The Fate Of Nations: F.I.R.E. Team Alpha: Book One (26 page)

              “Justice always prevails in the end,” the clergyman countered. “Perhaps God creates people like you and your team to administer his justice.”

              “I’ve never seen myself as bringer of God’s justice; his wrath, maybe, but not his justice,” Carter said, chuckling.

              “God’s wrath is always just,” LaFerth replied.

              “There is no justice in this war, Father; it’s just a slaughter; two factions fighting over who is going to be in charge,” Carter retorted. “The WCA is evil, and I have no problem with destroying it, but destroying it isn’t about justice; it’s about survival. The United States cannot exist while the WCA does, so the WCA has to die. It’s as simple as that.”

              “But, if you do not believe your government; if it’s not any better than the WCA, then why do you fight the United States?” the father pressed. “If one government is not better than another, fighting for either one seems pointless.”

                            “I don’t, fight for any government,” Carter said. “A government is a creation of nation; it isn’t a nation itself. A government is formed to administer certain functions of a nation but has no value beyond performing that function,” he explained. “I fight for the individuals that make up the nations. Every person has a right to choose their own fate; to go their own way. The United States was created to foster and protect that right. Its core principles are built on individual rights and initiative, so the nation is worth fighting for even if the government isn’t.”

                            LaFerth’s expression told Carter to continue. “Governments, when they’re working right, help people prosper by protecting them from foreign attack, maintaining a stable currency, enforcing reasonable laws, and then leaving them the hell alone. But the WCA controls every aspect of people’s lives. In a way, it has supplanted God, since it has outlawed all religions and made people totally dependent on government. If the State sets itself up as the supreme authority, then individuals inevitably get smashed under heel.” 

                            “And your government doesn’t smash the individual?” LaFerth asked.

                            “When it was at it was best it didn’t,” Carter said. “It lost its way in last part of the twentieth century. The government got bigger and bigger and individual liberties were whittled away until the people needed the government’s permission to do almost everything. That’s when the country started drift away from its core principles and the politicians sold out to the WCA. They tried to make the whole planet a huge collectivist State. When the war is over America will have to go back to being a nation where individualism is the core virtue.”

                            “But,” the Father said; “What about the greater good? Should not the rights of the individual be subordinated to the needs of society as a whole?” he asked.

                            “Those needs aren’t mutually exclusive,” Carter replied. “If the individuals that make up a society are healthy and productive, then society will be healthy and productive. If individuals within a society are weak and unproductive then the society will be just as weak and unproductive. The individual’s condition always determines the health of society. The individual has to be free to succeed or fail according to his own ability and drive.”

                            “But what about the people who are less talented or less driven?” LaFerth asked.

                            “There will people like that, of course,” Carter admitted. “But, society should help them to stand on their own; not prop them up indefinitely; that just destroys their dignity and self respect. You can help the people who are struggling but, if you coddle them, they’ll become weak, dependant, and they’ll eventually stop even trying to improve their situation. Caring for the truly helpless is a moral obligation, but one person not being as capable as others doesn’t necessarily mean that person is helpless. It just means he might not succeed as well as others; not that he can’t succeed at all. You can’t make the weak strong by making the strong weak.”

              Carter paused to consider his words. “Governments, in the end, can’t make anyone prosper. It can only create conditions that make prosperity possible. Trying to make everyone equally prosperous, despite differences in individual ability, never works; because, in the end, you have to force the people who are productive to give up what they’ve produced so it can be given to those haven’t produced anything. Sooner or later, people start to resist having what they’ve earned taken from them, and people realize that redistributing wealth that way will make them all equally poor; not equally rich. When that happens, the State loses its legitimacy has to become oppressive in order to maintain its existence.”        

              Carter looked away for a moment. “The really sad thing is that, even after the WCA is defeated, there will probably be another fight in my country. The wartime state of emergency we’ve been living under will have to be ended. A lot of people won’t want to give up the power they’ve had under that state of emergency. We’ll have to rebuild our government, from the Constitution up, to make sure that our government never gets so powerful that it thinks it can get away with selling the people out again. I’m hoping that can be done without bloodshed but, bloodshed or not, the people are going have to take back their government.”

              “It seems strange to me that a career military man like yourself is so dedicated to individualism. The military values conformity to a large extent,” LaFerth said.

              “A good military organization is a team. There is a difference between teamwork and slavery,” Carter said. “In a team individuals have to work together. But there are times when the skills or abilities of a single member are the difference between the team’s failure and its success. I’ve seen whole battles decided by the initiative of a single soldier. Those actions were taken on behalf of the team, but a single individual was the key. Soldiers have to be team players but, they also have to capable of decisive individual action. Soldiers are often rewarded for such actions with decorations and promotions; as long as those actions were in the interest the team and the mission. A statist style collective State discourages and punishes individual initiative and demonizes superior ability; even when individual initiative accomplishes goals of the State.”

              “So, basically, you are fighting for the freedom of every individual on the planet?” LaFerth asked.

              Carter thought for a moment. “Yes,” he said. “I suppose I am. The American’s first though,” he added.

              LaFerth grinned. “And you don’t see any love and justice in the world?”

              Carter shrugged. “Very little, anyway,” he said.

              LaFerth’s grin widened. “You’ve taken personal responsibility for the freedom of every person on the planet. You did not have to do that. You could have sided with the WCA, or simply not done anything at all. You could have defended your home at let the rest of the world fend for itself. Instead, though, you chose to risk you life to protect the freedom of those who could not, or would not protect it for themselves,” LaFerth observed. “I would say that shows a great deal of love for your fellow man.”

              “You’re an idealist,” Carter said.

              “Yes,” LaFerth said. “And so are you. You are just too stubborn to admit it.”

                       
Chapter Eight

              The night was moonless the darkness seemed to have a corporeal heaviness to it by the time Carter had ordered his team and Captain Renner’s unit to move out. After consulting with Renner and Mertens, he had decided to take a much longer route to their next hide-site than he had originally intended. This, it was hoped, would allow them to avoid encountering any enemy patrols that were still searching for deserters. Since most of the population had been forced into towns and cities, and no effort was made to maintain any but the most crucial highways leaving forests and overgrowth had overtaken the smaller roads. This had allowed the group remain undetected and avoid further contact with the enemy, but it also meant that it was too dangerous to use the roads that were clear because they were used often and patrolled heavily. This precluded the possibility of capturing a vehicle and using it to reach Brussels.

              Carter needed Renner’s unit as guides. He knew, however, that they were slowing his team down. He and his team could move much more quickly through the brush without Renner’s group and still avoid any patrols. It was, in microcosm, why the Paranormal Army Command had brought all allied paranormal troops into a single unified corps instead of doing what some had some military leaders had suggested and dispersing small units of paranormals throughout the conventional armed forces. Normal human troops simply could not physically keep up with paranormals. Carter had to admit to himself that he was slightly frustrated and the slow pace that was necessitated by the limitations of Renner and his people.

              Noting some landmarks he had memorized from Renner’s map. Carter realized that they were near their next hide-site. Knowing that long verbal transmissions could be intercepted by the enemy, he pressed the transmit button on his radio twice. This was a predetermined message telling the group to halt. Twenty-five meters ahead of the main group, Sains heard the two electronic clicks in his earpiece and halted; turning to look at Carter; who indicated with hand signals that Sains and the others should regroup in a particularly dense patch of hedges that was off to Sains’ right.

              Crouching next to Sains, Carter whispered. “We’re five clicks away from our hide-sight; move ahead and make sure it’s clear. Then see if you can scope out the town without taking too many chances. We’ll wait here. Give me three squawks on the radio if we’re clear and five if it isn’t. If we don’t hear from you in thirty minutes we’ll figure things turned to shit.”

              “On it, Boss,” Sains replied. He was out of sight seconds later.

              Williams moved up to kneel beside Carter. “Do you believe the hide-site is compromised?” he asked.

              “No,” Carter said. “But it had to be scouted out anyway. I’m more worried about the garrison from the town. If we get spotted, we’ll have to take out the whole garrison. There will be no way to hide that.”

              “And if that happens?” Williams asked.

              “We take out the garrison, make our way to Brussels on our own, find somewhere to hole-up, and proceed with the mission,” Carter replied. “We’ll just hope that the enemy will expect us to try to make a getaway; not head toward their capitol city.”

              “Let us hope that that isn’t necessary,” Williams said.

              “Amen to that, brother,” Carter agreed.

              McNamara came to join them. “There’s no sign of anyone following us, Boss.”

              “Good,” Carter said. “How’s the team?”

              “Our team is OK,” McNamara said. “But Renner’s men and the underground people look like they’re getting ready to hack up their lungs. I think we moved a little too fast for them. They’re troopers, though; no one complained.”

              Carter nodded. “They’ll have a chance to catch their breath while we wait for Sains to do his sneak-and-peak,” he said.

              “That poor guy,” McNamara said. “Being a walking, talking multi-sensor unit means he’s always on point; that has to suck.”

              Carter nodded again. “It’s tough, but his super-senses and telepathy make him the perfect scout. No one else can do the job one tenth as well.”

              “I’m not criticizing, Boss,” McNamara said, smiling. “I like having him out there being our eyes and ears. But, if I were him, I’d bitch about being on point all of the time.”

              “That’s why we call you Grumble; you bitch about everything,” Carter said, with a slight laugh. “Get to the back of the column, make sure no one wanders off during this break. I don’t want any stragglers getting spotted.”

              “Will do,” the Canadian replied.

              Three electronic chirps came over the radio eighteen minutes later. Carter led the group forward. Minutes later they were met by Sains. “The school is clear, Boss,” He said. “But there are signs of activity there. It looks about three days old, but I saw footprints around some of the old playground equipment there. It looks like the kids from that town still play there.”

              “Shit,” Carter said, turning toward Williams. “Get Captain Renner up here.” Williams went immediately to comply.

              “There wasn’t much activity in the town but, But damn, is that school close to it; less than half a click,” Sains said.

              Williams had returned with Renner. “Brains says that there are signs of activity near the school. Is there another place we can hole-up nearby?” Carter asked.

              Renner shook his head. “No; not for another ten clicks,” he said. “How fresh were the signs you found?” he asked Sains.

              “About three days,” Sains answered.

              “It shouldn’t be a problem, then,” Renner said. “We have some sympathizers in the town. They said that the whole town had their food rations cut a few days ago to punish the kids for sneaking out of town to play at the school. I doubt they’ll risk getting their rations cat again; the WCA feeds them little enough as it is.”