“It’s my own damn fault here. What the hell was I thinking putting a 100-pound girl on the skirmish line? Miss Kampbell, you’ve got the fighting spirit, all right, but it’s wasted in this course. Non-lethal, dynamic protesting is not your style.” She grinned knowingly.
“The type of war you want to wage can’t be learned with this program. Why don’t you go back to administration and ask for a slot in one of the Proactive Defense Brigades? Tell them Shania suggested it.”
Sophie managed to look hopeful, angry and confused all at once, in the way only a teenager can. “The militias? I’ve never touched a gun in my life. They’ll never take me. Please don’t boot me out of the class. I just want to make a difference…”
“Damn, girl! Shut up already. They’re not putting together a vigilante mob over there. We’re building our own army. You’re not being fired. You’re being promoted. This here is important, but it’s just the beginning. When the pigs are routed and the Man calls in his jackbooted thugs, that’s where you come in. That’s where you can make a difference.” She suddenly wheeled back on her class and seemingly forgot about Sophie.
“But that don’t mean you all can slack off! We’ve still got to get control of the streets. Masks on! Form up! We’re going again.”
Sophie spat out a little blood and made her way to the admin office…to look for more.
Situation Room, White House
“No sir, we’re not quite ready, but we will be shortly. By the end of the week, tops. That sabotage campaign slows things down a little, but not significantly. We just need to arrange for additional force protection along our lines of communication. The casualties so far have been light, although the loss of material is more frustrating.”
Some presidential aide interrupted the general’s briefing as casually as he would a subordinate. “Like that Army fuel dump outside of Valdosta, Georgia that blew up for no apparent reason? How many trains have these saboteurs derailed? You’ve lost dozens of men and hundreds of millions of dollars in equipment…before the invasion has even started! The Joint Chiefs said you were the wrong man for the job.”
“The Joint Chiefs are an advisory board and not in the chain of command. Neither are you. I’m in charge of this ridiculous operation and will prosecute it how I see fit. Who the fuck are you anyway? Where do you get off telling me how to do my job?”
Once upon a time, such unprofessional bickering in the situation room was unthinkable. There were a lot of new precedents being made nowadays. In every meeting, the usual mild tension between the military and the new age breed of young civilian technocrats reached new heights. The president shook his head and finally stepped in. He wasn’t impressed with the general’s performance either, but he had zero doubts about his loyalty. At this delicate time, that was a pearl beyond price.
“General, no offense was intended. We’re civilians and used to debating things before taking action, that’s all. I have complete confidence in you and your staff. Please continue.” The president’s smooth lying mollified the general, but the indignant staffer spent the rest of their meeting only half-listening while plotting ways to ruin the officer’s career. How dare some simple soldier talk to him like that!
“Yes, sir. As I was saying, I’m confident that we have more than enough resources on hand to deal with any elements of the Florida National Guard that choose to resist. Even these rumored irregulars shouldn’t present much of a threat.”
The president scratched at a pink spot on his wrist just beginning to scar. “General, I hope you’re right. We’ve made the mistake of underestimating this rebellion far too often. Despite how they’re spinning it, Florida is a secessionist state. The problem’s not just their terroristic leadership. Look at the polls. If we don’t cut that tumor out cleanly, and on the first try, the whole damn country will fall apart.” He deep rubbed his temples with both hands.
“I mean that literally, not as hyperbole. California, Washington, Arizona… at least 10 states out west so far are planning to hold referendums on whether to stay in the Union. How do their PR people put it? Whether or not to form their own ‘legitimate’ Federal Government!” The president shoved the tactical map away and pointed at the wall map of America.
“If we don’t stamp this shit out now we might never have another chance. Congress has already amended the Posse Comitatus Act. They gave us a 30-day free reign to do whatever we need to. I fear that we don’t have a month. Too much is happening too fast. Now, I’m ordering you to use overwhelming force, anything you need, to put an end to this war before it gets started. Do I make myself clear?”
The general didn’t exactly look convinced, but he wasn’t a fool. “Crystal clear, sir. That’s exactly what we’re doing. By any measure, our response is an overkill.” He launched into his patient teacher routine as an aid turned on a beam projector.
“As you can see, we’re mobilizing a reinforced heavy division for this operation. Of course, sir, we could be ready faster if you weren’t so insistent that the Georgia and Alabama National Guards must take part. We don’t need them. It’s more of a logistical burden to have them on board than anything else.”
“We’ve been over this often enough, General. We have to show the country that this isn’t Big Brother stomping on some independent state. I want to head off all that ‘states rights’ nonsense from the beginning. Showing resolve is not enough. The perception of unity is needed. We have to make it clear that the entire nation stands against Dimone and his rebels. I admit, it is a political decision, but these are the type of politics that have military repercussions.” He paused and counted to 10 as he heated up. He got to three.
“Do you want to have to repeat this invasion over and over with every radical state? Don’t you see what’s happening out West? Those referendums are not political theater. The people themselves are about to decide whether to end this 240 year old American experiment. Not since World War 2 have we had so much riding on a single operation. We will only get one chance to influence that public opinion.”
He got out of his chair and had to pace.
“I know, some of you think I’m losing it. That I’m trying to go out in a blaze of glory and want to take the country with me. Isn’t that how some news networks put it? Ladies and gentlemen, this disaster is bigger than any one man. We are way beyond politics now.
“Whenever people focus on a single issue at the expense of all others, especially when egged along by our modern media with its insane advertising pressure and short attention span, then the people are ripe for exploitation by demagogues and all sorts of crazies. Mark my words, if we don’t crush this rebellion now, and decisively, things will only get worse. For starters, it means the end of my Administration and everyone in it.”
The president already looked older than God, but somehow aged even more in the last few minutes. “If that was the only worry, damn, then I’d resign immediately. God help me, I’m tempted to! But it won’t end there. Not by a long shot. Every day Dimone stays in control of Florida the fabric of this nation is torn a little more. If the rebels even remotely appear like they might get away with their treason, how many opportunists will jump onto the band wagon? Ultra conservatives, ultra liberals, those two well financed extremes terrify me alone, without even counting the run of the mill crazies America breeds like rabbits. I’m telling you, failure here will mean the end of the United States as we know it!”