Years after the financial crash of 2008, America continues to slog through the mire of the Great Recession. The conservatives and the churches have been silenced, and law enforcement seems helpless against the growing gangs and vigilante groups. And though the candles of many churches have been extinguished, tiny flames of faith flicker to life and begin to grow.
Years after the financial crash of 2008, America stumbles from crisis to crisis and continues to slog through the mire of the Great Recession.
National healthcare is finally a reality, but has brought with it unintended consequences for the sick, the unwanted, and the growing ranks of the elderly. Political assassinations and bombings have become all too common in the nation's capital. Elected officials rarely leave the safety of the Green Zone that surrounds the Capitol Complex.
America's Day of Reckoning - Debt Day - when the U.S. Treasury must borrow just to make the interest payments is less than a year away. Taxes at every level of government continue to rise, further crippling the free market mechanisms of small business and private enterprise.
With the passage of the Tolerance in Religion and Media Acts (TIRMA), churches have been forced to register and submit to content monitors, surrendering their rights to assemble and speak freely. The tea-parties and talk-radio - the last voices of opposition to the ever-expanding powers of Washington D.C. - have been all but silenced from the political process.
The Spirit of America has been broken. For the first time in history, people are leaving her fair shores for better opportunities in other lands. And though the candles of many churches in America have been extinguished, tiny flames of faith flicker and begin to grow.
But on the tenth anniversary of TIRMA, a priest makes final preparations to douse those flames and cut to the heart of the nation.
Excerpt
At the 12th Street Post Office, he retrieved the package from the post-office box he'd been assigned and discarded the plain-brown wrapping. It was a new Bible, just as he had expected. He checked it over to make sure it had not been damaged, and then continued on his way eastward.
He arrived at the Visitation Area in front of the U.S. Capitol Building a few minutes earlier than scheduled and found a large crowd already gathered at the temporary fence set up to contain the tourists. The elaborate U.S. Capitol Visitor Center had been closed to the public several years ago over rising security concerns, at the same time the Green Zone had been made permanent.
He maneuvered his way through the group, which by reason of his attire, politely parted to let him pass. He noticed several other clean-shaven priests dressed like himself scattered along the fence-line and drew a deep breath. Today was the day they had been preparing for.
Ten minutes passed, and the crowd continued to grow though it was quite peaceful. A handful of protestors were nearby, but they seemed to lack enthusiasm. The security guards at the perimeter watched them carefully.
Today was a monumental day for the United States Capitol – it was the tenth anniversary of the passage of the Tolerance In Religion and Media Acts. The day would be filled with speeches and celebrations from esteemed Representatives and Senators from both political parties. The President would be giving several speeches later that day from the White House, and the other presidential candidates would be speaking on the landmark legislation as well.
A high-school band emerged from the north side of the Capitol Building and began to play as they marched towards the front steps. It wouldn't be long now. When the band began playing "America the Beautiful", the array of security officials spread out onto the steps of the Capitol and looked over the crowd.
After assessing the situation for another several minutes, the security team moved closer to the fence-line and took their positions. On cue, the members of Congress began to emerge from the marble building and descended the steps towards the crowds. While smiling and waving to their constituents, they began moving along the waist-high fence near the security guards, shaking hands and briefly greeting the tourists as they passed by.
His heart began pounding as Congressman McDaniels walked towards him. This was the moment he had been waiting for. This was the moment he had trained for. He forced himself to smile and pressed forward against the fence, and then waved enthusiastically to get the representative's attention.
"Hello, Father – thank you for your support today," the Congressman said as he extended his hand in greeting.
He smiled in return and leaned in close as their hands clasped together. As he did so, Terrell yanked his hand back hard and pulled the Bible up to his chest between them.
Before McDaniels could even react to the abrupt movement, the priest's Bible exploded, scattering the bodies of both the priest and the Congressman (and several other tourists) over the crowd nearby and the Capitol steps.
The section of the fence that had been standing between them buckled violently and contorted into haphazard, jagged ribbons of metal. In an instant, blood, bone, and flesh littered the polished stone steps of the Capitol.
As the scene erupted and the people began to flee, several other explosions erupted along the fence-line, killing dozens more and wounding any within their proximity. When the explosions finally ceased, the handful of guards who were still alive had their weapons drawn and began shouting for the crowd to lie down on the pavement. But in the midst of the chaos, no one listened to their orders.
Moments later, sirens began to wail all throughout the Green Zone, drowning out the nightmare in front of the Capitol. Squadrons of security and life-flight helicopters swarmed the Capitol grounds, but the crowds had long since fled.
By the end of the day, the lives of eight Congressmen had been claimed, the worst attack at the Capitol since the Senate Shootings nearly a decade earlier.
Suicide bombers had finally breached the impenetrable security of the Green Zone.
