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CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

President Simon Sterling sat in the grand library of his palatial mansion trying to decide on a new name for the presidential estate, the centerpiece of his new government. Some of his guests had tried to refer to it as “The New White House,” and he promptly put a stop to it. He didn’t want his new government to have any ties to Washington D.C. or any of its iconic monuments. Squabbling over elections and other political pettiness was part of the broken government he had discarded. He was going to run things his way. He would have plenty of time to select a name for his estate and a successor.

Simon would have to institute a great deal of change in a very short amount of time. His greatest advantage was the EMP attack. He was sure that many people close to him suspected The Pulse to be his own dirty work. Simon wasn’t responsible for the nuclear warhead detonated in the atmosphere, but he enjoyed letting his people think he was. Let them wonder and gossip about it. If his own people thought him capable of such an act, they would fear him for it. Simon knew the most important tool for controlling a population was fear. Let the people fear him; it would give them pause before thinking of rebellion. The Pulse not only gave him a frightened and confused nation crying out for his help, it gave him the perfect cover for disposing of his greatest obstacle, Malcolm Powers.

The original plan was to occupy the White House with the aide of Carl Moody and his Unified National Guard. Simon even had nearly a third of the Secret Service detail in the White House behind him. They were going to remove President Powers and allow him to retire to his ranch in upstate New York, under close supervision of the Unified National Guard, of course. The hardest part of the transition into the United American Empire would be telling four hundred and thirty-five members of the House of Representatives and fifty senators that they no longer had jobs. Simon Sterling firmly believed that American politics had two fatal flaws - flaws that led to its downfall. The first was corruption. Politicians lied with almost every breath they mustered and didn’t hesitate to slit each others throats for gain. They were whores willing to sell their vote to the highest bidder. The second was ineffectiveness. Politicians did not represent the people who elected them. They might have held onto the delusion that they served the public, but the only thing they represented was Big Business. The ones that didn’t play ball with the corporations running America quickly found themselves booted out of Washington.

Simon was going to put an end to every shred of democracy in the former United States. Democracy had failed miserably; the proof was all around them. It was time for one man to set it right. Simon believed that he was that man. He knew he would face opposition at first. It was in man’s very nature to question change. Change was frightening, it was unpredictable and most of all; it was uncomfortable. No one likes to change their very way of life. The old ways, no matter how flawed or destructive, were familiar and comfortable. Simon would meet any opposition swiftly and with force. Any former senator, congressman or congresswoman foolish enough to incite protest would be publicly executed to set an example.

Simon had no intention of becoming a mad dictator. He knew that the only way to set things right was for the people to have one voice to represent them, not hundreds of egotistical buffoons seeking to make a better life for themselves. Simon would appoint eight regional governors to supervise six states each. Hawaii and Alaska would just have to fend for themselves. Defending them would expend too many resources. Simon would allow the state governors to remain for a short time so the people would have something familiar to cling to, a useful buffer that would insulate him from the masses. Once he had a firm grasp on every stretch of land from the Pacific to the Atlantic, the state governors would be relieved and the eight regional governors alone would carry out his bidding.

Simon looked at his watch and realized his next meeting was in only a few minutes. He sincerely hoped he would receive the news he had been anticipating. There was a knock at the door. Simon called out, and a group of people entered.

“Please, come in. I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”

Director Roberto Jimenez rolled himself into the room, followed by Chairman Carl Moody, Major General James Weygandt, General Jackson Butler, and Stacy Reid.

“I’ve taken the liberty of having a meal prepared for us. Please sit down.”

Everyone began to eat, anxious to hear what the new president had to say. They had serious doubts that this was just a casual meal. They all knew the president would be laying out the framework for his administration and announcing what roles they would play.

President Sterling was enjoying himself. Like his predecessor, Sterling enjoyed playing petty power games to make people squirm.

“I’m sure you can all imagine why you’re here. I’ve prepared my inaugural address, and if everything goes according to plan,” Simon looked at General Butler, “I’ll be addressing the nation tonight.”

“Mr. President, everything is proceeding as scheduled.”

“Excellent, General Butler.”

“Thank you, Mr. President, we have exceeded our initial estimates. Not only have we installed loudspeakers at every state capital, but the initial list of major cities was completed, as well as forty-seven additional cities. Your address to the nation will be heard by a great many people affected by The Pulse.”

President Sterling raised his glass and looked down the table. “To General Butler! May we find even more men like him.”

As everyone raised their glass in toast, Carl Moody chimed in a hearty, “Here here!”

“I have shared my plans with no one up until this very moment. All of you know that out of the ashes of our once great nation, we will be build a new one – a nation stronger and more worthy of her citizens, one that will protect her interests first before the rest of the world. We will show the world that we shall return!”

Everyone at the table stood and applauded. President Sterling remained seated and nodded his head in thanks with a gracious smile on his face. He politely motioned for them to be seated so he could continue. “The old ways of governing are gone. Every one of you in this room shares with me the contempt for how corrupt and ineffective our previous government became. The heavy yoke of big government yanked this nation down beneath the waters and drowned her.” President Sterling paused and added. “You know just how bad things are when our own people mock our government with the phrase ‘It would take an Act of Congress to get that done.’ That will not be the case from this moment forward. I will rule this nation with swift temperance and just wisdom. My friends, I cannot do it alone. I need your help. I’m sure everyone will join me in celebration when I say that Congress is hereby abolished!” Everyone in the room clapped and shouted their support. “The House and the Senate are a thing of the past! We will have a much, much smaller government that will be faster and more efficient. I will be appointing eight Regional Governors who will each be responsible for six states that belonged to our former nation. Before you do the math and ask the question, let me answer it for you. We will be more successful in our endeavors if we’re only responsible for the forty-eight contiguous states.” President Sterling turned and looked at the man seated to his left. “Before we discuss more changes, let us first address the one thing that will remain the same. Chairman Moody will remain in command of the Unified National Guard, answering only to me. Carl, I hereby promote you to the rank of Supreme Commander.” The president stood and Carl Moody quickly rose and shook his hand. Everyone in the room clapped and showed their support.

President Sterling and Supreme Commander Moody took their seats. Stacy Reid had no delusions that she was about to be made a Regional Governor. She was confident that the men in the room would receive that posting. Still, she wondered why she was there. She’d been able to recover quickly from the escape of Maxwell Harris and Elizabeth Reed and remain in the good graces of General Butler. Her plan to blame it on the detention center worked perfectly. Stacy doubted if General Butler even mentioned it to the president.

“Gentlemen, the rest of you probably have a good idea what’s going to happen, which leaves Stacy. Are you confused, dear?” Simon asked, smiling at Stacy. “Wondering why you’ve joined us?”

Stacy smiled coyly. “Yes, Mr. President.”

“Well, I have grown to trust you since you arrived, thanks in large part to Roberto. Your resume speaks for itself. I want everyone in this room to be perfectly clear that I had nothing but the utmost respect for Malcolm Powers. My quarrel was never with him; it was with the government as a whole. It was my sincere hope that many years down the road, he and I would develop the same relationship he had with President Clinton. I will miss the precious resource that would have been his counsel.” Simon paused in quiet reflection and returned to his previous train of thought. “Stacy, I’m not going to have a staff of hundreds like other presidents, so a Chief of Staff is not really necessary. However, I would like to extend to you the position of Chief Advisor. Malcolm always told me that you kept him honest and called him on his bullshit … well, behind closed doors of course!” President Sterling laughed and as if on cue, so did everyone else. “I would be honored by your candor as well as your counsel.”

Stacy was becoming quite talented at masking her feelings. It was like she had developed an alter ego. “Mr. President, it would be my honor, thank you.”

“Ma’am, the honor is truly mine. May you always keep me on the proper path.” Simon smiled and raised his glass, turning to the man seated to his right.

“Roberto, you are the new Regional Governor of Region 1. I was going to let you retire to Florida, but it might be some time before there’s a decent golf course to squeeze in nine holes,” Simon bellowed. “I figured sunny California and her neighbors would be a good fit for you.”

“Mr. President, I will do my best.”

“I know you will.” Simon looked down the table at Major General James Weygandt. “Jim, you’ll be the Regional Governor of Region 2. You have your work cut out for you. You’ll be responsible for Texas and her neighbors. I’m sure the recovery efforts are in good hands.”

“Thank you, Mr. President. Truly an honor.”

“Which brings us to our rising star, General Jackson Butler. General, you’ve proven yourself quite resourceful and a damned good officer. You are the Regional Governor of Region 3 and the Provisional Governor of Region 4. Your primary task will be to restore power to areas affected by The Pulse. Once you have completed the task, I will appoint a Regional Governor for Region 4 and you can return to your Region, which will be New England.”

“Mr. President, I won’t let you down.”

“Jackson, I know you’ll make us all proud. I’m happy to announce that Governor Lori Prince will be the Regional Governor of Region 5. Lori has been with us for some time. I knew when Malcolm betrayed her and left her citizens to fend for themselves we had an ally. Regional Governor Prince has already been informed of her appointment and has hit the ground running.”

Simon waited a few moments for everyone’s excitement to abate. They were already discussing plans. Simon was pleased with their eagerness. He continued, “You’ll be pleased to know that you’ll never have to run a campaign or drum up money from wealthy supporters. Your appointments are permanent, for as long as I deem necessary. If you continue to perform to my standards, the job will always be yours.”

Regional Governor Weygandt spoke, “Mr. President, I’m sure I speak for everyone when I offer sincere gratitude. I’m sure everyone is wondering - who will fill the other Regional Governor positions?”

“I haven’t made any decisions at this moment. I do welcome suggestions from any of you.”

They were about to have dessert when the president looked at his watch. “Oh dear! It’s almost time! Please, everyone, join me at my desk.”

The president straightened his tie as he walked to his desk in the center of the library. He put on his suit coat and sat down. A woman turned on two bright lights and aimed them at the president’s face so she could apply his makeup. The newly appointed members of his administration sat around him as technicians busily made last minute checks to sound and video equipment.

The Unified National Guard had been working tirelessly for days to transport generators and solar panels from the West Coast to the electricity-free Pulse Zone. Every state capital in the Pulse Zone would play the address over the loudspeakers. The capitals and major cities that still had some semblance of law and order would play the video broadcast on massive billboards all over town.

President Sterling sat behind his desk, waiting for the signal from the director. Once he got the green light, Sterling addressed the frightened and confused people of the United States.

“My fellow Americans, I address you from the seat of our government in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The people of our nation have never faced a greater challenge. The events of the past two weeks have had greater impact on the face of our nation than anything that came before it. It is my sincere hope that I can provide you with an accurate description of the events of the last few days. I know rumor and speculation are all that many of you have at this point.

Our nation watched in horror as the events played out on CNN. An Iranian submarine, the
Habibollah Sayyari
, launched a nuclear warhead high into the atmosphere from its position just over five hundred miles from the eastern seaboard. The resulting explosion generated an electromagnetic pulse which disrupted every electronic device from the East Coast towards the Great Plains and down to the northern portion of the Gulf States. Many of you hearing the sound of my voice are victims of The Pulse. Your government has not abandoned you. We are working around the clock to bring you needed relief. We cannot tell you with certainty how long it will be before you have power. It won’t be days or weeks, it will be months or years. That is the hard truth you deserve to hear. Please remain calm and help us rebuild all that we have lost. You neighbor is counting on you. Your family is counting on you. Your country is counting on you to survive and endure this crisis by extending a helping hand to those around you in need.