The Du Page Affair Ch 15

This is an original work by Zeb_Carter and is protected under (c) copyright by U.S. copyright law. It is only being submitted at Literotica.Com and any submission to any other site has not been authorized by the Author.

Leaving Du Page – Part I

I sat at the head of the conference table. Around the table were seated the doctors who had succeeded in the valiant effort of saving lives and making people comfortable in an inhospitable place. Ten of them in all, ten exhausted doctors, all of them extraordinary human beings. I was proud to know them.

Behind me stood five people who had just recently arrived at Campus Du Page. My wife Jenny and four of my top men, warriors like me. They had brought with them a message from comrades outside the Zone. The message brought word that those inside the Zone would soon be on their own having to fend for themselves. Also that more would be joining us here inside the Zone. The unwanted of the nation outside would be dumped in here.

Most, but not all, the people had been evacuated from the Zone. We, the doctors and I had stayed to ease the suffering of those still here. But up until now we had the support of the government outside the Zone. They, the government, were now going to use the Zone as a prison. They thought that they controlled the energy field that surrounded the Zone. And for the most part they did. They controlled the entry and exit points, except one. They did not however control the raising and lowering of the shield.

That control was inside the Zone. The six fields containing the nuclear reactions in the Zone had no control to raise or lower. They had been put in place at the instant of detonation, in haste, and would remain in place until the reaction inside stopped. The projections on that were in the range of two hundred and fifty years. It was now time to lower the field and allow whoever wanted too, to leave. And whoever wanted to enter to do so.

"I know you are all busy and need to be somewhere else right now, but I have some important information that I feel you should know. As of sixteen hundred hours tomorrow we will no longer be receiving supply drops. All persons within the Zone will have one week to make it to an evacuation point on the frontier to be processed. After that time there will be no egress from the Zone. Exactly two weeks after that, persons currently serving life terms in prison will be released into the Zone."

The shock on their faces was clear. All of the Doctors sitting around that table had family on the outside. They had stayed because I asked them too and I promised them safe passage out of the Zone anytime they wanted. I could still make good on my promise. I would make good on my promise.

"I have been on the phone with the President and he wants to thank each of you for your dedication to your profession. He also said that you will no longer be needed in the zone. I told him of all the people still inside the Zone waiting for the field to be dropped so that their families could join them once again.

"He said that seeing as there was no longer a city here why not use the zone as a prison. A prison that would not need guards or bars, a prison where the prisoners could take care of themselves with minimal intervention of authority."

Michelle stood signaling me that she wished to speak. I nodded my head.

"When do we leave?" She sat down quickly. The others around the table nodded their heads in agreement.

"I leave tomorrow morning along with Ted and Bill. The rest of you leave at sixteen hundred hours for Evac-Station six." A sigh of relief went around the table. Jenny put her hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off. Susan looked at me quizzically, then stood up.

"Where are you going?" She didn't wait for me to acknowledge her. She remained standing staring at me.

"Ted, Bill and I will be heading to candle four."

"Why?" Damn her.

"To turn off the shield around the Zone," I answered her.

"Does the government know about the generator at candle four?" Double damn her.

"Yes."

"I volunteer to accompany you there."

"No. Sit down Doctor."

"I won't and I will be going with you." Her eye's flicked up to Jenny then back down to me. She sat down quickly with a sly smile on her face. I looked around the table shaking my head.

"All personnel will be ready to depart at sixteen hundred hours tomorrow. Pack it up and be ready. Anything you can't carry leave. The shield will be left on here along with the power generators. For those of you with vehicles in the parking lot who don't know, they will start. Use them to get to the evacuation point. Understood?"

There were nods around the table, except for Susan and Michelle.

"You are free to go then." I sank back in my chair as everyone stood to leave, except Susan and Michelle. "Doctor LaGrazia, would you be kind enough to stay, please?"

"Sure John." He sat back down. Michelle and Susan looked at each other then up to Jenny. I could feel Jenny shrug her shoulders. I waited until the door was closed behind Ted.

"You two are...a real pain, you know that don't you?" I was pissed. Not real pissed just plain everyday pissed. Susan started to open her mouth to say something but Michelle elbowed her in the ribs and she closed her mouth.

"Now, Doctor LaGrazia I would like you to accompany me to Candle four, if you wouldn't mind?"

"No problem. Do you expect trouble of some kind?"

"Nothing we can't handle. You did mention one time that you were a Seal, didn't you?"

"Yes. Six years with Seal Team Four."

"Good. Still remember your training?"

"Enough to keep my ass whole." He smiled at his pun.

"Good. Go make sure any personal effects are taken out of here for you."

"Okay, see you later then." He rose smiling at Susan and Michelle. He walked up front and gave Jenny a hug then left. I sat there scowling at Susan and Michelle.

"Jenny, would you leave us please?"

"I don't know if I should..." I turned my head to look at her. When she saw my face and the wink I gave her with the eye 'they' couldn't see, she immediately turned and left, closing the door after her. Michelle's and Susan's eyes widened in disbelief, as they watched Jenny, leave the room.

"Now for you, Michelle you can leave, if you would please." She shook her head no.

"No, I'll stay if you don't mind. We three started this adventure and it has been an adventure, so we three will end the adventure."

"John, sweetheart, you know we love you..." My fist coming down on the table hard shocked Susan to silence.

"The only thing I expect from you little lady is an apology. There was no need for the rest of the staff to know what I was going to do. But, because in these sessions I always answer questions with the truth you asked the question when you saw that nobody else was going too. Michelle wasn't even going to ask." I shook my head as I sat there, tired to the bone, weary beyond belief. It had been a long year in the Zone.

"I'm sorry John. I just needed to know. And I'm still going with you."

"No you're not. Jenny is not even going with me. And Jules and Scott have orders to make sure you only go to the Evac-Station. Is that clear?" She started to say something, when her mouth snapped shut as her face formed a frown. She shook her head yes. Michelle's left hand reappeared on the table top. I could only imagine what she had been doing to Sue.

I got up from my seat and walked around to the side of the table where they sat. I sat in an empty chair next to Susan. I pulled her face to mine and kissed her hard on the lips. She kissed back just as hard. Michelle pushed her out of the way and kissed me hard on the lips.

"Now go get ready to get out of here and back to your families." Tears started to well up in both their eyes as they rose to leave. I sat there for awhile as I too had started to tear up. For the past year we had worked closely. For the past twenty years we had known each other intimately. Once the adventure was over, as Michelle had called it, would we still be close? All three of us had families. Families that we loved and cherished, families we had fought to protect.

That night Jenny and I were joined by Michelle and Susan in our room. It had been a month since Jenny had shown up with four members of my company. Michelle and Susan just showed up. Jenny greeted them like she had invited them so who was I to argue. That night was the most pleasant night I had in a long time. I didn't get much sleep but we all had fun.

We all finally feel asleep about three in the morning. At eight in the morning the dogs woke me up needing to go out. I gingerly moved off the bed, pulled on my pants and a t-shirt and slipped on my shoes. As I left the room I could hear the citizens of the facility getting ready to leave what had been their home for the past year.

As I stepped outside with the dogs, eight duce-and-a-half's showed up just outside the shield. The dogs were on high alert. I waved them down.

"Hasting is here, something about carrying patients to the Evac-Station," Shelly said.

"Damn, I completely forgot. Scan the trucks, Shell."

"Scanning. The first seven have nothing but medical supplies and the drivers. The eighth truck has ten armed men inside."

"Ask Hasting's about that?"

"He won't answer the question."

"All right, let the first seven trucks through. Is the driver of the eighth truck one of ours?"

"No, I sense no implant in anyone in the eighth truck."

"So be it. Just let the first seven in then."

"Roger." I saw the trucks start to move forward. As the seventh truck entered the portal the eighth truck surged forward to try to overtake the truck in front of it. The portal close just as the seventh truck cleared and the nose of the eighth was just entering.

The trucks nose was cleaved and the rest of the kinetic energy smashed the front of the truck flat. Ten men scrambled out of the truck as it burst into flames and started firing into the shield. The trucks came roaring up to where I was standing. Hasting jumped out as his truck skidded to a halt.

"Man, I thought we were goners."

"Who were they?"

"Some government geeks who wanted to take over this compound when we all left."

"That will never happen. Get you trucks unload and the staff will help you with the non-ambulatory patients. We also have a parking lot full of cars to use."

"Great." Hasting turned away shouting orders at the other men in the trucks.

I turned and went back inside, the dogs following. When I got back to our room Michelle and Susan were gone and Jenny was packing stuff that she had just unpacked a month prior. She was also packing my things. I looked at her and shook my head.

"I don't want anything from here except you and the dogs. All my stuff can be left here. I'll wear out what I need."

"Okay if that's the way you want it." I grabbed her wrapping my arms around her and pulling her too me. I kissed her lips gently hugging her tightly.

"I love you," I told her as I turned to the closet and pulled out a clean uniform.

"I love you too." She sat and watched as I got ready. The dogs sat impatiently. They knew we would be leaving as they too watched me dress.

"Susan desperately wants to go with you."

"I know, but this will not be a walk in the park. She has never really been out with me when the shit hit the fan. Michelle has and knows it's not nice."

"To say the least, she told me about those times. It frightened me to death hearing her talk about what went on. I want you to be careful and come back to me."

"I will darling, I will."

"I also have a feeling that Michelle wants to go too. But she knows you won't allow them too."

"I know. I have been out there without them, when I would escort the other doctors."

"That's why I have tried to dissuade them from pushing you."

"And I thank you for that. You don't happen to have something up your sleeve, would you?"

"No, not at all." She kissed me again as I stood up from tying my boots.

"John?" A disembodied voice said in my head.

"Yes Shelly?"

"Those nit-wits are still outside the north portal demanding to be let in."

"All right I'll take care of it."

"You should know they are equipped with Mark III shields."

"They are, are they?"

"Yep."

"Okay, thanks."

"You're welcome boss."

"What about her? Is she staying here or ..." Jenny pointed to thin air. I know who she meant, Shelly.

"She will be going with you. She will cover your departure and your trek through the wasteland to the Evac-Station."

"Good. Who will look after the compound?"

"A Class I Buster unit."

Jenny nodded, as she gave me one last hug before I left the room. I stopped at the armory on my way down to the first floor and picked up a couple of standard weapons for Doctor LaGrazia and my sidearm. The dogs, Rudy and Sunny, trailed me jumping and snapping at each other. As I entered the reception room of the medical build, Doctor LaGrazia was waiting talking with Susan.

I paused a distance away as they seemed to be in deep concentration as they discussed something, I did not want to intrude. When Susan saw me she smiled but kept talking to Doctor LaGrazia. He kept nodding at what she was telling him. She finally wound down and he looked up and finally saw me. Susan waved me over.

"Come on over John."

"Didn't want to intrude."

"You wouldn't have, I was just filling in Doctor LaGrazia on your medical history just in case." She stood waiting for something.

"Doctor LaGrazia..." I started.

"Larry, please."

"These are for you." I handed him the M4 and the web belt with extra ammo and his sidearm. He took them from me and stepped aside as he put on the web belt and then checked the M4.

Susan, now that I was unencumbered by the weapons, wrapped her arms around me and kissed me hard on the mouth. Larry smiled as he looked over his assault rifle. Susan then turned to Larry and kissed him too.

"You both better be careful out there or you'll answer to me." She said tears streaming down her face as she turned and ran out of the room. Ted and Bill came out the door from the back as she was trying to get through. She swatted at them to get out of her way. They jumped aside and let her through.

Bill and Ted were dressed the same as me, only a sidearm showing. Reaching up and to my right my hand entered the tri-dimensional portal. I could feel the four weapons I had there. I grabbed the medium rapid-fire pulse rifle, PF36 for short. It was similar in appearance to the M4 I had given Larry. Ted and Bill seeing what I had pulled out reached up and back and pulled out their PF36's.

"Are we ready gentleman?" I asked.

They all shook their heads yes. Just as I was ready to open the door, a door slamming against the wall startled the hell out of me. I tried not to let it show as I slowly turned toward the noise. Michelle was striding toward me with a determined look on her face. She walked right up to me and grabbed my ears, pulling my lips to hers. She then looked at Larry and with a tear in her eye she kissed him too. She then turned and without a word walked back the way she had come.

"That reminds me Larry," I said as I fished his shield fob out of my pocket. "You will need this." I handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said as he clipped it to his web belt.

"Ok, let's go," I said as I pulled the door open and stepped outside.

The first thing that needed doing was to get those government people away from the campus. We walked over to the portal and stood looking at the ten men on the other side of the shield. They had stopped firing and stood there with determined looks on their faces.

"You men might as well leave, you will never be allowed to enter this compound. Plus, a very simple computer AI will be taking over the defense systems here and any attempt to breach the defenses will result in swift retaliation."

"Under proclamation of the President of the United States of America you are hereby ordered to turn over any and all codes on how to enter and exit this compound," said the leader of the group.

I stepped through the shield and punched the guy in the face. His men opened fire. Their bullets just bounced off my shield.

"You have been warned, do not attempt to enter this compound. Do not attempt to prevent anyone from leaving this compound. Retaliation will be swift." I stood looking down at him watching the blood stream down his face from his nose. His men had stopped firing at me. "Leave while you still have a chance."

I turned and started down the road, signally for my men to follow. The dogs growled at the men as they passed them. One tried to kick Rudy as he passed. I bolt of lightening shot from the top of the medical building striking the man in the chest. He was dead before he hit the ground. I stopped, turning back toward the rest of the men.

"Leave now," I said. Turning away again I headed off down the road. When the men were out of sight we then set our course to Candle four. I told Rudy and Sunny to take up their positions as we set off at a good pace.

I was hoping to make the ten klick hike in just about three hours. We would then have a two hour wait before we could really do anything. The shield around the generator was on a time sequence. A portal would be opened for ten minutes to someone wearing an implant from my company. That would even mean the dogs could get through.

We didn't take a car, we could have but not all the roads were passable. Most had rubble from buildings and such choking them. So we would have to hoof it. On the other hand the way to the Evac-Station was clear flat and you could see for miles. That was the one portal we had control over. Jules and Scott each had a control device that would open a portal and keep it open until we showed up or as long as we wanted it open and there was nothing the government could do to close the portal.

Plus I wanted to be sure that everyone from Du Page was able to return to their families. With Shelly accompanying them the government hacks in charge of the portal won't be able to stop them from exiting even if I didn't succeed in shutting down the field.

At the four klick mark I called a halt to our trek for lunch and a break. All of us were in excellent condition, even me, despite what Michelle and Susan would have you believe. As we ate, Ted was talking with Doctor LaGrazia.

"Seal Team Four, where you attached when Staff Sergeant Eddie Ralio was?"

"Yep, I knew ER. Good soldier. He died in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm."

"Eddie was a good man. How did he die Doc?"

"We were way behind enemy lines hot footing it back to our safe zone when we ran into a thirty man patrol. When we opened up on them half of them headed for the hills right off. The other half hit the dirt and returned fire, but we were gone by then. Ten minutes later we hit them again from their flank, then were gone. We kept it up as long as we could, always heading in the direction of our base.

"Eventually, we were short on ammo and had to make a run for it. We stopped to catch our breath when three grenades landed around us. Eddie was the only one hit. I tried to stop the bleeding but couldn't. He died in my arms. I carried him home."

"Thanks for sharing that Doc," Ted said as he patted Doctor LaGrazia on the shoulder.

"No problem Ted, it was a long time ago and I was proud to have known him."

"You guys okay to go?" I asked.

"Sure."

"You bet."

"Then let's go," I said as I got up and headed out.

We arrived at candle four with time to spare. The shield generator was only five hundred meters from the base of candle four. It was bright beyond daylight under the candle. We all had to wear darkened goggles so as not to be blinded.

We sat in the only shade provided by the building the shield generator was in and waited for the time sequence to open a portal in the shield protecting the generator building. Rudy and Sunny came trotting in for a drink of water and then they were gone again.