American Reset: Book Three

by Mark Goodwin

  Sonny met him at the door. “Sir, Governor Simmons of Kentucky is really pushing for Coalition assistance in getting DHS out of Pikeville. He says he’ll do it alone if he has to, but he really wants the Coalition to help out.”

  “Thanks, Sonny,” Paul replied. “Can you set up a conference between Simmons, the other Southern Coalition governors and myself?”

  “For what time?” Sonny asked.

  Randall answered, “As soon as possible. Jefferson should be in the conference also.”

  Sonny replied, “I’ll see if everyone can meet at eleven if that works for you.”

  “Eleven is great,” Paul went upstairs to get a quick shower. He hadn’t worked up much of a sweat on his walk, but he liked to start the day fresh. Once the day started, it was hard to say when it would end. Reviving a lost republic was no small task. Once dressed, he headed straight for his office. He settled into his chair and began checking his email.

  There was a light rap on his office door, then it opened. “Dad!” Ryan stuck his head in the door.

  “Ryan, what a surprise!” Paul jumped up and embraced his son. “Does your mom know you’re here?”

  “Not yet,” he replied. “I just snuck in. I brought her flowers. I want to put them in a vase before she sees me.”

  Paul asked, “How long are you here?”

  “I have to be back on base Sunday night,” Ryan said.

  “So most all weekend. We’ll take what we can get. Your mom will be thrilled.” Paul gave Ryan’s shoulder a squeeze. “You’re putting on some muscle. I guess you’re eating well on base.”

  Ryan said, “Yeah, we do a lot of PT, plus I spend a lot of time in the gym. When I close my eyes at night, I see Robert’s body lying there in that pool of blood. Being physically tired seems to help me fall asleep. Otherwise, I just toss and turn all night.”

  Paul nodded. “We all miss him. No parent ever wants to lose a child. I’m sure it’s tough to lose a twin sibling.”

  Ryan replied, “Yeah, well, I’m going to go get these flowers in a vase and track mom down. Don’t tell her I’m here if you see her first.”

  “You’re secret is safe with me,” Paul said.

  Ryan left the room and Paul clicked the folder icon in his computer labeled “Family Photos.” He opened the folder inside containing the pictures from the previous summer. Every time he looked at Ryan, he saw Robert as well; even though the two looked very different to Paul. He sighed as he scrolled through the pictures of the four of them cooking out on the deck. Paul thought, What simple times. We had no idea how good things were. We could go to the store anytime we wanted, the country was still in one piece and we were all together. If only I hadn’t ran for president. I would have spent so much more time with Robert and none of this.… Paul changed the channel in his mind. He knew going down that road would get him nowhere fast. Self-loathing and regret took up too much space in his head. There was much to do and it took his full concentration.

  Sonny knocked before entering. “Sir, General Jefferson wants to be here in person. Can we make the conference at twelve to give him time to arrive?”

  Paul closed out the window on his computer with the family photos. “Does that work for everyone else?”

  Sonny answered, “Everyone is good with twelve. You and the General should have some snacks. The Southern Coalition will have already had lunch. It will be one o’clock for them.”

  Paul answered, “We can eat an early lunch. Ryan is here for the weekend; I’m sure Kimberly will be cooking up a storm. I’ll let her know that we’ll have the meeting at twelve. Will you be ready for lunch soon?”

  Sonny answered, “I could eat. I’m flexible.”

  Paul went to find Kimberly and inform her of the meeting time. He walked into the kitchen and found her and Ryan hugging. Ryan’s flowers were beautifully arranged in the vase. He didn’t want to interrupt the moment, but they ended their embrace.

  Paul squeezed his wife’s hand and told her about the meeting time.

  Kimberly asked Ryan, “Will steak be alright?”

  Ryan replied, “Absolutely, we never get steak on base. Living on a cattle ranch sure has its perks.”

  Kimberly told Paul, “I won’t have time to bake potatoes, will mashed be fine for everyone?”

  “Even better,” Paul said.

  “And will Sonny eat mashed potatoes if I leave the skins on?”

  “He will now. He’s gotten past a lot of his quirks.” Paul took out the steaks and seasoned them. He took an extra one, just in case Allen arrived in time for lunch. He fired up the grill on the deck while Kimberly got the water boiling for the potatoes.

  At lunch, everyone wanted to know how flight school was going for Ryan. He told them everything he was learning and all about his training. Allen Jefferson arrived about halfway through lunch. Paul got up and threw his steak back on the grill.

  “We made you a plate. Medium rare on your steak?” Paul asked the General.

  “Medium would be great,” Jefferson replied.

  Ryan had several questions for the general while they finished lunch.

  Jefferson asked, “Is Ryan going to be sitting in on the meeting with us?”

  Paul was caught a little off guard, “Um...” He looked at Sonny, then Ryan. “Do you want to sit in, Ryan?”

  “That’d be awesome!” Ryan replied.

  Paul said, “Sonny, will you ask if anyone has any opposition?”

  Jefferson added, “And Sonny, make sure you tell everyone that Ryan is being groomed for a leadership position in the Coalition Armed Forces.”

  “I’ll convey that message, General,” Sonny answered.

  Kimberly shot Paul a look as if to ask, “What’s this all about?”

  Paul threw his hands in the air to let her know that it wasn’t his department.

  Allen knew when to practice diplomacy. He excused himself to prepare his notes before Kimberly had a chance to engage him about her son’s “leadership position.”

  The men met in the war room and Sonny confirmed that the governors of the Southern Coalition had no issues with Ryan sitting in on the meeting.

  Paul started the meeting. “Gentlemen, I had hoped that the terrible circumstances in the Federal States would have been enough to keep Howe occupied, but evidently it wasn’t. It seems his sights are set on Kentucky. I’m sure the invasion of Pikeville is to establish a foothold in the Southern Coalition with the intent of taking more ground. Governor Simmons, what efforts have you made in dislodging Federal troops from Pikeville?”

  Harvey Simmons said, “We’ve tried to cut off their supply lines multiple times, but they keep cutting down the blockades. If we take them head on by ourselves, we’ll have to pull men off the borders which will open us up to further infiltration. Tennessee has offered their support, but they’re limited on what they can provide.”

  Tennessee Governor Richards said, “We’ve got the men; we’re just short on heavy artillery. We really need armored vehicles from Texas.”

  “What about Fort Bragg?” Randall asked. “Do they have vehicles and weapons that could support your mission?”

  General Jefferson said, “Harvey, tell me if I understand your predicament correctly. Kentucky would have no issues dislodging the enemy forces in Pikeville. The problem is that for every man or tank you can put in Pikeville, D.C. can match it and raise you. What you need is a deep strike, to stop the flow of weapons and supplies moving across the West Virginia border.”

  Simmons answered, “That’s right, General. They only have a couple thousand troops in Pikeville. We could take that with no problem, it’s the infinite supply of troops, supplies and weapons moving in that we can’t contend with. The other problem is that Pikeville citizens are being used as human shields against airstrikes. They’ve had their weapons confiscated in house-to-house raids and are essentially prisoners of war.”

  Governor Hayden of South Carolina said, “Anything we can do to help, you let us know. We’re all in
this together.”

  Taylor of North Carolina said, “Same here. Whatever we can do. We’re here for ya.”

  Allen Jefferson said, “I think Pikeville, in and of itself, is just going to be a never-ending battle. We’ve seen the amount of resources an ongoing conflict like that can consume. In Iraq, it was like cutting weeds with scissors. By the time you get the whole yard cut, the weeds you started with have re-appeared. I think the only thing you can do is attack this problem at the root. I think we have to hit D.C. It will take more effort to get to the capital, but once it’s done, it’s done.”

  Randall shook his head. “No, I have said from the beginning that I won’t fight an aggressive war.”

  Jefferson shot back, “Paul, that is a defensive maneuver. We have to cut the head off the snake that’s attacking Kentucky. If we don’t, they’ll eventually take the whole state. Tennessee will be next and then the Carolinas.”

  Randall just shook his head. “That’s not what I had in mind at all.”

  Nicholas commented, “I’ll have to agree with the General. It’d be a resource dump to fight a constant trickle over the West Virginia border. We should go in for the kill.”

  Randall said, “I appreciate what you’re saying, but it’s not that simple. General, you spoke about Iraq. You remember the cases of soldiers doing house-to-house sweeps to fight the insurgents. The number of civilians killed in those raids was astronomical. Those boys didn’t know who was going to kill them and who wasn’t. Many of the ones who waited long enough to assess their targets were killed. It was a complete mess. That added to the suicide rates after the surge. A lot of that was from seeing women and children killed. We’ll have Federal troops embedded with civilians if we go to D.C. I know Howe will pull that trick. He wouldn’t give two cents for his civilians. He’d sacrifice them in a second. I’m not willing to send Coalition forces into those types of conditions. When you’re fighting a defensive war, you know who your enemy is. Anyone who comes over that line has earned a bullet and our soldiers can sleep well knowing they did the right thing.”

  Governor Taylor of North Carolina interjected, “We can stand on the moral high ground or we can do what we have to do to win. We may not have the luxury of both.”

  Simmons said, “I’m sorry Senator, I’ll have to agree with the General.”

  Paul said, “Sam, where does Tennessee stand on this?”

  “I’m not a military man, Paul,” Richards replied. “I’ll have to defer to the recommendations of General Jefferson.”

  Randall took a deep breath and exhaled. “That’s unanimous. I don’t like it. I don’t think I’ll be a productive participant in the planning process, so I’ll excuse myself and let you men do what you have to do. Allen, please let me see whatever you draw up. I won’t stand in the way if you men have so decided that this is the right course. Ryan, Sonny, you guys come with me.”

  Jefferson and the governors of the Southern Coalition didn’t say anything as Randall left the room.

  In the stairwell back to the surface, Paul was angry. “Can you believe that, Sonny?”

  Sonny replied, “You made a very valid point, sir.”

  Ryan didn’t say anything.

  Paul said, “These men are going to be sending Coalition soldiers into a battlefield where they won’t be able to distinguish combatants from civilians. The psychological toll is too high. It’s an unreasonable request to ask of anyone.”

  Ryan spoke up, “It’s war, dad. We didn’t ask for it. We only asked to be left alone. That request has been denied. Speaking for myself, I’ll fight in any condition rather than live under oppression. No one cared about our psychological toll when they sent a kill team in to assassinate our family. No one cared about mom’s psychological toll when Robert was murdered by the animals in Washington.”

  Paul said, “But we’re different than them, Ryan.”

  “Yeah,” Ryan said. “We abide by the law of the Constitution. These people asked you to lead them in defending the last remnant of our republic. If you can’t do it, you should get out of the way and let someone else do it.”

  “That’s enough, Ryan!” Paul shouted.

  “You’re right. It is enough. I’m going to get my things and head back to base,” Ryan said.

  Paul said, “Please don’t do that. I know you think you’re punishing me, but your mother is the one who’ll get hurt. Just stay the weekend…for her.”

  Ryan said, “I’ll stay for mom. But leave me alone.”

  “Fair enough,” Paul said.

  The two Randall men went their separate ways and Sonny found something else to do as well.

  CHAPTER 28

  “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’”

  -Psalm 122:1

  Matt woke early Sunday morning. He looked over at his wife lying next to him and gently took her hand to hold. He had been home for the better part of a week, but he was still elated to be in his own bed with his wife. The soft sheets, the firm mattress, his pillow that he had taken for granted; they were luxuries he held a new appreciation for. Matt looked at the pillow above Karen’s head. Miss Mae was awake and looking at him as she gently purred. Matt pulled his hand from Karen’s who was still sleeping and scratched the little cat under her chin. “It’s good to be home,” he said.

  Karen stirred and eventually opened her eyes and smiled. “Good morning.”

  Matt smiled back. “Good morning, my love.”

  “Do you feel like going to church?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I want to go. I’ve got a lot to be thankful for today,” he answered.

  “Can you walk on the crutches Doc made?” she inquired.

  “I’m sure I can,” he replied.

  “What will Doc say?” she asked.

  “He’ll be fine with it,” Matt said.

  “Shouldn’t we ask him? He’s staying in our office, it’s not like we can sneak past him,” Karen said.

  Matt responded, “We’ll take him with us. He’ll enjoy it. And thanks for letting him stay. I know the house is getting to be like a hotel. You’ve been very gracious about all the extra boarders.”

  Karen remarked, “I would have gone nuts if Rene and Justin weren’t here. There is no way to put a price on their companionship. They’re no bother at all. Besides that, they were the ones who found you. Justin helped bring you home and Rene…Matt, you should have seen her the night the burglars broke in. She was like a professional soldier.”

  Matt stroked Karen’s hair. “From what I hear, you were pretty lethal yourself.”

  Karen answered, “Yeah, when I had to do it, everything you taught me came back to my memory.”

  Matt said, “But thank you for letting Doc stay. He was my only friend when we were inside.”

  Karen replied, “He’s taking care of your leg. You might have lost it if it wasn’t for him. That was a deep cut.”

  “It’s nice to have a doctor around,” Matt commented. “He’s also been taking good care of Lt. Joe’s arm. He had some deep damage from the bullet he caught in the raid.”

  Karen asked, “Where is Joe going to stay?”

  Matt said, “Since his home was hit by a missile after the raid, he’ll be staying with Adam for now. Adam promised to help him rebuild when this is all over, but who knows when that will be.”

  They got dressed and met everyone for breakfast. Doc agreed that it would be alright for Matt to go to church if he promised to stay off his leg for at least another week. After that, he could start using the crutches to get around and putting light pressure on the leg.

  Gas was getting harder to come by, so everyone carpooled for their monthly trip to the local church. On the other Sundays of the month, Adam would lead a small-group Bible study if he wasn’t engaged in a battle. The front seat of Adam’s crew cab held himself, Janice and Karen. Carissa sat in Karen’s lap. Mandy, Shelly, Rene and Lt. Joe sat in the back seat. Justin, Doc and Matt rode in the bed of the truck. This allo
wed Matt to keep his leg straight as per the doctor’s recommendation. They were a hodgepodge of a family rolling into the service, but they were happy to be there and happy to be together.

  After service, Janice invited the whole bunch over for lunch. Adam killed five chickens to be sure they’d have plenty to eat. Janice, Shelly and Mandy made cornbread, fried chicken and fresh mustard greens which were one of the first things in the garden to be ready to eat.

  After dinner, Matt asked Adam and Shelly to walk him up to see Wesley’s grave. They agreed. Adam and Shelly each took an arm to help Matt navigate the rough terrain on his crutches. They helped Matt take a seat on the large protruding tree root by Wesley’s grave site.

  “He was a good guy. He loved his family and his country,” Matt said.

  “And his God,” Adam added.

  Shelly looked sad, so Adam pulled her close for a hug.

  Adam said to Matt, “We put all of Joe’s communications gear in your shed. We haven’t set it up because we figure they’ll be scanning the area for a new comms hub. I’m thinking we’ll wait to set it up until we need it, then move it around every so often. Would you mind if we set it up first at your place?”

  “That’d be great,” Matt answered. “I’m not going to be back to full strength for probably six weeks or so. I’d love to learn how to operate all of that stuff if Lt. Joe will teach me.”

  “I’m sure he’d love to show you how to operate everything,” Adam replied. “You may get your chance soon.”

  “Why’s that?” Matt inquired.

  “The Coalition is making a move this Friday night.” Adam responded.

  Matt looked for clarification. “Is the Kentucky National Guard finally going into Pikeville?”

  “Not exactly,” Shelly explained. “They’re hitting D.C.”

  “This Friday night?” Matt was stunned.

  Adam answered, “Allen Jefferson is taking the fight to them. Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina are dedicating all of their resources in an all-out assault on D.C. The general has intel that over half of D.C. is drunk by the time the sun goes down every Friday night. I suppose the culture of debauchery has even penetrated the security forces and military personnel in and around the capital.”