Colonel Henry Forrest was not finished briefing the commander in chief of the Georgia Republic about what he saw and heard in the intelligence suite moments before. He turned with a small amount of annoyance when he heard the rapid, insistent knock on the door. Looking to Jackson, he received a simple nod to respond to the sound.
"Come," Forrest said.
"Excuse me sirs, but I wanted you to see this live. I'll put it up there," Captain Dearing said when he rushed in the office.
A grumble came from Jackson when the screen illuminated to show Randall Flynn in Monroe's office. Jackson had previous heated exchange with this former Assistant Secretary of Defense and the bad blood was no better fifteen years later.
"How is this happening?" Forrest asked. "Wasn't the tracker on the suspected spy?"
"Yes, the first one was. It is still tracking with him, this is a secondary attached to the pouch he used to ferry documents. We weren't sure if it would ever be somewhere we could use the feed, but it is in the office at the moment.
"Have you considered my offer General?" Flynn asked Monroe who sat in his large chair behind the desk.
"No Mr. Flynn, that is not the reason I asked you to return," Monroe said allowing a period of silence to hang between them. Major Neville stood to his right with his arms behind him and his hands clasped in a type of parade rest.
"Okay, what is it I can do for you?"
"Have you been to the Georgia Republic to make a similar offer to General Jackson?"
"No, I have not. Why do you ask," Flynn said seeming as cool as possible with the pressing question.
"Can you tell me why," Monroe asked, studying the man's face for any hint of deception.
"The Georgia Republic is not as strategic as yours. Your level of militia organization is what will be necessary to assure the future of what remains of this country."
"I see," Monroe said, nodding as if this reply made so much sense to him. "What if I told you the organization in the Georgia Republic far exceeds your information?"
"I'm afraid I don't understand," Flynn replied, offering a slight smile.
"I just received a report from an operative who spent forty-five days scouting within the Georgia Republic. According to him General Jackson is putting a navy to sea."
"A navy? You mean sailing ships with old cannons?" Flynn chuckled.
"No, first of all it will be small craft, but according to my operative soon there will be destroyers."
"General Monroe that is impossible," Flynn smiled confidently.
"Apparently it is not."
"But sir that would require…"
"Electricity, yes," Monroe answered.
The smile faded from Flynn's face as he considered the possibility. He remembered the utter determination of General Robert J. Jackson. His personality was the reason he succeeded in posts others did not. He wondered what Monroe knew but was not willing to share.
"The program Rachel and Ben Matheson worked for you on that caused all this. I understand it made the possibility of transporting energy impossible on the existing networks."
"Your knowledge of that program intrigues me, General Monroe."
"You forget I had Rachel Matheson here with me for a long period."
"You had Rachel here?" Flynn asked, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
"I guess the Department of Defense afforded you much more information about what was going on than you have now," Monroe smiled.
"To go back to your original question, yes, the program rendered existing infrastructure unusable."
Monroe stood and walked around the corner of his desk, making a short circuit to the corner opposite the desk and returning as he spoke. "So what would be required to say, put an entire city back on the gird?"
"With my help it could be done."
Monroe nodded thoughtfully as he stopped near a globe of the world to study the outline of the former United States. He rested his fingertips in what was the center of the Georgia Republic and turned his head to look at Flynn who still shuffled in his seat.
"You have no agents on the ground in the Georgia Republic?"
"General I feel you have some knowledge that might benefit me to hear."
"According to my operative General Jackson has cities back on the grid and is firing up the major ports."
Major Neville watched Flynn's reaction closely as his commander uttered the words. He knew he saw a flinch before the man replied. Monroe saw it to, but did not acknowledge.
"That's nonsense," Flynn assessed. "They would need electricity on for several months to manufacture the equipment to replace the cabling alone."
"One would assume if they are able to manufacture the hardware for electricity they can do other things."
Flynn's mind shifted into a hyper aware mode as all the limitless possibilities he had dismissed within the first year of the blackout suddenly reentered the equation.
"So Mr. Flynn you can understand your limited offer does not appeal to me as much as it might have just twenty four hours ago."
"General, have you considered this might simply be a misinformation campaign by the Georgians. Or perhaps your man was turned," Flynn smiled, seeming to regain his smarmy demeanor.
Monroe stared silently at Flynn then spoke slowly and deliberately. "Mr. Flynn I need the pendants and amplifiers you promised as soon as possible. I also need at least that many more within the month. If you desire my protection you will make sure I have that within the timeframe."
Flynn slowly stood and glared at Monroe while considering his response.
"General, I will send your first order along soon as I can. You just do your best to find Rachel Matheson for me!" With that said Flynn spun on his heel and marched out the doors of the office.
The former Defense Department employee pushed past members of the militia as he scrambled for his car. Sitting in the seat, he punched the buttons on the satellite phone he carried and waited for a response.
"Do something for me. Check the RAMSCON sweep for signs of electric signatures in the Georgia Republic. Just do it!"
Flynn stared through the dusty windshield as he waited for a reply. Multiple scenarios played in his mind during the fifty two second interval between his command and the response.
"How many hotspots? You are sure? Damn that Jackson, he changed the game."