Peaceful End, Violent End ...

Source

"Sir, there's a roadblock ahead. What do you want me to do?"

Matthew Burleson was half asleep in the backseat, his stomach was starting to bother him, a lot. He stirred and sat up, looking down the road. He noticed that his aide, Ted Anderson, was slowing down, looking around, perhaps seeking an alternate route.

"Pull over, I need to think." Burleson barked.

He hadn't meant to yell at Anderson, but he was tired. Lack of proper rest and lack of proper nutrition was wearing him out. He wondered how much longer he could keep running.

Anderson realized that he had just passed Exit 1, they were in Maryland now. The headlights lit up the "Welcome to Maryland" sign just ahead. He was traveling way too slow to stay on I-81 so he let the car roll onto the shoulder, where he turned the lights off.

His phone was plugged into the car, he checked the navigation display, there was an on ramp just ahead. Maybe go down that and hope no one was coming up that way. He too was suffering from lack of sleep and his cognitive abilities were starting to suffer.

"Sir, I can go the wrong way down the on ramp just ahead. We'd avoid this roadblock ..."

"How do you know it's a roadblock, Ted? Could be an accident, could be construction, why do you assume it's a roadblock?"

Burleson thought it was a roadblock as well, but he was hoping that it wasn't. In truth, Anderson thought, his boss was getting a bit querulous. Can't say he blamed him, but ...

"Sir, we're in an SUV, I can stay on the grass and get on to the off ramp from here. People do strange things like that all the time." Glancing at the GPS map on the console, he continued, "We can take Mason-Dixon Road further west, then drop down into Maryland on Williamsport Pike, avoids Hagerstown altogether."

Anderson heard Burleson moan, rather like a petulant child, "Alright. Do it."

"Lou, did ya see that?" Trooper Jack Alonso had seen a car pull over to the side of the interstate, then drive off on the grass.

Trooper Louis Macklin said, "Yeah, seems fishy. Dark colored SUV, might be our guy. Alert the local LEOs. We think our guy wants to get to DC, but there's more'n one way through Maryland."

Alonso got on the radio and had dispatch patch him through to the Greencastle, PA cops. While he did that, Macklin was on another radio talking to Barrack "O" in Hagerstown.

"Dispatch, this is Oscar Five at I-81 roadblock. We need to set up on Williamsport Pike as well, I think our suspect just deflected west when he saw us set up here on I-81."

"Dispatch copies. We've got people there already, Oscar Five."

"Oscar Five, copy. Out."

As they turned west, Burleson saw a sign for a motel. "Hhmm, truck stop, probably really sleazy, but damn I need to sleep. In a real bed."

"Sir?"

Burleson didn't realize that he was talking out loud. "Pull in here, Ted."

"I don't think that's a great idea, Sir. Why don't we ..."

"Right f**king now, Ted." Burleson's voice was low and dangerous.

"Alright, I'll get us a room, you stay in the car."

"Two rooms, Ted."

"I'll sleep in the car, Sir. You get the room. If I get two rooms and they see just me, that looks odd enough. If they're watching the news, or listening to the radio, two guys might make them suspicious."

Burleson thought for a moment, "Good point, but if they see you sleeping in the car, after renting a room? Even worse. Okay Ted, one room."

Burleson awoke to the smell of food, he checked his watch. Three in the morning, but he felt refreshed, his stomach was feeling better too, he felt ravenous.

"Where'd you get the food, Ted?"

"Hoffman's All American Grill, it's right across the parking lot. I got us a couple of burgers, hope that's okay?"

"Yeah, they smell great. We eat then get back on the road?" Burleson asked.

"Yup, maybe we can slide through and be in DC before lunch, Okay with you, Sir?"

Burleson had a mouthful of burger, he just nodded. The man looked happy for the first time since leaving Raven Rock.

Aspinall walked into the room where President Nakagawa was talking with his Joint Chiefs. Word out of China wasn't good, but it wasn't altogether bad. Most of the senior leadership in Beijing had fled the capital, or had tried to. Many had been caught by the mobs roaming the streets, howling for blood. Tiananmen Square was remembered by many.

Things were settling down, the PLA had taken control of the capital and were busy restoring order, with the help of the people.

Admiral Jack Whalen, the new Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) spoke up, "I talked to a General Wang Zhu twenty minutes ago, he's apparently in control of PLA forces in and around Beijing, he says that they have intel on what happened to Fujian, he knows that we weren't involved. They lost a number of ships in that typhoon. A few reconnaissance aircraft as well. I wouldn't want to be a Chicom meteorologist right about now."

"So the Pacific is clear for now?" Nakagawa asked, looking at his senior military staff.

"Yes Sir, they've pulled out a lot of the assets they had in the Spratlys."

"Have we spoken with Japan and the Philippines about this situation?"

"The Philippine Navy is a little hot under the collar, they lost two ships, but the Japanese are willing to back off."

"Do you think ..."

"I spoke with my counterpart in Manila, he says he can calm things down. Knowing Admiral Abadiano, he's probably offered his political bosses the opportunity to go to sea and show the Navy how to fight."

Nakagawa chuckled at that, "Sounds like a tough old bastard."

Whalen nodded, "He is, Sir. Damn fine sailor as well."

Nakagawa noticed Aspinall standing just inside the door, waiting for an opportunity. "What do ya got, Bill?"

"Maryland State Police think they know the whereabouts of Matthew Burleson. They want to know if you want him brought in, or ...?"

"Jesus Bill, yes, arrest the man. There's been enough bloodshed already."

Anderson could see lights up ahead, another damned roadblock. He glanced in his rearview mirror, his boss was out again. After days of almost no sleep, the former SecDef seemed to be recovering. He, on the other hand was nearly asleep on his feet, so to speak.

He started to slow down, again he was looking for somewhere to go, there was nothing but farm fields and houses. He could chance the fields, full tank of gas, four-wheel drive, it was still dark, but that wouldn't last. At first light they'd put helicopters up.

They could run, but they had nowhere to hide.

"Car coming on, Corporal. Looks like he's slowing down."

The Maryland National Guard were manning this roadblock, the State Police were spread thin as it was. So a couple of Humvees and seven Guardsmen were here.

"Guy's not stopping, Corp."

Corporal Billy Johnson stepped into the roadway, waving his flashlight, trying to get the driver's attention. He wasn't going that fast, why wasn't he stopping? Then he noticed, the driver seemed to be asleep at the wheel.

Private Burt Evans opened fire with his M4, he was aiming at the engine but a number of his rounds went wide and into the passenger compartment. The late model SUV slowed and then tumbled into the ditch alongside the road.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Johnson kept repeating as he went to the SUV, his weapon at the ready.

The driver was all messed up, there was blood everywhere. Then he noticed another person in the backseat. That man was sitting up, his eyes wide open, his hands in the air. Johnson recognized him.

"Brockman, get on the horn, we need an ambulance, let the Staties know we've got the SecDef in custody. He looks okay, but the guy driving is f**ked."

Source

"Mr. President?"

"Bill, just tell me, I'm too tired to deal with ceremony."

"Maryland National Guard captured Matt Burleson, alive."

Nakagawa sat up.

"But his aide, Ted Anderson, didn't make it."

"Didn't ... What the hell happened out there?"

"Anderson was at the wheel, he was slowing down, but he wasn't stopping, so one of the Guardsmen opened fire. The kid in charge of the detachment said he saw the driver, apparenyly asleep. The guy who fired, he was aiming at the engine block, in his excitement ..."

"Some of the rounds went wild and hit Anderson ..."

"Yes Sir."

"Where's Burleson now?"

"They're bringing him here."

"Good, I'm going to hit the rack for an hour or so. Wake me then."

"Yes Sir."

"Damn shame about, Ted. I liked the kid."

"Yes Sir, a lot of people did."

"Shit."

"Yes, Mr. President."