by David Nees
The general stared back at Phillip, his face contorted in rage. Jason guessed this seemed like an affront to his authority. If he reacted the wrong way, they were all going to die.
“General McKenzie,” Jason called out. “This set up is to just ensure that we get to leave. We have no interest in harming the Chairman, just in getting our men back home. If anyone starts shooting, people will die. All of us, including Tom and Philip, and possibly you. That will cause chaos and anarchy for Knoxville. You don’t want that.”
The general looked hard at Jason, evaluating him. Jason stared back at him. This was the moment. There had to be no hint of a bluff involved. He hoped he had established that by taping himself to the shotgun, making himself both a target and the instrument of the Chairman’s death.
“Lower your weapons,” the general ordered. “Stand down and let them pass.”
The group exited the building and went down the stairs to the Humvee.
“Everyone stand around the Chairman and me,” Jason said as they reached the vehicle. “Phillip, General McKenzie, can you come over closer? Stand about ten feet away.”
Jason spoke to both men after they had come closer. “Phillip, are the road checkpoints cleared? We’ll be crossing the river on the parkway.”
Phillip turned to McKenzie who was still bristling in anger.
“Are we cleared to go over the parkway bridge?” Jason asked him.
“Why do you have Tom’s mouth taped? I’d like to hear from him that he’s in agreement with what Phil wants me to do.”
Jason turned to Tom, “You okay with the arrangements?”
Tom nodded.
“There’s your answer. We’re trying to not die here, both me and the Chairman.”
“Are you sure?” Mike asked, ignoring Jason’s comments.
Tom nodded again with a muffled “uh huh.”
“Now here’s how this will proceed,” Jason said to both Phillip and the general. “We’ll release Tom somewhere down the road. I can’t say where for obvious reasons. If we see any pursuit or following of us, it will only delay getting Tom released. You need to understand that point. We must not see you following us.”
“We got it,” Phillip replied.
“I want to be sure the General is in agreement. Do you agree General?”
Mike glared at Jason. “I agree. I also agree that I’ll find you later and have you hanged.”
Jason allowed a thin smile to cross his face. “Maybe. Your boss may just want to put this all behind him once we’re gone. Now step back both of you. It’s time to go.”
“How about I lead until we’re through the checkpoints on the bridge,” Phillip said.
“I know the route, so don’t try to mislead us,” Jason said. “You stop when we’re over the bridge. And understand, if I’m shot and the shotgun doesn’t go off, one of my men will kill the Chairman.”
Phillip nodded and he and McKenzie went off to another Humvee, this one with an emergency light rack on its top.
“Rodney, you drive,” Jason said. “Clayton, you sit in front next to him. Both of you keep your weapons close. I’ll get in the back with Tom, and Billy can squeeze in next to him. I don’t want my trigger hand blocked in any way.”
The men all nodded as they began to get in.
“You can’t want me to let them go, can you?” Mike said after he and Phillip got into the lead Humvee.
“You see what that guy set up, mutually assured death, him and Tom. We don’t have a choice.”
“You trust them to let Tom go?”
“Right now, it’s the only play we have.”
“Consider that if I take them out, there’s a chance Tom could survive and it sends a signal that no one can mess with Knoxville and get away with it.”
Phillip gave the general a long, hard look. “You can’t be serious. You heard what he said. One of the others will shoot Tom. We lose him, it could unravel all that Tom, you, and I built. You know how charismatic he is. The people look to him to save them from anarchy. His popularity is what allows us to rule without lots of force. With Tom gone, the whole population will be second guessing us. First, how did we let him get killed? And second, how can we continue to protect them from Nashville.”
He shook his head. “And when Nashville hears, they’ll start moving against us. We’ve kept them at bay so far while we get stronger. We need to keep to that plan.”
“But you’re letting them get away with this.”
“I didn’t say that. We’re just letting them get out of town and release Tom. After that we can go to Hillsboro and teach them a lesson.”
“We were going to do that anyway. They’re pretty rich in resources.”
“Right. Now we do it sooner rather than later.”
“How do we keep track of them? If they see us, they’ll hold on to Tom longer. We don’t want them dragging him all the way back to Hillsboro.”
“We’ve got communications with our area administrators. That’s something they probably don’t know about. I’ll contact all of them and put them on alert. They can monitor the progress. They’re using roads, they’ll be passing through towns we control.”
“When you contact them, find out if anyone saw them on their way into town. That will also help determine their route.”
When they had crossed the bridge, Rodney pulled up next to Phillip’s Humvee.
“This is where we part company,” Jason said. “Like I promised, you don’t follow and we’ll release Tom. He’ll be safe, on the road somewhere. You’ll be able to find him.”
“Better keep to that plan and make sure he’s not harmed, or we’ll be coming after you.” Phillip looked at Tom. “We’ll get you back, don’t worry.”
Tom tried to look at Phillip, but his neck didn’t move much with the shotgun taped to it. He blinked and attempted to nod as Rodney drove off.
Chapter 21
___________________________________
W ow!” Billy exclaimed as they passed beyond the last checkpoint and headed down the expressway. “I can’t believe we made it out. You did it.”
“We ain’t home yet,” Clayton responded. “Lots of ways this can go bad before we get to Hillsboro.” He looked back at Jason. “You gonna stay taped to that shotgun? You be all right, not get too cramped?”
“It isn’t very comfortable, for me or Tom, but I can’t untape us until we drop Tom off. Too many possibilities for a counter attack. You can take the tape off his mouth, though.”
Clayton reached back and carefully pulled the tape. It was more painful going slow, but safer considering the predicament Tom was in.
“Thanks,” Tom said. “Can I have a drink of water? My throat’s pretty dry.”
“Scary, huh?” Billy asked. “Maybe you feel a little like we did when your goons grabbed us.”
The Chairman didn’t answer.
“Billy give him a drink. Be careful not to pour too much and choke him,” Jason said. “I don’t want an accident.”
“This freeway is going to end soon, Rodney said. “You got a route planned out?” He looked at Jason in the mirror.
“Clayton can get the map out and you two figure out the best way. We probably go through Pigeon Forge and from there, pick a route. We’ll drop the Chairman off somewhere after that.”
“They going to be coming after us?” Billy asked.
“They’ll follow.”
“But you told them not to.”
“They’ll just be more careful so we don’t see them. We have to assume they’ll be on our trail and try to kill or capture us before we get to Hillsboro.”
“Why drop him off? Why not just take him to Hillsboro with us?” Rodney asked.
Jason was silent for a moment.
“I don’t want him to see our defenses, what we’ve got in store for anyone who tries to assault the town.”
Clayton didn’t say anything. Finally, Rodney spoke.
“You’ve got some new defenses?”
“Yep. Tell you about
them later,” Jason said.
“We stick to the roads?” Clayton asked.
“We’ve got some choices. Let’s not talk much about our plans in front of our hostage here. He’ll relay all of that back to his general.”
They drove on in silence. Clayton handed out some trail food to Rodney and Billy. The two hadn’t had much to eat during their confinement. When the freeway ended a few minutes later, they jogged right and then turned south on Route 441.
“Looks like this be the main road south towards Pigeon Forge. They’ll assume we’re on this road.” Clayton sounded worried.
“Not much we can do about that. We’ll have more options after Pigeon Forge,” Jason said.
Finally, Tom spoke up. “You seem to be a man of much influence. Have you considered Hillsboro joining with Knoxville to create a regional organization?”
Jason shifted in his seat to look at Tom. He had been watching out of the righthand side window, looking for threats.
“No, the thought didn’t cross my mind. Although we’ve learned that Knoxville is asserting control over smaller towns around it and may be going after Johnson City.”
“We’ve brought protection to the smaller towns.”
“And they pay for that?”
“Someone has to pay for the benefits. They aren’t free. Men need to be fed, their families taken care of. We establish a tax levy. It’s up to the local communities how they collect it.”
“Sounds like a protection racket,” Rodney said.
“We provide benefits. Do you know we’ve established a currency? That alone improves trade.”
“How you figure?” Clayton asked.
“Makes it easier for people to do business. You just exchange the currency in each transaction. You don’t have to always match the person who’s got what you want with what you have to trade. It’s easier to get to what you want in multiple steps instead of having to find just the right person to do it in one step.”
“I heard it’s a top-down system with your people setting the exchange rates, the values. That’s never a good thing. The market can’t adjust and find the right balance,” Jason said.
“And people get punished for not following the rules,” Clayton added.
“I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, but it’s working well so far. The system takes advantage of the gold we’ve collected so we can put that to good use.” He paused. “Hillsboro’s got a lot of gold resources from what we’ve heard. You could join us and find an outlet for all that wealth. I’m guessing right now it just sits there, not doing anything for you.”
“That why you wanted to ransom these two?” Clayton asked.
The Chairman didn’t answer.
Clayton continued. “You planning on taking over Johnson City?”
“Taking over is not the word I’d use. More like pacifying it, getting it under control. There’s a man running it who’s pretty crazy. From the information we have, the town’s in a desperate situation, lots of violence and force being used by the authorities.”
Clayton nodded but didn’t say anything.
“We’re trying to restore order. I’d like to work with Hillsboro in that process.”
“You’re worried about Nashville, aren’t you.” Rodney said.
“I won’t deny it. They’re looking to expand their influence. They’ve put a number of smaller towns under their control and maybe making an alliance with Memphis, although Memphis doesn’t seem to be interested.”
“Why don’t you get with them?” Clayton asked.
“They want to set the rules, dominate us. I’m not going to put myself under their authority.”
“That’s the way Hillsboro thinks about it as well…thinks about you.” Jason said.
“You make that decision for them? Are you in charge?” The Chairman’s blue eyes lit up as he engaged in the discussion.
“No, but I know the sense of the town council. See we’re organized differently from you. We fought a painful battle to get rid of the gangster that was running Hillsboro.”
“Joe Stansky. We heard about him.”
“That’s right. When we succeeded, we decided to end martial law and institute civilian authority. That’s something you haven’t done.”
“The people are fine with my leadership. They understand that I bring stability to their lives. Stability, that’s what important. Keep things under control so people aren’t afraid. They’ll always support that.”
“It about the price. It’s also about what works in the long run,” Jason said. “You’ve established a top down system. The rule of the strongman. It works at first. It can provide quick solutions and stability, but it doesn’t work in the long run.”
“It’s working just fine. We’re doing better than Hillsboro. We’ve got a currency going, Goods are being traded more efficiently because of that. We’ve got some electricity back. People are happy. Like I said, give them stability and they’ll be happy.” His voice grew stronger as he warmed to his theme.
“I’m establishing order out of chaos. Through me we’ll organize the south into a strong regional power. They’ll be peace, prosperity, order. People will have services restored. They’ll be freed from fear of gangs and bandits.”
He leaned forward, dragging the shotgun with him.
“The federal government is shattered. We won’t see a return to a united country for some time. In place of that, we have to established regional structures, beyond city-states.” He thumped his chest. “I can do that.”
“But they didn’t get to elect you. And they don’t get to decide to try someone different. In fact, no dissenting opinions are allowed, I’ll bet,” Jason said.
“Why would anyone want to change? I’ve established a system that works. Opening up the process would only allow kooks or fools to step up and say they have a better idea. There’s always someone out there that thinks they can do things better. It would only cause turmoil and make us weak.
He paused for a moment. “Can I have another drink of water?”
Jason nodded to Billy who carefully put a canteen to the Chairman’s mouth.
“Thanks. As I was saying, we have to be strong and an authoritarian structure is the only thing that will work in these times. Cities that are on their own are going to be vulnerable. You should be worried about Charlotte. If the mob that runs it decides to come for Hillsboro’s wealth, you’ll wish you had joined with us.” Jason could see his enthusiasm. He began to understand how the man could influence crowds.
“What you don’t understand is that your system is too rigid,” Jason replied. “People inevitably want freedom, want choices. Like your money system. One man, or a small group, can’t fully understand the market and the relative value people place on their goods or labor. It changes all the time. You’ve forced an exchange on the system, which may seem good, but you don’t have a mechanism to allow it to adjust naturally to market demands. Your ‘evaluators’, or whatever you call them, will always be a step behind. I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t a black market already cropping up. Those always reflect the true market value of goods.”
Jason continued, “We’re allowing the relative values to develop over time. It will happen and a currency will evolve. We prefer to allow that to occur ‘organically’. Another thing. The citizens all feel invested in Hillsboro. I doubt yours feel the same.”
“I think they feel fine with what we’re doing.”
“So you say. Do you know where the word ‘civilization’ comes from?”
Tom looked at Jason and tried to shake his head but the shotgun wouldn’t allow it.
“Don’t try to turn your head,” Jason said. “I’ll tell you. The root of the word is ‘citizen’. Civilization is formed from citizens, from civilians. When civilians run their affairs then you have civilization. When rulers are in power through force you have what used to be called barbarism. Now it’s called a dictatorship.
“Since our citizens run things, they will s
upport and defend what we do and who we are. Our town is run by a council, as I said. Nine members, three elected each year, so you get to serve three years. Membership is always turning over, yet there’s always a group with some experience in place.”
“What if someone is so popular, they’re re-elected over and over?”
“You have to sit out for three years before you can stand again for election. So everyone has to go back to being a civilian and function under the rules they helped established.”
“How long have you had that in place?”
“I admit,” Jason said, “we haven’t been at it that long, but the plan should prove more flexible than your structure. We’re betting on citizen involvement and the creativity of our people.”
Rodney broke into the conversation. “We’re coming up on Sevierville. You got any suggestions?”
Jason thought for moment. “Let’s go through Pigeon Forge. Sometime after that we can unload the Chairman and head off on our own.”
“Which way do you suggest going?” Rodney asked.
“We’ll discuss that after we drop off the Chairman.”
“I don’t think we’re going to convince each other,” Jason said, “but there’s one thing you should know. We’ve organized ourselves like Switzerland.”
“I don’t understand,” Tom answered.
“Every person in town over sixteen years of age is trained to use a rifle. Every household has at least one long gun in their possession. Most have two or three.”
“My God. That’s a recipe for anarchy if I ever heard one.”
“Things are quite peaceful. But if Hillsboro is ever threatened, we have thousands of trained shooters to augment our militia. People feeling invested in the community makes them willing to put their lives on the line to defend the community against outside threats. The community acts like a clan with the same loyalties one has to the family. Bottom line is Hillsboro is united, armed and dangerous.”
Jason turned away to look out the window again.
They passed through Pigeon Forge. Their passage was noted by the Chairman’s administrator in town. He radioed back the news to General McKenzie. The route now joined with Route 321 heading south to Gatlinburg. Shortly after Pigeon Forge, they drove past the Mountaineer Motel whose owner also radioed their movement back to the General.
