Ashes - Standoff In The Ashes Part 21

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"Sure. Why not? You can bet no one is going to interfere. Not if they have any sense. Jersey is pretty and shapely, but tough as a boot."

Lara looked at him strangely and said nothing, just shook her head in disbelief.

"I won't lower myself to your level," the Federal cop said very haughtily.

' 'Well, la-di-da!'' Jersey said, putting one fist on a shapely hip and mincing about a few steps. "The b.i.t.c.h has a big mouth and no guts to back it up."

Several of the freedom fighters laughed nervously, not understanding why General Raines was allowing this to continue. Buddy Raines stood back from the main knot of people, a slight smile on his lips.

"Come on, b.i.t.c.h!" Jersey waggled her fingers at the Federal cop. "You call me a wh.o.r.e, I'm gonna kick your prissy Federal a.s.s for you."

The female Federal shook her head. Jersey laughed at her.

"Now stop this!" the older Federal cop said. "We're your prisoners, General. I believe there are rules that captors must abide by."

Jersey stopped right then and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it was worth a shot. OK, lady. You don't get your a.s.s kicked tonight."

Ben stepped forward. "Lock them down somewhere until we can decide what to do with them." He turned to Chuck. "What are your people finding in town?"

"Confusion among the Osterman supporters. Great joy among the conservatives."

"The Federal police?"

' 'They're being rounded up as we speak. Some resistance on their part.

Only a few casualties. None of our people have been hurt."

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' 'Weapons being distributed among those willing to fight for their freedom?"

"Yes, sir. Several hundred have already lined up to be armed. We're expecting several hundred more as the word spreads. About fifty of the first group have volunteered to act as police for the community."

"Good enough. And good work. Compliment your people for me, Chuck. A job well done."

"Thank you, General."Walking away, back to the rear of the main terminal, Buddy fell in step with his father. "I have a question," the younger Raines said.

"Ask."

"What the h.e.l.l kind of government did this Osterman person set up? It makes no sense to me. It isn't pure socialism, isn't pure communism. I don't know what it is."

Ben laughed. "I don't either, son. It's a combination of liberalism, socialism, and ... something else that doesn't have a name."

" Ostermanism? "

Ben chuckled. "That's as good as any, I suppose. But I do know it's Big Brother all the way."

' 'What is so d.a.m.ned attractive about it? Obviously, something is.

Millions of people openly embrace it."

"Cradle to grave care, Buddy. No one has to take personal responsibility for anything they do. Any act that is considered illegal or immoral by conservative-thinking people is not the fault of the individual committing the act. It's society's fault. Used to be a comedian years ago who humorously summed up that kind of thinking when he said, 'The devil made me do it' "

"Really." Buddy's reply was very, very dry.

"That comedian didn't realize how prophetic his words would turn out to be."

"Ridiculous!" Buddy said contemptuously. "Society alone 185.

185.

can't make anybody do anything. I thought the people living outside the SUSA were through with diat sort of nonsense."

"I thought they were on their way to being through with it. I guess we were wrong."

"So what comes next, Pop?"

"We start retaking this section of the USA, boy. We rearm the people and set up militia groups-or whatever they choose to call themselves-as we go."

"And when we pull out?"

"We'll hope-and pray, if you're the praying type-that the people we arm will stand firm and back up their beliefs with bullets."

"They didn't before."

"I think that maybe this time they will. The odds are better, at least."

"They will never adopt the laws of the SUSA, Pops.""I don't expect them to. No candy-a.s.sed, left-wing liberal could live under our laws. Our laws are too simple for them. Too much responsibility is placed on the individual in our society, son. That goes against the liberal belief of no one taking the blame when they f.u.c.k up."

Buddy laughed in the night. "You have such a delicate way with words, Pops.''

"I do, don't I? Gets the point across, though."

"It certainly does that."

Madam President Claire Osterman was clearly in mild shock after her military advisors had briefed her and then exited the new Oval Office .

. . quickly.

In four days time-since the arrival of Rebels from the SUSA at the Plattsburg airport-Ben Raines and his ragtag militia and survivalist trash had managed to seize control of almost everything north oflnterstate 90, with the excep- 186.

tion of Syracuse, Schenectady, and Utica. And they were knocking on the doors of those freshly rebuilt cities.

"That rotten, right-wing, no-good Republican son of a b.i.t.c.h!" Claire yelled. Leaping out of her chair, she jumped up and down, occasionally pausing to pound on her desktop.

Her staff, standing outside in the corridor, could hear her cussing, and Claire was a pretty good cusser.

Claire calmed herself and sat down in her chair. She took several deep breaths and looked at the reports on her desk, left there by the advisors. They told a grim story.

Groups all over the nation were rising up and seizing control of the smaller towns.

"G.o.dd.a.m.n militia tras.h.!.+" Claire muttered. "Whacko gun kooks."

She read on. The Federal Police were overwhelmed, unable to cope with the worsening situation.

Claire closed the folder. She could not force herself to read any more.

One thing she knew for certain: It was all Ben Raines's fault.

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"I don't want any innocent people hurt or killed," Ben warned the freedom fighters. "And I sure as h.e.l.l don't want any children hurt or killed. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly," Chuck said. "We're in agreement with that one hundred percent."

"How in the h.e.l.l can a grown man or woman who works for and supports Osterman's policies be innocent?" a woman from another group asked."That doesn't make any sense to me."

"Me neither," a man agreed. Others sitting around the office nodded in agreement. The man went on. "They're not for us, so they must be against us, right?"

"But they're not taking up arms against us," Lara told him. "That's the difference, Pete."

"h.e.l.l, they don't have any weapons to take up against us," Pete responded with a smile.

That got a laugh from the others in the meeting room.

"But if they did have access to weapons, they'd d.a.m.n 188.

sure use them against us," a woman argued. "You can bet your b.u.t.t on that. So as far as I'm concerned they're the enemy."

About half of those in the room nodded their heads in agreement.

"That may well be," Ben said. "I'm sure many of them would take up arms against us, and probably will if given a chance. But for now they're just unarmed civilians, and I will not tolerate any of them getting hurt. That's the way it's going to be, people. Any one of you who takes their group and goes off on their own against my orders will be kicked out of this organization and receive no help from the SUSA, and I will publicly disavow that group. You will be nothing but terrorists, and I will order you shot on sight. Now, d.a.m.nit, is that clear?"

It was. Perfectly.

"All right," Ben said. "You all know the objective. Let's move out and get into place."

Everyone in the various groups had been polygraphed or PSE'd. Four people had broken under the pressure and admitted they were working for the Feds. They had been executed. It was harsh punishment, but it was a harsh time in the land. Those men and women under Ben's command were not working to turn the USA into a second SUSA. They were simply working for the restoration of a few rights guaranteed them by the Const.i.tution of the United States.

And, to a person, they were prepared to die fighting for the return of those rights.

"All right," Ben said. "Let's do it."

The brand new, just completed and staffed and equipped federal building was deserted from eight o'clock in the evening until six in the morning.

Buddy's own people had made sure of that.

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Ben checked his watch: seven forty-five. The cleaning crew should be leaving any time now. His own people were ready to move into place.First the water would be cut off to cripple the sprinkler system. Then his people would move in, a couple at a time, on the outside, planting explosives around the building. Then, at the last moment, vehicles would be moved into place, blocking all streets, preventing fire engines from getting to the building. Just as the explosives blew, mortar crews would begin lobbing in HE rounds. The building might not be totally destroyed, but it would suffer extensive damage, and millions of records would be lost.

"There go the first of the cleaning crew," Jersey whispered to Ben.

Ben lifted his night binoculars and watched the men and women exit the building. "Two more crews to go," he said.

"Everyone is sitting on ready," Corrie told him. "Mortar crews waiting for the word."

"Won't be long now."

The minutes ticked by until finally all the cleaning crews had left the building and the doors were locked for the night.

"Get the explosives in place," Ben said. "And set the timers."

That would present no problem, for the streets were nearly deserted due to the rationing of gasoline. "Cut off the water," he ordered.

The same scene was being played out all over the USA, in a dozen states.

A few minutes later Corrie said, "Water is off, Boss."

"Seal this area."

The vehicles were moved into place.

"Streets are sealed," Corrie reported.

"Everybody clear?"

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"Clear."

"Mortar crews ready?"

"Ready."

Ben looked at his watch and counted down the seconds. The explosives went off with a tremendous crack. Gla.s.s from the building windows flew in all directions. The first six rockets from the mortars landed, and that only added to the noise and confusion.

"Pour it on!" Ben said.

"Federal Police on the way," Corrie told him after hearing from a spotter located blocks away.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ben replied. "It'll be their last run."