“You are right about that,” Thomas responded.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
- MAYO, YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA –
Day 112 Journal Entry
We have done nothing but travel for the past ten days. We were packed into the semi-trucks so tight it was all anyone could do to find a place to stretch out and sleep. I think the kids had it the worst because they had absolutely nothing to do, day after day. We were reduced to stopping every three hours now and that only added to the apprehension and length of the travel. We were told that Ron and his men had a way of getting us out of Alaska and into Canada. From there it would be up to individuals to determine what they were going to do next.
I wonder if he would have done the same if his family had been on Stockton Island. As it turned out they were sent someplace else. He was going to drop us off in a place called Mayo in the Yukon Territory. It is my understanding that he intends to go back to Alaska and search for his family. At this point I don’t know if the ISS realizes who was behind the breakout from Stockton but if they do he is going to be the subject of a massive manhunt.
We crossed the border into Canada three days ago and I am relieved about that I can assure you. At least we are safe from the ISS for the time being.
All I have done is stand, sit and lay when I could for the past ten days. We are due to get to Mayo tomorrow. I can tell you that once we get there I will never get in the back of a semi-truck again for as long as I live.
***
Day 113 Journal Entry
We arrived in Mayo, YT around 6:00 a.m. It is nothing but a few houses, a couple of stores and not much else. I was expecting to find some transportation to get to other places. There is a small airport but there is no way they can move this sudden influx of people. I also wonder what the local population will think about all these strange people tramping all over town trying to find a way out.
Mayo is a long way from anyplace. Most of us had little or no cash, none of us had a passport and we all were here as fugitives from the US. Add that all up and it doesn’t look very good for any of us.
Sure enough the police, or I should say Mounties arrived as we were all standing around trying to figure out what to do. They talked to Ron for quite some time before he came over to us.
He told us that they want him to take us back to the US immediately. He explained the situation about the ISS and what was going on in the US. They didn’t promise anything but that they would contact their superiors.
While all of this was going on I walked down to the local store and grabbed a tooth brush and some toothpaste. I had a few hundred dollars hidden in the bottom of my shoe. Fortunately I had one twenty or that would have probably caused some additional problems. I paid and went out back behind the store and brushed my teeth. I cannot tell you how good that felt. Just having clean teeth was a slice of heaven.
When I started around the front of the building I saw all of the people being forced back in the trucks. Evidently they were going to be sent back. I could overhear much of the conversation. The Mounties were going to escort them to the border and they would be met by the ISS and turned over to the US authorities. Ron argued until he was finally handcuffed and put in the back with the others. Pretty soon the trucks fired up and moved off. I was the only one left behind. I knew I probably stuck out like a sore thumb and I was going to have to do something.
Back around the back of the building was an old bicycle. I jumped on it and headed north toward the airport. It took me almost an hour to get there. The airport wasn’t much. There were four planes tied down, one really old helicopter and a newer twin prop job. I finally found someone that said they had planes that they could rent or they could get one of the local pilots to fly me. Now the hard part, fly me where?
As it turned out, the furthest he would go was Burwash Landing which was still in the southern Yukon Territory. I paid him three hundred dollars and off we went. The flight was rugged to say the least. He didn’t talk much which was fine with me. I kept expecting him to ask if I was fugitive but he never did.
I was down to my last three hundred dollars and still didn’t have a real plan. Mayo was a big city compared to Burwash. I managed to find a house with a room to let for ten dollars a night. Best deal anyplace. I was going to have to come up with a plan and darn soon.
***
Day 114 Journal Entry
I was sitting on the steps of the house where I had rented my room when Mr. Lamar came out. You’re lookin’ a might down in the mouth son, is what he said to me. Boy was he right. I had spent most of the night trying to figure out what to do and I still had nothing. Not enough money, no passport and no real idea of what I should do or where I should go.
I don’t know why I decided to confide in him but I told him the whole story, all of it. Everything from being arrested to helping people escape from Stockton Island.
So you’re in Canada illegally? I told him I was and that I knew that the Mounties would turn me back over to the US authorities and I would probably be killed for what I had done.
We sat there for a long time, not talking. Finally he said that he understood my predicament. He had been in Canada ever since 1972 when he refused to be drafted. He had come with his young bride and they had lived here ever since. He told me he had an old pickup truck that he didn’t ever use. It was mine if I wanted it. He said he wouldn’t report it missing for a month or so. That way he could at least get the insurance money for it.
I was dumbstruck. He didn’t know me from Adam and here he was giving me a means to at least determine my own fate. How could I ever repay that kindness?
***
Day 115 Journal Entry
I must have thanked him a hundred times this morning. His wife had packed a lunch to take with me and threw in a couple of shirts and a pair of pants for me to change into. I tried to refuse but there was no graceful way to do it. The last thing almost took my breath away.
Mrs. Lamar handed me an envelope. She said I was not to open it until I was a good ways down the road. I was pretty sure what was inside but in desperate times you are forced to do desperate things. I kissed her on the cheek, hugged Mr. Lamar and headed for Whitehorse, Canada.
A couple hundred miles down the road I opened the envelope and found four hundred dollars in it. It probably represented most of their life savings. I knew one thing, if I lived through all of this I would make sure they were paid back many times over.
***
I soon learned that Whitehorse was really four different communities surrounding a reasonable size airport. It was the first ‘almost’ city I had been in since being incarcerated. Whitehorse, Riverdale, Hillcrest, and Tikhini all border the Whitehorse airport.
I decided to spend a couple of days here before making my next move. I rented a cheap room and grabbed the local newspaper to get caught up on what was going on in the world. I was halfway through the Whitehorse Star when I came up with a plan. If I could pull this off I would be able to make money while working against the very administration that was trying to kill me. Of course I still had to find a way to make it work.
I spent seventy-five dollars at a second hand store and bought a sports jacket, tie, and pair of decent shoes. I knew I couldn’t look like a bum but I couldn’t look like some city slicker either. I had to walk a fine line if I was going to pull this off.
I spent the rest of the evening reading up on Whitehorse and some of the back issues of the Star so I would be ready for tomorrow.
***
Day 116 Journal Entry
I am now gainfully employed by the Washington Star. I am to report on international news, especially what is going on in the US. I had to convince the editor that I could indeed write and that I could make the story fit in to the local news to have people become interested.
I wrote two quick stories for him and he read them over. Obviously he knew I could write immediately and in a few minutes he was discussing how I knew all of this. I told him th
at some of it was by direct observation and that I also had a network of people who kept me posted. He bought it and made me an offer. It was half of what I used to make but that was not the point. This was my stepping off point. I honestly feel that in this position I can bring pressure and awareness about what is happening in America. I hope it really gets under Clemons’ and the ISS’s skin.
My own personal revolution is about to begin and I have already started writing the first articles. The editor said if they were good enough and I had them in by Friday, they would run a special section of the paper.
I will make sure of two things, they will be ready and they will be sensational. I want this to get picked up nationally and spread across the world. I have a clear cut mission. This is the first chance I have had to make a difference and I intend to use it to the best of my ability.
CHAPTER THRITY-SEVEN
- NEAR MONTPLIER, IDAHO –
They had arrived back at the base camp after two days of hard travel. They had stopped only to grab a bite, fill the truck’s tank, and empty theirs. There was so much to be done and they were sure it wouldn’t be long before General Douglas would be ready to strike. So far Thomas hadn’t heard anything from General Lamb and he was becoming concerned for his friend. If Douglas had found out about Lamb he would have probably have had him shot.
“Anything?” Baker asked.
“Not a word. I’m getting worried.”
“I didn’t know Lamb but he was a very brave man to stay in place like that and feed us intel. I just hope he is still alive.”
“I guess we will know soon enough. Right now we have other things to worry about. We need to draw Douglas to where we want to fight him. I don’t want him to decide for us. I talked to Jim Deal in South Dakota. They are willing to stage a grab-n-go attack on a small National Guard unit in Rapid City. The idea would be to get in, grab what they can and get out. Hopefully no one would get hurt but it would draw attention to them. We want to irritate Douglas enough so that he will decide they are the first group he will go after. We will be ready for them when they land at Ellsworth Air Force base. There is only one fence surrounding the base. We can be inside in seconds. They will have no idea. We can hit them from all four sides. Here,” Thomas said taking out a map and outlining his plan.
Baker, Bix, Watson, and Uber all looked over the plan. A few suggestions were made but generally they thought it could be done. The key was to strike quickly and to get the planes disabled before they had time to get arms to the men. If they got in the air, the militia would be in a pickle so one whole unit would have to be assigned to make sure none of them were able to fly.
“You know the minute we do this, we have a shooting war. Douglas will go after them with everything he can get his hands on.”
“I realize that and they do as well. As soon as the raid is over we all fade away. They will not be able to go back to their base camp and will have to relocate. I discussed this at length with Deal and he said the men understood and were willing to go for it. We will be joining his men along with the Colorado Militia. The three groups will be comprised of at least a thousand men and we can easily overwhelm them. We will have the element of surprise, a solid plan, and we have the knowledge of the area by Deal and his men.”
“At least on paper,” Baker said.
“Absolutely. On paper. In reality, who knows?” Thomas admitted.
***
“Men,” Jim Deal said, “When we go in there we are going to stir up a hornet’s nest. This will be considered a treasonous act against the government. If anyone wants to back out, now is the time. Once we start there is only one direction. We go until we finish this thing. We are the militia. Our job is to protect the Constitution against the oppression of the government. I intend to do my part. The rest is up to you. Go now if you are unsure this is the right path for you. Those who are going ahead with the plan, meet me in the parking lot in five minutes. We move out in ten.”
Within five minutes everyone was standing around in the parking lot. Not a single person had left. There were fifty-five of them. It was not the entire state militia and that was intentional to keep the information regarding the planned raid confined to a few. Within ten minutes the camp was empty and they were on their way to the National Guard Armory.
The plan was simple. They would rush in, cover anyone in the building, and grab as many weapons and ammunition as they could, then get out. The last thing they wanted was to harm anyone or have one of them get hurt. It was to be done as swiftly as possible and they would leave with as much as they could carry.
At 2:30 a.m. they were outside the building, just out of sight of the cameras. Jim had checked the building over from all sides to make sure no one was on watch. At exactly 3:00 a.m. he gave the signal and they rushed the building. They were inside in seconds. They found twenty men on duty and quickly rounded them up and placed them in the bunk room with guards watching them. Minutes later they were emptying the armory and hauling guns and ammunition out to the trucks and cars outside. Once they had all they could carry, they slipped out of the building and into the night leaving the men behind bound and gagged. No one was hurt during the twenty-two minutes raid.
Once they were away, they split up. Jim called Thomas and said only two words, ‘It’s done.”
Thomas was both relieved and apprehensive at the same time. He was glad it went off without a hitch but he was apprehensive because he knew this was just the opening salvo of a battle yet to be waged.
***
It was 4:00 a.m. and Thomas was sitting in the dark in the command center at the Idaho base camp. Lincoln came in looked over at him.
“They did it?”
“Yes.”
“And now you are sitting here wondering if we were doing the right thing.”
“Something like that. I am wondering how this crazy President will react. I do not want to be the person responsible for getting thousands of civilians killed because of what we are doing.”
“Thomas, we didn’t do it. They did it. What we are doing is securing a democratic society based on the Constitution this country was founded on. Clemons decided to do away with the Bill of Rights to make herself the supreme authority in the land. She is not. She is nothing more than an employee of the people. We should be the ones that rule this nation, not some megalomaniac who thinks she is the Queen. It didn’t work in 1776 and it doesn’t work today. Yes, people are going to die but as always, freedom is worth fighting for and people will give up their lives for it. It has been going on since this nation was founded and it will go on long after we are gone. Don’t sit around second guessing yourself. You are doing exactly what has to be done at exactly the right time. Now quit brooding and get some sleep. The real battles are about to begin and you need to be rested,” Lincoln told him.
“Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
“You did, now go.”
CHAPTR THIRTY-EIGHT
- THE WHITE HOUSE –
President Clemons stormed into the Oval Office and glared at both Taylor and General Douglas. Taylor looked pale and tense. The general looked quite the opposite. That angered the President even more but he just looked at her with an amused expression.
“Are you finding this funny General Douglas?”
“Funny? No, not funny. Interesting is more like it,” he replied.
She pulled at her lower lip. It was easy to see that she was trying to maintain her control. Finally she sat down behind her desk.
“Perhaps you would share what is so interesting about a fugitive from one of our internment camps, writing a five part series on life in the camps and it being picked up the international news services? Do you realize what this means?”
“It means this Mark Walker is pretty damn resourceful. Brilliant, in fact. He managed to out maneuver the entire ISS, get out of the country and find a way to expose what was going on. Hell, I almost admire his resourcefulness.”
“Admire? I want that SOB dead. I
want him brought back to America and shot in public for treason,” she yelled, pounding the desk with her fist.
The general just looked at her, not changing his expression. After she calmed down, he replied, “That is obviously not going to happen unless you want to start a war with Canada. He is hot property and is appearing on television all across Canada. No, he outfoxed us and we can’t do a thing about it without starting an international incident,” Douglas said.
“Taylor, how in the hell did this happen? The last I heard he was in New Mexico. Now he turns up in Canada. Can you explain any of this?”
“He was transferred to Alaska to work on an oil rig. Once that work was completed, he was sent to Barrow Point, Alaska to start a second project. After that he just disappeared and we don’t know how. It is a long, long way from Barrow Point to Canada. Someone had to have helped him. We are investigating that at the moment.”
“You know Taylor, I have stood up for you on several occasions when you let things slip up. This is intolerable. Now the whole world knows what is going on and worse than that, we are going to see our own citizens turn against the government. Add to that the attack on the National Guard Armory and things are starting to get ugly. General Douglas is now forced to go to South Dakota and destroy their militia. If that gets out, we could very well have an uprising. My only option at that point will be to declare Martial Law. That was to be a last resort measure and unfortunately that may be what I have to do next. I’m sorry but you are out as head of the ISS. I am turning the entire operation over to General Douglas.”
“Madam Pres…”
“Stop Taylor. My mind is made up. The general will take complete charge of the ISS.”
“And what happens to me?”
PROJECT BlueBolt - BOOK II - THE GULAG JOURNAL: BOOK II - The Gulag Journal Page 17