Crisis Event: Gray Dawn

Crisis Event: Gray Dawn by Greg Shows, Zachary Womack

Book: Crisis Event: Gray Dawn by Greg Shows, Zachary Womack Read Free Book Online
Authors: Greg Shows, Zachary Womack
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had been his best friend. Smith had his hands clenched and his whole body was shaking. His hands began to creep up toward the rifle slung around his shoulders and neck.
    “Steady, Son,” Blakely said. He wasn’t sure that Titman’s mission was as important as he said it was, but if it could salvage what was left of the United States--as Titman had claimed--he thought he’d better try to help Titman get it accomplished.
    The question was, “would Titman get out of this mission alive?”
    Blakely wasn’t sure of the answer. Titman seemed to be miscalculating the outcomes of his actions at a rather higher percentage rate than had been his norm over the previous week. Without anyone around to enforce the Uniform Code of Military Justice to back up the power and authority of officers, there was nothing to keep a grunt with a grudge like Smith from gutting Titman and stringing his intestines around a tree.
    “Listen up!” Titman shrieked as he spun back to face the remaining members of the unit. “Who’s the limp dick who shot up my Humvee?”
    Nate Clark, the corporal who’d been atop the third Humvee gave a visible sagging shiver but got enough control over himself to say, “Um...me...I...I...am...sir.”
    “Corporal Limp Dick,” Titman said, stalking over to stand in front of the terrified soldier. “If I didn’t need all my goddamned corporals right now your name would be Private Limp Dick.”
    “Um...Thank you...sir.”
    “Don’t thank me,” Titman said. “You’ve now used up eight of your nine lives, son. You fuck up in any way henceforward and I will personally relieve you of the last one. Are you receiving me, son?”
    “Y-y-yessir,” Clark said, on the verge of passing out in.
    Titman turned and stalked back to stand in front of the assembled men.
    “Things have changed, boys,” Titman said. “We’re on the most important mission in the history of this country. More important than Paul Revere’s ride, more important than Sherman’s march, more important than Ike’s invasion. We cannot fail here, boys, or the terrorists and America haters will have won. That’s why Corporal Limp Dick here, and three other volunteers are going to remain behind to repair this assault vehicle. The rest of us will move on to the objective.”
    A barely audible groan went up, but Blakely jerked his head around and the soldiers snapped to attention.
    “When you have repaired this assault vehicle,” Titman said, “you will follow the exact route indicated on the map you were provided with. Is that clear? You should be able to catch up in a couple of hours, since we’re clearing the path.”
    “Yes sir,” the men said without enthusiasm.
    Ordinarily, Blakely would have stepped in and disciplined the unit for their show of disrespect to Titman, but since Titman actually deserved their disrespect, and since there was no threat of punishment from up the chain of command, he remained silent.
    “What about the bodies, sir?” Blakely asked.
    “Leave them and follow me,” Titman said, and though every part of him wanted to refuse, he obeyed his training.
        “Yes sir,” Blakely said and fell in behind Titman.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 9
     
        Four hours later, Blakely was in the lead Humvee, watching Duck jerk the wheel back and forth as he bounced their vehicle along the edge of Highway 62, knocking cars out of the way as they progressed slowly westward. The general had shifted Blakely forward as what Titman had claimed would be a stabilizing influence over the young soldiers.
    Blakely didn’t mind. He really didn’t want to kill the jumped up general, and if he had to sit next to him, the man’s murder might become inevitable.
    Now he could ride with his men, who actually needed stabilizing. All of them but

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