Richard Stephenson - Collapse

“I see, sir. A wise precaution on your part; however, if our efforts are successful, we will not have to worry about such a threat.”

“Damn right it is. Things are running just fine in our underground fortress. This bunker is impregnable, and I plan to run things down here where it’s secure until we can safely move around the territory.”

“Sir, General Dupree will be arriving shortly.”

“Good. Have him meet me in here.”

“Very good, sir.”

Beck Castle had been constructed many years before by Howard Beck as a safe haven for what he considered to be the most important creation in the history of mankind — the first artificial intelligence, his friend Hal. He also built the massive underground complex as an ark for the continued existence of the human race in the event of an extinction-level event. Should the end of the world occur, he had originally planned to ride it out, safe and sound, in Beck Castle with his family and a select group of people. If the public had known Howard Beck was building an Armageddon bunker twenty years prior, they would have mocked and ridiculed him as a crazy old man who had lost his mind. When the collapse of America brought the mighty nation to its knees, Howard had the last laugh. With the aide of his advisors and Hal, Howard ran a nation spanning hundreds of thousands of square miles and populated with over fifteen million citizens in an underground bunker five hundred feet below ground. He had no intention of ever relocating the seat of government to Seattle or any other place for that matter.

General Richard Dupree’s stealth craft slowly descended from an altitude of one thousand feet down to a barren stretch of land in front of the entrance to Beck Castle. The highly sophisticated vehicle was undetectable by radar. Every inch of it had been coated with billions of tiny nanobots that could render the craft invisible to radar as well as the naked eye. The nanobots also served as an effective shield in combat.

Richard had to observe radio silence for the last fifty miles of the journey. Howard insisted that the measure was unnecessary since all forms of communication with the castle were encrypted and impossible to detect. Since Richard was in command of the PSA’s military forces, he insisted on it. Richard argued with Howard that the day might come when the UAE would break the encryption, and it was best to err on the side of caution.

The pilotless craft slowly taxied onto the landing pad. Seconds later, a large section of earth began its descent into a small hangar bay beneath the surface. The craft slowly rolled off the platform, allowing the landing pad to rise back to the surface. Richard exited the craft and stepped into the elevator to make the forty-five-story descent to Beck Castle.

“General Dupree, sir, I trust your journey was uneventful?”

“It was, Hal, thank you. When will I be meeting with the president?”

“President Beck is ready to receive you at your earliest convenience.”

Richard didn’t need to ask about Howard’s location since the president spent his mornings in the command center tending to the issues facing the Pacific States of America. The young general had spent the past three weeks visiting the military bases scattered around the territory. When the nation collapsed in 2027, the Unified National Guard was absorbed into the Unified American Empire, under the direction of Supreme Commander Carl Moody, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Malcolm Powers. Supreme Commander Moody scrambled to consolidate the Unified National Guard and the bulk of the Armed Forces into one fighting force to protect and defend the Unified American Empire under the rule of President Simon Sterling. When Howard Beck deployed his tech army of automated craft and robot soldiers to capture the territory he now governed, his primary objective was to secure all the military bases inside his borders. The task was much simpler than anyone had anticipated. The military force inside the territory had sworn an oath to protect the former democratic government. Only a small percentage of the soldiers had to be exiled to the Unified American Empire.

Richard’s most difficult task was exerting his authority over the senior officers located on the liberated military bases. It didn’t take long for the veteran officers to realize that Howard Beck’s tech army meant business. If they wanted to enjoy the freedom and protection that accompanied the Pacific States of America, the officers had to come to the realization that Richard Dupree, a man twenty years their junior, was in charge.

Richard had gone on a three week tour to ascertain the battle readiness of their army. The UAE had essentially left them alone for the past few months. They had their hands full with The Silent Warriors, a stealth regiment of Muslim warriors the Great Empire of Iran had sent to infiltrate America. The Silent Warriors were comprised of small terrorist cells that had no communication with each other. Their mission was simple: to wreak as much havoc on the American people as possible. The Great Empire of Iran had unleashed the final, crippling blow that guaranteed the collapse of 2027. Iran called the event “The Star of Allah.” A nuclear warhead was detonated high in the atmosphere over the Eastern seaboard. The resulting electromagnetic pulse destroyed every electronic circuit from the East Coast all the way to the Mississippi Valley. The UAE, along with the American people, refused to adopt the name given by Iran and instead referred to the event as “The Pulse.” The Pulse was the perfect cover for the Silent Warriors to come out of hiding and attack the nation with unrelenting force. Reconstruction efforts, under the supervision of Regional Governor Jackson Butler, had a difficult time restoring the infrastructure of The Pulse Zone. Governor Butler was able to make gradual progress, taking two steps forward and one step back to deal with The Silent Warriors. Richard was thankful for the diversion; it meant that the Pacific Army had time to prepare a critical blow against the UAE. The final obstacle Richard had to hurdle was convincing Howard that it was a good idea.

The elevator came to a stop on the command level, and Richard made his way down the corridor to his quarters.

“Hal, inform the president that I’m going to take a moment to settle into my quarters, and I will be with him shortly.”

“Very good, sir. General, I have some news to share with you. Would you like to hear it now or wait until your meeting with the president is finished?”

“Depends. Good news or bad?”

“Very good news, sir.”

“By all means, go right ahead. I’m just going to change clothes and freshen up.”

“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; that is good news. What’s up?”

“Well, sir, the UAE has turned a blind eye to the slave trade, 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 the children being kidnapped. 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.”