Richard Stephenson - Collapse

Max slowly climbed into the bed next to Elizabeth. He unbuckled her pants, removing them quickly. He took his time unfastening each button on her shirt; she helped him take her arms out of the sleeves. Elizabeth smiled up at him with love and passion in her eyes and pointed to the clasp on the front of her bra. As Max reached down and undid the clasp, her large, perfect breasts spilled out into Max’s hands. He gently caressed them and lightly kissed each one. Placing a hand on each of her hips, Max slowly removed Elizabeth’s panties. His fingers blazed a path from her feet…to her knees…to her thighs, before finally making contact with the inviting wetness that awaited between them. Elizabeth cried out in ecstasy when Max touched her.

Max lowered himself atop Elizabeth, their bare skin sizzling between them. Running his fingers along the side of her breast, Max was amazed by the softness of her. As he kissed her neck, Elizabeth tilted her head down, pressing her lips to his. They kissed deeply and passionately for several minutes, tongues clashing as the tension continued to build. Elizabeth never spoke, but it was clear to both of them that she wanted him inside of her. Max granted her wish and slowly entered her. They fell into an easy rhythm, as Elizabeth’s hips rose to meet every thrust. Soon she could no longer hold on, and she cried out as her climax enveloped her. Max was overcome with passion, burying himself deep within her until he, too, was spent.

“I love you so much, Elizabeth. I want to marry you.”

“It’s about time, my love, what took you so long to ask?”

Days turned into weeks as more and more people arrived at Beck Castle. The first hallway of the dormitory wing reached capacity and the second one would be full in a matter of months. Plans had already been drawn up to convert a storage wing into dormitory space. The living quarters wouldn’t be as comfortable, but comfort was not what drew people to Beck Castle. What brought them there was hope.

Soldiers that had been stationed in the Iranian Theater swelled the ranks of the Unified National Guard. Every major city was on lockdown. Curfews were enforced with deadly results for those who disobeyed. Checkpoints were set up along the Interstate Highway System, and every single vehicle was searched. The Second Amendment had been eradicated along with the rest of the Bill of Rights. Every weapon was confiscated. Those who cooperated and remained silent were allowed to continue. Those who protested were detained and made to work slave labor. Those who tried to defend their right to bear arms had their guns pried from their cold, dead hands. The Regional Governors ruled with an iron fist. Violent crimes and theft weren’t tolerated; anyone guilty of committing these crimes was publicly executed.

The people had no means of discourse with their leaders. They couldn’t gather together in peaceful protest or submit grievances in an attempt to right a wrong. Once the Internet was restored, it was closely monitored and censored. People quickly learned that they could not circulate anything online that resembled anti-government media. A nation full of people who had spent their entire lives taking freedom for granted desperately wanted it restored and were helpless to do so. Defiance against President Sterling was a one-way ticket to a slave labor camp or a quick and public execution.

Regional Governor Jackson Butler had his work cut out for him. He did an efficient job of restoring power to the area affected by The Pulse. His solution was simple – he brought in every generator he could find, both large and small. The former state of California had made great strides in the previous decade bringing solar power into the power grid. Jackson Butler gladly moved the majority of the solar panels from the West Coast over to the East Coast. He considered it a “reallocation of resources.” Angry citizens of the West Coast called it theft; at least they said so behind closed doors. If Regional Governor Roberto Jimenez caught wind of such talk, he would not respond with kindness.

Word of the events at Beck Castle spread across the country in hushed whispers and private meetings in people’s homes. At first it was treated like a myth or an urban legend. President Sterling told his Regional Governors to spread word amongst the people that the tales of Beck Castle were treasonous lies. Howard Beck was working in a coal mine sixteen hours a day. He was not in some make believe secret bunker offering solace to anyone. The crazy old man hated to be around people. Tall tales of him running a luxury hotel for thousands of people were foolish lies. The propaganda was effective for the citizens of the United American Empire. Slowly, people began to forget about the rumor and went about their miserable lives. The ones that remained hopeful sacrificed everything to find Beck Castle. Men and women all over the country who were willing to give their lives for the restoration of democracy made their way to Beck Castle.

Every citizen who entered Beck Castle was carefully screened for security and medical purposes. Max had been appointed as the Constable of Beck Castle and with Elizabeth’s help, oversaw the screening process. Howard Beck had his own personal screening process as well. Every person that entered the Castle was a candidate to fight in the coming war against Simon Sterling. Three times a week Howard met in the conference room with Richard Dupree, Maxwell Harris, Elizabeth Reid, and his family to review the candidates. Richard spent every free moment he had looking for his daughter. With assistance from Hal, Howard patiently planned the details of the war that was to come. The most brilliant mind on the planet spent every waking moment preparing to restore the United States of America to her former glory.

A long and bloody war was on the horizon. Howard Beck, Richard Dupree, and Maxwell Harris were willing to fight to their last breath for victory.

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Enjoy the following sneak peek of Book Two in the New America series, RESISTANCE, coming summer of 2013.

President Howard Beck was sitting in the command center of Beck Castle. The giant, spherical monitor filling the room in front of him displayed a map of the Pacific States of America. The eccentric billionaire was the leader of the former states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. When the former United States of America collapsed eighteen months prior, Howard eyed the territory as one that he could easily control and did so with considerable success. Howard despised the role that had been thrust upon him and hated the mere concept of politics. He felt he only needed to accomplish two things with the territory. First, the territory needed to be secured against the Unified American Empire. Second, they had to build up a fighting force of dedicated patriots to topple the UAE and reclaim the broken country they had lost in the collapse of 2027. The idea of establishing a government inside the territory never occurred to Howard. His intentions were to quickly defeat the UAE and simply put things back the way they were before the collapse. He felt that declaring the territory to be a sovereign nation and holding democratic elections was a sign of permanence. Howard was looking for a quick fix to set things right.