The Arizona State Guard Trilogy

by Jeffrey M. Fortney

  President Sherrill Carrington, her Presidential Advisors, and guests sat watching videos as they came in from the West and East Coast NSF stations. They were seated in the secure bunker hundreds of feet below the People’s Palace and were dining on the finest foods and wines.

  Carrington smiled. “They behave as they have been trained to act…jealous of those who have more than they do, regardless of how the haves got what they have. They will destroy the rich for plunder and thrills; then they will march out of the cities and into the towns and smaller communities beyond. Like locusts, they will strip the fields and towns bare. Some people will flee the marauders but where can they go? Only to those soft-hearted fools of Fly-Over Country, where they will be a terrible burden on those damned conservative cretins.”

  She looked at each of her advisors in turn before continuing. “Eventually, we will step in to feed, clothes, and arm the marauders giving them what they think they need…all the while, stirring up even more hate, more anger, and more avarice. We will focus their anger and avarice on our enemies in the middle of this continent. Then we shall unleash them upon those fucking rednecks.”

  “Madame President, please don’t underestimate those ‘rednecks’…” said one of Carrington’s advisors. He started to say more, then realized that he’d already said too much!

  “Ah, Patrick,” said Carrington, “the city gangs and thugs shall be our cannon fodder. We’ll let them suffer high casualty rates while they inflict whatever damage they can upon our enemies. Then with the help of our partners from the Islamic Global Caliphate, we can advance into the central states and claim them once more as part of our nation. Are there any further thoughts or questions you would like to share with us, Patrick?” Patrick Kensington, too scared to speak, merely shook his head and tried to vanish into his large chair.

  Ambassador Al Zahrani leaned forward in his chair while he addressed Carrington. “Madame President, Allah’s warriors stand ready to defeat your enemies.” He favored the president with a smile knowing how she would interpret it as a sign of affection, even love. He could see by Carrington’s slight quirk of a smile and the hint of blushing that his ploy had worked. She is as predictable as she is homely, he thought.

  The group grew quiet as more reports came in from PSSA cities along both coasts. The reports brought news of more, large-scale attacks in major cities. Some of Carrington’s advisors grew more even more concerned about her plan of letting the criminal element of their society decimate the cities and their citizens. Yet, no one dared say anything further to her.

  Meanwhile, in each of the Eastern and Western People’s States, dozens of U.S. agents under deep cover sent the same coded message to their handlers. The message simply read, ‘The feces are now striking the rotary oscillator.’ The handlers transmitted the message to their various intelligence agencies and those agencies forwarded the message to the New White House in Denver, Colorado.

  **********

  The New White House

  Denver, CO

  In the New White House, Davis Alexander Stockton, President Katherine McPheron’s National Security Advisor was briefing the president on the worsening situation in the PSSA. Upon hearing the code phrase, McPheron leaned forward in her chair and placed her elbows on her desk. She steepled her fingers and placed her chin upon her thumbs. She thought, The shit really IS hitting the fan! After a moment, she took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. Pulling her face away from her fingers, she looked back at Stockton.

  Stockton placed a folder before the president on her desk. McPheron opened the folder and read the document Stockton had prepared. The president removed a pen from a pen holder on her desk and signed the document. Closing the folder, she handed it back to Stockton.

  “Get the word out …this cold war is about to turn very hot!” she said humorlessly.

  “Yes, ma’am,” said Stockton as he turned towards the door. Moments later he was back in his office and raised the special phone that connected him to the various national and state defense agencies. “Go to Case Green! I repeat…go to Case Green! My authentication is Delta Alpha Sierra Zero Zero Niner!” Across the United States of America, defense forces went on the highest level of alert.

  After Stockton left the Oval Office, President McPheron paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. Then she pressed a button on her intercom and asked for her Chief of Staff. Marie Kasigo entered the Oval Office and walked over to the president’s desk. “Yes, ma’am?”

  “Pull up a chair, Marie,” McPheron told her. Because of her back injury, McPheron experienced pain if she had to look up at people while talking with them for more than a few minutes. Kasigo sat down in a chair McPheron kept near her desk for her aides and visitors. “Marie, I’m going to need to meet with the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff as soon as they can get here. I need Stockton sitting in on that meeting with us. Once I’ve briefed them on the situation, I’ll ask to speak with a special joint session of Congress no later than tomorrow night. Oh, we need to let the networks know; they’ll need to cover the joint session. No sense of having to repeat myself ad nauseum.”

  Chief of Staff Kasigo tapped keys quickly on his tablet. She had served as an officer on McPheron’s staff when she was a unit commander in the Air Force. When McPheron was medically retired, she had stayed in the service; until McPheron called upon her to be her chief of staff during his first campaign. Kasigo gladly transferred her commission to the Air Force Reserves and joined her former commander in politics.

  Kasigo double checked her tablet computer. “Messages have gone out to all participants. Everyone should be here within 90 minutes. Once you have a time for the joint session with Congress, I’ll pass that along to the networks. I’ll have the chef prepare some coffee, tea, and pastries. Should I contact Mr. McPheron for you or would you prefer to do that yourself?”

  McPheron grinned. She knew that Kasigo knew that McPheron preferred to let her husband know that she was going to miss their time together this evening. “I’ll call Daniel in just a bit, Marie! Looks like we’re going to burn the midnight oil tonight. Once I’m done with my guests, you and I need to work on my speech for tomorrow night. Oh, and clear my schedule for tomorrow. We’re going to be busy!”

  “Yes, ma’am! And I’ll be sure to schedule some longer breaks for you to get some rest,” he said. Marie Kasigo knew her boss had a tendency to overdo it and sometimes needed her family, friends, and staff to practice tough love and tell her to rest. Her back injury caused more than just physical pain but also a level of frustration with the limitations it placed upon her.

  “Yes, Mother Marie,” McPheron said with a smile and a chuckle, “I promise I’ll be a good little president and get some rest.” Kasigo smiled and laughed in return. “You get the ball rolling, Marie. I’ll take a few moments to speak with Daniel, then I’ll lay down on the sofa over there for a bit. Check in on me in about an hour, will you?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I’ll do that,” said Kasigo as she rose to leave.

  **********

  Roman Household

  Sedona, AZ

  It had been another long day at ASGuard Headquarters and Marcus and Teresa were glad to be home. After dinner and story time, they had finally gotten their young son, Julian, to lay down and go to sleep. They smiled at each after watching his peaceful, sleeping form for several minutes. Teresa closed the door to Julian’s bedroom and, taking her husband’s hand, began tiptoeing towards their own bedroom.

  Marcus closed the bedroom door behind them and turned to see his wife hastily removing her clothes. Teresa climbed slowly, sexily onto the bed grinning seductively at her man. Smiling, Marcus pulled his t-shirt over his head then reached down to undo the button to his trousers.

  Suddenly, loud trilling sounds came from their two comm units sitting on top of their dressers. Teresa rolled off of the bed and leaped to her dresser to answer her comm unit just as Marcus jumped forward to answer his. They narro
wly missed colliding with one another before reaching their respective communicators.

  “Centurion online!” said Marcus into the comm units microphone.

  Teresa pressed the transmit button on her comm unit, “Ballbuster online!”

  They heard other voices come from their comm unit speakers acknowledging that they too were online. Finally, the voice of the on-duty communications office announced, “Attention all ASGuard personnel…by order of General Roman, all ASGuard units and personnel are now on high alert! All leaves and passes are hereby canceled! Report to your duty station ASAP! Repeating: attention all ASGuard personnel…by order of General Roman, all ASGuard units and personnel are now on high alert! All leaves and passes are hereby canceled! Report to your duty station ASAP!”

  Marcus responded for both of them by responding with their call signs, “Centurion and Ballbuster copy!” He broke the signal and, taking Teresa’s comm unit from her, placed both on a dresser. “Well Ballbuster, get dressed! Move it!” He patted one nicely rounded cheek as Teresa moved past him towards her walk-in closet. Teresa spared a second to give her husband a seductive wink and to blow him a kiss.

  Marcus sighed, There are times when we just can’t catch a break! He grabbed some fresh underwear and socks from his dresser and moved over to his closet. He stripped off his remaining civilian clothes and donned the clean underwear and black socks. From his closet, he pulled out and donned a clean combat uniform. Sitting on the bed, he pulled on his combat boots and closed the zippers on each boot before blousing his trouser legs over the top of the boots. Reaching back into the closet, he pulled out his combat harness and put it on.

  Marcus reached into the closest one last time, pulling his pre-packed jump bag that contained extra clothing and essentials. Then he opened the doorway into the hall and carried his bag into the living room where he placed it near the front door. He went back down the hall to the den. In one corner of that room was a large gun cabinet which he quickly unlocked and opened. Marcus pulled out his pistol and placed it in the holster at his hip, then he drew out his M4A1 rifle which he slung over his shoulder. He reached back into the cabinet and pulled out Teresa’s sidearm, rifle, and their ammo pouches to hang on their battle harnesses.

  After closing and locking the safe, Marcus carried the weapons into the living room and placed the rifles in the corner near his jump bag. This done, he returned to the master bedroom in time to see Teresa step from her walk-in closet in full combat uniform and carrying her jump bag. She even makes a combat uniform look good, thought Marcus in admiration of his wife.

  Teresa caught his gaze and chuckled. Passing her jump bag to him she said, “Stop be a letch, Colonel Husband Sir, and take my bag out to the living room. I’ll start getting Julian ready to travel!” Marcus nodded then passed over her pistol, which she promptly holstered. He picked up her bag and went back out to the living room. As he reached the front door, his comm unit chimed. Marcus pulled it out of its pouch on his harness and answered, “Centurion, go!”

  “Marcus, it’s me,” said the voice of his father. “Your Mother is on her way to you. She left the house a few minutes ago heading your way to take care of Julian. No need to wake him.” The disgruntled cries of a tired young boy could be heard coming from down the hallway.

  “Oops! Too late!” replied Marcus. “Let me go tell Teresa to try to get him back to sleep. We’ll be in ASAP!”

  “Sorry you had to wake him, son! See you soon! ASGuard Actual, out!” said Titus signing off.

  Marcus walked down the hallway and entered Julian’s bedroom. He whispered to Teresa and she nodded and settled the boy back into his bed. Teresa began singing a lullaby as she pulled the covers back over her son and tucked him in. Marcus smiled at his wife and son and backed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

  He returned to the living room, unlocked the front door, and opened it as quietly as he could. He secured the storm door in the open position then picked up their jump bags and rifles and lugged them out to their pickup. Setting the bags on the ground, Marcus punched in the vehicle’s security code and its doors unlocked. He opened the door to the backseat area and clipped their rifles into specially designed racks attacked to the back of the front seats. Then he picked up their jump bags and tossed them on the back seat. Marcus closed and locked the truck doors then unlocked the storm door and let it close behind him as her re-entered the house.

  Teresa came into the living room. “He didn’t really wake up! Went right back out!” She gave her husband a kiss. “Sorry our time together got interrupted, Sweetheart!”

  “Me, too,” answered Marcus. “But we’ll have more evenings…later!”

  Teresa smiled and replied, “You bet we will, mister! Let me go fix some coffee for us and tea for Mom.”

  A few moment later, Marcus saw car headlights flicker in the driveway. “Mom’s here,” he said to Teresa as she brought two large travel mugs over to the table near the front door. Marcus opened the door for his mother, Marion Roman. He took her purse and jump bag and set them near the hallway before returning to give her a hug and kiss. Marion gave her daughter-in-law a quick hug and kiss then said, “Don’t you two worry, Julian and I will be just fine. You be careful, okay?”

  Marcus and Teresa both nodded, then gave Marion another hug before picking up their coffee mugs and leaving the house. Marcus unlocked the truck and they climbed in, unsure when they might return home again.

  **********

  Arizona State Guard Prime Base

  East of Cottonwood, AZ

  Marcus and Teresa made the trip to ASGuard Headquarter in record time. Reaching the turnoff, Marcus slowed his truck down and joined the line of other vehicles pulling up to the main gate. He turned off his headlights to prevent blinding the gate guards and moved forward slowly toward the gate. Teresa had readied their ID cards and handled them to Marcus as they reached the guards. One guard checked Marcus’ and Teresa’s faces against the photos on the IDs. The guard returned the cards then saluted the two officers and indicated they could pass. The Romans returned the salute as they entered the base.

  Marcus parked in his reserved parking spot in the large lot in front of the new ASGuard Headquarters Building. Teresa and Marcus grabbed their jump bags and weapons, locked the truck, and marched quickly together towards the main entrance. Security guards opened the doors for them and the Romans returned the salutes the guards gave them as they entered.

  Other ASGuard troopers were arriving at the same time. Several long lines led up to the welcome counter at the front of the atrium. They got into separate lines and waited their turn to check in. When Marcus and Teresa reached the counter, they ran their IDs through two of scanners set up on the counter. The scanners read their IDs and logged them onto the base, notifying their commanding officers that they had arrived. The scanners also flashed messages to them.

  “I’ve got to hustle over the Med-center,” Teresa said.

  Marcus nodded and replied, “And I’ve got to report to a briefing with the general.” He smiled at his wife then leaned over and kissed her. She returned the kiss and hugged him for a moment before turning to walk towards the Med-center. Marcus watched her walk away then turned towards the elevator bank that led to the second floor and the offices reserved for the command staff of the ASGuard’s 1st Tactical Battalion.

  Major Tommi Thompson, the 1st Battalion's executive officer, and Sergeant Major Tobias Cowen were waiting for Marcus as he stepped off the elevator.

  “Here sir, let me take your jump bag and weapon to your office,” offered Cowen.

  Marcus passed the items over saying, “Thanks, Tobias! Tommi, sitrep!”

  Thompson cleared her throat and consulted her tablet computer before replying. “Sir, 95% of our personnel have reported in or been accounted for. Sergeant Alicia Jones is in the Med-center recuperating from an appendectomy. Lieutenant Ralph Gatrick is at the Cottonwood Hospital; his wife is about to give birth to their first child. I tol
d him to shag ass and report in immediately after the delivery which should be any minute now. Private Tim Constantine was on leave in Denver and is catching a hop on an Air Force flight to Phoenix and will report in ASAP.” Marcus smiled and thanked Thompson for the report. He knew that Gatrick and Constantine would indeed report as soon as they could and he was glad that he didn’t have to be as demanding as he’d had to be while in the Army!

  “Okay, Tommi,” Marcus began as SGM Cowen joined them, “and Tobias…let’s go find some seats for the briefing!” The three left the 1st Battalion offices and made their way to the large briefing theater.

  Marcus, Thompson, and Cowen found the other senior officers and NCOs of the 1st Battalion in their usual positions to one side of the stage in the briefing room. Together, they attempted to compare notes on what each knew, suspected, or had heard from the rumor mill.

  “Room…TEN-HUT!” boomed the voice of LTCOL Bennett Garry, General Roman’s aide-de-camp. The troopers of the Arizona State Guard turned to face the stage and snapped to attention. General Titus Augustus Roman entered the stage from a side door and moved quickly to the podium at that side of the stage. “At ease,” he called out. “Take your seats!” The ASGuard troopers relaxed and sat down.

  “Is everybody online?” General Roman asked. Wall mounted monitors had come to life, showing ASGuard officers and senior enlisted personnel at other sites across the state, particularly those along the southern and western borders. A chorus of “yes sirs” answered and Titus could see by the status display built into the podium that his deployed leaders were ready to participate via teleconferencing. “Okay, everyone, listen up! The governor will explain the purpose of this alert! Ladies and gentlemen, Governor Alvarez…”

  The general activated the holographic projectors and a 3D image of Governor Ellie Alvarez appeared above the stage. “Members of the Arizona State Guard, based on intelligence gathered from many sources, President McPheron has ordered an Ultra Level Alert to be transmitted to all states. New intelligence corroborates previous reports from the People’s States of America. The situation in the PSSA’s major cities has reached critical levels with gangs running rampant, looting and killing. Additionally, Carrington’s NSF and Al Zahrani’s Islamic Global Caliphate soldiers have begun a purge of dissidents and US sympathizers within the PSSA government and among their civilian population. As their social structure continues to break down in the cities and food and other supplies grow limited, we anticipate the surviving city dwellers to begin surging out into the suburbs and then the countryside in search of food and other supplies.” She paused for a moment.