“Joshua, what are your thoughts?” Megan said.

“Actually, I was going to suggest it. The Jeep has more ground clearance, and we don’t know what we’ll encounter between here and Kentucky.”

“So we’re headed to Kentucky? Is Maine out of the question, then?”

Megan filled Malorie in on their earlier discussion about the impossibility of making it through all of the chaos in the northeastern cities, each one a potential if not certain death trap. “You weren’t there, Malorie, but Joshua and I barely made it out of Maryland today; we wouldn’t have without his uniform and my West Virginia driver’s license.”

“The world has changed,” Joshua added. “I got a text on the drive here from my buddy Ken Layton in Chicago, who said that he and his wife, Terry, are packing up their Mustang and Bronco tonight to leave for Idaho at first opportunity—but he sorely wished that he would have left yesterday! They’re without power and they can hear gunfire throughout the city in just about any direction.”

“Okay, Kentucky it is. Who do we know there?” Mal asked.

“We’ve been invited to a picnic, Mal. And not to bury the lead here, but Joshua and I are engaged.”

“Wait, you’re getting married now, too?” Malorie was quick on the uptake, but this was a lot for her to process all at once.

Joshua decided to put a marker of his own down on the table. “Nothing matters more to me than you and those boys. I am prepared to give my life so that they have a chance to survive. I never had a family, but they do, and it’s worth throwing ourselves headlong in that direction to sustain their existence rather than stay here and gamble ours away.”

Up until then, no one had heard from Joshua regarding his motives; it wasn’t the kind of thing most people asked about, but everyone tried their best to detect. It was Megan who spoke next. “Sounds like we’re all of one accord with our purpose.”

Joshua wanted to lighten the moment with levity and said, “Accord? I thought we were taking the Jeep?” They all laughed out loud as the stress of the situation unwound in a split second. “Malorie, I left the hood up, thinking that you’d want to inspect our means of transportation.”

“I’ll get started right now. Can I bring it into the shop, where there’s light to work?”

“By all means, sister-in-law, mi Jeep es su Jeep. The keys are in the ignition.” Joshua smiled and Malorie, who had never forgiven Eric, smiled back. Malorie had been repacking her bug-out bag while they were talking, and dropped it off by the door as she left.

Megan looked at Joshua and said, “Merci beaucoup.” Joshua didn’t say anything. He just embraced her for a long hug followed by a long kiss. He had longed to kiss her for months now, and since they were going to be married eventually, he would have gotten the chance. But today was the day for realizing eventualities.

12

CONVEYANCE

In the day of prosperity we have many refuges to resort to; in the day of adversity only one.

—Horatius Bonar

LaCroix Homestead, Kearneysville, West Virginia—October, the First Year

After the kiss, Joshua looked deep into Megan’s eyes and knew that he was where he was supposed to be, doing what he was supposed to be doing, and most important—she was the one he was supposed to be with. Rome was indeed burning, but God’s provision had given him the out, wisdom gave them the unction, and courage gave them the impetus to stay ahead of the Golden Horde. If Joshua were to try to explain leaving his job to a coworker or government career counselor, it would not have made sense, but God’s workings are different and seldom coincide with positive law, corrupt authority, or lifetime guarantees for Federal Reserve notes.

Malorie’s head appeared out from under the Jeep on the creeper. “This thing is dry and rock solid. No leaks, all of the bushings are tight.”

Since you decided to go with one of the world’s most ubiquitous drive trains, I happen to have a few new parts over there in those bins. I know that I have at least one serpentine belt and some filters as well. We’ll see what we have room for at the end and pack accordingly.

“Speaking of, if you’re ready we can pack up now and then try to get some sleep before we leave in the morning.”

Joshua said, “I’ll grab the fuel cans from around back.”

With the ladies having most of their items prioritized and packed ahead of time, the work went quickly. The fuel and water were separated by a small tub of tools that Malorie packed. After a short discussion they decided that Joshua would drive and switch off with Malorie, who would be in the passenger seat. Megan would be in the backseat with the boys; the drivers could change out as needed. In total the distance was 550 miles, and no one expected it to be an easy trip. Since this was all a very new experience and no SOP had been established, they decided that all weapons would be loaded and rounds in the chamber with the safety on.

Malorie took a shower and went to bed; Megan sorted through some last-minute kids’ items, very grateful that her sister had diligently scanned all of the baby pictures and made double backups of them on password-protected USB sticks for posterity. Joshua cleaned and lubricated all of the weapons and set them by the door, before taking a shower and retiring to the couch. He and Megan would be married eventually, but he insisted on maintaining a prudent separation until it was right to sleep in the same bed together.

13

DEPARTURE

In recognition of cybersecurity as a national priority, the US Cyber Command was chartered to protect our national interests in cyberspace. Although support for this national initiative is gaining ground, it is imperative, going forward, that we broaden our understanding of the science that underpins cybersecurity. We must form collaborative public and private partnerships and devote more attention to understanding security science.

—Keith B. Alexander, General, U.S. Army (Commander, U.S. Cyber Command and Director, NSA/Chief, CSS), The Next Wave, Vol. 19, No. 4, 2012

LaCroix Homestead, Kearneysville, West Virginia—October, the First Year

The alarm sounded early on Malorie’s phone. She pulled on her BDU pants, wigwam socks, and USMC Danner boots. Then she slipped on an Under Armour long-sleeve shirt and put on a merino wool shirt. The October mornings were chilly in West Virginia, especially with the high humidity and being so close to the river. “Best to dress in layers,” she said to herself.

Joshua put the battery back in his cell phone and walked out to the corner of the property where Malorie had told him that he could get the best signal. Joshua called in to the SOCC and said that he wouldn’t be coming into work today due to an “unexpected personal situation” that required he be home that day. The voice on the other end of the phone was more than perturbed in the reply, “Yeah, you and about half the force are calling in today to take care of the home front. I’ll mark it down in the log and report it to the desk sergeant, who’s busy putting out other brush fires right now.” Joshua saw Ken’s text and saw a reply all from Dustin as well:

Godspeed Ken and Terry. Hope you get this in time. Love you as well brother. Joshua, status?

Joshua felt his eyes well up, as he knew that unless the world started to mend very quickly, this might be the last time he ever got to speak with Ken on this side of heaven. Joshua replied:

Jeep w/ 5 pax, making all haste, sit not good in MD. Will be radio silent here after. Plz pray. Love you both brothers.