Free Crashed: The Death Of The Dollar by William Cooper Page A

about it.
     
    Mike was quiet and withdrawn the rest of the day. He scanned the radio channels at the top of every hour, finding multiple broadcasts every time. Not much news that he hadn't just been made aware of, but he knew this was going to become a regular routine for him from now on.
     
    "Are you going to be okay?" Taylor asked him. Jessica and Stacy had filled her in on all that the Bishop had to say.
    "Eventually. I hope I haven't taken my bad mood out on any of you," he said.
    "Nope. You're fine. We all understand. We rocked your world moving up here. It got rocked even more after the collapse. Now you've found out that Jess is pregnant, then had city folks ask you to shake up life even more, all in barely more than twenty-four hours. Just know that we all love you, and we'll be proud of you no matter what you decide."
     
    She sat in Mike's lap and hugged him. They sat there silent for quite a while when he noticed it was time to scan the radio again. He reached over to pick up the radio, and found a broadcast almost immediately.
     
    "Okay listeners," the voice said. "We've got some new news for everyone. Word is that riots broke out in Los Angeles a few hours ago. There are apparently hundreds, if not thousands, of homes and businesses burning. The Guard has merged with LAPD to suppress the violence, but so far the more they try to stop it, the more it grows."
     
    "Jess! Stacy! Come out here," Taylor yelled.
    Stacy came out and said "Jess fell asleep with Brad. What's going on?"
    "Hush! Listen," Mike said abruptly.
     
    The voice on the radio continued. "We're hearing similar reports out of several major cities. Phoenix, Chicago, Memphis, Atlanta, Miami, and all along the northern east coast. All state and local police forces, as well as several federal police divisions, are being merged with the Guard. There are also rumors that many in the military are starting to abandon their posts. This doesn't appear to be too widespread yet, but it seems that those who intended to protect our freedom aren't willing to follow orders to oppress our freedoms. Signing off now before they track me down. Until tomorrow!"
     
    Taylor rested her head on Mike's shoulder. "This is all getting so crazy. You were right Mike, civil war is next."
    "You said that?" Stacy asked.
    He sighed. "Yes, I think I did."
    "Look, don't get mad at me, but it seems to me that someone who knew this was all going to happen years ahead of time, and knew the steps that it would progress through, needs to be the voice people can follow to navigate their way through this mess." Stacy leaned over and kissed them both on the forehead. "I'm going to bed. You two don't stay out here much longer. I don't want you getting sick in this cold."
     
    They sat for another thirty minutes in the cold and dark silence of the night. Eventually, Taylor got up, took Mike by the hand, and insisted he come to bed. "Leave it be for tonight. Any new news you sleep though will still be making news in the morning. Come on."
     
    The next morning Mike woke up early and tried to slide himself out of bed gently so as not to wake Taylor. He got dressed in his long johns with a heavy coat, knowing it was very cold outside. With the faint moonlight to guide his way, he walked up to the mountain top to sit and try to make sense of what his life had become, and the situation at hand. He sat down against his antenna tower, the sound of his wind generator blades spinning overpowering everything else in a strangely peaceful manner.
     
    About two hours later, Jessica came up to check on him. It was still freezing cold, but the sun had started to bring first light over the distant horizon. She had a mug of hot mint tea to help warm his body, and sat down with him.
     
    "How in the world did I get here?" he asked.
    "If you're talking about walking up here to freeze to death, then I might need to worry about how the cold is effecting your brain," she replied sarcastically, hoping to lighten