The Crimson Fall (The Sons of Liberty Book 1) (39 page)

Jackson picked up where the colonel left off. “Buried within the signal is an extremely complex algorithm that we have not even begun to unlock,” he said. “We have the computer AI working around the clock to decode it so we can somehow learn how to reverse it, but I do not think we’ll have time. And while we can’t break it, we have ventured into the blue zone and applied the code to a small number of devices. We know it does two things. First, it scrambles all wireless communications and prevents anyone from being able to monitor what is going on within the targeted area. As far as we can tell, whoever is behind the signal can see us and transmit data to us, even though we can’t see them. Secondly, it allows them to selectively deactivate any and every Chambers Systems. Most of the military was quietly retrofitted with the new technology after the treaty. Fort Bragg is among five bases nationwide that refused to destroy their older firearms. Because of that, this installation remains one of the few battle-ready bases. So tell me, Congressman, why would they attempt to neutralize the military up and down the nation’s eastern shores, disarm the resident population, and blind everyone so nobody can see whatever they are doing?”

“You can’t mean—”

“Invasion,” Jackson replied before Adam could finish the sentence.

“Then we have to act fast,” Adam said. “Lukas might be opening up the coast for the Patriarchs. We have to remove him now.”

“We will not,” General Byrd said. “We have no idea what’s behind enemy lines. An attempt to invade the capital now would likely be suicide. We will bolster the Republic of Texas, aid the people that will flock to it, and fight back against Lukas in time. He has undoubtedly hidden himself somewhere within the blue zone, waiting for his allies to show up, and I highly doubt a man like Lukas Chambers would allow himself to be removed without a fight.”

“And do you think he will allow you to leave?” Adam asked, addressing everyone in the room. “What makes you think he won’t launch a few nukes your way to set an example?”

“What makes us so sure is the fact that we locked him out of any nuclear launch capabilities as soon as the truth about him came to light,” Jackson said. “He might be able to scramble the satellites and keep us in the dark, but he cannot launch a nuclear strike so long as we hold the keys.”

Adam stood there quietly, trying not to shake as fury welled up in him.

“Mr. Reinhart, had you not exposed Lukas Chambers and all his lies, then we might not have had a fighting chance until it was already too late,” Jackson said. “We are forever grateful for what you’ve done, and we do hope you will decide to join the Republic of Texas. We could use a man like you to help us rebuild this fractured land in the most secure and honorable manner.”

Adam laughed angrily. “An honorable manner?” He walked over to the flag hanging in the corner, grabbed the pole, and marched back toward the general, throwing the flag at his feet. “It would be more honorable for all of you to wipe your asses with this flag than to tuck tail and run, abandoning the Constitution and the people she protects. I believe this country is worth fighting for and that your actions only prove how unfit you are for the leadership roles you were sworn into.”

“Listen you cocky asshole!” Jackson shouted. “We didn’t—”

Just then, an officer who had entered the room and walked up to two men as they argued in front of everyone interrupted the shouting general.

“General Hewitt?”

“Quiet, Corporal. It can wait.”

“Sir, we have a live transmission coming from inside the blue zone. I believe it’s from the White House, sir.”

“Is it the president?” Jackson asked.

“No sir. It’s Rhys Howard, Speaker of the House.”

“Patch him through on the big screen.”

After a brief pause, the screen blinked and switched over from the map to a clear image of Rhys Howard.

“Congressman Howard, this is Lieutenant General Jackson Hewitt of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I am hoping you can—”

“Yes, General,” the speaker said. “I know who you are. I won’t take up any more of your time than necessary. I’ll first begin by announcing that the vice president has died.”

“How?” General Byrd demanded.

“We don’t have all the details on how it happened, but we’ve received word that Marine Two crashed three miles outside of Camp David last night, killing everyone on board.”

“Was Lukas or the Patriarchs behind it?”

“We don’t know. We’ve been monitoring the president for weeks now and nothing suggests that he was responsible. If it was the Patriarchs, then it’s quite possible that they acted without his consent.”

“You think there is dissention among them?” Jackson asked.

“We’re not sure,” the speaker responded. “We can hope though. I understand Congressman Reinhart is there?”

Jackson looked sideways at Adam before responding. “Why do you ask?”

“I ask because the United States of America would like to speak with an ally that’s still loyal to the flag.”

Adam looked to the general who nodded back with a hint of anger.

“This is Adam Reinhart,” Adam said as he stepped forward.

“Congressman, we’ve been looking for you ever since you left Washington. It’s good to finally speak with you.”

“Tell me you have something good to share with us, Mr. Speaker.”

“I believe I do. It appears that General Hewitt’s speech might have been the bluff we needed. I just received word from the president, and it seems that not all hope is lost. As foolish as he has been, he knows what’s happened is his fault, and he doesn’t want to see millions dead because of him. We’re still working out the details, but as of now Lukas Chambers if fully cooperating with us, and he is willing to hand himself over peacefully. We are keeping him under guard here at the White House until our next move. So before you begin tearing the nation apart, General, I ask that you would wait until we politicians can do the one thing that’s needed to preserve the Union.”

“If he’s cooperating, then why do we still have communications interference?” Jackson asked. “Our ability to broadcast any wireless signal has been disabled.”

“It’s because we locked men like you out,” the speaker replied.

“Who exactly is ‘we’ and why would you have done a thing like that?”

“Believe it or not, there is a small group of politicians that remained behind here in Washington. We’ve been trying to hold things together ever since the food distribution shut down. As I said earlier, we attempted to contact you, Congressman Reinhart, but we couldn’t locate you in all the mayhem. Washington is split, mostly between different ideas on how to repair the damage that’s been done. But virtually all of us agree that Lukas has to go. He only has a handful of loyalists remaining and virtually everyone is ready to see him go. We finally had the Pentagon jam all communications in and out of the region three days ago in an effort to hinder any agents that Lukas and the Patriarchs might have deployed. It’s obvious that they were planning some sort of military action against the country from day one, and we needed to shut down their eyes and ears.”

“You couldn’t have shared this with us sooner?” Jackson asked.

“I’ll be frank, General, we didn’t know who to trust.”

“So you’re telling me you deliberately kept us in the dark about this because you didn’t trust us? We are commanding generals in the United States Armed Forces!”

“You were commanding officers in the Armed Forces,” the speaker replied. “Yes, we kept you in the dark because we didn’t trust you. Judging from today’s speech, I believe our actions were justified.”

“So what now, Mr. Speaker?” Adam asked.

“We’ve been trying to formulate a plan that will mend the country and remove the president at the same time. America is fragmented, no one is arguing against that. What the people need now is hope. They need to see Lukas step down while the rest of Washington bands together. With the vice president dead, I will assume the temporary role as president of the United States until we can get things under control and hold an official election.”

“How do you propose we do all of that?” Adam asked.

“We are gathering everyone we can to hold an emergency State of the Union address on the first of January. Lukas has agreed to step down as cordially as possible before being taken into military custody. I will be sworn in on live television and we will address the House, the Senate, and the nation together. Congressman, you’ll finally have your chance to share everything you have gone through and everything you know about Lukas and the Patriarchs.”

“Let me get this straight,” Jackson said. “You’re telling us that you want to gather all American politicians together in one spot before attempting to remove a man that wanted to destroy the country?”

“Not just politicians,” Rhys responded. “I want about one hundred of your most loyal soldiers to guard the building. The United States can’t afford any mistakes as Lukas steps down.”

It can’t be that easy,
Adam thought to himself. He stared at the monitor silently, wondering if this was the answer he had been looking for. If he could question Lukas—get him to reveal the names of anyone else involved with him and the Patriarchs—then he might be able to finally begin a process of taking the battle to them. However, he could also be walking into a trap set by the president, a man who tried to kill him once already. Adam didn’t know who else had remained behind in Washington, but he had always trusted Rhys Howard, and he knew that the risks for success far outweighed the cost of failure.

“Okay Rhys,” Adam said. “Let’s do it.”

“Adam, don’t do this,” Jackson quickly said. “You know it’s a trap.”

“And what do you propose, Jackson? That I keep my mouth shut as you secede? No. I’m going to Washington, I’m going to do everything I can to hold this country together, and afterward, we’ll talk about your recent actions against the United States.” Adam turned back to the screen. “Mr. Speaker, I want you to get video of Lukas confessing what he’s done. We can use that to gather every congressman and senator for the State of the Union.”

“I will have him brought here under guard and we can record his confession. I’ll even patch him through to you guys and let you question him.”

“Good,” Adam said. “And Mr. Speaker, one hundred soldiers won’t be enough. I want every corner of the Capitol Building guarded during the speech. Lukas needs to go, and we can’t afford any mistakes.”

“Congressman,” Rhys said with a smile, “I couldn’t agree more.”

Lukas Chambers navigated the concrete halls that lined the reinforced bunker deep underneath the White House, fuming inwardly as his small army of advisors marched with him toward the elevators. It was no secret that Lukas constantly struggled to control even himself during the entire debacle.

Or, as he liked to call it, his set-up.

His big and simple lie had been exposed and thrown to the dogs, leaving him with a new truth eerily similar to the lie he had whispered for years.

I am not safe.

He had come to loathe those four simple words that continued to echo in his head ever since the interview. After the televised murder of Dan Martin, Lukas had raced to the airport where Air Force One quickly took to the skies. Initially, he had wanted to calm the country, but he was too frightened of what the Patriarchs might do to him if he showed his face again. Any attempt of his to quell the unrest from the safety of the White House had been buried under a mountain of confusion during that first week. When the news first broke that truck drivers were being targeted and brutally murdered for the food they carried, Lukas knew exactly what had begun. The Patriarchs had decided to begin the Purge without him. Knowing he was on the verge of losing all control, Lukas had decided to forgo any further attempts of subduing the people, and he made his battle a counteroffensive to hinder and survive his new, dangerous enemy.

Lukas had hunkered down in the White House shelter and quietly began to dismiss anyone he believed to be disloyal to him. He began to use his knowledge of the Patriarchs and the Purge in an effort to gain any advantage he could against his old brothers of fate. Knowing that Sigmund would use their fleet of automated trucks to capture and move the nation’s food supply, Lukas deployed his agents to intercept as much of the fall harvest as he could. Afraid that the Patriarchs might retaliate with an attempt on his life, Lukas had also drastically increased the number of drones that protected him. Shortly after that, when the final food processing and delivery company shut its doors, he watched from a control room as American cities began to fall into complete chaos. He wanted to help the people—he wanted to aid them and unite them behind his leadership—but the damage to his reputation had been irreparable. More than anything, he feared what might happen to him if he left the White House. So as the nation crumbled around him, Lukas continued to battle the Patriarchs from afar, moving his pieces around the board in a giant and dangerous game of sightless chess.

As taxing as the past few months had been, the news that came that Christmas morning—reports that Fort Bragg had seceded and that Texas was not far behind—had stretched Lukas past his limits, causing him to lose his cool and snap at the young advisor to his right who was rambling on.

“If we contact Fort Bragg before they manage to communicate with anyone else then we’ll—”