by A J Newman
Sally replied, “Now that you mention it we have had hundreds of dead starlings. I don’t like the damn things so I took it as a blessing, but several of the older folks are spooked by the sight of them.”
“I’ve asked the vet and Dr. Ray to look into this to make sure there is no reason to be alarmed.”
Steve banged the gavel and said, “Now we will hear from our Governor.”
George stood up, cleared his throat and addressed the group, “I am very pleased with your progress. I am working with the people in Florida and Mississippi to get their states up to speed, but they just are not organized. The people want to join us and duplicate our success, but their leaders are weak or corrupt. Several are trying to start their own small kingdoms and are strong arming the citizens. We have several contacts that want arms to overthrow these despots. I want your opinions on asking John if it is wise for me to give them more help then they want to get things going at a much faster pace.”
“Damn, George, I am in the room. Why don’t you just ask me yourself?”
Steve banged the gavel and said, “Out of order. John, you know that you are just an observer during these meetings. You know we obey your rules during the ISA Congress meeting; this is the Territory of Alabama meeting.”
Sally spoke up, “George, we all think that we have to shore up the states around us or their problems become ours. Don’t be bashful giving them help. Let’s send in some spies and make sure that we’re backing the good guys and then give them training, arms and whatever they need to overthrow the corrupt leaders.”
Ann added, “If the rest of the leaders balk, we’ll get John to let us take over their territories. We will give Louisiana to Port Arthur and you can take the rest."
Steve banged the gavel and said, “Now for the Bunker, we have grown to over four hundred people and have to stop growing for now. We have begun to extend the farming in all directions, but had to bring in some mobile homes until houses can be built.”
“Steve, why do we need to build homes, when there are so many vacant ones?”
“A lot of these people are city folks and need to be close to others. Why they’d rather live in a trailer park than a farmhouse I don’t know.”
George spoke up at the end of the meeting, “Steve, Sally, Tom and Ann, please stay and meet with me after the meeting.”
After everyone filed out of the room, George filled them in on the reason the Territory needed some strong leaders to step up to the plate.
Sally was first to speak when he finished, “George I think you already know who four of those potential leaders are, don't you?”
“John and I realize that we will need leaders for Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. We want to keep this secret for a while, but need you to get up to speed on your new assignments over the next few months and then we will announce them after he runs our plan past the Admiral. Sally, how would you like to take Florida and govern it until we have free elections? John asked me to take over day-to-day governance of our entire territory and I want you to take Florida, Tom take Mississippi and Steve will take Alabama. Ann will become the Mayor of Mobile. What do y’all think of our plan?"
Ann was the only one of the team with any misgivings and quickly put them behind her after George gave them a pep talk.
***
“Yes, I saw it with my own two eyes. Mobile has power, water and garbage trucks are making their rounds. Why can’t we join them and learn how they are getting their cities back up and running?”
“Sam, I have told y’all a hundred times that they are the puppets of the military and I don’t trust the government and don’t want them taking over Tallahassee or any part of Florida. This is our chance to start our own country and keep the Federal Government out of our affairs. As long as I am Mayor, we won’t join the ISA.”
“Mayor, this is not your decision to make. The majority of the people who live in Florida are for joining the ISA. We don’t want to start our own country; you do, not us.”
The Mayor signaled and two city policemen walked over to the speaker, handcuffed him and led him out of the meeting.
“Don’t worry about him. I’ll have him released when he calms down and can discuss the matter in a civil manner. Now I want to make it clear that Tallahassee is not going to join the ISA. Captain, please send everyone home. The meeting is over.”
“Let’s wait until Sam is released tomorrow and have a meeting at my farm. Bring your fishing rods and let’s make it look like an outing in case the Mayor’s guys are watching. I think we all agree that we need help.”
***
The Chief of Police for Tallahassee always was a fair man. He had joined the force after his second tour in Iraq and worked his way up the ladder. He did not want to go along with the Mayor, but the Mayor was blackmailing him. Before TSHTF, the requests for favors were minor in nature. A ticket fixed a raid on certain bars the Mayor did not like and the worst was arresting the Mayor’s political opponents on trumped charges.
“Mayor, I have to draw the line at jailing someone who speaks their mind at a town council.”
“Chief, you’ll do what I say, when I say or I’ll show the pictures to your wife. I’m sure she will welcome your bastard child into her arms. Now get with the program and stop this dissent before it gets out of hand and people get killed.”
The Chief left the meeting, went home and contacted his most trusted friends and coworkers. Damn the pictures. The Mayor had to go and Tallahassee would vote on joining the ISA. He took the time to make a list of friends and enemies. He was the Chief of Police and knew that if he played his cards right and took his time that he could make this coup work out in favor of the town.
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Chapter 6
Smoke and Ashes
Decatur, Alabama
February, 2021
The signal from the cliff finally came. It meant that the enemy was advancing and would be in range soon. Scott looked over his team and wondered how many would be going home alive. Meg’s team had taken a beating and lost five and had seven wounded. Only Meg and Imelda were still able to fight. Was trying to stop this massacre worth these people’s lives? His dad had taught him that men have to stand up to tyranny every time it raised its ugly head or life just was not worth living. Live free or die!
Scott signaled the rest of his team and waited until about forty of the DHS had reached the point where the Claymores would be the most effective and twisted the handle and set them off. The explosions rocked the earth and mowed the enemy down. Most of them did not even get a shot off before they died.
His men on the cliff lobbed grenades down on the rear guard and decimated them in just a few minutes. They fought valiantly, but the IEDs and grenades exploded all around them and took their will to fight away.
Scott saw Jerry take a round in the head, which knocked him behind a log. He tried to crawl over to check on Jerry, when he felt the hot sting of a round in his shoulder.
“Damn, this hurts. I’ll make these bastards pay.”
He got to Jerry, found him dead and knew that he had living men to take care of.
“Jean, finish mopping up while Zeke checks my back.”
Zeke took a quick look at Scott’s back and said, “You’ll live, but your entrenching tool is quite dead.”
“I have a habit of wearing things that get shot. This is the second time that I have been saved by something stopping a bullet.”
The other four team members had killed the last DHS and reported to Scott.
“Get your gear and let’s head to help Jim with the main group. The Rangers have joined Meg’s group. All of the DHS thugs, but the ones facing Jim’s team have been killed. Let’s go!”
***
General Black had made contact with Field Marshall Anderson and both agreed that their services were needed back at headquarters more than on the battlefield. They met back at the camp and took a helicopter back to the Field Marshall’s headquarters.
“Major, the President has called us back to the fort to apprise him of our glorious victory over Decatur. Take charge and eliminate these last few combatants.”
“Sir, you know damn well we have had our butts handed to us on a platter and should retreat. Give the order and we’ll save the men for the next campaign.”
“Major, you have your orders. Execute them.”
“General, shove your orders up your ass. I’ll personally shoot you on sight the next time I see your sorry ass.”
“Men, I plan to surrender to the ISA and take my chances. I cannot support the killing of innocent civilians or ordering you to get killed for an evil cause.”
One soldier raised his rifle to shoot the Major and two more killed him on the spot.
“Men, if you want to head back to the USA, go with my blessing, but I am heading to the ISA and pleading for mercy.”
About twenty men headed back north while the remaining group followed the Major towards the ISA lines.
“Captain, strike some white flags and shoulder your weapons. We are going to march like the soldiers we were trained to be, not a bunch of ragtag mercenaries.”
***
Jim’s men were happy to see Scott’s team arrive to reinforce their position. They knew that the outcome of the upcoming attack would not be good and most thought that they would be overrun.
“Jim, we are here to save your sorry asses. Did you save some of those DHS weenies for us to kill?”
“That we did. There are over two hundred crack regular army troops heading our way. Find some cover now or you will get your butts shot to hell and back. They can’t be more than ten minutes away from our position.”
Scott’s troops found cover and quickly placed the remaining Claymores and a couple of IEDs to improve their defenses. When they finished, there was no sound at all. The woods ahead of them were devoid of any sound, not even birds or squirrels were chattering. It was eerie for over twenty minutes and then they heard a strange sound. No one could quite make it out.
“You won’t believe what I see coming towards us. There are over a hundred men with their rifles shouldered and waving white flags. They are whistling Dixie as they march."
Scott moved to get a better view of the approaching troops and was shocked to see the entire group surrendering to his eleven men and women. He told Jim to keep his men hidden and ready to fight while he took a couple of men to greet the enemy. Scott straightened and brushed off his BDUs and walked towards the enemy.
“Major, what can we do for you to make your stay more comfortable?”
“Sir, I am surrendering my command to you and place all of us at your mercy. We followed the USA too long. The President had us attacking innocent civilians and I take personal responsibility for this and my unit just followed my directions.”
“Major, I accept your surrender and our leaders will treat you fairly. That is all I can promise you. Now can you ask your troops to lay down their arms and move over to the open area where we can better watch them? I don’t want any misunderstandings.”
“I will give those orders. Captain, pass on the orders and move the men to the clearing. ”
Just when Scott was afraid that the Major would find out that he had surrendered over a hundred men to eleven worn out reserves, the Rangers filtered into the area.
“Major, I will turn you over to our Ranger Battalion to move your men to more appropriate accommodations. We will then fly you and your senior officers to Mobile for debriefing. You have my word that all of you will be treated well, assuming none of you try to escape or take up arms against the ISA.”
“One thing I need to tell you is that there was a KYNG unit attached to us that found out the plan to shell the civilians. They sabotaged many of the cannons and bugged out before the attack began. They are innocent and their families are in grave danger. When the President finds out what they did, he will slaughter them to keep everyone else in line.”
“Thanks for the heads up. Do you know where they went?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I’d look over in the Florence area. A couple of the officers mentioned playing at the Robert Trent Jones golf courses over that way. By the way, I don’t see any rank on your uniform. May I ask what your rank is?”
“Sir, I am Lieutenant Scott Harris of the 123rd Army Reserves.”
“Son, do you know John Harris? I’d like to talk with him.”
“He will be interviewing you tomorrow after you get a chance to clean up and get a hot meal.”
“Do you always treat your prisoners this good?”
“Sir, this is the first time I have taken any prisoners. We usually shoot them during the battle. I am learning as I go.”
***
There were a hundred fires still burning out of control with smoke columns rising hundreds of feet in the air over Decatur. The city was in ruins and what people were left were trying to put fires out or find their loved ones. Thousands of Decatur’s citizens were killed or wounded during the horrendous shelling and air assault.
John sent several medical teams and hundreds of soldiers to finish mopping up any DHS stragglers. The medical teams worked around the clock for days tending to the wounded. The large number of children with shrapnel wounds and missing limbs brought tears to the doctor and nurse’s eyes. The fires took several days to burn out and only then could the assessment of Decatur’s losses begin in earnest.
“John, it’s not a good situation up here. Scott, Jim, Meg and Imelda are doing well. Everyone except Scott is injured and he got shot in the shovel which left a hell of a bruise, but no serious damage.”
John laughed and replied, “Remind me to tell you about the time he got shot in his Colt 1911. Well, what are our losses?”
“Your team has nine KIA and fifteen wounded. I lost six Rangers and have twenty wounded. Our Claymores and IEDs were the difference. The losses in Decatur will never be known, but I’d guess two thousand are dead and over eight hundred wounded. John, we have several hundred orphans needing a home and a family. The parents hid them in cellars and culverts under roads and shielded them with their own bodies. These brave men and women could have held off an army, but had no defense for an artillery assault.”
John replied, “Captain, we can’t defend an outpost, can we?
“Not without better intelligence and air support. We have to get spies into the USA and a ring of observers all around our perimeter. We are also building you an Air Force. You now have ten Apaches and five A-10 Warthogs, thanks to the US Army. The pilots went AWOL when they found out that Decatur was full of civilians and not biker gangs as they were told. A company of Rangers captured their support team stationed at the Red Stone Arsenal. The entire base surrendered and wanted to join us. They only stayed with the USA under threat of harm to their families. They also bring numerous military and civilian planes to our party. They also have all of the maintenance support, spare parts and fuel to keep the birds flying for years.”
“I know just the woman to command the Apaches.”
Bob replied, “Meg would be a good choice. We will help bring her up to speed.”
John knew that air cover was probably the one thing that they had been missing. The fleet’s planes number one job was always to protect the fleet.
John ended the conversation with, “My new mission is to get spies on the move north and find more air assault planes.”
“John, it’s time.”
“Time for what? Oh crap, let’s get to the hospital! Call Dr. Ray and wake him up!"
“Darling, just get ready to go. Ray is waiting on us.”
It was only a short trip to the hospital and the staff met them at the curb. They wheeled Beth into the delivery room and told John to stay in the waiting room for a few minutes. Gus, Scott and Steve joined John a while later. They tried to keep his mind off the upcoming delivery, but John kept checking with the nurses until they finally let him rejoin Beth in the delivery room.
The head nurse came in
the room and told John, “Mr. Harris the baby will come when it comes. My guess is we have about five to six hours to go. Get comfortable and give her lots of support and love.”
Jennifer Fox Harris was born twelve hours later to a world that had changed dramatically during her nine months of existence. She would only see constant threats, uncertainty and much love during her journey to adulthood.
***
One of the Chief’s friends was in the inner circle of Sam’s group and told him about the meeting at the farm. Most of the people there were not happy to see him and saw him as the Mayor's lackey.
“Men, I know that my presence here worries some of you, but I want to assure you that I am on your side and not the Mayor’s.”
“Then why do you carry out his dirty work and hurt his opponents?”
“In a weak moment years ago, I had an affair with a young lady in town and we had a son. I did not know that the lady was only seventeen. My wife still doesn’t know about my son. The Mayor found out and blackmailed me into doing his bidding. As soon as we get free elections and him off your backs, I will back out of my job and you can find a replacement.”
There were many sidebars, but the men and women leaders of the resistance agreed to allow the Chief to join them.
“The only thing I ask is to allow me to tell my wife and son and not have them hear it on the streets. Neither knows anything about what I did. I have faithfully supported my other son who is now a man. He still lives with his mom and her husband in Pensacola and is doing okay.”
