The Shelter, Book 4: The New World

by Ira Tabankin

  Jay drives home where Lacy looks at him and holds her nose closed,

  “May I suggest a shower? Lots of hot water and soap, lots of soap. In fact, use the bathroom in the back. Leave your clothes outside, I’ll most likely burn them.”

  “I’m not that bad.”

  “Want to bet?”

  “I’m going, I’m going.”

  Jay showers and jumps into bed praying nothing happens to interrupt him. Nine hours later, Lacy wakes him with a large cup of coffee saying,

  “Jay, the Captain is here to see you.”

  “Shit. There goes my day, please tell him I’ll meet him in the kitchen in ten minutes.” Jay gets himself out of his warm bed and heads to the kitchen.

  “Hi Captain, what’s up?”

  “Jay, can we talk in your office?”

  “Sure, just let me grab a mug of coffee. I’ve spent the last three weeks at the lake. I needed to clean up and sleep in my own bed.”

  The two get comfortable in Jay’s office behind a closed door. Jay blows on his hot coffee.

  “What’s up?”

  “Jay, have you heard about the secret service convoy heading to Huntsville?”

  “No, I’ve been away from the internet for the three weeks I was at the lake. What’s going on?”

  “The President has sent a heavily armed secret service convoy to arrest the leaders of the Huntsville plan and confiscate the gold and silver coins being used.”

  “Shit. I guess he’s said we’re all counterfeiters.”

  “That’s what he said. He wants the Huntsville plan crushed. By sending an armored secret service task force against Huntsville, he’s sending a harsh message to the thirteen states using the plan. He hopes to scare them into dropping the plan and returning to his currency. He’ll arrest the plan’s leaders and put on a huge show trial where they’ll be found guilty.”

  “What’s this got to do with me?”

  “I overheard the militia is going to attack the secret service convoy.”

  “Shit, there goes the neighborhood. That’s going to cause a new civil war. Where do you stand on it?”

  “I really haven’t decided what to do. Part of me wants to jump in and support the movement with everything I have. The other half is worried it will end worse this time than in 1865. I’m really torn and still undecided what to do. Do you have any suggestions?”

  “You’re asking a serving US Army SF Captain if you should support breaking the union apart? Do you really expect me to answer you?”

  “How about answering me as a friend?”

  “Jay, I can’t. I’m your friend, but first I’m an officer who’s sworn an oath to protect the Constitution. I really don’t want to fight against you. I know how dirty you fight, on the same hand, you don’t want to go to war with me. I fight dirtier than you can dream. I was trained how to fight dirty and fight to win, I don’t lose. I don’t want to hurt you and the families that have adopted my people, but if I have to, I will.”

  Jay pauses. He sips a cup of coffee before he noticed it’s turned cold; he wipes his mouth. Frowning he replies,

  “Will you also go to war against the militia? I thought you and General Arthur and Major Walker had become trusted allies and friends. Aren’t most of your command still with the General? If you had to go to war against us, it would be the twelve of you against the forty of us, and the one hundred plus of the militia which is growing every week. Do you really want to repeat the mistakes of your forefathers?”

  “That’s what I’m asking you. I’m not planning any violence. However, if you and the militia decide to secede, you may force my hand. If I were regular Army, you may have me over a barrel, remember, I’m Special Forces, we’ve been trained to slip undetected into a hostile country, kill their leaders and slip out without them knowing we were there. You don’t want to go to war with me. You won’t win. Jay, I don’t want to fight you.”

  “I know who you are. I know what you do. It’s one of the reasons I’ve blocked you and your people from being in or even near the shelter the past few weeks. I don’t want you to see our new defenses and other tricks. Captain, you don’t want to fight me either, you don’t want to fight any of us. You took an oath to defend the people from all threats foreign or domestic.”

  “Jay, don’t tell me what I swore. I live my oath every day. I forgot more about getting around defenses than you’ll learn to build. Believe me, if I’m ordered to take your shelter, I will. I promise you I’ll try to do it with a minimal loss of life.”

  “Remember the people giving you your orders are the same ones who were going to court-martial you for posting a video to show the country what ISIS is really doing here. You’re willing to follow the orders of the people who were going to hang you out to dry? If I decide to support the movement, why don’t you join us? I’d rather have you as my friend than my enemy. You can do so much to help build a new country, you can be key in overturning the sins of D.C.”

  “It sounds like you’ve already made up your mind which side you’re going to support.”

  “Captain, one last question, if ordered, would you kill me?”

  Captain Black stands up and leaves Jay sitting alone in his office.

  Jay stares into space the captain just left wondering, why did my father tell me he was a friend, someone I should trust? Has the future been changed because I came back? I don’t want to fight him; how can I make him see we’re stronger together? Damn it and his regular army BS.

  Chapter 27

  Jay doesn’t move for hours silently pondering the discussion when he hears someone banging on his door. He’s very annoyed with being interrupted.

  “Come in!”

  Fred enters with a grim look on his face.

  “Jay, we’ve got a problem at the lake.”

  “What now? Did the water disappear?”

  “Worse.”

  “What can be worse than losing the water we need?”

  “We forgot something about the lake. The animals we’ve been pushing out of the woods have been using the lake for their water, last night they fed on our sprouts. They ate most of our crops!”

  “What? Fred, slow down and pretend I’m dumb, tell me again what’s happened?”

  Fred calms down, he takes a deep breath,

  “Sometime last night animals went to the lake for water, they found our young growing crops and ate them. We never finished the fence because we didn’t have enough barb or razor wire. The fields are a mess. The animals dug up some of the plants, they must have run across or on our pipes because many of the pipes have been separated. We’re going to have to inspect and repair the pipes before we even think about trying to pump water to the farm.”

  “Can anything else go wrong? Shit, it’s true, if I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any. Let’s go and see what’s left of our new crops.”

  “I have an ATV out back. We can be there in a few minutes.”

  Jay follows Fred to the back, he tells Lacy what happened, she’s shocked and worried.

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “I really don’t know yet. Step in the pantry with me a minute, there’s something very private I want to tell you.”

  Lacy nods and walks into the kitchen with Jay,

  “Keep your distance from the Army, that includes the Captain, do me a favor and quietly spread the word. Tell John and Tony, no member of the Army should be allowed within one hundred yards of the shelter. Ask John to remove their access from the servers.”

  “Honey, what’s going on?”

  Jay hugs Lacy, he bends over to whisper in her ear,

  “I’ll tell you the details later, the Cap told me this morning he doesn’t want us joining the secession movement, he said he would fight us if necessary. I asked him if he would kill me if ordered to, he answered by leaving my office. I think we’re going to have to think twice what we share with him.”

  “Oh my God, not him! I thought he was on the side of the people. He
always seemed so different from the bullshit government assholes.”

  “I don’t know what to say. We’ll talk more when I return from the mess at the lake.”

  “Are we going to be okay? Should I worry?”

  “We’ve always been okay. We’ll talk tonight or whenever I return. Fred and I better get to the lake to see what happened.”

  “Jay, be careful. I love you.”

  “I love you too. I’ll be careful.”

  Lacy picks up the phone, she presses the number one button which connects the castle with the security room in the shelter.

  “Security, John, here. Jay, what do you need?”

  “John, It’s Lacy, I have a message for you from Jay, are you ready to copy?”

  @@@@@

  General Arthur shows the various militias where to take up position and issues radio code words. He looks at the various commanders in the conference room.

  “Be careful of anything you say on the radio; assume they are listening to everything you say. If you show yourselves, they may shoot first. Our goal is to trap them on the curves and take them down. We’re going to target the first and last vehicle in their convoy. When they’re trapped, we’ll move in with overwhelming force to make the agents surrender. Our goal is to stop their travel, take their vehicles and supplies. I want to release the agents; I don’t want them killed. We’ll send them home in their underwear and boots. I don’t want a line of bodies which will piss the president off more than he is now. We want to turn this into a PR win. Embarrass them, make them look foolish. If we kill all of them, we’ll turn the average person against us. Make sure your people understand we’re not at war yet. We want the feds to leave us alone. I’d rather find a peaceful way for us to be left alone than cause an all-out war.”

  Most of the militia members nod, one responds,

  “NO! I want them dead. The damn blue bellies have screwed with is for a hundred fifty years. I say we kill every Yankee we see, they shoot one of us, we shoot five of them. If we hurt them enough, they will leave us alone.”

  General Arthur shakes his head.

  “If we kill them, we’ll turn the country against us. We’re not ready for a full-fledged war. The states haven’t even figured out if they’re going to secede.”

  Two of the militia leaders place their arms around their disgruntled friend.

  “Jake, he’s right. We’re not ready yet.”

  “We beat them before, we can crush them, we have more armed people than them.”

  “Jake, we’ll be fighting the Army and Marines. I know, I led Marines in battle. I’m telling you, we don’t want to go toe to toe with the US military. We have to out-think them and fight them like our forefathers fought the British. We don’t stand a chance taking on their military in a regular battle. We’re going to take out two vehicles and offer the survivors a chance to live by surrendering and leaving Virginia. I don’t want to see a line of bodies, our goal is to stop them and turn them around.”

  One of the commanders asks,

  “General, the Governor of Virginia will support the Feds, he will most likely send the state police and possibly the National Guard after us.”

  “Which is why as soon as we hit them, we’re going to melt away into the population. If you run your mouths, you will end up being arrested. Remember your history, we’re going to hit them, release them to shame the White House and we’re getting out of here. Change into street clothing ASAP, take down any flag or emblem which may cause the police to stop you.”

  The room erupts in unhappy mumbling. Most don’t like the idea of letting the agents leave alive and not bragging about their part of the ambush. General Arthur looks at everyone in the eye saying.

  “I’m very serious about the no bragging. If one of you talk. You give up another team and so on, it will be the same as a row of dominos falling until they have all of us in custody, I have no intention of spending my senior years behind bars, if I catch one of you talking shit, I’ll kill you myself. Am I clear?”

  All nod yes.

  “Alright, let’s move out and kick some ass.”

  Three hours later the scouts report seeing the convoy. General Arthur looks at his watch, thinking, they must have slowed down. They’re about twenty minutes behind schedule, not that it’s going to matter. They’ll be in the basket in ten minutes. Hopefully, we’ll be able to pull this off without any loss of life. Hell of a way to fight a war, trying not to kill the enemy.

  Eleven minutes later the convoy’s last vehicle makes the sharp right hand turn, the curves are marked by flashing arrows warning drivers of the curves ahead. General Arthur clicked his radio three times. Within seconds two RPGs streaked down from the mountain, one struck the lead and one the rear vehicle. The rest of the convoy stopped, trapped between the two burning vehicles.

  General Arthur lifted a loud speaker,

  “Attention secret service, attention secret service. If you exit your vehicles with your hands up, you will all be able to leave here alive today. If you touch a weapon, you will be cut down. We are on both sides on the mountain, we have automatic weapons aimed at your position. To prove this, I’m going to have bursts fired ahead and behind your vehicles.”

  Four M4s open fire spraying a total of one hundred twenty rounds into the freeway ahead and behind of the stopped secret service vehicles. Nothing happens for two long minutes, General Arthur was about to order another round when the doors of the vehicles slowly begin opening. Agents begin exiting their vehicles with their hands up. Only one lifts a weapon, he’s struck by four rounds before his body is completely out of the armored vehicle, he folds over dead. General Arthur yells.

  “Cease fire, cease fire.”

  The only sound is birds screaming, scared by the shooting.

  “Keep your hands up, we will approach you. As long as you keep your hands up, you won’t be harmed.”

  General Arthur, surrounded by one hundred militia troopers, all wearing ski masks, approach the secret service agents.

  “I’d like to officially welcome you to the Commonwealth of Virginia. You’re not wanted here. In fact, you’re not welcomed in any of the Southern States. We want you to strip to your underwear and boots. Turn around and begin walking back to D.C. or Maryland. We don’t care where you go, so long as it’s out of the South. Our economy is turning around, our people are beginning to trust their local and state governments. People are starting to return to work, stores are reopening. None of this would have happened if we hadn’t dumped your funny money.”

  “We are agents of the United States Secret Service, we’ve been given a direct order from the President of the United States to arrest the leaders of a massive counterfeiting ring located in Huntsville, Alabama. You’ve broken many federal and state laws by attacking us, firing weapons and owning and operating fully automatic weapons. I can assure you the ATF will be visiting you to confiscate your illegal weapons. If you turn yourselves in, I promise you’ll get a fair trial.”

  General Arthur laughs,

  “I’ve got to credit you with a set of balls made of solid steel. You’re surrounded by hundreds of automatic weapons and you’re telling us to surrender. One word from me and you’ll all be dead.”

  “If you were going to kill us, you would have done it already. What do you really want?”

  “We want you out of Virginia.”

  “Virginia is part of the union, we have the right to come and go as we please.”

  “Not for long. Commander, take your men and leave. Go home to your families and thank your lucky stars that I value human life.”

  “Can I know who I’m speaking with? What’s your name?”

  “You can call me, sir. You don’t need to know anything other than I hold you under arms, one word from me and your wives will be holding folded American flags. Is that what you want?”

  “We’d be martyrs, our names will go down in history, our families will be famous. This will be remembered as the first battle of the seco
nd civil war. Our names will be recorded in history forever.”

  “For dying in your underwear? Is that how you want to be known? History is written by the victors, if you lose, the only thing you’ll be remembered for is dying in your underwear.”

  After a minute of contemplative silence, the agent says,

  “You win. I’ll surrender my force to save their lives. You’re not serious about us stripping are you?”

  “Oh yes, I am. Strip to your underwear and boots. I hope you followed your mother’s advice and started your day by wearing clean underwear. I’d hate to have to post videos of your tire tracks as you walk North on the freeway.”