WEBVTT - After the Revolution: Chapters One & Two 0:00:01.680 --> 0:00:09.120 After the Revolution. Richardson, Republic of Texas, twenty seventy, Chapter one. 0:00:10.119 --> 0:00:15.160 Manny Manny smiled the way the British journalist's face blanched 0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:18.200 as the old Toyota hit the pothole. Reggie wasn't used 0:00:18.239 --> 0:00:21.479 to bad roads, cars driven by actual humans, or the 0:00:21.480 --> 0:00:23.520 way the heavy metal of the gun mountain the truck 0:00:23.520 --> 0:00:27.040 bed made the aluminum frame groan that was all familiar 0:00:27.080 --> 0:00:30.319 to mannye He'd grown up in Siadad de Muerta, back 0:00:30.360 --> 0:00:33.400 before the lake would blast, back when people had still 0:00:33.440 --> 0:00:37.040 called it Dallas. The truck's driver veered around the bloated 0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:39.120 corpse of a large dog lying in the middle of 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:42.199 the road. Reggie gripped the truck bed with white knuckles 0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:44.760 and eyed the swaying amo belt of the twenty millimeter 0:00:44.880 --> 0:00:48.360 cannon like it was a coiled snake. The gunner, Mannie's 0:00:48.400 --> 0:00:52.400 cousin Alejandro, grinned down at the journalist. The suspension's a 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:56.080 little focked, yeh. The Briton nodded and turned greener. When 0:00:56.080 --> 0:00:59.560 the technical hid another pothole, Manny supposed he should offer 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:01.720 a comfort in word to the man. That would be 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:04.679 good business, but a louder part of him looked at 0:01:04.720 --> 0:01:07.560 Reggie's brand new boots and thought he can stand a 0:01:07.560 --> 0:01:10.920 little less comfort. The journalists would brag about this ride 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:14.880 for months once he got home. Escorting reporters from the 0:01:14.920 --> 0:01:17.400 safety of Austin to the sundry hotspots of the Old 0:01:17.440 --> 0:01:21.679 Metroplex was not Manny's ideal career. Two years ago, he'd 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:24.400 been working on a bachelor's in business administration from the 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:27.320 University of Austin. The plan had been to get a 0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:30.319 job with Ages Biosystems, then charm his way into a 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:33.800 working visa and a gig in the California Republic. But 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:36.240 the fighting had started up again and ruined all that. 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:40.160 The culprit this time was the Heavenly Kingdom, a loose 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:43.760 assortment of Christian extremist militias. They'd boiled out from the 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:46.360 suburbs of the Old Metroplex and all but broken the 0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:50.680 Republic of Texas. The Autonomous City of Austin had stabilized 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:53.240 the situation with the help of an alliance of leftist 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:57.400 Texan militias the Secular Defense forces. Beating them back had 0:01:57.440 --> 0:01:59.920 cost a lot in blood and time, and forced man 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:02.520 to change every plan he'd ever had for his life. 0:02:03.000 --> 0:02:05.800 So he'd embraced the situation and started his own business, 0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:09.440 hiring on some friends as employees. Together they'd built the 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:12.760 best network of stringers in North Texas. His boys fed 0:02:12.840 --> 0:02:16.160 him video contacts and news updates, and he sold what 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:19.320 he could to the big foreign media conglomerates. In a 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:21.440 couple more months, he'd have enough saved up that he 0:02:21.440 --> 0:02:23.880 could fuck off, fly to Europe and apply for a 0:02:23.919 --> 0:02:27.040 refugee visa. Myons are pretty good as long as the 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:30.520 war doesn't end too soon. The technical rolled to a 0:02:30.560 --> 0:02:33.000 creaky stop in front of a checkpoint that had clearly 0:02:33.040 --> 0:02:35.640 been erected within the last few days. It was just 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:39.320 a collapsible electronic gate and two sandbag emplacements on either 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:42.800 side of the battered highway. A street sign nearby announced 0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:45.160 that they were on the edge of Richardson, formerly a 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:47.920 suburb of Dallas and currently a forward position of the 0:02:47.960 --> 0:02:52.679 People's Protection Army. A local anarchist militia manny could see 0:02:52.680 --> 0:02:55.720 the p PA's red black triangle emblem stitched onto the 0:02:55.760 --> 0:02:59.080 jackets of the soldiers guarding the checkpoint. One of the 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:01.239 p p A men walked up to the driver's side 0:03:01.240 --> 0:03:04.560 window and started chatting with Philip. The driver. Phil and 0:03:04.600 --> 0:03:07.840 Manny's cousin Alejandro were both with the Citizens Front, a 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:11.040 more or less a political militia from the suburbs of Austin. 0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:14.360 Both militias co existed under the broad umbrella of the 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:18.080 Secular Defense Forces. The SDF had been organized by the 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:21.760 Canadian government to lump all of North Texas's palatable militant 0:03:21.760 --> 0:03:24.799 groups into a single package that could be conveniently armed. 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:27.960 While the first guard talk with Philip, his partner did 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:30.320 a circuit around the back of the truck. The man 0:03:30.480 --> 0:03:33.600 was big, bulging, with muscles so sculpted and prominent they 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:35.760 had to be vat grown, and he moved with the 0:03:35.800 --> 0:03:38.640 twitchy ungrace of a man who replaced his nervous system 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:42.040 with circuitry. His weapon was a very old, very battered 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:44.800 a R fifteen with an M two four three grenade 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:47.880 launcher below the barrel. The latter was old U S 0:03:47.960 --> 0:03:51.120 military gear. The former had been someone's toy before the 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:54.600 revolution gave America's half billion civilian guns a new riis 0:03:54.640 --> 0:03:57.840 on debt. The man moved back to the barricades when 0:03:57.840 --> 0:04:00.160 he had finished his lap. Reggie looked up at any 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:04.240 and asked was he a was he chromed? Many smiled. 0:04:04.480 --> 0:04:06.520 That was always one of the first questions as soon 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:08.720 as any foreign journal saw a trooper with a large 0:04:08.800 --> 0:04:11.480 enough billed skin with an off shade, or who just 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:15.160 moved a little too fast to seem completely right. Anything 0:04:15.160 --> 0:04:18.920 beyond basic aesthetic and medical modifications were banned in civilized 0:04:18.960 --> 0:04:22.960 countries like the UK. The real chrome, the implants that 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:24.640 would let a man lift a truck or take a 0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:27.479 rocket to the belly that ship was locked up tight. 0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:30.760 A few national militaries even used the stuff these days, 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:35.080 not after the revolution. He's got some vat grown muscles, 0:04:35.080 --> 0:04:37.640 Manny said, in an off handed way that suggested such 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:41.359 things were common aftermarket nerves too. Probably his stuff is 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:45.080 low grade, that's why it's so visible. Reggie nodded. His 0:04:45.160 --> 0:04:47.880 eyes stayed locked on the big man. He was quiet 0:04:47.920 --> 0:04:51.240 for a while before he spoke again. You just live 0:04:51.320 --> 0:04:55.640 right alongside them, don't you, Manny shrugged. Everybody's got something 0:04:55.640 --> 0:04:57.600 out here and the wet wears. But lets us hold 0:04:57.640 --> 0:04:59.680 back the martyrs. They own the whole city if it 0:04:59.720 --> 0:05:03.080 weren't or half fats like him. The journalists nodded, and 0:05:03.160 --> 0:05:05.920 his gaze stayed fixed upon the militiaman until a troubled 0:05:05.920 --> 0:05:09.360 look crossed his face. He glanced back to Manny. Are 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:14.000 you a chromed Reggie asked. Manny smiled, I don't expect 0:05:14.040 --> 0:05:16.640 either of us as stock Sabienah, but I doubt I've 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:20.200 got anything you don't. Reggie seemed somewhat comforted by this. 0:05:20.920 --> 0:05:23.119 Most of what I've read about the really heavy moths 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:26.800 says they cause a lot of well unstable behavior. That's why, 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:29.600 that's why this city such a ship hole, Manny asked. 0:05:30.160 --> 0:05:33.240 The journalist had the grace to blush. Manny looked away 0:05:33.240 --> 0:05:35.680 for a moment. His eyes landed on the bones of 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:39.360 three large public housing buildings. A barrel bomb had detonated 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:41.640 in the center of the courtyard. All three shared. It 0:05:41.720 --> 0:05:44.279 had peeled away the walls, some of the floors, and 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:47.920 the resulting firestorm had burned up everything that wasn't concrete, steel, 0:05:48.080 --> 0:05:51.320 or rebar For just a moment, Manny felt bad about 0:05:51.320 --> 0:05:54.960 hoping the war hung on. In other six months, the 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:57.520 old government blamed a lot on roided up veterans with 0:05:57.600 --> 0:06:01.680 military grade mods. He told Reggie, most was just propaganda, 0:06:01.880 --> 0:06:05.160 fear mongering. People were pissed. After twenty years of plague, disaster, 0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:08.360 and poverty. Manny shrugged. It's true, though a lot of 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:10.960 chromed up vets turned on the government. You can't make 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:13.360 men into gods and expect them to keep fighting from men, 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:17.120 Reggie pointed back to the bolding militiaman, I take it, 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:20.719 muscles there is pretty far from a god. Nah, Manny laughed. 0:06:20.760 --> 0:06:23.240 He's just a guy with too much meat money. Gods 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:26.880 don't man check points. The Brit was excited. Now. These 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:29.520 were the questions he'd wanted to ask since they met yesterday. 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:32.159 Do you know where some of those people are? Reggie 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:34.400 couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice. Could we 0:06:34.440 --> 0:06:37.840 talk to them? Manny didn't have any of those contacts, 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:40.400 nor did he know any other fixers who did. He 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:43.039 tried to let the Brit down easy. Most of those 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:46.360 folks live ah on the road in between the civilized 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:50.440 parts of Texas and the Republic of California. Oh. Reggie 0:06:50.440 --> 0:06:53.039 looked disappointed. The truck rolled past the wreckage of an 0:06:53.080 --> 0:06:56.600 old Catholic school. It bore signs of being fortified, destroyed, 0:06:56.839 --> 0:07:01.080 re fortified, and redestroyed several times. The Brit was inches 0:07:01.160 --> 0:07:03.719 from asking another question when The gate man waved them on, 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:06.919 and the battered Toyota farted its way into drive, belching 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:09.520 and complaining, past a network of potholes until it hit 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:13.239 a relatively straight chunk of asphalt. Only a few minutes 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:16.560 now heife. Manny said, the p PA's forward position is 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:19.160 about five minutes out. He'll be in the ship then, 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:23.560 or at least should adjacent. The journalist's face washed over 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:26.560 in an even mix of anxiety and pride. One of 0:07:26.600 --> 0:07:28.680 the first lessons Manny had learned at this job was 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:32.800 that phrases like the ship made rich gringo writers unreasonably excited. 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:36.120 An excited journalists always called Manny the next time they 0:07:36.120 --> 0:07:38.760 were in country. Giving white kids in caffie as a 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:41.200 lifetime of bragging rights for surviving a couple of days 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:43.680 in his home killed his soul just a little bit, 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:46.640 But Manny pushed down the anger and told himself that 0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:48.800 a chip on the shoulder was a lot less useful 0:07:48.800 --> 0:07:51.800 than money in the bank. The Technical rolled off the 0:07:51.840 --> 0:07:55.360 old highway. Manny could see twenty three and Spring Valley 0:07:55.440 --> 0:07:58.360 Road and blasmed on a weather beaten bullets garred sign. 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:01.440 The Technical pulled to the right. The guns swayed in 0:08:01.480 --> 0:08:04.720 its mount. Manny couldn't help smiling as the brit instinctively 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:07.160 pulled away from it. They rolled up to what had 0:08:07.160 --> 0:08:09.320 once been a strip mall and was now a forward 0:08:09.360 --> 0:08:13.000 operating base for the People's Protection Army. An old laundromat, 0:08:13.040 --> 0:08:15.440 a bookstore, and a half dozen restaurants now had their 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:19.120 roofs ringed with barbed wire and machine gun emplacements. Manny 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.560 could see a line of bullet hole stitched across three 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:24.320 of the shops. None of the windows were intact, but 0:08:24.360 --> 0:08:28.040 otherwise the buildings had weathered the war rather well. Three 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:31.400 M one howitzers were parked next to a taco shop 0:08:31.440 --> 0:08:33.760 that had once served the local college, kid's beer and 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:36.400 sheep grub. There was a flagpole out in front of 0:08:36.400 --> 0:08:38.280 the shop, and from it hung the blue and white 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:42.080 starburst flag of the SDF. Three men in uniforms stood 0:08:42.200 --> 0:08:44.439 waiting as the old Toyota rolled to a stop and 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:48.640 Manny and Reggie disembarked. Two of the men were officers 0:08:48.679 --> 0:08:51.199 in the p P, A Colonel Jacob Milgram and Major 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:55.040 Deshaun Clark. Milgram was a boring, tight lipped nerdy type, 0:08:55.080 --> 0:08:58.079 but Deshaun was one of Manny's favorite sources. He was 0:08:58.120 --> 0:09:00.800 an old infantry guy, a consummate rawler with a face 0:09:00.840 --> 0:09:03.320 full of scars and three published books of poetry to 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:06.240 his name. He actually had a base of international fans, 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:10.200 mostly in Spain. The third man was Hamid Mohammed, an 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:13.760 adviser from Syrian Kurdistan. The Kurds had been giving aid 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:16.240 to the Sundry militias of the Secular Defense Forces for 0:09:16.320 --> 0:09:20.440 years now. Manny considered Hamid almost a local. He shook 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:23.040 hands with Jacob, since Manny knew De Shaun better. He 0:09:23.120 --> 0:09:24.959 met the man with a full embrace and used it 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:27.240 as an opportunity to palm the major a packet of 0:09:27.280 --> 0:09:30.360 his favorite cigarettes. Deshaun gave him a wink and a smile. 0:09:30.720 --> 0:09:33.240 Manny shook Hamid's hand next, and then kissed him on 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:36.120 the cheek. Hamid returned the kiss, clapped him on the shoulder, 0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:39.240 and said, Emmanuel, my friend, you really should get out 0:09:39.240 --> 0:09:41.600 of this business. One of these days you'll come up 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:44.920 here and it won't be safe. Manny frowned a little 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:46.800 at the use of his birth name, but he didn't 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:48.880 make an issue out of the matter. There's still a 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:51.280 war on right, he smiled. At Hamid. He'll get that 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:53.959 ship under control. Maybe I'll work a straight job again. 0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:57.080 Not too soon, though, he thought. The least this work 0:09:57.080 --> 0:09:59.080 can do was last long enough to get me out 0:09:59.080 --> 0:10:03.280 of Texas. Hamide smiled back, and Manny introduced Reggie to 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:06.840 the officers. The journalist was clearly awkward in that special 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:09.800 way Manny had come to expect from new war correspondents. 0:10:10.120 --> 0:10:12.640 It was the norm for young writers to be intimidated 0:10:12.679 --> 0:10:15.560 by grizzled military men. Some of them got over that 0:10:15.920 --> 0:10:18.400 Manny had worked with a middle aged dr Spiegel reporter 0:10:18.480 --> 0:10:20.920 last week could probably take in as much incoming fire 0:10:20.960 --> 0:10:25.000 as Major Clark. Colonel Milgram led them into the militarized 0:10:25.000 --> 0:10:28.800 taco shop. A brief blast of nostalgia squeezed Manny's lungs. 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:32.000 The place had obviously been closed since the revolution. The 0:10:32.080 --> 0:10:34.520 drink specials and meal prices printed on the wall were 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:37.120 given in U S dollars, a currency as dead as 0:10:37.120 --> 0:10:41.040 the last American president. Many recognized ads for bands and 0:10:41.080 --> 0:10:44.120 movies he remembered from his childhood. The glass facade had 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:47.000 shattered years ago. The kitchen had been gutted and replaced 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:50.280 by wall length screens displaying maps, of the city. At 0:10:50.320 --> 0:10:52.760 least a dozen uniformed men and women milled around the 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:56.240 space in small groups. He and Reggie sat down at 0:10:56.280 --> 0:10:58.880 a long picnic table with Hamide and the two officers. 0:10:59.360 --> 0:11:02.080 Reggie set his camera up on the table. It was 0:11:02.120 --> 0:11:04.600 just a small silver sphere, but Manny knew it could 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:07.520 record everything happening around it at a higher resolution than 0:11:07.559 --> 0:11:11.160 the human eye, and orderly brought in three beers, shinier 0:11:11.240 --> 0:11:13.720 box from Austin and one dark brown tea and a 0:11:13.760 --> 0:11:16.959 glass cup for hamade. The brit raised his glass in 0:11:17.000 --> 0:11:19.800 a friendly salute, thank you for meeting with me, and 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:22.719 then he started to ask questions. Manny leaned back in 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:25.120 his chair and enjoyed a long gulp of cold beer. 0:11:25.360 --> 0:11:28.240 If he wasn't needed to translate, he generally checked out 0:11:28.320 --> 0:11:31.160 during interviews. He used the free time to activate his 0:11:31.240 --> 0:11:33.120 deck and check in on the two stringers he had 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:36.319 working right now. David Allenby was up in Addison today 0:11:36.400 --> 0:11:39.199 taking a Californian documentary crew on a tour of an 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:42.319 STF training facility. He'd messaged Manny to let him know 0:11:42.360 --> 0:11:46.120 they'd gotten through the checkpoints without any issue. Oscar Martinez 0:11:46.120 --> 0:11:48.640 didn't have any journalists with him. He was embedded with 0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:51.720 a Republic of Texas police unit, getting footage from inside 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:55.480 a neighborhood that had recently been liberated from the Heavenly Kingdom. 0:11:55.520 --> 0:11:58.200 There were no new messages from Oscar. His last check 0:11:58.240 --> 0:12:00.920 in had been the night before. It was probably nothing, 0:12:00.960 --> 0:12:03.800 but it concerned Manning. Nonetheless, what if Oscar got a 0:12:03.800 --> 0:12:06.760 better offer for his footage. He'd always been loyal before, 0:12:06.840 --> 0:12:09.760 but if that funk from the Guardian had gotten to him. 0:12:09.800 --> 0:12:13.240 I'm interested in the Abrams Road bombing, Reggie told the colonel, 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:16.120 and Manny's attentions swung back to his reporter. That's an 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:18.840 odd thing to ask about. The bombing had occurred two 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:21.200 weeks back. It had been big news for a couple 0:12:21.240 --> 0:12:23.679 of hours. Manny had paid one of his contacts and 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:25.600 Ross a Front for a video of a walk through 0:12:25.640 --> 0:12:28.720 of the wreckage. It had brought in about three grand profit. 0:12:29.800 --> 0:12:33.160 The Abrams Road bombing was not a martyrdom operation. Colonel 0:12:33.200 --> 0:12:37.400 Milgram sounded almost angry, terribly sorry. Reggie said, you're right, 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:41.120 of course, there was no driver, so no martyr right right, 0:12:41.320 --> 0:12:44.040 Deshaun Clark said. He pulled a folded piece of white 0:12:44.040 --> 0:12:46.360 paper out of his pocket, opened it up, and smoothed 0:12:46.360 --> 0:12:48.360 it out on the table. It was a map of 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:51.320 the df W area, color coded to show the positions 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:54.400 of the various militias in the region. We operate eight 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:57.360 checkpoints on that part of the Richardson line, DeShawn said, 0:12:57.400 --> 0:12:59.640 as he pointed to each one. Five of them border 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:03.800 republ controlled territory. The traffic from there is mostly autonomous, 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:07.040 and those vehicles slaved themselves to our traffic management system 0:13:07.200 --> 0:13:10.559 before they can enter our territory. The other three checkpoints 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:13.760 border territory controlled by the martyrs. They don't see much 0:13:13.760 --> 0:13:17.400 traffic and they're all heavily manned. Reggie was quiet for 0:13:17.440 --> 0:13:20.040 a few seconds. Manny could almost hear the gears turning 0:13:20.040 --> 0:13:21.960 in the journalist's head as he struggled to find the 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:24.720 words for his next question. Would it be fair to 0:13:24.760 --> 0:13:28.880 say the autonomous checkpoints are less secure? Then, Deshaun smiled 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:32.680 a thin, quiet smile amid grimace. Colonel Milgram responded in 0:13:32.720 --> 0:13:36.480 a terse voice, the autonomous checkpoints have fewer defenders, but 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.560 they border Republic territory. The martyrs haven't pulled off an 0:13:39.600 --> 0:13:43.040 attack on one in quite some time. Was abrams Road 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:46.080 not on such attack. Reggie looked eager now like a hound, 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:49.640 following assent, we don't know who bombed Abram's road. Colonel 0:13:49.640 --> 0:13:52.560 Milgram said, no one's taken credit, but we doubt it 0:13:52.600 --> 0:13:56.520 was the martyrs. Why the journalist asked, Manny leaned in 0:13:56.559 --> 0:13:58.720 a little interested in spite of himself, at where this 0:13:58.800 --> 0:14:02.680 was all going to lead, perhaps, Amid said, you should 0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:06.000 read a bit more about this heavenly kingdom. They reject 0:14:06.040 --> 0:14:09.600 all autonomous technology. They even use remote human pilots for 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:12.920 their drones, like it's two thousand and fucking three. That's 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:17.120 why our skies are always clear. We jammed them. Reggie asked, 0:14:17.679 --> 0:14:19.680 is it possible they found some way to hack your 0:14:19.680 --> 0:14:24.240 defense system? Amid laughed, we bought this system from the Israelis. 0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:26.440 If you're telling me one of the Martyrs brigades has 0:14:26.440 --> 0:14:28.640 a hacker who can crack that, then I'm the King 0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:33.680 of Albuquerque. But something still went wrong, Reggie insisted, amid 0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:38.520 smile turned cold. This is war, mister Reggie. It's mostly 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:42.480 things going wrong. That's where the line of questions petered out. 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:45.400 Reggie asked them for access to the security footage from 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:48.520 the destroyed checkpoint, and Colonel Milgram agreed to send it over. 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:51.960 We'd like to speak to the survivors as well, if possible, 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:55.240 Mannie interjected, not waiting to see if the journalist would ask. 0:14:55.720 --> 0:14:57.960 He knew those men were all stationed behind the line now, 0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:00.120 which would make for a safer, easier rest of the 0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:03.520 day than heading up to the wire, of course, Colonel 0:15:03.520 --> 0:15:06.440 Milgram said, with a smile to Manny. They said their goodbyes, 0:15:06.480 --> 0:15:09.080 and then Major Clark walked them out to their waiting Toyota. 0:15:09.480 --> 0:15:11.720 The Texas heat hit like an oven as they exited, 0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:13.800 and Mannie was glad they'd be spending most of the 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:16.840 rest of their day in doors. Deshaun clapped a hand 0:15:16.880 --> 0:15:19.360 on Manny's shoulder as he lit one of his new cigarettes. 0:15:19.840 --> 0:15:22.240 It's good to see you, Emmanuel, he said, and then 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:24.600 he smiled at Reggie, and it's nice to meet you, 0:15:24.680 --> 0:15:27.280 my British friend. I'm sorry you've come to the front 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:32.440 at a boring time, why, Reggie asked, Because this Deshaun 0:15:32.560 --> 0:15:35.240 gestured at the gun emplacements and loitering militiamen of the 0:15:35.280 --> 0:15:39.840 command post. This is not war, not really. Your job 0:15:39.920 --> 0:15:42.520 is to help your people, children of peace and plenty 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:45.880 understand what is going on here. You must teach them 0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:48.760 the language of war, and to paraphrase a dead poet, 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:51.560 the language of war is a language made of blood. 0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:55.120 To be spoken, it must be earned. There was an 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:57.560 awkward pause, A little of the blood drained from the 0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:01.120 journalist's face. Hugh Nutty, Old fuck, Manny thought, with more 0:16:01.120 --> 0:16:04.800 amusement than fear. Classic de Shaun, he said, and laughed. 0:16:04.800 --> 0:16:07.440 To ease the tension. The major bid them both a 0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:10.200 good day, hugged Manny, and sauntered off back to the 0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:13.320 command post. Smoke from his cigarette curled up into the 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:16.320 air behind him as he walked. Manny's eyes lingered on 0:16:16.360 --> 0:16:18.560 it for a second before he turned back to Reggie. 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:21.560 Ready to go, he asked Jipper as he could manage. 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:26.880 Three hours, a handful of interviews, and one short drive later, 0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:29.240 Manny and Reggie arrived at their home for the night. 0:16:29.560 --> 0:16:33.840 The Richardson Autonomous Project, once a Walmart, now a twenty 0:16:33.840 --> 0:16:37.520 two year old experiment and sustainable urban living. The project 0:16:37.600 --> 0:16:40.960 was the furthest island of civilization on the SDF side 0:16:40.960 --> 0:16:44.800 of the front. It's militias steadfastly refused to involve themselves 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:47.960 in the region's greater conflicts. They'd been targeted a few 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:51.800 times by the Heavenly Kingdom. The SDF, by contrast, left 0:16:51.800 --> 0:16:54.400 them alone, so when a fixer like Manny found himself 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:56.440 on the wrong side of the L B J Freeway 0:16:56.480 --> 0:17:00.400 after dark, he could usually trust the project to provide food, booze, 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:04.720 and shelter for a price. Of course, sleeping arrangements in 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:07.360 the project were broadly communal. The bulk of the old 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:10.040 walmart had been converted into an indoor meadow, with grow 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:12.800 lights hanging from the rafters and a wide, lush field 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:16.280 of native grass sprawling across most of the inhabited space. 0:17:16.840 --> 0:17:20.280 Fruit trees, bushes full of berries, cannabis, plants, and copses 0:17:20.280 --> 0:17:23.320 of bamboo lined the edges of the space. The center 0:17:23.359 --> 0:17:26.159 of the field was dominated by a large circular kitchen 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:30.119 surrounded by a handsome oaken bar. Table tables, gazebos, and 0:17:30.160 --> 0:17:33.360 sundry personal structures dotted the field, along with a pair 0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:36.480 of dance floors. Reggie's face lit up when he saw 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:38.879 the bar. By the time Manny had dropped off their 0:17:38.880 --> 0:17:41.040 bags and paid Charlie and the driver for the night, 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:44.560 the journalist was already three beers in the brit wasn't 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:48.040 precisely drunk or sober, but at that productive twilight in between, 0:17:48.480 --> 0:17:51.640 he'd unrolled a portable screen and had a holographic display up, 0:17:51.840 --> 0:17:55.240 looping four separate sections of the security footage Colonel Milgrim 0:17:55.240 --> 0:17:59.320 had sent over. The journalist alternated between typing furiously scrawling 0:17:59.359 --> 0:18:01.760 notes in his lurnal, and taking huge gulps of something 0:18:01.800 --> 0:18:04.320 brown and foamy. He stopped working when he saw a 0:18:04.359 --> 0:18:07.760 Manny approach and waved him into the adjacent seat. Hey, brother, 0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:10.520 check this out. Manny pulled up a seat and the 0:18:10.600 --> 0:18:13.439 journalist directed his attention to a six second loop of 0:18:13.440 --> 0:18:17.080 footage from immediately after the bombing. It showed two man 0:18:17.119 --> 0:18:20.240 size silhouettes standing on top of an old garage. Many 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:23.000 remembered the building. It stood maybe two hundred meters from 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:26.320 the Abrams Road checkpoint. One of the silhouettes had a rifle, 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:29.639 the other held a short squat tube that Manny recognized 0:18:29.680 --> 0:18:34.400 as a camera lens. Notice anything, spotters, Manny said, Probably 0:18:34.400 --> 0:18:36.960 trying to get a kill count. No man, look at 0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:39.240 where he's pointed at. Kut's not looking at any post. 0:18:39.480 --> 0:18:42.520 He's looking straight back deeper into the old town, and 0:18:42.560 --> 0:18:44.600 I'll bet you he's high up enough to be staring 0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:48.600 right at Colonel Milgram's command post. Manny looked again. He 0:18:48.680 --> 0:18:52.159 thought about the angle. Okay, so what, he asked, You 0:18:52.200 --> 0:18:54.399 think this was a probing attack for some big action. 0:18:54.760 --> 0:18:58.679 The journalist shrugged. Maybe it's something new, is what interests me. 0:18:59.119 --> 0:19:01.399 Two years of modern them operations that all look more 0:19:01.480 --> 0:19:03.879 or less the same, and now this weird one, an 0:19:03.920 --> 0:19:06.640 autonomous vehicle bomb from a group of fanatics who think 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:11.040 autonomous vehicles of the devil. Yeah, Manny agreed, that does 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:14.280 seem weird. The bartender walked up and offered Manny his 0:19:14.320 --> 0:19:16.920 pick of the finest liquor in this particular war zone. 0:19:17.560 --> 0:19:20.160 Manny ordered a Shiner. It was the one beer drinker 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:22.560 could find across both the Republic of Texas and the 0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:26.040 Austin Autonomous Region. He looked back at the looping footage. 0:19:26.119 --> 0:19:29.080 They both watched it twice more. Then Reggie spoke up again. 0:19:29.720 --> 0:19:33.160 What have you heard about pasta, Mike, he asked. Manny 0:19:33.240 --> 0:19:35.439 stiffened a little bit at the name. He had heard it, 0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:39.120 of course, vague stories of rioting in Kansas, A fundamentalist 0:19:39.240 --> 0:19:42.760 uprising inside the southernmost territories of the United Christian States. 0:19:43.240 --> 0:19:45.720 He hadn't thought much about it at first, but two 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:48.920 years ago Pastor Mike had moved to Texas, shortly before 0:19:48.960 --> 0:19:51.919 the Heavenly Kingdom had declared itself. It was hard to 0:19:51.920 --> 0:19:55.040 say what role exactly the preacher played in the organization, 0:19:55.359 --> 0:19:58.919 but he was certainly its most visible face. I know 0:19:59.000 --> 0:20:01.359 who he is, Manny said. I know the Republic led 0:20:01.440 --> 0:20:03.480 him in because they thought his followers might provide a 0:20:03.480 --> 0:20:06.600 buffer against Austin's influence. I know that blew the funk 0:20:06.680 --> 0:20:09.919 up in their faces. Manny took a long drink and continued, 0:20:10.520 --> 0:20:13.160 that's an old story around here, the Republic using those 0:20:13.200 --> 0:20:16.080 gond fondling nut fucks to push back against the leftists. 0:20:16.600 --> 0:20:19.679 The journalist raised an eyebrow, and Manny instantly regretted his 0:20:19.680 --> 0:20:22.840 crude response. He didn't really care about religion one way 0:20:22.920 --> 0:20:24.920 or the other, but whenever he came out to the front, 0:20:24.960 --> 0:20:27.320 it was hard not to get a little angry, especially 0:20:27.359 --> 0:20:30.920 after a drink. Sorry, he said, it's been a long day. 0:20:31.359 --> 0:20:34.000 Reggie looked down, coughed, and took a sip. He looked 0:20:34.000 --> 0:20:36.800 back at Manny, took another sip and said, you know, 0:20:36.920 --> 0:20:40.879 that's another subject I'd rather like to cover, what Manny asked, 0:20:41.200 --> 0:20:45.320 anti Christian sentiment in North America. Manny grunted and looked 0:20:45.359 --> 0:20:48.000 down at his drink. The brit barreled on, You're not 0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:50.920 the first North American I've heard express anger towards Christians, 0:20:51.040 --> 0:20:54.720 he said, in California, Cascadia, the North American Federation. I've 0:20:54.760 --> 0:20:58.040