“Yes, sir. Per your request, I have been monitoring all channels of communication within my grasp for any reports on the slave trade.”
“Haven’t heard anything in months. What’ve you got?”
“Well, sir, the UAE has turned a blind eye to the slave trade in the past, as you know.”
“Of course, they have much more important things to do than stop human trafficking.” Richard gritted his teeth in anger.
“This morning, the UAE released a directive to all eight regional governors to investigate and apprehend any group or individuals believed to be involved in the sale or transfer of slaves.”
“Why the sudden interest?”
“Sir, it seems that Regional Governor Weygandt lost two grandchildren to slave traders. The children wandered off from a local park, and a nearby resident witnessed their kidnapping. Governor Weygandt deployed his forces and rescued the children a few hours later. The slave traders were brutally tortured, and their corpses were hung from a bridge to serve as a warning.”
“Well, at least now we’ll be getting decent intelligence on the slave trade. Hal, I want every single detail sent to my tablet for review. If you come across any credible information about Chrissy, I want you to notify me immediately.”
“Of course, sir.”
Richard had spent much of his children’s lives behind bars. Eight years prior, the ex-Navy SEAL had walked into the church nursery to pick up his children, only to find the caregiver masturbating as a group of innocent children, sans clothing, played in front of him. Richard brutally murdered the old man in front of his own son. While he was in county lockup awaiting trial, Richard discovered that his ex-wife had become a drug addict and was putting his children’s lives at risk. He escaped from prison in an attempt to rescue them. During his time as a fugitive, Richard was responsible for the accidental death of a hiker. He was sentenced to twenty-five years at a supermax prison for his crimes.
During the Collapse of 2027, Richard was able to escape yet again and make his way to Denver to collect his children. He located his son, but the joyful reunion was short-lived when he discovered that his daughter, Christina, had been sold to a man for the cost of a tank of gas. Richard had no leads as to her whereabouts. With nearly half the country plunged into darkness thanks to The Pulse, finding her became next to impossible. The Unified American Empire restricted travel with various roadblocks and checkpoints, so Richard wouldn’t make it far unless he knew the right people and what they would find valuable as a bribe. His best course of action was to use the resources at Beck Castle to find credible information that might lead him to his missing daughter.
Richard had spent most of his life harboring distrust and disdain for his fellow man. During his time with the Navy SEALs, he traveled the world and saw firsthand the level of depravity to which mankind could sink. Richard was not naïve enough to think America could avoid the descent to third-world-country status after the collapse; he was, however, shocked by the rapidity of its decline. In eighteen months’ time, the slave trade was a booming industry. Men, women, and children of all races were captured by slave traders and forced into manual labor to rebuild the broken areas of The Pulse Zone. The UAE gladly turned a blind eye to the slave trade; by employing slaves, the brutal crime lords were actually accomplishing the reconstruction they had difficulty doing themselves. It was rumored that the regional governors were secretly hiring the slave traders. Richard wholeheartedly believed the buzz because the UAE made no attempt to squash it. Now that the grandchildren of one of the regional governors had been captured by the slave traders, the matter suddenly had monumental importance. It was just the break Richard had been waiting for.
With a quick shower and fresh clothing boosting his spirits, Richard exited his quarters and made his way to the command center. He was looking forward to seeing his son but didn’t want to pull him out of school. “Hal, what time does my son go to lunch?”
“Eleven thirty, sir.”
“When he breaks for lunch, have him return to our quarters.”
“Of course, sir.”
Richard stopped outside the command center and waited for Hal to announce his arrival. Howard did not stand up to greet him as he entered; he didn’t even take his eyes from the screen before him.
“Hal tell you the good news?”
“Yes, Mr. President.” Richard was accustomed to Howard’s lack of social graces. He’d given up trying to shake the man’s hand since he seldom returned the gesture.
“Richard, what have I said about the ‘Mr. President’ nonsense?”
“I wasn’t aware you’d resigned.” Richard smirked, enjoying the friendly banter.
“I haven’t resigned! I just hate all the fancy protocol!”
“It was a joke, Howard.”
“Not a very good one.”
“I’ll try harder next time.” Richard enjoyed giving the president a hard time. He had become very fond of the man in the last eighteen months. Howard Beck was the most brilliant man he’d ever known. He could expound upon any number of things, and it would immediately go so far above Richard’s head that the man might as well have been speaking Greek. Richard loved to aim subtle sarcasm and humor at Howard and watch the genius struggle to comprehend it; it wasn’t the same, but it was fun to turn the tables on him.
“Richard, before you tell me what’s on your mind, I want to talk to you about something.”
“Sure.”
“Max thinks I’m just being paranoid, but I have concerns about the security of Beck Castle.”
“You are paranoid, Howard, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
“I’m growing concerned that security is becoming too lax down here. We have far too many civilians living here. If I had my way, we’d empty out this place of all non-essential personnel.”
“Howard, you can’t run the PSA by yourself. The entire staff down here is dedicated to keeping our country together. You can’t ask them to live here full time without their families. The refugees we took in after the collapse have nowhere to go; we can’t just evict them.”
“You sound like my son.”
“Well, he’s right, you know. What exactly are you afraid of? Everyone granted access to Beck Castle undergoes extensive security checks.”
“That’s all well and good, Richard, but what happens if a Silent Warrior or a UAE spy manages to get down here? We’ll lose everything. All our accomplishments will be for nothing.”
“Howard, the only thing we can do is continue to be fiercely vigilant in our screening process.”
Howard gave up and changed the subject. “You have any plans for this coming Monday?”
“I’m sure I do.”
“Want to come to Seattle with me?”
“Not particularly. Why?”
“Senator Wilson is having a banquet or some nonsense.”
“You mean you’re actually going? I’m shocked. Don’t recall you ever going to any social function.”
“I haven’t, but my son won’t stop badgering me about it. He keeps insisting that I’m an inspiration or a symbol of something. I don’t really understand the point. I figure if I go to one he’ll leave me alone for a while.”
“He’s right, you know. The people want to see their president.”
“Will you come with me?”
“Have you asked Max?”
“Not yet, but I want at least one of you to go with me.”
“If he doesn’t want to go, I guess I’m your man. Is Max here? I’d like to talk to both of you.”
“I’m not sure. Hal?”
“Director Harris is in his office, sir. Would you like me to summon him?”
“Please.”
“Very good, sir.”
Maxwell Harris sat at the cramped kitchen table next to his wife, Elizabeth, sipping his lukewarm coffee as she breast-fed their four-month-old son, Thomas. Max was studying the holographic read-out projected above his tablet and making plans for the day.