Alea Jacta Est: A Novel of the Fall of America (Future History of America Book 1) (50 page)

“Afternoon,”
Erik said nonchalantly. 

“How ya
doin’, Captain?” asked Ted, appearing next to Erik on the platform.  The
National Guard had up to this point merely driven past slowly, blaring out
warnings and directions on how to get to the nearest ‘Safe Zone’.  No one had
seen soldiers up close like that before.

The
Guardsman stopped a few feet away from the gate and shielded his eyes as he
looked up at Ted and Erik.  “Afternoon, gentlemen.”

“What can
we do for you?” asked Erik.  He nodded to one of the soldiers who looked up to
the wall as well.  All of them were fully loaded out with body armor, helmets,
side arms.  They looked like they were on patrol in Baghdad, not Sarasota. 
Erik did
not
like this.

“Sir, my
name is Captain Jonas Williams—“ he waved his hand back over his shoulder to
indicate the truck and the handful of soldiers milling about.  “We're driving
around to every community in south Sarasota to warn folks about the curfew and
Martial Law announcements.”

“What
curfew?” asked someone.

“Anyone caught
out in the streets from dusk till dawn will be arrested.  Anyone that resists
arrest will be detained with all necessary force.  My men are now carrying
fully armed and live weapons.  The Secretary of the Department of Homeland
Security—“

“
Screw that!”
someone
shouted.

“Be that as
it may,” the soldier said with a grin.  He shook his head.  “At any rate, I
have a duty to perform.  I’ll be patrolling this section of Sarasota.  If I see
anyone out at night, you’re going to be detained and taken to the local Safe
Zone for relocation.  Anyone seen armed after dark will be shot on sight, no
warnings no questions asked,” the Captain finished, pulling out a small
flashcard to get the warnings right.  He hadn’t given them more than ten times
yet that day, but he figured by nightfall, he’d have it all memorized, word for
word.

“Fair
enough.  We don’t plan on bein’ out after dark anyway,” Ted replied.  “Just let
any gangsters out there you meet know that we don’t take kindly to people
trying to break their way into our apartment complex.”  Ted gestured across the
road to the make shift cemetery where the enemy casualties from the Battle were
buried in shallow graves.

The Captain
turned to look and saw the mounds of still fresh earth for the first time.  “So
it’s true then…y’all had a firefight.  I thought it was just a rumor some bored
kid put out over the HAM net.  I have to report this, you know…”

Erik
nodded.  “We figured as much.  Go right on and file your reports, Captain.  We
won’t hold it against you,” he said grinning. 

“Would you
and your men like some refreshments, Captain?” asked Lentz, slightly out of
breath from the climb up the ladder to the gate platform.  Erik almost flinched—he
hadn’t heard the older man climb up.

“I
appreciate the offer, but we’ve got a whole list of neighborhoods we need to
visit today.  You folks doin’ okay?  We got a convoy coming by later on—should
have water and food.  We’re handing it out to all the people who are choosing
to stay behind rather than move to the ‘Safe Zones’.  Can’t say for sure how
long that policy will last, though.  Word has it that FEMA is going to start
confiscating people’s food and supplies in order to keep the shelters stocked
up.”

“That’s
bullshit!” Ted said hotly.  “They can’t do that--”

“I don’t
know yet, sir,” said the Captain.  “I’m just doin’ my job.”

“So are you
going to force us to go to the shelter?” asked Erik.

“No, sir. 
We’re not here to take people away.  If anyone inside wants to leave, we can
provide transportation to the ‘Safe Zone’.  But the evacuations are voluntary
only.”

Erik, Ted
and Lentz looked at each other and thought over what the Guardsman had said. 
Ted looked down.  “Is it really that bad that you need to protect people
getting to shelters?” 

“Not
really…I mean, at least not
here
.  I got a buddy up near Tampa—it’s bad
up there.  They got us bringing in tanks and choppers to keep the highway
bandits off people as they get stuck on the interstates.  Trust me, you don’t
want to go anywhere near I-75.  Cars stuck for ten, twenty miles in all
directions.  It’s crazy.”

“When did
all this happen?  The only news we get is pretty much from overseas.  The local
radio station stopped operating almost a week ago,” said Erik.

“Yeah, the
EAS program is still up and running but if nothing pressing is going on, you
won’t hear about it.  Tonight the President will be making a nationwide
address, you should hear that on most stations,” replied the sweating
Guardsman.

“Hey, you
sure you don’t want anything?  We got some food and water to spare.  Any of
your men need any supplies?” asked Ted.

“No, sir,
thanks.  I appreciate it.  Really.  Most of the time we’re either swamped with
people panicking and trying to climb on board our trucks without permission, or
we’re shot at because people are thinking we’re there to haul them away against
their will.  I tell you the world is going crazy.”

After the
conversation died down and the Guards loaded up and left in a rumble of dust
and diesel exhaust, the three leaders of the complex looked at each other again
on the gate platform.

“Something’s
going on,” said Erik.  “I got a tingle between my shoulder blades when he
mentioned confiscating food and water to keep the shelters open.  I think it
has something to do with the U.N. peacekeeping force they’re sending to us.”

“Oh come
now, Erik.  You’re exaggerating.  I see it as nothing more than a good faith
attempt to make the concept of the ‘Safe Zones’ more viable to as many people
as possible.  Sounds good to me.  There’s no need for people to hoard stuff
when others are starving.”

“Did you
not see everything that
we
went through a week ago?” asked Ted
incredulously.  “Hey man,
we’re
hoarding stuff!  If they,” Ted jerked
his thumb over the wall towards the receding military caravan, “find out we got
all this stuff in here and we’re raiding shops and business in the area to stay
alive, they’ll haul us all away!”

“Oh I
rather doubt that, Theodore.”

“It’s Ted!”
the ex-Marine barked.  He was about at his wits end with the peace-loving
Lentz.

“No, I
don’t think it’s that…” Erik said, attempting to calm down the situation.  “I
mean, for the past two weeks we’ve been without power.  We’ve gotten by.  We
were attacked and we fought off those street thugs.  But by and large, it ain’t
that
bad out there.  At least around us.  There’s people still living in
their homes, just a block away from here.  You can see people milling about in
their yards from the observation deck up on Building 4.  There’s decent people
still around us.  But further downtown, all the criminals and the ex-cons who
got out are doing the looting and stealing.  Look,” Erik said, pointing to the
ever present black smear on the northwestern horizon.  “That smoke has been
there since the beginning and we’re used to it now.  Sarasota is
still
burning, man.”

“So what’s
your point?  According to that BBC guy we listen to, the Army’s up there
tearing Chicago to pieces trying to crush this race rebellion that’s going on. 
That sounds suspicious to me,” said Ted.

“Well, look
at it this way.  The National Guard has been by here before—they never stopped,
just drove past with those damn loudspeakers trying to scare people into going
to the shelters—“

“Safe
Zones,” Lentz said.

“Shelter,”
Ted replied.

“Whatever!”
Erik retorted, wiping sweat off his brow.  “Now, the day after the President
declares martial law and Homeland Security and FEMA get put in charge, the
Guards are going around putting the pressure on people to ‘give up and go to
the shelter’.  Need I remind you that U.N. just voted to send an army over
here?”

“They’re
just peacekeepers, Erik, they pose—“

“They’re a
Goddamned invasion force!” barked Ted.

“Now you
don’t know that—“

“Yes, I
do!  I was
in
one of those peacekeeping forces, you stuck up fool. We
were assigned to ‘police’ Bosnia.  We were in a multilateral force in Iraq. 
It’s an invasion, plain and simple.  Those jokers don’t screw around.  They
crush the local resistance
then
police them.  Most of the time they can
do it without full scale war, but Saddam showed the world that sometimes it’s
necessary. 
Twice
.  They won’t be afraid to hit us
hard.
”  Ted
finished out of breath and slightly flushed.  He was getting worked up.

“I think
Ted’s right.  I’ve got a sinking suspicion that Homeland Security is going to
try and round everyone up—ostensibly for our own good—but realistically, to
make defending the nation that much easier.  After all, if you’ve got most of
the civilians holed up in secured areas, you can worry less about collateral
damage when the big guns come out and start kicking ass in downtown
Smallville.  You know?”

Lentz
looked at the other two men as if they were stark raving mad.  “Your comments
give me pause, Erik.”   He thought for a second.  “Although I’m not truly
surprised, after your stunt the night of that horrible fight.”

“Stunt? 
Sending the bikers out to flank the gang-bangers?” asked Ted.  “Are you
serious?”

“I’m
seriously thinking you’re clinically paranoid.  Both of you!” snapped Lentz. 
“You watch too many movies, my friend.  Our own government isn’t out to get us,
there are no aliens and there was no magic bullet!”  The elder statesman of the
complex turned in a huff and climbed down off the gate platform mumbling to
himself.

“Christ,
man, if that guy is really in charge…what the hell are we still doin’ here? 
I’m surprised he hasn’t turned us in to the Feds or something.”

“Turned us
in on what, and to who?” asked Erik.  “I think you’re right though.  He’s
slowly taking over.  I saw one of the wives of one of my students come up to me
and ask me to flunk her husband,” Erik had taken to calling his budding
swordfighter corps ‘students’.  “She said she was more scared of him dying in a
fight that wasn’t necessary than of people scaling the walls and attacking. 
Someone’s out there spreading rumors that we’re training everyone to create
some sort of vigilante army and go out and attack the looters downtown…” Erik
said, gazing off at the smoke on the horizon.  The black smear looked like so
much charcoal on a sheet of blue paper.  He couldn’t shake the feeling that it
was actually growing closer.

Ted crossed
his arms and leaned against the gate.  “I know, I heard something like that
with one of my guys.  It’s starting to annoy me.”

“It’s
starting to
alarm
me.”  Erik sighed.  “You notice that Lentz is more
vocal about shoving us aside?  It’s like now that it’s been a while since the
Battle, things are going back to normal…”

“I knew
people had a short memory, but come on…we were fuckin’ attacked!” cursed Ted.

“I don’t
know what’s going on, but just keep a good lookout, and check your six, okay? 
Watch your people close and I’ll watch mine.  I have a feeling someone’s trying
to pull some strings.”

“Yeah,
roger that, man.  I think that
someone
is Lentz,” Ted said, nodding his
head towards the leasing office, where Lentz was talking with two men carrying
building supplies.  “Just like a good politician.”  They watched Lentz pat the
two men on the back and continue on his way.

“Let’s not
do anything hasty, but I think it’d be a good idea to start getting a plan
together for at least our families and maybe a few others to get the hell out
of here.  Just in case.” Erik said.

Ted looked
at his friend sideways.  “You thinkin’ of buggin’ out?”

“No…not
really.  But if things get bad, do you want to stay here where Lentz is in
charge?”  Erik needn’t finish the thought.  Ted knew if Lentz had had his way,
the Battle would have been a slaughter.  He had wanted to let the gate open and
talk to those animals…

“No…”

“I will
make sure Brin is safe, come hell or high water.  If that means leaving our
home, then so be it.  For now though, the safest spot looks like right here.”

“I read
you…” Ted replied.  “If anything happened to Susan or the kids…” the Marine’s
eyes began to cloud.  He wiped the thought from his mind and regained control
of himself.  “But where would we go?”

“My
family’s got a little vacation spot up in Dundee on the lake.  My
great-grandfather built it back in the twenties.  Solid as hell.  Anyway, once
he passed away, my family made it a vacation spot.  It’s on some land in an
orange grove.  There’s a few other houses around the lake—more of a big pond
really—but it’s way off the beaten path.  Bunch of old timers live there. 
Should be safe enough.  Either that or we can head to upstate New York where my
parents live.  Got a big cabin on Lake Ticonderoga.”

“Sounds
great…when can we leave?”

Erik
laughed.  “I’m still just making contingency plans, remember?  We’re not going
anywhere yet.  This place is turning into a fortress…I’m not sure I want to
give all that up yet.  Besides,” Erik said.  “Dundee’s like three hours away by
car…that’s following the interstates—without monster gridlock and bandits. 
It’ll take some serious planning.  We’ll have to take back roads…”