A Time for Patriots

“That’s because the dollar is as low as it’s ever been in history, commodities are dirt cheap, and no one is buying anything from China and Russia as long as they’re continuing their military buildup,” the president said. He waved a hand at his vice president. “I know our plan will work, Ann, and I know the folks expect results unreasonably fast. But I see all the suffering out there, and I think if I just loosen the purse strings a little more, I can alleviate some of it. Reduce the cuts we made in Medicare and Social Security by a few percentage points; raise the income level of Medicaid applicants by a little bit; give the states a few more dollars to hire a few more cops and teachers—”

“And we both know what will happen then, sir: they’ll scream for more, we’ll be forced to borrow and print more money, and the downward spiral will happen all over again,” Ann said. “We’re moving in the right direction, sir. There’s hardship now, but your plans will help everyone in the long run. We need to stay the course.”

“Even if we create more of these Knights of the True Republic extremist groups?”

“I would say that the recession helped to create the conditions for these extremists to grow, yes, sir,” Ann said, “but they already existed and will always exist, whether we’re in prosperity or recession. We need to show the American people that we’re not going to tolerate extremism in any form, for whatever reason. I’ll get busy right now, draft the legislative proposal for the Army, Air Force, and Sky Masters law enforcement assistance package in the next day or two, we’ll go over it, and I’ll take it to the congressional leadership right away. So soon after the attack in Reno, I don’t think we’ll get very much opposition, even from Gardner and his sycophants.”

“Joseph Gardner,” Phoenix said with an exasperated sigh. “Whatever happened to the rule that former presidents aren’t allowed to criticize the current president?”

“That went out with compact discs and free television, Mr. President,” Ann said with a wry smile. She turned serious; the smile disappeared, and she then said, “What we’re going to propose is a major counterterrorist offensive against fellow American citizens, sir. We’re talking about sending American-manned robots and unmanned aircraft against our own.”

“I know that, Ann—”

“I just want to be clear, sir,” Ann Page interjected. “We have to stay tough and united on this. It’s not going to be popular, not in the least . We’re laying ourselves open to a lot of criticism — some of it legitimate — that we’re creating a state in which the military is used to control and monitor the public. That’s not going to sit well with a lot of folks. But in order to guard against more Renos happening, I believe it has to be done.” She paused, looking carefully into Phoenix’s eyes, then added, “If you don’t believe that is true, Mr. President, you should say so now, and tell me to knock it off. We’ll quash this, and think of something else to do.”

“Frankly, Ann,” Phoenix said, after several long moments of thought, “I’m not comfortable with this.”

Ann Page’s shoulders slumped disappointedly, but moments later she straightened them and said, “Fine, sir. So let’s—”

“No, I’m not saying we shouldn’t do this,” Phoenix said. “I don’t like it, but I want to shut down the violent extremist groups, and do it now

. I’m going to hunt those bastards down with all the tools at my disposal — even the military. Draft that legislative proposal and let’s get on it right away… before those other stolen radioactive casks end up inside another federal building.”

The Arizona Border, Thirty Miles Southeast of Yuma, Arizona

Days later

“Freeze!” the U.S. Border Patrol agent shouted in Spanish through his van’s public-address loudspeakers. His partner shined a powerful searchlight into the faces of the migrants in front of them, instantly blinding them. “This is the United States Border Patrol. Drop all your belongings and raise your hands!”

The group of about twenty illegal immigrants — they were about eight miles north of the border here in the Yuma Desert, with the closest legal border crossing twenty-five miles away in San Luis — did as they were told slowly and carefully, without a sense of fear or anger. No one panicked or ran — obviously a group experienced in getting caught, the officer thought.