Clear Water, Hidden Danger

Chapter 24– Contact and Approach - Part 1

The morning haze still clung to the yard when we stepped out onto the loading bay. No day off. No complaints. Everyone knew the rule: if we moved, we moved with purpose.

The six-man team assembled around the FEMA MCU door, gear already strapped, weapons checked, med kits sealed.

Neal posted at the front, radio clipped high on her vest.

Hawk covered rear security.

Stacks and Wolf loaded the interior racks.

Burns handled the tools and breach gear.

Cruz locked down the med equipment.

No wasted motion. No wasted breath.

I stepped up beside Neal.

“Before we roll,” I said, “make contact.”

She nodded, thumb already on the transmit.

“NLC, this is Master Sergeant Neal from Clear Water. How copy?”

Static.

Two seconds.

Three.

Then a voice broke through — clipped, disciplined, absolutely military.

“Clear Water, this is NorthStar Logistics Clinic. Reading you five-by-five.”

Neal gave me a glance. I nodded.

“We are preparing to depart your direction in a single FEMA MCU. Six personnel onboard. Purpose is medical coordination and supply inquiry. Be advised — we may be coming in fast.”

A pause.

Then:

“Copy, Clear Water. State approach vector.”

“Capehart Road entrance,” Neal replied. “We’ll maintain sixty to seventy miles per hour. Intention is to outrun any Phase III pursuers.”

Another pause — longer this time, like someone on their end was covering a mic and talking off-comms.

“Clear Water, understood. Capehart entrance will be manned. Security will hold fire until identification is made. Approach direct. No detours. No lateral movement.”

Neal looked at me again.

I stepped in close enough for the radio mic to catch.

“NLC, this is Clear Water Command. We’re rolling out of the north gate in two minutes. Confirm your perimeter will remain cold — no warning shots, no suppression fire unless we call it.”

“Affirmative, Clear Water. No discharge unless fired upon. Be advised: we have Phase III stragglers in the wider area, but nothing clustered on our immediate perimeter.”

“Copy,” I said. “We’ll make speed.”

I tapped the MCU door twice.

“Mount up.”

The team loaded in with the sound of practiced boots and locked buckles. Hawk pulled the door shut behind him and slapped the panel.

Neal keyed the mic one more time.

“NLC, MCU is departing now. Expect arrival in approximately nine minutes depending on traffic obstructions and environmental conditions.”

“Roger, Clear Water. We’ll see you on approach. Clinic out.”

The radio clicked quiet.

The MCU rumbled to life beneath us.

I took the front seat beside Neal as the gate opened and sunlight cut across the windshield. Outside the fence line, the world sat quiet in that dangerous way only we understood — still, but never safe.

“Take us out,” I said.

Neal eased the accelerator down and rolled us through the north gate, then turned the MCU toward Capehart.

No grocery detours.

No scavenging.

No delays.

Just thirty-five hundred pounds of diesel, armor, and purpose barreling toward an uncertain welcome at NLC — and whatever conversations waited behind its doors.

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ANONYMOUS FIELD LOG — ENTRY ALPHA
CLASSIFIED — PROJECT ECHO CLEARANCE REQUIRED:
CWP dispatch recorded Anchor-authorized six-person outbound to NLC via Capehart vector. No Phase-III resonance aberrations detected in plant radius prior to departure. Radio exchange confirmed NLC perimeter holding cold posture with no clustered movement reported. Outbound MCU maintained disciplined loadout protocol; Anchor present on command channel. Internal morale steady. Zero anomalies on departure track. Monitoring will continue until MCU re-enters CWP perimeter.

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ANONYMOUS FIELD LOG — ENTRY BRAVO
CLASSIFIED — PROJECT ECHO CLEARANCE REQUIRED:
NLC perimeter teams acknowledged incoming CWP MCU under high-speed approach guidelines. Security instructed to maintain non-engagement posture pending visual confirmation. Perimeter sensors picked up low-dispersion Phase-III stragglers beyond outer radius but no active convergence. Internal prep initiated for controlled reception. No sublevel resonance spikes observed during pre-arrival window. Awaiting MCU docking.