All usual disclaimers apply.
Thank to skyrose and SherryG for all the beta help.
1st time I've tried something like this so no throwing stones.
We Stand Alone
Chapter 1
Leaning against the rail on the front porch of Stanley's farmhouse, Jake began to recall the events over the past three weeks since the day his father had passed. Jake thought he could handle anything given his past experiences but now he wasn't so sure. The bomb and the craziness that ensued had seemed almost impossible to believe but the loss of his father had truly devastated him. He had been at odds with his father most of his life but these past few months had changed that. His father was proud of him. Jake had to take solace in that. It was the only thing he felt he had left. Since Johnston's death he had been operating on autopilot. The funerals, the care of the injured, the negotiations for peace with New Bern and dealing with Colonel Hammond… it had all left Jake totally drained. He did however, still have the support of his remaining family and friends but there was now an emptiness he knew could never be filled.
Since the war with New Bern, Jake had become Jericho's de facto leader. Even Gray, who normally relished the power of being Mayor deferred to Jake when it came time to make any decisions of consequence. He had seen Jake grow from a troublesome boy to his father's son and had no choice but to respect that. Jake had led them on the battlefield and the citizens of Jericho followed him. Besides, Gray had come to realize that he was in way over his head dealing with tactical military situations and Jake was the only one now with the experience to deal with these issues. The only way Jericho was to survive was to listen to Jake and what he had to say. He had saved this town too many times not to listen to him. Gray would handle the day-to-day responsibilities of the town and that was fine with him, at least for now. He wanted to make it out alive just as everyone else did.
Colonel Hammond had brokered a tentative peace between New Bern and Jericho but only after Jake had made his case to the Colonel regarding Constantino and the punishment he thought he deserved. Constantino had been responsible for the attempted invasion and destruction of Jericho and its citizens, the death of his father, the torture of his brother and Heather's Lisinski's death. Heather… what Jake wouldn't give to be distracted by her again. Despite everything he had experienced in his past somehow she had always managed to surprise him. She knew how to strip wires and fix ventilation systems, not to mention make ice from fertilizer and that kiss. He would never forget that kiss. He wondered what feelings he may of developed for her if this were a different time and place. He had been an idiot about that kiss and she called him on it, right in front of his father. That girl definitely had guts. Jake shook his head to himself and said out loud without noticing "What I wouldn't give to hear Heather's voice just one more time."
Colonel Hammond instantly recognized Heather's name at the negotiations as the girl from the camp but said nothing at the time about it. He had seen a change in Jake's eyes at the mention of her name and decided this new found information could be useful. He took a mental note to deal with it later, he had more important things to worry about now such as the decision regarding Constantino's future. Unfortunately for Jake, he wasn't going to like the decision.
The negotiations had been an excruciating process for both sides. With no one entirely happy with the result. Hammond decided that New Bern would retain custody of Constantino under Russell's control. If he offered Constantino up on a silver platter to Jake and the citizens of Jericho that would mean setting a dangerous precedent. Constantino would be judged by his peers from home. If Jake had his way, there would be no trial and all this would be dealt with swiftly. Jake had surmised that if he let his personal feelings for Constantino get in the way, he would be putting Jericho at risk. His natural leadership abilities and his father's voice in his head told him this. There would be time in the future for what Jake wanted, right now their own survival was of greater importance than his revenge.
Hammond was able to broker a deal so that a percentage of Jericho's first harvest would be sent to New Bern for payment on the windmills along with enough salt to preserve their food and some extra for trading. New Bern, on the other hand, was to continue building additional windmills to power Jericho along with enough spare parts to fix them, should the need arise. The military had brought some supplies with them - barely enough to get through until harvest time. Even with rationing it was going to be tight. There would be a chance for more negotiations in the future now that Russell would be leading New Bern. Gray, as usual, had not wanted to give anything at the negotiations, it was with Jake's prodding that he finally relented and agreed. Gray was always worried about the right now and could never really see the big picture of things. At least he wasn't offering Jake too much resistance. Jericho did need to come first.
With greater unrest spreading across the Midwest, Colonel Hammond would have to leave soon to restore order. To ensure that this new brokered peace would be kept, he ordered that a liaison be left behind to keep him apprised of any situations that may need his attention. Neither Jake or Russell were actually thrilled about having a stranger poke around, but arguing with Hammond would not do any good, he was not going to change his mind. Knowing that this liaison could contact him by radio at any time would hopefully deter anyone from getting any bright ideas about breaking the peace.
The arrival of the liaison would also set into motion Hammond's plan to accomplish his real mission - that of finding the package and the woman who possessed it. He knew as soon as he met Jake at the Richmond farm and saw the suspicion in his eyes that his balls to the wall attitude would only make things worse once he started questioning the townspeople of Jericho. He had suggested to Valente that the liaison, who would have the finesse and diplomacy he didn't have, work undercover to find Sarah and the package. So here he was waiting for this liaison that Valente deemed appropriate to handle their current situation. The only thing Hammond new about this guy was his name, Nick Bradford.
The sound of an incoming helicopter which signaled the arrival of the liaison snapped Jake from his lonely thoughts. He was still standing on the front porch of the Richmond farm when it landed. He knew that Hammond would be leaving shortly, only a few tents remained but you could see from the mussed grass around the farmhouse, the military unit had left its mark. Jake just wondered if that would be all. From the moment he saw the man him disembark from the chopper, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Jake saw this liaison as an outsider that could be trouble, especially for Hawkins and Jericho's safety - their safety. The man shook the colonel's hand and they moved toward Jake for formal introductions.
The Colonel motioned to Jake "Jake Green, this is Nick Bradford. Nick, this is Jake Green. He leads Jericho's security force."
The two men exchanged cordial handshakes and Jake motioned for Stanley, who had been waiting next to a vehicle to come over.
"Mr. Bradford," Jake began, but was cut off quickly by the newcomer.
"Please, call me Nick." was his response.
Jake did not want this Nick Bradford at ease, he wanted him to know that he wasn't in favor of this plan for Jericho to have a babysitter. Jake didn't trust him and he wanted him to know it. "Bradford", this is Stanley Richmond, he'll be taking you into town to meet with Gray Anderson, Jericho's mayor. I'll join you shortly." Nick eyes lit up and he hid a slight smirk at Jake's reaction as he reached for Stanley's hand to shake it. They then made their way to the beat up old truck that would take them into town. Jake followed Stanley to the driver's side door and quietly said "Keep an eye on him, and ask Gray not to answer any of Bradford's questions 'til I get there. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him." The inflexion is Jake's voice when he said "ask" made a grin come to Stanley's face. Ask was the last thing on Jake's mind, tell was more like it, Stanley surmised. With that Stanley nodded his head and pulled away slowly. Jake knew if there was one person he could trust it would be Stanley - he just wished he felt the same way about Gray.
As Jake turned his attention back to Colonel Hammond, he noticed his attaché approach him and whisper something into his right ear. The colonel nodded and turned to Jake. "It looks like our time is almost up here. I have a few minor things to attend to before we pull out, if there are any problems just have Bradford radio me and we'll see what we can do."
Jake offered his hand out to Hammond and he accepted it. Jake was still suspicious but Colonel Hammond and his troops had saved a lot of lives.
"Thank you, ……Thank you for saving our town."
Colonel Hammond studied Jake for a moment. He decided that if this had been a different time or place he might like to sit down and have a beer with him. A sense of foreboding at the back of his mind reminded him that Jake and Jericho stood in the way of the mission to find Sarah and the package. He was not looking forward to where all this may be headed.
As the jeep pulled up to collect the colonel, he turned to Jake, "I've left something for you in my tent… a treasure of sorts. Promise me you'll take care of it. Truth be told… that's the real reason we're here." Hammond had hoped this gesture would begin to ease Jake's distrust in him. It's a start, at least, he thought to himself. If he was going to avoid any bloodshed in the future, he would need to gain Jake's trust. At that, the jeep pulled away down the long and winding road from the Richmond farm.
Intrigued by his cryptic message, Jake made his way over to the tent that had once been occupied by Colonel Hammond. He lifted up the flap to enter, and came to a dead stop just inside. There were a hundred different things running through his mind all at once trying to make sense of what was before him.