Free Iron Mike by Patricia Rose Page B

compared to this.”
    Miss Annie looked at him levelly. “Where were you going to go if you couldn’t find a shelter?”
    Mike rubbed a hand through his hair, pulling out the ponytail and re-working it into the elastic band. “Probably Fort Knox,” he admitted finally. “Kari’s father works on the base.”
    Miss Annie looked at him, saying nothing, and finally Mike looked away. “I guess I should go in and meet the kids,” he said reluctantly. She beamed and ushered him in to the playroom.

 
    Kasoniak
     
    The muster went well, all things considered. Kasoniak’s speech was short and to the point, and the troops responded the way soldiers always do in a crisis. The post was being re-organized, the provost marshal reassigning the handful of survivors from each brigade so they would once again establish a cohesive and formidable, if small, fighting force. Kasoniak reminded them they were under martial law and gave the bare bones of what he knew about the rest of the country. He called three squad leaders to stay after the muster to speak with him, and he waited until the soldiers dispersed after dismissal before turning to them.
    “At ease, sergeants,” he said when the three gathered around him. The two men and woman stood at ease, waiting for his orders. He glanced at their names, stitched into the cloth tag on their uniforms, and matched each name to the face, fixing it in his memory.
    “On Friday morning, I need each of you to organize your squads and take two five-tons off base. You’re familiar with the large shooting range near West Point? Otter Creek Gun Range?”
    All three nodded, so he continued. “You and your men need to requisition all of the firearms, munitions and ammo at that range. If Andy Russell is still alive and gives you Second Amendment shit, you advise him we are under martial law, and you have been instructed to secure those firearms with deadly force, if needed. If he continues to resist, you place him under arrest and bring him to the post with the weapons and ammunition. I’ve already been getting reports of looting and gunshots from Radcliff, and I do not want those weapons in the hands of the civilian populace. Is that understood?”
    He waited for the “Yes, sirs” and then went on, thinking as he spoke. “There’s a smaller gun shop, closer to Shepherdsville, on State Road 44. DJ’s Gun Shop, if I’m remembering correctly. There’s a sign on the side of the road, just before the Nichols Fire Station. The owner runs the shop out of his garage. I’m not sure what his inventory is, because it’s been years since I’ve been there. Requisition his arms also, and search the entire premises for stockpiles.”
    They acknowledged the order, and Kasoniak dismissed them. He knew their convoy would pass right by Kari’s apartment, but he couldn’t – wouldn’t – issue the order for them to check on her. It was not possible, when so many of the soldiers under his command had loved ones they were missing, too. He sighed as he looked around. The post was too large, spread out over thousands of acres. It was indefensible with an army of hundreds and the destruction was so severe they’d never be able to rebuild without more manpower.
    Kasoniak needed to set up work crews to salvage what could be salvaged and to begin construction on a more defensible front … but where? And when? He was already running low on manpower. Medical treatment and personnel accountability came first. They needed to tighten the barricades around their perimeter but they also needed to send out scouts to locate and study the enemy. It wasn’t yet time to go on the offensive, but they definitely needed to start developing intel. Kasoniak frowned. There were too many things needing to be done and not enough soldiers to do it.

Kari
     
    Kari bit back a smile as she and Jenn walked into the playroom and Mike stayed in the foyer, talking with the daycare worker. She didn't miss the deer-in-the-headlights