to control the crowds, but they too were now exiled members of a country that had abandoned them with no prospects of help.
There was no longer order, laws, or rules. Everything was about survival now, and that's what the people in downtown San Diego repeated in their minds after every smashed window, stolen good, and punch they threw. I'm doing it to survive.
***
Smoke snaked its way up from the tip of the cigar loitering in General Gallo's hand. He brought it to his lips, inhaling the smoke as his cheeks puffed in and out.
“It looks like our congressman pulled it off,” Gallo said.
The general was surrounded by his officers. All of them turned to him with eager twitches. This was what they had been waiting for. It was time to strike.
“Our men are ready, General,” Colonel Herrera said.
“Patience, Colonel,” Gallo replied.
Gallo's eyelids were half closed as he peered through the wafts of smoke at his men. He ashed the tip of his cigar, and it crumbled to the stone floor.
“We'll let the Americans pull themselves apart, then when they're weak and tired, that's when we crush them. We are about to regain a part of Mexico's powerful heritage. Our nation has waited over one hundred fifty years for this. We can hold for a few more days,” Gallo said.
The men nodded, leaving Gallo alone in his office. Photographs lined the walls. The pictures of the men with Gallo included top Mexican officials, his family and estate, and an 1840 map of Mexico which stretched well into California, Nevada, and Utah. His eyes fell to the area of the map that was now Texas with a gaze that could have set it on fire. He took another drag from his cigar then rested it on an ashtray. The tip smoldered.
Gallo reached for his phone and dialed a number he knew by heart. There were a few rings and then a friendly secretary greeted him. “Gallo,” he said.
That was all the introduction he needed to utter. The phone rang again, and the general was greeted by a man's voice speaking at a low volume.
“I thought we agreed no contact until next week, General,” Jones said.
“I was calling to congratulate you, Congressman. It's not every day someone sentences forty million people to die.”
“I appreciate the felicitations, General, but now is not the time. The dust is still settling on my side of the line.”
“In our discussions, you said that Texas wasn't off the table.”
“I didn't say it was on the table, either.”
“Well, now it appears that it is most definitely off.”
“General, Texas was never guaranteed. Now, if you're choosing not to honor our agreement, then I would encourage you to reconsider.”
“Are you a student of history, Congressman?”
“I've had my share of schooling, General.”
“I have always been fascinated by history. What we can learn from it, what it teaches us. But throughout history, there is one constant that never changes. Whoever wins gets to tell their version of the story, and it’s the only one people listen to. I will honor our agreement, Congressman. You will still have the Mexican government's allegiance for your conquest in the south.”
“It's always a pleasure hearing from you, General.”
The line went dead, and Gallo smiled, setting the receiver down. He took a few more puffs of the cigar. Through the smoke, he watched the old map taunt him.
Chapter 2
Brooke pulled the last screw out of the solar panel and lifted it off the plate, disconnecting it from the rest of the solar farm around her.
Most of the panels were completely useless due to months of neglect accompanied by sandstorms. The extreme heat didn't help, either. But she had managed to find a few panels scattered around that would still be usable after a little TLC.
The shemagh wrapped around her head only left room for her eyes, which were covered by sunglasses. Almost every inch of her was shielded from the sun.
There was no longer order, laws, or rules. Everything was about survival now, and that's what the people in downtown San Diego repeated in their minds after every smashed window, stolen good, and punch they threw. I'm doing it to survive.
***
Smoke snaked its way up from the tip of the cigar loitering in General Gallo's hand. He brought it to his lips, inhaling the smoke as his cheeks puffed in and out.
“It looks like our congressman pulled it off,” Gallo said.
The general was surrounded by his officers. All of them turned to him with eager twitches. This was what they had been waiting for. It was time to strike.
“Our men are ready, General,” Colonel Herrera said.
“Patience, Colonel,” Gallo replied.
Gallo's eyelids were half closed as he peered through the wafts of smoke at his men. He ashed the tip of his cigar, and it crumbled to the stone floor.
“We'll let the Americans pull themselves apart, then when they're weak and tired, that's when we crush them. We are about to regain a part of Mexico's powerful heritage. Our nation has waited over one hundred fifty years for this. We can hold for a few more days,” Gallo said.
The men nodded, leaving Gallo alone in his office. Photographs lined the walls. The pictures of the men with Gallo included top Mexican officials, his family and estate, and an 1840 map of Mexico which stretched well into California, Nevada, and Utah. His eyes fell to the area of the map that was now Texas with a gaze that could have set it on fire. He took another drag from his cigar then rested it on an ashtray. The tip smoldered.
Gallo reached for his phone and dialed a number he knew by heart. There were a few rings and then a friendly secretary greeted him. “Gallo,” he said.
That was all the introduction he needed to utter. The phone rang again, and the general was greeted by a man's voice speaking at a low volume.
“I thought we agreed no contact until next week, General,” Jones said.
“I was calling to congratulate you, Congressman. It's not every day someone sentences forty million people to die.”
“I appreciate the felicitations, General, but now is not the time. The dust is still settling on my side of the line.”
“In our discussions, you said that Texas wasn't off the table.”
“I didn't say it was on the table, either.”
“Well, now it appears that it is most definitely off.”
“General, Texas was never guaranteed. Now, if you're choosing not to honor our agreement, then I would encourage you to reconsider.”
“Are you a student of history, Congressman?”
“I've had my share of schooling, General.”
“I have always been fascinated by history. What we can learn from it, what it teaches us. But throughout history, there is one constant that never changes. Whoever wins gets to tell their version of the story, and it’s the only one people listen to. I will honor our agreement, Congressman. You will still have the Mexican government's allegiance for your conquest in the south.”
“It's always a pleasure hearing from you, General.”
The line went dead, and Gallo smiled, setting the receiver down. He took a few more puffs of the cigar. Through the smoke, he watched the old map taunt him.
Chapter 2
Brooke pulled the last screw out of the solar panel and lifted it off the plate, disconnecting it from the rest of the solar farm around her.
Most of the panels were completely useless due to months of neglect accompanied by sandstorms. The extreme heat didn't help, either. But she had managed to find a few panels scattered around that would still be usable after a little TLC.
The shemagh wrapped around her head only left room for her eyes, which were covered by sunglasses. Almost every inch of her was shielded from the sun.
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