Plans and Schemes

By U.S. Army Materiel Command - Flickr, CC BY 2.0

Jarrett Jefferson, newly promoted to sergeant, was watching the DC police SWAT team in training. Members of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team were putting the DC SWAT people through their paces. He shook his head, they carried on like they were soldiers and he thought that that was bullshit.

"Problem, Sergeant?" DuPont was there as well, with his team short five men, four dead, one in hospital long term, his team would be backing up the DC cops and the HRT, if necessary.

"Let's talk outside Cap'n, I've seen enough."

The two men went outside of the facility, it was a very muggy day in DC. DuPont looked expectantly at Jefferson.

"Sir, that bunch acts like they're soldiers, they're not."

"I don't know, Jarrett, there are some similarities ..."

"Not really, Sir. Soldiers go up against an organized, well-armed opponent, these guys usually deploy to take out nut jobs, individual fanatics, and the occasional terrorist cell. They're not used to going up against heavy weapons, nor the proper use of those by their teams. Damn it, Sir, most of them are no better than well-armed civilians. They'd fold against a serious, unexpected threat."

Jefferson paused, he looked down at his feet, then up to the sky. His eyes followed a Southwest aircraft probably headed to Reagan, maybe Dulles. Then he looked at DuPont.

"We folded, Sir. Heavy automatic weapon took out the team, in the blink of an eye. We weren't ready for that. Hell, Sir, if this threat is as serious as the big shots think, we should use the Army."

"You think Posse Comitatus doesn't apply here?"

"No Sir, I don't. Congress amended that act in '81. Military can't arrest people, but they can provide assistance and support to law enforcement, especially in drug cases. But insurrection applies as well, in that case the military can be brought in to act directly."

"Scary shit, Sarge."

"I know Sir, but there's something big brewing, and I don't like it."

Wilt Thompson spread the map out on a pool table, with the exception of five men, everyone else from the Rod and Gun Club had gone home.

Thompson looked at the locals, "You fellas want to keep an eye on things outside? I'd rather not have unexpected visitors."

"Alright gentlemen, gather 'round. It's your show, Ephraim."

Johansen nodded, then began. "We first thought to do this out here on the Eastern Shore, until I realized that we didn't want to be martyrs, we wanted them to be martyrs. Out here they could cut us off by blocking both ends of the peninsula. We'd have nowhere to go, the Navy and the Coast Guard would nail us if we tried to get out by boat."

"Thing is, we want to be able to pull back, but not run, do you know what I mean?"

Rossi stepped in and looked at the map, he saw rough terrain, lots of trees, with one or two good roads going through.

Rossi's hand circled an area on the map, "Green Ridge State Forest, I like it. It's state property, but there's no way Maryland could handle what we have in mind, they'd have to call in the Feds."

"And that's a fair piece from DC," Morgan nodded then looked at Johansen, "They'd have to fly in, wouldn't they?"

Johansen nodded, "I think Hagerstown Regional can handle C-130s, not sure about Potomac Air Park, in a pinch probably, the Herky bird was designed for rough fields. There's also Greater Cumberland, in West Virginia. But all of those are a ways out, and there aren't many places to land a helo in the area you're looking at, Wilt. They'd have to come in by road, one way or the other. Is that what you have in mind, Wilt?"

Thompson nodded, "There's an old farm out that way, off on a side road. A few big outbuildings, my thought was tipping off the feds to either drugs or guns at that location."

Morgan spoke, "It's gotta be guns, the American people will be rooting for druggies to be taken down. People are starting to wonder about the Second Amendment, we've got to be seen as defending our rights."

Everyone nodded, then Johansen said, "Get us all the details on the place you can, Wilt. I'll plant the seeds in DC."

Rossi spoke up, "We ought to have a name for this operation."

"Got something in mind, Al." Morgan smiled as he asked the question.

"I do, Operation Lexington. Or maybe Operation Lexington and Concord."

Thompson asked, "Isn't that a little obvious?"

Morgan spoke up, "How about Operation North Bridge?"

"Shit yeah, that's even better, same day, the shot heard round the world, all that stuff." Rossi nodded enthusiastically.

Johansen chimed in, "I can go one better, fellas. Operation Rude Bridge. Only someone up on his Emerson would figure that one out quickly."

Rossi and Morgan looked puzzled for a moment, then Thompson spoke up:

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood,

And fired the shot heard round the world.

− Emerson, "Concord Hymn"

The others smiled.

"That'll do. That's perfect." Rossi felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, he was ready.