by Logan Castle
“What?” I asked, feeling perplexed.
There was a moment of frustrating silence before Lynn responded again. “It’s you. But it’s not you. I can’t believe it! He must have finally found what he was looking for.”
Intrigued by her statement, I responded almost instantly. “Who? What are you talking about?!”
“Isaac. Isaac finally did it,” she said simply.
I stared at her, open-mouthed, and it finally dawned on me. I instantly understood why she had come to my aid before. “You… you believe me?!” I stammered.
“I suppose you could say that,” she seemed amused. “The fact of the matter is that I had a feeling you weren’t him from the get-go.”
“What do you mean you ‘had a feeling’?! Why didn’t you say something sooner?!” I felt bad as soon as the words left my mouth. Knowing how she stepped forward, putting her own life at risk, was so much more than I could have ever hoped for at the time.
Even though I couldn’t see her, I knew her eyes were fastened on me, staring at me with a penetrating gaze. “Such gratitude. Maybe you and he share much more than just that face. Well, what’s left of it, I should say.”
“If you’ve come here to mock me, I’d just as soon be by myself,” I said. With every passing moment and snide remark, I began to like her less and less.
“No, you wouldn’t,” she said, dismissing my indignant response. “And besides, I haven’t come here to mock you. I have some questions. And I’m sure you do as well. But to answer your question, of course I thought you were him at first! I had no reason to think or believe otherwise; that is, until I heard you speak. You didn’t sound like him. In front of all those people, Isaac wouldn’t have budged like you and would have remained hateful. He would have never begged for his life. He was too far gone to do that. But you did and that got me thinking. Looking at you now, I realize you are the mirror image of him, in almost every aspect. Almost.”
“What do you mean? How are we different?” I asked, rather stunned.
“All in good time. As I said, I have some questions,” she replied snidely.
“Questions?” I repeated, wondering what she meant.
“Yes, questions! You probably want to know where you are and why an angry mob of people is calling for your head?”
My heart leapt at the very prospect of getting answers to a million burning questions. I nearly jumped right out of my chair. Lynn definitely had my full and undivided attention.
“Yes. Please.” I had waited so long for answers that the very notion of finally receiving some nearly made me jump for joy. Had I been able to, I very well might have.
“Well, I think it’s only fair that you answer mine first,” she said pointedly.
“If I have your word that you will return the favor,” I rebutted.
“You have it,” she stated simply.
As short and unsatisfying as that answer was, I believed her. I’m not sure why but something inside told me I could trust this woman. Besides, what other choice did I have? I went about the painful process of repositioning myself against the closest wall. I imagined that I would be talking for a while so best to get comfortable first. Or as comfortable as I could possibly make myself, given the circumstances. Pain shot through my back, causing me to grimace as I pressed against the hard wall.
“Shoot,” I said, signaling that I was ready. I heard an audible snicker coming from somewhere above me, no doubt at my choice of words. There was definitely at least one person up there, ready to blow me away at the first sign of trouble. From that point on, while I remained in this cluster fuck, I silently swore to myself I would be a lot more careful. Not just with my actions, but also with my words.
“I want to know everything.”
I had to take a second to wrap my head around such an all-encompassing request. “Where would you like me to start? There’s so much…”
“I don’t need to hear your entire life story,” she snapped. “Just tell me how you came here.”
I stared at her blankly before clearing my throat to begin my monologue and stopped. First things first. “Water.”
“Well, someone’s needy, aren’t they?” Her voice was filled with sarcasm.
Suddenly a canteen slid across the floor towards me. With slow and deliberate movements, I reached for it. Once I grabbed it, I unscrewed the top with unexpected speed and flung my head back. The water was warm but I didn’t care. I drank a huge gulp. I would have drunk the entire contents had it not been for Lynn’s angry voice stopping me.
“Enough! It’s not like we have an endless supply!”
I got in one more gulp, savoring it before reluctantly prying the canteen from my lips. I screwed the top back on and slid it back to her. A hand emerged from the shadows to grab it. I watched longingly when the canteen disappeared from sight. Thankfully, I already felt a million times better.
“Thanks for that,” I acknowledged. “I can’t remember the last time I drank some water. And what I have to say might take some time…”
“Yes, yes. Get on with it!” She was obviously agitated.
I decided not to make her wait any longer. I didn’t know what the pertinent details were so I started at the beginning. I told her about what happened at the bar, waking up in the hospital, the Skypunches and my mysterious dreams. She was very intent on listening and did not flinch the entire time I spoke; that is, until I mentioned Plum’s name. Her leg jolted and I saw her nearly jump forwards from the shadows before she contained herself and fell back against the wall, as if nothing had happened.
I continued to speak, telling her about my drive home from the office, the old woman, the car accident and finally how my beloved Plum had seemingly fallen victim to the will of a complete stranger. I recounted my talk with the stranger, reciting word for word what was said before I eventually revealed his identity. The Grand Reveal. To me, it felt like a true Star Wars moment, reminiscent of when Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker he is his father. But it did not have the effect I was, in some bizarre way, hoping to receive from my audience.
She remained quiet. For a long time, there was only silence.
After a while, I simply couldn’t take it any longer. “Well?!”
“Well…” she trailed off, seeming to consider her words carefully before stepping out onto the ledge. “It is quite a story. I’ll give you that.”
“You don’t believe me?! But why would I lie about something so crazy?!” I pleaded with her. I was completely beside myself. How, after all that, could she not believe me?
“Stop,” she said forcibly. “I didn’t say that I didn’t believe you. I just said that it was quite the story. But I think mine’s better.”
I tilted my head at her. “What do you mean?”
“Those answers you were seeking? After hearing your story, I think I can give you some. Before that though, I’m going to have to tell you a story.”
I nodded and opened my mouth to respond but she didn’t wait. Feeling like a fool, I shut my mouth, wiping the nervous sweat beads from my brow, and listened.
“Three short years ago was a dark time inside this country. Social injustice, racism and xenophobia were rampant and widely practiced, not just by our leadership, but also by an ever increasingly angry and self-indulgent populace. Our president at the time, Jackson Gerhardt, was an evil, sinister man. Many of us knew that right from the start, since the platform of his entire campaign centered on ideologies of exclusion and hate instead of love and tolerance. You would think a candidate like that couldn’t get as far as he eventually did, but it was a true sign of the times. Just prior to his candidacy, we were emerging from a sophisticated, well-intentioned administration, one that sincerely tried to bridge the great, emerging divide between the classes. Unfortunately, good intentions do not always equate to favorable results and under the previous administration, the overall discord among the people increased.
“When Gerhardt first decla
red his candidacy for the office of president, it was almost impossible to envision such a man winning the most powerful office in the land and yet, he did. Fueled by the anger already present in so many of its citizens after years of neglect and failed policies that doomed most of its jobs and livelihoods, the citizens of the United States of America elected him. The first two weeks of his presidency were marked by both peaceful and violent protests from the many dissenters of his administration. They were challenged by his many supporters. Deadly riots, numerous marches and mud-slinging from members of both sides ensued. Media outlets did nothing to calm the storm, but instead, took every opportunity to perpetuate it. Just a few short weeks into the new administration, it appeared as though we were headed for yet another four years of contentiousness and faulty judgment.”
She took a deep breath as she shrugged. “Ironically, at the time, that seemed like a worst-case scenario for so many of us. We were desperate for the exact opposite of what had been crammed down our throats previously and the concept of having to wait at least another four years felt like a death sentence. How wrong we turned out to be.” Lynn paused in her narrative and I heard her taking a healthy sip of water before she began again.
“President Gerhardt was angered by the efforts of those he labeled ‘the whining minority’ of the country who, at every turn, tried to thwart his aggressive agenda. The final straw came in the form of the media, who did just about everything they could to vilify him. He decided that the best way to push through his agenda was to utilize his sole and unilateral authority.
“The first executive order shut down our borders to all foreigners, including those who were seeking reentry as residents or asylum. The president believed that by doing so, he would make the country safer from all who might threaten it from the outside. Of course, his edict was not popular with many of us but despite all our efforts and protests, there was very little we could do to annul it. Even when told this was a ‘temporary ban,’ many of us knew better. And sure enough, when the expiration of the ban came, it wasn’t lifted.
“By then, however, we had much bigger problems to consider. Executive order after executive order flew from the president’s desk, each one worse than the one before it. The media suffered the next sting. Any of the outlets that stood tall and defied his tyrannical demands were thoroughly discredited and done away with. Any voice that stood in opposition to the president was quickly and resolutely silenced. Our democracy had, in the blink of an eye, assumed the appearance and function of an autocracy.
“Despite all that, a large contingent of people still believed in what the president was doing. After all, his campaign was run on the same policies he was putting into effect. These were the very things that he spoke so vigorously about. While his methods may have been alarming, many condoned it, coming from a man who refused to allow the slow wheels of democracy and ‘political correctness’ to get in the way of his vision.
“Two things happened then that quickly changed the climate and the entire landscape for even the staunchest of his supporters. The first was the rapid, nearly simultaneous dissolution of every major alliance around the world we ever belonged to. As if closing our borders were not enough, the loud, angry resentment the president received from the leaders of the once-friendly nations drove him to condemn them as well. No longer would we run to the aid of those who could so easily turn their backs on us, he argued. He insisted we did not need them. Should they ever rise to deprive us of our right to be the most dominant civilization the world had ever seen, he would not hesitate to use any means at his disposal, including the threat of nuclear war, to prove it to them. We had become a world all to ourselves now. For many of his supporters, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Fools. They were too late though… all of us were.
“The second thing that happened was telegraphed like an underhanded pitch. Of course the world’s strongest leaders refused to sit back and watch the same old movie playing out in front of their eyes. They were convinced that our country, along with all its weapons, were in the hands of a madman, one who would not hesitate to instigate a massive and deadly world war. Condemning his actions, his entire administration and those who still remained loyal to him, those countries urged their own citizens, who were still residing in the United States, to unite in defying the proposals of the president.
“Needless to say, the president wouldn’t allow that. Having hijacked the government and strengthened the military, they were both at his complete disposal. He immediately ordered the registration and eviction of all citizens who possessed passports from other countries. The threat they posed was too serious and too much of a risk to the interests of the United States. It could not be left to chance that they could withstand the urging of their native countries. Enactment of the law happened fast and it was carried out decisively. After families were being ruthlessly torn apart and close friends were being separated in the dead of night, the people united to take a defiant stand against the unreasonable president. There was, however, no way to organize such a broad and coordinated effort, not to mention a clear leader to begin heading it.”
She paused. I could feel the heat of a penetrating stare aimed in my direction. I squirmed underneath it.
“Then, from almost complete obscurity, a man emerged who was willing to risk everything to deliver us from living beneath the heels of oppression. He was a simple, quiet, family man who absolutely abhorred the spotlight. However, the very real prospect that his wife and two children, who also had Australian citizenship, would be forcibly corralled and interned prompted him into becoming the reluctant champion of our cause. His fierce determination and ability to stand up even in the face of great personal risk was what initially drew people to him. Ultimately, it was because he was a relative unknown, someone uncorrupted by either side of the political aisle. He had maintained a peaceful life away from the sordid events of the world and that gained him overwhelming support. He quickly became the face and the voice of a nationwide movement for hope and change almost overnight. President Gerhardt, in his arrogance, never considered an absolute nobody who came from “a tiny backwards state,” as he termed it, as any threat. By the time he’d finally decided to take him seriously, it was too late.
“There was something special about this man. Nobody could quite put their finger on it, but it was as evident in his actions as it was in his voice. Looking back on it now, it wasn’t only his simple beginnings and his unflinching conviction or the power of truth that he had on his side. While those three in any conjunction would have been plenty enough for anyone who might choose to stand forward, it was something much more with Isaac Kent.”
I nearly choked. I coughed, unable to control my surprise. Embarrassed, I tried to muffle the coughs with no success.
“Let me finish,” she said, sternly. “Or would you rather that I stop?”
“No!” I shouted insistently.
“At this point, we weren’t just on the verge of a complete economic and social meltdown, we were also on the precipice of another world war. Countries around the world had begun to unite and some were preparing to start coordinated strikes against President Gerhardt’s forces. It was a cold certainty that if it came to pass, Gerhardt wouldn’t have hesitated to fire everything we had back at them. If that happened, everyone knew it would mean the end of life as we know it.
“Isaac Kent’s timely arrival played a critical role. Not just by bringing the people together, but also in garnering the support of other world powers. That was the only reason the world wasn’t destroyed then. He managed to draw vast numbers of people and after several months of a long, bloody struggle, the conflict finally came to an end at the very steps of the White House. The forces of President Gerhardt surrendered. Refusing to be taken alive, President Gerhardt had his whole cabinet executed before turning the gun on himself.
“The process of rebuilding the damage done by Gerhardt would be an exhaustive one. The physical aspect of that
task aside, it required someone very special to heal the spirit of the people around the country. Even though his heart was back on his ranch in Montana with his family, Isaac Kent couldn’t deny that if he turned away now, the power of a splintered nation could very well be delegated to someone else who couldn’t handle it. In all probability, they wouldn’t be as twisted and misguided as Gerhardt, but they also wouldn’t be up for the almost insurmountable task of rebuilding and healing the nation. Isaac Kent’s leadership during the conflict had made him a hero amongst the people. They were convinced he was the only one who could restore the country to its former semblance of glory. Despite all of that, Isaac Kent seemed determined to disappear from the public eye. He planned to retire to his ranch and abandon the rest of us to clean up the mess we created.
“In the end, Isaac changed his mind but it was not because of some impassioned plea from the people that had followed him to hell and back. Nor was it because of the numerous promises of financial support from the leaders of other countries. In the end, only the love and unwavering support of his wife and children could convince him to sacrifice his own desires for the good of the country. With his family firmly at his side, Isaac Kent managed to bring us out of the darkest era this country had ever endured.
“Before he would do anything, however, he insisted on an open and fair election. That was just the kind of man Isaac Kent was. After basically being handed the keys to the nation, he was more concerned about making sure that every citizen had a choice in the election and did not feel like they were being force-fed by the majority because they demanded it. Retaining the fundamentals of the values and virtues our democracy was founded on, everything we lost under Dictator Gerhardt became of paramount importance to him. An election was held and, while it was not Isaac’s intention whatsoever, it became a complete farce. Isaac garnered nearly unanimous support and was very quickly paraded up the steps of the White House as the next President of the United States.”
I couldn’t contain myself any longer. “But… this can’t possibly be the man I saw! He was… deranged and…”