CRIMSON BLUE:
DAWN OF A NEW ERA
_______
© 2018 Joshua Guillemette
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact:
[email protected]
Cover by J Caleb Clark @ [email protected]
PROLOGUE
June 12th 2025 12:54 p.m. Washington, DC
A splash echoed through the dense halls as he ran through the sewer. The forty-year-old man paused for a minute to catch his breath, his blue eyes reflecting off of the face of his watch as he checked his timing. The countdown persisted without relent. Five minutes and thirty-six seconds to get in position.
He had a locket around his neck, and in it were the faces of a beautiful blonde woman and a baby boy. He needed to do this for the future of his family. The gentleman tightened his large, thirty-pound bag. He trekked a thousand more yards of sewer water as he approached the corridor. The countdown continued—three minutes and fourteen seconds. He was quickly running out of time and his heart was racing. Using a small mirror, he peeked around the corner and saw two guards manning a locked gate that could only be opened by two simultaneous finger scans. The steel gate was more than eight inches thick, and eight feet just beyond the door was a second door that could only be opened by two key cards.
Time was ticking. The mysterious man locked a silencer onto his pistol and took a deep breath. With a side roll into the corridor, he unleashed a headshot that took out the guard nearest to the scanner. Before the guard’s partner could react, a second headshot ended his efforts. The assassin ran to the lifeless bodies and without hesitation removed the forefingers of both guards and took their key cards.
As quickly as he could, he placed the fingers on the scanner, and the thick door screeched open. As the first door closed behind him, he used the two key cards to open the second door. The seconds crept by as the gate opened completely. A cold sweat began to cover his body as he checked his watch. Two minutes and twenty-nine seconds remained.
He followed the sewers for almost sixty yards and slowed down to scan the area. He had found the spot he was looking for. With extreme caution, he set his giant bag against the main base beam and began to put together a bomb. With a final check of his watch, he took the trigger into his right hand as he waited the final thirty-seven seconds.
June 12th 2025 9:46 a.m. Campos, CA
A middle-aged man took a deep breath before he walked into the school. He checked in to get his visitor badge. Wearing tan coveralls and carrying a massive equipment bag, he looked around at the pale green lockers lined up against the walls. He closed his eyes as he seemed to struggle against a painful memory. The smell of french fries filled the air as he made his way past the cafeteria. Taking the hallway on the right, he checked his watch. His timer was at seven minutes and forty-eight seconds. His pace quickened as he recounted all that needed to be done. With a quick left turn, he arrived at the back room where all the toilet pumps were connected. As he set up his work area, the timer read five minutes and twelve seconds.
The shop teacher noticed the man and approached him. He reached into his coveralls and grasped a silenced 22. After a short introduction and handshake, the man pulled the teacher to him and shot him in the chest. He dragged the teacher into the back room, covering his mouth. As the teacher began to wiggle away, he put an end to his struggle with two more shots. After hiding the body in the shadows, the man checked his watch; the countdown was at one minute and twenty-eight seconds. He was barely going to have enough time to set up. As quick as possible, the maintenance man set up the bomb with twelve seconds to spare. Taking the trigger into his left hand, he waited.
June 12th 2025 11:54 a.m. Pembina, ND
With a final puff of her cigarette, the red-headed woman pushed off the white, wooden wall. After searching all around her, she screwed a silencer onto her 9mm and hid it away in her purse. She pulled her purse up onto her shoulder and grabbed the large package. Walking around to the front of the post office, she saw the manager’s green bicycle and a beat up yellow jalopy. She reasoned that there were only two people in the building, making her job easier.
As she made her way through the door, she saw that she had four minutes and twenty-eight seconds. To her surprise, there was a third person in the building; an elderly woman that had apparently walked there. The red-headed woman hesitated for a second, then locked the door behind her. She waited in line for the woman to finish up with her package.
The man behind the desk greeted her, and as the red-haired woman approached the desk, she grew nervous. The elderly lady arrived at the door just as the red-haired woman pulled out her gun. After unloading several shots at the elderly woman, the man behind the desk fell back and scrambled around for his cell phone. With her package on the counter, the red-haired woman jumped up next to it and shot the desk clerk in the head. She knew the manager was the only one left in the building.
Jumping down from the counter, she crept around the corner to look for the manager. As she was checking her watch, the manager came around the corner. He dropped instantly as she shot him in the back of the head. With only one minute and thirty-five seconds to go, the woman began to set up the bomb. The police arrived with seconds left on her timer. Counting down from five, the woman squatted and pressed the trigger…
***
Simultaneously, three nuclear bombs blasted across American border towns. The blasts covered hundreds of miles and the pollution saturated multiple cities, counties, and states in all directions like an unrelenting fire starved for fuel. The injuries and casualties exceeded one million, but the aftermath would rip across the world like a plague, debilitating the population and the stability of countries like never before.
***
A number of government leaders were killed in the White House bombing including the President and Vice President of the United States, along with various South American Ambassadors.
With the Speaker of the House left in charge and under incredible pressure and scrutiny she rushed the attack bringing all of the countries in the Americas together to attack Russia, China, and Iran after fraudulent evidence pointed to them.
Battles raged on. As the war stretched across the earth, the fights began to last longer than anyone could have anticipated. Countries were blinded by their hate for one another. Germany and the Crimson Force remained the lone neutral bodies, giving aid to the poor and despondent in every country that had need. Germany became a safe haven for all refugees.
The animosity of the war was immeasurable for thirty years, despite Germany and the Crimson Force’s various attempts to negotiate peace. Alliances and loyalty was not found among men. The cost of the war left only Germany to maintain its economy.
Finally, after working through all forms and fashions of mistrust, red tape and research, Germany and the Crimson Force’s best and brightest were able to discover the culprit of the attack that started it all—the final three surviving members of a deposed group of terrorists named the 9th Circle. They constructed the bombs in such a way that they could only be triggered manually. This increased the awareness all over the world of the dangers of training weapons engineers. This realization drew the world to a massive peace discussion.
The final peace effort by Germany and the Crimson Force provided solid evidence that swayed all world leaders to lay their weapons down. In the final treaty, every country agreed to eliminate the needless death of their soldiers and countrymen by trading in all their firearms, bombs, and fatal weapons for newly designed stun only weapons.
A final tense meeting of the United Nations was convene
d, transferring all governmental power to the always neutral Crimson Force. The function of the world’s armies shifted into policing the peace and answering to the operatives of the Crimson Force, the greatest minds and most elite soldiers in the entire world. The members were pulled from Special Forces units from all over world. Being chosen to serve in the Crimson Force is regarded as a great honor to the country they represent.
The government has been set up like this for seven years. Mutual trust in the world is higher than it has been in decades, and violence and fatalities are at an all-time low.
Such a peace can’t last forever; it is as fragile as a wick. The world fears the day that a spark sets the earth ablaze once again.
Chapter 1
January 12th 2062 10 a.m. Crimson Manor, Berlin, Germany
A sprawling mansion in the heart of Berlin stood out in the clear blue sky. Three monitors were live streaming the President and his two Advisors to a congregation of the six continental leaders and all the Captains of the Crimson Force.
The world was dramatically different than it was thirty-seven years ago. Where there were once hundreds of countries in the world, there was now only one governing body. The countries followed the laws made by elected continental leaders who were led by one appointed leader, and that leader was President Conrad. He was a German leader who advised Bruno Eisenburg, the driving force behind the peace negotiation that ended the war.
Many of the appointed leaders came out of Germany—the only country that remained neutral throughout the entire world. It was also where the Crimson Force was stationed, the neutral organization that supported all parties during the war. They refused to be drawn into the fight, but they offered support in the health and wellness of the economy throughout the war. These were the only two entities in the world anyone could trust.
Advisor Johnson and Advisor Kelly answered directly to President Conrad. Captain Walsh was an Irish soldier committed to peace, as all the Crimson Force Captains were. He acted as the voice of the President to those that worked under him. He was greatly favored and respected, and his opinion went a long way in maintaining and establishing peace. The fact that he was also one of the greatest warriors in the entire world was just icing on the cake.
The Irish man had piercing brown eyes that seemed to barrel directly into the soul. His voice was deep and his accent was thick. His reddish-blond hair was slicked back and he was clean shaven with a scar on his right cheek, stretching from his earlobe to his cheek bone. He was a mountain of a man, standing at six-foot-three and weighing 245 pounds of solid muscle. All six Captains in the circle wore intense black uniforms with red linings and emblems all throughout. Over his left chest pocket he wore countless medals speaking of his commitment to duty and excellence. His Irish voice boomed to the assembly as the President and his Advisors listened in to the meeting.
“Now that three more of our officers, including Commander Chung of the Honor Guard, have retired in the last three months, it is time for the Crimson Games. We now have ten open slots that we must fill. It has been a challenge to cover everything that needed to be covered, but we have done so successfully. For this I commend each and every one of you. It has been seven years since the war ended and six years since we organized a Crimson Games. We have received permission to fill all ten slots, two for each squad. Choose your recruits carefully. You may scout up to one hundred, but by the time July rolls around, we must have a list of fifty top recruits that will be here at the beginning of the six-month training regimen. I look forward to seeing your choices.”
The Captain of the Crimson Strike Force’s name was Stanley Cromwell. He was also a large man, and in the absence of Captain Walsh, he often led the Crimson Force. He was brilliant, once primed for a great career in rugby after acquiring a Master’s degree at Cambridge. The former Captain of Crimson Force’s Strike Force recruited him, and he was currently the youngest Captain to ever lead the Strike Force, better known as Team Alpha. He often saw things differently than other officers within the Crimson Force and had a much more cheerful and naive attitude than most. He could easily be defined by his unbridled loyalty to the cause of the Crimson Force—to establish and maintain peace in the world. He had been recruited in the last Crimson Games, and this would be the first time he had the opportunity to do the recruiting.
Per Crimson protocol, each Captain had to get the stamp of approval by Captain Walsh before they met with their prospective recruit. They would meet once a week to go over the prospects and review their educational accolades as well as their service record. Each recruit was analyzed differently based on the role they were being recruited for.
Captain Cromwell’s top choice was an American SEAL by the name of Xavier Phillip, a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. He knew it was going to be a challenge to get him approved. America had fallen from grace. Most of the countries in the world tolerated America, but they all refused to trust America. The rest of the world blamed America for starting the war by reacting to the attacks with limited information, which turned out to be the wrong move. There were a number of instances when American operatives betrayed their comrades, but Captain Cromwell believed that everyone deserved a chance to redeem themselves.
Week after week, Captain Cromwell would present the case for Lieutenant Phillip along with other top recruits. After nine weeks, Captain Walsh had given him the stamp of approval for nineteen recruits. Together, they successfully dropped the list down to nine. Captain Walsh refused to trust an American soldier, and Captain Cromwell refused to look at another recruit to fill his tenth slot. They were at an impasse, and in such a situation, only President Conrad could break the standoff.
The three men met together in President Conrad’s office. The Captains made their case, and President Conrad leaned back in his chair and intertwined his fingers in deep thought.
“I need more details. Captain Walsh, other than his descent and heritage, is there anything about his character that causes you to question him?”
“He has been written up several times for not following orders and acting impulsively. The worst thing we can do for America is bring in another rebellious Special Forces member. We know how the last one worked out,” Captain Walsh retorted.
President Conrad stared at him with an almost disappointed look in his eyes. “We will not discriminate against someone because of a completely separate incident. Captain Cromwell, enlighten me. What makes you so sure this recruit is the best fit for our organization?”
Captain Cromwell bounced his eyes between the two. He sat up straight and spoke softly. “He had an opportunity to attend one of five top rated universities in America to play basketball and football. Watching his games, you see that he would have been an instant grab for a professional team in either sport. His athleticism is off the charts and his test scores are remarkable. Instead of taking an easy path to being a millionaire, he declined all scholarships and registered for the military. He was so exceptionally gifted they gave him the opportunity to become a SEAL before the standard time frame. He declined that because it wouldn’t be fair to any recruit that came after him. His exact words on record are, ‘I do not want to disrespect such a great honor.’ In all his tests as a SEAL, he scored higher than anyone that came before him. Yes, he has made a few mistakes, but that track record is one of a man of great character. A man committed to justice. Can you think of a better fit for the Crimson Force, Mr. President?”
President Conrad sat up straight and looked at both Captains. A moment of gripping silence lingered in the air. “I cannot, Captain Cromwell. I approve of Lieutenant Xavier Phillip, and I hope he exceeds your expectations, Captain.”
The three men shook hands, and President Conrad escorted them out of his office. Captain Walsh glared at Captain Cromwell, and he smiled back, clapping Captain Walsh on the back.
“Don’t be such a drag, Christopher. Good things lie ahead,” Captain Cromwell said, and he kept smiling until the two of them laughed together. Captai
n Walsh elbowed him in the side.
“You know Phillip isn’t going to stand a chance against Thompson.”
Captain Cromwell wrapped his arm around Captain Walsh’s neck. “Time will tell, my friend. Time will tell.”
The two of them went their separate ways as Captain Cromwell prepared for his trip to America.
Chapter 2
July 23rd 2062 6:10 a.m. Panama City, Panama
The central district of the city was devastated and war torn. Several buildings were left in shambles, and many of the residents were living in cottages. There were so many countries still trying to recover from the thirty-year war; seven years hadn’t been enough time to restore all the countries that were impacted. The new government was doing the best it could with what it had, but a full restoration of the world and its structures was going to take another decade.
All of the battles took place in the city, so the outskirts of Panama had been left alone. The water was a breathtaking blue, and the homes were a pristine white with several acres of lush woods and trees between them. Many of the richest travelers came together to invest in luxury homes only they could afford.
Dawn of a New Era Page 1
