A tall swivel chair with a bucket seat allowed anyone manning the booth to be able to quickly turn to any of the four windows. It immediately became apparent, however, that the booth would need better ventilation. Two large rectangular vents were cut in the top, using a cutting torch. Expanded metal mesh was welded over the top of each vent, and sliding metal plates with handles were installed to block the vents in an emergency.
The final touch for the booth’s security was suggested by Tomas: a set of high-pressure SCUBA air tanks that could be cracked open in the event that armed robbers tried to use tear gas or some other irritant to flush out the guard. Tomas surmised that closing the top air vents and then opening an air tank valve slightly would create a positive overpressure so no irritants could get into the booth.
The air tanks came from a SCUBA shop on Highway 441 in Mount Dora. Though there was probably still some work for commercial divers on the coast, in inland Florida, SCUBA diving had mostly been recreational. So dive gear was available for a pittance after the Crunch. The shop owners were happy to sell Jake two steel “120” dive tanks, which were both fully charged with 107 cubic feet of air at three thousand pounds per square inch.
The armored guard booth was quickly dubbed the Pentagon, and it spawned plenty of nicknames. Whoever was manning the booth was called the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs or just the Chairman. Any reading materials inside the Pentagon were called the Pentagon Papers.
Despite all the jokes, the Pentagon was taken very seriously. The shotgun, AR-10, and piles of loaded magazines in the continuously manned Pentagon made it abundantly clear that the Altmiller’s store would be a tough nut for any robbers to crack. The booth was greatly admired by the store’s patrons. One elderly lady commented, “I wish I had a house built like that.”
18
QUISLINGS
“A government by representatives, elected by the people at short periods, was our object; and our maxim at that day was, ‘Where annual election ends, tyranny begins.’”
—Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Samuel Adams, February 26, 1800
Tavares, Central Florida—August, the Second Year
In the second year of the Crunch, word came that a provisional government (ProvGov) had been formed at Fort Knox, Kentucky. It was led by Maynard Hutchings, a man who had no government experience other than being a member of the local County Board of Supervisors. Now Hutchings fancied himself the dictator of the United States. The ProvGov grew very quickly because it had both the U.S. Army units and gold depository at Fort Knox to back it up and lend it some respectability. The rise to power of Maynard Hutchings was more about being in the right place at the right time than it was about statesmanship, oratory, or his political acumen.
The ProvGov filled the power vacuum left when the East Coast suffered a massive loss of life, partly due to an influenza pandemic that struck the eastern seaboard particularly hard from New York to South Carolina during the first winter of the Crunch. Without antibiotics available, the disease ran wild, especially in the cities. The new government rapidly spread outward, “pacifying” territory in all directions. Any towns that resisted were quickly crushed. The mere sight of dozens of tanks or APCs was enough to make most townspeople cower in fear. What it couldn’t accomplish through intimidation, the ProvGov accomplished with bribes.
The ProvGov soon began issuing a new currency. Hutchings’ administration cronies spent the new bills lavishly. Covertly, some criminal gangs were hired as security contractors and used as enforcers of the administration’s nationalization schemes. Some of these gangs were given military vehicles and weapons and promised booty derived from eliminating rival gangs that were not as cooperative. Hit squads were formed to stifle dissent through any means including abductions, arson, and murder. Nobody was ever able to prove a link between the ProvGov and these squads, but an inordinately large number of conservative, pro-sovereignty members of congress from the old government disappeared or were reportedly killed by bandits.
Within the first three months of launching the new government, Hutchings was in contact via satellite with the UN’s new headquarters in Brussels to request peacekeeping assistance. The old UN building in New York had burned, and the entire New York metropolitan region was nine-tenths depopulated and controlled by hostile gangs. At first, Hutchings had naïvely assumed that the UN’s assistance would be altruistic, with no strings attached. It was only after the first UN troops started to arrive in large numbers that it became clear that UN officers would control the operation. Eventually, Hutchings became little more than a figurehead. The UN administrators held the real power in the country. They had their own chain of command that bypassed the Hutchings administration and they had direct control over the military.
In Tavares, news of the ProvGov’s rise to power came first via rumors. But then two copies of a widely circulated DVD reached Tavares in December. It was a video of ProvGov President Hutchings making a State of the Union speech. By the time Jake and Janelle got a copy, José reported, “Yeah, I already seen it on the DVD player built into my neighbor’s minivan. That Hutchings is a big fat blowhard. I don’t trust him or the ProvGov any farther than I can spit. The whole thing is borderline fascist, if you ask me.”
The DVD that Jake Altmiller watched came to him from Mayor Levin. It had a mirror side so badly scratched that he wondered if it would even work. With ample photovoltaic power at their house, they were able to watch it on the television in their living room. Tomas and several neighbors joined them. The video looked professionally produced and started with an image of an American flag fluttering in the breeze, with an accompanying audio track of a brass band playing “Hail to the Chief.” The video then cut to an auditorium in which a podium adorned with the familiar presidential seal had been placed.
The applause made it sound as if a large crowd was present. A man in a dark suit that must have come from a Big Man’s suit shop stepped up to the microphone. Reading from notes, he began:
“My fellow Americans: The United States is slowly recovering from the greatest tragedy in its history. I have recently been provided a detailed report on the extent of the catastrophe from the administration’s chief scientist. Some of the report’s findings are as follows: In the past three years, an estimated one hundred and sixty million of our citizens have died. Most who died succumbed to starvation, exposure, and disease. Of the deaths by disease, more than sixty-five million were caused by the influenza pandemic that swept the eastern seaboard. Without antibiotics available, the disease simply ran rampant until there were no more hosts left to attack in the heavily populated regions.
“At least twenty-eight million are estimated to have been killed in lawless violence. In addition, more than five million have died of complications of preexisting medical problems such as diabetes, heart disease, hemophilia, AIDS, and kidney disease. Hundreds of thousands more have died of complications of tonsillitis, appendicitis, and other ailments that were heretofore not life-threatening. The distribution of population losses ranged from in excess of ninety-six percent of the population in some northeastern metropolitan areas to less than five percent in a few areas in the High Plains, Rocky Mountains, the intermountain areas of the West, and the Inland Northwest. Order has been restored in only a few states, but we are making rapid progress.
“As you are no doubt aware, the economy is still in complete disarray. The formerly existing transportation and communications systems have been completely disrupted. In the coming months, our biggest priority will be on revitalizing the petroleum and refining industries of Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana. Next, we will strive to get electric power back on line in as many areas as possible. With bulk fuel, natural gas, and electrical power available, it is hoped that agriculture and the many industries critical to our nation’s economic health will be reestablished.
“Here at Fort Knox, we have taken the lead in rebuilding a new United States. Already, with the
help of security forces from other United Nations countries, we have pacified the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. But there is much more to be done. America must be put back on its feet again economically. Never again can we allow the economy to get so out of control. Strict economic policies will ensure that there will never be a repeat of the Crash. Wages and prices will, by necessity, be controlled by the central government. Many industries will have to be government-owned or government-controlled, at least in the foreseeable future. Reasonable limits on the press will stop the spread of unfounded rumors. Until order is completely restored, the federal and state constitutions have been temporarily suspended, and nationwide martial law is in effect. The single legitimate seat of power is here at Fort Knox. It is only with central planning that things can be put back in order rapidly and efficiently.
“Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama are already under the control of nine United Nations subregional administrators. I will soon be dispatching UN regional and subregional administrators to the other areas that have independently reestablished order. These include Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, the southern portion of Georgia, most of Texas, part of Louisiana, most of Colorado, southwestern Oregon, all of Idaho, all of Utah, eastern Washington, all of Wyoming, and most of North and South Dakota.
“The UN Regional Administrators will oversee the many tasks required to accomplish a complete national recovery. For example, they will be setting up regional police forces, which will be under their direct control. They will oversee the issuance of the National ID Card. They will appoint judges that they deem properly qualified. Each Regional Administrator will bring with him on staff a regional tax collector and a regional treasurer who will handle issuance of the new national currency. Rest assured that the new currency is fully backed by the gold reserves of the national depository.
“I hope that you, my fellow citizens, will do everything in your ability to assist your new Regional Administrators, the subregional Administrators, their staffs, and those that they appoint under them. Only with your cooperation will America be able to quickly restore itself to its former greatness.”
There was thunderous applause, and Hutchings raised both his hands to wave to the crowd.
Just as Janelle switched off the television with the remote control, José yelled, “What a load of horse caca! He reminds me of that kid Cartman from the cartoon show South Park. When he gets deputized, he starts shouting, ‘I am a cop and you will respect my author-i-tahh!’”
They all laughed.
“Any guesses as to what he meant by ‘strict economic policies’? Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Jake asked.
“Yeah. It all sounds like big government central planning,” Janelle answered.
—
Three weeks after the Altmillers had watched the DVD, news came that the Provisional Government’s army had begun “pacifying” North Florida. According to ham radio operators, the ProvGov’s troops often treated reluctant towns and cities still held by elected governments with the same brutal tactics they used on looter bastions.
It was a while before any of the Provisional Government’s actions were felt in Tavares. One of the first instances came when the ProvGov distributed a poster that outlined the UN-mandated gun laws. It read:
B-A-N-N-E-D
Effective Upon Posting in a prominent place in each county and in effect until further notice, the following items are hereby banned from private possession by the recently enacted Amplified United Nations Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Normalization Accord:
1. All fully automatic or short-barreled rifles and shotguns (regardless of prior registration under the National Firearms Act of 1934).
2. Any rifle over thirty (.30) caliber, any shotgun or weapon of any description over twelve (12) gauge in diameter.
3. All semiautomatic rifles and shotguns, all rifles and shotguns capable of accepting a detachable magazine.
4. Any detachable magazine, regardless of capacity.
5. Any weapon with a fixed magazine that has a capacity of more than four (4) cartridges (or shells).
6. All grenades and grenade launchers, all explosives, detonating cord, and blasting caps (regardless of prior registration under the Gun Control Act of 1968 or state or local blasting permits).
7. All explosives precursor chemicals.
8. All firearms regardless of type that are chambered for military cartridges (including but not limited to 7.62 mm NATO, 5.56 mm NATO, .45 ACP, and 9 mm parabellum).
9. All silencers (regardless of prior registration under the National Firearms Act of 1934).
10. All night vision equipment including but not limited to infrared, light amplification, or thermal, all telescopic sights, and all laser aiming devices.
11. All handguns—regardless of type or caliber.
12. Other distinctly military equipment including but not limited to armored vehicles, bayonets, gas masks, helmets, and bulletproof vests.
13. Encryption software or devices.
14. All radio transmitters (other than baby monitors, cordless phones, short-range wireless devices, or cell phones).
15. Full metal jacket, tracer, incendiary, and armor-piercing ammunition.
16. All ammunition in military calibers.
17. Irritant or lethal (toxin) chemical agents including but not limited to CS and CN tear gas and OC “pepper spray.”
18. All military-type pyrotechnics and flare launchers.
Exceptions only for properly trained and sworn police and the military forces of the UN and The Sole and Legitimate Provisional Government of the United States of America and Possessions.
Any firearm or other item not meeting the new criteria and all other contraband listed herein must be turned in within the ten (10) day amnesty period after the UN Regional Administrator or subadministrator, or their delegates, arrive on site. Alternatively, if federal or UN troops arrive within any state to pacify it, a thirty (30) day amnesty period will begin the day the first forces cross the state boundary. All other post-1898 production firearms of any description, air rifles, archery equipment, and edged weapons over six inches long must be registered during the same period.
Anyone found with an unregistered weapon, or any weapon, accessory, or ammunition that has been declared contraband, after the amnesty period ends will be summarily executed.
As ordered under my hand, Maynard Hutchings, President (pro tem) of The Sole and Legitimate Provisional Government of the United States of America and Possessions.
—
That poster got the residents of Lake County, Florida, in an uproar. Almost immediately, there was talk of organizing resistance. As the ProvGov army moved deeper into North Florida, horror stories began to circulate. The army was absolutely brutal in asserting its authority. In one town, they massacred more than one hundred people as a reprisal for the shooting deaths of two ProvGov soldiers. The victims were buried in a mass grave.
Eight counties in North Florida were soon officially declared “pacified,” but in actuality, resistance fighters remained active. In the counties farther south, hundreds of small guerilla cells were forming, training, and caching supplies for what looked like would be a protracted war of resistance. The patriot media discouraged the guerillas from forming any bands larger than nine members, for fear of infiltration and annihilation by the ProvGov or their quislings. They reasoned that a profusion of small independent cells with no central leadership could never be defeated. This was “leaderless resistance” in its purest form.
Tavares, Florida—Late December, the Second Year
Janelle Altmiller was at home with her son, Lance. While she was in the master bathroom folding laundry, she heard Lance shouting in the kitchen. “Hey, stop! My dad says strangers can’t be in the house!”
When an unfamiliar gruff voice told her son to shut u
p, Janelle’s blood ran cold.
She drew the XD pistol from her holster, then dashed into the bedroom and reached across the bed to flip the silent alarm switch that was mounted under the bottom center of the bed’s headboard. It was one of four switches that had been installed in the house after the Crunch. She rolled back up just in time to see a stranger standing in the doorway, holding a revolver in one hand and a bundle of large plastic cable ties in the other. She brought the pistol up, got a “flash” sight picture, and fired three times, hitting the man twice in the chest and once in the jaw. He staggered backward, and she shot him once more, hitting him at the top of his right eye socket. He landed on his back in the hallway, dropping the revolver as he fell. She heard someone screaming. It took her a moment to realize that she was the one screaming. Janelle didn’t know what to do next. After just a moment to consider, she maneuvered back to the bathroom, looking for cover. She knelt down beside the door frame and lined up her sights on the open bedroom door. Her ears were ringing.
She heard another man’s voice asking, “Javi?”
A few seconds later, she heard the man shout, “No way! No freakin’ way!”
It was quiet for nearly a full minute. Obviously, the surviving intruder did not want to step forward and make himself a target. Janelle wondered if he had fled. Or perhaps he had gone outside to approach the master bathroom window from behind her. A wave of anxiety and panic went through her. She was afraid to take her eyes off the doorway to look over her shoulder.
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