Resistance Rising

by Matthew Savage

  “I wonder sometimes how much more of this I can take,” Sarah said wiping her eyes. “It feels as if we have already lost so many.”

  “War cost lives and the more we fight the more we will lose,” Steven said. He rubbed her head as he held her.

  “This is the part that no one talks about,” Sarah said.

  Sarah slumped to the ground. Steven sat next to her. Their backs were against the wall. Steven had his arm around Sarah. She put her head on his shoulder.

  “No one talks about how many people will die and what we might lose in this war,” Sarah said. “I can’t imagine what this war will look like when it becomes an open war. I know we are close. Our forces grow and we are preparing to stand up to the government.”

  “I don’t know what it will look like, but this is what it takes to stop them. We can’t stop because we are afraid of losing people. The government won’t stop. They aren’t going to fix the problems in this country. They don’t care who is starving or people who can barely afford to be in their homes.” Steven looked at Sarah. “President Marshal only wants control. He is the only one who gains anything. He has gained more wealth and power. It doesn’t matter to him what it has cost.

  “You’re right. We can’t stop fighting,” Sarah said.

  She kissed Steven. They held each other on the ground for several moments before Steven helped her up. They walked back towards the room where everyone was gathered. Before they made it back Captain Underwood came out from the stairwell. He slowly approached them.

  “You too doing alright?” He asked. His voice was solemn.

  “We are doing alright, Will,” Sarah said.

  “I know it is tough. Trust me I know more than most. I would be lying if I said it gets easier. Somehow we manage to just continue to go on. You know?”

  “I think so,” Steven said.

  Captain Underwood nodded and looked at his watch.

  “I spoke to the captain of the ship. He said we should be arriving in an hour or so.”

  “We expect any kind of company when we arrive?” Steven asked.

  “No more than usual. We have prepared proper transportation which should make things easier.” Captain Underwood explained. “If we are lucky it will go without a hitch. Moving… him,” Sarah knew he meant Agent Young. “Moving him will be the harder part,” Captain Underwood said. “The Captain reassures us that he has things in place so that we should be able to move without being noticed.”

  “How did he do that?” Steven asked.

  “I think he bribed some people,” Captain Underwood said.

  Sarah and Steven were surprised that Captain Underwood was so matter-of-fact about it. Sarah felt that was a risk. Captain Underwood quickly addressed their look of concern.

  “This is pretty common,” Captain Underwood said. “Corruption is something we can take advantage of.”

  “Isn’t it risky?” Sarah asked. “I mean what if he is taking bribes to catch criminals?”

  “That might be the case but most of the time it isn’t like that.” Captain Underwood explained, “He works on the docks most likely alone. Which means he doesn’t split it with anyone. He makes extra money and we can do what we want. He doesn’t support our cause but he is helping whether he knows it or not.”

  The three of them entered the room. Everyone gathered their things and prepared for their arrival at the docks. Captain Underwood explained that they would be taken into port where there would be trucks waiting to bring them and the cargo to an airfield several miles from the docks. When they arrive at the airfield they would be loaded onto a plane and arrive near D.I Headquarters in a matter of hours. Sarah was looking forward to getting back. She missed her brother. Being away on missions meant there was no communication with people at the base.

  The boat started to slowly pull into the docks. Foxhound Squad and their new members gathered in the cargo bay of the ship. Jonah was there. He talked casually to his troops. The group had to be loaded into storage containers and wait to be placed on the truck. The container was cramped. The body of Agent Young took much a lot of space but no one complained. Everyone was careful not fall on him. They could feel the container be lifted and put onto a truck. It was a strange sensation that Sarah didn’t enjoy.

  When the truck took off the group found it hard to stand. By the time they arrived at the airfield everyone had sat on the ground, most were on top of one another. When the door opened and they were allowed to go on the plane Sarah was so relieved. The group moved as fast as they could. They found a spot on the plane were Agent Young’s body wouldn’t be disturbed. The group then found anyplace they could sit.

  The cargo plane was packed. Sarah sat next to Steven. They were shoulder to shoulder which was perfect for Sarah because she wanted to lean on him. When the plane took off that was around the time Sarah started to nod off. She wasn’t very comfortable. The plane ride home was rocky. This made sleeping challenging. At least for Sarah. Steven snored most of the trip back until they landed. This woke him up. He stretched and Sarah put her hands on his chest. This made him smile. He kissed her cheek. She thought about if they would have alone time when they arrived at the base. She hoped they would. Even a few hours would be enough for her.

  The plane came to a stop and the large door the cargo area opened. Captain Underwood led everyone to a small hangar where several D.I vehicles were waiting for them. The soldiers saluted Captain Underwood as they arrived. He ordered them to help load Agent Young’s body into one of the larger vehicles. Everyone did their best to find a car to get into and before Sarah knew it they were on their way to Headquarters.

  Sarah spotted the mountain range and knew the way they were taking. It seemed the travel from airport to Headquarters was becoming more familiar. Sarah was in a car with Steve, Ms. Hill, Sergeant Miller and one of the new recruits. They both looked in awe when they spotted the hotel turned military base. Sarah watched their reaction as the car drove into the mountain and in the hangar that was under the hotel. Sarah felt they must have wondered how President Powell managed to construct the building without drawing attention.

  The hangar doors opened and the light hit them. Sarah’s eyes adjusted quickly. She could see more troops in the hanger than ever before. We are going to need a bigger base soon if we keep growing at this rate Sarah thought to herself. The vehicles came to an area which must have been turned into the designated parking lot. Cars and trucks of different types seemed to stretch from wall to wall. Sarah couldn’t believe how much equipment they had gathered.

  Everyone exited their vehicles. Director Moore and General Wilkins marched towards them. Everyone stood at attention for the General, who ordered ‘as you were’. He proceeded to walk straight to Ms. Hill and Captain Underwood.

  “General,” Ms. Hill said. “It is good to see you. You too Director.”

  “We are pleased you are safe,” General Wilkins said. “We wondered what happened to you. President Powell wishes to speak to you as soon as possible.”

  “I figured he would. I am pleased you all have been busy without me,” She laughed and looked around the room.

  “My men will take you to the President’s office. I will be there shortly. I have to speak with Foxhound Squadron.”

  Captain Underwood ordered everyone over. Steven and Orson had been directing the newcomers. Soldiers were there to help organize and process the newcomers. Jonah followed his men. Steven shook his hand before running over to Captain Underwood.

  “What is going on?” Sarah asked.

  She looked around. She wondered where Nolan was. She figured he would have been waiting for them to arrive but she couldn’t find him anywhere. It was late, maybe they hadn’t woken him up?

  “Where is Nolan?” Sarah asked.

  “That is what we are going to get to,” Director Moore said.

  Her stomach dropped. Something had happened while they were gone, but what could have happened? When everyone gathered around General Wilkins spoke. />
  “I have a mission,” General Wilkins said. They all seemed to have shocked looks on their face. General Wilkins continued. “While you were gone we sent Nolan on a mission to the Quad Cities in Indiana. He was to get a rebel cell led by your cousin Lee,” He pointed at Sarah. “While he was there he found out about the USSB taking civilians and using them as slave labor. Nolan destroyed the factory and got the Quad Cities to overthrow the USSB occupation. Now we need to find a way to save the city.”

  “Save the City?” Mary asked.

  “That’s right.” General Wilkins said. “The Indiana National Guard are outside the cities waiting to attack. There has already been some fighting. As of now the situation is being hushed by the US Government.” He looked at Mary. “Sergeant Underwood, you are being promoted to Captain. You are going to reinforce them. At least until we can get more troops into that area. The City is quickly being surrounded and soon they will run out of supplies. We are undecided as of now what to do about the city.”

  “Where will I be?” Captain Underwood asked.

  “We need you to get back to your work. We will need your intelligence now more than ever,” The General said. Sarah noticed now how tired he seemed. “I would love to send you, Will but I need you here. I am sorry.”

  “How many people will I be taking, sir?” Mary asked.

  “I have around two hundred people you can take. We are trying to find out if Admiral Hayes can get any support weaponry to you. We don’t imagine the National Guard will bomb the city but we can’t be too careful.” The General said. He seemed weary but into of his emotions.

  Sarah got the impression that things were moving faster than anyone expected. This meant command was struggling to keep up. Sarah though had faith in Sergeant Mary or Captain Mary now. She would be able to keep the National Guard at bay until Admiral Hayes would arrive.

  “We can do this, sir,” Mary said.

  “Alright Captain, however your team will not be able to join you. I am going to need Sarah and Steven for something different. Mary, Orson, get changed to battle gear. You are leaving as soon as possible,” General Wilkins said.

  Sarah and Steven stood shocked as General Wilkins and Director Moore moved to leave the hangar.

  “General,” Sarah said and moved towards him. “I need to help my brother. I must go with.”

  “Trust me, you will be helping him,” The General said and left them standing there confused.

  Captain Underwood put his hand on her shoulder and turned to Mary. He embraced her and whispered something in her ear. Sarah couldn’t hear what he said but heard Mary say “I will,” She gave him a big kiss before ordering Orson to follow her. Sarah wasn’t sure what her mission was but Nolan was surrounded by National Guard troops if she was going to help him it needed to happen now. Sarah turned to Director Moore hoping he would answer her question. Dir

  “Director,” Sarah said. Director Moore turned to face her. “What sort of mission am I going on that would mean helping Nolan without going to him?” Sarah asked.

  Director Moore sighed. He ran his head through his hair and looked around the hanger. It was busy and this seemed to him that they would not be over heard. Director Moore to a step towards Sarah. She had the urge to take a step away from but fought the urge. He must have wanted to make sure he wasn’t heard. In a cool voice Director Moore whispered to Sarah “You are going to go to the Capital and take this war to them,”

  A message from Matthew Savage:

  I really hoped you enjoyed reading this book. I would assume that if you read this you have already read A Democracy Fallen, which is the first book in the Second American Civil War Series. If you haven’t I would recommend it.

  It is also very important to preserve our democracy. One way to do that is by going out and exercising our right to vote. You can register to vote at vote.gov. Doing something as simple as voting can change things. We have voice and we should make sure it is heard.

  Other Books by Matthew Savage:

  A Democracy Fallen (Second American Civil War Series Book 1)

  The Death of a Senator (Short Story) in the Second American Civil War Series

  Both of these books can be found on Amazon.

  Be sure to find me facebook.com@mattthewsavagewrites for more updates on future releases.

  Always remember to take care of the people who take care of you.