by JC Ryan
Hayden had no choice but to resort to the military for his protection. The problem was those recruits had no training and only caused more of a burden for the already overloaded Secret Service agents who now had to look out for the recruits as well.
The third issue was Hayden’s biggest headache—his rapidly declining approval rating. He and his military cabinet, or ‘junta’ as the media started calling them, were not able to deliver on his promises. Some of the media outlets started running a ‘Dissatisfaction Barometer” and updated it daily. It was heading in one direction only —up.
His seventy-five percent approval ratings had already plummeted to below fifty.
His cabinet tried to persuade him to walk back some of his promises, to start managing expectations but Hayden would not heed their advice.
For the populace, the situation became more and more desperate by the day. The promised food trucks never arrived, millions of families were without food, water, electricity, and other basic needs. More promises were made, but the crowds quickly realized that’s all it was—promises.
And they had no choice but to return to the way they survived during John Brideaux’s reign—stealing, looting, and killing if necessary - whatever it took to survive.
In one of the cabinet meetings, Hayden exploded in a rage when one of the members brought the matter of the growing dissatisfaction and civil unrest up again.
“That’s the problem, you idiot! Can’t you see it? That’s what’s wrong with this country, people have no discipline, no respect for authority. What they need is a heavy hand…order. What we are going to do now is deploy the National Guard and the military in support of the police, and we are going to restore law and order.
“You all remember Napoleon Bonaparte, don’t you? He brought an end to the chaos caused by the hysterical masses during the French Revolution when he issued his troops with live ammunition and ordered them to clear the streets of Paris.
“That gentlemen are exactly what we’re going to do. For God’s sake, we have martial law, let’s use the powers we have. Forget about rubber bullets, water cannons, and tear gas.”
“Lucas, you’re the Secretary of Defense, Transportation, Energy, and Homeland Security. You have the FBI, CIA, and NSA at your disposal. Why haven’t you taken care of this problem?”
On the display screens at Raven Rock and the Rabbit Hole, the spectators watched as the color drained from Nguyen’s face. “I... I... didn’t want to interfere with police matters, sir. But if it is your wish…”
“Well, now you know what my wish is. No wait, let me be more succinct, I’m ordering you to restore order, and I am ordering you to use live ammunition.”
“Mr. President,” General Joe Potter, Secretary of Health, Education, and Veterans Affairs started, “I’m afraid those kinds of measures are going to alienate the people even more. I…”
“Joe, listen carefully.” Hayden interrupted him. “This is not a democracy; this is martial law. The reason why we have Martial Law is that we have a crisis. In a time of crisis, it is sometimes necessary to take drastic steps. That is exactly what we are going to do right now.
“Oh, and by the way, I am not asking for anyone’s opinion about this—I’m issuing an order, and I expect it to be followed; to the T. Are we clear?
The cabinet members nodded. They were all clear about that, but very few of them agreed. However, they were soldiers, and soldiers followed orders, they did not question them.
“This meeting is over.”
Chapter 67- You’re going to regret it
Listening to Hayden’s exchange with his cabinet filled the audiences at Raven Rock and the Rabbit Hole with revulsion.
“We have to stop that lunatic before he fills the streets of this country with the blood of innocent people,” Daniel whispered.
“No ‘ifs, and’s, or buts’ about that Daniel.” Sam concurred while the others nodded in agreement. “Let’s make an assessment of our readiness right away.”
Daniel nodded for Sam to continue.
“Salome’s psychological warfare team is satisfied that they have enough surveillance in place to kick-off the first phase of psychological warfare.
“Jack’s team is ready to start ‘disappearing’ Hayden’s cabinet members.”
Speaking via the secured phone to Kerinski and the man called ‘Mouse’ in the tunnels below the White House, Sam asked, “Is everything in place to start removing Hayden’s men?”
“Yes, sir!” Mouse replied eagerly. “We know Nguyen’s routine. He always leaves through the West Wing. We’ll be waiting for him and transport him by wheelchair to the monorail and on to RRMC.”
“Good. Make it happen at the first opportune moment. As soon as he is taken care of, we’ll let you know who’s next.” Jack ordered and ended the call before turning to Roy for his report.
Roy grinned evilly as he activated the big screen so everyone could see. “Watch this!”
On one screen was the view from the spy fly riding on Hayden’s shoulder while he was moving alone toward the Oval Office, while another screen showed the closed door from inside the Oval Office.
When he opened the door, Hayden saw a very relaxed Laurie Campbell sitting calmly behind his desk. He froze. His faced paled, and he breathed “what the hell?” Speaking louder he said “What… no… you’re… you’re dead. You’re… you can’t be… Get away from me!”
Laurie looked up at him and smiled, “you shouldn’t have killed me, Tom.” She said.
The sweat on Hayden’s face was clearly visible as Laurie slowly rose and added, “you’re going to regret it, Tom. You’re going to regret it.”
Hayden screamed in terror as Laurie turned and walked through the wall, disappearing from view. The Oval Office spy-camera showed his large form retreating more hastily than was decent from the office door, wiping his brow with the sleeve of his shirt as he went.
The situation room erupted into applause, hoots, whistles, and laughter. Roy and Raj found themselves being pounded on the back in congratulations.
“Oh well done, guys! Well done! You scared him witless!” Nigel chuckled.
Daniel leaned back in his chair, shaking his head with a big grin on his face. I couldn’t have imagined it better myself!
Chapter 68- Dwindling enthusiasm
Hayden strode purposefully up to the podium to address the media representatives in the room. He was a worried man. He always maintained a macho image in front of his subordinates, including his cabinet, waving off opinion polls and media reports as fluff, lies, party-political con-jobs, and grandstanding. But he knew better than that—there was enough truth in those poll results to spur him to action and try to do some damage control.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen! I want to thank all of you who are working diligently to cooperate with local agencies to enforce and abide by the restrictions of martial law. Your help and cooperation are much appreciated! You are true patriots.
“I want to take a few minutes to provide you with the updates I promised.
“The good news is that we have turned the corner, the worst is over, and things are going to start looking up in a matter of days now! I want to give you the reassurance that my cabinet and I are working around the clock for you, the American people and you will soon see and feel it. Soon the basic needs of everyone will be taken care of. There will be food, shelter and medical care for all. With some of our plans in the making, the job market is about to explode; soon there will be jobs for every man, there will be more jobs than people. You will be able to feed your families and provide shelter for them.”
There were a few halfhearted attempts at applause, but it died down quickly. They’d heard this before.
Hayden was unnerved. He fancied himself a great orator who could motivate people with his words—tonight it was not working. At least not yet.
“I’m going to give you a brief overview of some of the most important initiatives my cabinet and I are working on in ad
dition to addressing the food and housing shortages, which has been and still is our paramount priority.
“We are going to decrease government spending. There will be cutbacks in some programs, and complete elimination of others. Let me give you some examples.
“Keeping inmates in prison is costing the United States taxpayers nearly one-hundred billion dollars a year. We are going to cut funds to the prisons by fifty percent immediately. No, this doesn’t mean a reduction in guards, nor does it mean we are setting inmates free. It means a reduction in the luxuries the inmates have been enjoying. Incarceration is intended to be punishment, not a summer camp experience. Prisoners are going to find prison life much less comfortable than they are used to. They will each have a bed, a blanket, and a dry place to sleep. They will be provided with three meals per day that consist of basic and healthy nutrition. Those who maintain good behavior will have the privilege of being outside in the prison yard for one hour a day for fresh air and exercise.
“All other activities they have been enjoying are over. No gyms, no television, no libraries, nothing of that kind. They will spend most of their time in their cells. That measure alone is going to reduce the cost of keeping prisoners by one-third.”
This time the applause running through the room was much more enthusiastic. Hayden smiled, I almost thought I’d lost my touch. When the noise abated, he continued.
“We’re going to quit funding ridiculous research projects that have no direct correlation to specific human illnesses or technological advances,” he paused for a moment. Let me give you a few examples of what previous governments have been spending your hard-earned money on. More than a quarter million dollars were spent on a bird-watching project, three-quarters of a million dollars to investigate the methane gas emissions from the belches of dairy cows, close to fifty thousand to write an article about Russian smokers…”
Some people started laughing, and some were shaking their heads.
Hayden snatched the opportunity, “Yes, ladies and gentlemen if it didn’t take the food off your tables, I would have joined those of you who are laughing at the absurdness. “One-hundred-fifty thousand dollars to study why politics stress us out! Sixty-five thousand to figure out what bugs do near a lightbulb. It’s criminal! I say the gravy train has stopped; We will have no more of this wasteful spending. It’s gone. You’ve seen the last of it.”
This time the applause was even better. Hayden was energized by it.
“And on that same topic of wasteful spending; the entire space program is out the door. We’ve been to the moon, we’ve sent probes to Mars, Venus, and other planets and nothing has come of it. We’ve been looking for ET for decades; he has not arrived or contacted us—ET either does not exist or doesn’t want contact with us. Whatever the case may be, it’s time to stop wasting exorbitant amounts of money on these ridiculous pursuits and start putting that money to work for our citizens!”
This time wild applause, whistles, and cheering interrupted him, and he waited for it to fade away before continuing.
“In fact, I’m pleased to inform you that because of these types of cutbacks we will be able to provide free medical, dental, and vision care for every citizen. That is what I call a step in the right direction.”
When the applause faded, he continued in a somber tone. “Now onto a topic that has been near to my heart for many years. Euthanasia. We have long been ending the suffering of animals we cherish by allowing them to be put down humanely when they can’t have a life free of pain and suffering anymore. How can we do less for those we dearly love?
“For years, we have forced our loved ones to go through pain and suffering, tests, experiments, and treatments for illnesses that can’t be cured. We prolong their suffering with inhumane measures even when they beg us to let them die. No more will we be so cruel as to force this kind of suffering on those who beg us not to. We are forthwith establishing the right for the terminally ill who wish it, to request doctor-assisted resolution of their life.”
This statement met with a mixed response. Many applauded the idea, but a few withheld their applause and stared at each other. With that statement, Hayden had ridden roughshod over a very sensitive topic. A topic which has been debated by churches, politicians, philosophers, and probably everyone who ever had the misfortune to see a loved one suffer from terminal illness, for millennia. It had never been resolved.
From the mediocre applause, Hayden knew he better not belabor that point any further and quickly continued to the next topic. “My teams have completed a thorough study on jobs available nationwide, and I am happy to report that there are plenty of jobs available, and soon no man will be without work. Every man in this nation will be able to support his family.
“We are cracking down on all illegal immigrants; they have been stealing our jobs for far too long. It ends now. We have expanded our border patrol to prevent entry or re-entry, and we have launched a major initiative to round up all illegals and drop them on the other side of the border.”
Cheers and whistles erupted from about seventy percent of the audience, and he waited. He was a bit hesitant about the next announcement.
“Cleaning up our country is going to require more manpower. Also, it has to be recognized that John Brideaux and his new world order left the world in chaos. We have to rebuild our military as quickly as humanly possible so that we can deter anyone from attacking us. Peace through deterrence.
“Therefore, we are establishing a mandatory two-year term of service in the military for all men from the day they turn 18. And right now, every man between the ages of 18 and 21 is required to serve two years.”
A stunned silence followed this announcement, and then a murmur moved through the crowd. No one was prepared to lead the way and start applauding.
He made a scathing attack on Daniel Rossler and ended by saying. “As for the search for the prisoners and Daniel Rossler; we are following up on very good information and believe we will have them in hand soon. For security reasons, I cannot say more than that at this time; but we are closing in on them all.”
He started for the door, giving his two-thumb salute, but media representatives began flinging questions at him. He stopped and held up his hand to silence them. “I’m sorry. I cannot add any additional information at this time. Unfortunately, I can’t take any questions as I have just been told that my attention is urgently required elsewhere,” He lied. He wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible because he realized he had screwed up by making the compulsory military service announcement at the end.
He should have ended with the spending cuts and jobs announcements—the promises which always got everyone wildly excited.
“Damn speechwriter blew it,” he growled at Rod Barrett, his Chief of Staff as he walked out the door.
Chapter 69- The stings
About three hours after Hayden’s address to the media, Lucas Nguyen walked distractedly down the hallway toward the West Wing parking exit. His friend’s behavior lately was odd, and that display of rage in the Cabinet room was frightening, to say the least. He was shaking his head when he felt a slight sting on his neck. Instinctively he brought up his hand, but it never reached his neck—it was the last thing he remembered for quite a while.
Mouse quietly caught Nguyen before he fell, slung him over his shoulder and headed quickly down the stairs toward the access tunnel to the Blair House.
Kerinski, keeping a lookout, brought up the rear and secured the secret entrance behind them.
Once in the tunnel, Mouse placed the General in a wheelchair for the quick trip to the Blair House and onto the monorail. He checked the man’s vitals and was relieved to note that his breathing and pulse remained normal and steady.
Upon arrival at Raven Rock, Rebecca checked him over, pronouncing him to be ‘just fine’ before he was placed on his bed in his cell and left to sleep it off.
When the cell door clanged shut, Mouse and Kerinski gave each other a high-five in cele
bration of a job well done. The plan had worked like clockwork.
Back at the White House, Hayden, fearful of entering the Oval Office again, was looking for his friend Lucas to help him understand what might be going on. He didn’t believe in ghosts, but what was this? He needed someone whom he trusted to confide in.
After fruitlessly hunting through various rooms he began asking staff members if they’d seen him. All replies were negative, and he sent someone to check the West Wing parking lot where Lucas always parked. His vehicle was still there.
Hayden had his cell phone called a number of times, but there was no answer. He finally had messages sent to the other Cabinet members but received assurances back that Lucas did not leave with one of them.
His car was here, he didn’t leave with anyone else, but he wasn’t here. Maybe he walked to a nearby club and left from there with a friend. Hayden smiled. Yes, that’s it. He’d found some friendly female companion for the night.
Satisfied that he’d solved the mystery, Hayden headed to his room, then realized Carrie wouldn’t be there. Well, she was good, but there are others out there. As President, I’ll probably get anyone I want, he thought smugly to himself.
Just after 4 a.m., Hayden woke to a soft female voice calling his name.
“Tom! Tom!”
His eyes still closed, he smiled and spoke, “what is it dear?” He started to turn over, expecting to see the luscious body of Carrie next to him.
“Thomas Hayden! You shouldn’t have killed me,” the voice whispered again.
“What!” he screamed bolting upright and looking around the room for the speaker.
“I’m going to haunt you from the grave, Tom. Wherever you go, I’ll be there, and whatever you do I’ll know. Look out for me Tom. I’m everywhere.” The voice said, fading away.
Hayden’s heart was beating in his throat; his chest felt as if someone parked a truck on it, he was sweating, shivering and panting as he dressed and ran out of his bedroom. Rushing past the guards, he shouted to them to bring him coffee in the Oval Office.
