American Meltdown: Book Two of The Economic Collapse Chronicles (16 page)

CHAPTER 34

“Even peace may be purchased at too high a price.”

-Benjamin Franklin

Paul Randall picked up the phone to call North Dakota Governor Mickey Abrams. “You have to quit dragging your feet and put this to a vote with your state legislature. South Dakota is waiting to see what you do. They don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb with borders on three sides to defend.”

Mickey replied, “You have to understand Paul, the Marines have already built up defenses around Minot. Howe has no intention of letting you have Minot Air Force Base. That is the last ICBM site still under D
.C.’s command. Siding with the Coalition will make North Dakota a war zone.”

Paul said angrily, “Then get in the cattle car and go die in peace, Mickey. Do you think being passive will save you from a violent end? North Dakota will be a battle zone. The only question is which side you
’ll be on. You’ll either be a border state of the Coalition or you’ll be a border state of the Federal States. If you choose the latter, know that Howe will use your state as a launch platform for attacks against the Coalition.”

Mickey said, “Paul, we do not have the manpower to hold the borders, even if we could take Minot.”

Paul responded, “I’ll promise you all the support of the Coalition in taking Minot Air Force Base. It’s a strategic base. Besides the ICBMs, Minot houses a large cache of nuclear warheads and a fleet of B-52Hs that can make delivery of those weapons. 

“As far as holding the borders, you
’ll only have your eastern border to defend if you join. South Dakota will follow your lead. Montana will have no borders with the Federal States if you join the Coalition. I’ll broker a deal to have Montana’s militia and National Guard assist you in securing your eastern border if you’ll sign on. They’ll assist upon your invitation and leave when you ask. What more can you ask for? Do you think Howe is going to make you a deal like that?”

Mickey said, “Paul, we support what you are doing. I don’t want a deal from Howe. I am just trying to do what is best for my state.”

Paul said, “If you want to do what is best for your state, then present my deal to your legislature. Get it on the floor tonight and let me know before I go to bed so General Jefferson can start positioning assets to evict the Federal forces from Minot. Either way, North Dakota is going to be a battlefield. You just have to decide what side of history you want to be on, Mickey.”

Mickey Abrams agreed to take the proposal to the North Dakota House of Representatives and call an emergency session.

As soon as Paul hung up, his phone rang again. Paul recognized the number. “Ryan! How are you, son?”

“I’m working hard, Dad
,” Ryan replied. “Boot camp was rough, but I did a lot better than most of the guys. I have you to thank for that. All of the outdoor activities and chores on the ranch paid off I guess.”

“I hear you already started pilot training.” Paul was proud of his son.

“Yes, I think someone pulled some strings and got me bumped up,” Ryan said. “All the guys in my class were riding me about it.”

“I had nothing to do with it,” Paul replied. “Allen Jefferson knows your character and he may have given some specific directions, but the military is his department and there is nothing I can do. Besides, your mom would kill me if she knew I was doing anything to get you in the air faster.”

Ryan asked somberly, “How is Mom?”

“She has good days and bad days,” Paul said. “She misses you. She is proud of you, but she doesn’t want to lose you, too. She misses your brother a lot. We all miss Robert, but you not being here makes her miss him that much more.”

Ryan said, “I’m doing what I have to do, Dad.”

“I know it, Son,” Paul Randall replied. “Your mom knows it, too. Nobody thinks you should be anywhere other than where you are. We just miss you. I know the Air National Guard is tough, especially when you’re first starting out, but try
to call Mom once in a while. It’ll do her good.”

“I will,” Ryan said. “I guess it reminds me that Robert is gone when I call. I’m not hiding my pain in my training, it’s just keeping me busy; keeping me focused. We were twins, we did everything together our whole lives. I don’t feel like a complete person without him.”

Paul Randall could hear his son start to sob. Tears began running down his own face as well. It had only been three months since his son had been murdered by the kill team sent to assassinate Paul.

Ryan said, “I am doing this for him.” He paused as he regained his composure. “I’ll call a little more often. Tell Mom I’ll call every Sunday.”

“We would like that very much, Ryan,” Paul said.

Paul hung up and went back to work, trying to get more support for the Coalition.

CHAPTER 35

“Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”

-Benjamin Franklin

Anthony Howe was getting settled in at his new fortress just north of Tupper Lake, New York. He thought to himself,
I love this part of the country. It’s close enough to Albany to still get in touch with my friends that supplied my questionable entertainment habits when I lived in the Governor’s Mansion. I like to have a good time, but this is about garnering a friendship with the private security team.

The men Scott Hale had found to
watch the President were among the most ruthless in the industry. Prior to his arrival, Scott told Howe, “Raven Thorn is at the apex of private military contractors. The Pentagon and CIA have used these men for every type of unsavory mission in the book. Whenever it was imperative that no US footprint be left behind, these were the mercenaries that incited the riots, kidnapped the heir or planted the evidence. Likewise, they take care of reporters and whistle-blowers who don’t know when to shut up. Their dark craft has been behind many car accidents, heart attacks and apparent suicides that we read about in the headlines.”

After a week of keeping the men well entertained when they were off-duty, Howe finally tipped his hand to Darren King, the CEO and company commander of Raven
Thorn. Darren was a beast of a man. He was 6 foot 4 inches with a bald head. He was well over 300 pounds, and all muscle. While he looked like a mafia enforcer, he spoke very eloquently and was highly educated.

“Darren,” Howe began, “Your country is very indebted to all you have done to keep America safe. I would assume that I can always count on your loyalty?”

“Mr. President,” King replied, “America is our best client and we consider our fiduciary duties in that relationship to go beyond what most would call loyal. Trust has always been our highest priority.”

Howe looked straight into Darren’s eyes and said, “We have an issue within our government. It is a conspiracy that has penetrated the very fabric of our government. I’m not talking about Paul Randall and the Coalition
secession. I am speaking of someone in our own ranks that is trying to undermine my administration. We have a mole that has access to very high level information and is abusing that information for his own gain. Because of this man’s previous position, we cannot prosecute him under normal procedures. The scandal would be more than the American people would be able to bear. The best course of action would be to remove him quietly.”

“How can Raven
Thorn help, Mr. President?” Darren asked.

“I’m glad you asked.” The President smiled.

Anthony Howe took out a picture of Mustafa Al Mohammad and showed it to Darren King. Darren looked at the picture and then looked away. Howe took out a lighter and lit the picture and let it burn in the ashtray.  Darren took out a pen and wrote on a cocktail napkin. He picked it up and showed it to Howe. It was a number. He had written 25 M.

Howe was shocked. His thoughts raced.
Is he asking for $25 million dollars? I knew it wouldn’t be pro bono, but I had never anticipated such an astronomical number.

He carefully kept his expression neutral as he nodded in agreement. At this point, it could just as easily be blackmail money against Howe himself. Howe had taken a huge risk trying to put this together, but he had to get Al Mohammad out of the picture. He had become an unbearable
pain in the neck.

No matter,
Howe thought. 
$25 Million isn’t going to bankrupt me, but I don’t like the idea of spending that much.  This isn’t coming out of my pocket. I could fund the operation through black box spending allocated for CIA and NSA spending. That money is tossed around pretty loosely and no one really knows where it all ends up. Perhaps the most efficient method of payment would be to double their regular fees for ongoing operations. Darren would certainly appreciate the need to keep the funds transfer as discreet as possible.

Howe said to Darren
, “We can discuss payment details at a later date. For now, we have an agreement and nothing else needs to be discussed. I don’t need to know any of the gory details. In fact, the less I know, the better.”

Darren nodded without saying a word. Knowing Raven Thorn’s reputation, Mustafa’s death should appear completely natural. Foul play should never even be considered.

CHAPTER 36

“For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.”

-Thomas Jefferson

Matt only had two more days to finish his week of guard duty on State Road 421 coming into Kentucky from Virginia.  The militia outpost was set up on a side road that turned south off 421 right at the border, just feet away from a sign that said “Welcome to Virginia.” The gravel road led to three farms.

On the corner of 421 and the gravel road was a small farm house where a gentleman repaired trucks out of his garage. He was kind and helpful to the militia and offered to let them use his water and even gave them access to the repair shop in case they needed to get out of the rain.

The side road made a convenient turnaround point for folks who arrived at the checkpoint. Folks who didn’t have adequate documents to cross the border were turned around and sent back to Virginia. People who didn’t wish to stay in Kentucky or leave permanently once they crossed, had the opportunity to return the way they came.

The farmer who owned the truck repair shop offered to let the militia set up camp in his open field, but Adam wanted the men in a more concealed location. The camp was set up on the north side about 300 feet off the road and about 1200 feet back from the checkpoint. A thick line of trees and heavy brush contoured the north shoulder of 421.  The camp was close enough for reinforcements to arrive quickly, but far enough to not be spotted from the road. Just over the hill from the camp, sniper positions were available if the checkpoint was attacked.

Adam had two Listening Post Observation Post, or LPOPs set up on the north side of the road and two on the south side of the road. One LPOP was set up 1000 feet on each side of the road along the border. The next LPOP on each side was 1000 feet from the first. Matt was at the northernmost LPOP.

Gary Brewer was the second man at the northernmost LPOP. Gary said to Matt in a voice just above a whisper, “Your wife is a jewel. This ham, deviled eggs and cornbread she brought out here for you makes for a spectacular lunch. I appreciate you sharing it with me.”

Matt nodded. “You always share everything with me. Besides, when she or Janice makes their mid-week run to the checkpoint, they always bring more than we can eat.”

Gary said, “That’s thoughtful of them. You tell them I said thanks. I noticed Shelly always rides along with
whoever drives out.”

Matt said, “Yeah, it’s tough on a new wife to not see her husban
d two weeks out of every month.”

Gary finished chewing the cornbread. “My wife tries to come out when I’m here, but you know gas is scarce. Everyone’s family doesn’t get to come out
every time we’re out here.”

Matt said, “That’s part of the reason Karen and Janice always try to bring a little extra.

“After five days of sitting in the woods and seeing nothing, it’s getting hard to stay alert. Why don’t I stand guard while you go back to camp and make a pot of coffee to bring back to the LPOP.”

Gary stood up. “You don’t have to twist my arm. I’ll be right back.”

Matt sat beneath the crudely constructed lean-to made of fallen branches and leaves from the forest floor. He kept watch from the opening which faced east so he could watch for people moving in their direction from Virginia. Anyone who did not have proper identification or did not consent to the one-way passage mandate would likely try to evade the checkpoint by walking around it through the woods.

The one-way passage mandate was enforced with a ledger. The person coming in to Kentucky or deciding to leave had their name, description and ID information recorded in the ledger. The record of all those using their one-time pass to cross the border was sent to Lt
. Joe who was maintaining the database at his cabin near Wood Creek Lake. Lt. Joe had a very impressive ham radio set up with which he could send and receive information to the separate checkpoints along the Kentucky-Virginia border. The information was passed by hand-held transceivers that operated on ham frequencies.

The State Road 421 checkpoint used two Baofeng UV5RA radios to communicate with Lt. Joe. They could also communicate with the Middlesboro checkpoint to the south and the State Road 23 checkpoint to the north with the radios. The State Road 421 checkpoint sat low in-between some hills, so the militia ran antennae up into the trees to be able to communicate at the longer distances. One Baofeng radio was kept at the checkpoint and the other was kept up the road at the camp. The men had simple walkie-talkies for communicating between base camp, the checkpoint and the LPOPs. If the need to
communicate with a checkpoint further than the ones directly to the south or north, then Lt. Joe would act as a relay as his system could transmit at much longer distances than the hand-held Baofeng radios.

Matt didn’t hear Gary return until he made the militia alert click with his mouth. Adam had taught them to roll their feet to minimize the sound of the crunching dry leaves in the woods. The militia used a simple two-click sound
, similar to calling a dog, to let other members know they were approaching the camp. World War II paratroopers had used a hand-held clicker to make clicks when the Allied Forces had invaded France. The click with the mouth was a natural sounding click that would be more easily confused with wildlife by the enemy, and it required no special equipment. The simple two clicks reduced the odds of a friendly fire accident by alerting the other men standing guard that someone was approaching. Additionally, it did not require them to speak in loud human tones that could give away a position.

Matt smiled as Gary filled his cup from the thermos of hot coffee.

“Thanks Gary,” Matt said softly. They were permitted to speak as long as they kept conversation at a whisper.

“This is just a little too serene up her for me,” Gary whispered in reply. “I was fighting sleep. I feel better just walking to camp and back.”

“This cold weather doesn’t help, either,” Matt added as he took his first sip of the strong black coffee.

The sun had peeked out a couple of times throughout the day, but it was still cold winter weather. March was here. They had made it through the worst of it, but spring still felt miles away to Matt.

Matt and Gary had a small Dakota fire pit right at the opening of the lean-to. It kept a little warmth in the shelter, but not much as the front was completely open to give them a wide view to the border.

Matt’s walk
ie was the only one with an earphone, so it was the only one turned on. Gary had a walkie as well, but he would only turn it on if he needed to call out.

Matt’s walkie chirped in his ear. Gary had been speaking so Matt put a finger up to let Gary know he was receiving a message over the radio.

After a few seconds, Gary asked, “What’s up?”

Matt replied, “We’ve got some guys walking up the road toward the border from the Virginia side. Wesley said there are quite a few of them and wants us to move up to the tree line to cover them.”

Matt and Gary moved quietly to the tree line on the north side of the checkpoint. When they arrived, Jeff Nolon and JC Hunter were already in position. They had been called to the tree line from the northern LPOP closest to the checkpoint. Everyone got into a firing position. Jeff had a Barrett .50 caliber rifle configured in a bullpup design so it could be shoulder-fired as well as utilized for long distance shots. Even with the bullpup configuration, it took a big guy to effectively hold such a heavy weapon. Jeff filled that description well. He was a towering 6’7” and just over 300 lbs.

There wasn’t as many good cover options from the south side of the checkpoint, so the men from the southern LPOPs joined up with the guys standing guard as an extra show of force. Adam and a few of the guys from Alpha squad came running up the road to the checkpoint. Adam had excellent night vision and pulled night duty at the checkpoint. He and the other night shift guys were just waking up when the call came into the camp that a large group was approaching.

By the time Adam and the others arrived at the checkpoint, it was obvious that the group approaching the checkpoint on foot were military soldiers. Matt’s heart started racing. His thoughts raced.
Are we being invaded? Why would they be approaching on foot? None of this makes any sense.

Matt felt guilty to be in the tree line. He was well hidden while Adam, Wesley and the others were exposed with only the vehicles for cover. Matt took comfort in the fact that his position was necessary. He knew if something
went down, he would be able to pin down the enemy while the others took better cover.

The more Matt thought about it, the less this made sense. He whispered to Gary, “If we
’re getting hit on foot, it seems like the men would’ve hit us at night. Maybe this is a trap. Maybe other forces are circling around from the north or south to hit us from behind while we are occupied with the men walking up the road.” Matt began scanning the woods to the north. He began having second thought about leaving his LPOP. “This isn’t right.” He whispered, “That post should not have been abandoned.”

Adam called out to the soldiers, “Lay down your weapons and continue to the checkpoint with your hands on your heads.”

A voice from the approaching group called back, “Identify yourself.”

Adam returned, “Lay down your weapons or we will cut you down where you stand!”

The man who appeared to be in charge made a gesture with his hand and the men in the group melted into the shrubbery and woods along the side of the road. The man in charge however, did not. He complied with Adam’s command and laid down his rifle. He placed his hands on his head and began walking very slowly towards the border. Everyone at the checkpoint had found solid cover and had their weapons trained on the man walking towards them or the roadside where the others had disappeared.

Adam tapped four militia men to turn around and watch for approaching people or vehicles from the rear. Matt felt better about not getting ambushed from the rear while everyone’s attention was on the border. But he continued to scan the woods to the north for other soldiers.

The man stopped just short of the border and called out again. “I want to speak with the person in charge.”

“State your business
,” Adam called out.

“May I have the courtesy of knowing to whom I am speaking?” The man called back to Adam.

Adam called back, “My name is Adam Bair. I am the Captain of London Company of The Eastern Kentucky Liberty Militia. Kentucky has asserted her sovereign right as a free and independent state under the authority granted by the Tenth Amendment. We do not recognize the authority of the government in Washington, D.C., as the present administration has violated the laws set forth by the Constitution and is currently a rogue occupier of the Capitol. We do not wish you harm, but we are prepared to kill and die to defend this sovereign soil.”

Matt smiled at Adam’s explanation.  Matt considered that, just as the liberals had taken gre
at liberty in interpreting the Bill of Rights to destroy them, the Coalition had taken great pains to look to the founders in interpreting the Bill of Rights to preserve them.

Matt recalled the text of the T
enth Amendment. It was very short and sweet. It read “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Matt kept up with the politics of the Coalition States. The Coalition looked to the original Articles of Confederation to help interpret the Tenth Amendment. The Articles of Confederation were written in 1776 and served as the defining law of the land until the Constitution was ratified in 1789.

The provision in the Articles of Confederation used for guidance on the Tenth Amendment stated “Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.” Furthermore, the Coalition found that D.C. was in breach of contract in adhering to its obligations under the Constitution and thereby nullified any requirement of the Coalition States to be bound by obligations to D.C.

The man called back to Adam, “We do not recognize the authority of Washington, D.C., either. I am going to instruct my men to lay down their weapons and we are going to surrender ourselves to you.”

Matt was sure this was a trap. He could see the confusion among the other militia men at the checkpoint.

Adam called out, “O
kay, line up single file with your hands on your head. We’ll process each man through the checkpoint one at a time. We’ll search you and remove any dangerous objects. We’ll place wrist restraints on you until we clear you or determine where you are to be held. If you are cleared and accepted as citizens of the Coalition, you will not be allowed to leave. Doing so may be considered desertion. You will be required to commit to military service in the Coalition. I want this to be very upfront, so you know what you are consenting to by entering Kentucky. Any of your men that do not consent to these terms are free to turn around and walk away. I give you my word that you will not be fired upon if you go back the way you came.”