“The Government has never given up serving the country and protecting its people. I will never give in to the demands of any Islamic groups, nor I’ll never deal with any rebels. We will fight until this nation regains peace and harmony.” She continued.
“With all the series of unfortunate circumstances, I, Ariana Marie, Vice President of the United States of America, herewith, proclaim Martial Law with the power vested in me by the Constitution and laws effectively today. It is not an act of war, but an ordinance to preserve and protect my country.”
“The Martial Law, however, is only applicable to all Urban areas of the United States of America as of the time of speaking. Whereas the land, air and naval forces of the United States has the power to suppress all kinds of rebellion and mutiny for six months or until such time when peace and harmony are attainable.”
“Whereas I authorize the suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus in all areas with the jurisdiction of the Martial Law. Whereas the Militia Forces of the United States are now actively in service against all citizens who will defy the law.”
“Whereas the Government has the right to confiscate any supplies of its people whenever needed. Anyone who would refuse would receive a punishment.”
“Whereas all public servants including retired officials, doctors, nurses, teachers and alike are required to call on duty effective immediately.”
“I have now fully declared Martial Law on behalf of the President. Signed at the Washington City, White House, on this 14th day of April, in the year of our good Lord 2014. God bless America.” Vice President Ariana Marie ended her announcement that took her about twenty minutes.
The Vice President’s Martial Law proclamation earned several opinions from her critics to her supporters. She didn’t care as it is what she believes is the Government’s last resort to bring back peace. She immediately returned to her office. The Vice President is now giving the power and final instructions to the generals of the Army, Navy, and the Air Force.
However, the rebels have quickly spread the riot overnight. There was another bombing near the White House just four hours after the Martial Law declaration. The Marauders members in Los Angeles attacked innocent people, killed those who don’t practice Islam, burned down houses and establishments, and quickly took over the City Hall. They waved and built the Marauder flag, and torn the US flag into pieces.
Rioters in Memphis have also started taking shots. The Marine guards were trying to hold their positions. They forced people to leave the area for their safety. At Southcrest Mississippi, rioters have also arrived trying to hide from the Army. They’ve started entering empty houses to gather supplies. The riots permeate rapidly even before the military had a chance to defend.
It seemed that the Marauders knew that Martial Law is bound to happen. The Vice President announced a State of Emergency in Los Angeles, and Memphis. She ordered for immediate back up to regain Los Angeles from the hands of the Marauder members. Vice President Ariana Marie knew it’s war, but it was just the beginning.
The next morning, the battle continues at Los Angeles. The Military and the rebels are exchanging shots. They have successfully helped people move out of the city and bring in to the nearest evacuation centers. The Military has been quick in responding, and they still have the number against the Marauder fighters. The Air Force was also doing some airstrikes.
The first twenty-four hours were crucial because there were some hostages and other people who didn’t want to leave the place. However, with just one day, the vibrant city of LA suddenly turned into a ghost town. Houses turned to ashes, bullets were everywhere, and dead bodies were around the area.
Maxine was silently watching the news about the attack of the Marauders in several places. Footage of the Military exchanging fires, bombings and the Marauder flag on top of the LA City Hall. Reports came in that the Governor was still in the City Hall as a hostage along with a priest and a pastor. Then Maxine saw Memphis bombings and the reports about Mississippi. She almost cried, but Grandma Carmichael who sits beside her comforted her.
“Shhh. Joseph will be fine, Max.” She assured Maxine.
“What if the rioters start to take over the place like what they did in LA?” Maxine cried.
“Let’s keep on praying. Joseph is a man of faith. I’m sure he wants you to keep your faith, too,” Grandma Carmichael said.
“Mom… Is that near our place?” Bob said from behind.
Maxine was surprised because she didn’t want to hear any of his sons about the news. However, they were standing there since the start of the report.
“Is daddy fine? Has he called, yet? Mommy, I want to talk to him.” The youngest son asked innocently.
Maxine felt helpless. She didn’t know what to say, so she turned off the TV and walked near his two sons.
“Daddy is alright. In fact, he just called earlier. He didn’t want us to be worried.” She assured her kids.
“How long, Mom? When will he follow here?” Bobby asked then tears started falling his.
Maxine didn’t know what to answer.
“Daddy will be okay because he made a promise. Your Daddy always does what he promised, right?” All Maxine could do was to wipe their tears and hugged them.
CHAPTER TEN
It has been three days since the declaration of Martial Law. The Executive Order 12502 was handed down to the Secretary of Defense immediately after the Vice President’s had her immense announcement. Consequently, it went down to the chain of command across all Army Bases in the United States. It contained everything that the Vice President said on her Press Conference. However, it has been an issue to gather the troops because of the blackout. Electricity, Communication, and Transportation have been part of the struggle in some areas.
The Army and the Air Force are still battling in Los Angeles against the Marauder Members. They haven’t recovered the place, and things started to get worse because there were no electricity and communication. The Government and other countries have also sent help and relief goods for the evacuees.
In an interview, the Army General estimated that there were seventy men sent by the Marauders Leader to attack Los Angeles. They’ve been strict for the media to cover the disaster as it is not safe to enter the war zone. However, once in a while they give updates about the current situation.
“We believe that it’s just a part of their propaganda to impose a threat to the Government. The Marauders have millions to billions of supporters, but we’ll continue fighting. We have enough brave men.” The General assured the public.
“General, do we have a timetable of when we will regain Los Angeles?” The reporter asked.
“That’s difficult to tell. From an estimate of seventy rebels, we believe that we have killed fifty-two of them, but we have also lost a lot of soldiers.” The General said in complete dismay.
“We are declaring three-fourths of LA is free. However, we still don’t allow people to go back to their houses. There are still a few of them hiding inside their homes, and we are trying our best to help them out.” The General replied.
“One last question, General. What’s the status of the hostages?” The reporter asked again.
“It’s risky for the hostages, and there are still snipers in the area. We’ve got the numbers, but we have to be careful of rescuing them.” The General replied.
At dawn, moments after the interview, the Army decided to infiltrate the City hall. They are now aiming to go near the City hall and save the hostages. They received a report that the rebels are less in number. They planned things accurately, and positioned in five snipers around the City hall, while the other troops are enforcing on the ground.