by JC Ryan
Sounds of dismay, disbelief, and confusion ran through the crowd, and Hayden signaled for quiet.
“Be assured, law enforcement officials are currently searching for Daniel Rossler and his associates. They will answer for the wrongful death of our beloved President Campbell. During Rossler’s attempted takeover of the White House, Secretary of State Bill Simms also disappeared, and the Secretary of Treasury, George Miller, was killed.
“During this attempted coup, Rossler and his cronies have removed the prisoners, John Brideaux and his Council members, and took them to a secret location. We believe Rossler and his bandits are in cahoots with those evil doers.
“As Secretary of Defense, I am next in line to assume the duties of the Presidency. I willingly and humbly accept this responsibility and will do my best to get this nation back on its feet as quickly as possible and see to it that John Brideaux and his Council members as well as Rossler and his band of outlaws are tracked down and brought to justice.
“To that end, I have all federal law enforcement agencies searching for Rossler and his followers, as well as John Brideaux and his Council members. My office will keep you apprised of any developments.
“In re-establishing this country, it will be necessary to temporarily maintain martial law. There is nothing to fear; we will work fast and efficiently to restore our country and hand the reins back to democratically elected officials. I believe in our democracy, and believe me, there is no one more eager than me to return to it. However, for a short while, we’ll have to live with martial law. That’s what’s required now.
“My staff is currently undertaking an exhaustive survey of food resources, housing, and job opportunities. My goal is to see every man employed and able to provide adequate food and shelter for his family.”
Only a few of those present took note of Hayden’s emphasis on the word ‘man.’
“We are going to stop wasteful government spending and use the savings to provide free medical and dental care to everyone.”
Cheering and applause interrupted him at this point, and it took several minutes to re-establish order.
“I have business and financial experts assigned to comb through all available financial institution records to see what can be done to restore our monetary system.
“Last, but by no means least, we are Americans, and this is our country. Immigrants will come to this country legally or not at all. We are going to go back to our roots; we’re going to take pride in our country as Americans again. From this moment on, prayer is reinstated in our schools and public gatherings. We will pledge allegiance to our flag when and where we want to!”
The response to this last statement nearly brought the house down, and it became obvious he would get no more said for the moment. Stepping back from the podium, he waved to the crowd, raised his hands in a ‘two-thumbs up’ salute, and left the stage.
Across the nation, shouts of jubilant and joyous celebration flowed from Hayden’s followers while doubt and anger spread among those who supported Laurie Campbell and Daniel.
At the Rabbit Hole suspicion reigned. “What’s he doing? What has he got planned?” Daniel wondered as he watched Hayden’s harangue. Back at the White House, in the Oval Office, Hayden’s cronies were congratulating him.
“That was great, Mr. President!” Howard praised, “the people love you … you had them eating out of your hand!”
“Of course, I did,” Hayden responded, “tell people what they want to hear and they’ll believe you and follow you.
“People these days can’t think for themselves, they only feel and need. Meet their needs and make them feel good … they don’t care about anything else. No wonder true democracy doesn’t exist anymore.
“The people have allowed greedy politicians, with selfish aims, to gain control of government. They became the puppets of those who were supposed to work for them and the good of the nation. They have lost their ability to think and act for themselves—politicians did everything except breath, for them. Now they need a strong and capable government to take care of them, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Frayser was frowning, and Hayden noticed. “Something troubling you Kurt? Do you disagree?”
“Nooo, not exactly.” Frayser responded cautiously, “I’m just thinking that there are still people left who do think for themselves and question things … true, they are most likely the minority, but they are there, and they could be troublesome.”
“When they see how much better things are under my command, they’ll come around.”
“Hmmm. Perhaps, but we should be careful not to underestimate them.”
“I suppose you have a point, but I’m sure Lucas will be ready and able to deal with any … issues that might develop. Right, Lucas?”
“Yes, sir!” Lucas replied, without hesitation.
“Speaking of issues, Lucas… have you anything to report on the whereabouts of the prisoners or Rossler and his gang?”
“I’ve chosen three of my top intelligence officers to head the FBI, CIA, and NSA. They are putting together teams and organizing a thorough and meticulous search of the Eastern States.”
“Excellent! Keep me posted. Gentleman, it’s late. I suggest we retire for the evening and meet again early tomorrow. There is a lot of work to do.”
The small group of men nodded and got up to leave.
“Lucas, a moment please?” Hayden called as the others left.
“Yes, Mr. President?”
“Hank McMillian, Richard Westfield, and Bob Thompson I think are three people that might … cause problems.” He didn’t tell Nguyen that they were the three men who saw what happened between him and Carrie Trent earlier. “They are the type that ‘think for themselves’ as Frayser put it, and could make things difficult if they discuss their opinions with others. See to it that they don’t.”
Silence three former Cabinet members? That’s going to take some care not to create suspicion. “Yes, sir.”
“Oh, and before I forget, add Carrie Trent to that list.”
Four former Cabinet members. “Yes, sir.”
“Thanks, Lucas. I knew I could count on you.”
***
The next morning the nation was rocked by the news that former Secretary of Homeland Security Robert ‘Bob’ Thompson was caught in the act of leaking top-secret information to the Russians. He resisted arrest, a gunfight ensued, and he was fatally wounded.
Two days later, former Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy, Richard Westfield and Hank McMillian, were in the same vehicle with their wives, on their way to a social dinner, when a semi-truck blew a front tire causing the driver to lose control of the giant vehicle. It collided head-on with the car the four were traveling in; the car exploded on impact. Tragically all involved were killed.
The body of a woman was found in the woods on the outskirts of D.C. a week later … it had been mutilated and burned beyond recognition, but DNA testing revealed it was the missing Carrie Trent.
Friends and family rallied around Carrie’s husband, in shock.
President Hayden issued a press statement lamenting her death and reaffirmed his promise of stepping up law enforcement measures to bring an end to senseless killings like this. He included his personal promise to order the FBI to find the killers, no matter what it took.
He also sent a beautiful bouquet of flowers and offered his personal condolences to her grief-stricken husband at the funeral.
Chapter 39- ‘Stubborn’ is their middle name
The leadership team was ready when Sarah and Rebecca assisted Daniel into the Rabbit Hole’s war room where they held so many important meetings in the past. Daniel looked like death, but some inexplicable force kept him on his feet and kept him going. The people in the room and on the video feed were all alarmed when they saw him, the murderous look in his eyes and the anger radiated by his body language.
A soft groan escaped Daniel’s lips as he sat down. He looked around the room an
d at the video screen and started in a low, raspy voice, almost mumbling. “I don’t care how we do it; I want Thomas Hayden taken out.” By the time, he said the last word he was shaking with rage and fever. The dark circles under his eyes were accentuated by the bloodshot sclera from lack of sleep. The pain and the effect of the morphine gave him a slightly deranged look.
Everyone looked at him with disquiet—no one, including Sarah, had ever seen Daniel in such a poor shape.
Rebecca, who had been watching him like a falcon, hoping the rest of the people in the room would support her, said, “Daniel, you are exhausted and overwhelmed. Please, you have to get some rest, just a few hours. We know what you want, we can deal with it. You MUST get some rest now, please.”
“Absolutely not!” Daniel shouted, shocking everyone with the sudden outburst and intensity in his voice. “I want Hayden out! You hear me. Out!” He struggled to get to his feet; his eyes were wild.
“Daniel, Rebecca has a good suggestion,” Sam said softly. “Why don’t you get a couple of hours of rest while the team puts together a plan? We’ll have it ready by the time you wake up.”
“No, Sam. I want a plan ready to go within the hour. Within the hour, we move. I want that bastard gone! Gone!” his voice had dropped to a whisper. “Gone!” He muttered as he slumped back into the chair.
“Daniel, be reasonab….” Sam tried again.
“I said NO!” Daniel yelled. “I’m part of this team, and I will be here when we plan this.” His speech has become slurred.
Sam shrugged and nodded to Cyndi who was standing in the doorway. Daniel, staring at the table, didn’t see his sister-in-law entering the room. She quietly slipped in behind Daniel’s chair and quickly pushed the needle into his right shoulder and depressed the plunger.
Daniel whirled around angrily, grunting in pain from the sudden move. “What the hell did you do?” He started swaying slightly, Nigel and Luke were up and caught him as his body relaxed and started slipping off the chair.
Sam turned to Rebecca. “Good call Rebecca, and Cyndi. You two nailed that one. Thanks for arranging the nap for him.”
“No problem,” Rebecca and her sister replied in chorus. “We’re married to the rest of the Rossler brothers,” Cyndi giggled as she pointed to Rebecca and herself, “’Stubborn’ is their middle name.”
This little interlude broke the staid atmosphere, and everyone started laughing. Nigel and Luke placed Daniel on the gurney and rolled him out of the room.
“Rebecca, is it okay if we take him to our quarters?” Sarah asked over her shoulder.
Rebecca nodded. “Yes, I’ll come and check on him there. He’ll rest better in his own bed.”
A few minutes later, Daniel was in his own bed with his mother sitting next to him, keeping an eye on him.
“Alright everyone…” Sam said.
“Sam,” Jack interrupted from Mount Ararat, “before you get started; Secretary of Defense Cliff Willis just told me that it is imperative that he speaks with Daniel. Apparently, he has pressing information which he can only give to Daniel and no one else. I also have four very worried Secret Service Agents on my hands, pestering me about Daniel’s whereabouts.”
“Do you know Willis? Is it safe to bring him here?” Sam questioned Nigel.
“Laurie trusted him, and I’ve known him for many years. Yes, we can bring him here. If he says it’s urgent, you can believe him.” Nigel smiled, “as for the agents, Jack will probably have no peace unless you get them to Daniel. Those guys were trained to protect the President of the United States—they will not be pacified until you bring them to his side. I know Ken and Matt personally; you can bring the two of them in with Willis.”
“Okay Jack, there’s your answer, get someone to bring the three of them out here ASAP.”
“Will do,” Jack replied and smiled. “Seeing that you have helped us onto our feet by taking all the horses earlier, you can expect us about three to four hours after the end of this planning session.”
Chapter 40- The first planning session
With Daniel, out of the way and the Secretary of Defense Cliff Willis on his way with his urgent matter, Sam was ready to continue the meeting.
“Let’s start planning how we are going to get rid of our fake President.
“Rebecca promised to keep our real President sedated for at least six hours. I suggest we have enough of a plan ready by the time Daniel wakes up that he doesn’t throw all of us in the slammer for conning him into that nap.
“However, before we get into any specifics allow me to sketch the current political climate for you.
“In the days leading up to Hayden’s coup d’état, Nigel, Luke, Salome and I formed an Intelligence Committee and coopted a few of the other inhabitants of the Rabbit Hole to help us monitor and analyze domestic and international news. We believe it is important to keep up with what is going on across the USA and the globe.
“Since Hayden’s unilateral declaration of his presidency and after his first public press conference today, it became clear that he had succeeded in grabbing the attention of the populace. Opinion polls taken a few hours after his speech show that there was a drastic and instant swing away from Daniel Rossler’s presidency to that of Thomas Hayden. He now has close to a seventy-five percent approval rating, that’s if the early polls are to be believed.
“So, here’s the thing; shocking as it may be; if Hayden is so popular, it means the people don’t care about how he got to power, as long as he would improve their lot. There will be very few voices questioning the way in which Hayden ascended the throne. That means our plans to overthrow him would be met with very strong resistance and would probably fail.”
The feeling of despondency that flooded them was articulated by Sinclair, “We have just rid the world of the worst tyranny imaginable, and this is the thank you we get for it?”
Nigel shook his head. “No, don’t get disheartened. I am of the opinion this love affair is going to end fairly soon. Every president gets a so called ‘honeymoon’ period after the inauguration. It’s a time where everyone lays off and gives the new president a chance, a period during which the new president rides on the crest of the wave of popularity. The media goes soft, and critics temporarily remain quiet.
“And in Hayden’s case,” he explained, “he has the benefit of the reigning chaos, threatening famine, and hardship caused by Brideaux’s new world order. People are hungry and desperate, and they will follow anyone who promises them food and shelter. It’s like the proverbial dangling carrot in front of the mule…”
“And forget that it was Daniel Rossler and his people who actually liberated them from that monster by deactivating their microchips,” Sinclair remarked bitterly.
“That’s true,” Nigel replied. “But survival is at the top of the human pyramid of basic needs, and gratitude is right at the bottom - if it even features. You can’t blame them; gratefulness is not going to provide them with food and shelter. And on top of that Daniel, and the rest of us, have just been made out to be the worst criminals alive.”
Some of them nodded, others were shaking their heads.
“So, I am saying it is not our time to make a move yet.” Nigel continued. “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t start planning and preparing. The little bit I know and have seen of the man scares me. He is a self-serving man, not a trait you want in a President of the United States. That trait is the embryo of failure—especially if you have to lead this country. His popularity won’t last long. I predict within a few weeks from now the people will be demanding his head.”
Everyone nodded. They respected Nigel, he was a thoughtful man, and he brought with him the wisdom of two terms as President of the United States. He was one of the most popular Presidents in the history of the country.
After a few moments of quiet as everyone digested what Nigel said, Sam continued. “Alright, let’s get busy. Daniel obviously wants to kick Hayden’s ass and so do I. Is there anyone here who f
eels differently?”
To everyone’s bewilderment, Roy stood up and with a serious expression declared, “I don’t think we should kick his ass.”
They were all exchanging looks of surprise, and Salome was about to get up and feel Roy’s temperature when Roy leaned forward and put his hands firmly on the table. “Kicking his ass will not cut it for me. He killed our President, wounded my best friend and Vice President, still my best friend but now President, and you only want to kick his ass? No, let me tell you; here’s what we should do, we go and nuke him and his ass to the hottest spot in hell!” Roy was trembling with anger. “To that end, I already have a few Nanonukes ready… let’s use them.”
Sam had a mock serious look when he turned to Rebecca and said, “Looks like we might have another candidate for your sleep treatment. Is Cyndi still around?”
Relieved laughter flowed through the room.
“Okay Roy, that’s one plan of action—and I’m not opposing it, yet,” laughed Sam. “Let’s hear what the others have to say.”
Roy smiled as he took his seat.
“How about we make use of the medical data and Nanobots we have?” Raj asked.
“What’s your idea?”
“We have all the personal and medical data of nearly everyone on the planet thanks to the information stored on the servers we captured along with The Beast.
“Roy could design Nanobots based on the DNA of Hayden and his leaders that would incapacitate them—inflict some serious pain or death if you want to,” he said with an evil grin. “We could use Roy’s drones to drop the bots.”
“Mhh, good ideas, keep them coming,” Sam encouraged them.
“What if we turned the tables on them?” asked Peter.
“Yeah! Give them a taste of their own medicine,” Jack added. It was obvious the two ex-CIA agents had already been conspiring before the meeting.