The Crimson Fall (The Sons of Liberty Book 1) (38 page)

On that day—a day when even the Statue of Liberty wanted to cry—Lieutenant General Jackson Hewitt, the first of many military leaders to defect from the United States, looked up with a solitary tear in his eye and ended his speech with the only words that seemed to fit.

“May God help us all.”

C
hapter
N
ineteen

And to All a Goodnight

The well-protected control room far below ground had brought Adam Reinhart little, if any, sense of comfort. Winter had finally arrived outside; a frigid cold seeped deep into his bones during his short walk from his living quarters to the command building. The heaters inside had managed to dry Adam’s clothing to some degree, but he still couldn’t shake the chill that nestled between his shoulder blades. The chill, however, was not due to his damp shoes or cold hands. The shiver that continued to rattle his teeth had more to do with the fact that he knew what was at stake if he couldn’t sway the mind of Jackson Hewitt once he returned from giving his painful speech.

“Relax,” Eric told Adam. “They’ll be here soon enough. Just say what you got to say and let the chips fall where they may.”

Adam laughed weakly. “You say that as though this is a poker game and we can buy back in if our luck runs out. Honestly, if the rumors are true, it doesn’t matter what Jackson or Lukas do next. We’ve lost the country, and the American people have lost their warriors.”

“Well you’ll still have me,” Eric said. “And a handful of others willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“You’re a good man, Eric,” Adam said with a slight smile of appreciation. “I wish I had ten thousand of you at my side.”

“Sorry, Congressman, but I’m one of a kind.”

The doors opened and in walked Jackson Hewitt, David Malcovich, and a handful of other familiar faces. One look from David told Adam their coming battle of ideals had already been lost.

“Gentlemen, thank you for waiting.” Jackson Hewitt walked around the rows of computers to the front of the room. He shook Adam’s hand and turned to the uniformed man sitting at the helm of a computer next to him. “Patch in Offutt.”

“Yes sir,” the man said.

After a few moments, the large screen lit up with the faces of the men at Offutt Air Force Base. A man named General Byrd introduced himself and the officers next to him. After the introductions were over, Jackson turned to the room and began to speak. “I’d like to begin by wishing you all a merry Christmas. I fear we are on the brink of completely losing that which made this nation great. It is my sincere hope that we can hold on to the greatness of our past. Now, I think it is important to remind you all that I have always held a deep love for the United States of America. I have been through many wars, some known to the public and many not. I have seen hell on earth and watched as men I considered brothers died before my eyes. However, I will be the first to admit that these past few months have been darker than anything I have ever lived through. With that being said, I believe we have been living off yesterday’s latest rumors. What we’ve heard about the other parts of the country could very well be a lie. I have asked Colonel Stone here to gather up as much information as he could ever since comms went dark and elaborate on the status of what we know to be fact.” With that, the general stepped aside.

“Thank you, General,” the younger officer said. “We’re still piecing everything together as best as we can so bear with me. What we do know is that an estimated three to ten million Americans have died since the panic began.” A slow murmur passed through the crowd. It was a mild hum, though for the normally composed military men it sounded more like a thunderous growl. “Most deaths were due to starvation and violence, while others, mainly out west, have lost their lives to dehydration. Four major power outages—one in central Arkansas, two on the West Coast, and another in southern Florida have all but completely obstructed our ability to grasp what is really going on in those regions. Major cities continue to cling to life support as winter sets in. Though the initial panic has declined as civilians are beginning to band together in numbers, it would appear our next major killer is but a month away. Perhaps less.”

“And what is that, Colonel Stone?” Jackson asked.

“Drugs, General. Or the lack thereof.”

“I thought most of the hospitals and pharmacies were looted already,” Adam said.

“That’s correct. They were looted, but that didn’t make the drugs disappear. They just changed hands. It’s all been an exchange game up until now, and the drugs are still available for the right price. We know that over eighty percent of the country is dependent on prescription medication or illegal drugs in one way or another. If we factor in the overwhelming ailments of those medically dependent and the withdrawal-born violence that will dramatically increase when that supply runs dry, then our best estimates are that the current death tally could increase tenfold within sixty days.”

This time, reactions were not so subtle. Expressions of shock followed by not so hushed curses filled the large room. Adam knew it would be bad, but he had no idea just how bad. He had fought to contain the damage ever since the interview in New York. He had initially fled to Washington—hoping to begin the process of removing Lukas from office as he worked with other prominent politicians—but when the riots moved to the capital, he cared more about finding a safe haven for his family than anything else. They had moved from one location to another in an effort to find refuge and gain support, eventually settling in at Fort Bragg. He had been working with the United States Armed Forces in an effort to stop the mounting violence peppering the nation like a shotgun blast to a map. However, it now seemed defeat was almost inevitable. It was as though a wave of molten fire had swept across the country, searing everything and everyone it touched. Before the turmoil, it had simply been a battle with the president to stop him from completely destroying what America had stood for. Now, it was a war to prevent the chaotic system from collapsing in on itself entirely, and if the colonel at the front of the room was right, their failure to stop that from happening would cost America between thirty and one hundred million lives.

“What are our options, Jackson?” General Byrd asked on the monitor.

“The medication shortage is our number one priority. I propose that we mobilize the other American bases willing to cooperate, bypass the FDA’s ban on digitally delivered prescription drugs, and get the troops out there informing the public.”

“You know that’s a terrible idea.” Adam said bluntly. “You read the journal. The Patriarchs were toying with that technology years ago. If the digital meds can truly be hacked—as the FDA suggested and consequently banned them—then what would stop someone like Lukas or one of his friends from doing just that in an effort to control the people? Couldn’t they alter the drugs once they’ve been delivered?”

“Perhaps in theory, Congressman,” Jackson replied. “But that’s only theory, and we don’t have many options left.”

“Even in theory it’s a pretty big deal,” Adam said angrily. “But put that aside, I still see one gaping hole in this entire strategy.”

“And what would that be, Mr. Reinhart?”

“You are assuming that the United States military is at your disposal.”

“And you assume it’s not?” Jackson retorted. “I fear if we do not seize what we can now, there is no telling who will control our military assets at the end of the day. On that note, I must inquire if you have any information on the current location of Gene Smith?”

“Gene?” Adam asked. “What does he have to do with any of this?”

“I asked you a question, Congressman. Don’t try to hide the truth either if you know something.”

“No,” Adam replied. “I don’t know where he is. He and I didn’t see eye to eye on how we should have proceeded once we uncovered the truth about Lukas and the Patriarchs. Why do you ask?”

“Curiosity,” Jackson said after a pause. “Gene and I go way back and I know him well enough to wonder why he is sitting everything out. He may be dead, of course, but I highly doubt that. A man like him doesn’t die when his country needs him. He merely patches himself up and gets back to work. Did he say anything to you about his intentions after you two parted ways?”

“He said he was going to go prepare his men for war.”

“I see,” General Jackson said. “Then let us hope he sees us a friend and not a foe. We’ll need him. God knows we’ll need him when we go to war against the United States.”

The general’s words confirmed what Adam feared most.

“You can’t be serious,” Adam said.

“Serious about a war with the United States?” Jackson asked. “Do you really think it hasn’t already begun?”

“With all due respect,” Adam said, “we
are
the United States of America.”

David shook his head, telling the congressman to stop, but Adam had no intentions of letting up against men he saw as traitors to the flag.

“You want to help the people?” Adam asked. “Then prove it by helping me preserve this country. If you’re itching for a war and you need to march somewhere, then let’s leave tonight and march for one man and one man only.”

“That’s not going to happen, Congressmen,” Jackson said. “I won’t lead my men to a slaughter, and we have no idea what is waiting for us in DC.”

“You took an oath!” Adam shouted. “This is your country, damn it! You swore to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

“Congressman, I appreciate everything you’ve done. I really do. But what has been broken cannot be fixed so long as we remain under the laws and authority of the United States. I think it’s time to let us soldiers take the reins of this battle horse before you lead too far down the wrong path.”

“General, don’t do this,” Adam pleaded. “Think about what you’re doing. How can you even think about being the first to leave the Union since the Civil War?”

“That’s just it,” Jackson replied. “We’re not the first to think it. As much as I wish I could deploy my soldiers to Washington and stop Lukas, I refuse to march them into the fog of war. We have a better chance at victory if we regroup, strengthen our numbers, and join the Republic of Texas.”

“Did you say the Republic of Texas?” Eric asked.

“Yes, Captain,” Jackson responded. “They began that process long before we announced our defection. As we speak the governor of Texas is announcing their plans to secede from the Union within two weeks. He believes the delay will give other states and military installations adequate time to join him and for people across the United States to make it to their borders.”

“You can’t do this,” Adam said. “You’re destroying this country.”

“We did not destroy America,” Jackson said firmly. “That psychopath in the Oval Office and his friends destroyed it. As long as he’s the leader of the United States then we will remain apart.”

“But America is still here.” Adam countered. “It may be broken as you said, but it isn’t gone. Right now there are millions of Americans running around out there. They’re hungry. They’re scared. They have no idea when, if ever, they will feel at home again.”

“And the Republic of Texas, with her fortified borders, can and will be a new home for them,” General Byrd said from the screen. “We can’t continue to put ourselves in league with the president. We cannot let them win this war.”

“But that’s exactly what you’re doing!” Adam shouted angrily. The chill between his shoulders had changed into a hot, burning sensation as his rage grew. He had fought and nearly died for America so that he may save her from corruption. Now, when the country needed its guardians most, they were retreating and lowering the flag as they did so. On top of that, Jackson, Byrd, and every other secessionist weren’t even thinking about the repercussion of their actions. General Byrd had hinted that they might rejoin the United States once Lukas was removed, but joining the Republic of Texas wouldn’t change a thing. It would only help bury America deeper under the weight of new ideas, new leaders, and new war.

“I’m sorry, Congressman,” General Byrd said, “but we’ve made up our minds.”

“So Texas announces its secession and then what? Maybe other states will join you and maybe you’ll secure your new borders, but who cares if what you’re fighting for is completely gone. Whether or not you stay safe and secure won’t matter in the end. If you leave the Union then Lukas Chambers will have already won. With time, he will grow strong and wait patiently for his chance to strike. A man who doesn’t age, sitting in some bunker, can wait decades if he has to. You can’t just sit back and do nothing when—”

“We’re not sitting back idly, Mr. Reinhart,” Jackson said. “We have no options left. I believe it’s time to show you what is really at stake here.”

Jackson nodded to Colonel Stone. A secondary screen lit up with a map of the United States. Green and red icons peppered the screen from coast to coast. Though the green icons vastly outnumbered the red dots, the majority of the red dots were located on the East Coast and Gulf States. Surrounding those red icons were three pulsating blue spheres, covering the country from the shores of Mississippi all the way up past Maine.

“What you see is the current status of the American Armed Forces,” Colonel Stone said. “Green represents bases we remain in contact with. The red represents bases that we no longer possess the ability to communicate with. As you can see, the majority of the bases where comms have gone dark are those in the states that border the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Three days ago we discovered an intricate code repeating from federal satellites and blanketing the area in blue. What we have discovered about that signal is . . . alarming to say the least.”