Jose swung open the freezer, then the refrigerator. “All right, where is it?”
“Where is what?”
“I saw you coming back from the Miller’s. It’s not the first time I saw you stuffing things in your coat.”
“I can’t believe you’d spy on us, Jose. You know we went out of way to help you with your grandmother. You forget about that?” Laura said.
Jack took a step toward his neighbor. “I’m sorry, Jose. You’re mistaken. Look, it’s late, I gotta get up early.” Jack guided Jose to the door.
“You’re not going to get away with it. Don’t be selfish. My kids need help.”
“Good night, Jose,” Jack said as he grabbed the doorknob.
Jose turned to Laura. “I know what’s going on, Laura. I need help for my family. You saw Concetta. She’s so fragile.” Jose suddenly pushed away from Jack and ran to the couch. He reached under and dug out four aluminum-wrapped packages.
After Jose made threats to report what Jack and Laura had done, they agreed to split the four packs of meat with Jose and to give him some each week. Jack escorted Jose to his apartment and hung in the hallway outside his neighbor’s door. When he heard Jose summon his family, Jack knew it was safe to go to the Miller’s and make a game plan with Joe to avoid giving away too much.
***
A capital policeman stationed at the top of the US Capitol did a double take. A crowd that had to be in the hundreds had suddenly materialized. He froze for a moment as they started to storm the domed building. The officer fumbled for his radio as he retreated into the building yelling,
“Call for backups! We’re being attacked!”
Four security officers responsible for the rotunda ran from their stations to the doors as the invaders streamed up the limestone stairs. The armed mob poured onto the portico and around its neoclassical columns into the lobby. They clubbed and disarmed the security officers.
As the intruders fanned out, gunshots rang out. An officer stationed on the second-floor overlook drew his gun and shouted for the mob to retreat. A shot from behind pushed the officer over the stone balusters, and he hit the marble floor with a dull thud.
The number of shots fired slowed as the mob roamed the hallways, emptying offices as they went along. As the political class was rounded up on one side of the building, jacket-less congressmen on the other side began running for the exits.
As congressmen fled down the stairs, backups from the Capitol Police approached the building. The first three reinforcements were gunned down as they stepped into the building, halting the attempt to recapture the Capitol.
Superiors debated on the size of a response force, resulting in a stalemate on how to go forward. As reinforcements piled up, smoke was spotted coming out of an elliptical window, breaking the impasse.
The historic assault to reclaim the Capitol resulted in a bloody battle leaving sixty-eight dead, including nineteen police officers.
***
The president, eight cabinet members, and a smattering of White House staff, including Garland, were in the Situation Room watching drone feeds of the attack on the Capitol. As the battle ended, Garland picked up the ringing phone on the conference table, listened, and thanked the caller.
Garland put the phone in its cradle.
“All clear, it’s safe to return to your offices.”
Garland signaled to the president that he needed a minute, and the president said, “Okay, folks, time to get back to work.”
The room emptied and Garland took a chair next to his boss.
“You know what this means?”
“The attack?”
Garland nodded.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Pete.”
“This is a serious escalation of violence against the federal government. Look, I hope I’m wrong, but we can’t afford to make a mistake.”
“For God’s sake, Pete, you know how damn busy I am. Spit it out already.”
Garland pulled his lips in. “We’ve got to bunker down. Implement Brown’s plan.”
“Oh, come on now, that’s a bunch of nonsense. Besides, things aren’t that bad.”
“I’m afraid they’re going to be. You saw the morning’s briefing on the uprisings throughout Asia . . .”
“We’re not Asia. This is America, and the citizens of this country don’t take arms against their government.”
“True, sir. However, there’s never been a time in history where there’s simply not enough food to go around. Look at all the programs we’ve rolled out. Most of them would’ve been considered lunacy . . .”
“I don’t need to rehash what we’ve done. I damn well know I signed them into law.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“Besides, if we isolate ourselves, that may actually spark an uprising.”
“It could, but I believe it’s a risk we’ve got to take.”
“I’ll lose the moral high ground hiding out on Andrews, not to mention the military connotations it’ll signal.”
“I understand, but though you may lose an edge, it’s better than losing the ability to govern completely. We’ve got to have a secure environment if we expect to control things.”
The president shook his head. “I don’t like it, not one damn bit!”
Chapter Forty
“Hey, Jack, things are getting dangerous. These attacks on the government threaten our ability to manage the crisis the best we can. There’s a lot of support for moving critical staff into secure locations.”
“Like military bases?”
“Exactly, that way everyone would be safe and we’d be able to ensure the government is able to perform its duties.”
“I assume the president would operate from a base as well.”
“Absolutely, as unconventional as it may seem. Besides, the last assault on the White House kinda scared POTUS.”
“You’re an optics guy, Pete, you have to know this is not going to play well on Main Street.”
Garland exhaled. “I know it too well, and that’s why I’m calling. We need help.”
“You want me to help sell it?”
“That’d be real helpful, and frankly this is necessary.”
“What can you tell me about this? And don’t spin it, Pete.”
Garland told Jack that the plan was for vital branches of the government to retreat onto various military bases around the country. He explained that a force large enough to maintain order would protect the bases, but other military personnel would vacate the base, leaving the base’s housing for the officials and their families.
“So they’re not only going to work there but live there with their families?”
“There’s no other way. They’d be targets. I don’t know how much you know, but there have been so many threats that the FBI can’t even follow them up anymore.”
“I get that. I’m just not sure they can’t be protected any other way, like with military escorts.”
“But that won’t stop anyone from attacking our buildings.”
“Not buying it totally, but go ahead, tell me more.”
Garland explained that the bases would be self-sufficient to insulate them from any disruptions on the outside. He said the bases would expand onto any available land for farming and grazing to supplement the food supply.
“I don’t know about this one. It goes directly against my beliefs. You’re separating the government from its people. It’s dangerous, if not fatal to our democracy. It creates a class of elitists.”
“Come on, Jack, you can’t be that naïve.”
“What?”
“The biggest illusion of government is its supposed concern for the common man. Truth be told, the only time we really give a damn is those times when our interests align.”
“I, I don’t know what to say, other than it’s a sickening admission. And now you want to make it obvious, this split with who you call the common man by ensconcing yourselves on protected bases with food?”
; “A perk of power is the privilege it affords.”
“I just can’t believe what I’m hearing.”
“You asked me to be honest, and I’m doing my best.”
“I don’t know, I just didn’t expect to hear this. There’s just no way I can participate in this.”
“Really? Even if we get you and your wife onto a base?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Another perk is the ability to protect those that help us. We’ll categorize you as an essential service provider and you can live on the base like the rest of us. You’ll even get more rations.”
“You’re going to bribe me?”
“Call it what you want.”
“That’s what it is, a bribe.”
“Look, Jack, I don’t have any more time for this, so make up your mind, you in or out?”
***
Jack shut the door, and, as he was locking it, called out, “Lor, come here.”
“What are you doing home?”
“I talked to Garland, and you’re not gonna believe it, but the government’s moving—”
“Moving? To where?”
“Hold on, let me finish.”
Jack explained what he’d learned from Garland concerning the movement of essential federal offices and employees onto self-sufficient military bases.
“Sounds kinda logical to me. I mean, they have to get things done.”
“Maybe, but he said they’d be insulated from the problems, and frankly it seems like they’ve been lying the whole time about the rations they get.”
“You mean they get more?”
Jack nodded. “And he got all arrogant with me, basically saying they’re above us.”
“That’s disgusting. So what are you going do? Write something?”
“Well, the thing is, he offered to let us both come with them.”
“I don’t understand. You mean onto the base?”
“Yeah.”
“How come we could go?”
“They want me to help sell their programs by writing favorable articles.”
“We’d be safe there.”
“I know, and have more food. Things are going to get worse.”
“You know you’d be kind of a stooge for the government. I can live with that since we’d get more food, but can you?”
“I’m just trying to think about what’s best for us. We can’t last forever like this. I’m sure the extra ration we get will be pulled and, who knows, they might screw around with the rest of it to get back at me if I refuse.”
“You think they’d do that?”
“I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Can’t you talk to him again and see what he says?”
“I guess so.”
“Okay, and when you’re talking, ask about where we’d live. I can’t see us in one of those barracks. We’d have no privacy.”
***
Garland gave a quick knock and stepped into the Oval Office. President Rogers was on the phone and frowned at his chief of staff. Rogers finished the call and said, “I’m afraid to ask, what’s the matter?”
“Sorry to interrupt, sir, but I knew you’d like to know. Looks like the Chinese have moved against the Fiji Islands.”
Rogers arched his eyebrows. “Moved?”
“We suspect they’re doing the unthinkable, going to turn the islands into a food factory.”
“Do we know for sure this aggression is related to cannibalism?”
“We had some drones dispatched from Saipan that backed up the last communications we had.”
“The place went dark?”
“Yes, it’s been about six hours since communications have been cut.”
Rogers shook his head. “Where’s this going to end?”
“If you ask me, this is a test run. See how it goes, what the blowback is. Then they’ll probably target larger, more highly populated islands.”
“How the hell are we going to respond to this?”
Garland exhaled. “Publicly we’ll have to make a lot of noise, recall the ambassador, try to send a message, but we don’t need a military skirmish at this point.”
PART FIVE
Death is a degree more in peace and silence than man is used to. Not to be feared.
~ Pietro Morsilli
Chapter Forty-One
Jack watched Laura get dressed and said, “You know, you’re looking better. I bet you put on two, three pounds since we’ve been here.”
“No way three, maybe two.”
“We made the right choice, coming here. I don’t like some of the crap I’ve been writing, but it’s not been too bad and, fact is, we’re doing better.”
“I know, I just wish I’d get more strength back, especially since they’ve got me working so many hours.”
“You still keeping an eye on the Chinese?”
Laura said, “Yeah, but after that move against Korea they’ve been quiet, but there’s a lot of chatter about Iran. They moved even more surveillance satellites to cover them.”
“I heard Turkey’s been begging for help.”
“They’re not the only ones. They moved a lot of our people to watching Russia since they moved so many troops.”
Jack said, “They say there’s more than two million Russian soldiers on Europe’s border.”
“What do you think will happen? You think we’ll get involved?”
Jack shook his head. “No way. At the end of the day, the fact is everyone’s rooting for some type of war that’ll kill a lot of people.”
“That’s terrible. We can’t let that happen. That’s not American.”
“My guess is we’ll let it go on for a while before stepping in.”
***
The president spent most of his day in a hardened barrack that acted as a command center and mimicked the Situation Room with its furnishings and equipment. He was finishing a meeting with his national security advisor as Garland came in. The president’s chief of staff hesitated and started to back out of the room when Rogers said, “It’s okay, Pete, Tommy was just leaving.”
Garland shook the general’s hand as he left and scanned the monitors as he settled into a chair opposite his boss. Garland said, “I think it’s time you do a little PR tour. Hit New York and Boston. Meet with some religious figures. They’re gaining support again. It’s been too long, and we should get you out there with the people before we move ahead with Rightsizing.”
Rogers leaned back in his chair. “You know, being in here makes me feel things are almost normal.”
“Except we’re in a Situation Room.”
“Situation, is that what this is? Another name for hell, if you ask me.”
“No one could have predicted everything we’ve been through, but I’ll tell you what, the country’s fortunate to have you. You’re making the tough calls, the right ones. We’ve just got to get through a bit more of this.”
“But they hate me.”
“History will vindicate you, no doubt in my mind.”
“Maybe, but it’d be nice to have the support while I’m still around.”
“I’ve been thinking of something that’ll help do that and provide some cover for Rightsizing.”
Rogers beckoned with his hand.
Garland said, “What if we increased rations, nothing gigantic, but three, four percent?”
“We don’t have it to give.”
“I know, but it’s not gonna be forever. You could make an address to the nation announcing the increase. People will only focus on the increase. We’ll come up with some language to give us some wiggle room. Maybe some of our experimental crop yields are higher due to technology, and then later we can say it was a short-term thing as yields decreased over the longer term. Something like that. It would lift the nation’s spirits and your poll numbers.”
Rogers flashed a smile. “But what’s that got to do with Rightsizing?”
“It’ll give us some cover. One day we’re increasing r
ations. How can anyone believe that at the same time we’re responsible for a poisonous mosquito?”
Rogers sighed. “I can’t believe we even talked about such a scheme.”
“We’ve got no choice. It’s either that, a war, or we watch our citizens continue to starve to death.”
“What about that plan Henderson had?”
“You mean forcing all women of childbearing age into Placenta Plus?”
Rogers said, “Yeah, the public accepted that program.”
“But forcing women into it? It raises too many issues if it’s not voluntary.”
“How about we raise the rations for participants? That’ll help.”
“We can’t handle more women than we have now. Besides, it’s almost a year out. We need something to move the needle now and Rightsize fits the bill.”
“There’s gotta be a better way. Tell me there’s something on the horizon, Pete.”
“I wish I could, sir.”
The president swiveled in his chair and silently stared out his window.
***
Dr. Pino’s peering was broken only when he moved from scope to scope or when intermittently logging data onto a spreadsheet. When one of his lab assistants showed up for work, Dr. Pino realized he’d been bent over a series of microscopes for more than a dozen hours.
The doctor leapt off his stool. “Jimmy, I did it!”
“Did what, Dr. Pino?”
The doctor waved him over and lowered his voice. “Created a self-cloning organism that doesn’t require a food source. Take a look at this scope.”
The assistant took his glasses off, bent over and said, “The cells are dividing rapidly.”
“Exactly. Now look here.”
“It looks the same, just larger.”
“Come on, Jimmy, you want to be a scientist? Observe it closely. Now what do you see, or shall I say don’t see?”
The assistant switched eyes and examined the specimen for a minute before saying, “I’m sorry, I’m not getting it, Dr. Pino.”
The Final Enemy Page 24