by Ira Tabankin
“I heard from Frank, he’s going to attempt the break this today. He has a US Army uniform and DoJ ID card, he figures the DoJ ID will get him into the shelter, the Army uniform will allow him free access to the shelter. Once he finds your family he’s going to break them out.”
“Did he share his plans with you?”
“No, he said, just trust him. I don’t know what he plans.”
“Shit, I guess all we can do is wait. My patience can be measured in negative numbers. It would have been better to tell me afterward than before. Now all I’ll do is worry. Let’s continue our discussion about our expansion, it’ll occupy my mind. Fred, where are we going to meet? There're too many people for the President’s DHS or DoJ not to take notice.”
“Which is why we decided to hold the initial meetings over secure video conference. We couldn’t figure out how to arrange so many high profile people to meet without his agencies figuring it out. We agreed each governor will send a low-level staffer to a meeting in St. Louis, the low-level staffers, have no idea why they’re being sent to a meeting, our hope is the DoJ will take notice of the travel plans and focus on them, leaving us to hold our video call.”
“Good plan, when is the call?”
“We’re waiting for you to decide. By the way, the twelve states have all sworn in acting governors so each state has a head of their government now. This will hold the states until the elections.”
“More good news. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop; we never have good news without some crap dropping on us. Let’s all be on alert for the crap that fate is going to dump on us. She always does.”
@@@@@
Franco’s tired, he’s only slept four hours in the previous two days. He’s driving everyone associated with the new shelter beyond their breaking points. Fights have broken out among his staff over minor issues. He knows everyone needs a break, on the other hand, he knows the sand in the hourglass is slipping away, time isn’t his friend. Every day brings the risk of a civil war closer. He’s broken his own safety rules in order to shorten the construction schedule.
This morning he’s sitting in the back of a van just outside the entrance of the shelter reviewing the night’s progress when he feels the ground shake, he knows it's a cave-in. Opening the van’s side door, he’s met by a rushing cloud of dirt that’s blowing out of the entrance of the shelter.
The blowing dirt knocks him off his feet. He regains his footing, running towards the shelter while calling Jay, “Jay, we have a problem, we have a cave in, need HELP!”
Jay drops the phone, “That was Franco, cave in at the new shelter, get everyone over there, get the doc there in the ambulance. Shit didn’t I just say fate was going to screw us. Let’s go!”
Alarms sound on the farm, sending everyone to their battle stations, Fred picks up the microphone, “CAVE IN! Go to the new shelter, condition RED! New shelter, condition red!”
People stop mid-step, they turn and begin running and driving ATVs towards the new shelter. The new ambulance siren screams as it heads towards the new shelter. Lacy grabs Jay.
“How bad is it? How many were inside?”
“I don’t know, all Franco said was, there was a cave in. We’ve got to get over there.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go.”
“What are you talking about, those are our friends and family. We need to do everything we can to help them.”
“What if the dictator in D.C. sees everyone rushing to a hill at the back side of the farm and decides to drop a couple of bombs on us thinking he’ll take care of his secession problem in one stroke.”
“Why would he do that when he’s holding Sammi and Linda?”
“Because he only bets on sure things. He could end his troubles with one drone.”
“He wouldn’t dare; it would cause another civil war.”
“Wouldn’t he? Wouldn’t you if you thought you could get away with it? If you saw an opportunity like that handed to you as a gift wrapped offering, could you resist taking him and his key staff out if you were wearing his shoes?”
“Shit, now you’re worrying me.”
“Please stay behind, I’d feel a lot better if you, Tony and Fred went to the original shelter and locked yourselves inside it.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes, I do.”
@@@@@
The President is interrupted by his red phone ringing; the phone that connects him directly to the military in case of all-out war.
“Sir, we just got some images from one of our KH 12 birds over Nashville, something’s happened at the Confederate leader’s farm.”
“Can you send me the video?”
“Yes, sit, check your secure laptop.”
“I see it, what do you think it means?”
“We think they were expanding their shelter or building another one when they had a cave in. Notice everyone is running towards the site.”
“Can we tell if the traitor, Tolson is among them?”
“Sir, not unless he looks up, which is doubtful. They’re all focused on getting to the site of whatever happened. It must be serious; their ambulance is heading to the site.”
“General, can you take them out?”
“We have an armed drone orbiting not far, we can drop two bombs on the site.”
“Do it!”
“Mr. President, doing so will cause a real war, there won’t be any coming back or talking our way out of this. It’s going to cause millions of deaths.”
“General, if we can take Tolson out and they don’t have another leader we win. They’ll find themselves leaderless, and confused. We’ll move in and quickly take them back under our control. There won’t be a war if they don’t have a leader. In one strike we can end the entire secession question. We both know there are other states which are discussing joining Tolson. I think it’s worth the risk. Wait until everyone is gathered in one spot then hit them. We’ll blame it on the cave in. They shouldn’t have been digging without an Army Corp of Engineering and an Environmental impact study. I’ll prime the media to run a story of a cave in at Tolson’s farm. I’ll offer to send aid. We’ll look like the hero. Once we’ve confirmed we’ve taken the shithead out, I’ll release his family. They’ve already signed NDAs which means they can’t tell anyone we grabbed them. This is a unique opportunity; one we won’t get again. General, if I have to, I’ll put my order in writing, hit them.”
“Yes, sir. The drone should be over the site in ten minutes.”
“Will their air defense radar see it?”
“Very doubtful. It’s a stealth drone. I’ll contact you when she drops.”
“Good.”
The President smiles hanging up the phone. This is it, I’ve won without having to repeat the mistakes of the civil war. I’ll declare martial law and disarm the damn Southerners. I’m sick of them clinging to their Bibles and guns. They’ll never rise again. I’ll make sure they’re kept under the federal government’s thumb for a hundred years. This is going to be the cheapest war ever fought. Two bombs and the war is over before it's started. I’ll arrange a press conference to announce the cave in and the unfortunate loss of life. We’ll send the Army to bring aid and identify the bodies. The Army will begin disarming the people and ending the threat forever. I can’t believe my good luck. Controlling him might have been fun and profitable for a while, but I don’t trust him, he’d find a way to get his family and he’d turn against us with a vengeance, this way is better. My legacy is ensured for all time!
@@@@@
Jay angrily agrees to move into the shelter with Fred and Tony. He’s in a very bad mood. Tony puts his arm around his friend’s back.
“You know she’s right. You want to be in the middle of everything, but, you know you have to live. You’re the face of the Confederacy. If something happened to you, the entire movement might fall apart. That Muslim lover has most likely killed the Governors. The LT Governors were killed, you’re
the only survivor. You’ve become our first President.”
“Acting President. Only until an election is held. I don’t like not being at the disaster scene. What if they need something?”
“Franco will call us if he needs anything. John’s set up a constant video link. We can see everything that’s happening at the site while being safe.”
“I feel like a traitor.”
“Don’t be. Everyone understands you have to be safe. You’re not just the owner, you’re now the leader of the new country.”
“Does anyone know what happened? What caused the cave in? Did the North hit us?”
“We won’t know for a while, we’re focused on getting inside and getting everyone out.”
“I know, but I feel useless.”
“Don’t, everyone knows you’re watching and ready to provide anything they need. Try to relax and watch. By the way, the General is coming across the street with two hundred people to help with the digging out.”
“Good news.”
They don’t see or hear the almost silent drone that arrives overhead the cave in. The pilot and weapons officer, both sitting in the basement of the CIA watch the situation below them. The weapons officer taps the pilot on the shoulder, “Look at the large number of people about one hundred yards from the site. Let’s wait until they merge. They look like military, thereby making them a fair target.”
“Agreed. Make sure the recorders are on.”
“Both are on and recording.”
“I’m going to increase altitude so they can’t hear us. Even though our engine is muffled, I don’t want to take a chance with the military under us.”
“Agreed, I’m making the targeting corrections.”
“Their military has joined the people at the target site; requesting weapons release.”
“Romeo two requesting weapons release.”
General Brinks of the American Army replies, “Your weapons are released, you are free to fire.”
“Roger. Dropping two.”
The drone is silently flying circles at 30,000 feet, two small bombs drop from its wings. The bombs fall straight down; they correct for the wind; they stay on their target. They explode over the site of the cave in. Jay and his friends watch the flash on the monitors. Everyone drops whatever they’re holding. Jay screams in pain. Fred hits the emergency door open button so they can quickly exit the shelter. Jay and Tony are frozen in shock at the sight of their friend’s bodies and the burning vehicles where the bombs exploded.
The four men, Jay, Fred, Tony and John, jump into an SUV parked outside the shelter, they drive through the fields to the site. The smell of burning flesh brings tears to their eyes. Jay screams to John, “FASTER!”
They bounce over the crops, arriving at the site they’re met with a scene from hell. There are bodies lying everywhere, trucks, SUVs, and the ambulance are burning. There’s a smoke cloud hanging low over the site. Jay searches for Lacy, he finds her lying in the dirt next to a burning truck. He falls down next to her, grabbing her in his arms he looks into the sky screaming, “THIS IS THE END. YOU CAN’T HIDE FROM ME. I WON’T REST UNTIL YOU AND EVERYONE YOU LOVE IS DEAD. THIS IS WAR!
End Book 5. Look for Book 6, “Revenge” coming soon.
Announcing a new standalone story.
An advance look at “The Last Crusade.”
First edition
Copyright January 2016
Ira J. Tabankin
Knoxville, TN 39720
Cover by Matt Margolis
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my wife and true love, Patricia.
Thanks
I’d like to thank the many members of the survivalistboards.com who helped me with their knowledge, comments and encouragement. A very special thanks to Dianne Mayhew, who proofread and edited the manuscript making this edition possible.
Work of Fiction
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
The Last Crusade
PART 1
Background
In April 2016, the Director of the FBI determined Hillary Rodham Clinton broke US law by having classified information on a private unsecured server, he recommended she should be prosecuted. He presented the FBI’s two-thousand-page case to the Attorney General, who spent one day reviewing the case before calling the Director to her office.
“Mr. Director, thank you for coming so quickly. I wanted to thank you and your people for the very complete report. Frankly, I was taken by surprise reading some of the emails on her server. Are you one-hundred percent certain the thirty thousand emails she deleted can’t be retrieved?”
“Madam Attorney General our best technical people spent six months trying to reconstruct the servers hard drive. While she only pressed the delete button, someone else used a magnet to erase the hard drive. We were able to only retrieve bits and pieces which were meaningless. In total, we did determine that she had over fifteen hundred classified emails, of which, fifty are classified TS and thirty are classified SAP. This is clearly a violation of US Code, Title 18, part 1, chapter 37, section 798, Disclosure of classified information. Shall I quote it for you?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. I’m familiar with the law.”
“Madam AG, I think it will be meaningful to our discussion, please permit me to read it,
(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to an unauthorized person, or publishes, or uses in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment of the United States any classified information—
(1) concerning the nature, preparation, or use of any code, cipher, or cryptographic system of the United States or any foreign government; or
(2) concerning the design, construction, use, maintenance, or repair of any device, apparatus, or appliance used or prepared or planned for use by the United States or any foreign government for cryptographic or communication intelligence purposes; or
(3) concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States or any foreign government; or
(4) obtained by the processes of communication intelligence from the communications of any foreign government, knowing the same to have been obtained by such processes—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
(b) As used in subsection (a) of this section—
The term “classified information” means information which, at the time of a violation of this section, is, for reasons of national security, specifically designated by a United States Government Agency for limited or restricted dissemination or distribution;…”
“Mr. Director, I assure you, I know the law. I’m the Attorney General of the United States.”
“Madam, I know who you are. The FBI is charged with investigating crimes, as my report clearly states, we believe there is sufficient proof to prosecute her, of course, a Federal Judge can make a determination if a crime was committed and what the punishment should be. Unless, you’d like to offer her a deal which is of course up to you. To summarize; our investigation showed there were multiple breaches of US code in handling classified information. We determined she had over 30 additional email accounts which had access to her server, all of these email accounts had access to the classified information. We also determined that her lawyer, who doesn’t have a clearance had access to all of her emails. She gave him a copy of everything on her server, including all of the classified data.”
“As the AG, I will make the determination of what to do about her breaches.”
“With all due respect, I thought the courts handled the determination if a crime was committed.”
“I’ve talked to the Presid
ent; we both agree that prosecution will cause harm to the country. She’s going to be the Democrat candidate and hence, the next President of the United States. You can’t be serious in planning on prosecuting her. That would be the same as prosecuting the President.”
“I am serious. My job is to gather information to determine if a Federal law has been broken and if said lawbreaker should be held over for trial.”
“Mr. Director, I’m sorry, we, the President and I have decided there won’t be a trial, it would rip the country apart. It will cause irreparable harm to the country. The President is going to give her a classified pardon.”
“Before she’s convicted?”
“Yes. We both thank you for your hard work. We also want to remind you that you signed an NDA agreement to keep all classified information secure and not disclose any material at any time. This entire incident is classified Top Secret by Presidential decree.”
