Chapter 26 — The Battle for the Twin Cities
A serial novel in the form of correspondence among a family while the world as we know it collapses around us. I recommend you start at the Introduction:
https://readmedium.com/climate-for-change-introduction-5331d5ab9313
But you can start anywhere you want.
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Chapter 26 — The Battle for the Twin Cities
Email:
Dear Carol,
This is Charlie. I wish I had better news for you. I am taking a big risk even sending this email, but what the hell, I could die tomorrow.
This morning the prison director announced that she is being replaced and most of the staff, including me, are being immediately re-assigned to the front lines of the battle. The director told me afterwards that word had gotten back to General Stewart that she had been too nice to guests. He had sent a spy who reported back all of the changes we made to make prison life bearable. Stewart’s response was to send some of his black-shirted secret police on a bus up north to take over the camp. We all went back south on the same bus. They gave us one hour to pack. I couldn’t even say goodbye to Ben and Jeremy. We are now in a base camp just North of the Twin Cities; tomorrow we deploy to the front to join in the fight against the Circle.
If there is anything that you can do about getting your son out of the camp, I suggest you do it now. I don’t think the black shirts have good plans.
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Website Chatbox (translated from Bulgarian):
Dear Mom and Dad,
We got news from Charlie that the camp where Benjamin is being held has been taken over by General Stewart’s secret police. That was just before the fighting started down here. We hear gunfire day and night, but there is no news. There are convoys of Stewart’s soldiers on trucks moving through the city and also long lines of soldiers on skis. And always the gunfire.
If you have any secret plan to get Benji out of there, now is the time.
Carol
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Email (translated from Bulgarian):
Dear Carol,
Your dad just left on his way up north. He wanted me to write to you, so you know what the plan is. He left with a team of people from the township. There were several Circle soldiers who went with him. They left on a little convoy of snowmobiles. Their plan is to avoid all of the Stewart roadblocks and checkpoints by taking the snowmobiles through the country. They brought fuel, supplies, and ammunition on trailers. They hope to reach Benji’s camp and overrun the defenses and free the prisoners. They are so confident. Of course, I am scared, but it has to work.
It is a bustle of activity here. Most of the fighting-aged adults are currently at the front lines in the fight against General Stewart. The students in my school have been cooking and packing meals and sending them to the front. The work is sun up to late at night. We are feeding many of the Circle soldiers as well as the township militia.
We are also running a hospital here. There are Circle doctors who were brought in Monday by helicopter. The injured soldiers and militia are being brought here on the trucks when they bring back the dishes from the meals. It is horrible. We have a sick bay in the dining hall and a little cemetery going behind the barn. We have had funerals every day since Tuesday.
The Circle has restored Internet service, so I can send and receive messages much more quickly. This is especially good because the improvised mail service is halted since the fighting started. Of course, we would do best to keep it in Bulgarian, for now.
You need to know that Melody’s photos of the young girls being forced into the General’s mansion and the body bags being carried out may be part of what pushed the Circle over the edge. When your father showed the Circle scientists all of the information he had about General Stewart, the thing that most caught their attention was the photos. It was just a few days after that that the convoys of Circle soldiers showed up and took up positions in a perimeter around the Twin Cities to prepare for the attack.
I know for a fact that they don’t want to cause civilian casualties. I doubt that the Circle will be randomly bombing the city, but just to be safe, you should stay in your basement whenever you can. How close is your house to the park where the military have their base? I wish you could get out of the city. They may not be bombing, but the Circle has more soldiers, and they will break through the General’s lines sooner or later. Then the fighting will be house to house. Then nowhere will be safe.
Love, Mom
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Dear Mom,
It is exciting news that Dad is finally on his way north. We have been waiting so long for something positive about Benji. Of course, it would be better if Dad were not heading towards a heavily armed prison camp. At least he is not in the fighting here in the Twin Cities. We have started to see the wounded showing up on our block, soldiers who have been injured and have been patched up and sent home to rest. Melody went to interview some of them for VeRU. The stories are awful, so bad that I don’t know if we should try to put them into an issue for the VeRU. I also am starting to question if I should be sending Mel out there to hear about the horror of war.
I have been thinking about what you said about house-to-house fighting. I wish there were another way. So many people will die.
Carol
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Dear Carol,
I have had word from the Circle that your dad and his snowmobile convoy are closing in on the camp. Now would be a good time for some luck.
I have had an idea about how we could help end this battle. What if we sent the issue of VeRU about General Stewart to all the soldiers fighting for him on the front lines? Maybe they would see that protecting him is not worth it? Maybe they would lay down their arms? I know that people know and respect VeRU. If you can send me the file, maybe I can get the Circle to print it, and they can do an airdrop or something.
Missing you more than ever. Love to Mel,
Mom
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Dear Mom,
Great idea about VeRU airdrop. Mel and Jorge are in the basement finishing the layout for the special issue. It will be in your inbox soon.
Carol
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Dear Carol,
The printing is happening now, the airdrop should happen within the hour. The Circle really wants to avoid more casualties. There is no news from up north. My fingers are crossed.
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Next chapter:
https://readmedium.com/chapter-27-the-liberation-of-the-camps-bcb6b685b004
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Author’s note: And if you are not yet a Medium member and want to find out what happens to Benjamin, you have two options:
- Join Medium. I think it is worth it! Use my referral link: https://gaertner-andy122.medium.com/membership
- Email me, and I will send you a friend link: