THE SWORD AND SICKLE

CHAPTER TEN: REBIRTH

THE SWORD AND SICKLE

PART TWO

CHAPTER TEN

REBIRTH

"What about the failsafe, General?" Asked Abrams.

"We've no idea if it will survive the metamorphosis." Answered Captain Henry Steel.

"I still want to keep it in hand, just in case."

Henry turned to his direct superior, Homeland Security Secretary William Alderman, and received a consenting nod, and the Captain said, "Yes, sir. It's yours."

―――――

After months of martial law, the administration suspended the Presidential election and imposed its administration upon the citizens. He fired his Vice President and appointed his Secretary of State, Claire McDowell, as the new Vice President. The Republicans and Democrats were outraged, but given the extreme circumstances facing the nation, President Smithson had the authority. Still angered, people protested and rioted in the streets of cities on both coasts, but in the central US, it was survival that weighed on their minds. Homegrown militias sprang up everywhere across the nation in hopes that they would rise to power within the devastated areas where law and order were lacking. Evil people rose to power by hoarding water, fuel, food, and the necessities for life. Those who were able to escape the militias fled to the temples of the Voice for protection. Most established religious faithful found their churches in ruin, their membership dwindling, and only the faithful remained. Others, without faith, were dedicated to restoring order and banded together and form their militias. Areas of the nation unaffected by the destruction found that money was worthless, and those without land or possessions couldn't barter for necessities.

The military came down with an iron fist. Tanks and armament rolled into every city accessible by land, sea, and air. Scrimmages broke out between the militias and armed forces, and the casualties numbered in the thousands. It was ruthless, and thousands more died of disease due to poor sanitation and lack of proper medical care. Eventually, the government gained the upper hand, and things slowly improved. They found the SDL peaceful and performing a great humanitarian service by feeding so many people in their many outreach areas, and attempts to suppress them became unproductive, so instead of fighting them, they found it more useful to use them for outreach. By January of 1995, the country was functioning under military rule. On the twenty-third of the month, President Smithson, feeling he had the upper hand on things, decided to give the State of the Union address. In it, he would promise the nation a general election for the Presidency, and promise the nation would return to constitutional rule in 2008. This declaration of events he hoped would relieve the tension among the citizens, but the central US was still in disarray.

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