Free Down the Road: The Fall of Austin by Bowie Ibarra Page B

taking
commands from Sgt. Arnold. He tried to take some credit, though
what he wanted to say went without saying. “The National Guard
arrives at 0600 hours. We can get them out then.”
    “Exactly,” Sgt. Arnold said, lacing the reply
with a dash of sarcasm. “Let’s do it.”
    The sergeants communicated their plans to
their charges and immediately went to work. They moved cautiously
around the rotunda and advanced down the stairs to the first floor.
Two Virals climbing the stairs were quickly put down by the team.
Reaching the first floor, the temporary squad quickly advanced to
the locked senate chamber doors. Spc. Knight went to work with his
lockpicking kit, and in seconds the door was open.
    Specialists Noble and Talltree moved into the
chamber, followed by Rodriguez and Knight, who were followed by
Garrison and Goodson, and finally Sgt. Arnold and Sgt. Nickson.
    Sgt. Nickson, in an attempt to take control,
offered a plan. “Let’s lock those doors and hole up in here.”
    “Negative,” Sgt. Arnold replied. “We would
lose all tactical advantage in here. We need to have more of a
capacity for tactical offensives if necessary.”
    Sgt. Nickson scowled.
    Sgt. Arnold continued, “Let’s have three men
stationed under the rotunda on the state seal, one in the hallway
to the chambers, and the remaining men in the chamber.”
    “All right,” Nickson agreed. He didn’t see
any need to argue over such a simple plan.
    The men communicated their plan to their
charges. Garrison, Rodriguez and Goodson were stationed on the
seal. Talltree was put in the hallway, while the rest were to stay
in the chamber.
    It was 0300 hours. The National Guard would
arrive soon. But with the way the world was shaping, they weren’t
totally sure it was going to happen.
     

CHAPTER NINE
     
    4:30 AM
    Texas Capitol Rotunda
     
    The senate chamber had been secured and its
inhabitants calmed down to the point of sleep. The senators and
their pages positioned themselves as comfortably as possible on the
floor. Most drifted off. Several could not relax and gathered in a
corner of the room to smoke. One senator had recovered his secret
stash: a bottle of L’Amour Whiskey. He even had shotglasses, and
shared with his colleagues. Some mixed it with their coffee, while
others just drank from the mug.
    With his charges under the rotunda, Sgt.
Nickson had worked his way to the drinkers and smokers, while Sgt.
Arnold, Knight, and Noble were spread out among the napping
senators.
    Knight had bathroom duty, and was escorting
small groups of senators to relieve themselves. The men’s bathrooms
were secure, and the erratic trips were a welcome break from the
monotony of standing and keeping watch over the sleeping
congressmen.
    Sgt. Arnold had time to think as he stood
around. A career soldier, Martin Arnold was the youngest of three
brothers. Among his blood brothers in his hometown of San Uvalde,
he stood out as the loudest and most charismatic. He was practical
and had a common sense that accentuated his sense of humor. From
stout stock, he had a barrel chest and a round face. He had gone
through several cigarettes since securing the chamber, and was
working on yet another, puffing away like a train in a John Wayne
western.
    Spc. Noble had been given the okay to have a
chance for some shuteye. She needed it, too.
    Raised in a family with a rich military
history that provided a participant in every major war dating back
to the second World War, Elizabeth Noble knew in her youth that she
wanted to be like her mother and father. Both of her parents were
officers in the military (mom in the Navy and dad in the Marines,)
and her goal was to someday lead a unit like her father did during
the first Gulf War. Growing up with four brothers (all in the
military as well,) she passed up a college scholarship to play
volleyball in her home state of Washington so she could be a
permanent addition to the proud Noble family tradition of serving
her nation,