Read Holding Their Own XI: Hearts and Minds for Free Online

that something was seriously wrong. Several ceiling tiles were already sagging under the weight of the flood.
    He found the first two flights of stairs had now been transformed into a waterfall. Careful not to fall on the slick surface, he negotiated the steps as quickly as possible.
    The carpeting on the third floor was also saturated, the thick material squishing under his shoes as he exited the stairwell. All that was soon lost on the deputy as the carnage in the hall came into view. He was taken aback when the loud torrent of gushing water was overwhelmed by lamented moans and languishing cries. Not knowing what to expect, he drew his weapon and approached the horrific scene.
    In all of his days as a law enforcement officer, Morgan had never seen anything to prepare him for the blood and slaughter that filled the corridor.
    Gingerly stepping over the bodies with his weapon drawn and ready, the deputy soon discovered the source of the sobbing. José’s wife and elderly father were huddled over the body of their beloved one. Three small children and a baby, all apparently in shock, were clustered nearby.
    After verifying there were no longer any active shooters, Morgan holstered his firearm and began checking for pulses, feeling the bloodied, shredded bodies that seem to be scattered throughout the area. Other than the noncombatants, he found no survivors.
    At that moment, the flood reached one of the building’s main generators. Gallons of water began pouring into the large, diesel-powered turbine. The entire building shook violently as the incompatible mixture of water and electricity reacted, the explosion sending heavy metal fragments into the support columns and nearby foundation.
    Dust falling from the ceiling and flickering lights warned the deputy that Ocean Towers might no longer be a safe place. He was just about to hustle the mourning family out when the second explosion rocked the entire floor.
    The detonations served to bring the survivors out of the sorrow-induced trance. Making eye contact with the deputy, José’s wife acted instantly to the threat and began gathering her children close.
    Morgan followed the grieving relatives to the stairway. A few minutes later, he watched the old man, widow, and small children begin wandering toward the waterfront.
    Even with the recovery, the lawman knew their chances of survival were slim. Taking a final glance at the once-glimmering structure, he returned to his car and exited the parking lot.
    There was nothing else he could do.
     

Chapter 2
     
    The two black SUVs rolled out of Alpha, speeding west toward Fort Bliss. The lead unit’s front and rear seats were filled with the Alliance’s best security team, each having been handpicked to protect the fledgling republic’s highest elected official.
    All four were uneasy, their eyes scanning the road ahead for anything unusual that might threaten Diana.
    They were men paid to be nervous, to question everything, and take nothing for granted. They all understood their charge’s importance to the Alliance and her citizens. Any of them would die to protect her.
    Since Nick’s hospitalization, Diana had been making frequent trips to the distant base, journeys that caused her protectors to clench their teeth from stress. Redundancy led to predictability, and in their business, that often meant death. 
    Like most governments, the Alliance’s capital was a relatively docile environment, heavily patrolled and well policed. Not all of the territories could make such claims. El Paso fell into a category the security forces called a “frontier town.” Unofficially, the border city was often referred to as the “wild, wild West.”
    Except Fort Bliss, much of the city was still on the fringe of law and order. Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio were all at various stages of reintegration and recovery.
    Today, their heightened senses were taxed far beyond the usual trip to El Paso. Instead of one of their own behind