Title: “Homeland SSecurity”

 

"An evil exists that threatens every man, woman, and child of this great nation. We must take steps to ensure our domestic security and protect our homeland." - Adolf Hitler, proposing the creation of the Gestapo in Nazi Germany.

Introduction:

To “protect the people;” That was the ethos of the Americas original Homeland Security Department.  However, as with all governments since the beginning of time; when you distilled their objective down to one quantifiable purpose, that purpose was to negate the liberties of the citizenry, in order to offer them the protection they cried for. 

 

When the moment comes that people realize that government can only give its citizens what it has already taken from them; including the right and ability to protect themselves.  They will be again ready (should they have the fortitude “[1]for a government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

 

Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit hole

[2]Markus Wolf the former East German [3]Stasi Spy chief known as the SilverFox sat at his large maple desk in his luxuriously appointed office and considering the work he was doing, He had been originally hired into the department by the former President to advise on how to develop a citizen informant infrastructure.  

 

Now after several departmental shakeups, the election and subsequent death of a president had culminated into what could only be called a change in government - he was now the respected commander for the newly minted [4]American Civilian Protection Squadron, formerly known as the [5]Homeland Security Department. 

 

Markus had worked hard for this moment, his time in the sun.   And he wanted to enjoy every minute of it.  Looking out of the window from his Washington D.C office, he enjoyed the view of the Cherry Trees as their blossoms drifted silently to the ground adding color to the otherwise grey day.

 

Markus and several senior [6]Russian KGB agents had originally been hired in an advisory capacity to develop a network of informants to report on state institutions, the judiciary, health services, government educators; youth work brigades, the media, and churches for the original Homeland Security.

 

His Department's main targets originally had been individual’s and groups which the government at that time ordered to be undermined and destroyed in every conceivable way; using methods ranged from passive surveillance to active infiltration and direct action.

 

He smiled and thought to himself, about how ironic it was that after heading the East Germans Stasi for many years he was now doing the same thing in America; his one time sworn enemy and sitting in an office next to the White house.

 

In East Germany it had been necessary to turn half the population into informants, as the East German State fought to retain power.  Markus was determined to perform that same task here, it was urgent as his control of the country hung by a slender thread. 

 

This time however, with age and experience on his side, he knew the job would be much easier and much more effective.  It would take time, but it could be done, he just needed the right tools and soon America would have a large group of informants under State Control, enabling the state to put an end to people complaining about a perceived loss of freedom and privacy.

 

Skilled in using the philosophical use of thesis/synthesis/anti-thesis developed by [7]Hegel he was sure the weak minds of the Americans could be bent to the will of the state, thus concluding the inevitable transition from a responsible self-ruled people to a irresponsible undisciplined people ruled by their government as a socialist state.

 

Markus had two things he was thankful for since starting this job.  One was that then [8]President Hillary Clinton immediately upon her election a couple years ago in 2008 had forced the registration and then over time confiscation of ALL firearms, [9]successfully labeling those refusing to turn in weapons criminals or “mentally unstable”.  [10]His job was so much more difficult when the citizens had guns and were willing to use them.

 

The second thing Markus had to his advantage was the improvements in technology, particularity computing and [11]biometrics.  Stored and in a hidden vault in the Midwest, powerful computers hosted the national database.  In this underground warehouse; data was constantly being collected, data that contained biometric and personal data on every American. 

 

Unfortunately, Markus thought; the challenges he faced now with the National ID card couldn’t be solved by might or by linear thinking. He needed the ability to adapt to rapidly changing conditions and to communicate and think in terms of all options and relationships. For that reason he was building what he called the spider web.

 

Like the spider who creates a new web every day, one that adapts to current circumstances rather than trying to impose itself.   The system Markus had designed tracked relationships between people and events.  Drawing links and commonality between them.

 

With the computing power available to him his people could expand the scope and reporting methods he needed to operate and perform a more through job of controlling Americans for the benefit of their government; a much better job than he was ever able to do in East Germany. 

 

The computer databases available to him coupled with the use of biometrics would ensure that there was no hiding, from the benevolence or justice of the state. 

 

Taking a break from his reverie, he opened his e-mail and looked at his calendar.  First order of business for today was reviewing new modifications for the new national ID card at 9:00am.   The meeting was regarding the inclusion of Biometric data that was important to the card, it would prevent theft, forgery and the information was a foolproof method of identification.

 

And while the National ID was not directly his responsibility it played an important role in his plans for developing an efficient and well run government.  He was looking forward to working on this particular committee.

 

For the life of him he could still not understand America’s passive resistance to the [12]National ID card.  It was such a small sacrifice; a small loss of privacy; used to keep criminals off the street.  Anyway if any American was innocent of a crime they should have nothing to hide and would welcome the Biometric additions to the National ID card.

 

With a sigh Markus picked up his coffee mug and took a sip of his strong coffee, then reaching for the phone he picked it up and rang his secretary.  He needed several documents typed and printed for the 9:00am meeting. 

 

Then at 11am, he needed to talk to his son Damian.  The boy had just started working as a ACPS guard a couple of weeks ago, and was soon to be promoted to a supervisory position in charge of a squad of ACPS agents.  Markus chuckled to himself, Damian was a boy no longer; he was a man 22 years old, however Markus could not stop thinking of him as a boy. 

 

Markus knew that in a few years Damian will have risen through the ranks, destiny and his father would see to that.  But, as Markus knew, for political reasons it would be better to start at the bottom of the organization and give the appearance of working his way up the ladder.

 

Chapter 2: The Crash

As Jack prepared to leave for the pharmacy downtown he reviewed the past few years in his head, Things first went noticeably bad with the economy, as Americas twin deficits combined with its lack of exports imploded, and long story short; [13]China un-pegged its currency, the yuan from the dollar, sending the dollar into freefall.

 

China had long ago had assumed the role of the world’s bargain-basement manufacturer…. Just as the United States did in the 1800’s.  And they were now ready to exploit that position of power.  They had become home to the worlds most influential businessmen, most arrogant politicians, largest military and finally its reserve currency. 

 

Suddenly; Americas, golden age had ended.

 

It was like a house of cards falling, or watching a slow moving train wreck.  Within a  few months of China un-pegging the yuan from the dollar, they dumped 2.2 Trillion dollars in U.S Treasuries forcing the American economy into a standstill.

 

Jack had watched from the sidelines as the prices of basic goods and services shot through the roof as China unleashed, what turned out to be a three part economic firestorm against America. 

 

First, the Chinese had accumulated over $2.2 trillion in U.S. dollars by cashing in U.S Treasuries.  China then used this money to sock away huge piles of raw materials and resources, buying them out from under American firms – effectively leaving them without raw materials and supplies.

 

Second, unknown to most people China had replaced the U.S.A as the number one destination for foreign direct investment.  Effectively moving capital from America to the East.

 

However, China didn’t need its own investment capital.  It had plenty from the West already, who had kindly built thousands of factories to take advantage of Chinas humongous and super-cheap labor force.

 

Thirdly and most importantly, China had played a dangerous strategic game to corner most of the worlds oil, and won.  Without realizing it the United States had played exactly into Chinas hand…. Alienating the Saudis… who found themselves a new superpower protector in Beijing.  And a new customer for the world’s most precious – and essential – commodity.

 

Looking back Jack realized that it didn’t take much to unleash this financial firestorm.  All China did was to start dumping Treasury notes, the rest was history.  In a flash, interest rates soared, along with mortgage rates.  It was like a time bomb hitting the U.S housing market.

 

Home prices plummeted, so did stocks.  In a matter of days retirement savings vaporized into nothing.  Overnight companies were firing their U.S workers and closing their doors.  Or they were packing up and moving to China.  And overnight, millions of Americans were left poorer than they ever imagined they could be.

 

Then in a scourge across the land came a plague that killed hundreds of thousands of Americans leaving only death famine, financial ruin in its wake all across the nation. 

 

The Plague spread from city to city, until hundreds of thousands had died and the huge pits dug to receive the bodies were full.  Citizens avoided one-another, and relatives hardly ever visited each other for fear of contracting the plague.  Because of this a multitude of sick men and women were left without any care except from the charity of friends or the church.

 

The aggregate effect of hunger and financial chaos in half a years time gave birth to gradually escalating violence as people in both city and rural areas fought and rioted for food as logistics and transportation centers failed to operate because of lack of fuel and personnel. 

 

Over that 6 month period the stock market was forced to close several times, effectively killing any trade; gold had shot up to close to $3000. an ounce and [14]America who for the past several years had become a net importer of food, depending on over 65% of its food from foreign sources found itself in the throes of a famine.

 

Within weeks all [15]five transportation methods; air, rail, motor, water and pipeline were affected by either severe manpower shortages caused by death or sickness or from a fear of catching the plague from outside sources. 

 

Chaos and starvation had haunted the land for over a year as Americans who never experienced hunger – suddenly were left without food. 

 

During this time, in port cities such as Long Beach, most ships had refused to dock and unload -  those that did unload left tons of grain, rice and food stuffs in warehouses or on the ground.  With no one available to drive, deliver and process it, it was left to rot.

 

Jack estimated that over 450,000 additional people were killed either directly or indirectly by either the rioting or from want of food or water, but he was not sure.  He had listened to reports of the rioting and looting on the shortwave, but he had a well stocked pantry, a large garden and was minimally affected.

 

However with the war on terror was still being fought in Iraq, Hillary following the policy of her predecessor had expanded the war and moved on to a new campaign, Iran. 

 

President Hillary Clinton was unable to stop the violence as people rioted for food, water and medicine through begging and pleading and capitulation was soon forced called up the portions of the National Guard and Active duty military left in the CONUS back to Active duty to restore order.  Many failed to report, interested in protecting their families and homes first.

 

This expansion of the war effort to Iran could not have been more poorly timed, the military spread to thin; was unable to depend on re-supply from fuel-deprived American military assets.  And with most [16]OIL prices now pegged to the [17]yuan or Euro, the purchase of fuel was almost impossible.  The American war machine ground to a halt for lack of oil.

 

Forced by the lack of oil, American troops made a ragged forced withdrawal from Iran and south-east to the gulf, abandoning vehicles in mass along the way and under constant attack.  Western nations always slow to grasp the political disadvantages of oil independence found themselves utterly defenseless.  One General was heard to remark publicly that “[18]That no matter how well-fed, equipped, or officered, without oil and gasoline, this modern army is a hopeless monster, mired and marked for destruction.”

 

 

Chapter 3: Homecoming

In America after four months of brutal suppression the National Guard long trained and equipped with a flexible "[19]military operations in urban terrain" and "operations other than war" doctrine; was finally able to wrest an unstable peace across the nation.  However the toll was tremendous, over 100,000 people were wounded and an estimated 4500-4800 were dead. 

 

Of the hundreds of riots around the nation, the Wal-Mart riots proved to be the worst.  It started with an estimated 500,000 of Wal-Marts [20]1.2 million associates traveling across country to Wal-Marts offices in Silicon Valley, CA. to claim, unpaid wages. 

 

Union talks had broken down weeks ago, and Union Leaders were bent on revenge.  The president added fuel to the smoldering fire by stating that a “…great injustice has been done here today, to the workers serving Wal-Mart”, this statement effectively justified the workers position and made them feel above the law.

 

Arriving in CA., Union Leaders, turned thousands of disgruntled and emotionally stirred workers loose to attack the Police and Law enforcement officers guarding the Wal-Mart Complex. 

 

The ensuing riot lasted for over 9 hours; the final death toll was estimated to be 2500 people, 2060 of whom were Wal-Mart employees and the remainder police officers or “innocent” bystanders. 

 

President Hillary Clinton angry and humiliated; was unable to accept the realities of her failed policy of appeasement called upon the Homeland Security Department to help control the continued and growing unrest among the population, which she had labeled as terrorism.

 

In Jacks opinion the final nails on Americas coffin was slammed home on the pleasant spring morning in Washington DC when President Hillary authorized and signed an emergency declaration that authorized the Homeland Security department to expand its role from handling of emergency resources like [21]FEMA to using police and Fire Departments to restrict, control, monitor and approve all transportation, commerce and private/public enterprises. 

 

Unknown to most Americans these plans had been developed and finalized during the second Bush administration and they allowed for the control American citizens in a way that would have made Joseph Stalin green with envy.  Hillary for all practical purposes only needed to sign on the dotted line.

 

The Hillary’s administrations thinking that direct government intervention into the free market and the sovereign affairs of citizens -  could resolve and control the riots and diminish she specter of the plague and famine turned out to be fatally wrong.

 

It never occurred to her that by activating the emergency charter of the patriot act she was about to protect and give aid and comfort to the sworn enemies of America and not American citizens……   Or maybe it did.

 

In any event it did not matter; Hillary tragically contracted the plague at a State Dinner.  So fast acting was the plague, that during the dinner Hillary, witnesses reported she was [22]paused twice and then fainted during her speech, aids claiming that she had a stomach virus rushed her out of the dinner.  Ironically the dinner had been to honor the survivors of the plague and food riots, none of who were actually attending the dinner. 

 

It was determined later that Hillary had contracted the plague from a Honduran immigrant who handled the lettuce at a local produce company, and had recently arrived in the country as part of Hillary’s “[23]open border” policy with Mexico.

 

Two weeks later Hillary died from the plague.  Her death effectively left the Homeland Security department in charge of the nation.

 

Less than a month later there was a coup in America, inside of Washington D.C. – and America began to slide from being a world superpower to being a 3^rd world nation.  Politicians were assassinated, and military units were disbanded at any sign of disloyalty – but somehow through all the confusion the Homeland Security Department managed to stay on top.  Agents of the Homeland Security Department willing to violate their oath of office became the de-facto despots of the new society.

 

And soon the agency had a new name to go with the new face; the department morphed and became the American Civilian Protection Squadron, or the ACPS.  Little known to anyone outside of the Agency Markus Wolf had landed on top.

 

However, some agents loyal to their original oath and understanding the constitution resigned in protest, however they were small in number and disorganized.

 

With the Nation now in what seemed a continual “state of emergency” an election was not held and for the first time in the history of the United States as an external bureaucracy ran the nation from its offices in Washington.  The American government had been effectively overthrown by an internal agency of its own creation.

 

Jack remembered the day the news that the Department of ACPS was effectively in Charge of the Country.  News of America’s governmental change hit the Markets hard, and general panic was the name of the game as the DOW fell 1,000 points before noon.  The DOW finally found a resting place a very meager 200.   With the dollar now trading at about $2000. per 1 Euro.

 

It seemed that the free market had sprung a leak.  And the boat was sinking.

 

Jack was ready to go, pulling his keys out of his pocket, called to his wife and went to the garage to warm up the car.  For the first time in a long time they were heading out of town.  Fuel was no problem for Jack, he had plenty hidden in an underground storage tank buried under a warehouse a mile from his home. 

 

Chapter 4: Downtown

As Jack drove downtown he reviewed the past four years in his head.  Calling them chaotic was to put it mildly.  For a long time it had been an open secret that Americas current financial situation was untenable and could not continue as was. 

 

So a year before the largest of the market crashes he had seen the handwriting on the wall and sold 80% of his market holdings and moved into foreign currency and precious metals.  He was just thinking he made a mistake right before the market crashed the first time.

 

By the second market crash he had stood smugly on the sidelines and by the third major crash, he was wondering how he could be so stupid to liquidate only 80%.  Regardless he made a killing as Gold shot through the roof.

 

Today, the “economy” had been “officially” declared robust by the government, as the export business artificially boomed as the last visages of Americas once strong manufacturing industry was sold to the highest bidder.  On the street, it was a different story.  The purchase of a pair of work boots or shoes was now considered a major purchase. 

 

Gasoline, Wine and cooking oil were available to only the rich and were heavily rationed for all those outside of the government.  It had been a major change for most Americans.

 

Strangely enough a majority of Americans citizenry having long ago lost their desire for self government remained complacent to their situation and languished in front of their cable television, confused and trying to forget those that had died over the past two years from hunger of sickness.

 

Their desire for normalcy and their past luxuries, enabling them to tolerate what had rapidly become what could easily be described as a brutal and dictatorial government devoid of the rule of firm and written law.

 

The constitution had long ago become an “empty house” and a curiosity for historians.  In fact citing constitutional law in court led to an automatic “guilty verdict.”  America’s desire for self-government was truly all but dead.

 

Everything was now done in the name of the commonwealth.  American citizens had become for all practical purposes the property of the state and not individuals with wants, desires and needs.  Private ownership of property was all but outright illegal.

 

There were still people who believed that they could own their own home, but at best they were nominal owners since the failure to pay the steeply increasing property taxes meant forfeiture of ones “property” to the state.

 

Property foreclosures were at an all time high, as the bloated government agencies absorbed properties and re-distributed them to political cronies, the undeserving and the growing welfare class.

 

Not only were guns registered but now they were confiscated by force with entire populations being disarmed.  In Boston, the Police chief announced that as a result of a police activity in the last few weeks the entire Boston population would be disarmed and any residents found in possession of weapons were threatened with the severest of punishments.  This scenario was repeated over and over America as the mere ownership of a firearm was made illegal.

 

At first people were hesitant about turning in their guns, but when registered gun owners turning in guns became a requirement prior to receiving food rations most gun owners complied and yielded their right to keep and bear arms to the authorities.

 

There had even been reports on the shortwave of UN troops assisting in the gun confiscations as they implemented what became known as the “Food for Guns” program.

 

One month and 10 days after, Hillary’s death - new laws were published regarding the ownership of firearms and their “authorized” use.  The new laws were called a “heritage” to her memory and were on the news 24/7. 

 

A sudden rash of reported “stolen” guns began to flood into police station as serious gun owners, patriots, iconoclasts and malcontents did not relinquish their right to keep and bear arms.

 

[24]The new laws were draconian and there was serious jail time if you were found to be in violation.  Jack recalled the new laws, there were primarily 12 of them, all of them bent on destroying the use, enjoyment and right of defense, hunting and sport shooting.

 

1.)        Full registration of all gun clubs (membership Numbers, names and addresses)

 

2.)        Ban all self loading high-power centre fire rifles.

 

3.)        A Ban all self-loading auto shotguns and convert pump action shotguns to 2 shot by December.

4.)        Anti-gun rallies to get community involvement in disarming America. 

 

5.)        Mental tests to license applications (including, finger print, DNA and retinal scan)

 

6.)        Cost for license, $255.00 and a fee per year for each gun.

 

7.)        Farmers to register all weapons at the local police station.

 

8.)        No purchases of over 10rnds of ammunition at a time.

 

9.)        A Ban all forms of the hunting of game including duck or vermin. This removed 70% of the legitimate reasons to own or possess a firearm. All vermin control to be carried out by the government or the military.

 

10.)      Develop criteria for gun clubs by lowering noise levels to around 70-75 decibels.

 

11.)      Implement a 2km buffer zone around all fall out zones of rifle and shotgun ranges.

 

12.)      All pistol clubs to leave weapons at compound and the security would have to be approved by the Army and/or Police.

 

Jack also remembered how about the same time as the gun laws the National ID card that had been talked about for such a long time,  slipped into their midst with all American residents and citizens required to obtain, retain and use the National ID within 6 months of it’s issuance a year ago.  

 

The call for this ID card came from Democrats and Republicans, with popular entertainers touting its benefit on government paid commercials.

 

The card was readily accepted by consumers, retailers and government agencies.  The card combined a citizen’s residence information, credit information, medical information, biometric identifiers and a person’s criminal/political history.  It had the ability to be scanned from 15’ away and to display on remote and/or handheld scanners any information contained on a card within 3 seconds.

 

It seemed overnight Citizen processing centers sprung up in Cities, Towns and the DMV offices to compile an identity database through DNA testing and retina scans. 

 

In a fortnight the citizens of America saw the birth of a National Identification card.  Pundits appeared on the local cable and broadcast television stations, saying things like “what a boon for business the card was and how it made America stronger………..”

 

And while the enemies of liberty met with some grumbling; there was very little resistance to the firearm registration or the National ID from a stunned and sleeping citizenry whose only desire was peace, safety and protection from a world run amok.

 

Soon the state was using the national ID card as a way of punishing the disaffected; it started by allowing only state approved persons to be hired.  Then the state began going after people of faith who failed to register with the “National Council of churches” and attend one of the approved “non-discriminatory” worship centers. 

 

Fortunately for the entrepreneurial/trouble making class there was plenty of work in the growing grey/black markets.  And for those wanting to exercise their beliefs, without government oversight and an entrenched homosexual clergy a home church movement began to flower and grow.

 

Rapidly there became “two” economic markets and “two” churches.  The monolithic state sponsored religion and economy, and a growing, but persecuted church and free-market, unfettered by taxation, but frustrated by governmental abuses that caused shortages and high prices.

 

Chapter 5: showdown

Jack and Jill were on their way out of the back door of the pharmacy after purchasing several bottles of “illegal” antibiotics, Jill – Jacks wife of 15 years walked next to him.   Jack glanced over at her, even after the trials of the past 4 years she still looked great.  Blond hair, piercing blue eyes and an IQ almost off the chart, she was a handful.

 

Jack remembered the day Jill had been dismissed by [25]The Institute for Molecular Virology in Madison Wisconsin where she had worked, dismissed because as a practicing Christian who refused to register with the state Council of Churches, she like so many others had been denied admittance to the Common market, and gainful employment.

 

Jack was still surprised that the underserved firing had not made her bitter, sure it disappointed her and she was dejected for a time.  But she sprang right out of it, her honor and strength of character shining through even the worst of times.

 

After a few weeks she surprised him and started working on another project to help those in similar or worse circumstances.  It took him by surprise, when she shared with him that she would like to open a clinic and help those that were unable to obtain medical services.  She charged a small fee for her services, and Jill soon had a small side business on her hands as a “underground” clinic.

 

One day Jill confided in Jack that she was sure that was sure that had she been allowed to stay on at IMV she and her team would have finishing up the final work on a vaccine they were developing that she said was for a new type of influenza virus that was she thought caused the plague.  She was certain that much misery and heartache could have been avoided had she been allowed to complete her work.

 

Jack did not doubt her for one minute.  After living with her for 15 years, she was one of the most intelligent people he knew – and he had never known her to lie or exaggerate.

 

Jill was deep in thought about the plague again.  She had the rare ability to troubleshoot complex problems in her head and she more than anything wanted to get back to developing a cure for it.

 

Many times Jill awoke in the night thinking about that single plague strain and how dangerous it was.   Because the original plague release was genetically engineered to mutate around antibiotics, should it find a way to mutate again it would be the easily the most virulent and deadly disease unleashed on humans for thousands of years.

 

Shaking herself out of her reverie Jill decided to focus on the here and now.  Thinking about the past and what might have been was still too painful for Jill.  The news that Christians, Catholics and Protestants failing to register and practice their faith with the state run Council of Churches were subject to harassment and arrest, was still a shock to her.

 

Since being declared for all practical purposes undesirable Jill had dedicated her extensive medical skills to helping those less fortunate than herself.  While many more people needed her now than over before, she still struggled to accept the changes in the country over the past few years that brought them to her doorstep.

 

The number of people she was treating in the abandoned warehouse east of their rural home was growing, by leaps and bounds and as a result they were always running short of medication, bandages and trained staff. 

 

An old acquaintance she could trust who was sympathetic to her situation had told her where she could get medication to treat the sick and wounded they now dealt with on a daily basis.

 

Jill was glad Jack was with her, it had been a nice day.  Almost like old times when they went out for coffee or brunch after church.  The sun was shining and the city smelled clean and fresh.  Things were a little more run down now, and there was little to buy but it was still fun.

 

Trouble was the furthest thing from her mind today, she was confident she could talk her way out of any-type of trouble, but when people stopped talking Jack took over.  She looked sideways at her husband, watching him as his eyes scanned the streets.

 

Smiling to herself she thought about how they made the most unlikely couple.  Jack with his thick muscular arms; broad shoulders and walk that looked like the gait of a tiger ready to spring.  Her with her slender gymnasts frame but gorgeous legs, and a IQ of 220 a caustic wit that was only matched by his.

 

Jack had been very hesitant to come uptown, and it was not until his wife threatened to come uptown herself, that he relented and left their rural home to the uncertainty and danger of the city.

 

Leaving their two bodyguards Rick and Rudy at home guarding the Children, Jack and Jill were alone.  And being alone was rare these days.

 

Jack had spent 8 years of his 38 years in a [26]Marine Corps Direct Action Platoon.  When Jack was in the Marine Corps, Direct Action Platoons were highly-trained elements of the Force Reconnaissance teams of the United States Marine Corps.  The DAP’s were Essentially the Special Forces within the Special Forces.  Now they were nothing but a footnote in history.

 

All “Direct Action Platoons” DAP’s had been disbanded shortly after Hillary pulled them back stateside after several embarrassing incidents of Special Forces groups refusing unlawful orders to quell domestic civilian riots with military force.

 

Jack, had been part of the old “Reagan” military, and had been trained extensively with the Special Forces, he had been trained in a wide variety of insertion techniques, HALO parachuting, counter-espionage and was fully sniper qualified.  That training had been honed to a razors edge in San Salvador, Nicaragua, Grenada and Desert Storm.

 

Jacks training and practical experience taught him how to become invisible in a Jungle, the woods, desert or in Americas urban areas. 

 

However none of this training carried any weight in the new world of hellish political correctness and socialism that had taken over the country.  It did however carry considerable weight in the business he was in now. 

 

With only state approved persons were able to be hired or work in the “open market”.  Jack had been forced into “Free Market” enterprise after loosing his job as a Stock Broker.  His money and awards meant nothing now and were things of the past.

 

These days Jack bought, sold or traded anything and everything that could not be purchased legally anymore.  He sold guns, gas, cars, Bibles, medication and anything else he could turn into a means to support his family.  He had become quite successful at it and had even started to enjoy it.  However the business was risky and he knew that the longer he stayed at it the larger the risk he took with the lives of those he loved.

 

Jack and Jill were for all essential purposes uptown today because of the national health care system and the new government run distribution methods for medications it was getting hard to find medication to treat the symptoms of everything from the common cold to athletes foot.

 

Finding the penicillin and amoxicillin was a big score but he was he was eager to get home where the Homeland Security guys were not running loose on every street corner.  Nothing was worth dealing with them.  As a federal force they monitored all citizens’ movements and had the right to search you or enter your home at all hours of the day or night, without cause.

 

As they rounded the corner he took about 3 steps before he noticed the ACPS checkpoint that suddenly had appeared.  “DARN!!” Jack whispered to his wife, “They weren’t here 10 minutes ago.”  They must have a roving patrol setup.  “Keep walking and act natural”.

 

Briefly his eyes flashed in contained rage at the thought of living in an America that was dominated by the socialist policies brought into vogue by Hitler in the 30’s.  He prayed that they would not detain them for long; he needed to get his wife and the medication home safely.

 

Many times over the past 10 years he had many times doubted his assessment of America’s situation.  He had prepared as best he could, but he had still doubted; hoping he was wrong.  He doubted more times than he could count, but the day he stopped doubting was [27]December 9, 2004 when George Bush was still President of the United States of America.

 

[28]On that day in a act more reminiscent of the now defunct Soviet Union or the Nazi regime of Adolph Hitler, the United States Congress passed legislation that required the states to surrender their regulatory rights over driver’s licenses and birth Certificates to The Department of Homeland Security, effectively giving a Federal Agency the right to interject itself into the rights and affairs of local government. 

 

Jack wondered what President Bush was thinking now.  Bush had long disappeared from the political scene, sequestered on his Texas estate – purportedly to be under “house arrest”.  However no one had seen him for several months.

 

That December day the words of Benjamin Franklin had never been as correct as when he stated: “[29]Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

 

As Jack approached the checkpoint, he heard the now familiar words from the closest guard.  “Your paper’s please”.

 

Moving in what was becoming a unpleasant habit Jack reached for his National Identification Card and presented it to the guard.  The guard ran the ID card through the scanner and in less than two seconds had Jacks information on the screen.  Utilizing the Department of Homeland Securities centralized federal database, the ACPS required only the presentation of a citizens Identification Card to review purchase and all of a persons financial information, including credit and cash balances.

 

Jack remembered in 2003 or 2004 when the combining of ACPS and Banking databases on citizen’s balances and purchases, along with their past and present purchasing information became allowed under previous Federal Laws including the Patriot Act.  This small change in structure allowed for no private debts, as all debts and payments were now available for review by the state.

 

Looking up from the screen, Jack saw the guard frown.  The guard then spoke into his headset and said something Jack could not make out.  Jack was sure they were not getting a [30]RFID reading on any of the medication they were carrying. 

 

Jack had run the pocket [31]RFID killer over the bottles very thoroughly.  But to allay suspicion, several clothes he purchased still contained their RFID chips, merrily notifying of their presence to the guard’s scanner.

 

Behind him to his left another guard appeared over his shoulder and asked, “What’s your business in this area?”

 

Jack turned to face the guard, a bull necked man with “bully” written all over him.  The guard smirked as he looked over Jacks worn clothes and old combat boots.  The guard sneered and said, “Nice Boots”, obviously intending it as an insult.

 

Jack wondered if the guard would have been a little more careful with his tongue had he known that those boots and their owner had stood on the necks of the enemies of America and listened to their cries for mercy as they bled out their life in the dust and dirt of Iraq.  Jack doubted it.

 

The guard had a sadistic European look, yet spoke in perfect English – his uniform perfectly pressed and custom tailored with his boots shined into flawless mirrors.  His nametag glinting under the sun read “D. Wolf.”  Jack had to smile to himself at the appropriateness of the guard’s name.

 

Jack replied, “I came uptown to buy a new pair of pants and interview for a job.”  “My wife came along to keep me company and do some shopping.”  It was an excuse they had both rehearsed and used many times, Jack was even carrying the bag of clothing that was purchases 5 minutes before he entered the pharmacy, specifically for this purpose. 

 

The guard replied, “a job, right.”, “your not on the approved worker list – how do you plan on getting a paycheck.”  The guard, laughed to himself like he told a joke and the smell of stale whisky on the Security officers breath wafted across the air to Jack.

 

Jack said a short prayer that the guard would believe him and allow them to continue without performing a search, so doing his best to look uninterested, he directly answered the guard’s questions acting like he had all the time in the world. 

 

Jack and Jill were well aware of their status with the ACPS.  Their family had suffered as outcasts for a time, and the state had made every attempt to deprive them of food, clothing and shelter.

 

Jack was sure that the state would have taken the children, had they known of their existence, but they had both went to great pains to hide them.  They had even gone so far as to register themselves within the National ID card database as having no children.  So effectively to the state the children did not exist.

 

The State was unaware that Jack had seen the direction the country was heading for some time and had prepared accordingly for over eight years.  He had outlasted their attempts and had recently even begun to profit from them.

 

Even after two years of persecution his children had not felt hunger, and he sure as heck had not raised them on a diet of Socialism.  They knew the constitution and knew how to shoot straight.  And he was confident he had trained them well, teaching them anything and everything that he could think of that would help them keep their freedoms.

 

The harassment had reached the boiling point three years before where he had lost his job because of the constant calls to his employer’s and their clients offices from the ACPS. 

 

Since there was no legal recourse in stopping the calls to his employer and their clients, he had been forced to leave the company.  Jack was still bitter, but he did not blame the company directly, they needed to stay in business.   

 

A second blow had come some three months later he was permanently banned from employment after being seen attending an “underground church”, the irony of the situation was he found out later he had been turned in by the pastor of his old church.  The church they left after it became an official “community member” in the Council of Churches.

 

In the short term it troubled him deeply that he had been denied access to the common market, however in 1 year, he was actually making more money in the black-market, selling and trading anything he could get his hands on than he was working full time Pre-Hillary.  The only problem was, there was very little to buy and everything to loose.

 

All of his labors were untaxed, undeclared and in Gold, Silver or the Peso.  (He no longer took greenbacks, because the value of the dollar had dropped 85% in the past year.) 

 

Anyway it didn’t matter, because Jack wanted out of America, staying was no longer worth the price.  Jill had begged him to stay and work for change, but Jack felt that it was a hopeless battle.  He and Jill had saved almost $650,000 worth of Gold and silver and planned on using contacts Jack had to flee the country.  It would be better to settle in a small out of the way country and enjoy the sandy beaches - than to fight alone.

 

Jack reasoned that flight was necessary; to escape what would be eventual internment and death for those who did not bend to the will of the dictatorial government.

 

The same guard who questioned Jack started to question Jill, it started with the same questions they asked Jack, however without warning the questions took a turn when the guards asked her if they knew they were both on the “Undesirable list”? 

 

Leering at her another guard asked, “Did she know that all companions of those on the undesirable list had to be searched?”  The third added, “Looks like your husband gets to watch his pretty wife get searched.”  “Please turn and put your hands against the wall, you are not under arrest, we are doing this for your safety.”

 

Jack looked to his left and right, the street had earlier been moderately busy but was now suddenly empty, the smell of trouble, hung heavy in the warm mid afternoon air.

 

He had seen and experienced the results of the ham-fisted abuse of the ACPS and from experience knew that he needed to keep his cool. 

 

To do otherwise would risk arrest and jail time or worse, the [32]Fort McCoy internment camp.

 

Jill suddenly and without warning gave the distinctive sound a female in distress, and turning quickly Jack saw a sight that made him hot with anger.  The guard with the wand was attempting to press the wand against his wife’s genital area in a suggestive manner, under the guise of searching her. 

 

The guard turned and looked at Jack, and while looking at him smirked and increased his assault on his wife.  The guards attitude was an attitude of power, and on his countenance rode the look of a sadist.

 

While the guard was distracted by Jack, Jill suddenly struck the guard a hard blow on the left cheekbone.  There was a crack as the open palm of her hand connected with his face.  It sounded painful and time seemed to freeze while the sound of the impact rang through the air and faded into nothing.

 

Then the guard stunned, raised his right gloved hand and strike Jill with a closed fist in the jaw.  Then Jill screamed and hit him again right in the nose.  As Jill struggled to get away, the guards nose started to spurt blood immediately and the guard with his eyes blazing to his waist and drew a [33]31" ASP Tactical Baton. 

 

As the baton opened with a distinctive ‘snick’ the guard was raised his right arm and with a mighty blow brought the baton directly at Jill’s upturned face. 

 

Suddenly the guard found his stroke interrupted by a strong hand on his wrist.

 

Jack had had enough of this abuse; a couple of bottles of medication were not worth the abuse of his wife.  Cursing himself under his breath for his stupidity, at coming uptown; Jack realized that they were now in big trouble. 

 

Interrupting the ACPS in their “official duties” was a federal crime, no matter whether those duties included beating unarmed women.  Beatings and serious jail-time in an internment camp were the norm for standing between the ACPS and their duties.

 

Jack reached a mental compromise quickly.  As the guard tried to shed himself from Jacks steel grip, Jack said, “Look there is no reason for the violence, I’m sure the lady will apologize.”  “Anyway, the guard was rather rough.”  The poker face Jack held did not betray his rage and anger, and his innermost being burned with shame at not being able to defend his wife.

 

The second guard a pointed at Jack and yelled “Don’t move asshole your under arrest!”  As calmly as possible Jack responded, “look I don’t want any trouble; I just don’t think that you need to beat unarmed women protesting the indecent behavior of your guards.”

 

The first guard cursed Jack and said, “Turn around and put your arms in the air, your going to jail.”  “Well keep that b*tch wife of yours here and teach her a lesson.” 

 

It was in that instant that Jack reached his threshold for abuse of his wife.  His wife was a wonderful woman beloved by all and he would not allow anyone to mistreat her.

 

Enough was enough.

 

That realization pushed Jack over the edge of tolerance for the brutality of the system they represented.  And in one moment of resistance that would cost him almost everything he defiantly said “NO!”

 

The sound of his voice carried across to the guards and they blinked.  The very way that Jack said the word NO, conveyed his desire for freedom and his unwillingness to bend to their socialist slavery.

 

In response to Jack the guard swung the ASP down at Jack’s head.

 

Had the blow connected Jacks head would have split open like a melon.  That wide arching downward swing probably worked great when they went and busted up an illegal house church full of unarmed grandmothers, but to Jack it seemed slow and clumsy.

 

Suddenly Jack, his movements a sudden blur blocked the strong downward blow by stepping in with the left foot and blocking upward with is left hand and put his right hand overtop to trap the guards wrist. 

 

The guard suddenly found himself with the motion of the striking arm continuing downward with Jack pulling him off balance with his right hand and stretching the right arm out horizontally in front of Jack. 

 

Moving like a panther, Jack struck the guard with a hammer-fist downward with his left hand breaking the guards elbow while simultaneously pulling on the right wrist to provide leverage for the break.  Then in a sudden and violent reversal of motion that exposed the guard’s neck, Jack delivered a killing blow to the guards 5th cervical vertebra.

 

The guard was dead before he hit the ground, his head bent at an unnatural angle.

 

The remaining guard; in shock from the sudden display of violence from what a minute ago had been a pacified civilian prole paused for a fraction of a second. 

 

It was that fraction of a second that cost the guard his life as Jack ducked under the guards clumsy attempt at a roundhouse, he then the guards right arm as a fulcrum spun him into a arm bar. 

 

With the guard in the arm bar, Jack instinctively dropped straight to the ground,  effectively breaking the guard’s neck with an audible snap as they both hit the ground.

 

The third guard was trying vainly to un-ass his weapon, but unknown to Jack the new “fire-safe” feature the Clinton administration mandated to be placed on all firearms, civilian and military was active, preventing the guard from effectively deploying his weapon.

 

Grabbing the now deceased guard’s weapon, he tried to fire the weapon at the remaining guard but it did not work for the same reason.  Without hesitation Jack threw the pistol at the guard, it bounced harmlessly off of his shoulder, but delayed him by a precious 100^th of a second, giving Jack a chance to draw his [34]Glock Model 26 from its ankle holster.

 

Things seemed to move in slow motion as Jack pulled the trigger on the Glock and  fired a single 9mm hollow-point two inches below the third guards bulletproof vest.  Then he followed it up to two rounds to the top of the guards head. 

 

Gore splattered on the far wall as the guards lifeless body fell to the pavement.  The guard fell onto his back; lifeless hands dropping to the pavement a second after his head hit the concrete. 

 

Jack stood and looked down the dead guard, the Glock still smoking in his hand, for some reason Jacks eyes were drawn to the guards shiny gold name badge with a peculiar star to the right of the name.  The guards name badge no longer shone in the sun, but was now covered in a piece of gore.

 

Jack quickly moved and helped his wide-eyed wife to her feet.  She was in shock, but was coherent.  She cried, “He was going to…..(sob).   I was so scared….(sob).

 

Jack, grabbed her by the arm and told her to run and run fast.  Jack was sure the ACPS would be all over this block in a matter of minutes and they both knew that the prison sentence if they were caught would be life-long and hard.

 

They would have to leave the country tonight, fortunately everything was in order.  They just needed to get back home and gather up the kids.

 

Chapter 6: On the Run

 

Jack and Jill were in trouble deep, and they knew it.  Grabbing the ACPS guards scanners, along with the packages he had purchased he stuffed everything into one bag.

 

As they ran for the car Jack reached into his pocket for the keys.  The old Chevy was parked out of site in a nearby parking lot.  The sound of sirens wailed in the background as they approached the car.

 

Jack looked over at Jill, he could see her tear stained face.  She looked at him and said “Thank you.”  “I’m scared, what do we do?”

 

Jack agreed with her, he was scared too.  Jill knew that things had gotten bad with ACPS checkpoints, but they had not expected to be accosted in a public street.

 

Jill asked “how could they do that?”

 

As Jack started the car he explained in ragged breathes that since the ACPS operated without any restrictions by civil authority, its members could not be tried for any of their “police” practices.  That means even when we defended our lives we are at fault.

 

Trying not to let the emotion show in his voice Jack also added, their unconditional authority has added an elitist mentality to ACPS as well.  They know good and well that whatever actions they take, there will be no consequences.

 

Driving uneventfully for several blocks while the sound of sirens slowly faded, Jack pulled over and stopping the car jumped out and grabbed the bag of scanners and guards weapons from the trunk.  His hands were shaking so bad from the adrenalin coursing through his body that he almost dropped them on the curb.

 

Knowing he did not have time to explain Jack reached into the back of the trunk with his left hand, and brought out a 2.5L. can of gasoline, which he set on the cement, reaching into the trunk again he came up with a road flare and a roll of duct tape.  Picking everything up Jack dumped the scanners and weapons (all of which Jack was certain had tracking devices in them) into a nearby 55 gallon drum serving as a trash can, removing the medication from the bag.

 

Pulling two 8” strips of tape off the roll, he stuck them to the flare, making the flare look like the letter I.  Then he lit the flare and, quickly as he could struck the flare to the plastic gas can.  Jack then rapidly set the gas can into the trash can.

 

Running back to the car, Jack jumped into the driver’s seat.  Without hesitation he turned the key and rapidly drove off, about a 1/2mile down the road; they could hear the explosion from the gas can, as it incinerated the scanners and weapons. 

 

Jack found himself thinking of his son Adam as he drove and how much he would have enjoyed taking this stuff he just incinerated apart.

 

Jack wasn’t the best with electronics the kids were much better especially Adam his oldest son.  Strongly independent and extremely intelligent he had rapidly devoured all the electronics and computer training that Jack could teach him.  Then Jack had found by accident a computer whiz who claimed to have worked on the original Homeland Security system.  They guy needed a car, and Jack arranged to have him teach Adam everything he knew about computers and electronics. 

 

For over 6 months they had sat in Jacks living room talking and working on different computer systems.  Jack had watched them for the first couple of days trying to learn what he could, but soon became lost when they started talking about cryptography and how different systems worked at such a high level that it became painfully obvious to Jack that he could not keep up.

 

After Jack paid off Adams teacher with a solid E250 Van with a Diesel engine, the man confided that Adam was a computer genius and encouraged him to continue his studies. 

 

Much to Jacks surprise Adam had done just that, setting up a electronics lab in the basement that he spent hours in, experimenting with who know what.

 

With a start Jack forced realized he was day dreaming and forced his mind and body to slow down and focus on his driving.  After a few minutes they were heading out of town with the Police scanner on. 

 

What they had done was big news.  Every frequency was lit up with chatter regarding what had happened.  Within five minutes they heard their names mentioned along with a brief description of their features.  The information undoubtedly pulled from the scanners interface with the mainframe.

 

Jack looked over at Jill and told her, “We need to let the kids know what is going on.”  “We can’t stay here; they will be on their way to the house anytime.”  

 

Jill agreed, knowing he was right.

 

Driving with one hand on the wheel Jack turned his head to the left and asked Jill to get the Cell phone from the glove box.  Jill gave him a half-hearted smile, opened the glove box and handed him the phone.

 

The phone was untraceable for the user, being registered in the name of a “proxy”.  In this case the proxy was a homeless man who had a clean National ID and was willing to trade use of his ID for a case of Bootleg Rum and $100.  Jack paid all the bills and the proxy got his box of Rum and $100.

 

While Jack and Jill had never prepared for this situation they had prepared for emergency evacuation and had code words for an evacuation scenario that told when and where to meet. 

 

After a brief discussion it was agreed to use the code words and meet offsite.  From there they would fly into Mexico, and then off to maybe Belize.

 

Since it was a one way emergency communication, using the Cell phone was the best option.

 

Jill punched the numbers in for home, praying fervently that one of the kids would pick up the phone.  Finally Sten the younger of their two children answered the phone. Jill, with a tear falling down her right cheek said, “Hi sweetheart it’s mommy, would you be sure to take the roast out of the oven?” and “Tell dads friends to get everything ready for company”

 

After a few seconds delay, where Jill was certain Sten detected the stress in her voice, said simply “OK…”  “Mom, I Love you, be careful”, that said she hung up the phone. 

 

Jill fought not to cry, her lower lip trembling as she thought of Sten, he was a strong boy so much like his father, he would do the right thing.  And while he could be stubborn he also had an innate ability to know what to do under pressure.  She prayed that they would be alright, more than anything she wanted them to survive and live free.

 

Jack looked over at his wife; who was obviously ready to cry.  Her features were determined however, and her spirit shown through during this time of adversity.

 

Admittedly, Jack never expected to be on the run like this, prior to the collapse he had always been a law abiding citizen, never lending himself to anarchistic behavior. 

 

However at times like these he knew one could only put their faith in God and the preparations the family had made for emergency situations.  Bowing his heart he began to silently pray for the safety of his family.

 

Jack and Jill turned the car towards the hidden hideaway they had prepared several years ago.  It was a well stocked location that was well hidden, and they could all remain safe there for as long as needed until Jack could arrange transport out of the country.

 

Lord willing, the kids would meet them soon enough, delivered by Rick and Rudy.

 

 

Chapter 7: Evacuation

 

It had been only 23 minutes since Jack and Jill had been forced to defend themselves against the ACPS forces.

 

At the desk of Duty Sgt. Abrams things were not going well, the first call came in 18 minutes ago that one of their guard stations had been attacked in sector 7.  To make matters worse, the attackers had gotten away.  However they had a lead on them and was trying to capture them as quickly as possible.

 

Suddenly a Jr. Aide burst in and said, Damian… Damian Wolf is dead.  The duty Sgt. Looked at him blankly then recognizing the name burst into action.  Crap, he said to himself first this now one of the guards turns out to be the son of the most senior man in the ACPS.  Sgt, Abrams had met Damian once or twice, he was cunning and brutal and you could tell by his attitude that he knew this was only a temporary position and he was moving up. 

 

Making his mind up he reached for the phone to call the Major, he should handle situations like this.  Abrams, knew something like this would happen sooner or later.  He had often talked to the Major and Damian about how they were handling suspects and questioning criminals. 

 

Thinking to himself maybe it’s time to retire, he had put in 30 years as a LEO and the past 8 had been hell.  He should have left with the other guys when ACPS took over, but he did not want to loose his pension.  “Not that it was worth anything now though.” He thought to himself.

 

Reaching the Major would be a trick, since it was an open secret that the Major took his lunches with a special “male” friend.  That male friend it was thought by many was the sole reason he had been promoted to Major.  To be gay and in the Military was one of the fasted ways to be promoted these days and Sgt. Abrams hated it. 

 

As far as he was concerned the Major was a substandard leader and tactician and the lack of discipline with the men showed it.  God, he hated this place he thought as he walked to what he hoped was a secure phone in the Majors office.  He had no interest in his call being overheard or monitored by one of the many listening devices planted around the building.  And this call was extremely sensitive.

 

The Major was finishing his noon cocktail at the Meridian Plaza, a swank and upper-class lounge reserved for government officers. He was expecting to meet his executive secretary here, but so far he was a no-show.  The major, did not know why he bothered with these people, he hired many of his friends and had been generous to all of them but to miss lunch was inexcusable.  The major had just decided to fire his secretary when his pager started to ring.  The major cleared the page without looking at it, but 1 minute later it rang again.

 

The major annoyed, checked the page and then called the number back.  Duty Sgt. Abrams answered at the other end, the major struggled to remember the man.  Oh yes, an old timer – one of the last left of the original police force after ACPS took over.  The major had tried to get rid of this guy several times, but he had hung on tight.  Maybe the guy had screwed up and now needed some kind of help.

 

Duty Sgt. Abrams advised the major that this was an unsecured line, and asked if the Major could come back to headquarters ASAP?  The Major annoyed ordered Abrams to just tell him what was going on.  He was in no mood to go rushing anywhere; anyway what could be so important to have him rushing back to HQ.

 

Sgt. Abrams, directly and concisely briefed the Major on the days events, from start to finish then listed the names of the dead.  Finishing - with the son of Markus Wolf; Damian.

 

Concluding his brief, Sgt. Abrams smiled to himself as he heard the Majors, sharp intake of breath upon hearing Damians name.  The Major in less than 5 seconds realized that his job was on the line. Markus was at the top of the food chain in the Department of Homeland Security, and anything that made him angry would be the direct responsibility of the Major. 

 

The Major sat quietly for 15 seconds, his mind a blank and his knuckles white on the phone.  “Ill be back at HQ in 15 minutes he said.”  Then calling across the room to his bodyguard, he said “Get my car”, “We need to get back to HQ right away.”

 

Ten minutes later, with Duty Sgt. Abrams, the Major and a couple of high level officers were assembled in the Majors office.  The Major asked a couple of questions, and then angrily asked the Duty Sgt. why he was not notified of the attack sooner? 

 

Duty Sgt. Abrams made his first error of the day, saying “I would not call it an attack per-se it was more defensive, I warned everyone here in writing that something like this was going to happen if the officers did not change how they performed CIC’s (Citizen Information Checks)  anyway we need to…….

 

The Sgt. was not even able to finish his sentence.  The Major stared at the Sgt. and said “are you saying this is my fault?!?”  His voice rising higher he yelled “you bastard, you bastard” this is your fault and an inability to control your own men.”  Practically foaming at the mouth the major yelled, “Get out!!!” “You’re fired!!!!”

 

The Sgt. didn’t even blink, he didn’t say anything.  He knew something like this would happen sooner or later.  This fruitcakes lack of discipline and inability to lead had just killed a whole squad and now he was going to try and pin the blame on him.

 

The Sgt. stood up, brushed an imaginary piece of lint off of his immaculately pressed uniform, picked up his brief case and left the building.  Today was a good day to retire.  He was out of this hellhole.  Leaving the thin manila folder on the table that contained what information was known about today’s attack, he walked out of the room.

 

The Major continued screaming for over 3 minutes after Sgt. Abrams left.  Then picking up the folder he opened it and came face to face with a digitized color photo pulled from Jacks Identification card. 

 

In addition there was a second photo pulled from a remote facial recognition camera strung on the highway as they fled the scene.  This particular system was a third generation [35]Mandrake camera system capable of checking 1,000 faces every second, its able to see through disguises like hats, glasses and facial hair.

 

Other than that there was a complete contingent of personal and business information on the document.  Everything was there, even down to birthdays and blood types.  This would be a short hunt, the Major could feel it in his bones.  Slowly the Major started to calm down.

 

The Major suddenly calmed turned and said to no-one in particular, I want a ENTRY team on the tarmac in 15 minutes.  We are going to go and get these guys.  We need them in custody ASAP.  If we screw this up, it will be our jobs.  This should be an easy and direct job; we are only picking up a couple of proles who got luck when they ambushed our squad.

 

One of the men present whispered stridently into his phone, ordering the chopper ready and activating a squad of men to capture the fugitives.

 

As an afterthought the Major added, “I want all cameras looking for this Nova and running Facial Recognition on every motorist.  Capturing these people is our number one priority.”  “Any questions?”

 

As usual there were no questions.  “Good, then lets get to work.” the major finished with.

 

Chapter 8: The Hunt

After receiving the phone call from his dad, Sten rushed to see Rick who was seated on the front porch the sprawling ranch house, hidden 2 miles down a dirt road.  As quickly and precisely as she could she told Rick what her dad had said.  Without a word he pulled a radio from his belt and pressed a single button. 

 

Rudy and Rick were more than just bodyguards to Jack and Jill.  They were squad mates of Jacks from the old Recon days; they were all mustered out together.  Jack had contacted them before the food riots and invited them to stay at his place and keep an eye on things; in exchange he would pay them with room and board. 

 

It was a great job, and five times over the past two years they had fought off looters and scavengers from Jacks farm and several of the surrounding farms.  But Rick knew this time was different, he was not sure what was going on yet.  But for Rick to initiate a full evacuation it had to be serious. 

 

Rushing across the driveway, he entered the side door of the detached garage; Rick opened the back of the large late-model Chevy suburban parked inside the garage.  It was a 1990 and when it was stock it was stout, and now modified, it was a barrel chested monster of a vehicle.

 

Rick was a car guy at heart and when Jack asked him to design a “Get out of Dodge” vehicle this is what they ended up with.  The Suburban was powered by a 5.7 liter 350 V-8 small block sporting Borla stainless steel headers and cat-back exhaust-coated Jet Hot Ceramic coating. 

 

To that they added a (not quite legal) J.E.T (Jones Electronic Technology) Power Programmer and performance air cleaner for more horsepower and drivability.  It had a new Road Surfer Chrome oil pan, and for power Rick had installed a pair of Optima Deep Cycle Spiral Cell batteries – complete with Schosche EFX fuse and distribution blocks and performance wire.  Transmitting the torque and horsepower the Auburn 4.10:1 gears and limited slip differential was a B&M Performance overdrive transmission.  And to add Icing to the cake Rick had found and installed a Weiand blower that sat on top of the fuel injector ports.

 

In addition to the mechanical it had a heads up display, FLIR and several gadgets.  The side seats had been changed to captains seats that could be changed to face the doors for easy in/out.  Overall Rick had created the interior to work like one of the Diplomatic Corps security details operations vehicles.

 

 Directly behind the Suburban, hanging on the wall were several duffel bags, with a strip of red tape around them.  Pulling the duffel bags off of the wall he tossed them into the back of the Suburban.  The Suburban already had several plastic boxes that were set on top of a pre-installed gear-bed.  In less than 3 minutes he had the vehicle loaded, started and warming up.

 

Rudy carrying a Heckler & Koche MP5 9mm x 19 submachine gun with the tactical light in place had gathered Jacks family together and was shuttling them across to the garage, in less than 30 seconds they were safely in the vehicle and buckled in. 

 

Safely in the garage, he moved a secret panel on the far wall and using the 4 digit combination set the house alarm.  Once the garage door was closed behind them the house alarm would control the perimeter and interior of the home. 

 

He had no desire to be anywhere near the property when the house alarm was set on the “retreat” sequence.  There would be no safe place within 100 yards of the house after the alarm was set.

 

Jumping into the suburban Rudy yelled go, go, go!!!! to Rick and before the sound of his voice died out.

 

Moving out of the garage at a high rate of speed, Rick did not turn down the dirt road that was the “only” entrance to the property.  Instead he went east down what looked like a game trail.  The trail was well disguised and Rick walked it a couple of times a week to make sure it stayed clear.

 

Rick drove down the trail so fast that branches were whipping across the windshield and the scenery violently shifted as the suburban handled the rough trail.

 

Suddenly Rick slammed on the brakes bringing the large vehicle to a full stop, and said – Listen!!

 

Over the horizon a Marked ACPS troop helicopter flew rapidly at treetop level.

 

Chapter 9: Dead Sky

It was a fluke that the Blackhawk co-pilot even saw the Suburban as he flew fast over the treetops to the house.  He had turned his head and banked the chopper at just the right moment to see the outline of the front of a vehicle sitting under the cover of a tree lined trail.

 

Looking at his pilot he pointed told what he had seen and asked.  “Should we check them out?  It looks like they might be leaving the place we are heading too.”  The pilot checked with the ACPS Liason and asked him. 

 

The Liaison yelled into his headphones, “No, The people we are after are driving an old Nova not a Suburban.  If we need them we can pick them up later……..”  “However” he added his voice breaking over the speaker, “call the ground unit in to check them out.”

 

The  BlackHawk was flying under a payload of 6 fully equipped troops, and was armed with Two 7.62mm “crew served” machine guns, and a single pod of Hydra 70 (2.75 in) rockets (7-shot pod); with everything locked and loaded.

 

The men had heard from the Major about the dead squad and how they were attacked by 4 or 5 rebels who ambushed them.  However they were under direct orders to bring everyone back alive and in good condition. 

 

The pilot knew the major expected one or two dead, their always were.  But he had given everyone strict orders to bring back Jack and Jill alive if possible.

 

The pilot reached for the microphone and radioed to the ground unit that was still several miles away.  Relaying the information to them, he gave approximate coordinates of the vehicle.

 

Breaking into a wide arch and flaring the Black Hawk about ¼ mile away from the farmhouse, the pilot landed the chopper and the men unloaded.  All six of them were fully equipped and ready for action.  They were pissed they had to walk; usually they were driven to the doorstep of a place, broke down the door and started swinging.

 

SSgt Doug Johnson was in charge of the ENTRY team; looked toward the ACPS liaison officer, who for some reason decided on accompanying them on this mission.  Usually the ACPS pricks stayed out of the action and relegated themselves to at most guarding the vehicles.

 

Of course if there was a foul-up they were always there to assign blame.  This time was unusual however.  The SSgt knew enough about the military - to know something big was happening.  It wasn’t like the ACPS guy’s to be risking their necks by going into the house with them.

 

As the team approached the property that was listed as the suspects home of record, they tried to take advantage of cover and concealment as much as possible.  However there was almost nowhere to hide.  SSgt Johnson hated this.  Something was wrong.  The house was unapproachable from almost every direction and if someone was in the house, they had a clear field of fire down on his men.

 

Suddenly about 25 yards from the house, one of the men yelled and a burst of gunfire was heard.  SSgt Johnson turned in time to see the largest dog he had ever seen leap from where it was hidden in the grass, the dog snarling and growling grabbed the Trooper around the neck, nearly tearing his head off.  The troopers initial burst missed the dog but seemed to have no effect.  Several of the men opened fire on the dog, and as the dog crested a rise in the hill, he stumbled and obviously hit fell. 

 

Immediately SSgt Johnson knowing their element of surprise had been blown, ordered the men to charge the house.  Still feeling very nervous about the situation, his entry team reached the door and as they had practiced and exercised hundreds of times slammed the door down with a portable [36]Dynamic Entry tool.

 

All eight men stormed into the house, covering each other and working in a tight efficient formation.  It was a large house and it took almost 10 minutes to ensure it was clear of people.  Only then did SSgt Johnson feel the dread that had haunted him all day lift from his body.  It was then that he heard the sound of the clock on the mantle strike, it was a pleasant sound perfect for a day like today, in fact the whole house was quiet.  Moving over to the table he looked at the plates and table settings.  A mug of coffee was still on the table, just the perfect temperature for drinking. 

 

Realizing that someone had been or was here, he silently motioned over to his men.  It was then for some reason he realized that the oven timer was on.  For some reason he thought of cookies as the digital timer display counted down 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.  His last rational thought was interrupted as over 75lbs of strategically placed C4 exploded killing all the men in the house.

 

The pilot daydreaming was idly fingering his old .45 1911A when the sudden explosion caught him unaware, startling him and the co-pilot so violently he jumped and hit his head on the roof of the chopper, opening a gash in the top of his head that started bleeding immediately.  In a panic he started radioing the team.  He got back only static.  Running scarred he started warming up the chopper, he needed to get out of here………..

 

Ground crew support leader Rhandy, was heading for the last reported location of the suburban when he heard the call from the pilot of the Black Hawk.  It sounded like things had gone bad for them.  No one was picking up any of the radio calls.

 

After the explosion Rick put the Suburban into gear.  Unaware he had been spotted by the pilot, he drove slowly in a manner designed not to damage or attract attention to the vehicle or passengers.  Damn, Jack really did it this time.  “He must have had things go really bad, they even sent in air support……….”

 

Reaching the main road, Rick turned right and started driving down the back road route that would lead them to the hideaway that they had prepared.  Moving at a rapid pace they, noticed that a few minutes later that several ACPS vehicles were following them lights and sirens blaring.  Yelling at the kids to get down, he slammed the accelerator down and the lights and sirens fell behind them, after a few minutes they could not even be seen.

 

Rhandy realizing he was had lost the race with the Suburban urgently radioed to the Black Hawk Pilot asking for support.  The pilot angry and stunned beyond reason lifted off and following the road soon came upon the suburban.  It was the last bend in a road that was straight for miles.  The pilot pushed the twin-turbine engine to its limit and leapt directly next to the Suburban. 

 

Rudy, watched the chopper grow closer.  It was a loosing battle the chopper kept coming, bearing down on them like a freight train.  Suddenly a burst of gunfire peppered the rear of the Suburban, Rudy fired back with his MP5, but it was no match against the armored chopper and its crew served weapon.

 

The pilot heard the sound of gunfire and looked back, the co-pilot had moved from his seat and had manned the crew served M60 7.62 machine gun.  The gun had been loaded with M61 Armor piercing ammunition, and they chewed up the suburban like Swiss cheese. 

 

Rudy heard the bullets from the M60 hit the pavement and then the body of the suburban as Rick swung the wheel hard to the left and right attempting to throw the co-pilots aim off.

 

A round from the M60 pierced through the passenger front door striking Rudy in the head before he could bring his weapon to bear killing him instantly as the bullet entered his head and exploded it like a melon.  

 

The same round his Rick in the upper thigh and went through the floorboard.  Rick continued to drive through the pain, three of the tires were flat but the magnesium run-flat rims were holding up.

 

The boys were screaming as the sound of the machine gun continued to fill the suburban.  From the corner of his eye Rick saw a puff of smoke from the chopper, and realizing it was a rocket flung the wheel to the right as fast as he could.  The suburban sluggishly turned, just enough to dodge a direct hit by the rocket. 

 

However, the turn was to sharp and in slow motion the Suburban overturned on the on the pavement.  The Suburban was suddenly airborne as it launched itself off of the roadway.  Dust, oil and the smell of cordite permeated the air as the Suburban rolled several times and finally came to rest.

 

The Suburban landed on its side and as the dust settled Rick heard the chopper turn for another pass.  Rick heart leapt as he looked into the back of the Suburban and saw the kids, belted in and protected by Roll bar struggle against their restraints.  One of the doors was partially open and Sten was kicking it as hard as he could.  Rick yelled, Get OUT!!!, Get OUT!!!, RUN!!! RUN!!.

 

After a couple of seconds Sten was able to exit the mangled Suburban and helping his sister out.  “As Sten moved to help Rick; Rick yelled “RUN Kids!!!, RUN!! and hide!! Otherwise we all die…….”  Rick seeing the butt of Rudys discarded MP5 grabbed it and placing it in burst fire mode, began to lay down suppressing fire while yelling, RUN!!, RUN!!, RUN!! – Head for cover……. 

 

The boys began to run blindly, tripping over each other as bullets smashed around them.  Sten tripped and fell, looking behind him he realized that he tripped over one of the duffel bags that had been loaded into the Suburban earlier.  By instinct he grabbed it and continued to run.  After a minute of hard running the boys reached cover behind a small hill where they hid.  Unseen by the attackers they looked down and could see the chopper as it pounded away into the Suburban.

 

Rick had managed to extricate himself from behind the wrecked Suburban he had taken cover behind.  The boys watched as he switched the MP5 back to single fire, took careful aim at the chopper and fired, with that single shot the door gunner fell back and then partially out of the chopper, held in place by only a partially shoulder strap.

 

Rick, taking advantage of the break in the firing reloaded and started to turn to run for better cover, as the Suburban was had been disintegrating rapidly.  As he turned the chopper came around again, Rick knew as soon as the chopper turned that his time on this earth was over. 

 

The rocket hit 3 feet in front of him, the explosion vaporizing a large part of his body and destroying what remained of the Suburban.  Sten and Adam watched in terror, shaking with fear at what they just witnessed.  Still to shocked to even register that their bodyguard, friend and teacher was now dead.

 

After 6 minutes, Rhandy and his team showed up.  Rhandy looking at the remains of the vehicle looked at the pilot and said, FUBAR.  We were supposed to bring these people back for questioning.  What were you thinking?  Do you know how much trouble we are in now?  What were you thinking?!?  The pilot with blood drying on his forehead looked at him with a dazed expression and said, “the ENTRY team is dead.  The entire team…….”  Then looking at the lifeless bodies of his co-pilot, and began to vomit.

 

Chapter 10: Death

Jack and Jill were traveling down Route 6 when unbeknownst to them a facial recognition scanner picked up their faces, instantly scanning them and retrieving their profiles from the database, it then sent an alarm back to ACPS head quarters.

 

Without conferring with his superiors the receiving agent activated a roadblock 15 miles ahead of them then notified his watch commander.

 

Jack was getting nervous, just 20 miles to go and they would turn off the main roadways and would be out of reach of the cameras.  The cameras were always a problem, they were hard to avoid.  Jack had the scanner running on all the ACPS channels listening intently for news.  Suddenly they heard a burst of traffic about a missing Entry squad….  But it was cut short by static and a voice that said “Subject car approaching.”

 

It took a second for Jack to realize they were talking about him as suddenly a metal automated roadblock barrier rose out of the pavement in front of them.  Jack swerved to miss it, clipping the rear of the Nova against it violently.  The Nova started to handle sluggishly as Jack struggled for control.  Jack suddenly realized that the tires were going flat.  He must have his some stop strips at the barrier.  Jack, put the accelerator down to the floor as sweat started poring from his face.

 

Jill sat ashen faced next to him.

 

“Five miles to go, only five stinking miles…” Jack muttered to himself, however from where he sat it might as well be 200.  The tires were almost all out of air, and there were at least 5 pursuit vehicles behind him.

 

If he could just get into the hills they had a chance of evading these guys.  Jack’s Nova, plowed on as several ACPS vehicles joined the chase.  At the turn-out Jack swung a hard right onto the dirt road that gave access to their hideaway.

 

One of the ACPS vehicles missed the turn and landed in the ditch.  Jack looked over his right shoulder and saw 5 vehicles still pursuing.  Suddenly a burst of gunfire burst out over the sound of the motors, they had started firing on him.  The lead vehicle had a man leaning out of it blazing away with a handgun.

 

Suddenly Jack heard the sound of breaking glass and a cry from Jill, he turned and saw her bleeding from the center of her chest.  “Jill, Jill….” “Oh, my God, Jill”.  Jack knew Jill was badly hurt. 

 

Jack looked over and saw Jill take a shallow breath.  Feeling around he found a round had, after going through the rear window, and the passenger seat had entered her back exiting at her collarbone.

 

Saying, hang on honey.  “I’m stopping, maybe if I pull over they can get you to a doctor.”  “I can’t loose you.”

 

With a ragged, breath Jill whispered.  “Jack, Jack if you pull over you will loose me forever.”  “Keep going, I want to be with the boy’s…..”  Jill’s voice faded into nothing and Jack could see the darkness as it crept into her once vibrant body, replacing her energy with lifelessness.  “Jack… so cold, I’m so cold….” “Don’t leave me……..”

 

Jack said, “I promise you, I will never leave you”

 

Then she was gone.  Her mortal coil released into the sweet arms of her savior.  Disengaging itself from its frail tabernacle of sin, suffering, and death – Jack envisioned it mounting on the wings of an eagle; at rest forever.

 

For several lost seconds, Jack stroked Jill’s silken hair with his free hand and comforted her as best he could. 

 

Several more rounds rained down on the Nova, and Jack enraged at what had happened and uncaring for his own life, grabbed his Glock and blindly fired back, until the slide clicked back on the empty magazine. 

 

Slamming a fully loaded magazine into the Glock he slammed on the brakes to the Nova so suddenly that the ACPS Car suddenly appeared directly across from him.  Seeing the driver of the car in his sight, Jack emptied an entire clip into both driver and passenger killing them both.

 

With a lurch, the Nova started smoking; Jack could still see four cars behind him.  He would be walking soon.  Struggling to wipe the tears from his eyes, he forced himself to focus on getting out harms way so he could meet his children.

 

Fortunately Jack knew this are well ahead of him was a sharp turn with a steep grade.  If he did a little off-roading and went down the hill, he might buy himself a little time.  Swinging the wheel to the left the car left the road and careened down the hill, it was an audacious maneuver, one that caught all four of the pursuing vehicles by surprise. 

 

For Jack it was a hellish ride, struggling to keep the car upright he swung the wheel to the left and right avoiding the largest of the rocks.  Suddenly 200 yards ahead he saw the end of the hill.  As bullets fell around him, he got ready to move.

 

The Nova was only going 5mph now.  Jack, tears in his eyes turned and whispered to  Jill’s still body, “I Love you and always will” “I’m sorry for everything, you deserved much better than this.”  “I will never leave you”

 

With those final words Jack leapt from the Nova as it rolled to a stop, bullets rained down around him Jack pulled out what gear he had with him and prepared for the inevitable confrontation that was to come. 

 

Jack was going to keep his promise to Jill.  He was not going to leave her, his way of escape was clear.  But before they took his wife – they would be forced to take him. 

 

Jack started counting his ammo…..