The Cure, стр. 49
Although his plan had not worked, his ego still saw this as a win. He had overthrown the President and unaware whether he was still alive or not took comfort in the destruction of the base. He was a leader, not a follower and one more day spent underground was another day closer to death as far as he was concerned.
He looked around at his men, then at the plume of white smoke rising in the distance where the town once stood and the base underneath and smiled to himself. He felt more alive than any time in the last decade and knew that as a survivor he was safer out here than back there. He planned to recruit. He knew what was above ground and he knew the dangers it would possess to anyone still alive from the almost unarmed community. But he wasn’t scared. His men were mercenaries, and woe behold anyone who came up against them.
He walked over to his Lieutenant who was hunched over a table reading a map.
‘Nearest city is Texas Sir.’ said his Lieutenant.
‘Do we have an estimated population?’ said the General.
‘Sir, no Sir. Miller’s data wasn’t clear on actual figures. Only projected,’ he replied.
‘Seems a lot of his data was inconclusive,’ said the General, once again trying to justify his actions. ‘We head through Texas, picking up anyone who could be an asset. We’re building an army Lieutenant.’
***************
‘Yes, yes, I understand,’ said Hod as he put down the satellite phone to Logan.
He tried to pull himself up onto the wing of the plane and after several attempts succeeded. On the side of the plane near the cockpit was a few rungs which led to the roof of the plane. He climbed up and on top of the small plane was small seat in front of a very large machine gun. Hod picked up his binoculars and looked out into the distance where he saw a convoy of military vehicles heading his way. The Commander General sat back in the first jeep in full military outfit with the sun shining off his medals smiling, looking directly back at Hod through his own binoculars.
Hod aimed the machine gun towards the jeeps and locked it into place ‘Here we go,’ he said.
***************
One Hour Later
‘No sign of the Dwarf Sir,’ said the Lieutenant to the Commander General.
‘Miles and miles of desert with no-where to hide and you can’t find one man, albeit it a very small one,’ said the General.
‘Sir, no Sir. Shall we continue to look?’ replied the Lieutenant.
‘No, prepare the men for battle.’
‘Sir, yes Sir. Are we going back to the base camp?’ said the Lieutenant.
‘No. We’re heading to Parchman, Mississippi.’
Chapter Twenty
Later that night when the events of the past week had been discussed and discussed and discussed again, the President walked away from the other leaders and over to the group of kids who were waiting patiently to find out their punishment. Chuck, Seth and Scott who had returned from the prison were being filled in on what happened with the Commander General.
‘So, what’s the verdict pops?’ Logan said to his father.
‘I’m afraid we have no option other than to banish you from the community. You’re on your own.’ The group gasped.
Then, breaking into a smile laughing they realized he was joking.
‘Dad,’ said Logan punching him on the arm.
‘Things have changed massively. We’ve lost our home, we’ve lost our supplies, we’ve lost most of our security force and I must take most of the blame for that. Although the decision I made was the right one, the decision not to tell everyone was the wrong one. We weeded out the bad eggs but at a cost to our way of life. It’s going to take time to rebuild and it won’t be easy. The board will remain in place, but I’ll no longer be President. I’ll be an equal on the board with an equal vote on what happens. Also, we want you to be on the board too Logan. You guys have a voice and you’ve shown that it is as important as anyone’s. What do you say Logan?’
‘No,’ replied Logan curtly. ‘You need someone who will motivate, who will empathize and more than anything give their life for their friends and family.’ He pointed to Tallulah. ‘Only one person fits that bill.’
Nathaniel nodded. ‘Good choice,’ he said smiling at Tallulah, and the group starting clapping. Tallulah blushed and held her hands together in thanks.
‘Now what Mr. Pres… Mr. Mathers?’ Chuck stammered.
‘Now we get some sleep and tomorrow decide our next move. I don’t think the Commander General will come back for us, but we can’t be sure. We need to find a new home as well. Out here we’re sitting ducks and that’s where you guys come in. You know more about up here than any of us. Our lives are in your hands.’
‘Safe hands,’ said Xander lighting up a cigarette.
The President walked away back to the base camp, which had now been set up resembling a small shanti town. Life would never be the same and he knew that they would face new challenges, especially now they had lost the security they once took for granted. The decisions over the past week had weighed heavily on him. He missed his confidante Wanikiy who he always knew he could rely on for sound advice. So many lives lost and was it even worth it? Could he have done it someway different. Now he would never know.
The rest of the group sat back down in front of a campfire they had built.
‘So,’ said Jay. ‘You’re telling me that the toxin wasn’t actually a toxin?’
‘No, it was a toxin. It just