Alea Jacta Est: A Novel of the Fall of America (Future History of America Book 1) (58 page)

“Sir!”
hissed Jack.  “Come on!  You’re
live
!  On the air!”  No response.

The
President stared at the paused teleprompter screen.  His next lines hung in the
air, waiting to be plucked and fed to the American People.  The speech had been
changed from his original format, by Jack and the Cabinet.  The consensus was
the President needed to be more reassuring than appear as a newscaster.  Others
could tell the people the facts, the President had to
inspire
.

“What the
hell is he doing?” asked Jack in a hiss to one of the make-up artists.  She
shrugged.  Jack could feel the sweat trickling down his back. 

THE SECRETARY GENERAL
of the United Nations smiled with barely contained glee and leaned back in his
plush leather chair.  He observed the television in his richly appointed office
and savored every awkward second the President did not speak.

“My
friends, you are seeing the downfall of the American President and beginning of
the end of the American Empire…”

The Iranian
ambassador laughed out loud, “Look!  He has lost his mind.”

“He cannot
even read the words in front of his face!  I knew he was just  another
buffoon!” spat the French ambassador.

“Gentlemen,
our victory is assured!” saluted the German, raising a Champaign glass. 

The Russian
ambassador had removed himself from the group of conspirators and sulked in the
corner, sipping a glass of vodka.  “Do not be so hasty to judge our American
friend,” he warned in a low, dark voice.  He was concerned about the lack of
contact with a few Russian ships the navy had reported to him earlier,
including the now-famous
Dansk
.  It seemed the American Navy had some
fight left in it after all.  He wasn’t about to release that information to his
fellow ambassadors yet though.  Not yet.

“Oh come
on
,
Gregor!  Join in the fun!” teased the Frenchman.  “Look!” he said, pointing his
glass and spilling some bubbly.  The atmosphere in the office was similar to a
bunch of friends watching the Super Bowl.  “He’s getting up from his desk!  Ha
ha!  What’s he going to do now?”

The Russian
glared at the gleeful Frenchman.  “You fool…my country will not underestimate
the Americans.  We have plenty of experience sitting across the lines of combat
from them…” he said quietly.  The others ignored his warning.

“Ssssh! 
Pierre, be quiet, he’s taking off his jacket!  Perhaps he’ll strip for us!”
quipped the German ambassador.  The group broke up in guffaws and gut wrenching
laughter.

“
My
fellow Americans
…” the President said hesitatingly.  “
Ah hell, I’ve
never been good at prepared speeches.  Everyone knows that
…” he said,
tossing his jacket down on the large table.  The foreigners watched as the
American President began rolling up his sleeves in a slow, deliberate fashion,
never taking his eyes off the camera.

The
Secretary General began feeling a bit uneasy in his stomach, looking into the
eyes of the American on the television.  He began to understand the Russian’s
warnings when he saw the look of determination in the President’s cold eyes.

“
I’ll be
straight with you, America.  There ain’t no peacekeeping force coming from the
U.N.  It’s a goddamn invasion
.”

The
Frenchman paused mid-swallow with his Champaign glass at his lips.

IN THE OVAL Office,
Jack fainted dead away and crashed into a light stand.  The President’s make-up
girl screamed as sparks shot from the broken lamp.  The President ignored the
commotion and continued, looking right at the cameras and imagining all the
thousands and millions of people who were hanging on his every word, his every
movement, all over the world. 

This
, he
decided,
is the moment for which I was born.  This is my destiny.
  With
that thought, all his stress, anxiety and worry seemed to disappear.  A cool,
calmness swept over his soul and he felt relaxed and ready. 

“Our former
friends have banded together to take us down, it’s as simple as that.  Good
people of America, we’re alone in the world now.  The list of traitorous
nations grows longer by the hour.”  He held up a hand and ticked off a finger. 
“
France
—“

SACRE BLEU!  SPAT the
Frenchman.  “He would have to mention France first, of course!”

“
Germany
…”
said the President’s voice.  The German ambassador sucked in a breath. 

“
Russia
…”
the President said, shaking his head sadly, as if he were more disappointed
with the Russians than anything else.  Gregor raised his glass in silent
salute.   As he downed the burning liquid, he grinned for the first time that
day.

IN FACT, I can’t stand
here and tell you how many there are lining up against us.”  The President
seemed to stammer and try to collect his thoughts.  “The only way to describe
it…it’s like, well it’s like a damn feeding frenzy.  We’re the wounded fish and
the rest of the world is becoming sharks.  They’re just circling us and nipping
at our fins for now….but when they start to really smell our blood in the
water….”

WELL, THAT’S
APPROPRIATE, muttered Captain Mitchem, thinking of the ships and sailors they had
left behind at the bottom of the eastern Mediterranean yesterday.  A few other
officers nodded in solemn agreement.

“
They’re
gonna start a feeding frenzy
.”  The President’s image sat down heavily on
the corner of the big table in NORAD.   He sighed.  It was evident, even on the
small television, with grainy reception, the immense burden of responsibility
was weighing on the man’s soul.

“
I wish
I could stand here and tell you how we’re going to win this fight.  And it’s
gonna be a knock-down, drag-out dogfight, make no mistake.  These duplicitous
foreigners have bought our own technology from us for years.  They’re better
off and better trained because of us.  Now they’re all going to throw that back
in our faces.  That’s the thanks we get for being who we are.

“
I don’t
want to start any panics now, but I’m going to tell you flat out: these
foreigners, when they get here—and they
will—“ he said, holding up his hand
to forestall an interruption off camera.  “
Make no mistake about it.  We are
trying to bring our armed forces home, but they’re being shot in the back. 
We’re simply not going to be able to prevent one or more of these countries
from landing troops on our shores
.”  He looked down, as if in shame.  When
he looked up, his voice was quaking and full of emotion. 

“
I wish
God Almighty that it were anyone but me having to admit that to you all, but
it’s true
.”  He sucked in a deep breath, gathered his resolved around him
like a suit of armor and continued in a stronger, firmer voice.  “
I’m not
about to waste words or time trying to pussyfoot around the matter, either
.”

HOLY SHIT…HE’S losing
his mind!”

“My
God…he’s going to start mass chaos…”

“Riots…”

“—hell is
he doing—“

Hank Suthby
stared with open mouth at the war room’s main display screen .  He ignored the
images of the rest of the Cabinet and the Joint Chiefs on the walls around the
room.  Reed was playing right into his hands.  The people of America were going
to totally freak out after this speech.  No one would care at all when he went
ahead with the plan to institute the harshest measures he might choose in order
to gain control.  His timetable just got bumped up by months.

ERIK COULDN’T BELIEVE
what he was hearing.  “I
knew
it!” he said quietly to Ted.  The
ex-Marine nodded grimly.  They looked out over the crowd on the pool deck,
everyone waiting in silence for the speakers Alfonse had rigged up to continue
the President’s speech.  The only sound came from the insects of the night and
the crackling of the tiki torches.

“
We are
stepping into dangerous times, friends.  Perhaps the most dangerous times we
have faced as a nation since our Founding Fathers decided to stand up and fight
for their liberty…and ours
.”

A few of
the men in the crowd set their faces and folded arms, agreeing in silence. 
Erik could see the worry on people’s faces reflected in the warm light of the
tiki torches.. 

“
I don’t
think I need to remind all of you—for more than two and a half centuries this
nation has stood for Freedom and Liberty, not only on our own shores but across
the world.  We have freed millions over the years from the yoke of tyranny and
oppression.  And now the circle is complete.  Those we have freed are turning
against us.  It is we who are under the threat of the hangman’s noose now.
 

“
It is
now
our
solemn duty,
our
turn to pick up the musket and stand
tall for Freedom. 
Our
freedom.  To fight those that would strip our
families and our posterity of the liberty we have enjoyed for so long; a
liberty that was forged in the fires of battle and quenched with the blood of
Patriots
.”

Erik and
Ted looked at each other nervously.  If they were sitting they’d be on the edge
of their seats.  The President was a master orator, Erik discovered.  His
speaking style might not be as polished as his political opponents, but Erik
couldn’t help but feel his heart swell with pride at being an American.  Even
in the face of so many of the nations of the world coming down on them like so
many bricks out of the sky, Erik wanted to shout defiance.  Adrenaline flowed
in his veins, he was ready to fight, to defend America.  Right now.

“
Be that
as it may, I know…I know more so than any foreigner out there who may be
listening to this broadcast, the true spirit and nature of the American
people.  I am…we are therefore, faced with the threat of invasion on all sides
by most of the civilized world, forced to play our hand, as it were
.”

THEY WANT TO take over our
nation,” the President said, nodding to himself.  “That’s fine and dandy.  A
nice dream,” he said with a half smile.  The disquieting smile vanished. 
“Never gonna happen, but a nice dream.” 

He bent
down and opened a drawer in the desk, pulling out an official looking
document.  “In the spirit of the friendship that we once had for the nations
now attacking us, I’m announcing this Congressional Order, right now.” 

The
National Security Advisor felt her mood change.  She was no longer angry with
the President for giving away tactical secrets.  The man was pissing in the
face of his enemies and doing it with style.

“This
Congressional Order,” the President said, holding up for the cameras to get a
good tight shot.  “For all you out there who don’t have access to a television
or aren’t within range of an operating television station, the document in my
hand is the equivalent of what our Founding Fathers would have called
Letters
of Marques and Reprisal
.”

WHAT THE HELL? asked
Ted in a hushed tone.

Erik felt a
slow, steady smile spread on his face.

I DON’T LIKE the way he
looks…why is he smiling like that?” asked the Iranian, pointing at the
television on the Secretary General’s desk.

The
Frenchman sat back and pursed his lips, lost in though.  The mood in the room
had gone from victory party to funeral parlor.  Only the Russian was smiling
now, dark and rueful.  He chuckled to himself and drained his glass of vodka in
salute to the courage the American was displaying.  Wasted courage, because the
Americans would fall in the end—but courage nonetheless.  He shrugged, chuckled
again and poured himself another glass of Polish vodka.

THIS ORDER GRANTS any
American citizen the right to raid, capture and or kill any foreign soldier,
foreign vessel or aircraft…hell
anything
having to do with
any
country we’ve declared war against.”  He took a moment to look at the historic
paper in his hands.  “It boils down to this: If you see a French or German
soldier in your neighborhood, shoot the bastard or drag his sorry ass to the
nearest army base.  Take his boat, take his plane or chopper, take his
vehicle.  It’s called the
spoils of war
and Congress has declared it
legal for every single American to do what he or she wants towards these would
be conquerors. 

“We have to
limit this to only commercial or military people or vehicles.  Civilians will
be left alone.  Anyone who shoots an unarmed foreign civilian—will have to
answer to
me
,” he growled, pointing at his own chest.   Then his mood
lightened. 

“Of course,
there shouldn’t
be
any civilians in this invasion, so I wouldn’t worry
yourselves to much about it.  Otherwise, if you keep it legal and only go after
legitimate
targets, you keep what you take…
tax free
.”  He
imagined the cheers going up across the country at that those two little words.