AFTERMATH

CHAPTER THREE

Before Peterson and Parks could leave, they decided to go ahead with their meeting.
Krycek spoke first.

"Now that we're here and relatively safe we need to make some plans. I know you all have questions and suggestions so this is the time to speak up while we're all here and can vote on it. Who wants to start?"

"I do!" One of the ball players stood up. "What about our families? I mean, are we going to try and find them?"

"Nothing would please me more than to tell you we could do just that but you have to be realistic here. Most everyone has been rounded up and trucked off to God knows where. Our only transportation is the bikes. Yes, we can pack up some supplies and go out but we need to know where we're going and we don't have any information about that yet."

"Can't we send people out to get that information?"

"Yes we can and we will. That's one of the reasons why we're having this meeting, to decide what we should do and to set priorities."

"I think our families should be our first priority." Another of the ball players spoke up.

"You are right, certainly but first we must find out where they are and how we can get to them." Krycek said.

"We need Special Ops." Peterson said.

"What's that?" Someone asked.

"A group of soldiers who handle special missions." One of the soldiers answered.

"That's right. They know how to live off the land and can get just about any job done you need. They can't be beat at what they do."

"Do you know where they were last training?" Krycek asked.

"Last I heard there was a group training down around Santa Fe. What are you thinking?"

"That Special Ops guys are pretty darn smart and maybe some of them are hiding out in the hills down there."

"You're thinking we should ride our bikes all the way down there to look for them?"

"Uh huh. We can't spare many though. Three, tops. Peterson will be working on the earth mover, I'll take McConnel with me to find the dynamite and we need to leave one behind in case there's a need to go into town before we get back."

"I'll go," several of the guys said.

"Army only on this trip, boys. It's going to be a long and dangerous trip."

"Do you really think they can find our folks?" One of the ball players asked.

"I don't know. All I do know is it's our best shot right now." Krycek answered then asked, "Are there any other questions or suggestions?"

"You really think you can pull something like this off?" Harry asked. "Ride those bikes hundreds of miles and find some soldiers hidden out in the hills? This is insane!"

"What do you suggest we do, Harry?" The Englishman asked.

"Sit tight and wait for this thing to be over with so we can all go home."

"I see." Parks said then added, "Did any of you think to bring a butterfly net? I think we're going to need it."

"You know where your tent is, Harry. If that's what you want to do, then go do it."

"You said we should speak our minds. I'm just giving my opinion; that's all."

"May I say something?" It was the older farm boy, Randy.

"Certainly, Randy. What's on your mind?" Krycek asked.

"We have no idea how long we're going to be here and those of us staying behind need something to do to feel like we're helping out. It's May, prime planting time. Could we make one more trip into town and see if we can find some seeds and plant a garden? Those fields have good soil and we have all the water we need to irrigate if necessary. The canned goods in that town won't last forever. No sense just sitting around when we could be doing something useful."

"I think that's a good idea, Randy." and to the group of soldiers he said, "Whoever is staying behind can get a group together and go for seed and whatever else you need. I'm sure you can find some around there somewhere."

"In the store I saw a rack with flower seeds. I didn't see any vegetable seeds but I wasn't looking for them and usually when you see flower seeds, there are vegetable seeds as well." One of the women said.

"Ok. Good information. Get your team together and go get your seeds but make sure you follow procedure. Stop in that stand of trees outside of town and look the place over good for any new vehicles or anything unusual before you go in. And don't linger in town and don't change anything or move anything around on the main street. Just get what you need and get out and high-tail it back here."

Then to the rest of the group he said, "Anything else?"

Harry mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that, Harry?" Krycek asked as they all stood and started to leave.

"I was just wondering who put you in charge anyway?"

"Nobody. Would you like to be in charge, Harry? You can be responsible for caring for twenty five people, seeing to it that they stay alive and have enough to eat. Would you like the job?"

"Awww …" Harry gave a disgruntled wave and wandered off as the others snickered and got on with their planning.


Peterson and Parks took off for the mine and were joined by one of the soldiers, Andrews, another shade-tree mechanic who swore there was never an engine built that he couldn't get running.

Krycek began making plans for a longer trip out in search of explosives. This was to be a two-man trip, no more were needed.

"Do you know what we'll need?" Sgt. McConnell asked as they loaded their bikes from the supply tent.

"Yeah, I've used the stuff before but only on smaller jobs. We'll find it. It might take a couple of days but we shouldn't have any trouble getting our hands on some."

"How dangerous will it be carrying it around on these bikes?"

"Not dangerous at all as long as we keep the caps and the sticks separate."

They said their good-byes and set out, each with a rifle scabbard secured to his bike and a pistol to his belt. They headed north and traveling light, they made good time. The first town they came to had have been a thirty mile ride.

They lay in the grass in the outskirts of town and used their binoculars to scan for any sign of life. There was none. This town was quite a bit bigger than the one closest to them but after an hour's searching they came up empty handed.

They sat in a small café and drank warm sodas and opened some canned food they found there. No sense using up their supplies if they could find things along the way that were safe to eat.

"Where to next?" McConnel asked as Krycek studied a map.

"I wish I knew. There is nothing but little towns around here. The only one with any size to it at all is Craig and it's another twenty miles."

"You think we might find some dynamite there?"

"I don't know. I haven't spent that much time in small towns. Is there a phone book around here?" Krycek asked.

"A phone book? I thought we weren't supposed to use the phones."

"I'm not going to call anyone. And I'd bet money the lines are dead anyway." Krycek said. "I just want to use the book. You've seen the commercials, 'Let your fingers do the walking'. That's what I'm going to do. Here it is." He pulled one out from under the counter and started thumbing through it.

"You think you can find explosives in a phone book?"

"It's worth a try. I've found stranger things. There it is, Explosives."

"You're kidding!" McConnell was incredulous.

"Shit. Four addresses and they are all in Craig."

"I guess it's on to Craig then." McConnell said.

"Not tonight. It will be dark soon and it's too dangerous to head out over unknown territory in the dark. We'll spend the night here and leave at first light."

They found a place where they couldn't be seen from the front windows and went to sleep.

The next morning they headed for the small town of Craig. Crouched in the bushes on the outskirts of town, they scanned the area. They circled the town, stopping and scanning in several places. The town was empty. They rode carefully and slowly through town looking for the right street until they found it. Down two blocks was a construction shed, padlocked. Krycek pulled his wallet out and out of the back of it he pulled his set of picks and went to work on the lock. He had it open in less than ten seconds.

"That's amazing!" McConnel said.

"Not really," Krycek said. "It's just a matter of sticking the two rods in and moving the levers. It's simple really. They were standing in the shed trying to decide how much dynamite to take when they heard the motor.

"What's that?" McConnel froze.

"Truck! Get the bikes inside here; hurry!" Krycek said and pulled his bike in. McConnel did the same and they barely got the door closed when the truck passed by. There were no windows so they couldn't see out but they could hear the truck as it passed then took the next street behind them and circled back again. Krycek had his gun in his hand and McConnel drew his as well.

"Have you ever fired a gun at anyone?" Krycek whispered.

"No. But I will if I have to."

"Good. I'm not even sure that bullets will take them down. If it comes to shooting, I'd say aim for the head and keep on firing. One bullet might not do it. Otherwise, keep the safety on and don't take it off unless I tell you. We don't want it to accidentally go off."

The truck drove slowly up and down the streets, block after block. They stood rigid, afraid to move or make a sound that might be heard; sweat poured down their faces and necks. Finally the noise faded away into the distance until it could no longer be heard. They stayed inside another fifteen minutes to make sure they were out of range before they opened the door and peered out. The place was empty again.

They loaded up the dynamite and miscellaneous supplies and were about to leave when the rain started.

"Fuck!" McConnel said. "What happens if this stuff gets wet?"

"Absolutely nothing. It will be useless. We can't leave until the rain stops." Krycek said.

"It could rain the rest of the day and night!"

"Yeah, it could."

They waited for about an hour and it was still pouring.

"Are we going to spend the night in here? I'd hate to be in here if lightning strikes." McConnel said.

They could see the lightning slashing across the sky.

"You're right. This is the last place we need to be right now. This shed is probably insulated but there's no sense in taking any chances. There's a little mobile office building over there. Let's make a run for it. We can stay there until the rain stops. Grab some food out of your pack."

"That sounds good to me!" McConnel was relieved to get out of that shed.

It rained the rest of that day and all of the next. On the third day they started thinking of a plan to cover the dynamite with plastic bags but then gave it up when they realized the fields would be too muddy to ride in and they didn't relish the idea of being mired down out in an open field with a load of dynamite while the storm held.

They spent the three days in the construction shed while the rain poured. On the fourth morning they awoke to sun shine and decided to head out. The going was rough and muddy and with both bikes loaded down with explosives they tried to be as careful as they could. It was a long arduous trek back to the valley and they were exhausted. They were met with the good news that the earth mover was now in running order. They had had to make two more trips into town for parts but they were uneventful. Krycek and McConnel spent the next day curled up in their tents sleeping.

Fortunately there had only been a few days of light rain at the campsite so they weren't disturbed too much. It did solidify in Krycek's mind that their next priority must be to get some proper shelter up and began sketching a plan in the small note book he carried.

At breakfast, most of the group gathered and Krycek broached the subject.

"We need to think about a more permanent shelter here, a building."

"A building? You mean a cabin or something?" Someone asked.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a barracks type building, something that we could heat this winter."

"You think we'll be here that long?" One of the women asked.

"I have no idea, Marcia. But we can't wait until the snow falls to begin building something."

"You expect us to build an actual building? You're dreaming!" Harry scoffed.

"Yes, Harry, just like I was dreaming when I said we could make it seventy miles on bikes, remember?"

"Well that was different. We had to do that. We don't have to try and build anything!"

"OK, Harry. When the first snow falls and we are all warm in our building, you can stay out in your tent. Your choice."

"You think we could actually build a building? What with? You planning on cutting down trees for the wood?"

"I was thinking we could go into town and have a look around. Maybe we can find a wagon of some kind, or devise one we could pull or push."

"I've seen some trucks down there. Why not use them?" Someone asked.

"Too noisy. What if the guards came back and noticed them missing?"

"Yeah, trucks make too much noise and can be heard for miles."

"There might be some horses around." One of the farmers offered. "And if there's horses, there is usually a hay wagon near by."

"Oh, I remember seeing a sign that said 'Hay for Sale'," Marcia said. "I guess they would need a wagon or something big to deliver it."

"Probably a pickup with a trailer." Someone said.

"Well, I'm going into town to see what's there. For anyone who wants to come with me, let's plan on leaving in about fifteen minutes." Krycek finished his coffee and headed for the woods.

Fifteen of them set out for the trip that took only a little over an hour when they were fresh and rested up. They checked the town out carefully then fanned out over the place, hitting all the homes they could get to on bikes without going too far out of town.

In about thirty minutes the two farmers came hurrying up to Krycek.

"We found one! We found a wagon and two horses!" They were breathless with excitement.

"No kidding! Hey, that's great! I just wish this little town had a lumber yard." Krycek said, his spirits definitely lifted. Well, go on, get the rig together and we'll see what we can take back on this trip."

Krycek headed back to the general store where the others were beginning to load their bikes with canned goods. He told them about the wagon and asked for suggestions as to what to take back to the group, what would be the most welcome.

Marcia grabbed Krycek's arm and pulled him over to the back storage area. "This!" she declared as she stood beside a large rectangular galvanized watering tank.

"Why a watering trough?" Krycek asked.

"You look at that and see a watering trough; I look at it and see a bath tub!"

Krycek saw it then and agreed.

"I've been eyeing this every time we come in and wished there was some way to get it to the valley. If there is one thing that we could all benefit from, I say this is it." Marcia said.

"You got it, Marcia. Grab one end, I'll get the other. Can you carry it?"

"Sure thing! It's not that heavy, just too darn big for a bike!"

They hauled it out front just as the farmers pulled the wagon up front. It was the first item on. More shelving units were found, as well as more huge cooking pots, a couple of smaller wash tubs that came on a stand and could be used for laundry. Several more water cans and Krycek and the others siphoned gasoline from cars until they had ten more five gallon cans filled and loaded on the wagon. More blankets were found and added to the load as well as several shovels, picks and two wheel barrows.

The trip back took an hour and a half but they climbed over the rocks with triumphant grins on their faces and hauled their take down the other side. They were met by those who stayed behind and help to carry it all over to the campsite. The women jumped up and down when they saw their 'bath tub' and it went immediately into one of their tents.

They were all excited as they ate lunch and began talking in earnest about a building.
Krycek asked but no one in the group had any construction experience at all. He told them he had worked for a construction company while in college and thought they could do it. He showed him the plans for the simple rectangular structure, twenty feet wide and fifty feet long. He explained it in phases; first selecting a site and preparing the ground. Then measuring off the exact area and digging a small trench, six inches deep and four inches wide. Then the mixing of the concrete and insertion of bolts in the wet concrete, he made it all sound simple.

"I agree that all sounds simple enough but what about the rest of it? Have you ever built a building before?" Someone asked.

"I helped build on a room one summer and I assisted on a lot of bigger jobs."

"There's no way you can know how to build a building then!" Harry scoffed.

"Whatever we end up with will be a lot safer and warmer than those tents, Harry."
Someone said. The group was now getting more into it.

"We can do this, if everyone helps. I can't do it alone."

He heard a chorus of "We'll help".

"And if I want to come inside during a storm, I'll have to help too, I take it?" Harry asked with disgust.

"That's right, Harry. But there are a lot of really easy jobs in construction. It isn't all heavy lifting and sawing and nailing. You'll see."

Twelve made the afternoon trip, and this time the wagon was loaded down with what ever power tools they could find plus a small generator and extension cords to power them. Some of the hand tools ran on batteries and they brought all they could find. A few more sets of saw horses, half a dozen ladders of various sizes and several more cans of gasoline were added to the load. The eleven on bikes loaded up with more groceries and brought back stacks of towels and wash cloths and in their back packs; pillows.

McConnel was helping Krycek load the last of the gas cans when he said, "I remember seeing a lumber yard in one of those towns we were in. Do we make our next run there?"

"I was thinking the same thing. It's a much longer run and we'll only be able to do one a day but I think that's what we need to do starting tomorrow morning. I don't know how many others will want to make a ride that long but we can ask them."

"If the two women want to go, they could ride over in the wagon with their bikes. Then they would only have to make the thirty mile ride back." Peterson suggested.

"That's a good idea. I like taking the women with us. That way they can get what ever stuff the women need and we don't have to be digging through the Kotex aisles." Krycek said with a grin."

"I heard that!" Maddie, one the woman who had made all the bike trips in with them, said as she stuffed some last minute first aid supplies into her back pack. "You take a fall or get hurt you'll be glad Marcia and I'm around."

"Yes," Krycek grinned. "I noticed you've gathered enough medical supplies to open up a hospital."

"Well, we could, you know. We're both RNs."

"Once we start building, I'm sure there will be lots of need for your services."

"Let's hope not too many," she grinned and they headed out for the valley.

Krycek spent that evening after dinner, firming up his plans and figuring out what supplies he would need. The first trip they would need the thin wood strips for the cement foundation forms and bags and bags of the ready-mix concrete. He figured that would be about all that would fit for the first wagon load.

And so it went, day after day they made the long trip into the next town and brought back stacks and stacks of building supplies and in the few hours of daylight left between supper and darkness they worked. Some worked on the foundation, while others worked in the fields where the farmers had cleared out a large field and got the garden started.

Still others were working on the mine. Parks showed Krycek where to place the charges and Krycek would blast. They went at it a little bit at a time, starting from the valley side. Krycek would set off a couple of charges and the next few days the debris would be shoveled into wheel barrows and pails and hauled to a dumping area below the opening into the valley to make a ramp-like entrance. They fell into their sleeping bags each night feeling like they had really accomplished something.

They all seemed to fit into their roles with ease. The six soldiers well trained in following orders and eager to help out the group in any way needed, were all mid twenties; the four student football players were two sets of brothers and though two only seventeen years old and two eighteen years old, worked right along side the men, pulling more than their share of the load. They were all young and strong and more than willing to help at whatever task they were given. They made every single supply run. As did Samuelson the photographer, aged forty, the two nurses, Maddie age twenty four and Marcia age 23; the flight attendant, Teresa Harris aged 26, and the two farmer brothers, Rick and Randy aged twenty six and twenty eight.

The eldest of the group, the bank president/turned camp supply and record keeper, stayed in camp. He was fifty three years old and like Harry the cab driver, had never done any manual labor in is life. He kept track of everything that went into and out of the supply tent, he gathered fire wood, and helped the cook. He took his turn at emptying the port-a-potties and filling the drinking water containers. He was very likeable and spent a lot of time with Harry encouraging him to cooperate instead of complaining. Some times it worked, some times it didn't.

The two office workers, Charlene and Deborah, both in their mid thirties also mostly stayed in camp. They both knew their way around a kitchen and were more than happy to assist the cook. They made an occasional trip into the closest town but neither of them wanted to make the thirty mile trek. They did help the cook with meals, help with the clean up afterwards and help carry dirt out of the mine and took turns in the field.

The two teachers, Holly and Amber, ages twenty nine and thirty two, were all over the place. They made about half the bike runs, the rest of the time they kept busy around the camp. They worked in the garden, in the mine, and did whatever else around that seemed to need doing.

Parks, aged forty four, kept busy in the mine and came in only to eat and sleep.

And Harry? He grudgingly did what he had to but only just barely. He carried a deck of cards with him and was always asking people if they wanted to play a little Gin Rummy.
He actually had a great sense of humor and wasn't half bad company as long as no one was asking him to do anything. He was forty eight years old, and a taxi driver out of New York City with a lot of funny and interesting stories to tell. He had never done anything in his life but go to school and drive a cab and his short stocky build showed the results. All his life he came home to his Momma's cooking and then his wife's. He never as much as made a sandwich before or lifted a hand with housework and wouldn't know how to peel a potato if his life depended on it.

Bobby Benson, their cook, was thirty seven, and had been a cook at a Luby's restaurant in Dallas. He was shy, red headed and freckled, and seemed to love creating different meals with whatever canned goods or produce they brought him. His main goal in life had been to become a chef in a fine restaurant. His happiest moment was when one of the women, returning from a bike run, pulled a Better Homes and Gardens cook book out of her back pack for him. He spent his days surveying their groceries and planning the meals and making up lists of things for them to look for while on their supply runs.

It was an odd grouping but somehow they all seemed to fit together and made a great team.