The Resolution Read Free Page A

of them using Hartsfield-Jackson as a staging area.”
    Looking around the room for items they could use, Ed noted the emptiness of the space. “They didn’t leave us much to work with.”
    “I’m sure that was part of the plan. Anything not nailed down can be used as a weapon,” Nate said, shifting his weight and letting go of Ed’s shoulder. He hopped on his leg over to the wall, placed his hand against it, and slid himself down to the floor to sit. Leaning back against the wall, he said, “Now we wait, I guess.”
    “But for what ? That’s what concerns me,” replied Ed.
    “I hope Evan is okay. That bastard hit him pretty dang hard with that rifle.”
    “Yeah, he dropped like a ragdoll. I wonder where they are.”
    “There wasn’t a second helicopter, just Humvees, so I doubt they brought them this far. I can’t believe this is happening.”
    “Me neither,” said Ed as he stood and walked over to the door, holding his ear to the wood.
    “What’s up?” asked Nate.
    Ed replied silently, placing his finger to his lips to ask for Nate’s silence. After a moment, he said, “Someone’s coming.”
    Hurrying back over to Nate, he sat down next to him as the door opened and three men entered the room. Two of the men wore the UN Peacekeeper military uniforms, while the third wore pleated gray slacks and a tucked in, button-up white dress shirt.
    “Hello, gentlemen,” the man said with a perfect American accent. “I’m sorry about all of this, but considering the hostile insurgent activity we’ve experienced, we can’t take any chances. I’m sure you two will check out just fine, but we’ve got strict protocol to follow.”
    “Who’s we ?” asked Ed. “And what part of your protocol required your friends here to confiscate my friend’s prosthetic leg?”
    The man in civilian clothes looked at the two soldiers inquisitively and replied, “I’ll check on that for you. I’m not quite sure why that happened, but I’ll get to the bottom of it. Oh, by the way, my name is Chad Robbins. I’m with the Department of Homeland Security. I’m here to assist our friends from the United Nations as they help us work through these trying times.”
    “They haven’t been our ‘friends’ from what I’ve seen. They’re more like an occupying force. I mean look at us, we are law-abiding U.S. citizens just struggling to survive in this messed up world, and here we sit in orange jumpsuits, being held by a foreign military force. What the hell kind of help is that?” said Ed, becoming more irritated by the moment. “And where the hell are we, anyway?”
    Looking Ed squarely in the eye, the man said, “It is my understanding that you may be involved with a right-wing radical insurgent movement that’s threatening the stability of the nation and its recovery efforts. Until we get that straightened out, you're not really in the position of being considered a law-abiding citizen. As for our location, we are safely in the hands of the United Nations at a secure location. That’s all you need to know for now. More will come eventually, but we need more from you, as well.”
    “That’s all a bunch of bull!” Ed snapped. “My friends and I were trying to find other people in the area who may want to establish some sort of trade and barter system, when we were ambushed and taken prisoner by your blue-helmet-wearing thug friends. Unless you want to try and squeeze us for sales tax or some bullshit interstate commerce thing, we haven’t done a damn thing wrong. And how do you justify detaining us against our will without even telling us where we are?”
    “Like I said, details will be disclosed as the situation allows. We have very strict protocols here that we must follow. Back to your involvement with the insurgency… if you are not, then how do you explain the stolen weapons?”
    Pausing briefly, remembering the weapons taken from the gang that took Sabrina and her family, Ed replied, “We recovered those