"Because you and the Rebels are godless, that's why. According to Simon, the SUSA is nothing more than a huge den of sin. If the United States is ever to be whole and moral and God-fearing, the SUSA must be destroyed."

"I'm sure he's telling his followers and faithful that God told him all that."

188.

"Right. The man has visions where he actually talks with God."

"I seem to remember that another fellow, Jethro Jim Bob Musseldine, had similar visions."

"Jethro didn't have 20 million or so followers, Ben, all ready to do battle with the Great Satan."

"The great satan being me?"

"Exacdy."

"And he's found 20 million Americans who actually believe that crap?"

"At least in part, Ben. Simon has provided diem with hope. He's done some good things; we have to admit that. He's got some very smart people with him. They've rebuilt towns and communities and churches, got die sewer and water and lights working, raised crops, and gave the people a sense of worth."

"I'll grant you that, and did a good job of it. But add that we didn'tinterfere with him doing diat."

"But we did aid die men and women in die hills and mountains who are fighting him, and Simon knows we did, and knows diat we still are."

"He's guessing."

Mike shook his head. "No, Ben. The man has a pretty good intelligence network. Not yet as good as ours, and never will have because of his lack of satellites, but they're pretty damn good. I won't sell diem short."

Corrie came running into die room, waving a piece of paper.' 'Boss! This just in from Cecil. Dozens of kids, maybe hundreds, diey don't have an accurate count yet, were taken to area hospitals all over die SUSA. But mosdy confined to Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Someone laced die schools' water supply widi some sort of mind-altering drug. Similar to LSD, but widi much more horrible results. A dozen or more teachers are down as well."

189.

Ben's face turned as hard as stone and his eyes became as flint. "Go on," he muttered darkly.

"Our people killed one man early this morning close to a school when he refused to stop at their command," Corrie read from the communique.

"They're running both prints and DNA now."

Mike stood up. "I'm outta here. I'll bump you from Base Camp One."

Ben nodded, not trusting his voice to speak.

"Cecil says he'll contact you as soon as they know more," Corrie finished it.

Ben cleared his throat. Stood up and walked around the room for a moment. His team had gathered near the door, standing silently. "Down through the years people have done just about everything in the book in an attempt to stop us," Ben spoke, his words low and holding menace.

"But to attack children is just about as vile as an enemy can get"

"Simon Border, boss?" Cooper asked.

"I don't know, Coop. But you can bet I'm going to find out."

"Might be Ray Brown, boss," Jersey said. "We know he got out of the ruins of Manhattan. And we damn sure know he hates you."

"That was my first thought, Jersey. I believe I read in his dossier that Ray was in trouble for manufacturing drugs just before the Great War, right?"

"Yes, sir. Among other things. I think he was still in the army when the drug thing came up."

"Pull in 7 and 10 Batts to relieve us here. Order all the rest of our people to stand by to pull out-"

"This might interest you, Father," Buddy said, walking into the room holding a newspaper."Is that Simon Border's publication?" Ben asked.

"Yes, sir. A front page article. It claims we are brain- 190.

washing children in the SUSA and by the time they are six or seven years old, they are beyond rehabilitation. It further states that since nits grow into lice, people of all ages living within the borders of the SUSA should be considered the enemy. There is more, but you get the general idea."

"I sure do, son. I think we are going to find that Simon has elected to shake hands with the devil in order to try to defeat us-the devil being the punks that escaped from the East. Corrie, as soon as my suspicions are confirmed, order full-scale preparations for all-out war against Simon Border. Simon doesn't realize it, but he just opened Pandora's Box."

191.

Ben stayed with his 1 Batt and waited for further word about the events taking place in the SUSA. It was not long in coming.

"Two of the teachers died, Ben," Cecil told him. "Looks like the kids are going to make it, but the psychiatrists can only guess what's going to happen further on down the road."

"Anything on the man killed by the school?"

"He's been positively ID'd as being part of Ray Brown's gang. And everything is pointing toward Simon Border allowing the gangs to come in and operate in his claimed territory, just as long as they leave his people alone."

"That sorry son-of-a-bitch!"

Cecil said nothing. He waited for Ben to finish venting his spleen. And that took awhile, for Ben cussed Simon Border loud and long.

"Close the borders," Ben finally calmed down enough to say. "Seal them tight. Double the patrols. Place your 192.

battalions on middle alert. I'm on my way. I'll probably cut west through Arkansas and enter Simon's territory that way."

"You're sure this is what you want to do, Ben?"

"I'm sure it's the only thing that Simon will understand, Cec. Anybody who deliberately makes war on children is too low to live."

"Well, you'll get no argument from me on that. All right, Ben. Give me a progress report from time to time."

"You know I will, Cec. Eagle out." He turned to Corrie. "Mount 'em up, Corrie. We're out of here."

When the initial battalions that were to cross over into Simon Border'sterritory linked up a few days later, it was an awesome sight. There were five over-strength battalions: Ben's 1 Batt, Dan's 3 Batt, Buddy's 8 Batt, Jackie Malone's 12 Batt, and Jim Peters's 14 Batt. The column seemed to stretch out endlessly. People heard the rumbling long before the trucks and Hummers and tanks and self-propelled and towed artillery came into view. They gathered alongside the old highways to watch them pass, waving at the Rebels.

Ben kept to the old interstate system as much as possible, but even with that, the going was slow, for the highways were in terrible shape.

The Rebels experienced no trouble on the way southwest. "This has to be the longest stretch of inaction in our history," Ben said.

"Boring," Jersey replied.

"It won't be once we cross over into Simon's territory," Ben warned.

"Suits me, boss."

Ben was under no illusions about the consequences of crossing over into Simon Border's claimed territory. The 193.

man had built a powerful army that not only was well-equipped but highly motivated. And Ben had spent more than a few sleepless hours weighing his decision to invade Simon's territory.

Simon would deny any connection with the deaths of the teachers and the mind-crippling of the kids, and he would be very convincing about it. He would paint the Rebels as the aggressors and any American citizen who disliked the Tri-States philosophy would be more than ready and willing to believe him. Cecil didn't have to bring that to Ben's attention; Ben was already well aware of it.

"Any word from Mike?" Ben asked Corrie, as the long column moved through the countryside.

"Not a peep, boss. Not from Mike, nor from any of his people in the field."

"Nothing from any of the resistance fighters in the mountains?"

"Nothing."

There were dozens of small groups scattered throughout Simon's territory who were violently opposed to Simon's off-the-wall ultra-religious rule.

The Rebels supplied them as best they could, but since the guerrilla fighters were constantly on the move, it was hard to know exactly where they were from week to week. They managed to keep some of Simon's forces busy, but it was more like a man swatting at a pesky mosquito.

If the column made 200 miles a day, they considered that excellent time, for most of the time the roads were so bad, they were lucky to average 20 miles an hour. Equipment breakdowns occurred frequently.

Mike Richards radioed in on the Rebels' seventh day on the road. "The punks are in the Southwest, Ben. Running west from the Texas-New Mexico border over to the ruins of L.A., and then north up to the Utah-Colorado line. They're pretty well all over Nevada and in the California194 deserts. Mainly located in the ruins of small deserted towns where there is water."

"They have drug factories going?"

"Affirmative, Ben. All sorts of drugs. I captured one gang member. After a few minutes, he was more than willing to spill his guts ..."

Ben didn't ask how Mike had accomplished that; he really didn't want to know.

"They've worked out some sort of deal with gangs from Mexico, Central America, and South America. They trade women for materials-among other items. Blondes seem to be the favorite this month."

"Slavers." Ben spat the word. "Goddamn dopers dealing with goddamn slavers!"

Mike said nothing. He knew how Ben despised both.

"We can't cover the whole border with troops," Ben said, after catching his breath. "That's several thousand miles."

"Wouldn't do any good, Ben. They're flying the junk in and flying the women out."

"But we can damn sure put our fighter pilots to work, though, can't we?"

"As long as they get them coming in and not going out," Mike warned.

"I'll make sure they understand that. What else can you tell me, Mike?"

"Simon is behind it all. I've got that nailed down tight and for a fact.

He's going to deny it until hell freezes over, but everything Ray Brown and the others are doing is with Simon's approval. The women Ray and the others are swapping for the raw materials to make the drugs are not, according to Simon, 'Christian women.' They are, again inhiswords, 'the devil's harlots,' and beyond redemption."

"That's very Christian of the sanctimonious son-of-a-bitch," Ben said, his words leaking acid.

195.

195.

Mike burst out laughing at both Ben's words and tone. "Sorry, Ben. But I needed that."

Ben smiled, some of his rage simmering down. "It looks like we'll be wintering in the desert, Mike."

"Beats wintering in Maine, Ben. See ya." Mike broke the connection.

Ben spoke with Cecil, bringing him up to date. He then bumped Thermopolis down at Base Camp One and told him to get his 19 Batt up and equipped for the field ... again. Therm, the aging hippie-turned-warrior, and his wife, Rosebud, ran the headquartersbattalion, seeing to the resupplying of the entire Rebel Army, logistics, food, everything from panties to ammunition, and the thousand and one other details involved in keeping thousands of troops on the go and ready.

"Emil Hite has attached himself to me, Ben," Therm warned. "What do you want me to do about him?"

"What does Rosebud have to say about it?" Ben asked, doing his best to keep from chuckling.

"Well, let's put it this way-the little con artist has promised to behave himself and Rosebud has agreed to give him one more chance."

"He is amusing to have around, Therm."

"You want him?"

"I didn't say that," Ben was quick to add. "No ... I think he'll probably be an asset to your battalion. You keep him."

"That's very big of you."

' 'I always try to look after the needs of my people, Therm. See you in a couple of weeks."

Therm mumbled something and broke the connection.

Emil Hite had joined Ben's Rebels a few years back, promising to renounce his days as a con artist-something no one believed. The little man was a great big pain in the ass, but when the chips were down, he and his band 196.

of followers had proved themselves in combat time after time.

"Let's head for the New Mexico state line, gang," Ben told his team.

When Simon Border heard that Ben had turned his army around and was heading west, he immediately went to his sanctuary, fell to his knees, and began fervently praying. He asked God to strike Ben dead with lightning bolts, drown him in a flood, just do something to stop the paganis-tic godless heathen from reaching Simon's territory.

When no angels appeared to tell him that Ben had been destroyed, Simon reckoned that he'd just have to do it himself. He put every able-bodied man in his territory on full alert.

"The Great Satan is coming," he warned his thousands of followers.

"Prepare to defend our homeland."