PROJECT BlueBolt - AMERICAN UPRISING: BOOK III - AMERICAN UPRISING

by Marshall Huffman

  “Why don’t you take command?” Lincoln suggested.

  “Guys, I’m not saying it should be me but someone has to step forward. General Baker? Are you interested in taking command?” Thomas asked.

  “I’m a pretty good tactician and I understand the nature of war but I am not a people person. I doubt that many would like my abrupt manner. I think Lincoln is right. You have the right personality to be the leader of a large group of mixed units. I honestly think you are the right person.”

  “What about the rest of you?” Thomas asked.

  To his surprise, there was total agreement without hesitation. Now all they had to do was convince the other state militias to join them.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The plan was for all states to fall under the command structure of the American Resistance Movement. Thomas would be the Supreme Commander, a title that he hated with a passion. The Executive Commander would be General Baker. He would handle the tactical end of the militia. Lincoln and Lance would be in charge of gathering intelligence. Colonel Kim Dare would handle special ops. She would be responsible for assessing targets that needed to be removed. Special Forces would be under her command.

  There had been some debate about her ability until Thomas brought her in and held a competition of shooting at 1200 yards. She scored twenty-three in the X area of the target, twenty in the ten and seven in the nine. That ended the debate. Thomas had to laugh as he collected the others’ money. He had seen her shoot at the Camp Perry National Matches on several occasions and had no doubt about her ability.

  The number of state militias working in conjunction with the American Resistance Movement had grown to twenty. Four more were considering joining. State Commanders were chosen and they determined their own chain of command.

  States aligned with the American Resistance Movement were:

  Utah

  Idaho

  Wyoming

  South Dakota

  Montana

  Colorado

  Texas

  Kansas

  Mississippi

  Arkansas

  Ohio

  Pennsylvania

  Tennessee

  Virginia

  Kentucky

  Georgia

  Indiana

  Louisiana

  Alabama

  Washington State

  Four states; Oregon, Florida, Missouri and Ohio were fighting among themselves regarding who would do what. Michigan was also in turmoil. They had thirteen official militia groups and some weren’t even speaking to the others. Thomas didn’t hold out much hope of drawing them into the fold for quite some time. Some of the eastern states militias didn’t even bother to acknowledge the existence of the American Resistance Movement.

  Still, with the twenty state militias working together, they represented over one and a half million men and women who were willing to fight for America’s democracy. If they could spring the detainees in the internment camps, that would add almost four-hundred thousand more. Many of them wouldn’t be capable of fighting but they could be disruptive, creating obstacles and tying up troops.

  For the first time Thomas felt that they had more than a fighting chance to take on the military. He still held hopes that many of America’s fighting men would refuse to go to war with other Americans. He knew there had to be many others like himself who clearly saw what was happening. They just needed to get the message out to every citizen about what was really happening.

  ***

  “How are you feeling General?” the President asked.

  “Much better, thank you.”

  “Good. I assume you learned a valuable lesson from the South Dakota debacle?” she asked.

  “Oh yes indeed. We learned several things. I know it seems like a huge loss but that was nothing but one battle. A skirmish if you will. You saw the results the next time. I believe we certainly bloodied their noses and more than made up for Ellsworth,” he replied.

  “Well at least we didn’t get caught off guard again. I think what you have done is the right thing. You should no longer put yourself at risk. I know you like to be in the thick of things but honestly, it is time to let the younger folks do the fighting,” she said.

  “I understand you approve of both General Lamb and General Fenton.”

  “Yes I do. I wasn’t too sure about General Lamb at first but you are right. He is extremely bright and if anyone can find the leaks it will be him. It’s a little early to tell about General Fenton but he certainly did a good job in Flagstaff. I understand he only lost two men and had two wounded. That in itself is remarkable.”

  “I think the propaganda that went out about the demise of the Arizona Militia will send some shockwaves through the other states. The euphoric feeling that they had in South Dakota was certainly dealt a big blow by Arizona’s outcome,” The general replied.

  “So what are your next plans?”

  “As you know, Lamb is working on getting IIB off the ground. That will be a huge help. I need to warn you though that this kind of intelligence work cannot be rushed. He has to get the right people in the right place at the right time. It is like a world class chess match. Each move has to be carefully thought out or everything will be for nothing. He cannot rush this. I am only telling you this because I know how much you want to move forward as quickly as possible. I do as well but I have to give Lamb the latitude to do the job the right way or we are wasting our time.”

  The President sighed. The general was correct; she was in a hurry to move. She knew it was a matter of time before there would be a general uprising and she still did not want to declare Martial Law until there were no other options.

  “Alright General, you’re right. I do want progress but I understand what you are saying. The analogy of the chess game was very good. Is there anything he needs to help him?

  “Just access to the White House staff without having to do battle every time. That just slows everything down.

  “It won’t be a problem,” the President assured him.

  ***

  CHBX Television – Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.

  “Welcome to a special addition of The World Report with Delton LeBlanc.”

  “Welcome. Welcome. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. We have a very special show lined up for you this evening. Tonight we have with us Mark Walker, the American who made a daring escape from what he terms the American Gulags that are placed in several locations throughout the United States. Tonight he is going to fill us in on his fascinating, first hand adventure and how he, along with 1200 others escaped from Stockton Island in Alaska. It is an amazing story that you won’t want to miss. Stay tuned, we will be right back with Mark Walker.”

  “They have you all wired?” Delton asked Mark while the commercials were running.

  “All set.”

  “You seem very calm.”

  “It isn’t really that difficult. The story is true, every bit of it and when you are telling the truth it is a lot easier. Lying is harder and fortunately, I don’t have to do that.”

  “You know I am going to have to ask you some very…challenging questions.”

  “Hey, ask whatever you want. I have absolutely nothing to hide,” Mark replied.

  “In ten,” someone said.

  “Shall we?” Delton asked ushering him to his place.

  “3…2…1..” the man said pointing to Delton.

  “Welcome back. I have with me tonight Mark Walker, an American citizen who has a rather terrifying story to tell us about what is happening across our boarder. We are all aware that the US has almost entirely shut the border between our two countries creating an uneasy feeling among Canadians. Travel restrictions have hurt not only tourism but commerce as well. Hopefully Mr. Walker can give us some insight into what is happening in America. Mark, perhaps you can tell us how you ended up in what you are referring to as the American Gulags? What laws did you break? Surely you must have done something criminal.”

>   “You’re absolutely right. According to our government, I am guilty of domestic terrorism and I am a traitor.”

  “My, those are pretty serious charges. Perhaps that is why you were sent there?”

  “Indeed. I was following a news story about what the administration is calling Internment Camps. I had a couple of leads and was checking them out when I was arrested and placed in a New Mexico Internment camp. It certainly was one way to find out if the story was true.”

  “You are saying that all you were doing was following a news story?”

  “Correct.”

  “But you are a journalist by trade, isn’t that so?”

  “Also correct.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Walker laughed, “Neither did I. The way it happened was I was never charged with anything, I was never tried or sentenced. I was just ‘detained’ as they like to put it. For how long, no one would tell me. Why? No one would say. Essentially I disappeared off the face of the earth.”

  “And there were others with you?”

  “I was prisoner 12125. The last number I remember before I was transferred to Alaska was 27660. I don’t know if they recycle numbers when people die but essentially that means at least 27660 were in that one camp alone.”

  “My word. And this is for real?”

  “Absolutely. The people in these camps had never been charged, had no trial or even knew how long they would be there. That is why I call them Gulags. It is the same format that Russia used. They come in the night, or while you are working, and take you away. No one ever knows where you have even been sent.”

  “Unbelievable.”

  “Oh it gets worse. They are more than just internment camps. They are forced labor camps. We didn’t work in the mines but we did build roads working twelve hours a day with one meal at night. We did not get breakfast or lunch. If you ate anything at lunch you had to save what little you were given in your clothing and eat it during our one twenty minute break. Old men died while working or the guards would shoot them if they weren’t working hard or fast enough. The guards are as brutal as anything in Russia or World War II Germany. They can shoot you for no reason. I know this is hard to believe and I am sure President Clemons will deny this adamantly but it is exactly what is going on. She has already suspended the 1st amendment by taking over all media through a person they call a Media Czar. In retrospect, it is the perfect title for the position. They raid people’s homes and take their guns, suspending the 2nd amendment. If they resist, they disappear. Now you need a permit to gather. If more than fifty are involved you need a special permit.”

  “You say people died. You actually saw this with your own eyes?”

  “Absolutely. Some from natural causes due to starvation and extreme cold, but the majority were simply murdered. Some were hanged, some lined up against a wall and shot, some shot just for the fun of it. They are buried in pits and covered with lime then graded over. I worked on one detail where we buried over a hundred bodies in one day.”

  “I hardly know what to say Mr. Walker. You appear to be telling the truth but it is so hard to believe that a country founded on democracy would simply let that happen. Why would the people stand for it?”

  “That is the best question you could ask. Why would they? I ask myself that a hundred times a day. The only answer I can give you is that the Media Czar is doing a magnificent job of selling lies to the people. They want to believe that all of this will make a safer country for them. They are willing to trade long term freedom for some short term alleged safety. They claim that no foreign terrorists have attacked the US since this new system was implemented. By the way, the group that has these unlimited powers to arrest and detain people are what is known as the ISS or Internal Security Service.”

  “Folks, this is some of the most fascinating news I have ever heard since the show went on the air six years ago. We are going to take a short commercial break and come right back and talk to Mark Walker about his escape from Stockton, Alaska. Don’t you dare go away.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  General Lamb knew that he could stall only so long without getting the Internal Investigative Branch going. It would look suspicious if he sat on it too long. It was a no win situation for him but he had little choice.

  Lamb, up until now, had been able to tip off his good friend, Thomas Waggoner, by using a triple cutout technique but it would become more difficult once the IIB was placed into service. He would have to limit their power to reporting on only certain groups but even that could bring suspicion. He knew this was a huge risk but he had to go through with it.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, you are the first to be indoctrinated into the Internal Investigative Branch. Your uniforms are different from the standard ISS agents for a reason. You have not only the power but the duty to investigate not only citizens but ISS agents who may not be carrying out their duties as described in the ISS Operations Procedure Manual. You are my eyes and ears in ensuring that the ISS is operating as it was intended. Look around you,” he said pausing.

  “Each of you was chosen because you were deemed exemplary in carrying out your duties as ISS officers. So you will all understand how this is organized, I will briefly explain the procedures. I am the head of the ISS but that includes more than that simple task. I am also in charge of intelligence gathering and analysis. Your function is to make sure that I get the needed information. How do you go about that? By investigating and reporting on ISS agents who could possibly be aiding the militias, dissidents, and political terrorists. You are to report any suspicious activities to me. This includes members of the White House Staff with the caveat that you are specifically forbidden to investigate General Douglas, President Clemons, and of course, myself. We have a much larger picture and what we are doing is strictly off limits. Three of you in this room, and you already know who you are, have been selected to ensure that any IIB officer failing to follow protocol will be reported to me. What we know at this point is that we have a leak and possibly several that are aiding the enemies of the administration. We need to locate and eliminate them. I want a report within twenty-four hours on any suspect you feel needs further investigation. I will analyze that report and have you continue, arrest them, or drop it for a more serious threat. I have a special task for agents Flowers, Kincaid, and Dawson. You three are to remain behind for a special assignment. And no, they are not the three agents I mentioned earlier. They have been selected for a different task of vital importance to the administration. I will go into the details when we are finished. Now, I assume you have all read your operations manual and understand why you are here and why you were selected for this exclusive branch of service. The remuneration package should have been already explained and agreed to. It is generous but then you are the elite of the ISS so it is more than justified. Now, we have a lot of work to do, so all but Flowers, Kincaid, and Dawson can get to work,” he told them.

  Most started to file out of the room but a few stayed, looking around like they weren’t sure what to do next.

  “Is there a problem?” Lamb asked the two women staying behind.

  “Not a problem sir. It’s just that we aren’t sure who we report information to. I mean, who is our direct supervisor?”

  “I am your director supervisor. All reports come directly to me.”

  “There is no layer between us and you General?”

  “No. Is that a problem?”

  “No. It’s just that I have worked for the government in other capacities and usually there are layers of bureaucracy before anything is passed on to the decision makers.”

  “Not in the ISS and definitely not in the IIB. I expect you to let me know any time you are investigating something that doesn’t look right. You can text, e-mail, or if I am available, come to my office. If we add layers of bureaucracy, we will never get anything accomplished. A larger government never gets anything done. I intend to keep us lean so I know who my agents are,” he told them.


  She just shook her head, “That’s the way it should have been all along. As a lower level worker you never knew if someone even looked at your work or cared.”

  “That isn’t the way it will be here,” Lamb assured her.

  ***

  Flowers, Kincaid, and Dawson remained behind to talk to General Lamb.

  “You three have a huge and important job. This should have been done a year or more ago. President Clemons has just been too busy directing the nation to make the proper selection for Vice President. As it stands right now, if something happened to the President, a vacuum would occur and that is far too dangerous. This is the list of names the President is considering,” he said, handing each of them a set of files with the names printed on the outside. The Presidential seal was embossed on the covers.

  “Obviously this is Ultra Secret and no one,” he said pausing to look at each of them, “is to know that you are working on this project. The four candidates have not been informed that they are being considered. She wants the raw data before she interviews each one. Your job is to collect everything you can on them. Everything from how they raised money to run for office, where it came from, what their marriage is like, to whether they are having or have had an extramarital affair. In short, I want everything you can find out about them. Go back to the very beginning of their involvement in politics up until this moment. You have unlimited powers to gather any information you think is necessary for the President to make the best decision. If anyone balks, show them the letter attached to the inside of your folder. It is signed by the President, General Douglas, and myself. If they still resist, let me know and I will give you detailed instructions on how to handle the situation. Any questions?”