Chapter 114
7:30 AM EST Thursday June 4th Day four of 1260 Camp David, Maryland - President Richard Stevenson’s Office
Richard awakened early at 6:00 a.m. at his temporary seat of government, Camp David. He had a tough time sleeping. Everything that was taking place was going on inside his mind, and it would not shut down. He had gotten up and figured he would get a head start on the day. Being President of the U.S., at least for now, was like being President of the world. Everything that was occurring in the world was routinely put on his desk daily, and the past few days had been overbearing. He was in his office going over the day’s news that had been prepared for him. It was snippets, in synopsis form, of what was going on in the country and the world.
There were one-liners such as, “The President of Egypt declares martial law in Cairo,” and “Evacuations starting,” then the next country and its similar scenarios, and so on. There was also the information about moving key parts of the banking systems from New York to Chicago; and of course, the latest on the Jack South phenomenon he was attending tonight in Kansas City.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. The Secret Service Agent stuck his head in and said, “Secretary of Defense, Clinton Albiger is here with Vice President, Alvarado Johnson.” The door opened even wider and the two men came into the office. Richard motioned for them to have a seat on the easy chairs as he moved from behind his desk to sit by them.
“Coffee, juice, or anything gentlemen?” he asked as he pointed to the table against the wall.
“No, thank you,” Clinton said.
Alvarez got up to get something. As he walked across the room, he asked, “What time are you leaving for Kansas City, Mr. President?”
“Around 2:30 or so. They are flying us from here to Air Force 1. Then we are flying direct to Kansas City.”
“Are you staying at the City Center?”
“Yes, till Sunday morning, then back here to Washington.”
“I hear rumors,” Alvarez continued as he poured some coffee into a cup, “that you are addressing the nation on Monday to relate the plans we drew up over the past couple of days.”
“Yes, that is what is supposed to occur. I wanted to wait and see what the summit with The Waldger Group had for us before I did that. “
“Good move,” Alvarez said. “I think that will work well. It also gives us more time to see what Jack is all about and what his next agenda may well be.”
Alvarez finished getting his coffee then came over and sat down by Clinton. Then Richard said, “The reason I wanted both of you here today is that since I am going to be gone, and as you both know that when I am away, the protocol is that the Vice President stays here in case something goes wrong. I wanted to make sure we were on the same page if that did occur. The other thing, Clinton, is our military issues with all of these predictions are bothering me. I need to know if we have any of the plans in place that we discussed. I wanted Alvarez to also be aware of those plans in case there is a problem.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much, Richard. You will be quite safe in Kansas City,” Clinton said. “But I do understand the importance of letting the Vice President in on what we discussed.” Turning his body to face Alvarez, he began, “We are very concerned that some will feel we are weakened by these events that may occur in the next few weeks. What I am saying is that someone may well try to do something; not necessarily here, in the U.S., but at some of our bases located around the world. Therefore, we have come up with a contingency plan in the event one of our bases is attacked. We will respond rapidly from our aircraft carriers or submarines, and with a strong show of force. This means we will bomb the hell out of whoever is responsible, no diplomacy at all. This way the world will know that regardless of our domestic issues, we are still the big kid on the block.”
“What he is saying, Alvarez,” Richard added, “is we do not want to show any signs of weakness. In this particular situation, especially if something happens to me, then we want you to be able to carry through and give that order.”
Alvarez thought about this for a moment. He felt that both men were scared. He played along and said, “I see no reason that I will find myself in that situation, but rest assured that if I am, I will respond with the proper response.”
Said just like a politician, Richard thought to himself. He had learned well. It must be that Irish and Hispanic blood in him. He just did not commit to anything. “Thanks Alvarez, we knew we could count on you and we have all the scenarios worked out for you if for some reason this becomes necessary. Clinton has the details.”
“Well gentlemen, I need to prepare for my journey. I will see both of you on Monday.”