Texas Wildfire

Governor Tucker reclined in his office chair with smoldering cigar in his hand. Former Vice President Watson also sat in the room, as did several members of the New Texas Tea Party and the Sons of the Alamo. Smoke filled the room and a fly buzzed in a window vainly trying to get out.

"Well, people," Tucker said finally opening the meeting he had called. "We need to hammer out a government.

"This bickering is not helping us out at all. It is only a small miracle that Ramirez lacks the intestinal fortitude to invade us or this whole rebellion would have been put down weeks ago."

Several people nodded their heads in agreement, as Kimberly Watson stared at Governor Tucker with an icy glare. She did not like the fact that Tucker had jumped upon calling this summit before she did. This put him completely in control of the situation and allowed him to direct where the dialogue would go rather than her.

Tucker ignored Watson as he continued with only the constant buzzing of the fly competing with his words.

"We have lost a third of our country already to the Democrats in the west. We lost it without firing a single shot! Yet, to make it worse, because of the lack of leadership, we could not even pose a threat to take it back! Now it is too late.

"We cannot afford to let this happen again. Therefore, I propose that we form a government before we leave this office. We also need to discuss forming a real army instead of the mob we have keeping the Federal forces under siege in their bases. We need to seek allies, form treaties and come up with our own currency -- just to name a few items."

Now the mood in the room started to change to a more positive affair. Former Vice President Watson's face started to brighten. She realized everything Tucker said was true and if she wanted to play any part of it, she would need to contribute.

The young Air Force sergeant sat at his terminal situated deep inside Malmstrom Air Force Base located in Great Falls, Montana. A screen sat before him in the dark room that was his workstation. He listened to a headset positioned on his head as he toyed with various dials, switches and buttons on his terminal. He hit a button and spoke into his mike that radiated off the headset.

"Captain," Sergeant Wilcox said in the mike. "You better get in here."

Captain Richardson wasted no time in responding to the young man's request. She stepped into the dark room making sure to secure the door behind her.

"What is it, sergeant?" she asked.

"I'm getting some very good stuff that I think the brass may be interested in," Wilcox responded as he punched a button that brought the large screen in front of him to life. The image flickered briefly before coming fully into focus. There at an odd angle was an interesting image. A camera caught the images of Governor Tucker, former Vice President Watson, and a various number of other people sitting in the governor's office.

"Can you give me audio?" Captain Richardson asked.

Wilcox flipped a switch and turned a couple of dials before sound began to emit from the speakers in the terminal.

"…so we call up all veterans and have them start training our mob into a real army." Governor Tucker's voice stated.

"I want a sweep of those faces so we can give intel the images so that we can get an idea of who we are dealing with," Richardson ordered Wilcox.

The sergeant grabbed a joystick in one hand and a control panel that resembled and old 'Tracball' mouse in the other. The camera began to bob around the room and the faint sound of a buzz filtered into the background of Tucker's conversation.

The image floated surrealistically as the camera panned the room. The camera captured all the faces and recorded into the central computer banks located in the base's heart. One man swung a hand towards the camera and Sergeant Wilcox scrambled to move his device out the hand's way.

"Damn, fly," the man muttered before Wilcox parked the camera back on the window.

"Okay, loyal listeners," Flash said into his mike. Gene monitored Limbeck closely from the other side of the studio's window. Limbeck's tirade the previous week nearly cost the station its FCC license and even some harsh criticism from their benefactors. "It looks like Comrade Ramirez has appointed General Powell Davis to lead his assault into Texas."

"You all remember Powell Davis from his work with the U.N. inside Chile last decade as the Argentines threatened to invade.

"Well, it looks like the New World Order of the United Nations has gracefully allowed our dictator to borrow Davis to bring the New Republic of Texas to heel.

"Where will this all end my friends?" Flash stated as his voice started to rise to his usual fever pitch. "I'll tell you where. It'll end when every freedom loving person in this country is rounded up and deposited inside one of Ramirez's concentration camps."

Gene frowned. Limbeck had always carefully stayed away from the New Tea Party's ideology of concentration camps inside the United States. However, now in the heat of his tirade, Flash was now reinforcing the idea put forth by the fringe element of the right.

"No my friends, we have waited too long. I have held myself back too much for fear that Washington may take away our broadcast license. If we broadcasters cannot operate freely under this administration, it is a dictatorship. We must send a message to Der Fuhrer Ramirez and his Gestapo and SS cronies in Washington. Even if that message has to come from the end of rifle it needs to be done."

Gene was too slow in shutting down the show. However, the phone started ringing immediately after Gene cutoff Limbeck. Gene swore to himself as Flash angrily left the studio to confront his station manager.