Jericho: Improved and Prepared

by 2merryann

The second volume in my continuing saga of what Jericho might have looked like had the community taken the time to become prepared. I strongly recommend reading that first as there are many original characters and references that will make no sense otherwise. The storyline has become more and more AU as it progresses; I imagine that trend will continue. Please, enjoy the story.

15. Chapter 15: Crossroads

Author's Notes: Well, not as quickly as I had hoped, but a new chapter nonetheless. Cookie points to the reader who can guess what has been keeping me busy in the meantime . . .

Disclaimer: Sadly, I still do not own any of the characters that appeared on the CBS show Jericho. No copy write infringement intended.

Chapter XV: Crossroads

November 2, 2006

Bombs + 53 Days

It wasn't even light yet when Jake's radio crackled to life with a report from the Tacoma Bridge ranger station.

"Hey, Jake, this is Hank calling from the Tacoma Bridge." Jake recognized the voice of Hank Dawes, local electrician and son of the now deceased Sheriff. "Your visitors were here, as you expected," he continued. "They said they'd be back this afternoon. We did our best to discourage them, but they seemed pretty persistent."

"Thanks, Hank," Jake responded wearily. "We'll need to have a meeting of all of the squadron leaders and the mayor. As early as you can get it arranged. I'll be in to town as soon as possible."

Jake ended the radio transmission and looked at Heather. She raised her eyebrows. Jake had brought her up to date when he had returned from Rogue River the previous evening. He shrugged his shoulders and got up to get ready. He had a feeling this was going to be a long day.

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By 9 a.m., Johnston, Eric and Jake Green, the ranger officer in charge and training officer, team leaders, and a few other folks had gathered in the conference room at Town Hall. Most had limited knowledge of the situation.

"I'd like to get this meeting started," Jake said as he approached the podium at the front of the room. "As you may have heard, several of us went on a supply run to Rogue River yesterday. We were able to retrieve many valuable medications including insulin and antibiotics. We met up with a surgeon who needed a home and brought him back with us as well. The down side of the trip was that we inadvertently attracted the attention of Ravenwood." Jake purposefully avoided eye contact with Eric, not wanting to bring his role in the debacle to public scrutiny. "Ravenwood are the mercenaries working for FEMA that evacuated Rogue River. We saw first-hand what they are capable of; when the patients at the hospital did not move quickly enough to suit them, they were shot wholesale. Dozens of bodies littered the floor of the hospital. These are not nice men. They are not here to help us. Under no circumstance should they be trusted. I hear they came to the Tacoma Bridge Ranger checkpoint this morning offering help from the government. We do not need their kind of help. We need to rely on our training and formulate a plan to defend our town from these thugs when they return this afternoon. To that end, I will turn the meeting over to my Father to discuss the plan."

Johnston Green approached the podium. He pulled down a whiteboard that had a map of the town including the entry points. "Good morning, folks. Thank you all for coming. Apparently today we are going to have the opportunity to use the equipment we have gathered and the skills we have practiced. I was briefed by Jake this morning, and have spoken with Ralph McVeigh and Walt Jackson. We have formulated a potential plan. As you know, Echo Company is going off duty and Foxtrot Company coming on duty. For the time being, I would like to have Foxtrot divide up and cover the six entrances into town as per usual. Mott & 17th Street, Berce Street, Oak Street by the salt mine, Cedar Street, the Tacoma Bridge, and Ash Street." Johnston punctuated his list by pointing to the map. "The remainder of Foxtrot Company will man the office/communication center, and back up the Tacoma Bridge Ranger checkpoint. Around 11:30, I'd like a team to set off east on the on horseback and watch for these Ravenwood men. Take binoculars and a flair gun. Once you see them in the distance, send up a flair. You can take your radios and try to radio back as well. Not sure if the radios will be effective, depending upon how far out you get. In the meantime, I'd like as many non-functioning cars to be brought to the Tacoma Bridge as possible. I don't expect any trouble, but I'd rather slow them down if they want to come into town. By noon, I'd like as many rangers as possible to be assembled at the Tacoma Bridge. Have your men wear as much body armor as they have, and bring their service pistols and rifles. I'd like our designated marksmen to be set up here and here," again, Johnston referred to the map. "I'm hoping this exercise will be a case of Walk softly and carry a big stick."

At this point, Grey Anderson interrupted. "How do all of these people have all of this equipment? Has the town paid for this? Why don't we just blow the bridge with Ravenwood on it?"

Johnston rolled his eyes. He had known it was a bad idea to allow Grey to attend the meeting, but Grey had insisted, as Mayoral candidate. He had not kept track of the details of the Jericho Rangers, and now he was filled with questions. "I don't have time to go into great detail, Grey, but I will try to answer your questions. Many of the Rangers have paid for their own gear and weapons. Some were available after the Sheriff's Office upgraded. We received government grants after 911 to upgrade our police force. Part was used to upgrade equipment. Part was used to send two deputies to Quantico, Virginia for three weeks of sniper training under Carlos Hathcock, also known as Whitefeather. And finally, no, we are not going to blow the bridge. Once it's gone, it's gone. How will our people get into town?" Turning his attention back to the group, Johnston continued. "Once this crisis has passed, I want to have a meeting about further securing our boarders. We need to strengthen our checkpoints into town, and consider expanding our barricades on the far side of the farmland. I have a feeling this won't be the last time we will need to defend our town. Are there any other questions?"

Before anyone else could speak, Zack Sommers rushed into the room. He had recently been assigned to Foxtrot Company, and had been in the office when the HAM radio had gone off. "Sir, your sister and her family are calling for you on the HAM radio."

Johnston gave him a perplexed look. "What has happened in Cedar Brook that couldn't have until regular check-in tomorrow," He asked as he strode toward the door.

"It isn't your sister from Cedar Brook," Zack replied, "It's your sister from New York."

A buzz went around the room as this news sunk in. Johnston paced quickly down the hall to the radio room.

"Sharon? Is it really you?" Johnston asked incredulously.

"Yes," Sharon cried. "Oh, Johnston, we were such fools. I'm so sorry for the hateful things we said about Daddy, and about all of you. Miranda and Grant Stevens are here with us. We are trying to make it home to Jericho. It's been horrible out here, but we have learned so much. Will you forgive us? Do you think Daddy will forgive us?" She was in tears by the end of her discourse.

For all that Sharon had caused rife within the family, she would always be Johnston's baby sister. He could not find it in his heart to be anything other than forgiving, especially when she asked so sincerely. "Yes, Sharon, I forgive you. I have some bad news, however," he said gently. "Dad died a few weeks ago. He died peacefully, in his sleep, just the way he would have wanted it. He is with Mama now. But I know he would have forgiven you, too."

That statement really brought on the waterworks. Grant Stevens came to the radio while Bob comforted Sharon. "Grant Stevens here, Mayor. How is Skyler doing? Would you be able to get a message to her that we are on our way home?"

"Yes, Grant, I will," Johnston reassured him. "Where are you? What are your circumstances?"

Grant chuckled, and proceeded to give Johnston the condensed version of their adventure, ending with the number in their party, and their mode of transportation.

"Sounds like Jake was in the middle of a horse trade with your cousins in Bowling Green? We will try to bring the horses with us when we come." Grant concluded.

Jake had joined his Father in the radio room, and laughed. "Please tell Shane it isn't necessary," Jake put in. "And thank him," he added, knowing their stubborn cousin would get the horses to Kansas eventually, if he had to ride them there himself.

"So, how is Jericho doing?" Grant asked. "Will there be a place for us and for our traveling companions when we arrive?"

"You bet," Johnston said optimistically. "We need all the people we can get to harvest the fields and do all of the work that needs to be done around here. The nineteenth century is hard work! We're about to have the first test of our town defense skills. Please send up a little prayer that all goes well. We will pray for journey mercies on your behalf. Please be safe out there, and check in again if you are able! Otherwise, we'll see you the first of the year."

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By noon, the Tacoma Bridge Ranger checkpoint looked a battle station, ready for attack. Bill Kohler and Ridley Cooper, the designated marksmen, were set up with Barrett .50 BMG's at vantage points on either side. Several hundred Jericho Rangers, most wearing brown polo shirts under their AR 500 plate body armor, were in position on either side of the bridge, with instructions to move out of sight behind the trees that grew at the edges of the river once the flair was sighted. The mood was one of comradery. They were serious about their mission, but enjoying the drill with their brothers in arms. As planned, a team had started east on horseback 30 minutes prior. The official duty rangers watched the sky for the flair while the others were brought up to date on preparations. Jericho Ranger Cadets circulated among them with snacks and water. They had no idea if Ravenwood would be returning at 12:01 in the afternoon, or at 5pm in the afternoon. The cadets had strict orders to fall back to Town Hall once the flair went up. Medical teams (beyond the EMT's embedded in the Ranger squadrons) were also waiting at Town hall.

"I'd like your attention, please," Johnston stood near the bridge to address the troops. He knew they all would not be able to hear him, but figured his message would be spread. "Thank you all for turning out today. I appreciate your service to this town, as I know many do at home. I also appreciate all of the hours you have spent preparing, and the money you have put into purchasing your own equipment. It has not gone unnoticed.

"I hope and pray that this dispute today will be resolved peacefully. If it cannot be, please know that these men mean to harm those we love and take the things we worked hard to achieve. They must not be allowed into our town under any circumstance. I support any action needed to stop them here and now. May God be with you all."

It was about 12:15 before Foxtrot Rangers Staten and Brockmeyer called out that they had seen the flair. It was visible in the eastern sky as they all turned and looked. The Ranger Cadets left what they were doing and reluctantly went toward Town Hall.

"We've got maybe six minutes," Jake calculated, thinking that the team on horseback might have had time to travel six miles in an hour. Johnston took his position with a group of Rangers in front of the impromptu automobile barricade.

Several minutes later, two Humvees and two deuce and a halves pulled into sight. They pulled onto the bridge and stopped; several of the mercenaries got out and approached the group.

"Somebody here want to talk to me?" The lead man asked. "Whoever's in charge, this road needs to be cleared. We're under government orders to collect supplies. Your cooperation is mandatory. Understood? Mandatory. You need to clear this bridge. Now."

Johnston Green stepped forward. "I am Johnston Green, Mayor of Jericho. I understand that you are Ravenwood mercenaries, and that you have gone off script in your responsibilities. We do not need your help. Neither are we going to allow you to take what we have worked for. You are trespassing on our land. Please turn around and leave now."

"We're on government orders," the lead man repeated, "to collect food and medicine. For a refugee camp near the Rogue River."

"The same government that ordered you to kill all of those people in the hospital in Rogue River?" Johnston asked.

"It's been a crazy few weeks," the mercenary explained. "A lot of confusion out there. Just step aside, we'll take what we need, and be on our way."

Johnston noticed a rustling among the other mercenaries and looked down toward his chest. He noticed the red dot of a sniper's rifle.

"Yeah," the mercenary continued. "Here's how it's going to go. You and your farmer buddies, you stand down, we get back in our vehicles, we drive into town, take what we need, and never come back. Nobody has to die."

"Man down, man down," shouted another mercenary, as he noticed that Ridley Cooper had shot the mercenary sniper. The lead man now looked down to find the tell-tale red dot on his own chest.
"You're going to need a lot more snipers, pal," the lead man snidely commented.

At that point, all of the Jericho Rangers who had been concealed behind trees and other barricades stepped out with their weapons drawn. The odds had changed from roughly even to 40:1 in a matter seconds.
"What's this town worth to you?" Johnston asked calmly.
The eyes of the lead man opened wide. "You know, pretty soon, things are going to get back to normal. The government will put itself back together, and they'll be looking to help all of you get back on your feet. And you know who they're going to send? Me. You remember that. Now let's go," he said to his men as he turned to leave.

The Rangers waited until the Ravenwood men had gotten into their vehicles and driven out of earshot. Then cheers and congratulatory shouts went up amongst them. Johnston allowed it to go on for a moment, and then called for quiet.

"Congratulations on winning the skirmish. Good job. Just keep in mind that the war has only just begun. Let's take a break for lunch, and then I'd like to have a meeting at 2pm with everyone who attended the morning meeting. Same place. Foxtrot Company, please keep a double guard on this entry way in case Ravenwood returns. Everyone else, please keep your radios on and be ready to respond quickly."

Jake had maneuvered himself so as to be in proximity to Robert Hawkins once Ravenwood had departed. Now he took the opportunity to speak.

"You free for lunch?" he asked with a significant glance.

Hawkins returned his glance. "Perhaps," he responded questioningly.

"I was thinking we could have a conversation with my Father," Jake said conversationally. "Maybe not tell him all the gory details," Jake nodded in the general direction of Hawkins' home, and indicating the bomb, "But fill him in on what he needs to know to keep our town safe."

Hawkins nodded slowly. "I could eat," he responded.

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A short time later, Robert Hawkins found himself seated in the study at the Mayor's home with Johnston and Jake Green. Gail had prepared a lunch of soup and sandwiches, and then excused herself. Jake had briefly considered inviting Eric to join them, but decided to hold off, thinking his Father would feel freer to ask questions without Eric present.

"So, Jake tells me that you have information that might be helpful," Johnston began, really not knowing what to expect. He had taken the opportunity to apologize to Hawkins that morning for the intrusion of Grey Anderson on his privacy, which Hawkins had accepted graciously.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Grey Anderson," Hawkins began with a smirk, "More or less. Jake knew me before I moved here, and already knows this information. He believes you would benefit from knowing, and I trust him. Please use it wisely." Hawkins paused for a sip of coffee. Johnston nodded and waited patiently.

"Jake was at language school in Monterey when I met him," Hawkins began. Johnston again nodded, having some recollection of this fact. "When he told me he was from Jericho, Kansas, I knew that I would probably be seeing him again." Hawkins paused a moment, waiting for this information to sink in.

"So, you knew about the bombing beforehand." Johnston stated flatly, not knowing yet how to respond to such information.

"I knew that it was a possibility," Hawkins was quick to retort. "I knew that my team and I were doing everything we could to prevent such a thing from happening. I knew that Jericho, Kansas, was in a unique location, geographically, to withstand such an attack. Once I met Jake, I knew that good people lived here, and I knew that I would like to bring my family here if the worst occurred. We worked flat out until the eleventh hour to prevent it from happening. And then, when I knew all was lost, I brought my family here to Jericho. This is my home, now. Our home. I willingly joined the Jericho Rangers, and will willingly share my skills and knowledge in order to make Jericho a better home for all of us."

"What else do you know?" Johnston asked him, with a level gaze.

"Mostly what you have already found out through your connections. There were initially 25 targets. New York was spared because someone was on their toes and stopped the bombers. The bomb bound for Columbus, Ohio, was also stopped." Hawkins carefully skirted around that issue. "Jericho is all we could have asked for, in terms of preparedness. Being in communication with Europe has helped a great deal. I do know that the enemy is not foreign. It is a group who was determined to topple the existing government and shake up the inhabitants of the country, taking them back to the dark ages and making them dependent upon federal assistance. By taking out the population centers and decreasing the population, they are in a position to do just that. Here in Jericho, however, the population has only been taken back to the 19th century, and will not need federal assistance if they play their cards correctly. As I understand it, there are other towns like Jericho that took measures to become prepared?"

Both Johnston and Jake nodded. They had been in radio contact with several, and were aware of a handful more.

"The way I see it," Hawkins continued, "Jericho and these other towns stand to become the last bastions of freedom, the embodiment of what our Founding Fathers fought for, standing against a new form of tyranny that threatens the country we took oaths to serve. We stand at a crossroad here, with the fate of the nation having been dumped unceremoniously in our laps. If we plan and fight accordingly, we can win back what those bombs took away from us."

The three of them sat quietly for a moment, contemplating Hawkins' words. Finally, Johnston glanced at his watch.

"Is there anything else you would like to add?" Johnston asked Hawkins.

"I agree with your plans to reinforce the outer perimeters of the town," Hawkins responded. "I wonder if we could use parts of the railroad cars to build hardened check points? It would be safer for the crews guarding them. Perhaps we could build sliding gates with walls for a span on either side? It seems like Jonah Prowse and his crew have the technology to do that type of work."

"That sounds like it's worth looking into," Johnston agreed as they rose to return to the afternoon meeting.

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Heather, unaware of the events unfolding in town, was having a busy day also. Hope had been holding gardening classes for various groups and Thursdays were Heather's day to attend class. Somehow, Emily Sullivan had ended up in the Thursday gardening class as well, so Heather picked a handful of fall flowers on her way out the door of the ranch house. She knew that Emily's planned wedding day was later week, and she wanted to somehow commemorate it, while giving Emily hope for a future wedding date. She wasn't sure if she would be successful, but wanted to try anyway.

Kyle McCall brought Heather to the Bennett Farm in the buggy, and helped her to the door with the twins; Chip having been left at home with Eleanor for the day. Lydia Morgan met them at the door, delighted to see the babies. Once it had become known that refugees were coming to Jericho, and that the Sommers family was such a big help at Scout Ranch, people living outside town started clamoring to have refugees join them to help with all of the extra work created by the lack of gasoline and electricity. Hope and Gilbert Bennett were at the top of the list, and had been fortunate to have Calvin and Lydia Morgan join their household. In their 50's, and having lived on farms during their younger years, they were no strangers to hard work. Lydia took over household and Grandmothering responsibilities with the two Bennett children and any others that happened to show up, while Cal helped Hope with the increased gardening tasks brought on by the bombs and helped Gil with the livestock and other farm tasks since Gil was gone longer hours due to equine transportation. Although they had only been together a few weeks, they had already become like family. Heather was delighted that her friends had grandparent figures in town, especially since they hadn't heard from their own families in Ohio and Michigan. Likewise, Cal and Lydia feared the worst about their children and grandchildren who had resided in the Denver area.

Once everyone had gathered and made their way out to the greenhouse, Hope began her talk for the day. "How many of you remember Persephone from Greek Mythology?" Hope began. "We are about to begin the season of Persephone days, in gardening talk. That is organic gardening expert Eliot Coleman's name for the part of the year where the sunlight lasts less than the 10 hours per day needed for significant plant growth. This season lasts about 6 weeks here in Jericho, but we can plan around it to have fresh vegetables year round, if we have enough time. Since we were surprised by the bombs this year, we can use wind power to give out plants a little more light and help them grow a bit faster."

Hope continued on with her talk, eventually leading the group outside to the bed where she had planted carrots a few days after the bombs. These carrots could be left in the ground longer, and get bigger, but she had planted quite a few more beds since that time, along with many other vegetables. They chose to harvest these carrots, sending some home with the students to be eaten fresh, while Hope taught the group to can the others so they could be enjoyed later in the winter. The students spent the rest of the morning harvesting, and the afternoon learning to pressure can carrots. Lydia had prepared lunch, and then the students were able to taste-test the carrot-cake jam Hope had made a few days earlier.

"Be sure to look in your basements for old canning jars, they are as precious as gold these days," Hope told her class over lunch. "And, Heather, please remind Jake to watch for both jars and lids whenever he goes out for supply runs. These white lids are particularly valuable," she said, holding up a handful of Tattler lids, "because they can be re-used indefinitely."

"I'll be sure to mention it to him," Heather said with a laugh. "I'm sure this will help," she said, holding up a jar of jam Hope had given her to take home.

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It was late afternoon by the time Heather and the girls arrived home. The ranch house was empty, so they made their way over to the bunk house to see what was going on. Turns out a beef cow had been butchered a while back, and bartering with the Surry Apple Orchard had occurred such that numerous lug boxes of apples had been delivered to the Green Ranch that afternoon. The whole house smelled of apples and cinnamon as Tess and Julie McCall, assisted by Natalie and Melissa Duncan processed apples through several apple-peeler-slicer-corer gadgets as quickly as they could. The best rounds were sprinkled with cinnamon and taken outside to be dehydrated in the solar dehydrator. The rest of the apple meat was cooked up in one of several large pots for apple sauce, apple pie filling, or apple butter. The skins and cores were put to boil for home-made pectin. Pint and quart jars were draining on clean dish towels while lids and rings were heated in a large pan of water. Katie McCall had Chip occupied while Joanna and Ellen McCall, Eleanor and Laura stirred pots on the stove. Apparently, word had been put out that there would be make-your-own sandwiches rather than a hot meal, and the ranch hands were filtering through the dining area. Someone had stopped long enough to play a few songs on the piano. Heather made herself a sandwich and poured a glass of apple cider before she sat down to put her feet up and nurse the babies. The scene around her made her smile and send up another prayer of thanksgiving for her life in Jericho.

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By Thursday evening, the New York contingency was sitting down to an early supper with their Kentucky hosts. They had spent the day with Shane, meeting the various children and grandchildren who lived on the farm, and seeing the livestock. Even the ladies had developed a newfound appreciation for animals, given their current circumstances

They had been outfitted with enough food to last the group for about 3 weeks, and a letter of introduction to the cousin of a friend in Springfield, Missouri, who would hopefully be willing to outfit them for the remainder of the trip to Jericho. They had handed over the canning jars given them by the Erickson family in Central Pennsylvania in exchange for full ones from the Green family in Kentucky.

Grant and Miranda Stevens were delighted to have heard news of Skylar. The young man with whom they had spoken had promised to get word to her and have her standing by for the Friday check-in so they could at least hear her voice. Johnston had assured them that Skylar was doing well and being watched over by the townspeople.

Sharon Brady was deeply saddened with the news of E.J.'s passing, but overall thankful that Johnston had been gracious in welcoming her and her family to return to Jericho. She wasn't sure what they would have done otherwise, but this made things much easier. She vowed not to let him down again.

The rest of the travelers were thankful to hear that Jericho was not just accepting but welcoming of outsiders. Even Ray and Barbara seemed to be coming to the conclusion that they would need to change their approach to life if they planned to continue in this new world.