A Hard Rain: Book Two Of The Shift Trilogy

Chapter 14

Montpelier Station, Virginia

Rochelle Sovereignty

January 2013

Meredith Jung sat at the conference table. Her face bore no expression, out of fear that if she did allow the slightest hint of emotion, she would lose her composure and bawl.

"It was a wonder that we survived at all. We certainly wouldn't have if it hadn't been for Captain Nguyen here." Ezra Rothstein sat at the other end of the long conference table along with Saints Captain Nguyen. Ezra's voice was raspy having been immersed in the frigid waters of the Chesapeake for several minutes. He, like the other survivors Jean Paul managed to pick up from the bay, had suffered from hypothermia.

Also present were Commandant Dean Jacob, Deputy Constable Thuy Mai, Constable Jon Early—sort of present, anyway—his wife Sharon and Monticello's contingent to include the Deputy Chief Magistrate Juan Ramirez and Sheriff Schadenfreude. The generators had been hit by a rare but particularly strong surge, overheating the coils, so the dining room, which became a conference room, was lit only by kerosene lamps and the waning daylight. The EMP surges were less frequent as far as they could tell—they could only detect the strongest surges that affected their bulky equipment—but they still occurred, ever reminding them how vulnerable they were to the forces of nature and that they could never truly trust even their own more primitive technology again. Trust in technology nearly led to humanity's demise once. Rochelle would never be so dependent on electricity.

Ezra continued with a gravelly voice. "My boat was closer to the shore when we capsized. I know a few of our boats made it to land safely."

"And we provided as much cover as we could while we scooped up your people" Jean Paul added.

"I'm almost certain your husband, Mr. Spankmeister and the reverend were among the people who made it ashore, Mrs. Jung," Ezra added reassuringly.

Meredith nodded furtively and attempted a smile. "Thank you, Ezra."

"We would have all been dead if it wasn't for Captain Nguyen here. He could have popped smoke and cleared on out. It would have been the smart thing to do."

Jean Paul held up a hand dismissively. "Listen, I've picked up sailors whose ship I had just sunk in battle. And I do that because I know it's a shitty way to die. So, of course I wasn't going to let your people bob up and down and wait for death."

"Well, regardless Captain, you have our warmest thanks," Jon said. The constable didn't speak much these days. Sitting there with his wife at his side, Meredith casually noticed his hand holding a coffee cup was shaking slightly. A beard had grown across his jaw, too, something she thought she would never see from Mr. Clean Marine himself.

"For what it's worth, New Orleans has a new friend in the Orange Pact," Juan added.

"I just wish we knew how many others made it," Jean Paul lamented.

After Captain Nguyen left, Meredith addressed Ezra. "I'm going need you to get in touch with your asset. He's sent signals our way but refused to talk to any of us."

"Something happened?"

Thuy leaned over the table. "Lynchburg is preparing to mobilize. Our sources in Roanoke confirm troop buildups."

"Also, we've seen a marked increase of ammunition sales to Lynchburg from West Virginia. They've been stockpiling for some time."

"Of course, so have we," Thuy added dryly. "We've run up our credit card with West Virginia this past year like there's no tomorrow as well."