by JC Ryan
Within ten minutes every one of Hayden’s guards was asleep. In about four hours’ time there’s going to be a few hundred soldiers waking up with Mount Rushmore size headaches, Dennis mused. I don’t envy them.
He watched as his team moved about the Southern grounds of the White House quickly and efficiently securing the sleeping guards with cable ties and removing their weapons. Once secured, the guards were dragged to the open lawn area in front of the South entrance to the White House and gathered in small bunches for observation in case some of them didn’t receive the full four-hour dose of etorphine.
***
While Dennis’ team was securing the outside of the White House, Jack and his team invaded it from the bottom, stepping into the basement room on the Northwest side of the West Wing. From there it was nearly a straight shot to the Situation Room where they knew Hayden was holed-up.
As he expected, Jack noted that the White House was all but deserted—all the staff had been sent home or taken to some other place out of harm’s way. Except for a few Secret Service agents and guards, everyone was outside ready to defend the place against the crowd.
Since the etorphine mosquitoes had taken out the few remaining agents and guards, the invasion was pretty much a walk in the park for Jack and his team. They didn’t have to use their firearms, in fact they didn’t even have to threaten anyone with their firearms. The advantages their little gadgets gave them really took the fun out of the whole operation in Jack’s opinion. Seems almost unfair, he thought.
Inside the Situation Room, Hayden’s mind ground to a halt when one by one the six men around the table with him, went limp in their chairs as if they’d suddenly fallen asleep. Several of them even slid off their chairs onto the floor.
He froze and gawked at the scene before him. Back at Raven Rock and in the Ops Center at the Rabbit Hole, the audience high-fived. The mosquitoes had done their work.
Hayden, still frozen in place, looked up to see the dark monitors that had held the live video feed from his drones and blinked; he looked down at the unconscious bodies around him. Somewhere in his brain an explosion occurred and his hand slowly moved toward the holster holding his sidearm.
In the hallway outside the Situation Room, Jack’s team was busy checking the two unconscious guards, securing them with cable ties, and removing their weapons before moving them out of the way.
They were startled when they heard gunfire inside the Situation Room and all dove for cover away from the door. Taking positions against the wall on either side of the door, they rose to stand with their backs against it, listening and preparing to react to whatever came next.
To their astonishment, the next thing they heard was the sound of maniacal laughter alternating with victorious whoops and shouts of ‘I got him! I got him!’ followed by more gunshots.
Jack signaled to the man on the opposite side of the door to kick it down and move out of the way. When the door flew open Jack dove through, rolled and came up on his knees, his gun pointed at a motionless Hayden.
Confused, Jack slowly got to his feet, his gun still pointed at Hayden’s head, ready to fire. Hayden stood at attention before him. His gun was in his hip holster.
Rebecca’s urgent voice came through his earpiece. “Be very careful, Jack! Something is seriously wrong.”
Jack eyed Hayden who had not said a word. He’s acting like a young recruit before a superior officer.
Playing a hunch, he paced slowly around Hayden, his weapon at the ready and demanded in his best drill sergeant voice, “Report soldier.”
Hayden barked like a new recruit, “Sir! Yes, Sir! I have killed the General, Sir!”
Jacked stopped pacing, “What? Speak up soldier I can’t hear you.”
“Sir, I have killed the General. He was corrupt; he killed President Campbell and her Secretary of Treasury, George Miller.
“He also killed the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy, Richard Westfield, and Hank McMillian as well as Bob Thompson former Secretary of Homeland Security and Carrie Trent.
“And he was planning to kill President Rossler. I had no choice, Sir. I had to kill him.”
“I see. What is your name and rank soldier?”
“Sir, Cadet Thomas Hayden, West Point Academy, Sir!”
“Jack, stop! Don’t question him further!” Rebecca shouted in his earpiece. “He’s had a psychotic break. Take his gun away and get him secured immediately. He’s unpredictable and could become very dangerous in an instant. Be careful.”
Knowing she could see him, thanks to the spyders in the room, he nodded slightly.
“Very good, Cadet Hayden,” he praised, “I’ll take your sidearm now. These officers will take you back to headquarters for debriefing. You did your country proud today son.”
Handing his gun, hand-grip first, to Jack, Hayden smiled, “Yes Sir! Thank you, just doing my duty Sir.”
Jack motioned to his men who came forward and took position on either side of the General.
One of them said, “Let’s go Cadet Hayden. We don’t want to keep our CO waiting, do we?”
Chapter 85- I will work with anyone
As soon as Daniel heard Sam give Jack and Dennis the go-ahead for stage two of Operation Winnow, he was through the door and into the tunnel, the two Secret Service agents and Elize sprinting to catch up with him.
Catching up with him, the agents held him back at the door until they received confirmation that Hayden was in custody. They passed through the basement office, entered the hallway, and moved toward the Situation Room stepping over and around sleeping, tied-up guards along the way.
They arrived just in time for Daniel to see Hayden being led down the hall between two of Jack’s men. He had to fight an almost irrepressible urge to storm after the man, knock him to the floor and choke him with his bare hands. Magnanimously he turned away and continued in the direction of the Situation Room.
Jack met him and said, “we need to get you up to the Oval Office, Eric should be arriving with the press soon.”
Daniel nodded and followed.
He’d just finished settling into the seat behind the desk when Eric came through the door followed by about a dozen reporters and television crews who had been following the march. The spacious office suddenly felt small, but it had been agreed that no other place said “President” more than the Oval Office.
Daniel stood, “Welcome ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for joining me. Please find a place where you will be comfortable for the next twenty to thirty minutes. We will begin shortly.”
They were all momentarily speechless. Nigel stepped through the door accompanied by a dejected looking Potter under armed guard by two Tectus members.
Nigel and Daniel nodded to one another, several of Jack’s team brought in chairs. The reporters shifted their positions, some taking seats and others setting up cameras.
“Are we ready?” Daniel asked.
In his earpiece, Daniel heard Roy, Raj, and Sam confirm. He turned to Potter, “are you ready General?”
Potter straightened and nodded.
Daniel took his seat behind the desk again and folded his hands in front of him. “Let’s do it.”
TV and Radio stations across America and around the world suddenly went blank, and then Daniel appeared, and his voice could be heard.
“My fellow Americans, I’m here tonight to tell you that the illegal Presidency of General Thomas Hayden has come to an end.
“He, his advisors, and his militia leaders are all in custody where they will remain until they are brought before courts of justice.”
“One of his cabinet members, General Joe Potter, is here and wishes to address you.”
The focus shifted to Potter. He straightened and cleared his throat.
“On behalf of myself and my fellow officers that served in General Hayden’s cabinet, I want to apologize to the American people.
“In the beginning, we did not know that General Hayden intended to set up a mili
tary dictatorship, nor did we anticipate to what lengths he would go to obtain the Presidency.
“As time went by we realized our mistake as we began to see incongruences and instability in his actions and behaviors. He began to malign and belittle the American people, insisting that they were dimwitted and had to be dominated or done away with. He began issuing orders, terrible orders, that we could not follow. By the time we realized he was mentally unstable, it was too late to stop him, and we feared for our lives.
“We regret being involved in General Hayden’s government and are ashamed of our association with the man who treated the American people in such a degrading manner.
“We herewith admit that we have done a terrible injustice to this country. We are deeply remorseful for our part in this—there is no excuse. We understand and accept without reservation that we will be prosecuted and punished for our misdeeds.
“Finally, we all acknowledge that General Hayden is not the legitimate President of the United States. He killed people that were standing in his way of becoming president, among them President Campbell and her Secretary of Treasury, George Miller.
“In terms of our constitution, the legitimate president is Daniel Rossler and no one else.”
Potter lowered his gaze as he ended his speech and the focus returned to Daniel.
Addressing the people again, Daniel began the speech Nigel had helped him craft.
“Civil unrest is running rampant in our country; violence and crime levels are reaching new record levels daily. People are starving and disillusioned, and in their despair, are being driven to rebellion and crime. I have the deepest sympathy for the people’s suffering.
“This is not what I want for the people of America … this is not what the people of America want for themselves.
“Many millions of our fellow countrymen are without food, water, electricity, and other basic needs. They have had no choice but to revert to stealing, looting, and killing—literally being forced to do whatever it takes to survive.
“As this country’s situation became increasingly desperate, law enforcement agencies, left understaffed by Brideaux’s new world order, were unable to maintain law and order, and have now become the target of the very people they have sworn to protect. Many of them have been killed.
“These are not the actions of true Americans. My fellow Americans, please, let us lay down our weapons and stop the fighting immediately.
“The late President Laurie Campbell promised you food, water, shelter, and medical supplies. Americans across the country were working together to meet those promises, and they were being fulfilled until her untimely death at the hand of General Hayden and his militia.
“General Thomas Hayden made those same promises to you, but he did not fulfill them. Instead, he gave you heavy-handed discipline and tighter restrictions. He authorized the use of live ammunition and used the National Guard and the military to turn our cities into nothing better than prison camps full of starving, forsaken citizens that were his duty to provide for and protect.
“Not only did General Thomas Hayden unlawfully and unconstitutionally declare himself President, but he also ordered the killing of people to achieve his goals. He used military force to keep himself in power and to begin removing our freedom. He was not acting for the good of the people—he was a power-hungry man setting himself up as a military dictator with little regard for the needs or the lives of the people.
“Over the course of the next few days, my team will release all the evidence of General Hayden’s meetings, plans, and actions, which we were able to collect. You will be able to judge for yourself. Nothing will be withheld.
“America is a country founded on democracy. America is a country that has thrived because of democracy. America will continue as a democracy!
“In terms of our constitution, as Vice-President, I was obligated to assume the Presidency upon the death of our late President, Laurie Campbell. I accepted the possibility of that obligation willingly and knowingly when I accepted the position of Vice-President.
“In spite of the desperate circumstances this country finds itself in right now, let the record show for all of history that I am proud … very proud, to serve the noble citizens of this honorable and great country.
“We will all come through this difficult time together by supporting and helping one another because this is who we are as Americans! Let’s start now, this very moment. Let every one of us reach out to our neighbor, share what you have with those that don’t. Share your food, your shelter, your kindness.
“If we do this, we will turn the tide of violence and hopelessness. Start now, and tomorrow will be better than today. Remember, this my fellow Americans, this is the low point, from here-on-out we are building a bright new future.
“I leave you with these three points.
“One: martial law will remain in effect for now. It will be released progressively starting in a few days. As soon as my cabinet has been approved, we will evaluate the state of all our cities, rural areas, and other communities. Those that have stabilized will be released immediately, those that have not will be released as they reach a state of stability. From this moment on, the end of Martial Law is in your hands.
“Two: There has been too much secrecy in government. While some circumstances call for secrecy for the sake of National Security, there is no reason why general meetings should preclude American citizens. The website you see displayed at the bottom of your screen has been set up for the public to see and hear what is happening in the Oval Office and in the Cabinet meeting room. This real-time, live feed, will be accessible twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three-hundred and sixty days a year. My staff and I will be making arrangements so that in the future several journalists will be allowed to be present at all meetings when National Security is not at risk. They will be able to record and report on every word said in meetings they attend.
“Three: I will work with anyone, and everyone, who is prepared to work with me to rebuild our country and will not let party politics stand in the way of rebuilding this nation. We don’t have the luxury of political differences now.
According to the 25th Amendment, it is up to me to choose the next Vice-President. Instead, to show you I am serious about what I just said, I am asking the House Minority to nominate the person who will be the Vice-President. I will accept and work with anyone they nominate.
“Have a good night, may God bless you and may God bless America.”
Chapter 86- Believe him
At times, the personalities of Tawndo and Robert were engaged in fierce battles for supremacy. Tawndo was the one who dearly loved Siasha more than anything, but he was also the warrior, the erstwhile Second-In-Command of the strongest military force on the planet during the Eight Cycle—a strong and fearless disposition, not easily cowed. Robert was the Australian, the geologist, member of the Rossler Foundation, and loyal friend of JR and Daniel Rossler—equally level headed and opinionated. He didn’t hate Siasha, in fact, he liked her, but he didn’t love her.
However, for his mission to get in touch with the Rosslers, he had to be Robert, Tawndo the warrior and lover had to be restrained. At times, Linkola’s ministrations and Siasha’s tender loving care was barely enough to help Robert embrace and integrate his belligerent personalities. But with every passing hour, through his strong willpower, the eruptions of rage, followed by spells of utter exhaustion, diminished in frequency and severity. Within two days, he was able to embrace Robert and control Tawndo, allowing Tawndo to emerge only when he was alone with Siasha.
On the third day after the merging of Robert and Tawndo, Korda dashed into the technical lab where Linkola and Siasha were conducting more tests and scans on Robert’s brain functions. “They’ve overthrown Hayden’s government! It’s on all the news channels across the world.”
Robert slowly rose from the floating examination table, “time for me to get hold of my mate JR.”
Linkola and
Siasha looked at each other both asking the question in silence, is he ready for it?
Robert saw their wordless exchange. “I’m ready; I have to be. We don’t have much time left. You’ve seen the data coming from Tunguska, the Re’an are preparing to come here. Not only that, they are busy reanimating soldiers, which they have been stockpiling for many years, there can only be one reason for that—they are mobilizing for a war.”
***
It was the third day after Hayden had been removed from the White House and it seemed as if the entire country was balanced on the edge of a knife. Hayden still had some support left, but it was disappearing like mist before the sun as Salome, and her team on the Rossler Foundation Intelligence Committee started releasing the recordings of his actions while in power.
Daniel and his cabinet, with Nigel’s advice and support, worked around the clock to bring relief to the hungry masses. It required near super-human efforts of unselfish effort, not only from government officials and politicians, but also from the citizenry. Daniel’s and Nigel’s constant requests and pleas started to bear fruit. The tide of violence and desperation slowly receded as everyone started to bury their battle axes and reach out to each other.
Even so, the atmosphere remained fragile, and therefore it was decided not to move the team at Raven Rock out yet and to keep them and the Tectus teams on high alert.
Of the Rosslerites at Raven Rock, it was only Roy and JR who had their spouses with them. Nigel was the one who suggested that the Presidential suite shouldn’t go to waste and that the two married couples might as well use it.
“Closest I’ll ever come to being President,” Roy chuckled when Nigel gave the four of them a tour of the suite, and it was decided they would rotate on a weekly basis.
They flipped a coin, and JR and Rebecca got the first week.
It was JR and Rebecca’s first night, and they were getting ready to go to bed when the lights in the room flickered briefly, and the TV went dead.