_Eli and Me
A novel
by
Shorty Dawkins
Chapter One
“I was born in the year they dropped the big one.” Eli replied to my question concerning the year of his birth.
I couldn’t help but think there were two big ones dropped that year. I smiled at the thought. “You know, General, I’ve been thinking, since you wrote that book about cats, maybe I’ll write a book about you.” I often called him General, not because he was a military General, no, I called him General because he was the leader of our little revolution, which was mostly just getting prepared for the chaos we knew was coming. He was an old Jarhead who had served in Viet Nam and now spent most of his time fighting against the Government, not with guns, but with his brain. Yes, I thought to myself, General Eli needs a book written about him. I chuckled, as I watched him pick up one of the dozen or more cats floating around his cabin and giving it some kindly attention.
“If you go ahead and write that book, I may have to shoot your ass.” Eli muttered. “Hell, who’d want to read about some old country boy from Tennessee, who spent his life as a hippie, anyway? Maybe I won’t shoot your ass. Maybe I’ll just kick it.”
Eli was obviously touched by my thought to write a book about him. He was too modest to think he was a worthy subject of a book, but he knew, as I did, that he had lived an extraordinary life. He knew that I knew it to be true. Hell, we’d spent many evenings reminiscing about our past lives, and his stories about his adventures always fascinated me. My own adventures paled in comparison.
“I sold a dozen of your cat books at the rally yesterday.” I told him. “It’s funny how folks come to a Liberty Rally and end up buying your cat books. I did sell three of my books, though.”
“Damn, Cody! Those books of yours have started to move. Good for you.” Eli grinned at the thought. “Now maybe we can buy some cigarettes.” He winked at me. “It doesn’t seem that long ago we were struggling to pay the rent and worrying where our next pack of cigarettes was coming from.”
“And cat food.” I added. “Don’t forget the cat food. Those crazy cats eat up a lot of food. They are a lot of fun, though.”
“How long have we been partners, Cody?” El asked.
“We’re into our fifth year, I think. Or is it six?” I replied.
“That first year was a struggle, wasn’t it? If Pete hadn’t brought that sack of silver when he did, we would have been evicted.” Eli started to laugh. “I’ll never forget the look on Mrs. Tobin’s face when we handed her a handful of silver coins to pay what we owed her. It was priceless.”
“Yes, old Pete came to the rescue in the nick of time, didn’t he?” I smiled remembering that day. “And then everything started to fall into our laps after that day. Wasn’t it that night you went down to the Post Office box and found that Cashier’s check for five thousand dollars waiting for you?”
“Yep, that very night. Damn! What a donation, I thought! Five thousand dollars for the cause. The big surprise was the twenty thousand dollar donation three days later.” Eli chuckled. “Haven’t I always said that money, or people, just seem to drop into my lap just when I need them?”
“That you have, old buddy. But what I’m wondering is, what made you decide to go back to the gravel pit where you found the opal wood? Talk about intuition! Damn! We hit the jackpot there.” I remarked.
“You hit the jackpot, Cody, not me. Damn, man, four big rubies and twenty-five pounds of gold nuggets! What a haul!” Eli laughed so hard he started to choke.
“Easy, General.” I patted him on the back to help him out. “You know damn well I wouldn’t have gone out there myself. It’s your karma that helped me find them.”
“And I suppose you don’t have any good karma of your own? Maybe it was your subconscious talking to my subconscious to get us to go out there in the first place? How’s that for metaphysical thinking?” Eli grinned that impish grin of his.
“You’ve done better.” I sipped some more of my single malt Scotch. It tasted good. “Yeh, half a million dollars worth of gold was a nice take.”
“It was half a million when gold was at sixteen hundred dollars an ounce. Damn, Cody! We took half of it and bought silver with it, which then tripled in price, while gold only doubled. What made you think it was going to go higher, percentage-wise, than gold?” Eli asked.
“Silver historically was always around 16 to 17 to 1 in relation to gold. It was at 42 to 1 when the prices started to explode. Now it is around 30 to 1. It’ll get closer to its historical ratio, mark my words.” I responded. “Paul agrees with me. Let’s just say with everything else that has happened, we are sitting pretty; all of us. Thanks to Tye, Michael, Gwen, Elise, Bill, Gerri, Janet, Paul, Carol, the Thorntons, and Tony, we are well stocked with supplies, guns, and ammunition, plus we have good homes we can heat with wood, several windmills for pumping water and getting some electricity, and Tony’s still will provide us with enough alcohol for the vehicles we will need to use. We even have chickens, milk cows, horses and a few pigs. The crash is coming real soon, General, and we are ready for it.”
“I fear you are right. I’ve been thinking it was coming for the last ten years, but all the signs say it is coming soon.” Eli stared out over the valley. “It’s nice to know we have plenty of good people around us.”
“We’ve made it this far, General, without them hauling us away. We’ll just have to see what happens next.” I finished my Scotch and poured us each another one.
“Thanks, bro.” Eli said. “Whatever happens, Cody, I’m not going to be hauled away. They’ll have to shoot my ass.”
“Right on, Eli.” I grinned thinking of the sixties as I said that. “I was never a hippie, myself. I was a born rebel, but I was never a hippie. Maybe I should have been.”
Eli grinned his impish grin. “It’s never too late to start.”
Just then I noticed Janet and a whole group coming across the yard toward us. They were all, it seems, carrying something. “Here comes Janet with a whole group of folks. By the look of it, they’ve got something for us.”
“Hey Dudes!” Janet called out. “We have a little treat for you. I heard you both like blackberries, and we just happened to go blackberry picking today. How would you like some blackberries and cream?”
“Does a bear want honey?” Eli replied with eyes as big as saucers. “Blackberries and cream, Cody. Damn! Are we in heaven?”
“It sure seems like it.” I replied.
“We also have raspberries and blueberries.” Elise grinned. “It’s been a good crop this year.”
“And I made some cherry cobbler for later.” Gerri grinned.
“You ladies are something special, the way you look after a couple of old goats like us.” Eli said.
“Who is an old goat?” I protested. “My walker is turbo-charged.”
They all laughed, including Eli. “All right Mr. Turbo-Walker, let’s have some blackberries and cream.”
Eli and I have a definite liking of blackberries. Fresh blackberries, blackberry jam, or blackberry pie, it doesn’t matter to us, we love it. Fresh cream from our own cows made it even better. As we all ate, we chatted about everything going on in our valley. I say, “our valley”, because among the large group of us, we owned every bit of it except for a few of the houses in the little village and the village General Store. Those folks had become our friends, though, not just our neighbors.
“Tom Thornton and his boys finished preparing all of Tom’s antique cars, today.” Janet mentioned. “It’s hard to believe he has nine-hundred and twenty-four of them. It must have cost him a fortune just to get them here. Lucky for him he has a large family with lots of sons, grandsons and sons-in-law.”
“Those cars of his are something else. I don’t know how much money he has invested in them, but it has to be in the millions.” Eli guessed.
“Easily.” I agreed. “He’s got a couple ’57 Chevys like my brother used to have. He really loved that ’57.”
“Tony and his friends are having a ball helping Tom and his boys getting them ready.” Gwen said. “How did you ever get to know him, Cody?”
“Tony? Heck, Tony and I go back a long way together, sort of. You see, my Father used to get his gas, and have repairs done at a garage owned by Uncle Nellie. Uncle Nellie is what everyone called him. Lionel Dagostino was his actual name. He was a hard working Italian who started off with a garage business and built it into a fortune. I was probably twelve when I first met Tony. He’s four years younger than me. He used to hang around his Father’s garage, helping out wherever he could. Uncle Nellie was Tony’s Father, you see.
“Yes, Uncle Nellie did real well. When he died, two years ago, he had thirty-six tire stores, owned three tire factories, and owned tons of real estate. Tony and his sister, Francine, inherited it and sold it all off. They saw the handwriting on the wall. Tony decided he wanted to come out here and settle with Eli and me. He’d been divorced for six or seven years when his ex-wife died in a car crash. So, he and his boy, Sammy, gathered some of his friends together and drove out here, to Montana. I’m glad he’s here. Tony is like Uncle Nellie; he sees into the future.
“After I got out of school, I pretty much lost track of Tony. I’d see him every seven or eight months, but more in passing than to actually talk to. A few years before I came out here I went through some real tough times, but I got back on track, to a degree, and I was working in a store Tony came into once in a while. We would chat, if it wasn’t busy, and we found we were on the same page as far as the direction the country was headed. For some reason or other, he began calling me Brother Cody and I started calling him Brother Tony. It’s been that way ever since. Anyway, when I told Tony I was moving to Montana, he was kind of bummed out, but I sensed he would eventually join me, which he has done.
“So that is my story about Tony; at least the broad outline of it. He is a good man. He works hard and does what he says he’ll do. I’m very glad he and his friends joined us.”
“I’ve noticed that about him. He keeps his word.” Eli remarked.
“Yep, Tony is solid. Behind his slightly coarse exterior is a razor sharp mind, too. He is very watchful, and is able to tie disparate bits of information together, like Eli does.” I said, then I noticed Tony, Paul and Tye were pulling into the curved driveway in the 1948 Chrysler Town & Country convertible Tony had bought from Tom Thornton. Sammy was in the front seat, with a big grin on his face.
“Hi, Uncle Cody!” Sammy called out.
“Hello there, Sammy. You look good sitting in that convertible.” I called back.
“Thanks, Uncle Cody. This car is really cool.” Sammy replied.
Eli invited them all to share in the berries and cream. When they were settled in, Eli looked at Paul Strand. He didn’t like the odd look he saw on Paul’s face.
“Something is up, Paul. It’s written all over your face. Is that why the three of you are here?” Eli looked at the three men, one at a time. Yes, he thought, something is definitely wrong.
“You invite us to share your berries and cream, and all we have to offer is bad news.” Paul began.
“You might as well tell us, Paul.” Eli insisted. Eli shared a look with me. I think we both knew what was coming.
Paul took a deep breath. “The Stock Market has lost fifteen hundred points over the last eight days. Eight trading sessions in a row it has dropped. All three major indexes have fallen steadily.” Paul paused to let it sink in. “My sources think it is the big one. It looks like the big inside players have been doing a careful, planned exit from the Markets. Today there was a lot of chatter on the Street and the indexes dropped faster because of it. My source thinks tomorrow there will be a big drop, enough to halt trading. My source is my cousin, Jack. He called to tell me he and his family are heading out of New York in the morning,” He looked at Tony. “It’s your turn.”
“In that eight day period, gold has gone up eighty dollars. That’s right, eighty dollars in just over a week. Silver went up twelve, which is a big increase. I called the Old Man’s gold dealer in New York, (Tony always referred to his Father as The Old Man, not My Old Man.), he told me by way of explanation, that he was headed to his farm in upstate New York. He added, “Take care of yourself, Tony. Your Dad loved you.” That really hit me, Eli. It hit me real hard.”
I looked at Tye. “What have you got, Tye?” Tye was our Ham Radio man.
“I’m hearing lots of chatter. No one had any real information, just lots of rumors. I have talked with a fellow in Alaska, who always has information that is right on the money. I tried raising him, and eventually he replied. He told me in one simple expression all I needed to know: TEOTWAWKI. Like I said, this guy is always on the money with his information. He is no doom and gloom fellow. He just gets the facts.”
Eli looked at me. “Well, man, I’ve waited a lot of years for this moment. It is finally here, it seems. I’m just glad we are prepared.”
“Amen, bro.” I replied. I looked at Tye. “Does Stewart know?”
“I contacted him an hour ago. He said he’d gotten the word from his sources. He and the family were packing their things. He should be just leaving his place about now, which means he should be here in about four hours.” Tye replied.
“Buzz and Bucky have got a crew getting the extra cabins ready.” Paul informed them.
“I’ll take some of the men into town and load up on gasoline and supplies. They are used to me bringing a bunch of fellows for lots of stuff at a time. I’m one of those crazy preppers, to them.” Tye grinned. “They’re right, I am crazy, and I’m a prepper.”
“Damn, Cody! He’s one of those extremists!” Eli kidded.
“Good heavens! They are everywhere!” I went along with him. “And aren’t we glad they are?”
“Paul, why don’t you and Pete move in with me? Tye, Tony and Sammy can move in with Cody. If you ladies can double up some, that will help, also.” Eli suggested. “We have somewhere around sixty families coming, once the alert is sent out.”
“I’ll send it out, Brother Eli.” Tony told him.
“Brother Eli? Hmmm…. I kind of like the sound of that. Thanks, Brother Tony.” He winked at him.
“Gerri, why don’t you move in with the kids and me?” Janet suggested.
“Thank you. That will be nice.” Gerri replied.
“Elise, you and David can move in with Michael and me. There is plenty of room.” Gwen suggested.
“We sure can do that, if it’s no trouble.” Elise said.
“No trouble at all. It will be fun, actually.” Gwen smiled.
“We know what we have to do, so I guess we should get to it.” Eli said. “Stewart will be here this evening. He can take charge of the plan for our defenses. The rest of us will go about our day growing food, raising cattle, chickens, hogs, or whatever. It will be pretty much back to basics.”
“Come on, Sammy. We need to pack our stuff. We’re moving in with Uncle Cody and Uncle Tye.” Tony called to his son.
“How come?” Sammy asked.
“Remember I told you that the time would come when a lot more people would be coming here?” Sammy nodded, yes. “Well, the time has come. We all will need to help each other out. Cody is sharing his cabin with Uncle Tye and us. A lot of people will do the same, so the new people will have places to live.”
“Oh. Okay.” Sammy was satisfied. “Can I talk on your Ham radio, Uncle Tye?”
“I don’t see why not.” Tye grinned at Sammy. “I’ll start teaching you Morse Code. Would you like that?”
“Cool. Yes, I would.” Sammy replied.
“All right then, let’s get started.” Tony said. “We’ll start with your stuff, Tye, since you are going into town tomorrow. Sammy and I will move our stuff tomorrow. I’ll get some of the boys to help us.”
Everyone set to work. By the time I had emptied the spare room of my stuff, Tye was back with Tony and two other men, Larry and Ross.
“Tye, you are in the spare room downstairs. Tony and Sammy can have the loft. If you want to set your radio equipment in the living room, go ahead. I cleared off a table for you.” I told them.
“That sounds like a plan to me.” Tye nodded his approval.
We got his stuff inside and were setting him up when Stewart arrived with a dozen vehicles and three motor homes in tow. He asked Eli and me to join him at his big cabin, which was next Eli’, for a meeting.
“What have you heard, Stewart?” Eli asked when we were all settled in our seats at his place.
“It’s serious, guys; real serious. My sources say to prepare for an EMP blast. Several blasts, maybe. That‘s not all. Within two weeks the dollar will be toast. Here is what I heard from two different sources within the top echelon of the Military. First, there has been a sudden, grand realignment of World powers. China and Russia have somehow managed to pull a lot of countries into their orbits, including; Germany, France, Brazil, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Pakistan, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Add that list to their usual partners, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea, and you can see that almost overnight they have created a powerful bloc. My sources say that in three days there will be an announcement that Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia, Iran and Venezuela will sell their oil in Yuan, Rubles or gold only. They will no longer accept US Dollars.” He paused to let the information sink in. “The Dollar will be toast when that happens. There is some indication China has been quietly unloading US Treasury Notes. Rumors have it they will dump everything they hold of American debt once the oil announcement is made. Russia, Germany, France, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will do the same. To ward off any potential moves the US might make to squeeze Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, or any of them, back into our corner, nuclear weapons will be exploded high up in the atmosphere over the US and England. EMP blasts.
“These actions are planned. The surprise comes from the fact the Vatican and the Rothschild Empire were intricately involved in creating this grand re-alignment. The CIA has the proof, I was told. They are sacrificing the US and England, in other words, for a New World Order without US or British involvement.”
“The damn Jesuits have set this all up.” Eli spat out. “The goddamn Rothschilds and the Jesuits. Deception after deception. They wanted chaos, well dammit they are about to get it.”
“I think you’re right, Eli. I didn’t agree with you until those phone calls today, but now I see you were right.” Stewart said.
“Hold on a minute. How do we know this new re-alignment isn’t another of their deceptions? We know the Jesuits and Rothschilds will turn their backs on anyone. What if they are playing a different game than we think they are?” I asked.
Eli and Stewart stared at me for a moment, then looked at each other.
“Cody has a point.” Eli said. “We don’t know what game they are really playing. Deception is their favored tactic. A period of chaos is coming. I don’t see any way it won’t happen. EMP blasts? We’ll be back in the Stone Age in this country, unless the Government has been doing things we don’t know about, which is highly likely. We need some time to figure this out. We are set here, and there are probably quite a few other gulches that are prepared, but most people, particularly in the cities, are in deep doo-doo. Millions will die.”
“Which is what they want.” I remarked. “Remember the Georgia Guidestones.”
“Do you think there will be a nuclear war, Stewart?” Eli asked.
“I do, but a limited exchange. China and/or Pakistan will probably nuke India. Ancient hatreds die hard. If China is to expand its dominance, they have to deal with India.” Stewart offered.
“Chaos. It is all about chaos. They hope to come out of the chaos on top. How can we prevent that from happening?” I asked.
“We’ll think on that while we make our preparations for the collapse.” Eli decided. “How many more of your people are coming?” He asked Stewart.
“Probably fifty or sixty more families.” Stewart replied. “We sent the alert out before we left. How are we set for housing?”
“We’ll need to build some more cabins.” I said. “We’ll get some lumber deliveries started, and get right on it. I see you brought three motor homes. We have four available and we are doubling up as best we can, but with sixty of your people, and maybe thirty other families of ours expected, we’ll definitely need more housing.”
“You are in charge of the defense of our compound, Stewart. We’ll get the housing prepared as fast as we can.” Eli said. “We have supplies stockpiled and we have some men going for more tomorrow. We should be in good shape on that score. Defense and housing are our first priorities.”
“Who has been handling defense preparations thus far?” Stewart asked.
“Paul Strand and Johnny Jefferson.” I replied. “They have some rudimentary stuff done. I’ll have them meet with your guys in the morning.”
“That sounds good.” Stewart said. “This is it, gentlemen; crunch time. We hope we are prepared. Time will tell.”
When I got back to my cabin, Tye was all moved in and Tony had a half-dozen of his men helping him unload a truck full of his and Sammy’s stuff into the cabin.
“Wow! You guys are fast!’ I exclaimed.
“That’s it, Brother Cody. I got the boys to help and we are almost done.” Tony said.
“If any of you guys are thirsty, grab something out of the fridge.” I told them.
“Thanks, Cody.” Bob called out, as he carried a box up the stairs to the loft.
“When you fellows are done, I’ll brief you on the latest news.” I told them. Tye was working on his ham radio equipment, I noticed. “Tye, have you notified your brothers?”
“Yes. They’ll be here in the morning. Tim will pick up Mom on the way.” Tye replied.
“Excellent! Two more good men.” I answered. “Three former jarheads.”
“Not former, Cody, just not active. Once a Marine, always a Marine.” Tye grinned. “We’ll have quite a few of the brothers here before we are done.”
“Semper Fi, brother.” Tony said.
“I’d forgotten you served a hitch in the Marines, brother Tony. Make that four good men. Johnny Jefferson and Paul Strand were Marines, I know. Who else is there?” I asked.
“There’s me!” Bob exclaimed, as he came down the stairs. “And Jack Williams, Tom Pierce and Fred Marston.”
“Bob Richards, Tim Sleeper and Dick Gerhardt, too.” Tye mentioned.
“Damn! You guys would make a platoon. Let Stewart and his guys know you were all Marines.” I suggested.
“We will, Cody.” Tye replied.
When all of Tony and Sammy’s stuff had been moved into the cabin, I set everyone down and explained the situation, as we knew it. They had no trouble grasping how serious it was.
“There are going to be a lot of people dying before this is over.” Tony said in a quiet voice. “Millions, tens of millions. It isn’t going to be pretty. I’m glad Sammy and I are here, that’s for sure.”
“It’s nice to know reinforcements are on the way.” Ken Mueller noted.
“Are all of Stewart’s men former Army Rangers?” Bob asked.
“Some are Rangers, others are Special Forces or Navy Seals.” I explained. “They know their stuff. Stewart and his men will take charge of the defense of the valley.”
“I saw them unloading a pair of .50 Cal. Machine guns. They mean business.” Dale said. “I wonder what else they have.”
“We’ll see soon enough.” I said. “Let’s all call it a night and get a good night’s sleep. We’ll be busy tomorrow.”
We thanked the men for their assistance and bid them goodnight. When they had left, Tony asked, “How do we protect against an EMP blast?”
Tye answered him. “With a Farraday cage, or, in a pinch, you can use a microwave oven. Just make sure you cut off the cord of the microwave so no one plugs it in by mistake. Whatever is enclosed in the Farraday cage, or is inside the microwave, will be protected. I have two microwaves in storage with my extra Ham radio equipment and walkie-talkies in them. That big storage unit that looks like a freezer unit, where you have been taking the ignition parts for Tom Thornton’s cars is a Farraday cage.”
“Once an EMP blast occurs, you can take those parts and put them back in the cars and they’ll work fine.” I said. “The newer cars, any that have electronic parts, will be fried. The big underground freezer is protected in this manner. When others have no electricity, we will have some, at least enough for some of the basics, like refrigeration.”
“Well I’ll be. You guys have thought of everything.” Tony said.
“We hope we have, Tony. We have windmills to pump water and make some electricity, and quite a few generators and a big underground fuel tank. You started your still, which adds to our ability to create fuel. Gardens are being worked, and we are raising horses, cattle and milk cows, and a few hogs. We have chickens, though not enough, I’m afraid.”
“Willy is bringing a dozen of his chickens with him.” Tye said. “I imagine Bart will bring his, too. Bart is bringing his hog, also.”
“Good.” I said. “To continue, the two supply buildings, as well as the underground one you don’t know about, are filled to bursting. We have everything from flour to candles to underwear stored in them. Guns and ammunition are plentiful, and we have lots of hand tools and even a plow to pull behind a horse, if necessary. The medical dispensary is well stocked and Doc Wise and his wife and two daughters are well trained in herbal medicines as well as the normal medical treatments. We probably have forgotten some things, but we have a lot we don’t have to worry about.”
“To think you did all this in two years. I’m impressed.” Tony admitted.
“If you have the money, willing workers, and plenty of determination, a lot can get accomplished. Thanks to Pete, you, Tye, the Thorntons and what Eli and I could put into the pot, the money has been there. We have a lot of good people here. Eli attracts good people like flowers attract bees. That’s because he is a good man. He’s a real gentleman, even if he is a hippie.” I couldn’t help but smile. “He’s one of a kind; a very special one of a kind. Well, we have a lot of work to do tomorrow, so let’s get some rest. Do you have everything you need?”
“We are fine, Cody.” Tye said. “Life is certainly getting interesting.”
Chapter Two
In the morning, Eli and I went down to the main gatehouse to help check in new arrivals. I noticed he was in a particularly good mood. He had a look on his face that told me he was hiding a secret, of some sort. I didn’t ask him about it, figuring I’d let him spring his surprise on us, whatever it was. He really enjoyed surprises.
“Damn, Cody, the Outlaws are gathering!” He exclaimed. “It is finally happening! The revolution we’ve dreamed of is beginning.”
“Yep, it sure is, General.” I replied.
Just then Tye and several other men came up to the gate. They were on their way into town. The town was Reston, which was twenty-five miles away. The little village in their valley was called Tooner Village. It only had a General Store, a diner and a Feed Store. There were more stores in Reston.
“If we’re not back by two o’clock, send a posse out for us.” Tye grinned, as he went slowly past them.
“If you’re not back by three, I’ll start selling off your guns.” I called to him.
Tye laughed and the three trucks in his group headed south to Reston. They were barely out of sight when Paul Strand called us on the house telephone line he and some of his men had rigged up. It was only connected within the confines of our valley homes and buildings.
“Eli, I just thought you should know, the Stock Market plunged, as expected, and trading has been halted. Gold is up thirty dollars and silver is up six dollars.”
“Just as we expected. Any signs yet of panic?” Eli asked.
“Not yet. Confusion, yes, but no panic.” Paul replied.
“Keep watching, Paul, and keep us posted.” Eli requested. “It has started, Cody. It is just as we predicted, so far.”
“Let’s hope all our people get here before the trouble really starts.” I said.
Throughout the morning people arrived, either singly or in clusters of two or three vehicles. When they were cleared, Tony and Pete directed them where to go. Those who had campers or motor homes were sent to the “campground”, as we called it, where there were sewage, water and electric hookups. Those without their own housing were sent to find empty housing, which Michael, Janet and Gerri were in charge of.
By the time Tye and his men returned, just before noon, eighteen families had arrived. It was roughly split between Stewart’s people and our people.
“Your Mother and brothers are here.” I told Tye. “Janet can point you where they are settling in.”
“Thanks, Cody. That takes a load off my mind.” Tye replied.
When Tye went past me I turned to look up the road, to see if anyone else was in sight. What I saw gave me pause, for I saw a large number of motorcycles coming over a slight hill. As I watched, the line grew longer, until there were at least a hundred bikes. Two by two they came. Behind them came a row of motor homes and campers. I didn’t actually count them, but there were at least twenty of them. Five tractor-trailers brought up the rear. I turned to look at Eli who had a smile as big as the Cheshire cat. This was his secret. I knew who they were even before they got close enough for me to see their emblems on their leathers. They were the Freedom Riders.
“Damn, Eli! I didn’t know they were coming. How many are there?”
“I don’t know how many are in this group, but I’m told there are over two thousand expected.” He chuckled. “Do you think we can raise a little havoc with those guys here?”
“Yeh, I would think so. Two thousand? Where will we house them?” I asked.
“Lily and Turbo know what to expect. They are prepared to build their own places.” Eli replied. “Wait until you see what they have done.”
“What have they done?” I asked.
“You’ll see”, was his only reply.
The lead two bikes pulled to a stop in front of the gate. The head biker climbed off his Harley and saluted Eli. “Freedom Riders reporting for active duty, sir.”
“At ease, Sergeant Thomas.” Eli replied. “How many are you?”
“One hundred and fifty-three, sir, not including women and children. Two hundred and forty-three including them.”
“Very good, Sergeant. You are welcome. We are glad to have you with us. Cody Larson and I will show you where to set up.” Eli turned to me and grinned. “Sergeant Thomas, meet Cody Larson.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. Eli has mentioned you often. I believe you were the one who found the gold and rubies, weren’t you?” He offered his hand, which I took.
“Yes. I guess I am. It’s a pleasure Sergeant Thomas. Eli has spoken of you men often. He just neglected to say you were coming, so please forgive me if I look surprised.”
“I warned you I had many tricks up my sleeve, Cody.” Eli chuckled.
“Yes, you continue to astound me, you old hippie you.” I grinned. “Come on, let’s show these people, or rather, friends, where they can set up. You drive, since you know where we are going, and I don’t.”
Eli had surprised me, I can’t deny it. What he didn’t know was that I had a surprise in store for him. Tomorrow my surprise would become a reality. Today, his surprise was apparent. Admittedly his surprise was bigger than mine, but I wasn’t coming to the surprise table empty handed. I had been around Eli long enough to keep a surprise or two up my sleeve. It was a little game we played. I was getting better at it, but he was still the master.
We drove past the Thornton houses to a field that was waiting for campers, or motor homes. I had wondered why some of the hook-ups were spaced so far apart. I was about to find out why.
“Here it is, Sergeant, just as Turbo requested.” Eli began. “The white posts on my right indicate a camper hook-up. The yellow posts on my left are for your facilities buildings. Do you need any help?”
“We should be able to handle it.” Sergeant Thomas replied. “If we run into trouble, we’ll ask for your help. Turbo and Lily should be about two hours behind us.”
“Very good. We’ll leave you to your tasks, then.” Eli said.
As we walked back to Eli’s jeep I asked, “Facilities buildings?”
“Yes, toilets, showers, sinks and a place to get a bucket of water. They’ll be putting together panels to create living quarters. Those will be separate from these facilities. Rather than have bathrooms in each cabin, they will have community facilities. It requires less piping and they can use fewer toilets and showers. They figured that bathrooms are unused a lot of the time each day, so why have everyone have a bathroom in their living quarters? If you don’t mind having to go out in the cold or rain to use the toilet, or to take a shower, then it makes sense. I have to admit they have done a lot of careful planning. They knew this day was coming, and when they heard we were creating this gulch, they asked if they could join us.” Eli grinned. “You’re not going to hit me are you?”
“No, so long as you don’t hit me tomorrow.” I smiled an enigmatic smile.
“Tomorrow?”
“You’ll see.” I taunted him.
Throughout the afternoon more folks came. There were shorter gaps between the groups appearing. A higher percentage seemed to have motor homes, too. By the time Eli and I left the front gate duty to get some dinner, all of Stewart’s people had arrived. We saw Stewart meeting with his people on his front porch and waved as we passed.
Pete, Tye and Paul were on the front porch of Eli’s cabin preparing to grill some steaks.
“You’re just in time.” Pete called out as they approached. “Elk steaks.”
“Elk steaks? Damn! Am I in heaven and don’t know it?” Eli loved elk steaks. So did I. “Where is Tony?”
“He’s inside making a tossed salad, with Sammy.” Tye replied.
“Is there any news from the outside world?” Eli asked.
“Nothing much.” Tye responded. “The cops killed three teenage boys in LA for skateboarding on the sidewalk. They apparently didn’t get off the sidewalk fast enough to suit the cops. At least that is what witnesses are reporting. The President is giving a speech tonight, apparently he will try to calm the Stock Market. Hasn’t it dawned on him that every time he tries to calm the Market it drops sharply the next day? Or maybe that’s why he is speaking tonight.”
“That’s my guess.” Pete spoke up.
“How did gold and silver do?” I asked.
“Gold shot up fifty dollars and silver jumped twelve dollars. Incredible, isn’t it?” Paul just shook his head. “The dollar dropped five percent against other currencies. Of course the other currencies are all falling in relation to gold, so the actual drop of the dollar was more than five percent.”
“What about oil?” Eli asked.
“Oil went up eleven dollars. It’s at $160 a barrel. It’s not surprising. The insiders know the dollar is toast, so what difference does it make how much oil costs in dollars? They need to get rid of the dollars and get hard assets.” Paul commented.
“Well, we’ll see what the President has to say.” I said. “Meanwhile, those elk steaks look mighty good.”
We sat down to a meal of elk steaks, string beans fresh out of the garden, and a salad with everything but the onions being fresh out of the garden. (The onions weren’t quite ready to pick.) Sammy had some fresh apple cider, while the rest of us had some beer or ale. As usual, I chose the brown ale. For dessert there was cherry cobbler. All in all it was a very good meal.
We decided to stay outside and listen to the President on the radio, so Sammy brought out a radio and tuned it in for us. It was a typical “times are tough, but we all need to pull together” type speech, with the obligatory “we all must sacrifice” crap. He said nothing they hadn’t heard before.
We heard the noise of a lot of engines coming down the road toward the gate. Eighteen motorcycles led the way, followed by thirty-seven, (Sammy counted them), tractor-trailers and forty-eight campers and motor homes.
“That must be Turbo and Lily.” Eli said. “We’ll let them get their trucks parked then I want to introduce you fellows to Turbo and Lily. They are a pair of committed freedom fighters. They started the Freedom Riders and it has grown big time. You’ll see.”
We gave them a half hour then climbed into two cars and headed out to meet them. Tony, Sammy, Pete and Tye rode in Tony’s old Chrysler and Eli, Paul and I rode in the open jeep. As we approached their camp, I was impressed by the order and discipline of the group. The trucks and campers were being directed into their positions with efficiency. I was stunned when I saw one of the facility buildings was completed.
“I’ll be goddamn, Eli! They have one of the buildings done already!” I had spent twenty-five years as a carpenter but had never seen a building go up that fast.
Eli roared with laughter. “Look! The sign says Open! Are they quick or what?” He pulled his jeep next to a group of parked bikes. “Where is that varmint, Turbo?” He said in a loud gruff voice.
“That voice sounds like an old hippie freak I met once. Hell, he isn’t any bigger than a half a can of sardines.” Turbo answered. They both roared with laughter. Turbo stood six feet ten and must have weighed over three hundred pounds of muscle. He had enormous arms! He also had a long ponytail. “Goddamn Eli, I mean General Eli. It’s damn good to see you. Lily! Come say hello to General Eli!”
“She’s in the restroom.” One of the ladies answered.
“Oh! Well, she’ll be out in a minute.” He looked at Eli a moment. “You really started something here. You know that don’t you?”
“That was my intention; it has been for thirty-five years.” Eli grinned. “With your help, we’ll win this revolution. Let me introduce you to some friends of mine. First is this old man next to me. He’s my partner Cody Larson. Cody, meet Turbo Jackson.”
“Cody Larson? Hell, you’re the one who found the gold and the rubies! I’m pleased to meet you, Cody.” Turbo grabbed my hand and shook it firmly. He didn’t crush it, but it was firm.
“That’s me. I’m fated to be the fellow who found the gold and rubies.” I admitted.
“Correction, Cody. You are the fellow who found the gold and rubies, which financed, at the beginning, the second American Revolution.” Turbo insisted.
“Man, when you found those rubies and gold, you set in motion a long trail of actions which have resulted in what you see today.” Eli insisted. “Turbo and his people would not be here today, except for the fact of knowing we had resources to couple with theirs. The Thorntons happily joined with us because we had resources. Pete, here, might have backed another group. Why? Because we had no resources before your discovery. Who knows if Tony would have showed up to help out if we were flat broke? We are not saying you are some genius, or anything like that. We are saying that you found the resources we needed, whether it be a fluke, or because of Karma, or whatever, it was you who found it. And we are very thankful you did.”
“You both have good karma. I can feel it.” Lily now stood beside Turbo. “My life has been a great search for men and women with good karma. We have found it in the two of you.”
“Lily, meet General Eli and Cody Larson.” Turbo said.
“It is my pleasure, gentlemen. We are very happy to stand with you in this troubled time. Together we will survive. Together we will offer hope to the children.” Lily shook each of our hands, solemnly.
Eli and I introduced our friends to them and they, in turn, introduced a number of their friends. We met people with exotic and strange names, such as; Bone Crusher, Phantom, Pisano, Cat Dancing, Mother Earth, the Growler, and more.
“We choose strange names, even fierce names, to separate us from the flock of sheep.” Turbo explained. “With outsiders, we play the part of fierce, strange people. Within our own band we are kind and loving. Do not let our names or our attire disturb you. We are loyal and caring to our friends. You are our friends. Everyone in your gulch is our friend. We may smoke a little weed, or have a few drinks, but we stay in control. Now that the revolution has begun, we will be always vigilant.”
“As I always say, Eli attracts interesting, curious, and, ultimately, wonderful people.” I said. “You are all welcome. I look forward to working with you.”
“We’ll let you get settled in. You have a lot of work to do.” Eli said. “If you need anything, or any help, let us know.”
“Thank you, General. We will.” Turbo shook our hands once again. “May we all survive what is to come.”
“Amen, bro.” Eli replied.
As we drove back to the cabins, we talked of the newcomers.
“Are all the men Veterans?” I asked.
“I’m not sure if they all are, but most are.” Eli replied. “Some of the women are, too. Lily is. She was a medic in Afghanistan. She was shot down in her helicopter, twice. She may not look it, but she is one tough cookie.”
“I’m curious to see if they brought any goodies with them.” Paul grinned. “I bet they did. They seem like the type that can get their hands on the good stuff.”
“You’re right, Paul. Turbo told me they have lots of “goodies”, as you call them. Stewart will find them interesting and useful.” Eli winked at me.
When I woke up the next morning, I smelled fresh coffee. Mmmm… Someone is up early, I realized, as it was just now turning light. I went out into the kitchen area and poured a cup of the fresh brew. Eli was sitting at the kitchen table, much to my surprise. Tye was already at his radio/communication station.
“What are doing here?” I mumbled. “You never get up this early.”
“That was pre-revolution living, Cody. I am invigorated and committed. So are you, whether you like it or not.” Eli grinned. “I made us some sandwiches for lunch. Drink your coffee and get dressed, we have work to do. Pete and Tony can man the front gate. Stewart wants us to join him on a little sight-seeing jaunt.”
Tony came down the stairs looking for coffee. “I smell coffee.” He said in a sleepy haze.
I gulped down my coffee and went into my room to get dressed. When I emerged, I noticed Eli was pouring coffee into a thermos. Good, I needed more coffee.
“Tony, since you and Pete will be on the gate, if a fellow by the name of Todd Jennings, from Billings, shows up, he’s one of us. When you see what he has, you’ll know what to do with it. It’s my surprise.”
“If you say so, Brother Cody.” Tony acknowledged. “Eli has a surprise, then you have a surprise. I guess it will be Pete’s and my turn next.” He gave me a wink. “You two aren’t the only ones with surprises, you know.”
“It’s getting to be like Alice in Wonderland around here.” I said. “Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser.”
“Grab your sidearm, Cody. I’ve got the coffee and lunches.” Eli said.
I grabbed my holster, and my .45 Ruger, checked to see it was loaded and the safety was on and grabbed two extra clips, putting them in my shirt pocket. I buckled my holster around my waist, grabbed an extra pack of cigarettes and proclaimed myself ready. Eli led the way to his jeep, where Stewart and Dave were waiting.
“I’m sorry to keep you guys waiting.” I apologized. “Where are we going?”
“No problem, Cody. Dave and I got to have an extra cup of coffee.” Stewart replied. “We are going into the high country.”
“Really! What for?” I asked.
“We are looking for a couple of observation posts.” Dave answered.
“Why am I going?” I had no idea why I was included.
“You’ll see.” Eli grinned.
“Damn! You’re at it again!” I exclaimed. “All right, I’m ready. Let’s go.”
We piled into Eli’s jeep, which had four-wheel drive. Eli and I were in the back, Dave was driving, and Stewart was riding shotgun. We headed toward the camping area of the Freedom Riders. Dave brought the jeep to a halt near a cluster of a dozen dirt bikes. Turbo and Bone Crusher were standing next to the bikes.
“Did you ever ride one of those bikes, Cody?” Eli asked.
“A couple of times thirty years ago.” I answered. “I guess if an old man like you is willing, then I am.”
“Good. Turbo will run over the basics for us. It’s been almost that long since I rode one.” Eli admitted.
Turbo explained they were headed into the high country where no four-wheeled vehicle could go. Speed was not important, he emphasized, just that they could get there. He went over the basics for Eli and I and had us try them out on a short run around the camp. He seemed satisfied, so he then told us of our objective. He pointed to a high ridge behind the camp. It was maybe six or seven miles away.
“We want to set up an observation post up on that ridge. Mad Dog, Snake, Foggy and Big Ernie will man it on a constant basis. All of us will wear backpacks with supplies for them, except for Eli and Cody. They are older and inexperienced trail-bike riders. Everyone carry a canteen of water, and something for lunch. When everyone is set, we’ll head out.”
I got a canteen and attached it to my belt. I was wondering how I was going to handle my lunch sack, when Growler handed me a small backpack.
“I know you and the General were taken by surprise.” He said. “I threw in an apple and a couple of energy bars for you.”
“Thanks, Growler.” I meant it, too.
“Don’t mention it. We take good care of our own.” He winked at me.
When everyone was ready. Turbo and Dave led the way. Growler took up a position at the rear of the group, just behind Eli and me. Turbo set an easy pace. It was actually an enjoyable ride, at least for the first few miles. Once we got to the hill country, it might not be so enjoyable. As we rode along, I kept wondering why Eli and I were here. Was it a test of some sort? I couldn’t imagine any other reason.
When we reached the foothills, the going became a little harder, but not much. We were in the forest, now, but there was a trail heading up to the ridge which was better than blazing a new trail. It wasn’t long before the trail grew more difficult, however. I was surprised when Turbo called a halt, all of a sudden.
“Growler, you and Dave lead the way. Stewart, Cody, Eli and I will stay here.” Turbo said. “I’ll let them in on what is happening.”
“Will do.” Growler said and led the men on up the hill.
“My men really are setting up an observation post, in case you are wondering. This little trip we are taking is also a diversion.” Turbo began. “We brought the three of you along to cause a distraction. You see, we are being watched.”
“You spotted them?” Stewart asked. “How many?”
“Tonga spotted them shortly after we arrived. He has a very special set of binoculars, with extreme resolution and magnification. Very advanced and high tech. We won’t talk of how or where he got them. Anyway, he spotted three men, wearing khakis, to the west of us, just below the ridgeline.”
“Civilian type khakis or military?” Stewart asked.
“Military. “ Turbo answered. “I have a team going after the three observers. My guys are some of the best stealth men you can imagine. In the middle of the night they began hiking, circuitously, to where the observers are. We figured a diversion would keep those fellows occupied. Right about now, a second diversion will be in progress. Another group of my Riders will be heading south, six bikes and one of our “specially equipped” Jeeps, which means it has a .50 cal machine gun attached. That should draw their attention for at least a while. Meanwhile, we’ll sit here quietly and wait.”
“Can they take them alive, do you think?” Eli asked.
“If anyone can, my guys can. They were the top squad of the Special Forces before they all got disillusioned and bailed out.” Turbo answered.
“We wait until we get the word from them?” Stewart asked.
“Correct, sir.” Turbo replied. “Who wants coffee? I have plenty in my backpack.”
We had coffee and chatted while we waited. In a very short while, since meeting Turbo, I became very impressed with him. He was intelligent and very skilled in the art of war, we learned.
“What outfit were you in?” Stewart finally asked Turbo.
Turbo smiled a wry smile. “According to the Defense Department, I was never in the Military. You can do a search and not find my name anywhere. You won’t find Growler’s name either. Our Unit was so secret it didn’t exist. We got our orders, verbally, down the chain of command from Army intelligence, though we had enlisted in the Marines. The things we did are Top Secret. They are also the reason why Growler and I came to realize people like Eli were telling the truth.”
“Does this mean Eli isn’t a conspiracy theorist anymore? Tell me it isn’t true!” I laughed so hard my sides ached.
Turbo watched me with a wry smile on his face. “Eli is right, you are a crazy son-of-a-gun. Neither one of you takes yourself too seriously. That’s good.”
“Crazy like a fox, you mean.” Eli said.
“Yes. Cody, you disarm people, because you seem so relaxed and even-tempered. And your humor is self-deprecating, or it is banter with Eli, but if you really listen, which our subconscious does, whether we like it or not, you have a lot to say. It’s subtle, but it is there.” Turbo grinned. “This is going to get interesting.”
“I’ve noticed pretty much the same thing with both of them.” Stewart added. “I know I usually ask Eli for advice, Cody, but he and you talk all the time, and I know he’s giving me your ideas along with his. I’m a theoretical man. I don’t understand some of the personal nuances you two seem to understand. I need both your inputs.”
“I have a question for you, Cody. It’s something that’s been bothering me for quite some time.” Turbo spoke up. “You found the gold and rubies. You and Eli were there together, as I understand it. You say you found five big rubies and twenty-five pounds of gold, but that wouldn’t be nearly enough to have gotten you as far as you have come in this short a time. My question is: Did you go back for, and find, more gold and rubies?”
I looked at Eli. “It’s up to you, man. I know you can trust Stewart and Turbo to keep the secret.” He replied.
“It stays between the four of us, agreed?” Stewart and Turbo nodded their agreement. “All right, then, here is the rest of the story.
“Yes, Eli and I went back; the very next day, in fact. We went to the spot we had found the gold, but after two hours of digging and sifting, we’d only found three little nuggets of gold and no rubies. Mind you, those three nuggets had made the trip worthwhile, as they totaled about an ounce and a half. Anyway, we were taking a little break for coffee and a smoke, when something drew me to a spot about ten to twelve feet from where we were digging. To this day I couldn’t tell you why, but I grabbed a shovel and started digging in that new spot. Eli never said a word, as I recall. After a few shovels full, I paused and looked where I had dug. I was dumbfounded. Eli came and had a look. He stared where I had dug and then looked up at me with a strange look on his face. Damn, Cody! There are diamonds and sapphires of all colors? Man, you just won the lottery!”
“That you had.” Eli interjected. “I’d never seen anything like it. We were picking them up by the handful.”
“Eli isn’t exaggerating. We filled two backpacks and stuffed some in all of our pockets. When we had as much as we could carry, we covered the spot with dirt. We hurried to the car and threw the backpacks in the trunk. Eli drove home, since I was in no shape to drive. My hands were shaking and I felt light-headed and weak in the knees. When we got home, we carried the backpacks inside and I lay down on the couch to rest, feeling as weak as I did. Eli went into his jewelry workroom and began looking at the stones. I immediately fell asleep. Some hours later, Eli woke me up with a gentle tap on the shoulder. I sat up and the stones from my various pockets were suddenly everywhere. I looked at them with astonishment, for I didn’t remember having found them. My memory of our digging the stones and placing them in the backpacks and in our pockets was gone.
“Eli told me what I had done; what we had done, but it meant nothing to me, for I had no recall of the event. I still have no memory of it. I rely on what Eli has told me of it.”
I looked at Eli, who continued the story. “The diamonds and sapphires we had collected were worth millions of dollars, perhaps as much as ten or twelve million dollars, or so I thought at the time. I later learned I had underestimated the value by quite a bit. We were truly rich, but having a fortune in rough, uncut stones is not the same as having ten million dollars in gold bullion. We now faced the problem of quietly selling the stones, for we didn’t want any questions asked about their origin. We hadn’t stolen them, but technically the State had a right to them, since they were found on State land and we had no mining permit. I immediately began to think of whom we might quietly sell the stones to, but a sudden flash of rare genius came into my muddled head. What we lacked, in order to sell the stones on the open market, was a mine of our own that we could say they came from. I told Cody my plan and he agreed it was feasible. We would buy a suitable piece of property, with mining rights included, and pretend to start mining for silver or gold, but, as our plans was, lo and behold, we would find diamonds and sapphires instead.”
“Like I said, you guys are crazy like foxes.” Stewart said.
“It gets even more convoluted.” Eli grinned. “Since we had no silver or gold mining experience, we brought Pete and Paul Strand into our confidence. We knew they were with us and could be trusted. They threw in with us and we bought this land, about three hundred acres, surrounding our present cabins. On the other side of the hill behind our cabins we started what appeared, to all intents and purposes, to be a gold and/or silver mine. This was not quite five years ago. Pete’s silver mine had played out, so we brought all his equipment over here and went through the motions of silver mining. Pete dug the usual test pits and sent samples to a lab for testing. We were all a little surprised when the test results came back. It seems there was, indeed, silver at our new mine; a lot of it, in fact.”
“We sat down, the four of us, to consider what we might do.” I continued the story. “The plan had been to create a phony mine we could use to turn the sapphires and diamonds into cash, silver or gold. Well, we now had a rich silver mine, quite by accident. Judging by the test results, the silver mine could be as rich as the diamond and sapphire find. What to do? That became the overriding question. It was something Eli said which made us totally refocus our thinking. He happened to say as we were judging the values of the two prospective directions we could head in, With the money we could get out of these two finds, we could buy the whole damn valley. Bingo! He had said the magic words. Why, we asked ourselves, couldn’t we buy the whole damn valley? The valley would become our gulch. With that goal in mind we made our plans.
“One of our primary objectives in our goal of buying the whole valley was to stay under the radar. We didn’t want anyone to know we had the kind of money we had. It therefore became apparent we needed to involve more people, which would also bolster the idea of a gulch. Another thing we needed was the cash to start buying the properties. We had wealth, but a limited amount of cash money.”
“You were right, this is getting convoluted.” Turbo remarked.
“We’ve only just begun, Turbo.” I said.
“Oh, oh.” Stewart rolled his eyes. “This is getting to be like a conspiracy novel.”
“Precisely, Stewart.” Eli grinned. “Go ahead, Cody.”
“It was at this point we brought in Tony, the Thorntons and a fellow you haven’t met yet, Buck Williams. We knew we wanted all of them in our gulch. Eli knew Tom Thornton. He’d known him for twenty years, or more. He convinced Tom to uproot his whole family and buy property in the valley. Paul was the fellow who brought Buck Williams into the fold. Buck wasn’t rich, but he was comfortable. Buck bought the ranch on the other side of the valley from us and hired some men to run it for him. Those men were selected very carefully by him to be part of our gulch. I brought Tony into our gulch. Tony and his sister each bought properties in the valley at my encouragement. They saw the vision and eagerly joined in. They didn’t move here immediately. Michael and Gwen looked after Charlene’s house, down in the village. Tony bought a vacant building in the center of the village that became a Coin Shop, which Tye ran. Tony supplied most of the junk silver and numismatic coins for the shop. Paul supplied the new silver and gold rounds. Paul minted the gold coins from the gold we found, while Pete and I worked the silver mine, slowly, to supply Paul with silver for rounds.
“While we were setting this all up, Eli was steadily selling the sapphires through a gemstone dealer he knew from his days as a jewelry maker. To stay under the radar, he sold them slowly but steadily. The diamonds would have to wait, we decided.
“Tony, Charlene and the Thorntons advanced us money for our people to steadily buy up properties in the valley in anticipation of being repaid from the silver mine and from the sapphire sales. They had ready cash. We didn’t. Without them we could never have done what we did as fast as we did it. Let me say at this point that not all the money they fronted us was in the form of loans. Part of that money, quite a substantial amount, was in the form of gifts to the cause.
“From this beginning we advanced rapidly. We bought all but a few properties in the valley. Those still remaining, that were not bought, were the few people we asked to join us. We brought more and more people into our group, as we were able. We began to seriously build our gulch. We built cabins and storage buildings and began stocking up on supplies of all kinds. Today, Eli and I are sitting in the forest, in our gulch, waiting for Turbo’s men to finish their patrol, while more and more of our friends are arriving every hour.”
“”It’s quite a story.” Turbo remarked. “I have one question for you. Eli, you said you underestimated the value of the sapphires and diamonds. How much do you now think they were worth?”
“Well over forty million dollars.” Eli replied.
“And the silver mine?” Stewart asked.
“We’ve taken out over thirty million dollars in silver, thus far, and there is still a lot left.” I replied. “Pete did some more testing and found the hill behind the first hill is rich in silver and also has some gold in it.”
“There is more coffee, Cody. Help yourself.” Eli said as he handed me a thermos.
“What time is it?” I asked. I didn’t have my watch with me.
“Ten-thirty.” Stewart replied. “I imagine we still have a wait ahead of us.”
We drank coffee and chatted for a while longer, and then Turbo took out his binoculars and scanned the valley floor.
“The boys are making good headway on the washroom buildings. It looks like two more are done.” Turbo remarked. He scanned some more. “Holy shit! What are all those trucks coming? One…. two… three… four…. five…. six tanker trucks and one…. two…. three…. four propane trucks. Those aren’t my guys. And look at all the lumber trucks. Damn! That is a lot of supplies.” He continued to watch the vehicles coming into sight.
“That’s Todd Jennings, from over in Billings. He said they would be here just before noon.” I told them. “There should be a couple of hundred of them.”
“Who the Hell is Todd Jennings?” Eli asked.
“He’s a cousin of Tye’s Mother. He owns an oil, gas and propane distribution business in Billings. Those are his trucks, or some of them, at least.” I answered. “There should be a few ranchers, too.”
“Here come some more tankers and propane trucks.” Turbo called out. “Goddamn! That is one hell of a lot of fuel!”
“Propane, gasoline, and diesel is what Todd promised to bring. He kept his word.” I said. “Have you seen any cattle trucks, yet?”
“Not yet, but there is a whole string of motor homes.” Turbo replied. “They just keep coming!”
“Todd’s youngest boy owns a motor home and camper sales business.” I grinned.
“Fuel, motor homes and cattle. Damn, Cody, that’s quite a package!” Eli exclaimed.
“With the Freedom Riders and Stewart’s crew, it makes quite a grouping, doesn’t it?” I smiled. “Todd said his sons, and his rancher friends, were bringing some “goodies” with them, too. He didn’t say what they were.”
“More goodies?” Turbo started to laugh. “With what we brought, and what Stewart mentioned his boys had, we’ll have a lot of firepower.”
“Better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it.” Stewart remarked.
Turbo continued to watch the procession while Eli and Stewart chatted. I pulled out one of the energy bars Growler had given me out of my pack and munched on it. I was hungry. I wondered how Tony was doing handling the newcomers. He was definitely a good man, I knew. He may be cursing me, but he’ll handle it.
Another hour passed before we heard the squawk of Turbo’s radio.
“This is Alpha One. All secure. We are on our way back. Over.”
“Alpha One, this is Diogenes. Positive or negative? Over.” Turbo asked.
“Partial positive, Diogenes. Over.”
“Very good, Alpha. We’ll see you at base camp. Over.”
“Roger.”
“They have at least one alive.” Turbo told us. “We’ll see what we can get out of him.”
“Alpha Two, here. We copy. We are on our way. Over.” Growler’s voice said.
“Roger that, Alpha Two. Over.” Turbo turned back to us. “We can head home now.”
When we reached the Freedom Riders’ camp, Turbo told us we might as well head back to our cabins. “We’ll bring the prisoner up to your place for interrogation.”
I wondered what kind of interrogation Turbo had planned. I decided to put the thought out of my head for now. Eli indicated for me to drive and he, Stewart and I went back to the cabins, where we found Todd Jennings sitting on my front porch with Tootie, which is what everyone called Tye’s Mother.
“Welcome to the funny farm, Todd.” I said as we shook hands. I introduced him to Eli and Stewart, and Tootie to Stewart. “I see you brought a huge amount of fuel. Thank you.”
“I’m glad to pitch in, Cody. Beside, I didn’t want the Government to steal it from me.” Todd replied. “You have quite a place here. Tootie was just telling me about your Freedom Riders. I always did like bikers. Straight shooters, they are. Except for the Hell’s Angels and a few other groups, I always found them to be good fellows. It’s good to have them here.”
“What else have you brought, Todd? Cody says you brought some goodies.” Stewart said.
“Oh nothing much, just a couple of cases of hand grenades, an anti-tank weapon and two Stinger missile launchers. Oh, yes, I almost forgot, ten cases of dynamite and a little C4.” Todd replied. “We brought a couple of dozen cowboys with us who have seen service in the Army Special Forces, too.”
“Green berets? Great! We’ll set them up as their own unit.” Stewart said.
“We brought forty head of cattle, too. We have to eat, after all.” Todd said.
“Where did Tony set you up?” I asked.
“We are on the other side of the road.” Todd replied. “The boys are getting everything set up now. Tomorrow we’ll start building a shower house and a big mess hall.”
“Give us a holler if you need any help.” Eli told him. “I’m sure we can find you some good men.”
“I thank you, Eli, but we can manage, I’m sure. In another day we’ll have lots to worry about.” He said.
“Are you prepared for an EMP blast?” Stewart asked.
“Oh, yes. Some of my guys are electronics whizzes. I don’t pretend to understand it, but they do.” Todd smiled. “Well, I have work to do, and so do you, so I’ll be heading off. It was nice to meet you all.”
“The same here, Todd.” Eli replied. “And welcome.”
Eli, Stewart and I decided to eat our bagged lunch, as it was just a little before noon. As we did so, Paul and Tye came out to see us.
“I’m having difficulty believing it, but silver shot up to $158 dollars, and gold went up to $2499. This was in five hours! Can you believe it?” Paul shook his head in disbelief.
“I can.” I said. “And I bet the President is going to make an important speech tonight, too.” All eyes turned to look at me. All except Eli, that is. He just smiled and began feeding the cats gathered around him some of his lunch. “This has been in the works for a while. It’s all planned. The Chinese were suckered, just the way the Japanese and the Arab oil countries were suckered.”
“What do you mean?” Tye asked. “How were they suckered?”
“With the Japanese it was easy, after all with our troops on their soil, they are pretty much under our thumb. We opened out markets to them, even though their yen was grossly undervalued, which gave them a wide open Market for their goods. In a little more than two decades they became an economic juggernaut. Everyone was talking about the Japanese miracle. Little was said at the time about the Japanese buying up US Treasury Notes, however. Doesn’t it seem strange to you that they became the biggest holder of US debt? I think a deal was made with them, or maybe even forced on them. Tit for tat; we buy your goods and you buy our debt. Simple. Of course the Government had no thought of repaying that debt with full value. No, inflation would drastically reduce the value of the money used to repay the maturing bonds and notes.
“The same was done to the Arab oil countries. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the Arab Emirates were all suckered. How did we get them to accept it? We simply told them to accept our deal or they would be overthrown. Accept our deal, we said, and we will keep you in power. Remember the Arab oil embargo? It was engineered, some say, by Henry Kissinger. We do know they plowed a lot of their petrodollars into US debt instruments.
“China posed a slightly different problem. We had no direct hold on them; at least that I am aware of. Military threats might have been used. We don’t know, because all negotiations with them have been in private; at least at the highest levels. Personally, I think it was an enticement to join the New World Order as the equal of the US, the UK, and the Vatican. Regardless of how they were enticed, they were enticed. Perhaps they hoped to outsmart us in the end. My bets are on this scenario. The Chinese aren’t dumb. They are wise and very patient. In any regards, they now are the biggest holder of our debt. It is now time, according to the three power centers; the Vatican, the City of London, and Washington DC, to pull the rug out from under them by drastically devaluing the dollar.
“Paul, let me ask you; what is the ratio of gold to silver right now?”
“I’ll save you the trouble of figuring it out, Paul. It is 16 to 1, just as Cody predicted it would be.” Eli said.
“How did you know, Cody?” Stewart asked.
“I connected some dots, with Eli’s help.” I answered. “Now here is some more dot connecting. The average skilled blue-collar worker today makes roughly twenty dollars an hour, meaning he makes $160 dollars a day. Do you see anything interesting about that fact?”
“That’s the price of silver!” Tye exclaimed. “Or at least it’s very close.”
“Bingo.” Eli said.
“When the Federal Reserve System started in 1913, the average wage of a skilled worker was a dollar a day, which is now equivalent to what it is today. In other words, the dollar today, the paper Federal Reserve Note we call the dollar, is worth 1/160 of the dollar in 1913. Gold is also now in the same ratio as in 1913.” I paused to let it sink in. “Don’t you think it is rather remarkable this should happen?”
“Your saying this was all manipulated?” Paul asked.
“That is precisely what I am saying.” I answered. “Now, do you remember Donald Rumsfeld announcing on the day before 9-11 that over 3 trillion dollars from the Defense Department budget was unaccounted for?”
“I do remember that.” Tye remarked. “I remember the number was incredible.”
“How much debt do you think China, Japan and the Arab oil countries hold of our debt?” I waited for the light to dawn.
“Holy shit! Just about that amount!” Stewart explained. “But …..”
“Hold there a moment, Stewart.” I requested. “There is more. Now, we all know that the gold and silver markets have been manipulated, right?” Everyone nodded their agreement. “If you had over 3 trillion dollars, and you had the Federal Reserve, the Vatican Bank, the City of London, Wall Street, The World Bank, the IMF and the Bank of International Settlements to assist you, do you think you might make some hefty profits in the precious metals markets?”
“Hell, even an idiot could make big profits with that kind of help.” Paul agreed.
“Like possibly doubling your money each year?” Eli asked him.
“Doubling, sure, or even tripling.” Paul figured.
“Now let me take you back to the end of World War II. In the Philippines, there was discovered by the US Army intelligence, what has been called Yamashita’s Gold, or, alternately, the Golden Lily Treasure. It was a huge stash of gold, jewelry and gems, said to be the Japanese Treasury’s horde of treasures seized and gathered together from their plundering of conquered territories, particularly China. The gold is said to have amounted to 280,000 metric tones; a huge stash of gold. It was found by Army intelligence, but where did it go? It did not wind up in the US Treasury, that we do know, nor was it returned to Japan, so where did it go? There is strong evidence it was kept under the control of high-level US intelligence operatives and eventually came under the control of the CIA, once it was established. It was never officially acknowledged to be in US possession. It was combined with the gold seized from Hitler’s Third Reich, (and never returned), in what had been called the Black Eagle Trust Fund. There are reports that part of this gold wound up in vaults in the City of London.
“Consider, if you will, what an immense fortune is in the hands of the City of London and the CIA. 280 thousand metric tones of gold, my friends, are under their control, to be used for any purpose they desire. It staggers the mind, just thinking of it. Could Gold and Silver Markets be manipulated with such enormous wealth? You’re damn right they could be. Could a nation such as Communist China be manipulated with such enormous wealth? Again, most definitely.”
“I might point out that not only Governments and Nations can be manipulated with wealth of this scale, but hordes of greedy individuals could very easily be manipulated.” Eli interjected. “Corporations, political parties, large and small banks, non-profit organizations, all could be directly influenced.”
“This is remarkable, Cody. You have, at least thus far, put together a compelling narrative.” Stewart commented. “I have a number of questions, but I’ll withhold them until you are done.”
“Please do.” I replied. “Now, it is very important to keep in mind one idea: The goal of a One World Empire has existed for over four thousand years. It is the one constant through all of recorded history. There were the Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, Genghis Khan, the Ming Dynasty, the Romans, the Holy Roman Empire, Napoleon, the British Empire, the Third Reich, and now Pax Americana, all seeking world dominance.
“Given this dream of world control, who are the big players now? The CIA, which controls Washington DC; the City of London, which is controlled by the Rothschild Empire; China; and the Vatican. We know the Rothschilds control the UK, through the City of London, and they also control Germany, France and Austria through their Central Banks, and they also run the Vatican Bank. They think they control Washington through the Federal Reserve, but I have a belief the CIA actually has the upper hand, mainly because of their covert activities, but also because of their close working relationship with the Mafia and their combined drug-dealing networks. Strangely enough, it was the fellow who found the Yamashita Gold who first brought the Mafia into direct ties with the CIA. Up until recently, the Federal Reserve and the Rothschild financial empire worked in tandem with each other. It was a mutually beneficial relationship.
“China is the loose cannon. It is, in reality, not controlled by any outside force, though some may think they control them. The question becomes, who controls the Vatican? The Rothschilds control the Vatican Bank, but who is really in control? I postulate it is the Jesuits. Why? Quite simply, the Jesuits are the Knights Templar in disguise. They are the Illuminati. One only needs to know that Loyolla, the founder of the Jesuits was heavily involved, if not the leader, of the Spanish Alumbrados, the Spanish Illuminati, and that Adam Weishaupt, who founded the Illuminati branch in Bavaria was a “former” Jesuit. The Illuminati control the Masons and many other secret societies. They also founded and control the Mafia. There are lots of twists and turns in this power game, you will find. Who controls who, or what? Follow not only the money, but the power, for it is all about power; money being the means to power.”
“Damn, this is getting complicated.” Tye decided.
“Yes, it is, Tye, but I’ll hope to sort it out for you.” I winked at him. “The Rothschilds have been known throughout history to back both sides in any war. I postulate it is their job to do so, and that the orders to do so come from the Jesuits. Where does this leave us, in regards to the power struggle for domination of the world? We have the CIA, which is in league with Wall Street, the City of London and the Mafia, and together they have enormous wealth and power. But Wall Street is actually controlled by the City of London and the Rothschilds. The Rothschilds are really controlled by the Jesuits, who also control the Mafia. The Masons have historically dominated the CIA leadership. This means that the Jesuits actually control the CIA. The only party left not controlled by the Jesuits is China. All the machinations of the last fifty years have been about gaining control of China. It was spelled out in Brezinski’s book, The Grand Chess Game. The recent realignment of powers we learned about yesterday is a big ploy. When the game is played out, China will be left standing alone. This realignment is a deception geared to entice China into action, once the President makes his announcement tonight. What will he announce? I think he will announce the phasing out of the fiat currency, the Federal Reserve notes and the reinstitution of the dual silver and gold standard.”
“What will that accomplish from the power perspective?” Paul asked.
“First let me explain how I think the phase out will occur. I believe the President will announce that all US dollars, meaning Federal Reserve Notes, will be bought back by the US Treasury, at the rate equivalent to the closing price of today’s precious metals markets. This will take time, but he will put a time limit for the exchange, after which they will no longer be redeemable. Keep in mind he will not include US Treasury Notes or bonds in the exchange program. It will be limited to dollars only. By doing it this way Bonds and Treasury Notes become almost instantly worthless if the maturity dates go past the exchange cutoff date. Bonds and notes are not cash. They are promises to pay in cash at some specified date. The bonds and notes will be paid for in US dollars, which will have absolutely no value once the exchange cutoff date has been passed. Any bonds or notes with long maturity dates held by China will be worthless.”
“And this will cause China to launch an EMP attack?” Tye asked.
“No. I don’t think China will be the one to launch the EMP attack. They are smarter than that. There will be an EMP attack, but it will be a false flag attack that will be blamed on China.” I replied.
“What will China do?” Stewart asked.
“They will deny it, then hunker down. They won’t be goaded into starting a war with us.” I replied.
“What next, then?” Tye asked.
“It’s my guess either H.A.A.R.P. or a biological attack will come into play; perhaps both. The Three Gorges Dam sure would be a tempting spot to have a massive earthquake. Then again, a pandemic would suit the purpose.”
“Goddamn! You could be right, Cody!” Stewart exclaimed. “It all fits.”
“We’ll see if my predictions are close, starting with the President’s speech tonight.” I said.
“Here comes Turbo with his prisoner.” Tye pointed to Turbo and Mad Dog approaching. Two other men were with the group.
“Let me handle this, Cody.” Eli requested.
“He’s all yours.” I replied.
“Tye and I will get back to work.” Paul told him.
I watched them approach and immediately thought of the prisoner as a nerd. He had the look. The only thing missing was the pocket protector.
“His I.D. says his name is Dennis McClellan.” Mad Dog said by way of introduction.
“Have a seat Dennis.” Eli pointed to the empty seat between us. “Would you like some coffee, or maybe some fruit juice?”
“No.” Dennis answered curtly. Mad Dog gave him a push toward the chair Eli had indicated.
“Here are the personal belongings of his dead friends.” Turbo handed Eli a plastic bag. “This has Dennis’ personal belongings.” He handed it to me. “Cheetah has a notebook they were using. Give it to Eli, Cheetah.”
“Sure thing.” Cheetah handed the notebook, a wire-bound affair you can buy anywhere.
I spread the contents of Dennis’ bag out on the table beside Eli’s left arm. I said nothing. I was letting Eli handle everything. He studied the notebook for a few minutes, not saying a word to anyone.
“Cod, you and I are famous.” He finally said as he closed the notebook and placed it on the table. “Our initials appear all over that notebook. GE and CL. I wonder who would be interested in knowing what we do every day?” He turned to look at Dennis personal items. “McClellan, that’s a good Irish name. Did you go to Notre Dame?” He asked off-handedly.
“Loyolla of Chicago.” Dennis replied in his curt manner.
Stewart gave me a wink Dennis couldn’t see.
“Were you a Poli-Sci Major?” Eli asked.
“No. Psychology.” Dennis spit out.
“You’re left-handed and have a girlfriend whom you met at Loyolla, and this is your first assignment, right?” Eli asked.
Dennis started to say something but changed his mind. He stared at Eli for a moment. “What are you going to do to me?” He asked in a quiet voice.
“Us? Nothing. I have all the information I need from you. It is in your notebook and the fact that you have two dead partners. I know that you went to Loyolla. I know who you are, who sent you, why, and what information you gave them. I’m just wondering if you realize what is in store for you if we let you go, and you go back to them. You got caught, Dennis. You failed them. The Jesuits don’t take kindly to failure.”
Dennis thought about what Eli said. “They’ll kill me, won’t they?”
Eli nodded his head yes. “I believe they will, Dennis.” Eli played with his beard, deep in thought. “Dennis, I’m just an old hippie from Tennessee. I’m a poet who likes cats. Have you come to realize how vicious they are?”
“Yes, I believe I have. I know I can’t go back to them.” He stared at his hands a minute. “They lied to me. They deceived me into thinking you were an evil person; you and Cody both. I don’t know what to think or believe, any more.”
“How about if you believe in yourself, Dennis?” Eli said softly. Dennis looked up at him. “The answer is not out there. It is in you. It is in your hopes and dreams. It is in the things you love. I don’t go to church, Dennis. I don’t believe in any religion. Yet, I know God. He is within me. I am not God, but He shines inside me. He doesn’t command me to do anything; He shows me a path and let’s me follow it, not because it is a path to some Heaven, but because it is the right path.”
“I wish I had met you a long time ago.” Dennis confessed.
“I’ll tell you what Dennis. I’ll let you stay here, if you’d like.” Eli said. “If you are willing to do some honest work, and help the rest of the folks here get settled in and prepared for what is coming, we’ll give you a place to sleep and food to eat. You will get a small salary, like all of us get, in addition to your room and board.”
“You’d do that for me? Why?”
“Because you are a human being, Dennis. You are an individual. Sure, you lost your way, but I think you have learned something valuable in your travels, and now you have found your path. Are you ready to follow your path?”
Dennis looked at all of us in turn. He was greeted with smiles, even from Growler. “Yes, General Eli. I’ll do any kind of work you have for me. I’ll work hard. What do you want me to do?”
“Do you know anything about radios?” Eli asked.
“Some, but I can learn.” Dennis eagerly replied.
“I’ll get Tye.” I told Eli. I went in and found him, telling him he had a new assistant.
“Who?” Tye asked.
“The prisoner. Reverend Eli converted him. He works with us now.” I grinned.
“Damn! What else?” Tye started to laugh.
“Come meet your new assistant.”
Tye took Dennis under his wing and Dennis proved to be an eager student. When Tony learned Dennis’ story, he suggested Dennis could sleep up in the loft with him and Sammy. Eli had done something truly amazing. He had turned an enemy into a friend. I caught myself smiling when I looked at him.
“Cody, if you don’t quit smiling like that I’ll have to kick your ass.” He said.
“Sorry, Reverend. I can’t help myself.” I chuckled.
“And if you call me Reverend one more time, I’ll shoot your ass.”
“And old hippie from Tennessee? I dare ya!” I teased.
He took his hat off and swatted me on the arm. “Haven’t you got something to do? I’ll tell you what, Midas Man, go count your silver.”
“General Eli, here come more Freedom Riders!” Sammy said, rushing up to the porch.
We looked out to the road, and sure enough it was the rest of Turbo’s men. “Good man, Sammy. Thanks.” Eli saluted Sammy, who returned his salute.
We watched a double line of Harleys approach the gate, easily totaling one hundred bikes. They stopped briefly at the gate, where Pete and Michael directed them where to go. As they slowly passed our cabins, Eli stood at attention and saluted them. I copied him in salute to our new friends. It was quite moving to have each of them return his salute. Behind the bikes was a huge line of campers and motor homes, and behind them was a line of tractor-trailers that seemed endless. I marveled at what it took for these men to put this all together. Such commitment, such dedication, was rare in America these days. I was proud to salute them all, though my arm ached from the effort. They deserved it. I knew these men were ready to put their life on the line for our cause. Freedom, a simple, magical word, born of blood, maintained, if necessary, by blood and sacrifice, was what they stood for. They would settle for nothing less. Neither would Eli and I.
I noticed Dennis had stepped out to have a look. He saluted the men, also, though he could not stay for the whole procession. I smiled a little smile, watching him out of the corner of my eye.
“All right Midas Man, let’s get some coffee and get to work.” Eli said. I noticed his eyes were moist from what we had witnessed.
“Yes sir, General.”
After a nice dinner of grilled steaks, baked potatoes and green beans fresh from the garden, with cherry cobbler for dessert, we settled in front of the television for the President’s speech. Eli fell asleep shortly after we turned on the television. It had been a day of exertion and excitement. Eli was now sixty-seven years old, I knew. He deserved the chance to sleep. When the speech was finished and the talking heads came on, Tony switched off the set.
“It is just as you predicted, Cody.” Stewart said.
I indicated for everyone to be quiet and go out on the porch. They understood and we all found a place to sit outside, leaving Eli to sleep.
“Before we say anything more about the speech, I’d like to say something. Stewart just said, inside, it was as I predicted it. I’ll tell you right now it was mostly Eli who figured this all out. I just connected a few dots he was missing. The research, the connections, nearly everything was his work. He likes to think he is just an old hippie poet from Tennessee, but he is much more than that, as we saw this afternoon with Dennis. He won’t like it for me to tell you this. He is far too modest. As you all know, he is a real gentleman, a loyal friend and a fierce fighter for liberty. I just wanted to straighten the record out. It is not my predictions. I will accept our predictions, because Eli won’t take any more credit than that.”
“Point taken, Cody.” Tony spoke up. “So now we wait for the EMP?”
“That’s pretty much it.” I replied. “We continue getting folks settled in, stay watchful, and prepare ourselves as best we can.”
“Dennis and I will dig out the flashlights and lanterns.” Tye offered.
“Tony, why don’t you and I get the generators fueled up and ready to go?” Pete suggested.
“Dave and I are meeting with Turbo and Growler tonight.” Stewart mentioned. “Turbo is an interesting man. He’s very sharp. It’s good to have him here.”
“Todd Jennings men are a good complement to your guys.” I said.
“That’s right. We’ll have a sizable and powerful force. We’ll be a force to reckon with.” Stewart stood up to go. “I like how you spoke up for Eli, Cody. You and I know how smart he is. Everyone should know.”
“Precisely.” I replied. I watched Stewart walk back to his cabin, and then I walked in to my own. Eli was still sleeping, so I picked up Dennis’ notebook to read. I fell asleep soon after. I awoke in the middle of the night to find Eli watching me.
“I made fresh coffee. Go get yourself some. We need to talk.” He said.
I got some coffee and sat down beside my friend. “What is bothering you?”
“We have always worried whether we would miss anything. Well, I think we have.” He picked up Dennis’ notebook. “While you were sleeping, I grabbed this off the floor. You must have been reading it. Anyway, I started reading it. I found Dennis to be a careful and thorough young man. It seems you and I were the definite objects of their curiosity. Most of the entries concern us. Does that seem strange to you? Why just us?”
“Well, we are the “leaders” of our group of people.” I replied.
“That’s just it, Cody. They think we are the leaders. Yet, we don’t really function as leaders, not in the usual sense of leaders. Everyone calls me General, true, and you are my partner, so I can see they might think you are the so-called “second in command”, but we aren’t the leaders, except in one very important aspect. We are the ones who give the inspirational support, or guidance, if you want to put it in those terms. Because of this, they think we are the “leaders”.”
“Is that a problem? Maybe I’m not fully awake, but I don’t see where you are headed.” I confessed.
“Miscalculation, Cody. They are miscalculating our importance to the gulch. It puts you and me in greater danger, for one thing, but it also means they have no real idea what this gulch is about. This could help us or it could hurt us. Know your enemy. Isn’t that a maxim of warfare? Well, they don’t, apparently, know us. They consider you and me to be the key to what is going on here. It is most likely, when the time comes, they will try and take us out. They think by decapitating the “leadership” they will solve the problem. Our knowing their thinking can be useful.”
I thought about what he had said for a while before saying anything more.
“Keeping the two of us alive will drive them crazy.” I said. “Our first effort should be to thwart their efforts to kill us. Do you agree?”
“I agree.” Eli grinned. “Cat and mouse.”
“The question we have to answer is, how will they try and take us out? Will they waste a drone on us? Will they bomb our cabins? Or will they send a commando team?” I said.
“There is another possibility.” Eli said. He picked up Dennis’ book. “Check out the notation I circled on the left page.” He handed me the notebook.
I read the notation. M is in place. “M is in place. Does this mean we have an infiltrator? Dennis obviously knows who it is. We could take him out.”
“Her, Cody. M is a her.” Eli looked at me. “I woke Dennis up and asked him who M was. M is what we would call a Manchurian candidate. She is programmed to kill us when the order is given. She probably is totally unaware of anything. M is Gwen.”
I stared at Eli for a long moment. I was stunned. Gwen was such a sweetie, it was difficult to believe she could assassinate us.
“Hypnosis?” I asked in a whisper.
“Either that or a chip in her brain. I vaguely remember her going into the hospital a couple of years ago. It must have been done then.” Eli stared at his hands a minute. “These are vile, evil people we are up against, Cody. They will stop at nothing.”
We sat in silence for a while, not wanting to face what had to be done.
“First thing in the morning I’ll ask Tony to bring Michael up here. He needs to know.” Eli said. “Damn, Cody! How do you tell a man his sweet, loving wife is programmed to be an assassin? And she has no idea she’s been programmed!”
A thought came into my head. “What if she knew she was being hypnotized? I mean, perhaps she knew she was being hypnotized, but thought it was for a totally different purpose? Would it help us at all to know if she was hypnotized or if a chip was placed in her brain?” I asked.
“I wonder if a person can be de-hypnotized through hypnosis.” Eli said. “Lily is into that sort of thing. I’ll give her a call and ask her to come over here.”
Eli got on the “house” phone and called the Freedom Riders. He asked the person who answered to have Lily and Turbo come up to my cabin. I looked at the clock. It said it was 3:30 AM. It would most likely be four o’clock before they arrived. I grabbed another coffee and decided to fix Eli and me some toast. I needed something to keep me occupied.
“Do you want blackberry preserves on your toast, Eli?” I asked.
“Sure, man. You know I like blackberries.” Eli tried to smile.
We ate our toast and drank our coffee in silence. Though it was less than a half hour for us to wait, it seemed an eternity.
“What’s up?” Turbo asked as I let the two of them in the door.
“We have a Manchurian Candidate in our midst.” Eli quickly told them. “It’s a woman, Gwen Sheldon.”
“Do we know if she was hypnotized?” Lily asked.
“Not yet. We know she spent some time in the hospital a couple of years ago. We’ll question her and her husband in the morning. What we are interested in finding out is, can a person be de-hypnotized? By that, I mean can the hypnotic spell be removed?”
“Not directly, at least as far as I’m aware.” Lily responded. “I have heard of some instances where the intent was misdirected.”
“Misdirected?” Eli asked.
“Yes, if you know the act the subject was requested to complete, it is possible to alter the act, or task. Let me give you an example. Say the subject had been programmed to deliver a package to a certain address. It is possible to alter the address, or maybe to change the pickup spot for the package. I have never heard of completely canceling a task, however.” Lily said.
Eli looked at me. I could tell his mind was working furiously. “We know the task, Lily, or rather the targets. We are the targets, Cody and me.”
“Ouch.” Turbo winced.
“We can eliminate the possibility of a brain chip, once the EMP occurs. The EMP will destroy the chip. It might also kill Gwen. There is no telling for sure. Or, it might damage her brain.” Lily mentioned. “There is also a chance it will not harm her. We won’t know until the EMP happens.”
“What do you suggest we do? If it is a case of hypnosis, can you help us?” Eli asked.
“The first thing we need to do is find out if there is a possibility she was hypnotized.” Lily said. “Some people who face surgery have started using hypnosis, rather than anesthesia. Maybe she was one of these. An evil doctor, or hypnotist, could have planted the suggestion under deep hypnosis. If we could learn about her hospitalization, it would help.”
“Can you help her?” I asked.
“I can’t. I’m not knowledgeable enough in hypnosis, but Cassandra can, most likely. She’s one of our people. I’ll get her to come down here. I’m sure she will be willing to help.” Lily went to use the “house phone”.
“Until this is settled, one of my men, maybe two, will stick to you fellows like glue.” Turbo said. “I’ll take the first watch. When Lily is done with the phone, I’ll arrange for two men to stand guard outside.” Eli started to protest. “Look you old hippie, no one is going to get the chance to kill either one of you. Not on my watch, buddy. End of story.”
Eli decided to shut up, which surprised me. I gave a wink to Turbo.
“When Cassandra gets here, tell her everything you can about Gwen and how you found out she is a Manchurian Candidate, then she and I will go visit her. We will do our best, but we can promise nothing. Turbo and his men will protect you in the meantime.” She paused a minute before continuing. “This is a very serious matter. You both need to understand just how serious it is. Gwen could pump a whole clip of bullets into you without a moment’s hesitation. Regardless of how she is in her normal life, when she is activated, she will be a cold-blooded killer. Afterward, she will have no memory of what she has done. Do you understand?” We nodded, yes. “I want you to promise me to do as Turbo says. Your lives are in peril.”
“We’ll do as you ask, Lily. I, for one, won’t like it, but I’ll behave myself.” Eli agreed.
“I will too, Lily. And thank you. Thank you both.” I replied.
When Cassandra arrived, we told her everything we could think of about Gwen and Michael. She listened attentively, interrupting occasionally to clarify a point. Satisfied, she noted the time was now 6:30 AM. She and Lily went to find Gwen. I didn’t envy them their task.
Growler, Mad Dog and Cheetah arrived shortly after the ladies departed. Mad Dog and Cheetah patrolled outside, while Growler came inside carrying Turbo’s rifle as well as his own. Each man had a sidearm and a rifle. Turbo saw that Eli thought it was a bit much. Turbo ignored him.
We settled in to wait for Lily and Cassandra to return. I got coffee for Turbo and Growler, while Eli poured two cups for the men outside. Turbo wouldn’t let Eli go outside, so he took the cups out to the men. One by one, in short order, Tony, Tye and Dennis woke up and came for coffee. We had just begun telling them what was going on, when Turbo’s radio squawked, “Red alert! Red alert! Choppers coming in from the east. Ten choppers headed our way.”
“Everyone outside and into the foxholes, now!” Turbo hollered.
“Sammy!” Tony hollered and raced upstairs.
“I’ve got your rifle, Tony.” Tye called up to him.
He grabbed his and Tony’s rifle and headed out the back door. Dennis was on his heels. Eli followed me out the door and we scampered to one of the foxholes. Turbo and Growler waited for Tony and Sammy. When the cabin was empty, Turbo and Growler jumped into the foxhole with Eli and me. It is a good thing they had some size to them, with four big men in one foxhole. We scanned the ridgeline to the East and listened to Turbo’s radio.
“OP 9, calling Central. Jets coming in from the South. Five F-16s. Coming in hard.”
“This is Bravo Six, hold your fire, Cody, we’ve got you covered.” A voice said.
“Tell everyone those jets are friendlies!” I called out.
“This is Turbo, the jets are friendlies. Repeat, the jets are friendlies. Hold your fire.”
Eli looked at me. “Friendlies? F-16 friendlies?”
The look on his face was priceless. “That’s the rest of my surprise. I was worried they wouldn’t get here before the EMP. Heh…. They arrived in the nick of time.”
“Yahoo!” The radio sounded. “Those jets are clobbering the choppers!”
We never saw any of the air fight. It occurred on the other side of the mountains. We heard a garbled version of it over the radio, where it seems the F-16s easily dispatched the choppers.
“How in hells name did you get F-16s to join our side, Cody?” Eli wanted to know.
“The squadron commander? The one who radioed us not to fire on them? He’s my nephew, Bobby.” I grinned. “He tells me his Wing Commander is a big fan of yours.”
“What!” Eli was speechless.
“I finally did it, you old hippie. You’re speechless, admit it.” I started to laugh. “You’re my witness, Turbo. You too, Growler. He’s speechless.”
“I ought to kick your ass, Midas Man.” Eli finally sputtered.
Turbo and Growler started to laugh uproariously. Before long the four of us were holding our sides. Tye and Tony stood above us, shaking their heads and grinning.
“What’s so funny?” Tye asked.
“Eli and Cody.” Turbo managed to say. “What a pair!”
“Turbo!” Lily called as she came running toward us. “Turbo! Gwen and Michael are escaping. Look! On the motorcycles!” She pointed to a field just north of the main cluster of buildings.
“What the….?” Turbo jumped out of the foxhole to have a look. “Why? Why are they running?”
“I’ll tell you later. Get them. They are assassins, both of them.” Lily yelled.
“Cheetah, Mad Dog, Growler, follow me.” Turbo called out.
The four Freedom Riders raced to their Harleys and took off after the pair. The couple had a head start, and seemed to handle their bikes well, but the Freedom Riders were good. They would catch up with the pair. As the couple reached the main road into the valley, the first jet was banking to make a landing on the road. The couple turned to head north, only to see the jet coming straight toward them. They pulled off the road and rode in the field, which slowed them down. Turbo and his buddies could handle the rough terrain better and were gaining ground on the pair. Suddenly Gwen lost control of her bike and dumped it. She was good, though. She leaped off the bike at the last second and pulled a pistol out of her holster, all in one motion. Michael had pulled his bike to a stop and was racing back to assist Gwen, gun in hand. Unfortunately for them, the second pilot saw what was happening. He veered away from his landing and came straight at them, tossing a Tomahawk missile in their direction. When the dust cleared there was nothing left standing. The pilot banked to come around again for another try at landing his aircraft.
We stood in stunned silence, watching the dust settle where Gwen and Michael had been. Lily broke the silence with more stunning news. “David and Elise are dead. They were murdered by Gwen and Michael. I saw them running out of the cabin. They had blood all over them. It was when everyone was scurrying for cover when the alarm was sounded. Cassandra is covering their bodies and standing guard at the door. The children don’t need to see this.”
“The chaos has begun.” Eli said in a soft voice. “Nothing will be the same, ever again. We must stick together; protect each other, for the future of the children.”
“I’ll go greet my nephew.” I said.
“Yes. Do that, Cody. Bring him to your cabin. I would like to meet him.” Eli said.
“I’ll get a burial party organized.” Pete offered.
“Thank you, Pete.” Eli replied. “We’ll have a service for them just before sunset.”
I climbed into my pickup truck and drove out to the field where the F-16s had taxied and parked. Stewart and Dave were already there, talking with the five pilots.
“Hi Uncle Cody!” Bobby called to me as I approached.
“Hi Bobby. I gave him a manly hug, which surprised him. “It’s good to see you. Forgive me if I’m not overly enthusiastic, we just had a tragedy. Those two bikers your pilot took care of killed two dear friends of ours. They were infiltrators in our midst. They were assassins. We thought they were friends.”
“That’s tough. My sympathies, Uncle Cody.”
“Thank you, Bobby.” I replied. “So, what have you brought us?”
“Five F-16s. They claim they have made them EMP proof. Those wire-mesh covers on the canopies and a grounding rod are all that is supposed to be needed to protect them. There is also another squadron of them on their way. They should be here in about an hour.” Bobby grinned. “This is all courtesy of Wing Commander Simpson, Colonel Simpson. He’s a big fan of Eli’s writing. Oh, yes, there is a convoy of fuel trucks and more Tomahawk missiles about two hours out, along with a few more surprises and a platoon of Marines. Colonel Simpson and General Balfour know what you have been assembling here and are all for it. They are true patriots, Uncle Cody.”
“So it appears. Todd Jennings brought two tankers full of jet fuel over from Billings, so we’ll have some available for you.” I looked Bobby over. “You look fit. Are you all right with coming here? What about your friends?”
“I’m proud to be here, Uncle Cody. We are all volunteers, even the Marines. We are here to do a job that needs doing, and by God we’ll do it.” He replied.
“Let’s go introduce you and your friends to General Eli and some of our friends. We’ve become a strange collection of old hippies, bikers, former Special Forces and cowboys, but we get along fine. You’ll fit right in.”
Bobby climbed in the cab of my pickup, with me, and his four fellow pilots climbed in the back. We headed back to the cabin and found Eli sitting on the front porch, waiting for us. He had one of the cats on his lap. Whenever he was down, he found solace with the cats, I knew.
I introduced Bobby to Eli and Bobby introduced his friends. Eli made the introductions of those on the porch.
“Cody didn’t warn us you were coming. He likes to surprise me.” Eli conceded. “You fellows are certainly a surprise. Welcome.”
Bobby reached inside his flight suit and pulled out two letters. “These are for you, General. One is from Colonel Simpson, our Wing Commander. The other is from General Balfour, the Base Commander. They send their regards to you, sir.”
“Please have a seat. You must be tired from your trip. We’ll see about getting you some coffee.” Eli said.
“I’ll get the coffee, General.” Dennis offered.
“I’ll give you a hand.” Tye offered.
“Thank you, Dennis and Tye.” Eli looked at the letters in his hand.
“Why don’t you read your letters, Eli, while the rest of us get to know each other?” I suggested. I knew he was curious about them.
“I must admit I’m curious about why a General and a Colonel are writing to an old hippie like me, so if you all will excuse me, I’ll go ahead and read them.” Eli tore open the first letter and began to read.
“I’m curious how you all got together?” Lt. Josh Preble asked. “You seem such a disparate group.”
“Two things brought us together, Lieutenant, a dream of freedom, and that old hippie from Tennessee.” I told him. “He’ll probably kick my ass for saying this, if he’s paying attention, which I doubt, but without him, this gulch, this collection of disparate freedom lovers would never have come together.” I said.
“I will kick your ass, Cody. Why don’t you tell them about the sapphires and diamonds? Without them we never would have gotten this thing off the ground.” Eli stared at me over his reading glasses. “Who was it that brought these nice fighter pilots here? Who was it that brought Todd Jennings and his men here with all that fuel? Who was it that brought Tony here? Why don’t you tell them that, you damn Yankee? Kick your ass? Hell, I should kick it all the way to Vegas and back.”
“If the truth could ever be told between these two fellows re-fighting the Civil War, you’ll find it is the two of them, working together, that made this all happen.” Pete spoke up. “They are a couple of old buzzards who happen to complement each other extremely well. They are a team. By their example, we all have become a team. We are in this together. Come Hell or high water, we will succeed. We must succeed.”
“They don’t always squabble like this, it just seems that way.” Tony grinned.
“You’d better watch yourself, Tony, or Eli and Cody will both kick your ass.” Tye started to laugh, which caused everyone to laugh.
The ice had been magically broken, and the newcomers were at ease. While Eli continued to read his letters, we all started chatting amiably. Before we knew it, the second squadron of F-16s had arrived, and right on their tails came the convoy.
“Everyone made it before the EMP. That’s good.” Bobby remarked. “Colonel Simpson told us the EMP is to occur immediately after the close of the banking day in New York, which is 1700 hours there, and 1500 hours here. We’ll be ready for it.”
“Tony, the EMP will happen at three o’clock. Spread the word.” I called out. “What time is it now?” I asked Bobby.
“A little before noon.” He replied. “It’s not going to be pretty, particularly in the cities.”
“I’m sorry about your Mom and Dad. We tried to convince them.” I told him.
“They wouldn’t listen. That is all that can be said.” Bobby stared out at the mountains for a minute. “They just wouldn’t listen to us, Uncle Cody.”
I let the silence be our companion for a few moments more, as we thought about the family, none of whom would listen to us.
“Let’s see about getting some lunch. You’ll be staying in my cabin.” I told him.
Chapter Three
The EMP blast happened at seven after three. The gulch was prepared for it. All the important electronics equipment was protected in the Farraday cages. A porch light we had left on to warn us just suddenly went out. Sammy noticed it first. Unconsciously we all looked about us, as if there was something to see, but it was what we couldn’t see that had changed. We waited twenty minutes, in case there was a second blast, and then began our life in a new paradigm. Life, as we had known it, no longer existed.
Tye and Dennis set to work getting the various radios up and running. Tony and Pete went to get the generator in operation, which would supply power to our cabins and Stewarts, for running the refrigerators, communication equipment and the well pump that serviced our three cabins. Bobby and his pilots got my old pickup going and headed down to check on the airplanes. I had Sammy help me get four bicycles out of the cabin basement. We set them up in the bicycle rack on the side of the cabin. They were available for everyone to use. If it was a short trip, we would use a bicycle whenever possible. Everyone understood the need to conserve fuel. Sammy and I then placed one battery-powered light in each room. The batteries were rechargeable, and would save candles and lamp oil.
Throughout the gulch, men and women were making adjustments to a new way of life. It would be a life of limited fuel, at least for the foreseeable future, which meant fewer conveniences. We were better off than most people, however. We had food, refrigeration and plenty of water. We had land to grow our own food and we had plenty of hunters. We had shelter we could heat with wood, and most importantly, we had each other. We would work together as a community. Barring a major catastrophe, we would survive.
I went out back to start a fire in the pit we would use for cooking in all but the worst weather. It had a roof over it and a big hood to allow the smoke to funnel up through. Once I had a good fire started, I grabbed two coffee pots and a can of coffee and set the two pots to begin brewing. Eli and Stewart must have seen me start the fire, for they each brought out a pot for their households.
“Communications are working at my place. Dave has been monitoring it. There are thousands of plane crashes all across the country, and fires galore because of them.” Stewart said. “All the cars are stopped dead in the highways. The cities won’t take long to explode.”
“No, I imagine they’ll be the first to erupt.” Eli said. “They wanted the city life, well now the bill is due.”
“The descent into savagery.” I commented.
Sammy came running out. “Tye sent me. He got the word that all the planes are working.”
“Thanks, Sammy. That’s good news.” I said.
“What can I do next?” Sammy asked.
“You could pick some beans for supper and check to see if there are any summer squash and zucchini.” I suggested.
“Sure.” He replied and raced back into the house for a bucket.
“He’s a good boy.” Eli said. “Tony should be proud.”
“Hopefully it will be a better future for him.” I said.
“Amen, Bro.” Eli replied.
We saw Growler coming up the road on his Harley, followed by his wife, Sheba, on a Vespa type motor scooter. He saw us and the two of them road out to see us.
“Howdy, Growler.” I greeted him. “Howdy, Sheba?”
“We brought you a little something. These little scooters will get you around real well, if you are not in a hurry, and they are stingy on gas. We brought a dozen of them with us. We’ll spread them out around the gulch.” Growler grinned.
“Well, thank you very much.” Eli said. “Between these and bicycles, we’ll save a lot of fuel. And horses, of course.”
“Yep, the horses will be very useful. Some of our men have just started patrols with them.” Growler agreed.
“How are you making out with your homes?” I asked.
“We are going like gangbusters, Cody. We’ll be ready come cold weather.” He replied.
“That’s good news. Thanks for the scooter, too.” I replied.
“Have fun with it. It’s really kind of cute.” Sheba laughed and climbed behind Growler on his Harley.
We waved good-bye and looked at each other.
“Did she say cute?” Eli asked. He started to laugh. “Cute? Damn, Cody, it’s better than walking, or riding a bike, but cute?”
“Well, one of us should ride that cute little scooter over to see how Todd Jennings and the Marines are doing? Let’s flip for it. Odd man loses.” Stewart suggested.
Eli lost. “Damn! I guess I’ll have to take a ride on the cute little scooter.”
As he walked to the scooter, a jeep pulled up and across the lawn. Bobby was in it along with a Marine Captain and an Army Major.
“General Eli. Some men to see you, sir.” Bobby announced.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. I’m Major Corsi and this is Captain Millette. We are at your service, sir.”
“The pleasure is mine, gentlemen.” Eli winked at me. He’d gotten out of his scooter ride. “We are happy to have you here. What can I do for you? Are you finding everything you need?”
“Yes, thank you. Your men have been very helpful. We’ve come to discuss the disposition of our forces.” Major Corsi said.
“Very good. Stewart Ross is our man in charge of defenses. We can go over to his place and talk, since he has the maps.” Eli said. “Stewart Ross and Cody Larson, Major Corsi and Captain Millette.”
Handshakes were exchanged and we walked over to Stewarts back porch. He went inside to get his maps and requested Dave, or someone, to bring cold drinks.
“Before we begin, I should apprise you of what forces we have brought with us.” Major Corsi began. “Captain Millette has fifty Marines, all battle hardened. We have two artillery batteries of 105 mm howitzers and two surface to air missile launchers. We have fifty support personnel and 100 Army Rangers. All our men are volunteers, I might add. Could I ask you to list your troops?”
“Did I hear you right? Did you say two artillery batteries? Two complete batteries? Plus two surface to air missile launchers?” Eli asked.
“That is correct, sir.” Major Corsi smiled. “I realize it comes as a surprise, but General Balfour stands behind what you are doing one hundred percent.”
Stewart waited to see if Eli had anything more to say before beginning.
“Let me start off by saying all our forces are former service members, some only recently separated from the various services. Let me further explain that we have a number of distinct groups, which I’ll name separately. I was a Captain with the Army Rangers before a parachuting accident caused me to retire. My group of thirty is composed of Rangers and Special Forces of the various services. We have a very large contingent of what we call the Freedom Riders. They are a motorcycle club, if you will, totaling approximately two thousand riders, the vast majority of them have seen service in the Army, Marines and Navy, including many former Special Forces. Their leader is called Turbo.”
“Turbo? Interesting.” Major Corsi remarked.
“They are an interesting lot, believe me, and I mean that in the good sense of the word. They are tough as nails and very committed to what we are doing. They have already proven to me their mettle. Next we have a mixture of Special Forces and cowboys, totaling about sixty men. They are the Jennings group. Lastly we have a group we will call the gulch group. They are a hodge-podge of men who helped Eli start this gulch. There are about sixty men; half of them have prior service, mostly in the Army and Marines infantry.
“As for arms, we have rifles, revolvers, pistols and ammunition in abundant supply. We also have a dozen .50 cal. machine guns and seven launch tubes for Stinger missiles, of which we have twenty-eight. Four cases of grenades, several hundred pounds of black powder and eight cases of dynamite completes the list.”
“That’s quite impressive. You have done well.” Major Corsi complimented them. “We are here to assist you, as I said. We are not here to command or dominate you in any way. All our people are volunteers who understand how bad things will be. We understand that Washington DC and the Power Elite have destroyed the country and plan on creating massive chaos and death. We have watched it unfold for years. It is important you know what we know. I will now tell you.
“General Balfour, Captain Millette and I are part of a group within the armed forces who saw what was coming, as you did, and decided to make preparations. The upper command structure of the armed forces has been compromised and under the control of the power elite for many years. They do the bidding of the One World Government crowd. It is not the American people they protect, it is the Power Elite. Our group has worked to grow within the ranks. If we had only had two more years to grow, we feel we could have stood up to the Power Elite, but as we all know “if wishes were horses, beggars would ride”.
“Having said that, we have resources and manpower to assist groups like yours, groups that are truly interested in the freedom of the American people, who do not wish to impose their will on the people, merely return the freedoms which the Declaration of Independence spoke of. We brought you the F-16s. Captain Millette and I are here with our volunteers. There is more help available if you should desire it. It will be your call whether any more help arrives. If you desire our help, it will be offered in a spirit of cooperation. We will take our orders from you. As I said earlier, we do not seek to dominate or command you.
“What kind of help is available? Troops, supplies, more planes, equipment to reconstruct whole villages and townships, fuel, medical supplies, and more. All you need do is tell us what you want, and we will do our best to supply it. You see, we have been watching you for many years. We have people within your organization, not to harm you in any way, but to assist you. Gen. Balfour, Capt. Millette and myself have come to believe and trust in your mission. We have read the things Eli has written. His writing is about the America we all thought we knew. It is about kindness, free choice, and community. We would like to assist you to create such a place in America.”
“You say you have been watching us for years, but we have not known of your existence. Others have been watching us, also. They would like to destroy us.” Eli began. “Our gulch has been based on trust. Those who are here have the trust of Cody, myself, Stewart and a few others who were with us from the beginning. In your group, we know only Bobby Brown. He is Cody’s nephew. Cody trusts him, so I trust him. We have no reason to trust your people, nor do we have a reason to trust you. You have brought much needed help, but please forgive us if we appear a little nervous. In time, we will learn trust, it is hoped. The letters I received from Gen. Balfour and Col. Simpson ease my nervousness to an extent, as I am sure they were meant to do. Is there a way you can alleviate some of our uneasiness, I wonder?”
“You are wonderfully tactful, General Eli.” Major Corsi smiled. “I will indeed tell you who our people are who are within your organization. We have three inside your gulch: Turbo, Growler and Todd Jennings.”
I watched Eli to see his reaction. A slight smile flickered across his lips.
“I am not surprised, Major.” Eli said. “Are you surprised, Cody?”
“No. They offered way too much help. Where, I asked myself did they get the means to do everything they have done? There seemed to be a mysterious hand guiding them.”
“Yes. Precisely. Yet, would you agree we can trust them nevertheless?” Eli asked.
“Now that I know the source of the invisible hand, yes, I would have to agree, they can be trusted.” I replied. “Turbo and Growler have already proven themselves to me. Todd and his men have brought us much in the way of assistance, and have gotten down to work immediately. I trust them.”
“Major Corsi, in order for us to grow into what Cody and I envision, we will need lots of things, but most of all, we will need families. Families are the lifeblood of any community. Can you bring us families?” Eli asked.
Major Corsi smiled. “Gen. Balfour told me to expect you to ask for families, not just warriors. To answer your question, yes, we can bring you families. We have quite a number waiting to come, should you ask for them.”
“Very good. Stewart, start figuring out, with Major Corsi and Captain Millette, what we will need for military support. Fuel, food and housing are next on the agenda. Give us a name of someone in your organization that we can talk to, Major, about the things families need. Meanwhile, start bringing your people in. Cody, you, me, Pete, Paul and Tony have work to do. And we’ll want to meet with Turbo, Lily, Growler and Sheba.”
“Will do, General.” Major Corsi grinned. “We have been waiting for this chance for a long time.”
“Well get to work or I’ll have to kick your ass.” Eli grinned.
“Yes, sir.” Major Corsi grinned.
About us the country was falling apart. Within days the cities were ablaze from the riots and looting. We watched it happening, yet we had a task to do. Before the depths of chaos had been reached, we were in the process of rebuilding what America had once been; not a world power, but a place where folks could dream; where they could work hard and better themselves and their families.
When Turbo heard what was beginning, he slapped his enormous hand on the table and exclaimed, “Hot dog! It’s happening, Lily! Goddamn, Eli, let’s do it!”
“I have a job for you and your men, Turbo.” Eli began. “I just got off the radio with a fellow who owns a dude ranch about fifteen miles north of our valley. Bill Hoag is his name. I got to know him a couple of years ago. He has thirty horses and eighteen cabins, plus a big lodge. Here is what I want you to do. Take a bunch of your men and ride up to that ranch. Fly your flag on the lead bike, so he knows it is you. He is willing to sell a dozen horses; Pete will give you the silver to buy them. He is also willing to lease out his cabins. I want you to have some of your people move in up there. Fill the cabins and lodges. Establish a base of operations. He has a dozen ranch hands, himself, so you should be able to set up a good outpost.
“Next, about thirty miles north of our gulch, there is a village that supports an enclave of rich people’s vacation homes. There are maybe thirty big vacation homes. The village is not very big, with a gas station, a small grocery and half a dozen tourist shops, and a dozen year-round homes. We want you to take over those vacation homes. Find a way to make peace with the villagers. You know what to do.”
“Is that all?” Turbo asked.
“That is for starters, my friend. We’ll be keeping you Freedom Riders very busy.” Eli grinned.
“What about the horses?” Lily asked.
“Keep them with you. You can use them for patrolling. Plus, we’ll have other chores for you that will involve horses.” Eli replied.
“We’ll get right on it.” Growler promised.
When they left, Eli looked at me. “How do you suppose the Major plans on getting help here, Cody, now that the EMP has occurred? He seemed to think it was no problem. What do you think?”
“Planes are out, and helicopters. They can’t possibly have saved too many of them from the EMP. Even if they had some sort of underground hangar that was EMP proof, how many planes could you put in it? And our road couldn’t handle anything of any size, anyway.” I said. “Trucks are a possibility. The only problem with trucks is, the roads between their base and here are probably littered with dead vehicles; particularly near their base. That leaves trains. The question is, do they have any working locomotives? And can they get from there to here on available tracks? You know, and I know, there is a depot in Pollock, which is what, twenty miles from here? Do they know?”
“I not only think they do, but I’m willing to wager a train is headed to Pollack as we speak.” Eli grinned at my surprise. “Major Corsi seemed confident we would accept his offer. Stewart told me this morning Corsi didn’t blink when he listed the various things we needed to accomplish our goals. He and Dave had an extensive list. So did we. Some of the things we asked for can only come by train, Cody. Underground storage tanks? With the roads clogged, they could never come by truck. No, they are coming by train. I’m sure of it. We’ll need tractor-trailers to haul it around. Let’s find out how many tractors Tony and the others have gotten started.”
We found Tony at Tom Thornton’s place. A dozen semis were parked on his land, and Tony, who was a real grease monkey, was climbing around in one of the rig’s motor.
“How many have you gotten to run?” Eli asked him.
“Six, so far.” Tony answered. “We’ll get the rest running by the end of the day, if we have enough spare parts.”
“Great! We’ll be needing them soon.” Eli replied.
“How soon?” Tony asked.
“Tomorrow morning. Maybe tonight.” Eli winked at him. “We have a big train of supplies coming.”
“Train? There are no tracks here.” Tony said.
“There are in Pollock. It’s twenty miles south of here. If you can, get a couple of flatbeds hooked up.” Eli suggested.
“I’ll get someone right on it.” Tony told him.
“Thanks. You’re doing a good job, all of you. Keep it up.” Eli told them. We headed back to the jeep. “Let’s see how the Freedom Riders are doing.”
We found Mad Dog and Tex-Mex cursing at one of the tractors. Mad Dog saw us approaching.
“Have you ever seen a man beat a tractor to a pulp? I’m about ready to do just that, goddamit!”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Mad Dog was absolutely frustrated and furious. Mad Dog looked at me like he was going to beat me to a pulp, but suddenly started to laugh.
“Damn, Cody. I could have killed you, but now I’m laughing. What is it about you two, anyway? You always get everyone loose.” He said.
“That’s our job, Mad Dog. I’m no good with engines, so I find ways to help out.” I winked at him. “You have my permission to beat that tractor to a pulp if you want.”
“Thanks. I may find a sledge hammer before I’m done.” He grinned. “What can I do for you?”
“We just wanted to see how many tractors you have running.” I told him.
“Eight so far.” Tex-Mex told him.
“Good! We’ll need them by tomorrow; as many as you can get running. We’ll need drivers, too. A trainload is on its way to Pollock, just south of here.” Eli told them.
Mad Dog stared in disbelief.
“The Marines are coming, Mad Dog.” I winked at him.
“Goddamn! What is this place, Times Square?” He exclaimed.
“No, Mad Dog, it is the future.” Eli smiled and turned to head back to the jeep.
“We are with you, General.” Mad Dog called after him.
Eli turned back to look at Mad Dog. “You’d better be, or I’ll kick your ass.”
Mad Dog and Tex-Mex laughed as they watched us drive off.
“I hope I never give him reason to kick my ass, Tex-Mex. The future. Imagine that, we’re building the future. Damn that sounds good!”
“Yep, it does. That’s what we are here for, isn’t it?” Tex-Mex smiled. “The world is falling apart, but we are building the future. I like the sound of it.”
When we got back to the cabin, Tye had news for us. A massive earthquake had destroyed the Three Gorges dam in China. Millions were dead in the flooding.
“Just as the two of you predicted.” Tye noted.
“What happens next?” Dennis asked.
“That’s the big question, Dennis.” Eli replied.
Major Corsi and Captain Millette came in to see us.
“All hell has broken loose.” Corsi announced. “There is rioting or outright warfare in all the major cities. Good God! It’s only the second day! What is happening?”
“Provocateurs, Major. It is all planned. Population reduction, remember?” I said.
He stared at me with a look of horror. “How, I ask, how can men be this evil?”
“Years of practice, Major. We knew it wouldn’t be a picnic. Did you expect it to be?” Eli looked hard at Major Corsi. “Get this into your head, Major. What we are seeing is a gigantic battle for the future. It is a battle between good and evil, between those who could kill millions of people without blinking an eye, and folks like you who react with horror at the monstrosity of it all. It is what it is, Major. Live with it. Keep it in the back of your mind. Use it to propel us onward.”
There was a long pause. Major Corsi looked at Eli, then me, then Capt. Millette.
“When is your train expected?” I said to change the subject.
“You knew?” Major Corsi was surprised.
“You are dealing with General Eli and Cody Larson, Major. We use our minds. We actually think. I sometimes wish more people used their brains.” Eli said. “You didn’t fool us for an instant. How many troops are on the train?”
“Two thousand. It’s a huge train. It will be here by seven this evening.” Major Corsi shook his head. “No wonder people believe in you two men.”
“We’d rather they believed in themselves.” I said.
“That is the voice of the future, gentlemen. We must break the psychological bonds placed on mankind through centuries of conditioning. If we can’t break those bonds, the cycle will repeat itself.” Eli added.
“You have thought a lot out.” Captain Millette said.
“It is what Cody and I do best.” Eli said. “We have a vision for the future. We’ll work to see it come true, or die in the process.”
“I’m with you, General.” Major Corsi said firmly.
“You’d better be, or I’ll kick your ass.” Eli grinned.
We left for Pollock at four in the afternoon. We wanted to be there before the train arrived. The residents of Pollock might not take too kindly to a big troop train suddenly arriving in town. They needed to be reassured, if that was possible.
Tony had come up with the idea of bringing several of the old, antique cars, his included, as a curiosity factor. He figured seeing a bunch of antique cars come into town would be less threatening than bikes and jeeps. The tractor-trailers could come behind. We liked the idea and Eli and I were sitting in the back seat of Tony’s Town and Country convertible, with the top down, as we approached Pollock. Pete was in the front seat with Tony. Behind us Tim Thornton drove a ’63 Chevy Impala, also a convertible, with his brother Don in the front seat and Dave and Stewart in the back seat. There were six old cars in all, and fifteen tractor-trailers. The semis stopped four miles out of town. They would wait for us to call them forward.
Pollock wasn’t much of a town. It only had a couple of hundred residents, if that many, and it wasn’t an actual depot. No passenger trains stopped in Pollock. There is a grain silo that a couple of times a month, in the right season of the year, would ship out some grain, but that was all. What Pollock did have, however, was a long siding, where the railroad could idle a train while waiting for another train coming in the opposite direction. There was a General Store, a Post Office and a Saloon, and that was about all there was to Pollock.
Tony drove slowly into the little town and parked his car in front of the Saloon. The five vehicles behind us all found a place to park in their turn. There were two men sitting in front of the saloon with shotguns lying across their laps. Two more sat on the front porch of the General Store. Tony stayed in the car with Pete, while Eli and I got out and stretched.
“State your business, stranger.” One of the men in front of the saloon demanded.
“Howdy.” Eli began. “We are here to meet a train.”
“Trains don’t stop here, Mister.” The man replied.
“This one will. It is filled with supplies. It’s survival time now, sir. I bet you could use a few supplies. We are happy to share with our neighbors.” Eli said with a smile.
“Neighbors, you say? I ain’t never seen either one of you before.” The man was very wary, I saw. I couldn’t blame him.
“Perhaps you have heard of us. I’m Cody Larson and this is General Eli. We live in the valley twenty miles north of here.” I said.
“Well, I’ll be. Your Cody Larson and General Eli.” He turned to his friend. “It’s all right Skeeter, they are good fellas.” He leaned his shotgun against the wall of the Saloon and walked over to us. “Rex Humboldt’s the name. I’m pleased to meet you.” He shook both our hands, then introduced us to his friends. Pete and Tony joined us and they were introduced.
“We’d introduce you to all our friends but it would take too long.” Eli told Rex.
“I understand, General. So, you say a train is coming here?” Rex asked.
“That’s right, Rex; a big one. There will be lots of supplies on it, and there are two thousand Marines, coming to join us. They are not coming to subdue us, Rex, they are here to fight with us, if need be.” Eli made a point of saying. “What do you folks here in Pollock need?”
“We are set for food. Folks around here tend to keep their pantries full and they can stuff from their gardens, too. Since the EMP blast, we only have one old truck we can get running. We could use another. And, we need fuel for our generators. We only use them for refrigeration and one well pump, but it goes pretty fast. We still have some fuel in the gas tanks of the cars that won’t run, but other than that gas, we only have another fifteen gallons.” Rex explained.
“We’ll get you a couple of hundred gallons of fuel and two running trucks, Rex. It’s the only neighborly thing to do. It is going to get tough, very soon. Neighbors need to help each other out; at least that’s my way of thinking.” Eli said.
“We’ll pay for everything, General Eli. We have gold and silver. We took your advice, you see. There is no need for charity. We are a solid community here.” Rex insisted.
“I’ve got a better idea, Rex. We could use a hand getting this train unloaded. If you all give us a hand, I’ll throw in a couple of SKS rifles and two cases of ammo. Is it a deal?”
“You drive a hard bargain, General.” Rex winked. “It’s a deal. Where are your trucks?”
“They are waiting outside of town. We didn’t want to scare you. I’ll send for them now.” Eli said.
“I’ll tell Stewart to call them in, Eli.” I said.
When I returned from talking with Stewart, Rex handed me a glass of iced tea.
“I wish it was colder, but the stream where we chill it is only so cold this time of year.” Rex apologized.
“This is fine, Rex. I appreciate it. Thank you.” I replied.
We chatted until the trucks arrived, whereupon Rex and his neighbors directed them where to park. Eli introduced Major Corsi and Captain Millette to Rex, I saw. They talked a while and Rex seemed satisfied. I figured Eli would fill me in on the conversation later.
Around 6:30 PM, the train arrived. Everyone was surprised to see four locomotives, until we saw the length, or rather didn’t see the length, of the train, because it disappeared out of sight. By the look on Major Corsi’s face, I could tell something was not right. Eli noted it too, I saw.
Marines started pouring off the train as soon as it stopped. They had duffel bags in one hand, and their weapons slung over their shoulders. I noticed they were all grim-faced. They were amazingly well organized though, as they dumped their gear in piles according to their squads and prepared to unload the train. I watched them and realized there were more than two thousand of them. I would have guessed there were five thousand. What had changed, I wondered?”
My suspicions were verified when two Generals emerged from one of the train cars; one Marine, the other Air Force. I walked over to stand by Eli.
“What do you suppose is happening, old buddy?” I asked.
“I don’t know, Cody, but it doesn’t look good.” He confessed.
Major Corsi and Captain Millette went to greet their superior officers. They talked for a few minutes, and then they walked over to see Eli and me.
“General Eli and Cody Larson, I’d like you to meet Generals Thompson and Dillenbeck.” Major Corsi said.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. We have heard a lot about you.” General Thompson, the Air Force General said.
“I’d like to echo General Thompson’s greeting. It is indeed a pleasure to meet you.” General Dillenbeck said.
“I hardly know what to say, gentlemen.” Eli began. “I’m just an old hippie from Tennessee. I’m not used to talking with Generals.”
“Eli is being very modest and polite, sirs. I think what he’d like to ask is, what the Hell are you all doing here?” I ventured to break the ice rather suddenly.
“Can we go somewhere and talk? I don’t want to get in the men’s way.” Gen. Dillenbeck said.
We walked over to where our car was parked.
“All right, General, spill your guts. What is going on?” Eli demanded.
“First let me apologize for our appearance like this. It was not in our original plans. Let me also reassure you this is your show. We take orders from you. It is your vision we are following.” General Dillenbeck paused to take a deep breath. “No one anticipated things would fall apart as quickly as they have. It is terrible out there, General; truly savage. I suspect millions must already be dead. I can’t, for the life of me, understand any of it.”
“You can’t? Why not?” Eli stared hard at him. “Everything people have been taught, or rather programmed, to believe in is suddenly taken away from them and you can’t understand it? The whole phony dream of America is exposed and you can’t understand it? What the Hell did you anticipate, Generals. Yes, I’m including the both of you. You don’t get it; not even a little bit. You said just now you share our vision. I’m telling you right now you haven’t a goddamn clue about our vision.
“I’m going to say this once, and only once, so listen up. The two of you will put Major Corsi and Captain Millette in charge of this detail, while the two of you come with Cody and me, to my cabin, where we will give you a goddamn history lesson; a real history lesson. I don’t care if it takes two weeks to get it through your programmed goddamn heads, either. We will show you why this has all happened, and you will then understand what has to be done. You will agree to what I just said, or you will get back on that train, with all your men, and get the Hell out of our way.”
“You are going to have to make an independent decision, gentlemen. You can’t rely on your superiors to protect you. It is your decision and yours alone.” I added.
The two Generals stared at us for an extended period. It was obvious they hadn’t liked what Eli said, but would they swallow their pride and accept his demands, or would they storm off in a huff? Eli and I awaited their decision.
“You’re either the biggest damn fools who ever lived, or two brilliant sons-of-bitches.” General Thompson said.
“Who have enormous balls.” Gen. Dillenbeck added.
The two men continued to stare at us.
“Alright, General. You win. Give us your history lesson.” Gen. Dillenbeck finally decided. “I’ll go put Major Corsi and Captain Millette in charge.”
I found Tony and told him what was happening. He grinned as he handed me his car keys. “Damn! Eli is gonna kick their asses.”
“From here to Timbuktu and back again.” I replied. I quickly explained the promises we made to Rex. “This is a bigger job than we expected. Be generous with them, Tony.”
“I will.” Tony agreed.
I drove while Eli began the history lesson. I was expecting them to be very argumentative, but having agreed to the lesson, they became willing students. When we returned to the valley, we settled into Eli’s cabin for the long haul. This would be no gloss over history lesson, I quickly realized. Eli was determined to throw everything we had at them. Five days it took us to cover everything. Five days with little sleep and lots of coffee. I had to give the Generals credit, they listened openly and seldom argued. I was glad, though, when it was over.
“That’s it, gentlemen. You have endured everything we can give you. Thank you for that.” Eli said. “Do you see what we must do?”
“Yes. With what you showed us, the future is clear.” General Dillenbeck said. “I would like to thank the two of you for one hell of a lesson. I look forward to working with you both. I do have one request, however. Starting now, please just call me Jack. You are the General, not me.”
“And I’m George. Just George Thompson. Leaders don’t need titles.”
“And you two can now call me Eli, or I’ll kick your ass.” Eli grinned.
“Isn’t that what you have been doing for the last five days?” Jack grinned.
“Cutting through the conditioning and programming of a lifetime is not easy to do.” I told them. “I commend you for accepting the challenge and succeeding.”
“Now, if you will excuse me, I think it is time for a nap.” Eli said.
“That’s our cue to leave, guys.” I said. “The old man needs his nap.”
I scurried out the door just in time to avoid being hit by a shoe aimed in my direction.
“Does the world look any different to you?” I asked Jack and George.
They looked about at the folks moving about their tasks.
“Strangely enough, it does.” George admitted. “And yet, to quote Eli, “Before enlightenment, one must chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, one must chop wood and carry water.” Still, it is with a greater sense of contentment one does one’s daily tasks. Is that what he meant by it?”
“Precisely. And the understanding we have found, enables us to see everyone else must do their daily tasks. We are all human. With that simple recognition, we can make choices to be a part of a community, or separate. It is our choice to make. Whichever choice we make is ours and ours alone, and we must accept the responsibility for it.” I gazed out where the planes were normally parked. “Good heavens! There are helicopters out there!”
“Only the best for our new neighbors.” George smiled. “Yes, neighbors, not citizens, not sheep, not residents, but neighbors.”
“If you don’t mind, I think I’ll join Eli in taking a nap. I’m exhausted.” I said.
“That’s a damn good idea, Cody.” Jack decided. “Hmmmm…. Where will we find Corsi and Millette? They will no where we are bunking.”
“Over by the howitzer batteries, I believe. Take my pickup. You can bring it back after your nap.” I offered.
“Thank you, Cody.” George smiled. “I’m going to like this valley.”
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