Embers of Empire

by Mark Goodwin

  “They became battle-hardened by fighting people who don’t talk like us, dress like us, or have anything in common with our culture. I suppose that shouldn’t make any difference, but somehow, it seems harder to kill someone who eats at the same restaurants you eat at and watches the same TV shows as you.”

  She huffed. “I don’t know. I didn’t feel right bombing those collection points. I don’t feel right about this. But I don’t think I can live with myself if I sit back and let Markovich and his minions take away our freedoms unopposed. Communism always ends with religious persecution. This is about so much more than politics or economics; it’s about being free to worship God. But who will I become if I have to act like a murderous brute or a homicidal fiend in order to preserve that freedom?”

  Ava looked up at the clouds above, wanting to see a sign that God was listening, that He had an answer. She let her gaze drop back down at the bobber, which was perilously close to getting caught in the grass on the bank of the river.

  She considered letting it be, but at the last minute, she stood up from the bench and began fervently reeling it in and away from the inevitable weedy trap of complacency. “I guess inaction can be even more detrimental to my humanity than what I might consider ruthless action.” The bobber skipped away from the hazard of being trapped by the weeds. “And I suppose I have my answer.”

  CHAPTER 21

  The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.

  Proverbs 21:31

  Friday morning, Ava looked in the bathroom mirror and cut the first strand of hair. “Oh, this is going to be harder than I thought. Besides, if I do it myself, it’s going to look like I did it myself.” She placed the scissors on the sink next to the black hair dye and went to look for Charity.

  Not seeing her anywhere in the house, she crossed the yard to the garage. Ava opened the side door and climbed the stairs to the FROG.

  Charity sat up on the bed by the window and brushed her hair with her fingers. James blushed. He’d obviously not been guarding the driveway with his full attention.

  “What’s up?” Charity scooted a few feet away from her husband.

  Ava looked at the two of them. “Sorry, I should have knocked.”

  “We were just . . . talking.” Charity smiled.

  Ava lifted her eyebrows. “Sure. When you’re finished . . . talking, I need some help with my hair.”

  “Why? What’s wrong with your hair?” Charity asked.

  Ava rolled her eyes. “It looks just like the hair of that terrorist chick that the news is blaming all those bombings on. I wouldn’t want anyone to confuse me with her.”

  “Oh, totally.” Charity stood up. “I can help you. We weren’t talking about anything important.”

  “Thanks.” Ava paused before going down the stairs to look at James. “This won’t take long. You two can get right back to your . . . conversation.”

  He looked through the rifle scope toward the front gate, as if to avoid eye contact with Ava. “No trouble at all. Take your time.”

  Once in the bathroom, Charity asked, “So, what are we doing today?”

  Ava chuckled, “What, are you a salon stylist now?”

  Charity picked up the scissors from the sink. “I’m the closest thing to a stylist that you’ve got. Come on, let’s do this outside so we don’t have such a mess to clean up.” She grabbed the box of hair dye. “Black? You know who you’re going to look like, right?”

  “If you’re going to say Raquel, forget it. I’d have to go on a six-week crack binge to look like her.” Ava followed Charity out to the backyard and sat on a stump.

  “How short do you want it?”

  “Chin length.”

  “Like Raquel’s?”

  “Stop saying that!”

  Charity giggled and began clipping Ava’s beautiful auburn hair.

  Ava sat still. “Sorry I can’t tell you what all of this is about.”

  “I don’t even want to know.” Charity held Ava’s hair between her fingers and cut another section. “I saw Foley and your dad over by the range playing with a drone. They were duct taping something to it, trying to get it balanced or something. I don’t have to use much imagination to guess what they’re up to. I wish I could un-see that. But anyway, I’m glad I’m sitting this one out.”

  “Lord willing, we’ll have many more opportunities.” Ava watched the clumps of hair fall to the ground.

  “Yeah, well, you just be safe. Come back to me.” Charity made a series of clips. “Any idea when you’re leaving?”

  “This evening.”

  “When do you think you’ll be back?”

  “Monday or Tuesday. You might hear about us on the news before that. We may have to lay low for a couple days, so I can’t give an exact date for our return. Dad thinks roadblocks could be up, people looking for us on the way home.”

  “Wow! I am glad to be staying home.” Charity fluffed her hair. “How does that feel?”

  “Short.”

  “That’s what you asked for.”

  “I know. Let’s do the color and get it over with.”

  Two hours later, Ava put on her hoodie and her thick black-framed Wayfarer reading glasses. The lenses had minimal magnification, which slightly affected her long-range vision, but they were only for her disguise and wouldn’t be on long enough to matter. She pulled a black skull cap over her head, which pushed down her new jet-black bangs to her eyebrows. Ava put on her red armband and went to the garage to find Foley.

  She quietly climbed the stairs and looked at him lying prone on the bed with his eye to the rifle scope.

  He seemed to have heard someone coming up the stairs and turned to look behind. Foley’s body jerked when he saw her and he sat up instantly swinging the rifle around.

  Ava began laughing. “I guess if it fooled you I shouldn’t have any trouble walking into the SJL demonstration.”

  Foley closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, putting his hand on his chest. “Don’t ever do that! What if I had shot you?”

  “You’re not going to shoot me.” She leaned in for a kiss.

  He pulled her in close for a moment then pushed her back to get a better look.

  “Do you like it?”

  He bit his lip. “No, but it’s for a good cause.”

  “The black will fade in a few weeks then I can recolor it.”

  “Back to the original?”

  “That might take a little longer, but we can start working in that direction.”

  “And the length?”

  “A few months. Wow, you really don’t like it, do you?” She examined the sad expression on his face.

  “You were, I mean you are my dream girl. I love you no matter what, but your hair was hot the way it was.”

  She fought a grin. “You should have told me before.”

  He hugged her.

  She kissed him again. “And I love you, too.”

  His smile grew wider as they kissed.

  She giggled and pulled back. “What?”

  “You said it back this time.”

  “This time?”

  “The last time I told you I loved you, you didn’t say it back.”

  “You never told me you loved me before. Even this time it was veiled in a delayed, indirect compliment of sorts.”

  “What are you talking about?” He kept his arms around her waist. “I told you flat out that I was falling in love with you.”

  She made a tisking sound. “I’m falling in love with you is not the same as saying I love you.”

  “Oh, come on!” he protested.

  “Shhhhhh.” She put her finger on his lip and kissed him again.

  Minutes later, he stood up. “I thought we’d agreed not to do this up here anymore.”

  “You’re right. I better go before we get ourselves in trouble.” Ava picked up her glasses and headed to the stairs. “See you at lunch?”
r />   “Yeah, James is relieving me.” He grabbed his rifle and sat back down on the bed. “I wish you didn’t have to go.”

  “Me, too.” She twirled the drawstring of her hood around her finger then forced herself to start down the stairs.

  After lunch, Ava met with Ulysses and Foley in the trailer.

  “I told Sam we’re leaving and that I wasn’t sure when we’d be back, but hopefully by the middle of next week.” Ulysses made the final preparations to the explosive device Ava would be carrying into the Social Justice Legion demonstration.

  Ava watched as he tucked it into the black backpack. “You’re not putting any shrapnel on the charge like the ones we used at the collection points?”

  “No.” Ulysses zipped up the pack. “Right Now could be protesting nearby. If I add shrapnel, it could hit one of them. This device is more about noise than destruction.

  “All the green spaces around the stadium have trees. When you get to the demonstration, drop your pack by a tree then blend in with the demonstrators. Chat, yell, clap, whatever they’re doing. Then watch the time. One minute before the drone is set to go off, start walking away. Once you hear the explosion, give the demonstrators a few seconds to look at each other and wonder what’s going on. Then detonate your device. That will be Foley’s cue to open fire.

  “Start running after you detonate, because that’s what everyone else will be doing. I’ll leave the parking lot of the mall as soon as my drone blows up. So, you should see me driving right by you. But if something happens to me, you’ll have to get to Foley’s location for your evac.”

  Ava held the pack to feel the weight of the explosive inside. “How will I know if you get cut off? You and Foley will be the only ones with earbuds in. My phone will just be set up for you guys to hear me.”

  Foley answered. “I’ll know if something happens to Ulysses. If you don’t see him when you get to the road, check your phone. If something is up, I’ll send you a text that says Plan B. Then you’ll know to head in my direction.”

  Ava looked at her father to see if he’d sign off on Foley’s idea.

  “That will work.” Ulysses nodded. “When we leave from here, I’ll be pulling the trailer which will be carrying all of the explosives. You two will follow behind in Foley’s Ford. Ava, you drive. Foley, you’ll ride shotgun. If you see I’m getting tailed, call me on the radio and let me know. We’ll come up with a plan when we know what we’re up against.”

  “Where are we going to leave the trailer when we initiate the attack?” Foley asked.

  Ava answered, “Lake Livingston, north of Houston, has campgrounds around it. I doubt they’re very busy in mid-December, especially if that area has no electricity. It might be a good place to lay low for a few days. Plus, if the regime thinks we’re the ones responsible for the attack, they’ll probably focus their roadblock efforts between the attack site and Taylor, assuming that’s where they think our base of operations is located.”

  Ulysses opened his laptop and typed on the keyboard. He waited for the information to come up. “Lake Livingston is over an hour away from the stadium.” He stared at the screen. “But I don’t see any better alternatives. We’ll have to get out of the area fast before they lock down the roads out of Houston.”

  He spun the laptop around and pointed at a spot near the lake. “This is our destination. Jot down directions if you need them.” He stood up to get a pen and a piece of paper.

  Ava drew a crude map. “Got it.”

  Ulysses closed the laptop. “Say goodbye to your friends and load up your gear. We’ll roll out in an hour.”

  “We’re going to the lake now?” Ava asked.

  “Yeah. We’ll spend the day there tomorrow. That gives us a chance to see who else is around us. If it doesn’t look good, we’ll find another location to leave the trailer.”

  “What about Buck?” Ava asked.

  “He comes with us. We’ll need him to keep curious people away from the trailer while we’re in Houston. And, we’ll need him to let us know if anyone is slipping up on us after we return. Bring plenty of dog food and lots of treats. He’s our number one watchman. I want him to be happy.”

  Ava smiled. “I can handle that.”

  Ava knocked before going upstairs to the FROG where Charity was keeping James company while he was on watch.

  “Come on up,” Charity called.

  Ava climbed the stairs. “Hey, we’re heading out. I’ll see you when I see you.”

  James stood up, rifle in hand. “I want to pray for your team before you go.”

  “That’s so nice. We’d be very grateful for that,” Ava said.

  “Hopefully no bad guys show up while I’m away from my post.” James led the way downstairs.

  Charity trailed behind him. She turned to look at Ava. “I’ll get Sam and Betty. I know they’ll want to say goodbye.”

  Ava and James walked to the trailer where Ulysses and Foley were stowing the last of their gear.

  “I feel bad that I’m not coming along,” James said to Foley.

  “You’ll be back in the game soon enough. But you need to wait for those wounds to finish healing.” Foley inspected the stitches on James’ face and neck. “And you’ll be the head of security while we’re gone. Without Buckley around, that will be a full-time job.”

  Ulysses walked up to James and nodded his agreement. “You’re a fine soldier. You’ve served your country well in the last two operations. You have nothing to feel bad about. Like Foley said, heal up and you’ll be ready to go on the next run.” He watched as Charity came out of the house with the Hodges behind her. “Taking care of your wife and the base is an honorable task. We all feel better knowing you’re here to look after things.”

  “Thank you.” James shook his hand.

  Betty handed two large plastic bags to Ava. “Y’all take these with you.”

  Surprised by the weight, Ava said, “Wow! What’s in here?”

  “Steaks and pork chops. I cooked them on the grill. You’ve also got some mayonnaise and bread to make sandwiches.”

  “Thanks, but we’ll never eat all of this.”

  “Without electricity, everything in that freezer is going to go bad. Give some to Buckley. I’m sure he can eat half of it.”

  “We appreciate it, Betty,” Ulysses said. “But if you keep the freezer door closed, we might be back before everything thaws out. As long as I have fuel, I can keep the batteries in the trailer charged off of the truck.”

  “Well, y’all need to eat anyways.” Betty gave Ava a big hug.

  Sam took one of the bags and helped Ava carry it into the trailer. “Betty and I are both proud that we’ve been able to support you and your team. I know it’s not much, but it makes us feel good to know we’re involved in trying to take back Texas.”

  Ava squatted down to make room in the small refrigerator of the tiny trailer kitchenette. “Your help has been absolutely instrumental in giving us the support we need. None of this would have been possible without your and Betty’s assistance.” She finished packing the food and stood back up. “Thank you so much, Sam. For everything.”

  He hugged her. “Betty and I never had kids, but if we had, I’d have wanted a girl just like you.”

  Ava squeezed him tightly. “Before Ulysses came along, you were the closest thing I knew to a father. I wish I’d told you that before.”

  “Better late than never.” He patted her on the back, then let her go. “You take care of yourself.”

  She nodded and walked back out of the trailer to join the others. Sam followed.

  James took Charity and Betty’s hands. “Let’s all gather around, form a circle, and ask God to protect our friends as they go do what they feel He is leading them to do.”

  Ava took Ulysses and Foley’s hands. She bowed her head.

  “Lord,” said James. “We ask for your providence, courage, and protection for this team. A godless foe has risen
up against this nation. It has been a long time coming, but now the day is here. It is time for your sons and daughters to draw a line in the sand and say no further to the enemy.

  “We have suffered far too many encroachments against the law which you ordained through our Constitution, and far too many trespasses against your way and your Word. The time for negotiating with the enemy has passed. No more can we go along to get along. Though we have tried to be people of peace, violence has been forced upon us.

  “Grant Ava, Ulysses, and Foley the strength they need to succeed in their quest. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.”

  Ava hugged Charity one last time. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “You’re like a sister to me, Ava.”

  “Same here.” Ava pushed Charity’s blond hair out of her eyes and gave her one last embrace.

  “Godspeed,” Charity said.

  Ava opened the back door of Foley’s truck for the dog. She clapped her hands. “Buck, come on, boy! Time to roll out.”

  Buckley came running, seeming to be elated at the thought of yet another ride in the truck.

  Ave closed the door for Buckley and got in the driver’s seat. “Goodbye!” She waved.

  CHAPTER 22

  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

  Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV

  Sunday morning, Ava sat in a soft pile of pine needles with her back against the trunk of one of the towering pines which surrounded the lakeside campsite. Buckley’s head nuzzled deeper into her lap, providing her access to an area of his neck that had not yet been adequately scratched. She gazed out at the gentle ripples on the lake driven by the soft cool breeze. “This would have made a perfect vacation. But it’s kind of hard to relax knowing what this day is going to be like.”