by Mark Goodwin
"What are you going to do Mr. President?" Fed Chair Jane Bleecher asked.
The president's chief political advisor, James Mackie said "I don't think we can get this through the House or the Senate."
"Then I will do it through executive order." the President announced. "Armando, have your people start getting a speech ready for tomorrow morning. I want to get in front of this so we don't have any more riots. Let the folks know what is going on without making it sound like the nation is broke. "
"Yes, Mr. President." Armando Sanchez said.
CHAPTER 34
“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.”
-John Adams
Texas Governor Larry Jacobs had made Paul Randall as secure as possible in his hideout. He had provided him with encrypted communication equipment, counter surveillance and a very large contingency of Texas National Guardsmen stationed in two separate positions that could reach Randall in 15 minutes if his cabin were to come under assault by a federal agency. They were kept at a distance to deter suspicion that could be triggered by a mass of troops in a single location.
"How are you holding up Paul?" General Allen Jefferson asked over the secured satellite phone.
"I am good Allen, thanks for asking." Randall answered.
Jefferson continued, "I’m glad to get to speak to you, but I know how important it is to keep the conversation short, so I'll get right to the details. Al Mohammad has closed several key military bases around the world. We are recalling submarines and air craft carriers as well."
"Any specific area?" Paul asked.
Allen answered "Some bases are being closed from all over the globe, but we are recalling all the assets from the Pacific. I suspect China had some part in making that a requirement to the authorization of the IMF bailout that Al Mohammad is begging for. China may have footed some part of the bill. As far as I know, the IMF didn't have access to the quantity of funds that Al Mohammad needed to keep things going."
"What else is on the chopping block?” Paul asked.
"We’re being briefed late tonight, but I hear the cuts are pretty draconian. I expect the White House to announce something by tomorrow.” Allen Jefferson explained.
“What are you using to defend against drones?" the general asked.
"I think the guys Jacobs sent have something called a Skygrabber that puts the drone into a holding pattern or sends them home." Paul answered.
General Jefferson replied "That is great for the big boys that are working off of a satellite signal, but you have to watch out for the bugs. Bugs are micro drones that are about the size of a quarter. They operate as a swarm that gathers information from a 25 mile radius. Bugs have a small hive that is about the size of a large coffee can. The hive collects solar energy to recharge the micro drones. The NSA has likely dropped thousand of these hives all over Texas to look in windows and cars to try to identify people through facial recognition software. They are operating on a C band signal which is transmitted from the hive. Skygrabber is strictly for satellite controlled drones, it has no effect on the bugs. To disrupt bugs, you need to construct spark gap generators. You should have Jacobs put several around you to disrupt hives in your area, but also all over the state to cause interference. If the NSA sees interference only in your area, you might as well just email them your latitude and longitude now.
I’m doing everything I can to get specific information about what they are doing to find you, but they have locked me out of the loop."
"I appreciate your help." Paul Randall said.
"I am going to get off here; we have already been on too long. I know what type of proxy system you are set up on and it’s only effective for short conversations." the general said.
The men said their goodbyes and Paul Randall took the notes on the spark gap generator to the guard that would be rotating out that night. The guards would first return to the Governor to be debriefed after a 72 hour shift at the cabin. They acted as curriers between Governor Jacobs and Paul Randall. This kept their communications sterilized from electronic surveillance.
Jacobs had arranged for two men to keep an eye out for Sonny while he visited his parents for Thanksgiving. They lived in Austin which was a blessing and a curse. It was a major metropolitan area which made it easy to blend in, but it also made it easy for the enemy to blend in. Another negative factor was that there were several federal agencies with offices in Austin, including the modern equivalent to the East German Stasi, DHS. Sonny would be returning to the cabin tomorrow, but tonight, the Randalls were having a family night.
The Randalls sat near the fireplace and watched an old movie. They ate popcorn as they watched the old family favorite. Hiding out had started to feel a bit like a vacation. Paul liked being out in nature, it was a welcome change from the constant stress of the campaign.
One of the guards came into the TV room yelling. "Upstairs now! Safe room now!"
The Randalls were all startled. Kimberly froze. Paul grabbed her and forced her to walk up the stairs to the room that had been predetermined to be a safe room in case of an attack. The two inside guards ran up the stairs behind them. Once in the safe room, they all put on their gas masks and Ryan and Robert grabbed their AR-15s. Paul held Kimberly with one hand as she sat catatonic behind the bed. In the other hand he held his .40 cal. Sig Sauer pistol.
A shotgun blast was followed by two large explosions that boomed from downstairs. The door had been breached and flash bangs had been deployed. Two more pops were heard. No doubt, those were tear gas grenades being activated. The two outside guards assigned to protecting the Randalls were down. One was hit, lying in the woods, and the other was dead.
The one in the woods was notifying the backup teams to come in. He used the radio to let the two interior guards know that the assault team was a 12 men team. The two interior guards took up positions at the top of the stairs. Ryan and Robert took prone positions just inside the door way of the safe room. Paul kept one hand on his wife and the other sat on the bed with the gun sights at the center of the door.
The Randalls could hear rapid fire gunshots from the other side of the safe room door. The guards at the top of the steps held the tactical assault team for about five minutes before they advanced up the stairs. The only shots that mattered were head shots. The assault team was covered in body armor. To get a kill, the Randall’s guards had to shoot the assailants in the face. The guards managed to take out three members of the tactical team before they were both killed.
When the shooting stopped, the Randalls knew the guards were dead and it was a matter of time before the door would be kicked open. Robert quickly shoved the writing desk in front of the door to slow them down. Ryan overturned a bookshelf to use as cover for his prone shooting position. Robert did the same with a chair. The overturned furniture offered absolutely no ballistic protection from the 5.56 mm ammunition, but it did provide visual cover.
"Remember to keep one eye shut guys. They will probably throw a flash bang in here when they breach the door. That will temporarily blind the eye you have open. Once the flash passes, open the other eye." Paul yelled to his sons through the gas mask.
A shotgun blast blew the locked doorknob off of the door to the safe room. Two of the tactical team members began bashing the door to push back the desk blocking it from the inside. As soon as Ryan saw a body part, he took a shot. He hit one of the invaders in the shoulder. The hit team backed up and the Randalls saw the flash bang being pushed through the crack. All the Randall men were able to close both eyes when the bright light from the device detonated. Robert began firing even before he opened his eyes. The tactical team dropped to the ground to avoid the erratic fire from Robert’s AR-15. One of the invaders was hit in the head by Robert before he could take cover. The door was a kill zone for the invaders. Anyone who came through had to escape the cross fire from the twins' AR-15s. The invaders cleared the desk at the expense of another team member
who was shot by Paul Randall. The tactical team fired into the room as they tried to make a traditional stacked entry but two more of them were quickly executed by the Randall twins.
"Boys, change your magazines!" Paul yelled as the invasion team retreated to the hallway. Ryan quickly complied but Robert did not. "Robert" Paul yelled. "Change your magazine."
A dark red pool of blood was forming on the wooden floor beneath Roberts’s body. Paul would have to grieve later. Now he had to defend the remainder of his family. Paul pushed the Sig Sauer into his wife's hand. She took it but was unresponsive. He took Robert’s position to maintain the crossfire kill zone. He rolled Robert over and changed the magazine to the AR-15.
"How many are left?" Ryan asked his father.
"I don't know." Paul said. The Randalls had no idea how many team members there had been to begin with, since they had not been told by the guards. In fact, there were only five members of the assault team still alive. The team member shot in the shoulder was out of commission. He was unable to operate his rifle and was nursing his shoulder with his side arm in his hand. This left only four to go. They had grossly underestimated Paul Randall and his sons.
A fire fight began outside in the hallway. It lasted for a couple of minutes, but none of the assault team came back into the safe room. The shooting eventually stopped.
"Paul Randall, I am with the Texas National Guard. We have finished off your assailants. I am coming into the room unarmed with my hands up until you can verify my credentials." A voice yelled from the hallway at the top of the stairs.
The Guardsman walked in very slowly by himself. Paul approached him with his weapon trained on him and inspected his ID. Kimberly crawled out from behind the bed to her dead son’s body. She took Robert’s head into her lap and stroked his blood soaked hair. She still had not said anything, but she was moving.
"Mom." Ryan said as he began to cry.
Paul surveyed the damage. He was thankful that his wife and Ryan were unharmed, but the horror of Robert’s death was just starting to hit him.
A medic rushed in to check them. Kimberly motioned for the medic to go away when he tried to check Robert for a pulse. Robert was gone.
"Senator Randall," the guardsman said, "We have to move you immediately. Please come with us right away. We will transport your son's body to the location where we are taking you, so he can have a proper funeral."
The man had to order two medics to move Robert’s body to the chopper they were taking the Randalls in. It was the only way Kimberly would agree to leave the room. Two other guardsmen collected some of their personal things.
They were taken to one of the largest Texas National Guard armories. The facility was well staffed with troops. Governor Jacobs instructed the National Guard to defend the Randalls and the armory to the last man.
Three adjacent offices were cleared out to make a living area and two separate sleeping areas for the Randalls. Paul and Ryan arranged the furniture the troops provided for them. The furnishings were sparse. They had a foldout table and chairs in the living area along with a well stocked refrigerator and a television. They did manage to get nice quality mattresses, even though they were just placed on the floor with no box springs or bed frames.
Kimberly lay on the mattress in the room where the troops had brought her things. Paul came to sit by her. Neither said a word. Ryan situated his things in his room and then came over to Paul and Kimberly's. He sat next to them on the mattress on the floor.
Several minutes later, Kimberly spoke for the first time since the assault. "The cost is too great." she said.
Paul sighed as he held her close. He had been willing to die for his country, but had he been willing to sacrifice his son? For now, the pain was simply unbearable. What made the situation even worse, none of the extended family could be told yet and none of them could come to comfort them.
The next day, a memorial service was arranged. Sonny was brought in by a detail that Jacobs had assigned to watch over him while he was away from the cabin. Larry Jacobs came to the service. He traveled to the National Guard armory in an unmarked car and dressed in the uniform of the Texas National Guard as a disguise.
Governor Jacobs embraced Paul when he saw him. He then gave Kimberly a big hug as he said "I’m so sorry for your loss. Robert is a hero and a patriot."
Jacobs sat at a table in the rec room with Paul for a bit after the service. "I am sending a guy over to take care of meals while you’re here. It’s not good quarters for you to stay in, but I can make sure you eat well while you are here."
"We can eat what the troops eat." Paul replied.
"This is not open for negotiation Paul." Jacobs said. "We’re going to have to come up with a plan about what to do with federal offices in Texas. I can't exactly start handing out eviction notices to all of the DHS, IRS and FBI field offices.
We don't have the strength to march on all of the military bases here. The National Guard couldn't even take Fort Hood."
"Have you heard from Mustafa?" Paul asked. "Do you think he wants to declare war on Texas or just me?"
"I haven't heard a word from Al Mohammad. I am thinking about how to address this with him." Jacobs said.
"I don't want to spark a civil war." Paul said.
"You aren't sparking anything Paul. Al Mohammad pulled this stunt and the people of Texas are behind you." Jacobs said.
"The people of Texas don't know anything about the attack." Paul replied.
"They will know, and when they do, they will want to do whatever is necessary. I know their hearts." Larry Jacobs rebutted.
Paul said "When you speak with Al Mohammad, try to not spark World War Three just yet. Let me speak with General Allen Jackson and see if he can make a few changes in key leadership positions at some of the larger bases here like Fort Hood and Corpus Christi. If he could put some true patriots in the right bases, it might make it easier if worse comes to worse.
In the event that Al Mohammad initiates aggression against Texas, troops could be given the option of standing with Texas or staying loyal to the crown."
"Sounds like a good plan. I would just say that staying loyal would require them to stand with Texas. All of these soldiers took an oath to defend the Constitution. Mustafa Al Mohammad is a blatant enemy of the Constitution." Jacobs added.
A soldier approached their table. "Pardon me for interrupting sir."
"What have you got for me soldier?" Jacobs asked.
"No identifying information could be found on the bodies of the assailants Sir. No IDs', no dog tags, no military branch patches. We checked for serial numbers on the weapons and looked for manufacturing information on the spent brass. Everything was completely scrubbed. Their prints didn't return any information. No facial recognition software was able to identify any of the men." the soldier reported.
"What does your gut tells you? Do you think they were CIA, SEALs or Delta?" Larry asked the soldier.
The young Sergeant shook his head. "I couldn't say for sure sir. If I had to guess, I would say private contractors whose identities have been scrubbed by CIA."
"That makes sense." Paul said. "Mustafa isn't trying to start a war; he just wants to eliminate me. And he will deny everything, just like he has for the last eight years."
"Mustafa won't call me." Larry said. "And I sure won't call him. I don't want to tip my hand to what we are doing."
Larry Jacobs called General Allen Jefferson to invite him to Texas. Repositioning leadership in key commands of U.S. military bases located in Texas was something the three of them would want to discuss at length and in person.
CHAPTER 35
"for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
John 8:44
Adam arrived at Matt's house just after 8:00 a.m. Matt was still having breakfast. Adam had been on farmer time for several years. He was accustomed to getting up early when he was in the military. After he had go
tten sober, he returned to his "early to bed, early to rise" routine. It was a necessity for working on the farm and roofing. Outdoor work required sun light. If you didn't get a jump on the day, it would be over before you were finished with a day's worth of work. Matt was still adjusting to this schedule.
They had planned to go to town to see if they could get any of the items on Matt's wish list. Additionally, they were going to get their weekly rations of gas. Today was Wednesday. Thursday had been the day they had chosen to get gas each week. They were going a day earlier, because tomorrow was December first and EBT cards would be reloading tonight. Mondays were crazy at the pumps with people making sure they got their gas. Tuesdays were unreliable as many pumps would be empty from the Monday rush for gas. Most pumps would be refilled on Wednesday, but Thursday had proven to be the best day to go over the past few weeks. Folks in London, Kentucky were fairly well behaved, but you never knew when something would happen to spark more unrest. It just seemed wise to get it done the day before SNAP benefits were reloaded.
"You better get a move on if you want to get back in time to hear your buddy's speech at 11:30." Adam joked.
"Al Mohammad ain't my buddy!" Matt snapped. "I just want to hear the speech so I can try to decipher his B.S."
Matt slugged his coffee down, brushed his teeth quickly and rinsed with mouthwash as he put on his shoes. Matt grabbed his list, a wad of cash and his Glock. The cool weather meant he always wore a jacket and the full size pistol was easily concealed under the long tail of the jacket.
Their first stop was the gas station to fill up Adam’s truck. Five gallons filled it up since they had not been driving much the entire week. The remaining 25 gallons allotted on Adam’s other five ration cards went in the gas cans. Once he got home, they would be poured into a 55 gallon drum and mixed with Stabil fuel stabilizer to make sure the gas stayed fresh. Matt would keep his 10 gallons in the cans, but would also add stabilizer.