TAKING TEXAS is a geopolitical thriller and philosophical drama that traces the rise of a covert network—AmendX—from ideological inception to the negotiated secession of Texas from the United States.
In the wake of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, three university students—Michael Bishop, Samantha Sloan, and Nikoli Borodin—begin questioning the long-term stability of American systems. What begins as intellectual debate evolves into a shared conviction that large-scale governance has become too slow, too politicized, and too resistant to meaningful reform and the polarization. Hatred growing among society seems to need an outlet.
Over the next two decades, the trio quietly assembles a distributed network of elite operators across technology, science, military, finance, society and government. Bishop provides vision, Sloan builds operational structure, and Borodin develops the technological backbone. They are joined by key figures including defense contractor Derek Holden, political leader Jackson Cooper, and scientist Sakti Sharma, each contributing to a system designed not to protest the existing order—but to create a new one.
Operating under the name AmendX, the group infiltrates institutions, builds parallel infrastructure, and develops proprietary systems for communication, energy independence, and governance. Their strategy is not revolution through force, but transformation through preparation: constructing a fully functional alternative before revealing its existence.
As global instability increases—punctuated by events like the September 11 attacks and the Iraq War—AmendX accelerates its efforts. Texas emerges as the ideal test ground: resource-rich, culturally independent, and politically viable. Over time, the group acquires land, builds hidden infrastructure, and recruits a cross-section of society, from billionaires to teachers.
Internal tensions rise as philosophical disagreements surface—over justice, individual rights, economic responsibility, and the moral cost of engineered change. Personal sacrifices mount, lives are lost, and trust is tested – all in an effort to create something better.
The turning point comes when a controlled “event” near Sweetwater, Texas triggers global panic and forces attention onto the group. Rather than escalate into conflict, AmendX leverages perception, demonstrating technological superiority while minimizing actual harm.
Public awareness grows. Government confusion deepens. In a pivotal move, the sitting U.S. President agrees to meet with AmendX leadership. What follows is not war, but negotiation.
AmendX reframes secession as “The Grand Experiment”—a smaller-scale governance model designed to test solutions rapidly and transparently. Texas is granted provisional secession under a negotiated treaty, allowing free movement between jurisdictions while both systems continue to coexist.
In the aftermath, the group stabilizes and is left alone, but the world outside continues its downward spiral. Texas functions effectively, but remains under constant pressure to avoid the same systemic decay it sought to escape. The United States adapts, cautiously observing.
Years later, Samantha Sloan reflects on the outcome. The revolution did not end in collapse or triumph, rather it did not end at all.
The experiment is still in progress, and there is more to come…