200 Miles to Liberty

by P. A. Glaspy

  “The decision has already been made for us to drive straight through. I will let the men know that it is imperative we get there as soon as possible. Please let me know how things go there, General. Once everything is in place, I’d like to talk to Speaker Roman as well.” He nodded at something Everley said, then ended with, “We’ll talk again soon.” He closed the phone and handed it back to Hutch, who could tell Tanner had a concerned look on his face.

  “Everything alright, Sir?” Hutch asked as he took the phone and put it back in Damon’s bag.

  Tanner shook his head. “No, everything is most certainly not alright, Captain. We need to get to Washington as fast as humanly possible.”

  Damon looked up into the rear-view mirror. “Has something happened, Sir?”

  “Yes. President Olstein is trying to institute a bunch of executive orders that are unconstitutional; some even border on treasonous.”

  “Well, I knew he was talking about doing things like that. That’s why General Everley sent me to get you,” Damon said. “He’s actually going through with it?”

  “It would seem so. Stopping the inauguration, repealing the Second Amendment, calling for the use of the military to enforce that, as well as the confiscation of weapons and supplies, dismissing the Joint Chiefs, and worst of all naming himself Supreme Commander over everything. He has to be stopped.”

  Hutch’s mouth dropped open. “He is actually trying to dismiss the Chiefs? Why would he do that?”

  “From what General Everley told me, he wants all the troops recalled to enforce his confiscation orders here. They have been stalling, hoping they could wait him out until I was sworn in. He’s forcing their hand.” Tanner’s look said there was more to be told but he didn’t go on. Damon pushed the issue.

  “Forcing their hand? To do what, Sir?” he asked.

  Tanner hesitated, then replied, “To do something that has never been done in the history of our country. To perform a task that will forever change the face of our nation yet is necessary to keep the country and its government structure intact. To carry out a plan that will shock the world.”

  The weight of his comments hung heavily within the vehicle. Everyone sat in nervous anticipation of his next words.

  “They’re going to initiate a coup. They’ll take Olstein into custody and seat Speaker Roman as acting president until my swearing in next month.”

  No one spoke. No one knew what to say. This action was unprecedented in America. No sitting president had ever been deposed. From the rear of the Humvee, Agent Jason Stephens spoke.

  “As the son of one of the Chiefs, I don’t think he left them much choice. He can’t dismiss them. He knows nothing about warfare. He needs them. They’re doing the right thing.”

  Tanner turned to look at Jason. “Wait — you’re Admiral Stephens’ son? Why didn’t I know this? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Jason shrugged. “We are what they call estranged. He and my wife don’t get along — at all. And I don’t use my father’s name to garner favor. I do what I do on my own.”

  Tanner nodded with a smile. “I understand, and I respect that. I’m sure your father will be happy to see you, especially under the circumstances.”

  Jason turned back to peer out the windows of the vehicle. “We’ll see.”

  Chapter 11

  Just seeing the lights come on changed everyone’s demeanor. Smiles and laughter filled the house as they ate supper. Carly had hurried to plug her cell phone charger into an outlet as soon as she saw there was power and tried to turn her phone on. Nothing happened. She huffed as she unplugged it and came back to set it on the kitchen table beside her. Joel smiled at his daughter.

  “I told you it wouldn’t work, Carly. There are delicate electronic components inside your phone that wouldn’t make it through a pulse. Besides, I’m pretty sure the cell towers are fried just like everything else so you couldn’t call anybody anyway. Plus, no one else’s phone works either. You need to just put that thing away. I doubt it will ever work again, but I could be wrong. Go stick it in a drawer or something.”

  Carly picked up the phone and charger and walked dejectedly to the bedroom she was sharing with Amanda. Lauri looked around the room and smiled.

  “It really is wonderful to see the lights on again. It makes it feel a little less like the end of the world, doesn’t it?”

  Joel nodded. “Yes, it does, but we’ll only be able to run them for maybe an hour or so at night. We need to use the generator to power the freezer and the fridge more than anything. I really wish we had some solar panels. That fuel never runs out. I wonder if there are any in the area.”

  “There’s a solar farm up on I-40 about 30 miles from here,” Elliott said. “If we can get there in that Scout, we could probably get set up for power to the house and the pump. We’d have to see if we could find some controllers that weren’t hooked up when the pulse went off. They may have some there we could scavenge. Then we just need a bunch of car or boat batteries to send the power to.”

  “I didn’t know you knew anything about solar power setups, Dad,” Ethan remarked.

  “Well, I’ve read about a few things you could do for alternative power, I just never put any of it to use. I’m sure wishing I had now.”

  “Yes, hindsight is pretty much worthless at this point,” Joel said with a chuckle. “But if we can round up some supplies, we might be able to set this place up to be much more comfortable. It’s not an emergency — not yet, anyway — but we can start working on ideas like that to put into place soon.”

  Carly came back into the kitchen and stood in the doorway. She cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention. All eyes at the table turned to her.

  “I need to say something. I’m sorry I’ve been such a hateful bitch since this whole thing started. Life without electricity and all the awesome electronic gadgets it powered blows. But taking it out on all of you isn’t helping the situation, and it sure won’t fix it. I’m going to try to act better. Just don’t expect everything to change right away. I’m still not happy about any of this, but I’m going to work on it. Okay, that’s all I had.” She went back and sat down at her plate to finish eating.

  Amanda grinned at her from across the table. “We’ll get through this, Carly. What do you say tomorrow we go out to Elliott’s range and I teach you how to shoot?”

  Carly shrugged as she chewed her food. “I guess that’s a good place to start. It would make a lot more sense to carry a loaded gun than an empty one, which is what I’m doing now.”

  Cameron looked at his mother wide-eyed. “You’ve been carrying a gun, Mom?”

  “Don’t get excited, Cam. It doesn’t have any bullets in it, and I wouldn’t know what to do with it if it did.”

  “Which is what we’re going to remedy tomorrow,” Amanda added. “Speaking of which, I’d like to get a better look at what we got from Teddy. We basically just threw stuff in the bag, and the guys did most of that. I want to know what kind of goodies we brought with us.” She rubbed her hands together, apparently anticipating something good.

  “Me, too!” Cameron exclaimed, jumping up from his seat so quickly he jostled the table. Everyone reached instinctively for their glasses.

  “Cameron!” Lauri admonished. “Calm down! There’s no need to upend the table.”

  “Sorry, Nana. May I be excused?”

  “I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be getting water heated for dish washing,” Elliott said.

  “Oh, Carly and I will take care of that, Elliott,” Lauri replied as she stood up with her plate. “I think that’s the least we can do after you’ve opened your home to us for sanctuary.” Everyone else at the table stood as well and started carrying their dishes to the sink. Elliott turned back to speak.

  “I don’t want you thinking I expect you to do all the cooking and cleaning, Lauri. There’s plenty of folks around here to help out with chores.”

  “And from what I can tell there will be plenty of chores
to do for everyone. I told you this is how I can contribute. This is what I want to do. Let me handle the household. You and Joel can take care of the rest.” She walked to the sink and took a pot from the counter. Filling it with water, she set it on the stove and turned the burner on. Turning back around, she found everyone watching her. “What are you all doing standing around here? Aren’t there some chores that need to be done before bedtime?”

  Cameron hurried over and grabbed his coat off a hook. “C’mon, Aaron. Let’s get the wood brought in for the night. Who’s getting the eggs and the milk? The sooner we get this stuff done, the sooner we can check out the arsenal!”

  Elliott laughed at his grandson’s enthusiasm. “Ethan and I will get the animals put up. Joel, you and Will can come along if you’d like. It’s best if everybody knows what the process is for securing the barn.”

  “I’ll help with the kitchen, too, Lauri,” Amanda added. “I bet the three of us can knock it out quick.”

  “Make sure you get everything put in the refrigerator first,” Joel said as he put his coat on. “And try to do it all at once. We’ll leave the generator running for about an hour to get it as cold as we can. I don’t know how well the fridge is going to do with running just a few hours a day, but I guess we’ll find out. The good thing is it’s still cold enough outside we could utilize that if we have to.”

  Elliott picked up a large flashlight as he turned the doorknob. “Back in a bit, ladies.”

  Carly and Amanda worked on clearing the table while Lauri got the sinks ready for washing dishes. Amanda spoke without looking up.

  “Carly, about earlier … I —”

  “No, it’s fine. You were right,” Carly replied sheepishly. “I was taking my self-pity out on everyone else. I lost a lot when the power went down, but, as you pointed out, I still have a lot to be thankful for. You were the only one who called me out on it. We’re good. You don’t need to apologize.”

  Amanda grinned at her. “Um, I wasn’t going to apologize. I was just going to say I hoped you wouldn’t hold it against me and kick me to the floor tonight. Although, I haven’t shared a bed with anyone since my last boyfriend, which was a few years ago, so I may be a cover hog, snorer, or both.”

  Carly laughed at loud. “Well, there I go being all self-centered again. But, I’m right there with you. I haven’t shared a bed with anyone since Ethan, which was ten years ago, so I have no idea how I sleep either. We may end up in a fight after all!”

  They both giggled and Lauri came over to join them. “I’m glad you girls are getting along. You may have noticed that the females are sparser here than the menfolk so we need to stick together.”

  “I’m trying, Mom. Not about getting along with Amanda, but about not being such a brat. I’m still pissed it happened, but I guess we have no choice but to deal with it. And Amanda, I am sorry you can’t get to your mom. I’ll tell you what — I’ll share mine.” She looked from Amanda to Lauri. “She has a big heart and I think there’s room for all of us in there.”

  “She already has a place in it,” Lauri said with a smile. “Everyone under this roof does — including Ethan.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not ready to go that far,” Carly retorted.

  “I understand, honey, but keep in mind if it weren’t for him you wouldn’t have Aaron and Cameron. He is as much a part of their DNA as you are. We all make poor choices at some time in our lives. Should we not forgive each other and try to live the best life we can going forward, especially at a time like this? Ethan doesn’t have much longer. It’s never too late to ask for forgiveness, and it’s never a bad thing to give it.”

  Carly considered what her mother had said. “I guess you’re right, Mom. I’ll work on it. No promises though.”

  “That’s all I ask, sweetie. Now, let’s get these dishes washed and get some coffee going.”

  ~~~~~

  “I can’t believe he wouldn’t let us stay there!” Taylor slammed the water jugs on the kitchen counter in anger, causing his children to jump in fright. “I bet there wasn’t anyone else there either. I bet he lied so he wouldn’t have to share with us!”

  In a quiet tone, Wendy said, “Tay, please calm down. You’re scaring the kids.”

  He turned on her. “Good! They should be scared. We’re as good as dead!”

  At that, Derek, the youngest, started crying. “I don’t want to die, Mommy!”

  Wendy scooped the six-year-old into her arms and glared at her husband. “Happy now?” She turned and went into the den to sit by the meager fire in the fireplace. She sat down on the chair closest to it and wrapped herself and her child up in a blanket. Rocking him gently, she cooed in his ear, “You’re not going to die, baby, none of us are. Daddy’s just upset. Everything will be alright.”

  Taylor was pacing between the kitchen and the den. His other two children were sitting on the edge of the sofa as if in anticipation of another outburst from their father. Taylor stopped and looked at his family who were all watching him. He pasted a smile on his face and walked over and kissed Wendy and Derek each on the forehead. He then went and did the same to Heather and Grayson. Reaching behind them, he took an afghan off the back of the couch and draped it over their shoulders. He squatted down in front of them.

  “I’m sorry I yelled. Mommy is right. No one’s going to die. Daddy will take care of it.” He stood up and turned to look at Wendy. A short jerk of his head told her he wanted to talk to her away from the children. Setting her son on the chair and wrapping the blanket around him, she stood and followed her husband into their bedroom. She walked in and shut the door quietly.

  Turning to face him, she crossed her arms over her chest and hissed, “Aren’t things bad enough without you freaking out, especially in front of the kids? Melting down is not your best option right now, Taylor. It doesn’t help. At all.”

  “I said I was sorry! I’m going to do whatever I have to do to take care of this family, no matter what it takes.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Wendy asked warily.

  Voice full of resolve, Taylor replied, “Exactly what I said. Whatever it takes.”

  Chapter 12

  “That’s right, James. We are on a standby order effective immediately. No troop movement until further notification.” Angie was speaking to one of the highest-ranking officers of the Marines stationed in South Korea. “If you would, please pass that information along from your position. You actually have more available staff than we do for the task.”

  She listened for another moment then said, “Thank you for your help, James. Please let me know when everyone has been notified. Stay safe.”

  She handed the headset back to the petty officer who had made the call. “Let me know when you hear back from him. I appreciate your prompt attention to the matter, Jessica, as well as your discretion. Thank you.”

  The young lady smiled at her and replied, “My pleasure, Ma’am. I’ll come find you after I speak with him again.”

  Angie went to the door and opened it a crack — just enough so that she could see out into the hall. Finding it clear, she stepped out and quietly closed the door behind her. As she was making her way back toward the barracks area, she ran into Speaker Roman and the other Joint Chiefs who were leading a small group of Marines and one lone Secret Service agent. The group stopped at her approach.

  “How did it go, Angie?” Charles asked.

  “Just fine. All deployed troops are on standby until they hear from us.” She indicated the group behind him with an inclination of her head. “I see you’ve been busy as well.”

  Smiling, Everley replied, “Yes. We aren’t the only ones who aren’t okay with the proposed changes from our current president. We’re on our way there now. I think you should come along with us to show a united front.”

  “Lead the way,” she said as she fell in with the rest of the group.

  Whether it was the sound of so many booted feet making their way down the hall or just a feeling that someth
ing was different, David Strain was standing in the doorway of the conference room when the Joint Chiefs got there. His eyes grew wide as he took in the company of men and women. Phil went to him and laid a hand on his arm.

  “You should probably stay here for now, David,” he said calmly. “This should all be over soon. Actually, I have an even better idea. Do you know where Vanessa went when she left? Do you think she went home?”

  Stammering, David replied, “Um … I don’t … I’m not sure, Sir. She was here when everything went down. I think she lives outside of D.C., so I don’t imagine she tried to get home. What’s going on? I was supposed to tell President Olstein when you arrived.”

  “Do you know if she has any friends or family nearby?” Phil asked, ignoring the follow-up question.

  “I think her sister lives just a few blocks from here. Why?”

  “Great, then I have a task for you. See if you can find the address. Check her personal information we have on file. Then get one of the Humvees and go over there. If we can find her, I’d like to have her back here as soon as possible.”

  Confused, David asked, “Sir, what are you doing? The president —”

  “We’re on our way to see him right now so there’s no need for you to go tell him we’re here,” Everley said.

  “Things are about to get very busy for all of us, David,” Phil went on. “It is imperative that you get Vanessa back here quickly. Nothing personal against you, but she is an invaluable asset for dealing with what the coming days will bring. You will, of course, stay on and assist. Do you have a problem with that?”

  David shook his head and with a touch of gratitude in his tone replied, “No, Sir, not at all. In fact, I’ll be relieved to not have to fill in for her. She’s a lot better at this stuff than I am. I’ll get going right away.”

  Phil took his hand and shook it firmly. “Thank you, David. We’ll get through this together.”

  David started for his office to grab his coat. He stopped and turned back to the group. “What if the president calls for me and I’m not here?” he asked in a voice laced with concern.