The Annex

Chapter 2: Potluck Part I

CHAPTER 2: Potluck Part 1

     "What do you think?" Randy asked, handing the binoculars over to his best friend: Michael Bernard.

     The two friends were lying prone across the street from the "untouched" grocery store, trying to figure out a way in. A squad of six droids walked the perimeter of the store while the heavy mech stood in the parking lot, stomping around. Meanwhile, Danny, Gibbs, Nick, and Joe were a block away, waiting for the go ahead.

     "Don't know how we'll get through that locked door in the back without being heard. Unless..." Michael trailed off, looking east.

     "We set a diversion." they finished in unison.

     "But how are we going to pull off a diversion that will distract the patrol? If anything, they'll peel off a few droids and leave the mech there. We need to draw the mech away." Michael asked, looking down, and he began thinking.

     Randy snapped his fingers, "The garden store we saw a few blocks back," he pointed backwards. "Best bet is to go with a fertilizer and diesel bomb. I'm pretty sure they'll send the mech in the event of an explosion" he said.

     Michael gave a chuckle, and then spoke up, "How are we supposed to concoct a bomb? I mean yeah, there's 'gonna be some fertilizer, but what about the diesel? Pretty sure the gas station is sucked up dry. Besides, do any of us know how to set it off?" Randy swore and looked behind them.

     "Is there another option?" he asked, and Michael thought again. Both knew that it was up to them to bring back food to the 11th Penn. That is, unless, Patten sends out another team that lucks out.

     "We could set fire to a building near by." Michael suggested, but Randy shook his head at the idea.

     "Would take too long. We need to get this now. Plus, we don't know where to get the gasoline."

     "Propane?"

     "Looted."

     "I would suggest having someone stay in the store and just unload on the ceiling, but that wouldn't draw the mech away." Michael said, and the two just looked back at the guards. "Homemade bomb it is. Let's go." The two crawled away from their spot.

     The got behind an old pet store and stood up. Randy straightened his grey-blue trench coat, unslung his rifle and fixed his ushanka, Winnie's ushanka. She gave it to him before he left. Michael put the binoculars in his backpack and zipped it up. Both Michael and Randy began their jog back to the rest of the recon team was.

     It was an old auto-repair shop, and high school senior Gibbs approached the Randy and Michael first. Gibbs wasn't one of those ruthless and haughty seniors. He enjoyed the company of his fellow runners, and especially loved to crack jokes with them. When society fell apart, so did the spirits of the remaining cross country runners. However, Gibbs seemed to pick everyone up, and keep the moral high, so everyone appreciated him.

     Even Joe, or Joseph, the other senior that always poked fun and Gibbs. Usually, the altercations between the two often led to nonstop laughter from anyone that viewed. Joe came down the line of a long military family, yet, he didn't seem like the type of person that would enlist.

     Gibbs set his M-14 rifle down on the ground, "What's it look like, guys?"

     "Half a dozen droids, and one mech. Thought we might as well concoct a diesel and fertilizer bomb to draw out the entire thing." Michael said, also putting his backpack down.