Fractured Nation

by Kurt Winans

  “There is no call for that course of action sir or for the slander upon my faculties that you intend by suggesting it, as it is you who are mistaken. I would like to remind those of the Senate who may not be aware, but Texas is the only one of this nations fifty states that has the absolute right by treaty and law to separate from the main body of the United States if, and when, she so desires. Let my words, under the direction of those who I represent, serve as a formal declaration. Texas desires to exercise that right at this time and become an independent Republic once again. Do you understand that decree sir, and will you for the record formally acknowledge that the words of said declaration were directed at you and this elected body at such a time as when I had been formally recognized by you to address them.”

  Still flabbergasted by the events of the past several minutes, Vice President Sutherland tossed his hands into the air in disbelief. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to carry out one of his many sworn duties. With that in mind, he stood and replied, “Very well Senator, for the record then. Yes Senator Pearson, the United States Senate hereby acknowledges and accepts that the state of Texas has proclaimed a desire to separate from these United States in order to form a Republic unto its own.”

  With those words now embedded into the official record, Senators Pearson and Walker breathed a collective sigh of relief. Then Senator Pearson closed his speech with, “Thank you sir. Now that I have proclaimed the intent of Texas, my colleague and I understand that we will not be a part of this collective governing body after today. Therefore I must say this. I personally harbor no ill will toward any of you, and have very much enjoyed working and deliberating with each of you over a myriad of subjects. I sincerely hope that some of us can remain friends in the future even though we will be citizens of different nations. I wish each of you and your families a safe and joyous holiday season. Thank you for your attention.”

  The timing of the declaration had been perfect, as there would be little time for the federal government structure to act upon said intent before it came to fruition. Both Senators from Texas knew that Congress would adjourn for two weeks in less than an hour, and when reconvening after the New Year began, could then debate a course of action to pursue with regard to Texas. Additionally, several new members of Congress in both legislative wings would be sworn into office during those first days of 2027. Combined with the war against Syria, they would face two hugely significant issues possibly before learning where the washrooms were located. By then, Texas would no longer be required to adhere to the whims of what those deliberations brought forth. With a broad smile on each of their faces, Senators Pearson and Walker gathered up their personal belongings before exiting the stunned and silent Senate chamber.

  Seated in total dismay, Vice President Sutherland watched the Texas delegation exit the chamber before glancing at the clock on the wall. Then he put his arms out to the side and correctly stated, “Well, we are due to adjourn in less than an hour for the holiday break, and I obviously have an important call to make before then to President Harwell. He will need to know immediately of what has just transpired, and in spite of any leaks of information from this and the House of Representatives chamber that are most assuredly already taking place, the President will want to hear the details directly from me. Now with that said, I can’t imagine that any of you have something on the agenda that will trump what we just heard. Therefore, I suggest that while I excuse myself to call President Harwell, you all use what limited time you have to begin a constructive discussion about Texas that will surely have an impact on the holiday season for all of us. If no one is opposed to that course of action, then I believe that would be more beneficial than introducing a new topic or sitting around staring at each other.”

  Although openly invited to do so, there wasn’t much discussion regarding the Texas declaration. The larger concern was still the upcoming war with Syria, but the Texas issue would add a wrinkle to the plans for that war. The military leaders, including those who were temporarily filling the two vacated Joint Chiefs positions, had already developed a plan based on the declaration of December first. That plan called for the deployment of additional Army and Marine Corps troops to the Middle East with an up scaled presence of both the Air Force and Navy in the nearby eastern Mediterranean. With much of the equipment and troops already in the repositioning phase, an all-out assault had been slated for just after the New Year. Without a doubt when word of the declaration of Texas got to the news media, there would be a feeding frenzy. Both issues would be of significance to the collective mindset of the nation’s citizens during the final days before Christmas and well beyond. How much of a negative impact upon the upcoming holidays would occur as a result was an unknown factor, and the depth of such was yet to be determined.

  While standing to speak on the phone with President Harwell, Vice President Sutherland decided there was no way to sugarcoat the news. Therefore he said quite plainly, “Sir, I’m afraid I have some bad news. If there’s a good way to inform you of this then it currently escapes me, as Texas has decided to part ways with the United States!”

  After a long silence, President Harwell replied, “Mr. Vice President. You and I have known each other for several years in the political arena, and have enjoyed many laughs throughout that time, but this is not a good day for jokes.”

  “I understand that sir, and believe me please, this is no joke.”

  After another long pause which included his chief of staff Christopher Westin entering the oval in a hurried and somber state, the President said, “You’re not kidding are you Mr. Vice President?”

  “No sir. I’m afraid not.”

  “That’s preposterous. When did this happen?”

  “Their formal declaration was received by me less than ten minutes ago.”

  “They gave you a formal declaration? Couldn’t you refuse it?”

  “No sir, not legally anyway. I can explain in more detail if you wish?”

  “Well who presented the declaration?”

  “Senator Pearson.”

  “I want you to speak with him privately to find out what the hell he is trying to do. Then I want both of you at the White House as soon as possible to meet with me in the oval, and you can explain to me in more detail then. Do you understand me Mr. Vice President?”

  “Yes Mr. President. I’ll get him over to the White House as soon as possible.”

  When Vice President Sutherland finished the less than pleasant phone conversation with his boss, he prepared to visit Senator Pearson. Waiting in the outer office before he could begin the quest, a trusted aide intercepted him. With a touch of panic in his voice, the aide announced, “Sir, I’m sorry to report this. I have some news that could be of interest to you.”

  Looking at the visibly distressed young man, he replied, “Alright, but I’m in a hurry at the request of the President. What is it?”

  “I have already attempted to contact the office of Senator Pearson thinking that you would want to speak with him, but no one answered the phone. So I walked over there to find out why, and found the offices empty.”

  “You mean that he let his staff go early today. That’s not so unusual. If it hadn’t been for the bombshell that Senator Pearson dropped on all of us, you and the rest of my staff would be leaving in a few minutes as well.”

  “No sir, that’s not what I mean. Everything is gone except the furniture. There are no paintings, personal effects, nothing but a lone coffee pot and a single cup.”

  “What? Are you serious?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “What about his files? Did you see any?”

  “No sir, all the file cabinets have been totally cleaned out and the computer equipment is gone.”

  Realizing what may have happened, the Vice president quickly ordered, “Have someone check the offices of Senator Walker right away to see if she has done the same. Then have someone else contact the house wing. I need to know if that delegation from Texas has indeed given an
identical declaration of separation, and if so, did any of those representatives also clean out their offices.”

  With the White House Chief of Staff and Mrs. Dawson by his side, President Harwell began to wonder what had been keeping his running mate for so long. More than two hours had passed since Vice President Sutherland was ordered to report to the oval office with Senator Pearson in tow as soon as possible, and there had been no contact from either man. Even though Washington D.C. can have difficult traffic at times just like any other major city in America, a motorcade transporting high level elected officials was immune to such inconveniences. The two men should have been standing in front of the President by now, and their absence made an already fatigued and overwrought Jordan Harwell more disagreeable than usual.

  Turning to Mrs. Dawson, he said gruffly, “Give his office at the capitol another call please.”

  As she left the room to place the call, Christopher Westin who had entered the oval office in a state of shock while the President was first hearing of the declaration commented, “This is not normal for the Vice President to be so inconsiderate of you.”

  “That’s true Chris, but these are not what one would call normal times.”

  “Even so sir, he should have communicated with you at some point during the past two hours.”

  Fully aware of that obvious fact, and now short on patience, President Harwell replied, “Well that can’t be changed now can it? However, with everything else going on during the last five weeks and the bombshell of two hours ago, I will reprioritize my thinking and speak with the Vice President about your perceived inconsideration of me. Will that make you feel better?”

  The Chief of Staff had no reply, and silence fell over the room as he felt nothing could be said in the current moment to ease the tension. Then Mrs. Dawson returned to say, “Mr. President, I’m told that the Vice President is in route to you now.”

  “Thank you Mrs. Dawson.”

  As if on cue, Vice President Sutherland strode into the oval office a moment later, but he was alone. Throughout much of the two hours he had been involved with some investigating at the Capitol Building, and what he discovered was not good news. With trepidation in his voice the man out of nothing more than force of habit said, “Good evening Mr. President. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

  Now with sarcasm entering the mix of frustration and anger, President Harwell replied, “Now what could possibly be good about this evening Mr. Vice President? And where is Senator Pearson? I instructed you to bring him to this office with you.”

  “Yes sir, I know you did, but he can’t be located.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Sir, his offices have been completely emptied out with the exception of the furniture and what was nailed down. The same goes for Senator Walker and every member from the House representing Texas. Everything is gone sir, and they all scattered like the wind.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense, you must be mistaken.”

  “Pardon me sir, but I’m not mistaken. Senator Pearson is gone from the hill, and neither I nor any of my sources can locate him. He and the others probably vanished to avoid an inquisition.”

  “An inquisition, is that what you think he was going to face?”

  “Well being ordered to bring him here certainly gives that impression sir.”

  “And you think that is improper?”

  “I didn’t say that sir.”

  “Then what are you saying?”

  “I’m attempting to understand why you wanted me to bring him here sir.”

  “I wanted to talk some sense into the man of course, why else?”

  “So you thought that you could somehow change his mind about the Texas declaration? That makes no sense to even try sir, as this is a serious move on their part that could not have been taken lightly. No sir. You can’t view the intent of Texas as something that was just conjured up within the last few hours of today. I doubt that you, me, or anyone else, would have the power to change their mind.”

  Infuriated that his underling would speak so candidly while in the presence of others, President Harwell began to clinch and unclench his left hand. Then he replied, “Well that may be Mr. Vice President, but I do have the power to attempt it. Now remember this. Don’t be condescending or impertinent towards me in this office ever again. Is that clear?”

  “So am I to understand that having a viewpoint somehow different from yours is deemed to be impertinent Mr. President?”

  “In this case yes, and don’t ever do so again or I will find myself another running mate for the next election. There is no way that this nation is going to lose one of its states under my watch. Is that understood?”

  Not wanting to further aggravate the man, he replied, “Yes sir, perfectly.”

  “Good! Now I don’t care what resources you need to tap into, legal or otherwise, but I want Senator Pearson in this office as soon as possible!”

  Vice President Sutherland stood in momentary disbelief to what had been said. Was his boss truly concerned over the welfare of the nation, or how a fracturing of it during his administration would paint him in the history books? Suddenly the Vice President realized that there was a huge question beyond those of the war with Syria and the Texas declaration for him to personally consider. Did he want to be Jordan Harwell’s running mate again in the re-election campaign of 2028, or did he want to make his own bid for President against the man? Pushing the thought aside for the moment he then responded, “Yes sir Mr. President. I understand and will bring Senator Pearson here to converse with you. Now will there be anything else sir?”

  “No, just find him!”

  Agent Bishop stood silent less than twenty feet away throughout the entire exchange, and continued to do so after the Vice President had left the oval. He had not been asked for any insight during the evening, nor did he feel this was the proper time to step forward and offer it. What he did find intriguing was one specific comment that the Vice President had made while the President was too enraged to absorb it. Texas just didn’t conjure up their intent during the previous few hours.

  The grand catered event had been spectacularly festive for several hours, and was easily outshining that of the July fourth barbeque. Much like that event, security at the front gate had been diligent in their efforts by crosschecking names of each guest invitation with photos that Samuel and Victoria had provided for them. The two security men that Samuel had with him in Manhattan the previous New Year’s eve were in charge of the entire detail of men and women that were also patrolling the grounds. There were some major figure heads with regard to the future of Texas present, and Samuel didn’t want to take any chances with their safety or identity.

  Savanah and the other two of Samuel and Victoria’s grandchildren who were still of minor age had taken a nap for a few hours during the earlier portion of the evening. All three had reluctantly done so at the instruction of their parents and Ms. Holloway, so that they could be awake and alert for the massive celebration that was yet to come. Although she had been defeated in her attempted protest, the most vocal reluctant voice was that of Mason and Courtney’s daughter Jennifer. She, at the advanced and ever wise age of fourteen, believed that she could endure and stay awake into the early hours of the morning. Ms. Holloway knew that in truth, the now fully blossomed young lady just didn’t want to be labeled as a non-adult any longer.

  When the clock then struck midnight in the central time zone of the United States of America to usher in the year 2027, the point had been well proven. As a joyous roar rose up from all those assembled within and around the Tillman mansion, Savanah, her brother Blake, and her cousin Jennifer where all awake and alert to witness it. Based on the decree to Congress nearly two weeks prior, it was now official. Texas had just moved into a new era, and was once again a Republic of its own. There would be numerous challenges in the future without a doubt, but those involved in the structuring of a new nation were confident that those challenges would be met wi
th character. Glancing around the room, Samuel internally identified many of the major players within the organization who had been instrumental in carrying out the elaborate scheme. Numbers three, five, seven, and twenty three had done a masterful job with each of their respective responsibilities both before and after the attacks from their offices in Austin. The first three of that list would all have new roles to assume as of this day forward, while number twenty three would remain as the focal point of secretive communications.

  Additionally, those from their former positions in Washington D.C., numbers eleven, thirteen, seventeen, nineteen, and twenty nine had performed exceptionally well. For number twenty nine, his undercover role would continue on indefinitely, as his position of authority within the Pentagon could provide valuable intelligence for Samuel and Texas. As for the other four that had done their duty in Washington D.C., their knowledge of those within the leadership structure of the United States would prove to be quite valuable as time moved forward. Perhaps there was a place for some of them within the hierarchy of the new Texas government structure, but that would be determined at a later time. Not to be forgotten was the work of number thirty one in El Paso. Through the advance scouting, planning, and organization of assets, that pivotal region of Texas appeared to be in good hands as his duties would escalate in the coming days and weeks.

  Of course those without numbered designations such as the six attack planners, the three men responsible for the operation of the training facility, and Samuel’s two remaining sons Kyle and Mason could not be ignored. Each in their own way had done what they could to look at every conceivable angle, and then identify how to best achieve success that would assist in the completion of the ultimate goal. Without their efforts, the work of all the numbered operatives wouldn’t have amounted to much more than wishful thinking. Pleased as a father for how each of his sons had performed throughout the entirety of the year and before that, Samuel also laughed inwardly with the knowledge that neither had a clue as to their wives being granted numbered status while they had not.