“I…forgive you, I think. But I don’t understand.”
Dave moved closer to Lauren, bent and leaned his weight on the bannister. “I read the folder.”
“You did?”
“Affirmative. Christian handed it off to me moments after he landed.”
“So you know.”
“I do. It doesn’t fully justify what you did, but it explains a lot. Hell, it explains everything. And…it rationalizes our response; that which we’re about to do.”
“What is that, exactly?”
“Something I swore never to do again unless it meant attainment of a precise endgame. I’m sure you’ve heard me rattle off about it once or twice, maybe more. There’s a part of me still in conflict with the notion. Another part remains dead set against it, but the enemy is clear now, and their intentions have never been clearer. It’s all laid out in that abomination of a manifesto. Even has a table of contents…the digital version probably has a searchable index and a goddamn glossary, for goodness’ sake.”
Dave took a breather. “Zero Dark Armageddon began as a cause that transformed into a movement, the purpose of which was putting a final end to tyranny and returning the power of this country back unto whom it was originally vested. The keyword there, in case I didn’t emphasize it with enough dynamism, is tyranny. Everything I read in those pages both defines and encapsulates the epitome of that very concept. I don’t know what this agency’s mission was supposed to be or why it’s deviated into the atrocity it’s become, but I cannot allow it to continue. Not here, not on this land, not within the borders of a nation that I serve proudly to this day and for which I would voluntarily lay down my life. You’re right, doing nothing has gotten us nowhere. ‘I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace’.”
Lauren grinned. “Thomas Paine.”
“Correct,” Dave said. “Political activist, philosopher, revolutionary. Author of Common Sense and The American Crisis at the onset of the Revolution. And he was dead-on. Tyrants cannot be appeased. We want personal liberty, and they want servitude, and the latter will not happen here. Not on my watch. No rules of engagement, Janey. Zero. Not a damn one. So saddle up; get your head right.” He extended, unbent, and rose fully. “We’re going to war.”
The story continues in
coming soon
About the Author
C.A.Rudolph is a self-published novelist who lives and writes within the pastoral boundaries of Virginia’s northern Shenandoah Valley. He spends most of his limited spare time pursuing outdoor adventures with his family. He is an avid backpacker and outdoorsman, proud gun owner, vocal gun rights / 2A activist, and an active amateur radio operator.
His first book, What’s Left of My World, published in December 2016, became an Amazon post-apocalyptic and dystopian best seller.
Readers and fans can find Mr. Rudolph online on social media (using the links below) or via his website at http://www.carudolph.com
Subscribe to the free Preferred Readers List.
Contents
Also by C.A. Rudolph
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
The Story Continues
About the Author
