Secession: The Storm (29 page)

“You lying son of a bitch!” Zach screamed, raining blow after blow onto the hapless agent’s head. “I gave my word - you fucking piece of shit!”

It took three burly officers to pull the ranger off, the outcome of that encounter in question for a few moments. Zach’s rage flourished, his desire to pummel Perkins so intense that the men pinning his arms were straining to maintain control. It was Sam who finally managed to settle the Texan down, stepping between the men and screaming, “Enough, or I’ll shoot both of your stupid asses!”

Throwing off his own restrainers, a bleeding, bruised Perkins pointed a finger at Zach. “What the fuck is your problem, Ranger?” he yelled.

Again, the Texan tried to shake off the men restraining him, his face flush with the heat of anger and exertion, veins protruding on his temples and forehead. “You had that man killed, you piece of shit! I gave my word… the word of a Texas peace officer… and you murdered him while he was in my custody!”

“Bullshit!” Perkins screamed back, his own rage overcoming the shock. “Arrest that man for assaulting a federal officer!” he ordered, looking around at the rapidly growing throng of law enforcement personnel gathering on the front yard.

Two FBI agents moved toward Zach, one of them producing a pair of handcuffs. They were a few steps away when another voice sounded out, “Belay that order! You have no authority to arrest a Texas Ranger.”

All heads turned to see Major Alcorn walking onto the grass, five large men in western hats, all carrying M4 rifles, accompanying the new arrival.

“Bullshit!” repeated Perkins, obviously losing control of his temper. “I’m a federal officer, and I have plenty of authority. Arrest these men as well,” he shouted, pointing at the group of rangers.

“I wouldn’t try that, son,” Alcorn responded softly, his eyes boring into Perkins with an icy stare.

Sensing a confrontation, the surrounding group of cops, deputies, ATF, FBI, and visiting lawmen began to separate, some moving to stand with Perkins, others siding with Alcorn. A cloud of tension filled the air.

“Stop this!” Sam’s voice cut through the air. “Have you all gone insane?”

Perkins blinked. Shaking his head in disgust, he looked over the crowd and said, “Forget about our hotheaded ranger, we’ve got a crime scene to process. I want the bomb squad to clear that residence, the forensic teams to cover every inch of this property after they’re done.”

Everyone exhaled, relieved that the unprecedented standoff hadn’t escalated. Perkins, throwing one last harsh look in Zach’s direction, pivoted and stormed off, a red handkerchief mopping the blood from his nose and lip.

No one noticed Ross Garcia, or his tiny digital camera. No one paid any attention as the sly reporter pocketed his recording device and slinked off, whispering about having hit the lottery two days in a row.

By Aaron’s way of thinking, news of Abe Hendricks’s death meant little as far as the campaign was concerned. He was wrong.

The public’s reaction surprised Heidi’s chief of staff, as well as practically everyone else on the national stage. Cries of conspiracy rang through the air, quickly followed by accusations of “Big government! Loss of Liberty!” and even a few radical elements claiming, “Abe Hendricks was justified!”

Those on the left rallied to the Clifton campaign’s cause, shouting, “We need tighter gun control! Stop the killing! When is enough… enough?”

What shocked Aaron the most was the middle. The independent voters’ reaction wasn’t aligning with his candidate’s position. The airwaves were packed with video of the confrontation over the dead man’s body, courtesy of Ross Garcia. Bloggers lit up the information superhighway with boldly worded pieces, while several newspapers ran special additions.

The tide of public opinion begun to turn, quickly snowballing against Heidi Clifton.  

The Clifton for President campaign possessed an unprecedented sophistication with regard to processing poll numbers and the public’s overall mindset. Thousands of volunteers, researchers, contracted think tanks, and political experts monitored events in real time, utilizing state-of-the-art computer systems and heuristic software.

As the sun moved east to west across the land, Aaron sat and watched Heidi lose ground as more and more Americans became aware of the morning’s events in Houston.

In the campaign’s headquarters, the staff could see the transition as well, faces that had been sure of victory just a few hours ago, now beginning to wrinkle with worry.

But Aaron seemed to be taking it all in stride. Some of his direct reports wrote it off to his positive management style; others thought their boss was sticking his head in the sand, ignoring the tsunami that was preparing to hit their beloved Heidi.

By lunch on the east coast, Florida was in danger of turning into a red state. By early afternoon, two more battleground states were in the Republican column.

Right-wing talk radio hosts, Fox News, and conservative bloggers were having a field day at the political left’s expense. “Wake up, America! Abe Hendricks was justified!” they shouted to anyone who would listen. “It was Heidi Clifton and her gang of liberal, gun-grabbing, constitution-busting, ideologues that caused the entire mess. What true patriot would have acted differently?”

Even the dead law enforcement officers in Houston became pawns in the political mudslinging dominating the electorate’s attention. Both sides blamed the other for the carnage and loss of life, the two parties producing talking points to support their cause.

By mid-afternoon, several other “victims” of the New Orleans gun grab were coming forward, spouting their exaggerated tales of “government thugs,” using excess force while confiscating their firearms… at least that’s how it appeared to the folks on the left.

The eastern corridor between Washington and Boston rallied to the federal cause, the vast majority of the public calling for the Lone Star State to disband its “uppity” Texas Rangers.

There was an outcry from the geographical center of the country as well, many politically weighty voices calling for the rangers to be rewarded for their actions. California, four hours behind in the news cycle, sided with the opposite coast.

So passionate was the public’s reaction, small skirmishes between the two opposing sides began to occur. A pro-gun rally in Kansas City turned into a riot when the attendees were confronted by marchers demanding universal background checks.

More and more reports flooded newsrooms across the country, Americans turning on each other over the issue, sometimes violently.

Senators and congressmen from both sides joined the fray, many issuing a thinly veiled lambasting of the opposition while pretending to plead for calm.

Atlanta experienced extreme violence, as did Austin, Texas - massive demonstrations turning into full-blown anarchy, complete with looting, burning and pillaging.

Aaron’s cell phone rang, a quick glance indicating that Heidi had placed the call. Wondering what had taken her so long, he listened to her concerned voice. “You better get over here… right away,” she said. “My husband is about to have a coronary, and I think we need to have a quick skull session.”

With a smug grin, Aaron informed his assistant that he was heading to the hospital. “I may be there a while,” he informed. “Don’t let the senior staffers go home. I’ve got a feeling we’re going to have a very, very busy night.”

Heidi was in Aaron’s face immediately, barking a harsh, “What the hell has happened to the American people?” before the new arrival could even say hello.

Ignoring the remark, Aaron stepped to Heidi’s bedside and said, “How are you feeling?”

“She’s feeling like shit,” Mr. Clifton responded before his wife could form any words. “She always feels like shit when her ass is getting kicked all over the media, and the election is slipping away.”

Pivoting with vigor, there was fire in Heidi’s gaze as she glared into Aaron’s eyes. “I can’t believe people are reacting this way. How can anyone be a leader of this country when it is full of idiots? I knew this election was going to be rough, but the shit that is being spewed over this whole gun control thing is out of control.”

“Whoa… hold on,” Aaron said, holding up his hands to slow down the irate woman. “The election isn’t over yet. You know how quickly these things can change.”

His statement didn’t seem to resonate with the former Commander in Chief. Grunting, Mr. Clifton shot back, “What election? There’s not going to be any election tomorrow, son. There’s going to be a landslide, with my wife’s ass getting kicked, and the country subjected to another eight years of Republican rule. You both had better be finding a way to reverse this fiasco, and you better be doing it quick. Maybe you should consider resigning, Aaron.”

Aaron’s voice was calm in reply. “I serve at the pleasure of Mrs. Clifton,” he maintained, shaking his head to emphasize his message. “If you want my resignation, I’ll tender it immediately. But let’s be clear about one thing, we can’t sell our ideology out in the false pretense of compromise. I can’t work for anyone who crumbles every time the Republican Party farts.”

Heidi had heard enough. “Jeff, stop it! Aaron’s right, the last thing any of us needs right now is a family quarrel. Are we so shallow that we are going to turn on each other when the road gets a little bumpy? We need to fix this, and fix it right now.”

Her husband waved his hand through the air, a gesture clearly indicating it was a hopeless cause. “Save your breath, Heidi. This thing has snowballed out of control, and there’s no way to turn it around in one day. Yet again, you’ve somehow managed to give away the Oval Office.”

She glared at him from her elevated bed, the anger about to boil over. Aaron stopped the oncoming tirade with five little words. “I can fix this. It’s easy.”

Both Heidi and her husband blinked at the words, the skeptical expression on both of their faces making it clear they didn’t believe him.

Reaching into his briefcase, Aaron pulled out a thin stack of papers, handing a few sheets to both Heidi and her husband. “This is what we’re going to do,” he announced with a voice exuding confidence.

Heidi skimmed the documents first, her eyes wide with surprise. She didn’t say anything, looking up and watching her husband mouth the words as he read.

When the ex-president had finished, his face displayed a neutral, blank look. “I’ve got to hand it to you, Aaron. It’s different… it’s bold.”