State of Rebellion pc-1

by Gordon Ryan

  “A follow-up, if I may, Madam Vice President,” Schikman almost shouted, as a din rose from others wishing to pose their question. “It is well-known that Senator Turner, a fellow Californian, has supported your nomination and appointment to the office of vice president. Have you agreed to reciprocate by supporting his agenda for California’s secession? Does his support of your appointment indicate that you agree with his stance? And finally, as VP, what is your official stance on California?”

  “Henry,” Prescott said, “Senator Turner has represented the State of California for nearly twenty-five years. He understands their problems perhaps better than I, notwithstanding our common agricultural origins. I intend to work closely with the Senator and, where his recommendations further the interest of both California and the United States, will be supportive of his legislation. As regards California’s position vis-a-vis the Union, my stand before the Senate committee is a matter of record, and I’ll reserve any further comments until the chief justice has issued a statement on the Supreme Court’s review of the constitutionality of the referendum.”

  Clarene looked away from Schikman and called on Ann Wallingford of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Press comments continued regarding the most pressing issues, including California’s secession plans, Australia’s republican movement, and the United States’ intentions with regard to the rising Irish debate in the aftermath of the IRA’s killing of the vice president.

  “Good evening. I’m Paul Spackman, and welcome to the Six O’ Clock Eyewitness News. The battle lines have been drawn, and the strategy has become clear. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a six-to-three split decision, has overturned the California election approving secession. Representing the minority opinion, Justice Harlan Michaels declared that the California secession vote was constitutional, citing as a precedent the Treaty of Guadelupe Hildago of 1848, wherein Mexico ascribed certain rights with regard to the California territories, among those being the right to divide into multiple jurisdictions.

  “Justice Harlan has opined that the United States assumed the obligations of that treaty when California was acquired from Mexico. Supporters of the secession movement have claimed that by extension, the treaty affords them the right to separate from the United States. The minority opinion confirmed the validity of that treaty and its applicability to the current situation.

  “Speaking for the majority, Justice Holcomb cited a later Supreme Court case, Texas vs. White, et al., 1868, wherein Texas was deemed to have rights to certain United States financial instruments despite the fact that Texas had seceded during the Civil War. Declaring Texas’ statehood indissoluble, the court in the 1868 post-Civil-War decision honored Texas’ claim to federal bonds procured prior to the secession. Justice Holcomb’s opinion is that if Texas’ statehood remained intact during the course of the Civil War, California would inherit that indissolubility and void the election results. In other words, the original congressional contract approving California’s entrance into the Union in 1850 is irrevocable.”

  Spackman shuffled a few papers and continued. “Last year, the California Supreme Court basically ducked the question and ordered a statewide election for the single purpose of determining support for secession. Immediately following the overwhelming vote to secede, thirty-eight United States Congressmen from California filed a motion to overturn, and the matter was elevated to the United States Supreme Court. Faced with an even larger majority in favor of secession, the U.S. Supreme Court nevertheless addressed the issue, rendering, at noon today, their decision to overturn the California election.

  “California House Speaker James Huntington, who has voiced his opposition to secession, was contacted at his office today. In a terse comment, Huntington said the California legislature would proceed with the formation of a constitutional committee. U.S. Senator Malcolm Turner, a long-time proponent of secession, indicated that he has been in touch with the governor’s office, urging the California chief executive to proceed without delay to implement the will of the people and not to be deterred by the Supreme Court’s actions.

  “In a related story, FBI sources today reported that the Western Patriot Movement has declared unqualified support for the secession, warning that attempts by agencies of the United States government to thwart the will of the California people will not be tolerated and will be met with military force.”

  Chapter 25

  Walnut Creek, California

  Dan Rawlings sat with Nicole watching the evening news from the living room of her Walnut Creek apartment. It was the second time he had been inside her sanctuary, both of them having avoided their growing desire. Earlier, during an autograph session at a local Barnes amp; Noble bookstore in Walnut Creek for his new novel, Dan had been besieged by both opponents and supporters of secession, primarily because in the closing chapters of his American family saga, the protagonist’s family was shattered, to the point of violence, by their opposing views on a fictitious secession movement, not unlike the present situation in California.

  The combination of Dan’s election to the California legislature, the timing of the book’s release, and the inclusion of the topic of secession had sent book sales soaring, elevating Voices in My Blood to number four on the New York Times Best Seller list, up from number twelve on election night. It was a phenomenal feat for a previously unpublished author. His literary agent had already received three film offers, all of them over seven figures, and further negotiations were in process.

  Nicole sat quietly as the news of the court ruling was delivered, leaning her head on Dan’s shoulder. “Seems we’re headed for conflict whichever way we turn,” Dan said, lightly stroking her hair.

  Trying to lighten the mood, Nicole snuggled up close. “You’re a legislator and a famous author, Mr. Rawlings. Do something.”

  “I’ll do something all right,” he said, taking her face in his hands and kissing her boldly.

  “Ummm, that’s not exactly the political solution I had in mind, Mr. Assemblyman, but it was innovative.” She laughed. “But really, what’s the legislature going to do? Surely they can’t sit by and just watch anymore.”

  “They’ll, or maybe I should say, we’ll, be forced to openly declare either our support or opposition and take some official action. I have an appointment with the Speaker of the House tomorrow,” Dan said.

  Nicole sat upright, suddenly interested in this development. “About what?”

  “I don’t really know, but some of the other freshmen have been called in for introductions and committee assignments. I came in six months late in the special election, so I’m really the junior man on the totem pole. I’ll know tomorrow.”

  “Well,” Nicole replied, playing with Dan’s ear, “As long as nothing can be accomplished tonight, what’s the rest of that action you were contemplating a moment ago?”

  “I was trying to determine the flavor of this red stuff on your lips,” he replied, kissing her again, continuing their playfull mood. The kiss grew longer, deeper and more intense. In moments, they were aware that play time had ended. Nicole drew back a few inches, raising her eyes to meet Dan’s, the unspoken question foremost. Dan held her gaze for several seconds, then whispered her name and pulled her closer, kissing her more softly, his fingers working the buttons of her blouse.

  Dan left Nicole’s apartment about five-thirty the following morning, beginning the ninety-minute drive to his condo in Davis. Nicole had roused before he left, but did not leave her room as he prepared to depart. He returned and kissed her again, softly, and stroked her face as he left.

  As he drove, Dan reflected on their growing relationship. They had both proceeded cautiously. Last night had been the first admission of the depth of their feelings. In the light of day, rapidly approaching from the east as he drove toward Sacramento, Dan wrestled with the wisdom of his action. Following their dinner date in San Francisco, he had waited three or four days before calling to invite her out again, and then after several dates, he had invited her
to the Rumsey Almond Festival. Each time he had enjoyed their time together, but often had gone home feeling vaguely guilty about his growing attraction, thinking about Susan.

  It had been more than two years since Susan’s death, and in that time, Dan had briefly dated a couple of other women. He had broken off with both of them because of a sense that he was somehow being untrue to Susan’s memory, though intellectually he knew that wasn’t the case. Susan would have wanted him to go on with his life. He knew that. If she were sitting next to him in the car at this very moment, and could advise him, she would urge him to move ahead. He knew that, but his hesitancy still surfaced. It was awkward being with other women because he tended to compare them to Susan, and no one-no one before Nicole-had come out very well in the comparison.

  It had been different with Agent Nicole Bentley from the start. Perhaps, he had thought, it was because he first saw her in a professional, not personal, light. While he was with the fascinating FBI agent, Dan had been able to put his memories aside. Nicole was bright and witty-to say nothing of being very attractive. But what was most engaging about her was the way she concentrated on Dan whenever they were together. She had a way of looking at him that made it seem as though nothing else around them mattered. On their third date, Dan had picked up some tickets for a popular musical playing in San Francisco, and they planned to have dinner beforehand at an Italian restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf. After meeting Nicole near the terminus of the cable car on Market Street, they rode the car through Chinatown to the docks.

  They had especially enjoyed the clattering ride together. The cable car driver had been one of those garrulous types who enlisted all his passengers in the running dialogue he had with himself and the motorists with whom he competed for the right of way on the steep, narrow streets.

  The dinner had been fabulous, and after the table was cleared, Dan and Nicole lingered, sharing latte and experiences from their pasts and completely losing track of time. When they finally took notice of the hour, they had already missed the curtain and decided to bag the play.

  They walked instead down to Ghiardelli Square and spent an hour wandering through the shops, ending up in a bookstore where Dan made a little game of asking the young female clerk if she had heard anything about the new novel by Dan Rawlings. She hadn’t read the book, she said, but in an effort to make a sale, she also said she had heard it was fabulous.

  “Really?” Dan asked. “Have you sold any other copies?”

  “Well, it just came out, so I haven’t, like, actually sold any yet. Would you like to get one?”

  Dan thumbed the pages of Voices in My Blood. “I don’t know,” he said. “It doesn’t have any pictures, and it’s, like, awfully long.”

  Nicole stood behind the clerk, watching the little interchange, holding a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

  By the time they caught the cable car back into town and the BART train back to Walnut Creek, it was well past midnight. Standing with Nicole in the foyer of her apartment building, Dan had taken the theater tickets out of his pocket.

  “Well, I had a great time, even if we didn’t make it to the play,” he said, looking around for a trash receptacle.

  Before he could throw the tickets away, Nicole reached for his hand. “How about letting me keep one?” she asked.

  “Why?”

  “I like to save mementos of special times in my life,” she said.

  They stood there looking at each other for a moment. “Am I a special moment?” he asked.

  Nicole gazed steadily into his eyes and he had suddenly felt a little lightheaded. When she stepped forward and kissed him, he experienced another wave of emotion. Nicole’s mouth was warm and moist, and keeping his arms down to his side, Dan leaned forward and tenderly explored her lips. They stood there like that, kissing, until another couple entered the lobby and passed through into the landscaped courtyard beyond.

  Taking a deep breath and then exhaling, Dan playacted a more formal tone and said, “May I call you again, Ms. Bentley?”

  “I don’t know, Mr. Rawlings. What exactly are your intentions?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  “Well, what are your intentions?” he rebutted.

  “I asked first,” she said.

  “So you did. Then, what do you think are my intentions?”

  They’d bantered for several minutes before he kissed her again. Even now, driving toward Davis, Dan chuckled again as he recalled the humor of their exchange. Nicole had held his gaze for several moments, then said without smiling, “I don’t know what kind of a girl you take me for, Mr. Rawlings, but if you think you can ply me with dinner and then stand on my doorstep and kiss me whenever you feel like it. .” She paused, showing just the hint of a smile, “. . you may be right.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  Dan had broken into a self-conscious grin. “When do I get to come inside?”

  “In due time. You are going to be rich, aren’t you?”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

  “Coming inside?”

  “No. Being rich,” he parried, smiling.

  They began to laugh, enjoying the verbal jousting. After a moment, Dan reached for Nicole and drew her into an embrace. They stood holding each other for a long moment. Dan was instantly overcome with desire for this woman, and he stroked her back while inhaling her fragrance. After a time, he pulled back, kissed her lightly on the lips, and whispered goodnight.

  Driving home from Walnut Creek that night, he had reflected on the remarkable evening, breaking into an involuntary grin as he thought about this warm, passionate woman. Now, last night had completed their transition. For the first time since his wife’s death, Dan had not felt guilty being with another woman. Since that first night of emotion, through the passion they had shared only hours ago, they had grown closer, although neither of them had made any verbal commitments. The words “I love you” had not entered their vocabulary, and Dan sensed that despite Nicole’s earliest comments about not liking the games people played, each of them was waiting for the other to make the first serious move.

  The next morning, Dan arose early, dressed, and left his condo, headed for his still unorganized legislative office-a dusty, bare dungeon in the basement of the capitol building, reserved for freshman legislators. Arriving at his office before his secretary, Dan listened to the messages on the phone recorder, rewinding when he heard the voice of Speaker Huntington’s secretary advising him of a change of location for the morning meeting to be held in the governor’s office. He listened to the message a second, and then a third time before he accepted that he was actually going to the governor’s office.

  By the time Dan arrived in the governor’s suite at nine-thirty, he had considered and rejected a dozen possible scenarios as to why the Speaker of the House had changed the meeting to the governor’s office.

  “Good morning, Mr. Rawlings,” the governor’s secretary said.

  “And good morning to you, Mrs. Hansen. How do you keep track of all the new people?”

  “Spies, Mr. Rawlings, spies. And the picture on your book,” she grinned, tapping the copy on her desk. “Would you like some coffee?”

  “Yes, thank you. Creme and sugar.”

  She poured his coffee and laid a Danish on the tray before placing it next to him on the sideboard. “Mr. Rawlings, would you be so kind as to autograph my copy of your book?”

  Dan smiled. “It would be an honor, Mrs. Hansen. To whom should I. .?”

  “To Victoria, please. I’m about halfway through,” she said. “Perhaps I shouldn’t ask, Mr. Rawlings, but is it true that Jedediah Rumsey had a fistfight with one of our early governors?”

  Handing back the autographed book, Dan laughed. “Fiction, Mrs. Hansen. But then again,” he teased, “quite often, fiction is only a mild embellishment of the truth, isn’t it?”

  James Huntington, Speaker of the Assembly
, entered the foyer as Mrs. Hansen was accepting the book from Dan. She immediately assumed a more formal demeanor.

  “Good morning, Mr. Speaker,” she addressed him. “May I offer you some coffee?”

  “That would be fine, Mrs. Hansen, thank you.” Turning toward Dan, Speaker Huntington offered his hand. “Welcome to the legislature, Mr. Rawlings. I hear your book sales are going well.” He nodded toward Mrs. Hansen’s copy.

  “Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, quite well, I’m told. Thanks, of course, to people like Mrs. Hansen,” Dan said, smiling at her.

  Huntington accepted his coffee and remained standing. “Governor in yet, Mrs. Hansen?”

  “I believe he was in before six this morning, Mr. Speaker. I’ll just see if he’s ready for you.”

  Mrs. Hansen entered the office, returning momentarily with Governor Walter Dewhirst.

  “Good morning, gentlemen,” he greeted. “Shall we commence?”

  Dan hesitated, allowing Huntington to enter first and then following him into the suite, his first time to enter the governor’s office.

  “Seems General Del Valle was correct,” Huntington said to the governor.

  “Oh, you mean last night’s newscast. Yes, he had it right. And now it’s. . well, there’s no way around it, James-they’ve openly declared war on the federal government,” the governor said, shaking his head. “We’re not going to get through this easily. These criminally minded militia groups are growing bolder, day by day.”