Fifth Column: Post Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction (The Lone Star Series Book 5) Read online

  To say that a monumental event like a worldwide military conflict would have a profound impact on a population is certainly a given. The Second World War, which caused an enormous number of deaths, saw the European continent divided as armies attacked one another. When the war ended, much of Europe was in ruins and the rest impoverished.

  The end result was a transformation of Europe politically, socially, and economically in the immediate postwar years and for decades to come.

  The same was true in America although the battlefield remained abroad. The war resulted in an appreciable change in the role of women in American society. During the war, the number of women in the workplace rose by fifty percent. Millions of families, seeking to maintain a two-earner household, flocked to the cities to work in the military defense industry.

  This vast migration resulted in higher divorce rates, housing shortages, and challenged school systems unable to deal with the postwar baby boom. The family dynamic changed, and the country’s view on social issues of the time began to change as well.

  Politically, the New Deal of President Franklin Roosevelt gave way to the Fair Deal of his running mate, President Harry Truman, who took office upon President Roosevelt’s death in April of 1945. An era of huge government spending was ushered in, which resulted in higher and higher levels of taxation.

  With more government spending came a larger bureaucracy, and the burgeoning federal government began to take root in America. The larger the federal bureaucracy, the more out of control it became. Soon, as many limited government, constitutional conservatives like to say, the inmates began to run the asylum.

  Enter the deep state, the modern-day equivalent of the fifth column.

  The use of the term fifth column dates back to 1936 during the Spanish Civil War between anarchist-communists and conservative-nationalists. The conflict lasted for three years in the lead-up to World War II and was indicative of the struggle between democracy and fascism throughout Europe.

  The nationalist general, on the eve of his assault on Madrid, Spain’s capital, told a news journalist that his strategy involved his four columns of troops, which would attack the city, and a fifth column, a group of unlikely supporters within the city, who worked to undermine the government from within. This fifth column, a group of sympathetic government workers, committed acts of sabotage on the government that employed them in order to aid the advancing troops. Madrid eventually fell, and the war was brought to an end.

  The concept of using opponents who were not necessarily loyal to a cause but were also an opposing party of a common enemy was not a new one. Early Sanskrit writings dating back to the fourth century BC espoused the basic premise:

  The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

  Following the Siege of Madrid and the subsequent fall of France in 1940, which many at the time blamed on a pro-German fifth column within the Parisian government, a series of articles began to run in the media. One such article in Life magazine warned of Signs of the Nazi Fifth Column Everywhere.

  In a speech given to the House of Commons in 1940, Winston Churchill promised to put down fifth-column activities with a strong hand. The New York Times reported on the spasms of fear engendered by the success of fifth columns in less fortunate countries.

  The western nations of the world became beset by fears of enemy infiltration of their governments, and the fears continued after World War II, especially in America. This leads us to a United States senator who was often vilified but who may have been on the right track—Joseph McCarthy, republican from Wisconsin.

  Senator McCarthy became famous for his investigations into communist subversive techniques in the U.S. within our media, Hollywood, and the government. He was a student of history who warned America of the First Red Scare, a period following World War I in which concerns over radical political agitation in American society coupled with the spread of communism and anarchy within the American labor movement fueled fears of an undermining of the U.S. government.

  The so-called Second Red Scare occurred after World War II and lasted through 1956. Fears of fascist, Communist, and subversive activities against the American way of life permeated the nation’s psyche. During the McCarthy era, many Americans were accused of being communists or socialist subversives, agents of the Soviets, or generally treasonous.

  The fifth column was resurrected once again as those operating within our government came under McCarthy’s scrutiny. Over time, however, McCarthy was attacked by the press as a demagogue, accused of making reckless and unfounded accusations against everyone from high-ranking government officials to members of the media, including in Hollywood.

  Now, fast-forward to the headlines of 2018. Accusations of Russian collusion with a political campaign without basis in fact. Counteraccusations of a deep-state apparatus that works against an administration’s policies. The players include the media, the nation’s intelligence agencies, and the FBI.

  The definition of McCarthyism via Wikipedia is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for the evidence. I would submit to you, my friends, that the efforts of those within the United States government who are advancing false narratives without evidence are just as guilty of McCarthyism as the famed senator was alleged to have been.

  Further, with the exposure of the deep-state apparatus in the United States, the tool once known as the fifth column is more powerful than ever. It is so deeply rooted into our federal government that it may be impossible to dislodge. And, as we’ve seen by the actions of high-ranking FBI officials and others, activities of this new fifth column can be more impactful than the onslaught of the world’s most powerful armies.

  Today, we must ask ourselves. Where does noble opposition to your political foes end and treasonous collaboration to undermine our government and the will of the people through the electoral process begin?

  PART ONE

  One Long Day

  Chapter 1

  January 16, 2023

  Klondike High School

  Patricia, Texas

  Manuel Holloway feared no man. Desensitized as a teen to the concept of death as he played video games like Call of Duty, his days in the United States Army hardened his soul even further. But all semblance of feeling within his heart was sucked out the day one of his recruits and trainees in Afghanistan detonated the bomb strapped to his chest, killing dozens and taking Holloway’s eye. Filled with anger after being denied the ability to continue in military service, Holloway became a murderer, a killing machine who had found his niche in the universe—a post-apocalyptic world.

  He was reunited with recently anointed General Kyoung-Joo Lee, formerly a commander in North Korea’s Lightning Death Squad and now in charge of the entirety of the invasion forces within the continental United States and Texas. Combining their brilliant strategic minds, the commandos broke through the border security maintained between Texas and New Mexico, quickly making a hole large enough to allow their forces to invade the new nation, together with tens of thousands of refugees.

  Holloway’s strategic preplanning provided the means to plow through the undermanned Texas border patrols and quickly move undetected to this desolate part of West Texas, where they regrouped.

  The Klondike High School outside Patricia, Texas, was the perfect facility to house the commandos as they reunited for the next stage of their mission. There was plenty of cover for the dozens of shiny new Ford pickup trucks stolen in Lubbock. The classrooms allowed the commandos the opportunity to rest in a shelter far superior to the caves at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. And the operable showers with hot water in the school’s gymnasium provided Lee’s men the opportunity to wash off the stench of living like animals for weeks.

  Holloway and Lee walked quietly through the dimly lit hallways. The school was darkened to practice light discipline, preventing discovery from the Texas military helicopters, which were abuzz to their west. As they found their way through desks and chairs stacked hapha
zardly through the corridors, Holloway glanced into each room. Despite the low light, he could make out the silhouettes of the steely-eyed commandos staring back at him. They couldn’t be seen nor heard, but the intensity of their resolve could be felt.

  Occasionally, a glimpse of moonlight peeked through a classroom window, revealing the sclera of the commando’s eyes, the protective outer layer known as the white of the eye. The eyes were said to be the windows to one’s soul. Holloway saw glimpses of white, but mostly, he saw the darkness behind them, much like his own.

  There was a difference between Holloway and the men whom he was growing to admire. It was commitment. Despite the oppressive nature of the DPRK’s totalitarian regime in which they had lived, these men were fiercely loyal to North Korea and the Kim dynasty. They were prepared to lay down their lives as they followed General Lee’s orders, as if the orders came directly from the mouth of Dear Leader himself.

  In the coming days, a wave of commandos would spread across Texas, seeking to destroy infrastructure, commandeer military and civilian assets, as well as instill the fear of God in the minds of all who would stand in their way. When their mission was accomplished, under the command of General Lee, they would move on to the next strategic target in the war with America, leaving behind bedlam and death.

  Holloway had a different design for his future. He was an opportunist, not unlike tens of thousands like him throughout North America who were seeking financial gain from the collapse. In normal times, there were always those who took advantage of a crisis to advance their political, social, or economic agenda. Never let a good crisis go to waste.

  For Holloway, the crisis created an opportunity for advancement. The perfect catalyst to allow him to fulfill a dream of wealth, power, and pride of ownership in which he was respected. He would assist General Lee and his commandos in fulfilling their mission. In the meantime, Holloway would advance his cause centered around me, myself, and I.

  Chapter 2

  January 16

  Klondike High School

  Patricia, Texas

  Holloway escorted Lee to the faculty lounge, which was located in the center of the high school. The windowless room was one of the few that was illuminated. Each of the men remained surrounded by their top lieutenants at all times, eagerly awaiting orders from their respective superiors. However, as the two men got settled onto the sofas in the lounge area, they unscrewed the caps on two aluminum bottles of Budweiser, which were covered in a graphic depicting the Statue of Liberty on the side.

  “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses,” said Lee with a chuckle as he offered a toast to Holloway. Both men laughed at the irony.

  “I’m impressed with your knowledge of American hypocrisy,” Holloway added with a hint of snark. Once a red-blooded, patriotic American, he’d lost his way over time.

  “Outside, please,” instructed Lee with a wave of his arm. Soon the room had emptied and the door was closed, leaving the two commanders alone together.

  Holloway stood and retrieved a couple more beers from the refrigerator. The supplies he’d procured from the convenience store warehouse in Lubbock had yielded Bulls and Buds, as Holloway had joked when he made reference to his favorite beverages—Red Bull and Budweiser.

  The men unscrewed the tops of the second round and immediately relaxed, a posture they rarely took in front of the soldiers. Commanding respect of their troops required maintaining a certain decorum when around their men. This was a rare opportunity for the two unlikely allies to converse as equals, a level of status much coveted by Holloway.

  “Geonbae!” Holloway said with a smile as he offered his beer to toast Lee’s. The aluminum bottles clanked together.

  “Very good, Holloway. Cheers to you as well!”

  “General, your command of the English language is much better than the few words I know in Korean.”

  “I’ve spent the last decade instructing my men to blend in to American society. Between living in Canada and teaching the commandos conversational English, I’ve become fluent.”

  “Well, General, it serves you well.”

  Lee studied Holloway and took another drink. His voice deepened as he asked, “Will you?”

  “Will I what?” Holloway was confused.

  “Will you serve me as well?”

  Holloway laughed, leaned back in his chair, and propped his feet on a small table in front of them. His brown leather boots were covered with dirt, which left a slight cloud in the air as they hit the table.

  “I prefer to look at our relationship as one of mutual respect and collaboration,” started Holloway. “General, my fight is not one of ideology or patriotism for a particular country. I’ve been a man without a cause for many years, other than my own self-interest, of course.”

  “My men fight with you,” interrupted Lee. Holloway sensed a point being made by Lee, and he wanted to be muted in his response. Under other circumstances, this type of conversation would turn heated, and someone would be killed. Holloway, by virtue of the fact that he was still breathing, typically won the arguments.

  “Yes, some of them were your men, but loyalties, like military missions, change. Over time, the former commandos who stand with me are loyal, but they are also free to make their own choices. I guess you could say they’ve become Americanized. Freedom has overcome their sense of loyalty to a nation they hardly remember.”

  Lee was also being cautious and chose his words carefully. “They were trained to become, and always remain, members of the Lightning Death Squads. They are now being called upon to do their duty. They must honor Dear Leader’s orders.”

  “They are, General, but in a different way than you envision. The men under my command will undertake the same types of activities to accomplish your goals in Texas, but when the mission is over, they will be free to leave with you, or they will choose to remain with me. You see, they’ve had a taste of life as free men. It is now ingrained within them.”

  Both men finished off their beers, and they set the empties in the center of the table at Holloway’s feet. Four stoic bottles of Budweiser stood proudly with the image of the Statue of Liberty on each. Lee fiddled with the bottles, lining them up so that they stood side by side, creating a mural-like display.

  He stuck his chin out and nodded his head slightly. Holloway surmised that Lee had expected the conversation to go this way. The next words out of Lee’s mouth would determine if the two commanders would be at crossed purposes going forward, or not.

  “I have many men, with more on the way,” Lee began to state his position. “These men have been trained to respect their superiors. Our nation and its people only respect the iron fist. I will allow you to continue operating independently from my men, but you must agree to lend the appearance of falling within my strategic command. Otherwise, I will appear weak. Signs of weakness will sow discord within the ranks and doom our mission.”

  Holloway was pleased to hear this, but he offered a caveat. “I agree, General. For so long as I, and my men, are treated with respect, we’ll advance your cause. When the time comes for you to move on, we may or may not remain behind. Personally, I’d like to find a nice big ranch out here and live out my days in semiretirement.”

  Lee stood and extended his hand to Holloway to shake. In turn, Holloway stood, and the two men reached an accord. Lee would exhibit his ability to command, but Holloway would be autonomous, having his way with West Texas and the Panhandle.

  This called for another round of Buds.

  Chapter 3

  January 16

  CIA Headquarters

  Langley, Virginia

  Billy Yancey’s mind began to wander as he received a briefing from two CIA analysts and the military liaison from the Pentagon. He’d been suffering from a lack of sleep for days, opting on a couple of occasions to sleep on a cot brought into his office suite at the George Bush Center for Intelligence.

  The business of orchestrating regime change around the world w
as slow, and its importance was secondary to Washington’s attempts to gain control of the U.S. populace in the aftermath of the EMP and nuclear attacks perpetrated by the Axis of Evil.

  Yancey had been ordered by the director of the CIA to take on additional duties as it related to the domestic challenges. Specifically, he was tasked with following up on reports of an influx of North Koreans in the wake of the attacks. Yancey was an expert in the use of false flags, subversion techniques, and propaganda to bring about regime change. He’d personally orchestrated covert missions to topple governments, similar to sending Duncan and Park into North Korea to assassinate Kim Jong-un.

  Because of his expertise, it was natural to call upon him to assess the potential of a ground attack on American soil that used insurgency tactics. Normally, his first assessment revolved around the attackers’ goals.

  What did they hope to accomplish?

  If the DPRK forces had infiltrated the U.S., was their intention to inflict additional damage and hardship on the American people? Now that the country was knocked to its knees, were they attempting to deal a final death blow to the back of the head?

  These questions swirled in his head as the analysts flipped from one slide to another on the large screen mounted on the wall at the end of his office. The evidence of a potential DPRK foray into America was mounting. Interestingly, the reports from his moles in the Texas military at Fort Hood, loyalists to America who were instructed to toe the line as Austin took control under Montgomery Gregg’s direction, were that the North Koreans had played a role in the breach of the Texas border with New Mexico.

  If that was true, it meant that the prize highly coveted by President Harman’s chief of staff, Texas, was also the object of the DPRK subversive activity. At this stage, the information regarding the North Korean commandos’ involvement in the breach was kept within the confines of his office. Yancey would have to decide how to play it.