Kayaking the Wakulla River!

The first kayak trip we took was an up and back on the Wakulla River. This river is one of those unique waterways in Florida that appears whole-cloth from a single source, a first magnitude spring. In this case the source is the Wakulla Spring. This spring is insanely deep and discharges a truly phenomenal amount of fresh water every day. Enough to create a vast river with accompanying ecosystems.

To do the paddle we drove to a county park along the river where there was a parking area and a boat ramp. Being the Memorial Day weekend, the ramp and river soon became extremely crowded. We had not thought much about it being a holiday weekend and if we had arrived any later we would have been pretty much crowded out. As it was, there was still plenty of space to get unloaded and to park when we left. But by the time we got back, the place was packed beyond capacity with vehicles jammed in everywhere someone could find a place to leave their car or truck.

The Wakulla is a classic spring-generated river. It's crystal clear and surrounded by huge cypress trees and full of fish and birds and snakes and turtles and alligators and all kind of other wild animals. As I was relaxing on the river at one point, a manatee surface right beside me, exhaled a big breath of air, took a gulp of fresh air and then immediately submerged again as it headed for the head spring.

Another thing about these rivers is that they have a pretty good currently for flatwater. We had chosen to pack downstream and paddle up the park, then return to our truck by letting the current do most of the work. This was indeed a good choice as we were pretty tired when we got up to the bridge and fence that block access to the main spring inside the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park.

The single negative thing that I can say about the adventure were the crowds. But this was because of the holiday. I spoke to a guy who did the same paddle the day after the weekend and he said he had the river almost to himself. But the day we were there it was packed, including with motor boats and assholes blaring music from loudspeakers. I would hate to have been one of the home owners along the river that day. There would have been no peace for them, at all.

One guy in a motorboat he almost hit Carole's kayak was later nabbed by the Florida Forest Rangers. These guys are armed police officers (in case you have any doubts) and they do not put up with such shit. I sat there and enjoyed seeing this ignorant drunken bastard be issued three citations that will, I'm sure, cost him an arm and a leg.

Carole took all of the photos for this blog (except for the video).

The water and the trees were gorgeous.

I had to catch up to Carole who had gotten a head start on me.

You can tell in this photo how clear the water is in the Wakulla.

A Go-Pro video I shot as I paddled along.

Normally cormorants fly away when you get close. But this one stood its ground.

A last cool shot along the river before we got back to the put-in point.

Dwarf Trees and Biting Things

On the way back from a trip we took to visit the rather pleasant town of Apalachicola (more on that in a few days) we took a brief detour into a forest preserve called Tate's Hell State Forest. Just off the really weird highway that hugs the Gulf coast more closely than any road I have ever seen, we took a sandy, unpaved road into the wilds.

There was a sign at the intersection of asphalt and dirt that directed us several miles inland to a spot we'd heard about called Dwarf Cypress Grove. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but had been told that if I was in that area it was well worth a visit. So, we headed down the dusty way in search of this grove, encountering no one at all, passing no vehicles, and seeing nothing except for a coyote that we surprised as we rounded a curve. The coyote took one look at us and dashed into the underbrush, vanishing completely.

After driving for about six miles we located the parking area for the Dwarf Cypress Grove. A well-maintained grassy parking area consisting of a raised causeway and surrounded by swampland greeted us. And even before we opened the doors to get out we noticed that the place was infested with Yellow flies. For those of you not familiar with them, Yellow flies are a type of biting insect that likes to suck your blood, delivering a painful bite in the process. We lathered on the insect repellent.

Climbing out of the truck we approached the boardwalk and observation tower than overlooks the grove of dwarf cypress trees. Before we had walked even partway up the wooden platform, the yellow flies had taken their measure of our insect repellent and had begun biting and drawing blood. Too many to ward off, we just had to bear it for the few minutes we had allowed ourselves to see the grove and to take some photos.

I snapped a number of pictures of the strange grove of stunted cypress trees. There is some kind of pathway gouged through the center of the grove and I don't know why it's there. Was the Forest Service planning to extend a road there? Another section of boardwalk? I honestly don't know, but the grove is almost perfectly bisected by a straight path of treeless causeway.

After taking some photos and the brief video, I followed Carole back down the platform, eager to get away from the bugs who were making off with a generous portion of our blood. Carole then called back to me to take a look off the boardwalk to "see the snakes"! I walked over and looked down to spy six fat Cottonmouth water moccasins. These snakes are notorious for being extremely venomous and most aggressive. I don't know if they deserve the reputation that they have, but I have always done my best to give them a very wide berth whenever I have seen one.

Since we were on a boardwalk a few feet above them, I decided to take the opportunity to take some photos. Unfortunately for me, I had incorrectly attached a polarizer to my camera lens and this ended up making all of those photos slightly blurry! I will make sure not to do that in the future, as it ruined what I assume was a very unique opportunity to photograph this species.

After that, we carefully made our way back to the truck as quickly as possible to escape the flies, but to watch for more moccasins.

The raised causeway leading from the parking lot to the boardwalk and tower.

Dwarf cypress trees.

Looking down on the grove from the tower.

Looks like something was going to be done to make a road or trail. Not sure.

Another view of the grove. It was larger than I had anticipated.

Detail of needles.

One of the six moccasins that we saw.

This was the most Cottonmouth moccasins that I had ever seen in one place. It made me be very careful where I walked on the way back to the truck.

Salvage Day

On one of our days toward the end of the trip we decided to drive a great distance to see a large spring we'd never visited. It was over 160 miles from the park, but we decided to make the drive because we don't know when we'd be even that close to it for at least a couple of more years. It's called Morrison Spring and was purchased by the State of Florida and then gifted to the local county where it's located. One nice thing about it is that it's free to visit and use.

However, when we arrived we found that it had "gone dark". This happens when heavy rains allow the nearby river to rise above its banks and the tannin-filled water overwhelms the spring, making it as dark as the river. We'd made the long drive for nothing!

So we drove to another nearby spring only to find that it, too, had been blotted out by the river.

After that, we just drove back toward Ochlockonee River State Park and on the way we turned off the main road to see the Leon Sinks Geological Area. This was interesting and entertaining. Classic karst geological formations wherein the limestone caprock collapses into the systems of caves and aquifers to form circular lakes and dry pits. Leon Sinks is quite extensive and is home to several miles of walking trails and informational signs, kiosks, overlooks, and boardwalks.

The trip to Leon Sinks salvaged what would otherwise have been a truly disappointing day.

A former "wet" sink that's now a cave opening.

Tupelo gums in one of the swamps at the Leon Sinks.

This was a nice area with lots of exposed limestone illustrating what goes on with the local geology.

One of the medium-sized sinks on the trail.

This limestone formation was at the top of the steep cliff face plunging down to a large sink. Because of the heavy vegetation I couldn't see into the sink itself, even when I used the pillar of limestone as a vantage point.

Dismal Sink, the largest of the bunch.

Dismal Sink, the largest one in the area. Once people went there to swim, but these days swimming is not allowed. The trail down the 100-foot walls is now closed off.

Formerly common across Florida, the state is trying to restore the Longleaf pine ecosystems that were almost eradicated. Here there was a grove of them regenerating.

This was Hammock Sink. Another of the larger ones and which was a popular swimming hole back in the day. The water here was pretty clear and I can see where it would be an attractive place to go swimming and snorkeling.

Hammock Sink, the most attractive of the lot.

Park and Campsite

I have to admit that Carole and I chose the Ochlockonee River State Park because when we wanted to book a site, all of our first choices in Florida parks were booked solid. So we had to pick an alternate park, going down the list of parks in the area of the state we wanted to visit. Ochlockonee River was actually fifth or sixth on our preference.

Also, when we were picking out our campsite, the choices were getting slim there, too. So we ended up going with campsite #19, hoping for the best. When we arrived it seemed a little tricky getting the trailer into the site, but it ended up being a lot easier than I would have thought when looking at the area. In addition, we were extremely happy with the site's privacy, space, and shade. It was easily one of the largest campsites we've ever had at a state park.

The park itself is heavily wooded. It was once a slash pine/turpentine tree farm before the state bought it. These days it's known for its wildlife, in particular the white squirrels that are there in some number, and the popular boat ramp with access to the river of the park's name. We saw a fair amount of wildlife and were at first pleased to see the white squirrels, but soon grew irritated at how bold the little rodents were and how much of our stuff they ended up raiding, stealing, and damaging.

Also, the park was central to many of the places we wanted to explore, and we had some really nice float trips on some of the springs and rivers we'd picked out to see. All in all, I can highly recommend the park as a central destination.

Campsite #19. Not only was it spacious, there was access to the river right behind our campsite, complete with a stairway to the shoreline!

Tons of space to spread out, and plenty of shade.

Just another example of the space we had. The site went even farther back. I was standing in front of a clothesline when I took this photo. We used that line a lot to dry towels.

The view right behind our campsite.

When we first arrived, we asked a ranger about how and where to see the white squirrels. "Just stand next to a tree and make a sound like a potato chip," he said. He wasn't kidding. Soon, they were pretty much terrorizing us. One even grabbed a spatula from our picnic table and made off with it!

There's also a population of Red cockaded woodpeckers in the park. I did see a mated pair of them, but they would not let me get very close. This was the best I could do of a photo of one. Taken from a very great distance with a telephoto lens and then cropped. I wish I could have gotten a clearer photo.

Turkey vulture. This one was sitting on the stair leading to the riverbank.

Another white color phase animal! There must be something in the water. This was the most solidly white deer I have ever seen in the South. Popularly termed "piebald" deer. She was a beauty.

Kirby Scores!

I picked up these three great Jack Kirby comics while I was away. I already had a very low-grade copy of The Double Life of Private Strong #2, but I bought this copy when the deal for the three books was so good I couldn't pass it up. So I'll have to get rid of the lesser condition copy.

Issue #1. I've often wondered why this didn't have a full Kirby cover. Perhaps the folk at Archie Comics weren't happy with the cover he handed in, or maybe he didn't have time to do one. I'm not even sure who did this cover art. The border art on the right hand side is Kirby, but the central image is not. This is a pretty nice condition copy and I was happy to pick it up.

Issue #2 (also the last issue). Not a high condition book by any means, but it's much better than the really beat-up copy that was already in my collection.

One of the action comics that Simon and Kirby produced for Harvey Comics. I had been looking for an affordable copy of this book for a long time.

Home from Ochelockenee!

Well, we're home from our trip to Ochlockonee River State Park. The only bad part of a great vacation is the trip home. We drove ten hours to arrive back here in Matthews today. But we had a wonderful trip. Saw a little of everything in the way of wildlife in that part of Florida. We took a quick trip to a well-named place called Tate's Hell State Forest. It was, indeed, hellish. I would not want to be caught in that place. We just took a very brief visit to see  a vast grove of dwarf cypress trees in the heart of said "hell". The yellow flies were as thick as leaves on a willow tree. We dashed up the boardwalk to the tower to look down on the cypress grove, took some photos while slapping at the armies of yellow flies biting us to pieces, and then ran back to the truck. But as we got to the bottom of the boardwalk, off to the left...six enormous, FAT water moccasins. Pretty much North America's most venomous and most aggressive snake. We stood at a safe distance and I took a number of photos, some of which unfortunately came out blurry because I had attached a polarizer to the lens incorrectly! I couldn't get all six of the snakes in one frame, but four cooperated. And then I began to wonder if we'd spotted all of the moccasins around us and at that thought I carefully made my way back to the truck.

I have to wonder what they were all doing together in one spot. Some kind of mating ritual?

I couldn't get all six snakes in one shot. The smaller one on the right had much brighter coloration. Not sure if it's because it was younger, or because it had recently shed.

Heading Out!

Well...I likely won't be posting here much over the coming week (if at all). Off to Florida for about ten days of camping and kayaking. Andy and the cats will hold down the fort until we return.

Later!

Andy.

Lilly.

Cairo.

 

See ya later, Alligator!

A New Excerpt.

I have had some projects going for a couple of years, one of which was really holding me back. At last, it's finally done and I can continue with the other ones that I know I need to finish but which have been blockaded by that one angry job that I couldn't quite finish.

I also have two short stories to write for anthologies to which I've been invited. And today I felt so good about working on what I want to do (instead of what I felt I had to do) that I started on a short story that I'm writing for no reason at all, except that I feel like it.

That's a good sign. Here are 300 or so words of it.

“It Won’t be Long”

By James Robert Smith

Jonathan stepped off the curb and into the street. He rarely bothered to check for oncoming cars anymore. There really wasn’t much need for that.

Not these days.

Halfway across the street he heard the almost silent purr of a car engine and looked toward the Park boundary to see a late-model sedan headed toward him. It was going very slow. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen anyone driving more than ten or fifteen miles per hour. 

He tried to remember when he’d last seen a motor vehicle driving too fast to dodge. Months, at least. Half a year, maybe.

With plenty of time to stroll casually across the brick way, he ambled to the other side and turned to see who it was driving interminably in his direction. When the car was a few meters from him he recognized the driver’s face, but didn’t know her name. It was that young woman who had appeared in town some weeks back, at the end of May. She was maybe twenty-five years old, if that. Short and well-built with dark brown hair and emerald green eyes. And she was almost always crying when he saw her, it seemed.

Yes. She was crying, now. As she motored past him, her gaze straight ahead, he could see the tears pouring down her face, her complexion ruddy from the exertion of the amazing sadness of it all.

Jonathan averted his eyes as the car purred by, not wishing to accidentally meet her gaze. He recognized the agony in her face. It was much the same feeling that greeted him each morning when he woke up and looked in the mirror.

She was missing someone. Some people. Husband, children, family, friends.

So many were gone, now.

He sighed.

It wouldn’t be long until none of them were there.

MINESHAFT #31

When I was a young man you could find amazing underground comics at any number of venues. In those days the world of independent comic book publishing was pretty tough, but quality seemed to find a home and a way. Some comic book shops carried the work of the creators we now think of as masters of the subversive comic book world. And the old head shops almost always had shelves full of comic book works by the likes of Crumb, Spain, Lynch, Irons, London, and the many others who filled pages of amazing comix with disturbing fiction and dangerous facts.

These days there is still something of an alternative comics marketplace, but in relation to what was here from the 60s through the late 80s, it's pretty tame and frankly no more dangerous or expansive than watching a kitten at play. The good ol' days in the world of politics and comics are unfortunately faded.

Except for one digest magazine.

MINESHAFT. This publication is produced right here in my current home state of North Carolina. Within the pages of this booklet one can find some of the great old underground cartoonists and some of the best from recent years and some who are completely new to me.

It's like discovering the old magazines for the first time when I was a young man. Within these covers (and actually on the covers!) you can discover some of that old danger that made the undergrounds so exciting and important.

I highly recommend the magazine and suggest that you subscribe. (They accept Paypal!) It's the only place I've discovered in recent years that publishes the type of comics used to set us all on edge.

A new Jay Lynch cover (and interiors!)

Crumb!

Where else can you find a comic starring and quoting Slajov Zizek?!

And exquisite renderings from Robert Crumb's sketchbooks.

Interview With Michael Hodges, Author of THE PULLER.

I discovered Michael Hodges a few years ago when I ended up doing a promotional blurb for a novel he and his agent were shopping around. Later, he sold a novel to one of my publishers (Severed Press) and I was absolutely floored at how well written it is. Truly a spectacular book and a great debut for a guy who I think is going to produce many wonderful works of fiction.

He has agreed to do a short interview here at my blog. And here it is:

JRS: THE PULLER is one of the best monster novels I've read in a very long time. Unique in many ways. What gave you the premise for the critter, and is there a Lovecraftian element to the monster?
 
Thanks, James. The premise is a combination of things. Back in my late teens I spent the night in my single cab Toyota pickup (the one in THE PULLER) in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I drove deep into the woods to see where the logging roads ended  (they didn’t). Then I woke at 3 am with terrible anxiety, and proceeded to haul ass down the main forest road. For whatever reason, I felt I needed to flee from something. What exactly I couldn’t say. I remember my headlights creeping me out as they illuminated the tunnel canopy. The other is from the Evil Dead. I loved the camera work where you were the “spirits” zooming towards the cabin while the Pompei-era Pink Floyd noises played. I wondered what it would be like to have this happen in reverse, that if Matt Kearns tried to leave the cabin, he’s pulled back by something he can’t see.

As far as a Lovecraftian element, I was not conscious of it while I wrote the novel. The Being (or the Puller, take your pick) is really anything you want it to be, which is why I don’t truly show what it is. It’s nature’s defense mechanism against over-logging. It’s some random thing that came down during a massive solar flare. It’s your significant other abusing you. It’s your job you hate. It’s a disease. The Puller is anything that keeps you where you don’t want to be.
 
JRS: What about the setting? Why the Huron Mountains? Have you spent a lot of time there?
 
Michael Hodges: Yes I did. I spent many weekends there in the summer and falls of my youth. I chose the Huron Mountains because they are one of the oldest ranges on earth and because I am familiar with the flora and fauna. But they really aren’t mountains anymore, more like sad knobs. They were once as tall as the Rockies. There’s something melancholic about that which compels me. It makes us feel small and weak. If these once grand mountains can’t survive, how can the human species? Then of course, there’s the flipside: they’re still there, aren’t they? There’s always a kernel of contradiction which attracts me.

The Hurons, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has .01 percent of its original old growth forest remaining. The place was absolutely hammered. Yet it still harbors wolves, cougar, and fisher. It’s taken a beating, but somehow, someway, keeps wriggling its toes. The story of Matt Kearns is no different. Also, some of the best examples of the last old growth exist back in those fold of granite. If value is judged by scarcity, those are some valuable trees.

 
JRS: I admired the way you made integral characters out of wild animals? Does this reflect your feelings about the creatures who live on the planet with us?

Michael Hodges: I  don’t consider animals as “lesser” than human. I believe that every living thing should be treated with respect and kindness.  Writers who focus solely on the human perspective and urban ecosystems lose me.  It’s such a limited viewpoint, and completely self-involved. There’s so much more to this world.
 
JRS: You mentioned to me that you did not outline the novel. Did this make the act of writing it easier, or more difficult? Was the process thus more organic than it otherwise might have been?
 
Michael Hodges: Easier. I had a basic premise (a guy trapped by an invisible creature at a mountain cabin), and went from there. Each day I’d get more ideas while writing and jot them down in Windows Notepad if they didn’t fit into the day’s word allotment or sequence. I love how Stephen King describes this as “uncovering a fossil” each day. Others call it “pantsing”. The joy of discovery is like a drug for me. 

First drafts are by far my favorite part of the writing process. And I like your word choice of “organic”. The character is trapped, let him/her work their way out organically. Get out of the way and let them tell the story.
 
JRS: Have you placed any more novels with any publishers?
 
Michael Hodges: We are in the process of that. I have seven novels completed and ready to go. I want the next novel sale to be its own thing. I have series-itis. I think I’d kill myself if I had to write fourteen books on the same character….I don’t care how much money they gave me. I  just couldn’t do it. Time is more valuable than money.
 
JRS: What can you tell us about the film option and the people who will be producing the movie?
 
Michael Hodges: Well, I’m not sure I can say a whole lot. But I can tell you it’s the talented Sonny Mallhi, producer of THE STRANGERS with Liv Tyler. It’s an amazing film.
The first draft of the screenplay should  be nearing completion. I’m thrilled Sonny has the option, because he makes movies about people being trapped, and I write novels about people being trapped. I think he’s going to make an incredible movie.

I want to say here that Michael is a unique and multi-talented individual. He earns part of his living as a wildlife photographer of great skill. I am hoping to get him to showcase some of his favorite wildlife photos here at the blog in a day or so.

THE PULLER by Michael Hodges.

And here's my review of Michael's first novel. I mean what I say.

"My first reactions was that this can't possibly be a first novel because it is so well constructed and so effectively written. But it is Hodges' first publication in novel form. What he does here is absolutely amazing and THE PULLER is easily one of the best monster books I've read in many years (at least since Owl Goingback's CROTA).

Hodges delivers some exceedingly fine prose throughout the novel and creates a sense of place that is sharp and clear. I've never visited the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but Hodges makes me feel as if it is now familiar territory. And not just familiar, but at the same time striking and damned frightening.

THE PULLER deals with the story of a young man (Matt Kearns) who retreats to his family's fishing cabin located in the wilderness of the forests in the Huron Mountains overlooking Lake Michigan. He's there to gather his thoughts and collect his emotions after the deaths of his father, his girlfriend, and his loyal dog. While there, he encounters and is subsequently trapped in the isolated cabin by a monstrous creature referred to as "the Puller" (you'll find out just why, and it's not pleasant). It has been a very long time since I've seen a writer create so effective a monster as the Being in this book.

Along the way to this situation we are treated to a number of fascinating characters that include a cast of animal inhabitants of the Upper Peninsula, all of whom have some connection to Matt. Hodges proves himself to be a master of foreshadowing and of connecting disparate strings of plot to weave an absolutely startling tale. His skills are so good that you don't expect the prose to be uniformly perfect, but that is the case.

THE PULLER comes with my highest recommendation. It is, as I said, one of the best monster/horror novels I have read in a very long time."

FANTASTIC FOUR #13

I haven't added a significant book to my Fantastic Four collection in a while. Today I nabbed a copy of issue #13. This was a book I'd been searching for in the right grade at the right price for some time. I finally got lucky and got one from a back issue dealer here in North Carolina.

This book is a nice pickup for several reasons. It features the first appearance of one of Jack Kirby's major creations, The Watcher. And fortunately for me, and for some reason which I cannot fathom, the Watcher's first appearance has not unduly affected the book's price (as yet). If they ever put him in a film, the "value"of the book will insanely go through the roof. But for now I was safe and got it for a very reasonable price.

Another thing I quite like about this issue of the comic is that it was inked by Steve Ditko. Ditko did not ink very many of Kirby's stories, so it's always a treat to see the results when it did happen. I especially like his interpretation of Ben Grimm as the Thing, which is so different from that of most other artists who inked Kirby's pencils.

All in all, I was extremely happy with this addition to my collection!

My copy of FANTASTIC FOUR #13.

Springs

Carole and I both love visiting the various large freshwater springs in Florida. Whenever we head down there we research the area to see if we're going to be anywhere near one that we haven't seen. Our favorites are the largest of these--known as "first magnitude"  springs. The more isolated they are, the better. Since we bought our kayaks we've begun visiting the more hard-to-find springs and enjoying the solitude and the vast array of wildlife that surrounds them.

While doing research on the panhandle area where we'll be camping, Carole found information on one that not only have we never seen, but which we didn't even know of. It's a really big, first-magnitude spring so we'll take our kayaks along and explore the spring run that flows out of it. We are really looking forward to this trip.

Blue Spring.

Silver Glen Spring.

Wilderness.

My favorite places to hike and backpack are in wilderness areas. The main reason for this is that I have found that many wilderness areas give me the best chance to find solitude which is often lacking in many National Parks and National Trails (such as the Appalachian Trail).

Following are some videos that I've made while hiking or backpacking through various wilderness areas (the first, ironically, along the Appalachian Trail).

The Last Word on the Subject

I have been hacking away--let's call it wetwork--on the third and final chapter of my zombie series THE COALITION. I thought it would come easy, but it has been anything but. For reasons I won't belabor just now. (That's a story for another day.)

But it's almost ready to be born. Soon it will be alive, I hope.

COALITION: THE 2% SOLUTION

Excerpt by James R. Smith.

He hadn’t foreseen the sheer volume that had appeared from the wilderness like a great, dark wave. They came swarming out of the overgrown woodlands that surrounded the city in numbers that he had not imagined.

Radio transmissions were raging with warnings coming from the airport. The voices were strained but so far composed and without the panic that would have been present from civilians.

“They’re in the tens of thousands, Dale!” The voice was that of General Martinez, one of the few people who Dale actually respected and feared. “I thought we’d have better intelligence on this than what you provided us, Colonel!”

Dale peered at the screen on the desk. It was a live transmission from a geostationary satellite that they’d painstakingly maneuvered over Charlotte in fits and starts, almost depleting its supply of propellant. The eye-in-the-sky wouldn’t likely be useful for much longer, but for now it was invaluable.

Leaning in close to the flat screen he watched the real-time images of the area around the airport. Through the leafless trees he could see that masses of dead marching inexorably toward the buildings and the runways. As the general had said, they were definitely in the tens of thousands. Already the vanguards of the enormous migration of deaders had infiltrated the city proper. If he took the time to go to the windows he would now see them in their hundreds stalking the city streets. He could only hope that the inhabitants of the city would weather this particular storm.

“You have the same view of the situation as I do, General,” the Colonel said. His voice was even, cool. It would do no good at all to grow excited at this point. “Hold your ground. The fences to your east should hold, so keep your forces front and center. Burn anything that comes at you from the west. The concourse to the north will keep them at bay, so you really only have one front deal with,” he added.

There was a moment of silence from the General. Dale knew that the officer was calculating their odds and even considering the probability for a breakout. Finally, he spoke.

“How much longer before air cover arrives?”

Dale turned his head, slightly, and glared at Leiber. He didn’t have to ask.

“Five minutes,” the hacker whispered. “Six, tops.”

“Five and a half minutes,”  Martinez told his counterpart. “Hold fast.”

**

 

THE COALITION series.