What the hell was she doing there?
Everything blurred out. Collin could tell some time had passed in his dream, but he had no idea how much. He was still standing inside Air Force One, and the next thing Collin saw was his hand on a Bible. Justice Austin was standing before him listening to him say, “I, Collin War, do solemnly swear I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God.”
Collin couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
While Collin’s body was still slumped uncomfortably in a plastic waiting room chair in the hospital, his mind was still at thirty-eight thousand feet aboard Air Force one as the newly sworn in leader of the crumbling free world.
“We’re refueling in air while we figure out a safe place to land, sir,” a staff member said to Collin.
The woman’s face was fuzzy and unrecognizable.
“Very well,” he said. Agent Faber was seated across from him. “Any word on my wife?”
Agent Faber glanced at Brady, then back at President War and shook his head. “Negative thus far, Mr. President.”
Collin wasn’t ready to be referred to by the title and judging from the shocked look on the boy’s face, it caught Brady off guard as well. President War shrugged his shoulders and managed to smile at his son.
There was a bright flash, like the sun itself decided to peer inside the jet’s windows, followed by the ear splitting sound of an explosion.
The next thing Collin knew the plane pitched hard to the side. A massive crunching and tearing sound coupled with a steep dive threw his stomach into his throat.
“Dad!”
“Brady, I’m here!” Collin shouted.
Thankfully, they were buckled into plush, white chairs. Brady sat beside him, squeezing his hand with a terrified look on his face.
Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling. Collin fought the force of the steep descent and managed to get the mask over Brady’s mouth. Then he pulled his own mask over his face and breathed the cool air flowing through the plastic tubing.
Air Force One pulled out of the dive and began a series of sharp downward spirals as the plane circled in a defensive maneuver Collin hadn’t felt since he’d flown into Baghdad as a young jarhead all those years ago.
On the overhead speakers the pilot’s voice crackled to life. They could only hear pieces of the announcement over the din.
“Massive explosion ... refueling and struck ... atomic ... blast ... prepare for ... emer – ... –ing ...”
Another flash as brilliant as the sun forced them all to cover their faces. Collin leaned toward Brady to shield him. Waves of turbulence struck the plane as it quickly descended. It bucked and dropped like an out of control roller coaster.
Something struck the wing and the plane dipped sideways. Collin saw smoke clouding the far side of the airplane. Outside of his window, it was clear and calm. Then he saw stuff falling around them, some of it trailing flames.
“My God,” he gasped, realizing it was pieces of the KC130 that had been refueling them.
Agent Faber shouted, “Hold on, sir. We’re going down! Brace for impact!”
Collin wrapped an arm around Brady’s shoulders. The plane passed over mountains, close enough to see trees. A river twisted below them, then more trees. The plane was descending like a rock. Collin’s stomach knotted and his breath caught in his throat.
“I love you, Brady!” he shouted above the engines.
Thundering bumps from the front of the plane soon turned into screeching as tree branches shredded the underbelly of the Boeing VC-25 known as Air Force One. For all its various defenses and advanced electronics, it hadn’t been able to withstand the explosion of the KC130 refueling jet, fragments of the jet falling from above, plus the blast waves from two unknown, possibly nuclear, blasts nearby.
All of this, plus more, flashed through Collin’s mind. President Collin War was about to die after serving the shortest term in American history.
The left wing sheared off and slammed back against the body of Air Force One, smashing the windows and filling the cabin with smoke from the burning engines before the trees ripped it away. Momentum carried them further before a final resounding thunderclap of sound and energy shook the aircraft.
Everything burst into flames.
Then it all went black.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Hey, are you okay?” a familiar woman’s voice asked.
Collin felt a nudge on his shoulder and awoke.
“Brady!” he cried, feverishly patting his body with his hands, attempting to douse flames that didn’t exist.
“Collin, it’s okay. You’re safe,” said the woman’s voice again.
Collin looked up and saw Julie watching his frantic actions. Sadness tinted with shock filled her eyes as she watched him. He looked around and saw the chairs, the magazine littered table, his AR15 on the floor, and the ruined hallway of the hospital.
Yet another flashback, he thought angrily. Another nightmare.
Waking up soaked in sweat, heart pounding, was the worst kind of wake up call.
“What happened?” she asked softly, real concern in her voice.
Collin waved his hand and made a face.
“It’s nothing,” he said, not wanting to burden her with his fractured mind. Collin leaned forward in his seat, elbows on his knees, and rubbed his face with both hands.
“Didn’t look like nothing,” Julie said. “You can talk to me.” She poked his arm and said playfully, “Doctors orders.”
Collin looked at her and smiled a little. “Just another one of my dreams. You know, stuff from my past.”
“And ...”
He wasn’t sure he wanted to open up about what he’d learned. Was it even real? It felt as real as the chair he sat in, but what’s to say the incident bore any resemblance to real life?
Collin pondered the choice quietly. Only one way to find out what’s real and what isn’t.
“I witnessed Vice President Stonewall shoot himself.” It sounded absurd when he said it out loud. “And then I was on a plane with Secret Service agents and my son Brady was there. At one point, I was in a meeting with a Supreme Court Justice, and then we crashed.”
He let out a big breath, picked up his rifle, and leaned back in the chair, waiting for Julie to burst out laughing at him. Or something.
She nodded.
“That’s roughly the story we heard too,” she said.
“What?!” Collin sat up straight and eyed her. A tremor shook his shoulders.
Startled by his reaction, Julie stood up and took a step back. “Yes, we heard that’s what happened. The president had fallen to the fever by the time the plane landed, Vice President Stonewall killed himself, and later you were sworn in as the President of the United States.” Her voice was slow and calm.
“How did you know?” Collin asked, standing up. A swirl of emotion raged inside of him, and he couldn’t sit any longer.
“The plane crashed in the valley. We saw it coming down, streaking across the sky and then saw smoke from the crash site. One of your Secret Service agents, Agent Faber, survived but had serious injuries. I’ll never forget his name.” Her voice trailed off for a moment, clearly replaying the memory. “Faber wasn’t stable enough to move and would have bled out anyway. I kept trying to calm him, but he was adamant about telling the story. He saw us moving your body; you were unconscious at the time, and he pleaded with us to keep you safe.”
Julie sat down. “The Eagles were the first to locate the crash site and pull you out. In fact, it was a former military man who recognized the plane and rallied the others to investigate the crash. They saved your life; otherwise you’d have burned to death in the wreckage.”
“My God,” Collin said in awe. He paced the waiting room. “What happened to Brady? How did he end up with the Vipe
rs?”
“The Eagles arrived at the crash site just ahead of me and my medical team. They made first contact with the Vipers. Things quickly turned violent, they ran off, there was no way to know what, or who, they’d taken.” Julie sighed. “When they left, we approached and found you and Faber. He never mentioned your son and passed away soon after the firefight. It was almost like he was holding on just to inform us of who you were.”
“This is unbelievable. I mean, why didn’t you tell me sooner? I’ve been here how long now, and all this time you knew?” Collin was most aggravated by the betrayal. All the time he’d spent worrying about his past, trying to figure out who he was, and why he was there. Everyone knew except for him.
“When it was clear you didn’t remember, I advised the council it was probably better for you to work a lot of it out on your own. It’s quite a burden to realize your title and all that, and we didn’t want to pressure you right away.”
Collin scoffed, but deep down he understood. It hadn’t been a malicious act on her part, even if it had likely been exploited by Pastor Pendell and Major Logan before their untimely deaths.
“Who saved me? I think I owe them my thanks,” he said.
“That won’t be possible.”
Collin frowned at her. “Why not?”
“Major Logan was the one that saved you,” Julie said, gazing up at him.
Collin’s jaw nearly smashed through the floor. That’s why he called me “sir” those times.
Major Logan and Collin never got along well, but they shared a similar skill set and background, so there was a certain measure of respect. Now Collin realized he’d owed the man his life. The fact didn’t settle well.
“Did you bury Agent Faber?” Collin asked.
Julie nodded. “We buried him next to the wreckage.”
“Good. From what I remember, he was a good man. A true patriot.”
“While Koby sleeps off the anesthesia, let’s go to my office. I have something for you I think you’ll want,” Julie said, standing up and walking down the hall.
Collin looked after her curiously and followed.
They walked in silence. A lot changed for Collin with the realization of his position, his duty. Or had it?
When they arrived at Dr. Horner’s office, she opened the door and motioned for him to take a seat.
“You’re officially the first President to enter my office,” Julie said with a slight smirk.
“In a world seemingly controlled by HAGS, does being President even mean anything?” he wondered aloud. Collin shook his head slightly, struck dumb by the absurdity of being the President.
Julie sat down and rummaged through her desk for a moment. She pulled out a stack of papers and placed them on top of the desk, then reached deep inside the now vacant drawer.
“Here we go.” Julie held something in her hand. It wasn’t big whatever it was.
Collin watched closely as she set it on the desk close to him. It was a small pistol, the same one he’d seen Vice President Stonewall use on the runway at Malmstrom. His eyes widened, surprised by the sight of it and unsure what to say.
“I assumed you would want it,” Julie said. A look of confusion and embarrassment crossed her face. “Agent Faber made me take it from his pocket and keep it safe.”
“Do you know what it is?” Collin asked.
“You mean besides the obvious? No, not really.” She shook her head.
“It’s the gun that killed President Lincoln.”
Now it was her turn to look shocked.
“And it’s the gun Vice President Stonewall used to kill himself,” Collin added.
She gasped. “I had no idea!”
The echo of boots running on the tile came through the door. “General War! Sir!”
“Keep it safe,” Collin said, picking up the pistol and handing it back to Julie. “It’s a national treasure.”
With that, he spun on his heel and stepped into the hallway.
“Over here, Sergeant Wilson,” he shouted back.
“Sir, it’s time,” Wilson said, coming around a corner.
Collin glanced back at Dr. Horner.
She waved him away. “I’ll see you later, Mr. President,” she said softly.
“Take care of Koby,” Collin said with a nod.
It was the first time since he woke up from his presidential dream that the real reason for him being at the hospital with her in the first place came to mind. He was so wrapped up in his dream he had forgotten to ask about Koby, which was a fact he was ashamed of as a friend.
Collin readied his weapon and exited the office. Striding down the hall, he motioned for Sergeant Wilson to lead the way outside. It was time for action, and that was something he could easily understand.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
A light drizzle began just after Collin and Sergeant Wilson emerged from the hospital. The pitter-patter of the rain drops against the leaves beat a steady rhythm, like drums of war. They stayed near the door of the hospital, under cover. Sergeant Wilson waved over the soldiers, who had taken refuge under a tree to stay dry.
“This is our assault team, sir,” Wilson said when they approached, nodding at the seven other Eagles geared up and assembled.
“Very good. We are going take Calvin McTavish, or Mac, into custody,” Collin said, looking at the soldiers before him. “He is armed, dangerous, and quite possibly waiting for us. Although my hope is that he’s drunk tonight.”
“Sir, if you don’t mind,” Private Park said.
“Go ahead.”
“Why are we arresting him, sir?”
“Good question, Private. We are arresting him because earlier today he attempted to murder Koby and me when we were investigating the deaths of two Eagles. Men you all know – Davies and Patterson. Both were loyal soldiers that were likely killed by Mac, or one of his associates.”
Collin sold it to them, even though he still didn’t feel one hundred percent about accusing Mac. He lacked the solid evidence required in the old days to bring someone to justice, but he had enough to feel confident that setting his sights on Mac was justified. A Goshen without Mac was better than a Goshen with Mac, and that was good enough for Collin.
“Now, I don’t want us going in gun blazing like maniacs,” Collin said as a smile played across his lips, causing the Eagles to grin as well. “Ideally, we can take everyone into custody without firing a shot. That said, if some knucklehead is laying down fire in your direction, feel free to light ’em up. Aim true; we have a lot of innocent civilians in the adjacent homes, and I don’t want unnecessary casualties.”
“Sergeant Wilson will assign you to teams, but I want team one with me, moving on the house. Team two will move on the barn, which as most of you know is also something of a boathouse. Mac’s property runs up against the Little Goshen River, so keep an eye out for anything ... fishy.” Collin grinned alone at his corny joke. Apparently the strike team Eagles were not the most receptive audience. Koby would have liked it.
“Sir, some kids broke into Mac’s barn a couple years ago and took a bunch of shine. After that Mac bragged about how he setup a redneck security system that would ensure no one gets in uninvited,” Specialist Tanner said.
“What the hell does that mean?” Collin looked at Specialist Tanner for an answer. The man shrugged so Collin looked around. No one seemed to know.
“He wasn’t real specific, sir,” Tanner said with a shrug, “Just thought you would want to know.”
“We will be quick and quiet. If all goes well, he won’t know we’re there until he’s being handcuffed,” Collin said.
Private Park spoke up. “I’ve heard he usually has a group of guys with him, his posse is what he calls them. Probably all drunkards like Mac, but something to keep in mind.”
“Excellent. Thank you, Private Park. Anyone else have intel on Mac I should know?” Collin held his hands out, waiting.
No one else spoke.
“So, we double time it to t
he end of his block. When the house is in visual range, we move to bounding overwatch,” Collin said. Looking at Sergeant Wilson, he added, “You take team two, I’ll take team one. So, you’re on the barn.”
“Copy that, sir.” Wilson nodded. “Should we leave these guys on guard here, sir?”
Collin nodded. “Specialist Tanner is coming with us, but leave the others here. Two at the door and two with Dr. Horner. Stay out of her way, but stay in close proximity. It’s vital Dr. Horner is protected.”
“We’ll make sure she’s safe, sir,” Private Egon said. He saluted, then turned away and took a soldier inside with him to guard Dr. Horner.
“We’re good to go, sir,” Sergeant Wilson said.
“Team one, on me,” Collin said. His soldiers moved into a file behind him. The rest lined up behind Wilson. “Stay quiet, call out anything you see.”
As they jogged down the street in the light rain, Collin thought through his plan. He would lead his team into the house and arrest Mac. The barn would be taken by Sergeant Wilson, not because he cared about the alcohol production, but because if there was evidence of bomb making, it’d likely be in there. That’s how he’d nail Mac’s ass to the tree, so to speak.
Now that Goshen didn’t have to fear a Viper attack, Collin had lifted the light restrictions. Street lights overhead lit their way. Except the lights near Mac’s house. Collin motioned for the teams to slow to a walk. He stared at the lamp posts, trying to see any damage since they were conspicuously off. Of all the places they passed, Mac’s house was the only one without street lights.
Time to move tactically, Collin thought as he motioned to Sergeant Wilson to begin.
Wilson nodded and moved his team. They took a knee and covered Collin’s team as they rushed ahead. When Collin got to cover, he motioned and Wilson’s teamed moved out. Team two passed by and kept going forward until they reached cover and then motioned for Collin’s team to go ahead.
This put Collin’s team directly in front of Mac’s house. Everyone knelt on the pavement in a line, facing the house, checking for spotters or shooters. They could hear leaves rustle and bugs creating the chorus in the night.
Living for War: The Collin War Chronicles Page 8
