Phoenix Rising

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Dunes, Fort Morgan—Wednesday, June 20

Bob wasn’t able to get very much with the money that was transferred to his account. It wasn’t that he didn’t have enough money, though certainly what he did buy cost more than he could have possible imagined just one month ago. One pound of dry beans cost one thousand dollars; a five-pound bag of flour was fifteen hundred dollars.

Bob had more than a million dollars to work with, and he didn’t mind spending it because he was sure it would be worth half as much the next day. What limited his purchases was not money, but availability. Most of the stores in Gulf Shores, and in Foley, had closed, and the few that remained open had less than ten percent of their normal items on the shelves.

When they returned to their house they loaded everything into the elevator to take it up to the kitchen.

“Look at that,” Bob said, pointing to the groceries. “What we bought today cost more than the total amount of my last contract, and it doesn’t even cover the whole floor of the elevator.”

“At this rate, we are going to run out of money within a month,” Ellen said.

“It won’t matter.”

“Of course it will matter. What do you mean it won’t matter?”

“Ellen, one month from now we’ll be using hundred-dollar bills as toilet paper.”

Bob helped Ellen put away the groceries; then he sat on the couch and picked up the remote. Charley jumped up beside him.

When the TV screen came up there was a huge letter O in the middle of the light blue screen. The O was green, with three horizontal, wavy blue lines at the bottom. Above the blue wavy lines was a green plant that looked for all the world like a marijuana plant.

The O went away, and the camera showed President Ohmshidi sitting at his desk in the Oval Office. There were some changes in the Oval Office from the last time Ohmshidi had made a public address—which was yesterday. The changes were immediately apparent. His desk was flanked, left and right, by two muscular and unsmiling black men, both members of the SPS. They were wearing forest-green uniforms with SPS gold collar pins; the two S letters, rendered as lightning bolts, were separated by the letter P, which resembled a one-sided hatchet. Ohmshidi O logo armbands were around their left arm, and they stood at parade rest, staring unblinkingly straight ahead.

The American flag was missing. In its place was a white banner, which, because of the way it was hanging, did not display all its components.

My fellow citizens, as you know, in the past few days, since the establishment of the Enabling Act, the nation has been curious as to how the Supreme Court would act. I am pleased to report that this issue has now been resolved in my favor. All nine sitting justices have submitted their resignation and I have appointed a new court.

This new court has unanimously approved the Enabling Act, as I knew they would. They have also ruled favorably upon other actions I have already taken, and will now explain to you.

During my campaign, I had a logo developed for me that reflected my belief in this country, not what it is now, and certainly not what it has been in its odious past, but in the greatness that lies before us as we complete our fundamental change. As you recall that logo is my initial, the letter O in green. Inside this green circle are wavy blue lines that represent clean water, and a stylized green plant that symbolizes not only a green, clean world, but new growth.

I’m going to ask the two officers of the SPS who are standing here to display one of the two banners that are behind me now.

The two men removed one of the banners from its stand, then spread it out so it could be seen. The logo Ohmshidi had described was in the center of the flag.

This symbol, placed upon a pure white field, will be the new flag of our nation, proclaiming to the world that we are a nation of peace and a nation that safeguards our environment. For far too long, the red, white, and blue stars and stripes flag has, in song and story, represented us as a bellicose nation, too eager to go to war at the slightest, or even perceived, provocation.

I am ordering today that, with immediate effect, this new flag replace the Stars and Stripes as our national standard. I am further declaring that the display of the old flag, or any previous national symbol, such as the representation of an eagle, on public or private property, to be declared a seditious act. The wearing of a flag pin on the lapel is also prohibited. Accordingly, I have given orders to the SPS to arrest anyone who displays the old flag so that they may be brought to justice. Further, singing of the song “The Star-Spangled Banner” is hereby prohibited, and violators will be prosecuted. Any newspaper that publishes an article in opposition to this act will be shut down, and the author of the article, as well as the publisher of the newspaper will be arrested. Talk radio and opinionated television commentators are here and now cautioned that public protest over this will be regarded as an act of sedition and they will be arrested. In addition, any radio or television station that carries this seditious programming will be shut down, confiscated, and given to those citizens who are loyal to me, and to the new paradigm I am bringing about. This is absolutely necessary if we are to have a clean break with our troubled and misguided past.

And finally, I have changed the name of our country to the New World Collective. This is in keeping with my determination to make our nation a beacon to the rest of the world—a leader in peace, progress, and real equality for all humankind. I am ordering all government documents from henceforth to represent not only our new national symbol, but also our new name.

As I am sure you will understand, a new nation will require a new constitution. Accordingly I have declared the constitution of the nation once known at the United States of America to be null and void. I am having a new constitution written, one that will insure an equitable distribution of wealth among all its peoples, and one that will take into account the necessity of efficiency of government, by providing the president with absolute authority.

And now I make this promise to you. I will work tirelessly to make this new nation succeed, but I cannot do it alone. Much sacrifice will be required from you, so I ask all of you to do your part, and to report to the authorities anyone you see who, by word or deed, commission or omission, may be undermining the authority of your president.

I will close this broadcast with the words and music of the new national anthem, as sung by the Children’s Choir of the Tranquility School of Baltimore.

Thank you, and long live the New World Collective.

The camera moved then to a group of children all wearing choir robes with the new O symbol upon their chests, singing what was to be the new national anthem. As they sang, the words rolled across the screen.

Unbreakable New World Collective

Our people loyal and true

To Ohmshidi, our Leader

We give all honor to you.

(Chorus) Glory to our great leader

May he remain right and strong

The party of the faithful

Ohmshidi to lead us on!

In the New World Collective,

We see the future of our dear land

And to the Ohmshidi banner,

In obedience shall we stand!

(Chorus) Glory to our great leader

May he remain right and strong

The party of the faithful

Ohmshidi to lead us on

“Jesus, Ellen, I never thought I would live to see something like this happen. This must be the way the Germans felt when they realized what Hitler was doing to them.”

“Surely this can’t go on,” Ellen said. “Someone will stop it.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. Congress? The Supreme Court?”

“He controls Congress, they don’t control him. And he got rid of the Supreme Court and replaced it with his own court. And, you heard him say it yourself: he has declared the Constitution to be null and void.”

“Then we will vote him out,” Ellen said.

“You are assuming there is going to be another election,” Bob said.

“He can’t stop the elections, Bob. The people won’t let him.”

“Ohmshidi stopping the next election isn’t the problem,” Bob said. “The problem is we will no longer be a nation by the time the next election is due.”

Fort Rucker—Thursday, June 21

At Fort Rucker the next morning the Stars and Stripes flag was run up the flagpole; then a cannon shot was fired and the bugle call for Retreat Ceremony was played. Normal procedure for retreat was for all soldiers, wherever on the base they may be, to stop what they were doing. If they were driving, they were required to stop alongside the road, get out, face the flag even if they couldn’t see it, and salute.

That was exactly what was happening now, though many wondered if there was some sort of mistake. Retreat was at the end of the duty day, not at the beginning.

On the parade ground as Retreat sounded, a soldier slowly, and stately, lowered the Stars and Stripes. Then, very deliberately, and with as much dignity as could be mastered, two soldiers folded the flag into a triangle shape, so that only the blue field showed, without even a trace of the red. The flag was presented to a sergeant, who then presented it to General Clifton von Cairns. After presenting the flag, the sergeant took one step back and saluted. Von Cairns stuck the folded flag under his left arm, then returned the sergeant’s salute.

“Sergeant, dismiss the detail,” the general ordered.

“Shall we hoist the new flag, sir?” the sergeant replied.

“No. Dismiss the detail.”

A broad grin spread across the sergeant’s face. “Yes, sir!” he said, proudly. Then he did a smart about-face and called out, “Retreat detail dismissed!”

General von Cairns walked back into the headquarters building and into his office. Once inside his office, he closed the door, opened the drawer of his desk, took out a bottle of whiskey, removed the cap, then turned it up to his lips. He had long ago quit using a glass.

Base hospital, Fort Rucker—Wednesday, June 28

Colonel Ruben Sturgis, MC, the hospital commander, called his staff together. At one time there were twenty doctors, forty nurses, and sixty enlisted personnel on duty at the hospital. Today there were two doctors, three nurses, and one sergeant present for the meeting.

“Dr. Urban, you are the chief surgeon now, so this comes under your bailiwick. Effective immediately we are to provide no more care to retired personnel, nor to those who are qualified under VA,” Colonel Sturgis said.

“What are we to do with those we have now?” Dr. Urban said.

“Discharge them,” Sturgis said.

“Colonel, we have three in intensive care. If we discharge them immediately, they will die before nightfall.”

“What is their prognosis?” Sturgis asked.

“I’ll let Dr. Presley answer that,” Urban said.

“Not good,” the younger of the two doctors said. “The truth is, I doubt any of them will live to the end of the week. They are all three in extremis, and we simply don’t have the medication to treat them.”

Colonel Sturgis drummed his fingers on the table for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, keep them. Discharge the ones that we can, and admit no one new.”

“Colonel, we have no orderlies left,” Julie said.

“How many enlisted personnel do we have left?” Colonel Sturgis asked.

“I’m the only one.”

“It isn’t just the enlisted personnel,” Karin said. “As far as I know, we are the only nurses left.” Karin took in the other two nurses with a wave of her hand.

“How many patients do we have now?”

“We have seven,” Julie said. “Four retired, two VA, and one active duty.”

“What is the condition of the active-duty patient?”

“I took out his appendix yesterday,” Dr. Presley said. “I was going to release him this afternoon.”

“Release everyone, except the three who are in ICU,” Sturgis said.

“Alright,” Dr. Urban said.

Sturgis pursed his lips, then let out a long breath. “Just so you know, I have submitted my retirement papers. That was just a formality, I don’t expect DA to act on them. Hell, I’m not even sure there is a DA anymore. I’m leaving tomorrow morning, no matter what. And if I leave, I don’t intend to hold any of you here. Chances are we aren’t going to even have an army within another month, if we last that long.”

“We were going to ask you about that,” one of the nurses said. “Linda and I were planning on leaving tomorrow.”

“I’m going as well,” Dr. Presley said.

“Will no one be here for the three ICU patients?” Sturgis asked.

“I’ll stay until the end of the week,” Dr. Urban said.

“I’ll stay as well,” Karin said.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Julie said.

“Look, I’ll stay too if you need me,” Sturgis said. “I feel bad about deserting you at a time like this.”

“We can handle it, Colonel,” Dr. Urban said. “Hell, there’s nothing to do but watch them die anyway.”

Sturgis looked at what was left of his staff, then nodded. “I don’t know where we are going from here,” he said. “But it has been a privilege to work with you. All of you.”