Bug Out! Texas Book 2: The New Republic

by Robert Boren

  “We have received a statement from the White House that retaliation has started, and will be working its way from the closest perpetrators outward. Venezuela has just been rocked by nuclear attacks in all of its ports and all of its major population centers.”

  “Holy shit,” Brendan said. “That’s close.”

  “Not that close, but we’re liable to see a reaction,” Richardson said.

  “Yeah,” Jefferson said. “Wonder if they still want us to stand down?”

  “Let’s go kick some ass, dude,” Juan Carlos said. “It’s driving me crazy sitting this out. There’s still hundreds of these creeps out there.”

  “No! We have to wait until Gallagher says we can go,” Jefferson said. “Don’t worry, you’ll get your chance.”

  “The Cities of Ventura and Oxnard have sustained large loss of life and catastrophic damage. The prevailing wind is to the east, which will cause problems for the rich agricultural area that lies in that direction. Authorities have said they will require evacuation of people as far east as Simi Valley due to the fallout danger. There are also plans to evacuate the nearby communities of Thousand Oaks and Agoura. At this time, it appears that the nearest big population areas up and down the coast will survive and not need evacuation. These communities include Santa Barbara to the north and the cities along Santa Monica Bay to the south.”

  “You sure the fallout from Venezuela won’t get this far?” Brendan asked.

  “Look at the map, kid,” Jefferson said. “It’s a long, long way from here. I’d worry more about the reaction of the Venezuelan troops just south of the border. They’re liable to go crazy since we just took their homes and families away from them.”

  “In other news,” the announcer continued, “Russia has started using the same strategy in their country to take out the radical Islamists, which is to take out the closest bases first, and then expand outward. They have chosen not to use nuclear weapons near their country. They are using scorched earth eradication in areas of their country that are linked to the device in Vladivostok. At the current hour, they have leveled all mosques in Chechnya, and are searching house to house for Islamist leaders in that province. The UN and Amnesty International are already protesting the actions.”

  “Boo friggin hoo,” Juan Carlos said.

  “Seriously,” Brendan said.

  “Breaking news,” the announcer said. “A device has been located in the San Francisco Bay area, on a large private yacht. There is a manhunt going on right now to find the perpetrators. The owners of the yacht were found below deck. All of them were murdered.”

  “We’re learning fast,” Richardson said.

  “The odds are still against us,” Jefferson said. “There are thousands of boats in each of the larger marinas.”

  “This was actually a smart strategy,” Richardson said.

  “How so?” Brendan asked.

  Jefferson nodded in agreement to Richardson. “We’ve probably been looking at container ships. Commercial. I’ll bet we haven’t looked at private pleasure craft until today.”

  “Wonder if it was pleasure craft in New York and Seattle?” Juan Carlos asked.

  “Probably,” Jefferson said. “When’s this gonna end? The world is on fire.”

  CNN was silently moving through video clips of all the attack zones. Fire, smoke, broken buildings, bodies in the streets. There was a hush in the room as all of the men watched.

  “The world will never be the same,” Brendan said.

  “I know, dude,” Juan Carlos said. “So many people have died tonight.”

  “The White House has announced a press conference for 9:00 PM EST tonight,” the announcer said. “And it is expected that the Russian president will join him for part of the briefing.”

  “Good,” Jefferson said. “I don’t like the guy much, but we have to pull together now.”

  “Here here,” said somebody in the back of the room.

  “Provided he didn’t know about it,” Richardson said quietly. Jefferson shot him a glance and shook his head no.

  “Something is about to happen, dude,” Juan Carlos said, watching the screen as the announcers sat up in their seats, looking at notes.

  “We have received a video from an Islamist leader in Iraq,” said the male commentator. “It arrived on YouTube less than half an hour ago.”

  “We bring it to you now, uncut,” the woman said.

  The video showed an old Islamist leader in traditional white garb, sitting in front of the black and white flag of his army. There were men dressed in black flanking him, holding AK-47s.

  “Islamist thug leader,” Brendan said. “What a shock. Glad he’s not here. At least we don’t have to smell him.”

  “Seriously, dude,” Juan Carlos said.

  “Quiet,” Jefferson said.

  The old man talked, a translator’s voice coming in on the soundtrack.

  “By the grace of Allah, I am here to announce a new Caliphate. We have taken the battle to the Infidel in every corner of the western world, and we have just begun. Truly all praise belongs to Allah. We and our partners have placed agents in every corner of your free societies, and will use your own laws to bring you under the control of Allah and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) His slave and Messenger. I have been declared the new Caliph of the global Islamic State.”

  “Stuff it,” Brendan said. “We’ll see you in hell, you sixth-century pig.”

  “Quiet,” Jefferson said again.

  The Caliph continued.

  “The peoples of the world will agree that they will submit to Allah, or accept dhimmi status. The attacks will not stop, as you are not yet convinced that you cannot defeat Allah and his armies…. Allah willing, and nothing is too great for Allah.”

  The video ended abruptly.

  “Did the government just censor this guy?” Brendan asked.

  “Kinda looks like it,” Jefferson said.

  The commentators came back on the screen.

  “We now take you to the White House,” the woman commentator said.

  The screen displayed a briefing room with an empty podium. The presidential seal was on the front of it, and there were flags on either side.

  “That’s a secure location,” Jefferson said. “Not the White House.”

  “Good,” Richardson said. “I wouldn’t want them in the White House right now. Too big of a target.”

  “Here he comes,” Jefferson said. The screen showed the President walking up to the podium. He had a somber look on his face.

  “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I won’t recount what has happened over the last twenty-four hours, as I’m sure all of you have been following the news. The United States, the EU, and the Russian Federation are cooperating on a level not seen since the Second World War to settle this matter and bring the guilty parties to justice. And make no mistake, our response will not be a restrained series of police actions. These attacks are acts of war, and will be treated as such. We will use our most terrible weapons, and fight as if our very survival is at stake, because it is.”

  “A few words about moderate Muslims,” the President continued. “There is no cause and no excuse to punish the moderate Muslims due to the actions of these radicals. Remember that moderate Muslims living in our cities have been killed in these attacks, right alongside people of every other faith. That being said, the United States is not going to have the resources to protect all of you at all times from angry citizens. I suggest that you keep a low profile while we concern ourselves with winning this war.”

  “Finally, a few words about Martial Law. We have put that in place only in areas that are under attack, and we will not leave it in place for long. I know there are many out there who are concerned about the guarantees of Liberty which reside in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. This Administration takes those guarantees very seriously. Martial Law will only be declared when we need it to fight the enemy. Rumors of an extension of Martial Law to all areas of th
e United States are false. We have no reason to do that. We will not do that. I hope that puts these fears to rest. That is all for now, and sorry, but I won’t take any questions at this time.”

  He left the podium and walked off to the right.

  “That was a good response,” Jefferson said.

  “Yeah, if he really goes through with it,” Brendan said. “And remember, he ain’t our President anymore.”

  There were murmurs of agreement around the room.

  Richardson was sitting there, eyes still on the TV, trying to ignore the chatter. Jefferson saw him. “Something bothering you, Richardson?”

  “That was brilliant,” he said. “Got to give the President credit.”

  “About what?” Jefferson asked.

  “The knuckle-dragging Islamist said that his forces would use the laws of the democracies against us,” Richardson said. “The President just headed that off at the pass with the words about moderate Muslims.”

  “How so?” Brendan asked.

  Jefferson thought for a moment. “I get it,” he said. “He’s basically saying that moderate Muslims had better stay out of the way. He’s cleared the field and activated private citizens to help. The radicals won’t be able to hide behind the good people anymore.”

  The commentator came back on the TV screen.

  “Oh, crap, that’s London,” Richardson said. A hush came over the room as the men watched video cameras pan over fires and people running around, pulling people to the ground.

  “That amazing footage was taken in Westminster. About an hour ago, the British Secret Service foiled a nuclear attack on the city. It was another pleasure craft, on the Thames River. The device was disarmed and all suspects were apprehended. According to BBC they were of Pakistani and Syrian nationality.”

  “So what’s that going on?” Brendan asked.

  The announcer continued.

  “As you can see, we have fires burning in the background. At the time that the news about the foiled nuclear attack was released, Islamic demonstrators were still camped outside Westminster Abbey. Men flooded out of the nearby pubs, beat most of the demonstrators to death, and burned their tents, signs, and other items. London police looked on, but took no action.”

  Jefferson and Richardson looked at each other and grinned. “The Brits have the same idea,” Jefferson said. “Good.”

  The screen now went to another special bulletin. The tired commentators were back on, looking at papers on their desk.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have two more major stories to report. First, the United States Government has announced that it is moving into Mexico to take control of that country, in lieu of an official Mexican government. The agents from Venezuela who had attempted to take over have fled that country after Mexican nationals stormed the Presidential Palace. The United States is coming in at the request of what is left of the Mexican government. They will not answer questions about the length of our occupation or plans for the future.”

  “You know what that means,” Jefferson said.

  “No, what?” Juan Carlos asked.

  “The remaining troops from Venezuela will flee to the north,” he said. “Right into our laps.”

  “Why would they do that?” Juan Carlos asked. “That’s out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

  “Wait and see,” Jefferson said. “A lot of them are gonna try to come through the gulf coast, and through here, since they won’t be able to take over Mexico.”

  “The second story comes out of North and South Korea. United States and South Korean troops are evacuating from the border next to the de-militarized zone, at the same time that the Chinese are pulling their troops away from the northern border of North Korea. It is widely expected that a major attack is imminent, and sources say that North Korea is getting ready to fire their ICBMs in desperation. South Korea and Japan are trying to protect their people as best they can, and missile defense units are at the ready. Although untested, North Korean ICBMs do have the capability to hit the western United States as well as the Russian Federation and other Asian countries.”

  “If those idiots manage to hit us with anything, it’ll be pure luck,” Brendan said.

  “Don’t be so sure,” Jefferson said. “I’ve seen some of the recent intelligence. They’re finally getting themselves up to early 1960s US technology. We had reliable ICBMs by then.”

  A few people chuckled.

  “Yeah, but our missile defense is a lot better than it used to be,” Richardson said.

  “Hope you’re right,” Jefferson said. His phone rang. He paused and took it out of his pocket, looking at the number. “Be right back.”

  “Wonder who that is?” Juan Carlos asked as Jefferson left the room.

  “Hopefully Gallagher telling him to let us go,” Brendan said.

  Jefferson ran back into the room and grabbed the remote to the TV. He turned it off.

  “We’ve got incoming,” he said. “That was Gallagher. The remainder of the Venezuelans are going for broke. They have enough aircraft to do some real damage. They’re coming across in the northern half of the lake. Get in your boats and head for Government Cove, down by the dam. Don’t stop and fight. Preserve yourselves and the boats. If aircraft are coming at you, get to the coastline and get away. That’s an order.”

  “Where’s our air support?” Richardson asked.

  “The assets we have are busy in the north part of the lake, and now they’re having to fight off Venezuelan Mig 29s. We have US Airforce assets on the way, but they won’t be here in time to protect this base. Get the hell out of here now!”

  The men got to their feet and headed for the door. They went into the cool dusk and broke into a run, making the docks in less than a minute.

  Juan Carlos jumped into their boat and started the engine as Richardson and Brendan got the dock lines off. The other crews were getting into their boats all around them.

  “Look, Captain Jefferson is getting into Boat 31,” Brendan said as he jumped into the boat.

  Juan Carlos nodded and backed the boat out of the slip. “Load the guns.”

  “On it,” Brendan said. Richardson nodded and joined him.

  Juan Carlos gunned the engine and headed out into the Lake at full bore, the other boats following. They could hear gunfire and explosions to the north.

  “That doesn’t sound very far away,” Richardson shouted.

  “Seriously,” Juan Carlos said. “Let’s keep our lights off.”

  “Yeah, definitely,” Richardson said. Juan Carlos kept the boat as close to shore as he could and still go full blast. Richardson and Brendan had their eyes peeled into the sky. Suddenly there was a flash and explosion behind them.

  “Dammit, they just hit the headquarters building,” Richardson said, looking back.

  “Keep up the speed,” Brendon said. “Don’t stop for anything.”

  “Get out the SMAW,” Juan Carlos said. “I can’t be on the M-19 and drive at the same time when the enemy is behind us.”

  “Good idea,” Richardson said. “We could take out a chopper with one of those rockets.”

  Brendan took the SMAW and several rockets out of the storage locker and loaded it. Richardson kept his eyes in the darkening sky as the boat flew over the glassy water, flanked on both sides by the other boats.

  “Don’t feel right to be running, dude,” Juan Carlos said.

  “We’ll fight another day,” Richardson said.

  Continued in Bug Out! Texas Book 3, available now in the Kindle Store!

  Copyright

  Bug Out! Texas Book 2 copyright © 2016 by Robert G Boren. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any format without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincide
ntal.

  Thanks to Laura Thomas for editing this book!

  About the Author

  Robert G Boren is a writer from the South Bay section of Southern California. He writes Short Stories, Novels, and Serialized Fiction. Most of his work is about people from the South Bay.

  Other Books by Robert Boren

  Horror Road - A Supernatural Thriller

  Horror Road Book 1 - A Supernatural Thriller is a story of ancient spirits, ghosts, psychics, and killers.

  Written by the author of Bug Out!, this series starts where the Bug Out! series left off, at an isolated RV Park in Kansas.

  There is an evil presense at the RV Park. It has awakened due to the presence of powerful psychics Jake and Frankie, and now it threatens them with possession.

  Related paranormal activity begins at two other locations, resulting in gruesome deaths.

  Jake and Frankie can see what is happening as the evil presence reveals itself to them. Can they stop it?

  Ghosts become more active as the spirit's plans take shape.

  Jake and Frankie know that they must join forces with another group of psychics to battle the pure evil which is tormenting them, but they are over a thousand miles away.

  A powerful medium has awakened, ready to do battle, but so have new minions of the ancient evil. It's a race against time and space.

  Pick up this tale of Supernatural Horror today!

  Never A Loose End - The Franklin and Davis Files Book One

  Serial Killers. Maniac Ex-cops. CIA Assassins. White Slavers. Strippers

  In "Never A Loose End", they all come together, racing towards their frightening destiny.

  This is the story that started it all for George Franklin and Malcolm Davis. Some of you know them from the later episodes of the Bug Out! series, set seven years later. This is the story of how they met, and the battle that forged them into a formidable team.