Mike chuckled wryly, “Yeah, well that’s the thing. We have it on good authority that the National Guard will be finding lots of different reasons why they can’t be ordered to do things they shouldn’t. If Coyote decides to order law enforcement to do things like seize goods and property for redistribution, they will likely hear, ‘Sure, I’ll get back to you on that.’ So we’re thinking that the most likely play will be for Homeland to augment their agents with hired contractors, who will be thugs. Am I getting it right, Peter?”
“Yes, Mike. That just about sums it up.”
Continuing, Mike said, “We’re going to have a meeting of the neighborhood tomorrow and provide a version of what I’ve just told you. Working with Sean and Linda, we’re going to present a plan of action to step up the training we’ve been doing and will be taking several other steps to get ready for what may come. I already talked to the Judge Executive and local Emergency Manager last night. They want to cooperate with us. It seems to me that the Governor is about to be cut out all together in favor of Coyote, but he does have quite a bit of loyalty in both the State Police and National Guard. Hell, listening to me talk, it sounds like we’re planning on some type of revolution, but that is farthest from the truth. What we’re going to do is just prepare to survive the coming upheaval. What do you guys think about this?”
Rollie and Jim were both short in their replies, “We’re with you, Mike.”
Matt, who had been very quiet as Mike laid out the situation, seemed particularly troubled. “Mike, do you really think all these things will happen?”
“Matt,” Mike said, “you haven’t had the benefit of hearing from Fred Callahan and his son, Sean. Both have access to information no one else in Kentucky has. I don’t know if you are aware that Sean is in Special Forces. He’s had training and experience around the world, the likes of which I can’t even imagine. Fred is on the Governor’s Emergency Management Task Force. Fred got confirmation from the National Guard itself they were about to be activated and will be ordered to support Homeland Security. Coyote Collins being appointed Regional Governor has been confirmed by two reliable sources. The rest is just a pooling of experience to interpret what all these revelations will bring. Does that help?”
“Well, shit,” said Matt with disgust. “I was in the Marine’s handling logistics in the sandbox and thought that whole situation was “FUBAR”23, but this is even worse! With things going downhill the way they are, sounds like the government people will be seizing everything of value including fuel and food. They may even seize my trucks!”
The situation dawning on Matt moved him from being troubled to becoming very angry.
Watching Matt’s anger mount, Mike said, “I wanted you here tonight to talk about what help you might bring to our preparations. I didn’t know you were a former Marine…”
With the beginning of a grin, Matt said, “We like to say once a Marine, always a Marine. You know, Semper Fidelis?”
Smiles from around the room definitely helped lighten the mood.
“Anyway,” Mike continued, “it’s a real bonus that you have a military background in materials and logistics. Do you think we could come up with a plan for our neighborhood?”
For the first time, Peter chimed in, “I’ve got some investment capital available if we want to immediately acquire, say, a lot of different types of fuels? But as you can see, we need to move quickly.”
The next ninety minutes were spent discussing immediate actions and formulating logical next steps.
. . .
Undisclosed safe house in Northern Virginia.
2200 Hours EST
Hugh McIntyre sat in the safe house feeling very tired as he looked across the coffee table at Su Ling and his daughter Lisa. Both young women were glaring at him with their arms crossed and feet planted squarely on the floor in front of the old, dusty couch. After three days of debriefings, they wanted answers. But for the circumstances, Su would not have had any ability to put pressure on Hugh, but she demanded Lisa remain for the debriefings. Lisa joined her in solidarity, causing Hugh great anguish until he gave in to the inevitable.
The safe house was, in fact, a house located in an older middle class neighborhood tucked away back in the hills outside of the Washington D.C. metro area. It was a small Cape Cod style house with a single stall, stand-alone garage. The local neighbors believed it was a summer house used only infrequently by a very old couple. It had been furnished over twenty years ago as someplace defectors could be taken for debriefing. The budget to do so resulted in acquisition of thrift store furniture and functional, but not any up-to-date kitchenware. It was dusty after having been cleaned only sporadically over the past twenty years, causing Hugh’s allergies to flare up. Hugh had arranged for the safe house by calling in a favor from a colleague that was responsible for several of the covert safe houses. He had assured his buddy that it was official business and would only last a few days. Also, a sizable increase to his buddy’s budget would be available for the next fiscal year.
Hugh thought about the Director’s last instruction to him. After Hugh had brought Su to the safe house and called the Director on his private line using a burner phone, he said simply, “It’s done.”
After a pause, the Director said, “Give me three days to work on some things.” He then hung up the phone.
Since that time, Hugh had debriefed Su, using encrypted recording equipment as well as his own notes. Although interesting, there were no new critical items of intelligence. Su had, however, repeatedly asked what was being done to get her family out of China. Hugh didn’t have the heart to tell her absolutely nothing. Instead, he had said the FBI Director was supposed to be in contact with the CIA Director to arrange for that to happen. Although this was technically correct, in his heart Hugh knew the Director never made the call, and Su’s family would be left hanging in the wind.
Hugh was also highly annoyed that at the Director’s prior instruction, he would not have any support for the debriefing and security operation for Su. Typically, there would be an entire squad of Special Agents available for security and support with such a valuable defector. This case was different, but still frustrating. The sensitivity was completely unprecedented and if anyone else was involved leak chances rose exponentially.
“Daddy,” Lisa said with exasperation, “Su typed up everything she can remember on the laptop you gave her two days ago. You even reviewed it, asked all of your questions, and got answers for all of them. She needs to know what’s being done about her family, and what’s to happen next.”
Again, Hugh sighed when he considered the intellectual capacity of both Su and Lisa. In all but experience, they dwarfed his own. The groceries he and Lisa had brought with them in the van were beginning to run out. Hugh would not leave Su Ling and was not comfortable letting Lisa run out for anything, even though she had done so once already.
“Daddy, what aren’t you telling us?”
Hugh wanted to lash out at his daughter to just shut up and let him do his job. Instead, he said, “Honey, I should know something tomorrow. At least by noon.”
He didn’t say the Director’s call was already a day overdue. “Until then, we’ll just have to be patient. And I’m sorry you girls are bored, with no Internet, TV, or communication with the outside world. You have to believe me that it’s all necessary to keep you safe.”
Both young women had almost burst into tears when he had smashed their cell phones with a hammer at the rest stop just outside of Fairfax, Virginia. His own phone and the burner phone had been turned off, with the battery and SIM card removed for the past three days to prevent it from being traced or covertly activated. It amazed Hugh that the girls had spent the past three days, in between his questioning, playing memory games and breaking into song. Su had eve
n begun teaching Lisa Mandarin Chinese, the official language of China.
With the deadline of noon the next day, both girls seemed to relax and began another Mandarin lesson.
Chapter 26
The New Year - Plus Twelve Days
The White House
1030 Hours EST
Katherine Fontaine sat at her desk in the Oval Office looking at the latest report from the Labor Department. Unemployment in the United States had continued to skyrocket and now stood at sixty percent. Many factories across the country had shut down, taking the supporting infrastructure with them. She made sure the Labor Department would release a simple statement that the unemployment rate remained high, but had not increased from the twenty-five percent announced several weeks earlier. Mark Baxter, in her press office, had already written a press release touting the benefits of her stimulus package at holding the line, which would be sent out on the heels of the Labor Department statement.
Just as she was about to pick up the phone, her secretary buzzed her. Eli Fredericks had been admitted by the Secret Service and would arrive momentarily. Katherine responded, “See him in when he arrives.”
Three minutes later, Katherine surveyed Eli carefully as her secretary closed the door to the Oval Office behind her. “My God, Eli. You look like shit. Were you hit by a truck?”
Eli had walked to the couch as Katherine moved to a chair across from him. He was impeccably dressed, as usual, but his baggy eyes and worn expression were most unusual for him.
“No, Katherine,” Eli said in a slow voice, “I’ve been taking care of some things on the other side of the world. But how badly is the economy crumbling?”
With raised eyebrows, the President checked her inclination to make a smart retort to the man who had ensured her election and watched over her retirement account, especially since he might soon disappear. She made a mental reminder to begin the covert contacts to make that happen. Even when Walter was Vice President, she was always the one who handled the delicate political ‘fixes,’ like making problems go away.
“Unemployment is much worse than published and the Commerce Department says the oil industry won’t recover for at least a year, maybe more.”
“Then you’re considering taking full control and making things right?” Eli asked the question softly, while disguising his excitement concerning what was to come.
“I haven’t decided yet, but there may be no other way.” Katherine looked across the room and away from Eli’s eyes as she said this. It was obvious to Eli that she was lying.
“On the other side of the world, I learned the Chinese are quite serious about taking Taiwan back, by force if necessary. Will the U.S. honor its treaties and go to war over Taiwan, Katherine?”
The change of topic checked Katherine’s reverie about taking control of the country through a declaration of emergency. “Uh, what?”
“Will you go to war over Taiwan, should the PRC attack the island? It would be a very foolish move to start World War III over a small island off the Chinese coast, don’t you think?” Again Eli used his soft, persuasive voice to give him the sound of reason.
“What? When will the Chinese attack? What have you heard, Eli?” There was both urgency and anxiety in her voice.
“I don’t really know when,” Eli said truthfully. “My information comes from extremely reliable sources that Premier Song is really contemplating retaking Taiwan by force. He knows it will be a short, but very bloody fight. When he will pull the proverbial trigger is anyone’s guess at the moment. Haven’t your intel people been briefing you on this?”
Katherine thought back to her last several morning briefings when she had cut everyone off after shouting about the economy and the threat posed by anarchists with guns. She hadn’t even heard anything about China since before the holidays. Time to correct that little error.
“What I’ve heard isn’t nearly as specific as what you just provided, Eli. For that, I thank you. Is there something else I can do for you today? My schedule really is insane.”
Eli was taken aback by Katherine’s tone and apparent dismissal of him, but could see that her mental wheels were turning in the direction he had pointed, so he chose to overlook the slight.
“I, too, need to be somewhere else. I’ll just let myself out.” With that, he rose, nodded in Katherine’s direction, and left.
Katherine picked up her phone to call her Chief of Staff. “Burt?” she said curtly. “I need you in my office.” Before he could respond, she hung up the phone.
Burt entered Katherine’s office with a harried and annoyed look on his face. He was obviously involved in juggling numerous different crises and didn’t appreciate being summoned in the middle of them, like he was a lowly minion.
“Yes, Madam President?” His words were respectful, but he couldn’t keep the sickly sweet tone from his voice to further announce his displeasure.
Katherine glared at him for a moment before deciding he had become immune to her contempt.
“Burt, I want you to have a Presidential Declaration of Emergency drawn up immediately. It doesn’t have to be pretty, just legally binding. Check with the lawyers, but make sure I have the power to circumvent normal Constitutional protections, particularly the Bill of Rights. Do you have any problem dealing with that Burt?” Her eyes bored into his as she asked the question.
“Madam President, I know you’ve been frustrated with …”
Katherine cut him off by saying, “The country is going to hell in a hand basket. Everything I want to do to stop it is stalled by those bastards in Congress. The people are suffering, including the children! I can’t let that happen any longer. Didn’t you tell me yourself that the polls were in my favor concerning the gun issue? We’ll play it up that to protect the people of this country; we need to have the tools to handle the anarchists who threaten our very way of life.” Her voice had steadily risen, and she took on a wild-eyed look.
Burt was inwardly horrified to hear what Katherine was proposing. On his face, he maintained a neutral expression. Deep inside he was thankful he had already begun a strategy to escape from Katherine and Washington, D.C. when things became untenable. That could come from either Katherine going completely insane or when the country crumbled to the point of no-return.
“I’ll see that it is done, Madam President. A draft should be on your desk by the end of the day. Should I call an immediate Cabinet meeting?”
Katherine had been distracted with her own thoughts almost as soon as Burt began speaking. Coming back to the present, she said, “Cabinet meeting? No, not yet. I was going to simply sign it this evening without fanfare.”
She glanced at Burt who displayed his shock.
“Madam President,” Burt said quickly with feeling, “a great number of things should be done before you make the announcement to the American people. Line up Cabinet support, brief the Joint Chiefs, even notify Congressional leadership.”
“Fuck all of them!” Katherine shouted at Burt. “Most of them have done nothing, nothing to support what I’ve been trying to do to keep this country afloat. Why should I consult with any of them?”
Of all the shocks Burt had suffered over the past year, this reaction to his advice was the greatest yet.
Taking a quick, but deep breath, Burt said, “If you do not at least explain to your Cabinet, military leadership, and Congress why you need to declare the emergency and what doing so will accomplish. If you do not…” Burt paused for effect. “You will certainly face immediate impeachment and, theoretically, even a military coup, Madam President. Without proper introduction of the reasons for the declaration, you will be portrayed by even the mainstream press as a dictator taking over the country.”
Burt paused to let what he had said sink in, then said, “Your actual goals don’t need to be included, but you must present everyone with where you think you will be leading the country by these actions. Even if you don’t personally believe what you say. Please, Madam President, let me at least begin the process.”
Burt’s mention of Impeachment and a military coup had given Katherine pause. Neither had occurred to her as possibilities. Since her meeting with Eli, she had been drunk on the vision of having the absolute power needed to accomplish what she just knew had to be done.
In a calmer tone of voice, Katherine said, “Burt, how long will it take you to make a proper introduction, as you call it?”
“That’s where it gets tricky, Madam President. There needs to be the right amount of notice to the smallest number of people, but we have to move very fast before Congress can make any meaningful move to stop it from happening. Can you give me twenty-four hours to develop the plan? It must be done quietly.”
“All right, Burt. Twenty-four hours for a plan, but I expect to sign the document very soon. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Madam President.” With that, Burt quietly left the room and walked quickly to his office. He told his secretary that he did not want to be disturbed for the next thirty minutes unless war broke out. She had looked at him with surprise since the Chief of Staff’s door was supposed to always be open in an emergency, even one short of war.
At his desk, he opened the bottom drawer and brought out a bottle of very expensive scotch whiskey. After pouring two fingers of the brown liquor into his coffee cup, he poured the entire amount into his mouth. Swallowing it in one gulp brought the expected burn and complaint from his mouth and throat. He poured a second, which he had intended to sip and try to savor. Instead he glanced down at the cup to find it empty again. He picked up the phone and ordered Marc Baxter to report to his office.
The Final Proclamation (An America Reborn Thriller Book 2) Page 14