Wings of Fire Ch. 01

Killing all his flunkies that were there, they left only Hitler, Goebbels and Rommel alive. Surrounded by the hostile women and with their forces in disarray, they were dragged through the town of Nuremberg to the town square. Despite their calls to the people for help and promises of rewards, no one was willing to challenge such fierce and committed warrior women.

Margaret, in an unusual circumstance, had brought with her the katana sword that had been passed down in her mother's family. She kept it with her whenever she flew as a good luck charm and as a way of keeping her mother close. Almost every widow carried such a weapon, in the circumstance they had to go to the ground to survive. Most were family heirlooms and still serviceable, so each widow was trained in the use of their weapons.

She had it bared now and, serving as judge, jury and executioner, she condemned all three men to death. Rommel had at least the balls to go out like a man, asking for a clean death, a soldier's death. Margaret granted that to him and stabbed him through the heart, killing him instantly.

Goebbels whined and cried like the coward he was, calling it unfair and saying that he should have been spared from all of this. He tried to blitz and run, only to be cut down by Yasmin, using her dead husband's scimitar. Hitler was defiant to the last, calling them all weak and useless cowards who could not find it within themselves to kill a god. Margaret shut him up by lopping off his right hand, causing him to bleed all over the place, screaming in pain.

Once he had quieted down enough, Margaret said as loudly as she could and displayed it for everyone to see that 'Gods don't bleed!' With that, she beheaded him in front of everyone who had gathered to see their Fuhrer die. Taking his head from the ground, Margaret let out a harrowing war cry, stating that they had slain the false god and that the German people were now free.

Some people wept for losing Hitler, as some of them still believed in the man. Others looked like they wanted to close in and kill the Widows for their transgression. Moments later, soldiers burst out from between the buildings and surrounded the Widows. Only these weren't Nazi soldiers, they were Wermacht. The commander told the Widows to come with them, as the Nazis and SS would be here soon, but the people wouldn't challenge the Wermacht as they were.

Seeing she had little in the way of options, Margaret and her Widows went with them. They were all taken many miles away, to a secret estate just outside of Bamberg. It was there that they met with the leader of the organized German resistance, Graf Von Stauffenberg. He was grateful to the Widows for dealing with the problem of Adolf Hitler and killing him in such a grisly fashion. This ensured the German people that their 'god' was a mortal man who was now dead.

By doing him that favor, he granted the Widows amnesty, so they would find safe passage out of Germany. With Hitler dead and his inner circle out of Germany or deceased, Stauffenberg seized power as the new Chancellor of Germany. His first order of business as Chancellor was to organize Germany's surrender to the Allies. He broadcast the proclamation in German, French, Russian and English, so that his meaning could not be misconstrued.

In that singular move, Von Stauffenberg had wound down the war to where there was barely any resistance. All that remained was tracking down the final three of Hitler's inner circle and the soldiers they had surrounded themselves with. That battle was decided on Russian soil and once it was ended, the Allies sought to clean up the mess that Hitler had left behind. With Nazism dead and gone, all of Europe rejoiced as the great dictator was finally dead and all traces of his regime would soon be eradicated.

With the war over, Margaret and her Black Widows made ready to return to the U.S., assured by General Patton himself that they'd be returning to a hero's welcome. With that, Margaret, Yasmin and all who survived the Raid of Nuremberg prepared themselves to go home. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be receiving a hero's welcome, but a Traitor's March.

Von Stauffenberg, now part of the Allies, was privy to what exactly was going on behind the scenes. The U.S. would arrest Margaret, and all who followed her, prosecuting them as traitors. Not wanting to see such brave and courageous women, who to him and the German people were living, breathing Valkyrie, he got a warning to Margaret directly.

Stauffenberg pulled together an information packet containing the documents that proved the Americans' malice. After thanking Stauffenberg, Margaret gathered her battle group and told them what was happening. When she finished explaining, she offered for those who wanted to leave the option of doing so, as for many of them, this wasn't their fight. Not a single soul left that day, as they had all fought and bled together. They were family, and no one leaves family behind.

With that, they gathered their forces and fled into the Pacific, through the Suez Canal. They thought to join up with or integrate into the new Empire of the Rising Sun, since the entire world hailed them as heroes. But once they were in range of U.S. communications, they had learned that much had changed at home while they were gone.

While they were busy fighting the war, much had been changing back home in the U.S. Minority groups of all kinds had risen up. Mainly to protest against the government and the way it was treating its citizens, who were as American as apple pie. Many of the citizens who were mistreated were nonwhites and the whites who sympathized with them. The memory of the Gullah Wars and the atrocities perpetrated were not forgotten. The constant mistreatment of anyone who was not white had stoked the United States into a powder keg ready to blow.

Although she loved the United States and all that it was supposed to stand for, many Americans were treated little better than slaves. The Widows had learned that most of the resentment that was brewing was situated in the western United States. Opportunity was in the air, and Margaret took the biggest gamble of her life. She ordered the flotilla to head for Los Angeles, full steam ahead.

When the Widows arrived, the mayor and citizens of the city greeted them as heroes. They lifted many a glass of beer and spirits to them for their initiative and their bravery. They also left glasses full for all of those who were lost in the fight. Margaret, however, wasted no time, as the resentment for the politicians in D.C. was reaching a fever pitch.

Despite the ceaseless propaganda machine that was the U.S. government and military, too many people refused to believe it. Both the politicians and the top brass of the military were saying horrible things about the Widows, but no one believed them. Because of the constant stream of lies, which few outside of the whites believed, cities across the U.S. were reaching a boiling point. Riots had broken out in the streets, and the entire country teetered on the brink of another civil war.

Margaret made her move by publishing the communiques between the various Allied commanders and their subordinates. Most importantly, she published the orders that had come from Truman himself. By making it public knowledge for all to read and know about, a second revolution seemed all but certain. It was then that Margaret executed her masterstroke, by stating that U.S. they believed to exist was a myth. That if there was to be a government which would judge everyone fairly, then it was up to all of them, the people, to make it happen.

She called for a secession of all states that no longer wished to remain in the United States. It was a call to form their own independent Republic, where people of all races and colors were welcome. A place where everyone, regardless of descent, religious or sexual orientation, could be free to determine their own destinies. Not have them dictated to them by the greedy and wealthy whites who were currently in power.

The outcry for secession spread across the U.S. like a wildfire, with many people taking up its banner and cause as their own. Many who were once marginalized by an uncaring society now had the courage to rise and fight back. They believed for the first time in centuries that they could fight back and win.

Blacks, Latins, East Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Native Americans, everyone rose up to fight back. Not only did the minorities rise, but so too did many whites who had spouses who were of a differing ethnicity. Also those who could not in good conscience continue with oppressing their fellow human beings stood with them. Both the military and the political elite were shocked and stumped when nearly half of their remaining armed forces abandoned their posts to join this cause.

With this new development and with public opinion against them since the end of the war, the U.S. tried to seek help from the other Allies. But they had their hands full with rebuilding their own shattered nations and could contribute nothing. The Black Widows were a worldwide name and universally recognized as heroes. Even though they had broken many laws in the U.S., the opinion of the world at large, aside from a few small political groups, was against the political elite.

Once they had learned of this, they had no choice but to allow the secession to proceed. With a summit being held in Bethesda, Virginia, both sides signed a peace accord, to ensure that no aggression would be tolerated from either side. On top of which, nearly two-thirds of the U.S. was ceded to the people of this new Republic. What was once the great nation of the United States was no more.

Although the Republic was formed, there were differing ways that were believed on how to govern it. Many wanted their own areas, which held the vast majority of their people, to be under their own governance. Negotiations were tense from the onset, but eventually, all factions within the Republic agreed to separate into two independent entities.

They would then be known as the Independent Republic of California and the Nation of Indigenous Peoples. All races were welcome within their borders and the laws were primarily the same, but with subtle differences, such as their own traditions, holidays, and the like. The Republic would encompass most of California and Arizona, all of Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, while neatly bisecting Wyoming and Montana.

The Nation of Indigenous Peoples would contain the former states of Colorado, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Half of Louisiana was also ceded to the Nation and what remained of Wyoming and Montana, and most of Texas.

Meanwhile, the entirety of Florida, the southern tips of Alabama and Mississippi, the other half of Louisiana, and everything from the Austin city limits all the way to San Diego voted to join Mexico in what would soon become the Central American Alliance. This Alliance was comprised of every nation in Central America and every island in the Caribbean, which longed to throw off the oppressive British rulership.

The border of this Alliance would be the border that separated Panama from Columbia and to the new borders defined by the recent secession. Despite being a separate entity, they proved to be friendly allies to the newly formed nations, and trade would soon flow freely. Most of the Eastern seaboard, along with whatever states weren't claimed by the Nation of Indigenous Peoples, became the new United States of America.

Despite their losses across the globe and the serious blows to their power, both Britain and the U.S. persevered, holding onto what they had left. Once the secession was concluded and the Bethesda Accords were signed and documented by all sides involved, things changed rapidly. Many people on both sides left the homes they knew and immigrated to the lands they wished to live in.

The mass exodus of both sides began in nineteen forty-nine and would continue until nineteen fifty. It was at this point that the U.S. would close its borders and begin a strict no cross policy, which was enforced with the military standing guard across the border. Soon after these orders went into effect, walls and permanent gun emplacements would go up, meant to both keep people out and in.

Although the new laws forbade anyone from leaving the U.S., there were exceptions. Primarily in the case of mercenaries and other soldiers of fortune. With its drastically depleted military, the U.S. turned to whatever mercenaries they could hire to bolster their ranks. Most of said mercenaries were used to help patrol their borders, to keep the people in and any potential invaders out.

James huffed in exasperation at why he and his mother had stayed here in the U.S., especially considering his heritage. Unlike his English name, James was not purely white. He was what Hawaiians would call a 'Hapa' which meant mixed. His mother was white, but his father, from what he knew, was Japanese, which made him a target here in the United States.

At twenty-four years old, standing at five foot ten, James was a handsome young man. With thick raven black hair, which he kept cut short and styled, in line with how other young men of the day were wearing their hair. He was of a medium build, just shy of muscular, with features that were a complete blend of his heritage, accented with brown eyes, and a rugged jawline. He didn't have a full five o'clock shadow yet, but he supposed he had his Asian genes to thank for the slow growth of a beard. When he felt like growing one, it would come in with no patchy areas and would be full Viking like beard.

Standing up, he stretched out, popping his joints as he put away his book beneath his mattress. He had to be careful when he read them, because the possession of such books was punishable by six months of jail time, minimum. That was if he was lucky and wound up with a judge who would be sympathetic to him and, as far as he knew, there were none.

He stood there for a moment, thinking and mulling over the decisions that his mother made, which had them stay in the state of Virginia. James also thought back to the weeks previous, when he found his mother dead in her bed, as he went to wake her for the day. He mourned his mother's passing and was still grieving after her funeral and wake, when he was unceremoniously thrown out of his own house and home.

Apparently, the will stated that all the assets of the Brighton family were to go to the eldest living Brighton man in the family. Sadly, that wasn't him, but his uncle Andrew and now that he had full control of the estate, he threw James out. His uncle had always hated him, calling him a stain on the family legacy, because his mother had loved a 'yellow skin'. Once kicked out, they told James to never come back, unless he wanted to be either arrested or shot.

So, James went to the one place where he was at least tolerated, which was this airfield. Although the owner, Manfredo Marino, wasn't fond of him by any means, James was useful around the hangar. That he was a 'half-breed' was tolerated, but he knew he was stepping on thin ice. Manfredo had wanted to get rid of him, but because of his skills as an airplane mechanic, they let him stay.

James seethed with rage as he wanted vengeance on his greedy and narcissistic uncle. Unfortunately, James was powerless, being as he was. He had little in the manner of friends and even then; they were more like acquaintances. That and they denied him his mother's share of the family fortune, his uncle assuming complete control of the entire estate. Since he had little in the matter of finances, all he could do was continue to skate by on his boss's good graces. Even then, he could sense that those days were ending.

A loud and furious voice then snapped him out his recollections, calling out for him. Sighing in annoyance, James turned around and kneeled before his cot, making it seem like he was deep in prayer. The door to the small closet he stayed in burst open, revealing a short and angry young man about his age. The words 'Pezzo di mierda!' flew out of the man's mouth and he berated James for lazing about on the job. James rolled his eyes as he realized that those words meant 'Piece of shit' in Italian. Standing, he turned and regarded Roberto Marino, Manfredo's son.

"Your lunch break was over five minutes ago! What the fuck have you been doing for the past five minutes?!?" the black-haired man fumed.

Roberto was infamous around the airfield for having a temper as short as he was. Barely at five foot four, he made up for his lack of height in sheer ferocity and viciousness to his subordinates. Considering that nearly everyone at the airfield was taller than he was, he took out his frustrations on everyone who was taller than him. James was a constant target of his harassment, and it irked the bigger man to no end.

"I was just finishing a prayer for my mother," James stated as calmly as he could.

"Oh," Roberto popped out, as his rage deflated as quickly as it came. Despite his short temper, Roberto was a deeply religious man, as was most of his family, being devout Catholics. Since James' mother had passed recently, they granted him some leeway to say prayers for her, being her only child. Roberto also knew better than to insult James or his mother, Anna, as it would be very un-Catholic of him to do so.

There was also the fact that if Roberto said anything of the sort, that his mother, Giada Marino, would hear about it. If there was one person who Roberto feared at all on the earth, it was his mother. She was difficult to anger but took insults to the dead and the grieving seriously. If there was one thing that James knew, it was to never, EVER, piss off an Italian mother, if you valued your hide and your life.

"Well, if you're done, get out into the hangar. Papa is unveiling something new for all of us to see," Roberto mumbled as he shuffled away.

Satisfied that his ruse had worked, James dusted his clothes for breadcrumbs and closed his closet door behind himself. Walking past the lockers where the pilots stored their belongings, the man sighed. He longed for the days to be able to suit up and jump back into a plane like he used to. Sadly, those days were ending. He marched into the main hangar and past several of the planes that were sitting idle inside.

A sizeable crowd had gathered around the entry point of the hangar, where there was something massive underneath a cloth cover. Manfredo stood in front of the crowd, making sure he had their attention, then cast his eyes about to look for any stragglers. He caught sight of James and glared at him in disapproval.

But since he was near where the men had gathered, Manfredo kept his mouth shut. An older version of his son, albeit a few inches taller, Manfredo had the look of a typical Italian American man, with the black hair, mustache and olive skin. He also carried himself as a man of means and importance, of which he was both, but James was certain that Manfredo's money bought him the importance.

"My friends and colleagues, this day is a good day to be a part of our team here, at Marino Aeronautics. Today, you all get a special preview of exactly what we will unveil to potential clients and the U.S. military," he orated to the crowd of men. "Here and now, I will show you what exactly we have been working on in Hangar Five. A secret project we have undertaken that we are certain will change the fate of aeronautics for all time!"

James almost scoffed, but kept his mouth closed and his face as neutral as he could. Manfredo, or 'Manny' as James liked to refer to him as, was every bit the typical blowhard, taking anything that was considered good and dressing it up as something exceptional. He remembered the last time he had given a similar speech, with a new plane design he claimed would make them all rich men. How those like Howard Hughes would be envious of what they had crafted.