“Mr. President, I have ordered the U.S.S. James E. Williams to position off the coast from Camp Lejeune as a show of force,” Trawick said. “SEAL Team 5 will join them in case we have to act.”
“Excellent,” Russo said. “Given the unrest throughout the country, we have no choice but to implement martial law, effective immediately. The Federal Protective Service will begin immediate steps to rein in any grassroots insurgencies and local militia groups.”
***
1045 – Camp Lejeune
General Cloos stepped into the Camp Lejeune reception area where his new guests were waiting, closing the door behind him. “I’m Major General Samuel Cloos. Thank you all for everything you’ve done.”
A petite woman with Auburn hair pulled into a ponytail rose from the computer on which she was working and extended her hand. “I’m Caroline Edwards.” Her right cheekbone featured a dark, elongated bruise.
Cloos clasped Caroline’s right hand and put his left hand on her bicep. “I’m very sorry to hear about your husband. I hope you know he died performing a great service for our nation.”
Caroline nodded, and Cloos continued. “Young lady, do you realize what you did in Virginia Beach?”
Caroline cocked an eyebrow. “I’m not sure I do.”
“You killed the AIS Supreme Leader.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Our intelligence sources had just learned that the Supreme Leader was a woman on the day you killed her.”
Caroline’s face flushed red. “I… I… I don’t know what to say.”
Cloos put his hand on her shoulder. “Just know that you have performed a great deed. I know that your children were killed in the 2017 attacks. You killed the person who masterminded those attacks.” Cloos turned to a tall, muscular man with a blonde crew-cut. “What’s your name, son?”
“Corporal Kane Martin.”
Cloos shook Kane’s hand. “Thank you for your service, Corporal.” He turned to a tall, dark-skinned man with wavy black hair, bushy eyebrows and dark brown eyes. “I know you. You were on the video calls with Armando. Whose side are you on?”
The man extended his hand. “Benjamin Liebowitz, Mossad.”
Cloos pursed his lips. “Mossad? So now we have two foreign powers playing on our soil. How do I know you are who you say you are?”
Benjamin smiled. “Check your encrypted private email, sir. You’ll have a secure message from our director.”
Caroline chimed in. “General, sir, he probably saved our lives.” She gestured toward Benjamin. “The Homeland Security police were going to take us into custody, and Benjamin got us out and brought us here.”
Three hard knocks echoed through the closed door. “Enter,” Cloos said.
The door opened and Major Chinn entered, followed by a short, partially bald man with a swollen black eye and a cut on his lip. Chinn gestured toward his guest. “General Cloos, meet Drew Thompson.”
“Drew!” Caroline rushed forward and embraced Drew.
Kane patted Drew on the back. “Good to see you alive.”
Cloos stepped forward and extended his hand. “The world-famous Drew Thompson. Apparently you’re quite the hot commodity.”
“Being famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” Drew returned the handshake. “The Armando administration tried to make me the scapegoat for an attack they orchestrated.”
“I know that, son,” Cloos said, then turned to Chinn. “Major, how did you wind up bringing Thompson here?”
“When we were searching the office buildings in Virginia Beach I found him tied to a chair in one of the below-ground offices. I was able to get him out without incident, probably because of the distraction they created.” He gestured toward Caroline and Kane. “Glad you guys were able to get out. How did you get back here?”
Caroline gestured toward Benjamin. “This guy.”
Chinn cocked an eyebrow. “You look familiar. Aren’t you--”
“Yes, I was in Armando’s inner circle, but that was a second job. Benjamin Liebowitz, Mossad.”
Cloos motioned for everyone to have a seat, then turned to Caroline. “Young lady, I hear you’ve been hard at work. What have you found?”
“A lot,” Caroline said. “Years of email communication and personal documents archived by Abdar Al-Haziz and Adilah Hassan. She was clearly the mastermind of the operation, while he was the vocal one in Armando’s administration. They planned last year’s nuclear attacks while working right under our noses in Washington.”
“How did they get the bombs in?” Cloos asked.
“They were small tactical nuclear weapons,” Caroline said. “The information I’ve found indicates they smuggled them across our southern border with the help of Mexican drug cartels in 2014.”
“During the border crisis,” Cloos said. “Three years before they used them. These bastards are patient. How did we not know this was coming? There had to be chatter.”
“Israel tried to warn you,” Benjamin interjected. “But our messages fell on deaf ears.”
“Or so it seemed,” Caroline said. “The messages made it to Homeland Security, but they hit a dead end once they got there. It appears they all got put on ice by one person.”
“Who?” Cloos asked.
“A man named Anthony Russo--”
“Damn it,” Cloos interjected. “That’s what I was afraid you were going to say. And now he’s the president.” Cloos shook his head. “Continue.”
“I found a Trojan horse in one of Abdar’s files that Russo was using to monitor his activity,” Caroline added. “I was able to isolate it without divulging my location and used the Trojan to see Russo’s files and communication. Russo knew about the planned attacks at least six months in advance, and the emails prove he intentionally allowed them to happen.”
Cloos clenched his teeth. “Are you absolutely certain of that?”
“Yes, sir,” Caroline said. “The data trail reveals a clear pattern of Russo manipulating the events of the past two years. He clearly had advance knowledge of the attacks, and he allowed them to happen anyway. He emailed a contact in the Wagner White House and encouraged them to make his boss, Nelson Armando, the Designated Survivor, which put him squarely in the new President’s inner circle. He discouraged the use of our military against AIS on American soil, while encouraging the use of the Federal Protective Service to rein in what he calls ‘domestic terrorists.’”
“You mean patriots,” Cloos shook his head. “Based on what you’re telling me, it sounds like Russo took advantage of AIS’ plans and orchestrated events to position himself to step into the Presidency. It also sounds like he has essentially turned the Department of Homeland Security into his own personal Praetorian Guard.”
“Sir, Russo also corresponds frequently with another unidentified party who uses an encrypted external account,” Caroline continued. “They use an alias, ‘Amor Patriae.’ Whoever this person is, they clearly exert significant influence over Russo. So far I can’t tell if they are simply a confidante or if they are in charge. I haven’t been able to break the encryption to determine who the other person is or where they are located, except that emails are routed through multiple servers in southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Australia and north Africa.”
Cloos narrowed his eyebrows. “We have a fox in the henhouse. Anything else?”
“There appears to have been no love lost between Abdar Al-Haziz and Anthony Russo,” Caroline said.
“I can vouch for that,” Benjamin interjected. “They were mortal enemies.”
“The rivalry intensified in the past few days,” Caroline continued. “The electronic trail of communication indicates that Abdar directed the AIS attack on the Homeland Security convoy transporting Joshua and Kane.” She nodded toward Kane. “He did it specifically to get back at Russo for flaunting the fact that his people had captured Joshua. Russo kept one-upping him and rubbing it in his face, and Abdar snapped. That looks like the spark that led to him and A
dilah Hassan finally kidnapping the president.”
Cloos cocked an eyebrow. “I think Russo intentionally allowed them to capture and kill Armando.”
“Why would he do that, sir?” Kane asked.
“Because Nelson Armando was the only thing standing between him and absolute power,” Cloos said. “Russo is claiming he was the only cabinet member, which places him in the presidential line of succession. He has now been sworn in as President and has assumed control of our government.”
***
3:17 p.m. – Fontana Dam
Later that afternoon, Joshua seated himself on the couch next to Rebecca. Reagan was curled up at his feet. The new president – America’s third in less than 24 months – would be holding his first press conference momentarily. Joshua had never heard of Anthony Russo prior to today, and now he was President of the United States.
A man with dark skin and dark hair who appeared to be about 45 years old appeared on the screen, seated at a desk with an American flag in the background. He was attired in a navy-blue suit, light blue shirt and yellow tie.
My fellow Americans, my name is Anthony Russo, the man said. I have some sad news to share with you. Yesterday, President Nelson Armando and the First Lady were both assassinated by AIS terrorists. The attack also claimed the lives of top presidential advisors Abdar Al-Haziz and Adilah Hassan. Advisor Benjamin Liebowitz is unaccounted for.
This is a sad moment for our nation, but there is a silver lining. In the aftermath of this attack, Federal Protective Service agents were able to track down and eliminate the AIS Supreme Leader, who was operating on American soil. Using intelligence discovered at the Supreme Leader’s location, the Federal Protective Service is now working with our military to hunt down and destroy the last remnants of AIS on American soil.
As you know, President Armando had not appointed a new Vice President, and Congress has not been reconstituted. As the only surviving member of President Armando’s cabinet, the line of succession dictates that I step into the role of President. I was administered the Oath of Office this morning. This is not a job to which I ever aspired, but I will do my best to put our great nation back together.
Today, I have appointed General Mason Palmer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Angúo Zhou as Secretary of Defense. Homeland Security will continue to report to me until I choose a new Secretary. We will take immediate, aggressive steps to reorganize our government.
It is critical that we maintain calm during this difficult period of transition. Over the past few months numerous instances of vigilante justice have taken place in our nation. Additionally, several militia groups have sprung up, and even one of our own military personnel, U.S. Marine Corps General Cloos, has rebelled against our own government. As a result, the entire nation is under martial law, effective immediately. We will spare no effort to bring peace and stability back to our nation. Today is the day we begin putting America back together.
Joshua shook his head. While he had been no fan of Nelson Armando, he feared that things had now gone from bad to worse than he could imagine.
***
6:21 p.m. – Virginia Beach
That evening, President Anthony Russo clenched his teeth as he walked down the hall to the Virginia Beach conference room that had served as Nelson Armando’s base of operations. Now, it was his base of operations.
After decades of weakness, the inept leaders that had held America back had finally been purged from the ranks. Now, the country was in strong hands – hands that would lead the nation back to its rightful position of dominance and power in the world. His hands.
General Mason Palmer, Admiral Vincent Trawick and Angúo Zhou rose from their seats as the newly minted president strode into the conference room, flanked by two Secret Service officers and two Federal Protective Service officers. The walls were void of the portraits of Nelson Armando that had previously graced them, soon to be replaced by portraits of the new president.
“Take your seats.” Russo claimed the high-back leather chair at the head of the table. “Ladies and gentlemen, this has been a difficult few days for our nation, but this crisis presents great opportunity. Our first task is to wipe out the remnants of AIS, once and for all. A second but equally important task is to crush any and all domestic insurgencies. If they are allowed to thrive and grow, we will never restore stability to our land.”
Zhou cocked his eyebrow and smirked. Russo continued, “General Palmer, focus your resources on eradicating the remnants of AIS. Mr. Zhou, work with the Federal Protective Service to pursue and capture or eliminate any and all domestic rebels. Admiral Trawick, coordinate with General Palmer to develop a strategy to neutralize General Cloos. General Palmer, we’ve also received reports that the Lt. Governor of Texas has aligned with the Texas Nationalist Movement and is actively promoting outright secession. This cannot stand. Gentlemen, you have your orders. Unless there are questions, this meeting is adjourned. Time is of the essence.”
***
Saturday, November 10, 2018 – 0942 – Camp Lejeune
General Cloos heaved a deep sigh as the Growler traversed the roads through Camp Lejeune the next morning. Caroline Edwards, the young lady who had assisted Major Chinn in Virginia Beach, had uncovered emails indicating that a Homeland Security staffer named Anthony Russo had advance knowledge of the AIS attacks that devastated America, but knowingly swept them under the rug. Now this man, who was apparently complicit in those attacks, was the new President of the United States. The presence of operatives from Mossad and MI6 had proven the rumors of foreign powers playing on American soil to be true, but Cloos feared it did not stop there.
He pursed his lips as they reached the Mainside Parade Ground, where more than 2,000 Marines were assembled. The usually gruff, hardened Marine fought back a tear as he spotted the American flag positioned on the stage. He had served under the flag his entire adult life. He believed in what it had always stood for. Today, he wondered if it stood for something entirely different, something far less honorable. Had the nation to which he had dedicated his life now become the kind of dictatorship it had always opposed?
Captain Foster approached Cloos as he exited the Jeep, accompanied by Major Chinn and Benjamin Liebowitz. “General, I have some information you should be aware of.”
“Go ahead.”
“Sir, the U.S.S. James E. Williams is headed our way from Norfolk. Should be off our coast by sunset. We have a message from Admiral Vincent Trawick.”
“Trawick.” Cloos spat on the ground. “Never liked that bastard. What the hell does he want?”
“Sir, he says he is speaking on behalf of President Russo. He is ordering you to resign your commission and turn yourself in to be tried on charges of treason.”
Cloos felt his face flush red. “He can keep dreaming.” He turned toward Chinn. “Major, as soon as this assembly concludes, I want you to take the young lady, the corporal and Thompson back to Fontana. Take two enlisted men with you, stay under radar, and get them there safely. Then you are to stay in that part of the world and work with them.”
Chinn nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Cloos turned to Benjamin. “Liebowitz, I’ll provide you with a secure tablet and sat phone. Stay in touch, but for your own good, get out of here and stay below radar.”
Benjamin nodded.
Cloos clenched his teeth as he ascended onto the stage. The audience fell silent as he approached the microphone and began speaking. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most important speech I’ve ever given to you. And the most serious. For the first time in 153 years, I fear we are entering a war against our fellow Americans. Unfortunately, our investigation has revealed that a key person in our own government had advance knowledge of last year’s AIS attacks and intentionally stood by and allowed them to happen. This information is bad enough, but it is compounded by the fact that that person is Anthony Russo, who was sworn in as president two days ago.”
A collective, audible gasp rang out fr
om the crowd. Cloos continued, “Yes, Marines, you heard me correctly. The evidence we’ve uncovered indicates that America’s new president intentionally allowed AIS to attack our nation. Further, you should know that he and his administration have branded me as a traitor. They are demanding that I relinquish my command and surrender myself for court martial. You can rest assured that I have absolutely no intention of being a party to this fool’s kangaroo court.”
Thunderous applause rang out from the crowd. Cloos continued, “You should also know that the United States Navy has dispatched a destroyer as a show of force against us. It will be positioned off our beach tonight.”
The audience fell silent once again. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is a very serious situation. Each of us took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. For those of you who are enlisted, your oath also says that you will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over you, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
“We are entering an unprecedented situation in which the orders of the president have conflicted with and will conflict with the United States Constitution. You will be confronted with situations in which my orders conflict with those of the president. You will be forced to reconcile which orders you believe to be lawful, and which you believe to be in conflict with the Constitution.
“You should know that I do not view Anthony Russo as a legitimate president. The oath we took obligates us to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I believe Anthony Russo is the domestic enemy our founding fathers warned us about. I believe his goal is to turn us into a military dictatorship, and he is on the verge of success. I am prepared to sacrifice everything to ensure that he and his cronies fail. Now, I am asking you to choose whether you will join me. Our government will label you as a traitor, but if we prevail, history will judge you as heroes. And we must prevail if freedom is to endure.
“If anyone here is not comfortable standing with me, I will allow you to leave, unharmed, and without repercussions. For the sake of freedom, and in the spirit of the oath we took, I hope you will stand with me.”
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