"First off, please call me Miles. Tell you what - I'll swing by your old house later to see if I can get you some of your things, okay? If I'm able to get in," he added.
"I can give you the door code, Mr.... uh... Miles," Noah volunteered, a small spark in his eyes. "It will open the front door for you."
Miles hustled to fix breakfast sandwiches for his other partners, knowing that Penny and Jan would make their own breakfast after the others were gone. By the time Debra, Ava, Sophia, and Maddie joined them in the kitchen, he'd prepared bacon and egg sandwiches for them all. He observed Maddie and Ava add slices of cheese to theirs, making a note for the future, and smiled as he watched them all grab glasses of juice or tea to wash their food down. In less than ten minutes, the group finished eating, grabbed their laptop bags, and headed for the garage.
He watched as each of the women gave quick hugs and words of encouragement to each of the children as they headed out to the garage. Turning to Penny and Jan, he added in a low whisper, "I'm going to swing by Joseph Meyer's place on my way to the office. I'm not sure what I'll find, so I don't want to set expectations. Love you both," and he gave them each a final kiss before turning, and once again kissing each of the kids on top of their heads as he made his way to the garage. "Good luck on your first day back in school, kids. I hear you've got a great teacher!", to which they all laughed.
"Ava, I'd like you to take Sophia and Maddie with you in the HUMVEE. I need to run a quick side errand in the Beast," Miles told them, adding, "and I'll take Deb with me. See you all in a bit."
Having grabbed the keys to the Beast on his way out, Miles unlocked the doors and began dropping the rear seats into their stowed positions.
"What's the plan, boss?" Debra asked him, mirroring his moves on the passenger side.
"I want to stop by the twins' old house to see what we can salvage for them from there. Maybe their beds, clothes, whatever looks good enough to keep. We can get more as we go, but I'm trying for a quick win, here," he explained as he turned to go over to a locked cabinet on the back wall of the garage. Keying in a code, he opened the door to reveal several firearms within, grabbing a pair of pistols, extra magazines, and a shoulder holster for each.
"Jesus wept, Miles, do you have guns stashed everywhere?"
He just raised an eyebrow at her, giving her a look that clearly told her that was a silly question as he offered her a weapon, spare mag, and holster. Taking the weapon, magazine, and holster from him, she slid on the holster rig and adjusted it to her comfort. Next, she did a quick press-check on the gun, making sure a round was in the chamber before jamming it into the holster on her left hip, and then adding the magazine into the on her right hip. Swinging her body around to check the comfort and fit of the rig, she seemed satisfied and climbed into the passenger side of his SUV.
Having strapped on his holster, and checked the weapon, he was also set and sliding behind the wheel as she asked him, "What are you worried about, Miles?"
"Remember that first night when you and Ava came to live with us? That fire? It turned out to be a meth lab that burned down after the chemist died - took a few neighboring houses with it. As it turns out, Joseph's house is only one or two blocks from there. Not the best neighborhood under normal circumstances, so I'm being cautious."
Nodding her head, she buckled her seatbelt and reached over to turn on the XM radio, setting it to the nineties channel, then sat back. "You know I'm soaking wet now, right? You are sooo getting fucked the first chance I get."
He just grinned and put the SUV in gear, closing the garage door as he headed out to the main road.
****
The fire from the meth lab had engulfed several neighboring homes, taking out many trees along the way. The amount of Spanish moss hanging on the surviving trees at nearby homes made it clear how the fire spread so easily. Driving past the area of the fire, Miles turned down a side street the next block over, then backed into a driveway halfway down the block. A dirty Chevy Equinox, covered in soot and ash, was parked in the driveway, its passenger window broken out.
As he exited the vehicle, Miles was surprised at the deafening quiet surrounding them. He heard no dogs barking, no windchimes, no crying babies - the block was very still. This, along with the burglarized vehicle, made him very uncomfortable. He paused to carefully survey the area, looking for any signs of life or activity. Seeing nothing, he stepped over to the front door, about to knock before entering the code on the deadbolt, when he noticed the door was already cracked open. The wood was splintered away from the doorjamb, indicating a forced entry - likely kicked open. Making sure Debra saw the door, he unholstered his weapon before pushing it open, cringing as it creaked on old, rusty hinges.
"I'm with the military, and I'm coming in. I'm not looking for trouble, but I will absolutely fuck you up if you make me!" he called in through the open doorway. Hearing nothing, he cautiously stepped inside and quickly slid to one side, out of the illumination, pausing for his eyes to adjust. When nothing moved and all remained silent, he motioned for Debra to follow him inside.
Looking around, the house was a mess. It looked like a scene from a movie where the place had been tossed, with items strewn all over the floor. Many small nicknacks lay in pieces, broken by whoever went through the home before them. Shaking his head, Miles flipped on the lights in the kitchen to give them some illumination aside from the light coming in through the windows. The cabinets were open and bare, as was the refrigerator. Turning back to the living room he'd just passed through, he noticed there was no sign of a television or any electronics.
Motioning around, he spoke softly to Jansen, "Looks like maybe looters - what do you think?"
She looked around and nodded, "Yeah, they've really ransacked this place. Not what I'd have considered a prime target, either." She shook her head in a mix of disgust and anger.
Making his way to the bedrooms, he quickly found a pair of laundry baskets. Turning to Jansen, he asked her to help him out. "You take Emma's room, I'll take Noah's. Focus on clothing first, then we can look for keepsakes - family pictures, that sort of thing. I doubt anything of any value is left, but we're looking for personal items that might not have been taken."
Nodding, she took the basket he offered her and stepped past him into the next room, which looked to have obviously been a girl's room.
Going to the dresser, Miles quickly went through what remained of the drawers, grabbing all the clothes he could, as well as Noah's Cub Scout Handbook and uniform pieces. Seeing a family photo in a frame on the floor, he picked it up, carefully dumping away the broken glass, and placed the framed photo into the basket. Moving to the closet, he found a hoodie and a few nicer clothes hanging in there, as well as a case filled with a mix of Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. Grabbing the case and the clothes, he did a final check around the room. The bed looked pretty worn but the pillow was one of those new ones he'd seen on TV. Grabbing the pillow, he hesitated, then decided to leave the bedding - the rest of it looked questionable at best.
Heading back out of Noah's bedroom, he glanced up as Debra was coming out of Emma's room carrying a basket piled with clothes, cub scout uniform and handbook, and a teddy bear on top. "Did you happen to notice if her pillow looked new?"
She shook her head, "No, I didn't. Let me check. If it looks like it's in good condition, I'll bring it along."
Miles turned to head back out to the SUV, pausing to check outside first. Seeing no one there, he exited the house and loaded the items into the Beast. Returning to the house, he made one last pass through the inside, checking each room for anything that might be of sentimental value to the twins. He discovered a photo album in their father's bedroom and grabbed it up. Looking around, he failed to see anything that he thought he should take.
Leaving the house for the final time, Miles made sure Debra was also out before pulling the door shut. It wouldn't latch, of course, but he didn't feel right just leaving it wide open. Laying the photo album on the seat in the middle row, he stepped back from his vehicle and looked up and down the block. It was still way too quiet.
"Wait here. I want to check something," he told Debra as he walked across the street, checking the front door of that house. After a moment, he walked to the next house down the street, checking its front door as well, then came back across the street to check the door of the house next to Joseph Meyer's home. Shaking his head, he walked back to his SUV.
"Get in. We need to call the police," he informed her as he shut his door and unlocked his cell phone.
**** Gainesville, FL - 0930, Monday, August 10, 2020****
Passing through the gate, Miles turned to his left and headed to Building A-33, looking for his reserved parking spot. His mood, which started so good this morning, soured quickly after his conversation with the Chief of Police for the City of Gainesville. The moron couldn't grasp what a slippery slope the community was on if mass looting was allowed to continue unabated. What happens, he thought to himself, when the looters kick open a door with people inside? What if it's just children or a few women? What if it was his home, and he wasn't there to defend it? Miles was furious, having to consciously pull himself away from entering a blind rage. This situation was simply untenable and needed to be resolved.
Entering the building, Jansen hot on his heels, he nodded to the desk sergeant as he passed her. "Morning, Kozlowski. Is the General in?"
The non-com looked up at him, giving him a quick smile. "Morning, Captain Davies. I believe General Palmer is on a call at the moment. Would you like to leave her a message?"
"Yes, please," he answered tightly. "Would you let the General know that I would like a few minutes of her time this morning to elevate her awareness on a matter of some importance? Thank you. I'll be in my office." Miles nodded and walked past her, badging through the door behind her and heading back to his desk.
"I'm going to grab some coffee before I head back there," Debra informed him before asking, "Need me to get you anything, sir?"
Miles turned to look back at Jansen, who was giving him an innocent smile. "No thank you, Lieutenant. I'll make myself some tea in a moment." He smiled at her, nodding as he turned back to continue on his way.
****
Miles picked up his desk phone on the second ring. "Captain Davies. This is an unsecured line. How may I help you?"
"Kozlowski, sir. The General can see you now."
"Very good, Kozlowski. Please tell the General I'm on my way." Hanging up the phone, he grabbed his Yeti tumbler, topped it off with a fresh refill of tea, and headed out the door. "Headed to see the old man. Should be back within the hour," he called over his shoulder to the others. He could almost hear their giggles from out in the hallway.
A few moments later, Miles leaned into the General's doorframe and rapped sharply on the door three times.
Palmer looked up from her laptop and waved him in. "Come in Captain. Close the door."
The General waited for the door to be fully closed before she greeted him less formally. "Miles, you look pissed. What's eating at you?"
Taking a seat, he scowled, marshaling his thoughts. "Good morning, Martha. I wanted to bring something to your awareness. Yesterday, my team and I took in a pair of orphans, becoming their foster care providers. This morning, I went by their father's house - he's deceased, and the mother left years ago - the house had been broken into and looted. When I checked the neighboring homes, all empty, they'd also been looted. So, I put in a call to the Gainesville PD, who informed me that they have insufficient manpower to look into the matter." Miles sat back in his chair, trying to maintain his composure despite the outrage he was feeling.
The General sighed, steepling her fingers in front of her before she answered. "I was wondering how long it would take. We've seen this pattern develop before, under similar circumstances. Houses are abandoned following the outbreak and teaming process. Folks, some who've fallen through the cracks, others who were already desperate, take matters into their own hands. Local law enforcement is as impacted by loss of manpower as everyone else, so they're not equipped to deal with these types of things effectively. One of two things usually happens from this point; either crime spirals out of control until riots begin, or the National Guard gets called in to help lock things down. Neither is a particularly attractive option to me."
Miles leaned forward, an idea forming, a bit of excitement building in his expression. "What if we try to engage the local community - communicate with them what we're planning to do but bring them into the process? I'm finding it difficult to acquire sufficient resources to carry out Tranche 1 activities at scale as it is - if we mobilize a sizeable chunk of the local population to assist, that will speed things up, as well as give them a role - putting their skin in the game, so to speak."
