Author's Notes: Jennie Towne is a character developed by fellow Jericho Ranger and fan fiction author Morgan. It is based on the role of Townie Jennie, played by Jennie Sword. The story can be found at jerichorallypoint dot com.
My apologies for the long dry spell between chapters. For some reason, this was a difficult chapter to write in terms of how much of the show to rehash. I hope to have reached a happy medium; please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: Sadly, I still do not own any of the characters that appeared on the CBS show Jericho. Or any rural towns in Pennsylvania.
Chapter X: Federal Response
October 4, 2006
Bombs + 16 Days
Heather turned over in bed. The morning light was filtering through the curtains and the air was growing crisp with autumn. The days seemed to blur together. Heather laughed to herself; the days would undoubtedly have blurred together due solely to the fact that they had three children under the age of two. The End Of The World As We Know It had probably helped, in that regard, bringing more cousins to entertain Chip and more Aunts and Uncles to hold and care for the girls. Jake was able to be at home as well; a rare treat. Heather found she liked this simple lifestyle. She was exhausted by the time the sun went down, and anxious to go to sleep, but awakened refreshed in the morning and ready to face another day.
On her most recent trip into Jericho, Heather had been surprised to discover a previously unknown resource in Jericho. She knew Madelyn and several of the McCall ladies kept scrapbooks, but she did not know that there was an organized group that met monthly for day-long scrapbooking events. Jennie Towne was one of the core members of the group. She was the town photographer and had taken Jake and Heather's wedding photos. She also freelanced for the Jericho Eagle, so she had access to the historical pictures of Jericho Heather needed to complete the project she had started with E.J. so many years ago. Since digital photography had become so widely popular, and many people had the ability to print their own pictures at home, the group could continue indefinitely to preserve their memories. Additionally, since scrap bookers tend to purchase more than they need and to hoard supplies, there were plenty of cardstock selections, patterned paper and embellishments for the whole town to make scrapbooks in perpetuity. Heather had immediately signed up to be a member of the group and couldn't wait to attend her first all-day 'crop' the second Saturday of October.
The day they had planned today would be a busy one, Heather mused. Gail claimed she had not seen nearly enough of her grandbabies. First she and then Johnston had had colds. She felt better now, and Heather had planned to spend the day with her until Madelyn had radioed and asked if she had a few hours to come in to town and help with a field trip to the library. The town was conducting school during the morning hours, beginning this week. They were easing back into things with useful topics like gardening, cooking and small animal husbandry. A field trip to the library had been scheduled so the kids could check out books on these topics. Only about half of the kids were returning to school at this time - mostly those who lived in town. The rest lived on farms and it was easier for their families to home school rather than bring the kids into town every day via horse and buggy or wagon. Under Heather's direction, the children at Green Ranch would be homeschooled. Because the school enrollment would be much smaller, classes had been combined. Madelyn would be teaching the 3rd and 4th grade class. This worked out since the new 3rd grade teacher had never arrived in Jericho and was presumed a victim of the Denver bomb. Some teachers were happy to teach a combined class, while others were delighted to take some time off until things got settled.
So the current plan of the day involved Jake, Heather and the babies going into town via carriage. They would drop the babies off with Gail, who would watch them for a few hours and enjoy Grandma Bliss while Heather was busy at the library. Jake had been asked to attend a meeting of the Jericho Rangers at Bailey's. Jake and Heather would have an early dinner with Johnston and Gail before they took the babies and returned to the ranch. Just thinking about it made Heather tired. 'How did those pioneer women do it?' She wondered to herself as she pushed back the blankets, determined to begin her day. As was her custom, she wrote briefly in the journal she had been keeping since their honeymoon: journaling material for her scrapbook pages, she now realized.
Heather and Jake ate breakfast quickly, enjoying their cups of hot tea and coffee respectively along with bowls of hot oatmeal and toast. Heather went to feed and ready the girls. Jake dressed and fed Chip, and then the two of them went to harness the horses and bring the carriage around. Jake had been pleased to find stacks of old carriage blankets folded neatly in the back of the barn shortly after the bombs. Although the weather had been hot then, he knew the colds weather would come and had asked Wes to have the blankets washed and mended. Indeed, just two weeks later, the crisp air had him grateful for them.
Heather had each of the girls bundled into their car seats, which Jake wedged along the floorboards of the carriage. He lifted Chip up to the seat and then helped Heather climb up to her seat. By the time he circled the carriage and got in, they all were cozily cuddled up in carriage robes from their chins to their toes.
Soon they were off. It wasn't long before Jake heard Heather voice the concern she had been mentioning off and on since the day's plan had come together.
"Perhaps it's too ambitions of a plan after all. Perhaps it's too soon to have the girls out and about. They're not even four weeks old yet, after all," she fretted aloud to Jake.
Jake concealed a bit of an eye-roll. Heather's hormones, combined with the bombs and all of the other recent changes in their lives had her on edge. He calmly answered, as he had already done several times, "If it gets to be too much, just send for me. We can head home early. We'll know next time not to plan such an ambitious day. I think you'll be fine, though Hun. I know you'll enjoy seeing Madelyn and the kids for a few hours. Mom will enjoy having the babies to herself. You'll be back with them by the afternoon to coordinate naps and help with dinner, and we'll be headed home before you know it."
"OK, I guess you're right," Heather conceded, grateful for the reassurance. "It will all work out. I mean, what could go wrong, after all?"
Indeed, dropping the babies off with Gail was simple. Heather had things well organized, and Chip was a capable and willing consultant on all things relating to the twins, even if some of his responses were somewhat comical.
Jake took Heather to the library next. It seemed several classes were having the same library field trip idea. Jake noticed Emily Sullivan in front of the library with a group of high school students. He shook his head quietly and continued on toward Bailey's, where the Ranger meeting was due to start in just a few minutes.
The leader and second in command from each squadron was present at the meeting as well as Ralph McVeigh, Walt Jackson, and a number of Rangers who were attending voluntarily. Jake noticed Stanley sitting with Shep Cale and a few other members of the Golf Squadron, who were on duty that day. Wayne Carroll, leader of the Golf squadron, had taken a team of firefighters and gone toward Denver to help with search and rescue. As Jake made his way across the crowded room, he saw Stanley drift toward the bar where the IRS lady was seated. The meeting had not yet started, so Jake angled that direction. The two were involved in conversation by the time Jake reached them.
"Look. If it were up to me, I'd see what I could do. But that's probably the Irish coffee talking," Mimi was saying.
"Do you have family back home?" Stanley asked, trying to personalize things a bit.
"I have fish," Mimi answered flatly.
"I'm sure they really miss you," Stanley replied, in an attempt to sound comforting.
Mimi chuckled, and then raised her eyebrows as the phone on the wall began to ring. All conversation in the tavern ceased as everyone stared at the ringing phone. Jake was closest by, so he picked up the receiver following the third ring. A recorded voice spoke and he relayed the message into the still room:
"'Hello. This is Assistant Secretary Walsh with the Department of Homeland Security. Do not be alarmed. If you are safe, stay where you are. Do not attempt to leave. We will be in contact with you again shortly. Know that help is on the way.' The call was disconnected," Jake reported, staring at the receiver.
At the same moment, the gathered group realized that the electricity had been restored. The jukebox played a song in the background and the lights flickered to life. The meeting of the Jericho Rangers had been forgotten and the patrons of Bailey's exited the building as quickly as possible. Jake noted that Stanley had taken the bar stool vacated by Mimi the IRS lady and had his head in his hands. His worst fear was coming to pass and he was worried he would soon be carted off to debtors' prison.
"Come on, Stanley," Jake said sympathetically, "let's go check things out."
As Jake and Stanley walked out the front doors of Bailey's, they heard the unmistakable wail of the fire truck at the other end of town. They went to investigate as quickly as the golf cart would carry them.
They determined that the library was the center of attention; a power cable dangled from the roof. Flames could be seen in the upper windows. April arrived with the ambulance and EMT's to evaluate Emily Sullivan, who was lying on the ground. Once it was determined that the fire was electric in nature, Eric radioed Johnston at Town Hall requesting he turn off the power main. The firefighters then began to fight the fire. Jake didn't see Heather among the bystanders and figured she had taken the kids away from the area and to safely. When he learned another fire had broken out of the south side involving the trailer park, he and Stanley headed that direction in the golf cart to help but were intercepted by Rob Hawkins. Hawkins evidently considered it an emergency, because he was driving his SUV within town limits.
"Come with me," Hawkins shouted to Jake. "There's another fire in the east woods."
"I'll help at the trailer park," Stanley shouted as Jake exited the golf cart and got into Hawkins' SUV. They set off in opposite directions.
Hawkins and Jake soon found themselves in front of several fully engulfed residences. Homeowners with garden hoses were working on the home of Eric and April Green.
"We've got this one," Jake shouted to the other residents, "Take care of your own homes".
Jake and Hawkins worked to the best of their ability to get the fire under control, but the house was gutted by fire by the time they were done. Tired and dirty, Hawkins drove Jake back to the library where he went to look for Heather.
"She's been taken to the hospital with Eric and the little girl," several bystanders murmured.
"What?" cried Jake as he took off at a run toward the hospital, not waiting for more information.
He was out of breath as be burst through the doors of the emergency clinic. Not waiting on formality, he pushed his way through the waiting area to the open 4-bay exam area where he found Heather, Eric, one of Heather's students and Emily lined up on gurneys and wearing oxygen masks. Emily was also sporting a cardiac monitor which was beeping steadily in the quiet that followed his precipitous entry. He went to Heather's side as the activity of the clinic resumed around them.
"Babe, what in the world?" Jake asked as he tried to catch his breath.
Heather looked at him, panic-stricken. "I knew you'd be so angry, but it all happened so quickly, and there really wasn't any other option," she responded in a slightly hoarse voice as she pulled her oxygen mask down a bit.
"Whoa, slow down and start at the beginning," Jake said, starting to calm down a bit. "And put that mask back on. It's probably there for a good reason," he concluded.
"We realized Ashlee McVeigh had gone back into the library to get the Alice in Wonderland book," Heather began, her voice raspy. "It would have taken too long to explain, so I went in after her. I knew right where she would be, and I was right. I just hadn't counted on the fire moving so quickly and us getting trapped inside. Fortunately, Eric came in after us and then they started spraying water, and we were able to get out. And now we're all fine. So all's well that ends well," she concluded somewhat breathlessly, trying to appear cheerful.
"Madelyn is their teacher, why didn't she go in?" Jake demanded.
Heather returned his gaze awkwardly. "She had confided in me this morning that she is pregnant. She and Matthew have been trying for years, and I just couldn't ask her to go in there and risk the pregnancy. Not in this day and age." Heather looked down, avoiding eye contact.
"But what about us? What about our babies? What would we have done without you?" Jake asked, still somewhat angry, although he could tell Heather had already punished herself mentally enough for both of them.
"See, I told you you'd be angry," Heather repeated, glancing up at Jake and wincing.
"Oh, Heather," Jake said, softening his tone and leaning in giving her a hug around the oxygen tubing. "I'm more worried than angry. I guess now I know how you have felt all of these years with me gone to the Middle East."
Heather gave him a wry smile as April approached them, checking Heather's oxygen saturation monitor and announcing that Jake could take her home.
"Take it easy for a few days and give your lungs a chance to heal," April advised as she signed Heather out.
"We're having dinner at Mom and Dad's tonight, will we see you?" Jake asked her. Heather looked blankly between the two of them.
"Yes, I guess we'll be there with the kids for the foreseeable future," April replied sardonically. "Our house burned down today," she informed Heather as she pulled back the curtain that has been blocking Heather's view of Eric on the next gurney. Eric had removed his oxygen mask and was gathering his belongings as well.
"Oh, no," Heather cried out, having been unaware of the other events as they unfolded. "I'm so sorry."
"We're all safe. That's the important thing," Eric said with a sad smile as he slipped his arm around April's waist and gave her a hug. "I'll pick up the kids and meet you in the lobby in a little while?" he addressed April.
April nodded and they all went their separate ways.
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Heather and Jake reached the Green home only slightly later than they had planned. The babies were just waking up from their mid-day naps and Gail had been reading to Chip. They updated Gail in on the events of the morning as Heather fed the girls, then they helped Gail as she took advantage of grid electricity to wash bedding and vacuum in preparation for extended houseguests.
Before long, April and Eric arrived with two year old Brody and three month old Tracy. Fortunately, April kept a change of clothing and a toothbrush at the hospital and the kids each had a diaper bag at daycare. Eric also had a go-bag at town had which he used when he needed to work Ranger shifts. They would investigate the remains of their home tomorrow. Eric and April got settled in to Eric's old room as best they could, with the spare room also at their disposal.
Rather than the early dinner they had planned, the family was enjoying a later dinner once all of the children had been tucked in and had gotten cleaned up from their adventurous day. They were thankful to have plenty to eat, with plenty of variety, but were still imagining the things that might be difficult or impossible to obtain unless the power was back on for good. Seafood was at the top of the list. Classical music was playing in the background. The peaceful mood was broken when they heard a knocking at the front door, and Stanley came in saying there was a news feed at Bailey's.
The men went with Stanley to Bailey's while the ladies stayed with the babies and started clearing up dinner. They had gotten the dishes washed and were putting them away when the house shook as though Jericho were experiencing an earthquake. The deafening sound of something flying overhead had them stepping out the back door, where they could see the afterburners of two missiles in the northern sky. They could hear Brody and Chip crying, awakened by the noise, so they went back into the house. Within minutes, the house lights flickered and went out.
By the time April and Heather had quieted the boys and Gail had switched the house back to solar/wind power, Johnston was coming in the door followed by Eric and Jake.
"What happened?" Heather asked Jake they all met in the living room.
"It was ICBMs," Jake replied. "Intercontinental ballistic missiles. They seem to have set off an EMP, an electromagnetic pulse."
"Were they ours or theirs," April asked.
"They were headed up; must have been ours," Jake answered. "Either way, someone's about to have a below average day."
"Was this the federal response we've been waiting for," Gail asked anxiously. "Is help on the way?"
"I don't think so," Johnston answered sadly. "I think we're on our own. Good thing we're as prepared as we are; I just hope it will be enough."
They solemnly helped Jake and Heather pack up the children so they could return to Green Ranch.
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Since they had left Kidder Township, the New York contingency had made good time and settled into a workable routine. They had made it as far as central Pennsylvania; their goal for the day was to reach the home of Ned Erickson's cousin Lars Erickson in Centre County. Ned had given them a letter of reference, so they thought they would be welcomed. Or at least not shot on sight.
They had been camping out since leaving Kidder, with at least one member of the group standing guard at all times. Although they had been sticking to major highways for purposes of direction, they actually drove the carriages on side streets whenever possible. They were in rural countryside dotted with small towns, but had still run into a fair amount of chaos as the population came to grips with the fact that the country had been changed forever. The group concluded that the cities should be avoided at all costs. Their plan was to continue along the I-80 until they came to the Pennsylvania-Ohio border, then to angle south toward Columbus, where the Schmidt family would stay on at their own family farm. After skirting well around Columbus, the group bound for Jericho would continue west along the I-70. Although it was still the first week of October, the nights were growing cold and the group did not want to have to stop and find shelter over the winter. Grant and Miranda Stevens were especially anxious to get home to Skylar, and encouraged the group to push on as quickly as they could. They hoped travelling along a highway further south would allow them more time before the cold temperatures forced them to stop for the winter.
It was mid afternoon when the group arrived at the home of Lars Erickson outside a small town in Centre County. Lars had been unable to convince his town to become prepared, so he and his family had done their best to prepare on their own. They lived on a small hobby farm that boasted a menagerie of farm animals and gardens. Lars had retired early and sold his successful business in town a few years prior in order to fulfill a dream of living a self-sufficient lifestyle. He and his wife had raised their five children there, and now the three oldest were married and raising families of their own on the farm.
Following the directions given them by Ned, the travelers swung around and approached the farm from the front. It looked as though the compound had been fenced before the bombs, and possibly reinforced in the two weeks since. Several large dogs began to bark a warning as they drove the carriages up the road before reaching the front gate. An armed young man greeted them and inquired as to their business.
"We're looking for Lars Erickson," Grant called out from the road. He held up the letter from Ned. "We bring news from his cousin Ned in Kidder Township."
"You may get out of the buggy and bring the letter," the young man advised. "The rest of you maintain your positions.
Grant held up his hands in acquiescence and climbed slowly out of the carriage. As he reached the fence, perhaps 60 feet from the carriages, he was surprised to find that the young man was very young, indeed. Probably still a teenager, he thought. He looked as Scandinavian as his Uncle, with blue eyes and a shock of blond hair.
When they met, Grant handed over the letter and the young man read it. He took a radio from his belt and spoke into it: "Base, this is the front gate. I need Dad to come on down here; we've got company."
The response "Roger that" came over the radio, and the young man nodded.
"My Dad will be down to speak with you in a few minutes," he explained, without giving away any further information.
A few minutes later, an older version of the young man who had greeted them arrived at the gate.
"They say they were sent by Cousin Ned with this letter," the young man said, handing the paper to his father. Grant did not know the contents of the letter and hoped it was convincing.
Lars Erickson read the hand-written letter, then considered Grant and the carriages. "Let them in, Anders," he said after a moment. "They are friends."
The heavy gate was pushed open and the New York Contingency entered. Lars and Grant walked up the driveway while the others followed in the carriages. After they had rounded a thicket of evergreen shrubs, they found themselves in front of a traditional farmhouse. Several family members, having heard the earlier radio transmission, had stepped out onto the porch to see what was happening.
"These travelers are friends of Cousin Ned," Lars announced. "They have news of what has happened in the east." The folks on the porch came down the steps to meet the travelers getting out of the carriages. The afternoon was crisp but the sun bright, so it was pleasant to be out of doors.
"Welcome to our home," Lars began. "I am Lars Erickson, and this is my wife Gretchen," he said, putting his arm around the shoulder of a middle-aged woman who had come to stand by his side. Our sons are still in the field seeing to the harvest, you can meet them later. For now, our daughters will see that you have a place to wash up and a comfortable bed for the night. A hot meal will be served at sundown." With that, Gretchen Erickson, her daughter and daughters-in-law, came to the carriages and helped the travelers disembark. With friendly greetings, the ladies went into the house and the men saw to the horses.
"This is quite a set-up you have," Grant said to Lars with admiration as they walked the horses around toward the barn.
"It was my dream to put together a place like this," Lars said, nodding. "We bought the property and moved here from the east in the early 90's. The kids were young then, and I worked in town. When the whole Y2K scare came up, we started getting prepared. Even though the powers that be came up with a fix for that problem, we knew there would be other problems, and one day there wouldn't be an easy fix. We just kept watching the news as one disaster after another came along and became more convinced that we were on the right path. We tried to convince our town to get prepared, but they weren't interested. Even my own family wouldn't have anything to do with it until Ned heard about some town in the Midwest that had gotten prepared and convinced other towns to prepare as well."
Grant and Bob exchanged a glance and a chuckle. "Ned told us about that," Grant explained. "Turns out that it is my town in Kansas that started the whole preparedness thing, and Bob's Father-in-law who spearheaded it. Unfortunately, neither of us saw the wisdom in the plan until after the world came to an end. Now we're trying to make our way back to Kansas to our families there."
Lars joined them in chuckling. "Well, at least more people got prepared. Just that many less people for us to worry about. We have just one neighbor who is like-minded. His property adjoins ours to the north and we have done a lot of planning together. The folks in town don't really understand the magnitude of the situation yet, I sadly fear. Once they realize that this is a long-term problem, and that the government probably doesn't exist anymore, I'm afraid it will get ugly. People thought we were crazy to have five kids. Now I'm glad to have them, and wish we'd been able to have more. We've been blessed with one devoted daughters-in-law, two hard-working sons-in law, and five beautiful grandchildren so far; with one more on the way. We will defend our farm to the end, and hope there is something left to pass along to our children and grandchildren."
"Well, it looks like you're definitely on the right track," Grant said, looking around him at the bastion of normality and considering the things they had seen during their two weeks on the road.
They had unhooked the carriages and gotten the horses fed and watered for the night by this point in the conversation. The days were growing shorter as autumn passed, and the sun was beginning to set as they left the barn and walked back toward the house. The smell of baking bread and spicy soup cooking on the wood stove met them as they came through the back door and into the expansive mudroom. The sons and sons-in-law from the fields were right behind them, clamoring for the food they could smell. The atmosphere was cheerful as the travelers and those who had been working in the field became acquainted.
The mudroom opened onto a large farm kitchen that spilled into what was probably meant to be the dining room in the original design of the house. An additional table had been pushed into place to hold the 17 adults, while the 4 small boys sat at a children's table to one side and the three babies were held on the laps of their parents.
Lars said a prayer of thanksgiving over their simple yet nourishing meal of bread and hearty lentil and rice soup, and then he remained standing and spoke while the others passed bowls and began to eat. "You met my second son Anders, the 19 year old who had greeted you at the gate. He will be on guard duty until 9pm, when I will relieve him for the night. We take turns doing eight-hour guard shifts. I imagine one of the ladies will have taken him some supper?"
One of the young women nodded in agreement.
"Good," Lars nodded. "This is my youngest son, Hans. He is 16." Lars indicated another blond-haired youth who was busily eating his soup. "Starting back at the beginning, this is Nels, my oldest son, his wife Elsa, and their children Hendrik and Marta." Lars indicated a boy of five at the children's table and a toddler on the lap of Nels. The swelling of Elsa's midsection indicated that she would soon add another member to the family. "Enid is my older daughter and her husband Gregor, and their sons Willem and Finn." Lars again indicated a small boy at the children's table and another toddler on the lap of Enid. "And last, but not least, my younger daughter Astrid, her husband Erik and their baby Sonja." Astrid was holding a small baby asleep on her shoulder. Lars beamed as he surveyed his family proudly.
Grant had become somewhat of a spokesman for the group, and had established a bond with Lars in the short time since their arrival, so he took this moment to stand and introduce the travelers. Josh and Caleb Schmidt were oblivious to the adults, enjoying the antics of the children's table. The rest enjoyed their dinner and soon talk turned to news from the east, their experience with Delta's in Kidder Township (that they had thankfully had not repeated or heard any more about), news of which cities had been bombed, and the map of prepared towns put together by Cousin Ned.
After dessert of freshly-baked apple pie and coffee, Lars excused himself to stand watch and the others headed toward bed. Lars had explained that they were completely off-grid; dependant upon solar power with a propane generator for back-up. In order to conserve propane, they tried to work within the hours of the sun as much as possible, retiring early and arising at sunrise. It had been a special occasion to receive news and stay up later than usual tonight, but the farm chores would be awaiting them early in the morning either way.
The travelers had noticed that the original farmhouse had two additional wings to the back and to one side that they had not been able to see when they had arrived. They were told that the whole family cooked and ate together, but each had their own quarters. Since they received quite a bit of snow in the winter, it had made more sense to build additions than to build separate houses and have people out in the inclement weather. Lars, Gretchen and the younger boys stayed in the main house while Nels and his family occupied one wing, Enid and her family occupied the second wing, and Astrid occupied the finished basement with her husband Erik and baby Sonja. It was a squeeze to fit another 10 people into a home already occupied by 15, but somehow they managed. The New York Contingency was just thankful not to have to set up their tents for one night.
About the time the house became quiet and the grandfather clock downstairs chimed 9pm, the house shook as though an earthquake were occurring. The adults and older children were out of bed in a flash asking each other what was happening. The adults rushed outside in time to see the flairs of two missiles go overhead.
"Everything okay there?" Nels radioed his father at the front gate.
"Okay here," Lars responded. "Looks to me like they might have been ICBMs. I guess we'll know more in the morning." Lars had done a hitch in the Army, so he had a passing familiarity with such things.
Everyone made their way back to bed for the night.