From The Ashes: America Reborn

by William W. Johnstone

  Ben Raines: Well, if the left wing is still running the magazines, newspapers, and broadcast news—as I’m sure they are—I wish you a lot of luck. Half of those liberal, out-of-touch-with-reality, left-wing fuckwads will probably shit on themselves when you mention my name.

  I smiled, and thought, You’re probably right, General. Not all that much has changed outside the SUSA.

  WWJ: We touched briefly on the privacy issue, General. Let’s talk a bit more about it. Just how much freedom of the press is allowed in the SUSA?

  Ben Raines: Quite a bit. But the press is not allowed to ruin someone’s reputation here, based on suspicion, speculation, or dislike. The rule of thumb here is if something appears in print or on the air, it damn well better be true.

  WWJ: Or that reporter or news organization will be sued?

  Ben Raines: Being sued would be the least of his worries.

  WWJ: What would be the first?

  Ben Raines: Getting the shit beat out of him.

  BOOK #22

  CHAOS IN THE ASHES

  If it be the pleasure of Heaven that my country shall require the poor offering of my life, the victim shall be ready, at the appointed hour of sacrifice, come when that hour may. But while I do live, let me have a country, and that a free country.

  –John Adams

  Ben returns from driving Bottger out of Europe to find America once again in chaos. Anarchy is everywhere. The rabble have not only brought down the old USA but have driven far into SUSA and even taken old Base Camp One. Ben has no choice but to saddle up and begin the difficult task of reclaiming SUSA for his people.

  This time around, however, Ben realizes that in order for the country to settle down, he will have to adopt a policy of live and let live. Not that he will dilute the Rebel philosophy of self-determination that he has fought so hard to protect, but he will allow people who don’t cause trouble to live in peace.

  As Ben meets groups of malcontents and dissidents he offers to help them and will allow them to coexist with the Rebels. If they accept his terms, all is forgiven; if they refuse, they pay the price. Ben knows that there isn’t much time for talk, and action is the key to saving America, for Simon Border is growing stronger in the West and soon will have to be dealt with. Ben and his intelligence are convinced that Border will not stop until he is king of America.

  Along the way bands of older Rebels, veterans of many battles for freedom, form units to defend reclaimed SUSA territory. Ben has serious problems on two radical fronts. One is the Reverend Jethro Jim Bob Musseldine, a fundamentalist fruitcake who holds Arkansas, and Isaac Africa, a powerful black militant who is claiming Missouri. In order to deal with these internal threats, Ben makes a deal with Border to cease hostilities as long as he stops supporting the punks inside SUSA territory. Border agrees, and while Ben knows he isn’t to be trusted, he has at least bought a little time.

  Ben starts dropping leaflets calling for the punks and thugs to surrender or die and makes his first priority the retaking of Base Camp One. As the campaign begins, he calls ex-president Blanton to his HQ and offers him the job of secretary of state for SUSA. To everyone’s surprise but Ben’s he agrees with enthusiasm. His first task will be to work with SUSA President Cecil Jefferys to bring order back to SUSA.

  After he has retaken Base Camp One things become personal for Ben when he learns that a thug named Ray Brown has killed his beloved huskies. Ben vows to find him and kill the bastard with his bare hands.

  After a confrontation in Little Rock, the Rebels bring Musseldine and his fanatic followers into the fold. Ben agrees that they can practice their religion in peace as long as they keep the peace and live the Rebel way. Jethro accepts, and Ben turns his attention to Isaac Africa and his commanders, Mobutomanba, Cugumba, and Zandar in Missouri. With the exception of the fanatic Zandar, these men are skilled and realistic in the ways of war and do not relish a battle with Raines and the Rebels.

  Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Bruno Bottger quietly raises his army in Africa, counting the days until he is strong enough to vanquish Ben and conquer America.

  This time around the Rebels are not only retaking SUSA but rebuilding it as well, setting up decent living conditions for the people and giving them medication to prevent the spread of plague. Dr. Chase jokes that Ben has become a humanitarian, but Ben responds that he’s just being practical.

  Once SUSA is clean Ben is faced with a decision. Should he stop and entrench himself in the reclaimed nation or push forward and deal with the rest of the territory east of the Mississippi. His commanders have mixed feelings, but Ben feels that until the entire nation is free of punks, rabble, and Night People SUSA will never be truly safe. He knows that Bottger will eventually have to be dealt with, and he begins by sending three-hundred handpicked black Rebels into intensive guerilla training for a mission in Africa while he moves his army north.

  During the campaign Ben meets with former Michigan Senator Paul Altman, a moderate Democrat, and likes what he sees—to a degree. He installs Altman as president of NUSA and sets up his new capital in Indianapolis.

  Along the way the army runs into solid citizens who are more than happy to pack up and head south to SUSA, and he forces the rest to prepare to fend for themselves. Ben’s plan is to drive the scum east to the ocean and finish them there. He is relentless in his search for Ray Brown, but the man is elusive, and Ben continues to trail him. His ruthless pursuit of his enemies convinces Africa that a battle would be foolish and eventually all his commanders, including Zandar, agree to surrender and work with the Rebels.

  As winter turns to spring, the Rebels free Chicago, Detroit, and West Virginia, and then begin the move to the Northeast and the final battle with the scum, including Ray Brown, that are infesting the island of Manhattan.

  TWENTY-THREE

  There were no tabloids in the SUSA. No supermarket rags reporting in bold print that so and so had an affair with an alien, or that a woman in Alabama gave birth to a goat. As the general had stated, print something about someone in the SUSA, and it had better be the truth.

  On the surface, it would appear that the people who lived in the SUSA were humorless and so serious as to be dour. I found out very quickly that was certainly not the case. There were little theater groups all over the place, and the several I attended were very entertaining . . . one of them a comedy that was howlingly funny. But they were staged without overt profanity or vulgarisms. No one “mooned” anyone from the stage and while some were of a serious nature that would not appeal to a child, many were pure family entertainment.

  Movies shown ran the gamut in ratings from G to R-17. There were no X or beyond. But there were also no movies glorifying drug or alcohol use, violent gangs, or kids going on a rampage and burning down a school.

  WWJ: There is a whole new world out there beyond your borders, General.

  Ben Raines: That’s right. But when our kids get out in it, they’ll have a solid foundation in what is right and wrong, honor, ethics, and values.

  WWJ: And what is normal and abnormal of a sexual nature?

  Ben Raines: Your words, not mine.

  And I knew that was all I was going to get out of the general on that subject.

  Later that day, the general proudly showed me one of the animal shelters in the district.

  Ben Raines: No animal is ever euthanized in the SUSA. If they’re never adopted, they live out their life in as much comfort as is possible in the shelters. But most are adopted.

  WWJ: Most pet owners spay or neuter their pets?

  Ben Raines: Yes. About ninety percent of them do.

  WWJ: I would imagine a lot of people dump their unwanted pets along your borders, right?

  Ben Raines: Unfortunately, that’s correct. Worthless, trashy people, the whole damn lot of them. I think people who won’t take care of their animals are among the lowest forms of human life. And people who abuse animals for the fun of it are not treated very well here in the SUSA.

 
WWJ: They get stiff jail sentences?

  Ben Raines: If they stay alive long enough to have a trial. I believe I would be safe in saying that here in the SUSA, more men have been killed over animals than over women. We are an animal-loving people. We are almost universal in our belief that anyone who doesn’t like animals has a severe character flaw.

  WWJ: You have a husky, don’t you?

  Ben Raines: Smoot. Yes. Smoot has been adopted by friends while we’re getting ready to shove off. Smoot won’t be staying with me anymore.

  I did not push that, for I knew how fond the general was of dogs. I decided to change the subject.

  WWJ: It was my understanding that at one time, Bruno Bottger had about ten thousand troops scheduled to land in America, to back up Simon Border. What happened to them?

  Ben Raines: Some did land, and we fought them. Others turned back.

  WWJ: Now you’re heading to Africa to finish it.

  Ben Raines: We certainly hope so. Would you like to attend a trial now? I’ve arranged it if you’re ready?

  WWJ: Today?

  Ben Raines: Right now.

  WWJ: Let’s go.

  I was accustomed to trials that seemed to drag on forever. With lawyers that droned on endlessly. That was not the way it was in the SUSA. The proceedings moved swiftly, with no theatrics from either side. This trial involved one of two men who had attempted to burgle a home. The other man had been killed in the front yard by the homeowner. The suspect seemed utterly confused by the swiftness of the proceedings. The trial took less than fifteen minutes, the jury was out for about ten minutes, and the man was on his way to prison before I could get back into the courtroom from taking a smoke break with the general.

  WWJ: Jesus Christ, General! Outside the SUSA, it would have taken this long for the lawyers to get seated.

  Ben Raines: I told you, trials don’t take long down here. The burglar had no credible defense. Fifteen neighbors witnessed him being marched out of the house, covered with blood, at gunpoint, by the homeowner’s wife, just after his partner was shot down in the front yard. The woman’s jewelry was found in his pockets. What the hell is there to defend?

  WWJ: Are they all this brief?

  Ben Raines: Oh, no. Some go on for several days. This one was just open-and-shut.

  WWJ: What is the longest a trial has ever run?

  Ben Raines: Oh, probably a week. Maybe two weeks at the very most.

  I thought of the trials outside the SUSA that dragged on for months and shook my head. The defendant received a fair trial, the right questions were asked by his attorney, and the judge was firm but not hostile toward him. So what was the big difference? How could they conduct a trial in half an hour that would take several days to a week anywhere else?

  Ben Raines: We cut out all the bullshit. We allow only the facts. It’s been said by more than one attorney that our judges have very narrow attention spans and very short tempers.

  General Raines looked at me and smiled. He said, “Are you disappointed that you didn’t get to see a capital murder trial?”

  WWJ: No. Not really. Is there one going on?

  Ben Raines: No. I doubt there’s one being held anywhere in the SUSA. Killings are a very rare thing down here. Despite all the bad press about us, the SUSA is a peaceful place.

  I had to smile and silently agree with that. I certainly couldn’t argue it. I had been carefully watching the newspapers since my arrival, buying a dozen newspapers a day from a local bookstore, newspapers from all over the SUSA. I could count the incidents of violence that had occurred in the entire SUSA during that time on the fingers of one hand.

  Ben Raines: Anything else?

  WWJ: I only have a few more questions. But they can wait until tomorrow.

  Actually, I had dozens of questions I could ask, but I already knew the answers to them, and General Raines knew I did. The people who made up the SUSA were as individual as those living outside the borders of the breakaway nation . . . actually, probably more so in many ways. They were like-minded in some ways, but still diverse. The important thing was they made an effort to get along.

  WWJ: I want to visit an art gallery and a museum.

  Ben Raines: We have the best in the world.

  WWJ: I’m looking forward to seeing them. Right now, I think I’ll just spend the rest of the day driving around and talking with people.

  Ben Raines: Have fun.

  BOOK #23

  SLAUGHTER IN THE ASHES

  I don’t like you, Sabidius, I can’t say why; But I can say this: I don’t like you Sabidius.

  –Martial

  For the first time in the long battle out of the ashes Ben is tired. He wonders briefly if the battle for the rights of people who don’t seem to care or learn is worth it. But he knows in his heart that he is a warrior and must fight for what he believes in. And he knows that his Rebels will fight as well.

  How many times? he asks himself. As many as necessary, he answers. And the Rebels move out on their mission to scour the nation of gangs and Night People.

  Pittsburgh and Johnstown are cleared and left in smoldering ruins. Along the way he sends an ultimatum to his enemies—start moving east and keep going, I’ll meet you at the ocean, and if you haven’t changed your ways, you will die. He continues to meet bands of survivors who have done their best to live the Rebel way, and he helps them as he goes. By spring’s end he knows the Northeast will be clear and secure and then he can turn back, heading west to deal with religious fanatic Simon Border.

  The army moves relentlessly east to Manhattan and Long Island, where bands of punks have congregated in the ruins of New York City waiting for the coming battle. The crud are stronger and better equipped than ever, and the battle will be fierce. Rebel forces land in Battery Park and begin moving slowly up island, clearing as they go. But the strength of the gangs is awesome, and in an intense mortar barrage the Rebels are driven off and Ben is left alone in Manhattan.

  Gathering supplies and arms, Ben begins a one-man war on anarchy. Along the way he meets a woman known only as Judy, who leads him to a survivor stronghold in Central Park. He radios Ike and tells his second-in-command to launch the counterattack as scheduled. He then learns that the island is blockaded and there is no way off. Ben orders supplies airlifted in and waits out the coming attack. But it’s necessary to level the park as well, so the survivors and Ben take to the runnels underneath Manhattan for protection. Better a battle with the few remaining Creepies than to die by friendly fire. The survivors lead Ben to a gigantic underground cavern in the bowels of the city. After two days of intense artillery action Ben ventures out to look for more survivors. He finds a group recently in from New Hampshire and leads them to the shelter; in the process he ferrets out a pack of informers and executes them. From the New Hampshire band he learns that some boats may be hidden along the East River. He begins a search, knowing that the bombing is only going to get more intense, and their chances of survival are slim. The boats, however, are not there, and the group is forced to wait in the cavern for rescue.

  The bombing has driven the punks underground as well, and the group is forced to flee deep into the tunnel system. Ben and Judy provide backup for the escape. They defend until the last minute, then head into an unmarked runnel system to hide. After several hours they trace their way back to the main cave and find Buddy and his recon unit waiting to rescue them.

  Manhattan has been cleared, and the Rebel force moves into New England, chasing the gangs. As they advance they realize that the punks have headed west and the safety of Simon Border’s religious nation. The Yankees they find along the way are stubborn and proud and unwilling to band with SUSA. Ben knows that he can’t help them unless they help themselves, but he does his best to rebuild ravished communities and restore airports before turning west.

  During the humanitarian campaign in New England, Ben learns that Ray Brown has escaped south, and he and his men are lacing the water in Louisiana and Texas with a drug si
milar to LSD but with even more horrible side effects. It also becomes clear that Border has broken his promise and is supporting gang activity in the SUSA.

  Furious, Ben unleashes his dogs of war west toward Simon Border’s territory and fixes his determination to rid the world of Ray Brown. So relentless is his search that Brown’s top aides begin to defect, but Brown is also determined to meet Ben in a final confrontation. The hand-to-hand battle comes in the mountains of Arizona. Ben’s anger is unstoppable, and he finishes the bloody job by breaking Brown’s neck.

  But the price for revenge is high, the SUSA now faces a religious war with Border’s fanatics—the Rebels and American are once again in a desperate battle for survival.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  The museums and art galleries were scattered all over the SUSA. They were the most prestigious buildings in any state I had thus far visited. They were heavily guarded, inside and out, and the guards were not at all inconspicuous. Once inside, I could certainly see why they took their jobs so seriously. In this museum alone there must have been literally billions of dollars worth of paintings and statues and jewelry and vases. I had never seen anything like it.

  Ben Raines: Impressive, isn’t it?

  WWJ: Impressive isn’t a strong enough word.

  Ben Raines: And this isn’t a tenth of what we have stored.

  We walked slowly through the museum/art gallery. It was just too much for the mind to accept at one showing, and I said as much.

  Ben Raines: It is a bit overwhelming.

  I was strangely relieved when we walked out of the building and into the sunlight and heat of the summer morning. That much wealth and beauty all at once was mind-boggling.