"I am not the member with the most resources, John," Lorne said. "I am not even in the top ten.” I raised my eyebrows at that.
"I will admit that a headless organization is very difficult to destroy, but it also makes it relatively ineffective in choosing and moving toward the most important goals," I said.
"How big do you think we are?” Lorne asked.
"I am not sure," I said. "Based on what I have seen, I suspect you have members scattered throughout all fifty states, and, I suspect, in more than a few foreign countries. Considering how rapidly information seems to pass in your group, and how quickly things seem to happen, as well as the long term preps I have seen, I would estimate that you have well in excess of several thousand members and/or supporters, some who are in positions in the government where they can pass you information. I think it would take that many people, or more, to accomplish what I have seen done so seamlessly.” Lorne glanced at Toni and Myrtle and they exchanged that look again.
"Go on," Lorne said.
"I also think you have some sort of secure communications capability that the government is unaware of, or at least has failed to crack."
"What do you think that might be?” Toni asked.
I thought for a minute. "Well, if I had to do something like that, and I was technically capable—which I am not—I would piggyback a seemingly random analog signal on existing internet and cell phone transmissions. That would require developing both the machine language, software, and the proprietary hardware from scratch," I said. "Using off-the-shelf hardware would be far less secure. I would, however, install the proprietary hardware inside common items, such as computers and cell phones so that their use would not draw any undue attention."
"I wish we had thought of that," Lorne said. Again, he exchanged looks with Toni and Myrtle.
"Ok," I said. "If you are not using that kind of com system, then I would expect a coded message system."
"Actually, a coded message system is what we are using. We have to change codes frequently," Lorne said. "Do you think your piggyback idea will work?"
"I would ask some technical folks and see what they think." I said.
Toni nodded at Lorne, "I will check it out. Give me about three hours."
"It will work," I said. "I just don't think it will be inexpensive or particularly quick to develop."
"Do you think the government knows much about us?” Lorne asked.
"I suspect that some, but not nearly all, of your members are watched, and some have been, or will be, targeted for assassination based on actual opposition to the government, or even just the suspicion of opposition. I think the government knows that they have significant opposition among the citizenry, and they are now using every means at their disposal to destroy and silence any resistance. Why else would they use drones to assassinate American citizens?”
"I doubt the government knows how extensive or how well-funded their opposition is, or how easy it is for you to recruit American citizens because of the government’s recent all out attack on the Constitution. I think most highly-placed officials tend to be psychopaths and narcissists because those are the personality types that take to the dirty nature of politics most effectively."
"After all, these are the same people who are incapable of understanding how much the people of Pakistan hate us because of the innocent people, especially the women and children, killed in the president's overseas drone strikes—almost fifty innocents for every terrorist as I understand it.”
"These people, the powers that be, whether in government, banks, or corporations, simply do not understand, and, in fact, are most often incapable of understanding, the ties that bind the rest of humanity together."
"That lack of understanding is this administration's greatest weakness. That is what you are, or should be, using against them."
Lorne just stared at me. It was Myrtle who broke the silence. "Ok, I am convinced, Lorne. I think you called this one right."
"How effective do you think the government's war against citizen opposition is?” Lorne asked.
"The government collects a huge amount of data on citizens. I am sure the feds record all telephone calls in the US, both cell and landline, and run each of these digital files through voice recognition software in search of key words. Once they identify a citizen who expresses above a certain threshold of opposition to the current regime, I suspect they monitor that person more closely, using computer hacking, surveillance drones of various types, surveillance satellites, bugs, or perhaps even assassinate that person, much like they tried to do with me."
"How would you suggest that the government's telephone monitoring system be fooled while still allowing us to use cell phones?” Lorne asked.
"I can think of several possible ways," I said. "First, all voice recognition systems, no matter how good, have difficulty with some pronunciations. It should be possible to write a software program that garbles either selected words, or perhaps sentences, enough to be unrecognizable to voice recognition systems, or the human ear. A person on the other end of the call could record the call and use the same program to unscramble the message on a computer not connected to the internet.”
"Another way might be to overload the government surveillance system with a huge number of untraceable automated calls that use key words and phrases of interest to the government in a random fashion—an old fashioned denial of service attack. I am sure a good computer tech would be able to do the calculations and see if that is actually possible.
"Another alternative might be to use an uncommon spoken language. If the language chosen is only spoken, and has no written representation, and the native speakers are also unlikely to be in opposition to the government, it would be difficult for the government to catch on or crack the code because of their base assumption that speakers of that language are not a threat. That would require a number of translators though so I doubt it will be practical."
"Those are some good ideas," Lorne said.
"Well, they would have to be developed by better technical people than I. I doubt I could do any of those things on my own."
"One more question. Do you remember when Toni made the call when the federal cop saw your face?"
"Yes," I replied. "And probably got me on his lapel camera, which most likely has a direct digital feed into the big government database."
"How do you think Toni's communication worked?"
"I think that Toni had memorized a series of phone numbers. Making a call to any of those numbers would result in a pre-planned action, such as a car, etc., left at a specified location without a word needing to be said."
"Now I am convinced!” Lorne said as he stood and extended his hand. "Your skill with a rifle is amazing, but your analytical skills are truly incredible."
I stood and shook his hand. "Lorne," I said, "I find you to be an amazing fellow, yourself. I have never met anyone quite like you."
"Damn," Myrtle laughed. "What is this? A mutual admiration society?"
"It sure looks like it," I smiled.
Lorne sat back down and so did I. "John," he said. "I believe Toni once told you that you might be more important to us than we were to you."
"Yes," I nodded. "I didn't understand what she meant then nor do I now."
"Well, I will come straight to the point. The time to act against the government is now."
"I don't think a revolution can be accomplished with just guns," I said. "That worked during the revolt against the British, but it won't work now."
"I agree," Lorne said.
"To revolt against a government in a digital age, we must use technology more intelligently than they do. What that really means is, since they have the unlimited budget to develop surveillance and drone technology, etc., that we need to find ways to tap undetected into their surveillance systems and not only find out what they know before they know it, but feed them whatever misinformation we wish. We also need to be able to knock out their surveillance and drones
at will, and/or turn their drones and other weapons on them when and where we wish."
Lorne glanced at Myrtle and they exchanged looks. "And that is precisely why we want you to lead the revolution, John," Lorne said.
"You have to be kidding," I said. "I am a retired hydrogeology professor. I have never been in the military, nor am I even a student of military history."
"You look very young to be retired," Myrtle said.
"I took early retirement, so early I am not even drawing a pension," I replied. "I am 51. Like you said, I am lousy at politics."
"I think you are our man," Lorne said.
"Lorne," I replied. "I think you are far better qualified than I. Besides, all I want to do is kill the bastards that murdered my wife."
"John," Lorne said. "The entire upper echelon of our government is behind the murder of your wife, and the murders of hundreds of other innocent American citizens."
"Myrtle nodded, "He is right John. The government is a very rotten place lately."
"We need you, John," Lorne pleaded. "We have a multitude of incredibly talented people, but we don't have anyone who sees the big picture as clearly as you. Nor do we have anyone who can accurately divine the government's intent as you have in your blog comments. We have analyzed your web comments, and you have been 86% accurate with your predictions so far. That is pretty darn incredible, to say the least. We have also read through your research publications, by the way. I won't even pretend to say I understand the technical stuff."
"Does that mean that my encountering Toni on the Wyoming ranch was deliberate?” I asked.
"No," Lorne replied. "That was a stroke of real luck on our part.” Lorne glanced at Myrtle and Myrtle nodded. Lorne spoke again. "We have a lot of very smart and very well-educated people, but we need you to direct them; to give us the big ideas and to be an example that the government doesn't always win."
"I gather that you want to use me in some sort of publicity campaign?"
"Yes, John. In addition to leading us, we want you to be the inspiration that drives the revolution."
"Surely, others have come up against the government and won. What about Toni? What about Peggy? There must be many others? Can't one of them lead?"
"No John," Lorne said. "Not very many people have survived direct government attacks. The three of you are the only ones we know about. You are the leader we want John."
"We are an organization that wants to oust the current illegitimate government and return true constitutional governance to America. A government of the people and for the people, like our Founding Fathers meant it to be. No more executive orders, laws, or Supreme Court decisions that are in violation of the Constitution and in violation of citizen's rights. No more wars that kill our military men and women for profit. No more corporate control and/or influence of the government to further corporate profits at the expense of the health, welfare, and well-being of the citizenry."
"Lorne, I agree that the current government needs to be ousted, and the country returned to constitutional rule. I just don't think I am the one to lead the effort. What would happen if I make a mistake? I am more than willing to help as long as it doesn't get in the way of me killing the murderers of my wife—but to lead?"
"John, we will help you with getting the ones who murdered your wife. We have resources that you don't"
"Lorne, I know that to be true. All I have is a rifle and a few dollars, but I have it to do and that means I will make the murderers of my wife pay even if I have to do it with no more that that."
"That determination is also why we need you, John," Myrtle said. "You have the determination of 100 men."
I looked at Myrtle and said, "Maybe so, but not the good sense."
"John, you won't be alone in this. We have a council who will help. I am on that council," Lorne said.
I raised my eyebrows. "How many on the council?” I asked.
"Five," Lorne said. "I want you to meet with the council."
Lorne was a hard man to say no to. I agreed to meet with the council.
Chapter 9: PEGGY WAKES
"It's this simple people: Government can't allow anything to exist that it does not control.” Jessie Ventura
Mississippi
Peggy awoke in a darkened room. She didn't know what time it was, or even remember exactly where she was. She did feel safe though. She wasn't sure who the men were that rescued her from the mountainside in Colorado, but she was certain they did not intend to hurt her. They had killed three more of the trackers who were following her. In doing so Peggy was positive they had saved her life. She knew she would not have been able to prevail against the three trackers—ground hounds her rescuers had called them. She was convinced it had just been luck that had allowed her to escape the first tracker. She was sure she had killed the first man who was tracking her, and that bothered her. But then, she knew that the tracker would have killed her, just like the government tried to kill her with the missile fired from the drone.
Peggy got up and found a change of clothes neatly stacked on the dresser. She examined them. There was a pair of jeans, a western style blouse, and a selection of underwear and socks. On the floor was a new pair of sneakers, still in the box. Everything was her size. After fumbling around the room a bit, she found the bathroom, and took a long, hot shower. She was still both mentally and physically exhausted, and thought a shower would help.
After she showered and dressed, she left the bedroom and realized she was lost. She had been so tired when they showed her to the bedroom that she had failed to notice how she got there. She walked down the long hall until she found a set of stairs. She climbed the stairs and found herself in a large den on the floor above. The light coming through the windows told her that this was probably the ground floor and that she had been in the basement before.
"I am glad you are awake," a lady said from where she was almost lost in an overstuffed chair.
"Just barely," Peggy replied.
"You have been through an ordeal," the lady smiled. "One that most people would not have survived. No wonder you are beat."
Peggy walked across the room feeling a myriad of aches that the shower did not take away, and sat down in an identical large, overstuffed chair next to her. She felt as lost in the chair as the other woman looked, but it was the most comfortable chair she had ever sat in. It was almost like floating on a cloud.
She studied the lady in the other chair for a minute. She saw an unusually beautiful woman with dark hair, wearing slightly loose jeans, and a green plaid western shirt tucked into her jeans. She was trim and appeared to be about the same height and build as Peggy, although it was hard to tell with her sitting in the chair. Peggy wondered for an instant if she was now wearing this other woman's clothes. She also felt a fleeting jealousy that the other woman was much prettier than herself. The highest complement Peggy ever got was cute. No one had ever called her beautiful. "Who are you?” Peggy asked. "Who was it that rescued me? Where am I?"
Toni smiled "My name is Toni. The government killed my husband, sister, and niece, and then tried to kill me too because my husband found out about the drone assassinations of American citizens on American soil by this administration, and tried to blow the whistle. My husband, my sister, and her daughter were killed by ground hounds, just like you almost were. I escaped and hid out until these people rescued me. I am now one of them. Except for them, I have no family left."
"Who are you people?” Peggy asked. "I will understand if you think you can't tell me. Obviously, you are a member of a group of government resistors."
"How do you feel about that?” Toni asked.
"If you had asked me that question a week ago, I would have said that you were terrorists. Now, I am not so sure that it isn't our government who are the terrorists," Peggy responded. "It still seems surreal to me."
"I understand," Toni replied. "I felt that way at first too."
"How long has the government been killing American citizens?” Pe
ggy asked.
"I am not sure, but we think it has been going on for about three years now," Toni said. "So far there are just some rumors floating around on various web conspiracy sites, and neither the news media or the majority of citizens seem to be aware of the murders."
“And the government covers the murders up?” Peggy asked, slowly shaking her head. "What has our country come to?"
"A rather corrupt state, I am afraid," Toni replied.
Both Toni and Peggy turned their heads as John and Lorne walked into the room. Peggy recognized them both. She saw the slight smile on Toni's face as her eyes focused on the taller of the two. Apparently, Toni was interested in the big guy. Peggy studied his face briefly but couldn't discern if he returned Toni's feelings.
Peggy suddenly realized that she didn't even know the names of her rescuers. As they walked toward her, she looked them over. The smaller man walked with a quiet confidence that drew her attention and made her wonder who he was. In spite of a 'less than tough' appearance, he was an attractive man and she felt herself drawn to him. She figured appearances were deceiving, at least in his case from what she had seen on the mountain.
The bigger man was the one who fed her the sandwiches; the retired professor who didn't look old enough to be retired. She remembered how comfortable and safe she had felt with her head on his shoulder in the helicopter and how he had carried her for miles to safety when she was too exhausted to walk. After several years of uninteresting dates and no relationships, she felt attracted to both of these men. Those feelings surprised her and she even blushed a bit. Neither of the men noticed but she saw Toni's look and knew that she had picked up on it. That was one perceptive lady.
From watching how comfortable the two men were with each other as they walked side by side into the room, Peggy felt that they must be great friends. She could tell neither was gay, and she could tell that both were too preoccupied to pay any male attention to either of the women in the room. A slight smile came to Peggy's face. That most likely meant that both were intelligent and cared very much about something of importance. Neither seemed to be a chaser, and Peggy knew that even if men were seldom interested in her, most men would instantly respond to a beautiful woman like Toni. The fact that neither did meant to Peggy that they both had depth of character.
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