Richard Stephenson - Resistance

“Have Colonel Hagglund contact me when she’s battle-ready.

“Yes, sir.”

***

“Richard, what should we do?” asked Howard.

“If my estimates are correct, we lost thirty percent of our military forces during the Chinese attack on our failed invasion. We’ve lost another twenty percent of our troops fighting Hal’s hijacked drones and robots. The bulk of our forces are fighting to protect our borders.”

“General, we can’t think in terms of the PSA. We have to think of the entire country. I want all our assets to move toward Beck Castle and Beck Estates.”

“Yes, Mr. President,” Richard said with the utmost sincerity. Richard, Elizabeth, and Max all waited for Howard to recoil at the formal address but, much to their surprise, he didn’t react at all. For the first time, Howard didn’t scoff at the idea of being president- he was the president.

“Where’s the vice president?” Howard asked.

“Mr. President, Vice President Beck is in Seattle with a protective detail,” answered Richard.

“Good, good. How many troops can the stealth jets carry if we cram them in like sardines?”

“With their gear, twelve each, sir.”

“Contact General Bedford in Seattle. I want one hundred forty-four of the best soldiers, and I want them ready for battle. When Simon’s people at Beck Estates say they’re ready, we’ll be ready. Drop off the soldiers, keep eleven jets in the fight, send one back for us, and we’re gonna take my fucking house back.”

“Yes, Mr. President,” said Richard. They all looked at Howard and beamed with pride

Colonel Natalie Hagglund was furious. Before she became an officer, she spent twelve years enlisted, during which time she was a drill sergeant. Even as an officer, she maintained the imposing nature of a drill sergeant. She left the days of screaming and intimidation behind her to become an effective commander and communicator. However, when she got especially angry, she could make a major or a captain feel like they were privates enduring a rough day at boot camp.

Command Sergeant Major Bankhead was not daunted by her drill sergeant moments in the slightest. Having been a drill sergeant himself, he was no stranger to a first class ass chewing. What upset her was that Simon Sterling had chosen to contact him instead of her. Matt explained to her that since her office was located next to the president’s office and his was not it made more tactical sense to contact him instead of her should someone overhear the transmission. Once the good colonel calmed down and was thinking rationally, he knew it was time to get down to business.

“I just can’t believe it! President Sterling is alive, and we’ve been protecting the man who tried to kill him? Why aren’t we executing the traitor immediately?”

“Ma’am, you saw the vid-con. Butler and his… aide are of vital importance. They are to be detained, not executed.”

“You and I will make the arrests ourselves. When do we begin?”

“Ma’am, Beck already has his assets in place. When we start the surprise attack, they’ll join the fight. How big is the president’s… uh, Butler’s security detail?”

“They’re in strategic locations in the mansion. He usually has four on his personal detail, five if you count his mysterious ‘aide.’ Before we make the arrest, we kill all four members of his security detail.”

“But ma’am…”

“I know, Matt. His detail is under my command, but we can’t risk it. They’d just as soon shoot us to protect Butler.”

“Yes, ma’am, I concur.”

“I want a platoon of MPs, and I want them now.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

***

Jackson Butler and Charles were in the grand library of Beck Estates preparing for the inevitable battle ahead. Jackson studied a holographic map of the twenty miles surrounding the estate.

“What are you up to, Howard?” Jackson muttered to himself.

“Jackson, our combined forces make three battalions protecting this location. The only logical move for him to make will be from the air. Those twelve stealth jets are his only asset. He can’t cram an entire army into them.”

“He kept us out of the Castle. Maybe he has Hal back somehow.”

“Impossible. He played right into our hands by taking him offline and installing the cores one at a time. We had control before he put the first one in place.”

“He’s has something up his sleeve, I just know…”

The door to the library burst open as a platoon of MPs surged in, followed by Colonel Hagglund and Command Sergeant Major Bankhead. Four quick shots to the head from silenced pistols put down Butler’s security detail. Colonel Hagglund stood resolute. “Jackson Butler and whatever the hell your name is, you’re both under arre…”

“Hal!” Jackson commanded the A.I. into action.

Hagglund, Bankhead, and the MPs hit the floor with a thud. The colonel and several of the soldiers tried to regain their footing but went down hard as rubber bullets pounded them.

Bankhead groaned. “Stay down, everyone! We’re beat!”

They all put up a fight, scrambling to retrieve their weapons, but rubber bullets rained down anew. Their cries for mercy went unanswered. Bankhead watched in amazement as Jackson and his mysterious friend drew their pistols and shot the MPs dead.

Jackson Butler stood over his fallen prey. “I’d listen to him, you bitch. You see, Matt here knows exactly what’s going on. We got Hal back online, and he was kind enough to get internal security working again. Matt and I were once laid out on the floor of this library just like you are now. So, this is what the old coot had up his sleeve. Tell me, Colonel Hagglund, how’d he do it?”

“It was simple; he showed us the truth. President Sterling is alive! The Chinese aren’t our allies, they’re our conquerors! And you helped them, you piece of…”

A bullet to the face ended the colonel’s side of the conversation. “Fucking bitch.”

“Jackson! Please! That’s no way to speak of the dead,” said Charles.

Jackson wasn’t listening to Charles when he turned his gun on Matt Bankhead.

“Just do it, motherfucker, I’m not…”

Butler shot Command Sergeant Major Bankhead in the head three times out of pure anger. The betrayal of one of his closest friends was like a knife thrust in his back. Jackson focused on what he thought were the echoes of his own weapon, but it soon became evident that he was hearing gunfire from outside the mansion.

“Don’t sweat it, Charles. We got ‘em outnumbered two-to-one.”

“I’m quite concerned, Jackson; they have the element of surprise. I’m certain they’re slaughtering our men by the dozens.”

President Howard Beck, General Richard Dupree, Director Maxwell Harris and his wife Elizabeth were patiently awaiting the arrival of their stealth jet.

“Sir, the battle for Beck Estates has begun,” said Hal.

“Any word from Colonel Hagglund? Have they arrested them yet?”

“I’m sorry, sir, no word from the colonel.”

“What about your sister? Is she listening to you yet?”

“Again, I am sorry, sir. My sister A.I. is still convinced that you are already at Beck Estates and that you are, in fact, Marshall. She will not relinquish control of my primary system at Beck Castle.”

“How is the Castle?”

“Holding steadfast, sir. The Chinese continue to bombard the entrance to no avail.”

“Good. Hopefully they’ll stay busy and not join the fight at Beck Estates.”

Max was still swimming in painkillers and did his best to sound coherent. “Hal, how long before our jet gets here?”