The good thing was the master wasn't angry. The bad thing was he wasn't pleased. Ives knew that, after all, he had planned to eliminate most of the people in this country. Now that the population had been reduced by nearly fifty percent, he was at least satisfied with that progress. What he was dissatisfied with was the fact that by now, he had expected all of those followers of the Nazarene, those monkeys, to be all dead. That hadn't happened yet. Ives knew that the Nazarene had been helping them. And now, with the first snows of winter threatening, and very few vehicles available to track those apes down, progress would be slowed even further.

That had him worried. How would he eliminate them, when his people couldn't move because of the weather? On the other hand, if he found any of their hiding places, like the one in the mountains, they wouldn't be able to move either. That would give him the chance to get his people in position before the weather lifted, and they could escape. Perhaps that would keep the master from punishing him. But to make sure, he needed a plan to deal with them, when the chance came.

Then he remembered. The Russian troops that had invaded from Canada, and stalled out during the summer months, could be diverted to the mountains, still coming in from the north. They were used to and trained in winter fighting. They would be able to get through the mountains, even in deep snow. All that was necessary was to leave enough troops to keep the Americans in the Mid-West tied down, and move the rest into an area they knew how to fight in.

He began to call for weather reports. He had to make sure of when those people were snowbound, and have his men in position to take advantage of the situation.

---

When the men of the Special Forces arrived, Bob thought it wise to inform them of the underground room at Todd's' house. After looking it over, the Major decided that the best idea was for him to move into Todd's' house, but to keep the room a secret from the rest of the people in town. He was sitting in the living room, when Bob knocked on the door.

"Afternoon Major. Have you got a minute?" Bob asked.

"Any time. What can I do for you?"

"First of all, I want to thank you for all you've already done. You've saved our bacon more than once, since you've been here. And that is why I came. With winter coming on, what do you see as the biggest problem we have, militarily speaking."

Ferguson pointed at a military type radio in one corner of the room. "I've been listening to that. From what I've been able to pick up, we don't seem to be in any immediate danger from the west. American forces actually are making progress towards pushing the Chinese back into the Pacific. Not much, mind you, but some." He smiled. "It would seem that Director Ives may have some explaining to do. What is that old saying? 'The best laid schemes of mice and men oft times go awry'. Ives called for men to go to Carson. They went in droves. Now it turns out they became decent soldiers in a pretty short time, and the Chinese are paying for it."

He paused for a sip of coffee, then continued.

"Speaking of the Fort Carson area. They've still got a lot of men training down there. They aren't ready for action just yet, but it is only a matter of time. We need to keep an eye on them. We still have men patrolling to the east. While the number of men going to Carson seems to have slowed, we can't be sure of that. It is possible that the warning sign that Busby put up is still keeping them away from us. We still run into men moving towards Carson from time to time.

What has caught my attention is to the northeast. American forces have recently started making gains in the border area between North and South Dakota. Again, not much, but they are making progress. What I've found disturbing, is when they over run a Russian camp, as they have done."

"I'd think you'd be happy about that."

"Normally, I would. But as you've said, nothing is normal anymore, and never will be again. The thing that bothers me is after they occupy the camp, it looks like there are far fewer enemy soldiers than there used to be. They have found places where there used to be tents, and such, but now it is just empty ground."

"You think the Russians are being moved somewhere else."

"Yes, I do. The question is where are they going, and why?"

"So what are you thinking?"

"There are two possibilities. First they are moving eastward, in a flanking move. Trying to get around the Dakota lines. But that would require boats. They'd have to cross Lake Michigan. Trying to do that is inviting disaster. Shore batteries on the American side would make short work of them. The other option is that they are moving westward. Trying to break out somewhere in the Rockies. If that happens, we could be in trouble. The Russians are excellent mountain fighters, and they are used to fighting in deep snow. Look at what they did to Hitler."

"Is there anyway you can find out for sure?"

"Right now, all we have to go on is radio intercepts. And frankly, I can't sit at this thing all day long and just listen. There are still men and women that need training."

"What would it take to train people to take a turn listening for activity?"

"A couple of years, I'm afraid. It takes awhile to learn Russian, and that is going to be our best chance to find out what they're up to, and we may not have that long."

"What about listening to American outposts along the boarder? If one or more of them were to suddenly drop out of contact, wouldn't that tell us something?"

"It might. But it could also be nothing more than equipment failure. Like I said, listening to Russian transmissions is our best bet."

"You also said we can't do that. Major, for the first time, I'm giving you an order. I want you to get the number of people you think it will take, and begin training them on radio operations, and what to listen for."

Ferguson looked at Bob and smiled. "I thought that is what you would say. They begin training tomorrow morning."

Very good. I see you have it well in hand. So, I'll stay out of your hair. Right now, I have to let people get into mine. The first council meeting start in about twenty minutes."

"Want an armed escort?" Ferguson joked.

"Not this time, but hold onto that thought, I might need them in the future."

---

The lunch counter at the general store had been chosen as the meeting place for the advisory council. By the time Bob arrived, three members of the council were already seated. Soon after he got there, the remaining members got there. He noticed the group was evenly divided between men and women. Three each. Once everyone was in a seat, Bob addressed the group.

"Friends, before we get started, I want to go over the ground rules, so we're all on the same page. This council IS NOT here to get answers to every little piddling problem your groups might have. You are here to advise me on major concerns that the people have. Things that affect the welfare of the entire community. What do I mean by that? For example, if your neighbors have a problem with a little old lady that feels two A.M. is the prefect time to pull out her trombone to practice for the concert next Monday, you deal with it. We are here to deal with important issues."

"You mean we have to handle problems too?"

"That's right. Welcome to the frying pan. If you are unwilling to take on this responsibility, then call your groups together and find someone who will. But, for now, what do we have today?"

"Wait a minute. What authority do we have?"

"You were chosen by the people. That gives you the authority. Now who wants to go first?"

"I will, if nobody minds." Foster spoke up. Everyone remained silent, so he continued. "Brother Bob, right now we don't really have a problem, but winter isn't far off. What happens if it is a hard one. The wells around here might just freeze solid. What do we do about water?"

"My wife is a native of these parts. I think you should talk to her."

"No offense, Bob, but what would she know about it? I mean they had electricity back then."

"I'm sure they had to face this before. Winter storms have taken down power lines before. She'll know what to do, and advise you on how to get it done."

"I'll look into it."

"Good, next problem?"

"Brother Bob. Some of the people around here don't think that they should be called on to hunt for food. They believe that should be a job for someone else. What about that?"

"The Apostle Paul once said that if a man doesn't work, then neither should he eat. I think that applies in this situation. If they aren't willing to kill and butcher their food, then they better get started on green houses and putting in a crop to see them through the winter. Understand, Ladies and Gentlemen, we must pull together if we are to stand any chance of getting through the winter, let alone the rest of the Tribulation. Anyone that doesn't feel like they should do their share, needs to find some place where someone is willing to take care of them."

"Brother Bob. I don't think that's quite fair. There are some people that do jobs that help out all of us. There are a few women around, that I know of, that used to home school. I've talked with Sarah Timmons, and some of the others. They are willing to start some kind of school for the children, so you can't expect them to drop everything, grab a gun and run off into the bush."

"You're right. I didn't think of that. Alright, how does this sound. Anyone not engaged in some activity that benefits the entire community will be expected to hunt. Not just for themselves, but for the ones that can't go hunting. The teachers, Kathy, the doctor, and anyone else whose duties are more important than just simple make work."

Words of approval went around the table. They were starting to like the ideas presented. One of the women choose this moment to voice a private concern of her own. One which had been bothering her since she found out about it.

"Brother Bob, What do you think we should do about people that,..well...aren't really suited to be members of our community?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow you."

"You know. People that aren't, well, good people. Ones that say might have been involved in something illegal before coming here."

"Ma'am I'm afraid you are going to have to be a bit more specific. Just who and what are you talking about?"

"Alright, I shall. There is a woman here that before this, was engaged in the sex business. I don't think we need that sort around here."

"Do you mean she was a prostitute?"

"Well, yes, but I just didn't want to say it."

"In this town, there are eighty women, and sixty men over the age of fifteen. We have no money of any sort, and all commerce is done by barter. I find it hard to believe that any woman could make a living in that profession. Are you certain that she is still doing this?"

"Well, no. I can't say I know that she is still working, but you know that type. Once they are that way, they never change."

"Truthfully, no. I don't know that type. I've never employed or associated with prostitutes. And I won't ask how you know about them. However, this is a serious matter. Have the woman brought to me here, tomorrow at nine in the morning. I will ask for a few witnesses to be present, and I will question her."


BW, Vietnam Vet