The Almighty Dominance

General Mark sat in the temporary command room overlooking Los Angeles, certain the night would end without trouble.

He had a thousand soldiers under his command. The rebels? Maybe two or three hundred.

Their target was eight thousand ragged, starving people scattered across the streets-bodies thin, hungry, and unarmed.

To Mark, they were nothing. A thousand rifles would erase them easily.

"Hey—what's happening? Our link's gone!" one of the comms men suddenly shouted.

Another soldier raised his head, pale. "Same here, sir. We're dead on this side too."

"Is the L.A. communications team taking our connection down too?" Mark's voice cut through the room.

"Get someone over there now. Tell them to bring the feed back online."

As the soldier hurried out, Mark waved his hand. "We still have military landlines and radios. Bring them up for now."

The man on radio duty worked the controls. "Sir, the frequencies are jammed— we're getting nothing."

General Mark yawned, "Don't worry. Our soldiers won't lose to the homeless just because we lost communications. They need to learn responsibility too."

He straightened his uniform, more for show than comfort. "I'm going out for some air. Call me if the lines return."

"Yes, General." The salute snapped, nervous.

"Come with me," Mark said, gripping the secretary at his elbow in a public, possessive gesture as he walked out.

"After this is over, I want to enjoy myself. You ready with what I asked for?"

The secretary smiled, "Yes, sir. I selected twenty young women, all ready. I'll have them at your mansion by tomorrow."

"Perfect. Since Alfred Kingston is Governor, life's become heaven," Mark laughed, a bitter, greedy sound.

Outside the base, a sniper watched the compound from a shadowed rooftop. His scope tracked General Mark's movements.

"Report," he whispered into his throat mic. "I have a clear view of General Mark as he walks out. Request permission to engage."

At the command console, one of Bella's secretaries leaned forward. "Miss Governor, we have visual. Do you authorize a take-down of General Mark?"

"Do it," Bella said without hesitation.

"Permission granted," the secretary confirmed into the sniper's net.

A single breath. A single pull.

The round sliced through the night wind and smashed into General Mark's skull.

He dropped at once-like a puppet with its strings severed.

The secretary shrieked, stumbling beside his body. She tried to lift him, but his head was half destroyed, blood pouring in rivers, soaking her hands, her dress, the floor.

Her scream tore upward, raw and wild, echoing into the dark sky.

Before death, all were the same. Power, rank, wealth-all of it was nothing but illusion.

"Command, this is Shadow One. Target neutralized. Mission successful. Over." "Copy that, Shadow One. Excellent work. Stand by for next tasking. We want eyes on the remaining military leadership. You are cleared to proceed at your discretion. Over."

One moving to

orders to soldiers to slaughter the

poor and the homeless fought back-raw, furious, armed. The shock struck the soldiers like a

resistance suddenly realized death was closer than they

could those who struggled just to find food now have guns and bullets in their

about detaining!" a captain screamed, his voice snapping

finished, a glint answered him: a round

folded, eyes

Eleven to Command: Captain neutralized. Casualty

and identify any additional captains or personnel attempting to

search for remaining leaders and

the city like a

dead, no one could shout a warning to the others. No one was

only facing the homeless-weak,

themselves wide

communication, they scattered like chicks without a mother hen-easy targets, their arrogance making it effortless for the

of the street, a massive crowd surged

crowd, Vermont's elite soldiers in disguise moved seamlessly

doors, cracking open the vault and passing out cash and

fast-Los Angeles turned inside out

their homes, stealing

house-the rotten judge who always favors the elite," one protest leader barked. "He buried us in his courtroom. Tonight we take it back." Judge Carl had been living lavishly, sleeping with two

Kingston appointed him head judge, money and power had flowed easily into

at the sound of a gate being

hundreds of faces

stammered, backing into

is." Ten hungry

after the judge locked his door, people kicked at

man, hair matted and face hollow from years behind bars, stepped through the splintered

put me in prison for twenty years for a crime I didn't

rich. You burned my life down. Remember

begged, his palms raised like

through marble and chandeliers. It

city, the

party rooftops places where the wealthy had stacked their laughter like armor-fell

the rich now flooded through velvet

their

with

from the depths of their

human, so are

for happiness-so are

money made us different, then our numbers and our power

different too.

fear death? So do

other, since there has never

another.

We fear each other.

of fear always says: kill first

you kill us, or we kill you—until nothing is left

are born

their wives, they killed

protect their children,