Core Beliefs - Chapter 62 - From Refugee to Refuge

Core Beliefs – Chapter 62 - From Refugee To Refuge

Though the tragedy of Charley’s injury had stressed and drained the silo crew, his rapid recovery not only restored their energy but also inspired them to forge ahead.

Chris, Suchet, Clarence Chambers, and Doug and Ellie, remotely from Houston, continued to work on the shield generator. In late August, Suchet and Chris modified the generator and projected a half-field encompassing a 180-degree arc. A week later, they had a distance quotient in place. The shield could literally stop bullets.

None of the scientists had guns, but Eldridge did. Chris had him squeeze off several shots in the great room. Chris and Suchet walked to the target area, amazed to see high-powered rifle rounds suspended in the air.

Matt received reports regularly from Wichita. The shield development excited him. He envisioned dozens of applications, lifesaving applications.

In early September, Clarence delivered the components for the first miniaturized shield unit to Chris and Suchet. Unfortunately, when tested, some of the circuits couldn’t handle the power load.

Clarence went back to the drawing board.

***

September 13, Matt, Ling, Timmy, Susan, Joe, and Cynthia celebrated Matt’s fifty-seventh birthday with a quiet party at Matt’s house. Following cake and ice cream, they retired to the living room and reminisced about the last six years and the changes in their lives.

One individual made their discussions awkwardly interesting. Timmy had started reading. Not the “See Spot Run” books, but “Huckleberry Finn” and other books far advanced for even the most precocious three-year-old. He not only read but also asked questions.

“Why do people act mean? Why do people hate and kill?” he would question. These questions not only put Matt and Ling on the spot but also Ling’s mom, Susan, since she was very much a caregiver for Timmy.

Matt found himself dwelling on these subjects. There were no secrets between him and Ling, and she knew this was a mounting burden. He wouldn’t rest until he had answers for Timmy, and that meant he had to have an answer for himself, so his family spent that evening discussing these issues with Timmy listening.

They examined politics, economics, social background, history, religion, genetics, and other areas, including DNA and psychology.

“It all boils down to values,” Joe said. “What a person holds to be the core values of their life reflects who they truly are.”

“We should stop the killing,” Timmy said.

The simple statement went to Matt’s heart. He had always tried to make life better, but he had never envisioned forcibly interceding to prevent the destruction of life.

He gazed at Ling.

“Eventually, we will be revealed,” she said. “I think it would be best if we did it on our terms.”

One more surprise occurred at the celebration. Ling told Joe and Cynthia that Chris, Charlotte, Suchet, Pavitra, Ellie, and Doug would receive the DNA treatment in the next month.

Joe had seen the benefits with Matt and Ling. They had not seemed to have aged a day in the last few years. Also, Charley and Charlie were amazingly healthy and mentally sharper each time he talked to them.

“We love both of you dearly, and this is your choice,” Ling said. “We are being greedy when we say that we don’t want to lose you to old age and have you missing from our lives.”

The thought sobered Joe. He glanced at Cynthia. It would be her choice. He would not consider doing it without her.

“Let us talk it over,” he said.

They settled in for the evening, and as Matt tucked Timmy in, “I love you, my son, and I want you to know you ask really good and important questions. Mommy and I don’t have all the answers, but when we find even one, we will share it with you.”

He gazed at his child’s face and spoke to his mind, ‘Just as important, if you find an answer, please share it with us.’

***

In early October, two new families arrived to replace the Robertsons and the Youngs on the island. Elton Harper served as VP of Engineering at Cor-Digital, and his wife, Mia, was an LPN. They had a little girl named Mindy. This was their first trip to the island, and they instantly fell under its tropical spell.

The other family was Allen Benson and his wife, Teresa. It was through Teresa that the Bensons had met Suchet and Chris.

As a math professor at Wichita State University, she had taught both Doug and Ellie. She wanted to keep up with her two brightest students and called Ellie monthly.

Doug arranged with Chris for the Bensons to come to Armonia House for dinner with Chris and Charlotte. The Bensons were pacifists and wished more could be done to stop violence around the world.

Matt and Ling met with them and felt they had the right spirit.

Chris took them on a tour of the silo. Doug and Ellie joined via video conference and explained some of the many things that they were working on to help make the world better. They hoped this would reduce violence worldwide, particularly in areas where poverty and hunger fueled conflicts.

Allen was a master electrician, and what he saw in the silo had his head spinning with possibilities. He was ready to power the world and see it without hunger or thirst.

***

In October, three important things happened. Legislation was passed to protect manufacturers’ creative rights. Three days later, the president vetoed it. A week later, Congress overrode the president’s veto.

***

The final event in October was unexpected. It was Halloween. Matt left the office early to get home and prepare for the festivities. Ling was already home, getting Timmy into his spaceman costume and snapping dozens of pictures.

***

While he was driving, Matt’s cell phone rang. He recognized the ring.

“Hello, Harry,” said Matt.

“Good day, Matthew,” Harry Morgan somberly replied.

Matt sensed stress in Harry’s voice.

“Harry, I know you didn’t call to just chat. Tell me what’s going on.”

“Matthew,” Harry began, “the situation at the camp has turned very nasty. After you departed, the raiders and the government more or less left us alone, and we have made marvelous progress, but this past week we have had several attacks on the camp, and last night several families were murdered.

“The bastards crept into camp, killed the watchmen, and slaughtered forty-nine people in their tents before fleeing into the dark.

Matt could feel his pulse quicken. Anger built as he listened to Harry’s description. He struggled to control his emotions.

“Go ahead, Harry,” Matt said, gritting his teeth.

“One of our staff was recently detained while gathering supplies and was told that foreigners who didn’t clear out would find themselves dead.”

“Matthew, we think they mean to wipe this camp out, and this is the first move. Honestly, I am torn. I don’t want to desert these people, and I’m afraid of what will happen if I stay. Annabel won’t leave without me, and that scares me more than anything else.”

“Harry, how quickly do you think they’ll move?”

“I think they will chip away and try to create as much fear and panic as they can before an all-out assault. One of the aid group leaders says the government would have to move a sizable military force into the area.”

“Matthew,” anger filled Harry’s voice, “this is out-and-out genocide! It makes me sick that these poor souls would be killed because they are seen as different.”

Gears already whirred in Matt’s head.

“Harry, we are going to come and help, but it will take more than a week to get everything ready. Do you think you have that much time?”

“Matthew,” Harry said with determination, “if we know you’re coming and can help, we will find a way to hold on till you get here.”

“You do that. I want to talk to you every day.”

They hung up, and Matt made two calls before he got home: one to Marcus and the other to Chris. He briefed both.

“It’s time we crawled out of our hole and made a statement. It’s time to be proactive,” Matt said to each.

He gave both preliminary assignments and said that he needed answers in the morning.

As soon as he got home, he told Ling.

“What do you want to do?” she asked.

“I want to protect those people and give them a truly safe place to live. I want us to create an Eden for them. I believe we can, and more so, I believe we must try.” An internal fire flared inside Matt. “Let’s make his vision real!”

“You know that once we’re revealed, there will be no turning back.”

“Yes, I know,” a gleam brightened Matt’s eyes. “My gut is screaming that this is what I am supposed to do.”

***

Ling took Timmy around the neighborhood; her mom, Susan, handed out candy, and Matt retired to his study and initiated calls to key members of Dlrow Wen. By 10:00 that night, he had conversed with over sixty people, and the response was overwhelming.

“Matt,” Chris said as they finished the last call, “we signed up to change the world, and yes, it’s time to act. Preventing the mass execution of innocent people in the refugee camp is the right place to begin.”

The next morning, Matt began merging the options. Marcus called back and updated Matt on his efforts.

Matt asked Marcus to handle the overall organization and coordination.

Marcus, with Chris and Suchet, clarified the available resources.

“We need more systems assembled,” Chris said. “The parts are mostly here, but we need work crews to help assemble them.”

“I’ll try to get as many people to the silo as I can,” Marcus said.

They targeted the coming Saturday, just two days away.

Senator Coldwell surprised Matt with a call. They had a long talk. “I’ll start greasing the wheels at the State Department for another humanitarian trip,” the senator said.

“Matt, we are coming with you!” Saulman said. His family would be at the silo to help.

In the Silo, Chris tackled the production of power modules. Suchet focused on the shield systems.

Doug and Ellie flew in with the twins. Pavitra and Charlotte joined to help where they could.

Eldridge, Elvin, Marcy, and even Emily ferried materials, picked up crating supplies, and built shipping containers in the barn.

Friday evening, people began arriving, and by ten Saturday morning, almost forty Dlrow Wen members set their hands to doing anything asked.

Unit assemblies started coming together. Suchet, Chris, Doug, and Ellie kept moving from group to group to guide and double-check assemblies. They quickly corrected any errors. Systems were tested and crated.

Clarence had hand-carried components for ten of the miniaturized shield units. Suchet broke away to finish the assembly and test the devices.

“I am going to double and triple checking every function,” Suchet said. “I am determined not to risk lives!”

He and Clarence connected the first unit to a belt-mounted power supply. Rigging a remote start-stop timer and setting the unit in the center of the great room, they rushed to the control room and arrived just before the timer was activated.

The unit engaged, and in one direction, the effects of the shield were visible on the monitors, as it crushed milk jugs at the distance they had specified. The allotted time passed, and the unit shut down. After verifying every operating aspect, they could. Suchet strapped the unit on and activated it.

He manipulated the shield’s range and shape, then made an amazing discovery. He captured several empty milk jugs in the outer layers of the shield, and as he directed the shield beam up, the cartons rose, gripped in the field.

“We need something heavier!” Clarence said.

They headed back to the assembly rooms and found a crated toolbox. Clarence stood behind Suchet as he activated the beam, captured the crate, and elevated the beam. The crate rose. Several workers walking past stopped, stunned in wonder.

Suchet gently lowered the crate. “Clarence, we must get all ten assembled. This is our job.”

Matt and Ling were in the thick of helping with the preparations. As things started coming together, Matt took a break and called Harry and Annabel. He briefed them on the efforts.

“Matt, there’s been another raid. Fortunately, our aid workers have moved people away from the perimeter. We are hiding the women and children in pits covered with plywood and dirt.”

“Damn!” Matt muttered.

“Five watchmen were shot,” Harry added. “Two are dead, and the others are being treated. Matthew, the fear here is near panic! The sad truth is that if these people flee, they will be slaughtered out and out!”

“Harry, we are hurrying,” Matt said. “People are making things ready as quickly as we can.”  

“We’ve received word that a military unit will soon move in our direction, due to arrive within a week!” Harry said. “Matt, I’m scared, not for myself, but for Annabell and these innocent people. I will not leave these souls!”

Harry’s words hit Matt hard. Matt told Ling, and they moved through the complex, sharing Harry’s update.

People double their efforts, their resolve stronger.

***

Even with the strongest desire, there comes a time when the body and mind must rest. This was true even in this motivated group, and eventually, Matt and Ling sought a place to get an hour’s rest.

The argument woke Ling from her nap. Voices in her head were fierce and in strife.

‘I’m going!’ the woman mentally yelled. ‘You can’t stop me. I have to go. I will not sit by! I can help!’

‘I know how badly you want to be there,’ the man snapped angrily, ‘but I won’t have our baby in harm’s way!’

‘Oh, but it’s bloody okay for you to dash off and get killed while we’re left behind?’ the woman replied sarcastically, ‘living every minute in fear, worrying if you’re okay? You are a selfish, pig-headed bastard, and I hate you!’

Ling slipped her shoes on and quickly stepped into the corridor, following the mental voices. She had recognized them from the start: Charlie and Charley. They were somewhere in the complex. She also knew they were communicating telepathically, and that was why she could hear them. Alicia Mandaville stepped into the hall just ahead of Ling, walking in the same direction. They acknowledged each other, never breaking stride, continuing in lockstep, listening as the argument raged.

Next to the control room, they found Charley and Charlie, both in tears, standing, glaring, mentally screaming mind to mind.

The two women stepped between Charlie and Charley. “Where is your love?” Both Ling and Alicia said simultaneously.

Stunned, Charley and Charlie dropped their heads.

Ling grasped Charley’s hand; Alicia took Charlie’s, and they guided them to sit facing each other, Ling beside Charley and Alicia alongside Charlie.

“Charley, do you love your wife?” Ling asked aloud.

“Yes, that’s why I.”

“Charles, no explanations,” Ling interrupted. “Just yes or no. Do you love your wife?”

Charley gazed at Charlie and, with trembling lips, said, “Yes.”

Ling peered at Charlie, “Do you love your husband?”

Charlie cried aloud and with her mind and with all her heart, “Yes!”

“Charley, do you want the woman you love to be something that she is not, just to please you?”

“No, never,” he choked.

“What about you, Charlie?”

“No,” she slumped, exhausted.

‘You can’t protect someone who doesn’t want to be protected. No matter how good or noble your reason, it will turn to poison, and then everything good in your life will turn into rot.’ Alicia spoke into their minds.

Charlie and Charley stared in shock. They’d never met this woman, but she had just described what was happening in their hearts, and it tore through them. They had done the wrong thing for all the right reasons.

Ling took Charlie’s hand and placed it in Charley’s hand. They just sat there for seconds, then, as if released from shackles, lunged into each other’s arms, sobbing and begging forgiveness. The two hugged, kissed, and wept.

Many minutes later, they faced Ling, ‘Thank you.’

‘You can hear us too?’ Charley asked Alicia.

Alicia nodded. Charlie reached and hugged her. “Please forgive us. Thank you for being here.”

After a few minutes of silence, Ling asked, “A baby?”

“Yes,” Charlie smiled.

“We figured it out a few days ago,” Charley said.

“A new child,” Alicia said, “this is a joy that we should celebrate and not fight over.”

Charlie and Charley hung their heads and nodded in agreement.

“I know what you were arguing about,” Ling said, “and I can’t make you change your minds, but I do want to remind you, Charles Lehman, when you proposed marriage, you said you wanted the two of you to go through your lives together, always.”

Charley nodded.

“I think you might want to consider that we are taking every precaution to make this trip as safe as possible. There are new toys to help. I suggest you take time to see and contribute as we prepare to change the world. Don’t get me wrong,” Ling said, “it is still dangerous, but we have housewives and mothers who are willing to put themselves at risk to help these people.”

Charley stared at Charlie, “I’ve been selfish and foolish. Shall we go do our part, whatever it might be?”

Charlie grabbed and hugged him, “Let’s do it together.”

“So, we are having a baby?” Ling asked.

“We got a test kit at a drugstore on the way here, and it showed positive,” Charlie grinned.

“Before you go anywhere else,” Ling said, “you have one stop you must make.”

They found Joe and Cynthia. The reunion was happy, and when they revealed the big news, Cynthia woke half the silo up with her screams. The word was out, and congratulations poured in.

Ling brought them to Suchet. Thrilled to see them, he immediately put them to work with Clarence on the personal shields, freeing him to tackle other critical tasks.

***

Sunday passed with full-scale work. Crates were shifted up to the metal building.

Matt had another call from Marcus and smiled. He cornered Chris, Ruben Coruthers, and others to explain the possibilities. Chris and Eldridge headed into Wichita to buy a truck.

A few hours later, they returned with a thirty-foot rig with a refrigerated box. A team started modifying communications gear and items that Rubin insisted they needed. The gear included sophisticated night-vision equipment, radar for a yacht, and other toys that Senator Coldwell had acquired through his law enforcement connections.

The inside of the box truck began to look like an ultramodern control room.

Matt sent others to buy three heavy-duty four-wheel-drive pickups.

In St. Louis, employees at all five companies packed medical supplies and equipment.

Charley cornered Matt. “I’ve got an idea for hidden facilities.”

Matt peered at his nephew and glimpsed his thoughts. “Get what you need. Let’s do this.”

Charley searched the internet and found the items he needed. He emailed Marcus and asked if he could facilitate the purchase in St. Louis.

Marcus sent men from Cor-digital to pick up the materials and crate them for the trip.

***

Monday and Tuesday continued with furious activity. Stacked crates occupied most of the floor in the steel building above the silo.

Marcus called Matt and confirmed that the C-5B Galaxy would arrive at Wichita Airport on Thursday morning.

“It will get everything to Africa,” Marcus said. “Even with the massive load you planned to take, there will be room to spare.”

We leased the plane from a private company. The crew members are all retired or air reserve, with extensive experience, and eager to be part of the mission. Two, one of the pilots and the navigator, is Dlrow Wen, our people, Air Force Reserve members working at Myoplex.”

Matt felt the grin in Marcus’s voice. “They’ve flown lots of military transports, including the Galaxy, and though it doesn’t have the latest avionics, it’s still a sound, certified aircraft.”

“We’ve got to get trucks to move the gear from the silo to the airport,” Matt blurted, realizing he’d missed something critical.

Again, Marcus had already made the arrangements. “I’ve rented trucks to haul everything from St. Louis to Wichita. They will drop their loads in a hangar at the airport and then grab the things from the silo.”

“Great!” Matt shouted with relief. “Lenny Mandaville has compiled a packing order that allows the critical materials to be easily accessed.”

“Okay, that gets you to Africa,” Marcus said. “I’ve leased trucks and passenger vans to be at the airport where you are landing.”

“Marcus,” Matt sighed, “I am so blessed you are part of who we are. Thank you, my friend.”

They hung up. Both had tons of stuff to do.

***

“The three pickups,” Matt cornered Lenny. “I want them used as platforms for shield units.” He grinned up at Lenny as a confused expression crossed Lenny’s face. “See, Chris, he’ll show you the units. We’ve also got another new device that I think would work best if it’s also mounted on the trucks: an electromagnetic beam generator. It can knock out any electrical component with a focused magnetic charge, basically a directional EMT. As a bonus, it magnetized ferrous material in its path.” Matt chuckled, “Chris and Suchet had watched a 20-pound steel case get dragged across the floor and locked against a steel block magnetized by the beam!”

“Shit!” Manny blurted, then ducked his head. “You’re blowing my mind, Mr. Lehman, but I’ll get it done!”

They shook hands, and Lenny dashed off to find Chris.

***

Thursday a.m., long before dawn, the last of the trucks headed for the airport,”

Matt, Suchet, and Chris stared at the empty silo. “Almost everything in the silo is headed for Africa,” Chris said.

“Let’s shut it down,” Matt said. “Once we are revealed, and people realize what we’ve developed, they’ll come for us.”

“I will make sure all technical data is uploaded to the island, and the computer hard drives are wiped clean,” Suchet said. “Ellie will secure the door with a complex passcode, and the facility will be sealed.”

***

11:00 p.m. Friday, November 9, the C-5B Galaxy sat loaded on the tarmac. Those going to Africa said their farewells and boarded.

The two pilots, the flight engineer, and the navigator stepped into the upper main deck seating area, which accommodated seventy-three people.

The flight engineer detailed the flight plan. They would fly to Atlanta, refuel, and would be on their way to Africa.

He suggested that they sleep as much as possible. Twenty minutes later, the giant craft was in the air.

***

“Final approach for landing in Atlanta,” the lead pilot announced.

Groggy souls resurrected in their seats, double-checking their safety belts were fastened.

The touchdown and the 6:32 sunrise seemed simultaneous. The aircraft shuddered as its twenty-eight wheels smoked on the runway, breaking into a roll, then taxiing to a location near a private hangar.

Everyone debarked. In the hangar, a breakfast buffet had been set with chairs and tables, one of those things Charlotte did from behind the scenes that made a world of difference.

“This may be our last hot meal for a while,” Suchet said.

More than a few took advantage of seconds. Outside the hangar, the massive plane was being serviced. Matt watched the four tanker trucks lined up to refuel the beast. It would take nearly fifty thousand gallons for the flight.

At 9:35 a.m., a courier from the State Department entered the hangar, handing a packet to Senator Coldwell. In it were the State Department clearances and the senator’s diplomatic papers.

Thirty-five minutes later, they were airborne.

Divided into teams, everyone knew their assignments and was ready to execute their duties. Matt found, with amazement, how easily these people slipped into unfamiliar tasks, accepting without question the challenge of changing the world, even if only in a remote corner of the neglected African wilderness.

***

Eighteen hours later, they landed in Africa in a small country bordering the nation where the camp was located.

The experience of the giant aircraft touching down and braking desperately to stop before racing off the end of the runway had emotions and stomachs in everyone’s throats.

The airfield sat seventy-five miles from the border, with an added two hundred and fifty miles to reach the camp. The route would take them mostly through hard baked dessert, and though there was a makeshift road, they could, as an alternative, navigate cross-country in an emergency.

They unloaded the command truck from the plane and the three pickups with special gear. They then carefully loaded the crates into the rented trucks.

The local authorities were curious, but thanks to some financial lubrication let everything proceed as quickly as possible, and three hours after landing, they were ready to roll.

***

Senator Coldwell met with the US ambassador to the country.

“Washington wants assurances that this is a medical mission.” The ambassador glared.

“The sole purpose of this trip is to save lives,” Saulman said. “We have no guns or ammunition and don’t want any, since this is a mission of peace.”

“I’ll tell them, but understand that there will be no backup once you cross the border.” The ambassador glared, “Are you sane? You may be all good Samaritans, but you are going to a country where others have many guns, and life means little.”

***

It was late on Monday when the convoy headed for the border.

Once clear of civilization, three men in each pickup began uncrating the shield generators and magnetic impulse units. Lenny had figured out a way to secure the units in the pickup beds using straps. They covered the units with tarps.

Matt placed one pickup in the lead, one in the middle, and the last at the back of the procession. The operational command truck slotted in a third of the way back in the convoy. They also distributed the personal shields to people who best understood their function.

It took two and a half hours before they approached the border. Because of the terrain, they had decided to leave the road, traversing an area of desert in the dark, and returned to the road well after the border crossing.

The lead pickup ran ahead, scouting the terrain.

Matt knew they had diplomatic papers, and if confronted, they would simply say they had gotten lost and didn’t realize they’d missed the border crossing.

The convoy moved slowly as it traversed the wilderness. Another three hours passed before they returned to the dirt track that served as a road.

The trucks were thirsty, so the group stopped to refuel as needed. It proved a bonus that they could use converters to produce fuel as they traveled, minimizing the space needed for gas.

Using a beam converter to generate the C8H18 molecule had been one of the more specific tasks Matt had asked the Fantastic Four to accomplish.

***

The first sign of trouble was about fifty miles from the camp. The sun was shining brightly, and the trucks were readily visible. The command vehicle spotted two blips on the radar, north of the convoy, moving on an intercept course. They would catch the convoy well before the camp.

Matt spoke with his core team, and the consensus was that they should prevent interference by militia or soldiers before they reached the camp.

Matt understood that the shield technology could protect the convoy from small arms fire. He wasn’t sure how it would respond to larger weapons.

“Suchet,” Matt keyed his radio. “What if they have a cannon?”

“Matthew, do not worry,” Suchet answered. “We can array the three shield generators to create multiple layers. The weapons will not reach us.”

There was an assurance in Suchet’s voice that calmed Matt. He had often marveled at the scientist’s brilliance, and now he took strength from the man’s confidence.

***

The convoy shifted to alert mode. The mystery vehicles appeared over a rise almost two miles out. Chris, using binoculars, identified the two military personnel carriers with oversized wheels, obviously armored, each with a machine gun on top.

“Activate the shield,” Suchet calmly said. “Configure it to surround the convoy for fifty yards in all directions.”

The effect was almost unnoticed as the virtually invisible wall of energy blended with the heat waves rising from the desert floor.

The lead military transport hailed the convoy and ordered them to stop.

“Everyone waves and cheers.” Chris radioed as the trucks continued rolling toward the camp.

There was only momentary confusion from the military vehicles before the two rigs sped ahead and positioned themselves to block the road.

Matt had about two minutes to decide what to do. He didn’t want anyone on either side injured.

“The shields are still in force at fifty yards,” Suchet said.

Matt pulled the convoy to a stop at one hundred yards from the transports.

“What do we do?” Matt radioed Chris.

“Mag Zap,” Chris said. “Take out their communications.”

“Do it,” Matt ordered.

The electromagnetic beam generator was unimpressive. It looked like a two-foot-long, three-inch-diameter pipe mounted atop a four-foot-tall, six-inch-diameter vertical pipe.

The whole thing had been developed from an anomaly that Ellie spotted in the molecular bonding experiment.

Matt remembered that Elis Mandaville had commented that the waveform resembled an EMP from a nuclear explosion, but on a miniature scale.

Doug had commented that unlimited power enabled them to do some weird things.

“The electromagnetic beam definitely fits that category,” Matt mumbled. “It makes no sound, has no flash or lights, and remains undetectable except by its effects.”

Chris selected the vehicle further off the road. They targeted it using a computer tablet mounted on the unit’s vertical pipe, entering the range, estimated mass, and charge level.

This was their first try at a live target, and the process took longer, yet everything was ready in twenty seconds.

“We’re ready,” Chris told Matt.

“Your call,” Matt said.

Chris reached for the execute button, closed his eyes, and tapped.

The beam zapped the targeted transport, and all hell broke loose.

Matt watched soldiers being literally dragged to vehicles by guns and metal on their bodies. Rifles flew from hands and clanked hard against the sides of the transport. Chaos erupted.

“Hit the other vehicle,” Matt said.

“If we disable their means of transport,” Chris said. “Then we’re responsible for their safety.”

Matt glanced at Ling.

“Invite them to the camp,” she said. “We can take care of them, and possibly they will see we mean no harm.”

“Chris, we’ll give them the option of coming with us to the camp.”

Chris zapped the second transport. Both vehicles, charged with the same polarity, began to skid apart, opening a gap for the convoy.

“Let’s go,” Matt said. “Set shields to twenty-five feet!”

Not a single gun, knife, or metallic object remained in the soldiers’ possession. This didn’t stop them from being dangerous, but it did make them controllable.

“Tell them they were welcome to join the convoy and go to the refugee camp,” Matt asked Kenneth Hastings, a team member versed in several African languages, “where they will be treated with respect. If they do not wish to join, then they will have to find their own way.”

About twelve decided they would rather seek refuge than be stranded in the desert. They divided the soldiers among three trucks.

Several soldiers chose not to join the caravan, and one in particular constantly shouted insults and threats.

As the convoy cleared the wreckage of the personnel carriers, the boisterous soldier grabbed a rock and charged after the convoy.

Charley, on the rear platform, had had enough and set his personal shield, increasing the range until it struck the man, picked him off the ground, and flew him fifty yards back, where he let the soldier plop to the ground.

The soldier got up and started to run again, away from the convoy.

“There is no other opposition visible,” Suchet looked up from the radar screen.

They covered the last fifty miles quickly. Matt phoned Harry to tell him where they were. Harry said that a large military contingent was heading toward the camp and expected to arrive the next day.

***

Matt’s caravan rolled up to the refugee camp mid-morning; everyone was road weary, but they knew they could find themselves in real trouble if the shield system wasn’t up and operational.

The shield system consisted of eight generators, which needed to be placed at equal distances around the perimeter of the camp. Each generator sat atop an assembled sixty-foot pole, and the pole, in turn, was inserted into a power module. The shield generators were on two trucks, with four shields per truck.

“We will direct this,” the twins said. Iyla and Kamna had worked on fabricating the units and had also gone through the erection process.

Each truck holding a shield generator motored to opposite sides of the camp with setup crews. The communications truck drove near the center of the encampment.

Though the camp was not perfectly round, the diameter of the shield generators would fully encompass the entire facility and extend a quarter mile beyond any structure.

The twins had GPS gear that showed their precise location relative to the communications truck. The girls quickly determined the first two generator sites.

The crews unloaded gear, and a setup team began assembly with one other person prepared to protect them using a personal shield.

Harry had groups of refugees join the effort.

A power module needed to be buried in the ground. The shield crews started digging but soon handed the shovels to eager refugees. Holes got dug, and the natives provided the muscle to shift the power module into place.

The Dlrow Wen crews assembled the poles, mounted the shield generator, attached the power cables and the communications module, and, with the help of the refugees, raised the assembly, carefully inserting it into the power module.

“Powering unit one,” Kamna reported.

Once powered, the communications truck was wirelessly linked, ready to control the shield.

The refugees made quick work of filling in the hole.

Within thirty minutes, the first two field generators came online. The two trucks had moved clockwise, dropping the remaining shield materials with their setup crews.

Not everything went as smoothly as the first two, but overall, it went well, with all eight systems erected and ready to activate in under four hours.

***

Charley and Charlie finally grabbed a break. They hunted the camp until they found Harry.

“We need to talk with you and Mom,” Charlie excitedly said.

Harry eyed his daughter. A familiar crease wrinkled the bridge of his nose, one of concern.

“Follow me,” he said. “Your mother is by the mess tent.”

Charlie tugged her mom and dad to a quiet spot. “We’re going to have a baby!”

Christmas-like joy erupted amid the desolate surroundings. The expressions on both Harry’s and Annabel’s faces made it worth the trip. Charlie bubbled with happiness. Annabel hugged her, sobbing with happiness.

Harry clasped Charley in a bear hug with moist eyes and a crinkled smile that seemed permanently etched on his face.

It took minutes for Annabel to stop hyperventilating, and the four managed to wander into the mess tent and seat themselves at a rickety, rough-hewn table.

“You must leave,” Harry said. “It’s not safe here.”

“Yes! You can’t stay, not now.” Annabel’s voice cracked with the stress she felt. Her eyes moistened, the eyes of one who was over-worked, worried, and worn; the eyes of someone who had seen too much tragedy.

“By morning,” Charley said, “this will be the safest place on earth.”

Annabel shook her head slowly, a soft, pouty frown on her lips. Her eyebrows raised in question.

“Trust us,” Charlie said. “You think water and electricity are the only things we can do? Just watch. We will make this place Eden.”

The force of Charlie’s smile and the radiance on her face overpowered the doubt in Harry’s and Annabel’s hearts. They nodded.

“We believe,” Harry said, “show us what we need to do.”

“Get the elders and aid workers together,” Charley said. “Everyone needs to understand what is going to happen.”

They left the tent. Harry called three refugees standing nearby and spoke to them in Swahili. Man’s energy rose as he exhorted the natives to gather the leaders.

“Be quick. Meet at the medical tent,” Harry said.

The natives dashed into the dark.

“We have to get back to our tasks,” Charlie said. “Matt and Ling will meet with you and explain everything.”

“I’ll get the aid workers,” Annabel headed into the camp.

Harry stood still for a moment before striding confidently toward the medical tent.

Charlie and Charley found Matt at the communications truck and informed him of the meeting location.

Matt and Ling arrived at the medical tent and chatted with Harry. It took almost forty minutes to gather everyone. Some of the elders had been watching as the new arrivals feverishly set to plant metal trees and other odd acts.

***

Inside the tent, everyone finally found a place to sit. A hushed conversation filled the air with questions and concerns.

“We are going to cast an invisible protection around the camp,” Matt said as he strode to the front of the tent. “No one can leave while the protection is in place.”

Harry translated. Confused expressions reflected the aid workers’ disbelief. The elders, on the other hand, expressed delight, eagerly accepting Matt’s words.

“We will test the barrier at sunset,” Matt said. “Then remove it until danger comes close.”

Just before dusk, Suchet activated the shield wall. Chris and Kamna circled the camp in a truck, confirming the force field encompassed the entire camp and extended a half mile beyond the outermost structure.

Iyla circled the interior of the shield wall in another truck, confirming the coverage was complete. Suchet deactivated the wall, letting Chris and Kamna return to the camp.

***

The vehicles carrying medical supplies, toolboxes, and converters still needed to be unloaded. Charley had used satellite photographs to identify where he would create the entrance to an underground facility.

His master plan had them building above and below.

On the flight from the US, Charley had designed a subterranean complex that would provide shelter and eventuality enhanced hydroponics for crops.

Medical and food preparation areas were included in the hidden labyrinth of tunnels and rooms. Charley and Charlie loaded the program and set the first toolboxes to work.

Hidden under a tarp, the machine bored into the ground, angling downward. The minute the unit disappeared beneath the surface, the team erected a tent to cover the opening. Aid workers and native guards were posted to keep the curious from blundering into the tunnel.

On the camp perimeter, another crew, led by Lenny Mandaville, programmed and activated another toolbox. Charley had designed three-room structures to serve as simple dwellings.

Refugees mostly lived in tents, but the camp was short of them, so it was common to see people sleeping on the ground with no blankets or bedding. Those tents that did stand were often riddled with rips and damage from the frequent windstorms that swept the area.

Though a desert, severe thunderstorms from time to time caused torrential flooding. Harry had told Matt that exposure and unsanitary conditions caused most of the illness in the camp and occupied a large portion of the medical team’s efforts. Hundreds died each month from sickness and disease.

Lenny had his crew hold the refugees back from the work area. Curiosity had brought them out in droves.

Following Charley’s plan, Lenny leveled a designated area with a toolbox, then, literally from the air, a floor began forming, walls gradually materialized, growing upwards, and hours later, a ceiling formed on the first module of the first permanent dwelling in the camp.

SiO2, a molecule better known as sand, and C2H4, a plastic polymer, were combined to form a building material. Stronger than concrete, the substance had excellent insulating values.

Lenny supervised as the second section of the dwelling was completed, and then the third.

To finish the unit, the toolkit cut the doors and windows by converting materials back into air.

Lenny and the crew stopped to check the work. The programming for the toolbox was flawless. It took four hours to erect what normally would have taken several days and tons of quarried material. The crew shifted to the next location and continued the effort.

***

The refugees had mixed reactions. Some sat and watched as buildings magically appeared, unaware that these would become homes. Others ran away, afraid, and finally, a small group started dancing and singing.

Soon, there was a full-scale celebration. Aid workers came to watch, spellbound and euphoric. Some believed they were dreaming.

***

Lenny turned this toolbox over to his crew, took another toolbox to a second location, and began the process again.

The teams rotated crews through the night. By morning, eleven dwellings rose in stark contrast to the tents and barren desert. Everything was carefully coordinated to Charley’s master plan.

***

Matt had brought the elders to the construction area.

“These will be homes for your people,” he said.

Most of the elders had grown up in simple one-room dwellings. The size of these homes was gigantic by comparison.

“We will build one for each family.”

A home for each family was something the elders had difficulty grasping, except for one very old leader who stared at Matt, “This will be paradise.”

***

Sanitary facilities were high on the priority list. By late the next morning, the Dlrow Wen crew had four toilet facilities fabricated, buildings with multiple stalls. All the waste flowed into converters below the floor. The converters changed the waste into pure water. The water, in turn, was pumped to a rooftop storage tank and recycled for flushing.

Excess water would eventually be routed to the hydroponics gardens taking shape below ground.

Near noon, a blip appeared on the radar in the command truck. Vehicles approaching from the south. Ling radioed all stations and confirmed that no one remained outside the shield perimeter.

Suchet activated the shield. A pleasant surprise occurred. Throughout the camp, they recognized two effects. The wind stopped blowing, and the temperature inside the shield dropped almost 10 degrees. Instead of being over one hundred degrees F, it dropped into the nineties, comparatively delightful for the locals.

In the command truck, a meeting began to decide actions to meet the approaching threat.

“We don’t need to do anything,” Ellie said. “Let’s see what they do.”

“Maybe we should throw a party,” Charlie said.

“I like the idea,” Matt said. “But let’s wait and see what the soldiers do.”

The vehicles topped a ridge. One was a truck with soldiers, and the other was an armored personnel carrier with a small cannon.

Inside the camp, most refugees dashed for cover. The Dlrow Wen crews kept working. A sizable group, including Matt, Ling, Harry, Annabel, and at least a dozen of the aid workers, strode past the outskirts of the camp towards the shield wall. They stood and watched as the small force approached.

Matt glanced around, pleasantly surprised when he saw several of the Elders and then dozens of the refugees moving out to join them.

Matt asked Kenneth Hastings, the group member who spoke several languages, to warn the approaching troops to stop for their safety.

Using a bullhorn, Kenneth repeated the message several times. Tests had shown the oncoming troops would hear the warning.

The soldiers filed in behind the armored carrier, and the truck brought up the rear.

Matt and everyone inside the wall saw.

“Your thoughts?” Matt asked the assembled team.

“Let events unfold,” Ling said.

Since the armored vehicle would strike the wall first, the risk of harming people was low.

The attack group had closed to fifty yards. Matt radioed the communications truck to extend the shield another twenty yards. Suchet acknowledged. It was clear that the main shield had been reset if one knew the signs.

Those inside watched as some soldiers climbed on the transport and leveled guns toward the camp.

“Kenneth, please give them another warning and add that we do not wish for anyone to be harmed,” Matt asked.

Laughter erupted from the soldiers, but that stopped as the armored transport made contact and ground to a halt against the shield wall.

The soldiers leaped from behind the vehicles, formed up about fifteen feet from the wall, some thirty-five yards from the group inside. Guns blazed as the soldiers fired on Matt’s people.

The number of refugees near Matt had swollen to over 100. At first, refugees cringed in fear, then watched as if they realized no one had been hit. The soldiers reloaded magazines and continued to spray bullets.

Long seconds passed as more refugees realized that no one had fallen and that the bullets could not hurt them.

It started with a few of the refugees shouting at the soldiers, chanting repeatedly.

Kenneth translated for Matt. “We are not afraid!”

The chant rose in volume, and in seconds, the words resounded like a song. More refugees dashed forward from the camp and joined the chant. It was almost deafening as over five hundred chanted, striding towards the barrier.

The soldiers fired their guns, but no one fell. It was as if God had placed divine protection on these people.

As refugees approached, the soldiers panicked. Many dropped their guns and ran away. The driver of the truck, trying to escape, ran over two soldiers.

In less than five minutes, the attacking force had vanished over the ridge.

“Suchet,” Matt asked, “are they outside of rifle range?”

“Wait about two minutes,” Suchet said.

Matt gazed at the soldiers injured by the truck. He nudged Harry and Annabel. “We are going to get those men and help them. Is that good with you?”

Harry smiled, “I think it is a bloody good idea.”

Annabel headed off to prepare for the surgery. Harry yelled to get the attention of the raucous crowd. When the din of the chanting died, he said, “We’re going to help those injured soldiers.”

An angry cry erupted from many.

Matt asked Kenneth to translate for him. “Tell them that they cannot have peace until they stop wanting revenge. Helping the hurt or injured, even if they are your enemy, is required to have peace.”

Kenneth repeated the message twice before the crowd stilled to a murmur.

The old elder, the one who had told Matt this would be paradise, spoke loudly. “We have always been people of peace. We are being shown a new and true way to live. We must care for all who are hurt, whoever they are. Today, we become new children, children of light!”

His words carried both integrity and authority. Murmurs turned to cheers, and new chanting started. Clapping and dancing erupted as the people took the elder’s words to heart.

The two minutes Suchet asked for were up. He lowered that section of shield and radioed Matt.

Eight men rushed forward on Matt’s command, disarmed the soldiers, and carried them to the surgery.

The soldiers were terrified. Matt had Kenneth go and assure them they would not be harmed.

The shield reengaged.

***

“The show’s over,” Matt said. “Let’s get back to our duties.”

He radioed Suchet and asked what would happen if the shield materialized right on top of the armored transport. Suchet said that the maneuver would crush part of the vehicle, but it was potentially dangerous. The ammunition might explode inside the shield wall.

“Suchet, thanks for keeping me from making a dangerous error.” Matt rethought his plan. He wanted to move the truck away from the shield wall and damage it beyond use.

Matt called Suchet. “How do we get this vehicle away from the shield wall and make sure it’s no longer a threat?”

“Track-mounted shield units could handle this nicely,” Suchet said.

 Twenty minutes later, one of the track units approached the vehicle on the outside of the shield. Suchet steered it via remote control. Once in range, Suchet had the track-mounted shield generator increase its range until it captured the vehicle. He lifted the truck almost twenty-five feet into the air, moved it another fifty feet away from the camp, and released the beam.

The vehicle fell with a crushing thud. Two rounds exploded inside. The blast mangled the armored unit, but pieces of shrapnel also hit the track-mounted generator. Though maneuverable, the beam was out of commission.

“Damn, that was my fault,” Matt said.

It was a laughing Suchet who reminded him that it was difficult to predict every aspect of a decision, and that the best they could hope for was to learn from their mistakes. He also said they could repair the unit by morning.

The morning of Friday, November 16, was typical, with clear skies and very hot. Most of the crew had gotten some sleep. The toolboxes carving the underground rooms and corridors proceeded automatically without supervision. They had been in operation for almost a day, completing the first two rooms, and would shift to the next phase.

The Dlrow Wen team tripled the camp’s water supply, and for the first time, there was water for laundry and showers. The effect on the refugees was a joy to see.

The food supply was a different matter. There were some small vegetables to harvest from the small plots set up after the first visit, but not enough to feed everyone. A convoy of food was supposed to be heading their way but was already late. Matt’s team had brought some food, but not nearly enough for all.

“I fear the food convoy has been attacked,” Harry said to Matt.

“Another thing I didn’t take into consideration,” Matt said. “I really screwed this up.”

“No, Matthew,” Harry put a hand on Matt’s shoulder. “This is our normal. Sometimes we just fall back on blind faith.”

***

Around 9:30 a.m., the command truck spotted the first elements of a larger convoy. There was hope it might be the food, but as it got closer, it became obvious the vehicles were military.

Suchet suggested mounting a camera on a pole to get a better view of their adversary. Charlie and Chris soon had a pole assembled. The camera wasn’t designed for outdoor use, so they fabricated a protective cover from a plastic jug. Nor was it designed to rotate, zoom, or focus remotely, so they had to settle for pointing it in the direction they wanted and setting it to a general magnification that let them see a wide area.

Though lower than their usual standards, the camera did provide some relatively clear images of the approaching units.

“We’ve got over two hundred men and vehicles, including three tanks,” Ling told Matt.

“Suchet, any concerns about the shield under such firepower?” Matt asked.

“We pull the shield perimeter closer to the camp to increase the density,” Suchet said. “I’m confident that even multiple hits in the same spot will not penetrate.”

Matt called a meeting to discuss and generate ideas for addressing the threat.

“Let’s see how they position their forces and then adopt a strategy,” Lenny offered.

The consensus was to minimize injuries on both sides.

Chris reminded them that the more they accomplished behind the shield, the better the community would be.

***

Evidently, the commander of this regiment had heard stories from the soldiers who had run away from the first encounter. He set his camp almost a mile from the refugee camp.

One of the Aid officials looked at the camera monitor. “The guns on the tanks can hit the camp from about four thousand yards. It looks like they’re going to bombard us,” he said.

***

It was almost dusk when the first tank rounds boomed into the sky. The firsts short of the shield, exploding on the hard desert floor. The next were at the edge of the shield, and the next two slammed squarely into the shield. One exploded, and the force of the blast rejected back to the outside like an invisible flamethrower squirting a jet of fire.

The shield captured the other shell. It didn’t detonate.

The aid worker knowledgeable about the tanks said the rounds appeared to be penetrating and exploded after contact.

The tanks blasted the camp through the night at a rate of two rounds a minute.

Chris sent groups of Dlrow Wen underground to sleep in the new rooms beneath the camp. The noise from the guns and shells echoed faintly, and they had no trouble drifting into slumber.

***

The shelling stopped early morning.

The command trailer spotted ground forces approaching the perimeter. From inside the shield barrier, a Dlrow Wen patrol using night vision goggles spotted a platoon. Half the men carried guns, and the other half carried picks and shovels.

“They think they can tunnel under,” Suchet said.

“You’re sure they can’t?” Matt asked as he climbed into the truck.

“We have confirmed the ground is linked as strongly as the air,” Suchet chuckled, “and as they reach the barrier, they will encounter more and more resistance. Their efforts will be futile.”

Within the hour, the platoon had given up, leaving a hole behind. Many of the soldiers’ tools stuck fast in the shield.

As the sun rose, a survey of the unexploded shells was conducted. Matt remembered his lesson with the armored personnel carrier and decided to leave well enough alone. He felt that the more they focused on equipping the camp for survival, the better.

Throughout the day, the tanks lobbed shells. Less than half exploded. The majority lodged in the shield wall.

Work continued in the camp, and the third and fourth underground rooms were completed.

The team assigned to assemble the underground hydroponics room was enthusiastically bolting the troughs and racks together. Kenneth had recruited a translator, and the team used ten thrilled refugees.

On the perimeter, more dwellings rose from the desert floor. Charlie, her dad, and an Aid worker sat with the elders and showed them a rendering of the plans Charley had created for the dwellings.

“The houses will form a perimeter around the camp, creating an exterior wall,” Charlie said. “With eight gates, then you have circular rows of dwellings in rings, each smaller as you get closer to the middle.”

“There are green areas and locations for schools and medical aid,” Ling added. “Beyond the outer dwellings, you have fields and pastures.”

“In the center are meeting halls and parks with fountains and pools,” Matt pointed out. “Throughout, there are bathing and toilet facilities.”

Harry and Annabel gazed at the plan, thrilled and speechless.

Matt leaned close to Harry and Annabelle. “Your Son-in-Law designed the entire city.”

Annabel was moved to tears. Harry said, “A bloody good man to have in the family, I’d say.”

***

The two missionary doctors were ecstatic over the news of a grandchild, and now, with plans for the city and Charlie with them, their lives could not be fuller. They worked tirelessly tending the sick and injured, and as the number of people to treat diminished daily, it carried a special joy that seemed to inspire the rest of the staff.

What had been a grim place of survival had indeed turned into a place of hope and happiness.

One of the crews, led by the Coldwells, Saulman, Merriam, and Ted, worked with the Elders to prepare the fields outside the dwellings, yet within the shield wall.

“Traditionally,” the Elders had said, “family groups raise their crops, and for common areas to be set aside for crops for everyone. They also set up pasture areas, but we are hunters, and here we cannot seek game.”

Merriam’s family had been farmers. “We also hunted in the past, but now domesticate animals for food and milk, and eggs, and other things we need in our diets.”

She spoke about the need to rotate crops and pastures so the land could replenish and remain fertile. These were long-term plans, but it was important that the understanding be in place.

The crew had brought seed, lots of seed.

The Elders accepted the wisdom. It seemed to them that everything these people had said and done was improving their lives, and they were eager to help.

Soon, hundreds of refugees were in the outer areas. The Elders were assigning plots, and each family was told they would work their plot for a growing season and would move to a new plot for the following season.

They could plant whatever they wanted in their family plot, but they would also have to work the community fields, where large crops like wheat and rice were grown.

The land was relatively flat, so setting up the irrigation system was easy.

Matt had considered using a toolbox to cut the irrigation ditches but agreed with the Elders that this should be the people’s task.

***

Beyond the walls, the commander of the military forces had become frustrated. The bombardment was failing. The camp’s defenses were impenetrable, and he adopted a policy of blockade.

When he radioed his report to his superiors, they ridiculed him and promised reprisals if he did not wipe the camp from the face of the earth.

When he told them that there was no armed resistance, just an invisible barrier that prevented him from reaching the camp, they accused him of drunkenness and incompetence and swore they were sending someone to replace him.

He hoped he could starve the refugees out, but when he saw they were boldly preparing fields and, miraculously, there seemed to be an abundance of water, his spirits dropped. He began to question what kind of power he was fighting.

***

It was just after dusk when the command trailer spotted a lone person making their way across the desert toward the camp. The figure seemed to be staggering and collapsed about five hundred yards from the shield wall on a side away from the military’s encampment.

The twins were patrolling the perimeter and wearing their night-vision gear, but the distance was too great to identify the person.

Lenny suggested they go and get whoever it was. It was obvious they were in distress. Harry cautioned that it could be a trap, but Alicia said she felt this was an innocent person in need.

To retrieve the collapsed person, Lenny and Doug would lead a small group equipped with personal shields.

They knew a foxhole with six soldiers lay between them and the person. They wanted to neutralize it without raising alarms. The positions of the foxholes were about a thousand yards apart, and if they neutralized this group, it would create a two-thousand-yard gap.

The plan would drop the main shield in a section where no artillery shells were lodged and rush the rescue party out. They would reactivate the wall, and the rescuers would split into two groups, separated by approximately 200 yards.

***

The soldiers were not being vigilant. Doug’s group crept within fifty yards of the hole, and Lenny gave the command to activate the shields. Before the soldiers knew what had happened, they found themselves captured by a paralyzing force that made it impossible to move or even breathe.

The team rushed forward. Doug’s group elevated the soldiers about ten feet and dropped them.

As they hit the ground, they were both stunned and gasping for air. The team disarmed them, seizing guns, knives, and other weapons. Lenny’s team duct-taped mouths to assure silence and zip-tied hands and feet.

The teams split. Lenny’s group carried the new captives to the camp, and Doug and the rest rushed to get the mystery person.

They found a man collapsed. Doug checked him as completely as he could. No weapons and lots of injuries. They unwrapped a blanket Annabel had given them and eased the man onto it, then carried him quickly to the camp, three men on each side, straight to medical.

Ling and Harry were waiting and went to work. The injured man was dehydrated, had broken ribs, a shattered nose, and his jaw was both broken and dislocated. Bruises marred his back where he had been struck with something heavy.

They operated for two hours and placed him in recovery.

One of the Aid Workers recognized the man as a member of the food convoy.

About an hour after the surgery, he woke. At first, he panicked, but as soon as his fellow aid workers told him he was safe, he calmed down.

The story came out. The military unit that surrounded the camp had intercepted the food convoy almost thirty-five miles away. They had beaten everyone and shot a driver as he tried to escape. The rescued man had played dead for hours in the sun and, as dark came, crawled away before navigating his way to the camp.

***

“We really needed the food,” Harry gazed at Matt, “and we can’t leave the captives to be brutalized!”

The rescued man provided the convoy’s location. He told them that one armored vehicle with twenty soldiers guarded the people.

The scenario was starting to sound familiar. The team would need drivers for the trucks. They couldn’t count on the captured individuals being fit. They would take one pickup with a shield and electromagnetic beam generators.

Included on the team were a medical contingent and Kenneth as a translator.

Charley and Charlie would lead, and Annabel would head the medical team. There were twelve other members of the Dlrow Wen crew eager to get going. The truck was crammed full.

One advantage of the quick capture of the foxhole was that they also captured the field radio and routinely responded to inquiries from HQ. The question was the same. “Have you seen any activity?” The answer was the same. “Negative.”

***

The pickup slowly and quietly slipped through the lowered shield wall, past the empty foxhole, and into the desert. The directions were good, and in fifty minutes, the seized convoy was spotted.

Charley pulled the pickup to the side of the road. The personnel carrier was parked 100 yards away, just off the road, separated from the convoy.

Charley grabbed the night vision binoculars.

“I got five soldiers lazing outside the personnel carrier, mostly on the ground. The others are guarding convoy vehicles.”

“Okay, we got this,” Charley said. “Everyone knows what to do.”

Charlie, with three people, moved to the left side of the encampment, past the personnel carrier, to a point behind the convoy trucks.

Charley took another three to the right and placed themselves about a hundred yards from where the prisoners were and the majority of the soldiers.

Charlie and Charley communicated telepathically, and once in place, Charley gave the command to Kenneth in the pickup.

They activated the truck’s shield, pulled onto the road, and flipped the headlights onto high beam about fifty yards from the personnel carrier.

Kenneth bellowed on a bullhorn, continually commanding the soldiers to lay down their weapons and surrender.

The effect was exactly what Charley hoped. The majority of the soldiers sprinted toward the personnel carrier and opened fire on the pickup, hitting nothing but the shield.

On Charley’s command, the electromagnetic beam zapped the personnel carrier. Weapons were irresistibly drawn to the vehicle.

Charlie and Charley caught the few soldiers guarding the prisoners in shield beams.

The whole process had taken less than two minutes, and the only injury was a soldier who had a knife in his pants and sustained a nasty cut on his upper leg.

With the soldiers disarmed, Annabel and her team began treating those in need and, as quickly as possible, got the injured ready for transport.

Charley had the soldiers herded to the area near the personnel carrier.

With the soldiers watching, the track-mounted shield beam on the pickup raised the big military vehicle in the air.

Charley released the beam, slamming the vehicle to the ground, crushing much of it. He reset the beam, and it materialized directly on the vehicle, with a rending of metal as it deformed the metal.

“We can crush you the same way,” Kenneth snarled at the captured soldiers, “but we will spare you if you promise to obey our orders!” Kenneth strode among the hostage soldiers. “In return, you will be well cared for, not harmed or tortured.”

After Charley’s demonstration with the troop carrier, the uniformed men fearfully agreed, allowing themselves to be zip-tied and loaded into the vehicles.

The convoy headed back to the camp.

As they approached the camp, it was obvious that this many trucks would make more noise than the pickup that had left hours earlier. Even in the dark, they were spotted several hundred yards out by one of the other foxholes, and soldiers rushed towards the convoy. Charlie and others activated their shields, and the small-arms fire had no effect.

Evidently, the main military encampment had been notified. One of the tanks motored over the ridge in the dark, bearing its gun toward the convoy.

Suchet had been waiting for this. He had placed two remote-controlled track-mounted units outside the shield wall. One was a shield generator, and the other was an electromagnetic beam generator.

As soon as the tank appeared, Suchet began maneuvering the units. The shield unit protected the convoy, and the beam unit moved into range of the tank.

Just before the tank fired, Suchet zapped it with the electromagnetic beam. All the electronic gear in the tank went down, the engine died, and the batteries shorted, starting a fire inside.

The crew scrambled for safety. A minute later, rounds began to explode as the fire reached the magazine.

By the time the first round exploded in the tank, the convoy was entering the camp through a lowered section of the shield wall.

The wall re-energized, and the camp had seven trucks of food and twenty more prisoners.

***

Matt and Harry were waiting to greet the group and congratulated all on a very successful venture.

The injured aid workers and drivers were rushed to the medical tents, and the prisoners were put with the other captured soldiers.

They moved the food to the store’s tent. Lots of smiles blossomed on faces as the sun came up.

***

Near noon, Matt called together the Dlrow Wen team, the aid workers, and the Elders. They recognized that, for a while, food shipments were needed, and they could not count on sneaking in or out consistently.

“The most logical idea,” Lenny said, “is to break the blockade and incapacitate the other tanks. If we do that, then the troops will have to withdraw.”

“I think the government will think twice before launching another assault,” Suchet said.

Again, it was Ellie with the coolest suggestion. She, as usual, had been sitting quietly and, during a pause, asked, “Why should we be the ones restrained behind the shield wall?”

Doug laughed. He knew there was more to come. “Okay, gorgeous, what is stewing in that equally beautiful mind of yours?”

Ellie outlined her idea. Like so many of her solutions, it was simple, direct, and solved dozens of issues.

An hour later, they reassigned one of the toolboxes and, using Charley’s topographical maps, programmed a route for the unit. The toolbox would burrow a tunnel to a point near the center of the military encampment and stop it about fifteen feet below ground level. The task would take less than seven hours.

***

At about 11:00 in the evening, a strange thing happened in the military encampment. A relief patrol heading out to a foxhole whomped into an invisible barrier.

The patrol leader scrambled off the ground. The rest of his men gathered themselves from the impact. The last of the troops stood, hands in front pressed against something invisible yet solid.

They fled back to report. Pandemonium broke out, and within an hour, there was total panic inside the military encampment. They were trapped. They were now the captives.

It was quick work for the Dlrow Wen team to capture the remaining foxholes. They now had almost a hundred soldiers' captive inside the camp, and almost a hundred and fifty remained trapped inside the military encampment.

“We must now decide what to do with these men,” Matt said.

“They must decide for themselves what they will do,” Suchet said. “We have the power to make them obey, but we cannot change their hearts.”

“Maybe these men have families and loved ones that they miss,” one of the Elders said. “Maybe if we told them to go home and love their families and do no more hurt, some would accept and change their lives. Others might not, but I think it is right that they must choose.”

“Let’s try,” Matt said.

Kenneth, two of the Elders, and two of the Aid workers went to meet with the captive soldiers.

They seated the soldiers in an area that would later become pastureland. Some of the newer captives were afraid, but most followed the instructions without concern.

Kenneth translated as the Elders took turns speaking.

The message was simple and powerful.

“Though you have been sent to kill us, we want to remind you that you have been treated with respect and dignity,” an elder said. “We have attended to your needs by feeding you and providing medical care. We wish to make it clear that we have no bitterness towards you. We know you are here following others’ orders.”

One of the Aid workers, also a religious scholar, quoted many writings.

“In spite of man’s cruelty, God still cares about every living soul,” he said.

“We offer you choices.” Another aid worker spoke in their language. “You can leave and go back to the life you were leading. You can abandon the army and go home to your families, follow God’s will, and harm no human again. Finally, you can stay here and help us as we build this city and a new place of peace and prosperity in the heart of the desert.”

The soldiers were stunned. No bargains, no promises, just choose what they would do.

“We will wait in the tent, and when you have decided,” Kenneth said, “come, and we will help you find your way.”

With that, the men entered the tent. The soldiers sat quietly for a few minutes.

“I am tired of killing,” one stood, “I will go home.”

He walked to the tent. It was as if a spell had been lifted, and by the dozens, they headed to the tent, lining up, waiting their turn.

To those who chose to go home, they gave them clothes and told them to take off their uniforms. To the elders’ surprise, almost twenty-five wanted to stay and help with the city. They, too, received new clothes.

A group said they were afraid to leave the army, fearing what would happen to their families. They stayed in their uniforms and returned to their tent.

The sixty-five who wished to go home were assembled at the edge of the shield wall. The men were given water, food, and three trucks.

The elders instructed them to stay off the main roads and do as they promised, return to their families, and not harm anyone again.

They were loaded and ready to leave when Ling and Alicia approached. The women’s voices, ‘Go in peace,’ reverberated through the former soldiers’ minds.

Some of the men began to visibly shake. Others sat quietly, trying to understand what they had just experienced. The shield wall was lowered, and the trucks pulled out, soon but a speck in the distance.

“I think it’s time to deal with the main encampment,” Matt said.

Matt, Harry, two of the Elders, two of the Aid workers, and Kenneth took a pickup with three more of the Dlrow Wen crew and proceeded to the outer edge of the shield wall encasing the military encampment.

Their approach was watched, and by the time they arrived, there was a sizable contingent of soldiers on the inside staring out.

There was one man in particular that Matt wanted to see.

He had Kenneth call to the captives on the bullhorn, “We wish to speak to the commander.”

A man stepped forward, “The commander orders you to release us now, or the entire army will descend on this place and destroy you all.”

Matt wasn’t sure how to respond.

It was Suchet back at the command truck that radioed, “Maybe a small demonstration will help.”

Matt smiled, thinking that Suchet had a knack for making his points with demonstrations.

“It will take about thirty minutes,” Suchet said. “I suggest you spend the time devaluing the commander.”

Matt talked with those in his group, and one of the Elders stepped forward to speak.

“Is your commander a coward? He orders you to come and face us while he hides? We have no guns, no tanks, and yet he is afraid of old men!”

The mood inside the shield was changing.

“Was it your choice to come here?” the elder continued, “or did this cowardly commander order you? You are our captives, and we can choose to do with you what we want.”

Arguments erupted within the encampment, and guns were pointed.

Matt realized life was at risk. He rammed words and images into their minds. ‘Any man who kills or harms another man will answer to me!’

Only a few soldiers understood the words, but all captured the anger and image of punishment if they harmed anyone. Submission happened quickly. Many dropped their guns. Some dashed into the camp, and others collapsed to the ground.

In the distance, a new and strange sight appeared over the ridge: a tank. Suspended in the air at an odd angle, Suchet guided the remote track unit with a shield beam. This one, Suchet had captured but not destroyed. The men inside the shield were terrified as it approached.

He brought the tank to a place about fifty feet from Matt’s location.

Suchet said to Matt via radio. “We have placed a personnel shield unit inside the tank. We will decrease the shield diameter until the tank is crushed. There are no munitions to explode. Explain to the soldiers that we can do the same to them.”

Matt considered the psychological impact and radioed Suchet: “Proceed slowly to maximize the effect.”

As the shield formed around the tank, Matt had Kenneth tell the men in the encampment that the same power that held the tank also held them captive.

The soldiers were drawn to watch as the invisible prison about the tank began to contract. First, at the outer edges, the gun barrel, the tracks, and the body of the vehicle began to crumple under the force.

More and more crunched as the collapsing shield shrank the tank until only a Volkswagen-sized lump of metal remained of what once had been a thirty-foot-long, ten-foot-wide symbol of power.

Those inside the military encampment were motionless in shock and filled with fear.

A second unit rolled up to the tank. It was a toolbox, and it started disintegrating the ball of steel. The soldiers’ expressions turned to terror.

Matt had Kenneth instructed them to lay down all their weapons, and that the soldiers and the commander were to assemble in one hour, or the invisible wall around them would start to shrink.

Men rushed away, and in 30 minutes, everyone stood before Matt, including the commander, with his hands and feet tied.

***

While this happened, the toolbox carefully opened the interior of the remains of what had once been a tank, and two of the Dlrow Wen crew recovered the personal shield unit encased in a titanium shell.

Matt smiled at how thorough Suchet had been and how truly effective the demonstration was.

“Stack your weapons against the shield near the tank’s remains.

“Any weapons you try to hide will be exposed,” Kenneth warned. “There will be consequences!”

Matt and his people move back a hundred yards, and an electromagnetic beam set at full power hit the remains of the tank. At the same moment, the shield wall around the military camp dropped. The piled guns and knives began to zip through the air and crash into the tank.

It was clear that a few soldiers had chosen to hide weapons on their persons. They found themselves being dragged toward the magnetized metal.

One tried to pull a handgun, but before he got a good grip, the force ripped it from his hand, taking his trigger finger with it.

In seconds, Matt’s team secured the camp.

Soldiers were ordered to sit, many shaking. The Dlrow Wen team surrounded them with personal shields.

Kenneth divided them into groups of twenty. More of the Dlrow Wen crew had arrived and searched the encampment, looking for soldiers hiding or more weapons. They found a cache of mortars and rockets on the far side of the camp, along with a few loose rifles.

***

Once they cleared the camp of arms, Matt had the soldiers who had decided to stay and help build the city come and talk with the prisoners in the military encampment.

They were given time to explain their reasons, but it mostly came back to their belief that there had been too much killing, and they wanted to be part of something that gave life instead of taking it.

It made a strong impression on many who heard, including Matt and the Aid Workers.

“You will have three choices,” Kenneth said. “These are yours to make, and we will not try to influence you.

“Choice number one is that you wish to remain in the military and continue life as you have. Choice two is that you go home to your family and choose to never harm another person. Choice number three is to join those in the refugee camp and help build a city of peace and prosperity where all can live together.”

Kenneth raised his arm and pointed. “Those who choose number one move to my left,” he said. “Those who choose choice number two stay in the center, and those who wish to become part of a new community of brothers, come and sit behind me.”

They hesitated for a moment, then the men started moving, and within ten minutes, each group had settled.

Matt realized that almost 100 had chosen to go home, and 40 had decided to remain in the military. The remaining fifteen said they wanted to become part of the community.

“We might have a hard time finding enough civilian clothes for those going home and joining the community,” Matt said.

Doug suggested they have the soldiers remove all the insignias and maybe dye the uniforms a different color. One of the Elders said they could find dye.

All those who chose to remain in the military were enclosed inside the encampment by the shield wall, including those who had been held in the refugee camp and the commander.

All others moved into the refugee camp.

The refugees fed them, and the medical staff treated them for any health issues.

Shirts were dyed moss green, and the pants were dyed brown.

The style was still military, but khaki colors were gone.

The next morning, those going home returned to the military encampment and began loading into the transport trucks that had brought them. By noon, they were out of sight.

The remaining men were instructed to strike all the tents and remaining materials, piling them in the center of the camp. They would spend one more night inside the shield.

In the morning, Matt had them load into six trucks. They drove a hundred yards from the camp. Matt had them watch as the remaining military materials transformed into a glossy pillar almost sixty feet high.

‘This is a place of peace.’ Matt spoke to their minds, planting powerful images, ‘None of you were harmed while here, and now we allow you to leave. You may return in peace, but do not come back if you wish these people harm. It will not be permitted.’

Many soldiers promised they would never come back. Some chanted that the place was sacred. After several minutes of chatter, the trucks were waved on their way.

Over the last several days, more dwellings had been built, fields had been seeded, and more underground facilities had come online.

They had been at the camp for eleven days. There were now over sixty dwellings. People had drawn lots to see who moved in. Some tents came down, no longer needed. Many of the refugees slept in underground rooms. The hydroponics farms were planted, and soon, seeds would sprout.

A substantial selection of seed came with the crew, and they worked with the people to plant. Merriam showed how to capture seeds for the next crop. Many knew how to do this, but all needed to understand.

Lenny supervised the assembly of a second hydroponics farm. Four more were planned.

A few of the soldiers who chose to stay had skills and quickly and happily helped string the grow lights underground. They marveled at the spaces and the passageways. One chanted prayers, saying he was part of God’s work.

***

It was the night of November 21; Matt asked for a gathering of all the crew, all the Aid Workers, the medical staff, and the Elders.

“We have accomplished much,” he said, “and yet there is much to do. Sadly, it is time for some of us to leave. The work does not require all of it, and there are other responsibilities to attend to. My thanks to you each and all. You have done miracles.”

He scanned the room, making eye contact with all present, “We need twelve Dlrow Wen volunteers to stay, work, and instruct others. You choose this by your own free will. I will ask you to commit to four months. Then we will relieve you.

“I will tell you that I expect more attacks from the local government. It will still be dangerous, and the threats are very real.” Matt paused and spoke more softly. “If you believe this is where you should be, then stand.”

Charlie and Charley were the first, followed by Lenny and his family. It was continuous until sixteen were on their feet.

Matt smiled, “Sixteen is better than twelve. We thank you for your commitment and sacrifice.”

“You have been faithful and tireless in your efforts to help and sustain these people,” Matt addressed the Aid workers. “We are ashamed that it has taken us so long to come and support you. You are still needed, but if any wish or needs to go, we will gladly take you with us.”

There were three: two who had health issues and one who was emotionally exhausted. The others were ready to stay until their relief crews arrived.

“Your roles will change,” Matt said. “We look to you to become teachers and counselors, to help these people to become self-sufficient. We have started the process, but it is up to the people to embrace and control their destiny.”

He spoke to the medical group, “You also have labored tirelessly with no reward, and I wish to acknowledge our debt of gratitude to each of you for the endless hours of care you have given.”

He smiled at Harry and Annabelle. “Your services are still required, and you also need to become teachers, not just practitioners.”

Finally, he turned to the Elders, “I have seen you act with wisdom, courage, and compassion. I ask you to name this city. We give it to you as a gift of love with the hope that you will always remember that it was founded in desperation and raised to be a symbol to the world that good will triumph over evil and that there is a place for peace in the world.”

“We will be leaving tomorrow evening,” Ling had said, stepping to the front. “Those going will need to be prepared to load on the trucks by four in the afternoon. Say your goodbyes early and be ready. We do not know what to expect but believe we are as prepared as we can be.”

The next morning, the Elders came to Matt and Ling.

“We have chosen a name for our village. It will be called, Well of Hope.”

Matt saluted them on the choice of name and pledged to be their friend.

Senator Coldwell and his family sat with former soldiers, natives, and a translator.

The senator talked about what this experience meant to him. The work in the fields and the people’s response to the opportunity to change their lives had deeply moved the Coldwells.

“I want to take your story back to the United States and share it with all who will listen. You have endured much, and now you have become a beacon of hope to the world.”

All through the day, people packed and made their rounds. The parting was particularly hard for Doug and Ellie to say goodbye to Charley and Charlie.

“Do you realize,” Ellie said, “you will be six months pregnant when we see you again?”

“Yep,” Charlie smiled, “but we have two of the most caring doctors a mother-to-be could ever hope for.”

Matt and Ling made the rounds as well. Ling and Alicia had a special moment alone, sharing the joys and hopes of their hearts.

Ling left with a smile and the knowledge that she had indeed found more than a friend.

***

The trucks were loaded. There were only three: one pickup for a shield and a magnetic beam generator, and two larger trucks carrying the crews and their belongings. They started at 5:00, and after a couple of hours, darkness closed about the convoy.

Staying off the road was slower. Suchet navigated by GPS. They drove through the night, switching drivers regularly and refueling as needed. The drivers used night-vision goggles but lacked radar to detect movement beyond visual range. All the other hardware remained at Well of Hope.

***

Dawn had crept into the sky when someone noted dust behind them.

Doug and Ellie were in the rear truck and confirmed that more than one vehicle chased them.

They were an hour from the border, and Matt recognized they would be overtaken in 15 to 20 minutes. The Shield generator could easily cover the entire convoy, but Matt didn’t want these unwanted guests to follow them or report their location to others.

He had the pickup accelerate ahead. Matt radioed Doug and Ellie to stop the pickup, find cover, get off, go to opposite sides of the road with their shields, then have the truck go another hundred yards, stop, and raise the hood.

Four minutes later, Doug replied that they had found a spot and moved into position.

A minute later, the two big trucks passed Doug and Ellie’s position. They pulled past the stopped pickup and came to a halt.

The oncoming vehicles quickly closed the gap. Ellie was the first to identify them: two jeeps, each with machine guns mounted, and four soldiers per jeep.

The jeeps slowed as they approached Doug and Ellie’s position. They had turned the pickup sideways, so the raised hood was clearly visible. The directional shield was up at a very short range of forty feet. The two jeeps pulled side by side, and Doug saw the gunners loading ammo belts into the weapons.

“Okay, boss, what do we do?” Doug radioed Matt.

“Sit tight,” Matt said, “I want to see if they open fire or not.”

Doug and Ellie stayed out of sight and waited.

A loud voice from one of the jeeps yelled. “Surrender, or you will be shot!”

“We are an unarmed medical group leaving the country,” Matt shouted back. “We will not surrender. Leave us alone.”

Machineguns blazed. Rounds poured into the shield.

Matt figured they couldn’t tell their bullets weren’t reaching their targets. Almost a minute passed. One machine gun was out of bullets, then the other.

The soldiers scrambled to reload the guns. Matt dropped the shield and told Suchet to fire the electromagnetic beam. It zapped one of the jeeps.

The shields went back up. The two Jeeps started sliding together. Guns and anything ferrous on the soldiers snapped to the steel of the vehicles. Two soldiers jumped to run away on Ellie’s side. She nailed them with her shield.

The other soldiers wrestled to free themselves from the things that held them to the jeeps. Doug closed and zapped the side of the jeep hard with his shield beam. The pickup backed towards the jeeps. In a matter of seconds, the two military vehicles were trapped in the outer folds of the main shield beam.

Ellie picked up the two soldiers who had tried to run and dangled them where the others could see them.

“Obey our commands!” Matt ordered. “Do not force us to harm you!”

Ellie dropped her soldiers to the ground, and Matt withdrew the main beam, ordering the remaining soldiers out of the jeeps.

Matt and three team members checked the soldiers for weapons and found none.

Everyone relaxed a bit after all the soldiers’ weapons were secured. That was when one of the Dlrow Wen crew got careless. A soldier seized him about the throat, screaming he would break the man’s neck if they didn’t give him a gun and a jeep.

Doug snagged the remaining troops in his beam.

Ling stalked forward, face set hard, eyes narrowed, stopping five feet from the man.

‘Release him, or I will make your brain explode, you fool!’ She blasted the thought and very unpleasant images directly into the man’s mind.

The soldier crumpled to the ground, gripping his head with his hands. His rounded eyes stared at the woman in disbelief.

The Dlrow Wen team member sprinted to safety.

Ling raised her finger and pointed at the soldier to join his mates. Trembling and weeping, the man crawled on all fours to where the other soldiers huddled next to one of the ravaged jeeps.

“Go home,” Matt said. “Never harm anyone ever again.”

The Dlrow Wen team boarded the trucks and drove away, leaving the soldiers.