Chapter Eleven Rescue

The tribe sets out to rescue a group of kids who are being held captive by a gang. Mike enlists the aid of the US Corp of Engineers

Chapter Eleven

Rescue

      The next morning, Jean and Jacob told their story at the Council meeting.
      "We hustled our butts, and we made it to the Retreat in thirteen days," Jean began.  "It took Jacob one day to find a sheep, kill it, prepare it, and hang it where they would see it from their front door.  So we were actually finished with the mission in about two weeks.  So that got us thinking.  Maybe we should scout around for a week and then head back.
      "We found the road leading away from the Retreat and it seemed to be heading southeast, so we took that road.  About five hundred feet below the Retreat, we found a sheep barn.  I never saw it the first time that I was there.  There is a lot of pasture close by and a lot more sheep.  I guess those at the retreat just wandered up there.  It looks like the sheep barn belongs to the Retreat."
      "I thought that the road down the mountain might lead to another road running east and west," added Jacob.  "I thought it might lead back to our area.  I remembered that the firebreak road to Mrs. Brown's farm turned to the east.  I thought that we might find that road."
      Jean continued.  "We went southeast along the road for another two days, and then the road forked.  We debated about which fork to take, and since we hadn't seen evidence that either one was a road leading back to our neck of the woods, we decided that we would take the east fork.  We thought that we would hike along that road for a day or two and then backtrack.  You did say that you wouldn't be worried until six weeks had passed, right Chief," she said looking hopefully at Mike.
      "True," said Mike.  "Although I don't remember telling you that you could take off by yourselves.  Howard, do you remember me saying that Jean and Jacob could go hiking off by themselves into the wilderness, if they completed their mission faster than we expected them to?"
      "Don't get me started, Chief," growled Howard.
      Hastily Jean continued.  "Yeah, well, we hiked two more days and then things got interesting."
      "At the end of the second day, we found the remains of two bodies," said Jacob.  "They had been shot.  There were two motorcycles nearby.  They were the same kind of bikes that we have.  We found a jacket next to one of the bodies.  It had a patch on it.  Remember those guys we killed?  Remember their jackets?  They had the same patch."
      "Oh, s**t," said Yuie.  "Our bad guys and these dead guys were from the same group?"
      "You sure about that, Jacob?" asked Mike grimly.
      "I'm not a hundred per cent sure," Jacob answered.  "But I would bet on it."
      "Anyway, the next day, we found a dirt track leading up a hill.  It was rough, but we could tell that there had been motorcycles on it, and we thought that we could see some tire marks from cars," said Jean.  "So we followed the track.  It went up the hill, and then it turned east and went around the hill and veered to the north.  At the end of that track we found them.  We found the bikers camp."
      Mike was astonished.  "I don't believe this," he said.  "What the hell were you thinking, Jacob?"
      "I asked myself, where were they taking Jackie and Maria?" Jacob replied.
      "What?" asked Mike.
      "Where were they taking Jackie and Maria?  That guy killed Jackie, and he said that he was going to kill Maria, but what if he hadn’t?  They couldn't have been living at the place where we killed them.  There weren't enough supplies.  So, where was their real place?  Who else did they have?  I know now.  They have a bunch of kids at their camp."
      "D****t," exclaimed John angrily.
      "No, oh, no," moaned Desi.
      "I snuck up close.  First I came across a gully.  I found about twelve bodies.  Three little ones," said Jacob.
      Yuie quietly began to cry.  Mike felt sick to his stomach.
      "I got closer to their camp.  They made themselves a big dugout, and they have it covered with all kinds of stuff.  At night they keep the kids in an RV.  They chain the door.  I saw three cars, two pickups with camper shells, and two RV's.  They hunt.  I saw the bones of several deer."
      "I circled their camp.  From the south side I could see a road down below.  The road that, I thought, had to be there.  It runs northeast and southwest.  I think that after the fog came, after they realized what had happened, they were watching the road for traffic.  When they spotted someone, they would go down and attack them."
      "Bandits," murmured Mike.
      "Yes," said Jacob.
      "We saw ten kids," added Jean.  "They range in age from about six to about sixteen.  There are seven girls and three boys in the camp.  We saw six bikers.  They were all wearing the same jackets."
      "I didn't know what to do." Jacob shook his head.  "I thought about making contact with the kids.  They let them run around free during the day.  They put them in the RV at night.  We didn't have enough food for them.  I couldn't bring them with us.  I decided that we needed to come back and report."
      "So we went back to the road, and we made our way down," said Jean.   "We came to the road running northeast and southwest.  And that's when we found it.  A camp site.  It was not fresh, but it wasn’t old either.  We found some cans.  They had held food.  The markings on the side of the cans said, 'Property of the United States Army.'"
      She stopped.  There was astonishment on the faces of the Council.   "Are you telling us that the US Army is up here with us?" asked John.
      "Yes," said Jacob.  He looked at Mike.  "Chief, I honestly didn't know what you would do.  I knew that I needed to get back and report.  But, I didn't know how badly we needed information about the Army.  Jean thought that we should turn back.  But I decided to try and find them.  It's was my decision, so you should blame me.  It took us a week of hiking to the northeast, but we found their post.  They have built an old fashion fort, and they surrounded it with a palisade."
      "A what?" asked Yuie.
      "A palisade.  A wall of timbers.  You know.  Like you see in the old west movies," explained John.
      "There was a sign.  It's a unit of the United States Army Corp of Engineers," said Jean.  "But we could tell that there are regular soldiers with them.  We don't know why, and we didn't try to find out.  And there are some civilians there, too.  We saw a guy with some kids playing outside the walls.  When it got dark, the guards yelled at the guy to get his a*s into the fort.
      "We didn't make contact.  The morning after we found them, we turned around and high tailed our butts back here.  It took us almost four weeks, but that's only because Jacob twisted his ankle.  I think we could have made it in three weeks or less, otherwise.
      "Man, were we glad to discover that we were on the right road.  We saw the farm.  Jacob knew right away that it was the Davis Brown Farm.  He knew that we were okay.  That Ralph is a good guy.  He provided everything that we asked for."
      The Council was silent.  "We need to think about what this means to us," said Mike.  "Jacob and Jean will tell their story tonight at Meeting.  Everyone will be invited to express their opinion."
      Hector waited until the others left.
      "Yes?" asked Mike politely.
      "I know what you are thinking, amigo," Hector said with a serious look at Mike.
      "Um...," said Mike.
      "You are thinking that we have to rescue those children."  Hector stated.  Mike was silent.
      "I understand how you feel.  I do.  We have guns.  We can try to rescue them.  But remember.  Some of our people are likely to get shot.  If they get shot, they will likely die.  Please, remember that, Chief," Hector said, and then he left.
      It was a silent tribe that faced Mike that evening.  By then, everyone had heard the news of the two camps.  The information about the bikers was worrisome, but the news of a United States Army unit was the talk of the tribe.
      "All right, you have all heard about the army guys," said Mike.  "So here is what we are going to do.  Everyone is going to have their chance to talk.  We'll talk for two hours tonight.  Then we'll stop.  I want you to think about what you hear tonight.  Talk to other people about it.  Then, tomorrow night, we will all get a chance to speak again.  See if any minds are changed."
The discussion quickly turned into arguments.
      "We should contact them immediately.  They are the US Army.  They're supposed to help us."
      "We shouldn't have anything to do with them.  They are the Army.  They might be responsible for the Fog."
      "They are too far away to help us, anyway.  We have to depend on ourselves."
      "How do we really know that they are the Army?  What if they just stole the uniforms?"
      "How will they treat us?"
      Mike let them go on.  He did not try to stop anyone from speaking of their hopes or fears no matter how silly the conversation sometimes became.  When the arguments tapered off, he closed the meeting.  The tribe went to their beds.  But once they were in their bunks, many talked far into the night.
      The next day the arguments continued.  Mike asked Ralph and Mary to stay an extra day, so that their voices could be heard.  Ralph and Mary agreed to stay.  They were just as concerned.  The only ones not concerned were Star and Comet.  Star was enjoying being with the older girls.  Comet coaxed his dad into letting him go hiking with Nathan and Kevin.
      The feelings of the Council were indecisive.  Yuie was furiously against making contact with the Army.  Erin thought that they should.  Kathy worried that Hector would be taken into custody as an illegal alien.  Ahmad worried that his background would be held against him.  Jean pointed out that the Army might have a doctor with them.  They discussed the kids at the biker’s camp, but they were similarly divided.
      Night came.  Once again everyone had their say.  Mike asked Ralph and Mary for their opinion.  There was no consensus.  At some point, John asked Mike what he thought.  It was at that time that the tribe realized that Mike had not given them a hint as to what he thought.  People began to demand that Mike make his feelings known.  It was time to speak, Mike decided.
      "I like the idea of making contact with them," he began.  "But I would like to be cautious.  We don't know how being trapped here by the Fog has affected them.  We don't know how it has changed them.  In the old world they would be the Calvary coming to our rescue.  But we don't know if that's true now.  I think we should watch them.  Let's see how they treat people.  If we have a medical emergency, then we might have to make contact.  We know that the Fog is dropping.  I think that we should wait until next year to decide if we want them to know about us."
      Eric spoke.  "Mike has been a good chief.  He is always thinking of ways to keep us alive.  To make sure that we survive.  I think that we should trust his judgment now.  He's right.  Unless it's an emergency, we don't have to rush into anything.  He's the Chief.  He told us what he thinks.  Now it's up to us to follow him."
      There was a general murmur of approval.  The meeting came to an end.  The Council gathered around Mike.
      "Good going, Chief," said Howard.
      "Yes, we can wait a while," said Rasul.
      The next morning, the Brown family left.  After that, Mike gathered his Council again.  "I've been thinking," he said.
      "Uh oh," muttered John.
      "Shush," whispered Desi.
      "Maybe we can get the Army to rescue those kids from the bikers," Mike suggested.
      Surprised, Hector said, "Now that's an interesting idea."
      "I'm going to think about it, Hector" said Mike.  "One thing I'm sure of.  It's going to use a lot of our fuel.  Is it worth it to get those kids out?"
      "Yes," said Hector.
      "Yes," said John,
      "You bet," said Jean and the others agreed.
      So Mike began to work on a plan.  He discussed it with Jacob.
      "Tell me about the layout of the Army post, Jacob," said Mike.
      "The post is built on a knoll," replied Jacob.  "They have a clear line of fire on all sides, except that at the south edge of the knoll, there are bushes and one small oak tree.  The east side of the knoll is too steep to climb.  There is a cliff on that side about twenty feet high.  The west side is steep but not as bad.  I was able to climb it.  That's how I got a look at that side of their camp.  The road from the knoll leads north down to a saddle, but just before that, there is a short rise, so if you are on the saddle, you can't be seen from the camp.  The road leaves the saddle and enters the forest.  It looks like it’s a lot drier there than here.”     

Mike talked to Hector.  "Can you muffle the sound of the motorcycle," he asked.

      “Si, I can use a potato,” said Hector.
      Mike talked to Erin, who was the person most interested in making contact with the Army.  By the beginning of August, he had formulated a plan in his head.  At Council, one morning, he explained his plan.  There was a heated debate at first, and then slowly the Council came to the conclusion that Mike’s plan could be successful.
      "So everyone's agreed?" Mike asked at last.
      "I think it will work," said Jacob.  The others nodded.
      Mike looked at Erin.  "Are you sure that you want to do this?"
      "I'm positive," Erin replied.
      Mike looked at his Council.  "Then we're almost ready.  Until I get back, Howard will be in charge."
      A day later, Hector gassed up his pickup.  They put Hector's motorcycle on a mattress in the back of the truck.  Rasul and Jacob got in the back.  Mike and Erin squeezed into the cab with Hector.  Lily and Kathy had a dozen last minute instructions for Jacob and Hector.  They really boiled down to, "Be careful."
      The rest of the Council watched anxiously as the pickup left.  The truck stopped at the Brown farm to pick up Nathan and Kevin who were working that month at the farm.   They waited until noon, and then they left.  Hector drove carefully along the firebreak road.  The day was very windy and the road was rather steep in a few spots.  Several hours after leaving the Brown farm, they passed a lake on their right.  At the lake and at a few other places, they stopped to make a food cache.
      In the dead of night, they slowly passed by the biker’s hill with the truck lights off.  When they came to the road leading to the biker’s camp, they let off Jacob and Erin.  It was a day before the full moon, and it was bright just as Mike had hoped.  There were only a few wispy clouds in the sky.  They wished each other well, and then Jacob and Erin set off, hiking up the road.  The others in the truck continued onward.
      A few miles from the Army post, just before they left the cover of the trees, they stopped.  Hector found a spot off the road to hide the truck.  They took the motorcycle out of the truck bed.  Then amid the blue sky pilots and the gray sage, they threw their sleeping bags on the ground, and they slept.  By this time, Jacob and Erin were safely hidden not too far from the biker’s camp.
      The afternoon of the following day, Mike and Nathan started walking toward the Army post.  Mike timed their arrival so that the guard on the palisade spotted them just as the sun was setting.
      The Ranger standing guard was astonished to see two young teenage boys walking toward his post.  Quickly, he called for the gates to be opened.  The boys were allowed into the camp.

Inside the wooden wall, they were met by a man in uniform with a single silver bar on each of his shoulders.  The man, who identified himself as Lieutenant Kennedy, was African-American.  There was a thin cut of hair on the top of his head.  The sides of his head were shaven.  Hastily he escorted them into a small log building, where they were taken to see another man who was sitting behind a desk.  He was a sandy haired man with very short hair and a sprinkling of freckles across his face.

      "Here they are, Major Collins," the Lieutenant said.
      The Major stood.  He walked around his desk so that he could get a good look at the two boys.  Their clothes were filthy and torn, and their faces were streaked with grime.  Their shoes had seen better days, he noted.  One of the boys acted as if he were half asleep.  He kept rubbing his eyes.  The Major pointed to an old sofa and told the sleepy boy to sit down.   Soon after the boy sat down, he curled up on the sofa and fell asleep.
      "I'm Major Collins," he said to the other boy.  "This is Lieutenant Kennedy.  Who are you, and where have you been living?"
      "I'm, Mike," said the boy.  "His name is Nathan.  We came from the bad men's place."
      The Lieutenant sucked in an audible breath.  Major Collins looked at Mike intently.  "The bad men's place?" he asked.  “Do you mean that you have been living at a place with bad men?  Why do you think that they are bad?”
      "They have motorcycles.  They have guns.  They kill people.  And they treat kids real bad," the boy said sadly.
      The tension in Major Collins was palpable.  “Mike, tell me about these bad men.”
      Carefully, Mike told the story that he had rehearsed at the Lodge.  When he was asked questions that he could not answer with reasonable accuracy, he pleaded ignorance.
      "It's them!" the Lieutenant exclaimed at last.
      "Sounds like them," the Major agreed.  "How many kids are there at that place?" he asked the boy.
      "There are eleven kids still there," said Mike.  "The bad men killed some of the kids."
      The Lieutenant blanched.  The boy could see that the Major was angry.  "How many men are there," he asked in a clipped voice.
      "Six," was the reply.  "They sleep in their dugout at night.  They make us sleep in an RV.  But sometimes we sneak out and walk around.  We always go back, because they have the food."
      "Are you hungry?" the Major asked.
      For some reason, the boy looked guilty, but then he answered, "Yes, because they didn’t feed us today.  They got mad because one of the kids stole some food.  They said that all of us were going to get beat up tomorrow so they could teach us a lesson.  That’s why Nathan and I ran away.”
      Major Collins looked at the Lieutenant.  "Let's get something to eat in here," he ordered.  The Lieutenant went to make some arrangements, and the Major waited until the Lieutenant came back before he continued asking questions.
      "Mike, this is very important.  Do you think that you could find your way back there tonight?" the Major asked.
      "Sure," the boy replied.  "Could I take a nap first?"  He yawned.
      "Of course," the Major said.  

He woke Nathan and had a soldier lead the two boys to beds, and then he turned to the Lieutenant.  "Get your Rangers ready.  I‘m not going to let those children be abused for another single day.  We'll do it tonight.  We'll give this young man a few hours to rest first.  That way, we can catch them when they are sound asleep."

      "I can muffle the truck," said the Lieutenant.  "One muffled truck might be quieter than two jeeps."
      "Do it," replied the Major.
      Mike and Nathan were taken to beds in a roughly made barracks.  Nathan fell into bed, and he went to sleep.  Mike stayed awake.  From time to time, he took his watch out of his pocket and checked it.  When it was time, he rose.  He made his way to Major Collins’ office.  It was about ten pm.  Already the moon was bright.
      “Do you want to me to show you how to find the bad men’s place?” he asked in a sleepy voice.
      “We certainly do, young man,” replied the Major.  “Are you sure that you can find it in the dark?”
      “Yes,” replied Mike.  “But they are on a hill.  They might hear you coming.  If you want to sneak up on them, then you should park your truck at the bottom of the hill, and then you should walk up.”
      “That’s a good idea,” said the Lieutenant.  “Lucky for us it’s a full moon tonight.”
      It’s not luck at all, thought Mike.
      About eleven o’clock the gates opened, and a single canvas covered truck left the compound and motored down the road.  Watching from the rise above the saddle, Hector used Star's walkie talkie to alert Rasul who was standing by the motorcycle with Comet's walkie talkie.
      Rasul started the bike, and he rode away.  Three hours later, when he got to the road under the bikers camp, he flashed the lights.  Moments later, he saw the quick blink of Jacob's LED flashlight coming from a place on the hill below the dugout.  Rasul pulled the bike off the road, and he hid it in the trees.  Shortly after that, the truck arrived.  It was quiet because the driver had coasted the last quarter mile.
      Jacob waited and watched.  In the moonlight, he saw the gray shape of the truck come to a halt at the junction of the biker’s road. When he saw the vague shapes emerge, he knew that Mike had convinced them that they should approach the biker’s camp on foot.
      Jacob silently crept to the RV, and he unhooked the chain.  He awakened the smallest boy.  He ordered the kid to be quiet, and to help him wake the others.  He counted ten kids.  He realized with relief, that all of the kids were in the RV.  At first, the kids were afraid of him.  He tried to assure them that he was here to help them.  In a low whisper, he told them that he was taking them away from the bad men.
      "You're not going to hurt us, are you?" asked a little boy fearfully.
      "No, I'm not going to hurt you," replied Jacob.  “If you stay quiet until we get to the road, I promise that you will get a nice surprise."
      He led the children quietly down the track.  Part of the way down, Erin silently joined them.  Jacob faded into the night, while Erin led the children to the road.  They waited.  Shortly, they heard the grunting of men coming up the road.  The frightened children began to weep. Erin called loudly to the soldiers.  They stopped, and then a soldier came forward.
      "I am an American soldier," a man with silver bars on his shoulders told the children.  "And I am here to rescue you."  The children calmed down at this announcement.
      "Are there any more kids up there?" the Lieutenant asked.  The silver bars on his shoulders gleamed in the moonlight.
      Erin shook her head.  "I don't think so," she said.
      The two oldest girls looked at each other.  "No, we're all here," one said.  "We were in the dugout earlier, but they took us back to the RV when they finished with us."  

Embarrassed, she hung her head.   Hearing this made Erin’s heart burned with anger.  She looked at the grim faced lieutenant.

“I hope you kill all those b******s,” she stated fiercely.

Some of the soldiers led the children down the road, while the rest started up the track.  Just as the soldiers arrived, they heard a shot.  The soldiers ducked for cover.

A man came out of the dugout cursing loudly and carrying a rifle.  He demanded to know who was out there.  Lieutenant Kennedy called for him to surrender.  Instead, the man fired wildly in the direction of the soldiers.  The soldiers returned his fire and shot a withering hail of bullets into the dugout.  The men in the dugout fired a few shots.  Then the soldiers heard only groans, and finally there was silence in the dugout.  At dawn the soldiers cautiously approached the dugout.  They found six bodies.

      By then, the children were safe and back at the Army post.  Major Collins felt very satisfied with the effort that had rescued eleven children.  Counting Mike and Nathan, he knew that he now had thirteen more mouths to feed.  But he would do it.  He was US Army, after all, even if he was an engineer.
      Well below the dugout, in the safety of the trees, Jacob wondered if the Chief would be mad at him.  Jacob had carried a hand gun as part of Mike’s plan, but firing into the dugout, as the soldiers arrived, had not been part of the plan.  Maybe he would not tell the Chief, he thought.
      The post medic examined the children, and she pronounced them relatively healthy, at least physically.  Most were malnourished, and all of them were suffering from vermin on their bodies and in their hair.  Almost all had been repeatedly molested.  Emotionally, they were in bad shape.  It would take a long time to overcome their trauma.  But they were alive, which was more than could be said for the three small skeletons that had been found and buried, along with the adult remains.  The major was tempted to leave the thugs to the vultures, but he ordered them buried, also.
      These children are survivors, the major thought.  After only a day, some of the children were noticeably more cheerful.  The two boys who had been the first to find the post had found a baseball.  They were playing catch not far from the edge of the knoll.  One of the older girls, the only one who had adamantly refused to be examined, was actually sun bathing on the same side of the post, but she was closer to the wall.  The major pondered what compromises she had made so that she could survive.
      Mike was enjoying playing catch, but the game had a secondary purpose.  He threw the ball past Nathan.  Nathan had to run into the bushes by the small oak tree to retrieve the ball.  He waited.  A sharp eyed Ranger standing on the palisade parapet saw Nathan go into the bushes.  When he didn't return in a few minutes, the Ranger yelled at Mike to find his friend, and to get him back in sight.  Just then, Nathan emerged from the bushes.  He and Mike walked back to the fort.
      "You kids stay where I can see you," the soldier told them sternly.
      "I had to pee," explained Nathan.  I can't pee in front of people.  And there’s a girl here."  He pointed to Erin, lying on the grass.
      The young soldier looked over at Erin.  There certainly was a girl here, he thought.  And she was a real looker with a great rack.  He felt a twinge of guilt.  She had probably been abused, he admonished himself.
      The following afternoon, the kids were back.  The boys were throwing the ball.  The same boy went frequently into the bushes to pee.  He was only gone for a minute or two, so the Ranger did not yell at him.  He thought that the kid might have a urinary problem from his experience at the biker camp.  The girl was sunbathing.  But this time she had taken off her shirt.  Her wonderful breasts were only covered by her bra.  The Ranger kept sneaking guilty peeks at her.
      Later that day, Mike was interviewed by Major Collins.  He was assured by the Major that he was not in trouble, and that all of the kids were being interviewed so that a brief account of the crimes committed by the men could be recorded.  The Major did not ask for graphic details.  The Major smiled later when he thought about the interview.  The boy was extremely curious.  He asked more questions than the Major did.
      "We were sent here to develop a training camp for the Rangers," the Major had explained while answering the boy’s questions. "They needed a high altitude mountainous camp.  Given the situation in Central Asia, I can think of several reasons why.  A squad of Rangers was detailed to us as a consultant group.  We were not here a week, when this mist appeared.  We started pulling in all the civilians that we could find.  After a while, we realized that there was a gang of men preying on those people who were trapped in the mountains.  We found some gruesome evidence.  We've been looking for them ever since.  I know we covered that hill.  They must have set up their camp after we checked it."
      The next day, the Ranger on the palisade catwalk watched the two boys play catch again.  Once more the girl was sunbathing.  This time she not only took off her shirt, she unhooked her bra to avoid getting a tan line.  The Ranger watching her thought that this was not a bad duty to have.  Unnoticed, the boy who needed to pee went into the bushes.  He was gone several minutes.  When the Ranger looked for him, he emerged zipping his pants.  The Ranger did not realize that it was a different boy.
      Later, Mike, Erin and Kevin conferred.  "Everything is set, Chief," said Kevin.  "Jacob has both lines ready, and he made the trail that he wants them to follow.  We should be out of reach by the time they start to search.  If they do search."
      "Oh, they'll search," replied Mike.  Erin nodded.
      "Are you still okay with this, Erin?" asked Mike.
      "Sure, Chief," she replied.  "I grew up around people like this.  It's like home.  I'll miss my friends, but I'll make some new ones.  And, starting in May, I'll check the tree the first day of every month to see if there is a message from you.  And don't worry about your getaway.  I've got my own plan."
      The next day the routine continued.  The boys were out by the edge of the knoll.  The girl was sunbathing with her bra strap unhooked.  The Ranger stood watch, occasionally sneaking peaks at her.   And then, as he watched, the girl started to rise.  She fumbled for her bra.  It dropped to the ground.  Her wonderful beasts sprang into view.  The young Ranger’s eyes bulged.  As he watched, she bent over at the waist and retrieved her bra.  The Ranger sighed as she put it on and hooked it.  Suddenly she yelped, and she fell to the ground, while clutching her leg.
      In an instant, the young Ranger jumped down from the palisade parapet.  He yelled to a fellow soldier to take his place.  The Ranger rushed out the gate, and he ran to the girl who was moaning as she lay on the ground.  She was still holding her leg.  He helped her to her feet.  Gingerly, she put her weight on her foot, and then she whimpered and leaned against the Ranger.   He held her against his side as he awkwardly bent down and picked up her blouse.  He helped her put on her blouse.  She leaned on him as she limped into the fort.
      Up on the palisade, the other Ranger watched enviously as his fellow soldier helped the well endowed girl enter the gate.  When the two of them disappeared, he turned his attention back to the field and to the view beyond.  The field was empty, but the view was simply magnificent.
      At dinner, there was a head count.  Two boys were missing.  The Lieutenant reported to Major Collins that they were the two boys who had first found the Army post.  The Major sent men out around the edge of the knoll to look for the boys.  There was no sign of them.  The worried Major swore, but there was no way to search for them in the dark.
      The next morning, the soldiers searched again.  They quickly found a heavy rope tied to the small oak tree at the edge of the knoll.  The Lieutenant and some of his squad climbed down the rope.  They found fresh tracks, and they followed them.  The trail led in a circular way into the forest.  In the late afternoon, they followed the trail out of the woods and onto the saddle land.  The trail disappeared.  They searched the area, and they found signs of a camp.  The Lieutenant reported back to the Major.
      "We lost them, Sir," he said to the Major.  "They seemed to have met some other people.  The others had a vehicle with them."
The Major was mystified, but there were too many preparations for the winter still to be made, to worry about two boys who didn't want to be at the fort.  But occasionally he thought about what had happened.

One day in December, Major Collins noticed one of the young Rangers talking to the big breasted girl that had been rescued from the bikers.  A small notion occurred to him.  He did some investigating.  When he was certain, he called the girl in for a visit.

      "Your name is Erin, I believe," Major Collins said.
      "Yes, Sir," she replied.
      "Erin, I have a question for you.  Do you know what happens to spies?" he said sternly.
      "Yes, Sir.  In wartime, enemy agents of a foreign power are executed.  In peacetime, they are usually exchanged for our own agents,” the girl replied.
      The Major's eyes widened.  "You are remarkably familiar with the rules of espionage, Erin."
      She grinned.  "I'm an Army brat, Sir.  Grandpa and Dad were both Army.  I grew up at Fort Ord.  My Mom and I lived in Monterey.  Sir, I have a question.  How did you figure it out?"
      The Major stared at her, and then he laughed.  "It wasn't easy," he said ruefully.  "I saw you talking to one of the Rangers one night, and it suddenly occurred to me that you were in remarkably good mental health for a girl that had been systematically molested for over a year.  Most girls have an aversion to men after that."
      Erin thought about Maria.  "Oh, rats," she said.  "I should have thought of that."
      "Then I remembered that you were one of the few people who were on the knoll, on the day that the two boys disappeared.  I grilled the Ranger who was there that day, and I heard about your mishap.  He finally confessed that it was not only your leg that you had trouble with."
      Erin blushed.  The Major continued.
      "So, I have a pair of boys who show up unexpectedly.  They bring news of a gang that I have been aching to find.  One of them knows the way back.  We get there, and the kids are not in the RV, they are down on the road waiting for us.  What luck.  Lieutenant Kennedy did see the chain on the door, by the way.  It finally occurred to me that, after the boys escaped, there should have been more security not less.

“So, we have a very successful mission.  A few days later, the original two boys disappear, obviously with help from someone outside the post.  I suppose that I didn’t want to admit to myself that I had been conned by a couple of kids.

      "I talked to Lieutenant Kennedy.  It turns out, that you were the one who met the soldiers at the gang’s hideout.  You told him that all the kids were there.  And you were there, the day the boys disappeared.  And you caused a remarkably effective distraction.  And you were the only one who refused to be examined by our medic.  I'm guessing that you are still a virgin?”
      “Please, don’t make me answer any questions about that,” pleaded Erin suddenly embarrassed.
      “I won’t,” replied the Major.  “But now that the cat is out of the bag, I want you to have a medical examination.  Don’t worry.  The results will be confidential even from me.”
      "Anyway,” he continued.  “I've talked to the rest of the kids.  No one remembers you before that night.  They thought that you were with us.  It’s time to come clean, Erin.  Who are you, and where are your friends?"
      Erin sighed.  "I told you who I am, and that is the truth.  My friends are back at our Lodge.  We planned this so that you could rescue those kids.  That was our only goal.  I stayed to see what kind of people you are, and because I am comfortable around military personnel."
      "Where is this Lodge?"
      "It's somewhere to the west.  I don't know for sure."
      "Who is in charge there?"
      "You met him.  Mike.  We call him the Chief."
      "The person in charge is a boy?" asked Major Collins skeptically.
      "I know it sounds crazy, but yes," Erin insisted.  "Mike is in charge.  He's the Chief.  You had to be there to understand.  All of us were kids.  He kept us alive.  And the plan to rescue the children from those b******s was his plan."
      "Leaving that aside, how many are there at this Lodge?"
      "Um...fifty three counting the people at Davis Brown Farm.  No, I'm here, so there are fifty two there."
      "Fifty two people?”  This was a surprise to the Major.  “That's sixteen more people than we have here.  Are there any adults at all?"
      "If you count Mrs. Brown, there are four adults."
      "All right, you can go," said the Major.

After she left, he pondered the news.  He needed to find them, but it was too late in the season to send the Rangers to search for them.  There was nothing that he could do to help them now.  They would have to wait until spring.  He shuddered when he thought of all those kids trying to survive with a minimum of adult help.  He vowed that he would find them, and that he would take them into the protective embrace of the United States Army as soon as he possibly could do so.