"Right, Pop. I'm gone." She kissed him on the cheek and ran yelling for her teams to link up.

Ben turned to Corrie. "We've got to punch through and establish a toehold, Corrie. Order main battle tanks in and have them b.u.t.toned up tight.

I'll use the outside phone."

When the tanks lumbered into position, Ben ran to the side of one and opened the phone box. "Lower your muzzles and blow me a hole through this c.r.a.p," heordered. "Then form a protective line for us to follow. Use HE."

Half a dozen of the steel monsters lined up, lowered the muzzles of their main cannon, and blew a hole large enough for an aircraft carrier to move through.

The tanks moved forward, the Rebels following.

The creepies, hoping to swing around and trap Ben, did exactly what Ben wanted them to do.

They swung around and closed off the rear comor thought they did.

"Order the LAV'S and Dusters up," Ben said to Corrie. "A and C Companies face the rear, B and D to the front."

The Rebel companies swung around and caught the creepies in a box. The LAV Piranhas and Dusters pulled out from hiding and went to work. Heavy cannon fire caught the creepies by surprise as Rebels poured out of the LAV'S and added automatic-weapons fire to the carnage. When the creepies tried to retreat to the north, they ran into Ben and his rear-facing Rebels.

The Rebels then turned the littered streets into a slaughterhouse.

Over the rattle and boom of battle, Corrie said, "Tina met heavy resistance in the college complex. She punched through and is almost to the Interstate."

"Okay. We've got a toehold. Dan?"

"Colonel Gray is on Highway 92 and is driving hard toward the Pacific."

"Tell him once there to push on up to Moss Point and secure Half Moon Bay airport so we can resupply him at that location. We've got to secure the San Carlos airport, and we've got to do it by tonight. Tell all units to start laying incendiary charges in the buildings behind us.

Torch it all down but leave us a rathole in and out. Then get me Ike."

Corrie gave the orders, then handed the mike to Ben.

"Ike here."

"What's your twenty, Ike?"

"Sittin' on the north side of the Golden Gate."

"Can you cross it?"

"That's ten-fifty, Eagle. The creeps have it all wired to blow."

"Just as we thought. They're so single-minded they don't realize that by doing that, they're trapping themselves. Stand by, Ike. Corrie, get me Cecil."

"On the horn, General."

"How's your bridge looking, Cec?"

"Heavily mined."

General Striganov reported. "No way across, Ben. It doesn't leave us many options, does it?"

"No. I'm afraid it doesn't, Georgi.

Stand by."With the rattle of gunfire, the crackle of flames, and the thunder of artillery in the background, Ben muttered, "One of the greatest tributes to engineering ever built."

"Sir?" Corrie asked.

"The Golden Gate Bridge, Corrie.

We'll not see the likes of it again in our lifetime.

Get me Ike, please."

"You don't want to do this, do you, General?"

Corrie asked.

"No, I don't, Corrie."

"General Ike on the horn, sir."

"Ike, blow the bridge. Cecil, Georgi, blow them. Cut the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds off, then swing around and link up with me."

"That's ten-four, General," the commanders reported in, none of them liking the decision anymore than the man who gave the orders.

The sh.e.l.ling began almost immediately. The exploding rounds activated the charges placed by the Believers. The charges blew, rocking the morning with destructive thunder. Huge spans of the bridges shattered, breaking off, then slowly dropping into the Bay, sending wild geysers of water high into the air.

"Get me a report from Tina, Corrie."

"She's in position, sir. Blocking the Interstate at Woodside Road."

"Did she report finding anything of value left at Stanford University?"

"Negative, sir. The place had been virtually destroyed. Indications are that all the books were burned."

Ben shook his head in disgust. "Naturally. The first to go are the intellectuals, then the books. Control the minds, and you control the ma.s.ses. Corrie, tell Georgi and his people to pour on the coals and get in behind us here. When he gets into position, have him spread his people out from 101 to 280, and then give the orders for this command to move out. We've got to take the airport at San Carlos."

Ike intercepted the orders and was on the horn immediately. "G.o.dd.a.m.nit, Ben!" he yelled. "If Georgi and West get in a bind, you and your people could be trapped over there."

"Possibly. But not for long," Ben radioed back. "You and Cec burn it all, Ike. Start your push south and search and destroy.

Anything left, the ... bombers," he said with a smile, "can napalm it."

"That's ten-four, Ben," Ike radioed. He didn't like it, and Ben knew it, but Ike would do it.

"We've hit heavy resistance, Ben!" the Russian called in. "For your safety, you must hold what you have until we can punch through and get in behind you."

"That's ten-fifty, Georgi. We've got to have the airport under our control and the runways cleared by late this afternoon. I'll see you when you get here."

Grinning, Ben tossed the mike back to Corriebefore Georgi could start roaring like a bear with a thorn in its paw. He turned to Cooper. "Get the wagon up here, Coop. Fall in behind the tanks. Grab your equipment, Corrie. Let's go."

The Rebels stayed between Baysh.o.r.e Freeway and the Junipero Sierra Freeway and slugged it out with the creepies. The creeps had them heavily outnumbered, but the Rebels had far superior firepower. Ben's people advanced, very slowly, fighting for every foot of ground gained.

Across the Bay, huge columns of smoke began pouring into the air as Ike and Cecil pushed south, burning everything in their path. The Rebels had the search-and-destroy tactics down to perfection, using incendiary charges their lab people had devised that threw white phosphorus and napalm upon exploding. Four charges, separated and placed two inside and two outside, would effectively burn a city block. For added insurance, the prop-driven bombers and fighters came in right on the Rebels'

heels, dropping their payloads of napalm, adding more smoke and fire to the inferno that sent plumes of smoke reaching toward the skies.

General Georgi Striganov split his command, taking his personal battalion first west, then turning north and cutting up under Ben, leaving the troops of the Russian Rebet and the French-Canadian Danjou spread out west to east, to block any escape from the creepies trying to flee the flames. As the first of Cecil's troops reached Rebet and Danjou's position, they swung west and once more joined Striganov, beefing up the general's forces.

Dan and his people had reached the Half Moon Bay airport and were hanging on while Tina sent two squads over to Highway 35, blocking that final southern escape route for the creeps.

Ben radioed his daughter. "How's it going, kid?"

"We're hanging on by our fingernails, Pop," she told him. "But for a while it was touch and go. The creeps have been coming at us in human waves. Or subhuman waves," she amended. "I think we're firm now."

"Hang tough, kid," Ben told her. "I've ordered West and his people to push to your location with battle tanks spearheading. He'll split his people and send half over to beef up Dan. Can you hold for an hour tops?"

"That's ten-four, Dad. Can do."

Ben knew the mercenary, West, was in love with Tina, and she with him. Colonel West would be brutal in his advance to get to Tina. The westernmost positions of the Rebels would be secure in an hour.

Ben radioed Ike and Cecil. "We're in pretty good shape here, boys, and getting better.

So slow your advance and do the job right the first time. I want everything from Oakland to San Jose put to the torch." He paused for a few seconds, then lifted the mike, sealing the fate of the creepies and anyone closely aligned with them. "Noprisoners."

Cecil halted his forces, stretching them out west to east from Alameda to the Warren Freeway, and waited for Ike to join him. He radioed the pilots and told them to take a break until Ike linked up with him and the drive south could be resumed.

Ben halted his drive north and told his tired Rebels to grab a few minutes rest until everyone could get in place. He knew that would give the creeps a chance to regroup also, but his people were weary and needed a break.

Linda came to him carrying two mugs of coffee.

Ben accepted one with thanks and took a sip of the hot brew. He looked at the woman. Her face was grimy from the smoke and sweat of battle, but she was hanging in. That was all Ben could ask and expect of anyone.

She looked across the strip of street that had, for the moment, become the unofficial no-man's-land, and was surprised when Ben said, "It won't take long for the wildlife to return to this area."

She cut her eyes to him.

"Wildlife?"

"Oh, yes, Linda. This entire region is a very important feeding and nesting area for migratory birds on the Pacific fly way.

Once we're out of here, their numbers will increase -I hope."

She shook her head and smiled. "Ben." She used his first name for the first time comand that did not escape Ben comz she pointed across the wide area littered with the broken and b.l.o.o.d.y bodies of stinking creepies.

"There are only G.o.d knows how many Believers north of us in that city. And you're thinking about wildlife?"

Ben sipped his coffee and smiled, amus.e.m.e.nt in his eyes. "Oh, you'll get used to me, Linda. In each state we reclaim, I set aside several areas for the wildlife to run free comz G.o.d intended them to do. A place for wolves and panthers and mountain lions and bears and other predators to once more take their place in G.o.d's way of balancing herd populations -- his A burst of gunfire from the creepie side of the street broke into their conversation. A Rebel tank clanked around, lowered its cannon, and put an end to the gunfire. A creepie staggered out of the rubble and a Rebel cut him down with one shot.

"Then you're opposed to hunting?" Linda asked, after a sip of coffee.

"Oh, no. Not at all. Never have been.

Back before the war, in many instances, it was necessary to keep the animals from starving to death. But now, with the human population cut by probably sixty percent, sport hunting is no longer necessary. Hunting for food is another matter entirely." He looked up and lifted a walkie-talkie. "Creeps setting up on the roof of that building ten o'clock from my position in front of the bank building. Blow the top off that building, please."Linda could not help but notice that he gave the orders with about as much emotion as she'd once used in ordering a hamburger at a fast food restaurant.

Four main battle tanks lifted the muzzles of their cannon and the entire top of the building was blown away. Mangled bodies of creepies were tossed into the air and fell spinning to the street below.

"General?" Corrie said, moving to his side.

"Colonel West has reached Tina's position."

Ben checked his watch and smiled. "d.a.m.n! He must have grown wings and flown over there. Ain't love grand? All right, Corrie, tell the troops ten more minutes and then we b.u.t.t heads again."

Thermopolis walked up, after darting and dodging his way through the unprotected areas of the street.

The aging hippie did not like all the killing, but despite his bandana, now covered by a helmet, and his colorful clothing, now replaced by battle dress, and his penchant for arguing with a stump, he knew that if peace were ever to once more reign over this land, thus enabling him to take his followers back to the commune, the common enemy must be destroyed. Therm and his group, now battle-tested, had proven to be fine soldiers.

"Rosebud is taking care of Smoot and Chester,"

Therm said, referring to his wife and to Ben's husky and Dan's mutt. "I pulled my bunch up close. They're grouped on both sides of the street directly behind this position."

"Good," Ben said. "As soon as the tanks have loaded up full we'll take another block.

You've learned tactics quickly, Therm. You'll make a fine commander."

"That'll be the d.a.m.n day," the hippie said promptly.

Ben smiled.

"Everyone reporting in position, sir," Corrie said, after acknowledging the radio calls.

Ben looked at his watch. "Five more minutes.

Corrie, check on Dan, please."

"More tanks just busted through to his position, sir. The airport is secure."

"Good. Tell the transport pilots to warm their engines and get ready to resupply him. Advise Dan they are now under his orders and to take it from this point."

"Yes, sir."

The transport planes would fly first south, then cut west around the fighting, and once over the Pacific, would turn northeast before making their final approach to the small airport.

All major arteries out of the city of San Francisco were now blocked by the Rebels. The creepies could use the sea to escape, but Ben, knowing how shortsighted they were, doubted if the leaders of the Night People had worked up any plans for that eventuality.

There were no bridges left connecting San Francisco to the mainland. To the north and east of thecity, flames and smoke faced the creepies. To the south, Ben Raines and his Rebels were ma.s.sing.