The Ark of Asylum (The Ark Series Book 1) Read online

  Adam shakes his head and answers, “No, let it do its recon. We want them to know that we aren’t doing anything that would incite an aggressive response. Just make sure they are aware of our drone and that we’re watching them as well, but they most likely knew about it the moment it was deployed.”

  John anxiously asks, “Do we need to evacuate everyone into the Ark? Does this situation look at all threatening in your opinion?”

  Adam scratches his chin and replies, “Not yet, sir. We don’t want to spook the ATF. They are trigger happy, and we don’t want them getting nervous. It will only make things worse. Just have everyone go about their day as usual. We don’t want to cause a panic with the townspeople. We’ll make sure no one goes near the perimeter or has any contact with the ATF.”

  Chris continues to pull up multiple camera views on different screens. “Sir, the ATF has arrived at the front gates. They have deployed armed men and appear to be setting up a perimeter around our fence. I’m not seeing any heavy weapons, just your standard issue assault rifle and hand gun and—oh, wait, hold on, it also looks like they’re setting up multiple snipers.”

  “Copy that. Okay, let’s just wait for them to establish communication. It should be any minute now. When the call does come in, I’ll feed it through the speakers.”

  Everyone in the room stands there in complete silence, all staring at the large screens with the satellite and drone feeds displayed on them when the call comes in. Adam picks up the telephone and presses a button.

  “This is Adam Wescot, head security agent for the Ark. With whom am I speaking?”

  The voice on the other end responds in a slow Texas draw, the booming voice resonating throughout the room. “This is special agent Smith with the ATF. Are you the person in charge, or should I be speaking with someone else?”

  Adam responds, “I am in charge of all security, but standing next to me is the owner of this property, John Angelite. Would you prefer to speak with him?” John shakes his head no.

  “I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Agent Smith clears his throat.

  “Why are you here and surrounding our perimeter with armed men?”

  “Oh, I’m sure you already know the answer to that, my friend, but for the record, I and my men have been ordered by the United States government to establish contact with this compound and have access to all areas within. Failure to do so will require my men to breach your gates and come onto your land. Have I made myself clear?”

  John grabs the phone and pulls it toward him. “Over my dead body!”

  “Well, this must be the infamous John Angelite. I’ve been very well briefed on you, and I’m not surprised by your response. Let me assure you that entering your compound with force is the last thing we want. Now you can avoid all of that by just letting me and my men into your gates to tour your facility, just as simple as that.”

  John yells again, “You can go to hell, you son of a—”

  Adam covers the receiver then pulls the phone back. “Sir, please, you’re just going to make things worse. Just let me handle this.”

  John throws his hand up. “Fine, just handle it then, and I’ll shut up!”

  Agent Smith chuckles a bit and says, “I understand your frustration, Mr. Angelite, but the fact still remains that I am under strict orders. Hell, if this were my land, I would probably feel the same as you. But you have to understand that the U.S. government has to know that you are not some kind of terrorist group aiming to do harm to the American people. Surely you can understand that?”

  “I can assure you we are no terrorist group nor have any heavy weaponry or explosives. All we have is a supply of legally purchased assault rifles, hand guns, and rifles that we have slightly modified to make them safer.”

  “Well, I appreciate the honesty, but if I trusted anyone who said they weren’t terrorists when in fact that’s exactly what they were, well then, I can assure you, I would be out of a job. Fact is we don’t know what you have in there, and that’s why we need to come take a look. That’s all. It’s for the American public’s safety.”

  Adam hesitates for a second and glances at John. “At this time, I cannot permit you to step foot on this land, and may I inform you that I have armed guards established in defensive positions ready to defend their home at any cost. That, of course, is the last thing that any of us want, but my men have sworn to protect this land and will do so if they feel they or any of these people are in any danger from an outside threat. Do I make myself clear?” He finishes with a dominant tone to his voice.

  Agent Smith replies with a typical hillbilly chuckle, “Crystal, and again that is the last thing any of us want. Listen, I realize tensions are very high right now, so all of my men are ordered to stand down for the time being. Let’s give things forty-eight hours to cool down, let you think about things, and we’ll go from there. How’s that sound?”

  “Copy that. We’ll be in contact. Over and out.” Adam hangs up on the agent.

  John apprehensively asks, “Okay, now what?”

  Adam looks at John, looks at the screen, and then back at John and then tells him that what John decides in the next forty-eight hours could be one of the most important decisions he will ever make. And even though they really don’t have a lot of options, the outcome of how they handle this could have some dire and unforeseen repercussions. Adam isn’t one to go up against the United States government, so he feels it goes without saying what he thinks they should do. He expresses how this small convoy of ATF agents is most likely only the first wave of what they all knew their government could bring to the table. He believes they would be putting the entire town in danger by not cooperating with the ATF.

  But John believes the opposite.

  Adam wraps up his thoughts on the matter. “Now, that being said, a part of me agrees with how you feel and the stand you want to make on them imposing on our civil liberties. I know we have done nothing wrong here, sir, and something inside of me says that I need to take a stand and not allow these men on our land. So that’s about all I have to say for now. What do you think, sir?”

  John sits there for a moment weighing his options and concludes that Adam pretty much summed up what he was trying to figure out. John tells Adam that he’s just not sure what to do. For now, he’s going to go home, discuss this with his wife, and go from there. He’s almost positive that what will most likely happen is that they will have a town meeting and put it to a vote. He knows this puts the entire town in danger, and he thinks they should have some say in the matter.

  “So I’m going to do just that. I will contact you tomorrow, and we will most likely have a town meeting sometime tomorrow. Until then everyone, thank you as always, and you all need to think about how you feel about this. Have a good night, men.” John walks out of the room as most of the men and women say goodnight. A lot of them don’t look him in the eye and just stare at the ground, unsure of what to say if anything.

  John walks out of the Ark and waves off the stable girl offering his horse. He wants to walk to his house so he can contemplate the predicament he and his town are in. He stops at a fallen tree and sits down and puts his head in his hands. He mumbles the words “fuck” and “damn it” over and over as he attempts to release some of his anger and frustration before talking to his wife. Whenever he’s unsure what to do, he knows he needs the clarity and wisdom of his better half. He thinks to himself how he hasn’t made a huge decision like this on his own without getting her insight ever since they were married, and he sure was not about to start now.

  He stands up and throws a rock in the direction of the ATF, gives the finger, and yells a few obscenities and then walks down the mountain to his house.

  As John nears the house, he can hear his children playing outside and soon sees them all playing on the jungle gym behind the house. His wife is sitting on a bench, reading a book, completely unaware of the situation. He walks over to the bench and sits down next to her.

  She says, while continu
ing to read her book, “Hey, babe, how’d your meeting go? Was Adam happy with the outcome of the evacuation drill?” After John doesn’t answer and just sits there staring at the children, she finally looks up at him. “Ah, is everything okay, hon? You look like the world is about to end.”

  John shakes his head and exhales. “Sorry, just got a lot on my mind, but it’s funny you should mention that because ah—we need to talk. Um, I’m not quite sure where to start, so I’ll just tell you everything.”

  “Ah, okay, is everything alright? You’re making me nervous.”

  “Well, do you remember when I told you that the U.S. government made an inquiry about our weapons modifications, so we sent out some of our modified guns?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, at the time they said they wanted to come here and inspect everything and pretty much make sure that we’re not a bunch of terrorists,” John says as he tries to fake an assuring smile.

  “Okay, and . . . ?” Kate turns to face him better.

  “Well, we never heard back from them after we told them it wasn’t going to happen. So, long story short, the ATF is here at the front gates and is pretty much demanding we let them in,” John slowly inches away from his wife.

  “What!” she yells as her jaw gapes. “What are you telling me? Are you saying there are armed men outside our front door demanding we let them in?”

  “Pretty much, yeah, in a nut shell.” He finishes his words with a tiny smile on his face.

  “What! What! What! Are—are you . . .” She tries to compose herself. “Are you telling me the ATF has surrounded our land and is pointing guns at us as we speak, John? Is that what you’re telling me?”

  “Ah—”

  “So, then, I should probably assume that our children are in danger and that we should get them inside. Should I make that assumption, John? Is that what you’re pretty much telling me, John!” Panic and worry overcome Kate as she tries to get the words out, not wanting to express how she really feels and yell in front of the kids. She looks down at them and yells out, “Kids, come inside, okay! Playtime’s over. It’s time to come in!”

  Ashley looks up from playing and yells, “What, Mommy?”

  John grabs his wife’s arm and gently pulls it down. “Wait, just listen.” He yells down to the children, “Nothing, kids, just keep playing!” He pulls her hand over to his lap. “Everything’s okay, honey. Just calm down. It’s not as bad as it seems. It’s not like a bunch of men are going to barge in here, guns blazing, and shoot up the place. We don’t need to run inside the house and potentially spook the spooks, okay?” He clinches his lips and tries not to smile.

  “Is this funny to you? Are you finding humor in all of this?” She asks, trying to keep her composure.

  “No, but we talked to an ATF Agent Smith, and we’ve come to an agreement that we’ll talk in forty-eight hours.”

  She turns and lightly hits him in the chest. “Well, you didn’t tell me that you talked to someone, ya jerk!” She said, lowering her voice on the last few words.

  “Ouch! Well, you didn’t give me a chance to tell you!” He rubs his chest, pretending like it hurt.

  She turns away, closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath and exhales. She purses her lips and again takes a very obvious breath with a loud exhale, followed up with a popping sound as she pulls them apart. She looks over at John, then down at the kids. “Okay then, I’m sure you’re going to let them in, right?” She looks up then cranes her neck to stare at him, waiting for his answer. “You’re going to let them in, right, John? Please tell me you’re going to let them in?” She continues to stare at him.

  “Well, it’s not that simple, and that’s what we need to discuss,” he says while turning away and crossing his arms and outstretched legs.

  “What are you talking about? It’s exactly that simple. There is nothing to discuss. You’re going to let them in, and that’s final!”

  “We do need to discuss this because I don’t want to let them in!” John says with confidence as he uncrosses his legs.

  “Are you nuts? Why the hell wouldn’t you let them in? Don’t you remember what happened in Texas in the nineties with that cult leader? They pretty much killed everyone! Is that what you want, John, for them to come in here and kill everyone? Why the hell wouldn’t you let them in!” Kate starts to yell but quickly lowers her voice, remembering her kids are playing close by.

  John gets all worked up, spinning toward her and throwing his arms up. “Of course that’s not what I want, but it’s just not that clear an answer! Mainly because it’s just wrong, downright wrong! We’re doing nothing wrong here, and it’s just not right that they should impose on our civil liberties and step foot on our land, damn it! And of course I don’t want to put our family or any person in this town in danger! But we gave them what they wanted by sending out some prototypes, and we’ve cooperated with them, and now they just want more! If we let them in and onto our land, then where does it end, Kate? You think they’re just going to go away? Of course not! They will soon want to put men here and probably a small post so they can monitor everything we do! They will impose their rules and regulations on everything we do with total disregard to any and all progress and advancements we’ve made in technology and health care! And I’m not even talking about the research you’re getting close to doing, which I might add, would never happen with them here!”

  He grabs her hands again and tries to gently pull her toward him. “Don’t you see, honey? They have been doing this to people in not just this country but other countries as well and for decades. All with no regard for privacy, freedom, or even our basic human rights for that matter! Don’t you see, babe? It’s not that easy, so please just calm down and think about this. Our whole way of life will change if we give into their demands. Listen, we have forty-eight hours to decide, and I plan on having a town meeting tomorrow and discussing this with everyone and putting it to a vote. Okay?”

  Kate only shakes her head. She’s still so furious at her husband that she can only look away and toward the kids with tears rolling down her face. Unable to say much more than to agree with having a vote, she wipes her tears and gets up and walks down to the kids. John sits there and just mumbles “damn it” over and over again as he shakes his head and stares off at his family. He is right about this. He is. He sees Kate hug the children in a group, trying not to show how upset she is. John goes inside.

  * * *

  The next day a town meeting is held, and almost every adult is gathered in the Ark’s auditorium. With the little that is known, the chatter is at an unusually high level. John walks into the room and up to the podium, and his family and Adam file in behind. John gets everyone’s attention by speaking louder into the mic for everyone to quiet down so they can get started.

  When he begins to explain to the crowd that they’ve been visited by the ATF and that they’re demanding they are let in to tour the facilities, the crowd chatter begins again, so John waits. He asks everyone to quiet down again but without success. After patiently waiting, he decides to remind them of their large security force with an even larger arsenal of weapons. He educates the unaware of their modifications and how they’ve already sent over some prototypes but that it wasn’t good enough.

  John holds up one of the rifles and shows the crowd. He demonstrates how they work, which impresses the crowd. But before they put it up to a vote, he wants to bring up some points that were already made.

  The first point he makes is the obvious: If they just let them inside the gates to take a look around, then hopefully they’ll just leave. He is quick to follow up with how it just isn’t that simple and if they choose to go that route, they will most likely be heading down a path that will mean a never-ending government presence in their community. Their peaceful town could be turned into the towns and areas that they all moved away from, and that they could be subjected to rules, regulations, and laws that aren’t conducive with how they live. John reminds them that w
hen he started this community, it was so they could live their lives freely, in peace, and only ruled by ten simple rules. He adds in how well they are working and the fact that they have absolutely no crime.

  John looks around the room at all the faces on him. He wants to assure everyone that he wouldn’t be putting them in harm’s way by not allowing them to step foot on their land. He assures them that even though they have enough men and firepower to protect them, by no means does he want to start a war with the government. That’s why he’s gathered everyone, so they could vote on what should be done. He notes that he cherishes each of their opinions, and since this affects the entire town, he felt it was fair they put it to a vote.

  John looks around, hoping he did his best to explain it to everyone, looking for some kind of reassuring look from anyone as they chatter away. He quiets everyone down by making one last suggestion as a possibility. What he suggests is using his high-powered lawyers to throw as much red tape at them as possible so that the outcome would be hung up in courts for so long that maybe they would just lose interest, give up, and go home.

  Immediately, he reminds them that it could just be a short-term solution, and it would probably just prolong the inevitable. But he wants to make it clear that he just isn’t ready to let these men step foot on their land.

  After that, the crowd erupts in agreement and starts shouting and cheering. Through the noise, someone yells that they agree full-heartedly and they don’t want them on their land either. Everyone eventually comes to an agreement to use the lawyers and take the democratic approach, arguing in court rather than starting a conflict with the ATF.

  John shakes his head and says, “Well, alright then. It’s settled. I’ll get every lawyer I have on my payroll and then some and take these assholes to court! The ATF gave us until tomorrow to make a decision, so I will be sure and inform them of our decision and make sure they don’t do anything stupid and try to break down the front gate or something. Well, alright then. Thank you all for coming, and in the mean time, just try to keep a low profile when out in the open. We don’t want some hothead taking a shot at anyone because they’re pissed off they’re not getting their way and can’t come in. And I will be sure to inform you all of any developments in the future. Thank you again and good night!”