Mike composed himself from the scare, and followed his boss. Jeanie and Larry joined them after they'd found a table to themselves with a good view of the small television which sat on a table in the corner of the room. After a moment of silence the screen lit up with a live picture of a young, uniformed army officer.
"Please stand by your television sets," the man said. "In a few moments you will hear an important message from General Ebenezer Gauge, of The United States Army."
The screen went blank again for a few minutes, then it was filled with the oppressive form of the general. His appearance was that of a middle aged, slender man, with graying hair. His face was well lined from worry, and it looked like he'd never smiled. In short, he looked like the bringer of trouble; lots of trouble, indeed!
"Good afternoon," he began, "as you probably know, the violence in The United States Of America is growing in monstrous proportions every day, because of present conditions. I, as well as all of you, am getting sick and tired of it, and most of all, certain people in our government that promise fervently they will do something to curtail the havoc, and never keep their promises. Therefore, I have taken over for The Joint Chiefs Of Staff, and have decided to form my own organization against crime and violence in this country. There are now hundreds of servicemen from all branches of our military fighting for peace under my control. Our forces will be known as United Rebels For Peace, and many cities are supporting our cause. We have men stationed everywhere, and will handle violence with the only unfortunate method of punishment we know to succeed in helping the community....violence in return. We will be forced to shoot to kill anyone taking part in a violent act, or, initiating violent acts within our territory. It is the only way to handle our society.
I now have The Pentagon and other government buildings surrounded by my people. The Joint Chiefs or any other law enforcement personnel will not interfere with my plans whether they are military or civillian. They are all in my power. That is all I have to report right at the moment, but to stay tuned for any further messages. And remember....I will keep my promises! This is General Ebenezer Gauge of The United Rebels For Peace, signing off."
Dr. Cooper leaned back in his chair, looking like he was going to be sick. Mike stared at him, stunned by the news.
"If you'll excuse me, I have to get to my office and make a phone call," Cooper finally managed to say. "I want to find out exactly what's going on, and how many people are in on this fiasco!"