Revolution

by Mark Church

  Dark Triad

  Revolution

  Mark W. Church

  Copyright © 2020 Mark W. Church

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN 13: 9781709670107

  DEDICATION

  I would like to dedicate this book to my parents, Buck (Hubert Nathan) and Jean (Leita Imogene Bounds) Church. We don’t pick our parents, so I guess I won the lottery when God was handing them out. I’m confident my success would have suffered if not for their love, wisdom and guidance.

  I will be forever grateful for their sacrifices; as they often went without to make sure my siblings and I had everything we needed. They were consistent anchors in an otherwise crazy world, which meant a lot to unsure youngsters trying to find their way.

  Mom and Dad, thanks for always being there; then and now. You mean the world to me, and I love you both dearly; and above all else, I hope I did you proud.

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Dark Triad

  Prologue

  vii

  ix

  xi

  1 Washington, DC

  2 The Refuge

  3 Ranger Station

  4 Canines and Secrets

  5 False Eden

  6 Hidden Treasures

  7 Birth of Dissent

  8 Allies and Alliances

  9 New Recruit

  10 New Town

  11 Good Graces

  12 Three Down and Faith

  13 Director of Re-education

  14 The Reluctant Army

  15 Pay Dirt

  16 Alliances and Militias

  17 Destination: Missouri

  18 Fallout

  19 The Witness

  20 Preparations and Training Begins

  21 The Recruits

  22 Ready for Transmission

  23 Basic training

  24 Predator Becomes Prey

  25 The Enemy at the Gates

  26 Final Prep

  27 First Contact

  28 Mark your Target

  29 Calm Before the Storm

  30 They’re coming

  31 The Showdown

  32 Through Better or Worse

  Epilogue

  1

  9

  16

  27

  38

  47

  61

  67

  81

  87

  97

  101

  113

  122

  129

  141

  148

  157

  161

  173

  179

  188

  194

  199

  205

  210

  214

  219

  223

  227

  232

  240

  243

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Once again, I’d like to thank my wife, Vicki, for the encouragement (and sometimes prodding) to finish this book. If not for her help, the end product would have suffered greatly. My affection is endless, and my love profound.

  I’d also like to recognize my children, Jake and Hannah, my two greatest accomplishments. Both are amazing in their own unique way; I wouldn’t change a thing about either one of them. I love them both without condition.

  Finally, I’d like to thank my many readers who waited patiently for me to finish this book (many promised deadlines came and went); I hope it doesn’t disappoint.

  Oops, I almost forgot my loyal Pit Bull, Bully. My bundle of muscle and joy inspires me every day to get off my butt and move (whether I want to or not). Big huggers, Bully boy!

  Dark Triad

  The “dark triad” is a group of three personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. The term “dark” implies that people with high scores on these three traits have the following malevolent qualities:

  Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, pride, egotism, and a lack of empathy

  Machiavellianism is characterized by the manipulation and exploitation of others, a cynical disregard for morality, and a focus on self-interests and deception.

  Psychopathy is characterized by antisocial behavior, impulsivity, selfishness, callousness, and remorselessness.

  Adapted from Wikipedia.

  PROLOGUE

  In the mid-twenty-first century, World War III, known as the War of Revelations, brought the human race to the brink of annihilation. As a matter of self-preservation, the warring superpowers convened an emergency session, where they negotiated an armistice. To ensure compliance, they put forth a proposal in which the attending powers would collectively govern what remained of the world’s populace. The prospect of collective governance gave legitimacy to a powerful minority that had long supported the “one world government” ideology. With the opposition too weak to intervene either politically or militarily, the global government ideology gained traction, and the United Federation (UF) was born.

  The UF’s first order of business was developing and implementing a strategy that would prevent any future global conflicts. The foundation of this strategy included the dissolution of country borders and the sharing of global resources. While the creation of the UF and its global cooperation plan helped to mitigate the immediate crisis, its long-term effects were dubious at best. Although the populace cheered the UF’s socialist policies in the early stages, it soon became clear that these policies were not viable in the long term. After only a few years, civil society once again found itself in a downward spiral. Drastic intervention was necessary for the leadership to hold onto its power.

  Confronted with another humanitarian disaster, the UF realized that its strategy was unsustainable. Food and drinking water became scarce; malnutrition and starvation were commonplace. Public resources such as electricity, fuel, and transportation were largely unavailable. Because appropriate shelter and emergency-response mechanisms were not in place, natural events such as harsh winters and extreme summers became particularly devastating.

  Especially in the large cities, morality disappeared. Crime spiraled out of control, and civil unrest grew. Local police departments were disbanded and replaced with UF soldiers. Citizens were no longer protected, and individual rights ceased to exist. Savagery and violence became a way of life for many. The weak and the timid were exploited. Survival of the fittest is a more apt description of the human condition.

  The soldiers silenced anyone who dared to speak out against the government. General unrest was met with devastating brutality. While the UF leadership and their supporters enjoyed a comfortable existence, the general populace suffered great hardship.

  In an attempt to maintain control over its disillusioned citizenry, the government promised enhanced aid to dispersed populations if they agreed to consolidate geographically. Largely dependent on the government and with few alternatives, the majority of the world’s populations relocated to government-controlled relief zones (RZs). When they arrived at these RZs, the people were discouraged to find that necessities such as healthcare, food, and water were still woefully inadequate. They were equally disheartened to learn that the RZs were rife with disease, despair, and violent crime.

  A few self-reliant people managed to eke out a living without the government’s help. These people are generally found in rural areas all around the globe; they are commonly referred to as the Bohemians, or the Independents. The Bohemians thrived because they were resourceful, hardworking, and inventive. Unlike their RZ-bound counterparts, their quality of life steadily improved. Plants and animals flourished in the vacated countryside providing them with a sustainable food supply.

  In the early days after the war, the government coexisted amicably with the Bohemians. Their self-sufficie
ncy took pressure off the government while it attempted to provide for those who were relocating to the RZs.

  As illogical as it may have seemed, the government’s hands-off policy began to change once the RZs began to devolve into glorified slums. The government became increasingly insistent that Bohemians relocate to an RZ. It attempted to deceive them with tales of easy living and endless resources. While the Bohemians were unaware of the true conditions found within the RZs, most were generally happy with their existence and were reluctant to relocate. As the government grew more adamant, so grew the Bohemians’ distrust of the government. They increasingly saw soldiers pressuring their neighbors, which only served to reinforce their suspicions.

  The Bohemians’ distrust eventually turned to alarm once they witnessed their fellow Independents being rounded up and taken away—and in some cases, murdered—when they refused to take orders from the increasingly aggressive soldiers. The government’s pressure on the Bohemians to move to the already-overcrowded RZs may have seemed to be a counterproductive strategy, but there was a very sinister motive behind it. After centralizing the bulk of the world population in the so-called relief zones, the government executed one of the most heinous crimes ever perpetrated on the human race, mass extermination.

  The government's sinister plan was carried out quite efficiently. Spreading a lethal virus throughout the RZ’s, they successfully eliminated most of the targeted citizenry. They intend to ‘reboot’ the human race by eliminating those that they considered weak, disconnected or a threat, while preserving those they deemed to be healthiest, brightest and most compliant. Aside from the more favorable qualities, political affiliation held big sway when determining one's fate. This obviously weighed heavily in favor of government officials and their families. A vaccine provided to the ‘protected class’ weeks before the purge began ensured only those targeted would succumb to sickness.

  The pockets of Bohemian’s (rebels) that survived did so because they avoided relocation to the RZ’s. These rebels are loose ends that the government still needs to address. They intend to seek out and destroy these rebellious pockets, but the Bohemian’s have other ideas and they are not going down without a fight. With a renewed action by the government to cleanse the world of these so-called “undesirables”, the rebels are once again forced to fight for their survival.

  The government's spring campaign to finish the rebels will be bloody and brutal but the rebels won’t be the pushovers that the government expects them to be. Their desire to not only survive but thrive, burns bright in each man and woman. They are battle tested and tough which makes them especially dangerous adversaries. The following months and years will not only determine their fate but also the fate of mankind. They say that it is darkest before the dawn; at this point in history, dawn must be lying just over the horizon.

  1 Washington, DC

  A twenty-five-foot-high masonry wall surrounds the boundaries of Washington DC (DC), the last viable city on the North American continent. No matter where one stands, it stretches in either direction as far as the eye can see. With the exception of where the city borders the Potomac River, the only breaks in the wall’s seemingly never-ending expanse, are the occasional entry and exit gates and strategically placed observation towers rising above the imposing barrier. To the casual observer, the fortification is reminiscent of medieval castle walls, complete with turrets.

  There is a stark difference between life outside of the wall and life within. Those inside the wall enjoy a comfortable life, complete with all of the modern-day creature comforts. The city's present condition is far superior to its pre-war self. Prior to the war, most of the city was beleaguered by crime, corruption, and blight. The vast majority of ordinary citizens were living in poverty and subsisted on government assistance while the small minority, politicians, and the wealthy (often, one in the same) enjoyed an opulent lifestyle.

  Now, only the ruling class, wealthy, and well-connected claim current day DC as their home; aside from servants, the lower class no longer exists. Current day DC is without question the most modern city in the world. It’s roughly two hundred thousand residents enjoy a quality of life unimaginable to most. The planners intend for it to serve as a model for all future cities, on this continent and abroad.

  Five very powerful Supreme Justices, headed by Chief Justice Scoreto, lead the global government operating out of DC. These Justices preside over a one hundred seat Congress that controls world affairs.

  Justice Scoreto attained the highest position in government by using loyal, high ranking SF leaders to crush all who opposed him. He is an arrogant, self-serving narcissist who brutally forces his will on those whom he’s supposed to serve. His closest allies are General Gage, the head of the Special Forces (SF), and the four other supreme justices, all of whom share a similar worldview and possess many of the same moral deficiencies.

  While many of the lower ranking justices don’t always approve of the tactics used by the Supreme Justices, they refrain from risking their positions by dissenting. Their obedience offers them and their families an easy life, and even when ethical concerns become overwhelming, fear of reprisal prevents them from speaking out.

  ✽✽✽

  The area just outside of the city’s barrier walls includes a small airport and a relatively narrow expanse of land that follows the wall’s perimeter. The borderland is roughly one mile wide. It serves as a buffer zone between DC and long-ago abandoned communities that were extensions of the city before the war. The current city planners wanted an open space for security reasons, so they razed the buildings and other structures before removing the debris and repurposing the land.

  The airport they built is used infrequently since very few airplanes remain operational due to the magnitude of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) bomb attacks during the war. These attacks destroyed the computer boards that controlled modern day equipment including most mechanized vehicles, ships, and airplanes. Those that were impacted were left completely disabled.

  A few VIP aircraft managed to survive because they were protected against the electronic surge. The surviving planes and helicopters are reserved for the official business of politicians, diplomats, and military brass.

  The vast majority of the cleared land has been converted into agricultural fields, prairies and grazing areas. Fruits and vegetables are grown in agricultural fields while other sections are utilized for grazing livestock. Large sections of unused borderland are maintained as native prairie land where rabbits, quail and other wildlife can flourish. The native prairie habitat provides city inhabitants with a source of sport, entertainment, and food.

  With the exception of DC and its buffer zone, the countryside has returned to a remote frontier. Building remnants and other dilapidated structures cover the continent’s landscape where human communities once flourished. Native flora and fauna have overtaken the decaying structures, turning concrete jungles into actual jungles.

  Only the military outposts strategically placed near the now abandoned Relief Zones (RZ) are maintained and inhabited, with the exception of an undetermined number of rebel communities.

  The RZ, where the majority of the populace lived for a brief time, are nothing more than huge, vacant ghost towns that boast a history of unspeakable horrors.

  With the exception of the Bohemian’s (or rebels) who managed to avoid capture, average citizens spared during the Purge have been forced into slavery (as so-called servers). Relatively healthy individuals without representation, means or name recognition, were ideal candidates. Those selected as servers who were unwilling (or unable) to act in this capacity, were terminated along with the rest of the general population.

  Servers’ lives are ones of little joy and little hope. Not permitted to have families, server castration ensures against unwanted pregnancies and renders the males docile and compliant. Because of the physical demand placed on most servers, their life expectancy is far less than that of general citizens.

  Ther
e is no place in this ‘new’ world for the downtrodden, the handicapped, or the sick. It’s a generally accepted idea that it is merciful to put the weak out of their misery. The principle is masked as compassion when, in reality, the ‘haves’ simply don’t want to be bothered and they don’t want to share with those they view as inferior. The elites are heartless, cruel, egomaniacs who hold others to a standard that they themselves do not meet.

  The UF goal is to cleanse the human race of those they deem unworthy. By restricting human reproduction to those with favorable genetics, the UF believes that they can create a highly progressive, superior society. To protect the integrity of the gene pool, traditional conception is no longer permitted in favor of laboratory fertilization and surrogate host mothers. On the occasion that an otherwise healthy baby fails to meet UF standards, babies are either killed or relegated to server status which is, debatably, even more cruel.

  Beyond the moral, ethical, and spiritual issues around this ‘super society’, the term ‘favorable genetics’ is ambiguous. The irony is that only a few at the top, who are far from perfect themselves, decide the criteria. As with most powerful people, corruption and conceit grows along with power, and it’s that corruption and conceit coupled with an un-Godly plan, that warps their vision.

  ✽✽✽