Anatomy of a Rebellion

Chapter 11

Construction

Despite hours upon hours of pressing Jordan for information, he claimed he had no idea who Freddie was. They even bothered to have the two meet and they both acted as though they had never seen each other before. It irritated Percy to no end. How was he supposed to know where Freddie got his information if he felt the need to make a riddle out of it? Yet every time he had the displeasure of running into Freddie on the street, the terrorist had the guts to hand over some sort of advice to the Major.

He ignored the majority of what Freddie said. With a lot of help from Mackenzie and that ever-important first signature by Abigail, they were able to get the majority of the council to sign. The plan was sent over to General Ellis, whose only response was, "Take care of it yourself." He wondered if the General was becoming complacent and indifferent when it came to military affairs, just like the rest of the world.

There was no time for him to worry about such things, however. He wanted to complete the construction as quick as possible, so he presented the plan to a local contractor. The foreman saw what his company had agreed to do and nearly fell over. The majority of the things requested of them they had never even thought about building.

First was a hospital. Percy said, "If you can't do that, something simpler with suffice. But I would like a facility where I can feel safe letting severe and life threatening injuries go." It was time for the contractor to call in a lot of favors for something like that. They began to call it "the million dollar medical tent."

Secondly, the housing situation wasn't as simple as everyone hoped. Percy – in his never-ending quest to see that his troops felt at ease – decided that soldiers who had a family would receive an apartment. This meant the contractor had to build an apartment complex that could fit at least forty families. On top of that, he wanted the barracks for the singles to be cozy enough that they could sleep easily. While they wouldn't all receive their own room, he wanted the individual living quarters spaced fairly far apart.

Then, he asked for a helicopter pad and flight tower. No one in Union had ever ridden in a helicopter and had no idea what that would entail. Along with that was the request for a two repair shops. "Large enough to hold six light infantry vehicles and two tanks, with lifts and repair bays," he noted. Also, he asked for an indoor training facility, which included an obstacle course, pool, a dojo, and weight room.

To top it off, he wanted warehouses and supply depots, an office building, a chapel, an indoor shooting range for small weapons, and a mortar range. Needless to say, they were feeling a bit overwhelmed. When they presented Percy with a bid, he waved them off and said, "It'll end up being more than whatever you wrote there. Just send a bill to the Department of Defense; they'll sign a check without thinking twice."

They offered to start on the training facility first. Percy snorted and said, "What good will that do without any troops? Build the housing facilities first."

So under the hot August sky they went to work. Plowing up fields, setting up foundations and sweating rivers every day. The town still wasn't sure if building a military post on a bunch of farmland was the best idea. They changed their minds when they received cash right out of Mackenzie's hand, just like she promised, for each acre destroyed. The workers, wanting to finish the project on good time, worked all day and all night. The commotion upset a few townspeople, but most didn't voice their complaints.

While this was going on, Royal packed his bags and left town to meet up with his unit. It seemed as though he had slipped away during the racket, trying his best not to bring a lot of attention to himself. It did not go unnoticed to Percy, however, who felt the extreme loneliness suffocating the Taylor household every night. Percy told Warren, "Don't worry. He'll be home before you know it." There was something about his tone of voice that assured Warren his friend was being honest.

Seeking confirmation, Warren sought Percy out. After the sun had long disappeared behind the horizon, Percy visited the construction site of his new base. The flood lights were so bright it felt like daylight, but the air was cool enough he could relax and think straight.

Percy leaned against an old split rail fence to observe the workers. Warren did the same. Once he was by his friend's side, Warren asked, "So what's with my son's unit?"

Percy knew what Warren was talking about. "It's a great Company," was all Percy had to say. A small smile of mischief graced his features.

"What are you two doing out here?"

Wallace had strolled up behind them, unsure who they were until he was almost on their heels. They gave him an amused look; he was wearing slacks, dress shoes and a fairly nice shirt. It was rare to see him in anything other than shorts and flip flops.

"What are you doing out here?" Warren asked.

He looked away, embarrassed. "Just back from a date. Thought I'd go on a stroll to cool my head."

Warren sighed. "I wonder if Royal thought about how much Evelyn will worry," he mumbled. The two other men heard him, yet they said nothing. It took all of Wallace's self-control not to comment on how random the sentence seemed.

The Major turned to face Wallace and ordered, "Assemble your squad and every other damn squad in my Company here within a week, Sergeant."

Wallace defiantly shook his head and said, "I'm a Warrant Officer now."

Percy's face immediately scrunched up. He sounded angry when he asked, "When the hell did that happen? Why hasn't the Lieutenant told me?"

"Because you don't have a Lieutenant," Wallace informed him. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly when Percy's expression changed from annoyance to panic. "Captain Ross was promoted around the same time I was, which wasn't that long ago."

Confusion was evident in Percy's voice when he asked, "Why the hell is everyone being promoted? Is she being transferred?"

"Relax, buddy," Wallace tried to assure him, "they're probably just changing up the ranks in order to have it match with our roles at this supposed base we're building. I bet you'll get promoted soon enough."

He settled down enough that it was visible in his stance; once tense at the shoulders and on his toes, he slumped back. "Well, then I'll need at least one Lieutenant," he stated. "Go find me one and have them here by the end of the week. Along with the rest of my Company, dammit!"