Read Online The Line of Departure: A Postapocalyptic Novel (The New World Series Book 4) by G. Michael Hopf - Free Book Online
Authors: G. Michael Hopf
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you do that yourself? You could have called your friend the colonel instead of calling here.”
“You see, that might be difficult. I know you, meaning the United States, have a treaty with the colonel and, well, let’s say that my friend is working against him. I was hoping you could use some of your influence to make sure she and her son aren’t harmed.”
“I don’t think we can help you,” Conner said flatly.
Gordon was shocked by his abrupt answer to this simple request. “Why not?”
“We lost contact with Colonel Barone months ago. After he massacred countless number of citizens, he locked down the city and any attempts we’ve made to make contact have gone unanswered. We’ve even gone as far as sending men out there, but all have been turned away. He has Coos Bay locked down like East Berlin. No one is going in or coming out.”
Gordon’s pacing had taken him farther up the long drive. The thick grove of aspen trees that stood on either side of him shadowed him from the rising sun. He stopped and stared through the trees, his mind lost in a fog of questions.
Conner looked around the room when a minute had passed without a response from Gordon. “Mr. Van Zandt, are you there?”
“Ah, yes, I’m still here. I’m trying to think about what I can do, that’s all.”
“Can I propose an idea that would be beneficial to both of us?”
“Go ahead.”
“Again, I can’t say how ironic your call is. We were actually trying to track you down.”
“Really?”
“Yes, we share your concern for what is happening in Coos Bay. Colonel Barone is allegedly an ally of ours, but we need to be more aggressive in our response to what has happened there. But with our inability to enter the region, we were at a loss as to what to do until your name came up just yesterday. We know you and he have a close relationship, yet you have managed to stay neutral in all of this. We thought that you could lead a mission into Coos Bay to determine what is happening there . . .”
“Let me stop you right there. I don’t have any plans on driving to Coos Bay. I’m very concerned for my friends, but I can’t leave my family again.”
Conner looked at Baxter, who then took the look as his cue to speak. “Mr. Van Zandt, this is General Baxter, the secretary of defense. We know the difficulties of living out where you are, but I can say that we can provide you supplies—whatever you need in exchange for you service. You name it; we’ll provide it to you.”
Gordon began to pace again. The offer of equipment and supplies was enticing, but he had made a promise that he couldn’t break. He could not leave Samantha and Haley again, no matter what he was offered.
“I just don’t know if I can risk making another drive like that. It’s too dangerous on the roads,” Gordon said.
“Mr. Van Zandt, our nation needs you; we are in a perilous position right now. We have an army marching toward us and Barone has gone offline. We need to know what’s going on there so we can assess our position against the PAE.”
Gordon clenched his teeth out of frustration. When he’d called, he never imagined that the conversation would turn out like this.
“Mr. President, I need a day to think about this. I can’t make another drive like that again. I just can’t risk it.”
“Take another day, think about it,” Conner replied.
“Van Zandt, General Baxter again here. You don’t have to drive—we’ll send a chopper to pick you up and take you to a predetermined landing zone outside of Coos Bay. We’ll supply you with a motorcycle to go the rest of the distance. Let us know what gear you’ll need and we’ll have it on the bird.”
“Do I call this number back tomorrow?” Gordon asked.
“Correct, call this number tomorrow morning at eleven hundred hours,” Baxter confirmed. He then looked at Conner.
“Mr. Van Zandt, please think about it. You get to accomplish a lot with a single trip,” Conner
“You see, that might be difficult. I know you, meaning the United States, have a treaty with the colonel and, well, let’s say that my friend is working against him. I was hoping you could use some of your influence to make sure she and her son aren’t harmed.”
“I don’t think we can help you,” Conner said flatly.
Gordon was shocked by his abrupt answer to this simple request. “Why not?”
“We lost contact with Colonel Barone months ago. After he massacred countless number of citizens, he locked down the city and any attempts we’ve made to make contact have gone unanswered. We’ve even gone as far as sending men out there, but all have been turned away. He has Coos Bay locked down like East Berlin. No one is going in or coming out.”
Gordon’s pacing had taken him farther up the long drive. The thick grove of aspen trees that stood on either side of him shadowed him from the rising sun. He stopped and stared through the trees, his mind lost in a fog of questions.
Conner looked around the room when a minute had passed without a response from Gordon. “Mr. Van Zandt, are you there?”
“Ah, yes, I’m still here. I’m trying to think about what I can do, that’s all.”
“Can I propose an idea that would be beneficial to both of us?”
“Go ahead.”
“Again, I can’t say how ironic your call is. We were actually trying to track you down.”
“Really?”
“Yes, we share your concern for what is happening in Coos Bay. Colonel Barone is allegedly an ally of ours, but we need to be more aggressive in our response to what has happened there. But with our inability to enter the region, we were at a loss as to what to do until your name came up just yesterday. We know you and he have a close relationship, yet you have managed to stay neutral in all of this. We thought that you could lead a mission into Coos Bay to determine what is happening there . . .”
“Let me stop you right there. I don’t have any plans on driving to Coos Bay. I’m very concerned for my friends, but I can’t leave my family again.”
Conner looked at Baxter, who then took the look as his cue to speak. “Mr. Van Zandt, this is General Baxter, the secretary of defense. We know the difficulties of living out where you are, but I can say that we can provide you supplies—whatever you need in exchange for you service. You name it; we’ll provide it to you.”
Gordon began to pace again. The offer of equipment and supplies was enticing, but he had made a promise that he couldn’t break. He could not leave Samantha and Haley again, no matter what he was offered.
“I just don’t know if I can risk making another drive like that. It’s too dangerous on the roads,” Gordon said.
“Mr. Van Zandt, our nation needs you; we are in a perilous position right now. We have an army marching toward us and Barone has gone offline. We need to know what’s going on there so we can assess our position against the PAE.”
Gordon clenched his teeth out of frustration. When he’d called, he never imagined that the conversation would turn out like this.
“Mr. President, I need a day to think about this. I can’t make another drive like that again. I just can’t risk it.”
“Take another day, think about it,” Conner replied.
“Van Zandt, General Baxter again here. You don’t have to drive—we’ll send a chopper to pick you up and take you to a predetermined landing zone outside of Coos Bay. We’ll supply you with a motorcycle to go the rest of the distance. Let us know what gear you’ll need and we’ll have it on the bird.”
“Do I call this number back tomorrow?” Gordon asked.
“Correct, call this number tomorrow morning at eleven hundred hours,” Baxter confirmed. He then looked at Conner.
“Mr. Van Zandt, please think about it. You get to accomplish a lot with a single trip,” Conner
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