One Year After: A Novel Page 15

  “How did you hear that?”

  “People talk, and right now, the call for help from our country with the creation of the Army of National Recovery is the buzz conversation around here.”

  Dale offered a drink again, which John refused, holding his glass up to show there was still some left. Dale poured another few ounces for himself and put the bottle back in the cabinet.

  “I really haven’t seen a bottle like that since the Day,” John said. “The liquor store was looted clean within forty-eight hours, and those that had some kept mighty quiet about it after that. So where did that come from?” he asked casually.

  “Oh, I traded for it just before coming here with the pilot who brought me and the rest of the administrative team up from the coast.”

  “So the folks on the coast have such things again?”

  “A lot more than here. England, as you know, wasn’t hit by the EMP. So some trade is back up, and thank you, dear Lord, quite a few cases of real scotch did come into Charleston several months back.”

  “What else do they have down there?”

  “Part of Charleston has power again, feeding off the carrier anchored at Patriots Point. John, you step foot on that carrier and you swear nothing ever went wrong. Computers still run onboard the ship, hot showers, real food, and not just emergency rations…” His voice trailed off as if sensing the frustration John was feeling.

  “How about hospitals? And what about insulin?” John asked. “They ever run out of that?”

  Dale hesitated for a moment, not sure of the meaning, and then he nodded, his features solemn. “Sorry, John, I did read about that in your profile report. And no, things were just as hellish down there during the first months after the attack, even more so with the summer heat than up your way until the navy arrived in force.”

  “My profile report?”

  “Sure. It’s been two years since the war started, but some things are slowly coming back online. They had some backup database systems in Bluemont; remember, it was always one of the fallback positions in the event of a major attack hitting the lower forty-eight and taking out Washington, D.C. When I put your name in, they said your dossier from your service in the Pentagon was still intact, and they mentioned that you had a daughter with diabetes. Damn all, John, if only you had been evacuated up to Bluemont when this hit rather than being down here, it might have turned out different.”

  “Don’t go anywhere near there, Dale,” John replied. Whenever the death of Jennifer came anywhere near a conversation, he always felt something about to break inside. “We weren’t, she wasn’t, we had no insulin, and she died—and that was it.” He glared at Dale icily.

  Dale lowered his head. “Sorry I mentioned it.”

  John sat silent for several minutes. It was his weakest spot, and Dale had just touched it. Of course, he had thought of all the alternatives—one of the worse of them that, on the day things had hit, before everyone else began to catch on, he should have just stormed into the pharmacy and cleaned out their supply rather than accept the six bottles the pharmacist had offered him the day after. But then again, would he really have done that? He knew that regardless of his anguish, that was a moral boundary. Condemning others to death to save his own was not something he could ultimately live with.

  “Perhaps we should talk about this commission your people want to give me and how it will affect the draft in my town,” John said, shifting the subject back to the main point of this visit.

  Dale, who apparently regretted his misstep with his reference to Jennifer, looked back up, his pensive gaze gone. “Sorry if I hit a bad nerve, John. Just my clumsiness at times.”

  “No harm done,” John replied. There was a moment of awkward silence, which John finally broke. “I think I asked where you were on the day the war started.”

  “I was out in the field that day on an inspection tour for a government agency, fortunately near Bluemont.”

  “What agency?”

  “The White House,” Dale said without elaborating.

  “Oh?” Again there was an awkward moment, as if both were stumbling to keep the conversation going, Dale obviously not yet feeling ready to push John further regarding the offer of a return to government service.

  “So is it true that Air Force One was not sufficiently hardened and went down?” John finally asked, breaking the silence.

  “Something like that.”

  “Too bad.”

  Dale stared at him intently for a moment, John returning the gaze unflinchingly. His tone had not conveyed horror at such news; it was a response of complete detachment. Where once the entire nation dwelled on the latest actions of the celebrity of the moment—and the president was definitely in that classification—now there was a distancing by all. Each had endured horrors unimagined before the electricity went down, and there was little room for empathy for what occurred outside of their sight and hearing.

  When half, three-quarters, or more of your community dies, a death rate unprecedented in all of Western history since the great plague of the fourteenth century, survivors focused on their survival and that of their families, blocking out what was no longer part of their world.

  “And the president now,” John finally offered. “You feel she’s qualified?”

  “Constitutional line of succession. Secretary of Health and Human Services was the highest-ranking survivor, but you already know that. The vice president was the secretary of Homeland Security.”

  “This is a presidential election year. What’s going to happen?”

  “That’s a tough one, John. We first need a census. Do we stick with the Constitution as written and reestablish the Electoral College or just go with a national vote?”

  “Electoral College,” John replied instantly. “The Constitution must stand untouched. That is a rock-solid bottom line for this country and for me personally. I will not serve a government that abrogates the Constitution. Yes, we had to move to martial law, but I pray those times are passing, regardless of the crisis that continues in many regions. If we tear out the bedrock of the Constitution, we will find ourselves on shifting sands that will eventually swallow all of us up into the darkness.”

  “Easy to say, John, but think of the complexities—and then think of why you are being asked to come back to serve. May I just rattle off a few points?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “A year after the attack, we ran an analysis up in Bluemont and cataloged some classifications for the various states.”

  “Classifications?”

  “Rating each state from a level one—meaning fully stabilized based on a number of different criteria—down to a level five, which means currently occupied either by a hostile nation or a nation claiming it is neutral and alleging it is here to help—to complete anarchy into lawlessness, of which Florida is still the worst case.”

  “And the results?”

  “Not one state has reached what we define as a level one, with functioning local and state governments in conformity with federal law, as well.”

  “Conformity to federal law?” He was a bit cautious now.

  “Come on, John. You do recall the Thirteenth Amendment, right? Do you know there are places where slavery is back, one of them in what used to be Charlotte?”

  John sighed, not really surprised, and then he sadly nodded.

  “Twelve states are level five. We got a few zones at level one, but not an entire state yet as it existed prior to the attack. I’m proud to say a hundred-mile radius around Bluemont is level one, touching into four states—West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The rail corridor of the B&O for a couple of hundred miles is actually up and running. They pulled out half a dozen old steam locomotives from museums and got them running since we’re smack in the middle of the coal region.”

  What about all the anticoal rhetoric of several years back? John thought, but he decided not to throw that into the conversation.

  “Anyhow, back to your origin
al point about elections this year. I think you can see it’s impossible if we are going to do so within the proscriptions of the Constitution. We need a census—and out of that, a redrawing of congressional districts, most likely a significant reduction in total members of the House given the blow to our population. It has not always been 435, as you know. Some are saying we only need a hundred or so, the same as the Senate.”

  “I got no thoughts on that right now,” John replied.

  “And what about senators from level-five states? The vast majority of senators and members of the House were in D.C. on the Day with Congress in session. Not many made it to Bluemont.”

  “Have either houses even met since the war started?”

  “The thought of even reaching a quorum to make the meeting legal is of course absurd. There’s been advisory meetings with the president by surviving members of both houses who are now living in Bluemont, but that’s it for right now until we can hold legitimate elections.”

  “What you are telling me is that elections have been postponed indefinitely?”

  “Hopefully by next year we’ll be ready again,” Dale replied quickly. “John, it’s obvious by your questions you are passionate about the Constitution.”

  “We all should be; it’s the only thing we have to hang on to if this country’s ever going to recover.”

  “That is a major reason we need the Army of National Recovery and men with your convictions serving in it. We have to restore internal order, John. Once that is achieved, we can focus on containing the obvious expansionism of China. If need be, a redeployment to the West Coast by some of the ANR units will show China we mean business; they back off, and with the West Coast secured, Mexico will pull back, as well. Mission accomplished. We then move to a full restoration of our government under the Constitution.”

  John nodded thoughtfully with that. This man fumbled more than one point over the last week, but he certainly must have studied my file well, John thought. While in the army, John had written more than one paper about the constitutional constraints regarding the use of military force, and though a strong pro-Union supporter when it came to the Civil War, he was more than a bit bemused at times with how Lincoln skirted the limits of his office to preserve the country as a single entity.

  Lincoln made the tough decisions necessary to save the Union, and John believed that if Lincoln had lived, he would have relinquished his powers that transcended constitutional limits and restored proper balance in the months after the Confederacy collapsed. He was, ultimately, an honorable man.

  Was this president, who did hold her office as defined by the Constitution, of the same character and moral fiber as Lincoln? If not, what might the ANR devolve into?

  At this moment, he realized, perhaps the only way to find out for sure was to take the commission, go to Bluemont, and find out directly. I can always resign if not satisfied, he reasoned.

  “If I enlist, your offer to cut the draft in half for my community stands firm?”

  “Absolutely, John!” Dale cried. “Yes, absolutely, yes! Some of them can go with you to Bluemont—your daughter, of course, and even your wife and grandson, if you wish. Provisions like that are made for someone with your rank.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Come on, John. I remember reading somewhere that Grant’s wife accompanied him into the field, sent there to help ease the migraines he suffered from. Lincoln had his son placed on Grant’s staff near the end of the war rather than see him go into a combat unit. Lee pulled his youngest son out of combat and had him moved to a staff position. Generals and admirals often did and still do such things.”

  “And yet I recall that one of Teddy Roosevelt’s sons went down in flames over France in 1918,” John replied. “And though I don’t think much of some of the things FDR did, his son was up on the front lines and was in the thick of it on Midway Island when everyone figured the Japanese were going to overrun the island, and he’d have been killed or taken prisoner. So it does go both ways.”

  Even as he spoke, John realized this man certainly had studied him to have so quickly pulled up examples of Lincoln, Grant, and Lee to assuage any guilt he might feel about favoritism.

  “How soon can you report?” Dale asked, stepping around this debate with a historian.

  “I’ll go in with the rest,” John said, “which, based on your offer of the other day, gives me about three and a half weeks to settle things.”

  “We’re establishing some air transport this weekend, John. Think of it! Planes, transports coming in from an airbase near Bluemont and another air link down to Charleston. A lot of our assets that were positioned overseas are finally going into service back here in the States. We’ll most likely be able to fly you up there rather than risk road transport for you and yours.”

  “Okay, that sounds fine.”

  “And we now have air assets as I told you about when we first met. The government allocated two Apache helicopters and two Black Hawks, to be permanently based in Asheville.”

  “I heard about that,” John replied, not revealing that it was Forrest Burnett who had told him of the arrival of the choppers. “Apaches. I think they’d be needed more in Texas, for starters.”

  “Each district is getting at least a couple of aircraft for local security.”

  He wasn’t sure how to react and did not reply.

  “By the way,” Dale said, still smiling, “I heard about your own air force.”

  “You seem to hear a lot,” John replied.

  Dale shrugged. “It’s my job.” There was something about the way he said it, but John let it pass. “It’s a nice asset, John. I’d really like to have access to it at times.”

  “You’ll have to take that up with the town council. I’m stepping back from those types of decisions.”

  “Oh, of course, but please do mention it to them at the next meeting.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Dale stood up, smiled, and extended his hand. “Can I make an official announcement of your decision to serve?”

  “For the moment, Dale, let’s just hold on that. I still have to clear it with my family and the town council. So can you ride with that for several days?”

  “Of course, John—or should I say General Matherson?”

  John did not reply to Dale pinning the title of rank on him before he had officially signed. He sensed the purpose of their meeting was at an end and stood up.

  They shook hands. John turned to leave, looked down at the glass with the ounce of scotch still in it, and with “talking turkey” done, he gladly downed the second ounce.

  “You can take the bottle along if you want, John.”

  John smiled and shook his head. “Wouldn’t think of it. Some people see that and they’ll think it’s a bribe.”

  “Okay then. Let’s plan on meeting the middle of next week for an update. Before I forget, I was really impressed with the work your people have been doing with the phone and electrical systems. Could you ask those overseeing the work if they’d mind if they’d come see me and perhaps lend some advice for operations here in Asheville?”

  “Will do.”

  He was out the door and surprised to see Makala sitting in the dim light of the lobby, head bowed, nearly asleep.

  “Come on, sweetheart, wake up.”

  She stood up with a start, smiled, and leaned up to kiss him. “What in the hell have you been drinking?” she asked sharply.

  “A scotch.”

  “He actually had scotch, real scotch?”

  He merely nodded. She was silent as they went for the main exit.

  “Do you need to pick up your pistol on the way out?” John whispered.

  “As if I’d actually obey that one? You are kidding, aren’t you?”

  They went to the car, parked outside in the darkness, not commenting to the uniformed guards, who did not acknowledge their passing.

  “You still have a concussion and have been drinking, so I’ll drive,” Makala
announced, opening the door for him over his objections.

  They drove in silence, John scanning intently, shotgun on his lap and pistol by his side, not relaxing until they reached the roadblock into their own territory near Exit 59. Once cleared, he finally relaxed.

  “So what happened?” Makala asked.

  “I took the job. I felt I had to.”

  Not another word was exchanged during the long ride home. And for several hours after they slipped into the house, with Elizabeth, Ben, and Jen fast asleep, John sat alone in the garden by Jennifer’s grave. When he finally went to bed, Makala was asleep, as well.

  CHAPTER NINE

  DAY 743

  This is BBC News. It is 3:00 a.m., Greenwich War Time.

  In a surprise move that is triggering comment around the world, the United States administration in Bluemont, Virginia, just announced less than an hour ago that it will release an undisclosed number of tactical nuclear weapons, commonly known as neutron bombs, for use against, and I quote, “indigenous groups in rebellion against the authority of the federal government within the continental United States.” The government official went on to explain that such weapons are in no way intended as a threat or, and I again quote, “a counterforce threat against other nations currently engaged in aiding our civilian population or occupying territory within the United States,” end quote. The announcement stated that if used, such weapons will only be employed east of the Continental Divide and north of the Red River, thereby sending a clear signal to the governments of China and Mexico that such weapons are not intended as a threat against their forces on American soil.

  It was also reported today by Radio Free Canada that the American federal forces known as the ANR were dealt a serious setback in Chicago with the reported annihilation of a full battalion of troops, with several hundred taken prisoner by one of the groups in rebellion in that city occupying the downtown area. There is no word yet as to their fate.

  Later in this program, we’ll have a panel of experts joining us to discuss the nature of these weapons and the political ramifications of this announcement. Colonel Peter Ramsey, professor of strategic warfare studies at Sandhurst, was reached by this reporter for clarification as to the nature and use of so-called neutron bombs. He explained that they are low-yield nuclear weapons developed during the 1970s for tactical battlefield use and are by no means to be confused with the type of weapons used two years ago to trigger electromagnetic pulses. A neutron bomb is designed, at the instant of detonation, to release a highly lethal dose of radiation out to a very limited distance but with a very low blast area, damaging buildings only within several hundred yards of the point of detonation. The high radiation yield, however, can kill out to a mile or more, often within minutes. It is a weapon designed to kill but not physically destroy urban areas, and the federal government is threatening to use them in light of its frustration in suppressing rebellions in nearly every major city.