ASYLUM: Chapter 31

Chapter 31

   I woke up to utter silence and darkness. The lights in the room were out and I couldn’t hear the soft sigh of the air being pumped into the room through the AC vent. I lay there for a moment and thought, is this a method of someone trying to release me? I stood up, and with my hands held out in front of me, I slowly walked towards where I thought the door was supposed to be. I hit the glass window instead and slid my hands over until I reached the door. I felt about and found the doorknob, still locked. Okay, I walked back to the bed with the intent of putting my boots back on and kicked one of them under the bed, shit. I grabbed the remaining one and slipped my right foot into it, then kneeled down and felt around blindly until I found the second. I slipped it on and tied them off. I sat back down and waited. I didn’t know what I was waiting for, maybe it was just blind hope for, something. Then I heard it, someone was trying to insert a key into the door of my cell. I stood up and walked part way to where the door should be and waited, finally, I felt the air disturbed as it was pushed open.

   “So, are you here to kill me, or set me free?”

   “Dan!” A sharp whisper, a sharp whisper I recognized, Rich.

   I didn’t use his name as I whispered back, “What are you doing?”

   “Getting you the hell out of here,” I felt his hand grab my wrist and pull me forward.

   “Night vision? You have NVDs?”

   “Yeah, here,” He whispered as he guided my hand and said, “Grab hold and hang on, I’ll lead you out, come on!” My fingers slipped into what I realized was the waistband of his trousers and I gripped hard.

   “You shouldn’t be doing this, if we’re caught…how did you get the keys?”

   “Nadia, she still has her master keys from when she worked with Facilities, now shut up and follow me!”

   He pulled me along behind him and I could tell each time we passed through a door. Eventually, I could make out the dim light from the stars outside as we passed through a final door and I could smell pine trees and feel a breeze. The starlight did help my vision, I had just walked out of complete blackness, so yeah, I could see pretty good.

   “What now?” I asked.

   “How’s your vision?”

   “It could be better, but not bad.”

   “Listen up, in about,” he went silent and I could see him looking at his watch. “Fifteen minutes, the power will be coming back on and they’ll know you are gone.” He pointed to a gap in the trees that I knew was the road to the highway from Asylum and said, “Your truck and trailer are down that way, it’s waiting for you, so move your ass and get down there as quick as you can.”

   “Rich, how do you know when the lights will come back on?”

   “Because Nadia turned them off for you. We wanted to come with you, but with Jack not even walking yet and the new one on the way, I just can’t take the chance out there, you know?”

   I reached out and shook his hand, “I know, Rich. If I find somewhere good to raise children, I’ll get a message to you, okay?”

   “You get a massage to us and we’ll come running, Daniel, count on it!”

   It felt so good to know someone still had faith in me, I grabbed him in a bear hug, “You can’t know what it means to me, Rich, I swear to you, I did not do what I am accused of.”

   “We know, Daniel, now go! Go now!”

   I turned and started jogging, but after a while I picked up the pace and ran faster. I’m not sure how much time passed, but ahead, I saw a red glint from the lenses of the tail lights on the trailer and ran up beside the front door of the truck, opened it and climbed in. I put on the seat belt, felt the keys in the ignition and switched them to the on position to wait for the glow plug to heat up.

   “The engine is warm, Daniel, go ahead and start it so we can get out of here.”

   The voice from the rear seat startled me and I turned around to find Stacy Menendez’s face mere inches from my own, “Stacey? What? Why are you here?”

   “Daniel, now is not the time. You might not care if you get shot at, but I do. Start the truck and let’s go.”

   I started the truck and accelerated down the road to the highway and turned left. Once on the highway, I accelerated again and used the line of the road to stay on until I decided we were far enough out to turn on the headlights. Once I had the lights on, Stacy crawled from the back seat and took the front passenger seat as her own. “That went better than I thought it might,” she said.

   “Stacey, what are you doing? I’m major bad mojo right now.”

   “I don’t care, there’s no way you did what they claim you did, and no one can convince me otherwise.”

   “Did you see the evidence they accumulated about me?”

   “No, but I heard about it. I know Debra and Danni saw some of it; I can’t believe they bought into it.”

   “Stacey, I saw some of it, and if I didn’t know better, I would probably believe I did it.” I drove a little farther and then said, “Listen, are you aware of, well, sometimes I have a friend that sort of comes into the picture and…”

   “The other guy? Yeah, I know, so what is he, some sort of split personality, or something?”

   I clenched my jaw, slowly blinked, then glanced at her as I asked, “Who told you?”

   “The night of the dance, when you and Debra had that huge blowout? I saw a lot of it and heard what you said. I heard the way Debra was talking to you and the way she phrased things, like she was talking to someone other than you. I guess I kind of pulled away from being around you for a while, but then I thought, so what? You were functioning at a really high level, so it didn’t seem all that important to me. Besides, after you saved me from Becker, there was no way I was going to turn my back on you when you needed help.”

   “Thanks, Stacey, I guess I’m feeling a little like a forsaken son, or something. I hope you don’t get disappointed in me in the future.”

   “No one is perfect, Daniel, no one. Not you, not Danni and Debra, not me, but we do what we can, when we can, and hope things turn out okay in the end. Just so you know, there are a lot of people that were at that meeting and listened to what the Feds told us and they don’t believe that you are what they said. Rich, Nadia, and I? We’re with you, Daniel, one hundred per cent.”

   I held my hand out to her and she reached out and grabbed it, “Thanks, I can’t, I don’t have the words to express…” I choked up and went silent as she raised from her seat, leaned over and kissed my cheek.

   After she sat back, she asked, “Okay, where are we headed?”

   I thought for a moment and finally admitted, “I haven’t a clue. Maybe find somewhere to hide out for a while and see what we can come up with?”

   “Okay, but it’s going to have to be somewhere we can access water and secure shelter. There’s only the two of us to watch each other’s back.” She thought for a moment and said, “Land we can farm, somewhere we can salvage from, we’ll need fuel eventually for the truck. Maybe we can find a small community somewhere that could use some trained soldiers? Maybe we could offer to train communities? We’re both good at that.”

   “Wherever it is, it needs to be good for the winter, and easy to heat somehow. Maybe an old ranch house, or something similar?” I said.

   She was quiet a few minutes and then said, “Outside of Silver City on the 180, there was an old adobe building that our squad took shelter in once. It looks pretty rough, but the roof was good and it had thick walls and heavy doors, I think it was  tall enough to add a second floor to inside. There was a well and I remember there were some grape vines someone planted once. Power came from the city I think, so there isn’t any, but if we could find some solar panels and equipment, we might get a few lights or something going, you know?”

   “West or east of Silver City?”

   “West, across the highway was a small river that was actually running and one of the guys said he thought he saw trout in it. It might be worth taking a look at, what do you think?”

   “It’s better than anything else for now, yeah, let’s take a look and check it out.” She smiled and settled back in her seat. I drove on for a while and then said, “I don’t have my weapons and gear, but…”

   “Yes, you do.”

   “What? What do you mean? Everything I had was in my apartment. I mean, I have clothes and stuff in the back of the truck I never took out and I have a sidearm back there somewhere, but everything else…”

   “I took it, from in front of your apartment.” She sounded as if she was uncomfortable discussing it.

   “From in front of my apartment? Why would my stuff be…oh, I see; wow, that was quick.”

   “I, uh, I drove by and saw Danni throwing things out the front door, so I stopped and asked her what she was doing. She said she was throwing all your shit out and if there was anything I needed, to just take it. I went by because I wanted to find out what they planned to do when it came to you and I wanted to help and, well, yeah, once I realized she was buying into the Feds’ story about you, I just sort of started loading up your gear and everything. I made three trips in the golf cart to get it all.”

   “Everything? They threw out everything?”

   “Yeah, your carbine, a couple of Bowie knifes, all kinds of stuff. I took it all and…” She got quiet and then continued. “Your FLC was all torn up and your MOLLE belt was slashed up also. Your plate carrier wasn’t there and you know that combat knife you carry and the hatchet? They weren’t there either. I didn’t want people pawing through your stuff, so I took everything and put it in the back of your truck.”

   “How did you unlock it?”

   “That’s when I started thinking maybe I should help you any way I could. Debra handed me the keys to your truck and asked me if I would take them to the Colonel, I mean the General, and tell him everything inside was up for grabs. I guess you can see, I didn’t give him the keys.”

   “Thanks, Stacey, I uh…” I trailed off and just stared out the windshield as I drove. The ache I was feeling was eating my insides. I wiped my eyes and settled deeper into the seat; it looked like the sun would be rising soon. “Magazines for my carbine, did they throw those out as well?”

   “No, I didn’t see any. I didn’t see your sidearm either.”

   “Williams has it.” I drove a little farther and added, “But I have that other handgun in the back of the truck I never took out. I also have a complete set of Coyote MOLLE gear that belonged to a friend of mine and I have all the magazines he had for the rifle I gave to Debra.” John Cameron’s Smith and Wesson MP-9 and the spare mags I bought for it in Phoenix, plus all of his ‘oh shit gear.’ I would need a knife and John’s SOG modernized Kabar would fit the bill nicely. “I think there’s quite a bit of 5-5-6 and 9-millimeter back there as well.”

   “That’s good, all I have is the six loaded mags I had for my AR and three spare mags for my Glock 17. We do have a problem with weapons though.”

   “What?”

   “The bolt of my AR 15 rifle broke and I turned it into the armory to be repaired. I don’t have a rifle.”

   “We’ll start checking abandoned homes and gun shops to see if we can find you something. Oh, yeah,” I said. “I have a couple Glocks and shoulder stocks for them in back of the truck from when I was in Denver. I was going to give them to Packer for someone that needed a weapon, but I forgot about them. I’ll give you one of the stocks if you want it?”

   “Really? I tried Debra’s stock once and wished I had one.”

   I gave her a weak smile and said, “Well, now you do.”

   “Are you sure? I mean…”

   “I’m sure, there’s a good chance you saved my life tonight, Stacy, a shoulder stock isn’t much, but it’s some kind of repayment at least.”

   “I owed you, remember Becker?”

   I nodded, “Yeah, I remember, but thanks just the same.” I followed Stacy’s directions and about eight in the morning she had me pull onto a dirt driveway. She got out of the truck and opened a gate so I could drive through and then climbed back in.

   “Pull forward and then we’ll check to make sure there’s no nails on the floor. I think there might be enough room inside to park both the truck and the trailer.”

   That’s what we did and there was enough room for both, I backed the trailer in and disconnected it, so we could open the back of the truck. Danni had thrown out the .45 caliber rifle that Henderson gave me, probably without realizing what it was in its case. I removed my carbine and the spare mags I had purchased for John’s rifle and loaded them. I gave Stacy one of the Glock stocks and several of the 33 round mags I had collected also. She was very pleased with it. Then we took a tour of the building. She was right, it was rough, but I could easily see the buildings potential. The walls were almost fourteen inches thick of old adobe bricks and the exterior doors were solid wood with metal trimmings. I was liking it a lot. It would take a lot of work, granted, but I felt in would be worth the effort from a security standpoint. I would have liked it better if it was farther off the road and not visible, but yeah, I was liking it.

   “I think you found us a keeper, Stace.”

   “I was hoping you would like it.” She smiled broadly and clasped my upper arm, “I think it will be a good place to start over.”

   “Yeah, I suppose so.” I walked away from her and went outside as she followed me. “Where are the grapevines you told me about?” She walked me out to them and I could see they hadn’t been tended in a long time, but we might be able to get them going again. There was even a well close by to them. The soil everywhere was sandy dirt and when I dug my fingers into it, I was impressed with how good it smelled. I hoped it would provide a good garden. “Septic tank?” I asked.

   “Uh, I don’t know, I hope so.” She looked worried for a moment.

   “I’ll look around and see if there is one; there must be somewhere.”

 

   During the first month we were there, we accomplished a great deal. The area where we parked the truck and trailer had been the kitchen at one time before it caught fire. There was an extensive amount of work there, but we skipped that area and installed a kitchen in a different room. Yeah, there was a septic tank and I got a toilet working along with the shower. Water pressure was supplied by an electric variable voltage pump that was powered by solar panels we installed, it worked  during the day, but nothing at night; we kept a full five-gallon bucket beside the toilet for the times we didn’t have power, but I was still looking for batteries and more panels. We didn’t want to leave the property unattended, so normally I would drive into town and salvage the things we needed while she worked on projects around the house and property. Sometimes she would hunt small game when I was gone and we would have grilled rabbit, quail, or whatever she managed to bring down around the Adobe. At least once a week, normally on Friday, we had stream caught trout. The fresh protein was always a treat after we started dipping into the long-term food supplies John Cameron had placed in the truck.

   As far as a rifle for Stacey, we lucked out there. We were searching through abandoned homes just outside Silver City and found a well-equipped man cave. In a gun cabinet, we found a bolt-action Mossberg MVP chambered for 7-6-2 NATO/.308 Winchester, ten twenty round magazines and several thousand rounds of ammo for it. There were also several hundred rounds of hand loaded ammunition labeled for competition use only. Stacey put the weapon through its paces and was more than satisfied with it. With her Glock and the stock for it, she had close quarters and a high volume of fire covered. Whoever had owned the rifle had also equipped their self with MOLLE gear to support it, but the only gear she took was the actual magazine pouches she put on her own vest and MOLLE belt. That hand-loaded ammo? There was a complete set of reloading dies for the ammo, I took that too.

   We got along really well and we worked well together, but I have to admit, I was lonely for my family. I remember we were having dinner one evening and I was distracted as I thought of Danni and when Stacey asked me a question, I answered, “I’m sorry, Hon, what did you say?” Her face broke into a huge smile and then it faded as she saw the look on my face.

   “Nothing, it wasn’t important.” She stood up from the table I had salvaged and scraped her plate into the compost bag before washing it and putting it away. “I’m kind of tired,” she said. “I think I’ll turn in early.” She started walking away and I just sat there and watched her go.

   I had been increasingly concerned that she was developing feelings for me and to tell the truth, I guess I had for her as well. I don’t mean romantic feelings, like I thought she had for me, but a strong camaraderie type affection we had developed as militia trainees and squad mates.  We were workmates, roommates, and close friends, but not lovers. Frankly, I wasn’t sure it was in me to go that route again. I was still hurting from what I considered was Danni’s and Debra’s betrayal and I just didn’t want to get involved again. At the same time, it was easy to imagine, living a life with Stacy. She was very attractive, and I know I wasn’t the only man who thought she was. She was also very sweet and good natured. I guess I don’t have to say she was also fiercely loyal as well. She was about five foot eight and though she was a little on the curvy side, she had the perfect proportions that draws a man’s attention. She was graceful and had a really great walk that could readily catch your eye. Her hair was shoulder length, thick, and a dark lustrous brown that matched her eyes. I pushed the thoughts I was having away and cleaned up my plate and the pans she had cooked dinner in before climbing in the back of truck and pulling out one of the bottles of Rum that John would drink on occasion.

   I’ve never really been a hard liquor kind of person and it wasn’t like I could run to the local store and get a six pack of cola for a rum and coke, so I opened one of our water flavoring packets and mixed it with sixteen ounces of water. I added some rum and sipped it. It was a little on the syrupy side and I had added a little more rum than I anticipated I needed, but not really all that bad considering it was my first time mixing a drink. I grabbed two blue enameled coffee cups and went looking for Stacy.

   I found her exactly where she said she was going, her bed. “Hey, Stacy, are you asleep yet?”

   “No, is something wrong?”

   “No, well, yes, but no, I mean…I mixed up some flavored water then added some rum and I was wondering if you’d like to have a drink with me?”

   She sat up and scooted back against the wall to use as a backrest, “Why?”

   “I just thought that, well, I…I miss my kids, Stace, and yeah, I miss my wives. I know they don’t want me anymore, but it’s hard to just turn it off, you know?”

   “Yes, I know.”

   “Was there someone back in Asylum, someone you were interested in?”

   She didn’t answer at first, but finally she said, “Yes.”

   “I’m sorry, you threw away your life when you rescued me, you saved my ass when you could have been…”

   “No, I never told him how I felt about him.” I poured some of the concoction I made into a cup and offered it to her. She took it and sipped at it delicately before saying, “Whew, that’s strong!”

   “Why?” I asked.

   “Because you put too much rum in it?”

   “Why didn’t you tell the guy you were interested in, that you were, interested.”

   “Oh, he was kind of oblivious to anyone, but his wife.” She cautiously took another sip and said, “Okay, I’m definitely mixing the next drinks.”

   “Sorry, here, give it to me and I’ll dump it out.”

   “No, it will be okay for now, but I’ll make the next drinks we have.”

   I chuckled and said, “Okay, it’s a deal.” I took another drink and shivered at the strong taste of alcohol. “Yeah, you make the next ones. So, he was married?”

   “Yeah, but I would have never approached him and tried to, well, you know.”

   “That’s because you’re a good person.”

   “A good person wouldn’t fall in love with another woman’s man.”

   “I’ve been told, you can’t be brave if you don’t know fear; how can you be good, if you’re not tempted by bad?”

   “So, you think I should have told him how I felt?”

   “No, I think you did the right thing because you’re a good person.”

   She didn’t answer, instead, she tipped up her cup and emptied it. “Yeah,” she said. “And the end result? I’m just as unhappy as I was to begin with.” She was quiet for a moment and then said, “I want another drink.”

   She started to get up and I said, “I’ll get it for you.”

   “No, this one I want to enjoy, so I’ll mix it myself. Empty that cup and I’ll bring you a fresh one.”

   I did the same she had done and tipped it up to finish it. I handed her the cup as I shivered again. “Wow, that actually was pretty strong.”

   “The next will be better, I promise.”

   She left to get new drinks and I leaned against the adobe wall and thought about Debra and Danni. I thought about Danni Lynn and little John and wondered how they were doing, how much they had grown. I once again pushed the thoughts aside because I knew the girls would take care of our children; they may have turned their backs on me, but the kids were still their children and always would be, even if I was the father. I wondered what they would tell the kids about me? Why I was gone and out of the picture.

   Stacey returned and handed me the fresh drink and sat beside me. “Look,” she said. “I know I’m not the woman you want, I’m not as talented as Debra and Danni. I’m not as pretty, or as smart, or any other metric you might use to compare us, but I will always be there for you, no matter what.”

   “So, I’m the guy you were interested in?” I was hoping she would deny it and mention someone else.

   “Yes.”

   I didn’t say anything in return, I just sipped from the cup and waited for her to continue if she wanted to. After several awkward moments, I said, “You’re wrong.”

   “About what?”

   “Every person originally hired at Asylum was smart, Stacey, and you know that. As far as being pretty? You are very pretty, just in different ways than Debra and Danni. Talents?” I laughed and said, “Did you know Packer was grooming you to become a Company CO?”

   “He was?” She looked honestly surprised. “I always thought he preferred to put Rangers in command positions?”

   “He did that because he knew the people he was advancing in rank. Geez, Stacey, you caught his notice early on and he has been working you slowly upwards, so he could see how you would fit into the program and believe me, you were definitely fitting in. Between you and Nadia, the two of you were on a fast track to future promotions.”

   “I never suspected it.” She shrugged, “Doesn’t matter though, I imagine I’m personae non grata right about now.”

   “Yeah, you probably are.” I sipped from the fresh cup of whatever and relaxed a little; it definitely was better than what I had mixed. “Welcome to the club.”

   She smiled as she said, “A very exclusive club, only the best may apply for membership.”

   The damn drink she mixed was really good and it disappeared fast. “Ice,” I said. “We need ice.”

   “And not just for alcoholic beverages, we need it for other stuff also.”

   I laughed and said, “Make a note of that and add it to the rest of the wants.”

   She licked the tip of her index finger and scrawled I-C-E in the air, “Done.” Then she tipped up her drink and drained it. “I want another one, how about you?”

   “Please.”

   When she returned, she handed me the cup and leaned over to turn and sit beside me, but lost her balance and bumped her head into the adobe wall, “Ow, well done Stacey.”

   I chuckled and said, “Maybe these should be the last of the drinks tonight?”

   She got turned around and settled before she said, “I don’t know, we’re talking about things I’ve wanted to talk about for a long time and I kind of want to keep talking about it.”

   “Okay,” I said as I examined the warm buzz I was feeling. “But if you need another drink after this one, I’ll bring the makings in here, so you don’t get lost.”

   “Sounds like a plan.”

   I turned and looked at her and she smiled at me. When she had left the dinner table to go to bed she had changed out of her clothes and was now wearing a simple white cotton shift that she normally slept in. It was never intended to be sexy, just comfortable, but sexy was the way she looked anyway. It was short and exposed a generous portion of her thighs which were smooth and inviting. I shifted where I sat and pressed my shoulder against hers. “I think maybe…”

   “What?” Instead of answering, I reached down and traced the top of her thigh from her knee to the hemline of her gown with my fingertip. That simple touch caused her to take a deep, but shaky breath and exhale. When my fingertip reached the hem of her shift, I started pulling my hand away, but she grabbed my hand and held it there. “Daniel, you don’t have to make any promises. I wouldn’t want you too, not until you’re certain it’s what you want.”

   Turning towards her, I kissed her as I reached down between her knees and started sliding my hand upwards. As my fingers passed over the inside of her thigh, she opened her mouth and our tongues met. She raised the leg pressed against my own and opened her thighs as she placed her leg over my own and tugged on the neckline of her shift. The elastic within it stretched and she pulled it down over her shoulders and to her waist before beginning to unbutton my shirt. Her inner thighs were so soft, smooth, and warm, and when my hand reached the top of her inner thighs, she moaned into my mouth.

 

   I started waking up and realized, I wasn’t in my room and I wasn’t in my bed; I was in Stacey’s. I could feel her pressed against me and hear her soft breathing as she continued to sleep. I started to panic as I thought, oh shit, what have I done! Then I relaxed, nothing, I’ve done nothing wrong, nothing at all. Debra and Danni had made a choice and I was no longer that choice. Maybe if I would have had the chance to talk to them, maybe if they would have given me the chance, I could have proven my innocence, but now? I wasn’t even sure I wanted to prove to them I didn’t do what I was accused of. No, that wasn’t true, I wanted them to know, to someday be able to return and somehow be involved in the lives of my children.

   I needed someone in my life, I knew that, I knew it for a certainty, and Stacey wanted to be that someone. Did I love her? Not in the way I probably should if I was planning a future together with her, but like I’ve had numerous people tell me, it’s a different world. Why not Stacey? She was everything a man might want, intelligent, attractive, emotionally stable, physically healthy, with a sweet personality, and in today’s world, fully capable of protecting herself and watching my back, yeah, I could definitely do worse. Hell, I’d already chosen worse, why not go for better? She told me she would always be there for me, of course, Debra and Danni said the same and look where that got me. Maybe I was expecting too much, Debra and Danni both told me I was too naive. Maybe they were right, maybe I expect others to feel and act the way I would and it’s just not something that will ever happen. I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, blame Debra and Danni for what had happened; for the fact they believed others and didn’t allow me the chance…yeah, they didn’t even give me a chance to protest my innocence. Maybe I was looking for a pot of gold while I had Fort Knox lying next to me.

   “Regretting what we did last night?”

   I turned my head and looked at Stacey, she was watching me through the hair that was covering her face, “Hold that thought for a minute, I’ll be right back.” I threw off the covers, tossed a tee-shirt over my scarred shoulder and walked to the bathroom nude where I quickly brushed my teeth and put the tee-shirt on before returning to Stacey’s bed. I slipped back under the covers and faced her, “No, I’m not, are you?”

   “No, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

   “Good, because I’m holding you to that, right this heartbeat.”

   When we were finished, she lay next to me and said, “I know you’re self-conscious about the scars on your shoulder and torso, but I want you to know, they mean nothing except how brave and selfless you are. You keep trying to cover them and you don’t have to, okay?”

   “Okay, thank you.”

  

   Another week passed before we discovered we had neighbors. Our first meeting was a little tense, but it worked out in the end. I was out by the garden well working on it when I heard dogs barking and looking up, I saw a pack of Heelers circling Stacey where she was working in the garden. She had her Glock in her hand and was aiming at one of the dogs that seemed particularly aggressive. I grabbed my carbine and aimed at one of the dogs as I walked towards where Stacey was being threatened. A shrill whistle split the air and someone angrily shouted, “Do not shoot my dogs!”

   I swung my bullpup towards the voice and centered the sights on the chest of a young man mounted on horseback. “Then call them the hell off! NOW!” I shouted.

   He was armed with some sort of lever action rifle that he had aimed at Stacey, but at my shout, he quickly started shifting his aim back and forth between the two of us. “I don’t want any trouble! Just don’t shoot my dogs!” He whistled again and all but one of the dogs ran beneath the barbed wire fence and sat by the hoofs of his horse. I kept my carbine pointed at him while Stacey was covering the dog that continued to bark and snarl at her.

   “Get that animal away from my wife and under control, or I will most definitely kill it!” I shouted.

   “Damn it!” The man said. “Ma’am? Go ahead, shoot the dog!”

   Stacy glanced at him and then back to the dog, “What? You want me to shoot your dog?!” The dog chose that moment to lunge at her and she fired, but the bullet hit it in the back near the rear hips. The animal yelped and then tried to drag itself back to its owner; the young man fired one shot from his rifle and ended its suffering. He dismounted and led his horse by its reins to the fence and tied it off.

   “I’m sorry, for scaring you, Ma’am, If I would have known someone had moved in here, I wouldn’t have brought Gypsum.” He pointed at the now dead dog. “I hoped as he got older, he would mellow out a bit and calm down, but I guess not.”

   I continued to walk forward and stopped next to Stacey. I was holding the carbine across my chest with the barrel pointed down and my trigger finger lying beside the trigger guard. “We didn’t know anyone lived close-by.”

   He pointed east, back the way he had come from and said, “Three miles back that way and about two miles off the road. I’ve been living with my grandparents since the fall.”

   I nodded and pointed at the carcass of the dog with the muzzle of carbine, “That’s a shame, it was a good-looking animal.”

   “Yeah, but there’s more to a cattle dog than just looks, and he was definitely becoming a problem; I was afraid it might come to this. Like I said, Ma’am, I’m truly sorry if you were scared.”

   She nodded and then stepped next to me where she leaned lightly against me, “Why do you have so many?” She pointed at the dogs that were all still sitting where he had left them on the road.

   “I breed and train Heelers for cattle dogs. That’s actually why I’m out here with them, Mister Morales up the road wants to look them over while I put them through their paces and see if he wants to trade for one, or two. I’m hoping he will because my grandparents need a few things and I need fuel to go get what they need.”

   “So, there’s more people around than just you and your family?” I asked.

   “Yeah, we just don’t get out much anymore. Most people hang out on their own places and try to keep a low-profile, know what I mean?”

   “Have you had trouble out here?” Stacey asked.

   “Once in a while, there’s a group out of Cliff and another in Buckhorn that come out and collect taxes for the local militia, but it’s really nothing more than a protection racket. If you don’t ‘donate,’ you have trouble, know what I mean?”

   “Are there enough people around to organize and put an end to it?” I asked.

   “Maybe there’s enough, but we’re really disorganized and it’s hard to get folks together and agree to do it. The militias can be really vicious.”

   “Where do you need to go in order to find what your grandparents need?”

   “I’m going into Silver and see if I can find a battery for my grandad’s tractor and maybe find some diesel fuel. I’m hoping I can siphon some out of abandoned vehicles.”

   “That’s what we’ve been doing,” I said. “Maybe we can work together on it sometime, what do you think?”

   “Well, yeah, I mean it would be a lot better if I had someone to help watch my back.”

   “Same here, tell you what, why don’t you stop back in on your way home and we’ll talk about it?” I held my hand across the fence and added, “My name’s Daniel Menendez and this is Stacy.”

   He shook hands with me as he said, “Terry Martin.” He nodded to Stacey and said, “Mrs. Menendez.” Then back to me, he said, “I’ll do that, I hope we can figure something out that works for both of us.” He pointed at the body of his dog and said, “I’ll grab Gypsum on my way back and haul him off, okay?” I nodded and he mounted his horse, waved one last time and then called his dogs and rode away.

   As he rode down the highway, Stacey slipped her arm around my waist and I did the same to her shoulder as she looked up at me, “You called me your wife.”

   “Yeah, I did, too soon?”

   “No, I…no, it’s not too soon.” She turned in my embrace and I put my other arm around her. She looked up again and said, “Daniel Menendez?”

   “It’s a good name.”

   She smiled up at me and said, “Would Mister Menendez like to take his wife in the house and make love to her?”

   I glanced back at the well pump I was working on and said, “That pump’s not going anywhere so, yeah, let’s go do that.”

   She smiled and said, “Good, because I’ve been thinking all morning about what you did to me last night, and I’d really like for you to do it again.”

   What I had done was something Debra had taught me, I tilted her face up and kissed her, “Your wish is my command.” She grabbed my wrist and started dragging me towards the house as she laughed.

  

   Terry Martin and I became pretty good friends and eventually we worked together very often. Through him, I met his grandparents, Jack and Maggie Sylvester, and Juan (Johnny) Morales. A lot of the people in the area looked to Morales as a sort of representative of the community and I could understand why. His family had been in the cattle business for generations and he had graduated from UC Berkley with a degree in Political Science. He had enrolled at Berkley because he felt the faculty there better represented the beliefs he graduated from High School with, but after listening to their lectures and investigating their claims himself, he did a complete 180 and became a supporter of the Republican party. He started coming by the house at least once a week and he would sit and talk with Stacey. He seemed to be completely taken with her and their discussions often revolved around political philosophy. Stacey had studied Political Science also when she attended and they would sometimes get into spirited debates about the topic. You probably wonder why I might be relaxed about his visiting her so much and some times when I wasn’t home, but Mister Morales was 72 years old; I kind of figured I was safe as far as a romantic rival went. Besides, his daughter Miranda, always accompanied him.

   When we hit the three-month mark of our time in the Adobe, I started thinking it might be time to start considering bringing Rich and Nadia on board like we had briefly discussed. There were construction projects that I needed a hand with and Stacey simply wasn’t strong enough to help. Another project I wanted to get started was a larger solar installation and I knew Nadia, as an electrician, could be a tremendous help with that. Then you add in they were both trained soldiers and yeah, it was time for some help. The problem was getting a message to them without the powers-that-be finding out I was involved. Terry became an integral part of the process.

 

   Terry Martin slowed his truck down and coasted to the guard shack as he rolled down his window. He watched as one of the guards walked to the back of the truck and used a pen and clipboard to write down the license plate of the truck while a second approached his window.

   “Good morning, Sir, may I inquire what your business here in Asylum will be?”

   “Sure, I kind of saved up some topics once I heard about you folks, so I could take care of more than just one item. Let’s see, uh, I heard you people are pretty free with information on how to do stuff and me and some of my neighbors thought we might try our hand at putting together a solar power system to provide electricity. Um, we are kind of interested in prenatal vitamins if you have some to spare and we’ve been having some problems with a couple of groups of armed men that are claiming they are the local militia and we have to pay for the right to be free of them taking all our stuff at once, by giving it to them over a longer period of time. Oh, and we heard that sometimes you pay for information about subversive organizations, is that true?”

   “For the most part, but you will have to speak with one of our officers concerning some of your inquiries.”

   “Okay, so where do I go and who do I talk to?”

   The man pointed up the road and said, “Straight up this road you will see a paved turnout to the right, pull in there and your vehicle will be checked for contraband. Any personal weapons must remain in your vehicle while here, anywhere, here, understand?”

   “You bet, looks like you folks are able to protect me while I’m taking care of business.”

   The guard indicated for a man inside the guard gate to open it and Terry watched as it slowly moved to his right. When it was clear, he drove through and parked in the turnout where the truck was gone over with a fine-tooth comb. Then he was sent on, with an escort, to what was obviously a loading dock. They showed him where to park and one of the guards escorted him inside a large office area where they handed him off to a secretary behind a desk. She had him take a seat and wait until the Facilities Superintendent had time to meet with him.

   He decided he would probably be waiting for a long time, but in less than ten minutes, he was invited into the superintendent’s office. “I was told your name is Terry Martin?”

   “Yes, Sir, and I was told you folks were pretty free with advice and even training for people outside of Asylum.”

   “You were told correctly; we go out of our way to be helpful to people who need it.”

   “Your name is?”

   “I hate my first name, so most people call me by my last, Marshall.”

   “Okay, what I’m looking for is some expertise in choosing and installing solar systems. We have a sparse, loosely knit community that stretches for miles and then some, so we were thinking maybe small systems for each home, or farm. We were told you had a lady working here that was pretty good at solar systems and battery back-ups, named Tooles, and we should ask for her if possible.”

   “Ah, yeah, Nadia, she’s one of the best, but she’s pregnant and I don’t know if she would be willing to travel right now.”

   “Oh, dang, I didn’t know that. How far along is she?”

   “I think about five-and-a-half-months.”

   “Oh, well that’s not so bad and we won’t need her to actually do any work, just sort of point and say get one of those and ten of these, know what I mean?”

   “She would need security and her husband would probably want to tag along which means the infant they already have would need to go; I don’t know.”

   “Could I meet with her? I promise I won’t try to talk her into…well, I might try, but it won’t be a high-pressure type deal, mainly just, please, please, please?” He smiled and Morgan did as well.

   “Okay, I’ll have her speak with you, but like you said, if she says no…”

   “Then no it is, I promise.”

   “Okay, she’s in the tool crib for the electrical crew; I’ll have her come out and meet with you in the receptionist office, okay?”

   “Thanks, I appreciate it!” Terry looked out the window and said, “Out there, right? That’s where you want me to wait?”

   “Yeah, go have a seat and she’ll be out in a few minutes.”

   “Thank you!”

   Terry waited patiently and finally, a woman in a work uniform walked out and looked at him, “Are you Terry?”

   “Yes, Ma’am, I was hoping you would consider…”

   “I’m pregnant and I have an infant already, if there’s a way I can help from right here, great, but I’m not hitting the road for anything.”

   “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. My friends, who recommended I speak to you, will probably be disappointed, but it is what it is, right?”

   “Who are these friends of yours?” She asked suspiciously.

   “The woman’s name is Stacey, and her husband’s name is Daniel Menendez.”

   “Really, let’s take a walk, do you mind? My doctor says I should get more exercise.”

   “Yes, Ma’am.” Terry held the door for her as she exited the office and they began to walk away.

   “Stacey and Daniel, there’s a blast from the near past.”

   “I guess Dan told your husband if he found a good place, he would let you know?”

   “Yes, but I’m having unforeseen difficulties with this pregnancy, I need to be close to a medical facility and frequent doctor visits. Here, it’s not a problem, out there? Different story.”

   “Of course, we have a trained mid-wife, but I assume you may need something more, and quickly, if the need arises?”

   “Yes, unfortunately, but this visit of yours could be rather fortuitous, can you get a message to Dan and deliver a package for me?”

   “Yes.”

   “Good, this walk is going to take us to a few places. The first place, is Daniel’s old place of employment. I have one word of advice, if we are stopped by anyone, or if anyone engages us in conversation, you have never heard of Daniel or Stacey Menendez, alright?”

   “Yes, Ma’am.” Dan had told him the same thing, but he only said he and the people of Asylum had a falling out. Terry was beginning to wonder just how severe the falling out had been.

   Tooles led him deeper into the underground tunnels and Terry began to get an appreciation of just how big it was. “How far does this place go into the mountain?”

   “We’re just now entering what we call, Phase Two. All total, it was tunneled out to about 2600 feet straight in and it’s two levels deep.”

   “Holy crap! Where did they put all the spoil?”

   “It was used to level out areas both below, and above, the actual site. We even have a small landing strip for aircraft Topside and we’re starting to build housing areas up there.”

   “So, where are we going right now?”

   “A place some of us used to call, the Trust, a shortened version of, the Brain Trust. A lot of really smart people work there and,” she glanced around them before saying, “Dan was Commanding Officer in there.”

   “So, Dan is pretty smart, or he was just in charge of a bunch of smart people?”

   “He was probably smarter than anyone else in here and an exceptional intelligence was one of the pre-requisites for everyone to be hired to begin with.”

   “So, if he says he can do something or figure it out, I guess I should pay attention?”

   “Yep.”  She led him to a nondescript door and pushed a button beside it. A large wire reinforced window allowed him to see inside where a number of people were staring at computer screens. An attractive young woman in uniform looked up, smiled and waved at Tooles and then came to the door. After she opened it, she stepped out.

   “Hi, Nadia, what are you doing down our way?” She glanced at Terry and looked him over as she waited for Tooles’ reply.

   “Hi, Julia, I have someone you need to meet.” She indicated Terry and said, “This is Terry Martin and the three of us have a mutual acquaintance named, Dan Menendez.” She looked at Terry and said, “Martin, this is Lieutenant Julia Ortiz, commanding officer of the Intelligence Office.”

    Terry gave Julia just as intensive look over as Julia gave him before he said, “So, your Julia? I kind of expected someone…”

   “Taller?” Ortiz asked.

   “Actually,” he said. “Someone older from the way Dan described your abilities. I don’t know why I thought that; he said you were young, petite, and pretty.”

   Julia turned red with embarrassment before answering, “I’m afraid I’ll need something a little more tangible than just your word, that you know our mutual friend.”

   “Yes, of course, he told me to remind you of something he once told you, some advice he said he gave you because of your job. You should trust no one, absolutely no one; he said for you to trust your feelings, but verify, always verify.”

   Julia slowly nodded her head and then she looked at Nadia who simply shrugged as she said, “Above my pay grade, Kiddo.”

   “Can I assume he needs something?”

   “Yes, he said he would love to have his old laptop back; his personal one.”

   “He’s asking for a lot, if someone was to find out about it, I could find myself swinging in a breeze.”

   “He said to tell you, don’t take any unnecessary chances, so maybe we should forget about our little talk?”

   She studied Terry for a moment and then, “He said that?”

   “Yes.”

   She turned and looked at Nadia, “A couple of weeks back, you asked me if I wanted to get in some target practice with you, but I didn’t have the time. I suddenly discover I have the time today; would you and your new friend like to join in on it?”

   “What time?”

   Julia looked at her wrist watch and said, “How about an hour from now?”

   Nadia said, “Sure,” Then she looked at Terry, “Ever fired a Henderson rifle?”

   “No, Ma’am, never even heard of one.”

   “You’re in for a treat.” She turned back to Julia and said, “In an hour then.”

   Julia nodded and then entered a code into a keypad next to the door and went back into the office. Terry watched, as a large, young black man watched her until she entered an office in the back and then looked through the window at him before returning to his study of a computer screen. “I don’t think that guy likes me for some reason,” Terry said.

   “That’s Julia’s boyfriend, don’t piss him off.”

   “Right.” No way, Terry thought.

 

   Terry and Nadia wandered around Topside and finally met Julia at the rifle range. Julia had brought her AR and Nadia brought her Henderson rifle. After a short period of conversation, Nadia handed Terry her Henderson rifle and he started firing the bullpup on the 100-meter range. He loved it, “I never dreamed one of these little short rifles could be so accurate!”

   “They are well made,” Nadia said, “Henderson puts a lot of skill into their manufacture.”

   “This looks a lot like the rifle Dan has, is his a Henderson rifle also?”

   “No, though his carbine is the weapon Henderson based his version on.” 

   The three of them discussed weapons and weather for a while and then Julia said she had other duties to get back to, so she picked up her AR and started walking away. Terry noticed her shoulder bag lying on a bench and started to call to her, Nadia stopped him. “I imagine you need to be leaving soon, so I will promise you this, when I have had this,” she said as she pointed at her belly. “My husband and I will come and look over your solar power situation; sound good?”

   “Yes, Ma’am, we have a neighbor who would love to put you up while you visit.”

   “Well, why don’t you take off and we’ll be seeing you then.” She stood up from the bench she was sitting on and added, “Don’t forget your bag, Mister Martin.” Then she walked away.

   Terry picked up the bag, slung it over his shoulder and headed for where his truck was parked. He looked over the outside of Asylum and wondered, what could possibly force someone to leave the comfort and security this place represented? He purposely didn’t exam the inside of the shoulder bag until he reached Silver City, but when he did, he was jealous. The laptop inside wasn’t the greatest, but it wasn’t a slouch either, you could do some serious work with it and he imagined that was exactly what Dan Menendez was planning.

   It was after dark when he pulled into the drive at the Menendez home and parked at the gate. Slipping out of the truck, he stood beside the open door and shouted, “Hello the house! Dan! It’s Terry!”

 

   I watched as he waited a few minutes and just before he decided to shout again, or maybe honk the horn of his truck, I heard Stacy’s voice, “Hi, Terry, back from Asylum already?”

   He almost jumped out of his skin and said, “Damn, Stacey, give a guy a heart attack why don’t you?”

   She laughed softly and then called to the house, “It’s him, Babe, should I bring him in?”

   “Yeah, he can have dinner with us.” I shouted as I watched Terry try to locate me.

   Stacey opened the gate and waved Terry through after he re-entered the truck. He drove up and parked where I always told him to, which was away from the house, and then walked to the front door, which Stacey opened for him. “Any luck with those prenatal vitamins?”

   “Sorry, Stacey, but that lady, Nadia?” She nodded and smiled. “She said those were pulling premium prices if they could even be found.”  He held the door open and refused to walk in until Stacey did first.

   “Thank you, Terry, funny how stuff like that, meant so little before the Fall and so much more now.”

   “I’ve always done the Ladies First thing, heck, my grandad would have my hide if I didn’t.” He closed the door and dropped a 2x4 in the braces designed to hold it. “We need to pick up some hardware the next time we’re in town, so you two don’t have to rely on this stuff to keep out the unwanted.”

   From the next room, I said, “That bar will still be there after I get the door done properly. All door locks do is slow down an honest person.”

   “Seems like it sometimes.” Terry responded. “Having dinner with the two of you sounds great, but I should get home.”

   “Naw,” I said. “I stopped by your place and talked to your grandad; he’s not expecting you back until this time tomorrow at the earliest. With his hearing and eyesight as bad as they are, it might not be a good idea to show up unannounced after dark.”

   “Yeah, there is that, for sure. Okay, you talked me into it,” he said smiling.  “What’s for supper?”

   “Beef Stroganoff,” Stacey answered. “And if you’re really good and help with the dishes, how about a couple of after dinner drinks made with rum?”

   “Now, you’re talking my language!” Terry laughed. He reached around pulled the shoulder bag Julia gave him off and held it out to me, “From Julia Ortiz, boy, those people up there sure don’t want anyone to know they’ve had anything to do with you.”

   “Yeah, I can’t blame them though, I got screwed pretty good and anyone that supported me…well, let’s just say I wasn’t popular.” I took the computer to the table and retrieved it from the bag before setting it up. “Good, the battery is fully charged. I’m going to have to set up a way to charge it off the solar array.”

   “I can do that if you’ve never done it before.” Terry said.

   “You can?”

   “Sure, when I was in High School, I took every Computer Science class they offered and that’s what I was studying at WNMU when everything went to shit. Oh, sorry, Mrs. Menendez.”

   “Don’t worry about it, Terry, I’ve heard a lot worse than that.” She laughed and added, “I’ve said worse than that.”

   I said. “I thought you were a dog breeder and trainer?”

   “I am, I learned how to train and breed in the FFA, do you know what that is?”

   From where she was busy at the stove, Stacey said, “Future Farmers of America.”

   “That’s right, but I was more interested in computers and gaming. I always figured I’d get a job somewhere cool and make some big money, so I could help out my grandparents.”

   “Terry,” I said. “How old are you?”

   “I’ll be twenty-one this December.”

   “Huh,” I commented. “I thought you were older based on your attitudes and work ethics.”

   Terry shrugged. “You don’t get ahead if you don’t grow up. I had a lot of help from my grandparents.”

   Stacey turned around and asked, “They’re the only family you talk about, do you have anyone else?”

   “No.” His answer was clipped and sharp. It didn’t invite anymore questions.

   Stacey shrugged, but said. “I was lucky, I had four brothers and four sisters. God, we used to fight so much with each other, but no one else was allowed to pick on any of us. One of my sisters, Miriam? She was ten months older than me, we used to fight like cats and dogs, but if someone picked on her, or me? Watch out, the crap would hit the fan.”

   Terry didn’t reply, but I said, “I was raised in the foster care program in L.A. County, and never had any family.”

   “I know,” Stacey said, “That must have been incredibly hard.”

   Terry stared at me and asked, “From what age until when?”

   “From birth until I reached eighteen. Then I was cut loose and had to find my own way.”

   “Well,” Terry said. “At least I had my grandparents to provide a home and love. Sometimes I start feeling like I got screwed, but then I remember I always had them, you know.”

   I nodded and then said, “Family is very important to me; I guess because of what I missed growing up, but sometimes it seems no matter what we want, no matter how hard we…”

   Stacey interrupted me, “Sometimes we are looking in the wrong place, sometimes we miss what providence provides us.”

   She turned around and looked at me and I could tell she was feeling out of sorts. Maybe she thought I wasn’t recognizing her desire to be with me. “You’re right,” I said. “Sometimes love can be right in front of us and we completely miss it. I’m glad I found you, when I did.”

   Terry looked back and forth between us, as Stacey blushed and smiled, but kept his questions to himself. I think he realized more was being said than he realized.

   Stacey removed some plates from a cupboard and said, “Daniel, why don’t you get cleaned up, dinner is almost ready.”

   “Okay, Babe.” I left the kitchen and spent a bit of time getting cleaned up and returned to find Stacey speaking to Terry.

    “She is pretty, she’s also highly intelligent and she’s also very loyal to those she loves.”

   “Who?” I asked as I walked back into the kitchen and sat down.

   Stacey looked at Terry and raised her eyebrows until he said, “Julia Ortiz, she is definitely someone I would like to have a conversation with.”

   “Well, I am assuming her and Walter Pix are still a thing, so watch your step, I don’t think I would want to get on his bad side.”

   “Yeah, I saw him and I think you’re right.” He mumbled.

   The freeze-dried stroganoff was damn good, especially after Stacey had doctored it with spices. We finished eating and Terry and I helped clear the dishes and clean them as Stacy prepared some drinks for us. When we were done, Terry joined Stacey at the table and I climbed into the back of the trailer and started going through it.

   “Honey,” Stacey said. “What are you looking for?”

   “Some computer discs I had in an ammo can; I need to find them so I can load the information they hold onto the computer.”

   “The can you’re looking for is in the bedroom. I put it there for safe-keeping.”

   I looked out of the back of the trailer and asked, “What made you think I thought those discs needed to be kept safe?”

   “Maybe the fact they were wrapped with foam padding and inside an ammo can?” She smiled.

   “Ah,” I said. “You’re always a step ahead of me.” I started climbing out as she stood up and said she would get them for me. I rejoined Terry at the table and started looking through some of the computer folders to insure they had the transcriptions on them as Terry watched.

   “What’s all that?” He asked.

   “Information gleaned from radio transmissions and dark web postings. After the data was entered, we inserted it into a word processing program so we could search for and correlate the data into usable bites.”

   “Simple and smart. Is the stuff related to your unhappy departure from Asylum?”

   “Yeah, someone started posting false info that made it appear I was giving sensitive information to the bad guys with the end result of screwing my whole life up.”

   “So, the people in charge at Asylum found out and you bailed before they could arrest you?”

   “I was already under arrest. The Feds came and presented a convincing case against me, I was arrested and was waiting to be transported back to Maryland when some of my friends helped me escape.”

   From behind me, Stacey said, “Daniel has a lot of friends that wouldn’t, couldn’t, believe what the Federals presented as evidence to take him away. Unfortunately, those who were closest to him chose to and turned their backs on him.”

   “The people closest to him?” He looked at me and said, “He was lucky his wife stayed by his side.”

   I glanced up at Stacey and she looked at me, before answering, “I wasn’t Daniel’s wife then, Terry, I considered him a friend and, wanted more than that, but he was with someone else, someone who believed the Fed’s lies about him.”

   Terry looked uncomfortable and then asked, “So his real wife turned on him?”

   I reached out and wrapped my arm around Stacey’s hips and pulled her close to me as I said, “The case the Feds laid out was very damaging, Terry. There was a lot involved that gets a little too personal for me to want to discuss, but yeah, Stacey wasn’t my wife then.” I thought for a moment and realized I had never told Stacey how much she really meant to me, how much I had come to feel for her. “She’s my wife now though; she stayed by me when I was abandoned and vilified by those I loved and trusted. How can a man not love someone who is willing to throw her whole life away to rescue him when he needs it the most?” I locked eyes with her and said, “I love you, Stacey, don’t ever doubt that.”

   She nodded and then pulled away as she walked to a counter behind Terry; I could see her wiping at her eyes as she said, “Are the two of you ready for another drink?”

   Terry brightened and said, “Sure!”

   I said, “Please.” She came back to the table and gathered our glasses before returning to the counter and mixing the drinks.

   “So,” Terry said. “What are you hoping to do with the computer?”

   “Prove my innocence, hopefully. The problem is, although I may be very good at pulling information together into a relatable package, I don’t know how to discover and prove if that information has been tampered with.”

   “This is stuff you found on the Dark Web?”

   “Yeah, they posted information that could only have come from me. It was as if they knew what I was doing before I could have even known what I was going to do.”

   “I’m not much on psychics and making educated guesses consistently is pretty remote also. Mind if I take a look at the information that was the most damaging?”

   “Uh, Terry, some of this is very sensitive and could become problematic if it gets around to the wrong people; know what I mean?”

   “What I’m interested in doesn’t involve the content of the message, but the timing and original source.”

   “Okay, what the hell, they can’t mistrust me more than they already do.” I pushed the laptop across the table and allowed him to start looking through the information.

   He paused and looked up at me, “Which one of these is the worst?”

   I walked around the table, clicked on the computer’s screen, and then sat down as Stacey gave us fresh drinks and planted herself on my thigh. Then she said, “Do you think you might be able to find something?”

   Terry shrugged and said, “Who knows? But a fresh set of eyes…” His fingers started out rather slow, but gradually started speeding up until they were flashing over the keyboard. Stacey looked at me and raised her eyebrows. I smiled and shrugged. “Oh, hello.” Terry said.

   “What?” I asked.

   “Hang on,” He answered and typed a bit more and then turned the laptop so I could see the screen. Where there had originally been only one readout, there were now two on a split screen.

   “What am I looking at?” I asked.

   “This side of the screen,” he said. “Is the original message you had in your folder. This one,” he pointed again. “Is the original, original.”

   “I started reading the two messages and finally said, “They’re the same, so…”

   “The messages are the same, but look up here,” he said as he pointed with his two index fingers. “See the date and time?”

   “They’re different, by months.”

   “Yep.”

   “But…” I kept staring at the two messages and finally said, “So, all they did was change the date to make it look like I said something earlier, than I actually did?”

   “Yeah, but they forgot, or maybe they just didn’t care, that once it’s on the Dark Web, just like the Internet, it’s there forever. I love doing this kind of stuff; it’s kind of like playing at espionage, you know?”

   I looked at him and said, “You found this so fast; it only took you minutes to disprove a major lie that ruined my life. Wait a minute, the computer isn’t even connected to the Dark Web, how can you be getting anything new, like the original message if we’re not connected?”

   “What you’re seeing, is data already on your computer. This stuff was added to it, probably from a remote terminal, maybe from a CD that was already prepared to be downloaded.”

   “Is there a way to figure that out?” Stacey asked.

   “Sure, how long it would take to discover it would depend on how sophisticated they tried to hide it. Judging from what I’ve seen so far, they probably used the quickest and simplest method, just like they used the simplest method of trying to fool you with the false information. All they did was change the recorded date of entry.”

   “The simplest explanation is usually the correct one,” I said as I nodded my head.

   “Pretty much.”

   “Could they have hidden it better with a more sophisticated method?” Stacey asked.

   “Sure, but anything hidden can be found if you’re adept at what you’re doing. That’s one of the reasons I became so interested in Computer Forensics in my college classes. You’d be surprised how much utter BS was on the Internet, but the thing is, I was training for something that looks like I’ll never be able to use now. Talk about a useless job skill. Guess I’m going to be a dog trainer from now until I die.”

   “It’s not looking like a useless skill to me, Terry,” I said. “How would you like to go over all of this and find the proof that its fake? There might be an actual job in it for you later on.”

   “Really? I mean, that would be great!” Then he paused and said, “Naw, I need to take care of my Grandparents, you know?”

   Stacey said, “Options, Terry, allow yourself options. If Daniel is talking about what I think he is talking about, that job could be a hell of an option. First off, I’ve never even heard of Computer Forensics; that sounds a lot like part of what the Intelligence Office was, and is, doing. If you accepted a job offer, you could bring your family with you. They’d have: health care; food; security; everything; it’s worth thinking about.”

   “They’d allow me to bring them to Asylum?” He looked hopeful.

   “Of course,” I said. “The people at Asylum are more than just soldiers and workers; they have their families there also. You’d have to agree to militia training, but, wait a minute, you train cattle dogs, could you train guard dogs also? Maybe tracker dogs? Wow, Terry, I’m seeing a lot of potential here.”

   “Yeah, I think I could train guard and tracker dogs. Sure, why not? I’d rather do the computer forensics though.”

   I pointed at the computer and said, “There it is, your first assignment. If you can disprove even a few of these attacks on me and Asylum? I guarantee you’ll have a job.”

   “Can I start now? I mean right now?”

   Stacey laughed and said, “I thought you wanted to have a drink with us?”

   “I did, but I’d rather do this. Tomorrow, I’ll go home and tell my grandparents what we’re doing and what might happen because of it. Then I’ll continue with this stuff; it shouldn’t take long to do.” He pushed the rum and, whatever, away and immersed himself in the computer.

   Stacey and I got up and poured his drink into our glasses as we smiled and walked outside. Once we were out, we sat on a rocker bench as Stacey said, “It would be really great if you could prove your innocence.”

   I nodded and tilted my head back to look at the stars, “Yeah.”

   “You don’t seem very excited by the possibility.”

   “I am, but I’m seeing problems ahead, Stace. If we return to Asylum, what’s going to happen?”

   “Probably, they’ll suck up to you, so they can have you working for them again. You’re too valuable.”

   “Maybe, but that’s not what I’m talking about, Hon. You know how Debra, Danni, and I had the smell thing going?”

   She hesitated before saying, “Because of the contaminant, yeah, I remember.”

   “It’s hard to explain, but I don’t know what’s going to happen when we meet again.” I started getting nervous.

   “I know you still love them, Daniel, you already told me that.”

   “But now there’s you, Stacey. When I said earlier, I loved you, I meant that. I love you and I don’t want to lose you. When everyone else turned on me…”

   “Everyone else didn’t turn on you; a lot of people didn’t believe what the Feds said about you.”

   “I know, but the ones closest to me…” I shrugged, and said, “It’s just that, aw hell, I can’t blame them for believing the lies, I would have believed it if I didn’t know I was innocent.”

   “Do you think they’ll believe you? The evidence?”

   “I think on some level they will, but I’m not certain. I need to explain to you how this shit seems to affect people, so you can understand.” I paused, and then said, “Once, after Sara sent that picture to Debra and then the contaminant spill at the labs, I was trying to get Debra to safety; have you heard the story?”

   “Some of it, bits and pieces.”

   “When Debra regained consciousness, she kept saying cruel and hurtful things to me.”

   “And you saved her anyway.”

   “Yeah, but I started snapping back at her, even though I tried not to. Later, she told me that one part of her mind was trying to stop from saying the things she was saying, but she couldn’t stop it. She wanted to say, ‘I love you,’ but her hate came out instead. I’m wondering if the same thing was happening when you talked to Danni when she was throwing my stuff away. What I was getting at is, the smell thing? It’s very powerful and almost impossible to ignore. I don’t know how I’m going to react when I see them again.”

   “I don’t know, Danni just seemed to be in a rage, I think if you would have walked around the corner at that moment, she would have killed you with no hesitation.”

   “How was Debra acting?”

   She shrugged, and then said, “I want to lie and say she was just as hateful, but she wasn’t. She just seemed really confused and worried about how Danni was acting.” She wiped at her eyes and added, “Tonight, for the first time, you said you loved me and now I feel like my hold on you is slipping away. If they know you’re innocent, they’ll want you back; how am I supposed to compete with two beautiful women that already have your children? Children I know you miss terribly?”

   “There is no competition, Stacey. It’s not about who has what, or who’s beautiful, or, god, I don’t know. Do I want my children back in my life? Yes, of course.” I sat there a moment and then touched on something I had never mentioned to her, “Remember when you told me you overheard Debra and Danni speaking about how they loved one another and they had sex with each other?”

   “Yes,” She was staring at her hands and I knew she was folding in on herself.

   “Remember you said they wanted each other, but not if it meant losing me?” I was trying to tread carefully.

   “Yes.” That answer was even quieter than the first.

   “They had already decided to share me, and I want you the same way I want them. I want you, Stace; I don’t want to give you up.”

   “But the contaminant, I can’t compete with that.”

   “The contaminant doesn’t cause love to happen, Stacey, it intensifies the sexual attraction. I don’t love them more than you.”

   “You don’t?”

   “No, I wanted them to give me a family, I want the same thing from you. Stacey, they may not even want me anymore. They may have already found someone, or someones, to take my place. My kids could be being raised by others already.”

   She shook her head and said, “I have a hard time believing that. I mean, maybe Danni has, when I saw her, the hate for you was intense, but maybe she has gotten over it. Maybe when the three of you see each other again…”

   “I told you I wouldn’t lie to you, Stace. If they come to me and say they were wrong and they want me back, it will be extremely hard for me to say no. The one thing that might make me feel different about returning is if they don’t want, me and you, as a package deal.”

   “Daniel, I don’t think I can do that, I mean the sex thing with them, I…”

   “Whoa, Honey, when I said package deal, I didn’t mean you had to have sex with Debra and Danni. I meant that you and I come into the relationship as husband and wife the same as they are my wives. With equal stature, responsibilities and rights.”

   “I don’t want to put you into a situation where you have to choose between us, Daniel.”

   “Then don’t, just be you, the woman I fell in love with. You will be with me, one way or another.”

   “Let’s wait and see if they want to get back together with you and then have this conversation, okay?”

   “Stacey…”

   “Please?”

   I nodded, “Okay, that’s what we will do.” I was in over my head, that was the only thing I was sure of.

  

   Terry was astounding. He not only found what was needed to clear me, but he thinks he could actually get us on to the Dark Web if he could find the necessary equipment and tools to calibrate it. He wants to take a trip into Western New Mexico University and see if he can find what we need in the computer lab there. In the meantime, he’s headed to Asylum and will try to touch bases with Julia Ortiz and Nadia Morrison again. If he can get with Julia, he will show her what we, he, found and try to convince her of its authenticity. I’m not going to hold my breath, I can’t help but feel the old yeah, but thing, is running rampant.

 

   Terry is back from Asylum and he looks a little worse for wear, actually, a lot. Walter Pix caught him in a Men’s Room and worked him over a lot more than would have been necessary even if Terry had made a play for Julia. Pix never struck me as the jealous type, but maybe I was wrong, he seems to have decided Julia is his and everyone else had better keep their distance. The whole episode has me angry and wanting to pay visit to Asylum and have a talk with Walter. The good news is, Julia says she is going to look over what he brought and verify it; she told Terry she hopes it clears me and through me, Stacey. So, do I.

   As soon as Terry felt up to it, we went into WNMU and I followed him around the computer lab as he collected the items he thought we needed to install a satellite dish at the Adobe. If this works the way he hopes it will, we might be able to establish communication with Julia and start searching the net for those responsible for what was done to me. I could use some good news.

   We worked off and on at setting up the dish, but life gets in the way. Terry’s grandfather had what we believe may have been a minor stroke and is having difficulty taking care of his chores. That limits the time we have to work on our computer projects because Terry is picking up the slack for his grandparents. I shifted gears and started searching for additional solar power gear I could salvage. I found an intact system on a small twenty-acre property and I was able to dismantle the solar array, charge controllers, inverters, and batteries in a manner that will allow me to reinstall it with a minimum of actual electrical expertise. First though, I need a shelter for the equipment. I drove the truck into town and found a flatbed trailer, hooked it on to the truck and then went to a business that had shipping containers for sale. It took me two days of hard work, but I got it on the trailer and strapped down. Then, I rounded up cinder blocks, bags of mortar, ready mix concrete, and rebar from a building supply company and pulled it home to the Adobe.

   After digging a rectangular trench for the footing, I started hand mixing the concrete for the footing and got it poured. While the concrete was still wet, I placed the cinder blocks for the first course and then let it dry. After that, I added a second course of blocks and when the time came to sit the shipping container in place, Juan Morales sent some of his people down with a large backhoe and we stacked the shipping container for what I am calling the Solar Shed. I went searching again and located a portable arc welder and fuel to run it. For material, I collected one-and-a-half-inch angle iron, two-and-a-half-inch pipe and built the solar panel arrays. In all, it took three weeks from start to finish and Stacey now has electricity in abundance. I installed an electric stove and oven beside our wood burner in the kitchen and we now have hot water for showers and laundry. Stacey was so excited to have a hot bath, she said she didn’t need birthday or Christmas gifts for the rest of her life. It felt especially good to see her so happy. My next run into Silver City, I’m going to bring her back a washing machine and an electric dryer; I bet she dances a jig when she sees it.

 

   Have you ever dug a grave by hand? It takes a while. Juan Morales brought down a crew and some of them are building a coffin while I dig. The grave site is down next to the grapevines; she spent so much time trying to keep them thriving and they did. They keep trying to help, but I won’t let them. It’s for me to do. It’s my job. When I’m done, I’m going to frame up a form and pour a headstone out of concrete. It should last a good long time. She deserves that.

   I used Permagum to form the letters of the headstone. Poured in the concrete and when it was set, Terry helped me place it. Once it was in position, I stripped the form and removed the Permagum. It left her name deeply embedded in the concrete.

Stacey Marie Menendez

Loving Wife

Proud Warrior

D.O.B-D.O.D

Psalm 144-1