Revolution

by Mark Church

  Eli is touched by Hannah’s gentleness, “You’re good with kids. Do you have any of your own?”

  “None of my own.” Hannah returns to sit across from Eli, “but I’ve been around children most of my adult life.”

  “It shows.”

  “So where’s Grace’s mother?”

  “Dead.”

  “I’m sorry,” Hannah looks away into the distance. So much loss for so many people never fails to tug at her heartstrings.

  Eli looks towards the ground and quietly adds, “Yeah, me too.”

  “Were you married?”

  “Yeah, Ella and I were married about one year before Grace was born.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, how did she die?”

  Eli looks off to his right and seems to move to a distant emotional place before responding. “She was raped and murdered by a band of government soldiers.”

  Now it’s Hannah’s turn to drop her head and stare at the ground, “How terrible, does Grace know how it happened?”

  “No. Grace and I had been out hiking the day it happened and when we returned to an abandoned house that we were using for shelter, I found Ella near death. Thankfully, Grace had stayed outside to chase butterflies.”

  Eli takes a deep breath and exhales before continuing, “As Ella lay there dying, she told me what happened. I told her that I was going to find the soldiers that did this to her, but she pleaded with me to let them go. She said that Grace was more important than revenge. She made me promise to take Grace far away, somewhere safe.”

  “How did you explain it to Grace?”

  “I hid Ella’s body and told Grace that angels came to take her mommy while we were gone, and that God must have needed her in heaven.” Eli pauses to catch his breath.

  “As you would expect, Grace cried and pleaded with God to return her mommy. That went on for months before she eventually accepted that her mom was never coming back.” The weight of this pain was clearly stamped on Eli’s face.

  “When did this happen?”

  “About six months ago, which is about how long we’ve been on the road. We haven’t gotten very far but we’re on foot. Grace can only walk so far, and I can only carry her for so long. We’ve found a few places to hole up for a week or more, but something always forces us to move on.”

  “Where are you heading?”

  “South and warmer weather.”

  Hannah nods her head as she pulls her jacket collar up around her neck to block the cold breeze.

  “I can fill in more details later,” Eli offers, “but if you don’t mind, I’d like to hear your story.”

  “I guess that’s only fair.”

  Hannah briefly describes her life before and during the war before concentrating the bulk of her story on her time as a DC citizen. She initially leaves out her involvement with the resistance before deciding to give Eli a few rather ‘provocative’ details. She proceeds cautiously, judging Eli’s reaction with each new revelation.

  Eli listens with interest. Each new unveiling chips away at concerns that he has put Grace in a dangerous situation. His relief is visible as he slowly begins to realize that Hannah is more friend than foe.

  Seeing Eli’s reaction gives Hannah the confidence to reveal ever more details. She includes her relationship with Ken, Eva, and Carl as well as the government’s plans to eliminate all of the so-called rebels.

  When Hannah finishes, Eli sits back and contemplates before commenting, “So that explains how you ended up in this field in the middle of nowhere – with a vehicle stocked full of supplies.”

  Hannah nods her head.

  “So now that I know how you got here, where are you going?”

  “Missouri. Supposedly, there are people living there who are sympathetic to our cause.”

  Eli considers this before asking, “Do you mind if Grace and I tag along?”

  “I think that’d be alright. I’d enjoy the company.”

  Hannah and Eli’s reminiscing is interrupted by the sound of vehicles approaching from the west. They quickly crawl to the edge of Hannah’s camouflaged vehicle where they see what appears to be a civilian truck being pursued at a high rate of speed by two military vehicles. The truck is maneuvering back and forth on the road to keep the military vehicle from pulling alongside.

  All three vehicles speed past as the cat and mouse game continues. Just before they lose sight of the high-speed drama over a nearby hill, the lead truck loses control. It careens off the highway and turns over when it hits the uneven shoulder. It flips a few times before coming to rest back on its wheels.

  Hannah scrambles to retrieve her binoculars before returning to her place next to Eli. She focuses her attention on the disabled truck just as the military trucks pull alongside.

  Soldiers quickly exit the vehicles and surround the truck with guns drawn. They appear to be yelling at the truck’s occupants, but Hannah and Eli are too far away to hear what is being said.

  Soldiers advance on the truck from both sides. They pry open the truck doors and drag four people out onto the ground. They appear to be dazed but still able to stand. Hannah can see well enough to identify them as two men and two women.

  “Here,” Hannah passes the binoculars to Eli, “take a look.”

  Eli takes them and looks for a few seconds before returning them to Hannah.

  “This isn’t going to end well,” Hannah comments as she once again raises the binoculars.

  “I’m afraid not,” agrees Eli.

  Hannah watches as the soldiers line up their prisoners before forcing them to their knees. One of the soldiers, likely the one in command, begins yelling in the face of one of the kneeling men. He smacks him across the face and yells at him again. The man shakes his head and then stares defiantly at his interrogator.

  Without hesitation, the man doing the interrogating raises his pistol and shoots his captive in the forehead. The pistol report echoes up the highway.

  Hannah and Eli both recoil at the sound of the gunshot and swivel around quickly to look at Grace. Oblivious to the drama unfolding just a short distance away, she is still sleeping peacefully. They turn their attention back to the scene on the highway. The interrogator moves on to the next person in line. The defiant interaction is repeated, and it ends with the same results.

  The fate of the two remaining individuals ends much the same way as the disturbing scene plays out to its anticipated conclusion.

  The soldiers leave the bodies where they lay and rummage around in the truck. Hannah watches them carrying a few items back to their vehicles.

  The soldier who conducted the interrogations produces his own binoculars and begins scanning the area. Hannah watches nervously. If he sees them, they are as good as dead.

  Much to Hannah’s relief the interrogator drops his binoculars after a quick sweep of the area. He then raises his arm and swirls his hand in the air in an apparent command to mount up.

  The soldiers load in the vehicles and, in an instant, are on their way – thankfully, east, in the opposite direction from which Hannah is traveling.

  “That was too close,” Eli realizes he has been holding his breath as he watched the executions play out and tries to resume normal breathing.

  “Are you sure that you still want to come with me? If the soldiers find us we’ll suffer the same fate as those people on the highway.” Hannah warns.

  Eli thinks for a moment before saying, “I’m willing to take that risk. It’s the only way that Grace will have a chance at any kind of a life.”

  “Okay, then let’s get out of here before they come back.”

  18 fallout

  The Supreme Justices and the head of the SF, General Gage, have assembled in the congressional chambers. Their seats are positioned on an elevated half circle that overlooks gallery seating, which is filled with lower congressmen.

  Chief Justice Scoreto calls the hearing to order before requesting that the accused be brought into the chambers. Moments later Con
gressman Ken Klinton is escorted into the large room through a back doorway. Two large, uniformed guards flank him, one on each side as he walks up the center aisle. He stops when he reaches the podium positioned in front of the supreme justices.

  The congressman is sweating profusely. He’s scared and his supposed friends have turned their backs on him. He is a convenient scapegoat, and he’s sure they aim to make an example of him. The crime of which he has been accused is serious, and he’s well aware of the punishment if found guilty.

  Ever since learning of Hannah’s betrayal, he has lamented the day that he met her. He was such a gullible fool. The worst part is, she played him like a fiddle and he never even got to bed the little cunt.

  The chief justice begins the proceedings, “Congressman Klinton, you have been accused of dereliction of duties and treason. How do you respond?”

  “Not guilty, sir.”

  “We have evidence to the contrary,” the chief justice intones. “Congresswoman Pelosa, please read the charges against Congressman Klinton.”

  Congresswoman Pelosa outlines the two charges as well as the evidence that corroborates each of them.

  When she’s finished, Chief Justice Scoreto turns back to Congressman Klinton and announces, “We have first-hand testimony and eyewitnesses in addition to copious circumstantial evidence to substantiate the charges. Your guilt has already been established. It’s the degree of punishment that needs to be decided. Is there anyone in the chamber that will speak on Congressman Klinton’s behalf before we pass judgment?”

  Ken scans the room, searching for friendly faces. His old friends and colleagues look down when Ken’s pleading eyes fall on them. The chamber remains quiet.

  “If there’s nothing else to add, I’ll render my verdict.”

  Ken is visibly shaking. He turns back to the chief justice and pleads, “Please – I beg you for mercy. I didn’t know she was a spy. I have always been loyal to the United Federation. I…”

  “Silence,” snaps Chief Justice Scoreto as the guards grab Ken by his arms.

  “I find Congressman Klinton guilty of dereliction of duty due to the carelessness by which he protected government secrets. I also find him guilty of treason for hiding the fact that these secrets had been compromised.”

  Ken drops his head and begins to weep.

  “In spite of your crimes, I will take into consideration your years of service to the United Federation and apply mercy as I pass judgment.”

  Ken looks up hopefully.

  “I hereby sentence you to hard labor in the West Virginia coal mines.”

  Ken nearly collapses as the verdict is read.

  The chief justice continues, “You will not be eligible for parole and will spend your remaining years serving the people of the United Federation in a more ‘direct’ way.”

  Ken’s knees finally give out and he drops to the ground. He clasps his hand together, “Please, please, I beg you to reconsider.”

  “The verdict is final,” bellows the chief justice. “Remove the defendant from the chambers.”

  The two guards have to physically drag Ken from the room as he screams and struggles against their grip.

  The verdict is actually worse than the death penalty. It is essentially torture before death. The horrific condition of the West Virginia coal mines are brutal; server’s there have a very short lifespan.

  Ken is a white-collar guy. To him, hard labor is worse than death. That evening, while in his holding cell waiting for transfer, a guard smuggles a box to him. When he opens it, he finds a length of rope and a short note that reads, ‘From a friend’.

  When the guards arrive to transport Ken just a few hours later, they find him hanging by his neck from the rafters. It is pretty clear that he didn’t go quickly. Fingernail marks are all over his neck. It appears that he clawed at the rope after kicking the chair out from under his feet.

  Did he regret his decision after it was too late? One can only speculate but no one will ever know for sure.

  Life can be cruel. It’s even crueler if you do evil things and then reap what you sow. Karma is kind of funny that way.

  ✽✽✽

  The lieutenant and his platoon have just returned from their exploratory mission in the Midwest. Before he can unpack or get a shower, he’s summoned to General Gage’s office.

  Once the meeting formalities have already been completed, the two men sit across from one another at General Gage’s large mahogany desk.

  “Lieutenant Watson,” starts the general, “I understand that you made contact with the rebels.”

  “Yes, sir,” replies Watson. “We had a few skirmishes on the road but the most significant contact was in a small town called Arcadia. We encountered two separate groups in one evening. We engaged them both. I lost one soldier during the firefight, they lost four”

  “Seems like a fair exchange, what else?”

  “Based on my observations, I believe that the town is visited regularly which leads me to believe that there’s a significant population of rebels living in the area.”

  “And what are those observations?”

  “Rebel contact increased the closer we got to the area, and when we were entering the town in the middle of the night, we saw numerous campfires glowing in the surrounding hills.”

  “Good work, Watson.” General Gage nods his approval. “I expect a full report on my desk by zero eight hundred hours. Now get yourself a hot shower and something to eat.”

  The lieutenant stands and salutes the general then turns to leave.

  Before he reaches the door, the general adds, “By the way, Watson, very soon you’re going to get plenty of opportunities to avenge the soldier you lost.”

  The lieutenant responds, “I’m looking forward to it, sir.”

  ✽✽✽

  The general scheduled an audience with the supreme justices after receiving a briefing from all of the exploratory mission commanders. He’s convinced more than ever that they need to move on the rebels as soon as winter breaks and now he wants to convince the justices. It’s imperative that he’s diplomatic in his approach to win them over. They were kept in the dark about his troop’s exploratory activities and, without exposing the fact that he disobeyed their orders by ordering the missions, he’s restricted to discussing information common to everyone present. It’ll be a delicate dance but he’s hopeful that he can persuade them.

  “Welcome, General Gage.” Chief Justice Scoreto’s tone is friendly. “Make yourself comfortable.”

  Thank you, sir,” replies the general as he takes the lone seat on one side of a large conference table. All six justices face him on the opposite side.

  “To what do we owe this honor?”

  “I’d like to begin preparations for the spring offensive. It’s mid-winter, spring will be here soon, and I want our forces to be ready.”

  “I see. What’s the status of the RZ initiative?” Chief Justice Scoreto has not forgotten the directive he has already given Gage about the need to complete the clean up before moving on to other actions.

  “It’s ninety-five percent complete worldwide.”

  The justices nod their heads signaling they are satisfied with his answer.

  “Can you finish the last five percent and begin your preparations without slowing progress?” Scoreto pushes Gage.

  “Affirmative. The remaining work can be done by just a third of my forces with no detrimental effect on progress, while the remaining two-thirds can begin preparations.”

  Referring to the other supreme justices, the chief justice asks, “Does anyone on the counsel have a compelling reason to deny the general’s request?”

  No objections are raised.

  “We will grant your request, general, but I expect the RZ work to be completed by March 31st.”

  “I understand, sir, and thank you.” General Gage is secretly pleased with the success of his strategy.

  “Is there anything else?” asks the chief justice.

/>   “One more thing. I’d like to set a date for the spring offensive.”

  “Military timetables are your job, general. You tell us.”

  Gage pauses as if to consider the question while his internal voice mutters, “If the military timetable was solely my job, we would have started the offensive in the fall, you fucking asshole.”

  Instead, the general replies out loud, “I’m sure we can be ready by May 1st.”

  “Then May 1st it is,” confirms the chief justice.

  The general nods and stands, “Thank you, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

  “There’s nothing else, general, you’re dismissed.”

  19 the witness

  The normally relaxed start to a typical Refuge morning has been replaced with a sense of urgency and nervousness as Jake and the others prepare for their much-anticipated meeting in New Town. Expectations are high, and the stakes are even higher.

  Those who haven’t been to New Town are especially excited. It’s been months since they have interacted with anyone outside of their own community.

  As Jake and Amy are finishing dressing in their bedroom, Amy voices the thought that has been worrying her. “Are you sure that we should leave the Refuge unguarded?”

  “It’s a bit of a risk but I hate to leave anyone out. Besides, we have two great guard dogs now.”

  “They are definitely earning their keep,” Amy agrees. “We haven’t had one chicken go missing since they’ve been around.”

  “I have to admit, I was skeptical at first, but they have more than proved their worth.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that, especially since we are about to have a few more around.”

  “Yeah, it looks like Shadow is ready to give birth at any moment.”

  “I think Pit Bulls are known for large litters,” Amy speculates. “Maybe we can trade some of them. The other communities may like to have a few protectors of their own.”

  “I think they might.”

  “That is if we can pry them away from Kayla,” adds Amy.

  “And there’s the ‘fly in the ointment,’” Jake says ruefully.