"William W Johnstone - Ashes 22 - Chaos in the Ashes (txt)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johnstone William W)

will, we'll build the new capital in the center of the nation-where it
ought to be. And it won't be the crime or welfare capital of the damn
world either. Not like it was before the Great War."

"Why weren't the looters shot on sight?" Anna had asked.

"If I had been in command, they would have been shot-on sight," Ben had
responded.

But for now, Ben looked toward the west. He couldn't go slam-banging
straight through to the old Base Camp One. Everything between here and
there had to be cleaned out first. He wanted no major resistance forces
at his back.

Ben turned to Corrie. "Get Jackie and Danjou up here ASAP. We've got
some planning to do."

47

"You stay north of us on 80 and drive straight across the state," Ben
said to the commander of 12 Batt, Jackie Malone.

She nodded her head.

"Danjou, we'll give you time to get in place down south. You get on
highway 98 and drive straight across. My 1 Batt will hook up with you
here." He jabbed a finger at the map. "And we'll push across together."

The French-Canadian nodded his head.

"We'll be meeting the hardcore of resistance, so get me some prisoners.
I want to find out everything I can about who is behind all this mess."

"General," Jackie said, "you know what Ike and Georgi and Buddy and Tina
and Dan are going to do when they hear of this," she reminded him.
Ben smiled. "Let them scream all they like. Won't be a thing they can do
about it. Except complain."

Buddy and Tina were Ben's kids. Buddy commanded

48

William W. Johnstone

8 Batt, the special operations group, and Tina commanded 9 Batt. Ike had
been with Ben since the beginning. Ben and the ex-Navy SEAL were just
about the same age-Ike was second in command of the Rebel Army,
commanding 2 Batt. Dan Gray was British, a former officer in the Special
Air Service. Dan commanded 3 Batt. Georgi Striganov, CO of 5 Batt, a
Russian, and Ben were once bitter enemies, until Ben and the Rebels