American Reset (The Economic Collapse Chronicles)

by Mark Goodwin

  -Thomas Paine

  Matt watched the light appear again through the cracks of the door at the end of the container. It must be morning. It feels like I’ve been here a week already, I can’t believe this is only day two, he thought. Matt had no way of knowing how many more days his captivity would last. It’s Sunday, we should be going to church and going over to Adam’s for lunch afterwards. Of course, Matt didn’t even know if Adam was alive. His stomach growled. He heard the lock being removed from the outside of the door. “Breakfast?” he muttered. The oatmeal he received the day before was bland, but Matt just wanted something to stop the pangs of hunger. Matt was ready for the light this time. He squinted one eye and shut the other completely. The light flooded the shipping container and with it entered a fellow prisoner and a guard. They walked to Matt’s cell.

  “Hand him your filth bucket,” the guard said to Matt.

  Matt did as he was instructed. The other prisoner handed Matt a new bucket with fresh water.

  “I’d like to call my attorney,” Matt knew it was a shot in the dark, but it didn’t cost anything to ask.

  The guard laughed. “That’s funny, but still, no talking. I’ll crack your skull if you open your mouth again.”

  The guard and the other prisoner left and the darkness returned. Matt opened the eye he kept shut while the door was opened. It was still adjusted to the darkness. I guess yesterday’s fresh water bucket is today’s toilet. I hope they’re sanitizing those well between cycles. If not hepatitis, E. coli or a myriad of other diseases will kill us all. Maybe that’s the plan, he thought.

  Matt had no way of passing the time other than praying and reciting Bible verses. He had already done that and felt there was nothing left to say.

  Matt spoke aloud to himself, “I need to start some kind of regiment. I’ll lose my mind if I don’t.” Matt did a few sets of pushups, crunches and squat thrusts. He worked out some of the nervous energy which made him feel a little better.

  I wonder why they haven’t interrogated me yet. Maybe they’re waiting for my mental state to deteriorate so I’ll resist less. Maybe they already know everything they want to know. Matt thought through the events of two days ago. He considered the attack and how Adam had said it was a trap. I don’t think there ever was a supply convoy. Matt remembered where they had received the information on the supposed convoy they were to ambush.

  “Michael got all that information from his brother-in-law. Then, on the day of the operation, he conveniently came down with the flu. That guy is a rat!” Matt muttered.

  There was nothing Matt could do about it now. He undressed and used yesterday’s fresh water bucket to bath himself and rinse out the prison clothes he was wearing. He wrung out the shirt and pants and hung them in the chain-link fence that sectioned off his cell.

  “I have to get out of here.” Matt said it again to strengthen his resolve, “I have to get out of here!”

  His mind raced. What had Adam taught them about escape and evasion? “Get out fast. The longer you are in captivity, the lower your odds of escape are. You are usually processed into deeper levels of security and you lose your strength and will to escape over time.”

  “With the amount of food they’re feeding me, I’ll be losing my strength. As for levels of security, I may already be in the belly of the beast,” Matt whispered softly to himself. He had to break the silence, even if it were only with whispers. “Then what? Study my opponent and surroundings and formulate a plan. Sleep and drink lots of water. The water I can do, but sleeping is harder. Tools, I have nothing.” Matt looked at the metal handle of the bucket. “What good could that possibly do? I’m not Slick Gyver. I can’t pick a lock with a bucket handle. That’s alright. I’m thinking. Adam always said your mind is your greatest weapon and your best survival tool.”

  Matt continued to recount the instructions Adam had taught his team on escape. Several hours later, Matt heard the lock being removed again. “I really hope this is food.”

  The door swung open and Matt saw several new prisoners being brought in. He made a conscious effort to start analyzing the gear worn by the guards. They wore a hybrid of military and civilian police attire. It was a grey uniform with a red KBR logo. They had Tasers, batons, handcuffs, radios and holstered side arms. Matt thought it was curious that there were KBR guards working in a government prison camp. He heard Halliburton was issued several contracts for constructing and maintaining the camps. He also knew KBR was once a subsidiary of Halliburton. But from what he knew, they were no longer affiliated after the criminal charges and bad behavior of KBR in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of all the private security firms, he thought, these guys are probably the nastiest of the military industrial complex.

  Soon, Matt’s lonely container was filled with new hostages.

  “There will be absolute silence in here,” one of the guards yelled. “If you violate that, you don’t eat. Trust me, as bad as the food is, you’ll want it by the time it’s served.” The new prisoners were placed in their respective cages and the door was shut.

  Still no food, Matt thought. He was in the end cage, so there was only one new prisoner next to him. Matt could see him, but could tell the man could not see him in return. The man’s eyes had not yet adjusted to the dimness.

  I’ll let him get settled before I try to communicate with him. Matt had been talking to himself all day, and no guard had said anything to him other than the one he asked to bring him a lawyer. I’ll whisper really low to be safe. They may want to keep us from communicating so we don’t coordinate a riot, Matt thought.

  Two hours later, Matt could see the light through the cracks getting low. He heard the lock being taken off of the door again. “Finally!” Matt whispered softly. He could smell the oatmeal. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served.

  With his belly somewhat full, Matt found a good position and went to sleep.

  CHAPTER 6

  “Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. They have harps and lyres at their banquets, tambourines and flutes and wine, but they have no regard for the deeds of the LORD, no respect for the work of his hands. Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding; their men of rank will die of hunger and their masses will be parched with thirst. Therefore the grave enlarges its appetite and opens its mouth without limit; into it will descend their nobles and masses with all their brawlers and revelers. So man will be brought low and mankind humbled, the eyes of the arrogant humbled.”

  -Isaiah 5:11-15

  Anthony Howe prepared his notes for the staff briefing. It was his first day back in the White House. He actually enjoyed his time in the subterranean bunker at Mount Weather during the riots, but it was time to put things right in Washington. It was a symbol of power. Howe knew he needed to display a strong hand in the streets of D.C. if he expected the rest of the country to see him as their ruler. DHS adopted a zero-tolerance policy for protests in D.C. and violators were quickly hauled away to various work camps around the country.

  President Howe’s staff was still unaccustomed to having a regular briefing on Sunday. It’s not that any of them were missing church, but they were missing out on barbecues, tennis, golf and other pastimes that they were afforded at their private clubs. While the rest of the country and even D.C. had fallen into a state of utter chaos, the politicians and elites in the nation’s capital found a way to maintain a higher standard of living. Lobbyists, senators and congressmen redirected resources to keep their favorite country clubs afloat. One would secure a reliable flow of electricity, another would make sure the choice cuts of meat and the best produce were brought in, others would ensure there was a steady flow of wine and spirits. While there was no fully functioning currency in America, power proved to be a readily accepted form of tender. Defense contractors offered complementary security services as well as armed escorts to and from their private sanctuaries.

  The few Repub
lican lawmakers remaining in the city were completely on board with the new program. The dissenters in the Coalition States left D.C. to assist in governing their respective states. Those who stayed in Washington and voiced their opposition to the regime were carted off to CIA black-site prisons and held under the 2012 NDAA indefinite detention clause. The complete lack of any true conservatives allowed the private country clubs to indulge every whim of their clients. Drugs and prostitution became less hush-hush and the debauchery at the private clubs rivalled ancient Rome.

  Howe began the cabinet meeting. “People, the First Lady has made me hyper-aware of the pig roast being held at Belle Haven today, so I’ll try to get you out of here at an acceptable time. I know those of you who have been cooped up with me at Mount Weather are particularly ready for a little recreation.”

  Howe laughed in such a way to let everyone know he really didn’t care if they made it to the pig roast or not. He held no contempt for the absolute hypocrisy of the feast being held while there were reports of starvation and cannibalism pouring in from the major cities due to a lack of food. He simply didn’t care about anyone but himself.

  “I suppose the first order of business should be resource allocation. I’ll let Secretary Brown brief us on the current situation,” Howe said.

  Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Gerald Brown was a holdover from the prior administration. The previous president, Mustafa Al Mohammad, asked Howe to keep Brown on as a personal favor. Howe always granted Al Mohammad’s requests. Al Mohammad had asserted himself as President Howe’s handler for those who ruled from the shadows. All of Al Mohammad’s requests were thinly-veiled orders.

  “Thank you Mr. President,” Brown said. “With the help of the military and DHS acting under the authority of the National Defense Resources Preparedness executive order 13606, we have been able to acquire vast amounts of food resources from farms around the Federal States. We’re also steadily acquiring fuel and transport vehicles to move food into the cities and stem starvation. You’re all aware that we’ve had to write off Detroit and Chicago as a loss. They are unsalvageable. Several other large cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Atlanta are probably beyond the point of saving. It is the recommendation of HHS to focus our efforts on the cities that can be rescued rather than spreading our resources too thinly and potentially having an even higher die-off. We have put together a triage schedule that uses a health analysis of each city within the Federal States to prioritize our assets and labor. We will dedicate our energy to the areas with the highest likelihood of survival.”

  The president was deep in thought. “Gerald, is there any way we can preserve New York City? It is the icon of America to the world.”

  Brown responded, “If we did, Mr. President, it would be at the expense of many other cities. New York City’s most prominent are already out of Manhattan. Most have homes upstate. The buildings and basic infrastructure are not going anywhere. My recommendation would be to let nature take her course in the city. Afterwards, we can clean it up, fix the things that are broken, give it a fresh coat of paint and repopulate it. I hate to sound cold, but the residents who are still alive in New York are expendable.”

  The president let Brown know that his comments were valid. “No, Gerald, it’s not cold. It’s the simple truth. I think I can stomach that plan. Perhaps we could even make New York a place of privilege. It could be the phoenix that rises from the ashes. It could be the visionary prototype for our new utopian society. Once completed, we can relocate new residents into the city as a reward for their faithfulness to our agenda. We’ll make it a symbol of hope for other cities to look to. Thank you for your report, Mr. Secretary.”

  Brown replied, “It was my pleasure, Mr. President.”

  Howe continued, “Next, I’d like to hear what you have for us, Melinda.”

  Treasury Secretary Melinda Chang observed the economic collapse from a front-row seat over the past six months. Her position allowed her to see into the gut of the cancer-ridden financial system of America. “Yes, Mr. President. Our recommendation is to switch the Federal Ration Notes over to a single unit currency. While having each type of note backed by a specific class of commodity did instill confidence in the new money, it has created complications. One of the most significant problems has been the need to print different types of notes. The Federal Reserve can’t keep up with the demand on their presses. A single unit currency would still derive its value from a basket of commodities, but would be interchangeable for any class of commodity. We would continue to use the notes already printed. The five-unit fuel notes and the twenty-five-unit food notes would simply be used as a five or twenty-five-unit general note. They will also be less confusing for consumers. The transactions will be more familiar, they will seem much like dollars. In time, we will also be able to regulate the supply of the new Federal Ration Notes to stimulate the new economy.”

  Howe nodded his approval. “I think it’s an ingenious plan. Did you work with Jane Bleecher from the Fed on this?”

  “Yes, sir,” Chang replied.

  “And have you consulted with the IMF about it?” Howe inquired.

  Chang answered, “We did run the general idea by IMF Director Stanley Klauser. His only concern was that we needed to regulate the amount of new notes that are produced. He suggested a cap of five percent annually after the initial period of monetary supply. Five percent is very restrictive to the type of growth we would be able to stimulate under our previous Keynesian models, but without the support from the International Monetary Fund, we won’t be able to sustain any value in a new paper currency.”

  Chief of Staff Alec Renzi made a comment. “Have we considered developing a fractionally gold-backed currency?”

  Howe snapped, “And admit Paul Randall was right about fiat currencies? Are you out of your mind? We are in the middle of a war with Randall and his Coalition States. As in every war, the main battlefield of this war is in the arena of popular opinion. Admitting he was right about gold and silver is tantamount to admitting we caused the collapse. Use your head, man!”

  “You’re right, Mr. President. I’m sorry,” Renzi confessed.

  “Let’s move on,” Howe puffed. “I think you all know I’ve appointed California Congressman Juan Marcos as our liaison to China in the West Coast relief effort. You all know he is a Republican, but he’s on our side. It’s important to show the American people that were are willing to work together. Paul Randall has created enough division. Marcos has a working relationship with the Chinese company, Hangyun, which is offering relief to the major port cities on the West Coast. The assistance will be in exchange for special privileges and control over the ports. Secretary Vance, how are things coming along with Congressman Marcos?”

  Secretary of State Cordell Vance was assigned to provide oversight to Marcos and the Chinese. It was a given that China’s role in the ports was a threat to national sovereignty, but the West Coast was beyond the efforts of D.C. to save. At least the Chinese would be more cooperative than the Coalition States. Granting control to the West Coast ports to China would keep them out of the hands of the Coalition.

  Secretary Vance said, “Things are progressing nicely on the West Coast. Hangyun has agreed to offer relief assistance to Western Oregon and Western Washington. They are providing Chinese MREs to residents on the West Coast. Los Angeles was already a war zone by the time the Chinese arrived, but many other cities have greatly improved their odds of survival with the help of our friends from the East.

  “With the aid of the Chinese military, Hangyun will help to secure the ports from terrorist attacks initiated by the Coalition States. We’ll also be safeguarded from attacks from our traditional enemies around the world who may take advantage of us while we’re down. Secretary of Defense Hale, I believe you’re working with China on an agreement to provide security for the eastern borders of Western Oregon and Western Washington?”

  The Department of Defense Secretary
Scott Hale answered, “Yes, thank you, Cordell. I know what many of you must be thinking. We understand the risks of allowing Chinese boots in Oregon and Washington, but we’ve already lost the eastern halves of those two states to the Coalition. That puts the western territories of those states at risk of invasion by the Coalition as well. We would rather deal with the risks associated with the Chinese occupation than to have the rest of those resource rich states fall to our enemies in the Coalition. Our current military is stretched too thin to effectively defend the West Coast. The massive desertions made by soldiers who responded to Paul Randall’s invitation to join the Coalition has left us very understaffed in all branches. The massive amount of new DHS recruits can’t replace the battlefield experience we lost.”

  President Howe said, “Thank you, Scott. Rosa, can you brief us on the development of DHS’s joint effort with FEMA to convert the relief camps and prison camps into labor pools?”

  Department of Homeland Security Secretary Rosa Ortiz answered, “Yes, Mr. President. As you mentioned, we’ll be bringing more of those camps online over the next few weeks. The prison camps will be used for more hazardous work and utilized in remote areas that dissuade escape. The FEMA relief camps will institute a mandatory work program for all residents as well, but the residents will be paid a stipend of ten Federal Ration Notes per week, in addition to food and housing. They will be allowed to spend their notes at commissaries within the camp. We hope this will help them to be more content at the camps. FEMA-relief-camp residents will not be allowed to leave voluntarily until order has been restored in the nation. Their only option to leave the camp voluntarily will be to join DHS in our battle against the Coalition. We believe this will greatly add to the number of new recruits. FEMA-relief-camp residents who do not comply with the work programs or attempt to leave without permission will be transferred to the prison camps. We simply cannot allow huge swaths of displaced persons to wander about the country during a civil war.”