Rebecca didn't have a time-telling device handy, but hoped she was punctual as Ronnie knocked on the RV-turned-VIP-quarters in the furthest reaches of the courtyard, near the steel container wall. She cradled a rolled-up satellite image across her arm like a rifle, and Sam held two folded AAA maps in the hand opposite her lantern.

Amira's voice beckoned them inside, where Rebecca blinked in surprise to see the two mysterious unknown guys squeezed inside it with the rest of them. One of them nodded in silent greeting, which she returned with a cordial half-smile as she and Sam slipped behind Rhonda to sit on the lowered bed towards the "cab" area. Rebecca was really hoping Ronnie could take the lead with... whatever the presence of the strangers would bring.

That hope only grew when she decided the two men probably weren't happy to see them. The guy who hadn't nodded to her glanced away quickly, but she caught... some kind of dissatisfaction on his face before he did. Before she could ponder it further though, Amira gestured for the maps, which the younger women passed to Rhonda to relay to the fold-out dining table. The same table, in fact, that Rebecca had unrolled them on a few weeks ago with Ronnie.

Adept diplomat that she was proving to be, Amira likely picked up on Rebecca's reluctance, and addressed Ronnie in her dry, almost gravelly voice. "So, Gunnery Sergeant. Show me where the nearer of your friends' objectives is?"

A quick glance from Ronnie told Rebecca she'd picked up on her hesitation, and then Mama Bear stepped forward to screen her cubs from the strangers. "Here." Ronnie drew a best-time route with her finger from the city center to Sam's old neighborhood. "Recon indicates it's been 'all quiet on the Western Front', but I'm still reluctant to send them solo."

"I see. Gentlemen, I do believe that's in the general direction of your secondary objective, yes?"

The grumpier "gentleman" pressed his lips tight, and the slightly more congenial one spoke. "All due respect, I'm not entirely comfortable discussing this in front of them."

Amira was facing partially away from her, but Rebecca could see the edge of her eye as it narrowed dangerously. "All due respect, Mister Garyn, if that really is your name, but fuck your security clearance bullshit. These three women are why you have three-quarters of your intelligence on your highest profile opposition in your area of operation. They are almost entirely why, as you pointed out, Black Tusk apparently issued orders to avoid this whole town as 'not worth the trouble', allowing you easy passage and a convenient base of operations. This is also their home. If you're going to be gallivanting about in their neck of the woods poking at nuclear reactors, I think they should know."

Guy-who-wasn't Garyn clenched his jaw and pinched the bridge of his nose. Clearly Amira had just pulled their cat out of the bag.

(Rebecca found herself boggled at the idea Amira was only a city council member, not, like... chairwoman of some high powered federal committee who liked to rake her opposition over the coals for sport.)

Garyn sighed. "Yes, that is along one route we could take to North Anna."

Sam's head tilted in Rebecca's peripheral vision. "So that's why some small parts of town have power, no shit... do we need to be worried?"

"Not about a containment breach, at least." Garyn didn't look happy about it, but seemed to accept Amira had him by the balls. "Thermal and radiological readings indicate the plant either failed safe, or someone managed to gently reduce output as the power grids collapsed. Our objective is to recon the plant, identify whose control it is under, if any, and take measures to secure it so experts can be brought in."

Sam glanced at Rebecca, who had a "catch-me-up-please" face on. Quietly, while Ronnie hunched over the map and studied roads further out than her old neighborhood, she leaned close. "That plant supplied a good chunk of the power for northern Virginia. Can't say it wouldn't be nice to have the lights back on, if we managed to not burn the city down."

"Indeed, young lady." Amira inclined her head towards Sam briefly, then turned back to the men at the table. "One could argue that would be excellent, perhaps even enabling, progress."

Rhonda leaned back so she wasn't blocking the girls from seeing the table, but addressed Garyn. "Secondary objective. What's your primary?"

Garyn looked at Amira. "We're really not in a position to discuss that yet."

Amira made a derisive puffing sound. "And yet you're seeking resources to get you to North Anna, and assist with reconnaissance to the east."

Rebecca noticed Ronnie's posture shift. Amira had just told her something, and she hadn't missed it. Garyn and his cohort didn't see it, too busy almost-glaring at Amira. Ronnie was clearly happy to let them remain ignorant, because she backed off — something Rebecca rarely saw when matters involved safety of the locals. "Fine. We get tasked with regional recon, provide assets to help you get to North Anna, and in addition to whatever benefits your efforts bring us, a few civilians get tacked onto that convoy."

Garyn looked at his silent friend, who shrugged and finally spoke. "What else are we gonna do?"

"Fantastic, gentlemen. I'm glad we could all agree. Thank you for your time." Amira didn't quite dismiss them, but... Rebecca kept her face carefully neutral, fighting her admiration while Amira turned and looked over her shoulder. "Ladies, I would love to catch up with the three of you before retiring. Just a little conversation before an old lady's bedtime."

Okay, now she'd dismissed them. Rebecca stood and wished the men a good night as they left. After the door shut, she slipped hesitantly into the booth next to Amira since Ronnie and Sam had taken the opposite seats — she still wasn't sure if Amira was about to offer them cookies or rip someone's ego to shreds.

"Uhm... can I just say, that was awesome? And you're... mildly terrifying. I never want to be in your way, like, ever." When Amira chuckled warmly at this, Rebecca was encouraged. "Can I hug you?"

Sam and Ronnie laughed as Amira lifted her near arm and Rebecca leaned in to squeeze her gratefully. "Thank you, really."

"Of course, my dear. You've probably picked up that I enjoy taking buffoons down a notch by now." Another round of laughs. "Now, Gunny, if I may call you that among friends. What did I clue you in on?"

Before Ronnie could answer, Rebecca interrupted. "What? I thought you knew, and were dropping her a hint."

If it was possible to cackle quietly, Amira did it. "Dear, I did drop her a hint. One I was not equipped to solve myself. Now stop interrupting your elders."

Rebecca sat back but took the admonishment in good spirits, especially since Sam made eye contact with a suppressed giggle. Even Ronnie had a gentle chuckle at her expense before answering.

"Dahlgren. They're after Dahlgren."

Rebecca knew there was a military base there, right on the Potomac, but there were dozens in the area and she never really paid much attention to the smaller ones. Sure, she knew the big names, like Quantico had FBI and Marine Corps stuff, or Norfolk was a huge Navy hub. Fortunately, Ronnie explained further.

"There's a small base there. I doubt they're after the airfield, the airstrips are bigger than the county airport, but why not go for a real air station?" She shifted the map and looked at it again. "My money is they're after the Naval Surface Warfare Cen... ter." Ronnie slowed mid-word as something obviously clicked in her head. "Hah. No shit."

Everyone looked at her with some sort of encouraging or expectant expression, and Amira gave it all words. "Do enlighten us, Gunny."

"Funny you should point out that part of my rank, ma'am. The NSWC is... was used for all kinds of research and testing, but... it has a fricking shore battery. A whole row of different naval guns aimed downrange on like 20 miles of straight river, but look, the Potomac takes a tight Z-turn right at Dahlgren." Her eyes were lighting up with excitement, and Rebecca had only seen that grin come out when someone was in for a real good ass kicking. "Black Tusk push up river to D.C. last year, right? Somebody wants to make sure they can't pull that shit again, lay into them as they slow for the turns." It seemed her enthusiasm was overwhelming the profanity filter she'd tried to use in front of Amira.

Rebecca shook her head in disbelief. "Forts controlling the mouths of rivers again. God, we really have rolled back civilization."

Rhonda acknowledged her quip with a grin and a nod, and continued. "Last I heard there was even a 16-inch naval gun, like the main batteries on the old battlewagons like Missouri and Iowa, if you want to talk about winding back time. Maybe not as practical as something smaller, faster, with smart munitions, but if there's ordnance sitting around, god damn would it be fun to pull the string on that."

Sam chuckled next to her. "Oh look, we sunk their battleship."