National Burden

by C. G. Cooper

  Cal rubbed his eyes as he gazed out over the New York City skyline. So many people in such a small area. He wondered what those people would do if they knew what the Russians were planning. If nothing changed, they’d know soon. Would the American people rally together like they had after 9/11? Cal didn’t think so. It had taken a coordinated terrorist attack to wake the country, and that only lasted for a short time. Now the United States of America was anything but united. Factions on every side of the table thought they knew how the country should be run. Cal had his own thoughts, and was glad he’d never have to run for office. Keeping his mouth shut was not one of his strong suits.

  “Cal, I’ve got Neil on the phone,” said Daniel from across the luxurious room.

  Cal turned as the sniper tossed the cell phone to him underhanded. He snatched it out of the air and put it to his ear. “What’s up?”

  “First, I don’t have anything new for you on Martindale’s security guy.”

  Cal groaned. It wasn’t like Neil not to produce. “Do you have any good news?”

  “Maybe. Have you ever heard of a guy named Jonas Layton?”

  “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

  “I’m sure I’ve mentioned him. We were both at the Ted conference in--”

  Cal rolled his eyes. “Neil, can you get to the point?”

  “Sorry. Yeah, so this guy Layton is kind of a legend in the tech world. They call him The Fortuneteller.”

  “Why?”

  “The dude it smart.” Coming from Neil, that was a huge compliment and Cal knew it. “He’s developed a system that enables him to predict future events in a way that’s both simple and genius.”

  “What does he predict?”

  “Elections, stock market crashes, economic dips…”

  “Wait. Is this the guy who predicted, like, every electoral vote in the last presidential election?”

  “Same guy.”

  “What does this have to do with us?” asked Cal.

  “He reached out to me last night. Said he needed help with something.”

  “And?” Cal loved Neil, the two having been friends for over ten years, but sometimes Neil’s lack of situational awareness, namely that Cal was in a very impatient mood, pushed the Marine a bit too far.

  “He’s working on tracking stocks.”

  Cal’s breath caught. “What did you say?”

  “He’s pretty sure something’s going on with the stock market.”

  Cal’s temper rose. “And why the hell didn’t you call me earlier?”

  “Take it easy, Cal. Jeez. Sometimes I swear you’re gonna bust a blood vessel. Chill out.” Neil and Cal both took audible deep breaths. “His initial call was pretty vague. He said he needed help, but didn’t know who to turn to. Jonas figured I was a pretty safe bet considering the company I work for. Anyway, we went back and forth over the next few hours. He was pretty jumpy, kept calling from different phone numbers. Finally fessed up to using pay-as-you-go phones he got from a drugstore.”

  “Why?”

  “He says someone might be trying to kill him,” said Neil.

  “Did he say who?”

  “Not yet. Like I said, he’s pretty antsy right now. I’ve offered to help however I can.”

  “Please tell me this has something to do with what we’ve been wracking our brains over for the last two days.”

  “It does. He’s tracking the same stocks we are.”

  Chapter 43

  The White House

  4:44 p.m., March 9th

  Jasper Tollis was exhausted. He glanced around the small waiting room furtively, sipping a cup of ice water as he took in the gold framed pictures of long-dead American leaders. He caught his own scent, a day’s worth of nerves and adrenaline having done its duty. What he wouldn’t give for a shower, but he didn’t dare ask.

  As his eyes passed over a delicate vase holding a billowing bunch of lilies, he thought of his wife. The last thing she’d said to him was, “Don’t screw it up, Jasper.”

  She’d always been a bit of a shrew, a trait she picked up from her mother in spades. The constant nagging aside, she’d taken to wearing Jasper’s lowly councilman mantel more than he did. She spent his hard-earned dollars at local beauty parlors, telling all the ladies how she was the gem in her husband’s eye, his muse.

  Nothing could be farther from the truth. He’d loved her once, when they’d met in community college, he a teacher’s assistant in both her Econ 101 and Accounting 101 courses, she a sexy little vixen who liked to spend her weekend at the beach. Much to his surprise, she’d taken to him, seeing the determination in his demeanor. She knew he was going somewhere and wanted to be along for the ride. Jasper hadn’t thought twice. They’d married and spent every penny of his savings on the small wedding and a week in Tahiti. Things changed as soon as they got home. No more sex. No more school for the new Mrs. Tollis.

  After his stint in teaching, Jasper earned two Master’s degrees, one in economics and the other in accounting. Looking back he wished his degrees were in law like the majority of his peers. They looked at him like the number-cruncher he was, growing paler by the day in his sunless cubicle.

  Jasper Tollis worked hard to get where he was, but an Independent without a clearly defined political party, the Dems too spendy, the Republicans too gun-happy, he was like a sailor without a vessel. He believed he had all the tools to be a successful politician, namely ideas that he thought both practical and innovative, but none of the clout to get there. No patrons paving the way.

  To make matters worse, a councilman in a cheap Connecticut district didn’t make much money. He had to do his best to take on part-time consulting gigs and accounting freelance work to make ends meet and keep up with his wife’s expensive tastes. Maybe the president’s summoning could…

  Someone’s voice shook him from his day-dreaming. “Mr. Tollis?”

  Councilman Tollis looked up. “I’m sorry, yes?”

  The large agent took pity on the small man who’d become one of the last options standing. “Would you follow me, sir. The president is waiting.”

  Tollis nodded and got up on shaking legs, almost dumping his files on the floor.

  The agent waited patiently. “Sir, if it helps, the President’s a pretty good guy. Just be yourself and I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

  Tollis’s face turned from a pallid gray to a more solid pink. “Thanks. I think I’m okay now.”

  He was escorted in to the Situation Room for the second time that day. Many of the same faces from the morning were there, as was President Zimmer. His chaperone pointed to the empty chair across from the President. The men and women sitting around the table went silent and waited for him to find his seat.

  Setting his files carefully on the highly polished table, Jasper Tollis gratefully took a seat, his knees still knocking together as he adjusted his chair closer to the conference table.

  President Zimmer smiled warmly. “Mr. Tollis, I’d like to thank you for coming on such short notice.”

  “It’s not a problem, Mr. President. Thank you for having me.”

  The President looked around the room as he spoke. “If no one has any objections, why don’t we get down to it. Mr. Tollis, what I am about to tell you doesn’t even have a clearance. Let’s just say the information and its secrecy are paramount to national security.” Zimmer turned to the Vice President and nodded.

  Southgate slid a piece of paper across the table to Tollis. “That, Mr. Tollis, is a non-disclosure agreement. By signing it you waive all rights to a fair trial should this information leak to the public through your actions. You will immediately be remanded to custody and stuck in solitary confinement in a federal prison.”

  Zimmer chuckled, patting Southgate on the arm. “What the Vice President is trying to say is that what we say stays in this room. Got it?”

  Jasper Tollis gulped, signing the contract. “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. Now, early yesterday the Russians contacted us…”
r />   +++

  New York City

  “How can we meet this guy?” asked Cal.

  “I’m not sure he’s up for that.”

  “I don’t really care what he’s up for, Neil. Tell him we’ll guarantee his safety. I can send Gaucho and his team up to get him.”

  “I’ll tell him. Give me a few minutes. I’ll call you back.”

  Cal threw the phone back to Daniel. “Looks like we may have a break in the case, boys.”

  +++

  Councilman Jasper Tollis sat in muted shock. It was hard to believe the Russians were being so brash. Every civilized country in the free world believed in bolstering economic stability, and had lived with a sort of gentleman’s truce when it came to the global economy. Sure, the occasional spat over Syria or North Korea was to be expected, but to cast aside a proven investment like American treasury bills was guaranteed catastrophe.

  As a long-time student of global economics, Tollis knew, probably better than most of the people in the room what would happen should the Russians, and God forbid the Chinese, call in their U.S. debt.

  “So, now that you know the predicament we’re in, I’d love to hear about your idea and whether you think it’ll help deal with this threat. I will tell you that of the forty or so that came in this morning, nine came back, you being the last. Once I told them the situation, all but five admitted that their ideas were unfeasible. I would appreciate you giving us your honest opinion should you feel the same.”

  Up until then, Jasper Tollis thought he was one of many economists flown in to help the rising budget tensions in Washington. Not that he thought he had a real shot at the time given the extreme nature of his plan. But now…his mind spun with the possibilities. He’d been laughed at and cast aside for what many had called a stupid proposition. Even his wife said the solution was ‘half-baked.’ If those idiots in Connecticut could only see him now.

  After regaining his composure, Tollis sat up a bit straighter and looked the President in the eye for the first time. “Mr. President, I think my plan will work.”

  Chapter 44

  The White House

  5:19 p.m., March 9th

  Jasper Tollis took a sip of water from the glass sitting on the table in front of him. The room was deathly quiet, all eyes on him. He was surprised at the lack of smell in the room, probably some futuristic air filtration system that kept the body odors of adrenaline-fueled politicians at bay during times of crisis.

  He felt once again in command of his body. He had center stage.

  “Mr. President, as I’m sure you already know, the current national debt stands at around twenty-three trillion dollars. A majority of that, despite what the media would have you believe, is held by everyday Americans, American municipalities, brokerages and our own federal government through things like Social Security and the Federal Reserve. The total percentage of that twenty-three trillion owned by foreign entities currently stands at thirty-four percent. The largest portions go to China, then Japan. If what you say is true about China, Russia and some of the other larger stakeholders, we could see a dramatic hit to not only our stock markets, but those around the world.”

  “How do you propose we deal with it?”

  Tollis smiled, ready for the coming rebuttals from the room. “My plan is simple. Tax all U.S. retirement accounts at ninety-percent and pay off the entire twenty-three-trillion-dollar bill in one fell swoop.”

  The room was silent as the President digested the news, his face showing no signs of confusion or distaste. “What accounts would this affect?”

  “Retirement accounts like the 401-k, IRAs, you name it.”

  “Don’t you think the American people might be a little pissed that we’re taking all their money?” asked Zimmer.

  Tollis didn’t search to see who the chuckle from the end came from. “At first they will be, Mr. President, but this has to be sold as a plan for the greater good, an opportunity to be out of the hands of the Chinese and Russians. I’ve also devised a way that the federal government can re-release treasury bills and bonds at reduced rates, but with increased returns. That way we’re incentivizing our citizens to invest at home instead of abroad.”

  “And what about the countries like Japan that don’t want to see us go belly up?”

  “They’ll have to deal with it. However, now that you’ve brought the Japanese up, Mr. President, did you know that Japan’s debt is by and large owned by its own people? For years the media has talked about the debt Japan owes, but it owes it to the Japanese.”

  Zimmer nodded. “So you’re saying we take a page out of the Japanese playbook.”

  “To a certain degree, Mr. President. The Japanese are still over-leveraged. With all our resources, we don’t have to be that way. Japan imports everything they need. We’re a major exporter, even now with oil and the boom happening in the Dakotas. Hell, Mr. President, we could become a self-sustained superpower the likes the world has never seen.”

  Jasper Tollis was breathing heavily, having excited himself into a near frenzy. Just the fact that the President was listening at all made his plan real. For the first time since he’d come up with the idea, Jasper Tollis truly believed it could work.

  “Well, Mr. Tollis, you sure have given us something to think about.”

  +++

  Once their guest had been escorted from the Situation Room, those assembled exploded into conversation, most directed at the President.

  “I think we should go with the first option, Mr. President.”

  “We need military action, Mr. President.”

  “Let’s widen the search, Mr. President.”

  Zimmer sat back and listened to the ruckus, still digesting everything he’d heard. It was Vice President Southgate who stood, rapping his ashen knuckles on the solid table. “Gentlemen, why don’t we take an hour break for dinner and then reconvene at seven.”

  The President stood, prompting the rest of the room to follow suit. “Sounds good to me. I’m starved.”

  +++

  President Zimmer invited Travis Haden, Secretary of State Dryburgh, General McMillan and Vice President Southgate to join him for dinner in the Oval Office. He wanted to come up with a game plan before heading back downstairs. His national security advisor would have joined them, but he’d gotten an urgent call as they’d adjourned.

  The space felt electrified to Zimmer. The air buzzed with anticipation, energy focused toward a single purpose. He’d started the day unsure of where it would lead, but the past few hours had shown him that there could be a way out, a solution to deal with the Russians and their allies. Now he was famished once again, devouring the bacon cheeseburger and fries in front of him before saying a word.

  The others chatted quietly while they ate, not wanting to intrude on the President’s thoughts. Zimmer balled up his paper napkin and landed a perfect free throw into the waste basket.

  “Well, gentlemen, what are your thoughts?” He turned to Gen. McMillan first, curious to see which way the chairman of the Joint Chiefs was leaning.

  “Mr. President, frankly I think a flat-out hell no might do the trick. I don’t see how military action would achieve much of anything other than to escalate tensions. I think you’re already doing the right thing in preparing to take a strong stance against this.”

  “I won’t lie, General, I’m actually happy to hear you say that. I wasn’t sure what you’d say.”

  McMillan smiled, his bulldog wrinkles forming concave arcs at the sides of his mouth. “I may be a Marine, Mr. President, but I’m not a war monger. Sometimes a few words can be more powerful than the Seventh Fleet floating into town.”

  Zimmer nodded, knowing that McMillan had a deep grasp of history, and was in the process of writing his third book. He’d have to ask the Marine how he ever found the time.

  “Geoff, what do you think?”

  All eyes turned to Dryburgh, who’d been quiet throughout the day. He still looked a bit jet-lagged from the day before, gr
ay circles under his eyes and his red hair not as polished as it usually was. “As I’ve said before, Mr. President, a strong stance is needed. Unlike the general, however, I’m not sure we should take any of our options off table quite yet. We all know the Russians don’t listen to much, but they sure as hell listen to force. Reagan showed them that in the eighties.”

  “Travis, what about you?”

  Travis shook his head with a laugh. “If you told me six months ago that this is what we’d be dealing with, I would’ve thought you were crazy. That being said, and I know you may think I’m crazy, but this idea from the councilman from Connecticut is growing on me.”

  That surprised the President. He knew that Travis Haden, former SEAL and CEO of an international security and R&D firm, was a staunch conservative. It was one of the reasons he’d wanted him as his Chief of Staff, to play devil’s advocate to the president’s left-leaning tendencies.

  “Why the change?”

  “I’ll say that I agree with both the secretary and the general. We need to be firm, that’s a given. But this may be our chance to get out of this whole debt mess. I’ve always hated the idea that America is beholden to anyone. I know it’s supposed to be a way of life now, but it just aggravates the hell out of me. If we can come up with a way to convince the American people that it’s not only a way out of the Russian fiasco, but also an end to our financial woes, hell it might be worth a shot.”