The Last Full Measure

by Trent Reedy

  A knock at the door. “Danny?” I jumped to my feet, ready to chamber a round and fire. A second later, I regained control, disgusted with myself. That automatic fight instinct wouldn’t go away. JoBell knocked again. “You okay?”

  I reached back and flushed the toilet. “Ye —” I licked my lips. “Yeah. Be right out.”

  “Hurry up,” she said. “I need you.”

  I tucked the gun back in my jeans, splashed some water on my face, and looked into the mirror at this person I didn’t like much anymore. But JoBell waited for me out there. She’d kept me going through all of this. She comforted me after the nightmares. She was my only hope for life outside the war. Sometimes she could even make me smile. She said she needed me, but more than anything, I needed her.

  Back in our room, JoBell reached out to me until I slid under the covers beside her. She said nothing as we watched the continued coverage of the nuclear devastation. When we huddled together, I felt more warmth and peace than I did at any other time.

  We slept by the light of the screen. The misery from the nuclear blasts, and the horror of all we’d been through in the war, slithered into our dreams.

  * * *

  I jerked awake and scrambled away from whoever was grabbing my shoulder. My fists were up, ready to fight.

  “Danny! You’re okay! It’s me.” JoBell stood back away from the bed. She was used to the rough way I woke up. “Something’s happening.” I reached for my gun, but she grabbed my hands. “Shhh. No. On TV. I think you better watch this.”

  I turned my attention to the screen, where a younger man sat at a news desk.

  “Good morning. For those of you just joining us on the East Coast, it’s seven a.m. Four o’clock here in Los Angeles at the NBC News studios. I’m Carsten Packer. Some of you may have been with us through the long night as we’ve tried to relay the information you need at a time like this.

  “NBC has confirmed that only twelve members of Congress are still alive — seven senators and five representatives. All of them have been transported to North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, near Colorado Springs, seventy miles south of Denver. The new capitol of the United States will be established at NORAD’s headquarters in the facility formerly known as the Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker.

  “We’re going to take you now, live, to the Air Force Academy Chapel north of Colorado Springs. The chapel is completely full this morning — lots of military officers and surviving members of the press, along with many other civilians. There are also scholars and university professors. These experts may begin to replace the members of the president’s cabinet lost in yesterday’s attack. I’m sure the chapel is well protected outside. Here you see, standing in front of the altar, the twelve surviving members of Congress. The seven senators are to the left of the lectern, while the five surviving members of the House of Representatives are to our right.

  “Joining the remains of Congress is … My sources are telling me that’s NORAD commander Chuck Jacobsen, previously a general, that is to say, a four-star general. He now appears to have been promoted to general of the Army, and is wearing five stars in a pentagon formation on his shoulder board. It’s unclear why he —

  “And there she is, President Laura Griffith, now stepping confidently to the lectern. Presidential insiders have told NBC News that she hasn’t slept since the attack, but if she’s suffering from fatigue, she certainly isn’t showing it. And now, here’s the president.”

  “My fellow Americans. As the dawn is obscured on the East Coast by dark clouds of smoke and deadly radioactive contamination, I will forego the customary greeting of the day, for this morning is not good. Our largest city, a world capital for industry and the arts, has been destroyed. The historic capital of our great nation lies in ruins. The monuments to our collective past are no more. Most importantly, over thirteen million of our fellow citizens, innocent men, women, and children, from all walks of life, have been killed.

  “The United States government is making every possible effort to rescue and treat the wounded and sick, and to evacuate irradiated areas. FEMA, Red Cross, and military personnel are rushing to provide medicine, treat injuries, and distribute needed food and other supplies. Citizens who must be evacuated are being moved out by Air Force, Army, and Marine air assets. The United States Navy and Coast Guard are turning their vessels into floating refugee cities until victims of this tragedy can be relocated. To be sure, New York and Washington, DC, are hazardous and dangerous areas, but our military and FEMA response teams have been trained to deal with nuclear-contaminated environments. At this time, experts believe it is best if citizens in the affected zones remain in their homes, sealing up and keeping away from windows to avoid additional exposure to radiation. Federal authorities are moving as quickly as they can through neighborhoods to offer assistance. My fellow Americans, I promise you. Help is on the way.

  “I want to thank so very much those who have responded to our most recent tragedy. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guard, and civilian law enforcement and emergency crews have reacted to this devastating attack on our nation in the very best tradition of the service. The gratitude of the United States also goes out to all those who have donated food, supplies, and even their own blood to help victims. People around the world, from Saudi Arabia to Great Britain, have come to America’s aid, and we are grateful. The United States of America will always remember and support our allies.

  “I chose to make this address so early in the morning, before sunrise on the West Coast, because I want all Americans, and the world, to know that although we have suffered terrible losses, democracy in the United States of America lives on. Since yesterday’s deadly nuclear explosions, I have worked ceaselessly to rebuild our government as quickly as possible.

  “Our Constitution dictates that only a simple majority of each house of Congress shall constitute a quorum, or the minimum number of members required in order to do business. In the absence of the guidance of a Supreme Court, and for the benefit of our country, these members of Congress and I have decided this clause refers to a simple majority of surviving members of Congress. Thus able to conduct emergency business, Congress and I have passed a single emergency exception to federal laws that would prohibit active-duty military personnel from serving in high civil office. I am therefore pleased to report that the Senate has approved my appointment of General Charles Jacobsen to the office of vice president, and I know that his military experience, expertise, and training will be of tremendous value in the struggle ahead.

  “Our Constitution provides procedures for filling congressional seats left vacant by death or incapacity, and details about these procedures will be coming to you from your local governments and election officials. For now, it is enough to know that our representative democracy will be fully restored well inside of the next fifty days. I know that in the shadow of such terrible destruction and loss of life, such legal and procedural details may seem trivial, but I make this speech before you all, standing with the vice president and Congress, with the hope that this honesty and transparency will foster trust in your government and faith in the future of our country.

  “Many are no doubt wondering if our civil war will go on after these nuclear explosions. The answer is that the war could end today, if the leadership in rebel states would surrender and rejoin the union. At this desperate and painful time, you might wonder why the United States is continuing a war that is likewise desperate and painful. First, although the rebel leadership in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and elsewhere has fervently denied any knowledge or involvement in the nuclear attacks, it is inarguable that the instability caused by their rebellions contributed to the explosions. Second, even if the leaders of the rebel states were not involved in the attacks, evidence strongly suggests that at least some rebels assisted the known nuclear theft suspects. To secure America and the world from any such disasters in the future, the rebellions must end.

  “Furthermore, there is no
basis upon which any state might be allowed to leave the United States of America. States are not legally allowed to secede. President Lincoln, in his first inaugural address, stated that the ‘Union of these States is perpetual,’ that no provision of the Constitution allows states to secede, that ‘no government … ever had a provision in its … law for its own termination.’ In the nearly two centuries since, no court decision has ever disputed that position. Clearly, there are no true legal means by which states may secede from the union.

  “It is, moreover, not feasible or practical for states to secede. Americans in any given state both contribute to the collective well-being and are dependent upon it just the same. Electricity generated in one state is transmitted to run a factory in another. That factory may produce farm equipment that is then transported along federally funded highways to other states where food is grown to feed people across the country. The states that have declared their independence cannot possibly offer their own citizens the same quality of life that they enjoyed in the United States, nor can the United States afford to lose the contributions of the rebel states. The United States is bound together for myriad practical reasons.

  “Finally, morality will not permit us to allow states to secede. Secession would create a multitude of desperate or destitute nations that would soon resort to fighting over resources, and such fighting would cost even more lives than have already been lost in this tragic civil war. Our nationwide interdependence has also allowed many states to benefit tremendously from federal funding for roads, dams, universities, law enforcement resources, and much more. These projects were paid for by federal taxpayer dollars for the benefit of all. To allow states to secede from the union would be to allow them to seize these federally funded resources, in effect allowing rebels to steal the benefits of hard-earned tax dollars from Americans everywhere. Thus, the United States has an imperative to stop these rebellions.

  “And stop them we will. When organized rebellion has ceased and peace and security are restored, our investigation into the criminals behind this attack will no longer be hindered, and we will be in a much better position to determine exactly how far the conspiracy spreads. In the meantime, the search is under way for those eleven individuals who are known to be responsible for these evil nuclear attacks. They have tried to destroy our government and our national resolve, but they have failed. Our people are determined, and our military is powerful and prepared. To facilitate greater command and control of the US military, almost all of our forces — both military personnel and their families — will be redeployed to our new capital here in Colorado. This morning, as commander in chief of that military, I make the following promise: The United States will make no distinction between those who carried out these attacks and those who assisted them in any way. We have no more patience for and will deliver no mercy to our enemies.

  “This morning, Congress and I stand before you in the open, offering unity to our citizens and friendship to our allies. From our new capital, we will carry out the business of soundly defeating our enemies and rebuilding the United States of America. Further announcements will follow. Thank you.”

  The screen cut back to the newsroom desk and a lot of people talking about Laura Griffith’s speech. They named her philosophy regarding secession the Griffith Doctrine and debated for hours about what it would mean.

  Its meaning was clear enough to me and JoBell. The war would continue, and we weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

  * * *

  I saw a picture once, a painting with these clocks melted and flopped over a tree branch and something like a concrete slab. After my mom died, I felt like that, like time had melted. For weeks, I couldn’t have told anyone what day it was, what time it was. I ate sometimes, I think, when Becca or JoBell could convince me to have something. It never tasted right. I drank a lot. The pain of the world was too sharp for me back then, and the booze helped soften it all. It took moments and it took months before the blur of time finally snapped back into focus.

  Life oozed by like that for JoBell and me for days and days after the nuclear attack, the screen bringing us unending images of fire, smoke, tears, blood, and death. We ate or didn’t eat the food they brought up to us. We were kept company by the endless commentary from the surviving news people and their so-called experts. We watched as tens of thousands of people walked out of Baltimore along I-70, which was completely blocked by stalled-out or wrecked cars and trucks. People kept moving along, hauling whatever belongings they could manage to carry. Thousands of bodies littered the road, victims of exhaustion or radiation sickness. The scene was repeated in countless places as millions of people gave up on waiting in their basements for help to arrive and decided to take their chances on foot. Some civilian and military helicopters flew into the less irradiated evacuation zones, picking up the refugees who were worst off, but a few times, desperate people mobbed the aircraft until force had to be used to keep the birds within their weight limits. Some people survived the explosions and fallout, only to be shot on the edge of rescue.

  “I’m so damned useless here!” I shouted after watching this. “Everything’s going on outside, and we’re locked up in this room. Can’t even go home.” I held up my comm for JoBell to see. “And something’s wrong back there. Becca just sent this.”

  When are you guys coming home? Hurry. Things are getting bad.

  She nodded. “I managed to get a voice call through to Becca while you were asleep a few hours ago. We didn’t talk long. She was saying something about the Brotherhood right before the call cut out. I couldn’t get her back.”

  “Maybe we could break out of here somehow.”

  “And be on the run from Idaho and the US?” JoBell asked in that annoying way she had of pointing out my stupid ideas.

  I paced toward the window again. “Well, we can’t just sit here!”

  A hard knock pounded on the door. “Private Wright! Miss Linder!” It was Major Leonard, and he sounded pissed. Outside, the moan-shriek-moan-shriek of the air-raid siren began to echo through the city. “I’m coming in!” he bellowed. JoBell and me scrambled into our boots and street clothes as Major Leonard and two other soldiers ran into the room. “I have orders to get you to Idaho CentCom,” the major shouted.

  One of the soldiers grabbed JoBell’s arm and I rushed at him, but JoBell shoved him off first. “What’s going on?”

  I squeezed the handle of my gun. “Major, what do we got?”

  “Our long-distance radar beacons just lit up. Several dozen inbound aircraft. None of them answering on radio.” The major met my eyes. “The United States is coming for us.”

  “Now hear this!” a voice boomed from speakers that must have been wired up all over the city. “Emergency! All soldiers to action stations. All Boise residents proceed immediately to evacuation points. Emergency! All soldiers to action stations. All Boise residents proceed immediately to evacuation points.”

  The two soldiers with Major Leonard were Sergeant Martonick and Specialist Valentine. Martonick drove us in an armored Humvee, with Valentine standing in the center of the vehicle manning the .50-cal, Major Leonard riding shotgun, and me and JoBell in the backseats, cradling our rifles in our laps. The spring day was beautiful. Picnic weather. The kind of day that teased kids who were still stuck in school, promising them the freedom and fun of summer.

  Today would bring bombs, bullets, and blood instead.

  Dozens of Idaho jets raced across the sky toward the south and southeast. Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters rose up from all over the city. The streets were crowded with speeding military vehicles and packed buses.

  “I don’t get it,” JoBell said. “They’re evacuating Boise? How is that possible? How many people —”

  Major Leonard turned to look back at us. “Well, a lot of people have long since left the city.”

  “But there were, what?” JoBell asked. “Two hundred thousand people living here before the war? So we’re talking about moving thousands
of people.”

  “Tens of thousands, probably,” said Major Leonard. “We’ve been running battle drills for months. Everybody knows where to go, what bus, helicopter, or semi-trailer to board. We have reinforced shelters set up in the mountains. Right now, we have to get you two out to the flats and down into the CentCom bunker.”

  “The flats” was the name given to a section of the southeast corner of Boise that had been pretty much completely destroyed by earlier bombing. It made sense as the location of the Idaho base. The US might not suspect that Idaho headquarters would be under the wasteland, and if they did, they wouldn’t have anything valuable left in the area to damage when they targeted it. But they might target everything else.

  “We got to get to the VA hospital to get Sweeney before we go wherever you’re taking us,” I said.

  “Negative,” the major said. “My orders are to get you to safety immediately. I’m sure an evac plan is in place for the hospital. Your friend will be fine.”

  “Bullshit my friend will be fine!” I said. “You don’t know. This little evac plan could all go to shit. I will not abandon my friend.”

  “We owe him our lives,” JoBell said.

  “The hospital is halfway across town in the wrong direction,” Sergeant Martonick called back over his shoulder. He drove us up onto a sidewalk to get around some broken-down vehicles in the middle of the street, bringing the Humvee to a crawl to avoid running down civilians.

  “I’m sorry,” said the major.

  I reached over to squeeze JoBell’s hand. She locked eyes with me and I knew she understood my plan. “I’m sorry too,” I said. I yanked the handle and kicked my heavy door open, sliding out of the vehicle in seconds. JoBell was right behind me.

  “Damn it, Wright! Get back here!” Major Leonard had his door open.