Duncan spoke, “Why, gentlemen, you’re not prisoners. Your guests, and while we’re at it, perhaps you can tell us why you are on a military reservation without permission. As far as what the hell is going on, perhaps you can tell me.”
Tork realized they were in the hands of expert military personnel and knew they had intruded into something very big.
Colonel Duncan smiled at Tork and commented, “Interesting, Mr. Albertson, that you have such an abundance of cigarette lighters hidden on you! Are you an advent smoker or did you have something else in mind? Perhaps like sabotage?
*****
Council Command Headquarters
“Gentlemen, I have good news. We have the two men in custody and are ready for action. The time draws close for our freedom. In the next few hours, everything will be ready, and we can start to return the country back to its citizens and get rid of the liberal left. If we want to remain a viable part of the world, then we must act. It’s obvious that congress will do nothing more than the president and his cohorts allow them to do. All bases have reported they are ready. All combat commanders have signaled ready to go. All receiving bases have the heat on and accommodations ready for their guests.
“The time is here, gentlemen. Countdown has started. We have been assured through negotiations with big business that they will return to these shores if and when reality is here. They have given us a list of all laws that have financially forced them out of the country to manufacture their products in foreign lands. If we are successful, they will reopen their factories here and put America back to work. To do this, it will be necessary for the people to realize the need for the new laws and to see the necessity for change.
“We have organized a cohesive group who will be responsible for ensuring this information is properly given to the people. We have infiltrated the major media groups, which can be used for this purpose. Are there any outstanding problems in any area that we will need to correct before implementation? If there are, let’s have them now so we can get the field teams going and resolve them. We don’t want any delays or miscalculations at this point. Our teams are waiting.”
No one spoke. Everyone seemed ready.
“Okay then let’s meet back here at 0300 hours. By then Colonel Duncan should have his problem completed, and we should be ready for our second deployment prior to zero hour.”
With those words, the group silently returned to their duties and on each of their minds, Treason.
Chapter 12
Roundup
Central Intelligence Agency
Langley, Virginia
0024 Hours
Bill Loadman, director of Internal Security, was sleeping soundly when the telephone started to ring. It had only rung several times, and he had it in his hand. “Hello, Loadman here.”
“Sorry to wake you, sir. This is Mark Osborne. We have something strange going on that doesn’t make sense. We need your help.”
“What is it, Mark?”
“Sorry, sir. It’s so big we can’t trust even a secured line. You will need to come in here. I’ll send a car for you, sir.”
Bill hung up the phone and dressed rapidly and told his wife there was an emergency and would call her later. Bill knew it would only take fifteen minutes for the car to arrive for him, but it seemed like only minutes had gone by when there was a knock on the door. He opened it and two agents stood before him.
“The car’s here, sir. Are you about ready to go?”
“Yes, let’s go.” Walking to the car, Bill started asking questions about the emergency.
“Sorry, sir. We don’t know all the details. You’ll need to get them from Mark. All we know is it’s big.”
The car pulled away from the curb and was headed toward CIA headquarters. The two agents were busy talking about the office, the new president’s latest proclamation, and the cutbacks the agency was getting and how it was going to affect them and national security. Then the car made a detour and was headed south of the agency.
Bill looked up and realized they were heading in the wrong direction. A cold tingling sensation went down his spine, and the hair stood up on the back of his neck. Yes, something was wrong but not at Langley. It was in the car he was riding in. He slipped his hand inside his coat and onto the butt of his gun. Suddenly he felt the hard nose of an automatic sticking into his side.
“Sorry, sir. I’ll have to have that. Please take it out slowly with two fingers and give it to me.”
Bill pulled the gun out and gently dropped it into the agent’s hand. “You want to tell me what’s going on here?”
“Sorry, sir. You’ll find out soon enough.”
The car slowed and turned off the main road onto a winding dirt road, stopping at the end of it. There standing silently was a navy helicopter. When the men boarded the aircraft, the pilot started the engines, and within minutes, they were airborne.
*****
Diana was sitting on the edge of her bed, worried about her mother and Tork, what had happened to him, where he was, or if she would ever see him again. Who were these people and what were they up to? Question after question went through her mind. She had asked for her mother to be notified that she was all right, but not knowing what was really going on, she didn’t know if they would call her. Anything to calm her mother’s fears.
*****
Colonel Duncan looked at both men. “What am I going to do with you two?”
Cal looked over to Tork, smiled, and said, “Send us home!”
Tork chuckled and said, “Yeah, you know, give us the keys to the car and we’ll be on our way.”
“Ah, gentlemen, I wish it were that easy, but unbeknownst to you, you have stumbled on a project that will change the face of this country and return it to the people, to Americans.”
Tork sat silently for a few moments. Then he stood up, faced the colonel, and said, “There is no place in this country we cannot go or anything at all we cannot do. How can you claim you are giving America back to the people? We already have it.”
“Tork—May I call you Tork?” The colonel went on not waiting for Tork to reply. “This country has undergone extensive change over the past several years in all parts of it. You can travel, yes. You are, however, restricted in many ways. Your constitutional rights have been taken away. European forces have entered your country and taken by force your personal weapons. No, I don’t think you already have it, Mr. Albertson. Not at all!
“In addition, the country’s revenue system has forced all the most productive corporations out of the country. We have lost an immense number of jobs to this exodus, and there are millions of Americans that were once the envy of the world now living in substandard conditions. A third of our country is on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. Once the greatest country in the world, we are now on the verge of becoming a third-world economic
