Dateline: sometime in the future. The United States government, unable to control its deficit spending, eventually ran its deficit so high that it rendered the nation’s currency worthless. Because it was operating with worthless currency, the federal government became ineffective and soon dissolved, leaving each state to fend for itself. Most states adopted some form of democracy, but not all. Some states broke into more than one piece, while others banded together into confederations and mini-unions. Still others fell victim to foreign invasion, most notably in the Southwest, where Mexico has retaken retook much of the land it lost in the Mexican-American War. The strongest effort to reunite the country began in the Midwest, where six states banded together to form the Reunited States of North America (RSNA). These states were eventually joined by six other Midwestern and mid-Atlantic states to form the largest, most powerful, and most prosperous of the mini-unions. The story begins in Virginia, which has an anything but a democratic form of government.
Jeremy Voorhies jumped out of bed the instant his alarm clock sounded off. It was a crisp Friday morning in September. The Arlington Lee High School junior was anxious to show his great soldiering prowess to the visiting general from Richmond. If he made a good enough impression, it would greatly enhance his chance of getting an appointment to the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. Then he could help lead Virginia’s forces to help it attain its rightful place in the world. Perhaps he would command a ship in a naval battle in the Atlantic. Or maybe help Virginia acquire land that rightfully belonged to it, perhaps in Ohio or Kentucky. But now both of those states had joined the dreaded RSNA. Jeremy realized that he might just as likely have to defend Virginia’s precious soil against an RSNA invasion.
After getting showered, Jeremy strode back into his bedroom and began to put on his uniform. First he put on the light gray dress shirt, then the ash gray trousers with smart-looking black stripes going down each side. As he put on the equally gray jacket, Jeremy almost lovingly fastened the brass buttons, which he had meticulously shined the night before. They looked like round, gold reflectors. Then he whipped on a belt with a brass buckle, equally shined. Then he put on his jet-black socks and, finally, his plain black shoes. Of all the parts of his uniform, Jeremy took the most pride in his shoes, which he had polished to the point that they seemed like two black mirrors.
Once dressed, Jeremy strolled briskly down the hallway to the corner of the living room, then turned slightly to the right, through a large opening back into the kitchen. As he passed through the living room, he glanced at the large, framed picture of General Emmett Krakowski, Virginia’s noble leader, on the far wall. Every home in Virginia had one. Even though Jeremy had never met General Krakowski, it seemed as though his presence could be felt anywhere. The great man had, only a little more than a year ago, successfully incorporated the area then known as West Virginia back into Virginia. Jeremy’s own father had gone out to participate in the battles. After the battles had been won, General Krakowski became the most revered hero in Virginia, more highly revered than anyone had been in Jeremy’s lifetime. Meanwhile, West Virginia had simply become known as “the West.”
As usual, Jeremy’s mother, Leona, was the only member of the family in the kitchen before him. She had already prepared the usual breakfast of biscuits, a flour-based gravy, and victory juice. Jeremy never had figured out exactly what was used to make victory juice, but no two batches tasted the same. But the Virginia government gave it to families living in the state for free, so nobody complained. As long as he finished breakfast with a full stomach, Jeremy was happy. Sometimes his mother would bring sausage patties, eggs, or milk from the state-owned farm in Loudoun County, where she worked. At those times, breakfast would be a real treat.
“So, today is the big inspection day for you,” commented Leona as Jeremy took his seat at the table.
“That’s right,” answered Jeremy. “If I can look good for that general, it will sure help me get admitted to VMI.”
“Well, I hope you do well,” replied Leona, with a mixture of encouragement and concern. True, it gladdened Leona that her oldest son so wanted to please his superiors and help Virginia. But ever since Jeremy’s father, Loras, had fought in that expedition to the West, he had not been the same. Even she could not get him to say what bothered him so much. But Leona loved Loras and would remain loyal to him. Besides, divorce was something that just was not done in Virginia for any reason except betraying the state. On top of that, Loras was an honored military hero.
Before long, Jeremy and Leona were joined by at the table by Loras. Jeremy’s brother, Bart, age thirteen, and his sister, Jane, age eleven, arrived momentarily. There was very little speaking over breakfast. Leona left, catching a bus to her job, before anybody else had finished eating. While Bart and Jane just silently ate, Loras and Jeremy both thumbed through the morning newspaper. Loras examined the front section, peering at articles carefully, with a mixture of curiosity and concern. Jeremy looked at the sports section, eager to find out how his favorite baseball team, the Arlington Generals, had fared against the league-leading Richmond Confederates.
Once again, the Generals had lost. During much of the season, Arlington had been in a close race with Richmond for first place. But as usual, Richmond was breaking away with the lead at the end. Arlington still had a chance to catch up, but this loss left the Generals six and a half games behind the Confederates. There were not very many games left in the season, perhaps ten at most. Catching up with Richmond would be next to impossible. Ever since Jeremy had started following the Virginia Baseball League, Richmond had won the title every year. His Arlington Generals would have to be satisfied with second place.
As soon as everyone was finished eating, Loras cleared his throat and motioned for the children to get up from the table. Jeremy, Bart, and Jane obediently arose, walked to the living room, and got their backpacks, loaded with books for the day at school. Loras got his briefcase. Soon all four of them walked out the front door together. Loras would soon be picked up by his carpool to go to his job at a local munitions factory. Jeremy, Bart, and Jane would catch buses to their respective schools.
Ever since going on the expedition to the West, Loras had become a very laconic man. Before then, Jeremy and Loras had often talked about the Arlington Generals, about going fishing in the Shenandoah River, about Jeremy’s desire to attend Virginia Military Institute, and about many other things that fathers and sons normally talk about. But since returning from the West, his father hardly talked to anybody. If anything needed to be said, he said it, and no more. Jeremy could not fathom his father’s carefully examining the newspaper or his persistent look of concern.
Furthermore, Jeremy well remembered when tens of thousands of Virginia troops had massed in Arlington and at other points along the Potomac River last spring, like they were getting ready to go into Maryland. While his dad did not join the troops that time, he seemed more concerned than ever. Then, suddenly, one morning the troops were gone, with no explanation about why they had vanished so quickly or where they had gone. But soon it became known that Maryland had joined the RSNA. As best Jeremy could figure, both Virginia and the RSNA had wanted Maryland. The RSNA had just gotten it first. After that, Loras seemed less apprehensive but still concerned. As for Jeremy’s viewpoint, the Maryland incident was, as General Krakowski stated, just a temporary setback. Virginia would prevail in the end. If General Krakowski said it, then it would be. Just continue to follow the general’s leadership.
As soon as the foursome reached the curb in front of the house, a small, black car emerged from around a nearby corner and stopped in front of them. Two men were inside. Loras silently opened a back door and climbed in. These men would take Loras to work. Meanwhile, Bart and Jane turned to the right and headed toward the bus stop up the street. Jeremy turned the opposite direction to catch a bus a couple of blocks away.
Jeremy could not fathom his father’s change in demeanor since going to the West. Loras and the other men who went out had been welcomed home as heroes. Yet his father could not seem to accept those accolades. He would not tell Jeremy about anything that had happened out there or about anything he did. Something was obviously bothering his father, but Jeremy had no idea what. In addition, before the expedition, his dad had always carpooled to work with some other men in the neighborhood. Now those two men in the black car picked him up every morning. In fact, neither of his parents drove the family car much anymore. Jeremy had hoped to learn how to drive someday, though he did not know when.
About a block past his house, Jeremy joined up with his friend Vince Blake. Vince, like Jeremy, was a junior at Arlington Lee High School. They had grown up together and had always been close friends. Despite their closeness, they had many differences. Jeremy had always been well-liked and considered to be among the leaders in their peer group, while Vince was often more of an outsider. Jeremy was a solid soldier, eager to please his superiors, while Vince showed little interest in the military and often stood apart as a freethinker. But sometimes it seemed as if those differences complemented each other in a way that only caused them to be better buddies. Jeremy certainly did not feel he could have a more trusted friend.
“How about those Generals?” asked Vince as soon as they got within conversing distance, with an upbeat tone of enthusiasm slightly tinged with sarcasm.
“I guess we should have known it was coming,” replied Jeremy, with a realistic touch of resignation, as Vince joined him in walking down the sidewalk. “Nobody ever beats out Richmond.”
“But there is still time left,” continued Vince as the twosome stepped over a badly decomposed patch of concrete. “We have a few games left with Huntington. Meanwhile Richmond must take on Norfolk. Norfolk is a better team than Huntington. Maybe then the Generals can get caught up a little. Then we can win the season-ending games against Richmond to pull it out.”
“Mathematically, it is possible. But I doubt if it will happen. Richmond is not going to lose that many games, especially not at the end of the season, if the championship is at stake.”
“You’re probably right. So, are you planning to go to the dance tomorrow night?”
“Of course,” replied Jeremy, in a tone that almost suggested that Vince need not have asked. “I would love to dance with Cynthia Sullivan there.”
“Who wouldn’t?” asked Vince. Cynthia Sullivan, besides being one of the most attractive girls in their school, was also the daughter of one of Arlington’s most prominent citizens. She was certainly among the most popular girls at the school.
Jeremy and Vince continued their discussion about the dance and girls as they reached the bus stop, waiting but minutes before the bus grinded up to get them and a few other Lee High School students waiting there.
The bus ride to school was the usual jumble of bounces and jolts over the inevitable potholes. Jeremy, like most of the other students, had become accustomed to the rough patches, even to the point of knowing where to expect many of them. He had also become accustomed to the torn upholstery and the fact that neither the heater nor the cooler ever worked, leaving him to his own devices to remain comfortable on the ride during hot or cold weather. But the persistent grinding, frequent rattling, and occasional sputtering from the engine concerned him. Sometimes the bus would just stop and pitch forward for no reason at all. Jeremy suspected the problem had something to do with those noises. He, like the other students on the bus, just hoped that the bus could get them to school without completely conking out. No one dared complain.
On the way to school, the bus took a road that provided a view of the Potomac River. Across the river lay DC. The forbidden place. Forbidden because General Krakowski had ordered it. Nobody could go over there. Jeremy looked across the river, curious despite the general’s warnings.
Several other heads inside the bus were turned in the same direction, indicating that Jeremy was far from alone in his curiosity. These teenagers could all remember from early in their childhoods when a thriving city bustled on the other side of the river. Then, suddenly, there was an uproarious chaos, and everything changed. People in military uniforms began to run Virginia. Leaving the state, formerly done on a regular basis, became difficult. Meanwhile, people left the once-prosperous city across the Potomac in droves. The buildings over there soon began to crumble from neglect, though some buildings in the distance still looked viable. An undergrowth of bushes, vines, and young trees gradually hastened the demise of the neglected buildings. The whole area looked morbidly decrepit yet seemed to invoke curiosity in just about everyone. What, over there, in such a harmless-looking place, could be so terrible that General Krakowski would order everyone in Virginia to stay out?
Perhaps no aspect of being unable to leave Virginia pained Jeremy more than knowing he could not visit his Grandma and Grandpa Voorhies. They lived in a small city in Pennsylvania called Danville. Jeremy had not seen them since Jane was a baby, shortly before the chaos. Eager to support General Krakowski though he was, Jeremy could not fathom why he could not see his own grandparents. Granted, Jeremy was aware that Virginians were sometimes allowed to leave the state temporarily, but his own family had never been able to. Why, he did not know. All he knew was that while visiting some other states was sometimes allowed, DC was off-limits to everyone, no exceptions. It did not make sense.
At least Jeremy could still visit his mother’s parents, Grandma and Grandpa Jones. They lived close by, in Fairfax, Virginia. His family got to visit those relatives, plus a few aunts, uncles, and cousins who also lived in nearby Virginia locations, fairly often.
After a few minutes, the road curved away, no longer providing the Potomac River view. The students all remained silent for the remainder of the ride. The only noise was the grinding and rattling of the bus’s engine, punctuated by the occasional bumping, bouncing noise whenever the bus hit a pothole.
Jeremy’s favorite class was geography. It was a required class for every student. Jeremy was enrolled in the fourth-period geography class, the last class before lunch. Jeremy took his seat near the center of the large, crowded classroom, which could comfortably accommodate about seventy but was jammed with over one hundred uniformed students: boys in gray, girls in mauve.
As he always did before the start of geography class, Jeremy studied the map of North America that hung prominently at the front of the room. The tan area near the center of the coast on the right side of the map was Virginia, which had grown slightly larger since the addition of the West. To the north and west of Virginia lay a red area representing the eastern part of the RSNA, with the states of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Kentucky hanging over Virginia like a slime threatening to choke out its existence. Near the middle of the map was another red area consisting of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota, the western part of the RSNA. The two pieces of the forbidding red union were just barely joined together where Missouri touched Kentucky.
There were other prominent features on the map. Situated above the western part of the RSNA and above the next state to the west, Montana, was a pink, oblong rectangle called Saskatchewan. This area was known to be helpful to the RSNA. It had even expressed some interest in joining the RSNA, though it had not actually joined. To the north and east of the eastern part of the RSNA was a green area known as the Confederation of New England States and Maritime Provinces. North and west of the confederation was a large purple area called Quebec, often referred to as French North America. Finally, most of the land in the southwest was brown, representing Mexico, including the land it had recaptured after the chaos. It was easily the largest country on the map. The remaining land areas on the map were various shades of yellow, orange, gray, and purple, representing the other independent political units. Some parts of Mexico and the area just north of the eastern part of Mexico had areas that were colored differently from the surrounding areas. These were new countries with names like Navajo and Cherokee. These new little nations were getting help from Mexico until they could become better established.
Lieutenant Williams cleared his throat as he prepared to start his lecture. “Do any of you know where General Krakowski is today?” he asked.
Several hands shot up around the room. Jeremy himself did not know, as his father had been the only member of his family to look at the front section of the newspaper that morning. But he knew that Lt. Williams was about to embark on another exciting lecture about how Virginia would expand to include all of English-speaking North America. Lt. Williams nodded at a student seated near the front of the room.
“He is in Nashville, Tennessee, sir!” shouted an enthusiastic male voice from the front of the room.
“And why is he there?” queried the teacher, again getting a response from several hands around the room.
This time Lt. Williams acknowledged a student close to the back, sitting near a window. “He is helping Tennessee protect itself from the RSNA!” shouted another enthusiastic male voice.
“That’s right,” commended Lt. Williams, ready to begin his lecture. He walked up next to the map and held his right hand, palm out, near Tennessee, with its northeast corner just touching Virginia. But most of its northern border straddled the RSNA, along with part of its western border.
“Now, if the RSNA wants to,” continued the teacher, moving his hand back and forth across the state, “they could easily sweep down from Kentucky and overwhelm Tennessee. General Krakowski wants to help strengthen Tennessee to make sure this does not happen. Instead, he wants all the Southern states to come together under Virginia leadership.”
“Then he can lead the South against the RSNA!” piped up a female student sitting in the left-front part of the classroom.
“Exactly,” remarked Lt. Williams. He was always willing to allow students to speak up in class as long as they spoke favorably of the state. Now he started motioning his arm in a circular fashion around the southeastern states. “With all these states banded together, we can stand up to the RSNA. Then, under Virginia leadership, all of the southeast and these twelve northern states will be restored to Virginia control.”
Next, the teacher continued with his oft-repeated lecture about how all of English-speaking North America rightfully belonged to Virginia under the Jamestown Charter of 1607. That meant every place on the mainland of the map except for Mexico and Central America (both of which were Spanish-speaking), some Indian areas, and French-speaking Quebec. Virginia would first work with the Southeast to subdue the RSNA. The other portions of the North, such as New York, New England, and Illinois, which were not with the RSNA, could then be diplomatically admitted into Virginia. Finally, so could the Western part of the old United States, together with Canada, excluding Quebec. Some area that Mexico had recaptured after the breakup of the United States was predominantly English-speaking. But General Krakowski had already assured Virginia that Mexico had agreed to cede those lands back once Virginia had control of the adjacent English-speaking areas.
Jeremy had heard this lecture many times. Lt. Williams had also been his sophomore geography teacher. But Jeremy always enjoyed listening to Lt. Williams. The man’s enthusiasm and vivid imagery, spiced with graphic gestures, always captivated the students. It never failed to enforce Jeremy’s conviction about becoming a good soldier and citizen devoted to helping the state achieve its goals. Granted, anybody looking at the map at the front of the room would conclude it was just little Virginia against the much bigger other former states of the United States, particularly the RSNA, but Jeremy had every confidence that Virginia would someday control all of English-speaking North America. Just as General Krakowski had promised.
Invariably, Lt. Williams would mention the War Between the States in this lecture. He could not overemphasize how once, the North had elected a tyrant named Abraham Lincoln as president over the old United States, against the South’s wishes. Lincoln retaliated by sending his troops to the South to pillage it and lay it in ruins. It would be over eighty years before the South again achieved prosperity. But now, with the South united (nobody ever pointed out that Texas, under Mexican control, would not be able to participate) and the North splintered, the South would prevail.
Jeremy recalled seeing a picture of Abraham Lincoln in a history book once. The fire in his eyes and the scowl on his face made him look just like the kind of man who would send armies to pillage innocent people. Jeremy wondered why the North would elect such a cruel man who would commit such gruesome atrocities.
After geography class came the lunch period. With nearly two thousand students attending the school, not all of them would nearly fit into the lunchroom at once. The students ate their lunches in shifts. Jeremy, along with all the other students in his class, filed out of the classroom, down a hallway, and down a flight of stairs, then down another hallway, where they stood and waited. After they stood there for about twenty minutes, a teacher signaled Jeremy’s group to continue down the corridor and into the lunchroom.
Upon entering the lunchroom, Jeremy grabbed a tray and a spoon. From behind the lunch counter, a cook ladled up a bowl of watery, lukewarm tomato soup with walnuts in it. Another cook placed a handful of dark brown crackers on the tray. Finally, there was the ubiquitous glass of victory juice. It came with every meal. The tomato soup, which sometimes contained walnuts, sometimes acorns, sometimes nothing, was served every Friday. The crackers were also standard most days. But Jeremy, like the rest of the students, had become so accustomed to it that he didn’t know any different. Sitting down where he could find a vacant seat, Jeremy scarfed down the food, got up, took the tray to another counter, where it would be washed, and moved on to his next class, math.
After math class came the event that Jeremy was so anticipating, military class. All the boys in the school participated in this class together, shuffling single file into the basement of the school, where rifles, bereft of their firing mechanisms, were stored. Each boy took his assigned rifle, headed upstairs to the gymnasium, and got into his assigned position in ranks. The boys at Lee High were organized into six companies (lettered A, B, C, D, E, and F), each with six platoons. Each platoon was led by a senior whom Major Warnecke, the senior military instructor on the faculty, had chosen based upon his confidence in their leadership abilities. Jeremy aspired to become a platoon leader next year.
The companies were all led by teachers. Jeremy was in the fifth platoon of C Company, commanded by Lt. Williams. Jeremy was glad to be in Lt. Williams’s platoon, as he had more regard for Lt. Williams than for any of the other military faculty. Jeremy felt sure that with Lt. Williams’s guidance, he would be well-groomed to become a platoon leader next year and then obtain an appointment to VMI.
Nobody ever dared to arrive late. They did not dare risk incurring Major Warnecke’s formidable wrath. Though not a particularly big man, standing about five feet, ten inches tall and weighing perhaps two hundred pounds at most, he had to have been the most assertive person Jeremy had ever met. This man gained the obedience and respect of the boys through sheer force of character. None of the high school boys ever dared to show him any contempt.
When it was time for the class to begin, Major Warnecke called the boys to attention. He was standing on a balcony overlooking the gymnasium, next to a similarly gray-uniformed man with a star on each shoulder. He looked slightly taller and thinner than the major, with thinning gray hair that suggested he was also older. Jeremy quickly surmised that he was the visiting general. Each boy quickly snapped to attention. Major Warnecke then turned and saluted the general, who promptly returned the salute.
“Boys, this is General Harlan Brady from Richmond,” announced Major Warnecke. “He will be reviewing you boys today.”
Keeping his head faced straight forward in the proper position of attention, Jeremy eyeballed the major and the general. He wondered if there had ever been a man, other than his own father, whom he had sincerely wanted to impress as much as that general.
Major Warnecke then proceeded to give the uniformed boys a series of commands. The boys responded to each command with military precision as both general and major looked down from the balcony, carefully examining how well each command was executed. Though both were highly pleased with the sharpness of the troops, neither one cracked the slightest expression.
After about five minutes, the commands stopped. Both men then walked down to the end of the balcony, to the right of where Jeremy was standing. They both disappeared through a door. Momentarily they appeared through another door leading them out onto the gymnasium. They walked over to the first platoon of A Company. The other platoon leaders gave their platoons the command of “parade rest.” As each platoon leader gave the command, his respective platoon snapped to a position with his legs ten inches apart, with his left hand positioned at the small of his back. At least parade rest was more comfortable than standing at attention.
Because there was not enough time to inspect each boy individually, General Brady inspected boys in what seemed like a random selection. But Jeremy suspected that Major Warnecke had suggested to the general which boys to inspect. While the thought of being inspected by a visiting general would have made most boys nervous, Jeremy actually hoped he would be inspected. He wanted his chance to impress this man.
Jeremy carefully eyed the two military officers as they worked their way through the platoons of A Company and B Company, then finally to Jeremy’s C Company. Jeremy anxiously waited with anticipation as the pair continued on through the first four platoons, finally reaching Jeremy’s fifth platoon. The fifth platoon leader called his men to attention, saluting the officers. The officers inspected and talked with the platoon leader briefly, then began to inspect the members of the platoon.
As Jeremy wished, when General Brady reached his position, he stopped in front of Jeremy to perform an inspection. Jeremy instantly snapped his weapon up to port arms, with the weapon positioned inches in front of him, diagonally across his torso.
The general quickly grabbed the weapon and began examining it carefully, looking closely for any sign of dust or any other substance that did not belong. He meticulously examined all parts of the weapon, including the stock and the butt, and he even looked down the barrel. Then he returned the weapon to Jeremy. Jeremy quickly snapped the weapon back alongside his right leg on the floor. Then the general carefully examined Jeremy. It seemed like the general was looking at every inch of him, from the shoes all the way up his uniform to the top of his neatly groomed scalp. Then, without saying a word, the general moved on. Jeremy speculated about what kind of an impression he had made.
After all the platoons had been inspected, the two military officers returned to the balcony. They conferred with each other, with Major Warnecke writing notes on a slip of paper.
As soon as the officers stopped talking, they turned toward the boys in ranks. “Battalion, tensh-hut!” ordered Major Warnecke. The boys all snapped to attention.
“Platoon leaders, dismiss your platoons,” instructed Major Warnecke. “The following people, after they have put away their weapons, report to my office: Bell; Cunningham, D.; Edwards; Hanson, W.; Hunter; Jones, P.K.; Mendenhall; O’Leary; Stevenson, J.W.; Traxler; and Voorhies.”
Jeremy hoped that having his name called off was good news. It seemed like only juniors had been called. He knew Peter Jones and John Stevenson personally. Both were juniors, and both had maintained good rapport with the faculty. That was a favorable sign. He knew something about Lloyd Edwards and Scott Traxler, two more juniors who also both seemed to have good soldier potential. This seemed to be a good group of people to be with, though when it came to Major Warnecke, there was no way of knowing for sure.
When it was his platoon’s turn to be dismissed, Jeremy filed with the rest of the platoon back into the basement to put his weapon away. As Jeremy exited the door out of the basement, Lt. Williams took him aside. Also, there were three of the other boys whose names were called, along with another faculty company leader, Captain Stubbs of E Company.
The remaining seven boys whose names had been called were taken aside as they emerged from the basement. Lt. Williams organized them into a line in alphabetical order, which placed Jeremy at the back of the line. Then Captain Stubbs called the boys to attention and, with Lt. Williams counting cadence, marched them into Major Warnecke’s office. There, they were broken into two lines in front of Major Warnecke’s desk, the first five in a front row, the remaining six in a back row. When the boys reached their assigned positions, they mark-timed until Captain Stubbs gave the order to halt. Then he commanded them to do a right face so they would all be facing toward the major’s desk. Both Major Warnecke and General Brady were seated in chairs behind the major’s desk.
“At ease, gentlemen,” said the general in calm, moderate voice. It was the first time any of the boys had heard the general speak. Each boy relaxed from his rigid position of attention, nervously eyeing one another and the two men seated behind the desk.
“Major Warnecke has highly recommended you boys to me,” General Brady continued. The boys all began to feel more relaxed and better about being selected for this meeting. “You have all demonstrated good attitude, intelligence, athleticism, discipline, and performance. You all present yourselves like fine soldiers. During the inspection, I made a point of inspecting all of you. You all looked very sharp.”
The boys began to look at one another, smiling, as the general built up to his climactic statement.
“Therefore, you boys have all been selected to spend next week at the Virginia Military Institute,” announced the general. The boys all looked at each other, smiling even more, with a combination of pleasant surprise and amazement. “You are all to report to the main front door of this school at 1200 hours Sunday. You are to appear in civilian clothes. You will not need to bring anything else. Uniforms and will be provided at the institute. If you cannot find transportation to the school Sunday, contact Major Warnecke. He will arrange transportation for you.”
With that brief announcement, General Brady instructed Captain Stubbs to dismiss the boys. Captain Stubbs called the boys to attention, ordered them to do a right face, and then marched them out of the office in the reverse of the order in which they had entered, with Jeremy in the lead. Lt. Williams again counted cadence. After they had rounded two corners back into the gym, Captain Stubbs ordered them to halt, then dismissed them. The boys could go join their peers at athletics.
Three of the eleven boys played for the varsity football team. They headed off to the cafeteria for a light meal before the Friday evening contest against Falls Church. While Jeremy was certainly strong and fast enough to make the football team, he had little desire to play the sport. His first love, when it came to sports, was baseball. He had made the sophomore baseball team last spring and felt sure he could make the varsity team the next spring. Jeremy thus headed off to the locker room to get into his baseball uniform. During the fall, he played intramural baseball to help keep him in shape for the baseball season.
As he changed into his baseball uniform, Jeremy speculated on his chances of playing for VMI’s baseball team. VMI was always very competitive in Virginia Intercollegiate Sports, including baseball. Playing baseball at VMI would be quite an honor. The thought of playing pro baseball in Virginia, maybe for the Arlington Generals, had crossed his mind before. But Jeremy had his heart set on a military career.
Soon Jeremy was completely dressed in his baseball uniform and out with his team, the Tomahawks. On Fridays, some baseball teams got to practice on the football field, as the football team would not be using it at that time. That was fine with the baseball players, as it gave them more space to hold their practices. Today the Tomahawks were one of the teams to practice on the football field. Coach Kline, already informed of Jeremy’s brief meeting in Major Warnecke’s office, did not scold him for arriving late. He just assigned Jeremy to join the throwing practice in left field.
Knowing that he was going to visit VMI put some extra spark in Jeremy’s baseball play. Somehow, he seemed able to run faster, jump higher, throw farther, and hit more powerfully than usual. During the scrimmage, he hit a double and a single against his team’s best pitcher while making several difficult fielding plays at shortstop. One time he threw out an opponent headed for home with a bull’s-eye throw from shallow left field. Jeremy was feeling on top of the world, not to mention his baseball game.
On the bus ride home, Jeremy told his big news to his friend Vince. Vince had learned of it through some common friends at his athletic activity, tennis. Word had spread around the school quickly. Naturally, Vince was very happy for Jeremy.
Jeremy and Vince then spent the bouncy bus ride home talking about their usual subjects: girls, grades, and sports. But they also talked about Jeremy’s upcoming visit to VMI. It promised to be an exciting week.
Bart and Jane had already been home for a couple of hours by the time Jeremy arrived. Both siblings had been weeding their mother’s victory garden in the backyard. Right away, Jeremy went back to tell them the good news. They both congratulated him, though not with the same enthusiasm that Vince had. Neither one quite understood how significant this was for Jeremy.
Neither Leona nor Loras had arrived home yet. It was Jeremy’s job to prepare dinner. First, he got some flour from a pantry that was about one quarter full. Pouring some of it into a bowl, he then added some water and began kneading it into dough. Next, he set the oven to 450 degrees. He separated the dough into balls that would become the evening’s biscuits, placing them on a pan. Once the oven was ready, he placed the pan of biscuits inside to bake. Then he went out to the garden, where Bart and Jane helped him pick lettuce and carrots for the meal. Those would be tossed into a salad, complete with a vinegar topping. Finally, he got a package of hamburger out of the refrigerator. Making the meat into five patties of about four ounces apiece, he placed them into the oven to bake. To drink, there was the omnipresent victory juice.
Loras Voorhies arrived home shortly. When Jeremy told his father his good news, Loras simply nodded his head. Jeremy called his brother and sister inside. While they washed their hands and got cleaned up, Jeremy and his father set the table. They always set a place for Leona, even though she seldom arrived home on time. She would start home whenever the work on the farm was completed, and there was no telling how long that would be. Besides, it was Friday, and Jeremy would soon need to leave for his job at a local warehouse.
At 6:30 p.m., Loras turned on the family television, one appliance that worked perfectly. If it ever broke down, the government would even fix it for free. It was time for the evening news. Loras and his children downed the modest meal in their usual silence, listening to the news on TV.
The main story on the news was General Krakowski’s visit to Nashville. It talked about the advantages Tennessee would gain by allying itself with Virginia and said that if the governor of Tennessee knew what was best for his people, he would go along with the idea. Then Tennessee would be better protected from an RSNA invasion from Kentucky, and the other Southern states could band together to fight off the threat of northern RSNA oppression.
Another big story was an economic report from a respected Richmond statistician. He claimed that production in Virginia was continuing its consistent climb, showing graphs that displayed production of farm goods, manufactured goods, and services. All three of the graphs sloped sharply upward. He credited the hardworking determination of Virginia’s people, led by General Krakowski’s sound planning, for the increases. Then the statistician showed three more graphs that were sloping downward just as sharply. These graphed agricultural, manufacturing, and service production in the RSNA. The statistician claimed that these trends proved that the RSNA was not viable, while Virginia’s program could not help but succeed. The statistician concluded that under such conditions, Virginia’s eventual takeover of the RSNA was inevitable.
The sports news was just beginning when Jeremy left to go to work. Leona had not arrived home yet. Jane would keep her mother’s portion of the meal warm until she got home. Jeremy said his goodbyes and headed out the front door.
To get to work, Jeremy had to catch a bus at the same bus stop where he had left for school. As usual, he met Vince along the way, as Vince worked the same job. They did their usual gabbing about girls, school, and sports as they walked together toward the bus stop. Within minutes, a commuter bus pulled up, and both boys boarded.
As the bus bounced along its route to the warehouse, Jeremy thought about why he was doing this job. He had been working there almost a year. When he started, he had wanted to buy a CD player that seemed reasonably priced at $450. He would earn $1.40 per hour at this job, so he figured he could save up for it. But then he got his first paycheck. The state had withheld more than he had anticipated. Some of it had been taken out to help support people who were too old or sick to work. Some more had to be taken out to support government functions such as schools, police, fire departments, the military, and road construction and repairs, and to provide for the politicians in Richmond. His net pay was less than $1 per hour.
To make matters worse, the price of the CD player he wanted kept spiraling upward. By Christmas it cost $520. By mid-April it was up to $615. Now it was up to $770. Working about twelve hours a week, Jeremy figured he could save up for the CD player. But its price was rising faster than he could save up. Putting his money in a savings account at Bank of Virginia was of little help. The account only paid .02 percent interest. Since starting to work, he had gotten raises, first to $1.60 per hour, then $1.80. But it still was not enough. Besides, the price of CDs, albeit cheaper than the players, was going up almost as rapidly as the CD player itself.
Not long after starting at this job, Jeremy realized that he had a much better use for the money he was earning anyway. He had been outgrowing many of his clothes. His parents, try though they did to keep him well-dressed, could not afford the clothes he needed. They tried to economize by purchasing clothes through local thrift shops and handing clothes he outgrew down to Bart. But even that strategy had its limitations. The thrift stores were often sparsely stocked. People were just not donating used items any more.
Hence Jeremy decided to use the money he was earning to buy new clothes. Even that proved to be a difficult undertaking. It took him several weeks to save up to buy a pair of blue jeans for $57. Then it took him much longer to save up to buy a similar pair for $82. Jeremy could not understand why things kept getting more expensive, especially when his own paycheck could not keep pace.
When the bus arrived at the warehouse, Jeremy, Vince and two other boys were ordered to start loading some crates onto a semitruck. The wooden crates, each about two feet high, two feet across, and three feet long, weighed about fifty pounds apiece. Some were labeled “Bulgaria” others “SerbiaJeremy deduced that these were the countries where these crates came from. The boys worked efficiently and silently, loading the truck full in slightly over an hour. Then a man ordered them all into the cab of the truck. This man climbed into the driver’s seat, while the four boys crammed into the right side of the cab.
The man drove them down to the Potomac River. A hurricane fence topped with rolled barbed wire blocked access to the river itself as the truck bounced along a road that ran alongside the fence. Nobody spoke during the whole trip. Neither Jeremy nor anyone else in the cab noticed that Vince was examining the fence with particular interest.
The driver stopped the truck at a gate in the long fence. Two armed guards stood at the gate. The driver spoke with one of the guards briefly, showing him some papers. Then the guards opened the gate. The driver then proceeded across a short bridge onto an island in the river as the gate closed behind them. A fence like the one running alongside the river also ran along both sides of the road and, as best anybody could see, surrounded the island.
Hidden behind the trees located on the island were eight buildings in a horseshoe formation that looked somewhat new but were plain-looking. They all had several doors but no windows. The buildings were all about the same size and, except for their relative positions, looked alike. The only discernible differences were that the buildings were lettered A through H above the main entrances.
The truck driver pulled the truck up to building G. Another man, who had been waiting there, opened the main door to that building. The truck driver climbed out, spoke with the other man, and then motioned for the boys to get out.
The other man instructed the boys where the crates were supposed to go inside building G. The driver opened the back of the truck, and the boys, together with the driver, began unloading the crates, taking them inside the building and placing them where they had been instructed.
Jeremy could hardly believe what he saw inside building G. The huge, cavernous, dimly lit warehouse contained a military arsenal. Up at one end of the building were about a dozen jeeps, with about as many tanks at the other end. These had apparently entered through large doors at each end of the building. The rest of the building contained stockpiles of mortars, rifles, machine guns, and pistols. There were crates everywhere.
The four boys and the truck driver obediently performed the work, while the man who had been waiting at the building stayed in a windowed office partitioned from the rest of the warehouse, located just to the left of the main door. He spent most of his time typing on a computer, interspersed with several phone conversations. Sometimes they would be incoming calls; sometimes he would make the calls. One time, when Jeremy was looking over at him, the man gave Jeremy a disapproving look. Jeremy just continued about his work, convinced that this man did not want his visitors around any longer than necessary.
When the work was completed, the four boys crammed back into the right side of the truck cab, while the driver took his seat. He started the engine and drove back to the gate, where the armed guards let him pass. Then it was back to the warehouse.
Just like on the first drive, there was no speaking on the way back to the warehouse. But this time Jeremy noticed something that puzzled him. Why was Vince, who was sitting by the window, studying the hurricane fence so intently? Jeremy looked at the other people in the truck. Fortunately, none of them were paying any attention to Vince.
Once back at the warehouse, the four boys joined the other workers in moving more boxes and crates around the building. More had arrived by truck while they were gone. When quitting time came, the boys all piled back into their respective buses and headed for home.
Nobody did any talking on the bus ride. Nor did Jeremy speak any to Vince as they walked home from the bus stop. Both were too tired for much conversation anyway. But Jeremy could not help but wonder what Vince was thinking when he was looking at that hurricane fence. He said goodbye to his friend as they reached Vince’s house, then went on home, guided by a dim streetlight and the lights inside some nearby houses.
It was shortly after midnight when Jeremy arrived back home. The front door was locked, but Jeremy knew his mother would leave the back door unlocked for him. He headed around back, entered through the back door, and locked it behind him. Then he headed straight for his bedroom, undressed, and went straight to bed. Within minutes, he was asleep.