”

She knew he had plans for her, and she would do as he asked her. “We need to talk about
this too big idea as that is new to me.”

“We will be appointing judges, bank managers, telecommunications managers and people
running electrical production and distribution. They are going to have to be audited each
year and books checked during different periods of time. There will always be that person
who feels they can screw us and get by with it. They must be found and made examples
of very quickly. They will also have hurt the public, as it will reduce money to loan or
build new power and communications facilities. It might hurt the military that is paid for
by the government.”

“How large a military will we have?” This was one Kelly had no idea about.

“I have interest from admirals in Norfolk and Jacksonville Florida. There are
commanders at seven other bases ready to join us. So we would have a Navy, Army,
Marine Corps and Air Force. Some place just over a million people right now. That would
have to be cut down to something more reasonable. We are not going to fight a war and
we only need to protect our territory. But I will need to work with the generals and
admirals to handle that.”

She was just amazed at this admission. “How did they come to you?”

“We have been the thorn in the side of many gangs they chased out. It seems Jackson has
some admirers out here also. One just happened to be the admiral’s brother, who still had
communications with him. So he knew of us and was given the cell number to call. My
having a lot of Seals also helped him to like us. But Kelly, I don’t trust him, and we need
to move very slowly here. I smell someone who wants the economic power we have, and
not our involvement in his area.”

“I get the feeling, Daddy, you really don’t like this guy at all.”

“Well, I talked to David about him and he has kissed every politicians butt he could to get
money from. So he is part of the problem and not part of the solution, I think.”

“Those are the people we need to take power away from now.”

“That my dear daughter is very true. But it has to be done without his seeing it coming.
That will not be easy and they have weapons that could hurt many people. I think some
would use them to get their way.”

That was frightening and she knew John was right. All you had to do was look back on
the governments taken over by military leaders. Most had a streak of power hunger and
America was no different. In its condition she knew that many would try to take
advantage of it.

John met with David and Carlton tonight, and they would meet tomorrow again to come
to some decisions.

This was when all hell broke loose, and John headed with Kelly to the control center.
Dana went to the hospital to help if needed.

Bombs were going off and you could see planes exploding in the air. Kelly had never
seen anything like this before. Everyone had headed to the underground bunkers for
protection and the lights had gone out at once.

This had never been expected and yet Kelly could see where it came from. Two pilots
now had been captured and were brought to the command center. Once in the
interrogation room John was ready for answers.

“Where did you come from?”

Neither man said one word.

John reached into a bag and brought out a rattlesnake and handed it to one of the guards.
“Let him bite each of them and lets see how bad they wish to live? Then we will take a
second one and go the other way. One and a half doses should kill any man their size.”

When the snakes fangs slid into the second man they were both shaking.

“Look boys, you just pissed off a lot of ex Navy Seals. We have well over one hundred
Special Forces personnel here and they don’t like you at all. Now we got two more
aircraft and the pilots from them. The eight others crashed or blew up before the pilots
could get out. So we did get twelve planes and are going to go to Norfolk and kill a
couple admirals. That includes the butt hole that I've been talking with.”

The men’s eyes were now wide. “Seals here?”

Carlton walked in and looked at the man. “Well Jimmy Davis I always knew you were a
brownnoser.”

“God, Carlton, he told us you were a group of gangs hiding here.”

“Well, we are a military gang and we are going to kill that sucker. John, here, bought this
land and he owns it free and clear. The reason the admiral wants this is we have millions
in gold and sliver he would love to have. That is John’s personal wealth he wishes to
steal.”

“You're kidding me, right?”

“Nope, we have been helping thousands of people find safe places to shelter safely from
this disaster. We have killed may be a couple thousand gang members. There are over
three hundred orphan children here being clothed, fed and educated. Our wives and
children were in that small park you were attempting to bomb. So there is no one here
who cares about you at all. You're trash and we will be happy to bury your ass. That goes
for all your men trying to kill women and children here.”

“Look Carlton, I told you the admiral said you were gangs and to wipe you out
completely. We came with twelve aircraft and you got everyone of them. That is going to
bring more you know.”

A face came on the screen mounted on the wall. “Son, who is your admiral?”

He was looking at the man who had been the head of the JCS before the collapse.
“Admiral Brenner, sir.”

“John, there will be aircraft covering your town tonight and tomorrow. I will send troops
to get the admiral. He now has a death sentence on his head. Please keep those four pilots
alive. We will ask to pick them up later tomorrow. This is the wrong way to try to rebuild
any type nation.” The screen went blank.

“Why does the general want us?”

“I would think it might be possible for a court marshal. The statement 'I was just
following orders' got people hung at the war trials after World War 2.”

Both men were really shaking now. A medic came in, gave both a shot and they were led
off to the hospital.
“I think we were very lucky, John, as the men had not had any practice and were way off
on their bomb runs. Trying to line up we had eight planes crash or hit another plane. We
dropped the four with the shoulder fired missiles we have. So we hurt them in aircraft and
personnel.”

“That is not nearly enough, Carlton. There is no top military man left I trust who is
wearing a uniform today. They are all power hungry and will lie, cheat and steal.”

David and Carlton saw just how angry John was and knew there would be no room to
talk for now.

As John left the center Kelly walked beside him. She had never seen John this angry
before. He was so mad he was shaking and it scared her. “Daddy, lets sit down for a
minute?”

He sat on a bench and she was close beside him. “What is wrong, sugar?”

“You're scaring me, Daddy, and I don’t like that. I have seen you mad before, but never
shaking like you are now.”

He looked at his hand and she was right. “I think the fact I could have lost you and mom
just hit me so hard it caused this. Without the two of you I have no reason to live. What I
have built I did for the two of you. Now I don’t know where your mom is and that
worries me.”

“David said no one got hurt, so I didn't worry about Mommy. But she could have had
some reaction to that I guess and started labor? I think David would have told one of us?”

“You're right, sugar, and we do need to get home and let her know we are OK for
tonight.”

Dana grabbed them both and held on tight. “God, you two scared me to death. I had no
idea where you were until David called me.”

“We captured four pilots and I was interrogating them. It seems that admiral in Norfolk
decided to take us out. He must have wanted the wealth we have.”

“Then he will be back and soon.”

“Nope the head of the old JCS said he was going after him and would protect us tonight
and tomorrow. Now, I am not sure I trust him either? But we do have missiles on the
mountains and are on high alert. They will know they are being tracked.”

The three of them headed to their bedrooms and some sleep hopefully.
That next morning Shelby had a nice breakfast ready. As John walked in she handed him
a cup and smiled at him. “Thank you, boss, for protecting us.”

“Like hell I did they got bombs off.”

“That they did and a good mile before the town. They had already lost their planes before
dropping the bombs.”

Now John was curious. “How do you know this?”

“One of the girls I was captured with is serving on a missile team on the mountain side. I
could not sleep last night and was walking the town when she came down off shift. We
sat in the café and she told me about the whole battle. They had one NCO and the rest
were just kids like me. Machine gun fire caused a lot of planes to turn into each other and
the heat seeker heads got the rest. A bunch of 13 to 17 year old kids did that to them,
boss. That professional military didn't have a chance.”

John got David and Carlton to the house quickly and had Shelby repeat her story for
them. “I want to know every one up there last night and what part they played.”

Both men were shocked at what had happened and this just iced the cake. It made John’s
demand for good training for these kids very critical. “You know David, we never
expected these kids to ever come under attack. But damn did they perform well. If John
had not hit us up side the head about training, we could have been hurt badly.”

“It sure as hell was not a military victory on our side. The 2 NCOs were the only military
people of yours up there. All the rest were kids we have been training for defense of the
air lanes leading into the valley.”

“Look, Jackson, and his kids have done well. Our kids did well, and we had better start to
use them the right way. If you underestimate them they will kill you. That damn admiral
would crap if he knew who wiped out his squadron.” Carlton was now proud of his
young people.

Once all were assembled that afternoon they were all taken to John’s office. The group
marched in stood at attention and saluted. That John returned with crispness.

He looked over this group of young people and liked what he saw. “Ladies and
gentlemen, I appreciate your coming to see me so quickly. I want each of you to know
how proud I am of you. Your group stopped twelve fighters, those were the best the old
country could build before it fell. They came in under our large protecting radar and
walked into your area of responsibility. Not one person here failed to act on time and
properly. So I have a small gift for you each. I had bracelets made up of gold with the
follow inscription. “To the brave goes victory. You're one of the brave now.”
 Smiles were all over the room as Kelly handed out each with a name inscribed on it as
well. She was ready for her part. “I have a wall being built called the wall of honor. Each
of your names will be inscribed on that wall. It will be in the park and you can be proud
of being on that monument of our history.”

The screen on the wall came to life. “John, that was well done and said. I have a small
twin engine coming your way now to pick up the four pilots you have. The admiral who
ordered this is also on that craft and will be deposited with you. I would like for him to
see the troops who defeated his people. So my officer on that craft has silver stars for
each of these brave young people. Each of you did very well and far better than I would
have ever expected. You have changed my view on the young people of today, thank you
all.”

Now you had some young people with ear to ear grins. “David, please get Carlton and
take these young people to the airport. I wish a well armed group of Seals to handle the
admiral. He is to go to the cells below ground for life.”

“Same rules feed himself or die?”

“Same rules, and God help anyone who helps him in any way. Hopefully he will go
completely nuts being alone. Keep a camera following him in the center. But I don’t want
him to know it is there.”

He left knowing John would follow this man and make him as miserable as he could if
that was possible. His 2 NCOs and the kids went to the airport and net the plane. Carlton
was there with Seals and his green beanies waiting for this man. People here were not
happy with the incoming admiral.

The plane circled and came in to the field. This was no easy place to land and it took just
one error to be dead, quick. Once on the ground it came to the group standing waiting for
it. A general got off and two armed men escorted the admiral off. They had a ball gag in
his mouth right now and his arms cuffed behind his back. The general saluted the officers
and then the men.

This was returned in proper fashion. “Thank you for delivering this piece of crap to us.
We have a very nice underground place for him and he will either grow his own food or
starve. That is his choice and not ours. But you will be able to check on him and see if he
is working or killing himself. There is no one here willing to do his work.”

The general was now smiling. “How does this work?”

“He has soil and grow lights below ground. We supply seed, instructions and provide
food for them to cook until the first crop should come in. At that point we supply nothing
but meat once a week. Life is always working and feeding themselves or not is a choice
they must make. It is their choice and we really don’t care.”
“It sounds like he'll be alone?”

“Yes, why should we put him where he might talk others into doing his work? He will
never see another human for the rest of his life. If he needs a doctor he will be out like a
light when he is seen. I assure you it is not a nice life, but one that can be survived if you
work.”

“I have a small gift here for the fighters who defeated his squadron. Please ask them to
come forward.”

Carlton had them in line very quickly and they looked sharp. The NCOs looked really
sharp in camouflage uniform and the troops were all in it as well. It was well pressed and
crisp looking. Each was wearing their gold bracelets and smiling now.

“Damn how old are these troops?” The general was now confused.

“Sir they range from 13 to 17 and the NCOs are around 30. We have over 300 orphans
here we have taken to educate and care for. John decided in this new world they needed
to be trained to serve the community. So all of our students over 12 serve time in military
units and get training. Now 8 of the aircraft coming in were taken out by machine gun
fire from eight 13 to 15 year olds. The 16 and 17 year olds using stinger FIM 92’s shot
down the last four. The NCOs were just there to cheerlead these troops.”

The general was shocked as was the admiral. “How in the hell do kids win against those
odds?”

“You seem to be forgetting Nam sir. We lost a lot of troops to teenaged children and
officers just could never believe it? These kids are brave and intelligent. They have little
fear and know exactly what they are fighting for. I would put one of my 16 or 17 year
olds against the best hand to hand fighter you have. I assure you they would get hurt and
never touch my trooper.”

This the general had to call. “Once I pass these out I accept that challenge. My body
guard was trained at Bragg and is very good.”

John and Kelly had come out to watch this. He knew what was coming as Dana had been
training these kids. He tapped Carlton on the shoulder. “Give him a girl and watch the
fun.”

Once the awards were passed out Carlton looked at Debbie. “Sugar, would you like to
show this general how poorly his troops are trained? Don’t hold back at all and if you
break something we will fix it.”

The girl was smiling now and took all jewelry off including the medal. She took off her
boon dockers and tightened her belt. Once in position she bowed to the man she was
facing, and he knew this was not going to be easy.
She played with him for the first few minutes and he was sweating now. She had placed
blows all over him and he had yet to touch her. She had made muscles sore and he was
really hurting now. But he knew he could not just stop. Debbie calmly came in low and
took his knee out fast and was back a good ten feet before he could move.

The man screamed and fell to the ground. You could see the general completely baffled at
this display. “How in the hell did that happen?”

“General, see that little 13 year old girl there? She could break every bone in your body
in about ten minutes time. You would never land a single blow on her. My troops when
we came here had to learn to fight all over again. A young woman married to John is just
that good. You could tie her up and she would kill you.”

The medics put the man on a stretcher and he was taken to the hospital. The troops were
dismissed and John took the general to the hospital to follow up on his man.

Kelly had been following this and had questions. “General, why did you get one of your
people hurt?”

“I didn't get him hurt, he failed to fight as he should.” You could see the man was pissed.

“That sir is not true, you wanted to embarrass those young people. It got under your skin
that they did the damage they did to the attackers. You're every bit as bad as the admiral
you brought here.”

Now he was stung and would fight back. “Just who the hell are you to make those kinds
of statements?”

John looked at the man. “She is my daughter and smarter than you or me. Her IQ can’t be
measured today. You’re a very shallow person, general. What you see is just what you
have trained your mind to accept. If it is not in that picture it is not real to you. That is
how the admiral looked at things and you see where he is going now.”

Once the man was out of surgery and able to talk they went into his room. “I hope you're
not in too much pain, my friend?” John was smiling at this man.

“Right now I am pretty well drugged and feeling little. But I have to know if Dana trained
that girl?”

“Dana is my wife and has trained them all, son. She has classes for all our citizens here
twice a week.”

The man was smiling now. "She helped me at the Olympic training camp a few years ago.
They chased her out because she didn't fit their way. I knew when the girl set up I was in
trouble. It was Dana’s system and it is a real killer. The general here refused to make the
changes I suggested that came from her system. He said no woman knew how to fight.”

Carlton knew where this was going and was ready with troops. They walked up and took
the general by his arms and started to lead him away. “What in the hell are you doing?”

Carlton looked him in the eyes and he could see hate. “I am removing one more ass from
the military. You're going to the room next to the admiral. So far we have not found any
who wanted to work to eat. Lets see if you change that?”

That man in the bed looked at John. “Can I stay here with your people? I have no wife or
any children thanks to the general. He locked Bragg down during a riot and they were
killed. We all begged him to bring our families in and he refused to risk troops to do that.
But who was that guy that took him? I have seen him before.”

“Colonel Carlton Rider was head of Delta Force, son. The general before yours fired him
and a bunch of his people. I hired them and they are good, but Dana made them better.”

The man smiled at John now. “Then this is Shangri-La?”

“A lot of people know it as that, son. The doc who will be doing your care now is an ex
green beanie and he can fill you in. To answer your question, yes you can stay, and will
go to work after that broken leg heals. But Debbie was nice and didn't take your knee
out.”

“How old is she John?”

“She is 16 and as good as we have here.”

“Damn, a couple more years before I can chase her.”

“Nope, that is not our laws. She has finished high school, is starting college now and that
is different as well. The age of consent here is 12, so chase all you want, son. But
understand no means no here.”

After John’s leaving he slept and that felt good. On waking up he saw a smiling Debbie
looking at him. It brought a big grin to his face. “What a nice way to wake up. Looking at
a very beautiful lady.”

Debbie stood and walked over, bent down and kissed his forehead. “I would do better, but
I don’t even know your name.”

“Sgt. William Grinder, my lady. I will say you did a beautiful job of kicking my butt.
Also thank you for not taking out my knee.”
“John told me any thing I broke would be fixed. I wanted you able to fight again, so I
didn't go for a knee. But you don’t protect them very well and it would have been easy.”

“It is part of the error of the military way. Dana taught me better a long ago and over time
I got lazy. She was the most impressive fighter I have ever seen.”

“She still is but now a few of us can make her really work to win. For her system she is
starting to get old and it shows up from time to time. If you’re the second or third one
fighting her that day you have a chance.”

He smiled at this and knew why that happened. “I assure you she is not getting tired, she
is just getting bored. Never have I ever seen her tired after any fight or group of them.
She is just so fast and smooth she flows and others cannot do that.”

Dana had heard it and was smiling at him when she walked in. “Don’t let her pass that
around William, as others may not feel they have any chance at all.”

“God, girl you're big as a blimp.”

“John planted two inside me, so that happens. But I did beg to have his babies so now I
pay for it.”

He hugged her and liked seeing her. “Lady, I was worried about how many men you had
killed. The concern was you were having to live off your wits.”

“Did you see the girl with John? She's my daughter by birth and John’s by adoption. But
you would think she is just his.”

Debbie laughed at this and knew Dana was right. “I watched that little one shoot on the
range and she's good. There isn't one Special Forces trooper she has not beaten. I watched
her take over three hundred from a group of five one day.”

“What in the heck did she do with the money?”

“She took it down and gave it to the girls who oversee the orphans, so they could use it.
She doesn't need it and didn't want it.”

“Could she have paid off if she had to?”

Dana took this one. “William, she has over one million in gold in her account. I think she
not only could have paid off, but also would have done so. John has taught her how
important your word is.” She handed him a copy of the law book now being used here.

“What is this?”
“It is our complete law book. John has said if a ten year old can’t read it and understand it
then it is a bad law. The old USA had laws for everything and nothing. In our new
country there will be no lawyers and if a suit is required you will file it. Anyone telling a
lie in court is dead and that is just what we are teaching in schools now.”

He liked this idea and how John was setting this up. “Well, I am one of your new citizens
now. John agreed to let me stay here.”

“Count yourself lucky, William. He has never allowed an adult to stay here. We have
taken in hundreds of children, but always under 11. So at 10 they stayed and if 11 they
were sent on with help to a camp being built. He knew at 10 they could be changed to fit
the new mold and at 11 it was iffy?”

“I don’t think I could do that Dana. After my wife and daughter were killed at
Fayetteville I just kind of shutdown.”

This hit Debbie hard. “How did they die?”

“That fine general I was with refused to pick our families up and bring them to Bragg. So
they were killed in a riot and I was not there to protect them.” The tears were rolling
down his face.

Debbie got over and held him as he cried for the first time in his life. It was like a dam
bursting and it shook him to his core. The pain, anger and hurt had been bottled up for a
long time. He'd been punished as a child for showing any pain or if he cried. So that side
of him had never been allowed to show itself. Now he just didn't care at all.

“I am sorry Debbie, I just couldn't hold it back any more.”

“William, let me tell you if you had not of cried for them, I would have walked out of
here. Feelings need to be shown and released before we can heal. The crap of strong men
don’t cry is pure bull, from those who don’t care enough to cry. They have to have an
excuse for everything.”

That hit him as so true it became a belief. “Thank you for holding me, Debbie. I owe you
a lot and to have you do that for someone you don’t know was nice.”

“I am the one that hurt you, William ,and I do feel responsible for that. Doc said you're
free to leave tomorrow so you will come live with me and my adopted mother. She runs a
business in the town here and I rent a room from her. So she said she would take my
injured man in as well.”

“Her house is a ranch style and no steps to worry about. You're going to be in a wheel
chair for three weeks and then crutches with a cast for four more. So if you don’t want
some medic washing you, we are the other option you have. At least there is a patio
outside for you to enjoy the weather right now.”
“But you have your military job and she has a business to run.”

“I go to school five days a week and do that from home on computer. The military is just
two nights a week, some times on site and others training. So we are not always doing the
same things. The Stinger missiles I was firing were all new to me as far as for doing it for
real. But I knew the drill so well it was just automatic. Now I have to go home and get the
room ready for you.” She bent down and kissed him and he went in orbit.
Chapter 17

It was a hard period of negotiating for John. His trust factor with military people had
been badly damaged. So the head of the Joint Chief of Staffs came to his office with a
staff.

“What do we have to do to find a way to pull things back together?”

“General, I have no trust left for general officers or admirals. The man you sent here as
being honest, refused to send troops out to save families of his own people. Your staff of
senior officers are afraid to be human. They seem to think they are Gods. Well, unless
their troops vote them into the leadership position I will never accept them. Any who
care to run for that job is free to do so. If he is a first sergeant and damn good I will back
him. We no longer need an elite military system. So my people will meet with all who
care to run and oversee the elections. Just one attempt to control it or cheat and I will
have every general and admiral imprisoned.”

“There is no way you can do that, John.”

“Call your base by cell phone, and ask who is running it now? You and your staff here
are hostages until after that election.”

One colonel pulled his gun and was pinned to his chair. “That was really dumb, sir. I
should break your elbow so that can’t happen again. But just for fun try to shoot your
weapon.”

It clicked on a dry chamber.

“You see, it takes bullets to fire a gun, and you have none. Not one of the military staff
have one bullet in any weapon. We didn't trust you and removed them. Of course, this
has all been shown to the people who are ready to form a country. I assure you, they
don’t trust you either.”

The head of the JCS stood and said, “I’ll be leaving now.”

“Sit your ass down, or you will be headed to prison with your other staff officers.”

Now he was shaken, and didn't know what to do. So he sat, and looked at John.

“You have lied to everyone you have ever known. I have three documents signed by you
agreeing to pull together a group of states and give these senators power. Just so you
know, they were all hung. You’re a lie walking in a man's body. In checking you out, I
found you were really from Russia. The story given West Point never happened. Attacks
that happened in New England were based on information you provided to the Russian
government. I have copies of the voice transmissions as they went over my satellites.
Now, how many of you sick fools would follow this fraud?”

The old mans head was hanging down. He had been sure his past would never have been
found out. “How did you find any proof?”

“They did hand prints on you as a child coming into the country. Russia had your prints
on file from the old KBG. I was able to lift your entire file from the Russian government
and have it here. Now, we don’t know how many people you helped go into our military
or the CIA before this disaster, but with over eighty code names I would assume a lot. So
that will die with you, as you have been sentenced to death. You and your henchmen had
a lot to do with bringing this country down. Of your staff, everyone is going with you as
they blindly followed your lead.”

You could see alarm around the table. “You can’t do that to us.”

“Just why can’t I do that?”

“We have not had a trial and no lawyer to represent us.”

“You have had a trial, and we don’t allow lawyers. The military voted in favor of your
being shot by ninety eight to two. Not one staff member here did one thing to stop the
fall of the country. Each of you sat back and watched it happen, safely on some military
base. Not in DC where you were stationed, either. Millions have been killed because of
your lack of action and guts. So someone should feel sorry for you?”

They all knew there was no argument for that indictment. They ran and followed the
general and he led them to a safe place. Two were not going to say a word as they had
come here from Russia, and knew their fate if found anyway.

David marched the group out to the range. Each man was offered a blindfold before he
was walked to the wall. Most took them, as they did not want to face the guns and piss
their pants.

The past head of the JCS was asked for any comments. “Russia will win in the end.”

The rest died quickly with no comments.

David and Carlton came into John’s office. “OK, how in the world did you know about
his connection to Russia?”

“I talk with a few people over the world. The old head of the KBG has become a friend
of sorts. He hates the current government. His country home is set up with a connection
to one of my satellites. He gets his world news from me, and I get his files on all kinds of
leaders over the world, and the spies. So yes, I know the rest of the people here from
Russia. But most are not where I could get them. The ones that are will be dealt with at
the right time. People now know there are a lot out there to worry about.”

“How many did we shoot today?”

“Three were Russian spies and not citizens here. Am I going to tell you who they were?
No, I will not do that to their families. They did nothing wrong and deserve protection.”

David was impressed with John’s stand here. “I think here you're right and we don’t need
answers.”

“Well, Carlton is going to Fort Bragg and meet with the new Delta Force commander
tomorrow. The general for Special Forces will be up from Eglin Air Force Base. He has
twenty A teams there now. So here are your stars, Carlton, and yours, David. As of now
you're commanding generals of the forces of reconstruction.”

They each were shocked to see four stars on the group. “Who gives us our orders?”

“The board will do that. We now need both male and female inputs into the decisions.
No one person is going to have all the right answers. We will need a lot of input and
discussion before moving forward and risking lives. Each life can never be replaced on
either side of any fight.”

That statement both men knew John believed in. “Who is the board John?”

Dana, Susan, Sam, Jackson, I think Sgt Grinder and me as chairman. Kelly will train to
handle my job one day. She may have a spot on the board when she is older.”

They could see nothing wrong with any board member. “I'm curious about why William
Grinder?”

“He is a sound young man with good military skills. Not being an officer he is going to
ask for a lot of information and look out for the troops. You do know his wife and
daughter were killed in this mess?”

“Yes we heard about that. But we have no problem with him at all.”

John called his group together except for Jimmy. “OK. Dana and Susan, you're to give
us a view from the female side on events. Sam has a medical and military view, and
Jackson keeps us looking at what the young think. We'll have William Grinder when he
is able to be here. He is about 30 and ex-military from an enlisted man's side. He lost a
wife and daughter in this, and has a vested interest in protecting families.”

Being the shrink, Susan spoke up. “It seems you want a lot of angles looked at.”
“I told my military men that no one killed could be replaced on either side. We need to
keep every good person we can. So the military will start no wars and take no city or
county that does not request admission into the union. Those places will simply be
closed off. No one will leave that area or come into a free one. They may not buy goods
or use our money system.”

“How are you going to stop that, John?” Now Sam was curious.

“Every citizen will have a hand scan and eye scan before being issued their card of
citizenship. That card is their bankcard, travel card, and identification card. That will be
done for every man, woman, and child in this country. Children will be up dated every
year at school. All of this will be in one database and used for many services. If you
need medical help a hand scan will get all data any doctor needs. A judge get every bit of
criminal data and if there is a clean slate they know that.”

“How are we going to get all that data?” Dana had no idea what John had done.

“We have every bit of that data, dear. Anyone who has an outstanding warrant will be
picked up when they are scanned. Any real bad apples will be sent out of our country.
We know prisons don’t work. So the punishment will fit the crime.”

Susan was not getting this. “What do you mean?”

“Steal and loose a hand, lie and loose your tongue, the punishment will fit the crime and
people will know what you did.”

“What happens if someone rapes a woman?”

“They will lose their balls and if that does not stop them they will be killed. I have no
time for people who can't live by the laws. Our people should not have to pay money to
keep criminals locked up. Once people see we mean exactly what we have said they will
police themselves to some degree.”

This was harsh and it was really tough adjusting to this new punishment. But it had to be
done, as the new economy could not afford jails and prisons. The old system had eaten
up trillions of dollars, and not accomplished anything.

Question and answer time went on for over an hour, and it was mostly Sam and Susan
asking the questions. Jackson had sat back and just listened to this meaningless talk.
“What is running through your mind, Jackson? I see you smiling and not saying a word.”

“I have been out there, and seen everything John talked about. People have shot at me
and done everything possible to kill me. Here you and Sam sit trying to defend them,
now. Your sensibilities are so delicate you just can’t see facts. So I have been making up
my mind on if I wish to serve with people like you.”
This hit Susan right in between her eyes. “Your conclusion to that?”

“I have decided if you can’t change I will not serve on this group. It was people like you
that allowed many out there to die. You would never have picked up a gun and fought
beside your neighbors. I don’t hear you asking about protecting people who need it, but
it is the criminals protection your worried about? You actually told one of my girls they
needed to forgive the beast that raped them. That day I lost all respect for you. Sam,
here, is your equal and disappointed me badly. He has been with the military for some
time, and yet is so liberal he stinks.” Jackson turned to John now. “I am going to leave,
and if these two fools are replaced with good caring people I will come back if you want
me. I am sorry, but I have heard all I care to. Let these two go out in a city and see how
things really are.” Jackson stood and walked out.

Everyone could feel the loathing Jackson had for both Susan and Sam. “What is his
problem?” Sam was now pissed.

Dana jumped in here. “Sam you’re a good doctor and a terrible human. You are small
minded, envious, and take your feelings out on others. Just so you know, you would
never have had any chance with me. Now, Susan is Miss Liberal here, and she had a
chance to get that side's views in. But as with most liberals it is either control things, or
crash them. I hate to say this but, Susan, you're going to spend a month in Roanoke, and
see how it really is out there. Sam, you're going with her and you will both be armed. If
you have guts and are willing to kill to stay alive, you might survive that experience. If
not you're dead and that is in your hands and not ours.”

Both now were shocked and scared to death. “We aren’t fighters and have no skills at
that. You can’t do this to us.” Sam now was panicked.

“Sorry, Sam, the military voted that if you failed here, that was the punishment for both
of you. Providing you survive, we will pick you up where we dropped you in 30 days
time. You then will be taken to a camp we have helped start. Never again will either of
you be welcome here. Today was your test and you failed it badly.”

“But you need doctors.”

“No, the choppers taking you will bring three new ones back, and two shrinks. They and
their families are glad to get some place safe. Each has had to fight to stay alive now for
over a year. But no one in their family was killed or taken by gangs.”

Sam now was crying like a little boy. Carlton came in with troops and removed the two.

“Who are you going to get to replace them?”

“Two of the new doctors should bring a lot of experience. One doc and one shrink who
have no illusions about the people out there. They will add knowledge to our little group.
But here the group is advisory and I will make the final decision. It is my wealth backing
this new country. Any who wish to supply the gold can buy me out and run things. I will
happily move where I am wanted with my wealth.”

That made things simple for most, as it was his money backing the new country that
came together.

Once in his office John had Jackson sitting there. “Well it happened just like you said it
would, son. I had expected Sam to be a problem, but Susan had always kept her head
down around me.”

“Sam had played with girls he was doing exams on. Not with permission or even after
asking them. Had he asked and they said OK, I would never have brought that issue to
you. Susan was always telling girls they had to forgive men who raped them. Had they
not made the men feel passion it would not have happened.”

“Well I don’t expect either one to survive this trip. I have no feelings for either of them
and will shed no tears over them. They will be dropped in a park and their lives are theirs
to save or lose. I had to pull Dana away from Susan and do the work to help her myself.
So I know how far off base she was.”

“What do we do now boss?”

“Countries are born out of many acts, Jackson. Some are good, and others not so good.
But no country can be born without money and it having value. Here we are some what
isolated and could be taken out quickly by a well planned attack. What people don’t
know is if anything happens here or to me, the gold we have will be worth nothing. I
have nuclear devices planted and armed to make that happen. It takes three hours to get
into the vault and before then this entire valley would be gone with the gold.”

“Would any survive?”

“The count down starts when the warning horns go off. You and the kids have two hours
to get away from here by using the horses and ferry to move away.”

“I don’t understand why you're telling me this?”

“You’re an honest man, Jackson, and someone will need to get the word out to the
people. They will need to know what happened and why.”

“You sound like you expect an attack?”

“Oh, I sure do. I just don’t know if they will be reasonable or not. You see Sam and
Susan were spies inside this compound. Both came from the military. Their cell phones
had the numbers for people we had trouble with. My tech people picked up every phone
call they made and taped them. Right now we know that we don’t have any more
communications with the military. That is going to cause some to want to know what
happened. Communications did continue after the executions. But stopped when we sent
Sam and Susan to Roanoke.”

“Do you trust David and Carlton?”

“Completely as they were both screwed by some of the same men. But the computer
people watch all communications and access to the database here for oddities. I have
very good ones and they like the safety and security here. No one knows where the main
computer areas are and the way in or out is very odd. It takes a shuttle to get there or
back.”

“It sounds like you have protected us as best we can. Remember I have over 100 troops
in my area as well. The scouts will fight to defend anything you ask us to.”

“That is one thing I have always been sure of, Jackson. Your young people don’t have
the mental problems adults do. Adults get too smart for their abilities. They go rushing
in where only fools tread. Your people stay focused and aimed at the goal they have in
front of them.”

Jackson liked the way that had been put. “My biggest problem is my troops sometimes
feel 10 feet tall and bullet proof. But it is always for a good cause.”

“That is often called bravery above and beyond the call of duty. That is like those young
people on the mountainside taking down the aircraft. They were at great risk, but just did
their jobs. To me they were really brave, way above what others are able to handle.”

It was then five people walked into the office and waited for John to recognize them
before saying a word. “I am John and this man is Jackson. He leads the scouts and was
the one who got the info and phones into Roanoke.”

“Young man I am Dr. Michaels and I want to thank you. We knew that there was some
safe area out here, but didn't know how to contact it.”

“Glad to help, and I have sent phones and books into many cities and towns. So it was
nothing new to my scouts or me. Our job is to be John’s eyes out there, and get
information back here.”

The doctor turned to John now. “We each have families with us and have brought
children out that needed a safe place.”

“What ages are the children?”

“They are from three to around nine.”

“Are they fit or do they need medical help?”

“They are fit health wise, but have some psychological damage.”

“Jackson, they are yours so get them collected and transported to your camp area and
people.”

“I am on it now, boss.” He started to leave.

“Hey, we brought them and will care for them.”

“Unless you wish to go back there you will follow direction, doctor. We have ways of
helping young children that work. You may be a nice guy, but your skills are way below
what they need right now.”

One woman was smiling at John. “I assume you have a children’s encampment?”

“Yes. Jackson runs it, and there are many children there to help these adjust. No adults
are allowed there except for the psychologist based on needs. Jackson is the oldest, and
each building has one female house parent who is sixteen or just over.”

“Who makes the rules there?”

“The kids do, it is their area and they rule it.”

“I am one of your shrinks, John, and love what you have done here. My name is Shirley,
and the guy smiling is Tom, who is the male side of our team. We just did not have the
food or clothing to take in many that needed it.”

“How many would you say are there up to say 10 years old?”

“I would say maybe six thousand right now, but that decreases each day. Why 10 as a cut
off?” She did not get this.

“Look at 11, some things are firmly in place that will never be changed. At 10, we still
have a 99% chance at making the needed changes. Jackson’s children all will help others
move the direction we want them to. Pam, Jackson’s wife, is 15 and her sister Rhonda is
10. They live with him next door to the children’s compound. Both were badly abused
and know the pain and suffering. They saw their parents killed and became slaves. He
was the one who saved them.”

Now this group of doctors were shocked. “Where did this happen?”

“They were from Roanoke, and had left with parents and friends to find us. They were
ambushed on Christiansburg Mountain, so the adults still alive and kids were taken as
slaves. Only Pam and Rhonda survived that.”
That story just made their blood run cold. This group had discussed making that trip.
“Where do we live for the present?”

“You will all have large very nice apartments, but they are inside the mountain for
protection. Here that is the safest place to be. Everyone in your family will have an
RFID implant, so we always know where you are. It also stops you from being killed
walking through the mountain tunnels. If you don’t have an RFID the computer can read,
you're dead. If it is a restricted area and you're there, you're in trouble as well.”

“That sounds dangerous to me.”

“If you're not supposed to be there it is very dangerous. For us who live here it is not
even noticed. I have one, as does my daughter and wife. Dana works down in the
hospital and travels those tunnels every day. Kelly, my daughter, has been in every tunnel
we have. I walk them often and in places you can’t go, those areas are very dangerous
and off limits to most everyone.” He handed each person a cell phone and charger.

“What are these for?” Shirley had no idea how the communications here worked.

“If Jackson’s kids need you, you will be called. Everyone here has a cell and we use
them to communicate all the time. If you think, we have operating cell towers all over.
You called us from Roanoke to make arrangements for your pick up.”

“I didn't know how that happened. Tom and I were just told to be ready to go on a
moments notice. We lived just next door to the clinic and fenced the clinic and house
together after the fall.”

That took two off his list and he had three to follow now. Carlton walked in and saluted
John. That was returned and a smile came quickly. “Well how did our two spies like
being sat in Roanoke?”

“Susan was cursing us and Sam was scared spitless.”

“If the military sends us another team they will get dropped from ten thousand with no
chute. May be they will grow feathers and fly?”

“What are you talking about," the Doctor asked?

“The old military wants the gold reserves we have here. They know no country can be
started or kept running without that. The idea is to stop me from forming a country and
start a military government, or dictatorship. The old head of the JCS was a Russian spy
sent here to help them take over the USA.”

One doctor now had a red face and his anger was high. “That is not true in any way as I
know better.”
“Just what do you think you know?”

“You’re the spy and the general was an honest American.”

“Carlton please arrest this man. We will all watch him be placed under drugs and listen
to his answers. But I think his prints will be interesting to our FBI man here to check
out.”

This raised eyebrows and questions came from that. “What do you mean your FBI
man?”

“One of my tech people is the FBI’s old lab director. He has taken the prints off of the
files the old head of the KGB sent to me. Those files are what convicted the ex JCS
general. Matter of fact he admitted it before he was shot. We did get three more spies,
and are looking for just short of eighty now. So the question is, where did this doctor
come from, and how did he get with you?”

Dr Michaels knew he needed to answer. “He was a pick-up in Roanoke shortly before we
got your phone. We didn't know him, and have been careful talking around him. The
story we got was he escaped from Richmond and had slowly been moving our way for
over a year.”

They got down to the hospital where the man was strapped to a bed. The IV drip had
been started and slowly now drugs were being introduced. They started with the man
completely out of it, then slowly brought him up. The lab man started talking Russian
and slowly the man started to respond. The fact he was using Russian let everyone know
he was no American, and never had been.

Now the group left and headed to an apartment so they could see one. It was Sam’s old
one and very nicely redone. “Man this is really nice, and you say we are in the
mountain?”

“The hospital is just below you, and if you go up to the top you can walk out a door in the
mountain and onto a walk to the town. Now, here you will make house calls when
needed. Sick people don’t get up and come see you.”

The doctors were now all laughing. Finally Shirley decided to answer the look on John's
face. “We have argued that for the entire time we have worked together. I agree with
you, no one sick should take that illness and transmit it to an office waiting room full of
people.”

“If anyone says they had to come see you when they were sick, it will cost you big time.
Here there are no medical charges for any service or drug. I will give you your home,
food, utilities, clothing and a small cash salary. That salary is backed by gold and will
never be worthless.”
Shirley just had to have an answer. “How does not making a house call cost anyone?”

“That doctor gets a week as medic with one of our youth scout teams. If they fail to keep
up and provide good care, they get a month. That keeps growing until they are either fit
or dead.”

“Hey, I will volunteer for that right now. I am really good at first aid and would love to
get the exercise.” Shirley was a real energy ball he saw.

Here the doctors saw he was not pulling their chain in any way. “When do you bring
them to the hospital?”

“If they need surgery, delivery, or to be in isolation. Other wise, they are better off at
home. Neighbors will help each other where needed. Many of our families are military
and they are very close knit.”

This raised some eyebrows and the question came. “What kind of military?”

“I have Seals and green beanies here. My Special Forces people are the very best and
loyal beyond belief. Here you're as safe as on any military base, and really better off than
most. We have good food and not MRE’s like most bases are living off of. At least that
is what the general said that met my man Carlton at Bragg.”

“Why did anyone want to meet with your man?”

“Some think my ideas are the way to start a new nation. In that there would be no states
and each community would run itself. They accept our national laws and we run all
banking, power production, communications, oil, and refining as well as transportation.
Government makes its money to operate off those businesses and there are no taxes. It
makes no new laws, as the people must vote to add or change any law.”

That sounded kind of simple. “What is the reason for restricting laws?”

“The new country will have no lawyers. If you file suit against someone, you will argue
it. The laws are ten pages in size, and very clear. Any ten year old could read it and
understand it. There are no more filing lawsuits for money. You doctors need no
malpractice insurance. But if a doctor does screw up and kills someone, they could, if
they used poor practices, be put to death. We will have no prisons, so we have few
options for punishment. Steal and lose your hand, lie and lose your tongue, it is hard
punishment but everyone will know what you did. If that had existed before no politician
could have said a word.”

They all headed to homes to get settled, and John to his office. Carlton was sitting there
waiting. “Well, boss, do we have more?”

“I think so, my friend. There is no way to tell you why I feel that way, but I sure do.”
“Trust that feeling, as I sure do. So we will keep listening and waiting to see what
happens?”

“Be sure Jackson knows to watch Shirley, as she was far to fast to get out from places she
could be watched.”

“I picked that up as well. But like I told you the general said it was not nearly over yet.”
Chapter 18

The human is driven by all kinds of things. In the current world it is the more basic items
like food, clothing, shelter, and time without fear. Before life was running so fast nothing
was real. Communications that existed allowed many to present lies as truth. That
happened often and was laughingly called spinning. The media did not report facts as
that might lose them a viewer. That world was nothing but rumors and lies.

The two young people sitting in front of John’s desk were watching and not speaking.
David and Carlton were filling John in on the transmitter and radio station set up they had
the techs build.

“The station sounds nice guys, but will there be enough radios left out there to make it
worth doing?”

“Each military base has power going to it, so they have radios. Some cities they are in or
close by have power, or at least parts of them do. There are homes and businesses that
had solar power before the crash, and they can have radios. Each person we reach will
share what they hear.” David was really into this.

John sat back and thought about this. “How far can we reach out?”

“It is fifty thousand watts, and from what I was told some could pick it up in Asia, but
most of the old US could hear it. We will broadcast only starting at dusk until midnight
here. There are digital files of music for everyone to enjoy. But news will be done each
hour on the hour. This will go out AM and FM that way we can get almost any radio.”

Some how this worried John. “I see us putting a radio beacon here for planes to follow in
on.”

“I hope they do, it will make for beautiful fireworks. We have the tower well away from
us here. To make things look real it has auto firing guns and missiles. They are slaved to
the radar we have and we can fight them from here.”

“If they get the tower what happens?”

“Other than the mountain blowing up completely, nothing. It will be the largest pile of
rock man ever made.”

You could feel the good humor in the two men. No fears or concerns where showing at
all.

“I'm getting the feeling you have something going on I don’t know?”

“You know the GPS system requires adjustment all the time. So our techs have changed
it just enough to show that mountain as our base location. It is just a little over a mile
away by air. Anyone traveling on the ground or in the air would get there and find
nothing they were looking for. We have all satellites not needed now by us turned off to
save them for later.”

“It seems you two have been busy and done a lot for our protection.”

“We did what needed to be done to protect us all as best possible. Now, what about these
two doing the news on the hours at night?”

John looked at the two youngsters and like what he saw. Both were calm, just observing
and not stepping into the discussion. “First of all, what are your names?”

“I am Jenny, and this is Nathan. We were part of one of the many slave groups brought
here and given a home. So there is nothing out there we have not seen for ourselves.”

Now Nathan took over. “We want to make sure that young people know that we know
how bad it is. There are many stories we can tell that will fit how they have been, and
are, living. The fear, anger, and hate a human feels out there needs to be seen and known.
We have been there and done that, John. As a group, the youth counsel said it was a good
way to reach out to some others who need our help.”

John liked the way the kids took this serious and wanted to help. “What do we call the
station?”

“Radio Shangri-La is what we voted for. You left the clues for people under that name
and have responded to it. So it seems to fit our idea of where we are.” Jenny was serious
and clear now.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way. But why you two?”

Kelly had come from her cube. “It was my experiment, Daddy. I know people on radio,
TV or audio book sound different from their normal voices. So we tested everyone to
find the two most pleasing voices. They had to be able to read like they were talking with
you, also.”

“Seems like a lot of thought was put into this?”

“Yes we did, and you need to understand kids are not going to trust any adult out there or
here. So we must build some small trust factor to bring them to us. We will have the
plane dropping radio signal numbers, with pictures of Jenny and Nathan, over cities and
that should start some finding batteries and radios. There really was not any use for them
before now. If they find a car that they can add gas to and start the radio will play.
Children are smart, Dad, and they will find ways to listen to us.”
John could see both David and Carlton agreed with Kelly. “In that case, Kelly, it is your
project. If she asks for it be sure she gets it, guys. Now, if it is more than we can deliver,
come and talk with me and we will find a way to do it.”

Kelly ran to John and hugged him. “Thank you, Daddy, for supporting one of our youth
counsel projects, and it is a good one. One girl asked if we could do this and I went to
David to find out. The troops have really gotten into this and made it happen. On the air
Jenny and Nathan have great voices and will be enjoyed by many kids out there. But I
bet we will have a far larger audience than you expect.”

That hit him as her knowing something he did not? “OK, why do you think that?”

“Kids, once they know the station exists and that someone will be broadcasting, will find
a way to listen. We're a lot smarter than adults give us credit for. If that is not true why is
it the kids are surviving and adults are not? I have talked with a lot of our young people
and they say adults just tend to give up. Kids fight to win, and they keep fighting until
they die or reach their goal. That is what Special Forces people do. So they are kids that
never grew up.”

As strange as it sounded that answered one of his questions of what made Special Forces
people so different? “I don’t see David and Carlton arguing with you so they must
believe that also?”

“It is the best answer either of us have had, John.” Carlton was grinning now.

“Well, set her up an office at the radio station. It is her project, and she will handle
coordination of news and information sent out. Just remember, Kelly, to think things
through, as we are all at risk from mistakes.”

The group left his office and he now was thinking a lot of this through. He knew it had to
be done and planned by young people and not adults. Kelly was right, mostly adults had
died over the period after the crash. Kids and young people up to middle age survived
this mess at an amazing rate. That indicated a softness in older humans he would have
never expected to find.

David brought him copies of the flyers that would be dropped over cities. The pictures of
Jenny and Nathan showed how young they were. Short bios of their time out there were
also covered. A suggestion of how to use a bike and car alternator to charge a car battery
was included, with pulley configuration to get the speed high enough.

This shocked John that the kids had considered it this far. “They really did a job here,
David.”

“We have a list of seventy cities to drop these over. The way they have set up is fifteen
minutes of news and fifteen minutes of music. News will be on the hour and half hour.
Music will be on the quarter hours. The news cast each day will be recorded and played
each time so it will not change. The counsel will meet each week and decide the topic for
each day's broadcast. They will research it and provide personal data for it.”

“Where are the cities?”

“Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee right now. They are not going
too close to the river or far north at all. Most spots are south, east or west from here.”

“I assume we have the fuel without a problem?”

“Yes and we will use the gun ship, as some military bases are close to drop points. Have
to stay away from possible missiles off a base.”

“Hold off those until last and may be sent a couple choppers with them. They can use
their thermal night abilities to defend the gun ship. That is if you do those as night
flights.”

“I’ll talk with the flight planners about that and see what they think. I know they were
worried about just the gun ship in those areas. But we have been talking about using
those units without pilots. They have bomb bays and could be sent up to drop leaflets
over those cities. They can’t be seen on radar or heard either.”

“How many do we have of them? I didn't know we had any.”

“When the plane was sent back from Pope after my trip to Bragg it was loaded with new
weapons for us. They were on that large cargo plane. The General sent two pilots for
them and a mobile control center that looks like a trailer for a semi. They use very little
fuel and can stay up for hours. The units are drones with no pilots. But they can be
armed and would do a lot of damage to say a convoy heading in here.”

“Another Special Forces play toy?”

“I guess, boss, as I have not see one operate before where I was. Of course the news has
been reporting them now for years. They were considered unfair ways of winning for
some reason?”

John had to laugh at this, as he well knew the medias liberal leanings. “In the new
government a lie is still a lie, David. So we could end up with many media types with no
tongues. That could be very pleasing for most who are left today.”

Now David was laughing and enjoying the thought of this. “It should create a media that
has never been seen before. They must just report honest facts and not hot air and
bullshit.”
“That goes for any media and that will be enforced to the letter. Now, I have a meeting to
get my tail to. Talk to you later, David. Just handle the dropping of Kelly’s leaflets as
you see it best to do. That is why you have four stars on your shoulder.”

When he walked into the meeting room he was surprised at how many had come to this.
Jackson was moving around and being talked to by everyone here. He came to the head
table and sat beside John.

People found their seats quickly now. “Ladies and gentlemen I am just the organizer here
for John. What I have done for you was directed by him. Some of you have been
attacked and it was his gun ships and choppers that saved your hides. The scouts
patrolling much of the safe area was his idea. Now we have some decisions to make and
you need to think about a larger picture.” Jackson sat down now.

John stood and looked over the people here. “Today is a day I have looked forward to.
Those of us here have no people starving or lacking food or clothing. We have in many
ways become brothers and sisters. If a neighbor needs a hand they get it from their
friends. We have provided help to start some plants for production of needed items and
gotten some power plants working once more. We are still far from where you were at
one time, but headed a good direction now.” The applause was loud and people cheered.

John waited for things to quiet down. “Each of you has read the laws and the plan for
building this new country. The government operates like a corporation and makes its
own money to operate. There are no taxes on businesses, people or incomes. Cities
cannot tax more than a given amount and it is a sales tax. The Federation government
pays cities and counties to collect electric bills, communications bills and run stations for
rail service where needed. It allows you more income for services you need to provide.
There is no more mail service and that will not be resumed.” He paused to see how this
set with them.

“The Federation government will run the banks, as we have the money people need to
borrow. We will take the risks and use the rewards to pay people and to grow the
government services we need. No service will be offered that cannot be financed long
term.” Here people knew the value of this and applauded.

“There will be no laws made at local levels that abridge the Federation laws. Doing that
will bring military people in, an arrest and trial based on the laws you have agreed to.”
He could see people thinking this through.

“The only paid jobs in government will be judge, police, firemen and workers needed to
run your town or county. There will be no elected paid job as to serve in that capacity is
considered an honor. Understand that my board and myself get paid nothing for running
the Federation.” That shocked many here and it showed.

“Don’t be shocked as it is my gold that will bankroll this that I get paid for. I will get one
half percent per year on all gold loaned to the federation. That is my income and I need
no more. But if you as managers of cities and counties cause inflation, it will cause that
rate to go up. You will be in deep trouble paying your bills and failure to do that is a
criminal violation. Government is now responsible to the people and there is no wiggle
room.”

One woman raised her hand slowly. “Yes, do you have a question?”

“I don’t agree with some of the laws I have read and want to know can we change them?”

“What laws in particular are bothering you?”

“The age of consent at 12 and voting at 15. That is just not right.”

Pam and Rhonda walked in and up to John and he backed away from the microphone.

“I am Pam, and this is my sister Rhonda. I was captured at 14 and Rhonda at 9 and made
slaves. We have been raped many times and used by both men and boys. Now my
problem is I just heard one stupid woman saying, I am not old enough to make decisions.
She may have a religious background, you say. Well, in that case, why did Saul, David,
and Solomon have brides of as young as 8 years of age? You know they had to
consummate that and show the people she was a virgin. No blood on the sheet and no
marriage. The girl had to be examined by the court physician as well. For him a lie was
a trip to hell.” People were now laughing at the woman. She stood and left the room red
faced.

John walked back to the podium and waited for things to calm down. “I am sorry the
lady took that the way she did. But people tend to forget these laws were mans creation
and never a religious one. The liberals who crashed the old nation did it just like she tried
to start here. They chipped away small things piece by piece until the real law was gone.
That will never happen again!”

People went nuts and he now had them in the palm of his hand. “We need a vote here by
you to decide if we start this new Federation or not. I hope there was more than one
person from the lady's community.”

“Another woman stood and raised her hand. “Yes?”

“There were two of us because of her attitude and she was warned she would be turned
out if she could not behave. So she will not be a part of this new country.”

John knew some would have to make hard decisions on people who just did not fit into
the country. How this happened and was handled he really did not want to know. “You
each have ballots to fill out and place in the locked boxes. We will have ten of these
meetings before everyone has had their chance to vote on this. Most of our laws can be
changed by a Federation vote of two thirds of the people agreeing to the change. So it is
the peoples country and not any politician's.” The applause was loud as the girls and John
left.

He led the girls to the diner and they took a seat. “Thank you both for coming as I knew
that was going to happen. There will always be some who wish to dictate other's rights.
Both of you know this was discussed between many groups, before final decisions were
made. To be honest my grandmother got pregnant with my father at 12. She always said
she and dad grew up together.”

Both girls now looked at John very differently. “Is that why you agreed to that?”

“I am sure it was part of the reason. But I did listen to what was said by the young
people. Most of our citizens are going to be young and they must be treated as adults. So
I had to do things for people to understand where that age was.” He drank his coffee and
the girls ate their ice cream.

“Kelly said you did not think like most adults, and she was right. You're much more like
Jackson than any adult I've seen.”

“There is little Jackson and I don’t agree on. But refusing to let him go back out and lead
a team was one item. I need his experience and voice here. He represents the youth
wherever they are on the counsel.”

“We both could not agree more, John, as to where he can be the most help.” Rhonda now
was laughing and that was nice to see for John.

“Little one, your doing much better now with talking. That laugh I just heard was
beautiful.”

The beaming smile was lighting the room. “I worked hard and Jackson helped me.”

The girls headed back to their home and John went to the hospital now. He walked the
area and finally went to Dana’s lab. She looked up and smiled at him. “To what do I owe
this visit?”

“If I wanted to get my butt whipped I could say I came to spank you. But my body is old
and needs protection from aggressive females. So, how about I love you, and just came
by to tell you?”

Dana was now chuckling and loved the way he always played word games with her when
he could. “Well, I am done for today so how about us walking home together?”

As they walked he talked with her about the meeting and other events of the day.
“You have had a busy day and one I am glad I didn't have to face. My life in the lab is
odd enough without the intrigue you have. It seems everyone wants the brass ring as
long as they can steal it?”

“That pretty much fits the picture I get. But it is really the military that wants it the worst
right now. They know there will be little need for a large military once a country is
assembled. We don’t have the ability to operate many aircraft any more and most ground
vehicles are now obsolete, as we just don’t have the fuels for them. Cars and trucks will
be restricted as we can’t use oil based fuels like we did before.”

“Do we have options to oil based fuels?”

“We will shortly after a massive research program gets off the ground. We're going to
have to use electricity and hydrogen based fuels. This will require a lot of research and
money at first to make it happen. But with determination we can find ways to mobilize
the new country.”

She now could see some of the problems in front of them. “This is going to be a real
mess at first.”

“That, love, is all too true. The only way the military could do it is enslave the
population. That would shortly cause fighting between the people and government.”

“They would cause civil war?”

“I don’t see how they could stop it from happening. They would look at what was
important to them first, and not the needs of the people. Business would take a back seat
to their projects. Military law is very structured and punishment harsh. So how are the
young people going to react to that? Dana, today is a new young world and people like
me are the minority.”

They got to the house, showered, and headed down to dinner.

Shelby looked and saw two happy people. “Well, you two look almost as happy as Kelly
did when she went flying out of here.”

Dana now wanted to know more? “What was she so happy about?”

“Her new job John gave her. That girl was flying so high she needed an oxygen mask not
to die.” Shelby was laughing hard now.

Dana looked at John. “She is overseeing the new radio station to broadcast between
sundown and midnight each night. We need to reach out to people still left out there and
provide news for them.”

“It sounds like she is more than overseeing it?”

Shelby had to answer this. “She is the manager and will be sure that the right message
gets out. There were several items she wanted toned down before they were recorded
today. The first youth counsel script was a little too much propaganda and some news.
That she wanted to rewrite before they sent it out.”

Dana looked somewhat perplexed. “I don’t see how propaganda would hurt us.”

“The young people out there know exactly how things are. Try to con them and you will
lose them. Be honest and they will know you're being that way. We will need older
people out there to rebuild this country. We need engineers, teachers, judges, police, fire
and many city water, sewage and trash workers who all know how the city works. They
have knowledge that it would take years to relearn. So how do we protect those that are
left? We need the young people to make that happen.”

Shelby was clapping and knew John got it as well. “The man sees the only way to
rebuild a city without a lot of pain. But police that were not the good ones will never see
the new country. The counsel has a list of known abusers of children from police forces.
They have asked your counsel for warrants for these people.”

“Already signed them, Shelby, and they will stand up in the light of day. I was able to
find documentation for each one of them. Our people did a good job of downloading
many police and federal files before the crash.”

Dinner was a lot of talk about the new radio station and Kelly running it. Dana felt the
job placed too much pressure on her. Shelby felt it was a good move. They were
listening when the station signed on.

“This is Kelly, the station manager for radio Shangri-La. Yes, I am young and no, that is
not going to change. Our world today is full of young people who are going to have to
step up and do an adult job. So adults get used to it. Young people, be ready to step up to
the needs at hand. This message will be played each night when the station comes on and
when it goes off. Today’s world is very different for each of us and we need to adjust to
that new outlook. We will do news on the hour and half hour, and music in between that.
If you're looking for happy news then you're wasting your time. Life is hard today and
has been made worse by the old government. So welcome to the new Federation and we
hope you like the ideas we offer you.”

The rest of the news was professionally done and very good. Both Jenny and Nathan
were excellent newsreaders. The way the news had been put together worked well also.
It started a story for people to follow. That seemed like a smart idea to John.

“I think Kelly did very well tonight. She did some fast planning to make the changes I
know she did.” John was pleased with his girl.
That Dana could not argue with. “I think she is more grown up than I saw before now.
God, I wish I had been that professional at her age.”

Shelby really cared for Kelly and you could tell. “She is sooo smart and makes many
adults I have known look stupid. Of course, she would be on my case for calling anyone
stupid.”

“Shelby, she just uses a different words for that. She calls them educationally challenged.
It sounds nice, but means stupid, dear. If she jumps on you any more just tell her that
Mom spilled the beans on her.” Dana was now enjoying this.

The start to the radio station was a good one. The first of the leaflets had been dropped
today. None near bases but in places they needed to reach. Each small craft handled five
cities and they had covered ten today. No small towns had been covered yet, just the
larger cities.

That next day Kelly came into the office and smiled at her dad. “Thank you for seeing
what I did yesterday. Shelby told me what you said.”

“I gave you a job and knew you would do it right. You didn't see me at the station
making sure things happened that should have, did you? When you have confidence, you
give people you trust jobs and get out of their way. I do that all the time with Carlton and
David. As you learn who to trust at what jobs, you will need to do the same thing.”

“I know how you do it, and that works for me. Now I have class work to get done, as we
are going to record today’s news by four and it needs to be written yet. We have good
technical people to do the broadcast and just need to give them the audio copy. So I
really don’t have to be there except for the first hour.”

“Sounds like you have it figured out. You had ten cities the leaflets were dropped into
yesterday and today ten more will get them. In two weeks you will have one hundred
cities that know you're on and they are all big ones.”

“How do we get the smaller towns involved?”

“David is working on that issue now and will have some answers today for us. But he
will come to you first on this one. If you have a problem agreeing then come see me.”

It was a longer day than he had expected. There had been several conversations with
some military people and complaints about Kelly’s programming. Her honesty about the
military attacks angered many in the military. But there had not been one lie or
misspoken word in her broadcast. They knew this station was going to be trouble.

“David how many radio towers do we have ready to send out our signal?”
“We set up five as we were sure some would get taken down. But we also set up a
satellite that will broadcast on those frequencies if needed. It does not have the 50,000
watts of the station, but where it is it doesn’t need them.”

“I am sure we are going to get hit tonight. There were six generals calling and
complaining today. They did not like that the head of the JCS was reported to be a
Russian and that the attack by the Russians in New England on us was reported. Of
course it was all true and that they could not deny. But they were ticked off. Now I did
get about ten calls asking if it was true and from officers that were shocked. But tonight
they need to hear the attack and it needs to go out live.”

David had two slicks up with parabolic mikes to set up at the towers. He knew the
direction that planes would have to take to make a bomb run or to machine gun the tower.
They would use the main tower until it came down. Then the four others would kick in
and keep running. He also had ECM pods set up to confuse the aircraft.

“If they come it will be interesting tonight. I am sure I know where they will come from.
This time it will be the Air Force out of North Carolina, I believe. The Navy learned their
lesson before, I think. Remember they think they are coming in here boss.”

“I warned each general complaining today we would bring down any craft attacking us. I
have copies of those calls and gave them to Kelly to use as she sees fit. I know she was
going to cut a news flash for if an attack came.”

“Did she believe you when you told her it was coming?”

“Yes, but she was not so sure about the timing I felt it would happen in.” Now John was
laughing.

“Boss she will learn to trust your gut. We know it will be between sundown and
midnight.”

“I don’t think so David it will be before sundown. They don’t want it coming on the air
at all. But need the first signal of the power up to lead the planes in. Just watch the radar
and they will be very high to start and come down fast as we power up. They will come
with the sun behind them as well. They need to see the ground.”

David considered John’s statement and agreed it made sense. “I see where that could be
possible, boss.”

“The possibility is it could be a nuclear weapon if some have their choice. What I said
before is sure bet, David, and I will give you two to one odds on this evening.”

“We took over several of the old star wars satellites that have lasers on them. Any craft
coming in at that tower will never make it there. There were a lot of adjustments needed
to make them work. Coming into the atmosphere is not easy as light bends. We will
have their radio transmissions, as they will be stopped from going out to their base. Our
receivers will handle their messages as well as ours. Those will be able to be broadcast
as well tonight. Carlton and I will do a report after the attack and use our names and old
US ranks in it. These people are really ticking me off.”

“Just be ready and expect it to happen fast and with zero warning. We are not what the
military wants for a government. Our Napoleons want to rule the world and not just this
piece of land.”

David flew out of the office and you could almost see his after burners running. He was
really ticked and it showed.

Shelby had brought John some coffee and a piece of cake she had made. “What was
wrong with David he blew by me and never answered my hello?”

“I think he is just a mite ticked off dear. The old military are going to play with us once
more tonight. We have become a thorn in their sides. But they are going to get hurt and
surprised at the response.”

She just shook her head and walked back out. She was glad she did not have anything to
do with the fight between John and the old country's military.

John just sat and drank his fresh coffee and ate some of the cake. All things considered
they were in better shape than he had expected. Carlton and David’s people had done a
remarkable job resurrecting much of the space satellites for use by them. They had taken
over a large group of Russian satellites that had nuclear weapons on them.
Chapter 19

The early evening was nice and John and Dana walked the town’s streets. They had
given Shelby the night off and gone to the cafe for dinner. John wanted people to see
them both out and walking. They headed to the command center as darkness started to
fall in the valley.

Carlton was sitting at the radar desk and watching the planes. “We have twelve at thirty
thousand feet and they are coming around to start dropping down. I have radar locks on
each from above, so just set your targets on my marks.”

Dana watched the craft as they started to drop and line up for a run at the tower. “What
am I seeing dear?”

“That is a flight of F22 fighters getting ready to go after our radio tower. You're not
supposed to be able to see an F-22. But using the satellites Carlton can see them well.”

Carlton looked back at John and shook his head. “Boss how did you know they were
F22’s?”

“We would not be watching B-1B Lancer as you can’t see them. It could not be F-117
Nighthawk as you can’t see them. The F-22 you're not supposed to be able to see, but we
are looking down on them. The satellite sees things normal radar does not see. It is just
being displayed on the radar screen, as it is a real time picture from over head.”

Carlton just shook his head now. “You know more about this than I do boss.”

“I spent time with the techs when they were working on it. They needed research and I
did that from the old files we downloaded from the government. As I found
specifications I sent them to the techs to study. That was satellite information or aircraft
data. ”

“I can set up a search for key words in our databases. The computer people work for me
and have built me a good search program. So I use it to help others here get information
they need and I learn as well.”

“Here they come boss and fast as hell.”

You could see them heading into the valley and when the last one cleared the entrance
they started dropping to the ground. You could see men bailing out and planes crashing
all over the valley. Troops came out of protected vehicles and started rounding up the
survivors. This took just over and hours time.
The station came on the air and Kelly’s first address was played. Then the news of the
attempted attack was announced to all listening. The people were advised that many
pilots had bailed out and were now being picked up.

Carlton walked into the station and sat at a microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen I have
Colonel Carlton Rider of Special Forces and ex Delta Force commander here with me.
Colonel what happened tonight?”

“Once more people who used to be the US military leaders tried to assume power over
the country. They have no use for any but those who advance their power. So killing
people who wish to start a new country that is much different from the old one is their
goal now.”

“How many attacks have happened now?” Jenny was playing her role.

“This is the second attack by aircraft and the third if you include one by troops. We must
do away with the old military or it will enslave us. There are far too many problems to be
solved here to worry about fighting others.”

“Why do away with the old military now?”

“Today we need to defend any new country built and not fight wars. So we need border
guards, a coast guard and a national police force to back them up. That costs money and
the new country will need to pay for that. So how much are people willing to take out of
their incomes for that? We don’t feel that they should pay for any of it. Government
needs to run like a business and make a profit to pay for its needs.”

“How would any national government make a profit?”

“It would run energy production and supply, communications, long distance
transportation, banking and oil and refining. It would be its responsibility to assure
people’s needs are met in those areas. Of course fuel for cars will not be possible for
now. But trucking must run to get goods to everyone.”

“That means people will not have local transportation?”

“It is local governments job to supply that. They will run water, sewage, trash pick up,
collection of bills for utilities and have a small sales tax to operate by.”

“But paying the political leaders is expensive.”

“No government leader will be paid at all. If they wish to serve the people and help their
citizens fine. But not even the Chairman of the Board of the Federation would be paid.”

A group of men is flying suits and looking worn out came into the studio. They sat next
to Carlton.
“Captain you don’t look like a happy man why is that?” Jenny kept up her talking.

“The general who sent us here lied to us all. He had us attacking a group of Seals and
Special Forces personnel from Bragg. The country is all screwed up and I see the leaders
that sent us were a major part of that problem.”

“Where did you come from captain?”

“Shaw AFB in South Carolina. When DC was deserted we move from Langley to Shaw.”

“Why did anyone want to hurt us?”

“We were told that a Russian group had assumed the station here. So we were sent to
destroy it.”

“How do you know that is not the truth sir?”

“I met two guys I went to school with in high school and know where they came from
and their families. We grew up together and competed in sports for our school. But our
families have known each other for generations. Small towns are like that you know?”

The talk went on for the full hour before it was brought to a close.

“We need to know where your families are captain?”

As a group we moved our families to a big house in a swamp area. Our fear was if we
failed that the brass would take it out on them. The area close to Charleston SC is a very
wet place.”

”Is there any way to get them out?”

“Sure but it would take a nice small jet a couple of flights to do that.”

“How about two nice small jets and one flight? Of course we have one set up now as a
gun ship so it will have to be changed over.”

“You're serious about that?”

“Yep and we are good also my friend. Your base radar will not even see us. Matter of
fact it will completely explode.”

That shocked the man. “How in the hell does that happen?”

“A drone will take it out when we need that to happen. Your general gets his pay back.
But he cannot shot at what he can’t see. It will then start back here for refueling.”
“How about your needing to refuel your jets?”

“I will have bags of fuel dropped off for us.”

“You have people helping you right?”

“Special Forces kind of sticks together my man.”

“Don’t let him kid you, he ran Delta Force for a good period of time. He has lots of
friends. Most below the rank of general.” One of his staff said to the captain.

“How many of your people are ex Delta Force?”

“I have 60 and a few others. Between the Seals and us we can do more with less than any
unit out there today. The real secret is our technical services people. They were the ones
that brought your planes down.”

“It seemed like flashes of light hit us?”

“They did and those were lasers and they damaged your craft by cutting them. Most had
shorter wings.”

“But we were told they never worked.”

“That would have costs billions in new weapons development and that could not be
allowed to happen. The joint chiefs decided to hide the abilities of the lasers, so they
would get more money to spend. That was a Russian decision, as they had nothing to
compete. Once we gain power anyone attacking the country would get cut to ribbons.
But the majority of the military will be gone.”

“Then star wars was real and it worked?”

“Yes and yes, as you have found out. But John told us you would be coming and close to
what time to expect you.”

“I did not know until we took off when we would leave. The attack was sealed in an
envelope and I opened it in flight with the time to start.”

“He told David it would happen today at just before sunset and would be twelve planes.
We also were told to expect one nuclear bomb and one was found loaded on your aircraft
captain.”

The captain turned completely white and had to stop and brace himself or fall. “You are
joking right?”
“Nope I am not joking as I am taking you to see the bomb.”

The captain knew he and his entire force would have been wiped out after dropping that
bomb. As low as they were no one would have survived that drop. So the general had
planned for them not to survive this run. The entire band of brother’s idea the military
preached had just fallen apart for him.

“Carlton I need revenge for what was done. I just can’t let that pass without doing
something about it.”

“I want you to see the bomb and the ID numbers of weapons stored at your base.”

“Why? I am sure that son of a bitch did just what you said.”

“Once you know beyond doubt we will work on his punishment.”

“You know we had JDAM capable areas in the bay right?”

“That fighter was the most capable we have ever built captain. But it is all in how it is
used as to its value. Today we have neither the scientist, engineers or factories to build it
once more. But no country does. So it is the last of its breed.”

There was respect in Carlton’s voice and he liked the way the man talked of good
equipment. “It was a joy to fly and that is a fact.”

“Well while the new country will never have a large Air Force, we will have a good small
one. We have taken over satellites belonging to Russia that have nuclear weapons on
them. They no longer have control of them or the ability to maneuver them in space. Of
course that was illegal under the old laws of the UN.” Carlton now was laughing to
himself.

The captain looked shocked at him. “How the hell did you guys do that?”

“John has talked with the ex head of the old KBG and he has helped us against a man he
hates. That runs deeply over there and he will demand some help at some point I am
sure. He gave John the files on every spy here in the country and on the head of the JCS.
In return John has given him news feeds from all over the world and a satellite
communications channel on our unit. So we know what he is doing and who he is talking
with now days.”

“Why would he not expect that and be careful?”

“John has complained about his lack of technical people. He also had slipped up and told
the old man a few things he needed. But John is very sharp when it comes to using words
to cover actions. The old man thinks he has John in his hands and does not see it is the
other way around.”
They got to the lab and walked in. The bomb was sitting in a cradle on a cart. The
inspection plate had been removed and the timer turned off.

“What is that screen inside the bomb?”

“It is the timer screen that would once power is lost set off the device. We had to take the
plug out of your bay and install it in the Bradley to bring this here. It had to have power
to keep the clock from running. The timer had just a few minutes total time left on it.”

“What about the other planes?”

“Normal JDAM bombs in them. None would have gone off, as they were to close to the
ground to set the guidance system. There is a complicated system that has to be run
through before one can go off. That takes time and altitude.”

“Did you get the numbers off this bomb?”

“Yep and it was a unit sent to Langley for the F-22. All of that was moved to Shaw AFB
when Langley was closed.”

The captain looked over the bomb and smiled now. “See that set of initials?”

“Yes I wondered why they were there?”

“They are my planes ammunitions loader's. He always signed off on each item loaded to
assure on return they were the same weapon. One of our planes lost a weapon after
landing at a base and it caused a lot of problems. So he kept his initials and the serial
number on each item loaded.”

“Did he know this was a nuclear device?”

“He had to know as he drew the ordnance to load the craft. Nuclear device are kept in a
special bunker.”

“One more on our death sentence list Carlton.”

That confused the captain. “Why is that sir?”

The major saw he did not understand. “That bomb was rigged to go off even if you were
ordered to return home or made that decision yourself. Not one plane in your group
would have survived that. Of course we would have been blamed for it.” The major told
him and it made sense to him.

“That bastard he has known me for years and to find he was not honest with me just
really hits home.”
“He was in the generals pocket and following his orders as that was who made it pay for
him. I am sure he did well money wise and privileges wise as well. The general has a
sergeant major or first sergeant who runs that group for him I’ll bet.”

Now it fit as his guy and the first sergeant were close buddies. “It is the flight line first
sergeant that my man is very close with. Since the crash they have become very close.”

“Sorry my friend it is just the way the old military operated. It was an old boy network
and you were either in or out. Officers could not be liked by their troops or they were
suspect of being to soft. Really it kept men from following them to hell when needed.
There is not one man here who would not attack hell if I asked them to. Of course I
would have to lead them in that attack.” He was smiling now.

“Don’t let him kid you he would fight them to lead that attack. His troops respect him
and would follow him anyplace he went.”

They headed back to the hospital to check on a couple of injured pilots. Finding them
well taken care of and in good spirits they went to the underground hanger.

“God your ready to fight a war here now. This is an incredible amount of hardware.”

“Please note nothing can be seen from above. No one knows just how well John has
prepared us. We have protected towns and areas where we have people building new
settlements. Those Cobras were very handy in that area. The gun ships have seen action
as well and done well for us. But in all we just help others who needed it and do our
fighting on the ground here.”

The captain was now intrigued and wanted to know more. “What do you mean fighting
on the ground here?”

“We took out twelve aircraft from Norfolk who were trying to bomb the town. Then we
have killed over two thousand that have attacked us here trying to get our gold and food
supplies. What your going to find out is we are not nice people to those who try to kill
us.”

The two small Lear jets were ready to fly now. The officers were checking them out and
fuel was topped off. “OK captain you need to show us where we are going and let us
plan a flight to keep us out of trouble.”

"Seabrook Island has a small grass strip here.” He was pointing at the location now. “It
has been mowed and will be lighted at night for just two minutes time by normal lights.
There are infrared lights that can be seen after you spot the lighted field.”

“How many do we have to bring back?”

“There are eight women and nine children of three to eight years old.”

“That won't be too bad then.”

“We have one older boy with them handling the protection and he is eighteen. I have a
pager he will get a signal from to turn on the lights. It takes about ten minutes for him to
respond to my signal.”

Carlton now wanted the man's attention. “Understand you and your men’s lives here
depend on those planes coming back safe and sound. I will have a Delta Force C130
flying above that strip and they will be down on you if anything goes wrong. I will have
a drone with missiles running just overhead as well. We don’t know you and don’t yet
trust you captain.”

“Colonel I promise we will not be taking your people into any risk on the ground or air if
possible.”

“The air I am not worried about it is the ground that concerns me. If my Delta Force
friends come in no one will live to see the sun rise.”

There was no trust in Carlton’s eyes at all, just a cold ice that send a shiver down his
back. This man was not going to lose people over anyone’s errors. God help the fool that
crossed him.

The captain got on the Lear. They were towed to the elevator and lifted up to the runway.
Once off the elevator they waited for the second plane. The two took off in formation
and advise Pope that Delta Force R2 was airborne now.”

The captain had no idea what Delta Force R2 was and did not ask? The radios were
shutdown now and they just followed their planned course to Pope. Once they were close
the planes dropped down and took another heading going toward the target Seabrook
Island. A C-130 was now flying high above them and that was what was being followed.
The Lear’s were just five hundred feet off the deck and making wide passes of towns
with airports. With no communications a low flying aircraft could never be reported.

During the time of getting the lights turned on an attack was made knocking down
Shaw’s radar. Then a run was made down a line of aircraft sitting wing to wing on the
ground. Many exploded and fires were taking many F-22’s out of existence. When
ammunition started to cook off people just ran for cover. That was when several lighting
bolts hit the general’s house and turned it into rubble. With fires coming from anything
that could burn nothing was left the house alive.

The two planes landed at the grass strip, the families and the young guard were picked
up. They were back out and fast after fueling, as they knew what was happening at Shaw.

“Delta Force R2 nice little strike on Shaw. You guys are incredible.”
The captain heard that and looked up at the pilot.

“The ground at Shaw has a lot of destroyed F-22 fighters and the general’s house no
longer exists. Their radar no longer works either captain. So it has been a fairly good
night for our side.”

“How many F-22’s were taken out?”

“The entire flight line was destroyed. I would say better than twenty five percent of the
F-22’s left are now scrap. With ammunition cooking off no one would get close to fight
fires. Besides they had no general to order it.” Now the man was laughing.

“What are you laughing at?”

“John is a very dangerous man, captain, and most generals just don’t know how
dangerous. If you try to pick his pocket he will cut your throat while smiling at you. In
this new world that is just how things will have to be. If you're fair he is always more
than fair, if not God help you. He has this thing about being honest and your word being
your bond. If he says he will do anything I assure you it gets done. His word is always
his bond.”

The man could hear the respect this man had for John. John was not the warrior, but he
was the one that drove them to succeed. Failing him was just not an option for any of
them. The only way he could explain it was it was like a child trying to please their
father.

As they landed the planes went to the lift and were taken down below. The people were
off loaded and sent to their husbands and fathers wherever they were. The two in the
hospital were not married so no problems there.

“Colonel how many F-22’s have been destroyed?”

“Including your planes just 19% of the fleet purchased. We have done nothing to the F-
117 or the B-1B’s at all. The only attacks came to generals and one admiral that have
tried to hurt us. So it is in their hands as to how the outcome is.”

“I have to ask how did you get the general inside the base and with guards outside his
house?”

“Lasers hit the house and it burnt very quickly. No guards wanted to go near it. Two
drones got the radar and flight line. We sent pictures to the generals who have been doing
the bitching, with the nuclear bomb numbers. Every base commander is on warning this
could happen to them and their base. The time for play is over and now we are dead
serious. The report of tonight’s action will be on the radio tomorrow for as many as
possible to hear.”
The captain knew these people were well and truly ticked at the military. He took his
wife and daughter to the inn in the city and checked in. He had a meeting with John
tomorrow and he needed to be rested. They were given a nice room and a bed for the
girl. Breakfast here was at seven to nine AM and if they needed food after that they
could go to the café, if they had local money.

That problem he did not even try to get into.

The next day they did have breakfast at the inn and head to John’s office. When the two
walked in he was shocked to see a very young girl sitting on John’s lap. She was may be
8 or 9?

“Jordan, Rachel and Gina this is my daughter Kelly. He kissed the girl as she hopped up
and shook hands with them.

“I run the radio station here and am an advisor to the youth group.”

That shocked them and you could see it. “Kelly may look her age of 8, but she has a
mental age of well over 16. The ladies IQ just can’t be measured.” Now Kelly was
smiling her blinding smile.

“I was wondering why you never wore your medal Jordan?” Kelly just had to know the
answer to that one.

Jordan was surprised at this question from an 8 year old. “What do you know about my
medals?”

“You have three purple hearts, two silver stars and the Medal of Honor beside the I was
there metals.” She repeated her reading.

Now Jordan’s eyebrows rose. “Where did you get that information?”

“As Daddy said I run the radio station and checked all your people out last night. If we
report it people can accept it as dead honest fact. So I check out everything we are going
to report and make sure it is correct. We have the military files on everyone who has or
was serving up to the crash.”

“God that must be one hell of a computer you have.”

“No those files don’t take up 1% of our database area. But they do come in handy to
check people out. Your squadron was all military black sheep. Are you sure you and
pappy Boyington were not related?”

Now he was really shocked at this young lady. “You have to be the smartest 8 year old I
have ever seen.”
“Thank you kind sir, all nice comments are accepted by me.” She was beaming now and
Jordan’s wife was enjoying this.

“Just think that is what Gina is going to do to you shortly, husband.”

Kelly turned to Gina. “Come on lets get out of here and let the adults talk.”

Gina ran over and grabbed Kelly’s hand and they headed out.

Jordan was very quiet now. “How in the hell does any child at Kelly’s age have that
ability?”

“If Kelly reads a book on surgery she can perform the actual operation just like it was
explained. If the writer did well in explaining it, you would survive as if he did that
surgery. As I said she has no way for anyone to measure her IQ. Her abilities one day
will run the new country. For her it is not for money or any normal human reason. It is
for the people and she believes that deep down.”

Jordan was shocked at this honesty. “You would turn the government over to her?”

“She is smarter than I am Jordan. So when people will accept it, yes she will run the
country. It is my ownership of precious metals that it will be built on. But it will be very
much her brains behind a good deal of it.”

The honesty was refreshing and unusual for him. “You don’t seem to care about the
power that brings?”

“Power? It brings responsibility and not power. That was a lesson the old government
forgot. They lost their sense of responsibility to and for the people of the country. It
became power and they just had to play with it. You see where it got us now.”

That he could and wondered if anyone could do a better job? “I am not sure anyone could
have done it any better now?”

“Under the old structure I think you're right. But the way I have it planned the people get
to make their choices. Any law can be changed with a two thirds vote from the people.
But government will make no laws and it will spend no tax money. It is set up like a
corporation and has a board of directors. It makes money from business it operates to
allow it to meet things that must be paid for. Like a small military, border guards,
national police, diplomacy where needed and education. Those are not paid for by
peoples incomes being taxed.” He handed both Jordan and his wife copies of his plan and
laws.

They skimmed them and shook their heads a few times. It took just half an hour to wade
their way though it. “That is very different from what was set up before. But it does take
a lot of the so called power and places it in peoples hands.” Rachel was truly impressed
now.

“In our past we have built government on top of government. You had local, state and
then federal, one on top of the other. Each was feeding off the people. Every item
purchased had taxes for all three included in them. That ends with the new country. The
only tax is the sales tax for their local area and everyone pays that to the government. No
leader can ever be paid for their service. Police can only enforce the laws you have read
in just ten pages. Their job is to investigate and report to a judge before acting unless
someone could be hurt. No one can run away and they would be charged with that as
well if they tried.”

It was easy to see how life would be under these new laws and structure. “I like what
your doing and only question a few things. Like the age of consent and the age to vote.”
Jordan was being honest now.

“Those were recommended by our youth counsel. In looking at their arguments I agreed
with them. We are now a very young nation after millions of older people have been
killed off. Children will need to start much earlier to carry their share of the load. At 12
a girl can carry and have a child safely. I know as my grandmother had my dad at that
age. People who vote should understand they are also responsible. I have found the
young people here at the age stated very responsible. They fight and risk their lives to
keep us safe here.”

Both adults had not seen this and yet with the explanation it made sense to them. “I see
your point and agree. Now what can I do to help you and earn a living John?”

Chapter 20

“I think you have pushed your luck as far as any man should flying fighters. So now you
need to manage others and plan to meet a goal. The country will not have the fuels to run
based on gas and oil. Kelly told me you’re an engineer and a good one. That is where
you need to work now. I want electric cars and trucks, fuel cell technology, advanced
fuels that might be able to burn in a combustion engine. Find me ways to power our
country.”
“How do I do that here and without a lab or staff?”

“For number one your wife is your chemist as that is her background. We have a lab for
you and it is well equipped and staffed. The problem we have there is, no one is pushing
them to find answers. You have zero limits to what you can try or do.”

“Can we build prototypes?”

“Yes and far more advanced than you would expect. I could build you an entire car from
carbon fiber parts. You design them and we will have them before your next design is
ready to make. We do make body parts for all aircraft from carbon fiber and ballistic
materials.”

“I saw none of that from the inn or walking in town.”

“Everything critical is inside one mountain or another. As you saw our base for aircraft is
also below ground. It makes it hard to destroy us or hurt my people. What is seen by any
satellite is not what is really here is it?”

“No it sure is not what others would see. But I have a few problems, as we need a place
to stay, clothing and food. That is no small thing in today’s world.”

“I really hate to burst your bubble. But we are short nothing that really matters here.
Matter of fact we have food to keep us going for five years right now.”

“How did you do that?”

“He bought a lot before the fall and stored it in air tight vaults inside the mountain. Then
he started farms and ranches to produce food we needed here. In the mountain you will
find we grow many exotic things normally not available here.” Dana was pleased to
provide the answers.

“This is my wife Dana and she is the expert on what we have in the mountains. She runs
the new medicine labs in the hospital, too. Of course she is carrying our twins and is as
big as a moving truck once was.”

The guests were laughing at these two. “I would think that sense of humor would have
been long gone?” Rachel knew at this point in her pregnancy she had had none at all.

“I had to do this to get the man to marry me. The amount of arguments over his age was
monumental.” Dana was now laughing at John’s look on his face.

“Of course if I had not of married her then Kelly would have been without a father she
wanted badly. So I was trapped.”
Now things made sense to them. “You don’t look all that old John.” Rachel thought he
was may be fifty.

“At 68 I am far to damn old to be getting married to a young woman I assure you. But to
sire twins that is really beyond my understanding?”

That floored them both as neither expected him to be that old now. “How in the world is
that possible?” Jordan wanted an answer for this.

“His great grandfather sired one at 70, so it is nothing new to his family. Things do
happen and often to those who want them.”

John saw her avoid the questions and did so as well. “Now Dana will show you to your
apartment and where you can draw clothing, household needs and food. Kelly took Gina
to the school to get her started. She will be home at around 2 PM today and can come to
your lab if you want. But school starts when the child is ready and not at any certain age.
The goal is to complete high school by 16 at the oldest. School here is year around and
there are few breaks.”

“What grade is Kelly in?”

“That depends on the subject. Her lowest grade level is sixth and highest is tenth. But
all students have those type differences. No one is ever held back here in any area. But if
one falls below grade level they get added help to get them back on course. In this new
world education and knowledge will be what carries the day.”

Dana showed them out and down to the apartments for military people. “What types of
people live here?” Rachel was now asking the questions.

“Mostly technical people and scientists for the military areas here.”

They were shown the store for clothing, food and for household needs like sheets and
towels. These were local stores and their card would work here for any needs they had.
But the ones in the town had a slightly larger selection if they wanted to go there.

Dana then took them to their lab and they were shocked at how big and well equipped it
was. “This is your working home folks. Everyone here works for you so accept no crap
from them. You’re responsible here for the good and bad. John expects results and does
not accept failure. Everyone here knows that, but they will try to slide from time to time.
They have failed to come up with one single prototype car. The computer system can
provide you research going back a long ways. If you're missing something go see John
and he will get it for you.” She shook hands and left them standing there looking at the
room.

Jordan called them together and looked the people over. “Now I am your new leader here
and my wife is our chief chemist. From what I have been told you are right now failures
and John is not happy with you.” This shook the people and they knew their tails were on
the line.

“That will start changing right now. We will have a prototype ready in ninety days to
start working on to improve it. Because of the way things will be, it will be a small truck
that seats four adults or five if children are in the back. We must be able to move food
from a farm to a town or city and from stores to homes. A brain storming session will
start tomorrow and we will start making some decisions. Just remember a bad decision is
a good starting point for learning.”

Jordan and Rachel walked out of the lab and headed to the stores to get what they needed.
As they picked up things in stores they were shocked at the quality and pricing. Once
they delivered those items back to the apartment they went grocery shopping. As John
had said they could have wanted nothing they did not find. Produce was fresh and picked
that day. Meat was aged just enough to produce good taste with tenderness. There were
many freeze dried items for them to use and they liked the way this had been done.

Rachel started cooking at once when they got home and the house smelled like food
when Gina walked in. “Mommy you should see the school, it is great. I have my own
computer to work on and they tested me today.”

“I see you seem to have enjoyed that?”

“Yes and they said they would send you my test scores.”

“I will check for them after dinner if we have a computer.”

“It's in the living room mom.” Gina just shook her head at her mom’s lack of seeing
things. So she went to get her dad to check them.

He found she had done very well and was above her grade level in all but one area.
“How did you get so smart Gina?”

“Kelly showed me how to use my knowledge and told me I was smart.”

“I know you could not read some of this so how did that happen?”

His daughter sat and read every word to him and he was not ready for that. “How did
you do that dear?”

“It is easy Daddy. Here I'm really going to like school and do well.”

“What is the different between where you were and here?”

“Here I am allowed to try things I was never allowed to do before. If I do well I'm told
how good I did. Before I was not allowed to do anything the teacher did not tell me to
do.”

Jordan knew she was smart, but she hated to go to school before. For a smart creative
child that restriction would kill the desire to learn. She did not want to be just like the
others she went to school with. So John’s ideas on education should pay off for many a
bored child. His daughter’s love of the new system was impressive.

“Why do you like this system so well?”

“I get to do what I want to work wise as long as I want to do it. Then I can move to
something else. If I don’t want to do something today I don’t have to do that.”

The children control their own pace and what work they do. It was a way to teach them
the need for keeping all work up to date and letting them mo9ve forward on what they
liked.

“How do you know where your supposed to be at in your work?”

“I have a screen when I start that shows me where I am in each subject. If I am behind
then I must catch up or get help from a teacher. The computer will not run unit I have
taken some action to solve the problem. Kelly said if I had problems come see her at
John’s office and she would help me work it out.”

“Why John’s office?”

“Did you see that cubical in his office? It is where she does her work each day she has
school. She is able to do her work in less than three hours and then do other things she
wants to. The radio station scripts must be written and she has research to do for the
youth counsel.”

“Kelly sounds like she is really very busy.”

“She is Daddy and loves how much she gets to do here. As smart as she is I know I am
going to love it here also. We get along and like each other. Besides she is only a year
older than me.”

They were called to dinner and enjoyed the food here like they had before the fall of the
country. “This is real food husband and I love being able to cook again.” Once done she
brought out a pie and sat it on the table. It was cut and each given a piece and they really
enjoyed it.

“It seems like forever since we had a pie, Mom.”

“It seemed like forever to me since I made one. But we have lots of freeze dried apples,
cherries, berries and peaches to make pies with now. When baked they taste like fresh
fruit does.”

John and Dana talked until Kelly came home. “That was a good program of news you
put together dear. It told a story that needed to be told and did it well.” John was pleased
with her research and how the facts had been handled.

“I had a bit of a fight over it and had to put my foot down. Jenny wanted to start
throwing rocks. That was not how to handle this and I did not want how the generals
house was destroyed known. So a few things had to be skirted to protect our knowledge.
Let others draw their own wrong conclusions.”

“How did it end up with Jenny?”

“I told her she did things my way or she was done at the station. She called Jackson and
then came back and apologized to me. I think he set her straight on who runs this
station.”

Dana laughed at her daughter’s abilities and her determination. “Girl, your bolder than I
ever was.”

“I learned that from Daddy, Mom, and it works. If you take any crap they just keep
piling it on. So stop it before they learn how to try it.”

That set Dana off and they all were laughing now.

“Girl, John and you are so much alike I have to believe he must have fathered you.”

“I know he did not, but he has taught me so much I'm like him in many ways. For that I
need to thank you Mom, if you had not gone for the job I would not have a daddy.”

“Or a set of twins coming to be a brother and sister for you. But I'm sure glad the time is
close to deliver them. My insides are not a playground.”

“That's what you think and those two kids don’t believe a word of it.” John shot back.

“They had better or I'll name them cuss and discuss.”

The next morning was a beautiful day and Kelly and John had gone riding. The land
down by the river was cool and two boys were bringing people across the river. He
waited to see just who they were.
A man stepped off and walked to John. “I'm glad I caught you here. I'm the brother of
Admiral Brenner and wanted to see if there was any way to bring him to my home?”

“Sorry, when people send planes to attack my people they get no free pass. Your brother
is in prison now and will stay there until he dies. He told direct lies to the pilots he sent
and told me I had no right to protect my people. Now for you it is time to decide if you
fit into our new government or not.”

“I disagree with your actions if that is what you mean.”

“Boys please arrest this man and hold him for the military to pick him up. We're going to
send you out of our protective area, as you just don’t fit here. I hope you like your new
living conditions and life. Good bye sir.”

Kelly and John rode off and the man tried to stop the boys from cuffing him. That was of
little avail and he was brought down. They cuffed him to a fence and called David with
John’s instructions.

Shortly a slick dropped down and three men got off and loaded the man on it. Then it
was off and heading north. He was dropped in Pittsburg, marked with an RFID seed that
would show him as undesirable, and left to find a way to survive. He would never be
allowed back into the country at any border crossing and would be picked up in any city.

John and Kelly finished their ride and unsaddled their animals. After brushing them they
put them in the stall and gave them feed and hay.

“What do you want to bet I get at least 10 calls today from military people trying their
best to be nice?”

Kelly was laughing at John’s prognosis of the day. “Are you going to talk to them?”

“Of course I will and I'm not saying I’ll be nice to them. But I will listen to them.”

They went to their rooms and showered and dressed. When Kelly walked in John was on
the phone and he smiled at her. She knew he was talking to one of the military.

“General I am sure you mean what you're saying right now. But the moment a higher
ranking officer orders you to do something you're going to follow orders. You have no
authority any more that you answer to. So who now speaks for all services and
commanders?”

“Yes I'm sure that is a hard question to answer. But understand this, if any base fights us
we will take out the commanders there first. So each of you can surrender or fight.
Those are your choices. If anyone tried to go nuclear again I will wipe them off the face
of the earth. Do you understand that sir? We will also report those actions on the radio to
the world, so they can hear what fools we have as commanders. Good day General.”
“That sounded like he wanted some kind of special deal, Dad?”

“He threatened to go nuclear if he didn't get his way. So listen to his call and play it
tonight on the station. It should wake his men up to how little he cares for them.”

“If worded right it might open eyes on many bases as to how little high ranking officers
care about enlisted men? Desertion before now was not a problem, but it could be after
that report.”

“We don’t want those weapons getting into the wrong hands dear. So be careful and walk
a fine line here. People who leave their bases tend to take weapons with them and that
opens up trading weapons and ammunition for food. We have some strong gangs left that
will have to be fought and destroyed before a city can be rebuilt. That will mean no
drugs being sold or guns to control people being held by them.”

“I get the idea and will play with it before you see the script for today. But my big sell is
going to be people are either the good guys or bad guys. It's their decision to make.
Those who are the good guys stand a good chance of surviving this war that is coming.
But those who are not will surely be killed. We have no room for criminals in the new
country.” Now she saw where he was headed and not even he saw what he said in context
to the whole. She had slowly been investigating each concept he had to see if any had
holes. But as things expanded there were no holes, as following steps covered holes she
thought she had found.

“Kelly, this needs to be orchestrated liked a good symphony. It cannot overwhelm the
senses of the people, but must carry them to where we want them. They must feel it was
their desire that we followed. So Carlton is going to drop troops into larger cities and
they will report to you each night. You will get people's attitudes and feelings stated to
you.”

“That could be dangerous for them Daddy.”

“They will be in normal clothing and look no different from other people. Of course they
will be armed and their hand to hand skills are way above others. But we need the people
to be heard from before we step into a city. They need to scout it so we know where the
gangs are and how to attack them. A lot of Jackson’s scouts are volunteering to do this.”

There was value in this and she saw why Jackson’s guys would be good at it. “The
younger men will be less noticed and able to go places others can’t.”

“That is in Carlton and David’s hands and not mine dear. I have enough to do without
trying to run their area.”

She went in to get the schoolwork out of the way and start her real job.
Jackson was now working to train some of his better scouts, in how to do the job in a city.
The first part was in a classroom and it was critical you did well here. Because in a city
good thinking was the key to surviving. He had to teach them how to plan their actions
and make them happen as planned.

“Understand I've been in Roanoke several times. My scouts were left outside the city and
I went on my own. The trick is not to be seen much. Then to find a good hiding place to
watch from before moving into where people are. It is easy to tell if people are wary or
moving freely around the area. Watch for weapons showing as most gang members show
their weapons.”

“How much could you tell from just watching?”

“You can tell a lot about attitudes, fear, how openly people travel and if or how they may
be armed.”

“Who are the best people to key on?”

“Always a woman with a child as she will not place it at risk. Any child that has survived
this long is loved.”

The questions went on for a couple hours and much was picked up by the new volunteers.

After lunch Pam took over and told how gangs used girls as sex slaves and what they
expected. There were many things that could be watched for and seen openly on the
streets. A girl belonging to a gang was easy to spot. This added a lot to their education
and would help keep some alive.

The day had been shocking to many of the young men and they had a lot to consider now.
This was for sure not as simple as it had sounded and was going to be very dangerous for
them. They had maps to study for the city they would be dropped into. But there was no
rescue team ready to come in and get them if trouble happened. If they did get into a jam
no one until check in time would have any idea something had happened or what had
taken place.

The being alone and the danger were stressed constantly to them. It did cause a few to
drop out, but not that many. That had been planned for as well.

Each student went through the pistol range and the hand to hand fighting course once
more at the advanced level. Knives were given to them and they were taught to use them
efficiently. They spent days listening to the kids that had come from cities and how their
city worked after the fall.

Solar chargers were packaged for their satellite phones and each were given a couple of
gold and sliver coins just in case they were needed. It gave them a story to get people to
go after the rest of the gold they could not carry. Of course they were given a real
location and special way they had to go to get into it. It was meant to assure that the
person telling the story was needed to get into the place where it was. Greed was to help
them where possible. That was a powerful motivator and would often work where
nothing else would.

Slowly each young man saw he was as well prepared as possible. There just was nothing
else he could learn here and now, it was time to test his skills on the ground.

The slicks started going out at night and dropping people a good mile away from the city.
They would have to walk in and find their hiding places. They stayed away from high
rise apartments as a gang could easily defend them. They were good places to look out
from, but far too dangerous for them. A better bet was an office building as it had no
beds and nothing would be working there.

They did have water purification pills, a good water filter unit and a lot of freeze dried
food. The packs were over eighty pounds of needed goods. The amount of goods they
had meant they needed to move at night for a while. Once they had stashed the pack they
could do some careful moving around in the daylight.

So their main concern was location, location and location. It had to allow observation,
could not be conspicuous, easy to get into and out of with out drawing attention, No small
feat for a single person to find and make work.

Carlton and Jackson came into John’s office. “Well boss, the first of Jackson’s scouts are
on the ground. We are now in twenty cities and have fifty more to place someone into.”

John considered this news. “I hope they all are well trained as its not going to be easy for
them. God I would hate to be out their living by my wits today.”

Jackson knew the feelings John had. “I did my damnedest John to get as many to drop
out as possible. Most of the people we have sent I have traveled with and know well so I
worry for them also.”

“Carlton, I want a response force of twelve Special Forces to go into any area where we
have lost someone. Take out every gang member you can find and destroy their buildings
and headquarters. Jackson, make sure your people know if they fail to report in two
times we are coming in after them.”

That brightened his day now. “I will make sure they know how critical their reporting is
and on time.”

Carlton liked the fact John was willing to take risks to try to save Jackson’s people. “I
will have the force ready tonight, John. We need all of Jackson’s people’s reports, so we
can mark buildings and streets we need to be aware of. Be sure they let us know the
streets and buildings to mark in their reports. Some of the people you have in North
Carolina may end up being covered by people from the compound at Bragg. My brothers
are very good at this kind of thing.”

It was for sure the guys now with Delta Force needed no back up. But Carlton’s old
group was also very good. He would have no trouble taking out any group in a city John
knew. “Are you sure they will want to play?”

“Oh yes the general we met with was highly pissed at the nuclear thing. That changed his
position completely and he is now firmly on our side. He knew Jordan and liked him, so
his report had a chilling effect on his decision. That was why we had good cover on the
pick up mission for the families.”

“Has he said what he wants out of this deal?”

“Yes: to handle the national police and border guards. He believes they need to be the
same force of people. Any who do get in are going to have to be chased and that is the
national police job.”

“Does he know what you and David will be doing?”

“Yes and likes that we are just not tossing the baby out with the bath water.”

“It is going to be a very different world Carlton. Holding the military down to 100,000 is
going to be hard. But from a cost stand point we have little choice. We will have to live
within our budget and there is no more after we spend it. For sure government must
make money from its core industries to even afford that. Understand the national police
and border guards are part of that military force.”

“He and I understand that and have no problem with it. We know we are going to have to
have a good intelligence group for both of us to use. So the good people we both had and
have will form that from Bragg and here. Your computer records will save us millions of
hours in building a new database.”

“That is up to you to organize and suggest the people we need to fill the jobs we have.
They all must understand that the first three years is going to be at lower pay than after
that time. No one is going to get rich in government service, but you will not starve
either. The days of big money and bonuses are over, Carlton. Each business will have an
expected profit spelled out for it. If they do better everyone will share that one year in
the improvement. But fail to meet it and someone is going to get fired. But with zero
inflation they will not be having to make more each year, just to live as well as last year.”

Carlton could see just how tough it was going to be getting things back up and running.
They were going to have thousands of people that had to be hired and each would have to
be checked out. Past history being the best indicator of the future. That would be no
easy job for John.
“How are you going to handle the reformation of the country?”

“It for sure cannot be done all at once. We are going to have to take it in bites and once
we have things in place move to the next piece. My guess is it will take two plus years to
get the entire amount of land into the Federation. I have half of West Virginia and will
bring in a good half of Virginia and some of North Carolina. That is our base area. We
have to get power running, communications up and banking in place. To the north we
will use rivers as a border. It means we are going to take down many bridges and control
the ones we leave. Stopping people from entering is going to be hard and we can’t accept
them where our people lose the ability to work. But we will have certain skills we will
need and accept. Like nuclear power engineers and linemen for rebuilding the power
grid for just our land areas.”

He could see how certain types would be needed. “How do we handle those that wish to
apply?”

“We are going to have to run computer checks and do good background work.
Fingerprints are going to be needed to prove they are who they say they are. But they
will test out for any job they are applying for. That will be done by computer and graded
as soon as they are done.”

“So my people don’t have to know squat about those jobs?”

“Not the first thing. But they are going to have to watch them and see just how they are
reacting to the stress. Someone trying to come here without family is not wanted no
matter how good they are. We don’t need to have to go find out what happened to the
family later. This is going to be some hard decisions and people are going to try to lie to
us. Once it is known we are rebuilding people will try to come.”

“How do we keep them out?”

“But you will be able to do RFID checks on citizens and they will not even know it was
done. Those who have money will attempt to buy their way in. They will not invest in
their own area, but will look for an easy way to buy power. No RFID chip will be
provided to new immigrants except at the hospital. That chip must be certified with
fingerprints, eye scan and DNA provided. They will have the full biography of their
background in that file.”

“So a good RFID number will bring up a complete history of that person?”

“I have them built for everyone here now. That includes Kelly, Dana and me, Carlton, so
it is for everyone not just some. But everyone coming in must read the laws and the
organization of the Federation. Then they must sign agreements and acknowledgements
before going to have the implants. They will not know that is what they are doing. They
are getting shots needed. But they will be fingerprinted, eye scanned and a DNA sample
taken and they will know that goes into their records. The RFID will give your people an
easy way to find someone who has a warrant out.”

“What happens if they have no RFID?”

“They get arrested as they don’t belong here.”

A lot of law enforcement would depend on that RFID seed. If someone passed a national
policeman with no seed planted they would know it at once. Technology was going to
handle a lot of the future he saw.

Chapter 21

Simon had been sent to Roanoke and was slowly working his way into the city. He was
being very careful not to show himself. It was a sure bet he had too much wealth to just
let him pass by. Just seeing his pack told that story. So care was called for big time.
He had worked his way down Williamson Road staying off it and in housing areas behind
the road. It was a hard way to get to where he wanted to be. He had good binoculars and
would try the Mill Mountain area. His hope was to see if he could find one of the old
houses up that way unused? But the large platform under the star would give him a great
place to watch a lot of the city during the day. The nice part was that there was little risk.
It was just too far up the mountain to send people to look over the city each day without
having gasoline.

It would take some time to checkout the living areas up there. But the zoo should be
empty and the house for the park manager should be empty. He'd go up after dark and
look the whole place over. But it should be cooler that high up than down here in the
main part of the city.

He found an old store that had been looted and moved into it for the hot part of the day.
The office was in a dark part and he could close and lock the door. Just after he put his
sleeping bag down a small child stood there looking at him.

“Little one, what is your name?”

“Tina, and who are you and where did you come from?”

He locked the door and turned on a small lamp he had that was a LED light. It showed
good light and he could see the girl. “OK, I'm Simon and I came from a place called
Shangri-La. My job is to learn as much as possible about the city so when our people
come they know what they must do and where. We are close to starting to rebuild the
country now.”

The little girl was really dirty and she smelled as well. “Is there really a placed called
that?”

“Yes we named it for a mythical place that people would remember the stories about. But
we have a small military and the start of a government. The laws have been changed to
something reasonable and kids are protected from being used for slaves or sex toys.”

You could see her interest. “I had a friend back a long time ago who left with her family
to go there. She and her sister were neighbors to my family and me. One was 14 and she
was the older sister and the other was 9. But I've never heard from them after they left
here.”

“That would not be Pam and Rhonda would it?” He just took a shot here.

“They made it then?”

“Not really dear. We found them after their parents had been killed and they had been
abused. Matter of fact I guess we saved them and they have attached themselves to my
boss who found them. He and Pam are going to get married and Rhonda is in love with
him also.”

She laughed at this report. “I am sorry their parents were killed, but glad they made it.
Mine were killed also and I have been living alone now for a long time. So I am so glad
to have you to talk with and be my friend.”

“When I call tonight I’ll be sure Rhonda knows your alive, Tina. I know Jackson will tell
her and Pam for you.”

The girl just beamed at him. “I knew you were not like the others around here.”

“Am I going to be found out here? If that is the case I must keep moving to some-place
safe.”

“Because I have a gun and have shot one of the boys trying to rape me, they don’t come
in here any more. People give me a wide berth, as they don’t know what I'll do. That is
just how I want them to react to me.”

“After dark I must leave and head up on Mill Mountain, so I can watch a lot of the city. I
have two reports I must send in each day to the base. But you and I will go together if
that helps you feel safer. Now how have you managed to eat so far?”

She laughed at Simon’s question. “I'm not sure I should tell you as you might take what I
have.”

Simon reached into his pack and pulled out two energy bars and handed one to her. “I
don’t need your food dear, it was just a question.”

She ate it with great enjoyment showing on her face. “That was the best tasting thing I
have had in months.”

“They are called energy bars and they supply all the energy you need for a good four
hours. Now I'm going to need to get some sleep and be ready to travel tonight toward
Mill Mountain. So you need to decide what your going to do and let me know. If you
want to go with me that's fine and I will get you picked up as soon as I can.”

“What if I just want to stay with you?”

“You can do that also if you want. But it is liable to get both boring and exciting as time
moves on. If I am pushed, I will kill people that places us in danger.”

“I have no problem doing that either, Simon. But my gun is old and loud and I have to be
careful not to bring people after me. Now just so you know I have been eating dog food I
collected and brought here. It does not taste good, but I am still alive.”
He got another energy bar out and handed it to her. “Once we're on the mountain I’ll
cook us a good meal. Leave the dog food here and we'll eat out of my pack until I can
get us a resupply. But we need to find someplace to get you washed up, lady.”

She giggled at that and knew she likely did smell bad. “You sleep and I’ll get cleaned up
and watch out for you. Once your up I’ll sleep until your ready to move out.”

The girl was off in a flash without opening the door. He was not sure how she did it, but
was too tired to care.

He awoke sweating and needing to relieve himself. He looked around and there was a
very pretty girl sitting and watching him. “Good God young lady you are very pretty
when your cleaned up.”

That caused her to laugh and he liked the sound of it. “I don’t want boys to see me like
this often it just brings trouble. There are just so many bullets to keep them away, once
they were gone I was in deep trouble.”

“I need someplace to relieve myself and then I need some water to rehydrate.”

She led him down to the basement and a very large tank with a spigot coming out of it.
“The water is good and you can use the bathroom over there.” She pointed at a door.
“But you must take a bucket of water and flush it when you're done.”

The girl had worked out a way to survive and she for her age had done well. He was not
surprised, as most of the young people found some way to do that.

He did wash up and get a fresh shirt on before going up to the room. “Now how soon
will it be dark and how soon before we can avoid seeing people?”

“It will be dark in just over an hour and people go inside then. Most live in the
basements, as it is cooler in the summer heat. The only gang out here is a group of kids
from several blocks around here. They do keep the black gangs away. They hit a marine
armory and stole weapons and ammunition before the black gangs even thought of it.”

“So they don’t fight or try to take control?”

“There is so much of the city to handle, it is not worth fighting other groups for what they
have.”

That indicated there was no large group operating here as there was in some other cities.
“OK, how do we best head toward Mill Mountain from here?”
She laid out the best route and time to start to his goal. There were questions as to why
there, but she would wait for answers. He did give her another energy bar and she felt
better than she had in a long time.

“Pack what clothing you want to have with you. If you have any keepsakes get them
also, as most likely you will never return here.”

“Why most likely?”

“If something happens to me, Tina, you may have to take my gun, knife and phone and
come back here. At least you know this area well and can protect yourself.”

That scared her and it showed. “Don’t let anything happen to you, Simon. I can’t handle
that again. Last time I went a little nuts and people know that around here. Most still
think I'm nuts and I've encouraged that.”

After dark Simon called in and advised Jackson of Tina’s being alive. He could hear the
girls yelling in the background. So the two men let the three girls talk for a short time.
Then he reported all Tina had given him and advised of their goal position wise.

Once the phone was put back up and he was ready to mount his pack Tina hugged him.
“Thank you so much, Simon. It was so good to hear from old friends. They said they
both trusted you completely and for me to follow your directions. You were there when
they were saved.”

“I took over and brought the scouts back after Jackson took the girls to Shangri-La.
Neither of them would go anyplace if he didn't go. So when they were taken he was
quickly sent for.”

“They had changed then since I knew them. Before they followed no one and were the
leaders or they didn't get into the group. Both girls were very confident and smart.”

“They are still smart and liked by most of the other kids. But they live with Jackson and
Pam is going to marry him. So there is some resentment in a few girls.”

“Pam is too young to get married.”

“As soon as she turns 16 she will be a full adult in our world. Young people finish high
school by that age, but the age of consent is 12. So they are just making sure that is what
they want. We allow no divorce, so marriage is forever. During school your warned
again and again about the fact there is no divorce.”

“Can they enforce that?”

“Oh yes, and unless you wish to lose your abilities for sex, both sides had better make it
work.”
She chuckled at this and liked the way it was so important to people now. “If you get
married it should be for good. It is not a game and needs commitment on both sides to
work. If someone can just walk away they don’t have to have that commitment and that
breeds failure. I watched too much of that with friends families.”

They had headed out and she led them along a path she knew well. They worked their
way down beside Williamson road and made good time. The girl was fast in her pace and
knew the best areas to walk. Once they got to Orange Ave they headed into an industrial
park and skirted buildings. She worked them down to Riverland Rd. and then started up
the side of the mountain.

“We are not going to climb this all the way to the top like this are we?”

“No silly we will hit a nice road in just a few more feet. It is called Fishburn Pkwy and
goes to the top. But gangs sometime patrol the entry point below. Walnut Ave. feeds into
this at the bottom of the mountain. There are lots of houses that they have taken over at
the base of the mountain. But not too close to the hospital as that is well guarded by the
old police force that still exists.”

God the girl had all the data he needed. "Is there anything you don’t know?”

“If the question is about the main area of Roanoke I have seen most all of it. The police
used to give me candy bars and I would tell them about the gangs moving around them.
If things got really bad I knew they would get me a room at the hospital.”

“How do they operate there?”

“They took over the old fuel storage area on 460 east of Roanoke. Each week they truck
fuel into the hospital and to one station close by for vehicle fueling. You should see the
guns and guards when they do that. There were two food distribution centers and they
took both over so they had food. They have several tanks fully armed and people who
know how to use and fire them.”

When they made it to the top of the mountain he could not see much. But when the moon
came up he saw a dark area of shapes below him. He checked out the area and found no
one here. But he did see the radio tower and knew that could be of used.

On time he called in and told Jackson what he had learned and what data Tina had given
him. The fact of the radio tower caused a lot of interest. “If I sent you a small troop of
scouts could you hold that mountain for us? We need to build a radio station for there and
to get the star lighted. We know they are listening to us now on our station from here.
But John would like to get Roanoke taken into the federation quickly. The gangs seem
weak compared to many cities.”
“I would need a lot of supplies and at least fifty scouts to hold this mountain. I have three
entries into where I am and all would need to be covered. It would take ten at each and
then twenty on top to support them if attacked.”

That sounded reasonable to Jackson. “You will get your people today and several other
items as well. We'll send you some horses to provide some mobility. Do you have some
place to hold them?”

“Sure there is an old zoo up here. In checking it out the walls looked to be in good shape.
There were several outdoor areas for keeping horses. The big issue here will be water
and food.”

“Look for a spring we can pump water from. I know there will be one or more up there.
Get some sleep as you will have troops coming in by noontime. If Tina wants to come
out she can do that with the choppers delivering supplies and people.”

Now Simon was sitting cooking food for them. “OK Tina if you want to go to Shangri-
La it will happen later today. At noon there will be troops and food coming to us. We'll
get some horses as well to make us more mobile. I'd bet we get a Bradley to assure we
can fight our way off this mountain.”

“I'm not going any place you don’t go Simon. You are going to need my contacts and I
can deliver people who will help you. The police would never talk with you unless I go
to them first. If they started shooting I'm afraid many would die or be hurt on both sides.
Enough people are dead now, it needs to stop.”

They sleep just below the lookout platform. They heard the choppers coming in and saw
them start to land. First came troops, then cargo containers of food and then horses.
Next tents and sleeping bags were delivered. They set up in wooded areas so they were
not in the sun.

Tina was shocked at the abundant food and other goods. The fact they now had twenty
horses and tack made getting around easy.

Simon set up machine gun points at good sight line areas of the mountain. Anyone trying
to come up without being seen had no chance of that. They had cameras on every
possible trail coming up the mountainside. The night infrared made it so easy to see the
enemy they could handle them with ease. It was not just the cameras there were audio
pick ups for any noise made as well.

One station at the top did the watching and listening for all areas. But the big toy here
was the trailer with a full radio station inside it. The idea was to give the Roanoke Valley
a voice of its own. Drones were dropping leaflets over the city now advising the station's
frequency,and that it was now being run by radio Shangri-La and Roanoke was being
reassembled as a city of the federation.
It only took an hour and a group of motorcycles were coming up the mountain on the
road. John had been smart enough to send a group of twelve Green Beanies with the
scouts.

Simon walked out with Tina to meet the police. He was surprised at how angry they
were. “Just who the hell do you think you are to try to take over our town?”

Tina looked at Ned and laughed at him. “Ned, you sometimes are so stupid it shocks me.
Do you see five machine guns pointed at you and one Bradley fighting vehicle behind
you?”

That was when twelve field dressed Special Forces men came walking down the hill.
“Are you having a problem Simon?”

“Not really. Tina was telling the officer he was letting his mouth overload his butt. He is
going to have to change that in the new country.”

The man got off his bike and came after Simon. That was when he found himself on the
ground with a knife at his neck. “Now dumb ass what are you going to do? It will make
the decision whether you live or die.”

One officer reached for his gun and was shot in his hand. “Office you’re as dumb as the
one on the ground. All of you get off your bikes and I mean now.”

“Troops disarm these men and then we may talk with them.”

Guns, nightsticks and pepper spray was removed from them as well as ammunition they
had. They were moved to a shaded area and sat on the ground. Ned was also stripped of
his weapons and sat with the men.

“Now why did we get all this crap from police.”

Ned was staring at his men. So no one would answer.

“Ok fat ass get up and I am going to kick your ass and never break a sweat.”

The bull jumped up and started for Simon and found himself flying through the air and
landing on his back. “Is that the best you can do? God what a wimp.”

Once more the man charged and got taken down and this time Simon broke some ribs.
“Now pussy would you like to try again?”

Ned did not move any more. “Now you were asked a question and had better be
answering it.”
The story came out and it was not pretty. Police had just moved into the hospital and
taken over food supply businesses and the fuel depot. They did no police work and just
survived while many died. It ticked off the Special Forces men so much Ned was shot
where he lay on the ground.

A slick came in and picked up the cops and moved them far away with each providing
fingerprints, eye scans and DNA. They were told they would be killed if they showed up
in the area below the Mason Dixon line.

“Tina, how many more are at the hospital?”

“They had over one hundred cops before. So I assume some are at the food sites and
some are at the fuel site. But that would leave sixty or more at the hospital and Ned was
the leader.”

The Special Forces team loaded up in the Bradley and headed to the hospital. There was
a good number of police standing guard now. The vehicle just shot everything that could
be seen. As police ran out the back of the building they were shot by snipers waiting for
them. Not one officer was left here alive and doctors and nurses were happy to be out
from under their rule. Many had no idea if their families were OK or not.

The troops loaded the two small trucks and headed out to the food sites and took them
over quickly as no one was there.

That night radio Roanoke was on the air and asking people to stand up and take over their
city. The story of the police was told by Tina and she was known to many here. By
morning much of the city of Roanoke and Salem were under civilian control. The leaders
were brought to the civic center and a meeting was held. They were given the new laws
and the plan for government and most liked it a lot.

John started engineers getting Smith Mountain Lake dam working and feeding electricity
back to Roanoke. Some off the lower dam was sent to Lynchburg, but it wasn't known if
it could be used. He did know he needed to get North Anna 1& 2 and Surry 1 & 2 back
online for Virginia to have the power it needed. He also needed the Bath county dam
power plants running and he had people there now.

Of course some coal fired plants would be needed until new nuclear plants could be built.
But the south was lucky in that they had a lot of these plants now. The big powerful
states saw the poorer south as a good place for nuclear power plants. They didn't want
them in their state. Now that decision would come back to haunt them.

The south was far better off with few exceptions for nuclear power plants than most of
the rest of the country. It also had a lot of the development areas like the TVA and some
natural gas fired plants for power. But Duke Energy’s construction arm could build those
new plants over time. The government would be assuming that company and using it for
that purpose.
Now was the time to get Roanoke back in some form of operation. It for sure would
never be the same city it had been. Only a few industries would survive and the railroad
yards. Norfolk Southern would be one of the key rail lines of the new country. It would
be headquartered in Roanoke and stay that way. As the government ran that form of
transportation they would make the decisions for location. No stock companies would
exist in the Federation. The government, a single person or group of employees would
own each business that restarted. There would be no stock market and no way for any
business to screw the public.

Tina had watched the meetings at the civic center and saw how well Simon handled
things. He showed why he was so well trusted for as young as he was. Finally
agreement was reached and people signed off on the laws and format of the new country.
It was understood there would be no states and each city or county was responsible for its
own area. They had to build the town and oversee the housing they had. No person was
to be charged for any home they could find and occupy. But the laws were to be carried
out firmly no matter who the lawbreaker was or national police would come in and
investigate the infraction. Then leaders could be punished.

In each city one office for paying bills owed to the Federation would exist. The city's
employees would staff that. 1% of collections would be paid to the city for the service
and they could spend the extra money for services they needed to supply. Banks would
be set up to loan money for good projects and businesses. Of course the money was the
new Federation credit backed by gold. But a profit was required to be made by the
business to keep it.

Each city needed a few things first of all. Food and clothing were at the top of the list, so
small makers of these things were sought out to start these businesses. Here small
grocery stores were once more needed. But many of the old skills were now lost.

“Simon, why are people so demanding?”

“They think they have power and find out to late it is really responsibility. It is a hard
lesson to teach people. Then they found out no government leader is paid for any work
they do. That changed a lot of minds about wanting to lead their areas.”

She cocked her head and smiled. “You mean they found out they had to work and not tell
other what to do?”

“To a great degree yes. But it is even more than that. The old government taught people
to want power. That they did not have to be responsible and would be paid to tell other
how to live their lives. That was a good part of what crashed the country. You had a lot
of people spending money and not taking responsibility for it or trying to balance a
budget.”
“But you're not going to have any income as a government for a good amount of time and
that is going to put this country back into debt.”

“No John has hundreds of billions of credits in gold and can use them to stimulate the
economy to start with. He is loaning that gold to the government at a low interest rate
paid later, so we don’t crash the country. No money will be printed that the government
does not have gold or sliver to cover.”

She considered this and saw that was as it had been years ago. “So we are back on a gold
standard?”

“Yes and it will keep our money from declining in value. Things will be balanced to stop
inflation or deflation. It will stop us from doing much importing unless we export an
equal amount. Trade is going to be a balancing act for us. That is something the old
government failed to handle properly. We need jobs here so people have work that is
productive and meaningful. Jobs support the people and allow healthy families.”

She could see this was a massive project and knew she would enjoy watching it happen.
“How long will we stay here, Simon?”

“My troops are starting to train the police. That will be done in may be thirteen weeks so
at least that long. There are also some gang areas that must be cleaned out before we go.
That could cause us to be a little longer.”

John came into the city and sat down with the leaders and new police captains. He
stressed the laws were being handled just as written and that no exceptions would be
allowed. Any who tried to work outside the laws were guilty of violating them also.

“But how can we violate them by not enforcing one?”

“The laws were accepted as written by you and the leaders. To fail to enforce one is to lie
to the Federation and me. That is punishable by the removal of your tongue. Lie about it
and death is the penalty. We are going to be an honest civilization or a dead one. Your
word is the most important thing you have. Use it wisely or pay a big price.”

“I just don’t understand why no lawyers?”

“Because each of you have lied, cheated and failed the people. You’re a good case of that
sir. I checked you out and found many things you have done that would have been
punished in the old country under bad laws. It is why you're not going to be allowed to
continue in your current job. So you have a choice to make now. We will happily drop
you off in Pennsylvania or you can go on trial here?”

The man pulled a gun and a girl knocked him on the floor. “Dink, take that gun and give
him to the police officer here to execute.”
“I can’t do that to anyone.” The one captain said to John.

“OK how about you officer?”

The man took the lawyer out and shot him and came back. “I assume that was treason
and it made sense to get him out of this country.”

John was pleased that the man was not disturbed. “Dink remove the captains uniform
and send him home after finger printing, eye scan and DNA is taken. He is never to have
a job of responsibility here. Please mark that he is a coward and shirks responsibility in
his records and sign my name to it.”

“Yes sir, it will be done now.” She headed out and dragged the man after her.

“Who is going to take his job now?”

The woman looked at John and was still in shock. “How can you handle things that
way?”

“Read the laws you agreed to and then ask me that.”

The captain took pity on her. “Look treason if seen by a police officer or a citizen is
punishable by death at once. He drew a gun on the Chairman of the Federation. That is
treason, lady. God how did anyone allow you to try to handle the job you have?”

“My guess is the lawyer was connected to her being here, captain, and we have a flaming
liberal.”

“Please round up those who will not live under our laws and we will move them out of
the Federations area. They will all be sent north where they can be with like minded
people. God help any we find came back as they will be dead.”

The woman was now shook and she knew life was going to get very bad for her. “What
about my family?”

“They have a choice to make and that is go with you or stay and live by our laws as
agreed. That is a choice they each will have to make on their own and you're not helping
them with it.”

“But my kids are too young to make decisions like that.”

“How old are they?”

“One is 15 and the other is 16. So they just are not old enough to make those decisions.”
“Lady remember the age of consent is 12 here and kids will graduate from high school at
16 or there about. So they are indeed old enough to make their own decisions without
your pushing them to see it your way.”

She was now ticked and started to shout at John. A group of Special Forces personnel
came and dragged her off.

The captain was really upset that these people had no idea of what was happening now to
try to build a country. “This is going to be harder than I expected, John.”

“I saw it coming and that iss why I'm here. Here are a list of names in Salem and
Roanoke I trust to make good decisions and lead the way one should. The bleeding
hearts were a major part of what destroyed the nation before. We cannot afford them in
our new nation. So it is either change or go. I will have cell towers around the valley up
and running in a couple days and power coming here in a week or less. We will start
building out towards Bristol for power and cell phones. I will have a bank in Salem and
one in Roanoke started by next week. People will need to sign up for cell service and for
electrical power before they get it.”

The deal was done and John left with Dink to go back to Shangri-La and peace.

Chapter 22

The training was hard, and some decided being a police officer was not for them. But
Simon now had a core group trained to teach others. They were paid extra for training
officers from outside cities. It wasn't a lot of money, but far better than what it had been
before the country started.

Most police rode bikes in the city and because cars were not allowed it was reasonable.
So younger people tended to migrate to this type work. Dink did come down to train a
week’s class on hand to hand combat. The females liked having a woman doing the
teaching.

Two of the females were very good, and sent to Shangri-La for added training. They
would be instructors for all hand to hand fighting classes. While they were gone Simon
and his troops went in and cleaned out several badly infected areas of gangs. It was not
just blacks, but motorcycle and whites that thought they were tough.

Once the strangle hold was broken, many in each neighborhood took on the rest of the
bad boys and girls. A lot of dead bodies were hauled to the incinerator in Salem. But the
cities started to settle down, and many shops started to open once more. Truck farmers
started to come in to the city market area and sell some of their produce and fruit.

Only the new money was taken there, or gold and silver coins. Farmers were fussy about
that and people learned quickly. The banks were open now, and looking at many
investments that were being offered. You had to have an ID card to get an account, but it
could be used as a check card anyplace that the bank serviced. Because your fingerprints
were embedded in the cards magnetic strip, it could be used with a hand scan and prove it
was you spending the money. Theft just did not pay any more.

Slowly many areas around Roanoke and out toward Bristol were becoming settled back
into communities and trade centers. There were no big stores any more, but lots of
smaller ones. Some of the farms where people had been killed off were now being
started with new owners. But it took equipment or horses and old tools to till and disc the
land. Then you had to have seed, and that the banks would finance for any farmer who
would plant.

With the season being so late most of the farmers that had a way to plant went with
winter wheat. Everyone knew bakeries would need flour for the next year’s bread and
pastries. A few took a gamble and planted fruit trees for a couple years down the road.
Banks took a longer term view of these loans and no payments were due for the first three
years.
Banks suggested that many home owners start planting food in their basements, and to
use grow lights. Kits were packaged, and loans provided to allow them to be used for the
coming winter. You were talking about less than three hundred credits including the
electric power. That, the Federation was willing to bet on. They knew people needed to
be kept busy and productive while the economy healed more.

Dana woke John at three in the morning and said it was time for the babies to come into
the world. So he got her to the hospital, and sat and waited for the doctor to show up.

Julie came walking in and smiled at John. “Why are ladies so inconsiderate?”

“Hell your supposed to know the answer to that, Julie.”

“Sorry but no one ever told me. I had a beautiful dream going and you called me and
stopped it dead. Now I will never know the answer to many questions.”

“Well, tell me how I am going to feed a million people this winter. That is my big
question right now. That is how much of West Virginia and Virginia we have control of.
Of course it would have been three times that just two years ago.”

“Have we really lost that many people in just two years?”

“I am afraid so, Julie, and it is not the country side so much as the cities. Out in the
country the farther back you were the safer your life was. But I am having to send fuel
out to farmers who have the equipment and land to plant wheat this winter. We are
setting up to buy beef and other meats and sell them to stores in the cities. So we are
using Valleydale to process it. But we have about ten country markets to handle a lot of
the live animals for city markets to cut up. There is a lot of work getting a country started
once more.”

“I had better see to your lady before she kicks both our butts.”

It took just an hour and John was holding twins, and in love with them. They were Janice
and John Jr. of course, Janice is the Hebrew female name for John. It was meant to play
with people’s minds and Dana was the one who made the decision.

“Well, you old fart, how does it feel to father two beautiful babies?” David was pulling
his chain now.

“Actually, it feels nice as they look much more like their beautiful mother. So I'm happy
with that part. Now, why do I feel we have another problem?”

“Because we do, and I have no idea how to handle it.”

“OK, what is it now?”

“You know we have been shipping coal to the coal fired power plants. Now we have
some fools protesting at two of them. They are armed and will not allow a train to pass
into the plants.”

“So what the problem? Shoot them and get on with what needs to be done.”

“One said she is your daughter and another your son in law.”

“Shoot them and get on with business. What they have done is against the law. I don’t
give a damn who they say they are, just follow the laws. As far as I am concerned these
two are my only children. I have no idea what a daughter of mine would be doing
protesting coal shipments. She would have had to travel from Indiana to do that. But we
have not talked in years now.”

David headed back to the command center and knew he had just been given the right
answer. He had been afraid to follow the laws. They were plain, simple, and very clear
as to what they meant.

He passed the information John had given him and the men acted as directed. There was
no questions as the law was followed by everyone, even John. Those who had been shot
were sent to hospitals and given medical care before being sent out of the country. No
one was killed, but they knew they had gotten in the way of the laws.

John was sitting in the living room and Kelly walked in. “Daddy, do you know a girl
named Leigh Anne?”

“Yes, a step daughter of mine had that name. But where did that question come from?”

“I talked with her and got the whole story. Her husband moved her and their children to
an area close to the power plant. He turned into a major green activist and
environmentalist. It was his camp that tried to close the power plant down.”

“OK, they broke the law and paid a price. Those laws are meant for us all to follow.”

“She said you could do with her whatever you wanted, but to please take your
grandchildren. I got the feeling she meant that, Daddy.”

John now was angry with Paul, his stepdaughter’s husband, and how unfair life was to
many. “OK, how would you handle this, dear?”

“I gave that a lot of thought and made a few decisions. Your stepdaughter married the
wrong man, and he has gotten them into trouble. She has shown a weak ability to control
her life against a man's will. Did she do any real damage at the protest? No not one thing
was damaged. There are as many females with hard ideas of what they want as men in
those camps. So exporting the problem makes sense. Now, your stepdaughter is really a
good woman with bad leadership in her marriage. Your grandchildren need a chance to
grow up and be proud of you like I am. So I think we should bring her and the children
here and let the rest be deported.”

“I see something coming Kelly, so what is it?”

“Well, I sent Carlton up there and had him bring them back with him. Leigh Anne is
ashamed of what she did, and wants to apologize to you and introduce the children.”

“Seeing as how you have made the decisions, I guess I had best follow your directions
right?”

“Are you mad at me, daddy?”

“Nope, not at all, girl. Your solution was compassionate and did not punish anyone not
deserving it. So in all you did a very good job of thinking, dear.”

Kelly ran to him and hugged him tight. “I knew it was the right thing, Daddy.”

Leigh Anne and the two children came into the room. She had her arm still in a sling and
the kids looked worried. It was the lack of weight John noticed first and the gaunt look in
her face.

“You look like you have been badly used, dear.”

She ran to him with tears rolling down her face and hugged him “God, John, I have
missed you. But Paul hated you and the place you held in my heart. So he drove a
wedge between my feelings and you. He was very good at controlling others around
him.”

John kissed her and hugged her back. Then she introduced the two children, as he had
not seen them in almost ten years now. They fixed the children and Leigh Anne food
before placing them in two spare bedrooms.

“Thank you, Kelly, for taking the right road on that issue. I would have done the wrong
thing I am sure.” Now John headed to bed and much needed sleep.

That next morning Leigh Anne joined John for breakfast. It was his normal one, but to
Leigh Anne it was like a gourmet meal.

“God, I have not had food like this in years now.”

“Here we never stopped eating like this. There is enough food here to feed us for five
years with nothing being grown or livestock being raised. I never wanted my people to
starve or go hungry. That was my first goal to meet here.”
Leigh Anne looked at him with her blue eyes sparkling and blond hair bright after being
washed. “What happened, John?”

“You and Paul went your way and I went mine. Until a couple years ago I was the
loneliest man you ever saw. There was no meaning in my life at all. Dana and Kelly
gave that back to me. What you see here was paid for by winnings from a Power Ball
ticket.”

Kelly came in and hugged Leigh Anne and was smiling. “Well sister we need to hold the
fort while dad goes and checks on mom. She will get bitchy if she doesn't see him soon.”

John laughed at Kelly’s shot at her mother. “Now don’t be a bitch yourself young lady.
You’re starting to push your luck big time today.”

Now she knew she had almost crossed the line. “Yes Daddy, I will mind my mouth.”

He kissed the girls and headed off to the hospital. Once there he found his young
daughters actions were being discussed and approved of.

Carlton made sure people knew who called the shots with Leigh Anne.

Dana kissed him and smiled at his stressed out face. “Look dear, right now there is not a
lot Kelly can do openly. So let her stay behind the mask of assuring proper action
happens. She will learn, and you get some good back up and advice. You have to stand
by the laws and that could be a hot seat for anyone.”

It made sense to him and he liked having Kelly involved any way he could. “I see your
point and it fits the problem. We can make Kelly the voice of reason in a tough situation
for me. She will be someone people will listen to and start to respect.”

“You're bound and determined to have her one day running the new country. So we have
to start building her image early.” Dana was not real happy with Kelly taking over the
country after John. But she saw it as reasonable in his eyes any way. It was not that
Kelly was not smart enough, but that it would take years of hard work. Those were years
she could be enjoying raising a family. Of course she did not want that for her life.

“Dana, I am going to say this just one time and you will never hear it again. Kelly must
make her own choices. Her life is never going to be what you or I think it should be. It
will be her creation and only she must like it. So learn to support her wants, and not your
or my desires.”

That hit home like a sledgehammer and she knew he was right. “Husband, why are you
so damn smart?”

“That, my dear lady, is not true. But I know I can’t live your life or Kelly’s. It is just a
fact that cannot be changed. I can be there to pick you up when you fail, or heal the
wounds of battles. But the decisions are all yours, and I have little chance of directing or
changing them. Both you ladies would fight me tooth and nail if I tried that.”

Dana was doing what feeding she could with breast milk, but she did not have a lot. So
bottles were used to provide even amounts to each child. John started chuckling and
Dana knew he was laughing at her. “Just what is so funny?”

“I wondered if you were getting used to being milked?”

Now she was laughing and it hurt like hell. “Please the staples hurt as bad as stitches.”

They finished feeding the two and John changed them and dressed them. Then he handed
John to mom and he took Janice sitting back talking to the girl. Dana noticed how he did
that and just smiled. “I see you believe in the Oedipus complex.”

“I believe that male children are mom's best friend and girls are dad's. That seems to be a
natural reaction from any child. So trying to change it is a waste of time.”

“That I can buy and believe you're right. I was so pleased when I found out we got one
of each. In this I see Kelly as the big winner as she will be close with both her brother
and sister.”

John explained the deal with Leigh Anne and her children. “I am not sure how to handle
this so suggestions are appreciated.”

“How close were the two of you?”

“Really she more often came to me than she went to her mother when she wanted to talk.
With me she knew she would get honest answers and not protectiveness. I never colored
my words and said exactly what I thought.”

“She had to have had a crush on you.”

“May be, but it was not something I ever responded to or attempted to use.”
Dana saw he was just oblivious to how Leigh Anne might have felt about him. That was
just not something he would ever pick up on. A girl's being subtle with him would just
never be seen by him. He would miss it every time. But she had had to almost drag him
off to bed. Oh well she would try to fix things as best she could later.

“Look John, right now you can’t turn your back on her or the kids. She needs a dad and
they need a grandfather. So superman, you're going to have to keep your cool and work
with them to find out what will work for them? Life will not be easy now for your
stepdaughter or the children. So help make it as good as you can, dear.”
John spent another hour and went to his office. Leigh Anne was cleaning it for him and
not removing anything. She knew what was disorder to some was perfectly normal for
him. He could find anything in those piles.

“Dear, you did not have to go to work here. I just want you and the children to spend
some time enjoying the town and places to go and see.”

Kelly came out smiling now. “I told here she was not expected to work like a slave here.
But my sister would not listen to me.”

“Unless you want more grief than any human can stand listen to Kelly. The grief will not
come from me, but will from her by the barrel. She is eight going on twenty eight. She
does have a rocket scientists type mind, so be careful when you take her on as she bites
hard.”

Kelly was now laughing at John. “He eats my lunch far too often to suit me. But I do my
best to make up for it when possible.”

“This reminds me of old times, John. I just was not as forceful as Kelly is. She says
what I wish I had the guts to. But I am sure you’re the same man today as when I was
growing up. You give her a hard time, but would never say anything to hurt her.”

“That for sure is the same man you knew, Leigh Anne. John is the most loving person
and always looks out for my best interest.”

Leigh Anne sat down and looked at John. “What are we going to do about a place to live
for me and the children? We can’t be under your feet all the time.”

“Funny you should ask, as Dana and I discussed it this morning. We decided it was your
option as to what you wanted to do. It has been years since we spent time together, so I
don’t know how you feel about me. Both Kelly and Dana know just how I felt about
your mother and they accept that I’ll never forget her. She is the woman who taught me
to love.”

That hit Leigh Anne at a point she never expected. She saw Kelly grinning and shaking
her head and knew what he had just said was true. “I had no idea you felt that strongly
about mom.”

“You're wearing the ring I gave her, and then told her I'd do it all over again. That was
when I knew how bad her cancer was. At that time I knew she was never going to be
back in my life the way she always had been. The woman I had married was gone, and I
was living with the shell of her. That ripped at my guts for many years. You were not
there and did not have to go through it. I had no one to turn to, or talk with. If you
remember Trish was my best friend and no one could come close to that. So I had no
other close friends or people to turn to.”
It was a sad thing and she had let him down she felt, as she could have been there for
him. “I am sorry I didn't step into that void.”

“You couldn't do that, as you had a husband and were just learning to live with him. Your
stepping in could have destroyed your life. That I could never have allowed to happen.
Your building your own life and family is a right each woman has to decide on. It is their
life and they must make the choices.”

“But I made bad choices and they did not work.”

“Did you know that in Chicago? Or when you moved to Northern Virginia? So how
could you possibly do anything but what you did? Paul just did not turn out the way you
had hoped. He was a user and not a giver, and that was the major difference. He loved
power, and used people to reach his goals.”

“I wish he knew I was with you now.”

Kelly spoke up. “He does, and is highly pissed. But I had Carlton take him to Chicago
and drop him out the door at ten thousand feet. We did give him a chute so he and his
friends have a chance to survive.”

Leigh Anne was laughing uncontrollably now. “He is terrified of heights like that. I can
see him pissing his pants on the way down now. It helps pay for the beatings I took when
I argued with him. Once he had his environmental group he was a happy man ordering
them around.”

“Well for now you're welcome here, and when you get bored with me or us then we'll
make some decisions that work for you. But the children need to get to know me better.
I am not known by them at all, I am sure. If they do, I must be a two headed monster
their dad talked about.”

Now Leigh Anne was laughing and enjoying John. “He tried and I stopped that part of
his power play. The last I knew you were in Alabama and that's where the kids thought
you were.”

“Kelly will you take the children over and get them tested for school?”

“Sure, Daddy, and can we stay and eat lunch there with friends of mine?”

“I don’t see why not? Warn the kids about what you're doing and how our schools work
here. If they want to complete school faster they must do well on the tests.”

“I’ll handle it and they'll have no problems as both are smart.”

“OK, daughter, how about us taking a ride down to the youth camp?”
“I didn't see any cars here, so how do we ride down there?”

“On a horse, of course.”

Now she looked like the kid she had once been. “Really, John, I love to ride and don’t
get to do that often. Paul would not let me ride the horses the group had. He said they
were for work, but he did let others ride them.”

They walked into the barn, and John pointed out three animals she could pick from.
“What about the others, John?”

“The stallion is mine, and would give you a hard time. The grey is Kelly’s, and I don’t
let anyone ride her but Kelly. The rest are for people here to use.”

“Dana does not have a horse of her own?”

“The lady does not like to ride. So I don’t push her to do something she doesn't like.”

Leigh Anne brought out a beautiful sorrel with white socks and blaze. “God, he is so
beautiful and calm.”

“He is a gelding and a good horse for any woman. Jackson trained him and did a great
job on him. He is very fast, and likes to run if you let him. So if you don’t want him to
run keep him on a short rein. That's all it takes to control him.”

They saddled the horses and headed down to the youth camp. He showed her much of
the land and where housing was built into the mountains. But once they got to the camp
kids were all over him. All the children loved him here. Once they knew Leigh Anne
was his daughter they took to her fast.

Jackson and Pam were running the meeting, and John just sat down and listened. He
always got more than he expected.

“Now to what do we owe the pleasure of your company, and your daughter's?”

“Kelly is doing some things for me so I came in her place. Sometimes you need fast
answers and I'm here if that was the case.”

“The radio scripts are now left to Kelly so we are out of that business. She is really far
better at it than we were. Today we're looking at how to get schools up and running in
the new Federation cities and counties. They are running way behind on that issue due to
money. We need to get the kids back into learning and fast.” Jackson had spelled it out
clearly.
“OK how about we set up schools computer centers for our style classes? They can use
the library's or any computer they can connect into the system. Testing has to be done by
a teacher, but after that the program will take over their needs.”

“How do we get enough computers for the centers?” Pam liked what she heard so far.

“Take them from offices and old closed businesses. It is for sure they don’t need them.
Remove them from homes not occupied now.”

“Who sets up the schools so we have a large network?”

“Get with the computer guys, with the techs, and see how best to work this out. I don’t
have the answers for you, but I do know they will. It does get our Internet back up and
running. Government is going to need it big time, shortly.”

Jackson started handing out jobs and had kids moving to solve one problem each.

“Now, boss, what can we do for you?”

“I just wanted Leigh Anne to see how well you guys ran your show. Before, I used to tell
her age was not a sign of being an adult.”

Rhonda smiled at him now. “It's really a shame Dana got to you first, John.”

“Hey, lady, you're far more than this old man could handle.” Rhonda laughed at that
comment.

Watching him play with words with the kids felt good to Leigh Anne. It was very much
like he had treated her at that age. He was a really good man, and she had just never
registered that. Her adopted father had raped her, and used her from when she was four.
She never understood why John did not want her? She felt some how rejected by him
and that hurt her.

On the ride back she just had to ask him. “You never came to me, and took my body for
your own pleasure. Why didn’t you?”

“Look, I know what your adopted father did to you. I loved the girl you were, and
wanted you to be happy. Using you for my pleasure was not the right thing for me to do
to you. I hope I showed you I loved you, and cared about you very much. But using
your body was just not right, and I resented what Virgil did to you. It caused a lot of hate
in me toward him, Leigh Anne. He took a big part of your childhood, and I could never
give that back to you. But I did what I could to make others know you were special to
me.”

She was not getting it yet. “Like what, John?”

“How many girls had their 13th birthday party in a bar with a DJ playing rock videos?
Or going to Kings Dominion to see a rock concert. Like trips to the beach at Myrtle
Beach, and giving you a car to drive to high school and college. Picnics at the house
during the fall or springs for your friends. You had art lessons, a new 35mm camera, and
so many things most girls never got. Dear, you were a special child to me, and I wanted
you to feel it.”

Now Leigh Anne thought back to the fur coat, the trip to the mall and hairdresser, and so
many things John did. “God, I did have a special childhood in spite of Virgil. But I
never repaid any of the good things you did, John.”

“They were never done for you to pay us back. For your mom and I it was done because
we loved you.”

Now the tears flowed, and she though back on how little she thought about the many
good things she had in her younger life. The two people she loved did care, and she
failed to notice most of it. She had resented John’s rejection of her body and it ate her up.
Yet he had done many good things for her she never acknowledged. It was time for her
to grow up and get her mind straight. If not she would screw her children’s lives up.

Once she finished unsaddling her horse and rubbing it down she put it in his stall and fed
him. Then she walked over to John and hugged him. “Thank you, Dad, for all you and
Mom did with me never seeing it clearly. It's time to get me back on track and doing
things you and Mom encouraged me to do. I'm going back to painting and sketches. I
hope there is a place for that here once more?”

“As lives get back to normal in the larger country, I am sure a living can be made doing
that. For now you need to maybe take a small display booth at one of the shops and put
what work you finish there. They get 5% of what it sells for to pay for their efforts. But
our money is backed with gold and always will have value.”

“How did you get so much gold?”

“It is strange, but under the coal was a vein of gold that was the biggest I have ever seen
or found any record of. We will be mining it for many years yet and we have tens of
thousands of tons now. But it is my company that owns it, and my money backing the
new governments money system. So the new government is a corporation and it has
responsibilities to the people. But it will make no new laws and charge no taxes.”

“What responsibilities will it have?”

“The education of the children, protection of the nation, running a good money system,
providing good transportation systems, and keeping a sound communications system.
Those are the first responsibilities. The second line is getting the economy running and
people back to working. Providing a good national police force they can count on.
Finding ways to move goods from where they are to where they are needed. Doing some
trading to improve our life styles here. We will never again import to where we break the
financial system. All trade must be balanced or we just don’t do it.”

“But so much is made at very low costs else where.”

“True and it is even cheaper with our gold backed money. Only the Swiss have an equal
system to ours. But they don’t have the amount of gold we do. I will not take over the
entire country here, by any means. We will take the south and build a safe country for
many people. But if you're not a citizen you will be punished and sent home. You must
be here legally to not have something bad happen to you.”

“But how can you tell who's here legally or not?”

“You had your hands scanned, your eyes, and a DNA sample was taken, right? You also
got a shot to be sure you had no diseases from the two years of crisis.”

“Yes, those things happened to all of us when we were arrested.”

John called over one of the security officers. He took the hand scanner and aimed it at
Leigh Anne and it showed her name and identification. He showed her the data.

“How did you get that by just aiming it at me?”

“The shot had an RFID seed in it. That number is forever linked to you and the data
taken. It would tell a doctor what medical problems you had, what drugs you are taking,
and treatments you have had. A drug store would know if you had any allergies or drugs
you could not take. An employer would have your full work history in front of them
while interviewing you. So it has a lot of value and helps people make good decisions.”

“You gave Paul one.”

“Yes and if he ever comes back he will be picked up fast. He is on a 'do not admit' list
and would set off one of these for any officer. We have taken close to one hundred
people and moved them out of this country. They just did not fit the new country. We
will keep no liberal do gooders at all.”

“What happens to them?”

“They are sent to where many others agree with them. We just don’t need them here
telling us how we should live.” He handed her a copy of the laws and one of the new
country's structure books. “Here are the laws and the structure of the country. Read
them, and if you wish to discuss any area, feel free to come and ask me for time to do
that.”

They both headed to their rooms to shower and change. With Kelly handling the
children, Leigh Anne had free time she never had before. This was so new it felt good to
her. So she sat and read the two small books and was impressed with how simple it was.
Her life had been so complex for so long this was refreshing.

That afternoon John, Shelby, and she had lunch and enjoyed talking. It was the first time
in many years this had happened as well. Her life had become one of work and serving
the needs and demands of a man she really did not like. Now that was changing and she
could feel free to have opinions once again.

Leigh Anne went with John to the hospital to see Dana and the babies. The hospital was
impressive, and she really liked Dana. It did amaze her at how much younger Dana was
than her. But she was an impressive lady.

“Well, lady, tomorrow Carlton’s troops will bring you home and get you set up for the
children. I tried to stop it and was run down like pushing against an avalanche. So you
will just have to live with it.”

Dana was now laughing and she winced at the pain. “You rotten egg, you love to make
me laugh even when it hurts.”

“Sorry dear it just slips out.”

The time went well and life was ready to take another change for them.

Chapter 23
Building a country is not an easy task. Each group coming in feel they should have rights
and privileges others don’t. No one could see the cost they would add to the government
and the fact that no taxes were collected for it did not register.

But John slowly started absorbing areas that he could reach agreement with and keep
others out. If you were not in you were very much out, and no trade or access to the new
country was allowed. He made sure this could be enforced and it was with zeal. The one
big weapon was that they had stressed food production in the areas they now controlled.
With food and money you owned the people.

He now had the northern border well closed off and guarded. They had blown bridges
and people coming into cities were scanned for their RFID seeds. It took little time to
catch those who felt they could cheat.

General Zane was proving very good at protecting these borders. This to him was a large
game of chess and he loved it. He had drawn preferred border lines and shown John why
he needed them. So it was a game of the two men finding ways to protect the new
country.

Virginia was all now in his hands, and much of North Carolina. All of West Virginia had
come into the new country. The Naval base at Norfolk was the Navy’s chief location for
planning and protecting the shores. It had been massively down sized and many ships
were now in mothballs. The ones that used nuclear power were operational, as they did
not stress fuel supplies.

Of course, yards were kept open to support the ships, and provide dry docking if needed.
New Port News Ship Building was now a government facility. The push now would be
for smaller, faster, electric operated, and well armed vessels. The old aircraft carrier was
going to be a thing of the past.

This meant many ships would be scrapped to reuse the metals in them. Not all of it
would go back for use in a ship, either. This would for some time fuel the country's needs
for some types of steel and copper. Each ship had miles of copper wire running through
it. Many of the cities were reselling their extra wire to build new distribution grids.

Any home or building being taken down was required to be salvaged for all usable
materials. Not doing this was punishable and that was strictly enforced. The south had
no major ore mines it could use for new materials. So recycling was critical for it to stay
viable. This was much the same problem Japan had, being resource poor.

But John did have gold, and far more of it than anyone knew. His plan allowed him to
buy mines out of the country and run them to make profits. He would take the profits
back to the Federation in ore, and not money. That would be sold to industries for gold
backed currency and he would profit from that as well. The plan was to keep the
Federation as closed cycled as possible. By selling to the world and sending profits home
as ore, it required no gold from the Federation. So just the initial investment was a drain
on the gold at all.

Of course, John’s corporate trust owned the mines and oversaw their profitability. The
cost of ore would be something of equal value like oil, food, and many other trade items
that could be bartered elsewhere. Or it could be brought in and sold by the foundation for
cash here. It allowed him to build up wealth outside the Federation for the day it
revolted. He was sure something that was too good would one day soon be destroyed.
Some way people always felt they could get a better deal. So a revolt at some point was a
sure bet. But he had made sure it would cost them dearly.

The power most felt he had was nothing like their dreams. He worried about jobs,
transportation, power grids, communications, and getting people financed into business.
There were so many things that needed to be covered, and few he could trust to do it
right. A major part of the problem was the ability to communicate so quickly, and the
Internets ability to bring news fast. It often was inaccurately reported. People today
were just way too media savvy, computer literate. Most of the old ways that destroyed
the country were still in existence.

The news media was starting back on a track of trying to direct thoughts. That John put a
stop to as fast as he could. For sure, a few liberals had crawled out from under their
cover attempted to cause dissent in the public. That caused John to have people brought
into court and placed on trial to defend their actions. He made sure this was all seen, and
documentation was available for the people to see, as well.

He knew this was only going to buy some time before it happened again and often. But
he did buy an island nation that did not survive the collapse well. It was well away for
the old USA, and had a very small population of people. He knew it would never be a
rich nation, or one that could supply minerals in the world market. So its safety was
somewhat assured. He had a group of ten islands, and nuclear devices to defend them. A
good part of his navy moved to that location, as did some of his Special Forces people.

There was much to build before this island could support a nation of like minded people.

There was one landing strip on the islands and it was concrete paved. So he moved F-
22’s, F-117’s and B-1B’s to that location. Into one of the mountains he had a vault built
and a lot of the gold he had mined was shipped there for safe keeping. It was a way to
protect his wealth.

The islands had a good oil supply just off shore and he had a refinery built. The drilling
was just for a few wells needed to be a small world supplier, and be able to ship fuels to
other countries.

He had several fueling aircraft for in air needs on the island, and here for his escape one
day. The two B-1B’s he had to take family and friends were always ready, with the 2
large Airbus A380 planes for many others. They had been set up with external fueling
abilities. That gave him 1100 seats for staff and people close to him. The plan was to
allow a take over attempt. Those seemed to be hitting often now, and it would not be
long before one would have success. Once it happened, John planned to address the
people one last time.

David had already started to move the satellites he wanted to that area so he could watch
out for the islands. John had built pipelines under water to bring gas and oil into the
refinery. The gas was for power production, and it would be used for a time to power
vehicles for the military, and farmers. People would use busses and those were electric
powered. He had pumps bring cold seawater in and circulated underground in pipes to
cool homes and buildings. The sand of the island was a great insulator.

The plans had even allowed the border guards to vote on this decision. It worked out that
ninety two percent wanted to go where John did. That meant moving an army of twenty
seven thousand and their families. So ports were designated for loading of men and
families on to navy ships. They could bring anything they could get to the dock as four
big nuclear aircraft carriers were going to be docked there waiting for them. Those were
loaded with parts and as many choppers as could be moved from Ft Rucker. They also
brought the small fixed wing aircraft so they had the ability to do low costs patrols.

One Island had a college built, and the computer system for grade and high school was
set up there. There was housing for over one hundred thousand families, and only fifty
eight thousand there now. John had moved people out slowly and over a period of time.
He would move another fifteen thousand this month and it would never be felt.

Japan was now delivering computers and electric cars in trade for gasoline and oil
products. Australia was providing beef and sheep for gas and oil. It was working well,
and they all knew the nation did not have a lot, but they were selling almost all to those
who needed it. Actually, they had the third largest reserve in the world. But why create
envy when you didn’t need to? John, with his purchase of the island, had hit on a piece
of luck once more.

The islands were of very old volcanic materials mixed with many different types of rock.
The high points were just at 4,000 feet and showed no steam vents coming out under the
lakes. The top of each old volcano was a large lake now and they supplied much of the
water needed for farming. Rain here was no problem and they could grow year around.

John had carried over his sentiment and called the islands the Shangri-La Islands. It was
just an idea he liked, as no one who did not trade there would have any idea of their name
or location. But it kept his old dreams alive there.

His main deep water port for ships unloading goods and loading oil was well protected.
It was not on the main island where the city was. But ships had to pass by the city to get
to the port. Smaller boats moved goods to the city and for cars, ferries were used. But
you could drive your car on a ferry and go to any of the ten islands. They only stopped
running when weather was really bad.

The key reason for the port not being near the city was the LNG loading area and storage
tanks. When you drop natural gas to –259 degrees Fahrenheit it becomes a liquid. Water
weights 8.35 pounds per gallon and LNG weighs half that. It was a good way to use
excess gas and make a profit from it. There were many LNG tankers out there now not
being used.

It was the first of the year, and a group had started demonstrating and demanding free
elections. It was time, and John warned all his people not yet moved to be moving, as he
was going to leave. He had had enough of the ungrateful people so smart they could not
see what they would lose.

At promptly eight that night he went on the TV. “You have made it clear that you want to
try to run the country your way. Of course you will not have my money to do that, as
most of it has been moved out of this country. The little left here will not support your
money system so expect it to collapse shortly. No country will sell to you or trade with
you. Your banks as of now are broke, and you will need to find the precious metals to
restart them. Hopefully, you can keep the communications and power systems working.
I have my doubts, but best of luck. Tonight, my family and I are leaving here, and many
of our friends have elected to come with us. Your border guards will be leaving also, and
if required will fight their way to the port designated. They are tired of your bitching
about the job they do for you.”

He took a drink and allowed that all to sink in. “Now, the gold that is left here will be so
irradiated with plutonium it will be around two hundred thousand years before it has any
value. If I cannot have my own money you're not taking it from me. Once we are in the
air the town here at Shangri-La will stop existing, as will the mines. They will self
destruct and nothing can stop that. You really never saw what I tried to give you, and
some felt I took too much. Really, I took far less than I should have. I didn't even get the
interest the country owed me. It just couldn't afford to pay me and build the jobs needed
to employ you. Now, will my family and friends be safe? You bet we will, and where no
one here can ever reach us.”

He waited to let that sink in. Then, smiling at the camera, “Please accept my thanks for
pushing me to leave you. As I have been speculating your navy, air force and most bases
were wiped out. So be sure you arm yourselves well, as the people from the north will be
coming to take what you have. Good luck holding on to it.” The screens went
completely black and would never come back on.

Once settled into the B-1B the family was all in the two craft. It was not completely
uncomfortable, but it was spartan. The two A-380’s took off also and the four planes
with their tankers were now airborne. It was going to be a long flight and John knew
sleeping was the best way to avoid the pain it would bring.
The End for Now

The next story will be of The Shangri-La Islands.