âWE MOVE FAST AND WE MOVE HARD,â GARDENER GROWLED
âWith the top men of the joint military command secured in detention, who gives the orders? We do. We deploy and we stand fast. The President is moved out of office, and I make my national broadcast. The American public wants something done. Too many of our people are dying in Iraq. Theyâre tired of the loss of life, the drain on Americaâs resources. We come out of this with right on our side. Plus, our hands on the Iraqi oil fields. Getting control of those would be one hell of a plus in our favor.â
Senator Justin picked up the pot and refilled his coffee cup. He sat back and took time to listen as the tight group of men discussed the upcoming takeover of the American government. He saw the earnest looks on their faces, the calm tone of their voices, and he saw they were fully committed to what they proposed to do. They viewed their actions as necessary, something that America needed to do to stay the most powerful nation on Earth. They were prepared to stand against the elected government and the President in order to carry their project through.
God help them all.
Freedom comes at a high price and requires constant guardianship. Taken for granted, it can slip away all too easily. When the hand weakens and the eye turns aside, the time may come when the resolve needs to be strengthened. And in those times there may be a need for armed conflict to restore the balance. As always, it is the men and women of the Armed Services who must carry that burden. They bear the brunt of the inevitable clash of arms, and they do so in the spirit of the pledge they made to ever defend and protect our peace. Their fight goes on. They continue to suffer and often to make the ultimate sacrifice. They deserve both our respectâand our enduring gratitude.
Hoâs Island, North Korea
âDid I hear that right?â Rafael Encizo asked.
David McCarter pushed to his feet.
âYes. You heard it right. It sounds as if our friend Khariza has just gone nuclear.â
âCan we discuss this later?â Gary Manning suggested. âI have a feeling company is on the way.â
McCarter raised his head and listened, picking up the approaching sound. He heard voices, too, shouting orders back and forth.
âBack off,â he said.
Covering one another, they retreated, moving back toward their entry point.
Rafael Encizo helped himself to additional magazines for the Kalashnikovs they had acquired, handing out others to McCarter and Manning.
âHere they bloody well come,â McCarter announced.
The distant sound became movement, dark shapes flitting in between the packing cases and pallets of merchandise. Light glanced off weapons. The clatter of autofire sounded. Bullets thudded into boxes. Wood splinters sprayed the air. Some zipped dangerously close to the Phoenix Force.
McCarter paused to pull the pin on a grenade. He hurled the bomb in the general direction of the advancing hostiles. The explosion echoed within the confines of the building, the flash showing the men of Phoenix Force there were approximately eight armed pursuers. The grenade took out one man, who went down screaming, arms flailing as he fell.
Encizo moved into view, a rocket launcher, armed and ready, over his shoulder. He swung the muzzle of the weapon toward the advancing hostiles and pulled the trigger. The missile burst from the tube, trailing a tail of flame. It streaked across the interior and struck a heavy steel-support girder. The explosion sheered the girder, the blast deafening within the confines of the building. Metal creaked and groaned overhead as the girder fell away.