The Journey of St. Laurent, Chapter 36

I have got to get caught up on all the edits and typos found in the last few chapters.

Thanks all for reading.

For those of you who haven’t read any of the Journey Of St. Laurent before: You are now reading an online serial pulp novel. If you didn’t start at the beginning, you may want to do so. Chapter 1:  Down By The Bay. This serial is the sequel to my first novel, Oasis.

Chapter 36 – An Eye Out for Trouble

Jex sprang to life. He fell all over himself on the way to the table in the corner, pushed a few buttons, then picked up the microphone. A PA system outside echoed his booming voice around the camp. He made a general announcement that the President and Senator Reynolds were about to make a speech. Then he put out a call for all tactical team leaders to report to the command tent immediately following the speech.

London nudged me. "Senator Reynolds? The ‘Not in my country’ guy?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Something must be going down if he’s appearing with the President to make a joint statement. Of course, two days ago I was chased by a UFO, so I don’t know why anything should surprise me anymore."

Senator Reynolds was pretty much the patron saint of people like the ones there in camp. You know, guys that are big into the second amendment, small government, personal property rights, going back to precious metal-backed currency, that sort of thing. He and the President flung mud at each other from opposite sides of pretty much every issue.

Jex paced the floor. "Rhett, take these two to the medical tent, then after the broadcast make sure you get back here, I’m going to need your help for the tactical meeting.

Rhett grunted a "Yes, sir." and ushered us out of the tent.

Five makeshift campsites down was one of those sleek and monstrous RVs. It was running a ridiculously quiet generator to power a little satellite dish thing and a big screen flat panel TV that the owner had placed outside under the extra-wide awning.

Who has this kind of stuff in their RV?

A fair sized crowd was gathering around the TV, and everybody else was shuffling about to find their own way to watch or listen to the broadcast.

Nobody said anything, but Rhett, London and I naturally wandered over and joined the crowd at the monster RV and forgot all about the first aid tent.

On the screen a pair of haggard looking political analysts guessed at what was about to be said. Would it be a call to arms? Martial law? Another request to stay calm and head back to work?

Soon enough the President was announced.

The last time I had seen him on TV, he had looked more than just a little worn around the edges. Today he looked like he hadn’t slept or even changed clothes since then.

"My fellow Americans. This is the greatest nation on Earth. That is why the aliens came to us. Since their arrival a few days ago, they have unfortunately been met largely with violence, prejudice, and hatred."

Why does he even bother with lying about when they got here? It’s pretty clear they’ve been here a while.

"I could never be ashamed to be an American. I will always be proud of this great nation." He reached up and loosened his already loose and sweat stained tie. "However, I am greatly ashamed of the actions of the fringe groups that are attempting to stand in the way of what could be the strongest alliance this country has ever had."

A large number of the camp booed at the statement. The noise echoed around the camp.

"I do not believe they will give us many more chances for peace if we continue to be hostile. We must take action swiftly and confidently or way may be pulled into a conflict we do not want. I have just signed executive orders giving power to police and military to detain indefinitely anyone suspected of aggression toward the alien visitors."

"What the hell?" Said a nearby voice. "He can’t ‘executive order’ away our rights."

Somebody else chimed in. "We’re already in a conflict we don’t want, you bastard."

A number of other voices chimed in with angry comments. It was enough so that I could not hear what the President was saying.

It doesn’t matter. It’s just more of the same, anyway.

The President went on for another five or ten minutes. He did everything exept fall to his knees and plead with the American people to stop antagonizing the aliens. He said over and over how they simply want to be our friends.

After he was done begging, he closed with, "This is why I’ve invited Senator Reynolds to be here. I believe some of you may be more willing to listen to what he has to say. Thank you for your time, my fellow Americans, and God bless America."

A bitter murmur swept across the camp in the wake of the presidential speech.

A moment later, Senator Reynolds took to the podium. He didn’t look any better than the President. Nasty sweat stains marked his shirt and he didn’t even bother with a tie. His hair was in complete disarray and huge bags hung underneath his eyes.

He stood and stared at the camera for a full thirty seconds before speaking with a quivering voice. "I have often disagreed with the President. But today he is correct." He seemed to choke on the words. "We cannot afford to be hostile to the aliens."

The senator glanced around himself nervously and left an uncomfortable pause before continuing. "I do not believe in suspending constitutional rights, but in this case, sacrifices must be made."

The crowd collectively gasped as their favorite senator stabbed them in the back.

The senator looked down. The words coming out of his mouth clearly cutting him as deeply as anyone. "All aggression toward the aliens must be stopped now if we are to continue as a nation."

I could hear whispers floating about having sold out and being a traitor.

His hand shook as he wiped a batch of sweat from his forehead. A mumble that sounded something like, "I can’t do this." spilled from his lips. He stared at the ground for another fifteen seconds, then his demeanor changed. He stood up straight and glared into the camera. "The aggression must be stopped, or it must be stepped up. Perhaps the aliens aren’t as numerous or as powerful as they’d like us to believe. Perhaps it is time the American people fight back for real against an obviously hostile invader."

His face paled, but his voice stopped wavering.

"I can’t be silent anymore. My fellow Americans, much of your elected government is being held hostage. You must fight back while you still can. It sounds crazy, but I was abducted some time ago. They have threatened me as they have threatened-"

The senator’s left eye exploded from his head with a disgusting wet noise. His dead body slumped onto the podium then crumpled to the floor, his face leaving behind a trail of blood and gore.

A shiver shot down my spine and my knees felt weak.

London grabbed hold of my arm.

Rhett cursed.

A roar of fear and rage exploded from the crowd.

The television screen blanked for a second and then the station’s ‘Experiencing Difficulties’ graphic popped up.