America's Trust (12 page)

He paused as the implications of a number of scenarios began to unfold in his mind. On a scale of bad to worst, all hovered around catastrophic.

“We really should get out of here,” advised Swanson, gently pushing Butler further down the sidewalk. The cops, she noticed, had begun to take a renewed interest in them.

“Yes, I need to get to my papers,” agreed Butler, disregarding the cops. In the bigger picture, killing two cops to save the country was of little concern.

Luckily for the cops, they didn’t follow, and were content to merely watch Swanson and Butler leave the scene.

“So, where to?” asked Swanson, as they rounded the corner and lost sight of their watchers.

“I need to get to my papers,” he said again, raising his hand in the air to hail a taxi.

Jack King fell into his seat behind the Resolute desk and surveyed the office of the President of the United States. He was the most powerful man in the world. For the previous three years, he had never once felt the real power of the office. What he had just experienced was one of the biggest wake-up calls of his life. He and he alone held the fate of the world in his hands. The decisions he made could end life as they knew it. He had been a military man his entire working life. Sending men into battle was not an issue. Sending men into battle when it was his ultimate order bore a weight he had never felt.

He closed his eyes and for the first time in two hours, the dull thud returned, the hangover. The memories of the freedom of sitting sharing a drink in a bar came flooding back. A small smile cracked his lips. The headache was an almost pleasant reminder of an easier life beyond the confines of the office. The image of James Marshall flashed into his mind and the smile dissipated instantly. He began to rein in his thoughts, and a new image flashed into his mind - the man being arrested in front of the Dana Center the night before, his silent recognition of who Jack was, and the note:
Beware the Trust.

“Mr. President?”

When he did not respond, Joan, his PA, repeated it a little louder, her voice emitting from his telephone. “Mr. President?”

He pressed the button to communicate with her. “Yes?”

“I have Mr. Young for--”

“Put him through,” interrupted Jack. Roger Young was the CEO of America’s Trust, the single largest investor in America. When he called, Jack answered.

“Sorry, Mr. President, he’s here, in the office,” Joan said.

“Here, as in,
here
?”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Send him in,” instructed Jack immediately.

Jack stood up to greet the CEO of America’s most influential business. In the three years since his inauguration, America’s Trust had become the single largest employer in the US and some would say even more important than the government itself. To list the industries it didn’t top would have been easier than to list those it did. The CEO had pulled a number of blinders over the years and gained control of companies that would have otherwise been unobtainable. As far as the American public was concerned, there wasn’t a single company more concerned with the welfare of their country than America’s Trust. After all, that was exactly its point.

As such, any acquisition was fully supported by American citizens and any attempt by private owners or institutional shareholders to block it had been quashed by the masses. If America’s Trust wanted a corporation, it was in the interests of the country and any decent patriotic American would do all in their power to make it happen. America’s Trust bridged the political divide. Republicans, Tea Party members, Democrats and Socialists alike could do nothing but sing the Trust’s praises.

In its three years spearheading the rebuilding of America and its economy, the Trust had created more American jobs than all other American employers combined, including the government. They had shut down vast overseas contact centers and brought hundreds of thousands of jobs back to the US. Unemployment had fallen dramatically and with no national debt, the economy was once again striving forward. The rich were getting richer but the poor were less poor and much to the delight of the rich, not at their expense. If an American wanted a job, the Trust went out of its way to get them one.

The Trust had one goal - to make America the greatest nation on Earth, a goal that very few Americans could argue with. Particularly, as ‘the greatest’ wasn’t just from an economic perspective. Military spending and acquisition by the Trust was perfectly within the Trust’s remit. In fact, America’s military had never before seen such a surge in spending, particularly in peace time. The Trust was buying out contractors and suppliers and within three years had become the largest military supplier in the US and the world. Investments in new equipment and upgrading current equipment was being undertaken at unprecedented levels and speed.

This meant there wasn’t a single more influential person in the modern history of the US than Mr. Roger Young.

“Roger, so good to see you again,” greeted Jack warmly, showing the younger man to the sofas.

Roger returned the handshake with a tight smile and, following the president’s lead, sat down.

“Coffee?” offered Jack standing by the coffee machine.

“No thank you, Mr. President.”

Jack poured himself a coffee and took a seat opposite Roger. He was always amazed at just how young Roger looked, thirty-five tops, and certainly the most unlikely head of what had become America’s largest and most influential company in history. Although it wasn’t that he had spent much time with Roger. In fact, it was only the third time he had met him and the first time in Washington. The CEO of America’s Trust was almost a recluse, seldom leaving the America’s Trust headquarters in New York where his apartment sat on the top floor. In the three years since the Trust had raised its head, Roger had never featured in any magazine or given any interviews. The Trust was slick. In fact, it had perhaps the slickest PR machine ever assembled. Its recognition blew Coca Cola and Google out of the water, while its approval ratings were off the chart. You had to travel far and wide to find anyone who had anything other than positive things to say about the Trust. It certainly helped that every senior executive who ever appeared in public looked as though they had come straight from a
Vogue
or
GQ
photo shoot.

Even if Roger had been one for the limelight, Jack knew the Trust would suffer some negativity. Roger Young was not your apple pie and ice cream vision of America. He was the modern face of a multicultural and diverse population, the son of a political dissident who had sought asylum from China at the height of its Communist regime. The small-framed and Asian-faced young man was most definitely not the ideal poster boy for all things American. However, when it came to intellect and an ability to understand the complexities and scale of the Trust, he had no equal. “Brilliant” and “genius” failed to convey just how unique he was in the business world. Where others saw problems, he saw opportunities. Where others saw costs, he looked at the profits beyond.

“It’s been a while,” said Jack, having given up waiting for Roger to speak.

“We may have a slight problem,” replied Roger, matter-of-factly. He wasn’t one to waste time on small talk.

Jack placed his coffee mug down on the table. “Whatever I can do to help,” he offered sincerely.

“As you know, we’ve launched the new Future Leaders of America Program in universities across America.”

Jack nodded. The Trust was identifying the brightest and best across the country and ensuring they received all the support and encouragement required to ensure they fulfilled their potential. It was all part of the Trust’s ongoing belief that greatness was created from within.

“As part of the program, we take the students on special tours. Behind the scenes tours that only the truly great and talented can ever hope to see.”

“Yes, I know the tours. I had one tour group here and spent an hour with them, showing them around the private residence.”

“Exactly. It’s the climax of the program and one that gives the students more impetus and drive than anything else we do. It shows them what can be theirs if they achieve their full potential.”

Jack nodded again, fully aware of how important the program was.

“So what can I do?” he asked.

“It seems we’re going to need dispensation from yourself to allow the tours to go ahead.”

“That seems a bit unnecessary. You need my approval to conduct student tours?” he asked almost in disbelief, to which he received a nod.

He reached forward and hit the comms button on the telephone that sat on the coffee table between them.

“Can you get Kenneth Lee for me please?” he asked.

Kenneth entered the office, acknowledging the president with a nod before walking across to Roger and shaking his hand warmly. As Jack’s representative on the Trust’s board, he spent far more time with Roger than Jack did.

“It seems the Future Leaders Program requires my authority to conduct their annual tours,” he said to Kenneth.

Kenneth turned to Roger. “Are there any differences from the tours you’ve run before?” he asked, struggling to hide his bemusement.

“A few, I think, I’m not really aware of the detail. I was in town and got the call that we have been notified the tours are cancelled pending presidential approval. I thought I’d drop in on the off-chance that I could sort it out. It would be such a shame as, I was saying to the president, this is the highlight and culmination of the program.”

Kenneth knew exactly how important the Trust was to the country. “We’ll get this sorted out as a matter of priority.”

As Jack was about to nod in agreement, the image of Tom Butler’s face flashed into his mind along with the message ‘
Beware the Trust
’.

“I’m just wondering,” he asked, “why they would have cancelled them in the first place? It would be interesting to know why, no?”

Kenneth’s face flushed slightly, stalling over what he considered a minor request. “Yes, Mr. President. I’ll go and make some calls.” The apologetic look given to Roger Young was not missed by Jack.

“Are you sure I can’t get you anything?” asked Jack as Kenneth scuttled out of the office.

Roger’s smile had vanished, and it was clear he was not overly amused at the delay in his request being met. Jack noted the change with interest. Up until that point, the façade had rarely faltered. Emotion was not something Roger Young ever gave away.

“I’ll take a coffee, please.”

By the time Jack had poured the coffee and was handing it to Roger, Kenneth had returned.

“May I have a word in private please, Mr. President?” asked Kenneth.

Roger got up to leave and was ushered back to his seat by Jack. “It’s fine, you stay there and drink your coffee, we’ll just be a minute.” He led Kenneth into his private study, located just outside the Oval Office.

“It seems the raising of our DEFCON status triggered the cancellation, so I’ll just let him know we’ll get the approval sent across,” said Kenneth confidently.

Again, Jack stopped himself from just nodding agreement.

Beware the Trust.

“But why? Where the hell are they visiting?” he asked, grabbing Kenneth’s elbow.

“Well, here, to name one high profile venue. I’m not entirely sure where else but we
are
talking about a bunch of American students,” argued Kenneth.

Jack was perplexed. The more he considered the situation the more bizarre it became. “The DEFCON level was only raised a matter of hours ago. Are we that on the ball that tours scheduled in a few days are instantly cancelled?”

“It is the Trust, Mr. President. They are acutely aware of our defense status. Perhaps they were worried and checked?”

“Hmm, I want to know a little more before I overturn defense protocols, particularly when it relates to DEFCON status. Get me the full list of facilities and then we’ll sort it out.”

Jack watched as Kenneth caught himself. He was clearly not happy with the decision but was in no position to argue. Jack led the way back into the Oval Office and waited for Kenneth to catch up.

Roger looked at the president, expectant of a favorable outcome. When Jack remained silent, his gaze moved to Kenneth, who bowed his head slightly, realizing it was he who would have to deliver the news to the CEO of America’s Trust.

Jack was somewhat surprised at the deference shown by Kenneth to Roger, particularly given Kenneth’s position on the board of The Trust. CEOs answered to the board, not the other way around.

“I’m very sorry, Mr. Young, but we need to check a few more details before we can approve the visits.”

“I don’t understand,” replied Roger. “You do realize this is very important to me?” he said angrily.