Hawkins Bay E-Book

James Porteous

• Herausgeber: Clipper Media
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Planet Earth is but one tiny, obscure, and frankly otherwise useless property in God’s rather large real estate portfolio.

And yet, He spends most of His time sorting out their wars, climate upheavals, and greed.

And now the 1% are moving into their radiation-proof Freedom Bunkers, leaving billions of people to die.

Still, there is a hint of revenge in the putrid, acidic air. Dirty Gringo has a plan, Stan. What the hell do they have to lose?

Got a war? Got a revolution.

Leseprobe

HAWKINS BAY

JAMES PORTEOUS

Copyright © 2024 by James Porteous

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-7771023-8-8

Author Photo: Rosalba Paternicó

Editor: Angela Irvin

* * *

* * *

* * *

In memory of

Anthony Burgess

dedicated to Jay

And all those

still fighting the good fight

* * *

FOREWORD

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war

With the cross of Jesus, going on before!

Christ, the royal Master, leads again the foe;

Forward into battle, see his banner go!

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,

With the cross of Jesus, going on before

Sabine Baring-Gould & Arthur Sullivan, circa 1870

* * *

The Second Coming

W. B. Yeats (1865 - 19039)

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;

Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out

When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi

Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert

A shape with lion body and the head of a man,

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,

Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it

Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again; but now I know

That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

* * *

“Undoubtedly, one comes closer to the truth when one sees history as the expression of the class struggle rather than a series of private quarrels among kings and nobles.

“But precisely because such an analysis of history comes closer to the truth, it is more dangerous.

“It gives the illusion of full knowledge; it supplies answers to all questions, answers which merely run around in a circle repeating a few formulas.”

Czesław Miłosz

* * *

CONTENTS

Characters

Book One

1. From the Desk of God

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

2. Mayor Bob Dives In

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

3. Our First Look Inside the Freedom Bunker

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

4. Dr Anita Bromberg and the first cases of Konzentrationslager

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

5. The DroneBoys

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

6. Major Stursberg Toys with the Civvies

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

7. Betty Deschamps and her New Reality

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

8. The Guest Worker Sector (GWS)

9. Devon Delaney and The Pattern of Life

10. Blackstar and The Cyber Unit

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

11. Radio Free Freedom Bunker

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

12. Blackstar Has a DarkWater Brew

13. Sex in The Freedom Bunker

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

14. Coleman Perkins and the Homeland Security Cyber-Tracking Unit (TrackU)

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

15. Taliban Code of Conduct

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

16. Mayor Bob’s Session with Dr Anita

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

17. Media is More than Half the Battle

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

Book Two

18. From the Desk of God

19. Zeddy Bookmuller and Montea Lennox II

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

20. Dirty Gringo and Manifesto 99

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

21. Natty Dead, SEE and The Tall Spaniard

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

22. Barley May

23. Zeddy and Montea and Manifesto 99

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

24. Dirty Gringo’s Manifesto 99 Meeting

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

25. Zeddy and Montea and the Morning After

26. The Sound of a Bird Chirping?

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

27. The Tall Spaniard Looks for Trouble

28. Natty Dead Discovers his Own Sorrow

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

29. Dirty Gringo - Reporter At Large

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

30. Montea Meets The Tall Spaniard

31. Barley May and Her Close Call

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

Book Three

32. From the Desk of God

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

33. The Major and Dirty Gringo Meet in Secret

34. Jimmy James and his Special Mission

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

35. DarkWater Rules

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

36. Dr Anita and the Bad, Bad Dream

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

37. Funeral for a Friend

38. Dirty Gringo, Blackstar and the State of Flux

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

39. Billy and the (Drone) Jets

40. Major Stursberg Smells Trouble

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

41. Something in the Air Tonight

Hawkins Bay Dispatch

42. Death Comes A-Knockin’

43. Kind of a Hush

44. From the Desk of God

About the Author

CHARACTERS

The Freedom Bunker

Blackstar - Homeland Security Cyber Unit (CyberU)

Blackstar began his spy years doing intel with the former National Security Agency (NSA). Now he is a 'reluctant soldier' in the CyberWars. His turf is the Homeland Security's Islamic Infidel Twitter feed (@IItf). It is the heart and soul of the cyberwar against terrorists around the world.

Bob Smythe - Hawkins Bay Mayor

As a first-term mayor, Bob Smythe knows full well he has been invited to join The Freedom Bunker on a technicality. He has no hope of ever exerting any control whatsoever over either The Ones or the Military, let alone the civvies.

Major Milton Stursberg - Freedom Bunker Chief

A true soldier's soldier, Stursberg was instrumental in setting up the Operating Procedures for both the Military and Civvie Sectors of The Freedom Bunker. Like his hero Alexander Haig, Stursberg has been waiting to 'take charge' for a very long time.

Dr Anita Bromberg - Medical Doctor

Dr Bromberg finished within the top percentile of her class in Medical School. If they had tested her social skills, she might have finished in the bottom 1%. She is the very epitome of 'an odd duck.'

Betty Deschamps - Heintz Heiress and Widow

Eighty-two-year-old Betty Deschamps is a proud card-carrying member of The Ones. In fact, she can likely count herself among the top 1% of the 1%. Her financial contributions assured her a place in The Freedom Bunker, despite her age. She also has one of the few 'private' rooms.

Tina Constantina - Maid

Tina Constantina has been working for Betty Deschamps for most of her adult life. She was 'grandfathered' into the position shortly after her mother passed away. She would rather die outside than live in The Freedom Bunker.

Coleman Perkins - Homeland Security Cyber-Tracking Unit (TrackU)

Coleman is another young recruit who joined Homeland Security eager to fight the good fight. He never tires of monitoring the cute women he sees on the CCTV he would like to screw.

Billy Bongo - Homeland Security Drone Unit

Billy is the Original DroneBoy. Like most boys his age, he grew up with a video game joystick in his hand, but unlike most boys his age, he found a job that took advantage of his otherwise useless skills. Billy can take out a dozen jihadists in less time than it would take most people to brush their teeth.

Devon Delaney - Security Trainer

As the main (and only) 'trainer' in the Homeland Security Unit, Delaney is tasked with bringing 'the kids' up to speed on their mission to 'preserve democracy' for future generations. He loves his job. He does not love his recruits.

Jimmy James

The term 'elite forces' will never be used to describe Jimmy James. When he failed to pass the police officer exam, or even qualify as a DarkWater security cop, he applied to 'work' in The Freedom Bunker as an entry-level ball boy.

* * *

Those Left Behind

Zeddy Bookmuller and Montea Lennox II - the Rasputin Hostel

Zeddy and Montea are two halves that do not quite make a whole, but like many of Those Left Behind, they have become very adept at surviving the daily terror and chaos wrought by decades of global war and climate change.

* * *

Dirty Gringo

As a former newspaper reporter, author and organizer, he has turned his attention to Manifesto 99, the ‘protest movement’ he created to fight back against the 1% who have found refuge in The Freedom Bunker.

* * *

Natty Dead

A “Preacher” without a real church or a real connection to ‘organized religion,’ his true calling has always been raising his daughter, Barley May. His ‘church’ is a tent in an abandoned amusement park on the outskirts of the town of Hawkins Bay.

* * *

The Tall Spaniard

Trouble with a capital T, he is not really a ‘bad seed’ but he does march to his own drummer. The tune is based more on ignorance than malevolence.

* * *

BOOK ONE

THE HAWKINS BAY FREEDOM BUNKER

Inside The Hawkins Bay Freedom Bunker

“War is not hell,” Hawkins Bay Freedom Bunker Chief Major Milton Stursberg once famously said. “Hell is hell. War is just war.”

War is just war. And death is just death. 

Major Stursberg is equally infamous for his ‘service above and beyond’ when, in the prelude to World War III, he demonstrated the feasibility of ‘limited nuclear attacks’ by wiping out a country the size of Switzerland. 

Because it was Switzerland. 

“Not since J. Robert Oppenheimer,” the newspaper headlines cried out with glee. 

He was hand-picked to run The Hawkins Bay Freedom Bunker, the local version of the hundreds of Freedom Bunkers designed to preserve the gold, cash, stock options and DNA of the 1%. 

And one day, God willing, Major Stursberg will lead his blessed flock back into the rarefied air of New World 2.0 and life will begin anew.

And what of Those Left Behind? They are not his concern.

* * *

CHAPTER1

FROM THE DESK OF GOD

MY WILL BE DONE

“And so it comes to pass that the Good Lord looks down upon The Good Earth and wonders -not for the first time- if He should finally put His flock of hapless humans out of their misery…”

“Oh, screw this,” God says. “Okay, plain English: I’ve had it with these clowns. Look at them! The floods, the melting ice caps, the pollution, the record temperatures.”

“I know, I know,” Mother Earth says. “We’ve been over this.”

“We’ve been over this. Is that really your takeaway from their mayhem?”

“You know my ‘takeaway.’ We have a God-given responsibility to save the planet, if not the inhabitants.”

“God-given! You’re not really going to use that line on me, are you?”

“If the shoe fits.”

“Listen, Sista,” He says. “They wanted to send a manned mission to Mars. Mars! As if I would ever allow them to destroy another planet.”

“We would not allow it.”

“Fine. We would not allow it,” He says. “So, will you please call the vote?”

“All you had to do was ask,” She says. “So, the Joint Motion.”

That We shall unleash without prejudice a lethal rein of catastrophe upon Planet Earth, with the express purpose of rendering its Citizens incapable of surviving and/or dispersing their demon seed to any other known universe.

“All in favor? Unanimous. And so it shall be.”

And so it is done. The hapless humans are no longer His problem. He is free to indulge in His most wondrous creations. One day, He might order a bowl of succulent strawberries for breakfast. Or savor a dram of single malt Scotch whisky or indulge in a delightful marathon of Care Bears cartoons or the splendid newsreel footage of the equally delightful Sexual Revolution.

“My will be done,” He jokes as He looks down upon the chaos. “On Planet B as in Heaven.”

“Our will be done,” Mother Earth says.

“Accentuate the positive,” He sings quietly to Himself. “To hell (laughs) with the negative vibrations.”

* * *

HAWKINS BAY DISPATCH

WAR STATUS UPDATE

MilSatCom Status Update

The forces of evil are once again on their hind legs. Our fighter jets have wiped out the insurgents who had taken refuge in a former water filtration plant.

The total number of casualties has not-yet been reported, but we can say with full confidence that the Jihadists will send dozens of Missing or Considered Dead telegrams this evening.

Additional updates to follow.

* * *

CHAPTER2

MAYOR BOB DIVES IN

After a decade of construction, kickbacks, infighting, and government incompetence, life is set to begin inside the Hawkins Bay Freedom Bunker.

Mayor Bob Smythe is making his maiden appearance as the head of the Hawkins Bay Freedom Bunker Civilian Team. 

He pushes the ceremonial button, and they watch as the external thermal door closes.

“Thank you, everyone,” Mayor Bob says. “Today is a momentous⁠—”

“Okay,” Major Milton Stursberg, the Hawkins Bay Freedom Bunker Chief says.

“As of now, I am in charge here. At 0100, we instituted the Freedom Bunker Code of Conduct, or FBCOC. There will be no deviation from FBCOC for the duration of our incarceration.”

“Incarceration?” Mayor Bob says.

“Did I say incarceration? I meant... something else.”

“I’m sorry, you have actually passed this...”

“FBCOC.”

“...without consultation.”

“On the contrary,” Major Stursberg says. “There was a great deal of consultation.”

“But not with us.”

“No, not with civilians. This is a military operation.”

“A military operation meant to protect civilians?”

“Well, a military operation meant to protect civilian freedoms, if that is what you mean.”

“You tell me,” Mayor Bob says. 

“The rules are very simple,” Major Stursberg says, hoisting a large whiteboard containing the details of the FBCOC.

Freedom Bunker Code of Conduct

We Stand United in our Fight to Preserve our Democratic Freedoms

We will Never Surrender

We will Resist our Enemies by Any Means Necessary

If You See Something - Say Something

Civilian possession or use of Firearms is Strictly Forbidden

Be Smart - Stay Alive

Signed on this date,

Major Milton Stursberg

Hawkins Bay Freedom Bunker

“Was it necessary to use so many capital letters?” the Mayor asks, to at least a smattering of laughter.

“Bob, you of all people should know this is not a time for levity.”

“So, where do we go from here?”

“What do you mean, ‘go?’ We are there. Our task now is to establish a sense of order that will carry us through until we accomplish our mission.”

“And the goal?”

“The preservation of our democratic way of life not lofty enough for you?”

“Well, that is admirable, but we need to establish mutual, workable goals within the bunker.”

“The Freedom Bunker,” Major Stursberg says.

“Yes,” Mayor Bob says. “The FBCOC mentions that.”

“Okay. I think we are done.”

“You can’t just adjourn the meeting,” Mayor Bob says.

“I already have,” he says as he and his men march out of the room.

All eyes turn to Mayor Bob. 

“So,” one of the despondent ‘citizens’ says. “Not quite what we were expecting.”

“I know, I know,” Mayor Bob says.

“So we are virtually prisoners, aren’t we?”

“Not even virtual,” says another.

“Well, time will tell,” Mayor Bob says. “Christ. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. We are in the early stages here. There are bound to be some organizational issues.”

“You mean a pissing match.”

“I mean a pissing match.”

“But we can’t win this. They said straight out - this is a military rather than a civilian operation. We are done. Toast.”

“Well, I know it looks that way, but, as mayor, I am not prepared to roll over and die. I’ll be damned if we stand by and allow them to do this to their -our- own… people.”

“Christ, Bob,” Simon Paul says, in private. “We’re screwed. Really and truly.”

“Of course I know that! I was at the same meeting.”

“I wonder. I would have expected a bit more blowback.”

“Divide and conquer. That was their primary objective, right from the get-go.”

“Well, if I had to pick sides…” he says.

“Well, pick,” Mayor Bob says. “But unless you have a uniform in your locker, I don’t think you can change sides.”

“That is the point,” he says. “I don’t want to be part of them. We need to stand up to them.”

“Of course we do,” Mayor Bob says.

“But?”

“There is no ‘but,’ Simon. It is a done deal. We will be stuck here for the rest of our lives.”

“You might want to keep that pep-talk to yourself, Bob,” he says. “Forever might be an awfully long time.”

* * *

HAWKINS BAY DISPATCH

WAR STATUS AND SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES

Confidential: Major Milton Stursberg

Meeting today was as expected. The ‘mayor’ is a cake-walk. I knew he would be. He was a perfect choice for the job. He fell into line quickly. Not that he had any choice. Made it clear we are in this for the long haul. We are running this show. No one was surprised. Suggest we use as a template for the foreseeable future. There is no reason to expect resistance from civvie quarter. 

* * *

Mayor Bob’s Juicy Journal

I know the scuttlebutt. It was a brutal day. I had such high hopes. I really wanted to show everyone I could be a leader. A real leader. But it did not work out that way. I feel bad. I know everyone was counting on me. And I also know that is why I was hired to do this job. I can be a dog with a bloody bone when needed. And today it was needed. But that darn Major. He is a piece of work that one. I have to suck it up. I can’t let anything like that happen again. I have to take charge. And I will.

* * *

Civvie Online Journal Entry

Topic: My new name

Posted by: My old name

After the ‘meeting’ today I decided to pick a new name. It is Prisoner Zero. The rest of you can fight over who will be Prisoner 01. Or 02. Etc.

Reply: That was a shit show. There is no turning back. And no future. We are all screwed.

* * *

Civvie Online Journal Entry

Topic: Thanks Bob

Posted by: Your Uncle

‘Nuff said. Toast. We are. No butter. Or jam. Just toast

* * *

Civvie Online Journal Entry

Topic: What the hell

Posted by: Anonymous

Jesus. What a hell-hole. There is nothing to do. I had more fun at my mother’s crappy tea-parties. And at least her tea was halfway decent. This stuff is crap. I hope it gets better. But why would it. Won’t such things just get worse over time?

Reply: You’ll get used to it

Reply: Really? And if I don’t?

Reply: if you don’t you won’t. where is the mystery

Reply: thanks for your support.

Reply: Screw you

Reply: Back at you

* * *

Civvie Online Journal Entry

Topic: What is her name?

Posted by: Horn E

Anyone know the name of that foxy cleaning gal? You know the one I mean! Lord. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. Someone help me out. I can’t live like this for another 40 years!

Reply: That’s my sista, bro

Reply: That my bro, sista

Reply: It is me. Why don’t you come up and see me sometime

Reply: Is that a penis in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me

Reply: Winner!

* * *

Civvie Online Journal Entry

Topic: The wine-list is shit

Posted by: Vineyard Man

It really is. I didn’t expect top-of-class from the best vineyards in the world but this stuff is rank. Perhaps we could set up a ‘special store’ where we could buy the good stuff?

Reply: Get real. You think your wine is bad? You should taste the beer! You won’t of course, but I have and I can tell you it is swill. I won’t ask if ‘we’ can set up a top-end ‘beer store’ of course.

* * *

Civvie Online Journal Entry

Topic: Security Badges

Posted by: Devon

I know you all must be tired of hearing this by now, but I really MUST insist people wear their security badges at all times. Not just the armed forces but everyone. We are here for the long haul and it is imperative that we have some sense of decorum.

Reply: What, are you afraid someone is going to sneak in and wreak havoc? Surely everyone in here now is supposed to be in here now.

Reply: Can we expel someone if they don’t wear their ID photo?

Reply: No, that is not the point at all. Our fighting men might only have a split second to decide if someone is friend or foe. A sanctioned ID badge lets them know in an INSTANT

Reply: fighting men and women

Reply: leave your wife out of this

Reply: you talk to my husband like that again and I’ll salt your wounds

* * *

Civvie Online Journal Entry

Topic: Sleepless in Hawkins Bay

Posted by: jjjj

Why do we have to keep hearing those damn Urgent Updates? Can’t they just post the news somewhere (like on here!) instead of blaring it on the loudspeakers all day and night? I really don’t need an update at 3:00 AM telling me that Jihad Johnny has farted. Can’t it wait until after morning tea?

Reply: Maybe if enough people complain they will stop

Reply: I doubt very much they are blaring those messages in the other sectors. So no, they won’t stop

Reply: Good point

* * *

Civvie Online Journal Entry

Topic: Civility

Posted by: Top Gun (Major Stursberg)

Would it be too much to ask to keep these comments civil in tone? This is not a dating site. Or a speakeasy. We expect everyone to do their job and know their place. That is all.

* * *

Hawkins Bay Dispatch Update

Are you aware that airborne impurities can be just as deadly as The Jihadists? A proper sanitary regime is as important as punching in correct coordinates for your guided-missiles. So please, remember to Take Two: Two minutes to wash your hands at least Two Times a Day. The life you save may be your own.

* * *

CHAPTER3

OUR FIRST LOOK INSIDE THE FREEDOM BUNKER

“Where is the Major?”

“Deep Cover.”

“Roger that. I have the conn,” he says amidst much laughter.

Major Stursberg enjoys watching his men via the two dozen CCTV cameras installed throughout The Freedom Bunker.

His troops are housed in the Military Sector (MilSec), which includes sleeping quarters, a cafeteria, a gym, and an entertainment complex.

This area is also home to dozens of DarkWater contractors who provide security within the bunker.

The double-thick walls separate MilSec from the other sectors, while also providing added protection against radiation seepage.

The Civilian Sector (CivSec) is the most problematic sector. ‘Regular’ citizens live here, including local politicians, middle-ranked socialites, former celebrities, and a skeleton staff of medical personnel.

CivSec is cut off from MilSec by a reinforced steel door which can only be opened from the MilSec side.

The Guest Worker Sector (GWS) is home to the maintenance workers, cleaning staff, wait staff, and golf cart drivers, most of whom are ‘aliens’ and therefore must work the hours they are told to work.

The Homeland Security Unit (HSU), is also known as The Circus. It lives up to its name. The CyberUnit, The Tracking Unit, and the so-called DroneBoys live and work within HSU.

They know their jobs, but they do not know the first thing about discipline. Major Stursberg calls them “civvies in sheep’s clothing.”

The High Priority Sector (HPS) is the sole reason Hawkins Bay and other Freedom Bunkers around the world even exist. HPS was bankrolled by The Ones as a means of ‘preserving democracy’ for future generations. The vaults also hold trillions of dollars in cash and gold.

HPS has many private rooms, and the richest also have private cooks and cleaning staff.

Major Stursberg’s Private Communications Bunker is the only other private space in the Freedom Bunker. From there, he controls cyber operations, drone attacks, and local boots-on-the-ground.

He has direct communication with the local bunkers and the District Military Center. They send him constant war updates, which may or may not be 100% accurate.

He enjoys cycling through the various CCTV cameras. Tonight he watches the doctor, Anita something-or-other. What in Sam Hill is she doing? Eyes wide open. Staring into Deep Space. .

She is a piece of work. Not entirely unattractive, but, Lord, that brain of hers seems half-baked.

* * *

HAWKINS BAY DISPATCH

WAR STATUS AND SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES

Confidential: Major Milton Stursberg

There is momentum. My men are coming together as a unit, just as I knew they would. We have a clear mission now. The ‘enemy’ is clearly defined. My men have been trained for battle. They will win this war against the civvies.

External visuals detected heat peaks, but nothing within our quadrant. But worth keeping an eye on.

Also detected small party of civvies within the Perimeter. They looked like lost misfits. Still, my men have been ordered to invoke Extreme Prejudice should they return.

* * *

Mayor Bob’s Juicy Journal

Things have calmed down somewhat. I wonder if Major Pain in the Ass has cottoned onto the fact that we are not going to put up with his bullshit. Everyone seems happier today. Maybe we are settling into a routine.

* * *

Civvie Online Journal Entry

Posted by: Scared shiteless

Topic: Scared shiteless

What is with the DarkWater dweebs and the military hacks. I am afraid to meet them in a dark hallway. Do they really have to be so… You know

Reply: Ain’t that the truth! I know they have to ‘keep control’ on the ‘outside’ but aren’t we supposed to be on the same team on the inside?

Reply: We are on the same team. It is their team.

* * *

Civvie Online Journal Entry

Posted by: Top Gun (Major Stursberg)

Topic: Civvies

The troops are here to protect. And keep everyone in line. I’ve seen more discipline in a cheese factory.

Reply: Thanks for the pep talk, Top Dawg. You warmed my cockles, that’s for sure. Just when I was beginning to lose all hope

Reply: Do you want to come over and spank me big dawg