Tyranny in the Homeland

by A J Newman

  “Which one of you is Scott?

  “I am Scott and I am here to meet with Major Mills.”

  “Please hand over your guns and we will take you to the Major.”

  Scott motioned for them to hand over their weapons and handed his to the nearest soldier. They were ushered up the stairs and through the lobby and then were herded left into the dining room, which overlooked Lake Wheeler. They were alone in the room and stared out at the lake, when they heard someone entering the room behind them.

  “I have always thought this was one of the most beautiful scenes one could lay their eyes on. I hope my men have treated you well. Have a seat and our cooks will prepare a nice meal for you.”

  “Thanks for your hospitality, but we need to quickly inform you of the grave danger that your families are in.”

  “We know. They are using them to get us to come back to Kentucky. They are sending a message that we will get off lightly and then freed if we behave. We know that we will be shot on sight.”

  “All of that may be true, but our source says that your families will be rounded up next week and placed in a prison camp. No one gets out of one of those alive.”

  The Major appeared to be shocked by this revelation and said, “Do you really think the President would be party to a mass murder?”

  “Yes, we have proof that he and his cronies are the ones responsible for the nuclear attack on the USA and involvement in killing millions of US citizens since the attack. Why do you think most of the military defected and joined our side? We only have a few days to try to save your families. Will you travel to the USS Ford and listen to Admiral Jones? We will guarantee your safety.”

  “Are you John Harris’ son?”

  “Yes, I am, and you can trust my Dad and the Admiral.”

  “Do you trust them enough to stay here as proof of their intentions?”

  “I will gladly stay here as a hostage until you get back safely.”

  Thirty minutes later three helicopters landed in the parking lot and took the Major and two aides to the Gulf Coast to meet John and the Admiral.

  “Ted, do you see those jets that keep appearing?

  “Yes, it appears that we have had a series of guards all along the way. There are over ten Apaches following at a distance. Four are ahead of us to draw fire in case of attack.”

  “Ted, this is not a poorly equipped rebel force that has been beaten and on its last legs like we have been told.”

  ***

  “Mom, there are some men in a car a couple of houses down that are watching our house.”

  “Tad, your imagination is running wild. Why would anyone want to watch our house?" Julie Mills had chills running up and down her back as she opened the curtain, just enough to get a peak down the street. She saw the men in the car and saw that one had a camera with a telephoto lens aimed right at her. She quickly closed the curtain and gestured at Tad to come to her.

  She grabbed a pen and a notebook and wrote, 'Tad, you are right. Someone is watching. Don’t talk, they probably have bugs in the house.'

  She put a finger over her lips and cautioned Tad not to talk.

  She wrote, 'We will carry on our usual conversation, but don’t mention those men or being watched. I love you.'

  “Do you know who you are taking to the dance on Saturday?"

  “Mom, I don’t know for sure, but Ruth is who I want to take.”

  “Well ask her!”

  “I am afraid that she will say no.”

  “Son, grow a pair and go ask that girl right now.”

  She wrote a note that said, 'Go to Ruth’s house and give her mother this note.'

  She wrote another note for Ruth’s mother. Ruth’s father is in the Kentucky NG and is Ted Davies, her husband’s best friend. Julie wanted to know if they were also being watched and if so, what were they going to do about it?

  Tad came back in about an hour with a big old goofy grin on his face.

  “Mom, Ruth said yes. We are going to the dance on Saturday!”

  “That’s great son, now that wasn’t so hard was it? How was Ruth’s mom doing?”

  He looked up and handed her a note, then said, “She is okay. She told me that she would kick my ass if I brought Ruth home late after the dance. Does she really have a Black Belt?”

  “Yes, she does, and you’d better get Ruth home on time or she will come looking for you.”

  Julie moved away from the curtain and read the note. It said, 'I agree. It’s time to bug out. If the men return, they will be executed. I never trusted the DHS or the President. They will try to make an example out of us. Meet me at the market tomorrow at 9:00 am.'

  ***

  “Admiral, thanks for the spectacular flight down to the coast. Do you always have this much security to cover a flight?"

  “Major, to be honest we wanted to make sure that you got the whole picture that most of the USA and its military do not support the President or his thugs, the DHS. You saw about twenty major ships just before landing and several wings of F-18s buzzed your flight path. We are stronger, have more ships, planes tanks and men that the USA.”

  The Major thought for a minute and replied, “Then why don’t you attack and remove the commie bastard from power?”

  “That is an excellent question with a simple answer. The President still controls twenty-five nuclear bombs and will use them if we mount a major attack on him. We can fight as much as we want, but if we get close to winning or killing him he promised to use the nukes against the remaining major cities and our major strongholds.”

  “MAD all over again”

  “Yes, Jack, Mutually Assured Destruction and this mad man will use them. He already has nuked numerous American and foreign cities killing hundreds of millions of people. We want to take him out of power and prosecute him to the full extent of the law. Now for our current situation, we want you to join our team and help us save your families from certain torture and death.”

  “Admiral, we are now under your command and will do our duties as we swore to do when we joined the service. Now, why do you think our families are in grave danger? Surely, even our President wouldn’t kill innocent people to get back at us."

  The Admiral waved at an aide who started a recording that detailed the plan to execute all of the NG and their families. The aide then started another recording that again had the President discussing a nuclear attack on numerous US and European cities. Mills could identify the President and Secretary of DHS’ voices, but not the others.

  “Jack, the voices are the President, the Secretary of DHS, the ex-President of Iran and the leader of a Mexican drug cartel. They were discussing the ongoing attack on the USA.”

  Jack was suddenly floored by the realization that his family was in extreme danger.

  “Admiral, I have to leave now. Please get me back to my team now so we can go home and get our families before they are captured.”

  “Jack, slow down. We are putting a plan together to rescue them as early as tomorrow. Do you have any code words or message that we can get to one of your wives so that they will trust us?”

  The Major quickly responded and the Admiral laughed at the reply.

  “She might shoot the soldier that delivers the message, but I agree that she will know it came from you.”

  “Sir, what will the message state?”

  “Simply to have all of the families that want to live at the Armory at 8:00 p.m. sharp. She will be told that the families will be brought here and not to let this get to anyone she doesn’t trust. How many adults and children can we expect to transport back here?”

  “I would guess about a hundred and twenty five adults and twice that many children. Do you have enough air transport to get them out safely?”

  “The best answer that I can give you is, I don’t know, but I do know that more will live through a major battle than survive the torture camps.”

  “What can my men and I do to help with the extraction?

  “J
ack, Captain Bob Jones will fill you in and give you your assignments. He is in Decatur and will join you at your camp to finish the rescue plan.”

  ***

  Julie took the garbage to the garage. She walked past the car when someone grabbed her from behind.

  “Your husband sent me. I won’t hurt you, but don’t yell. He said that if I told you this message, that you would trust me. The message is--he has the key to your dad’s boat.”

  He took his hand off her mouth and she started laughing.

  “That’s a boat trip that I will never forget.”

  He told her, “Have the team’s families at the Armory tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. sharp or be prepared to die. Bring nothing that would look suspicious. Look like you are going to a meeting to discuss how to get your NG member home safely. Leave the rest to us.”

  Julie thanked the man dressed in black and he disappeared.

  ✺ ✺ ✺ ✺ ✺ ✺

  Chapter 9

  Terror in Kentucky

  Madisonville, Kentucky

  February, 2021

  “Mom, can I go over to Bill’s house tonight?”

  “Sorry son, but I need you to come with me tonight. I’ve called a meeting for the NG families at 8:00 p.m. and want you to attend. We may be able to hear your dad on the radio.”

  Julie handed her son a note that said, 'We are bugging out tonight. We are in danger and Dad is coming to rescue us tonight. Don’t worry Ruth’s family will be going with us.'

  Tad answered with a note, 'Mom, I love you. This scares me. How will we get out of here? They are looking for Dad and the rest of the NG.'

  She answered by kneeling down and saying the Lord’s Prayer with Tad. He got the message.

  Tad took the note from his mom, tore it up and flushed it in the toilet.

  ***

  The surveillance team reports the same every day.

  “Sir, the subjects are praying for their loved ones to come back in one piece and they pray for forgiveness from the President. The only thing new is a prayer vigil at the Armory tonight. The rest is just general family BS."

  “Follow your subjects to the meeting. Watch for any odd strangers or exchange of items. They may use this meeting to pass info to the enemy.”

  “General, are you sure that you have this situation under control? I can’t have another fiasco like the one in Decatur.”

  “Field Marshall, I have fifty DHS watching every move the families make. I have a hundred crack-militia stationed around the town in case some of the families try to escape. The state of Tennessee is between Madisonville and the closest fighting force the ISA has in the field. You can stop worrying.”

  “General Black, your life is on the line here. I won’t be made a fool of again!”

  ***

  The twenty Rangers had parachuted into the area at two in the morning to make sure they weren’t noticed. They hid along the banks of the Ohio on the Kentucky side of the river. The key to success was taking out the four Apache helicopters guarding the convoy and escape before any jets arrived. They had plenty of Stinger LAWS and a couple of TOW missiles to get the job done. The TOW for the President's limo would be fired high and wide, but would explode close enough to scare the shit out of the occupants.

  The President of the USA was traveling from Indianapolis through Evansville, Henderson, Bowling Green and on to Louisville. He was giving speeches at the various relocation centers and collective farms along the Indiana-Kentucky route. His motorcade would cross the bridge between Evansville, Indiana and Henderson, Kentucky at approximately 8:00 p.m. The sun would be down and by the time the attack was over, it would be dark for their escape.

  “Will, the motorcade will be here in ten minutes. Our drone has it in its sights. It’s a shame that we don’t take him out with a Hellfire missile and end this shit right now instead of faking an attack as a diversion.”

  “Look sonny, they would probably let loose some nukes on us and the situation would escalate into a nuclear exchange. Let’s just keep the chess game going for now and obey orders.”

  ***

  The President felt good about the visit to the Evansville Relocation Compound. His wife and son joined him in pressing the flesh with his supporters and appearing in front of the detainees to help make them feel better about their meager existence. He gave them hope and promised that he would change their lives for the better. The DHS agents and Compound Security were cheering and clapping during his presentation, while the detainees just stared at him and only clapped when forced to clap.

  “The Indiana detainees don’t appear to be fond of my message.”

  His aide quickly replied, “Sir, do we care if they like what we tell them to do, as long as they work in our fields and factories?”

  “I don’t give a fuck what they think; I just don’t want them revolting on us. After all we need someone to do the work.”

  “Mr. President, it’s time to load up and head to the next stop.”

  The President’s eleven-year-old son ran up and pleaded, “Dad can I ride in one of the Humvees? Please?”

  “Bill, will it be okay for my son to ride in the Humvee with you? The limo is just not as exciting.”

  “Yes sir, there are no enemy forces within 150 miles of our location. I will personally watch over him.”

  “Thanks, I owe you.”

  Johnny was a pain in the ass, but no one wanted to get on the President’s bad side. Agents on his security detail were reassigned to war zones for pissing him off. He tried to help Johnny into the seat behind the driver, but the boy pitched a fit to ride in the front seat next to the driver. The agents gave in quickly and the Presidential convoy left for Kentucky.

  “Johnny, have you rode in a Humvee before?”

  “I’ve been in every Army vehicle, but have not been allowed to ride in a moving one before. Can we shoot the machine gun at something? I want to shoot the machine gun.”

  “Johnny, you can see the bridges over the Ohio up ahead. If there were enemy in the area that is where I would attack this convoy, but don’t worry we have the area secured.”

  The convoy travelled across the bridge and was proceeding at a good pace when all hell broke loose.

  ***

  “Zack, get the LAWs ready! Jesus, get the Stingers armed. Only shoot at the first and last Humvees in the motorcade. We can’t kill the SOB.”

  “Here they come.”

  The first rocket took out the lead Humvee while another team took out all four of the air support helicopters.

  “Don’t try too hard. This must look like we got beaten back and failed. They can only hear Jesus, Hector and Tim giving orders in Spanish."

  The last Humvee in the column exploded in a ball of flames and flying parts. The remaining four Humvees began laying down suppressing fire to cover the limo’s escape. Suddenly there was an explosion a few yards from the President’s limo as it rocketed back onto the bridge and back across the river. Two Humvees followed while they kept firing at the Rangers. One of the two remaining Humvees exploded as several LAWS rockets hit them from several directions. Several DHS Agents climbed out of the smoking vehicles and tried to find targets, but only heard the planned orders to retreat spoken in Spanish. The remaining one fired on the Rangers and found its target. Several Rangers fell and others scrambled for cover. The firefight was intense, but quickly over when a LAW rocket took out the Humvee.

  ***

  “John, everyone is in place. The diversion started five minutes ago and the rescue starts in thirty minutes. We hope that all the troops and most of the DHS go to rescue the President. We will blow them to pieces if they turn around and head back towards Madisonville. We are prepared to take out all of the small bridges and roads around Madisonville so they can’t send re-enforcements back in to stop our rescue of the NG families. We want them to think the Mexicans are attacking as long as possible. There will be three diversions besides the attempt on the President of the USA. They will think the diversions are to k
eep them away from saving the President.”

  “Do you think that they will buy the Mexican assault on the President?”

  “No way to know what they will think, but using only Hispanic troops to be seen at the attack will at least make them think that the Chupracabras are pissed at them for cutting off the sale of drugs in the northeast until their cut of the profit is raised."

  ***

  DHS and Army troops began loading up and moving north up Highway 41 and the Pennyrile Parkway headed towards Henderson, Kentucky. They had received urgent orders to assist the President.

  “Ignore the other attacks; they are just diversions. We must stop the attack on Army One.”

  “The plan is working. Fire up the choppers. We will have the area secure in fifteen minutes.”

  The Rangers had silenced M4s, took out the remaining twenty DHS agents and then secured the field behind the Armory.

  “It’s safe to land. Let’s get the families out to the field."

  Several Rangers burst into the Armory meeting hall and the leader addressed the crowd.

  “We are here from the ISA and are ready to take you to your husbands and wives in Alabama. Major Mills here is proof.”

  “All of you know me; I command the Madisonville National Guard unit. You are all in danger and we are here to take you to safety.”