Jack of Harts

The Federal government did not react well to Fort Lee’s public announcement that they stood ready to stop any and all attempts to kill former Vice President Freemon and his remaining family. First they denied that any kill-orders existed. Then they ordered other military commands to kill every last soldier of the Fort Lee garrison for their mutiny against their rightful chain of command. The remaining military still under their command did not react well to those orders either. The First Fighter Wing in Langley not only refused to follow them, but then started flying active cover for both Lexington and Fort Lee. Those military and law enforcement units that followed orders quickly found themselves outgunned by those willing to block said orders. Some stepped back from the brink. Some did not.

Former Vice President Freemon and his children reappeared in Lexington, Virginia mere hours after their disappearance from Federal custody. Their feed went live on every network that would carry them, and inventive hackers pushed the signal to many networks that refused the feed. The elder Freemon could barely stand, and both he and his children wore clothing that revealed the obvious signs of long-term, systematic torture. His address to all the nation that would listen was simple. He recanted his admission of partaking in sedition, and every single named coconspirator, stating they were the result of torture. He said that he did not believe his wife was alive. He charged the government with killing her and demanded justice. He ended with a smile of broken teeth and a simple statement. “Sic semper tyrannis.” The Commonwealth of Virginia motto. “Thus always to Tyrants.”

There were many side effects to the Federal and Commonwealth of Virginia law enforcement’s actions in Lexington. The burning of downtown. The arrest, transport, and eventual rescue of Lexington’s mayor. The negotiated withdrawal of Commonwealth officers after the Feds fled the field of battle with their mayor and his family. The officers felt like they had been left high and dry to fight their fellow officers from Lexington while the Feds ran for safety. That caused many of them to question certain talking points from Richmond and Washington. They did not voice their questions though. Questions were dangerous in those times. But they made preparations. They called in favors. They may have even swapped duty assignments. It was a sad day when former Vice President Freemon and his children disappeared from Federal custody. A sad day they had nothing at all to do with, of course.