Killswitch Chronicles- The Complete Anthology

by G. R. Carter

  Alex shook his head and looked away. “I’m sorry, sir. I really am.”

  “I believe you again, Alex. As far as I’m concerned, his death is on Hopkin’s hands, not yours. They told those boys you were going to kill their families, that they were the only hope Vincennes had of stopping you. They had them up there for months training to launch their trap.”

  “How long has this been planned?” Alex asked in surprise.

  “At least a year.”

  “Good lord, am I that predictable?”

  “He knew you’d try to help Evansville. And there’s only so many ways of getting down here now. Look at a map and there’s some pretty obvious choke points. Though from what I hear you still managed to figure out a way to wriggle out of the trap.”

  “I’ve got some casualties who would disagree with my tactics.”

  The old man waved a hand. “Casualties happen in wars. And soldiers always complain. It’s just what we do. Anyway, enough of that. Let’s get up here to the office and I’ll turn over any maps and documents I have to you and your officers.”

  “I’ll be sending a Quartermaster to help coordinate supply shipments. I’m assuming Hopkins took most of the food with him?”

  Estes nodded. “I’m afraid we’re in for a lean year. The Marines took all the canned and dried food supply. Plus, they ran a lot of our food production on their estates.”

  “Well, Estes, you’ll find Red Hawks are better friends than enemies. You’ll have enough food for all your people. And we’ll get fuel supplies so you’ll have some heat and power,” Alex assured him.

  Estes stuck out his hand, which Alex grasped with both of his.

  “We’ve got some hard feelings to patch, Founder Alexander Jefferson Hamilton of the Red Hawk Republic. But I knew you were a good man inside. You took some of our lives, but you’ll save more if you follow through on those promises.”

  “You don’t have to worry about us keeping our word, Estes. Just as long as you keep yours, and I know you will.”

  The two finished their climb up the stairs of the monument and walked inside. Desks surrounded the larger-than-life statue of the patriot Clark. More desks were underneath the hand-painted tapestries depicting scenes of Clark’s accomplishments.

  Alex took it all in, briefly overwhelmed by the intricate beauty and history.

  “That’s the one I really wanted you to see, young man,” Estes said, pointing to a script.

  Alex focused his eye, having to reread it a couple of times. Finally, the meaning sunk in. Crossing the centuries, he felt like Clark was speaking directly to him.

  Great things have been effected by a few men well conducted

  “Let’s hope we can live up to that, Estes,” Alex said, patting his new friend on the shoulder. “Maybe, just maybe, if we do our part as conductors, we’ll get out own memorial someday.”

  Chapter Eleven

  George Rogers Clark Memorial

  Office of General Nicolas Hopkins

  City of Vincennes

  Alex sifted through piles of documents and reports. Paper had become a luxury most places, but apparently there was plenty available in Vincennes, at least for official business. Most of it was worthless to him now. At some point a team would dig through the documents to figure out what the city’s residents needed to survive the upcoming year. But for now, what Alex needed wasn’t here.

  He leaned back in Hopkin’s comfortable executive-style chair, similar to the one Alex had been given so many years ago as a present from his salvage crews. Different paths, different times, different men.

  Sam told him about the conversation he had with Bill Huffman, the now-deceased Head Elector of Mt. Horab. Huffman made Sam admit ARK’s leadership operated with different motivation; a product of their rearing by those who operated in a kill-or-be-killed world. The Hamilton brothers, on the other hand, were brought up by those immersed in faith, the land, and their community. Sam, and then Alex, had resisted the idea their friends and allies would ever turn their backs on years of close partnership.

  They had been wrong. Now Alex wondered if had been wrong to pursue a relationship with General Nicholas Hopkins also. He hadn’t taken a lot of time to think about the path to this point when Evansville was attacked. He simply reacted, trusting his gut. For years, Julia Ruff had courted Vincennes, trying to bring Hopkins closer to the Republic, trying to influence the actions of such a potentially valuable ally.

  Once again, Alex felt played. The documents in front of him weren’t exactly a smoking gun, but he could interpret the thought process of Vincennes leadership. Hopkins never intended to work with them, he was just trying to string them along. Alex had personally authorized thousands of Quarters worth of assistance to Vincennes: food, fuel, expertise in farming and mining…Hopkins had taken it all with a smile and a nod.

  “I told you so,” he heard a voice say from the entranceway. Alex didn’t have to look up to recognize who it was.

  “Congratulations,” Alex said, still looking over one particular file marked “Confidential.” “You ever going to get tired of being right?”

  “Nope. It’s the duty of a mother-in-law to make sure her daughter’s husband is put in his place.” Julia Ruff approached and looked down at one of the adjoining desks. She lifted the corner of a couple of folders, needing something to do but not interested in digging in just yet.

  “I don’t remember Bishop Hart saying that,” Alex told her. “I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to respect the earthly authorities the Creator put in charge. I think that’s me.”

  Alex gave up trying to be offended and smiled at his long-time mentor. “I appreciate you coming so soon. Nobody knows this place better than you.”

  “I’ve been here enough times, though I suppose it was all time wasted, wasn’t it?”

  Alex shook his head. “I don’t think so, Julia. I really don’t. If you’ll accept, I’m going to make you Governor of both Old Main and Vincennes. We’ll give the Senate a chance to ratify it when you call them into session next month.”

  He chose not to notice the surprise on her face at suggesting such a complex meeting in a short period of time. She was used to it, and she figured he planned to call the Senate together after Vincennes was dealt with. Many of the fine wrinkles now surrounding her eyes and mouth came with long nights of trying to advance the Republic. Something like this would add a few more gray streaks. It was just a little sooner than she expected.

  She filed it away in her mind; she’d set the wheels in motion as soon as they were done here.

  “Why me?” she asked. “The Hunsingers could run it better. Harrisburg isn’t that much further away.”

  “I thought about it. But I’ve asked them to look after the Buckles until we figure out where to settle them permanently. Skyler and the rest of the Hunsingers will be busy helping Eric and Maleah rebuild Mt. Vernon.”

  “How’s Eric doing with everything?”

  “With his physical injuries? He’s doing fine. Maleah says the mental ones are more of a challenge. Maryanne being gone is hard on him, especially the way it happened. And they hadn’t been getting along well before the attack, so there’s probably a lot of regrets he’s working his way through.”

  “Anything more on the attackers?”

  “Same story as before. Both of our captives say they were captured and trained by the Caliphate to be assassins.”

  “But you don’t believe that?”

  “Just seems too convenient. I mean, think about it, they attack at just the same time as ARK and Vincennes launch twin strikes on our allies? There are no coincidences, only the hand of God…”

  “…And the hand of man. I know.”

  Julia seemed troubled by her thoughts. “You really think ARK would try to kill you? Even if you’ve had your differences recently…it’s just…that’s a big step, you know?”

  Alex agreed with a frown. “If I had to guess, it was Hopkins who gave the order. His men had the skills to train
a group of refugees to pull off a coordinated attack.”

  Alex nodded to himself; he’d thought this through a million ways. “Probably didn’t tell the Diamantes. Killing Uncle Jack would be a way to gin up enough bad blood between us to last for generations. Even if it didn’t make any sense, people would still be bitter.”

  “Our people will certainly be bitter enough. They’ll never forgive either ARK or Hopkins.”

  “I hope the Church can help them with that. If the Caliphate ever does invade, we’re going to need everyone to band together. That’s another reason I need you here.

  Julia still disagreed. “I wasn’t able to keep our agreement with Vincennes before.”

  “That betrayal is on Hopkins. The people here know you, they’ll be most comfortable with you. Though I’m worried about your safety.”

  “How so?”

  “You know Colonel Estes, right? He said that professor at the university brainwashed a bunch of the younger kids around here. Like Hitler Youth kind of stuff.”

  “I remember Hopkins talking about their religion,” Julia mused. “He wanted to build it around the Norse gods. He didn’t give me too many details, not after I told him what I thought of it all.”

  “I guess they thought that wasn’t enough, so they combined a bunch of belief systems. I think the only one they left out was ours.”

  “What he told me sounded confusing. I figured it was just a fad.”

  Alex shook his head. “No, it was a lot deeper than that. Hopkins and this professor took all the warrior elements of the old religions and rolled them up into one. He made his surviving Marines into a kind of demigod to the young people. The way they controlled information…well, they controlled everything, according to Estes…it sounds like the kids never stood a chance.”

  “Did he leave them behind? Act as a kind of a secret police to keep the townsfolk in line while he was gone on campaign?”

  Alex shook his head. “Estes says Hopkins isn’t coming back. From what I can tell, I believe he’s right.” He let that sink in on Julia.

  The realization spread slowly across her face. “What do you mean he’s not coming back? I don’t understand.”

  “Estes said Hopkins was in communication with another group, a group we don’t know anything about. Something happened a few months ago. Hopkins was totally preoccupied with getting ready for a march south. And it wasn’t just about attacking Evansville, they were just in his way.”

  “Do the Creeks know that?” she asked.

  “I sent a message to them. Most are in the field, fighting. It will take days or maybe weeks to let them know what we think is going on. Even then, what should they do? Stop fighting when their hated rivals are marching through their territory, looting and pillaging?”

  Julia shrugged. “I’m still having trouble grasping all this. Hopkins has been working to turn this into his Rome…I was starting to think he had real delusions of grandeur, like New America did a decade ago. He puts all this work into developing a cult of personality, then he leaves them behind?”

  “Estes thinks they’re like a suicide squad. They’ll blend in, act like civilians. Then with some trigger they’ll attack. Maybe lone wolf, maybe coordinated. But I think with some help from locals we’ll be able to root most of them out.”

  “But why Alex? Why would he waste such dedicated people?”

  “Same reason he fortified that prison. To slow us down. Hopkins wants us worrying about trying to pacify the city, maybe that way we won’t give chase. Wherever he’s going, he doesn’t want us following along. Private party, apparently,” Alex said.

  “Estes has no idea where they’re headed off to?”

  “Just that they’re heading south. Or maybe southeast.”

  “And there’s nothing in the papers?” Julia paused to consider her own question. “Of course there’s not. We have to assume anything we find is planted to throw us off.”

  “Yep. Otherwise why would it be left behind?”

  Alex stopped. “Estes did suggest one way to get some information. He said there’s a guy here from Virginia who knows things we don’t. Says the Federal Government is reorganized and operational. Maybe that’s who Hopkins was in contact with?”

  Julia gasped slightly, then gathered herself.

  “What?” Alex asked.

  “Oh, it’s nothing. We’ve heard those rumors for years. Why believe them now?”

  Alex stared for a moment, his single eye studying her face. “You’re not telling me everything you know. Come on, Julia, what? After all this time together, have you been keeping secrets from me?”

  Julia shook her head. “I’d never hold out on you, not on purpose. But there are some things from the past…I don’t know, Alex, I just…I never thought most of it was relevant to the here and now.”

  “I’d appreciate it if you let me be the judge of that.”

  The pain on Julia’s face left Alex worried. He had known this woman his entire adult life, literally trusted her with his life and the life of his family, of which she was a critical part. He feared whatever she was about to tell him could change their relationship…maybe damage it critically.

  “Julia, whatever you know, you need to tell me. I’m trying to decide what our next moves are. Where is Hopkins going? Should I be taking this Virginian seriously? Are you telling me there might actually be an operational Federal Government?” His voice was rising, sterner than he’d ever spoke to her. “Julia?”

  She finally shook out of her fog. “Yeah, yeah, okay. I’ll tell you the story, best as I can remember it. So much has happened since then. So many times, I felt guilty about choices I made before the Reset…things I could have done differently… Listen, Alex, you have to remember what the world looked like back then,” she pleaded. “Before the Reset and right after, all we could do was survive the best we could. There was so much going on.”

  “Okay, fine, water under the bridge. You won’t be held accountable for past sins,” he replied testily.

  It was her turn to study her son-in-law, a man she considered the son she never had. A reminder of Phil Hamilton, a man she had greatly admired as a true friend. Alex was a leader she felt was divinely inspired. She never said that to anyone, but her faith was reinvigorated when Alex survived his critical wounds. In her heart, she felt he was put here by God to lead a new nation of believers through the challenges of a literal Tribulation. She was worried about what he would think of her when she revealed decisions made in her past.

  Yet she had to tell him. It was her responsibility to do everything she could to help him. He needed to know.

  “I had just resigned from the US Senate,” she began. “I figured after the Reboot Bill that the United States wouldn’t survive much longer. There was just no way to pay back everything we borrowed. And our military was completely eviscerated. There was like maybe 100,000 enlisted in all the service branches combined. We couldn’t pay for everything in the long run or defend ourselves if another country called our bluff. I thought it best to come back home.

  “Bek’s dad and I weren’t getting along very well; the time in DC had been really tough on our relationship. I figured coming back home to farm would get he and I back on solid ground…”

  Julia began to cry, something Alex couldn’t remember ever seeing, and he didn’t really care to see it this time either. He tried to calm her, and himself. He reached over and patted her arm. Being emotionally open wasn’t his strong point. At least, that’s what he was told. But having kids could soften a man, give him practice for being more human. His touch was reciprocated, as Julia put her hand on top of his.

  She smiled and wiped away her tears. He noticed her fingers trembling. A quick nod and the potent, confident Julia that Alex knew so well began to come back.

  “When I took over at Old Main College, the Feds gave us a grant to work on nutrition for the space program, UNASA it was called back then. We did the research…it was actually interesting work. But along with the
grant I had to take on new staff, staff that spied for very powerful people in the capital. I was a political liability, one that had to be monitored. But I took their money because it helped keep us open and operating when most other colleges and universities closed down.

  “I felt like a sellout, of course. But I fed the spies just enough info to keep the charade going.”

  “Like your guy that the Diamantes kept at ARK, right? The computer guy?”

  “That’s right, Maxwell is his name. But there was another group, just as secretive as the Feds. These were patriots…at least, I considered them patriots. Business owners, big ranchers, even some retired military officers. Lots of Texans, I think. And a lot of others from the West and South, judging by accents. I never met a single one face-to-face. They contacted me by messenger while I was in the Senate, helped fund my elections before that. I never felt beholden to them for helping me, we just seemed to think alike, and there weren’t many liberty types in either chamber. Finally, I just ran out of patience with DC, and with Jim and I having troubles, I had to get out of that cesspool.”

  “Did they feel betrayed by you leaving?”

  “They weren’t exactly happy with me when I decided to resign. But a couple stayed in touch afterwards. One reached out to me not long before the Reset. He was trying to warn me of something, I just couldn’t figure out what. I’ve tried to forget what happened…let me try to recall how that last conversation I had with them went…”

  Julia Ruff’s Office

  Old Main University

  A Short Time Before the Great Reset

  “I’m sorry, Julia, there’s just nothing we can do this time. This is too big, even for us,” the husky voice on the other end of the line rasped.

  Julia Ruff leaned back in her chair and sighed, her forehead cradled in one hand while she tapped on her desk with the other. She thought for a moment, then replied.

  “Mr. Casey, what do you suggest I do? I’m at a loss right now.”