Burning Nation

by Trent Reedy

  I nodded at him.

  “Well, let’s try this thing.” I held my comm up. “Hank, you there?”

  “Right here, buddy! My stars, it’s been a month of Sundays since we’ve talked. I’ve released a new rootin’ tootin’ single since the last time you’ve been on. Would you like to hear it?”

  Crow handed me a slip of paper with a comm number. “President Montaine is waiting to hear from you.”

  I let out a breath. “I guess I should have been expecting that. Hank, I need to make a video call.”

  “Well, yippee ki yay, let’s have the number!” I gave it to him.

  A flat, deep computer voice picked up. “Enter code now.” Crow handed a different slip of paper to me and I read a series of numbers and letters from that. “Authenticating. Please stand by.”

  I waited for at least ten minutes. Crocker started telling me about his part in the attack on the ski lodge. Crow had wanted him to stay behind to monitor the radios, but he’d insisted on being on the mountaintop machine gun team.

  “Thanks, Crocker. Thanks for coming to get me. I wish —”

  “Private Wright?”

  I snapped my attention back to my comm. President Montaine smiled on screen. When I’d vid-talked with him before, he’d been at his desk or at a podium in the governor’s mansion. All I could see behind him now was a gray cinder-block wall. I said, “It’s good to see you again, Mr. President.”

  Montaine smiled even wider. “Are you kidding me? It’s good to see you. When the United States reported you dead, we were crushed. Then we saw you alive on that video and realized you’d survived the invasion. We had a little party that night. Emphasis on little. Everything is in short supply.”

  “It’s been rough, Mr. President.”

  He looked down. “I know. I am sorry for so much suffering on both sides. Idaho has lost too many good soldiers and airmen. I swear to God, Private, I’ll never forget their sacrifice. And I’m sorry we couldn’t hold the north. Sorry you’ve all had to live under United States occupation. Sorry … for what they just put you through.”

  “I’m okay,” I said. Would everyone treat me like one of Mom’s old fragile ceramic horse knickknacks for the rest of my life? I nodded at the former sheriff, who sat on a metal folding chair with one leg crossed over his knee. “Nathan Crow says there’s a way I can get … justice?”

  “I’m glad you brought that up.” Montaine leaned toward the camera. “Private, we’re running out of time. The United States is planning a massive attack any day. We believe they haven’t hit us full strength since their failure to take southern Idaho because President Griffith wants to make a show of trying to negotiate a peace settlement with me. She’s also holding out hope that Oklahoma governor Martha Fergus will veto Oklahoma’s nullification bill. As soon as Governor Fergus signs the bill into law and President Griffith has nothing to lose, the US military will hit Idaho and probably Texas and Oklahoma pretty hard.”

  That was what Alsovar had said as well. “Mr. President, what chance do we have against all that?”

  “A good chance. Because we’re going to make our move first with plenty of surprises they aren’t counting on. We’ll throw them off-balance and seize the advantage. That’s where I need your help, Private Wright.”

  “Sir?”

  “Like I said before, for better or worse, you’ve become a symbol of our hope. You’re an inspiration to all of us who are fighting for our freedom, fighting for our right to exist. The people of Idaho are motivated by your struggle. We share it. And so, at the right moment, I want you to deliver a live address to all of our allies. You’ll tell Idaho to rise up and fight back.”

  My cheeks felt hot. “Um, Mr. President, I’ll follow orders, but I don’t think I’m the right guy to make some speech. I’m just a private.”

  The president folded his hands in front of him. “Private, I don’t think you realize how close we were to losing this whole thing a few months ago. Fed forces were pushing on almost all our borders. They were beginning to make headway, especially on the northern front up by White Bird. Morale was at an all-time low. Then we saw that video, the one with you screaming back in defiance of the United States. We played it across all the networks we were building here in Idaho. Everything changed. Our forces fought back harder. Even our pilots had more success stopping Fed flybys. People rally around you, Private Wright. Right now, a lot of folks are unsure about joining this fight. They see you as one of them, someone who lives the way they do, but stands up against the United States just the same. You inspire them. Hell, you inspire me.”

  I held up my hands. “Okay, okay. Um, Mr. President, could you please stop with all that kind of talk?” Then I realized what I’d just said. Since my life had been twisted inside out at the Battle of Boise, I’d talked to the governor of my state probably more than any other private in the history of the National Guard. But I still couldn’t give orders to the president. “Um, sir. Respectfully.”

  President Montaine roared a big bear of a laugh. “Yes, sir, Private, sir.” He saluted me. “Relax, Private Wright. If you’ve met the Brotherhood, you know that in this war, we tolerate a little more informality.”

  “Still, I shouldn’t talk to the president like that.”

  “Well, I haven’t been the president long. So how about it? Will you give the word to start the final fight against the United States?”

  “I’ll do whatever you tell me to do, Mr. President, but … I never did too good on my speeches in English class. Best I ever got was a C.”

  “That’s no problem, Private. As long as you can remember to use the code phrase, ‘We will give them a war. Rise up. Rise up. Rise up.’ That’s the phrase that will set everything in motion. Once you say that, we’re on our way to victory.”

  “But how will me saying a few words make any difference in —”

  “We’re not relying on inspiration alone. We have a strategy. I’ve been working with Governor Fergus in Oklahoma and Governor Percy of Texas as well as the leadership of a couple other states. Your speech will be the signal for our allies around the country to begin a surprise counteroffensive against the United States. Our plan is for you to give the signal at zero six hundred hours the morning after the Oklahoma Senate passes nullification. After that, the United States will never be the same. Mr. Crow will have more instructions about how to make that transmission. I’m asking you to trust me like you did before. We’re all in this together. Can I count on you?”

  “I’ll do the best I can, Mr. President.”

  “That’s all any of us can do. That’s what you’ve been doing since this whole thing started. And the thing is, Private Wright, your best is pretty damn good.”

  “What should we do when the fight begins? We were hitting some convoys here and there, I mean, before me and Specialist Sparrow were captured. I’ve been kind of out of the loop since then.”

  President Montaine nodded. “I’m sending classified orders to your inbox. The code to access them will be the same one you used to call me. The file will give your team instructions. In the meantime, work with Mr. Crow and his Brotherhood. They’re organized and ready for the fight.”

  “Roger that, Mr. President.”

  “Zero six hundred the morning after the Oklahoma nullification bill passes. Just talk about why you’re fighting against the United States and why people should join you. Then give the code phrase. Be ready. It’s time to win this war. President Montaine, out.”

  The image of Montaine vanished, replaced by an image of a gold, snow-capped mountain with sunbeams shining behind it, enclosed in a circle with the words IDAHO! OUR LIVES FOR THEE written on a ribbon near the bottom. The circle floated in the center of a field of dark blue.

  “Hank,” I said. “Open my inbox.”

  “You bet, partner. Woo-wie! You got friends in high places. Urgent message from President Montaine. How’d you like to watch my latest music video while you—”

  “Shut up, Hank,” I sa
id. Maybe it was time to get a new digi-assistant. Maybe a digi-soldier or something. I looked up at Crow, Crocker, and JoBell. “We better start getting ready.”

  * * *

  The next three days were full of tense preparation. I slept through most of that first day, only interrupted by nightmares two or three times. After that, my friends and I helped the Brotherhood distribute ammo, loaded up magazines for our own weapons, and went over our plan for the coming fight.

  The night before the mission was one of those warm mid-March evenings that come along sometimes. In the old days, nights like these would tease me, reminding me that the end of the school year was just around the corner. Now my friends and I were out back behind the pole barn on an old, broke-down, mid-seventies Ford pickup, eating MREs for supper. Sweeney and Becca sat on top of the cab. TJ and Cal sat on opposite bed walls. JoBell and I stood, using the tailgate as a table. It might have been any old back-road party, except we didn’t have any beer and we were all carrying assault rifles.

  “Man, I hate politics,” Cal said. “I hate watching the news all the time, waiting to see if the Oklahoma Senate is going to outlaw the ID card. I mean, what if they don’t pass it? What do we do then?”

  “Cal, they’re going to pass it.” JoBell opened her heated packet of beef stew. “They have enough votes. They’re just drawing out the debate while Montaine and his allies get ready.”

  Cal drew his sword and looked it over. The blade shined in the fading sunlight. He wore that thing all the time. “I wish they’d hurry up. I’m ready to stick it to those bastards.”

  TJ squeezed cheese from a packet onto his cracker. It came out all oily. “Gross. What the hell?”

  “You gotta squish up the packet first to get it mixed right,” I said.

  TJ shrugged and pushed a lock of greasy brown hair out of his face. “Crow says this is it. They think they can kick the US military out of Idaho.”

  “Doesn’t seem possible,” said Sweeney.

  “On our own, maybe not,” JoBell said. “But he says when the time comes, the Fed will have too much else to deal with. They won’t be able to hold on to Idaho. With the war here and overseas, the US military is spread too thin, and if they have to also cover Texas and Oklahoma … Well, Idaho’s not the most valuable state they could lose.” JoBell said all that with the same fire in her voice she used to have about staying out of the war. Had she changed her mind because of what Alsovar had done to me? Funny, after all this time hoping JoBell would understand why I had to fight for Idaho, even hoping that she’d join us, I now wished she wouldn’t.

  “But it isn’t like the war will be over,” I said.

  “No,” said JoBell. “But the Fed won’t want to spend a lot of resources trying to keep control of little places like Freedom Lake.”

  I decided that was a good enough introduction for something I wanted to say. “Guys, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” I said. “On the night before the barbed wire bomb attack …” I took my fiancée’s hand. “The night me and JoBell got engaged, I made the decision … we made the decision to get out of the war.”

  “What?” Cal said.

  “What are you talking about?” asked Sweeney.

  “So you’re not with us for this fight?” TJ said. “The whole plan starts with you.”

  “And why the hell would you want to chicken out now?” Cal asked. “We’re right on the edge of winning.”

  “Guys, give him a chance to explain,” Becca said. She looked a little sad somehow, but held out a hand, inviting me to continue.

  I nodded at Becca. “I was going to do the barbed wire bomb and then find someplace safe to go and hide and wait out the war. JoBell’s been wanting me to get out for a long time, and when she was shot, I was so scared of losing her, I realized what’s really important. JoBell, and you guys.”

  “Yeah, well, Jo didn’t seem that out of the war when we attacked the ski lodge to save your ass,” Cal said.

  JoBell dropped her spoon on the tailgate. “I was going to save my boyfr—my future husband, Cal!”

  Becca looked away. Sweeney patted her back.

  “Yeah, but what about now?” Cal asked her. “You been planning on going on this op. Can we even count on you? Are you in this or not?”

  Maybe this was my chance to deal with one thing that had been bothering me since I got out of Alsovar’s cell. “She’s not. JoBell, I think you should stay behind on this one.”

  “What? I can handle myself,” JoBell said. “I’m not afraid.”

  “It’s not that,” I said. “And you should be afraid, by the way. I just … If this is going to be our last battle, you might as well stay out of it.”

  “I’ve seen Crow’s photos of the Fed military buildup,” JoBell said. “They’re about to launch another serious attack. If we can get them out of Idaho, I think it will ultimately save lives. One last push, and then we can find some peace.”

  “But won’t we be helping make the war worse?” Becca said. “Won’t a lot more people die?”

  JoBell pushed her hair back. “The war is going to escalate anyway. The attack is coming no matter what we do. Our only chance of survival is to do this mission.”

  Cal stood up in the bed of the truck. “The war ain’t gonna be over after tomorrow! We push them out of the state— I mean country, we still got a war on our hands! You can’t just quit, Wright. This is bullshit!”

  “Yeah, Wright,” said Sweeney. “This might have been something to bring up after the mission.”

  Cal pointed at me. His shoulders heaved with every deep breath. “Ever since Boise, we’ve been with you all the way—”

  “That’s my point!” I said. “I don’t want JoBell or any of you risking your lives for me anymore. One last hit. We take out Alsovar, and then we gotta get out of this.”

  “It ain’t about you, Danny! You dumb shit! I’m doing this for all of us, for my future kids. So we can be free and shit! Damn it! I can’t believe you don’t want to at least get back at these bastards for what they did to you!”

  Becca put her hand on Cal’s arm. “Hey, come on. Calm down.”

  “No, you calm down! I ain’t listening to any more of this bullshit. Danny, a while back you was saying how we gotta be humane to the Fed. Don’t take ’em out with my sword. Then they locked you in a room and tortured you. Almost killed you.” Cal jumped down off the truck. “Who knows what they did to Sparrow. She won’t talk about it. But you can bet those filthy sons of bitches got off on it! You still think we should be so nice? Still think there’s rules to all of this? I can’t believe you’re quitting. This is bullshit!” He started walking past me. I tried to stop him from leaving, but he slammed both hands into my chest and knocked me on my ass. “Go to hell! Should’ve left you in that cell!”

  “Cal!” Becca yelled.

  But he’d stormed off. Sparrow came out of the wood line, her M4 slung from her shoulder. “You know this is still a secret rebel military base. You want to shut the hell up before the Fed hears us?”

  “Sorry,” Becca said.

  JoBell reached to help me up, but I waved her away and stayed on the ground. Nobody said anything for a moment.

  “Well,” TJ said. “That could have gone better.”

  —• with the worldwide coverage of ABC News.”

  “Good evening. I’m Dale Acosta, and this … is Night Time. A nation on the brink. And this time we’re not talking about a civil war in the Middle East, but about the desperate situation right here in America. As we reported a few months ago, the governors of Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire formed the New England Peace Alliance, activating their National Guard units and ordering them to disregard any federal orders that might send them into combat against other Americans, including the people of Idaho. Then President Griffith federalized every Reserve unit in the military, and when NEPA soldiers and airmen refused to comply with the federal activation, the president cut all funding and began the immediate disarmament of al
l New England Reserve components, effectively disbanding the National Guard and Reserve forces of three states. Now the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island have committed to NEPA as well. Joining us live via satellite from several secure locations are the governors of the New England Peace Alliance states, Dennis Milam of Connecticut, Preston Loomis of Maine, Doug Palmer of Massachusetts, Madeline Hanson of New Hampshire, Leonard Cahill of Rhode Island, and Parker Shoemaker of Vermont. Welcome, all.

  “Governors, I’ll get right to it. The law is pretty clear that the president has the authority to activate National Guard units for the purposes of stopping rebellion in the United States. Isn’t the refusal to allow New England National Guard forces to activate really an act of rebellion in itself? Governor Milam of Connecticut, you have your hand up.”

  “That’s a good question, Dale. As you know, Connecticut was late in joining NEPA precisely because our people were concerned that it was some kind of rebel organization. However, we did not want to put our National Guard soldiers in the position where they would be required to fight Americans. The order to help in the fight against other Americans is the only order we sought to countermand. That’s why federal forces are meeting with no resistance as they seize weapons, ammunition, and equipment from armories and airfields across New England.”

  “And Dale, if I may, in the state of Maine, about 30 percent of Guardsmen did volunteer to answer the president’s call to federal duty. I’m told that figure is pretty consistent across New England. We certainly did not stop them.”

  “Governor Cahill?”

  “Thanks, Dale. The men and women of the Rhode Island National Guard didn’t sign up to kill Americans. They enlisted to protect Americans. The New England Peace Alliance is only trying to protect our soldiers. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.”

  “Joining us now via satellite from Washington is Vice President Jim Barnes, formerly the senior representative from New Hampshire. Mr. Vice President, you have defended NEPA’s position. Doesn’t that represent a split from President Griffith?”

  “It’s not a split at all, Dale. Look, the fine governors you have on the show tonight have expressed valid concerns on behalf of their constituents. Now President Griffith and I are really the only two leaders in the country working together across party lines, except for the leadership of the New England Peace Alliance. Together the governors, the president, and I came up with this temporary solution, redistributing combat assets from New England to where they are needed, while still leaving the National Guard in the New England states prepared and equipped to handle natural disasters or other problems.”