The spotlights of the arena glared down upon us. Tens of thousands of soldiers watching from the bleachers. Qwest field was over run with soldiers, harkening to world war II when allied countries would house visiting troops in arenas. It was the most efficient way to set up mass check points and boarding, but incredibly uncomfortable. Normal capacity was around 65,000. Which meant room for about 40,000 cots in the stands and tents for operations on the field, with the officer's quarters being held under the stadium by the locker rooms. It was actually incredibly efficient, mess halls weren't used in favor of modified soup lines at the various concessions. Single file lines throughout. Troops had a greater control of their bladders leading to much less rest-room use. Every other day units were given 45 minutes to shit, shower, and shave in the locker rooms.
Down on the field tents were set up for command posts, with helicopter landing zones in both end-zones and at center-field, allowing 3 Apaches or similar size transport helicopters to ground at the same time.
We were told that the Secretary of State, and acting President, would meet with us and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the owner's box. In case of attack we had mapped the access route, normally used by personnel. Only Jesse and I were aware of where it had not been blocked off. The helicopter didn't land, we rappelled at about one hundred feet. A fair distance above the north end zone. We were told to go east off of the field through the underbelly of the stadium and our guide would lead us to the owner's box.
"Out of the way soldiers!" Our guide screamed over the crowd gathered.
"Fuck off, pipsqueak."
"Yeah choke on it!" came the dissent from the crowd, we quickly realized they weren’t necessarily here for us. There was a fight going on just through the crowd under the goal post. It looked as if the soldiers were betting under the guise of waiting for the helicopters.
"Move you morons." Our guide insisted pushing through, he was small but not one to mess with.
"God damn, you idiots" Jesse barked. "Get the fuck out of the way, this isn’t Madison Square Garden, it's a fucking military base."
"If it was Madison you wouldn't last." said a voice near the goal post.
"Fuck off and move dip shits!" the guide yelled, getting increasingly angry at their disobedience.
"Fuck yourself little man, how bout your boss fights to get you all through?"
"What the fuck did you say boy?" he yelled, "I guarantee I am a superior officer and I will have you court marshaled for the fucking suggestion.
"Why don’t you blow me Major?"
"How did..." our guide started, before I grabbed his arm.
"Major, I believe something is about to happen. It would be best to let me handle it, OK?"
"Sir, I..."
"Major, that was not a request." I said. "I'm sorry but i don’t think your involvement is necessary at this point."
"Aye, aye sir," he said, "Would you like me to to retrieve your escort so you can handle this?"
"Yes, sir," I replied with a cool smile. "I would appreciate the good faith."
"Out of the way, you maggots," he roared pushing plebeians aside.
Jesse and I made our way through the crowd, pushing toward the goal post. Most men weren’t used to the blinding spot lights used to illuminate the field during the game. They didn’t even notice people moving among them. The best approach was to look toward the lights to accustom yourself to the glare.
"Son," I said putting my hands firmly on the shoulders of a soldier at the edge of the crowd. "I've noticed you are one of the few armed people down here. I've also noticed that you have not just a firearm, but a blade as well."
The boy gulped, knowing I could take him down if he even tried to move.
"Now, what you're going to do is walk calmly back toward your superior and tell them what is happening, if you don’t you will be dead within five minutes time, is that clear?"
"But.."
"There are no butts asshole." Jesse growled leaning against his shoulder, he had already taken the gun and released the clip. "try anything and you're dead before you can move, got it? Now get the fuck out of here."
"Wow, you almost made me piss my pants" I joked to Jesse as the boy ran off.
Two men were going through the motions boxing. It was obvious they weren’t trying to hurt each other, if you were inclined to look for the signs. Pulled punches, lack of elbows, knees, and direct strikes. As the bigger of the men saw us, he struck a real blow for the first time. He had injured the other fighter badly, the kid wasn't expecting an elbow to his throat. After all, it wasn’t a real fight, or so he thought.
"Winner!" yelled the scrawny kid to the side, who must have been their booky.
"Double or nothing." the winner growled.
"Wha?" the booky asked as the crowd began whispering, unsure what was happening.
"Double or nothing." He said with a sneer, "After all we have a celebrity in the house."
"No thanks kid." I said calmly while I sized him up. He was a few years younger than me, wearing BDUs, only the pants of course. Dark green digital camo in contrast with his light tan boots, he was a Ranger. He was in good shape, 6'3 maybe, 245 pounds of muscle. He looked like he could have played for the army football team
"C'mon General" he said snidely, "3 rounds."
"I don’t have time for your games soldier. The adults have important things to do." I replied, I knew it was a set up but being called General reinforced it. Only about half a dozen people in the world would recognize me after the hell I had been through. Some one was setting this up.
"I understand, if I was a pussy I'd walk away too."
"Connor, don’t." Jesse said as he saw my reaction, stopping mid-stride to turn around.
"Shut the fuck up boy."
"Fuck off you moron, this man has a lot more important things to do than kick your dumb ass."
"Well I guess I’ll settle for yours then." He said striking at Jesse as fast as he could.
He wasn't fast enough. I was already turned around, less than a yard away when he acted. I reacted, coming up and around his right arm with my left. Locking it, if necessary I would break it. This boy had never been in combat, I could tell from his reactions or lack thereof. He tried to swing, but telegraphed. I struck down hard, driving my covered right fist squarely into his mouth. I felt a knuckle breaking as I pushed past his teeth, they cut into my hand. I was surprised by the amount of force the prosthetic was able to generate. I yanked back releasing his arm, pulling my fist away.
He lay on the ground, unconscious in a pool of blood. He was alive, but I doubt he'd ever cross me again. Not before his broken jaw healed anyways.
His friend ran forward as if to interfere, before I could act Jesse dropped to his knees, jarring his elbow into this man's upper abdomen, breaking his sternum. He fell to the ground and began sobbing.
"This game is over, next one dies." I said walking off, Jesse at my side. They wouldn't dare, they were too shocked to move.
"Someone find those bitches a medic." Jesse said, finally assured of his own abilities.
A hundred yards away we walked back into the Officer's compound, making our way off the field and into the underbelly of this vast stadium. The great fortress cities of legend were nothing compared to the size of modern stadiums.
I was tired and pissed off, this meeting was not exactly what I wanted to deal with right now. Jesse was ready to rip someone's head off, he wasn't able to quickly calm himself yet.
"Remarkable restraint you showed back there, General," MacAlary said sneering, emphasizing "general" sarcastically.
With this Raul stuck his hand into his pocket and flipped a switch, he was hiding in the corner almost completely unnoticed as he impersonated the President's aide. We couldn't hear it from inside the guts of the stadium, but he had turned on the loud speakers outside.
"Perhaps, you should talk to your spe
cial ops team about it, Sir?" I replied coolly, "After all, it was your scouts who instigated the confrontation and your man who tried to stab my companion here."
"What?" Jesse roared "That mother fucker tried to stab me?"
"Well, he probably wanted me," I explained "but realized he wasn’t smart enough to be able to engage me openly."
"What the fuck is going on here asshole?" Jesse demanded of the Chairman.
"Yes, do explain." Secretary Thompson insisted.
"There's nothing to explain..." the vice chairman mumbled unsure of himself.
"I didn't ask you to speak!" She yelled at him, and then calmly "again chairman, I must insist upon an explanation."
"Fuck you..." he said through grated teeth. "You think you can win this war, you stupid whore? You really think some no-one, ex-enlisted marine is going to save the free world?"
No one responded, instead letting him continue.
"You're wrong, all of you." he screeched, then pointing to me, "And you! you are going to make damn sure our entire fucking country is under Chinese rule because you want to fight!"
"And what would you propose Admiral?" I demanded, " That we lay down? That we go quietly into the night as our enemy descends upon our children and families?"
"That we make a deal you fool!" he said "that we find a way around this.
"That we all sink to your level of cowardice?" I asked. "You ask that I let my family and friends all die, that I give EVERYTHING for this country. That I follow blindly, just to give up and let them win?"
"Yes..." He whimpered, "don’t you see? it's the only wa.."
"NO, I refuse, Sir!." I bellowed. "I may be a nobody in your jaded eyes, but I have given everything to save this country, and I will not lay down, I will not cower in the face of my enemy as you do! I have one thing you do not, and that is the dignity of meeting my enemy head on and refusing to let cowardice overcome me! You know nothing of sacrifice, you've lived a privileged life and your children have been entitled to the same."
"Noo...."
"You think I'm so stupid that I don't know that I just shattered your own son's jaw?" I asked "You arrogant son of a bitch. You were willing to let your own son sacrifice himself for your approval, just to throw him to the wolves."
"But.. how..."
"Do you think I’m an idiot Admiral?" I said, "Do you think I walked blindly into this situation? Never! I know the odds back and front before I act. I never walk into a firefight without being prepared. Maybe I should have shoved that blade into his throat, the way you asked him to do to me? You're the fool sir. You have no idea what is happening in the world around you"
"Your son," Jesse explained "He was top of his class in Annapolis three years ago. You used him as a pawn in your unsuccessful bid for governor of New Jersey, right?"
"I know everything about you." I informed him, "In fact I know every facet of all of your lives, every single one of you."
"You don’t have the security clearance," The vice chairman shouted.
"I am the acting President and you WILL stand down vice chairman," Roared Thompson, the vice chairman begrudgingly submitting. "These two young men, I trust them more than anyone else on Earth. Do you honestly think I’d let them walk into our own massacre unarmed?"
"That's a lie" said the chairman, now cowering and inching toward the door.
"Is it?" She demanded, closing the distance between them. "Or was the plan to have Connor and Jesse killed out there in a brawl while you and your goon in the corner killed me?"
As she said this, the man in the corner lurched forward. This man was an army Sergeant Major according to his rockers. He grabbed a letter opener off of the desk swinging it toward the President's throat.
Shots rang out. Jesse had disarmed a guard and taken his service weapon. He had taken down the other 3 guards and backed the other joint chief's into a corner. Time was flying by, the Sgt Major moving forward, covering more ground than I could manage from my place in the room. He grabbed Mrs Thompson with his free hand.
She shrieked, trying to fall to the ground to avoid his blade, buying me the time I needed to cover the distance. I caught his hand, the blade slicing from my left pinky down to my wrist.
At this point, you know as well as I do, that pain only spurs me on. The shock of my hand slicing open was enough to let me get a grip on his wrist with my left hand, swinging my body backwards in a circular motion I grabbed his throat with my right hand.
It was over as quickly as it had begun. I had yanked him around by his neck slamming him into the desk, where we had been fighting for control of the knife. He slowly let go, as I pulled the knife out of his chest. His own momentum had impaled him when I swung him around.
"They won't stop..." he gasped as he fell to the ground lifeless.
"Don't even try it!" I snapped as I threw the knife at the Chairman, who had been crawling toward the door. The knife pinning him to the door frame with the blade through his hand.
"Ahhhh" he cried miserably, mumbling various unimportant threats upon my life before Jesse stomped his face into the wall to shut him up.
"Well I cant say that was unexpected." Thompson said as she collected herself. "Now are any of you other fools going to try to make an attempt on our lives?"
"With all due respect," said the Commandant of the Marine Corps, "they never had the chance, my dear."
"And I thank you for that Jerry," She said "I also thank you for your unwavering belief in this great nation and our ability to rise from the ashes."
"Of course, Madam President."
"Effective immediately" She said somberly, "the joint chiefs of staff are hereby stripped of their command and all military personnel are to report to Commandant Rigalio of the United States Marine Corps until our country is either at peace or insolvent. Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am," the other chiefs mumbled.
"Some of you, I feel I can trust." she said "to a degree... of course. Mr Rigalio will give you further orders. If you refuse, you will spend the remainder of this war in the Brig as a traitor."
"Gentleman, if I may have your attention." Commandant Rigalio said as we led out the Chairman and the Vice Chairman to take them to the brig. The troops outside stood by stunned, they were clearly trying to absorb what had taken place.
"I need a CACO" I said as they led the Chairman and his lackey away.
"I will leave this to your discretion General." The President said.
"Thank you ma'am"
"I want all of your attention" She barked to the thousands of troops present. "Your orders from here on out will come from either myself, the Commandant of the Marines, or the General here. Is that clear?"
"Yes ma'am" came a resounding roar.
"Now I expect you to give the General all the respect you reserve for the highest officers in your own branches." she yelled, not needing a microphone. She had a commanding voice, one that could silence a crowd with a forced tone. "The only person in this entire country who will question his orders are myself."
Another resounding yes ma'am, this time louder and with much more heart.
"Now gentleman, you have all earned a short rest period." she said, "be advised, this is not a leave and we are at war so do not wander far."
"Thank you ma'am" I said sincerely.
"Might I borrow your young friend General?" She asked referring to Jesse. "I am in need of a body guard while you go about your new duties."
"Of course," I said, seeing Jesse's eyes gleaming with pride, "You wont find anyone more capable."
"As you were General," She said as she turned to walk back into the conference room.
"Where is my CACO?" I asked looking for the casualty notification officer.
"Here, sir."
"Listen soldier," I said looking at the army CACO who had responded. "We are at war and unfortunately, casualties have occurred on both sides. Is that understood?" br />
"Yes, sir"
"Well, soldier" I replied, "A highly decorated Sgt Major is dead and his family must be notified. I am going to recommend him for the medal of honor and you are to tell his family that he died following orders."
"But, sir I, we all heard..."
"Soldier," I said "We are taught from day one as recruits to follow orders, and I will not have his wife and children harboring ill thoughts of him for dieing while trying valiantly to carry out the commands of his superior officers. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir." He replied. "If I may speak freely?"
"Of course, Sergeant."
"I only hope the rest of the country is able to see how lucky we are to have you at the front of this battle, sir."
"Why is that?"
"Well, sir in the face of certain death we all need someone like yourself to lead the way." He said shaking my hand. “Someone who refuses to compromise, not matter what.”