They’re digging...........oh my god, they’re digging. They can’t climb so their digging......
The commander took a step closer and was alarmed at their progress. The stiff, dead fingers clawed the earth without fear of pain.
“Get a platoon over here, ASAP.” The commander issued the order and watched Hojo disappear toward the main building.
The commander felt a sense of hypnosis watching them shovel out the earth. A few hung back ten yards from the fence and growled, challenging him to come out. A woman close by in jeans and a work shirt looked up at him while clawing at the earth. She had honey blond hair to her shoulders. Grey skin accompanied her puss yellow eyes. A hungry, wide smile slashed across her face as they made eye contact.
You know we’ll win........we always do.
The commander watched her teeth glitter in the sunshine and felt icicles spread through his blood stream. It was always the same, time was on their side.
*
“We weren’t exactly on stable ground before this happened, you know.” Bryant kept his monologue going. “Money and debt, I mean.”
“Yes, of course.” Molly nodded to keep him going.
“Our depth ratio was 104% per cent of our gross domestic product.” There was a stress line on his smooth forehead. “It was a number that was really quite distressing.”
“Distressing?” Molly interjected. “More like scary as hell.”
“No,” Bryant briefly held a forefinger aloft to make a point. “There were major countries in worse shape than us.”
“Like who?”
“The Chinese,” Bryant calmly explained. “Their debt was 260 per cent of their gross domestic product.”
“What?” Molly felt her mouth fall open. International news and information was always something sold short in American media. Although she read as much as she could, Molly had to admit to times like these when she was blind-sided. “How is that possible?”
“It’s not the fault of their government. They were actually trying to be responsible.” He had a very smooth way of laying out the truth. Molly put it down to his accent. “The banks were the problem with the Chinese. They were heavily leveraged in real estate.”
“What has this to do with American gold?” Molly had to ask.
“Our world economies are now interlinked. Miss Hunter.” Bryant explained with a slow caress of his hand in the air. “What happens to them, affects us.”
“Okay....”
“What was happening here was happening everywhere,” Bryant hands clasped together for a moment as he sat on the metal stairs. “Of course you know that.”
“Of course.....”
“We realized a few weeks into this crisis that evacuation of our cities was the only way to survive.” Bryant calmly continued as his eyes grew a shade more intense. Molly could see he was laying a clue. “The same thing happened to them.”
“Wait,” Molly pulled herself up from her reclining position. She saw the bait dangled in front of her and snatched at it.” You said the Chinese banks were heavily leveraged in real estate.”
“Yes,” Bryant nodded with a partial smile. “All of that real estate became worthless if they abandoned their cities.”
“So they didn’t evacuate?” Molly’s head turned slightly.
“No, they tried to fight to save the economy at first.” Bryant stood for a moment to stretch his thin, old legs. “They sent over a million troops into Shanghai, alone.”
“Incredible.” The word escaped Molly’s mouth as she tried to grasp the scope of the number.
“Shanghai is a city of 34 million, Molly. Over sixty per cent of those people had been......turned.” His watery eyes were a reflection of a Greek tragedy.” In the close quarters of room to room fighting, in alleyways and buildings, the Chinese armed forces were up against at least twenty million of those things.”
Any grasp Molly had on the size and scope of what he was discussing spun out of control. An army of one million made infinitesimal by the enormity of its foe. Her eyes seemed to blank over for a second. Molly turned to Bryant who was patiently watching her digest the information.
“.....And in the other cities?” She finally asked.
The same result, I’m afraid.” He leaned against the metal railing and shook his head. “Guangzhou, Beijing, Wuhan, Shenzhen.........”
“The Chinese had no choice but to scrape together what forces they had left and start a second long march into the countries interior.” He paused and picked at the thought. “Strange, how history seems to repeat itself like that.”
“Yes,” Molly’s response was slow, dreamlike. The millions of people marching through the cold, as they starved, froze, died and then revived. The cycle of pursuit from the cities must have been unending. Catastrophe, doom, hellfire, apocalyptic.....They were small words in the face of all of this. She made a mental note to research any footage that might have been shot. Molly could feel herself recoil from the horror into the safety zone of the reporter. That disembodied eye that records the suffering but does not feel it. Every animal has its coping mechanisms. This is ours, her inner voice confirmed.
“But the banks.....” She let the question hang in the air.
“When the Chinese government was able to establish contact with the rest of the world again,” Bryant continued when he was satisfied Molly had caught up. “They let the other shoe drop.”
“They held a fire sale.” Molly’s voice was low and even. My god, she knew where this was going.
“A very quant way of putting it,” He sat down again on the stairs without breaking eye contact. “But very correct.”
“They sold everything they had to foreign buyers?” Molly was sitting now cross legged listening to a modern era monster story. This was a massive what if of financial collapse, the worst case scenarios in real, rotting flesh.
“Everything that was foreign went on the market.” He exhaled for a second before adding: “Including all our treasury bonds.”
“They had a lot them.” Molly knew that much.
“Oh yes, they did.” There seemed to be a chill in his voice, was it regret? “We should have never let them have so many.”
“What did you do?” It was a question that made the hairs of her neck stand on end.
“We had to buy the treasury bills. If we didn’t, we risked having them not selling and being de-valued.” Bryant’s shoulders seemed to sag. The conclusion appeared in front of Molly. It was as real as the room was empty. “We tried to get a loan from the World Bank. But it was not enough.”
“You sold them the gold to buy the treasury bills.” Molly felt her insides grow hollow.
“It was the only thing the Chinese wanted in return.” Bryant’s calm was unnerving. “If you think about it, they were being quite pragmatic.”
“So what is backing up the value of our dollar?” Cataclysm was a real feeling inside of her.
“Deception....” It was the best word he could come up with.
“Smoke and mirrors,” Molly tried to grasp it and it felt like an economic abyss. “Our dollar is worthless.”
“As long as no one knows, we’re fine.” Bryant tried to explain.
“...And just how long do you think that’s going to last?” Molly challenged him.
“We have many willing accomplices.” Bryant nodded. He had that money changer look about him now. The dollars added up into a specific figure. “The American dollar is accepted international currency.”
“.....Meaning.....?”
“If we go down, we take most of the world with us.” Bryant was telling the truth. “So, I hope you understand you can’t report this.”
“I’ve already figured that one out.” Molly nodded seriously. After a pause, she added. “Why are you here?”
“Where else would I go?” He asked. It was not a plea for pity it was just an addition and subtraction of modern life. “When the Government suggested I stay here, it was fine.”
“So th
ose militia guys aren’t guarding the gold.” Molly leaned forward in understanding. “They’re guarding you.”
“It appears so, yes.” He answered with a thin smile.
“Is this why Beauragard is here?” Molly probed on.
“I don’t think he has anything to gain by this.” Bryant offered a conjecture. “His economy would be as much of a disaster as ours if this got out.”
“Well,” Molly eased her legs onto the floor and stood up from the trolly. “I’m going to ask him.”
“Just like that?” Bryant watched Molly start to walk up the staircase toward the massive oval entrance. “You’re going to point blank ask him?”
“You bet.”
Do you really think he will talk to you about this?” Bryant called after her while he stood at the foot of the stairs.
“Oh, hell yeah,” Molly reached the entrance and before her body slipped through the aperture, she turned to Bryant and replied with a sly smile: “The General and I are cool like that.”
*
“Hojo,” The Commander was listening to the gunfire from the fence line while sitting in the cupola of his command vehicle. His eyes scanned the tapestry of houses and wooded areas beyond the compound. “Come up here.”
“Yes sir,” Hojo found the toe holds and hand rails quickly. It was second nature after a while. A lot like slipping on your shoes and walking out the door, zero thought required.
“Take a look.” The commander handed his binoculars over to Hojo. He decided to let him see for himself. “Watch the hostiles.”
“The ones by the fence, sir?” Hojo asked as he scanned the fence line.
“No, the ones behind them, the ones on the grass and beyond,” The gunfire was becoming background noise. How many were there? Always too many, he felt himself answer the question. “Do you see what they’re doing?”
“Their walking away,” The sound of his voice betrayed a hint of confusion. “They’re retreating?”
“No, something else has their attention.” The commander observed, pointing toward a few distant figures. “The wind is blowing away from us. They’ve picked up another scent.”
“Looks like we have company,” the commander pointed again at a cluster of houses in the distance. “I’d say they are right about there.”
“Kentucky National Guard?” Hojo followed his lead.
“That’s my bet.” The commander reached for the radio. “Sentries, you awake?”
“Yes sir.”
“Give me a three sixty of our position,” The commander watched the slow walking figures. It felt odd to look for some familiar faces, the young goth girl, the woman with honey blond hair at the fence. It felt bizarre and yet so normal at the same time. “What are the hostiles doing aside from digging?”
“I will check it out, sir.”
“Good,” he terminated the call and stared ahead while Hojo lowered the binoculars. “Hojo, tell me about Sergeant Ubaid.”
“She’s sedated right now. The Sergeant does need to see a surgeon.” Hojo reported, it was clear to him the commander wanted to know more. “She’s a good officer, sir.”
“Uh.........,” The commander lost his courage for a minute but then decided to keep going. “Are she and Birk........uh.....you know...”
“Oh yes sir.” Hojo nodded like they were talking about the weather “They’ve been an item for a while. It could be serious.”
“How does everyone feel about that?” This was new territory for the commander. A terrain he was carefully negotiating.
“They’ve kept it on the down low so everyone’s cool.” Hojo calmly replied. It struck the commander that a thing like this was clearly commonplace. “Birk and Ubaid have handled it well.”
“Hmmmmm......” The commander interjected thoughtfully.
“I think they started going out when a bunch of us went out to a country bar at Marshal University and he taught her how to line dance.” Hojo had a smile cross his face. “Birk may not look it but he’s pretty light on his feet, sir.”
“I’ll be damned.” The commander tried to imagine them. It was a blank space. Perhaps that was best. He decided to give his approval. “Well good for them.”
“When off duty they’re a nice couple.” Hojo offered.
“Sentries have reported in, sir.” A voice from the speaker reported.
“Go ahead,” The commander perked his ears up. He had a good idea what he was about to hear. “What are the hostiles up to?”
“Sentries have reported most are digging at the fence.” There was a pause as the voice referred to either memory or notes. “Some are just watching us from a distance of between 20 and 50 yards from the fence line.”
“Is that it?”
“No sir,” The voice continued. “All sentries are reporting that some are moving away from our position.”
“Alright, tell them to keep their eyes peeled.” The commander terminated the conversation and sighed. Yes, it’s exactly what he would have done. “Well, that’s it, then.”
“Sir?” Hojo tried to follow along.
“The Kentucky National Guard have us surrounded.”
*
“General Beauragard,” Molly had her back leaning against the wall, perched on her cot. The blackberry was in her hand cupped to her ear. Privacy was paramount now. “I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time.”
“Not at all, Miss Hunter,” His voice sounded tired. But he was good at putting up a brave face. “What can I do for you?”
“It’s actually what I can do for you, General.” Molly began the bargain. “I have some information for you.”
“Really?” His curiosity was clearly piqued.
“I am going to ask for some information in return,” Molly decided on a straight up trade. “I will trust you as a man of honor, so I will go first.”
“Of course, Miss Hunter,” His voice was hard to read. But, Molly had a feeling of time ticking and it was not on the general’s side.
“I’ve been doing some snoopin’ around.” She began.
“You’re rather good at that.” He added lightheartedly.
“Indeed I am,” Molly had to laugh at that one. She paused and collected herself, was this really the right thing to do? Hell, don’t back down now.
“There is no gold here, General.” Molly’s tone was serious again.
“None?” Beauragard seemed to stop in his tracks. There was a pause before he asked; “Do you know where they moved it to?”
“They sold it when the Chinese banks had an emergency sale of our treasury bonds.” Molly was suddenly in that huge room that was empty but for the echo of her footsteps.
“How do you know this?” Beauragard was alert, tense, listening carefully.
“The former Secretary of the Treasury told me.” Molly paused to name drop. “Nelson Anson Bryant.”
“You called him?”
“He’s here, General. I just talked to him.” Molly paused and let him digest the large spoonful of shock. But she couldn’t resist: “Like I said, I’ve been snoopin’.”
“He’s there?” Beauragard’s voice took on a shade of disbelief. “Why?”
“If I was the US Government and I had just sold all my gold that is supposed to be propping up our dollar,” Molly explained. “I would want the one man who knows this to be kept under wraps.”
“He is there against his will?” Beauragard was reeling now.
“He doesn’t seem to mind,” Molly had tried to look into Bryant’s infinite eyes. It was strange to see how deep this defeat had gone. Did he blame himself? Of course, the good ones’ always did. “He seems to be under a very polite form of house arrest.”
“My God......”
“Now, if you don’t mind telling me, General.” Molly stretched out her long legs on the cot and prepared to listen carefully. “Why are you here?”
“It is now my turn to trust you, Miss Hunter.” Beauragard was like a poker player preparing to deal. “Are we off the record?
”
“Of course we are.” Molly’s voice had a tinge of regret to it. “You know I can’t report any of this.”
“Indeed.” Beauragard paused and then spoke in a tone that was surprisingly calm. “We are here to satisfy a commitment to a new trading partner.”
“Who?”
“We are not sure.” Beauragard’s voice had calmness to it.
“You don’t know who you are dealing with?” Molly tried not to be too incredulous. It might sound insulting.
“They gave us a false corporate name, “ Beauragard was playing straight now. “We traced the name to a phony address in the Caribbean. It’s a corporation that exists in name only.”
“I’ve heard of this.” Molly had a windfall before her of stories that bore the same modis operendi.
“Yes, I think you’ve interviewed the Russian government before.” Beauragard heard it in her voice and offered agreement.
“You knew it was them?”
“Of course,” His voice was almost bored with the game this foreign power had played. “The Russians can be very predictable in their methods.”
“Then why deal with them?” Molly had to ask.
“Miss Hunter, the US Government has not officially attempted to put trade sanctions on us,” Beauragard was being honest now. She could feel it through the phone. “But they are putting the squeeze on.”
“How so?”
“When we try to directly trade with the United States Government, they become difficult and slap tariffs on our goods.” Beauragard’s impatience with the whole subject was obvious. “When we try and trade individually with single states, the government threatens them.”
“General, this is America.” Molly countered. “There is such a thing as state’s rights.”
“Indeed, that is true on paper.” Beauragard explained. “But then there are the veiled threats that come from Washington later. These are terrible times, Molly. Individual states need help in maintaining everything from infrastructure to armed forces.”
“And if they trade with you, the states get less next year.” Molly pursed her lips at the end of the sentence, nice, just nice.
“There are some things that the rest of the country and Washington need from us,” Beauragard let the thought dangle in the air. Yes, he wanted to remind her he still had cards to play.
5 Years After (Book 2.5): Smoke & Mirrors Page 8