Storm Tide Rising: Blackout Volume 2 (41 page)

A light tap at the door and he turned his head. "Mr. President," Daniel's voice said from the other side of the heavy oak door, "they're assembled and ready when you are, sir."

He looked back into the mirrors and fixed his image firmly in his mind. In case he became nervous or uncertain on the stage, he wanted to remember that this was the man who was facing the assembled former members of Congress.

They would see this man, their President, and they would obey.

With that, he turned on his heel and strode confidently out of the dressing room and into the hall. Guards stood by the interior doors and at the doors of the main entrance to the Speaker's suite. Contractors were busy taking down some walls and putting new ones up all along this wing of the Capitol building. They were building to his own designs a palace fit for the most powerful man in the nation, and, ultimately, the world. For now, though, the construction left the office in chaos, even with the workers temporarily out of his way.

With any luck they'd be finished and he could live in peace by Christmas.

As he stepped out into the main hall, Daniel, always the patient assistant, followed him a few steps to his right and behind him. Ten men fell into step around them forming a box with two in front, one on either side, and two behind. Two men walked a half dozen paces ahead of the formation, and two walked a half dozen paces behind. All of the men wore the standard Federal Security Services urban combat uniform and carried a standard M4 carbine at the ready. Gone were the days of the President's secret, barely visible security detail. The new President wanted everyone around him to know full well the extent of his protection.

In a matter of moments they stood at the back entrance to the Senate Chamber. "Daniel," he said softly, "you'll go in and announce me as the President. I'll step in as soon as you say my name. Watch to see if anyone is slow to stand or remains seated. We'll make an example out of them later."

Daniel nodded and stepped through one of the small staff doors.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate," he said loudly, "it is my honor to present to you the President of the United States, Phillip Hall."

One of his security detail opened the door, and the President stepped through it and into the light cast by banks of LED flood lights on temporary poles around the room. The engineers were still working to install new diesel generators to power the building, but for now this would do well enough. It was more light than any other building in the city had, of that much he was absolutely certain.

As he climbed the few steps up to the seat traditionally reserved for the Vice President, he heard a shuffling of feet as the members of the newly formed Federal Senate stood to attention. As the President took his place, the ten members of his security detail formed up at the bottom of the dais, facing the assembled Senators. They stood at attention once they were in place in the same way as the five dozen other members of the FSS that were spaced around the walls of the lower and upper gallery. All of them were armed.

"Thank you for meeting with me this morning," the President said. "You may take your seats. I will be brief since I know there is much to be done as we begin the process of rebuilding the nation. I have delivered to you, as promised, a set of resolutions that I hope will be the first steps we take together toward that end."

He paused to wait for applause, but there was none.

"As you are all aware, the recent attack and tragic loss of life in this country is unlike anything we have ever experienced," the President continued. "We are faced with an unprecedented challenge, and as such we must take unprecedented steps to overcome it. I am, however, fully confident in our ability to do so, as long as we work together toward a common purpose and a common goal.

"You'll notice that the first section of the Emergency Resolutions calls for the immediate convention of a Federal Senate for the purposes of providing for the administration, regulation, and legislation of all matters and directives approved by the National Emergency Response Director and the President, both offices which I currently happen to fill. Since you are all that remains of Congress, you have been selected and appointed as members of the Federal Senate for said purposes. I enacted that provision myself, and it is the reason we are gathered here today."

There were more than a few murmurs as the Senators looked at each other and pointed to sections in the first paragraphs of the document all of them carried. The President waited patiently for a few moments, then cleared his throat softly, and silence fell once more.

"All legislation and regulation you approve will be signed by me," President Hall continued, "and I will approve all administrative directives as well. For the duration of this crisis, both my signature and my veto are not subject to challenge. As outlined in your packet, these provisions are, of course, temporary and will expire once the state of national emergency has subsided. We're facing uncertain times and uncharted waters as a nation, and it is incumbent upon us to provide the stability and leadership the people who elected us expect."

There were louder murmurs at this point, and one of the men toward the back of the crowd stood up. "Sir, with all due respect, you gave us these packets, as you call them, this morning," he said loudly enough to cut through the rest of the noise. The man lifted one of the three inch binders with both hands. "There are more than three hundred pages in here, and you want us to read all of that now and then vote on it?"

The President smiled easily and shook his head. "Of course not," he said with a light chuckle. "That would be ridiculous. There's no way you could read all of the information in the packets today, much less read it all and then vote on it. We're here this morning simply for you to approve and pass the legislation. You may read the details at your leisure."

There was a brief moment of stunned silence, and then the room erupted. The men and women were talking all at once, each trying to be heard over the others. Tempers quickly flared, and people began standing and pointing at each other, the volume rising steadily. One man three seats in from the aisle on the front row remained sitting, perfectly calm, without so much as looking at any of the people around him. His steady, unshakable stare made President Hall uneasy for some reason, and he didn't like it.

After another moment or two, the situation began to approach utter chaos, President Hall picked up the gavel on the podium next to him. Three hard, determined raps on the podium’s flat hardwood top sent the sharp sound of authority throughout the chamber, and silence fell quickly over the Senators. President Hall scanned the room, his face serious.

"We do not have time for this," he said, his voice stern and impatient. "This nation is under attack and innocent people are dying by the millions. We have to act, and we have to act swiftly. We all know you didn't read every single bill before you voted on it before this happened, and those were far less pressing matters than we're facing now. This won't be the normal operation, but I think you'll all agree that our current situation is not a normal one."

The lone man who'd sat silently through the entire outburst stood slowly. He reached behind him and pulled a small leather-bound book from his back pocket. "You can't do this," the man said, almost quietly. "It's illegal and it's unconstitutional. I have a copy right here, and you can check it yourself."

President Hall fixed the man with a piercing glare. "Do you know who else did things that were constitutionally questionable because they needed to be done? Abraham Lincoln, in the midst of the Civil War, suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus, and it was later ruled unconstitutional. In World War II, FDR put over a hundred thousand Japanese Americans in concentration camps to protect the nation from potential spies and infiltrators. The Supreme Court later ruled that unconstitutional as well. But those men still did what needed to be done to protect the nation, and I mean to do the same. You may be right about these steps being unconstitutional. When I have time to convene the next Supreme Court, I'm sure they'll let you know."

The man sat slowly, a look of total shock on his face. In his right hand, he held the small leather-bound book in a death grip. Once the Senator was seated, President Hall scanned the chamber slowly. "Does anyone else have any objections?" he asked in a quiet, calm voice.

"Very well," he continued when no one spoke, "the Sergeant at Arms will read the role, and when he calls your name, you will state your vote, either Yea or Nay. The Sgt at Arms will record the vote with the name, so do speak clearly."

President Hall nodded slightly.

The head of his security detail stepped forward with a list and a pen. "Senator Amanda Larkens, Missouri," he called in a clear, loud voice.

A tall woman in her early fifties stood, her chin slightly lifted. She wore a black and white dress that was slim without being tight. The hem of the skirt was just below her knees, modest yet conveying her confidence. She fixed him with a hard stare. "Yea," she said deliberately.

President Hall smiled and nodded. The next name was called, and the next vote entered. The list was in no particular order, but the votes were identical. Each name read, each vote entered approved the legislation. The President barely heard the whole process, though. He stood with his eyes fixed on one face the entire time and watched the man cling to his Constitution.

"Senator Timothy MacArthur, Tennessee," the Sgt. at Arms said.

The man with the Constitution stood, his face grim, and his eyes on President Hall. He stood for a long, silent moment like that, but then his eyes fell to the book still in his hand. His jaw clenched, and when he raised his eyes again he didn't look at the President. Instead, he took in every single face around him, even those of the armed men lining the walls.

Finally, he turned back to the dais. "Nay," he said clearly and calmly. Then, he sat down.

President Hall didn't listen to the rest of the list as it was called. He'd seen it in their eyes as soon as his security detail had taken their places at the foot of the dais. The armed guards along the walls could have been written off and rationalized as necessary given the current situation in the city. But these were his personal soldiers, and that was made abundantly clear to those in the chamber. They understood his intent, and they were ready to take whatever direction he gave them.

Senator Mac Arthur was different though. He was clearly a man of principle and conviction. That was such a rare find that President Hall was actually shocked. He would sit down to dinner with the Honorable Timothy MacArthur and try to get a feel for him.

It would be a shame to kill such a man without at least enjoying his conversation first.

Ch.69

Where There's Smoke

Brant wasn't exactly happy to see the poacher that had shot one of his cows a month before, but Joe convinced him to at least listen to the man's offer. The whole time, though, Brant's jaw was set hard, and his arms crossed firmly over his chest gave the impression that he wasn't interested. Still, he didn't interrupt the man while he spoke.

"Are you finished?"  Brant asked once Danny had run out of things to say, and Danny nodded. "Good. Now, if you don't mind, get off my land."

Joe held up one hand. "I wouldn't be so hasty, Brant," he said, shaking his head. "You've got every right to be upset about how this man handled himself, but you should think about this offer. If you want to cure that beef, make jerky and other meats that will last longer than a week or two, you're going to need salt and sugar. This man has both, and he has them in bulk."

"I don't trust him," Brant said plainly.

Danny's face reddened a bit, but he nodded. "I can understand that, Mr. Thompson," he said. "If it will help build that bridge back, I can offer you double my original salt and sugar per pound for the beef. We'll trade at that rate for the first five trades, and if you're satisfied that I won't go back on my word, we can go back to the original deal from there. Fair?"

Brant was quiet for a long time as he thought over the offer. Finally, he gave a half shrug and turned to Joe. "Do you think it's a good idea, Mr. Tillman?"

Joe nodded. "I do, Brant. I think it will get both of us what we need for a time, and it'll give us a chance to open up some other trades as well.”

Danny pulled out a long, heavy-bladed bowie knife from his saddle bag and handed it to Brant. "I had my uncle make this for you as way of an apology for last time," he said as Brant pulled the blade and tested the edge. “It's hardened leaf spring from an old fifty-two Plymouth. Sharp as a razor and it'll hold an edge forever. I didn't want to go giving you a blade until I felt fairly certain you wasn't gonna cut me with it, you understand."

Brant couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Well, I ain't made any promises yet."

Danny smiled and nodded. "That's why I said fairly certain."

Brant stuck out his right hand. "Double the rate for the first five trades, and then we'll look at where we are after that."

Danny took Brant's hand and shook it firmly. "I want to thank you both," he said, looking from Brant to Joe. “I know it ain’t easy to trust someone these days, especially when they give you plenty of reason not to. I won’t forget that, and neither will any of my people.”

“Now we’ve got to figure out a place to meet,” Joe said. “We can carry the beef to you frozen in coolers, but you’ll need your own ice chests to get it from the meeting point back home. And I don’t want you making trips all the way out here if we can help it. The less travel there is around these pastures, the less we’ll call attention to them, hopefully.”

Danny rubbed one hand down the stubble on his chin and thought about it for a moment. “There’s an old run down school about four miles the other side of town from here,” he said. “I pass it on my way south before I cut to the east. If you go through the woods, you can come up on the back side of the play ground and the big brick building hides you from the road. We could meet there.”