The reply was prompt and courteous. The Mexicans had things under control in most areas and they would be more than happy to a.s.sist General Raines in any manner possible.

"Tell them I wish them much success and I will be in touch shortly," Ben said. He smiled. "Well,now, that's one nation we don't have to worry about."

"How does it feel to be so big a part of history, Ben?" Linda asked.

Ben glanced at her, a startled look in his eyes.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Georgi Striganov and the Canadians have adopted your method of law enforcement and justice.

Now the people of Mexico have done the same. Your plans are to span the globe. You're a part of history, Ben."

Ben grimaced. "Just don't start putting up any statues yet," he said sourly.

"Why get so grumpy about it, Ben? It's your concept."

"It isn't my concept, Linda. It's been the concept of free-thinking men and women for years. The G.o.dd.a.m.n lawyers and civil rights groups-and I'm not talking about racial issues here comscrewed it all up for the majority of people. A very small power-hungry minority of people at the federal level ran the lives of millions."

"And in the end, you won't be doing the same, Ben?"

she asked softly.

"Me? h.e.l.l, no! You still haven't grasped the big picture, have you, Linda? There will be a small bureaucracy in our government; that's almost unavoidable. But it will be kept small. There will be police and deputies, but the chiefs and sheriffs won't be elected in some popularity contest, they'll be appointed on the basis of their ability to do the job. And they won't have much to do. Look, the Rebel way is this: If a person puts a fence around their property, and posts No Trespa.s.sing signs, that person is telling everybody to stay the h.e.l.l off and out. And it doesn't make any difference if the gates are open or closed.

You walk on that property and get hurt, that's your problem. Somebody sticks a gun or a knife in another person's face and gets killed, the case is closed after a very brief investigation. The Rebel concept is based on common sense and d.a.m.n few rules. That's why so many people can't live under our system. It's too simple for them. They just seem unable to grasp the fact that Big Brother is, for the most part, out of their lives."

"But the children ..."

Ben waved her silent. "Unlike the system of old, Linda, children are taught from kindergarten on that rules are made to be obeyed, not broken. It sounds very totalitarian, but it really isn't. Our system is built on respect for the other person.

It's taught in our schools. We don't teach rumor or myth, we teach solid fact. If it can't be proved, we don't teach it. We neither teach the Big Bang theory nor Creationism. That's something we leave up to the parents. Ignorant people just can't make it in theRebel system, neither can pompous, arrogant people. Trouble-makers and bullies don't last very long. We have a few basic laws; everything else is decided by town meeting. That's because what is good for an outpost in New Mexico might not be so good for an outpost in upstate New York.

It's a simple society, Linda. And the great thing about it is that it works."

"But not for everybody, Ben."

"That's certainly true. Small-minded and petty people can't make it in this society. People who won't respect the rights of others can't make it. People who delight in spreading vicious gossip have a tough time. People who like to belittle others don't last long."

"But what happens to those people, Ben?" "We don't care what happens to them, Linda. We don't have time to try to reeducate them. Maybe later, but not now. Ours is not a perfect system, far from it. And it will moderate in the severity of punishment as the years go by and our educational system discharges more and more graduates of our system. Schooled from kindergarten through high school and college to respect others, the land, and the animals that live on it."

"Some might call that brainwashing, Ben." "Some already have, and it is to a degree. But if respecting the rights of other law-abiding citizens, being good caretakers of the land, and seeing to it that entire species of animals are not wiped out due to man's greed and ignorance is brainwashing, I'll accept that accusation."

Linda smiled at him. "You know something, Ben, you missed your calling."

"Oh?"

"You'd have made a dandy politician!"

The entire camp was yelling and cheering and making bets as Ben chased her around the bivouac area, hollering how dare she call him a G.o.dd.a.m.ned politician!

But as the saying goes, he chased her until she caught him.

Ike, Therm, Cecil, Georgi, West, and their forces continued to hammer at the street punks and the Believers in the Los Angeles area. Each day dawned with new ground gained. Two blocks one day, four blocks another, one block the next; but always an advance, with the Rebels blowing up and burning everything in their path as they fought on.

The Rebels under Ben's command stayed in Blythe for several days, cleaning up that area of the town that had not been destroyed by artillery, and clearing the small airport. Survivors were flown in from months of rehabilitation and reorientation at Base Camp One. The men and women and kids were a far cry from what they had been when the Rebels rescued them from various outlaw and warlord strongholds around the nation. They were now a fit and healthy and determined bunch. Never again would they allow thugs and punks and outlaws to overwhelm them.

"It's your town," Ben told them. "Your area of control. Good luck."The town leader was running up the flag of the Rebels as the column rolled out the next morning, heading for Yuma.

In Yuma, Texas Jim and Banniger had rallied their men. But it wasn't for a fight. Not yet.

"We got to beat the Rebels," Banniger said.

"We got to stop them. But we can't do it here. Them Rebels over in Los Angeles is kickin' some a.s.s, boy."

"We can't do it here, we can't do it nowhere" Texas Jim said dejectedly. "We been beat. We just got no place else to go. Banniger, I was talkin' to an ol' boy on the short-wave the other night. Bubba had about two hundred and fifty men in his gang. They was rollin' through Georgia, havin' their way and samplin' Southern p.u.s.s.y. They was about fifty, sixty miles south of what's left of Atlanta when they come up on this real pretty little town, all neat with lots of gardens and stuff like that. Folks livin' clean and dressin' fine and all that. Bubba and his boys rolled into town and before anyone of them could blink, they had the s.h.i.t shot out of them. Bubba's got fourteen men left in his gang. It was one of them Rebel outposts they hit. Them townspeople jerked up the wounded and them that surrendered, had a trial - that day - and hanged "em. Just like that, Banniger. They didn't even blink doin" it. Bubba said they buried them in a ma.s.s grave, unmarked."

"Say all that's on your mind, Texas."

"The day of the outlaw is over, Banniger. We got no place left to run. Raines is killin'

anyone who don't kowtow to his rules. It's over."

Banniger was a bit smarter than Texas Jim, and he knew that Raines was not killing anyone who disagreed with the Rebel philosophy. Raines was simply withholding Rebel aid to anyone who did not come under the hard and narrow umbrella of Rebel thinking. That wasn't anything new; that was just good politics. But Texas Jim was correct in part of his thinking. The day of the outlaw was over in the lower forty-eight. Banniger had been closely monitoring the Rebel movement for over a year.

He had good short-wave equipment and had charted the Rebel course whenever they did not talk on scramble.

Banniger knew all about Lan Villar and Ashley and Khamsin and Kenny Parr. And he had him a pretty good idea where those ol' boys were heading, and it was Alaska. He'd bet his life on it, and was about to do just that.

"All right, Texas," Banniger said. "What do you think we should do?"

"Run," the outlaw said. "Gather up what is ourn and git the h.e.l.l gone from here."

"And go where?""I ain't got no idea, Banniger."

"I do."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Raines didn't let you and your boys leave without a reason, or hadn't you thought about that?"

"I thought about it. I don't know why he done it."

"He's herding us, Texas. Or so he thinks."

"Herdin' us where?"

"West. You notice that he's in no hurry?"

"Yeah, I did. So?"

"This is so. Raines is givin' his main army time to clean out the Los Angeles area. Then punks up there ain't got but one direction to go, south. Now if the street punks and them gawdawful cannibals is bein' pushed south, and we allow ourselves to be pushed west, where is that gonna put us, Jim?"

Texas Jim had to ruminate on that for a couple of minutes. Get his directions all straightened out in his mind. He frowned and chewed at a dirty thumbnail and finally said, "In a d.a.m.n box, I reckon."

"That's right. With the Mexican forces south of us, sealin' off the border like they been doin," and the Rebels north and east of us, if we allow ourselves to be herded, where would that leave us?"

Texas Jim sighed heavily. "Drown-ed in the d.a.m.n ocean," he said glumly.

"That's right. And I ain't got no desire to become shark bait. Do you?"

"h.e.l.l no! But where does that leave us to go?"

"Alaska."

"Alaska!

Jesus Christ, man. It's cold up there.

We'll freeze our a.s.ses off."

"Would you rather have your a.s.s shot off by a Rebel bullet?"

"Puttin" it that away, no. You ever et blubber, Banniger?"

"Can't say as I have."

"Me neither. But I seen pitchers of it. It didn't do nothin' for my appet.i.te."

"If Ben Raines gets hold of you, you gonna lose your appet.i.te forever."

"That there's a pure fact. We beside' take some women with us, Banniger. There ain't no women up there neither."

Banniger laughed at him. "Get your boys together, Texas. We're pullin' out."

"When?"

"Right now, partner, right now."

Some very weary-looking and badly used men and women met the Scouts at a small town just a few miles north of the Arizona line. The Scouts radioed back to the main column and waited for Ben.

"Texas Jim joined Banniger and they pulled out several hours ago," a man told Ben. "We've been slaves here for a couple of years. Some of the peoplehere for longer than that. We were sure that we'd be killed, but Banniger just turned us loose. He said that he didn't need any more marks against him in General Raines's tally book."

"He headed east on the Interstate, General," a woman said. "But we found this in his headquarters."

She held out a well-worn map.

Ben took it and carefully unfolded it. A map of Alaska. He studied the neat handwriting on the map edges. Ben leaned up against a fender and slowly nodded his head. "It makes sense," he said, handing the map to Buddy.

Buddy glanced at the writing and grunted. "Now we know where Villar and Khamsin and the others are heading."

"If we can believe the writing on the map, yes.

And it's probably true. Banniger was in such a hurry to pull out, he forgot about this map. Well, they don't have anyplace left to go in the lower forty-eight, unless they wanted to link up with Sister Voleta."

Buddy shook his head. "I can't imagine they would want do to that."

"Neither can I. They're thugs and outlaws, not crazy. All right, so now we know what is waiting for us in Northstar." He looked at the ragged and physically abused group of men and women.

"What is left of Yuma?"

"It's intact, General. It's dirty and trashed but still standing."

"Could you people make a go of it if we resupplied you and got you all set up?"

"We would give it our best, General. But I can guarantee you this. You arm us, and no bunch of thugs and punks will ever again overrun us."

Ben chuckled. He'd heard this story many times before.

And he knew the answer to his question. "So you people were all pacifists after the Great War, eh?"

The man's smile, and the smiles of those around him, held no humor. "We tried extending the hand of peace and friendship to any who came our way. It looks real good on paper. In practice it was a royal f.u.c.k-up!"

Ben laughed and patted the man on the shoulder. "Come on. We'll get you all fed and outfitted and have the medics give you all a good exam. I think you folks are going to fit right in."

Ben and his contingent of Rebels stayed in Yuma for four days, while the medics checked over the newly freed people and determined who needed what in the way of medicines. Many of the ex-prisoners were in bad shape, both mentally and physically; those would be sent back to Base Camp One for hospitalization. The Rebels cleaned up the small airport and got a runway in shape.

Ben made no effort to chase after Banniger and Texas Jim. He knew, or at least had a pretty good idea, where they were going, and he would deal with them later.

Ben wanted to clear the lower forty-eight of as much human crud as possible before he started giving alot of thought and planning to Alaska and beyond. Sister Voleta and her Ninth Order took up some of Ben's mental time. The woman had a way of pulling thugs and perverts and deviants to her like metal shavings to a magnet. Ben decided that would be work for the battalions he left behind.

Buddy and his Rat Team, working with Dan's Scouts, had gone out and brought back valuable information concerning the enemy that lay to the west.

"Corrie," Ben said, after listening to his sons report, "see if you can patch me through to the HQ of the Mexican army."

"No problem," she told him. "I have their operating frequencies." It did not take her long. "A General Payon waiting, sir."

"General Payon, General Raines here. I congratulate you on restoring order in your country and look forward to working with you."

"Thank you, General Raines. We are moving along swiftly. As you have been. We will both succeed with a little bit of luck and many smiles from G.o.d. And now, sir, how may I be of a.s.sistance to you?"

When Ben finished, General Payon chuckled. "It is truly a fine plan, sir. A fine plan.

And you have our full cooperation, of course. I will begin moving troops into place immediately."

Ben smiled as he handed the mike to Corrie.

"Now, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds," he muttered. "Let's see you get out of this box!"