R. Ruggiero - Reckoning

Cooper was on his feet, “How’d it go?”

Jamison met his eyes gravely, “We got the bullets out and stopped the bleeding.”

“Is he gonna make it?”

“I don’t know. He lost a lot of blood. Luckily, the internal damage could have been a lot worse. His major organs are intact.”

Cooper extended his hand, “Thank you, Doctor.” Jamison refused the hand.

“Thank me if he lives, alright?” Jamison moved off, breathing the fresh air in.

Julianne was at his side, “Can I tell you what I found out?”

Cooper exhaled in resignation, sitting back down, “Sure.”

She started to speak, but paused, emotion choking her.

“What is it?”

“We were used.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mitchell and I. We were played like a damned fiddle.” Her words were jagged, stopping between tears.

“Can you just tell me what the hell you are talking about?”

“This whole thing was about money. Not to save the planet!”

“What?”

“Well, I don’t have smoking gun evidence yet, but the people that were working with us at Admonitus, those men I was researching, they had disinvested in America. I could write you a damned book on it. Our debt. Our fiat currency about to crash. They dumped everything into China. Every dollar they had. This was about ensuring their ascendance as the new world power. I’m pretty damn sure of it!”

Cooper shook his head, “This can’t be. What are you talking about?”

“Plainly speaking?”

“Yes, please!” Cooper nearly shouted.

“The wealthy elite gave up on America. We were a mess. Debt up to our ears. An unraveling economy. They all bet heavy on China as the place to invest. But, they just made sure it wasn’t a bet. They made it a sure thing, with Brushfire Plague! Don’t you see?” Her words were tear-stained.

Cooper shook his head in disbelief, “No, I don’t. How’d you learn all this?”

“I’ve just looked into the investments these guys all made. I started with the inner circles and then I worked outward to their closest friends and so on. What I found is that there were maybe a few hundred of America’s wealthiest families who all made this same bet!”

“How could you figure out they moved their investments into China?”

She smiled, “A lot of it was public record. For the rest, I had a few friends do some digging for me who had connections. I was able to get to some of them via email—that’s still working sometimes. People I met working at Admonitus. Well, the ones that are still alive…” Her voice drifted.

“But, what? How’d this happen?” Cooper was tired and his mind was struggling to keep up with everything Julianne was telling him.

Julianne took a deep breath, composing herself before continuing, “Looking back, I think it started a long time ago. Think about it. We watched our manufacturing go offshore for decades without doing anything. You can’t have a strong economy without it. It didn’t matter which party was in control. We kept our economy propped up by debt…debt…and more debt. I think the dollar was about to collapse and become worthless. Those at the top just pulled out.”

“But what did Brushfire have to do with it?”

“Think about it. China is the only country that seemed to be ready for it! They were hardly affected. The rest of the globe is in a world of shit. China stands ready. It was a way to speed up their rise as the world’s new superpower! Remember America after the Second World War? The rest of the world was in a shambles and we benefitted from it. We became the world’s only Superpower.”

Cooper felt the blood surging across his temples, “You mean…” He was unable to even form the question.

Julianne’s face was alive with the excitement of explanation, “Yes! They wanted to just make China happen now! And , if you had invested everything you had there, guess what? Your wealth wouldn’t just be protected, it would multiply beyond belief!” She finished, breathless.

“I don’t want to think about it. It’s too much.” Cooper said, waving his hands. He stood up quickly and walked away.

“But you have to, Cooper. The websites still up are on fire about the Chinese sending troop ships over. Right now! They will likely start landing in a few weeks.”

Cooper shook his head in despair, “What?”

“Well, you know how we’ve had scattered reports of police and military with their medical personnel?”

He nodded wearily.

“I think those reports were favorable enough for the Chinese to green light a full-blown invasion,” she was breathless.

Cooper could muster only a lackluster nod of his head. “Well, at least there is some good news?”

Julianne cocked her eyebrows and drew back in surprise, “What’s that?”

“The bastards gave the world too much of a dose and the planet that China will inherit is a big stinking pile,” Cooper’s words dripped with dark sarcasm. Julianne shuddered when she saw the black look on Cooper’s face.

He went back inside. His heart ached and he was despondent. Angela and Doug were still cleaning up from Dranko’s surgery. They must have moved him to one of the bedrooms because he wasn’t there or on the couch. He stormed past them, not wanting to talk to anyone right then.

Angela’s hand caught his wrist and stopped his attempted escape. Their eyes met. Her eyes pleaded with his to tell her what troubled him and what feelings consumed him. He saw the welcome comfort that she offered. He desperately wanted to embrace her, open up to her, and bathe in the solace he knew she could provide. But, as his heart began opening to Angela, he recalled the ferocious intensity of his attraction to Julianne. His desire and connection to Julianne defied logic and vaulted the obstacles that should have made his heart a dead stone to her. And, he could not forget the way her lips had felt on his just days ago.

Their eyes remained locked. He watched her gain hope at his first thoughts and then the disappointment as she could tell his thoughts had drifted to Julianne. He felt miserable at his indecision and the hurt he caused her.

“I’m not ready,” he whispered to her. She nodded, but disbelief at his words clouded her eyes.

He descended the stairs to find some solitude in the basement. His mind raced. I’m losing my son to the ravages of despair and hopelessness. My best friend is clinging to life. Julianne tells me that my wife and a billion others died for the cause of money? I’m torn between two women and I cannot make heads nor tails out of it! His head sank into his hands. He wept futile tears.

The ham radio crackled. Julianne must have left it on.

“Sheriff Hodges, you there?”

Cooper looked at it for a moment, confused. But, then he deliberately picked up the handset, “Yes, I’m here.”

“Do you have the package?”

Cooper’s confusion was replaced by clarity, “Yes.”

“Good, the Governor will be pleased. Meet at the rendezvous as planned.”

The cold comfort of revenge stiffened Cooper’s heart and he welcomed it. His mind raced to a possibility, “That’s a no go. It is compromised.”

“Say again?”

“The rendezvous is compromised.”

There was a long pause. “Please authenticate with the password.”

He cursed them for having good Operational Security in place, but then his grin turned sinister, “Three. Oh. Eight.”

Another pause, “What? Say again.”

“Tell the Governor. Three. Oh. Eight. That’s the caliber of the bullet I’m going to bury in his goddamned brain for what he’s been a part of.”

“Who is this?” the voice on the other end asked, indignant.