THE WARNING A Novel of America in the Last Days (The End of America Series Book 2) (15 page)

Richard B. Russell Federal Building

75 Spring Street, Atlanta, Georgia

        
Jim Farley drove to work in downtown Atlanta in the rental
car provided to him by his insurance company, as his stolen Civic had not yet
been located. He had hoped that it would be quickly located somewhere near his
house, maybe taken by a teen looking for a joy ride. But, alas, with no Civic
being located, Jim was now convinced that he would have to replace it. His
agent gave him a week to use the rental while he looked for a replacement
vehicle. Jim was the co-owner of the Mitchell Street Deli, down the block from
the twenty-five story Richard B. Russell Federal Building, named for Georgia’s
famed U.S. Senator, whose name also graces one of the three U. S. Senate office
buildings on Capitol Hill. Jim’s deli’s specialty was corned beef on rye
sandwiches slathered with his secret recipe for German deli mustard.

        
Noon was always the high point of business in the work week
for the Mitchell Street Deli, as workers in adjoining office buildings packed
the deli, most consuming its specialty. Federal employees from the nearby
Russell building were a routine source of business for Jim’s restaurant. Jim
knew many of the federal law enforcement agents by their face, as regular
customers, and some by name. Jim didn’t notice it, but today there were no
federal law enforcement agents to be seen in the deli. Jim usually worked the line
at the deli, cutting corned beef or assembling sandwiches, putting an owner’s
face on the service for his many customers. Today was no exception. As Jim
reached for the large mustard spoon he was knocked off his feet, mustard
flying, along with flying shards of glass from the front window. He reached up
to grab the counter above him to stand, noticing as he did so that there was
splattered blood on the remaining unbroken glass on the front of his deli
counter. Jim had served in the military so he knew that what had just happened
was a bomb. His next thought was why would anybody bomb a deli?

        
Making his way to the front of deli, he helped customers who
had been knocked to the floor to their feet, while calling 911 on his cell. Jim
finally was able to make his way to the front door, the glass of which had been
blown away. He stepped through the shard-fringed door out onto the sidewalk.
That’s when he saw it. The bottom several floors on the southeast corner of the
federal building had been blown away. Debris was still swirling in the air
around the damaged building, as paper, plastic pieces and concrete dust filled
the corner at Spring and Mitchell Street.

        
Jim quickly saw that there were bleeding bodies on the
sidewalks, with what appeared to be a body or two hanging from the shattered,
open gaping floors of the federal building. He immediately thought of what had
happened at Oklahoma City. What a horrible thing for someone to do, he thought,
as he leaned down to see if he could help an elderly woman at his feet in front
of the deli who was bleeding from her forehead and moaning. As Jim did what he
could for the victims of the blast, he could not have known that before the day
was over he would be arrested and publicly charged with various criminal acts,
including the bombing of the Richard B. Russell Federal Building. The
indictment would accuse James B. Farley of secreting an explosive device in his
Honda Civic and then remotely igniting the bomb.

        
One person who would not be indicted was Fred Hectorski. Fred
was shot dead at about the same time that the car bomb exploded by security
guards in his local federal building, the building he had been sent to by Jim,
his federally paid drug source. Hopped up on psychoactive drugs Fred tried to
get his weapons out of the cello case provided by Jim, but he was cut down
before he could use them. Fred’s picture was immediately made available to
mainstream media, along with a document showing that he had been a deacon at a
local evangelical church. The fact that he was no longer a deacon or attended
the church was not part of the information provided by the DHS. His ownership
of a motor vehicle which had been detonated outside the building where Fred was
shot was the featured lead on most news stories.
The New York Times
headlined the article:

CHURCH LEADER CAR
BOMBS FEDERAL BUILDING

Evangelical Activist
Used Firearms in Assault

Several Similar Car
Bombings Across America

        
Within hours of the detonation of car bombs in six U.S. cities
DHS and CCC swat teams sprang into action. The nation’s seventy two DHS-led
Fusion Centers were prepared with up to date lists of red list activists.
Previously identified leaders of suspect anti-government groups were located
and arrested. The groups’ leaders were on a red list assembled by the DHS over
the last six years and included gun rights, veterans, pro-life, conservative,
Tea Party, patriot, Constitutionalists, militia and similar groups and
associations, which had previously been labeled by the DHS as potential
“domestic terrorists”.

        
The SWAT teams were well-briefed, well-armed and
well-armored as they arrived at their designated arrest sites in armored
vehicles. When red list designated leaders were located by the SWAT team,
usually in their offices or homes, the SWAT teams flexicuffed them placing them
in their armored vehicles. DHS earlier obtained an interpretation from DOJ that
the arrestees were ‘enemy combatants’ and thus had no legal right to be given
their Miranda rights. The DHS and CCC SWAT teams were sent out across the
country as soon as the smoke cleared on the bombings, to eight hundred and
fifty locations. It was estimated that by day’s end over two thousand seven
hundred “domestic terrorists/enemy combatants”, a/k/a American political
activists, had been arrested and involuntarily transported to FEMA re-education
camps.

Maynard
H. Jackson, Jr. International Terminal

Atlanta,
Georgia

        
Their flight hadn’t been called yet. John and Debbie Madison
were on edge. They both were quite well aware that John was on several enemies
list in DC. His withdrawal as a candidate for Governor of Texas, after he was
convinced that he wouldn’t live through the experience, did nothing, they
believed, to prevent his being targeted by the administration. The car
bombings, which seemed to be all the mainstream media were covering, were being
tied to religious and conservative Americans who supposedly owned the cars used
in the bombings. America was becoming an unfriendly environment for people not
favored by the federal government.

        
John and Debbie had prayed about it extensively and finally
concluded that they only had one viable choice. They would have to flee their
country in order to avoid being terminated by the government of their own country.
They had cried and prayed, and prayed and cried with Jack and Allie about their
emerging decision to quietly leave the country. All four knew that their
leaving the country was the only thing they could do. Debbie did not want to be
separated from her grandchildren; a problem faced by virtually all grandmothers
who ever left their country of residence. Jack was more than well aware of what
he was facing in his upcoming trial for the hate crime of preaching the
Biblical view of marriage, a decidedly non-PC thing to do. John and Debbie had
offered to stay in the U.S. throughout Jack’s trial, to support their son and
his family, but Jack would have none of it.

        
Jack insisted that his parents get out of the country as
soon as possible, though both were decidedly reluctant to do so. Jack was
finally able to convince John and Debbie to flee by promising to send Allie and
their children out of the U.S. to join his parents in a safe foreign location,
at the right time. No one in either family was happy about what they knew they
would have to do, but each understood the necessity for doing so. If Jack were
to be exonerated, he could return to shepherding his church for a time. Then,
at the best time, he would slip out of the country and join his family.

        
On the other hand, should Jack be convicted, there wasn’t
much he could do except file his appeal while serving his time. The four knew
that John and Debbie‘s freedom was a benefit that could easily slip away. To
avoid a potential problem traveling through the Dallas Fort Worth airport,
where John Madison would be easily spotted as a local celebrity, it was decided
that John and Debbie would drive on secondary roads, over several days, across
the country to Atlanta and take an international flight from one of the nation’s
busiest airports.

        
The announcement system informed travelers in the
international terminal that Delta flight 341 to Quito, Ecuador was now ready
for pre-boarding. John and Debbie were flying coach. They were in boarding
group three, which was finally reached after over ten minutes of pre-boarding,
first class boarding and the seating of Delta’s special travelers. John and
Debbie approached the Delta agents at the gate checking in persons ticketed for
the international flight. Debbie handed her boarding pass and U.S. passport to
the closest agent. Unlike the ding sound that had accompanied the scanning of
the boarding passes of passengers in front of them, when Debbie’s boarding pass
was scanned a bong sound was accompanied by a small red light flashing on the
console. Her scanned passport produced the same sound and flashing light. The
Delta agent looked up sharply at Deborah Madison, saying, “Mam, are you
traveling alone or with someone else?”

        
Debbie replied, a slight catch in her voice, “Y….Yes. My
husband is traveling with me,” motioning to John who was standing just behind
her.

        
“May I see your boarding pass and passport, sir? John
complied by handing the agent both documents. He said nothing, knowing it would
do no good and could lead to even bigger problems.

        
The agent passed John’s passport first over the scanning
lens. Again, the machine bonged, with a flashing red light, instead of dinging
its approval of the document. She then passed John’s boarding pass over the
scanner, with the same result. “Sir, there seems to be
a problem
….of some sort….may I ask the two of you to stand aside,
right over here would be fine. Security will be here shortly and you can work
this out with them. Thank you, mam. Thank you, sir, I apologize for the
inconvenience.”

        
It only took airport security a few seconds for four agents
to hustle to the Delta gate. The agent who appeared to be in charge was holding
a sheet of paper in his hand as he approached John and Debbie. Slightly out of
breath from trotting up to the gate, he glanced down at the paper and read
their names, saying “Mr. and Mrs. Madison, we seem to have
a problem
. Would you please gather up your personal effects and
come with me to the airport security office?”

        
Debbie started to say something, but John gently put his
hand on her arm, saying under his breath, “It’s OK, Debbie, let’s just see what
this is all about.”

        
After the Madisons were seated in the terminal’s security
office, the lead agent said, “Again, we apologize for any inconvenience, but it
appears that you will
not
be flying
to Ecuador today.”

        
John finally spoke up, “And,
sir
, the
exact
reason for
that is….?”

 
       
“No
reason to lose your temper, sir, it’s just that you and Mrs. Madison are on the
federal ‘
no fly list’
. That means
that….”

        
“I know what it means,
sir
.
It means that someone in Washington has decided to prevent us from flying out
of the country….for
political
reasons.”

        
“I don’t know anything about that, Mr. Madison. What I do
know is that you….that is the two of you….are deemed by the TSA to be
a risk
. The risk assessment sheet says
that we are stamp the initials EC in your passports. Which I will
do….right….now.
” K-thunk. K-thunk.”

        
“What?
What
in the world does EC stand for? And what right do you have to deface our
passp….”

        
“
Zip it
, sir.
We’re just following
orders
. You’re
not the first folks who’ve had their passports marked with EC. I understand it
means Evangelical Christian, though you didn’t hear that from me. You’re not
flying today because your risk assessment form also says,
‘Identified travelers are deemed to be a terrorist risk and may not fly
outside of the continental United States.’

        
“Agent, think about that for a second….
If
we were terrorists….or if we even posed a
risk
of being terrorists….then
why
would we be prohibited from flying
outside
of the U.S.? You’d think the TSA would be happy to
get rid
of
risky Americans
,
wouldn’t you?”

        
“Clever argument, sir, but made to the
wrong people
. We enforce what
others
decide. If you have a beef with being on the no fly list you have to appeal
the decision to the TSA. I understand it takes a few weeks, or maybe it’s
months, but, in any case, you will
not be
flying
to Quito today….One more thing, sir….This notice from TSA requires
us to clear your carry-on luggage to ensure compliance with the new executive
order regarding currency transfers outside of the U.S.

        
“
Whoa
,
wait
a minute….We’re not flying now, so
what right
do you have to….”

        
“Sir, as long as you are in this terminal you are in a
controlled
TSA environment. Anyone who
presents themselves in a federally regulated flight facility is subject to
search for compliance with currency transfer restriction laws.”

        
“That’s just
insane
.
We’re not flying. You won’t
let us
fly. I’m not allowing anyone to
rummage
through our….”

        
The lead agent nodded to the agent to his right, who
withdrew his Glock from his holster, holding it pointing towards the floor.”

        
John Madison had heard too many stories of the unusual
deaths of conservative leaders to continue his resistance. “Wait.
Hold on
….If you’re demanding that you
check our carry-on bags for currency.…go right ahead. We’ve only got a little
over $9000, so we’re
well under
the
$10,000 legal limit….to carry out
our
own
money….I should add.”

        
“Well, Mr. Madison, you don’t know much,
do
you, sir? That $10,000 limit to carry
currency or checks or promissory notes, whatever, expired last week with the
President’s new executive order. The new limit is $1,000. That’s
one thousand dollars
….max. Rumor has it
that it will be
less
than that next
year….So, Mr. Madison, you’ve got yourself a forfeiture issue….sir. Let’s look
in those bags. Any cash over $1,000,
per
family
traveling together, not individually, is forfeited.”

        
“What?
Forfeited?
Are you kidding….”

        
“That’s the soft part, sir. If you have that much currency
in your possession, sir, you have just
committed
a
felony
. Trying to take currency
out of the country without filing the appropriate documents is a felony. You
could be looking at five to ten years. We have to file a criminal referral
report on what we’ve found in your baggage with the Department of Justice. The
FBI will be calling on you as soon as the DOJ gets our referral…..”

        
“Let’s get this
done
,
agent.
Take our money
, do whatever
you’re going to do, so we can
get out of
here
. This isn’t the America I grew up in.”

        
“
Very true
, Mr.
Madison. This country
belongs
to the
common people
now. Not everyone can fly
around the world with thousands of dollars in their pockets.”

        
“Apparently, sir, we
can’t
either
.
God help us
.”