This scared Sarah when it looked as though Bentley was going to win the nominee and probably the Presidency of the United States, but she swore to herself that she would be loyal, and just make sure that Bentley always appointed the right people to take over when this happened. She knew it was a tremendous risk, but she also felt that Bentley was the one person that would move America in the direction that it needed to go.
Bentley and Sarah were both dedicated to disarming America. They both felt that one of the biggest errors the Founding Fathers made was the Second Amendment. In their minds, only law enforcement and our military had the need for firearms in the modern society.
The other mistake was Freedom of Religion. The Founding Fathers shouldn't have even mentioned religion. Bentley and Sarah had talked many times how religion was just superstitions of the ignorant and the poor. A way for the lowest class of people to keep their dreams alive of a better life.
Instead of using logic and science to improve their lives, the lower class of people throughout history made up a fictitious being that was all-powerful and would someday come and rescue them.
Another goal was to do away with America being the self-proclaimed leader of the free world. That’s one area that Bentley and President Prescott strongly agreed. Both felt that the United Nations should lead the world to a One World Government with open borders to all.
All of them knew that they couldn’t get it done in their lifetime, but they had the duty to move America in the right direction. They all knew that if they could force the American people to open their eyes and accept that this was the only way to true world peace, soon it would be accepted in the hearts and minds of all people around the world.
At first, it may take force, through enforced regulations and laws but they felt that after people saw the benefits of it, they would accept it with open arms.
But now, America was just a shell of itself. Millions would die under the present circumstances. Maybe it was fate and a restart though. America had to start over, and maybe they’d do it right this time. Maybe they’d come up with a new Constitution, doing away with the mistakes the Founding Fathers made. Sarah didn’t know why all of this happened, but she had to believe this was what our country and the world needed.
President Bentley looked up at Sarah and heard her asking, “Madam President, are you alright?”
“What? Oh! Yes, I’m fine. I was just deep in thought. Please, forgive me.”
“I understand. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Uh yes, get a call through to Chancellor Kohl of Germany.”
“Yes Ma’am.” and Sarah left the room.
Approximately 15 minutes later Sarah came walking back into the office, “Ma’am, Chancellor Kohl is on the line. Do you wish for me to stay?” Bentley nodded her head yes.
“Chancellor, thank you for taking my call.”
“Hello, Madam President. First, on behalf of Germany and the European Union, let me give you our condolences for the attack on your country. Such an act has shaken the world.”
“Thank you, Chancellor, the support you’ve sent has been very beneficial, and that brings me to the first item. I must apologize for the actions of our troops. They weren’t under my control at the time, but I assure you that disciplinary action will be taken on all those responsible.”
“Madam President, Barbara, I know that you are not responsible. Now that you are in office, I know misunderstandings like this will be avoided. If you would have been in office like you should have been starting seven years ago, I am sure you would have had the foresight to prevent the attack on your nation. I want you to know that you have our full support.”
“Thank you, Angela. We will need your help. This is so overwhelming. Prescott had some good policies, but I know that if I had been president as I was supposed to be, none of this would have happened.”
“I’m sure it wouldn’t have. Now that we have a united military, I assure you that we will use all the assets of our intelligence agencies to confirm who carried out such an act.
I must ask you, you do intend on carrying out the commitment and promises that President Prescott made to me?”
Bentley didn’t even approve of everything Prescott had proposed during his address to the nation, but under the circumstances, she didn’t want to upset the Chancellor.
“Yes, Angela. I’ll agree to the agreement he made with you, as long as you can support us during this time of trouble.”
Chancellor Kohl was delighted with Bentley’s reply. She now knew that she owned Bentley.
“Barbara, one thing you may have to think about is an evacuation of your remaining citizens, especially in your major cities. We have discussed with the union members and have decided that we will build refugee camps in most of our member countries. By the reports I have seen, even living in refugee camps would be better for your countrymen compared to how many of them are living now.”
“Oh, I concur with that, and I won’t hesitate to make it a mandatory evacuation.”
“Good, I am glad to hear you say that. I would suggest addressing the United Nations and request UN troops to assist in security and handling the evacuation. If I can speak clearly, some of your citizens are too independent. They don’t realize that the governments and the UN itself knows what is best for them.”
Even Bentley didn’t like hearing that, but once again she knew that she needed the Chancellor to support her, so she said, “Whatever you think is best Angela. I’ll support you and enforce any suggestions that you feel are necessary.”
South Tahoe Lake, Nevada
Robert Hatch was the Speaker of the House from the state of Nevada. During the joint session of Congress called by the President, he was back in Nevada with his wife Nancy, who was dying of Leukemia and wanted to spend her last days at their ranch near South Tahoe Lake. Hatch was a devoted family man, and his wife was everything to him. He gave her credit for all of his successes in life.
When the joint session of Congress was called, there was no choice for him. He was going to stay with his wife. Honestly, he was tired of the public political life and talked many times about not running for another term each time his term was coming to an end but his wife, along with his party, would talk him into running for one more term.
Nancy was very proud of her husband, and because of her encouragement, Robert had become a very powerful politician. He was old school and believed that service to his country was an honor. He met Nancy at a military function at Ft. Hood, Texas, where he was a young Lieutenant in the Army. He was a year too young to join before our troops were pulled out of Vietnam and he had always felt a little guilty because of that.
He was smart enough to know Vietnam was lost due to politicians and the press and not due to military defeat. So when he got out of the Army after serving six years, he got his degree in political science and started his political career. He promised himself that if he ever had the power to do anything to prevent it, he would never let the United States lose a war because of politics.
Nancy was asleep when Army Lieutenant General Trowbridge, Air Force Major General Woodstock, Navy Rear Admiral Santos, Marine Major General Robinson, and Federal Judge Raymond Piedmont arrived along with several Secret Service Agents that were gathered from different cities. After meeting with Hatch for an hour, Nancy awoke.
“How are you feeling babe?”
“Oh, the same. I seem to be sleeping better lately.” She could tell that something important was on his mind. “Alright, tell me, what’s going on?”
He sighed loudly, “Some military officers, along with Judge Piedmont have arrived wanting to swear me in.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful dear. Why is that bothering you?”
Again, he sighed, “I’m not ready to do this yet. All I care about is taking care of you.”
She gave him a stern look, “Bob, more than ever, the people need you. We both know I have maybe a day or two left….”
“Don’t even
say that. We don’t know for sure.”
“We’ve always faced the truth, Bob. We’ve never tried to sugarcoat anything before, so we can’t start now. It’s my time, and it’s your time to lead. Everything happens for a reason.”
“Yes, but I may not even have to do this. Barbara Bentley was out of the country, and she’s flying in. Let her do it.”
“Robert Hatch, are you listening to yourself? Bentley? You know as well as I do what she would do. Do you really want her in charge of what’s left of our country? Don’t you remember how much you feared the possibility of her becoming President? I’m ashamed of you for even suggesting that. More than any time in history, this country needs a strong leader that will defend what’s left of our country and rebuild it. Maybe it’s too late, maybe we won’t survive, but the people need someone that will fight until the end. You’re that person.”
He just stared at her as he questioned how strong he would be without her at his side as she was his balance in life. She had always been his chief advisor and was his strength. As far as he was concerned, without her, life wouldn’t be worth living.
She continued “Now if you believe in your heart and soul that Bentley is what this country needs, then I’ll accept it. But we both know that Bentley is the last thing this country needs right now.” she then softened her tone and with another sweet smile said, “Bob, give me this one last gift. Let one of the last things that I get to watch be the man I love and believe in being sworn in as President of the United States.”
With one last sigh, he looked at her, smiled, and nodded his head yes.
Nancy got to watch her dream be fulfilled; Her husband being sworn in as President of the country that they both truly loved.
Shortly after, Robert commented to her, “I hope I know the right thing to do.”
She smiled and started to repeat a quote from General Norman Schwarzkopf, that both of them had used for years, “The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do….”
Robert then smiled and finished the quote. “The hard part is doing it.”
He reached down and gave her a kiss as she fell asleep. Two hours later, Nancy died.
****
“Madam President, may I suggest that we look for someone to appoint as Vice President?” Oliver asked.
“Personally, I don’t think we need to worry about that right now. I know exactly what this country has needed, and I don’t need someone to argue with everything I plan on doing.” Bentley said in disgust.
“I know but….”
Suddenly, General Berner rushed into the room saying, “Excuse me Madam President, I don’t mean to interrupt, but we just got word that….”
“General, don’t ever come barging into this office again without being instructed to!” Oliver barked.
“I’m sorry sir, but we just got word that Robert Hatch was in Nevada at the time of the attack and he’s been sworn in as President.”
“What do you mean, sworn in as President? I am President of the United States!”
“Ma’am, I’m just telling you what we were advised. He’s currently at the Groom Lake Test Facility, in Nevada. He has put out all commands to standby for orders.”
“What the hell is the Groom Lake Test Facility? I’ve never heard of it.” Oliver asked.
“It’s better known as Area 51.”
Bentley showed signs of panic and just stared at Oliver.
“If that’s true, we have a problem. Constitutionally, he would be next in line as President.” Oliver said with worry.
Bentley shook her head as if she was trying to bring herself out of a trance, “No, I am President! I was born to be President! I don’t care what the Constitution says; I was already sworn in.”
Berner replied, “Ma’am if this report is true, he would be President and …..”
“GET OUT! GET OUT OF HERE GENERAL!”
After he had left the room, she asked, “What are we going to do? I am President! I…..” Suddenly she went quiet and just stared.
“Madam President, are you alright? Madam President? Sarah, get a doctor!” Oliver commanded.
****
President Hatch had his wife buried the next day on the hillside overlooking the lake on their property. A few hours after that he was landing at Homey Airport at the Groom Lake Test Facility. Once his office was set up, he called his first meeting.
“Gentlemen, our country is living through unprecedented times. The people are suffering. We’ve been attacked by one or more unscrupulous countries while at the same time our military is in disarray. I’m going to have to ask you gentlemen and your staffs, to do things that you shouldn’t be expected to do. I ask for your patience and your dedication during these hellish times.We must try to form a government as quickly as possible, but our priority must be to stabilize our military forces. So we might as well start now. General Trowbridge, you being the ranking officer here, I’d like to appoint you as our Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. General Woodstock, Admiral Santos, General Robinson, you will be acting Chiefs. Judge Piemont, we’ll also need your services, but until we can put together more federal judges, I would like to appoint you as a temporary Presidential advisor.
Are you all ok with all of this?” Everyone agreed.
“Next, we need to find a Vice President. Once we’re up and running, which starts now gentlemen, we can’t lose a beat if something happens to me or anyone else. I think you all know my Chief of Staff Robert Molina; he will continue as my Presidential Chief of Staff. Robert, just as soon as possible, I want you to get a call through to Senator Rachel Rosetti here in Nevada. If you can’t get a hold of her by satellite phone, find her and fly her up here, as I believe that she’d make an outstanding Vice President. I’d also like you to contact General Theodore Garrison. If you gentlemen agree, with his command record, I’d like to appoint him as Secretary of Defense. Now, your opinions are very important to me, so if any of you have an objection to him, please let me know now. Also, if any of you have any questions, please, now is the time to ask. Gentlemen, I’ll tell all of you, I don’t want ass kissers or yes men and women around me. If you have something to say, right now I’d like to hear your opinions. You’re all professionals.”
After about forty-five minutes of discussions and clarifications, the meeting was finally dismissed.
****
Bentley was rushed to the NORAD medical facility and remained unconscious. On day two, Oliver called Federal Judge Carson, who was the judge that swore Bentley into office and explained to him that Robert Hatch was alive and wanted to know what the precedent would be in these circumstances.
“Oliver, if Robert Hatch, the Speaker of House is alive, he would succeed President Prescott. When I swore Barbara Bentley into office, I was advised that she was the highest ranking government official.”
“Well, I’m being advised that not only is he alive, he was also sworn in as President. I need to know what recourse we have.”
“Oliver, if he was sworn in, he’s the President of the United States. You have no recourse.”
Four Days Later
“She’ll be waking up now….. Madam President, can you hear me?”
Bentley slowly opened her eyes and observed a Major in an Air Force uniform and a nurse standing over her.
“Where, where am I and who are you, people?”
“Ma’am, you’re in the NORAD medical facility, and I’m Dr. Phillip Hudson. You had a major seizure and have been unconscious for over three days. We’ve given you injections that should stop the seizures as long as you avoid extreme stress. You need to stay calm.”
“Seizure? what? I need to speak to my personal physician and my Chief of Staff, immediately.”
“Ma’am, Mr. Robertson has been advised and is on his way down but I wasn’t aware that you have a personal physician.”
“Of course I do, he’s in Wash……” Suddenly Barbara remembered that her personal physician was in Washington, D.C. when it was
attacked. “Well, uh, please, will you send in Oliver as soon as he gets here?”
“Yes, ma'am. I will, but you need to stay calm and get as much rest as possible. You’ll have to stay with us for a day or two more. We need to conduct some more tests.”
“I understand doctor, but I do need to see him as soon as he arrives.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Shortly after, Oliver stepped in, and after showing the proper concern for her welfare, he finally advised her that it had been verified that Robert Hatch was alive and was sworn in as President. He also advised her that he had called Judge Carson to find out if there was any precedent where it could be challenged, and that the judge had stated no.
“I don’t care, Oliver; I am president. It has always been my destiny. There must be a way.”
“Ma’am, Robert Hatch and his staff are on the way here right now. They’ll be here within the next four hours.”
“The Chancellor. Oliver, you must set up a call with Chancellor Kohl.”
“Ma’am, Robert Hatch is the President. What good…..”
“Oliver, please. You’ve been with me for a long time. Please set up this call for me.”
“The doctors aren’t going to like it but… I’ll set it up.”
Forty-Eight minutes later, the call was transferred to a phone that was set up at Bentley’s bed.
“Yes, Madam President. What can I do for you?”
“Chancellor, Angela, I was just advised that Robert Hatch is alive and on his way here.”
“Do you mean your Speaker of the House, Robert Hatch?”
“Yes.”
“So, why are you telling me? What significance does this have?”
“He was officially in line to succeed the Vice President if anything happened to him and the President.”
After a long pause, she said, “I am sorry, I am not familiar with your constitution that well. You were already sworn in as President, were you not?”
“Yes, but according to our archaic constitution, he would automatically be in line to be President. Chancellor, you know as well as I do that he doesn’t think like you and I. He will oppose you in every way. He will be dangerous and will certainly pursue retribution for the attack on our country.”
Into the Apocalypse Page 5
