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by Richard Stephenson

  “Sorry, Pop, I’ve got a job. I’m your vice-president.”

  Howard gave his son the rare gift of a smile. “God help us all.”

  Howard and his son spent the next twelve months doing their best to meet the needs of the people in the Pacific States of America. Howard disliked the job more and more as the days and months passed. His distaste for the job did not hinder him from giving the office of the president one hundred percent. Howard insisted that the government in his territory model the former United States of America. It didn’t take long for Howard to memorize dozens of books on government. Every night when he retired to his bed, he read the biographies of the forty-six Presidents of the United States to learn from their successes and failures. The last president and one of Howard’s closest friends, Malcolm Powers, was a celebrated armchair historian. Howard knew he would never fill his friend’s shoes, but figured Powers’s obsession with presidential history was worthy of emulation.

  Howard looked up at the monitor in his command center and addressed Hal, his digital assistant. “Good morning, Hal.”

  “Good morning, sir.”

  “Status report, please.”

  “Yes, sir. The UAE has not made any significant movement towards the neutral zone surrounding our borders.”

  “They’re a little too busy to be worrying about us at the moment.”

  “Indeed, sir. The Silent Warriors continue to make bold attacks in The Pulse Zone. I intercepted a report last night detailing an attack on a water treatment plant outside of Charleston, West Virginia. The death toll from the attack continues to climb. Terrorists continue to set fires throughout the region. The UAE is currently attempting to extinguish fires that continue to spread across Nashville. President Sterling recently issued a decree to abandon Washington, D.C. and declared the destruction beyond repair. Regional Governor Butler is facing many challenges in restoring the power grid eighteen months after the EMP…”

  “Hal, enough about the UAE. I get the point – it’s going downhill fast.”

  “Of course, sir. General Dupree is scheduled to return to Beck Castle sometime this morning and has asked to schedule a meeting with you.”

  “Concerning what?”

  “The general did not specify, sir.”

  “Notify Richard that I’ll meet with him as soon as he arrives.”

  “Very good, sir. Senator Wilson wishes to confirm your meeting in Seattle, Monday of next week.”

  “Can’t my son just go to the damn meeting instead?”

  “I don’t believe so, sir. The senator has scheduled a banquet in your honor; he has been planning it for the last two months. Many important people will be attending and will be greatly disappointed if you are absent.”

  “A lot of important people that want to kiss my ass so I’ll do them a favor.”

  “Shall I cancel the meeting, sir?”

  “No, Hal. I could use a little fresh air, and I don’t want to suffer my son’s nagging. I can already hear it. ‘Dad, the people need to see you. You’re a symbol of hope, freedom, and blah, blah, blah.’”

  “Sir, I’m afraid I must agree with your son.”

  “I’m not surprised, Old Man. What bothers me the most about this damn meeting is that I already know the reason they want me there.”

  “Which is, sir?”

  “They want Seattle to be named the capital of the Pacific States of America.”

  “And you don’t, sir?”

  “Not in the least, Hal. We don’t need to create a target for the United American Empire. Once they find out we’re having a State of the Union address or some other stupid meeting, no doubt they’d try to wipe us out.”

  “I see, sir. A wise precaution on your part; however, if our efforts are successful, we will not have to worry about such a threat.”

  “Damn right it is. Things are running just fine in our underground fortress. This bunker is impregnable, and I plan to run things down here where it’s secure until we can safely move around the territory.”

  “Sir, General Dupree will be arriving shortly.”

  “Good. Have him meet me in here.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  Beck Castle had been constructed many years before by Howard Beck as a safe haven for what he considered to be the most important creation in the history of mankind — the first artificial intelligence, his friend Hal. He also built the massive underground complex as an ark for the continued existence of the human race in the event of an extinction-level event. Should the end of the world occur, he had originally planned to ride it out, safe and sound, in Beck Castle with his family and a select group of people. If the public had known Howard Beck was building an Armageddon bunker twenty years prior, they would have mocked and ridiculed him as a crazy old man who had lost his mind. When the collapse of America brought the mighty nation to its knees, Howard had the last laugh. With the aide of his advisors and Hal, Howard ran a nation spanning hundreds of thousands of square miles and populated with over fifteen million citizens in an underground bunker five hundred feet below ground. He had no intention of ever relocating the seat of government to Seattle or any other place for that matter.

  *

  General Richard Dupree’s stealth craft slowly descended from an altitude of one thousand feet down to a barren stretch of land in front of the entrance to Beck Castle. The highly sophisticated vehicle was undetectable by radar. Every inch of it had been coated with billions of tiny nanobots that could render the craft invisible to radar as well as the naked eye. The nanobots also served as an effective shield in combat.

  Richard had to observe radio silence for the last fifty miles of the journey. Howard insisted that the measure was unnecessary since all forms of communication with the castle were encrypted and impossible to detect. Since Richard was in command of the PSA’s military forces, he insisted on it. Richard argued with Howard that the day might come when the UAE would break the encryption, and it was best to err on the side of caution.

  The pilotless craft slowly taxied onto the landing pad. Seconds later, a large section of earth began its descent into a small hangar bay beneath the surface. The craft slowly rolled off the platform, allowing the landing pad to rise back to the surface. Richard exited the craft and stepped into the elevator to make the forty-five-story descent to Beck Castle.

  “General Dupree, sir, I trust your journey was uneventful?”

  “It was, Hal, thank you. When will I be meeting with the president?”

  “President Beck is ready to receive you at your earliest convenience.”

  Richard didn’t need to ask about Howard’s location since the president spent his mornings in the command center tending to the issues facing the Pacific States of America. The young general had spent the past three weeks visiting the military bases scattered around the territory. When the nation collapsed in 2027, the Unified National Guard was absorbed into the Unified American Empire, under the direction of Supreme Commander Carl Moody, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Malcolm Powers. Supreme Commander Moody scrambled to consolidate the Unified National Guard and the bulk of the Armed Forces into one fighting force to protect and defend the Unified American Empire under the rule of President Simon Sterling. When Howard Beck deployed his tech army of automated craft and robot soldiers to capture the territory he now governed, his primary objective was to secure all the military bases inside his borders. The task was much simpler than anyone had anticipated. The military force inside the territory had sworn an oath to protect the former democratic government. Only a small percentage of the soldiers had to be exiled to the Unified American Empire.

  Richard’s most difficult task was exerting his authority over the senior officers located on the liberated military bases. It didn’t take long for the veteran officers to realize that Howard Beck’s tech army meant business. If they wanted to enjoy the freedom and protection that accompanied the Pacific States of America, the officers had to come to the realizati
on that Richard Dupree, a man twenty years their junior, was in charge.

  Richard had gone on a three week tour to ascertain the battle readiness of their army. The UAE had essentially left them alone for the past few months. They had their hands full with The Silent Warriors, a stealth regiment of Muslim warriors the Great Empire of Iran had sent to infiltrate America. The Silent Warriors were comprised of small terrorist cells that had no communication with each other. Their mission was simple: to wreak as much havoc on the American people as possible. The Great Empire of Iran had unleashed the final, crippling blow that guaranteed the collapse of 2027. Iran called the event “The Star of Allah.” A nuclear warhead was detonated high in the atmosphere over the Eastern seaboard. The resulting electromagnetic pulse destroyed every electronic circuit from the East Coast all the way to the Mississippi Valley. The UAE, along with the American people, refused to adopt the name given by Iran and instead referred to the event as “The Pulse.” The Pulse was the perfect cover for the Silent Warriors to come out of hiding and attack the nation with unrelenting force. Reconstruction efforts, under the supervision of Regional Governor Jackson Butler, had a difficult time restoring the infrastructure of The Pulse Zone. Governor Butler was able to make gradual progress, taking two steps forward and one step back to deal with The Silent Warriors. Richard was thankful for the diversion; it meant that the Pacific Army had time to prepare a critical blow against the UAE. The final obstacle Richard had to hurdle was convincing Howard that it was a good idea.

  The elevator came to a stop on the command level, and Richard made his way down the corridor to his quarters.

  “Hal, inform the president that I’m going to take a moment to settle into my quarters, and I will be with him shortly.”

  “Very good, sir. General, I have some news to share with you. Would you like to hear it now or wait until your meeting with the president is finished?”

  “Depends. Good news or bad?”

  “Very good news, sir.”

  “By all means, go right ahead. I’m just going to change clothes and freshen up.”

  “Yes, sir. Per your request, I have been monitoring all channels of communication within my grasp for any reports on the slave trade.”

  “Haven’t heard anything in months; that is good news. What’s up?”

  “Well, sir, the UAE has turned a blind eye to the slave trade, as you know.”

  “Of course, they have much more important things to do than stop human trafficking.” Richard gritted his teeth in anger.

  “This morning, the UAE released a directive to all eight Regional Governors to investigate and apprehend any group or individuals believed to be involved in the sale or transfer of slaves.”

  “Why the sudden interest?”

  “Sir, it seems that Regional Governor Weygandt lost two grandchildren to slave traders. The children wandered off from a local park, and a nearby resident witnessed the children being kidnapped. Governor Weygandt deployed his forces and rescued the children a few hours later. The slave traders were brutally tortured and their corpses were hung from a bridge to serve as a warning.”

  “Well, at least now we’ll be getting decent intelligence on the slave trade. Hal, I want every single piece of intelligence sent to my tablet for review. If you come across any credible information about Chrissy, I want you to notify me immediately.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Richard had spent much of his children’s lives behind bars. The ex-Navy SEAL had walked into the church nursery to discover an older man masturbating as he watched young children play naked in front of him. Richard brutally murdered the man in front of his own son. While he was in county lockup awaiting trial, Richard discovered that his ex-wife had become a drug addict and was putting his children’s lives at risk. He escaped from prison in an attempt to rescue his children. During his time as a fugitive, Richard was responsible for the accidental death of a hiker. While attempting to save the man’s life, he was apprehended and sentenced to twenty-five years at a supermax prison for his crimes.

  During the collapse of 2027, Richard was able to escape yet again and make his way to Denver to collect his children. He was able to locate his son, but the joy of their reunion didn’t last long. Richard soon discovered that his daughter, Christina, had been sold to a man for a tank of gas. Richard had no leads as to her whereabouts. With close to half the country plunged into darkness thanks to The Pulse, finding her became next to impossible. The United American Empire restricted travel with various roadblocks and checkpoints so Richard wouldn’t make it far unless he knew the right people and could determine an acceptable bribe. His best course of action was to use the resources at Beck Castle to find credible information that would lead him to his missing daughter.

  Richard had spent most of his life harboring distrust and disdain for his fellow man. During his time with the Navy SEALs, he traveled the world and saw firsthand the level of depravity to which mankind could sink. Richard was not naïve enough to think that America wouldn’t descend into third-world country status after the collapse; he was, however, shocked that it happened so quickly. In eighteen months’ time, the slave trade was a booming industry. Men, women, and children of all races were captured by slave traders and forced into manual labor to rebuild the broken areas of The Pulse Zone. Angry citizens were displeased by the lack of progress being made by the United American Empire and took matters into their own hands. The UAE gladly turned a blind eye to the slave trade since the brutal crime lords employing the slaves were accomplishing the job they’d had difficulty doing themselves. Rumors began to spread that the Regional Governors were secretly hiring the slave traders. Richard wholeheartedly believed the rumors because the UAE made no attempt to stop them. Since slave traders had captured the grandchildren of one of the Regional Governors, the matter suddenly had importance. It was just the break that Richard had been waiting for.

  Richard finished freshening up and changed clothes. He exited his quarters and made his way to the command center. He was looking forward to seeing his son but didn’t want to pull him out of school. “Hal, what time does my son go to lunch?”

  “Eleven thirty, sir.”

  “When he breaks for lunch, have him return to our quarters.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Richard stopped outside the command center and waited for Hal to announce his arrival. A few seconds later, the door opened and Richard walked in. Howard did not stand up to greet him; he didn’t even take his eyes from the screen.

  “Hal tell you the good news?”

  “Yes, Mr. President.” Richard was accustomed to Howard’s lack of social graces. He’d given up trying to shake the man’s hand since he seldom returned the gesture.

  “Richard, what have I said about the ‘Mr. President’ nonsense?”

  “I wasn’t aware you had resigned.” Richard smirked.

  “I haven’t resigned! I just hate all the fancy protocol!”

  “It was a joke, Howard.”

  “Not a very good one.”

  “I’ll try harder next time.” Richard enjoyed giving the president a hard time. He had become quite fond of the man in the last eighteen months. Howard Beck was the most brilliant man he had ever known. Howard could lecture about any number of things, and it would immediately go so far above Richard’s head that the man might as well have been speaking Greek. Richard loved to aim subtle sarcasm and humor at Howard and watch it go over the genius’ head. It wasn’t the same, but it was fun to turn the tables on him.

  “Richard, before you tell me what’s on your mind, I want to talk to you about something.”

  “Sure.”

  “Max thinks I’m just being paranoid, but I have concerns about the security of Beck Castle.”

  “You are paranoid, Howard, but that’s a good thing if you ask me.”

  “I’m growing concerned that security is becoming too lax down here. We have far too many civilians living here. If I had my way, we’d empty out thi
s place of all non-essential personnel.”

  “Howard, you can’t run the PSA by yourself down here. The staff living here is dedicated to keeping our country together. You can’t very well ask them to live here full time without their families. The refugees we took in after the collapse have nowhere to go; we can’t very well evict them.”

  “You sound like my son.”

  “Well, he’s right, you know. What exactly are you afraid of? Everyone granted access to Beck Castle undergoes extensive security checks.”

  “That’s all well and good, Richard, but what happens if a Silent Warrior or a UAE spy manages to get down here? We’ll lose everything. All of our accomplishments will be for nothing.”

  “Howard, the only thing we can do is to be fiercely vigilant in our screening process like we’ve always been.”

  Howard decided to give up and changed the subject. “You have any plans for this coming Monday?”

  “I’m sure I do.”

  “Want to come to Seattle with me?”

  “Not particularly, why?”

  “Senator Wilson is having a banquet or some nonsense.”

  “You mean you’re actually going? I’m shocked. Don’t recall you ever going to any social function.”

  “I haven’t. My son won’t stop badgering me about it. Keeps insisting that I’m an inspiration or a symbol of something. I don’t really understand the point. I figure if I go to one he’ll leave me alone for a while.”

  “I have to agree with him. The people want to see their president.”

  “Will you come with me?”

  “Have you asked Max?”

  “Not yet. I want at least one of you to go with me.”

  “If he doesn’t want to go, I guess I’ll go with you. Is Max here? I’d like to talk to both of you.”

  Howard knew Richard had something important to talk about if he wanted Max involved in the discussion. “I’m not sure. Hal?”

  “Director Harris is in his office, sir. Would you like me to summon him?”

  “Please.”