The Last Full Measure
Page 39
The search for other senior Brotherhood leadership continues. In particular, a manhunt is under way deep in the Idaho and Montana wilderness for Brotherhood leader Nathan Crow. Colonel Kidd of the Northwest Alliance Army spoke at a press conference yesterday, promising that “the forces of justice will never relent until Crow and his vile militia are made to pay for their crimes.” •—
—• We at ESPN have reorganized MegaSports in our commitment to provide unparalleled coverage of red-hot sports action across all the Pan American countries. So welcome to the inaugural broadcast of Pan American SPORTS! I’m John Soto.”
“And I’m Lindsay Nang. It will likely be at least several months before the leagues are able to reestablish teams and schedules, but Major League Baseball commissioner Joseph Jackson and NFL commissioner Ronald Goodman gave rousing speeches in Colorado Springs yesterday, extolling the power of athletics to bring people together for peace.
“And one bright point rising from the devastation of the civil war? Preliminary talks are under way for the Peace Games, a sort of American Olympics that would celebrate the best athletes among us and serve as a sign of our cooperation and community. Pan American SPORTS! will bring you more on that exciting story, as it develops. •—
—• has been out of the public eye since the May fourth Pan American Peace Treaty was signed last year, but I was able to catch up with Daniel Wright at the secret, remote community he and his friends and neighbors established during the war. All appearances suggest that the settlement is self-sufficient, with its own livestock, crops, and solar and wind electric generators. An excerpt from our recorded interview:”
“Most of the people who lived here in the war have stayed. We’ve all worked real hard improving the place to make it more livable. We’ve even converted one of our big rooms into a chapel. Worship services have become a big deal here. There’s a lot of soul-searching. Um, I’ve started reading a little. I don’t know. I’m just happy to be alive, to be with my friends and these people I care about.”
“You’re so far out here on your own, I don’t know how much news you get from elsewhere, but how do you react to US President Laura Griffith’s recent announcement that she is retiring from politics and will not run for reelection next year?”
“You know, I try to stay out of politics. But I’d say good for her. There was a time I thought I was real mad at President Griffith. But toward the end of the war, I became friends with her son, and the more I think about it, the more I figure she was like a lot of us, kind of trapped by the war. I mean, she was appointed to the vice presidency, and then when President Rodriguez was assassinated, she got dumped into the middle of an impossible situation. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in her position. I’m glad she’s getting out.”
“But even getting out of the war and the public spotlight doesn’t mean Danny’s challenges are over. Like millions of others in every Pan American country, and indeed around the planet as World War III continues, Wright suffers from ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder.
“You say you’re trying to let go of the war, that you’re trying to move on. Can you describe that process, Danny?”
“I think you know it’s not easy. I have a lot of nightmares. Sometimes I feel angry or anxious for no reason. If someone startles me or if there’s a loud noise, I get … tense up, you know? Like I’m back in the fight.
“And I miss the people I’ve lost. It’s been over a year now since my JoBell was killed … Whew … Sorry. There is not one single day that passes when I don’t think about the war in some way. And I feel like my life is always going to be divided, that there will be the me from before and during the war, and there will be the me after the war, after it was all over. I’ve lost a lot. We all have. I’m going to do all I can to care for my friends and the people in my community, to live my postwar life the best I can. •—
—• The process of reestablishing the Internet across so many new and war-ravaged countries is slow. But a video of Ron Porter went viral last week, appearing to show the handsome young actor cheating on his baby mama, pop singer Molly Curtis, with his former lover and Nightfall co-star, Kat Simpson. Fans everywhere have been using the hashtag #stayforpeace, begging Ron to stay with Molly for the sake of their daughter, Peace. •—
—• Although the course of our future is not easy, although we all face and will continue to face many challenges, I hope the courageous people across Pan America who helped their neighbors and demanded peace will continue to reach out a helping hand. No victory has been won in our civil war. Nothing has been achieved but fear, famine, indignity, sickness, and death. The scars of our great tragedy run deep, and we will never be the same. We can’t put our trust in political parties, governments, or militaries anymore. Life should not be about ideologies, but individuals. Trust your neighbor. Work to help your community. And do what you can to foster the same cooperation in other communities. I ask you all to join with the Cliffhanger as we actively commit ourselves to peace. •—
—• Thousands of people attended a rally in Boulder yesterday afternoon in support of presidential candidate David Trapp, chanting his name and interrupting his speech with nearly frantic applause when he spoke of, quote, ‘returning the United States to its rightful place of control of Pan America.’ Trapp, the former mayor of Denver, favors negotiating with the other Pan American countries from a position of military and economic strength.
Reconciliation Party candidate Ben Swanson attempted to give a speech in response at a slightly smaller event in Boulder, but encountered an unexpected obstacle. “The struggle for control and dominance is what led to the death of millions in our tragic civil war. Respect and understanding are essential if peace is to contin —” A group of Trapp supporters then seized the stage and took away Swanson’s microphone, shutting him out with their own speeches about Trapp Party positions. Boulder police were on guard against violence, but the rally dissipated peacefully when Swanson left the stage.
In a press release, Swanson criticized the heated argument between the two new major parties as the same kind of divisive bickering that contributed to the civil war. David Trapp was quick to dismiss such allegations as paranoid and naive, saying, “It’s different this time. We’ve all learned too much.” •—
The Divided We Fall trilogy is the result of several years of work and of the support of many good people. I wish I could individually thank everyone who contributed to the effort behind these books, but the list would be longer than all three novels combined. Special thanks:
To Sergeant First Class Matthew Peterson for his advice about the modern military and for his speculation about near-future military updates.
To Staff Sergeant Ryan Jackson for the excellent explosives training he helped provide me in the Army National Guard and for his advice about the advanced explosive techniques featured in the trilogy.
To Dr. Bryce Hoffman and Dr. Dennis Straubinger, for all their medical advice about everything from the way Major Alsovar might keep Danny Wright alive through interrogation, to the way Danny and Sparrow could conduct basement surgery on Will Danning, to the basics of burn treatment for Eric Sweeney. I appreciate their patience with all my horrific hypotheticals. Any medical errors are entirely my own.
To Dr. Nicole Knaack, for her careful explanations of the various medical tools and supplies found in the average small-town veterinary clinic and their practical application on human patients when used by people in a war-type situation who lack Dr. Nicole’s level of expertise. Again, any mistakes are all mine.
To Erin Saldin, author of the wonderful novel The Girls of No Return, for allowing the use of the Alice Marshall School that is featured in that book. Thanks for giving Daniel Wright and his people a place to hide, Erin.
To Chris Stengel, the wizard designer who made all my interior image requests come true.
To Paul Gagne, who did so much to make the Divided We Fall audiobooks so fun and unique.
To Emily Heddleson for lend
ing her singing talents to the Idaho national anthem in the Burning Nation audiobook.
To Charisse Meloto for getting the word out on my books.
To all the incredibly talented and dedicated people in the Scholastic family in general and in the Arthur A. Levine Books imprint in particular. I’m very grateful for your creativity and support.
To Clete Smith, Carol Brendler, and Cori McCarthy for feedback on early versions of Divided We Fall.
To all my brothers and sisters in the Vermont College of Fine Arts community, with special gratitude to the members of my graduating class, the Cliffhangers.
To my wonderfully kind and supportive agent, Ammi-Joan Paquette, for giving this writer his first “Yes,” and for sticking with me through my first six books. Six! Thanks, Joan.
To Colonel Kidlit, my premium friend and brilliant editor, Cheryl Klein. It’s been so much fun working with you. Thank you for your patience, wisdom, and understanding.
To my beloved new daughter, Verity. Thank you so much for sleeping and letting me write. Thank you for the joy you bring to my life with your cute little smiles. I’ll pay you back someday.
And, as always, all the gratitude and love in the universe goes to my wife and best friend, Amanda, who continues to light up my world with possibility. Amanda, you are my life.
TRENT REEDY served as a combat engineer in the Iowa Army National Guard from 1999 to 2005, including a year’s tour of duty in Afghanistan. That experience led directly to his first novel, Words in the Dust, which won the Christopher Award and was selected for Al Roker’s Book Club for Kids on the Today show. His other novels include If You’re Reading This, Stealing Air, and the first two books in this trilogy, Divided We Fall and Burning Nation. Trent lives near Spokane, Washington, with his family. Please visit his website at www.trentreedy.com.
Copyright © 2016 by Trent Reedy
Photos ©: Chapter 16: background: ayzek/Thinkstock; Lisa F. Young/Shutterstock, Inc.; Chapter 18: Robert F. Sargent (CPhoM)/Corbis Images; James Brey/iStockphoto.
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First edition, May 2016
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Cover design by Christopher Stengel
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