© 2005 by M. Pierson
Reprinted here with permission from the author.
"Mr. Secretary," the voices behind the bright lights shouted, "Mr. Secretary." Secretary Dollum scanned his audience slowly, trying to find a few faces in the crowd. His gaze met with that of an attractive reporter from the New York Post with whom he'd chatted, off-the-record, at a small bistro in Georgetown. He nodded his head in acknowledgement then moved on through the rest of the heads bobbing in the darkness before him.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said as he reached out to adjust the microphone with his right hand, "ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here on such short notice." His voice was firm, matter of fact, and the audience quieted quickly. "I'm going to make a brief statement, then I'll take a few questions."
In the darkness he could see the occasional shadow of a tape recorder being held aloft, pointing in his direction. He could hear the scratching of pencil on notepad, an occasional cough, and the breathing of ninety-seven reporters intent on capturing everything in the context of the hot, stuffy pressroom on a sweltering August afternoon.
"The reason you have been asked here is," he paused; this would shake up the world," the threat of a terrorist attack on our nation has been moved up to red, effective immediately." Behind him, the four-tiered vertical light bar, which had been lighted a dim orange, stepped up one level. The light flickered for a moment, then illuminated the room with a steady red glow.
The reaction in the room was immediate. Ninety-seven voices calling out., ninety-seven hands waiving in the air, all hoping to catch his attention. "Mr. Secretary, Mr. Secretary..."
"Miss Kalteste from the Post..." he said, pointing in her general direction.
"Thank you Secretary Dollum," she replied, her tone professional but excited, "this is the first time since 9-11 that the threat has been this high..."
He cut her off. "Yes, Miss Kalteste, that's true." He turned slightly at the podium to face her directly, then continued. "We have obtained evidence of a credible threat- this time a domestic threat- that terrorists are planning..."-
And from every point in the room there was a gasp. The air seemed to be sucked out of the room. "Domestic?!... who in America?... Tim McVeigh?... neonazis...?" were the whispers and murmurs that swept through the crowd like thick smoke.
"...that domestic terrorists are planning an assault on our infrastructure in the near future."
"Where exactly...?"
"We don't know exactly..." the reply.
"When...?"
"We expect it between today and late spring...No, I can't be more specific...Yes, this is a very credible threat... I can't be more specific..." - and on it went for another 20 minutes.
Fox News 10:19PM - Special Report
It was more important than the upcoming presidential primary season. It was incredible. Kalteste, Handide, Visick, and Heiland all sat around the same large semi-circular table. The red light on top of camera 1 lit and Handide turned instinctively toward it, without missing a word.
"Ann," Handide said, looking over quickly at the Post reporter primping her long blond hair, sitting opposite him at the table, "he did say domestic, didn't he?"
"Yes, Shane," she replied solemnly, placing her hands on the table and nodding her head in agreement, "That's what he said-` domestic'."
"Well Brian," he continued, looking at Brian Heiland seated on his left, "remember back in '05 when they found that woman, that liberal attorney, the one who helped the blind cleric," he paused, collecting his thoughts, trying to remember names and dates, `guilty of..."
Heiland smiled broadly. "I know where you're going with that Shane. She was Raman's- the blind cleric who tried to blow up the towers in `93- right! She was his attorney and was found guilty of helping the Islamic terrorists..." He stopped mid-sentence and looked at Visick, rhetorically asking, "They never did find out if she was part of 9-11, did they.?"
"Well obviously, she was well connected to Bin Laden- I think we can all agree on that," Visick added. They all nodded their heads in agreement. No question. It was a fact.
"But she had to have help," Shane Handide said, breaking the momentary silence, "I mean, she was a lawyer- a LAWYER for God's sake."
"Well she sure showed her left wing liberal credentials then, didn't she," Ann Kalteste said, looking directly into the camera, her lips pursed in a scowl. "I wonder what other liberals were part of her plot then- and I think it's safe to say, Shane," her voice became shrill, "that those are probably the same left wing activists plotting this domestic terrorist attack- even as we speak!"
"And we'll be right back with our special report on the domestic terrorist threat announced today by President Dumus's Homeland Security Secretary at a press conference this afternoon," Brian Heiland said as the producer held up his hand. Time to sell some stuff, Brian thought to himself.
Catching the Bad Guy
The day after the Iowa Caucuses, the FBI detained a 34-year old computer technician in Palo Alto, CA and began questioning him concerning his participation in the conspiracy to commit acts of domestic terrorism. In his apartment were several library books with pages book-marked for sections on information systems technology, machine language programming, and computer security systems. These were confiscated, along with both of his laptops, his modem, and his library card.
Fox News: Handide and DuCauff
"You know, Albert," Shawn Handide declared, glaring at his partner, Albert DuCauff, "they caught the guy they think is one of the masterminds of this domestic terrorist plot to destroy America- you know that, don't you?"
"Shawn," DuCauff replied, looking bored and exasperated, "they took a guy into custody in Palo Alto- they think he might have some connection..."
"... and I heard, Albert, that the software company he worked for- and Albert, they gave a ton of money to the Boxer campaign in '04- had done some work for..." he paused, waiting for DuCauff to look him in the eyes, "... for Withey, Duncan, Yorik, and Perstrins."
Albert looked lost. "So?"
"Well," Handide continued, "their main offices are in New York City..." his voice trailed off.
"So? Most big firms have offices in New York City."
"Well that's where the blind cleric's attorney was found guilty of treason in '05 or maybe it was late '04."
"Yes, I remember. What are you saying, Shane?"
"C'mon Albert, don't be so dense! Just connect the dots!"
"What dots, Shane?! A guy gets detained in California and somehow it has something to do with terrorism because his company did some work for a law firm in New York?"
"You said it Albert, not me- you said it." Handide looked into the camera and smiled. "This is Shane Handide on the right-"
"And Albert DuCauff on the left..."
"Saying good night- and I hope they put this liberal radical terrorist in prison for the rest of his life!"
The New York Post reported the next day that, as reported on Fox News the night before, a terrorist connected to an extremist left wing organization with cells throughout the United States had been captured and interrogated in Palo Alto. His attorney had no comments on the allegations when contacted by The Post, the story added, and he quickly dismissed the idea that his client would spend the rest of his life in a Federal prison if he were to be convicted of treason. "These charges are not true, and the case will, I'm sure, be dismissed shortly," the article quoted him as saying.
Life Goes on: Washington
Mid May. The primary season was winding down. The Democratic Party, united as never before, was aggressively pursuing an end to the War in Iran, especially after the controlling Iraqi National Islamic Party had demanded that all foreign military powers remove their armies from Iraq by year's end. President Dumus had Secretary of State Connie Arozza make a special effort to negotiate a continued military presence in the country that had only recently defeated the last of the insurgents with the capture of Abu Al Zarqaui in Lebanon by Israeli agents. She had failed.
The Party had managed to stop the Social Security Privatization Plan as well as the president's initiative to make his tax cuts permanent. While he had been able to make Clement Thamos Chief Justice, only one of his three additional nominations had been passed by a Senate that was evenly split between Republicans and Democrats after the '06 elections. The Democrats made no secret of their desire to impeach Dumus for the wars, but the House was still controlled by the Republicans.
Late in the evening of Friday, May 16th, a full division of State Defense Force troops in Utah, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, and Virginia rolled into the parking lots of nuclear power plants in each of those states. Although each wore an NRA armband, their uniforms were not standard issue, but instead were an array of camouflage and Levis, old army jackets and threadbare tee shirts. They quickly emerged from national guard trucks, humvees, and armored personnel carriers, then rapidly set up a perimeter around the buildings. The commanding officer from each division quickly assumed control of each station.
At 9:00 AM on Saturday, the President came on national television.
"At ten o'clock last night," he began as the cameras focused in on his somber face, "I nationalized the State Defense Forces of Utah, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, and Virginia. These forces have been activated in lieu of Reserve and National Guard units currently on posts in other combat zones."
The President's desk and the American flag slowly edged into view as the live camera slowly panned back. "Extremists from a left wing terrorist organization have tried to gain control of nuclear power plants in each of these states." He paused momentarily to move one piece of paper under another. "Their goal was to take control of these facilities through software developed by some of their most skilled programmers, many of whom are now living in the Bay area of San Francisco. By controlling the facilities, they could cause the reactors to melt down, releasing deadly clouds of radiation over hundreds of square miles."
Once again the camera tightened its focus on his head. He looked into the camera as if he were looking into the minds of everyone watching. A wave of wrinkles formed on his brow.
"We have narrowly averted a catastrophe of even greater horror than that of September 11th, when the towers fell in New York at the hands of Islamic terrorists. But these acts today, my fellow Americans, were perpetrated not by jihadists from Osama bin Laden." His voice grew cold, brittle. "These men and women who would terrorize America on this day were Americans- born here, raised here, taught in American public schools. They are part of an extreme left wing group with cells throughout the United States, whose sole goal is to destroy the freedom and liberty guaranteed in our Constitution. Their goal was to create a government, a new government, one that would take away all of these freedoms and liberties."
"On my orders, I am invoking the powers of the executive branch in accordance with Executive Order 11921, which was placed into effect by president Gerald Ford on June 11, 1976. I am hereby authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assume its legal controls, as mandated in this executive order. Furthermore, I am invoking nation wide Marshall Law in accordance with this executive order and in compliance with appropriate articles of the Constitution."
He set the sheaf of papers down on his desk. "My fellow Americans, rest assured that those among us- with their radical and irresponsible Marxist and left wing plots- those responsible for this threat against our nation, will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. In six months, when the powers of this order expire, we will resume our lives as Americans, and our society will once again become one that is free and open, with liberty and justice. Perhaps, then, we will be able to continue the election process that will, by enactment of this decree, be necessarily delayed."
The camera pans back once again to capture the entire backdrop of the Oval Office. The president smiles broadly. "God bless America," he says as the camera fades to black.
© 2005 by M. Pierson
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