by Vincent Heck
“Haven’t heard from him yet. He should be in town right now. This was about the timetable we were thinking of.”
“Do you think we should proceed? We have a lot of stuff going on. We have the Olympics coming up, we have election this year, all of these things we have to get the folks ready. We need him to do his part.”
“The man is brilliant. Let’s just go with it. This is what we put him on the job for. We don’t have to worry about him. He’s reliable, and completely off the radar to everyone. Everything proceeds as planned. We knew there’d be a chance we didn’t hear back from him until it’s all said and done.”
“OK. “
Czyra froze. Under his breath he said, “’The world can’t suspect, what the world thinks doesn’t exist.’” He lifted his head towards Keith. “Keith. You think that’s Jason they’re talking about? He was once a member of the Brendenhalls. This can’t be. He gave me these files. He told me all of their plans. Is this another decoy? Is this more propaganda?”
“Did he give you those files, specifically? What happened?”
“I was…” Czyra stood up and kicked his chair over. “I was drugged and woke up in a ditch! I don’t know what the hell happened. He gave me this way after the fact. I didn’t get them myself nor did I see where he got these... I knew this was all… you know what? It’s time to take action. If they’re going to insist on secrecy, we’ll beat the secrets out of them. Let the civil unrest movement begin.”
“What are we going to do?”
“The DNC is going on right now. You and I are going down to the DNC. We’re going to meet our army down there, and we’re going to start our assault in front of the world. It’s time to make some noise – right now. The Unknowns are going to help us drum up awareness and be our watchmen while we’re there. Tell the travelers to bring their arms.”
CURRENT HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISORY SYSTEM: RED —EXTREME TERRORIST RISK
DHS Headquarters
Jason watched TV from his holding room. The Democratic National Convention was ready to start in a matter of hours. The feed broadcasted from the outside of the convention came from broadcast drones.
He flicked back and forth between the various news channels to monitor how the media was targeting the various crowds. One channel targeted the poor, the other targeted the wealthy. The analyst in him couldn’t help but to note these social tactics.
Just another watching mechanism of the government. They’d gauge the ratings and responses.
Jason heard the door disengage. In lightening speed time, he stood up and turned towards the door. The door let out a his noise and smoothly slid open.
Michael stood on the other side with a set of headphones. “You’re going to need these in my control room. We’ve gotten intelligence on a few riled up protesters down at the DNC, and we’re going to need your genius.”
Jason rushed over to the door, grabbed his head gear and followed Michael to the control room.
Clareese, Christine, and Betsy all sat around the coffee table with a cup of tea Betsy had prepared for them. Clareese was dozing off, while Betsy and Christine were fully engrossed into the DNC coverage.
“Who do you want to win, Christine?” Betsy asked.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure I trust any of them anymore. All of our rights are like it was in Egypt, it seems. Except our people never do anything about it.”
Betsy laughed. “Look at all of those people there. It’s like a Super Bowl event -- balloons and confetti and fireworks -- you’d think this was a sporting event before anythang, oh my word.”
“Usually at events like this, I’d look for people that worked under Jason.”
“Yeah me too. Like Tameka worked part-time as a body language reader. She was really good, too. I’d be scanning for her.” Betsy took another sip of her tea. “Like right there, that almost looked like her.”
Christine took a glance at the picture on the shelf. “Wait, where?”
“You didn’t see that lady standing on the wall in the background? That lady almost looked like her. But, of course, in real life Tameka was dressed in her uniform. But, that lady made me feel like I used to. I used only catch glimpses. Then I’d stop the TV like – let me show you.” Betsy picked up the remote. “I’d rewind it all the way back to the part where I saw her. Then I’d play it forward in slow motioooon” she inched the broadcast forward frame by frame. “THERE! See then I’d pause—“
Betsy’s face went flat while she stared at the TV for 4 seconds. “Oh my god.”
“What?”
“That looks like—“ Betsy dropped her remote and passed out.
XXIX
CURRENT HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISORY SYSTEM: RED —EXTREME TERRORIST RISK
Washington D.C.
Jason watched from the control room commander seat as the Democratic Party showed up to the DNC location. Stationary cameras teamed with UAVs to reveal thousands of people surrounding the Wizard’s Stadium.
People held signs protesting the violation of their freedoms, and the constitution. The more the crowd grew, the more rowdy things became.
“Hey, Mike. See if one of your agents can make some room for the motorcade. I want the guys in there safe before things get too rowdy. I don’t want to lose control of this thing.”
“Sure thing.” Michael spoke into his mic. “Agent Jackie, see if you can make way for the motorcade.”
“Mr. Young, there are probably a thousand people in the way. How do you expect me to do that?”
Michael looked towards Jason. “Fire weapons.”
“Excuse me, Jay?”
Jason didn’t second guess his instincts anymore. That anxious feeling was always correct. So, he followed his urges.
“Fire weapons into the sky.” Michael said.
“But—“
“Just do it, Jackie.”
The popping sounds of gunfire sent the crowds scattering away from the vehicle allowing the motorcade to speed into the stadium’s 6th Street loading dock. The garage door closed behind the president’s vehicle, leaving some of the cars stranded.
Protesters charged the vehicle jumping on top of it and beating it with bats and whatever else they could find.
Czyra had decided take a bus to the D.C. basketball arena. He didn’t want to be tracked. Best case scenario, he’d get a glimpse of who showed up, and possibly catch something new.
On the bus ride there, he studied more of the files that Jason left with him. Tameka was a member of the Megiddos. Jason’s friend, Harold Davis was, as well. Michael Young was a member of both secret societies. How did he get away with that?
The bus pulled up to the general area and stopped a block away. “Due to the chaos a block down, I’ve been notified by authority that it’s not safe to travel down that road. So, I’m going to let those who are going to the DNC off here. Have a great night, and enjoy festivities. God bless America.”
Down the block Czyra could already see the ruckus had started. He watched a gun fire into the night sky and strike a broadcast drone. A small gathering of sparks shot off of the device. The drone puttered down to the cement, being met with a triumphant cheer from the mob who continued to assault a couple of the vehicles in the presidential motorcade.
He phoned his appointed first officer, Keith. “Hey, what happened? Are they already assaulting the place?”
“They’re doing an absolute number on this motorcade, bro.”
“Do they have the president?”
“No. Just two vehicles surrounding the motorcade.”
“We’re going to have to get them back. This is going to start things before we’re ready. I’m sure the military police are on their way as we speak with tanks and all. Our weapons haven’t even arrived yet.”
“Are we really going to shoot at these police?”
“We’re going to be prepared to, if we have to.”
Off in t
he distance Czyra heard the grizzly growls and loose chain clanks of of a pack of tanks. As they passed Czyra he could smell the diesel fume off of them. Military police hung off of the side of them with their MR-15 rifles. He heard a man walking on the sidewalk beside the tanks mic, “This is JG to command, There’s got to be 100,000 protesters here, already. We’re going to need more personnel. Over.”
In the distance he heard a woman’s voice respond over the walkie-talkie. “Alright, JG, we’re sending more right now.”
“Keith, you still there?” Czyra spoke into his cellphone.
“Yeah. This is nuts. The tanks are coming from every direction. They’re closing us in.”
“They’re not going to kill you folks.”
“I don’t know, Czy. I mean, these people are pretty rowdy. You worked them up, pretty good.”
“They’re only rubber bullets, I guarantee you.”
Czyra heard machine gunshots off in the distance. He began a light jog towards the mob. “Czy, there are a group of people firing at the tanks. The police have not gotten off of the tanks and are firing back at the men.”
“Are they real bullets?”
Keith was answering but the crowd ruckus was entirely too loud.
“Keith, speak up. Are they real bullets?”
At the top of his lungs Keith screamed “Yes! They’re splitting the shooters wide open.”
Jason turned towards Michael. “Why are they shooting real bullets? What happened to rubber bullets?”
“Jay, were they shooting rubber bullets at the tanks? If you shoot real bullets at authority, you’re going to die. That’s not anything new.”
“This is not good.” Jason needed to think on his toes. There was no way these protesters were going to make it out of this alive. “Go to the live shot inside the stadium. I want to see what’s going on in there.”
When the feed for inside Wizard’s stadium piped through, there was a much more quiet scene, but still panic. The president approached the podium.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the DNC has been cancelled tonight due to the inclement conditions surrounding. This is truly a dangerous situation, and we’re going to have to adapt to what’s happening at the moment.”
A secret service member covered over the president and ushered him away from the podium. A spokesperson approached the platform. It was a middle-aged woman. “Ladies and gentlemen, for your safety we’re going to need you to stay where you are in the arena. Come to the center and stay out of the hallways. It’s a very dangerous scene just outside of this arena in every direction. We have the authorities on this, so please stay safe. Stay here inside the main event room.”
“Wait.” Michael said. “Freeze that frame. Is that Tameka Washington? One of our BDOs who died four years ago?”
A couple of analysts in the control room focused their attention on the main screen. “Run a facial recognition scan on her.” Michael said. “Do you see this, Jason?”
“Mike, she never died.”
“What?”
“Yeah. She never died. I learned this when you folks sent me away into recluse. She left me this memory card for my body chip. And slowly, with each varying circumstance I’m in, I’m remembering bits and pieces of my life.”
“Well, what’s going on, Jason?”
“I don’t know the full story, yet. All I know is that I’m supposed to put an end to Operation F.A.I.T.H.”
“How did you suppose you were going to do that against the most powerful military on earth who have teamed up with the most powerful two groups of secret societies on earth?”
“I don’t know, Michael. But, I’m neck deep now. ‘My bad’ is out of the question.”
“Look at that screen, Jason. Look who’s with Tameka.”
“Christine!”
Czyra stood at a distance from the mayhem. Machine guns were met with explosions. Overhead small drones passed firing bullets into the large throng of people. Despite the killing that was taking place, both the military and the civilian masses continued to grow.
Czyra’s phone rang. “Yo, bro. What’s up?”
“Hey, the weapons from the Baltimore Aquarium are here. These puppies are awesome. Where are we handing them out?”
“Who brought them and how?”
“The driver of the truck. His name is Dany.”
“Dany who?”
“Dany Brister.”
“You’re kidding me. Put him on the phone.”
“Hello?” Dany said.
“Dany, is that you?”
“Czy? Czy!”
“I thought you were dead.”
“No. Bro, get over here. Head through the back plaza behind the stadium and meet me on 7th st. I have a truck full of goodies there.”
“What happened, bro.”
“I’ll tell you later. But, bro, Tameka – she’s still alive. And you won’t believe your ears when I tell you what’s going on.”
Czyra rushed through the plaza. Inside the alley, there were small teams of cops guarding the throughway. “Hey.” A cop yelled.
Czyra threw his hands up. “I’m sorry, sir. I’m unarmed. I was just at the DNC, and I’m just trying to get away from the mayhem. My ride is on the other side.”
“Well, hurry up, boy. This is not a good place for you to be.”
Czyra ran the rest of the way through. Once he emerged out of the other side, he saw a bread truck parked at the curb. The interior light in the cab of the truck flashed twice. It was him.
Czyra ran to the truck, jumped in and immediately embraced Dany. “Bro, I could have sworn you were gone, bro.”
“Nah, man. I was sleeping in my room, when I heard someone jump through my window. I was going to yell, but then I thought I was having one of those half-awake nightmares. Then this beautiful woman appeared in front of me. It was Tameka. She told me to be quiet and to come with her.”
“And you left out of a window with a dead woman?”
“It didn’t happen quite like that. She said Jason sent her, and had a job for me.”
“And then you left out a window with a dead woman.”
“Well, yeah. Then I did.”
“Yeah, well, that dead woman set our place on fire.”
“She said Jason would know, and that he’d get you out. But, she told me my mission was top secret.”
“OK, Dany. So, now what’s next?”
“Well, we were on a team, preparing people for this day. It’s here. War against the U.S. government by the U.S. citizens. This is the Revolutionary War wrapped around the Civil War. We trained the folks we have fighting and they know what to do.”
“So, how do we get them these weapons?”
“What time is it?”
“10:29.”
“Wait for it.”
Gunshots echoed off of the surrounding brick walls. Small drone missile whistles met with crashes. Glass shattering; metal twisting, humans screaming out in pain. D.C. was not a battle ground.
Suddenly the whole city powered down.
“What happened?” Czyra asked. “Is this the work of hackers?”
“Mmm Hmm.” Dany replied. “Now, just wait. The army is on their way to retool.”
Gradually, the war noises died down. With no city lights or electric anywhere, the only noises that were audible were the idle rumbles of the tanks and flying devices. The back hatch of the truck opened. Footsteps weighed down the back of the truck as he heard the clicking and changing hands of heavy weapons shifting around. Still no noise coming from their mouths.
“These guys are trained and prepared. They’re ready to do some damage.”
“How long are you going to keep these lights off?”
“For as long as it takes.”
“Is this only D.C.? Or all of America.”
“All of America.”
“A week of this will destroy America as we know it.”
“Apparently, according to Tameka, this is all
Jason’s plan.”
“So, what’s their connection?”
“She’s his partner in stopping Operation F.A.I.T.H. She said, she’s been communicating with him and he doesn’t know it – however that’s possible.”
“It’s his bodychip. This is brilliant, Dany! Where is she at, now?”
“After we get unloaded, we’re driving to a remote place to revamp our militia. She’ll be there.”
****
No one in the control center could see their hands in front of their faces. The monitors were all off, and none of their controls were online.
“So, there go the lights.” Michael said.
“Hackers.” Jason responded. “I’m going out there.
“Going out there? Into a war zone? In the dark?”
“What are we gonna do in here? Tell scary stories and eat marshmallows? You wanna play Hide and Seek in the dark, Michael?”
“Well, what are you going to do out there?”
“For one, I’m going to go look for Tameka and figure out what in the world is going on. Two: I’ve gotta see how many civilian casualties we’ve lost.”
“Civilians? Jason, they were firing at military police and tanks.”
“So, what did that make them? China’s constituents?”
“It made them terrorists.”
“Michael, I’m going.”
“Wait up. Me too.”
Michael put his first commander in charge of the control room. “If the power comes back on in here, alert me immediately.”
As if she wasn’t afraid enough for what was to come of the future, Tameka’s fear heightened when she laid eyes on her mother and Jason’s wife rushing towards her.
“Mom?!”
Betsy’s legs partially gave way when she spotted Tameka. “Baby.” She ran towards Tameka and grabbed ahold of her. “I’ve missed you.” She cried. “I thought I had lost you forever.”
“Mom. What are you doing out here? This is not the place for you to be. This is a war zone.”
“Why did you leave me?”
“Mom, this can’t be discussed right now. Do you realize the lack of lighting we have out here? It’s pitch black. Obviously, there’s a lot going on at work. Look, I’m going to have to get you three to a safe haven. Follow me.”
