The next effort to storm the capitol building was far better organized and led. They came at the building from three directions, each covered by a mix of riflemen armed with high powered rifles and automatic weapons.

In the room where GO Thomas and the journalists were sending out their live feed Nancy heard the pop, pop, pop of small arms fire. Raking her right index finger across her neck, she signaled Jan to cut their interview. Prepared for this, Jan raised her hand up to the side of her head as if she were listening to someone in a studio in Washington talking to her via a hidden earpiece. Then she looked into the camera in front of them. “I have just been given word that there is another story breaking, so we’ll have to leave this interview.” This announcement left the two newsrooms, Jan’s and Anderson’s, assuming that the person making the cut was the other journalist’s producer. Turning to face Thomas, Jan forced a smile. “I would like to thank you for your indulgence, Governor.” With that, she nodded and the camera clicked off.

When she saw that the live feed had been cut, Nancy pushed open the door and ran out of the room. Turning to Jan, Sam Anderson made a face. Jan pointed out the door the Guard officer had left open. “We do have a breaking news story. We just can’t broadcast it yet.”

Outside Nathan watched and waited. Within the first minute of the attack two of the paratroopers that were with him went down, serving notice to the others that the militia meant business this time. Pressing himself against the wall, he alternated between looking along the line of windows where his men waited anxiously for someone to give the order to fire and down the corridor to where he hoped Nancy Kozak would soon appear. By the time she rounded the corner at a run screaming to open fire, the first wave of militiamen had made it across the street. Unfortunately for those that followed, her order to fire came just in time to catch them in the open. Having seen their companions make it without any problems, those poor souls had thrown caution to the wind and rushed forth. Their slaughter came as quickly and completely as it had for those who had made the earlier, failed attack. While this fire from the paratroopers brought on a renewed hail of gunfire from the militia positions across the street that cost Nathan another man, it served to isolate those foes who had made it into the building.