Patriots Awakening

by R. M. Strauhs

  Armed Marines standing in the open plane door greeted the Mayor’s sons. “Who are you guys, and what do you want?” a Marine shouted in a gruff voice.

  “We’re Mayor William Knight’s sons,” Larry yelled out. “He figured you might show up and has had us sitting here for two weeks waiting for you. Scott here has called Dad on the radio to tell him the President has landed.”

  “Sorry, son, but we have to be careful.” The President pushed past the Marines, came down the steps, and shook their hands.

  “Sir, we have the Governor’s mansion ready for you. The Governor has moved out of the Capitol building. Not like he done anything there anyway,” Billy snarled.

  President Lawson chuckled. “That’s good. Would you mind driving us to the mansion? We can go to the Capitol a little later. Also, do you have any trucks for hauling our supplies to the mansion?”

  “Sure, Mr. President. They’re stashed over there in those hangars out of sight. The keys are in them. Your people can help themselves,” Scott answered.

  Scott keyed his radio. “Dad, meet us at number 2.

  “That’s a roger, son. On my way.”

  ~~~

  The President’s Aide, Mark Townsend and Marcia Lane walked down the steps of Air Force One. The two had hit it off in the Washington complex and were now a couple. Marcia would be just fine without Jarmain Euclaid.

  Also accompanying the President on this flight was Major White. The President was impressed with the Major and knew his talents would be needed in the government. Clutching the Major’s hand was his new bride, Marlene Coldpacker.

  ~ 35 ~

  Stephan had carried the cell phone his uncle gave him all this time, and it had become sort of forgotten or, perhaps, something so automatic to stick in his pocket, it was like putting his shoes on each day. So the vibration in his shirt pocket startled him. He realized it was the phone, which he pulled out, and pressed the receive button.

  “This is Stephan.”

  “How are things going, Stephan? Hope you haven’t settled in too snugly.”

  “We’re all doing great, General. How are things in Denver? And does that remark about not getting snuggled in mean I’m not going to be here long?”

  It was early morning, and Stephan sat on what remained of the front porch . . . of what had been a nice home until the storms destroyed it. He was determined to build it back, and had, with the help of the others in his little group, begun clearing away the debris and salvaging whatever building materials they could.

  “Stephan, I know you’d like to stay there with everyone, but I need a lot of help and people I can trust. I really do need you and Cord here. I’ll leave it to you, but we have a nation and a military to rebuild.”

  “You give me little choice, General. What is it you need us to do?”

  “First, I want you in Denver. The President has taken up residence here, and this is going to be the seat of government for some time to come. Get to Denver as soon as you can. I’ll fill you in on everything that’s happened the last few weeks. Like I said, I won’t order you to stay, but perhaps you will want to move everyone here. We can always rebuild your home in the future when we have things under control and rebuilding programs underway.”

  “Good enough, General. Cord and I will be there later today.”

  Stephan returned the phone to his shirt pocket and stared at the ground, wondering how the others would take this. What would he have to arrange before leaving? Of course, he could get Raul to look after things. Well, nothing to do but break the news to everyone.

  He found Susan and Alice having breakfast, with Cord nowhere in sight. “Is that lazy bum of a husband of yours still in bed, Alice?”

  “You guessed it. You ready for some chow?”

  “Yes, that would great. If it wasn’t for waking everyone, I’d blast him out of bed with some really loud jazz. Why don’t you go roll him out so he can hear some news?”

  Susan was in mid-sip from her coffee mug, but lowered it and said, “Oh, oh.”

  Stephan smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

  “What news is it? Good or bad?”

  “General Parker wants us to come to Denver.”

  “You and Cord?”

  “For now, yes. But, I think we’ll be there long enough for everyone to move. I’ll have to let you know after we get there and see what he has in mind.”

  “Well, truth is, it’ll be nice to get above ground on a permanent basis.”

  “Yes I’m tired of living like a mole, too.” Stephan smiled. “When we learn what the General wants, we’ll let you know. But Cord and I have to leave as soon as we eat.

  ~~~

  “Gentlemen, good to see you again. I think we have enough time to grab some lunch. I’ll fill you in on some of what is happening while we eat.”

  “Can you tell me if we are going to be here awhile?” Stephan asked his uncle.

  As General Parker put a large slice of roast beef on his plate at the State Capitol cafeteria, he smiled. “I think we have something permanent in mind for you fellas. We’re meeting with the President this afternoon. We’ve lots of work to do.”

  Stephan said nothing but dove into the excellent food, wondering how long such fare might be available until things were put back together. My God, it was going to be a massive undertaking to put the country back on its feet.

  “Well, aren’t you excited about meeting the President?” his uncle asked.

  “Sure, but I’m hungrier than I am excited.” He smiled widely as he forked another piece of roast beef into his mouth.

  “I think there will be some of what’s left of the Congress at the Capitol, also.” General Parker shook his head and had a sad look on his face. “What a son-of-a-bitch that idiot Euclaid was. Just think of all the misery he caused.”

  Stephan stopped eating and seemed thoughtful for a moment, as if trying to find a way to put a thought into words. Finally, he said, “You know, Uncle Russell, I’ve heard people say that some good can come from bad things happening. Perhaps this will be one of those times. The forces we have left in the military are more dedicated to our country than they ever were. What’s left of our business community is probably so damned thankful they are still in existence they might try being a lot more honest. And, I think people in general will be far more dedicated to bringing our country back to what it should be. One thing is sure. We’re short a whole bunch of crooked bastards in Washington.”

  General Parker smiled and answered, “You’re probably right on all those counts. All the militias out there that didn’t trust the government came to the aid of their country when it really needed them, and I think they’ll trust in the new government a hell of a lot more because they’ll be part of it.”

  Stephan, eyeing his uncle, asked, “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I’m sure the President will cover it, but one of his ideas is to install some common ordinary people in the new congress. People who aren’t lawyers or owe their souls to big business. Just some plain ordinary folks. I think in that sense, you’re right about good coming from evil. I think our country is going to be united as never before.” He glanced at his watch. “Hey guys, eat up. We only have twenty minutes.”

  ~~~

  Stephan had to admit he was impressed with the President. From a distance, he had always seemed to be more of a figurehead than a leader, but when they shook hands and he said, “Good to have you on my team, Major,” Stephan knew he meant it and meant “his” team. He was definitely leading.

  It took about a half hour for all the people to get into the state Senate chamber, and there seemed to be about every walk of life present.

  Finally, the President mounted the steps to the lectern and waved his hand at the assemblage. “Ladies and Gentlemen . . .” He stood quiet for a moment before continuing, “I stand here before you as your elected President. That means so much more to me now than it ever did before. I can honestly say I have never been beholden to any special interest
in my entire political career. Today, I am extremely grateful and indebted to a special interest group – the survivors and the people who fought for the right thing. I’ve not prepared a speech of any sort.” He chuckled and said, “The fact is, I no longer have a speech writer. But I guess there are many things we have been accustomed to that have disappeared. Much of our country has disappeared. And, in fact, that is the first thing I would like to address, because the geographical shape of our country has changed so greatly, we have a lot of redistricting to do.”

  This brought a chortle from the politicians in the audience, and the President continued, “Please do not think I am in any way making light of the terrible fate that has befallen so many of our countrymen, but I’ve often heard it said it is much better to be able to smile at a problem than cry. I know you, like myself, have done enough weeping for a lifetime in these past weeks and months. There is nothing like coming to the brink of destruction and your life ending to make you realize what is really important. Its taught me what the true meaning of being the President is. So few people ever get to meet the President, or even their elected representatives. But from here on, I know my position is not nearly as important as the working citizens. The person producing the food to nourish our bodies is far more important. The person working in a factory so we might clothe ourselves is far more important. Each and every citizen contributing to our society in one way or another to keep our society viable, healthy, and strong is far more important. Not only will that be my attitude from here on, but I hope it will be the attitude of every person serving in a public capacity.”

  He stopped to take a sip of water, and then continued. “My friends, we have so much to do to get our country operating again, but before I get into that, I want to recognize some true heroes, the heroes who saved our republic from tyranny and anarchy. Without going into all the details of their heroic acts, and without trying to name all the people involved . . . there were thousands upon thousands of them . . . I just want to say to them, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. If the heroes in our military, in many local militias, and just ordinary people had not stepped forward and sacrificed so much, we would have been doomed. So, thanks again, and I’m afraid for many of you the task is not yet completed.

  “I have appointed Major General Russell Parker as the new Secretary of Defense. General Parker is a totally dedicated, honorable soldier.

  “General Parker has a nephew who is a true hero. He has not been notified yet, but he has been promoted to Brigadier General.”

  The gulp from Stephan could be heard throughout the hall at this pronouncement.

  President Lawson laughed and said, “General, you might not be happy about the promotion when you learn what your duty assignment will be. You are going to be in charge of a couple of things. First, we need to immediately begin organizing our military back into cohesive units. We need to inventory everything, see what we have left, and get it back into operation. I think it highly unlikely we have anything to fear from anyone around the world. They have their own massive problems to deal with. But I think we should be as prepared as possible. Get airbases, pilots, and planes back online, Army depots restored and everything you need to do to reestablish things.

  “Secondly, you will be in charge of all prisoners. I have learned from accounts available there are nearly twenty thousand prisoners being held around the country. Some of them are foreigners, paid to be in the Army of the would-be world conquerors, some are US citizens turned traitor, and some, unfortunately, are from our own military. It will be up to you and the people you fully trust to decide who will face a military tribunal and who will be put to another use. We are going to recreate the old idea of chain gangs. Those whom you do not consider a threat can be utilized in rebuilding projects. A Tribunal can determine their sentences. As for the others, I suppose you know what to do about them without my saying it.”

  He started to look at a note on the lectern, but hesitated a moment before saying, “There is one other office to be assigned and the promotion of another hero.” Turning to the man seated next to Stephan, the President spoke. “Colonel Wes Cordel, our Constitution says that every citizen has a right to keep and bear arms. I want you to work with any local militias still existing to make that mean something. I want to organize all the militias into a back up force for our military. I’ll leave it up to you to select leaders from some of the militias to work on this.”

  Cord sat there in shock. Stephan slapped him on the back and shook his hand. He finally mumbled, “Thank you, Mr. President.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we have to organize, prepare and rebuild our government from the bottom up. As I understand it, we have only thirty-four Representatives and twelve Senators who’ve reported in. Temporarily, they will be it. If there are any other Congressmen out there who were not involved in this conspiracy, they will join you. It will take some time and assessment to see where we are, as far as geographical representation, and then we can reestablish Congress correctly.

  One topic I want to touch on is how to finance the rebuilding of our nation. The U.S. Mint is here in Denver, and I’m told there are silver mines in the area. We will produce new silver dollars.

  Finally, I would like to say, many of the laws passed before this calamity are hereby revoked by Executive Order. I have been in consultation with four highly respected Federal Judges, and they made a list of laws they deem to be unconstitutional. I’ll not go into the specifics now, but there is printed matter available to anyone who would like it. Mainly, we are going to get back to Constitutional Law in the United States of America. There will no longer be an agency, such as the former FEMA, that can take over all law enforcement and work their will on people. I, like many present, have thought for some time that agency was a huge mistake and was completely unconstitutional. Only when the President declares a national emergency will we ever exert control by any government agency. Even then, I am asking the members of Congress who are present to bring me a bill that will meet the Constitution and will require the okay of all local entities for even a National Guard unit to be utilized to keep the peace.

  As most of you know, my office will be here in the Colorado State Capitol building. I assure you, anyone with anything worthwhile to contribute, or address, will have access to me or any member of my staff. Thank you again for being here. And again, thanks to all the people who made it possible for us to remain a free and democratic country.”

  As President Lawson walked from the lectern, cheers and applause erupted for this young man. He had meant every word he said, and they knew it.

  Stephan discussed the entire situation late into the night with Cord, his uncle, and a half dozen high-ranking officers from several branches of the military. By the time he finally fell exhausted into bed at his uncle’s house, they had put together a preliminary plan for rebuilding the armed forces. His last thought before sleep overtook him was that he needed to contact Susan.

  ~~~

  When the helicopter rotors came to a stop at the Holden Place, the kids gathered around and talked about what a cool machine it was.

  “Stephan, where’s Cord?” Alice asked.

  “The Colonel is in Denver waiting on you and the kids. We’re all moving there.”

  “What are we going to do in Denver?” Simon asked.

  Stephan smiled at Simon for a moment, then answered, “Build a new country, Simon. A completely new country.”

  Epilogue

  National Heroes Cemetery

  Denver, Colorado

  June, 1, 2040

  “Grandpa, who is, ‘General of the Army Russell G. Parker’?”

  Stephan smiled at his beautiful little Granddaughter who looked so much like her Grandmother it brought tears to his eyes.

  “He was my Uncle. In fact, he was my favorite Uncle.” As he answered her, Stephan’s thoughts went back to that first meeting they had at the General’s ranch and all that took place after that meeting. He thought about
how, after the world was half destroyed and his Uncle Russell called him back to duty to help rebuild the nation, he never dreamed he would stay in the Army so many years and become a Major General himself.

  His thoughts were interrupted by his Granddaughter tugging on his hand and asking, “Grandpa, are we going to go see Grandma?”

  When Stephan squatted down to pick Suzy up, she touched the tears streaming down his face and asked, “Why are you crying, Grandpa?’

  With the four-year-old questioner in his arms, he replied, “I’m not crying. Just have a few tears in my eyes because you are such a beautiful little girl, and you look just like your Grandma. Yes, we’re going to go see her, just like we do every day. But first, we have to get the roses out of the car and put on your Great Uncle’s grave.”

  “Why did you bring Uncle Russell roses and daisies for Grandma?”

  He hugged her and chuckled. “Because Uncle Russell loved roses, and your Grandmother loved daisies.”

  “Do they know we’re leaving flowers for them?”

  Stephan couldn’t stem the tears, even though he laughed and said, “You sure do ask a lot of questions, little miss. Yes, of course they know we bring them flowers.”

  After visiting Susan’s grave in another part of the cemetery, he drove in silence as Suzy sang a tune she learned in school. He couldn’t help but think she was awfully smart for a four year old. Some day, he would finish the book he was working on, which explained a lot for people born after the great destruction the world had known. He felt it important for Suzy’s generation, and generations beyond hers, to understand what had happened that so changed the world and brought about so many of the morals under which today’s society lived. Of course, the first pages in the book would be devoted to the original Constitution and the Bill of Rights. So much of world history had been lost in the great destruction, he was compelled to explain everything it took to make the country the wonderfully free society it was again after defeating the criminals who had tried to rule the world.