David stood in his power armor as over a hundred soldiers of the NG surrounded his HQ building. Expecting such a thing to happen, David sent everyone inside and told them to hide. Not that Jake and a few others listened as they took up positions around the building to fend off the potential siege.

On one hand, David could believe what was happening because people were stupid. And people in power believed their shit don't stink. On another hand, America just went through a thorough cleaning out of its leadership. Dozens, if not hundreds, of well-established families that ran the country, were outright exiled, executed, or imprisoned emmass when the economy collapsed. To a lesser degree, the military was also purged.

David could not help but remember that day when he was thirteen. His mother was one of the protestors at the foot of the Whitehouse. A turnout had appeared unlike ever before. Not since the black rights or the woman rights movements had something of such scale occurred.

He was at school in math class when a buzz went through the school. Within minutes everyone knew of the Protest Massacre. And right upfront of the unedited live footage David saw his mother still gripping her protest sign. Both she and it were filled with bullet holes. David remembered helping her make that sign that said, ‘WHAT OF OUR RIGHTS?’

For three years David was lost to the system. John’s parents had taken him in while the rest of the country was on a witch hunt. Till some sorry lawyer found out about him and got him a hundred million-plus. (not including the even larger number he took for a cut for himself)

In truth, David did not much care about the money before the change happened. He had it and he had no real care anymore. Something his friends did not even know about David was he minored in law. It was his dream of a power suit that kept him going. But it was his mother’s memory that he sought something more. Seeing the soldiers before him suddenly made him think of her.

“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have kept them together, and to assume among the powers of the universe, the separate and equal station to which the ones that govern those laws above us, a decent respect to the opinions of all kinds requires that they should declare the causes which compel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the creators with certain unalienable rights. Among those rights are Life, Liberty, and pursuit of Happiness. To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, and derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.``

David turns and slowly moves to a nearby table where a bulletproof case rested. Inside rested the original document with the words David just said. David could not believe how stupidly cheap it was in the shop, and wondered why no one had picked it up.

“ I remind you of all the words of our ancestors, slightly amended to better fit our current situation, but nonetheless no less true meaning than when they first made that document almost three centuries ago. In front of you all, I shall admit I have made mistakes. I have made plans and schemes. But I did not realize till last night the greatest mistake I made was the same one we all made. We did not elect an official body of oversight over our military leaders.

Now I ask this of you all. Why is the military here at my front door? They would say because I plan on abandoning my duty to my country and take my knowledge and wealth and ceding from the United States of America. To that, I ask this. Where are our elected officials? Where are our civil servants?”

David paused again to pick up an American flag and grabbed it by the ends before showing them all it.

“ What our military leaders have not revealed, is our national government went bankrupt. With debt so huge there is not even a land of the United States of America anymore. The very land of our country belongs to another now.”

David places the flag back down and picks up a map to show everyone in a similar manner as the flag. There were gasps from many, even the soldiers as David showed them an image of America carved up like a pie and who owns each piece now.

“ Now something else the average person may not know. Right now all {Oaths}, {Contracts} and {Pledges} are system enforced.”

David puts down the map and picks up the final item on the table.

“ This is a copy of my contract with the leadership of the faction we are calling the National Guard. It states I have certain privileges and rights in return for a large number of {grunt starter kits}. I shall ask you this. The National Guard is part of the Department of Defense. A segment of a government that theoretically no longer exists at this location.”

The accusation sent gasps through many of his listeners. Even some from inside the order’s HQ.

“ So with that realization, the question becomes, how does the faction call the National Guard to exist? That answer is twofold. The first is when I first made this contract, I put aside one billion credits, that is ten million dollars for those still using the old terms for them to use in return for the rights and technologies of our government's entire history.

From the printing press and before all the way up to holographic technology. Naturally, there are extra fees attached to this, but they are redundant at this moment. The second is they have the power to enforce this belief because of all the {grunt starter kits} I gave out.”

David turns and tosses the contract back on the table.

“ To sum up my point. As the true owner of those kits, I can, at any time, rescind their use if I feel our agreement is endangered. At which time the system will take the kits back and a billion credits of, well credit. As the kits are used, damaged, and otherwise devalued. I shall instead demand the market value of the kit instead of the actual kits themselves. That is another half a billion-plus.”

David raised his hand and a copper hundred credit coin appeared in his hand.

“ I ask once more. Why are there soldiers at my doorstep? Because my intent has always been to get a share of the hard work of our ancestors, my actions have only been a benefit to the American people here today. And when the bugs come it is here I shall be.”