by Robert Boren
“To my room, to get my bag and the only damn phone we can trust.”
She went to her dresser, powered her phone off, and slipped it into her pocket. Then she grabbed the bag on the way out.
“Wait a minute, when did you pack that bag?” he asked.
She giggled. “When you were talking to your guys.” She stopped by him and planted a kiss, long and passionate. Then she broke it, staring into his eyes. “I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth. Don’t you be losing confidence in yourself or me again.”
She walked towards the door, Kelly frozen, watching her for a moment. Then he caught up, grabbing his phone on the way out the door.
Most of the men were already in their cars pulling away. Kelly opened the door of his truck for Brenda, putting her bag behind the seat. Then he got in and fired up the engine, watching the men ahead of him pulling onto the street.
“Hope this works,” he said as he drove onto the street.
Nobody noticed the man crouching behind the bushes on the side of the bar. It was Simon Orr. He slipped into the bar, sneaking up behind Chris.
Chapter 34 – General Walker
Juan Carlos steered the boat towards the docks.
“Deserted,” he said. “Half expecting a bunch of MPs waiting there to arrest us.”
“We might not be out of the woods yet,” Chauncey said. “That’s an Army armored personnel carrier sitting by the headquarters.”
“National Guard Army?” Brendan asked.
“No, US Army,” Chauncey said. “C’mon, let’s get this sucker tied up.”
Chauncey and Brendan got on the bow as Juan Carlos piloted the boat into the slip. They got her tied up and walked to the headquarters door. Captain Jefferson saw them.
“Lieutenant Chauncey, you and your men are needed in the conference room.”
“Thanks,” Chauncey said, looking back at Brendan and Juan Carlos with worried eyes.
They walked down the hall and turned right into the conference room.
“Hello, men,” Director Wallis said. “Have a seat. You remember Major General Landry and Major General Gallagher, I’m sure.”
“Of course,” Chauncey said.
“The men at the far end of the table are General Walker of the US Army and US Airforce Lieutenant General Stafford.”
“Hello, men,” General Walker said. He had a look similar to Major General Gallagher, with unkempt hair and a few days of stubble on his face.
“Thanks for coming,” Lieutenant General Stafford said. He was small and thin, but with the confident look of a fighter pilot, his hair receding and graying over his clean-shaven face.
“Sit,” Director Wallis said. “Good job today.”
“What happened? Why’d the F-35 chase our fighter away?” Chauncey asked.
“Orders from a corrupt Air Force General,” Stafford said. “He was actually ordered to shoot down the F-16. We got to him before he left.”
“I don’t understand,” Chauncey said.
“Our government and our military have been compromised,” General Walker said.
“Compromised by whom?” Chauncey asked.
“We aren’t completely sure,” Walker said, “but the Administration is at the center of it. It goes deep, and it’s been planned for several years. Of that we’re certain.”
“So what are you going to do about it?” Chauncey asked, red-faced and agitated.
“Take it easy, Lieutenant Chauncey,” Director Wallis said.
“Nah, he shouldn’t take it easy,” General Walker said. “He ought to be pissed.”
“I agree,” Major General Gallagher said. “These jerks trying to stage a coup in the government are bad enough. Now we’ve got an invasion going, and the military is no longer capable of handling the problem. We all better be good and pissed, and act accordingly.”
“How far does this infiltration go?” Chauncey asked.
“Two of the Joint Chiefs. About fifteen percent of officers across all services. A handful of Senators. More than a handful of House members. Some State Governors.”
“Not Texas, thank God,” Major General Gallagher said.
“Yes, not Texas,” General Walker said.
“Excuse me sir, but why are we here?” Brendan asked.
“Glad you asked,” he replied. “We’ll need to fight our enemies, foreign and domestic, if the Republic is going to survive. As of now all of us are outlaws, as far as the Feds are concerned. They are after Stafford and me right now. We need to leave in a few minutes.”
“I’m still not getting what you want from us,” Brendan asked.
“Yeah,” Juan Carlos said.
“We’re recruiting citizens and law enforcement officers,” General Walker said. “We’ll need men like you if we’re going to win.”
“General Walker is in charge of recruitment across the entire southwest territory,” Director Wallis said. “He won’t be in Texas for long. He’s going west, to concentrate on Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado.”
“Yes, but what do you guys want us to do?” Brendan asked.
“I want you to fight for Texas, and ultimately for the United States,” Director Wallis said. “The enemy has moved close to a hundred thousand men into Texas over the last several years. Governor Nelson knows this. He’s sealed off Texas and taken sovereign control of the state. He’s taking over US Military bases right now.”
“I wouldn’t portray it as taking over, exactly,” General Walker said, “because ninety percent of the forces on those bases are already on Nelson’s side. It’s more like he’s liberating them.”
“But why us?” Juan Carlos asked.
“You’re just the beginning,” Wallis said. “We need you to fight, and to help recruit as well. Are you interested?”
Brendan and Juan Carlos looked at each other for a moment.
“I am,” Brendan said.
“Me too,” Juan Carlos said.
“Count me in,” Chauncey said, “but I’m still having a problem with the special treatment for us. We’re just grunts, and a group of Generals are coming to us directly?”
“You guys have stopped close to a thousand enemy fighters from coming through Falcon Lake,” Walker said. “The enemy is trying to surge across the border. They have a lot more men waiting in Mexico. We’re going to attack them where they sit with our combined Texas and US Air Forces, but while we’re getting what we need in place to do that, we need to stop the bleeding. We can’t let those guys send thousands of men per day across that lake. All of the DPS Patrol Boat teams are getting the same talk, and you guys are about to get some equipment upgrades, too.”
“What’s it gonna take to get the air power ready?” Juan Carlos asked.
“We have to weed the corrupt officers out of the Airforce bases in Texas and lock them up,” Stafford said. “We’ve already made some headway. The jerk who ordered the F-35 pilot to splash the F-16 is already in the brig.”
“Good,” Brendan said.
“So what you’re telling us is that the Republic of Texas is back,” Chauncey said.
Director Wallis chuckled. “You know, you’re right.”
“What’s to stop the rest of the Armed forces from rushing in here and stopping the secession?” Juan Carlos asked.
“If we would’ve waited for another six months or so, they would have been able to,” General Walker said. “The Islamists screwed that up for them. They woke enough people up.”
“We’d better get going, General Walker,” Lieutenant General Stafford said. “The clock’s running.”
“I know,” he said. “Thanks, men. Godspeed.”
They left. The rest of the men looked at each other in silence for a moment.
“Is this really for real?” Chauncey asked. “Is Governor Nelson really taking over?”
“He shut down the Texas border yesterday,” Major General Gallagher said. “Nobody comes in unless they’re a Texas resident. That was the first shot across the bow.”
<
br /> “What did the Feds say about that?” Chauncey asked.
“They ordered us to stand down.”
“What’d you say?”
Major General Gallagher grinned. “Nuts.”
Chapter 35 – Austin Presser
Kip Hendrix walked into the empty press room, a sea of chairs in front of the podium. He looked nervous as he went to the front and checked the microphone. Jerry Sutton walked in.
“Where the hell is everybody?” Kip asked.
“It’s quarter till the top of the hour,” Jerry said. “They’ll be here. I saw the news vans outside.”
“They might just be here for the demonstration.”
“No, that demonstration has been over for hours. They’re here for your press conference. Don’t worry.”
Hendrix settled down, but still paced around on stage. “After six or seven questions, come get me with an urgent matter, okay?”
“Sure, boss,” he said. “Why?”
“Because I don’t want to get pissed and break our cover,” he said.
“Oh,” Jerry said. “Not a bad idea, but I think you’ll find the audience friendlier than usual.”
“They aren’t going to trust me. They’re going to hammer me about past statements.”
“No problem,” Jerry said. “You’re reacting to a changing situation. A good public servant should always do that.”
Hendrix sighed. “You’re right, of course. Sorry I’m so hard on you all the time. You’re good at your job.”
“Hell, Kip, it comes with the territory. Don’t worry about it.”
There were footsteps in the hallway. Reporters started walking in, chatting amongst themselves. Hendrix sat down next to the podium, watching them, trying to keep a friendly face. The room was full by the top of the hour, so he got up to the podium and switched on the microphone. He tapped it, the sound coming through the speakers around the room. The reporters took that as their cue and found seats.
“Thank you all for coming,” Kip said, smiling. “I’ve got a few comments, and then I’ll take some questions.”
The murmur in the room died down, and he started.
“Our country is under attack. You’ve all seen the events in California over the last forty-eight hours. There was also the murder of the eight brave DPS Patrol Boat officers, and the recent terror attacks in Dripping Springs and here in Austin.”
There were murmurs in the room again. Kip went on.
“In the past I’ve placed a lot of emphasis on protection of our innocent Muslim population when an attack has happened. We have a different situation now. While I will always value diversity in our State and in our Nation, we are now at a time of war. I’m calling on all Muslims to aid in the apprehension of people coming in from outside who are making these attacks. These invaders are not our friends. We must change our tactics. We must make the Muslim community understand that if their desire is to become Americans, then they must help us to defend our nation. We must shine the harsh light of justice on these criminals, be they foreign-born invaders or radicalized domestic traitors bent on the destruction of this great democracy.”
The reporters were scribbling notes furiously.
“I also encourage the people of the Great State of Texas to avail themselves of their right to bear arms in order to protect themselves and their families. I’m not encouraging vigilantism, but I do believe that it is proper, and in fact necessary for us to protect ourselves under the law during this crisis. I will thus suspend my efforts to strengthen gun control laws in Texas, at least until the current crisis is over.”
He paused as people fidgeted and murmured in the room.
“I’m now ready to take questions.”
Hands went up all over the room.
“Yes, Martha,” Hendrix said, calling on a woman in the front row.
“Are you going to push for prosecution of Imams or others who harbor these enemies you’re talking about?”
“In a word, yes, Martha. Aiding and abetting enemies of our country will not be tolerated.”
Hands went up again.
“Yes, Jeffery,” Kip said.
“Does that extend to the sanctuary city policy of Austin?”
“Austin hasn’t been a sanctuary city for several years,” Kip said, “and this conversation is not about illegal immigration. It’s about an invasion of foreign Islamic Terrorists.”
“True, but there is a battle going on between US and Mexican forces on the California border as we speak. That’s why I asked the question.”
“Oh,” Hendrix said. “I understand. Sorry. We will have to watch that situation and respond in an appropriate way if it becomes an issue here in Texas.”
Hands went up again. “Yes, Christine.”
“Thank you, Kip. We just heard an estimate from Governor Nelson’s office that there are already over a hundred thousand Islamic fighters inside Texas. Has your open border policy of the past ten years helped to cause this problem?”
“Christine, my policy was about human rights. It was never intended to help some foreign enemy flood criminals across our border.”
“Maybe not,” Christine said, “but many who opposed your policies warned of this problem. Did you make a mistake by ignoring them? Even ridiculing them?”
“I don’t look at it that way,” he said. “Chuck?”
A man in the middle of the room stood up.
“You made a lot of negative comments about the DPS Patrol Boat program, and tried to kill it in the Texas Legislature. Have you changed your mind about this program?”
“No, not really,” Kip said. “It’s not that I don’t want border enforcement. I do. I just want it to be done by Federal authorities, not State authorities.”
“The Federal authorities refused to enforce the border laws,” Chuck said. “Doesn’t that bother you? Do we just have to put up with it?”
“There’s too much second-guessing of elected officials in this country.” Kip felt a sweat breaking out on his forehead.
“So you’re saying that lack of enforcement along the southern Texas border has some kind of redeeming value?”
“From a bigger view, yes,” Hendrix said, feeling the dizziness of confrontation taking him. Jerry looked on nervously. “Citizens should understand that they don’t have all of the facts and experience required to make these complex decisions. That’s why we need government.”
There was murmuring in the crowd. Jerry walked out of the room, getting ready to come in and rescue his boss.
Chuck was still standing. “What you are saying is that the people aren’t smart enough, or competent enough, to understand what their government is doing on their behalf, and they should sit down and shut up. Am I right?”
Hendrix’s face flushed. “No, I didn’t mean it the way you’re trying to portray it.”
“Government serves the people, not the other way around,” Chuck said. “Our Constitution seeks to restrict what the government can do to its citizens.”
“We’ve all been to civics class, Chuck. Now please sit down so I can call on somebody else.”
Chuck continued to stand. “No, I don’t think that I will. Government caused this mess we have in Texas. Many citizens warned you about that.”
“Well yes,” Kip said, barely under control now. “And many other citizens thought the borders should be even more open than they are. Many other citizens question the very fact that we have a border at all. Many think that citizens of the world are not beholden to the pettiness of national boundaries and national governance.”
Chuck laughed. Sutton flew through the door and rushed to Kip’s side on the podium. He whispered in his ear. Kip turned towards the microphone.
“I’m sorry, but I need to leave right now. There’s an emergency. Thank you all for coming.”
Boos erupted from half the press corps as Hendrix left the stage, following Sutton through the door.
“What took you so long?” Hendrix asked as they got into the ele
vator. “You know I can only talk to those knuckle draggers for so long. Especially Chuck. I want him banned from the press room.”
“We can’t do that,” Sutton said. “Why’d you call on him, anyway?”
“I can’t just call on the people who agree with me. How would that look? Chuck takes it too far. There’s a such thing as decorum.”
The elevator doors opened to the second floor. Kip and Jerry walked to the office suite. Maria was getting ready to leave for the evening.
“Could you stick around a little bit longer, Maria?” Hendrix asked.
She nodded and set her purse down on the desk, then struggled to pull her coat off, stretching, her bust sticking out as Hendrix stared at her. Sutton saw that and cleared his throat, snapping him out of it.
“C’mon, boss, let’s go into your office and chat for a few minutes,” he said.
Hendrix nodded and followed him inside, sitting behind his desk as Jerry shut the door. He sat on a chair in front of the desk and leaned forward.
“I saw how you just looked at Maria. Don’t do that again. It was too hard to cover up last time.”
“Oh, nonsense,” Hendrix said. “I won’t force her to do anything.”
“We had to pay off the last one to keep her quiet,” Jerry said. “Why don’t you go to a bar or use the internet if you want to play around? This is work. Another scandal will end your career. Is that what you want?”
Hendrix sighed. “No, you’re right. I’ll try harder.”
“Why don’t I tell Maria she can go home?”
“No, I really do have something I want her to do.”
“Kip…”
“All right, all right,” he said. “I’ll tell her.” He got up and went to the door.
“Maria, I’m sorry, I won’t need you tonight after all. You can go home.”
Maria looked relieved. “Thank you, sir. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night,” he said. He came back into the office. “There, satisfied?”
“Thank you,” Sutton said. “Want to talk damage control?”
“Damage control? You think it went that badly?”
“It was going okay until Chuck got up there. Some of the comments from that exchange are going to be red meat for the right wingers.”