“Very good, sir.”
Beck Castle had been constructed many years ago by Howard Beck as a safe haven for what he considered to be the most important creation in the history of mankind: the first artificial intelligence, his friend Hal. He also built the massive underground complex as an ark for the continued existence of the human race in the event of an extinction-level event. Should the end of the world occur, he had originally planned to ride it out with his family and a select group of people safe and sound in Beck Castle. If the public had known Howard Beck was building an Armageddon bunker twenty years prior, they would have mocked him, the very idea labeled outlandish and wasteful. When the collapse of America brought the mighty nation to its knees, Howard had the last laugh. With the aide of his advisors and Hal, Howard ran a nation spanning over half a million square miles populated with over fifteen million citizens, from a bunker five hundred feet below ground. He had no intention of ever relocating the seat of government to Seattle or anywhere else.
* * *
General Richard Dupree’s stealth craft slowly descended from an altitude of one thousand feet down to a barren stretch of land in front of the entrance to Beck Castle. Every inch of the highly sophisticated craft had been coated with billions of tiny nanobots that rendered the craft invisible to both radar and the naked eye. The nanobots also served as an effective shield in combat.
Richard had observed radio silence for the last fifty miles of the journey. Howard insisted that the measure was unnecessary since all forms of communication with the Castle were encrypted and impossible to detect. As commander of the PSA’s military forces, Richard insisted on it, reminding Howard that the day might come when the UAE would break the encryption, and it was best to err on the side of caution.
The pilotless craft slowly taxied onto the landing pad. Seconds later, the landing pad descended into a small hangar bay beneath the surface. Richard exited the craft and stepped into the elevator to make the forty-five-story descent below the surface to Beck Castle.
“General Dupree, sir, I trust your journey was uneventful?”
“It was, Hal, thank you. When will I be meeting with the president?”
“President Beck is ready to receive you at your earliest convenience.”
Richard didn’t need to ask Howard’s whereabouts; the president spent every morning in the command center tending to the issues facing the Pacific States of America. The young general had spent the past three weeks visiting the military bases scattered around the territory. When the nation collapsed in 2027, the Unified National Guard was absorbed into the UAE under the direction of Supreme Commander Carl Moody, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Powers Administration. Moody scrambled to consolidate the Unified National Guard and the bulk of the military into one fighting force to protect and defend the Unified American Empire under the rule of President Simon Sterling. When Howard Beck deployed his tech army of automated craft and robot soldiers to capture the territory he now governed, his primary objective was to secure all the military bases inside his borders. The task was much simpler than anyone had anticipated. The military force inside the territory had sworn an oath to protect the former democratic government. Only a small percentage of the soldiers had to be exiled to the Unified American Empire.
Richard’s most challenging task was exerting his authority over the senior officers on the liberated military bases. It was obvious to these veteran officers that the presence of Howard Beck’s tech army meant he was calling the shots. If they wanted to enjoy the freedom and protection afforded those within the Pacific States of America, they had to accept the fact that Richard Dupree, a man at least twenty years their junior, was in charge.
Richard had been gone on the three-week tour to ascertain the battle readiness of the PSA’s army. The UAE had left them alone for the past few months. They had their hands full with The Silent Warriors, a stealth regiment of Muslim warriors the Great Empire of Iran had sent to infiltrate America prior to the Collapse of 2027. The Silent Warriors were comprised of small terrorist cells that had no communication with each other. Their mission was simple: to wreak as much havoc on the American people as possible. The Great Empire of Iran had unleashed the final, crippling blow that guaranteed the Collapse of 2027. Iran called the event “The Star of Allah.” A nuclear warhead was detonated high in the atmosphere over the Eastern Seaboard. The resulting electromagnetic pulse destroyed every electronic circuit from the East Coast all the way to the Mississippi Valley. The UAE, along with the American people, refused to adopt the name given by Iran and instead referred to the event as “The Pulse.” It was the perfect cover for the Silent Warriors as they came out of hiding and attacked the nation with unrelenting force. Reconstruction efforts, under the supervision of Regional Governor Jackson Butler, had a difficult time restoring the infrastructure of The Pulse Zone. Governor Butler was able to make gradual progress, taking two steps forward and one step back to deal with The Silent Warriors. Richard was thankful for the diversion; it gave the Pacific Army time to prepare a critical blow against the UAE. The final hurdle was convincing Howard that the idea was a sound one.
The elevator came to a stop on the command level, and Richard made his way down the corridor to his quarters.
“Hal, inform the president that I’m going to take a moment to settle into my quarters and I will be with him shortly.”
“Very good, sir. General, I have some news to share with you. Would you like to hear it now or wait until after your meeting with the president?”
“Depends. Good news or bad?”
“Very good news, sir.”
“By all means, go right ahead. I just need to change clothes and freshen up.”
“Yes, sir. Per your request, I have been monitoring all channels of communication within my grasp for any reports on the slave trade.”
“Haven’t heard anything in months. What’ve you got?”
“Well, sir, the UAE has turned a blind eye to the slave trade in the past, as you know.”
“Of course, they have much more important things to do than stop human trafficking.” Richard gritted his teeth in anger.
“This morning, the UAE released a directive to all eight regional governors to investigate and apprehend any group or individuals believed to be involved in the sale or transfer of slaves.”
“Why the sudden interest?”
“Sir, it seems that Regional Governor Weygandt lost two grandchildren to slave traders. The children wandered off from a local park, and a nearby resident witnessed their kidnapping. Governor Weygandt deployed his forces and rescued the children a few hours later. The slave traders were brutally tortured, and their corpses were hung from a bridge to serve as a warning.”
“Well, at least now we’ll be getting decent intelligence on the slave trade. Hal, I want every single detail sent to my tablet for review. If you come across any credible information about Chrissy, I want you to notify me immediately.”
“Of course, sir.”
Richard had spent much of his children’s lives behind bars. Eight years prior, the ex-Navy SEAL had walked into the church nursery to pick up his children, only to find the caregiver masturbating as a group of innocent children, sans clothing, played in front of him. Richard brutally murdered the old man in front of his own son. While he was in county lockup awaiting trial, Richard discovered that his ex-wife had become a drug addict and was putting his children’s lives at risk. He escaped from prison in an attempt to rescue them. During his time as a fugitive, Richard was responsible for the accidental death of a hiker. He was sentenced to twenty-five years at a supermax prison for his crimes.
During the Collapse of 2027, Richard was able to escape yet again and make his way to Denver to collect his children. He located his son, but the joyful reunion was short-lived when he discovered that his daughter, Christina, had been sold to a man for the cost of a tank of gas. Richard had no leads as to her whereabouts. With nearly half the country plunged into darkness than
ks to The Pulse, finding her became next to impossible. The Unified American Empire restricted travel with various roadblocks and checkpoints, so Richard wouldn’t make it far unless he knew the right people and what they would find valuable as a bribe. His best course of action was to use the resources at Beck Castle to find credible information that might lead him to his missing daughter.
Richard had spent most of his life harboring distrust and disdain for his fellow man. During his time with the Navy SEALs, he traveled the world and saw firsthand the level of depravity to which mankind could sink. Richard was not naïve enough to think America could avoid the descent to third-world-country status after the collapse; he was, however, shocked by the rapidity of its decline. In eighteen months’ time, the slave trade was a booming industry. Men, women, and children of all races were captured by slave traders and forced into manual labor to rebuild the broken areas of The Pulse Zone. The UAE gladly turned a blind eye to the slave trade; by employing slaves, the brutal crime lords were actually accomplishing the reconstruction they had difficulty doing themselves. It was rumored that the regional governors were secretly hiring the slave traders. Richard wholeheartedly believed the buzz because the UAE made no attempt to squash it. Now that the grandchildren of one of the regional governors had been captured by the slave traders, the matter suddenly had monumental importance. It was just the break Richard had been waiting for.
With a quick shower and fresh clothing boosting his spirits, Richard exited his quarters and made his way to the command center. He was looking forward to seeing his son but didn’t want to pull him out of school. “Hal, what time does my son go to lunch?”
“Eleven thirty, sir.”
“When he breaks for lunch, have him return to our quarters.”
“Of course, sir.”
Richard stopped outside the command center and waited for Hal to announce his arrival. Howard did not stand up to greet him as he entered; he didn’t even take his eyes from the screen before him.
“Hal tell you the good news?”
“Yes, Mr. President.” Richard was accustomed to Howard’s lack of social graces. He’d given up trying to shake the man’s hand since he seldom returned the gesture.
“Richard, what have I said about the ‘Mr. President’ nonsense?”
“I wasn’t aware you’d resigned.” Richard smirked, enjoying the friendly banter.
“I haven’t resigned! I just hate all the fancy protocol!”
“It was a joke, Howard.”
“Not a very good one.”
“I’ll try harder next time.” Richard enjoyed giving the president a hard time. He had become very fond of the man in the last eighteen months. Howard Beck was the most brilliant man he’d ever known. He could expound upon any number of things, and it would immediately go so far above Richard’s head that the man might as well have been speaking Greek. Richard loved to aim subtle sarcasm and humor at Howard and watch the genius struggle to comprehend it; it wasn’t the same, but it was fun to turn the tables on him.
“Richard, before you tell me what’s on your mind, I want to talk to you about something.”
“Sure.”
“Max thinks I’m just being paranoid, but I have concerns about the security of Beck Castle.”
“You are paranoid, Howard, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
“I’m growing concerned that security is becoming too lax down here. We have far too many civilians living here. If I had my way, we’d empty out this place of all non-essential personnel.”
“Howard, you can’t run the PSA by yourself. The entire staff down here is dedicated to keeping our country together. You can’t ask them to live here full time without their families. The refugees we took in after the collapse have nowhere to go; we can’t just evict them.”
“You sound like my son.”
“Well, he’s right, you know. What exactly are you afraid of? Everyone granted access to Beck Castle undergoes extensive security checks.”
“That’s all well and good, Richard, but what happens if a Silent Warrior or a UAE spy manages to get down here? We’ll lose everything. All our accomplishments will be for nothing.”
“Howard, the only thing we can do is continue to be fiercely vigilant in our screening process.”
Howard gave up and changed the subject. “You have any plans for this coming Monday?”
“I’m sure I do.”
“Want to come to Seattle with me?”
“Not particularly. Why?”
“Senator Wilson is having a banquet or some nonsense.”
“You mean you’re actually going? I’m shocked. Don’t recall you ever going to any social function.”
“I haven’t, but my son won’t stop badgering me about it. He keeps insisting that I’m an inspiration or a symbol of something. I don’t really understand the point. I figure if I go to one he’ll leave me alone for a while.”
“He’s right, you know. The people want to see their president.”
“Will you come with me?”
“Have you asked Max?”
“Not yet, but I want at least one of you to go with me.”
“If he doesn’t want to go, I guess I’m your man. Is Max here? I’d like to talk to both of you.”
“I’m not sure. Hal?”
“Director Harris is in his office, sir. Would you like me to summon him?”
“Please.”
“Very good, sir.”
* * *
Maxwell Harris sat at the cramped kitchen table next to his wife, Elizabeth, sipping his lukewarm coffee as she breast-fed their four-month-old son, Thomas. Max was studying the holographic read-out projected above his tablet and making plans for the day.
“Busy day?” asked Elizabeth.
“Very.”
“How’s your leg?”
“Same.”
Elizabeth leaned forward and put her hand on her husband’s. “What’s wrong?”
Max’s smile was perfunctory, betrayed by the exhaustion in his eyes. “Nothing, sorry. Didn’t sleep very well last night.”
“Don’t know what you’re complaining about, silly. I’m the one that got up with your son three times.”
“I know you did, Momma. I’m just feeling cooped up living underground. I’d like to get some fresh air and see the sun for a change.”
“You’re the one in charge of security; no one can stop you if you choose to break your own rules.”
“Gotta set the example, but it’s still hard. We can’t have people coming and going as they please; we gotta keep the location of this place a secret.”
“I know. So what’s the plan for today?”
“I have a few reports to follow up on. I got an anonymous tip that Janet Smith is being beaten by her husband. She has a black eye and made up some story at the infirmary about tripping over some misplaced furniture.”
“Anonymous? How is that possible with Hal watching our every move?”
“It’s not. The first thing I did was have Hal play back the security footage in the hallway in front of my office. Turns out Janet’s neighbor slid a note under my door.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“It’s no different from when we were cops in Texas. Can’t do much if Janet doesn’t press charges. She’ll more than likely side with her husband out of fear and continue with the lie.”
“I know you better than that, Maxwell. You’re not going to just drop this.”
“I’ll tell Mr. Scumbag that his landlord will boot his ass up to the surface if he doesn’t get his act together. That’ll get his heart right real quick.”
“You can also tell him that if I so much as see one scratch on Janet, he’ll have to deal with me.”
“Well, my dear, you are the muscle in our gang.” Max shot her a mischievous grin.
“I don’t know about that. You can whoop some serious ass with that cane. Maybe we can get one with a sword inside of it.”
“Cute. What’re y
our plans for the day?”
“Debbie is going to hang out here today. When little man here goes down for his nap, Howard wants me to review the security protocols for an emergency evacuation.”
“Really? Why? Is he concerned about something and not telling us?”
“I don’t think so. You know how Howard is. He wants a contingency plan for everything.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“Richard’s due back today. That should make for some excitement.”
Max smiled. “Totally forgot about that.”
Max stood, grimacing as he reached for his cane. The injury to his hip and knee had left him in chronic pain for years. Three or four times a year the pain was so intense that he relied on a cane just to shuffle about. This particular spell had lasted the better part of a month, which was unusual. He leaned down and kissed his son’s head, then his wife’s cheek.
“I love you,” Elizabeth said.
“Love you, too, baby. I’ll see you at lunch.”
Max limped his way to the elevator and made his way to his office. Peering through the large window, he scanned the lobby of the security department to find his dedicated constables already hard at work. He knocked on the glass and waved Dennis Twigg to his office.
“Sir?”
“Sit down, Dennis.”
Dennis Twigg was a valued member of his security team. He’d served six years as a military policeman and twelve years in the Border Patrol. He was the first constable Max recruited to help him maintain law and order in Beck Castle.
“How’s the baby, sir?”
“He’s great. Elizabeth’s already talking about having another one. I told her we should get this one potty trained before we take that step.”
“I’m glad my kids are grown. I definitely don’t miss that stuff. So, what’s up?”
“I want your input on something. Nothing is definite, but I think the time is fast approaching when President Beck will no longer allow refugees from the UAE inside the Castle.”
“And you want to know what I think?”
“Yes.”
“Speaking from the security side of things, it’s a good idea. With the Castle being stuck in the middle of the neutral zone between the UAE and the PSA, I’d be glad to close up shop. We also have close to three thousand people living down here. Sooner or later one of these people is bound to make us regret our open door policy. On a personal level, I think it’s a mistake. We both know the sort of things going on in the UAE, and for us to deny sanctuary to anyone living in that hell…” Dennis trailed off, clearly trying to block the unpleasant memories fighting their way to the surface.
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