Mountain Home

[Christian for Israel]

Chapter 10

Early the next morning, Pam got up and went up to Jack's place. Stepping out of the elevator she realized that Melissa was already there, and she heard them talking and giggling as they got breakfast together. Hearing the elevator door close, Jack turned, saw her and said. "Good morning sleepy head, did you have a good night?"

Feeling jealousy rise up within her, Pam got a sour look on her face and mumbled "guess so." Then went over and sat on the couch, picking up the remote and flipping on the TV for the first time since she'd been there.

Somewhat curious at her gruff reply, Jack started to walk over, when Mel caught his arm and turned him back, pointing to the eggs and saying "don't let them burn, Jack." Turning back to what he was doing, Jack decided to let it go. She was probably just not feeling well or something.

After a few minutes, Eric and Robin appeared also. Mel said, "good morning. Have a seat, breakfast will be done in a minute."

Seeing Pam, Eric shyly said "hi." Then sat with Robin on another couch, the two of them remaining silent as Pam browsed through the selection of movie titles.

Calling everyone to the table a few minutes later, Jack said grace and they all started to eat. He noticed Pam was refusing to make eye contact with him, but pretended not to. After they'd started eating, He spoke up "folks, I really enjoy everyone meeting up here and hanging out, but for meals, there really isn't enough room. These apartments weren't designed for dinner parties. I think we'd all be more comfortable eating in the dining room from now on." The others looked at him a little taken aback, but realized there really wasn't much room at the small table.

"Where is the dining room?" Eric asked.

"It's in the other dome, not far from here. I'll take you all over to see it after we're done eating.

After the meal, while walking to the other dome, Jack tried to talk to Pam and find out what was wrong. Still feeling hurt and resentful, she refused to say anything, quickening her pace slightly and moving away from him. Seeing what he was doing, Mel moved closer to Jack, preventing him from pursuing the girl. Mel was very much aware of the situation. It was obvious that Pam was jealous of her, and equally obvious that Jack was interested in the girl. Determined to nip this in the bud before it got out of hand, She made a point to try and keep Jack away from her.

Entering the other dome, Jack began pointing out the various areas of interest. Mel asked about the kitchen, and he led the group off to the left side of the room. The door to the kitchen led through a short tunnel to what Jack said used to be the ventilation room for the power dome. "When this place was operational the four large diesel generators put out a lot of fumes, and the builders solved the ventilation problem by building intake and an exhaust rooms, one on either side of the dome. The exhaust room was converted into the control room and armory, and the intake and filter room into the kitchen." Looking around, they saw the room was about twenty feet square, and had a door leading off to the left. There were stainless steel counters, sinks, and a huge range around the walls, with a large oven and a rack of pans and utensils in the middle. Jack told them that through the door was a walk-in cooler and freezer, with dry storage beyond that. He said that this was only short term storage, long term was in silos two and three at the far end of the complex. When necessary, one of them could use a small electric cart to bring in fresh supplies, but the food that was already here should feed them all for several months at least.

Mel thought she could get used to this, she'd always dreamed of a kitchen like this! As she was looking around and asking questions, Jack asked Pam to show the others the rest of the place. Giving him a sour look that Jack was having trouble interpreting, Pam, thought 'great! A wonderful time for him to be alone with HER'. Nevertheless, she nodded her head and said "come on," leading the others out. When they were gone, Mel turned to him and said "what's going on jack?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come now Jack, it's obvious you've got a thing for her, what are your intentions with that child?"

Jack, beginning to get uncomfortable and not liking her tone in the least, said "oh I'd hardly call her a child Mel, especially after what she's been through."

"Uh huh, so how old is she anyway...fifteen?"

"She's sixteen, and that has nothing to do with it." jack replied in a low tone, he was starting to get upset.

"Oh, SIXteen, that makes ALL the difference."

"Mel, I said that has nothing to do with it. Look, you need to realize a few things. The first is, please remember who's shelter this is. Second, this is not the world we knew. Most of the world is dead, your husband and children among them. There are dang few people left out there, and we're going to have to set aside some of society's misplaced values if we're going to have a chance to survive as a race. And third, Pam ACTS like an adult, she has to make decisions like an adult, and she deserves to be treated as an adult. Do you realize that she was in the control room when I went out to meet you yesterday? She was manning the defenses, ready to burn you all to a cinder if you tried to storm the place. Well, if she's old enough to kill to defend her home, then as far as I'm concerned, she IS an adult."

If he'd slapped her in the face, Mel couldn't have been any more shocked. Suddenly she burst into tears, and Jack moved close to hold her. As she cried, she said "you're right Jack, I don't know why I'm acting like this. Everythings just so crazy now. Yes, if anyone can fight for their home, they're old enough to make other decisions. I guess I was just trying to pretend everything was the way it used to be. Please forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive." He said gently. "You've been under a tremendous amount of pressure, we all have."

"Yes, we all have. You have too, and I haven't been helping. I've been acting like I own you when she's around, and that's why she's been acting so strangely. She's jealous Jack, I think she has a crush on you."

Jack was surprised, but it all made sense now. Still, he wasn't sure how to handle the situation, without leading the girl into more trouble. He explained his concerns to Mel.

"Don't worry Jack, I'll talk to her. I'll help her to see why I've been acting as I have, and let her know I'm no threat to you and her."

"Mel, I don't necessarily want to jump into anything with her right now, I just don't want her to hate me or be mad at me anymore. If later on we decide to get more involved, so be it, but for now we've all got too many other things to worry about. Also, Pam just became a christian and she's not too sure about a lot of things. What she really needs is a woman friend, someone who can help and guide her."

"I think I can handle that." Mel smiled.

After she got herself together, they walked out into the dining room to await the others.

A minute later the gang stepped off the elevator. Jack stood up and asked "who wants the grand tour?"

Pam, seeing the two of them together, said sullenly "I've already seen it, I'm going to my room." and stomped off.

Mel whispered to Jack, "I'll take care of it." And started after her.

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Catching up to the girl, Mel said "got a minute? I need to talk to you."

Giving her a withering look, Pam said "what."

"I need to apologize to you Pam, I've been acting badly."

At that, Pam softened a little and asked "what do you mean?"

"When I was outside, trying to get here, I convinced myself that once here everything would be normal, back to the way it was. Then when we arrived and I saw the way you and Jack were acting towards one another, something inside me said 'that's not right', and I started trying to do something to stop it.

"There's nothing going on with us." Pam said defensively.

"I know there's nothing physically happening, but I've seen how you feel about him from the way you act. And, I think he may feel the same way."

Pam suddenly got embarrassed, but said nothing.

"Look, I thought I needed to do something to get you two apart, to protect you from each other, but while you were upstairs Jack pointed out a few things to me. The world's different now, and some of the things society used to believe, have changed. We're all going to have to get used to that, and one of those changes is going to have to be in how we treat each other. In this new world, we can't afford to hold young people back because they haven't reached a certain set age. Instead, if someone acts like an adult, we need to treat them like an adult. Conversely, no matter how old someone is, if they act like a child, we all need to treat them like a child."

Pam just looked at her, trying to understand what she was saying. "Do you mean that if I act like an adult, Jack will treat me like a grown woman, even have a relationship with me?"

By this time, they'd arrived at Pam's apartment, and both women went inside, continuing their conversation.

"Well, I can't say about the relationship part, all I can say is there's a chance. It's definately not an area where anyone needs to rush into anything, but, if you'll just be yourself, eventually it may happen. One thing that's started to drive a wedge between you two is the jealousy you've been showing. It's got him upset and confused, and that's not good for any friendship. Jack said you just became a christian. I've been saved for a while now, and I thought maybe I could help you to understand a few things."

Pam smiled, realizing both that she had a new spiritual sister, and that she'd found a friend as well. Maybe with her help, she and Jack could get close again.

"One thing that's going to be important for you to understand, is that selfishness is the core of all sin. Take jealousy for example. When you feel jealous, you're not thinking about my happiness or Jacks, but about your own. And that makes you do things that cause you more problems, like upsetting the man you're trying to get to like you."

Pam nodded, that made sense.

"A christian puts God first, and others above themselves. When you do that, you'll find that it makes you feel better, and those around you happier as well. Remember, anytime you start looking at self you're in danger of sin, and you're going to act in a way that makes others not want to be near you."

"I think I understand, thanks." She said, feeling within her heart that Mel was telling her the truth. "I also understand why you did what you did, you were thinking about what was best for me and Jack."

"That's right Pam, I want to assure you that I have no interest in Jack as anything other than a friend. I loved my husband dearly, and my children, and just lost them a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if I'll ever be ready to try again with anyone else, but if I do it'll be a really long time from now.

The two women continued to talk, stopping only when it was time for lunch. Getting up, they headed for the dining room together to prepare the meal for everyone. Pam knew she had a wonderful new friend, and was ashamed of the way she had acted earlier. She also resolved to apologize to Jack the next time she could get him alone for a second.

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While the two women were talking, Jack had been showing the others the rest of the complex. When they reached the maintenance bay, Eric got a big grin. "Man! you could do anything in here!" he exclaimed.

"Speaking of which, how's that pick-up of yours running?" Jack asked.

Embarrassed, he said "well, not too good, I never could afford to do much to it."

Jack had an idea. "Well, if you want, we could spend a few days taking a look at it and getting it back into shape." he suggested.

Eric's eyes lit up. "Could we? That'd be great Jack."

Smiling at the boy's enthusiasm, he said "good, why don't we get started after breakfast tomorrow." From the reaction he got. Jack thought he may have found a friend for life.

[Christian for Israel]

Chapter 11

Looking at a clock on the wall, Jack said "Wow, it's just about lunchtime, I wonder if Mel's getting us something together to eat. What say we wander back to my place and find out."

Robin looked up from where she'd been leaning against a work bench and said "I thought you said we were supposed to eat in the dining room from now on?"

Laughing, Jack said "that's right, I forgot. Well, let's go see if she remembered also."

The trio entered the dining room and looked around. Not seeing anyone Jack turned to leave when he heard voices coming from the kitchen. Walking in, he saw Mel and Pam getting lunch together. "Need any help?" He asked.

Mel looked up at the sound of his voice and replied "nope, we've got it. go on back to the dining room, we'll bring it out in a minute." Jack noticed that Pam had looked up also. As he turned to go, she gave him a quick smile.

In the other room, he said "looks like I was the only one to forget. They said they'd be bringing lunch out in a minute." As he waited, he remembered Pam's smile, thinking 'boy, that was fast. I guess everything's all right now'.

As the ladies brought out the food, Jack noticed that Pam seemed to be back to her old self. But more than that, she seemed to have formed a special friendship with the Mel. That was good Jack thought, a girl her age needs an older woman to guide and help her. Also, it may help Mel get over the loss of her family more easily to have someone she could confide in. Jack was aware that there were some things a woman just wasn't comfortable talking to a man about, no matter how close a friend he was.

After lunch, Jack stood up to speak. "Now that we're all here, I need to say a few things. The first day after Pam and I got here, I told her that I expected all adults to be armed at all times as long as they were living in this shelter. Now, I know that some of you were considered children before the plague, but things are different now. As long as each of you pull your weight and act like an adult, you'll be treated that way. As adults you each will have responsibilities, and will be expected to follow directions. One of those responsibilities is to be ready to defend this place and the people living here. But with responsibility comes authority as well. That means no one will be watching over your shoulder all the time. You'll be expected to look after yourself and make good decisions without having to be told what to do."

"Now, is everyone in agreement with this?" Jack looked at the others, especially Robin, as she was the youngest. Everyone nodded their head without hesitation, so Jack continued. "Good. Now, is there anyone here who has misgivings about handling guns or using them to defend this place?" Looking around again he saw that no one was making a move. After a moment, he continued. "Great. well, if you'll all come with me to the armory, I'll get you set up with your individual weapons."

In the control room, Jack stopped before the door to the armory. "When I set this place up, I decided on a standardized rifle and pistol for shelter defense. The rifle I chose is the H&K-91. This is a .308 caliber semi-automatic rifle, and it does have some kick. Because of her small stature, I decided to Give Pam the M-1 carbine instead, as I'd prefer a person be comfortable with their gun. having made that point, if any of the rest of you aren't comfortable with this rifle, or the M-1911 pistol that goes with it, please tell me and we'll get you something else."

Everyone nodded, and Jack began handing out unloaded rifles and pistols. Looking at Pam he said "run over to the kitchen and get the electric cart, ok?" Pam smiled and said "sure." And ran off.

As she left, he asked Eric to help him move some of the target stands from the back of the armory out to the dining room. Then he grabbed a case of .308 and brick of .45 acp, and followed him. As he arrived Pam also walked up with the cart, and they began to load it with their stuff. Finishing, they started for the main entrance, Jack hoping to qualify everyone before it got too dark to see.

It took two trips to get everyone up to the surface, as the cart was so big. As soon as they were up, Jack and Eric walked out and set up targets at a hundred yards, and Jack put a couple at 10 yards for the pistols. He explained to the group that everyone had to qualify to his satisfaction before they could carry full time, and then took each one aside to find out what they knew. He asked each if they'd ever shot a rifle or pistol. If they said yes he went over the controls with them and told them to show him what they could do. If they said no, or if they needed work, he explained things further and worked with them. Finding out that Mel and Eric were proficient with pistols but needed help with rifles, he asked Pam to take them to the side and bring them up to par. Pam was thrilled with the responsibility, but didn't let it go to her head. Robin on the other hand wasn't very good with either one, and Jack started working with her on the pistol first.

Jack was having problems with Robin. One reason was that she was very shy. She wouldn't tell him if she didn't understand something, and only mumbled when he asked her questions. Getting fed up, he called Pam over and asked her to work with the girl. Pam told him she'd gotten Mel hitting the target consistantly, but that Eric still needed work. Jack told Mel to keep practicing, while he got together with Eric. After a while the kid was doing pretty good, and Jack was satisfied for the moment. Seeing that Pam was still trying to work with Robin, he sent Eric to see if he could help. Pam came over and said "I think that gun is too big for her Jack, can I let her try my walther instead?"

Realizing that was probably a good point, Jack told her to go ahead. Finally, as it was starting to get too dark to see, Robin started hitting the target. Deciding to call it a day, now that Robin was good enough to at least keep a pistol on her, Jack called everyone together.

"Ok, I think everyone's good enough to carry their pistols in the shelter, so as soon as I show you how to clean and maintain them, I want you all to carry them from now on. Robin, I'll get you a pistol like Pam's when we get downstairs and you can work with her tomorrow on the rifle, but if it's too big, please don't waste our time by not saying anything, let her know and we'll find you something else. All right, let's everyone clean up and go back inside and get some dinner. Oh, and I want everyone to try and practice at least one hour a day for the next couple of weeks." Bringing in the targets and picking up the brass, they reboarded the elevator and went back inside.

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The next morning, as Pam was helping Robin learn to shoot a rifle, Jack and Eric went to the maintenance bay to start on the old pick-up. Moving the 'mog' out of the way they pulled Eric's truck inside and started going over it. Seeing that mostly it was just old and rundown, Jack said that, while he was able to machine some parts like the ball joint they needed for the left front lower A-arm, some parts he couldn't, like belts and hoses. For those they'd have to find a parts shop in town.

While they were working, they started getting to know one another. Jack asked "Eric, are you a christian?"

"You better believe it, I couldn't have gotten through even one day after my parents died without Jesus to lean on."

"That's great to hear. How about Robin?"

"Yep, we used to go to the same church. Every morning we read our Bibles together and pray before we leave our apartment."

Jack was relieved to hear this. "Tell me Eric, what exactly is the relationship between you two."

"We're not involved, if that's what you mean." The boy said. "We're just friends. It's funny, before the plague we hardly even noticed each other, me being a senior and her a freshman and all. But after we went through so much, I guess we both just needed a friend."

Jack smiled, he knew exactly what he meant.

"So you're not a couple?"

"No. Not yet anyway."

"you've talked about that, haven't you?"

"Yeah, back before we met Melissa. But we decided we weren't ready for that, at least not until we had a permanent place we could live. Also, we both decided a long time ago to wait until we were married before ever...you know."

Jack, impressed with the boys' maturity, nodded and said "Well, if you ever feel the need to talk about anything, I'm here for you."

"Thanks Jack, I appreciate that."

"You know, Pam just got saved a few days ago, right?"

"She did? Praise God."

"Yep, she's a brand new believer, and she has a lot of questions. If you feel like it, why don't you talk to her about it, at least let her know that you and Robin are believers too and a part of her new family."

"Ok Jack, I'll do that." Eric started thinking about what he'd say.

"What do you think about starting a group Bible study" Jack asked.

"Sounds good to me, I'm sure we all could learn something, and it'd be a great way for Pam to learn more as well."

"Ok then, I'll bring it up at dinner tonight." Jack said.

The two of them continued to talk as they worked on the truck.

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At the impromptu range, Pam was talking to Robin as she helped the girl with her riflery. After trying the H&K, Robin said that the kick hurt her shoulder. Pam nodded knowingly, and suggested the girl try her carbine instead. Robin fired it a few times and agreed that it was a lot better. Using up the ammo they'd brought for the M-1, Pam went below for some more. Running into Mel along the way and telling her what they'd decided, The older woman suggested they try using an AR-15. Pam asked what it looked like and what kind of bullet it shot, and Mel described them.

"I think I've seen one of those in Jack's gun cabinet" She said. "I'll be right back."

Going up to Jack's apartment, she went to the cabinet and looked around. off to one side she found what she was looking for and grabbed it, looking around on a lower shelf until she found the right kind of ammo. Taking several boxes, she returned to Mel to make sure it was the right one.

"Mel said, "yes, that's the one. I know because Jerry used to have one. It's one of the few rifles I've tried to shoot, and the only one I really liked."

Thanking her for her help, Pam returned to the shooting area and showed Robin how to use the gun.

'Now, this is a rifle I can shoot' Robin thought, as she proceeded to fire the gun and started hitting the target. After a while they traded places and Pam tried it too, but decided she preferred the M-1.

As they shot, they talked. "So, what's the deal with you and Eric?" Pam asked. "Are you guys...you know...doing it?"

Robin looked at her and said "No, I made a deal with God that I would wait until I got married before I did that, and so did Eric."

"Wow, you're both christians?" Pam asked.

"Yes" the girl said.

"Cool, so am I. Jack told me about Jesus and what He did for me. It completely blew me away, I'll tell you!"

Robin smiled as she continued to practice.

"I didn't know God wanted me to wait until I'm married to 'do it' though, I'm not sure I could wait that long."

"It's worth the wait" Robin said. "My mother told me that God isn't against sex, He just wants us to do it in the right way. As my mom said, every time you have sex with someone, you give a piece of yourself to them. If you've had sex with other guys, there's nothing to give your husband when you finally do get married. But if you wait, then you have plenty to give to him, and he has plenty to give to you also, and you really become 'one flesh', as the Bible says. My mom said that sex outside of marriage is about as satisfying as a sneeze." At that Pam giggled. "But when done in the right way, with both of you married and serving God, it's unbelievably wonderful. That's why I decided to wait."

Pam thought about that. It sounded like a no-brainer to wait, but the whole idea of getting married, even to Jack, was freaky. As she thought about it, she realized that she wasn't ready for such a big step yet. Suddenly, her whole situation became more real to her. She realized she'd been living in a fantasy world, but reality was a lot different. Decisions she made now really did affect her whole life. From now on, she decided, she'd think things over carefully before jumping into anything.

She wondered where this put her and Jack, then she remembered that he'd said that he really needed a friend more than anything. She decided that that was what she needed too, and resolved to be a friend to him, and not worry about going further than that.

That evening Jack praised Pam's handling of Robin's rifle issue without having to hunt him down and ask what to do. "That's what I was talking about when I said to act like an adult." Pam said she'd been concerned that he'd be mad at her for going into his gun collection without permission, but that he'd told her to handle it and that's what she did. Jack said that, if she'd done it for no reason it'd have bothered him, but since she was following his instructions, she'd done right.

As the days passed, they began to settle into a routine. In the mornings they each spent time in prayer and reading their Bibles. then they'd gather in the dining room for breakfast and to go over whatever they needed to do that day. meeting again for lunch, they'd go to the range for a couple of hours and practice, then meet again for dinner. After dinner they'd gather in Jack's apartment for Bible study and fellowship, before heading off for bed. After a couple of days of this, Mel made a decision. She said that, as she was doing most of the cooking, and as her apartment seemed so empty with only her there, she was going to move to one of the smaller apartments in the power dome. A few days later Eric and Robin decided to follow her, and by the end of the week, even Pam had made the move.

Since everyone but Jack was living in the other dome, they started spending their free time in the third floor rec room. they also started having the Bible study there, which relieved Jack. He had his apartment all to himself again and, even though the others often visited, he could now relax and not worry that someone would come in unannounced and catch him in his underwear.

[Christian for Israel]

Chapter 12

Three days later, they'd done everything they could to the truck with what they had available. Crawling out of the pit after doing a fluid and filter change on the transmission, Jack said "Ok, that's it. How 'bout we get cleaned up and in the morning make a trip to a parts store I know of up in Mayfield?"

Handing him a towel to wipe his hands on, Eric said "sounds good to me Jack, are we gonna fly?" He'd heard about their first trip out in the helicopter from Pam, and thought it sounded like fun.

"You bet'cha" Jack said, as the two men headed down the tunnel towards the power dome. Reaching the junction, Jack said "go get cleaned up, I'll see you at dinner." With that, he went to his apartment and jumped in the shower.

After dinner Jack announced to the group what he and Eric had planned for the next day. Robin spoke up and asked if she could go too, but Eric quickly replied "no, the chopper only has two seats." Seeing the look of dejection that formed on the girls' face, Jack thought that he needed to try and spend some time with her as well, and maybe take her flying also. He was aware that he'd been playing favorites now that there was another guy here that he could pal around with, and that wasn't fair to the others. He had to keep reminding himself that in some ways they were still kids, and they all needed to feel important in his eyes.

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The next morning after breakfast, the two of them grabbed their rifles and gear. Discussing what they needed to find as they walked down the tunnel towards the hangar, Jack said "at the very least we need belts, plugs and wires, and a distributor cap and rotor. If we can find them, it'd be good to get tires and hoses also. Nodding his head, Eric stopped and looked on in wonder as Jack opened the door to the hangar, this was the first time he'd seen inside it. Jack chuckled at his reaction, then motioned for the boy to go on in.

"This is so cool!" Eric exclaimed, looking around at all the airplanes.

Jack walked over to the rack and retrieved two direction finders, giving one to Eric and explaining how it worked. Then he led him over to the Scorpion, and told him to stow his rifle and gear inside. Walking around to the other side to do the same, he was wishing they had some way to stay in contact with the people here. Suddenly stopping in his tracks, he slapped his forehead and proclaimed "I'm an idiot!"

Eric looked at him with a smile on his face and said "ok, if you say so."

Jack, ignoring his comment, said "here we've been wondering if there's anyone left alive in the world and how we'd find out, and all the time there's been some really good radio equipment a friend of mine installed a few years ago back in the control room. After my cell phone stopped working I'd kind of given up on long distance communications. I never even thought about that short wave gear. Come on, let's go take a look at it and see if we can figure out how to get it to work." With that Jack headed back towards the power dome with Eric right behind him.

Entering the dining room and seeing the others were still there, Jack told them what he'd finally remembered. With the whole gang now in tow, he headed for the control room. As he looked over the equipment, turning things on he said "David, a friend of mine, installed all the radio stuff about three years ago. He was supposed to come here in an emergency and run this stuff for me, since I never got around to getting my license. He showed me enough so that I could use it, but that was a while back. I just hope I can remember enough to get ahold of someone."

As he got the gear powered up, Jack turned on the terminal next to him. "David connected everything to the computer, and I should be able to set things up so it can monitor all the frequencies. I'm also going try to set it up to transmit something, like every six hours, asking others to contact us at a set time. If I'm right, I should even be able to get the system to alert us when we receive a message, so we won't have to hang in out here all the time." After playing with the terminal for about ten minutes, he stood up and said "that's it, as far as I can see it should work."

"How far will it reach?" Mel asked.

"Around the world according to David. He said something about morse code and packets, but it was all way over my head."

Jack watched the screen for a while, but it remained blank. Either he'd done something wrong, or there wasn't anyone left who had this sort of equipment. Going over what little he knew about radios, he suddenly realized what he'd missed. "Aww man, I almost forgot. The antenna needs to be raised." Going over to a row of switches on the control panel, he found the one marked 'antenna'. Flipping it to 'raise', he explained." Because we didn't know what sort of emergency we'd be dealing with, we decided to make the antenna retractable. The antenna itself is forty feet long, and it's mounted on a hundred foot telescopic tower." Looking at Eric he said "don't let me forget about that thing when we take off. I'd sure hate to run into it."

Looking startled at the thought of going down in flames before they'd even left the property, Eric resolved to make sure to remind him.

After a minute, the indicator light next to the switch turned green. Almost immediately they started getting stuff over the radio. At first, Jack was excited, but looking over what was coming through, he couldn't make heads or tails of it. It seemed to all be gibberish. Noticing the frequency, he checked in a book that David had left and found that it was a military channel. After a few minutes of looking at it, he decided it was some sort of automatic signal, and it was likely encoded, which was why he couldn't read it. Going to the keyboard he set the automatic alert to avoid military and commercial frequencies, and only let them know if someone responded to them on civilian ones. He also isolated those frequencies in the computer so they would avoid all the automatic signals, and be able to tell if an actual person was trying to contact them.

With the radios up and working, Jack went over to the wall mounted chargers and selected two portable SW radios. "These have a range of around fifty miles, at least according to David," Jack said. When we go see about the parts for the truck we'll test them.

Turning to Eric, he asked "you ready?" Eric said he was.

As they again walked towards the hangar, Eric looked at him and asked "so, what happened to David, anyway?"

"I don't really know, I guess he died in the plague. He didn't live that far from here, only about two hundred miles south, and he was supposed to get here if he was able. But I haven't heard a thing from him since this all began."

"Why don't we go see if he's still there?" The boy asked.

"I don't know. Honestly I'd never considered it. Most of the members live so far away that it's out of the question, but I guess we could, if everyone agreed." Thinking about it for a second, he said "tell you what, we'll bring it up after dinner tonight, ok?"

"Cool."

Arriving back at the helicopter they quickly got it on the elevator and up to the surface. Stowing their gear, Jack did a quick radio check. "Loud and clear Jack," Pam said.

"Acknowledge."

Cranking the craft, they were soon at operating speed. Eric reminded him about the antenna, and Jack made sure to give it a wide berth. A few minutes later they were cruising along about a hundred feet up, headed north to the town of mayfield.

As they approached town a few minutes later Jack slowed down so they could look around. The store was on the north side of town, and as they made their way there he spotted a used car lot. Thinking about it, he said "Eric, what do you think about trading that old pick-up in on a newer model?" And indicated the lot below.

Eric looked down and said "sounds good to me, I always hated that old ford, it was always breaking down on me."

Jack grinned, "that's why they say 'fix or repair daily'."

"And they're right." The boy agreed.

Looking around, Jack found a place to set the bird down. Coming in slow and smelling the air, he decided that, while they could still smell decaying bodies, it wasn't too bad and they could deal with it. Landing, he shut down and the two got out.

"Ugh! that's a horrible smell." Eric said.

"Yeah, but it was ten times worse in Mountain Home."

Walking over to the lot, they saw that there were several vehicles that looked promising. Jack started looking over a mid nineties Dodge 4X4 diesel pick-up, but Eric was drawn to a tricked out Toyota land cruiser. He called to Jack, who walked over and saw that the Toyota had been raised, with big mud tires mounted. Looking underneath he decided that the truck had been professionally built, and would probably give even his 'mog' a run for it's money. Raising the hood he noticed with satisfaction that it had a four cylinder turbo-diesel engine.

Turning to the boy he said "looks good, professionally done. let's look inside and see if we can find some keys, then we'll see if it still cranks."

After a quick search of the office, they found the keys, but when they tried them they found that the battery was completely dead. Figuring that all the others would be also, Jack suggested they go on to the parts place and see if any of the new batteries there still had a charge.

Returning with a large marine battery that still had the plastic on it, they quickly installed it in the truck and tried the ignition. The engine turned over, but refused to run, so Jack grabbed the can of ether he'd picked up at the store and sprayed some into the breather. after a second the toyota cranked, running rough but smoothing out as it warmed up. The vehicle had about a quarter tank of fuel, and Jack decided it would be more than enough to get it back to the complex.

"Why don't you drive back over to the parts store, while I fly over. Then we'll load up on spare parts for the truck and head back?"

"Why do you want to fly over?" Eric asked.

"I don't know, paranoid I guess." He replied. "I just don't want to get the vehicles separated unless we have to, in case something happens."

At the store they grabbed replacement belts and hoses, cases of Delo motor oil, and more cases of Pri-D fuel stabilizer. Loading everything into the truck, Jack said "if you can get back to the house from here, I'll fly over you and keep a watch. If I see anything I'll call you on the radio."

"Ok jack. By the way, didn't you want to call home and make sure the radio's would reach this far?"

"Yes I did, it completely slipped my mind. That's what happens when you get older I guess." That prompted a grin from Eric.

Grabbing the radio from his belt, Jack pushed the button and said "Jack to home base, can you hear me Pam?"

"Loud and clear Jack, what took you so long to call, I was beginning to worry."

"Sorry, I lost track of time."

"Did you find the parts you needed?"

"Better than that, Eric got himself a new truck. We'll be bringing it in, about half an hour from now. See you then."

"Ok Jack, we'll be waiting."

Putting the radio back on his belt, Jack walked to the helicopter as Eric shut the back of the Toyota and started the engine. After an uneventful drive, they arrived back at the complex.

Jack called Eric and asked him to stop near the hangar elevator and wait for him to land. After landing and shutting the bird down, he walked over to the truck and got in for the ride to the garage silo. When they got there, they had to play musical vehicles. First they had to raise the mog and drive it out of the way, then get the ford out of the maintenance bay and bring it to the surface as well. Once it was up they took everything Eric wanted and put it in the Toyota, then lowered it into the silo, fueling it and moving it into the tunnel to clear the elevator pad. Finally they put the mog on the pad and lowered it back inside as well. after they were all done they drove the ford back next to the hangar and left the keys in it, deciding to leave it there and use it for running around the property.

When they walked inside, everyone was curious about what they got, and they had to walk all the way back to the garage silo and show off Eric's new truck. Everyone thought it was great, much better than the ford. Melissa especially was happy, she said that old truck was a rattletrap, and she was sure it'd break down before they ever got here. Finally, they returned to the dining room for lunch.

After lunch Jack brought up the discussion he and Eric had had concerning David. He said they'd have to take the Greyhound, and would likely be gone overnight. He also said that at least two people needed to stay there to keep an eye on the complex, and asked for volunteers.

Mel spoke up "I'm not so sure that's such a good idea Jack, that's a long way to go and he's almost certainly dead, you know."

"I know that mel, but I feel I should do this, he was my friend and I owe it to him. Also, it'd give us a chance to see more of the country around us, and we'll be flying high enough that nobody could bother us even if there was anybody around to try."

"He was my friend too Jack, but I've come to terms with the fact that he and the rest of the group are all likely dead." She sighed. "Still, it would be good to have him here, no one can use those radios like he can."

"I agree, and that's another reason to go. Don't worry, I'll be very careful and won't take any chances."

"Ok Jack, then I guess I'll volunteer to remain here." Turning to Pam, she said "would you stay with me?"

Startled, Pam said "sure, I guess so." Feeling kind of special to have been asked, although she really wanted to be with Jack.

"Ok, it's settled then, we'll leave in the morning. Robin, do you want to come with Eric and me?"

"Sure! I'd love to go flying." the girl responded.

"All right, remember to bring your rifle and other equipment. We'll leave right after breakfast."

------------------------------------------------

After breakfast, the three grabbed their rifles and gear and headed to the hangar accompanied by Mel to see them off. Pam had said goodbye, then went to the control room to handle the radio.

Jack told Eric and Robin to stow their gear in the aircraft, then went over to the electric tug. Disconnecting it from the charger he drove it over and attached it's tow-bar to the front wheel of the plane. Then he walked over to another craft and started pushing it out of the way so he could maneuver the larger plane onto the elevator. As he was moving the small craft Eric came over to help. The thing sure was odd looking he thought, it didn't have a wing, just a large fan with a seat in front of it. Asking him about it, Jack said "it's called a para-glider. You attach an air foil parachute to it, and start it moving. As the air fills the parachute it creates lift and raises the thing off the ground. it's not very fast, but it's simple to fly and a lot of fun."

"Cool" Eric said. "Sounds like a blast."

"If you'd like I could teach you to fly it some time."

At this Robin, who usually didn't say much, spoke up. "I-I'd like to fly it." She said hesitantly.

Jack smiled at her and said "tell you what, as soon as we get back I'll teach both of you how to fly it."

Robins' smile said it all, and Jack decided she may finally be coming out of her shell.

When the para-glider was out of the way, Jack hit the button to open the doors, then used the tug to maneuver the big plane onto the elevator. After he raised it to the surface he moved it to the side and returned to the hangar. Hearing a scraping noise from below, Eric looked down the elevator shaft and saw Jack moving the Scorpion into place on the pad. Soon he had it on the surface as well, and Eric was giving him a confused look.

"Who's going to fly that?" The boy asked.

Grinning at him, Jack said "I am."

Looking even more confused, Eric asked "Then who's going to fly this?" Indicating the larger aircraft.

Again, Jack said "I am."

Chuckling but not saying anything more, Jack walked over to the Greyhound and connected a cable from the tug to it, then went inside and started the auxiliary power unit. A second later the ramp at the rear of the aircraft came down and Jack came walking out. He went over to the Scorpion and, pushing down on the tail, started moving it towards the ramp. Eric now understood what he was doing, and went to help him get it inside the larger craft. Once inside, they tied it down securely, and Jack explained "The closest airport where we can land is about twenty miles from David's house. The fastest and safest vehicle that would fit in the Greyhound is the Scorpion, so I decided to use it. When we get there I'll need the two of you to stay with the plane and protect it, while I fly over and see if I can find him."

Eric said he understood. He was disappointed that he had to stay with the plane, but he saw the wisdom in the decision as well.

Jack went back outside and disconnected the cable from the tug, and moved it back onto the elevator pad. Then he walked over to Mel to say goodbye.

"Take care of them Jack." She said. "We have no idea what things are like out there."

"I will," he said. "We should be back either tonight or early tomorrow morning. I'll call you on the radio as soon as we're high enough to achieve line of sight."

With that he went inside the plane and told Eric and Robin to get belted in. Going to the cockpit, he hit the button to extend and lock the wings, then started the engines and let them warm up. After doing his pre-flight, he advanced the throttles and was quickly in the air, turning towards the south. As he retracted the landing gear and flaps, he called Pam in the control room.

"Pam, we're on our way. We'll be back either tonight or tomorrow morning."

"Please be careful Jack, Please come back to me." She pleaded.

Jack could tell by the sound of her voice that she was close to tears and said "Don't worry, we'll be fine. I'll come back to you, I promise."

Standing up, the tears already running down her face, Pam walked out into the dining room and sat down. A few minutes later Mel walked it. Seeing the tears on her cheeks, she went to the girl and hugged her, saying "don't worry Pam, trust God."

"But what if they don't come back? What if something terrible happens?" She cried.

"We have no control over that Pam, it's in God's hands. The Bible says that worrying is a sin, and that we can't even add one day to our lives by worrying. Instead, we have to lay our burden at God's feet and trust Him to take care of them. Remember, whatever we ask, if it's according to His will, He'll do it for us, ok?"

"Ok, I'll try," she said, making an effort to dry her tears.

[DirtPirate]

Waiting........&#4 6;........

[Christian for Israel]

so, what do you like/dislike so far? anything i should have done differently?

[Christian for Israel]

Chapter 13

In a little under an hour they were nearing David's hometown. Banking and coming in from the east at treetop level and just above stall speed, they looked for signs of life, but saw none. The airport, as Jack knew, was on the west side of town, and when they reached it he brought them straight in, landing and coasting to a stop. As soon as he'd set the brake and shut down the engines, Jack unstrapped and went back to the cabin. Eric and Robin were just standing up, and helped as he started untying the Scorpion. As soon as it was free Jack worked the lever that opened the ramp and rolled the small craft out.

"Ok Eric, I want you two to keep a sharp eye out. if you see any movement, call me on the radio and i'll get back here fast. If you see anybody and it's at all possible, try to stay out of a fight, but if you have to, do what you must to protect yourselves."

"Yes sir," Eric said.

Unstrapping the rotor, Jack got in and cranked up, waiting for the RPM's to come up, then lifting off and heading southeast. The town sat in a valley between two small ridgelines. David lived across the southern ridge in the next valley over. Crossing the ridge, Jack dropped to about a hundred feet and watched for signs of life as he headed to David's house. Thinking about how spooky it was flying over whole neighborhoods completely devoid of life, not even seeing much in the way of animals, Jack finally reached the right street. Setting the bird down in David's front yard he shut down, grabbed his rifle, and walked up to the front door. Before he even got there, the smell told him everything he needed to know. Opening the door he was hit by a wave of noxious air, causing him to stumble backwards, gagging. Jack knew there wasn't any need to go further, so he went back to the chopper and grabbed the radio.

"Eric, this is Jack."

"Go ahead," Eric said.

"I'm at the house...they're both dead" Jack reported, struggling to keep the emotion out of his voice.

"Oh," the boy said, "I'm sorry Jack"

"Well, it wasn't unexpected. I'm on my way back, I should be there in about twenty minutes."

"Ok, we'll be ready to go. There's no sign of anything moving at all here."

Returning to the Scorpion and starting it up, Jack was soon headed back towards town. As he was approaching the ridge, he heard what sounded like something hit the helicopter. Looking at the gauges he saw that his oil pressure was dropping and the engine temp was rising. Again he heard the sound, and it finally dawned on him that someone was shooting at him! Banking to the left and dropping the nose, he traded altitude for airspeed and tried to get away from whoever was trying to kill him. As he got to the ridge, he brought the nose up and started to rise high enough to clear it, but by then the engine temp was redlined and the craft was starting to shake. realizing that he needed to land right then, he began looking for a place to set her down. At that moment the engine siezed, and he was forced to auto-rotate right where he was.

He hit the ground hard enough that the shock stunned him for a moment. Shaking his head to clear it, he waited for the rotors to stop, then got out of the craft, grabbing his rifle and the emergency kit from under the seat. Knowing that the risk of fire was minimal as the fuel tank was above and behind the engine, he stopped to appraise the condition of the bird. As soon as he looked at it, he saw to his dismay that the little ship would never fly again. the skids and lower cabin were crushed, and the tail boom had snapped from the impact. Knowing he was lucky not to be hurt worse than he was, Jack gathered his things and moved off away from the wreck, traveling several hundred yards before finding a place to hide and observe the scene, thinking that whoever had shot at him would soon be there to investigate.

Jack pulled some of the sage and weeds over and around his position to better conceal himself, then set out his rifle in case anyone showed up. With that done he took stock of himself. He noticed that he had a cut on his cheek that was bleeding slightly, but didn't remember how it had happened. Also his left ankle was throbbing, but seemed to be functional. Reaching into the emergency kit, he retrieved his first aid kit and applied a bandage to the cut. He then grabbed his radio and called the plane.

"Eric, you there? this is Jack."

"Right here Jack, is there a problem?"

"Someone took a shot at me. the Scorpion's toast, I had to set it down hard just south of the top of the ridge. I'm not injured, and I'll be making my way back to the airport just as soon as I make sure that no one is following me."

"Oh no! I'm on my way. turn on your locator beacon and I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Negative! stay with the plane. You can't leave Robin there all by herself, and that plane is our only way home. Just stay alert and make sure nobody messes with it or you, I'll start making my way back to you as soon as possible."

"Yes sir," the boy answered reluctantly. He hated the thought of just sitting around while Jack was in trouble out there, but he knew he was right, Robin couldn't protect the plane all by herself and losing it wasn't an option.

"Good man. If I have any other problems I'll call you. I probably won't make it back tonight, so you two need to think about protecting the plane. I want someone awake and on watch all through the night, so maybe one of you should try and get some rest now. I'll call before I bed down for the night, if not before." With that, he turned off the radio and started watching for movement around the crash site.

After an hour, there had been no sign of anyone around the site. Jack decided that, whoever it was, must be on foot and was likely too far away to give him any trouble, so he got up from his position and started off towards the airport. Cresting the ridge, he started down the other side, his ankle giving him a little trouble, but still working well enough. By the time he was about half way down the side of the hill it had gotten dark enough that it was getting hard to see. Deciding that injuring his ankle worse by stumbling along in the dark was a bad idea, Jack started looking for a place to spend the night. Finding a depression that would offer him some cover, he set about clearing a place to sleep. He used the sage that he'd removed to increase the natural foliage around the depression, making it harder for anyone to spot him. Eating an emergency lifeboat ration from his kit for dinner and taking a long pull from his canteen, Jack called Eric and told him he was settling in for the night, and to keep alert. He then unfolded the space blanket from his kit and wrapped up for the night, making sure the rifle was next to him and ready to go.

---------------------------------------------------

Alarmed at the turn of events, neither Eric nor Robin thought they could go to sleep. Eric did lie down and try to rest however, realizing he'd need it in order to stay awake on watch that night. He understood that falling asleep on watch could get both of them killed, and Jack also, if he came back to the plane while it was in the hands of an enemy. He told Robin to get him up as soon as it got dark, and she did so about a minute brfore Jack called. Acknowledging the call, he told Robin to get some sleep, he'd wake her at midnight for her turn. Then, grabbing his rifle and climbing on top of the plane, he started his shift. Robin was sure she'd never be able to sleep. But probably due to the stress of the day, as she lay down and closed her eyes, she was soon snoring softly.

Having hunted a few times before, Eric knew that moving around could give his position away. Therefore he got himself set up in a comfortable position where he could see all around himself without having to move more than his head. As the night passed he was thankful for the nearly full moon, as it meant he could see pretty well. Finally, as his watch reached midnight, he eased himself off the top of the aircraft and went inside to wake Robin. He helped the girl to get on top of the plane, then gave her some instructions on how not to give herself away. Impressing on her the importance of not falling asleep and making sure she was good and awake, he finally went back inside and went to sleep.

An unknown amount of time later, Eric was brought forcefully awake by the sound of rifle fire. He had no idea what time it was and couldn't make out much in the dark aircraft. Rising up, he spotted a figure standing on the ramp, coming inside the plane. He knew it was too large to be Robin, and Jack would never approach without calling first, so he drew his .45 and fired at it. the figure doubled over and fell, not moving further. Calling out to the girl that he was coming out and not to shoot him, he cautiously made his way past the body and out of the aircraft, noticing that the moon had set and it was much darker than earlier.

"Robin! Are you ok?" He called.

"Y-Y-Yes, I'm all right."

"Do you see anymore of them?' He asked.

"N-No. Eric, I think I shot one of them!" She said, sounding nearly hysterical.

"It's all right babe, I'm coming up."

Reaching the top of the aircraft and looking around, Eric couldn't see anything moving. Then he went over to the girl and gave her a hug, trying to calm her down. The girl clung to him and shook violently, but soon got herself under control.

"Eric said "you did great babe! If you hadn't fired when you did I wouldn't have been able to get the one sneaking in the plane. Your quick action saved my life!"

Looking at him to see if he was kidding, she saw that he wasn't. Suddenly she was very glad she'd fired at what she thought was a shadow, when she saw it move. Also, she was very much aware of how much she loved Eric, and what it would have meant to her if she'd lost him. It was a very long time before she let him go.

Jack had been sleeping lightly, when he heard the sound of rifle fire from a long ways off. Sitting up cautiously, he heard what sounded like a pistol shot also, then silence. Waiting a few minutes so as not to give away the kids' position if they were the ones doing the shooting, he finally coundn't stand not knowing any longer, and called them.

"Eric, this is Jack, is everything all right?"

"Jack, this is Robin, Eric told me to come back down, he's keeping watch now."

"Oh, ok Robin, I thought I heard the sound of shots being fired, is everything ok there?"

"It is now Jack, a couple of people tried to get to the plane, but we shot them." the girl said matter of factly.

Jack was startled at the way she said that, but put it down to nerves after all the excitement. "Are either of you injured?"

"No, we're both ok. Eric said he doesn't think anyone else will bother us tonight, but he's going to stay on watch anyway."

"He's probably right, but I'm glad he's still watching." Jack said, understanding that the girl needed to hear that so she wouldn't get any more afraid. "Ok, I'll be leaving here at first light, and I should reach you by mid-morning. let Eric know, ok?"

"I'll tell him, Jack. Good night."

Amazed at the girl's calm, and her matter of fact attitude, Jack got ready to get moving, knowing he'd never get back to sleep after all that.

As the sky began to lighten, Jack started off. Within six hours he'd made it to the perimeter fence around the small airport. Stopping at the fence, He called the kids and told them where he was and that he'd be there in a half hour at most. Finally reaching the plane, he noticed the body lying a short way away from the ramp, and the blood trail leading inside. Calling out, Eric and Robin walked out to meet him. Jack saw that Eric was holding a large bowie style knife.

"Where'd you get that?" He asked.

"From him." The boy responded, nodding toward the body. "He had it in his hand when I shot him."

"Ok," Jack said, "tell me what happened."

Robin spoke up "I was watching from on top of the plane. It was around three o'clock I guess, and the moon had set, making it really dark. I noticed a funny shadow off a ways from the plane, and as I watched, it moved. At first I thought it might be you, but you said you weren't going to come in until morning. Also, I figured you'd call first, and wouldn't be sneaking and trying to hide. Anyway, as I watched, it moved again, so I shot at it. the flash kinda blinded me, and the sound of the gun made it hard to hear, but it sounded like someone was rushing through the brush, trying to get away. Then I heard a shot come from inside the plane."

Eric spoke up now. "I woke up when Robin fired, and as I sat up I saw a person coming in the back of the plane. I knew it wasn't Robin because it was too big, so I drew my pistol and shot it. After I made sure Robin was ok, I checked the body, but he was dead. That's when I found the knife."

Hearing all this, Jack asked the girl "where exactly was the shadow when you shot it?"

"Over there about fifty yards or so, I guess." She said.

Jack walked over to the area the girl had indicated, and soon found an area that had obviously been trampled. He saw that some of the sage bushes had blood on them, and there was more of it on the ground. He also saw the stock of a rifle sticking out from under a bush, and picked it up. It was a Winchester hunting rifle, 7mm magnum, he saw. Looking around he saw that several bushes had blood on them leading away from the plane.

Walking back to the plane he said "I am so proud of the two of you! You defended the plane, and probably saved all our lives."

Eric said "it was all Robin's doing, I was asleep."

Jack looked at the girl and said "You did great! I couldn't have done any better myself."

Robin started to blush at all the praise, but she also realized she'd measured up when it really counted, and felt good about herself for the first time since she'd fired her rifle.

"Well, there's nothing else we need to do here," Jack said. "Let's get on board and get back home." The two kids smiled as he said it and headed for the plane.

Getting on board, Jack soon had the plane in the air. as he passed back over town he looked, but still couldn't see anything alive down there. Climbing high enough for the radio to reach the complex, he called "this is Jack, is there anyone home?"

"Jack! Is everything ok? Are you coming home?" Pam said excitedly.

"Yep, we're coming home. I'm afraid David died in the plague."

"I'm sorry Jack," the girl said, "how long until you get here?"

"About forty five minutes, we'll see you then."

As she got off the radio, Pam almost squealed in delight. She rushed into the dining room to tell Mel the news, then closed her eyes and said "thank you Jesus! Thank you for bringing them home safe!"

Mel agreed with her and said "Amen!"

About an hour later Jack brought the plane in for a landing at the complex. As he taxied over to the elevator pad he saw that both women were waiting to greet them. Bringing the plane to a stop and shutting down the engines, the three of them climbed out and walked over.

Pam saw immediately that Jack was limping, and rushed over to him to help him walk and find out if he was ok. As Mel walked up as well, she could tell by the look in his eyes that something was wrong.

"What happened?" She asked.

"We had some trouble down there. The Scorpion was wrecked, and the kids had to defend the plane from an attack during the night. Let's get inside and I'll tell you all about it." With that he got busy moving the plane onto the pad and folding the wings. After they got it taken care of and put away, the whole group went into the dining room and Jack filled them in on the details. After the story was told, Pam was looking at Robin in a new light, impressed by her actions. Mel just sat there shaking her head.

"What's happened to people Jack? they're acting like animals."

Jack just shook his head, and everyone realized that the old world was truely dead, and that in this new one, everything outside their little complex was little more than jungle.

[DirtPirate]

The only issue I have...after looking around our meager little homestead...is if these folks have any serious problems (whatwith all of their resources) surviving...man am I screwed...

[Christian for Israel]

actually, their main problem will be people issues...something we'll all have to deal with. seriously though, this was definately over the top as preps go but i was tired of reading all the stories about folks who had the time and the means, but no common sense in their preps. i wanted to show what could be done by a REAL survivalist if he had the $$.

because you were good enough to post a reply i'll go ahead and put up another chapter for your enjoyment. :lol:

[Christian for Israel]

Chapter 14

The next several weeks passed smoothly as no one in the group was inclined to go on any more trips outside the complex. Jack spent the time teaching anyone who wanted to how to fly, which soon became everyone there. He started out with the para-glider, mostly to get them used to being in the air, as it wasn't anything like flying a real airplane. Next he started taking them up in his two seat ultra-light. The craft had all the controls of most other fixed wing aircraft, but was slower and more forgiving of mistakes.

Learning to fly was much simpler for this group than it had been for Jack. With the collapse of society, all the regulations and bureaucratic nonsense was stripped away, and they all were able to learn at their own pace. Out of the whole group, Eric took to flying the easiest, followed by Mel.

After the boy soloed in the ultra-light, Jack started him on his only other helicopter, the Kestrel. This was a special two seat version of the kit that he'd put together the year before, mostly because it was unique. Instead of having an engine mounted on the airframe and turning the rotor through a transmission, this one had two small pulse-jet engines mounted on the tips of the rotors. the benefit to this was that there wasn't any torque placed on the airframe and therefore, no need of a tail rotor. that meant the craft was much easier to fly than any other helicopter, more like a traditional fixed wing. The down side was that the ship was a lot louder, it couldn't lift as much, and it used a lot more fuel, giving it less range. All that really didn't matter to most owners because it was a recreational vehicle, not a working craft, and the ease of operation combined with all the abilities of a normal helicopter made it an attractive alternative.

As with the other aircraft, Eric took to it like it was second nature, quickly getting used to the peculiarities of the craft and soon soloing. Mel was right behind him, and Pam wasn't much farther back. Robin seemed to love the ultra-light, and showed no interest in going beyond it. She spent a couple of hours a day flying it, usually with Eric, and quickly became quite good with it.

With everyone flying now, Jack noticed that they were starting to eat into their supply of fuel. He decided that, whether the others wanted to go out or not, they would have to make a trip sometime soon and get some more.

By the end of the forth week, Jack was ready to start training Eric on the greyhound. He figured that, if the boy had been able to handle the big twin engine craft the last time they went out, things might have happened differently.

The time since the attack on the plane had been one of healing, both physically and emotionally, for the three of them. Jack's ankle had been sprained, and the weeks of rest had done wonders for him. But more importantly, the time had allowed Eric, and especially Robin, to heal emotionally. The shock of actually having shot someone, likely killing them, had been rough on the girl. At first she seemed to withdraw back into her shell, never leaving Eric alone for even a few minutes throughout the first few days. For his part, Eric had seemed to deal with the incident pretty well, but Jack had noticed that he didn't seem to be as eager to practice shooting with the rest of the group, and he never mentioned going outside the complex anymore. Jack gave them room and hoped that, by getting on with life, they both would eventually be ok.

At the end of the third week, as the group was gathering in the dining room for breakfast, Pam walked in and said "hey everybody, guess what. Today's my birthday! I'm seventeen today."

As everyone smiled and stood to congratulate her and wish her a happy birthday, Jack asked "so birthday girl, what do you want for a present?"

Thinking that she knew what she REALLY wanted, Pam just smiled and said "surprise me."

Catching the funny smile she gave him, Jack felt warmed inside. "Ok, I guess I'll just do that."

Watching this exchange, Mel smiled knowingly to herself and kept quiet.

Jack went all out for Pam's birthday surprise. While the others decorated the rec room, he was busy making her a birthday cake from scratch. After dinner that night they all went up to the rec room and Jack brought in the cake, presenting it to the girl. After the others sang happy birthday, Jack presented her with a small box. Opening it, Pam saw an antique silver necklace with a sapphire and opal pendant.

Stunned at the beauty of the gift, she said "Oh Jack, how...where did you get this?"

"It was my mothers'. I wanted you to have it."

Overcome with emotion at the thought that he must really care a lot for her to give her such a treasured family heirloom, Pam wiped away the tears and gave Jack a long and heartfelt hug. As he was standing there holding the girl Jack whispered in her ear "Happy birthday Pam, I love you."

Hearing that, she was speechless. Stepping back, the tears started to flow again and she managed to say "thank you Jack, it's beautiful. would you help me put it on?"

Taking the necklace and motioning for her to turn, Jack worked the clasp and hooked it around her neck. Turning her back around and holding her at arm's length he said "it's beautiful on you Pam, just beautiful.

Pam had noticed that his eyes had not left hers the whole time he'd been saying that. The knowledge made her blush.

The rest of the evening she stayed close to Jack, and before she went up to bed, he gave her a birthday kiss on the cheek.

Walking up to her apartment, Pam felt warm inside. this was different than the lust she'd felt for Jack before, it was more solid, more real. As she got to her door she realized she was falling in love with him, for real this time.

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From that time forward, Jack and Pam spent a lot more time together. And they weren't alone, Eric and Robin were also spending a great deal of time together, making Mel wonder if spring really was in the air.

A couple of weeks after the birthday party, Eric caught Jack after lunch and asked to speak to him privately. Jack invited him up to his apartment, and when they'd gotten there and settled down, Eric surprised Jack by saying that he and Robin wanted to get married.

"We've been thinking about this and discussing it since that night at the plane Jack." The boy said. We both thought we'd have our whole lives to do things like this, but that night showed us that either of us could be killed at any time in this new world."

Jack knew what he meant, and remained silent. Eric continued. "Well, we don't want to take the chance that something could happen to one of us, so we've decided that there's no good reason to wait."

Jack looked at the boy and said "I understand where you're coming from Eric, and I can't say you're wrong. I'm not your father, so you don't need my permission, but you have my blessing."

Eric looked startled, "we aren't asking for permission, although I am proud to have your blessing, What we want is for you to perform the ceremony."

Caught off guard, Jack sat back, slightly stunned. "Eric, I'm not a pastor..."

"That's just it," Eric said, "we don't HAVE a pastor. Look, I've been studying the Bible on this, and I don't see anywhere in it that says you have to be married by a pastor. In the old society we were required to have a license and to be married by a person of authority, but that old world is gone, and with it the old authority. Also, I've read in my Bible that all christians will be priests when Jesus comes back to earth, and we are all equal. Therefore, any of us can perform this ceremony for the others, just like any of us can baptize another."

Jack couldn't see any fault with his argument and said "I see your point. All right, let me think about this, ok?"

"Ok Jack, I'll see ya later." And he got up and left the apartment.

Going downstairs himself, Jack found Melissa and told her everything Eric had said.

Mel looked at him and said "yeah, so what's the problem? I saw this coming weeks ago."

"You did, how? And why didn't you tell me?" He wanted to know, wondering what he'd missed.

"I don't know, intuition I guess. But you act like you have a problem with doing this, so...you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know Mel, don't you think Robin's a little young to be getting married? after all, what is she, fourteen?"

Mel laughed, "I'm surprised at you Jack, weren't you the one who said that as long as they acted like adults we should treat them like adults?"

"Yeah, I know," Jack said uncomfortably. "But this just doesn't...feel right."

"Believe me, I felt the same way until you straightened me out, now I can see that, like it was in the frontier days, in these times as well we have to understand that things are different. Besides, the Bible backs them up on this."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Well, traditionally among the Hebrews, boys had their Bar mitzvah, their passage from child to adult, at age thirteen. Girls went through it at twelve, and usually married soon after that. In fact, Hebrew tradition was that the husband usually was a good bit older than his wife, it being understood that an older man was more stable and able to raise a family. For example, Isaac was forty years old when his father Abraham sent his servant to get him a wife. The servant found Rebecca, who was still living in her fathers house, so she must have been quite young, and brought her to Isaac, and he married her. Also, Joseph was a widower, he'd been married once already when he was betrothed to Mary, who herself was also living in her father's house. Yet the Spirit of the Lord still went to her and filled her body with the child who would become Jesus. Apparently God had no problem with this practice, and I don't see where we should either, as long as the girl is ready for it, that is."

Stunned at the thought of all this, Jack finally responded "Oh she's ready, Eric said it was her idea for him to talk to me." He said with a smirk.

"It usually is the girl's idea," Mel said. "So, are you going to do it?" She asked.

Shaking his head for a minute, Jack said "Uh, I guess so. Wait! I don't know how to do something like this, what do I do?"

"Well, I'd suggest praying about it, then following the Lord's lead."

Jack sat there and thought about it for a long time.

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The next morning Jack, after praying and studying his Bible, decided he needed to meet with both Eric and Robin individually. Taking them each aside, he asked them a series of questions, making sure they understood the seriousness of what they were getting into. He told them that this was a permanent situation, and that, if they went through with it, there was no turning back. He told them that God hate's divorce. He would allow it under a very few circumstances, but if both people were christians, they were expected to forgive each other and stay together no matter what happened, if at all possible. Jack didn't try to take it easy with them either, a part of him hoped that, by scaring them a little, they might decide to put this off for a while.

Talking with Robin, he said "according to the Bible, wives are supposed to submit to their husbands. that doesn't mean that they're supposed to be slaves, but that, as long as he is submitting himself to God, and is leading the family according to scripture, the wife is supposed to put her husband's wishes and desires above her own."

To Eric he said "a man is commanded by God to love his wife. that doesn't mean to feel love towards her, but to walk in that love. A husband is supposed to submit himself to God, serving Him and leading his wife and family in God's will. A husband is to love his wife as he loves his own flesh, because she IS his own flesh. He is to put her wants and desires above his own, taking care of her and providing for her, both physically and emotionally."

After several hours with each, they both confessed that they understood the implications of the decision they were making, and Jack was convinced that they knew what they were doing. He saw no reason not to go ahead with this, and asked them if noon, two days from then would be ok. They both said that would be great.

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Jack spent the next two days studying and praying, seeking wisdom from the Lord so he would do this the right way. What he finally came up with didn't sound much like the traditional wedding, but it was what he felt God was leading him to do.

On the day of the wedding, the group was gathered in the chapel. as the clock reached noon, Jack stood up and motioned for Eric and Robin to join him. As they rose and stood before him, Mel and Pam stood and moved into position on either side of the couple.

"Eric and Robin, as witnessed by all those present, you have stated your desire to be married. Having convinced me that you understand the seriousness of your actions, and after much prayer and consideration on my part, I have agreed to perform this ceremony."

"The Bible has this to say about love:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.-1Co 13:4-8

It would be good for you both to remember that."

"As the Bible says, swearing or making promises is wrong, simply let your 'yes' be yes, and your 'no' be no."

"Eric, will you lead Robin in the Lord, providing for her, loving her, taking care of her? Will you refuse to look at another, having eyes and a heart only for her, no matter what may come in your lives?"

"Yes, I will." Eric said.

"And Robin, will you submit yourself to Eric's authority, putting his desires above your own? Will you refuse to look at another, having eyes and a heart only for him, no matter what may come in your lives?

Robin looked at Eric, and said in a firm voice "yes, I will."

"Then, before these witnesses and in the presence of God, I declare you to be united in marriage. What God has joined together here, let no one come between. Eric, you may kiss your bride."

With that Eric leaned over, and for the very first time, kissed the girl he loved.

The others cheered, and Jack reached behind himself and picked up a bowl of rice.

"Rice symbolizes prosperity, that your cupboard never be bare. With that in mind, I ask God to bless this union." With that he grabbed a handful and tossed it in the air over the heads of the young couple, to the applause of the others.

As the ceremony concluded, everyone went over to the recreation room where Mel and Pam had laid out refreshments. Shortly thereafter the newlyweds retired to their apartment.

[Superman]

I just jumped on this and have read most of what you've shown us so far.

Let me first say NICE WORK!

I am the type who when I find something I like I will read and re-read it several times...this is one of them.

At least one thing I would do different...and maybe I missed it...it needs to have a preface and maybe even and introduction from YOUR point of view. I realize this is a fictional piece with factual information BUT if you the author being a survivalist came up with a real world point of view and put that it...it may draw more folks who don't normally read books/stories.

Also...being nit-picky here. The 18 cylinder diesel generator...change it to a 16 and have there be 2-4 of them. From someone who knows equipment having a bank of 1-2 meg units makes more sense (again from a realistic point of view) then one monster unit that from my knowledge there is no such animal in the power generation world. (someone please correct me if there is).
IE: our local hospital has 4 2 meg units it uses in the event of necessity for a total 8 meg bank.

Also...a personal opinion...use some jeeps in the story...the mog is a good choice but big and noticeable as would be a 'tricked out' land cruiser. I would try to implement more rigs that you see every day and stand out less (but are just as if not more capable) AND are much easier to find parts for in abandoned parts stores and junkyards.

Keep it coming...I love it!!