PROJECT BlueBolt - AMERICAN UPRISING: BOOK III - AMERICAN UPRISING

by Marshall Huffman

  “Can you find a way to take care of him?” she asked General Douglas.

  “I guess we could always invade Canada and haul him off,” he said drolly.

  “Don’t be a smartass. I can’t believe we can’t find a way to block his program from the United States,” Clemons said.

  “We have tried that with very little success. We can block some areas but nothing major.”

  “Is there a way to knock out their communications totally? One of those bombs you guys have?” she asked.

  “I believe you are referring to a nuclear bomb and I doubt that would do our reputation very much good not to mention having the rest of the world come down on us,” Douglas replied.

  “There has to be something,” she insisted.

  “Yes. Ignore it. Turn the television off. We aren’t seeing any adverse reactions to him being on. He is considered a Canadian now so no one cares.”

  “I care, damn it.”

  “Get over it,” Douglas replied.

  “Easy General Douglas. You are on very thin ice right now. Much more and I will not be a very nice person to be around,” she warned him.

  ‘As if you ever were’, he thought, but didn’t say it out loud.

  “Madam President. The border states seem to be doing fine. We have seen no indications of a mass uprising. The only person he is getting to is you. He is winning. You don’t seem like the type who lets others win, so don’t let him. This will all go away.”

  “You said that last time and he is even bigger now,” she shot back.

  “Yes, and with diminishing returns. He has had his time in the limelight. You really do need to let it go.”

  “I know you’re right it just galls me to turn on the television and see him looking back at me. It’s like he is mocking me,” she said.

  “It won’t last,” the general assured her.

  ***

  The general was wrong. Cities in North Dakota, Montana, Iowa, Michigan, and as far away as Vermont were getting ready to stage one of the largest protests in the history of the United States. Groups had been planning this for over two months and were making sure the ISS had no clue about what was going on under their noses.

  They had intentionally been staying dormant and not causing any trouble. They were doing everything they could to lull the ISS into a false sense of security.

  Thirteen states and over forty-five major cities were set to stage a huge demonstration. They would not only disrupt the entire city but raid the ISS buildings and destroy them as well. Everyone was encouraged to dress for battle and to have a gas mask. If the ISS had really been monitoring the situation they would have realized something was up. Every Army/Navy surplus store had sold out of gas masks, filters, and riot gear. No one had any helmets left and most had even disappeared off the internet. They missed it all by being complacent.

  General Lamb had also helped. He reassigned many of the ISS agents to other states helping to keep them understaffed. He also made sure the older agents and those less trained were in the key cities.

  He had let Thomas know of the upcoming uprising so they could have people there to help do battle with the ISS. It was going to be a bloody day for both sides but people were starting to pull their heads out of the sand. They had been pushed as far as they were willing to go. Now it was time to fight back. This would be the first step.

  ***

  Every state and city was ready. The time had been coordinated to allow for the different time zones. At twelve noon, Eastern Standard Time, everyone went into action.

  People poured into the downtown areas and immediately lay siege to the ISS buildings. Within minutes the entire downtown areas in forty-five major cities were clogged with protesters. ISS agents were rounded up and brought to city hall where they were handcuffed and held.

  In some cities it was done with very little damage or bloodshed. In others, large fights broke out as ISS agents and their supporters tried to beat the protesters back. Immediately the ISS agents sent out distress signals and nearby military troops were rushed in to join in the mêlée.

  Rubber bullets and water cannons were not ready and instead real ammunition was used. A great many protesters had brought weapons as well and fire fights broke out across the cities. Fires started to burn and large sections of the downtown areas were being destroyed. Fire fighters refused to go into the situation without proper protection and running gun battles made it impossible.

  By the time the word got to General Douglas, nearly every major city involved was in flames with hundreds injured or dead. He was absolutely stunned that such a thing could be happening and no one knew about it. Just as he was being given the briefing, the President called and summoned him to the White House immediately.

  ***

  “Would someone please tell me how this could happen,” she screamed, “And don’t you dare tell me to calm down,” she said glaring at General Douglas.

  “We don’t know yet. Obviously this has been in the works for some time,” he said defensively.

  “Well now, there is a news bulletin for you. It was in the works for some time. Over forty cities and thirteen or fourteen states and you think this might not just be a coincidence? For heaven sake, in the works?” she said dropping down on her chair.

  “Madam President, I take full responsibility for this. It is my job to gather intelligence and I didn’t do it properly,” General Lamb said.

  She didn’t even bother to answer. She was pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and finger.

  “How? How could all those states keep it from the ISS? What the hell are we paying them for?” she said, much calmer.

  “I honestly don’t know. I guess they felt everything was going so well they just didn’t do their job,” Lamb said.

  “And not one of them picked up on this?”

  “Apparently not,” he told her.

  “Then we need less ISS and more IIB agents. How many do we have now?”

  “About a hundred and fifty all total,” Lamb told her.

  “We need thousands. The ISS are nothing more than glorified police. We need real agents that aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.”

  “I agree, but Madam President, I think I should step down. I have let you and the administration down, not to mention General Douglas.”

  “It was my responsibility,” Douglas replied.

  “Sir, you put me in charge of intelligence, the ISS and IIB. Obviously I have failed in almost every area. The only success so far has been the stoppage of information leaks,” Lamb replied.

  “Stop. Enough of this. Okay we got our noses bloodied. Look at the states. They are the ones where Mark Walker can stir people up. Like you said general, he has had his few minutes of fame. This too will die down. We will blank it out of the news in every state not involved. General Lamb, I want ten times more IIB agents. I want you to start on that immediately. It is your top priority,” she said.

  “You still want me on the job?”

  “It’s over and done with. Just get IIB up to speed as quickly as possible. I want them to have unlimited power. They can use whatever they need to put an end to dissidents like these,” she said, sweeping her hand toward the televisions.

  “General Douglas, I apologize for letting you down. It won’t happen again.”

  “Not necessary General Lamb. Just do as the President said. Get IIB up and running at a hundred percent. Give them the power to do whatever has to be done to ensure that nothing like this happens again.

  “Yes sir,” Lamb replied.

  ***

  “General Lamb sent me a report on the protest. He said it was going to be harder to get information to me. I sure don’t want to lose him.”

  “He has certainly been a heck of a resource for us,” Lincoln agreed.

  “What are the numbers?” Lance asked.

  “Seven hundred civilians dead. Three thousand, six hundred injured. Two hundred and ten ISS agents dead, another seven hundred and twenty
injured. One hundred and twenty-three military men and women killed and two hundred and ninety injured. Almost every ISS building was burned to the ground,” Thomas told them.

  “What is the media saying?”

  “Nothing. It apparently never happened,” Thomas replied.

  “Unbelievable. Are they totally nuts? Don’t they know they are nothing more than puppets? What happened to the media? When did they stop reporting the real news?” Lance asked.

  “Come on Lance. That was going on long before all of this. The press is owned by people with their own agenda. They slant every story the way they want it to sound. Real reporting has been dead for years. There is no longer any ethics in the media,” Lincoln answered.

  “So they are willing to just knuckle under?”

  “Absolutely. They played the game and lost. Now they write only what the government tells them they can write,” Lincoln said.

  “When this is all over I sure hope someone has learned a lesson,” Lance said shaking his head.

  “Don’t be so sure of it. I want to believe they will but I don’t know if they are capable of learning any more. They have been corrupt for so long it may not be possible for them to learn anything from this,” Thomas added.

  “That’s very discouraging.”

  “Ain’t it though,” Lincoln agreed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Ambassador Cain was irritated at the whole notion of what this was about. Late in the night he had received a call telling him to report immediately to the airport to be brought back to the US to meet with the President.

  Now he sat outside the Oval Office where he was on his third cup of coffee, just waiting. Finally a Marine came and showed him into the office where the President sat behind her desk.

  “Ambassador Cain, please have a seat,” she said without any warmth.

  He didn’t reply but just sat down, looking at her.

  “I called you here to tell you that I am less that pleased with what is going on in Canada. It would seem that they have forgotten which side of the bread the butter is on. They are intentionally causing an embarrassment for my administration.”

  Cain didn’t say anything, he just sat there waiting.

  “Well?”

  “I’m sorry, was there a question that I missed?” he said.

  “Ambassador Cain, I want to know what is going on. Part of your job is to foster a good working relationship between the US and Canada. I don’t see that being done.”

  “Madam President, my job is not only to foster working relationships but to extend the goodwill of the American people and the United States of America. If the policies of the administration are such that it makes it impossible, then there is not much I can do. I have expressed your displeasure with the airing of Mark Walker’s programs. I’m sure you read the report I sent detailing my discussions with Prime Minister Bouchard.”

  “Yes. I read the official report. Those are nothing more than a lot of nice words sanitized to political speak. I want to know what he really said,” she insisted.

  “That is what he said,” Cain replied.

  “Word for word?” Clemons pressed.

  “Not exactly.”

  “Well there you have it. I want to know what he said taking out all of the niceties.”

  “I don’t see where that could help. It would only make my job more difficult,” Cain replied.

  “Ambassador Cain, I don’t care about how hard your job is. I am telling you, I want to know what was left out of the report.”

  “Listen to me President Clemons. It will not do you one bit of good to have that information. It will only create additional friction. Accepting personal criticism is never pleasant even for the most understanding person. Your personality will only exacerbate the situation in Canada if you hear everything that was said.”

  “You listen to me Ambassador Cain, I am ordering you to tell me what was said, do you understand?” she asked, half rising out of her chair.

  “Alright, if you insist. The Prime Minister said he thought you had gone around the bend with power, that you were destroying a once great country. Canada has already begun to align with other nations such as Russia and Europe. He feels that you have almost single handedly destroyed the United States. America is no longer the Republic it once was and will self-destruct within the next five years,” he told her, crossing his legs.

  She sat and glared at him for several moments.

  “What does he mean aligning with Russia and others?”

  “He is in talks with Russia to have a favorable trade treaty exist between the two countries. There is a possibility of allowing Russia to lease certain facilities in exchange for potential protection from our country.”

  “What,” she screamed, “What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know for certain but if I had to take a guess, I would say they are willing to allow the Russians to use their air and Naval facilities.”

  “That would mean war. I will not stand for such a thing. If they do something like that I will order an all-out attack on Canada. It would mean a state of war exists between our two countries.”

  “Well, we would have to consider that carefully wouldn’t we? Especially if they brought in Russia to help defend them. Half your military is tied up with the uprisings taking place in America. It would not be such easy going. What you would be doing is potentially starting another World War. Is America ready to be the one starting World War III?”

  “Don’t you dare lecture me on what I could cause. Canada is nothing. They have no military to speak of and I sincerely doubt that Russia would commit to such an endeavor.”

  “Are you willing to bet the future of the world on that Madam President? Do you honestly believe the people of America would support such a war? We would be the aggressors. I don’t see many of our countrymen jumping on that bandwagon,” Cain told her.

  “You listen to me. You are to go back and tell Buchard…”

  “Bouchard,” Cain corrected.

  “Whatever the hell his name is, that I will not stand for any foreign military to be stationed on their continent. We will do whatever is necessary to make sure that never happens. Nothing will be spared if they go through with this.”

  “You want me to tell him that we will go to war over what they do in their country. Is that about it?”

  “You just tell him exactly what I said.”

  “No. I will not do that. He is right. You have lost all perspective of reality. I will be no part of starting World War III. I hereby resign my Ambassadorship,” he said and started to leave.

  “You can’t just walk out on me,” she yelled but he kept on walking and closed the door behind him.

  He was half expecting to be arrested at any moment but nothing happened.

  ***

  The Ambassador had just left when General Douglas came rushing to the White House and said it was most urgent that he see the President immediately. Five minutes later he was sitting in the Oval office, in the very same place that the Canadian Ambassador had been setting when he resigned.

  “What’s the big crisis?” Clemons said as soon as he sat down.

  “A civilian facility and a military ammunition base were raided simultaneously last night.”

  “Alright. Why does that have you so excited? There has to be more to it,” Clemons replied.

  “The civilian facility was Major Atomic. They make our Predator and Raptor drones. They made off with eighteen Raptors and eleven Predator drones. The Indiana Ammunition Depository was done differently. They had all the necessary paperwork and everything passed with flying colors. That means someone inside had to have helped them.”

  “What did they take?” she asked.

  “Sixty Hellfire Missiles. They are the primary weapon used on the drones.”

  “Well that’s just great. So they not only got the missiles, but the means to use them, is that about it?”

  “Correct.”

  “How that could happen
general?” she said.

  “Atomic is a private corporation and uses their own security. I don’t know much about how they operate but it certainly wasn’t being run very efficiently.”

  “But our base was?”

  “That is a little different. They weren’t attacked. They were infiltrated using correct passes, badges, and paperwork. That means inside help. Someone had to have supplied them with all the documentation necessary. The only person to have suffered was the loading Master Sargent. He was hit from behind and then tied up. He said they used a Taser on him.”

  “Could he have been in on it and just made it looked like he was attacked?”

  “That is always a possibility but he did have puncture marks from where the Taser hit him.”

  “And there is no trace of them? They had to have taken them someplace. Where is the drone facility located?” she asked.

  “San Diego, California.”

  “And the ammunition place is in Indiana. One isn’t much good without the other so this had to be a coordinated effort. The question becomes who has that kind of resources to pull that off?”

  “I don’t know but I think I need to turn General Lamb loose on that immediately.”

  “I’ll make that his top priority. If there is someone who is able to pull this off we need to find them and eliminate them immediately. They have some very potent firepower in their possession,” Douglas said.

  “So it would seem. General, I am concerned that so many things seem to be slipping through the cracks, with riots, protests, and now missing military hardware. This is becoming ugly.”

  “Is that aimed at me?” he asked frowning.

  “I’m just saying. The idea of putting the ISS and everything else under your control was to ensure that these types of lapses didn’t happen.”

  “I see.”

  “I’m sure you do. Good day general.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “Prime Minister Bouchard.”

  “Madam President.”

  “I am calling about some rather disturbing news I received from Ambassador Cain,” she said.

  “Former Ambassador Cain, I believe. He resigned as I understand it.”