"This first section is just for passengers," John explained, "there are eight seats and a small kitchenette; mini-fridge, microwave, camp stove, and a sink."
"Damn dude," Alisha said, "that's traveling in style!"
"The next one is for cargo," he indicated the second section. "Try to keep the center aisle clear so that you can get through it. That's 1000 square feet minus the walkway.
"Then we have the gas tank," he pointed to the first tanker section that was about 5 feet long, "It can hold about 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel. The next one is the same size, but for unleaded gas. That's for motorcycles, other cars, Molotov cocktails; whatever. The third tank is for potable water."
"You're in it for the long haul, aren't you?" Alex said.
"Definitely. There is a passage through he middle of the tanks so that you can get to the sleeping section," he indicated the rear bus section. "I took out the seats and put in bunks. It can sleep eight people comfortably, plus a couple on the floor if you want."
"And the backhoe?" Tony asked, "what's that for?"
"Digging holes, obviously," John said, "you never know when that might come in handy. I saw it in the junkyard and thought I'd stick it on."
"Like the bulldozer blade on the front?"
"Exactly. I thought we might run into some traffic jams along the way."
"Good thinking."
"John, you're a mechanical genius," Alex said, truly impressed.
"Oh, I almost forgot," John said, "I have a vehicle trailer so we can take something smaller along with us. Like the 'Armadillo' that we got here in."
"Armadillo?" Tony asked, "that's clever. What have you named this beast?"
"Juggernaut," he answered immediately, "it's an unstoppable superhero."
"I'll drink to that," Marcus agreed wholeheartedly.
"Okay people," Alex called, "let's get the Juggernaut loaded up. John, you get it over to the gas pumps. Karen, you find a garden hose to fill that tank. The rest of you get our stuff loaded up into the beast here."
It took hours to get the diesel, unleaded, and water tanks filled up to a reasonable level. By that time it was already dark, so they talked about staying another night. In the end they decided to move on because they would be more likely to see the enemy coming from far away in the dark.
"These bunks aren't very comfortable," Karen said, "we should take some mattresses and bedding from the motel."
"That's a great idea," Shannon agreed, "let's go get some bedding. Marcus, Derek, can you bring some single mattresses for us?"
"Cool," Marcus said.
"I suppose," Derek sighed.
The moon was full, so John didn't even bother turning on the headlights. They had loaded the 'Armadillo' onto the car trailer so that they could all be together in one vehicle and save some gas. John was driving while JJ rode shotgun, rifle at the ready and on the lookout for trouble. The others were in the sleeping section getting some rest, including a reluctant Alex after Shannon read him the riot act again.
Alex didn't have his night vision goggles on because of the full moon. They had been tracking this group for nearly a week, and they were finally closing in. The trees of the higher altitudes had given way to sporadic brush and rock as they came down from the mountain heights. That made tracking them more challenging, but they were careless; unaware that they were being followed.
Boomer was a good tracker. She kept them on track even through the most barren terrain. She led them into a canyon, long shadows making it midnight black even with the full moon, so they were forced to use night vision gear. After an hour of following the canyon's twisting path, Boomer motioned them to a halt. Alex moved up to her position to see why they had stopped.
The canyon dead-ended in a high cliff wall, but there was a good sized cave at the base. There were camo nets surrounding the cave concealing piles of crates and boxes, and several men paced back and forth guarding their cache.
He motioned for Ford to get to higher ground in order to provide cover for them. He was the best sniper in the company. Hollis and Stafford moved up under his position to provide flanking fire if necessary. Alex and Boomer went left and proceeded towards the cave.
Without warning, gunfire erupted from the guards, forcing them to take cover. They must have night vision too. Ford's sniper rifle barked and a guard spun backwards against the crates, then fell to the ground. Another shot and a second guard was down.
A lot of yelling in frantic voices came from the cave as more than a dozen men came pouring out, firing as soon as they were clear. Some stood stupidly and fired, while others took cover behind rocks or piles of crates. Alex and Boomer advanced, their silenced assault rifles barely making a sound.
One of the men brought an RPG up to his shoulder and fired, the smoke trail leading directly to Ford's position. A fireball blossomed where he had been, throwing rock and sand flying in all directions.
"Ford!" Alex couldn't stop himself from yelling. "no!"
"Ford!"
"Alex," Boomer grabbed him by the vest and shook him, "Alex, stop it."
"Not Ford," he cried, tears welling up unbidden in his eyes.
"Alex, wake up." Shannon was shaking his shoulders.
"What?" he asked as the vision of his friend's fiery death faded, "where am I?"
"We're in the truck, remember? You were dreaming."
"Dreaming?" He wished that it had been just a dream. He had lost many friends in Afghanistan, and Ford had been the first. "Yeah, just a dream."
Everyone in the sleeping compartment was awake and looking at him, most with concern in their eyes. Tony, on the other hand, had the appraising look of a shrink psychoanalyzing a patient, who just found an important insight into their mind.
"Where are we?" he asked to change the subject.
"We just passed over into Colorado. John's been driving all night."
"I'll go spell him."
"I'll go with you," Marcus said, "JJ's been riding shotgun just as long."
