by Jason Winn
“How dare you come in here and attack me!” shouted Tennent. He tried to sound angry, but his voice cracked.
“Yeah,” said Cougar. “Where’s all that fire and brimstone now?”
“What do you want?” asked Lawson. He didn’t seem as scared as Tennent. Perhaps he thought he had friends who were going to swoop in and save him.
“Your refusal to abide by congressional subpoena has led us to this moment, gentlemen. You were given an opportunity to defend yourselves in open testimony. You chose to ignore that opportunity.”
“But you’re an employee of the executive branch, the president’s dog.”
“Since when did anyone in the Values Party care about separation of powers?” Cougar shot back. “You’ve got a lot of guts for a man who’s in as much trouble as you.”
“So what—you’ve come to drag me off to the capital, ask me a bunch of inane questions?” Lawson batted his eyes. “I do not recall. I can say that all day. Then where will you be? Well, fine. Let’s go.”
Tennent and Lawson now looked positively bored with this whole event. These were men used to absolute power. Even in the face of twenty men aiming rifles at them, they knew they were untouchable. The arrogance of these two was beyond comprehension.
“That time has passed,” said Cougar. “In accordance with the UCA or the Undesirable Citizens Act of 2176, you, Mr. Tennent, and you, Senator—”
Lawson cut him off. “Reverend Senator Lawson, thank you.”
“Damon,” Cougar shouted. And for the first time, Lawson’s confident façade cracked. “And you, Herbert, have been tried in absentia, found guilty of being undesirable citizens and stripped of all the protections therein. I’m not here to take you in.”
They both scoffed at the idea of their own laws being used against them.
“Yeah,” said Cougar. “Precedent is a bitch.” He held up Peace Breaker. “This was my father’s and his father’s. The Pettys took both of them from me, gave them show trials, and then had them shot under the UCA.”
He let the words hang in the air long enough for the two men to realize what was about to happen. Tennent’s eyes went wide. Lawson’s mouth fell open.
“I’m here,” Cougar continued, “to carry out sentencing.” He raised his family weapon.
“Wait,” shouted Tennent, throwing his hands up. Lawson squeezed his eyes shut.
“It’s time we separate church and state.”
Cougar fired twice. The traitors to America stiffened and collapsed to the floor.
THE END
AXEL NASH WILL RETURN
in
ROGUE SCHOLARS
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Talk to you soon,
Jason Winn
