' prophecy of The number 12'
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"Are you going to be alright carrying things up those steps? You could leave it until we get back and we can all finish up together." Jerry said as he was leaving. "Don't worry we're going to form a line and hand the stuff off - if there's anything too big or too heavy for us to move that way we'll leave it until you get back. Right now you and anyone else who can handle a weapon and has survival skills needs to be at that Para-military meeting Brian and Danny have called." Beth said walking into the kitchen. "Besides we'll have plenty of help when the people who are volunteering for the SHG (Sanctuary Home Guard) get here." Carrie said looking up from the pouch of papers she and Wes and Elijah were studying. ***** "The rain's slacking up some and the kids are trying to clear some paths before it starts pouring again or the temperature decides to drop. They're scraping and throwing down a mixture of straw, sand, and ashes - anything to make it a little safer to walk. In the meanwhile those gripper strap things Mike and the others rigged up seems to make walking a little easier." Andy said when he came in. "Anything new over the radio?" "The usual fires and such but we are picking up a lot of chatter about flooding caused by the freak storms an ice run-offs. There's reports of some big landslides and sinkholes. The midwest is buried in snow and sub zero temperatures while a warm front seems to have stalled over The Canadian Rockies The ocean levels are also rising we hear." Lonnie said taking a bite of stew. "That explains our weather; we can have warm air like now and a couple of hours later snow or freezing rains, depending on which way the wind's blowing. Keep your ears open; anything else?" "Something about a Military transport in route to Salt Lake City being ambushed by The Brotherhood and a missing communication pouch and the possibility of a couple of safe havens being infiltrated." "Also the name Patricia MacGinnis was mentioned; anyone know who she is?" "President pro tempore of the Senate and 3rd in line for the Presidency if anything happens to Warren. If they're interested in her something's going on. I need to talk to Wes and Brian." he said running upstairs. "Gather everyone in the office, we need to keep this as quiet as possible. I'll be in the radio room, and Brian; bring some guards; but make sure they've been checked out and sweep this building." Wes said heading for the radio room without speaking to anyone. ***** "The radio operators have picked up some enquiries about Senator MacGinnis. Some of you may recognize the name, not only is she the Senior Senator from New Mexico and President pro tempore of the Senate but she is the Democratic nominee for President and endorsed by the Tribal Councils as well as The United Peace Coalition. She was slated to be the key note speaker at The Peace Conference in Houston and should have been there when the bombs went off." "I know this because I called on her to give her a head's up before I left DC and her Secretary told me. Her late husband was a close friend and a brother in arms; I owe him. She's also the Mother of my God Daughter, Ally." "Like most of the government probably, I thought she'd been killed in the fire bombings at the Conference." "I told Marcie to grab their personal stuff and get out and I took off." ***** "I've always been one to deal in Science and facts but since I arrived here I'm learning there are many ways to gain information that doesn't fit into these neat little packages so I'm asking for help." "Some of you seem to have sources I can't begin to phanthom and I'm not sure how it works but I - no - we need you to see if you can direct your attentions to gleen some information. This country and possibly the world is going to need this woman besides, she and her daughter are both very important to me." ***** "We'll do what we can to see what the spirits know. At least maybe we can find out if either of them is in the spirit world with them. In the meanwhile I take it Salt Lake City is where the government is secluded. Would the Senator know that?" I asked. "It's 1 of 7 safe haven possibilities only 2 of which are west of Chicago and a fairly safe distance from Houston and most of the higher priority targets. The other one is in the deserts of New Mexico. New Mexico is the logical location but it is too open and accessible by air if you can pinpoint a pattern or target besides New Mexico would be the first place they'd look for her so Salt Lake City would be where I'd go. A person could drive there without attracting too much notice if they stayed off the interstates and took a circuitous route." Wes answered. ***** "Was there anything in that pouch that can help us? Danny asked "Other then the fact that it was sent from Charlotte and somehow wound up in the hands of a group of questionable men in this area you mean? We think it was taken off that convoy that was ambushed and was being carried out here to someone important, the weather turned and they had to hole up. That's when we found them. There was only 8 of them, not likely a full patrol." Brian said. "There were weather maps and some papers and something about a military plane crashing in The Smokies. In light of the chatter we now think someone very important might have been on it. The rest of it wouldn't be any use to us personally." "Someone get the Atlases from the library - all of them - and that big old elevation map of the Rockies on the wall. We need to take a look at them."Andy said. ***** "12" Katy said running up and pulling Brian's sleeve at dinner the next evening. "What, Sweetie? What about 12?" "I don't know. They just said 12. Is it important?" "It's always important when THEY say it. Let's see if we can figure out why." Brian said and we all got up from the table at the same time. ***** "According to this map there are several routes that look promising." Carrie said about an hour later. "53, 40, and 12 seem to run within throwing distance of Salt Lake and all follow a circuitous but direct route into Utah, in a few places they seem to be one road and are well travelled enough that a vehicle travaling them wouldn't attract undo attention. For the most part they're at a high enough elevation so flooding problems should be minor but snow and ice could make it a tricky drive." "Well I'd say we need to study the maps of New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah real carefully against the elevation map and decide what we're going to do.I don't need my guides to tell me somehow we have to at least try." I said walking past the guard and out of the office. ***** "The Temperature's dropping out there, if it drops very far it might get bad by morning." Roy said when he came in. "Carrie and I are relieving Cindy and Lonnie and I think Danny's pulling duty tonight so he and Tina should be over in a few minutes. I guess everyone's spending the night since Bobby's pulling the next watch with Marty." "Well, there's pillows,blankets and extra towels upstairs in the closet and you all can curl up in here or in the second parlor or library, there's plenty of couches in there. I'm going to take a bath and then I'll be in the alter room if anyone needs me." ***** When I'd finished bathing I went out to the kitchen to make some tea and found everyone curled up in the main room. Lizzie was playing with the Tarot. "I thought you were in the alter room," Ashara said. "Going now, I'll leave the door unlocked in case anyone wants to join me." I pulled my chair up in front of the fire I had started earlier and picked up my prayer stone. "Goddess we need your help," I said and leaned back. I prayed and talked and listened for an answer but accomplished little, finally I thanked The Mother for Her time and picked up my Journal to write. ***** Sometime later I opened my eyes and saw Ashara snuffing the candles on the alter. "We thought we'd do an impromptu ritual while you were gone - to help clear the air and open the paths between the worlds. Did it help?" "I'm sure it did, I'm just not sure how." ***** Lizzie and Ashara tried to convince me to go to bed but when they told me some of the others were still up and in the main room I chose to join them and have a drink instead. "Before the scene vanished I saw myself riding a mountain trail with others in late winter. The air was bitter cold but here and there I saw small green buds. Far below us I could hear the raging waters of the Great River and knew we were headed north to the Lake of Tears. It had been a long journey; many had died in battle and from hunger or froze to death along the way. I remember thinking 'The Apache are strong and no man can stop us. The Great Spirit will guide our ponies true as long as we follow the trail of the ancestors' then the mountain started rumbling and I came back to my body." I said when I finished telling everyone about the vision. "I'm not exactly sure what it means but I know the Senator is somewhere in the mountains in route to Salt Lake if she's alive." ***** "Maybe I can help." Mike said. "Highway 12 follows parts of the same route as what some of the locals and old timers call 'The Apache Trail. It was a route the Buffalo Hunters of the Plains followed and the trail the Native people took to escape when the Spanish began their conquest." "Factor in Patricia's Native American blood and that she would use it as a message of sorts, just in case to anyone she knew well and I'd say that's a start. Wes concluded.
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