Angels Mark (The Serena Wilcox Mysteries Dystopian Thriller Trilogy) Read online

What’s that, you say? Well, no one really knows. It’s not been used. The power or limits of such a convention are unknown because there has never been a time in history, except for now of course, in which this article was utilized. Scholars tell me, though, that a Convention would be able to propose any change to the Constitution it decided to, including full replacement. Did you hear that? FULL REPLACEMENT! I bet you never knew that. I sure didn’t.

  So obviously, that’s where we are today. That’s how the former United States radically changed the Constitution and our government. That’s how we ended up with President Kinji on the West and yours truly as President of the East, and states in between naturally. Some say that our great nation has been hacked, sawed in two, and destroyed. If you believe the late night talk show hosts, we’ve become like Oz, with witches of the East and West, and everyone waiting for Dorothy to deliver the broomstick.

  But we’ve got to stop thinking that way! We are the same great nation under God. We are! We are merely exercising our right to tap into Article 5. We did this within the Constitution, as laid out to us by our forefathers. We are not divided! We are united in our history. We are united in our memories of an early America.

  You don’t believe that America has ever wanted change? We have precedent, you know. There have been many proposals for substantial change to the Constitution throughout history. Thomas Jefferson himself was wary of the power of the dead over the living, something that would happen if we had an unchanging Constitution. Without giving you too much of a history lesson, let me say this: To guarantee that each generation has a say in the framework of the government, Jefferson proposed that the Constitution, and each one following it, would expire after 19 or 20 years. Expire!

  Jefferson advised that we retool, we update, we re-evaluate, we re-organize. Jefferson knew that life is about changing. America would change; and the government needed to change along with it. The people needed to have the freedom to change our government. Jefferson said this! Long before the Big War!

  Let’s stay in early American history for a while. In 1932, William Kay Wallace, a U.S. diplomat, proposed not only changing the Constitution, but replacing it! He would replace the states with nine geographically-based entities, each with an equal representation in a national Board of Directors. A President would be chosen from the Board; the new states would have similar systems. Sound familiar?

  Back in 1932 we were talking about changing things up, governing ourselves differently; even dividing the states up into groups. What’s so new about what’s going on today? What’s so new about the concept of two Presidents? Nothing! Turns out, it’s not such a new idea after all. Someone thought of it way back in 1932.

  Let’s move ahead to the World War 11 era, specifically 1942. Henry Hazlitt, a conservative journalist, wrote that the time of the War was a perfect time to contemplate changing the Constitution; and that the War was pointing out several of the Constitution's weaknesses. Alexander Hehmeyer, who wrote a book in 1943, also thought that the war period was a perfect time to institute change, when people were in crisis mode. War time? Crisis mode? Sound familiar?

  History repeats itself. We aren’t doing anything new here! We are the same America! We are responding to the times, just like we’ve always done.

  Which brings us to Thomas Finletter, a special assistant to the Secretary of State, who authored a book published in 1945: He proposed to allow the President to dissolve Congress and the Presidency. You see where I’m going with this?

  We Americans have thought about shaking things up way before now. We are the creators here, the innovators, the movers and shakers. We are the Super Power. We did not crumble, we were not ‘divided and conquered’ as some have said. We simply pioneered a new trail; a trail that many of us have thought was a long time in coming. A trail that Jefferson envisioned from the very beginning!

  Think this is all ancient history? Let’s move ahead now to 1974. Rexford Tugwell, an economist who worked with FDR, suggested we have two Vice-Presidents instead of just one. Hey, we did that! We have two Vice-Presidents. Sure, we threw in an extra President too, but you see what I’m saying. We Americans have been mulling over making changes for years! Big ones! From our forefathers up until contemporary times!

  This is not new, people. We are not brought to reform against our will. We walk willingly forward, boldly! The terrorists did not do this to us. We have the power here. We have the voice. We have the freedom to choose.

  Let’s move forward again in time. After Watergate, there were many calls for changes in the Constitution. That should surprise no one.

  But let’s skip ahead to even more contemporary times. Arthur Miller, law professor at George Washington University, wrote a book published in 1987, that called for, among other things, the redrawing of state lines. Redrawing of state lines! Re-structuring! See? We have done nothing new here. We have had these ideas in early history, and we’ve had them as recently as 1987.

  Now we’re getting close to present day, and we can’t really talk about voices of reform without focusing on the Internet. Wow, do we ever have the freedom to voice who we are as Americans, and what we want. So what were people saying, in the years, months, weeks, and yes, even days before the Big War?

  ‘The U.S. Constitution for 21st Century’ web site had posted this quote: ‘Unique, innovative, venerable in its time, our more than 200-year old Constitution now has become antiquated and obsolete — even detrimental and dangerous — for the nation.’ Now does that sound like an America that doesn’t want change? This is but a tiny sample of what the American people were saying about our Constitution right up to the day we forever changed as a nation. The day we became ‘divided’ as some have called it – is that the right way to look at it?

  Are we ‘divided’? No! If you’ve paid attention, and I thank you for your patience, then you know I’m leading up to this: We are still the United States of America, one nation, under God. We are. We are whole. We are together. We are one. We have restructured. We have listened to the call for change. That’s all. We are still America. And to that end: God Bless America!

  John Williams gave a flourishing salute to presumably all Americans, and waited for the predictable cheers. William, who was last year a little-known but long-time senator, was now one of the most famous faces in the world, as the first President the New Conservative Party, which some had characterized as nothing more than a revamped version of the disbanded Republican Party. Conversely, the Democratic Union was often characterized as old guard Dems, even though President Kinji described herself as an Independent.

  President Ann Kinji held the honor of being both the first female president, and the first Japanese-American president, of the Democratic Union. Kinji, who had been a Presidential cabinet appointee during the years leading up to World War III, was, not surprisingly, a well-known force in the then Democratic Party. The party system had been abolished post WWIII, but nonetheless, Kinji’s cabinet, and all of her supporters, had been dubbed “The New Liberals”. Many Americans, Paul included, believed that the two party system had never died, but lived on under new labels.

  The split of the United States of America was the result of six months of emotional deliberation without a single recess, and was, in the end, swiftly agreed to with very little opposition, with no one but the media allowed in. Every American could watch history play out on their televisions, computers, phones, hand-held gadgets, and even large screens on metro buildings. But watching from afar was not good enough for Paul. Whenever he could be there in person, he was.

  He was in the crowd in Chicago when the last President of the United States, the real President, shocked the world with words that still rang in Paul’s head. That famous speech, the transcript, and excerpts, now re-printed on everything from posters to blankets, was in sharp contrast to the political rhetoric he’d just heard Williams spew. No, the most famous speech in the world was full of real heartbreak, real grief, real tears. It was worthy to be listed alongsid
e any speech of Abraham Lincoln’s. It was a speech in which no one took a breath, straining to hear every incredible syllable. For generations to come, people would recall where their ancestors were when they heard this speech:

  Emergency times call for emergency measures. The needs of the East and the West are diverse. We have eight U.S. governors in a perpetual state of emergency, while five states are unsafe to reside in, and three states are completely gone. This is not the time for politics or party lines. We need to remove all obstacles. This must be a working government, running not on principles and ideas, but we must instead be as foremen leading re-construction.

  For the good of the country, I will step down as President of the United States, after appointing not one, but two, Presidents to govern over this beloved nation. It will take all of us working together to rewrite our Constitutional laws, and to pass all the necessary bills to make this happen, but I know we can do it. We must do it. We must come together to create a new, more efficient, way to govern. Our nation has changed.

  We are a nation in crisis, unparalleled to anything the world has seen. We need an emergency response, a response that will streamline government. We will face difficulties beyond what our forefathers ever imagined. We must find a way to get closer to the people, to get smaller, to delegate the workload of rebuilding our nation.

  I believe in this plan. I believe that our nation is best served by two Presidents, and by both parties, in a shared system of government that divides the nation into two equal parts. With your blessing, I will appoint two people to serve for a period of 18 months. But I assure you, elections will be held swiftly, to replace my appointees with the choice of the people.

  The two Presidents shall work together, but will govern separately, much the way our individual states have always been served by Governors. This is not the death of America, but an emergency response to emergency conditions. We shall forever in our hearts be one nation under God, and though divided by governing bodies, still indivisible in spirit. With liberty and justice for all, may we one day soon be a prosperous nation once again, whose citizens live without fear, and whose children know peace. God bless America.

  Paul would never forget that speech, and he felt that President John Williams missed the mark entirely with his own attempt at making a speech for the history books. Williams could never match the passion or talent for oration that the former president had, even though Williams was pompous enough to try, and obviously thought of himself as an equal or, Paul sneered, even the better man. No, Williams was the inferior man in Paul’s eyes, in polish, strength, and cleverness.

  But when it came to honest conviction, Paul suspected that John might actually believe a little more of what he was saying, a little more. Williams was a dangerous hothead though, and Paul knew that he was better off working a different angle to get himself onto Capitol Hill, the new Capitol Hill. No matter, the doors were flung wide open for Paul, most unexpectedly. He had been waiting all his life for such an opportunity to come knocking, and here it was, an opportunity he created for himself.

  From this moment on, the gap between himself and the heels of all the government insiders was shrinking. Paul, with his pretty-boy good looks, was an easy fit for the political scene. He was already well on his way to being an insider. All he needed was the right door to open, and he had found one. What he never expected was for his chosen doorkeeper to be tapped to be one of the first Presidents of the newly divided, formerly known as, United States of America.

  4

  President Ann Kinji tucked her smooth shiny locks behind her ears. Her beautiful hair, cut in a bob, was the envy of middle class American women. Salons received many requests for what became known as “The Kinji”: a smart sleek bob, which often included coloring the hair to match Kinji’s onyx shade. The woman who was now an international icon was little-known prior to the Big War. It was crazy to go from obscurity to having a hair style named after her.

  Beyond lack of celebrity status, Kinji’s work for the previous administration, the last administration of what was once The United States of America, had done little to prepare her. Of course, how could anyone prepare to be one of the first Presidents of the nation now referred to as “The States of America”? Everything’s pretty much the same – just add a second president -- and life moves on. And if you believe that, I have some nuclear wasteland to sell you.

  Kinji snapped herself out of her brooding and studied her desk. It was tidy, that was for sure. She had so many assistants fussing over it that there wasn’t a thing out of place. There were no personal items on it yet, not a single framed picture or even a coffee mug. Kinji couldn’t bring herself to move in. It didn’t feel real, and she wasn’t sure if she was living a dream or a nightmare. She was insane if she wanted this responsibility, this crushing burden of being a pioneer in a newly divided nation. And the first female President besides? And Japanese? Well, the days ahead were going to be interesting.

  “President Kinji?” Breyana Robertson, a strawberry blonde 20-something in a purple pants suit, rapped gently at her open door.

  “Yes?” Kinji locked eyes with Breyana. It was trademark Kinji: unflinching directness that intimidated most people, but Breyana was a confident young woman and returned Kinji’s gaze unwaveringly. Breyana had nothing but open admiration, respect, and hopeful aspiration to friendship.

  “Paul Tracy is here to see you.”

  “Oh yes, send him in, please.”

  Paul waltzed into the room as if his steps had been choreographed, and as often as he’d played this moment in his head, they were. “President Kinji, you look so natural in this office, in front of that seal.”

  The Democratic Union seal depicted an eagle with an olive branch in its beak. The eagle was tinted a pale blue. The Liberty Union seal, behind President John William’s desk, was identical in design, with the only difference being the color tint of the eagle, a reddish pink hue.

  “Thank you, Paul. We’ve both put on a lot of mileage since the Warsaw days, good old Warren Academy. I hear you are going places yourself.”

  “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you. You’ve heard right: I’ve been hitting the pavement to get those bills signed. I’m proud to claim my contribution to the New Liberals.”

  “Democratic Union. Let’s drop the polarizing label.”

  “Democratic Union, then.”

  “Is there something you want, Paul? I am due for a press conference in five minutes.”

  “I would like a position in your cabinet.”

  Kinji laughed. “Finally, somebody around here who lays it on the table.”

  “You know me, Ann.” Paul stared into her dark eyes, leaning forward with both of his palms on her desk.

  “President Kinji. Sorry, Paul, I don’t do casual. No friends, no favors. If I consider this, it will be based on what you can do for my administration, period.”

  Paul backed away, holding his hands up. “Fair enough, Madam President. I left a package with Miss Robertson that I think will interest you. When you see what I have to offer, I’m sure I’ll be hearing from you.”

  Clyde was rugged without the handsome: oily reddish-grey hair that was sparse on top of his head, but long and stringy everywhere else; eyes set too far apart, giving him a wall-eyed look; a pitted face with a nose that snorted a long draw of mucus every few minutes.

  “Morning!” he bellowed, in a deep voice that begged to be cleared of phlegm.

  The sanctuary returned the greeting with a deadpan chant-like chorus of “Morning.”

  “You don’t get Internet, and you get limited TV – just what the old rabbit ears pick up. You rely on us to keep you informed. That’s why it’s so important that all of you be here. Now I’ll turn it over to Paul Tracy.”

  Paul was a man of frat-boy good looks. He was tall and lean, with thick wavy brown hair and perfect teeth – a refreshing contrast from Clyde. People were always surprised when they learned that the two men were brothers.

&
nbsp; “Thank you for your faithfulness, and a warm welcome to the newcomers. Consider this your welcome wagon. You got your packet, and should have your new names.” Paul paused while the tell-tale rustle of papers indicated that people were opening their envelopes to look.

  Serena turned to Tom, “Only our last names, right? We figured that we would have to. We don’t have to change our first names too, do we?”

  Tom opened the packet. “They strongly suggested we change our names completely, but agreed to let us do only our last names.”

  “Good! What is our new last name?

  “Meadows.”

  “Meadows?”

  “You like it?”

  “I guess so. Did you pick it, or did he?”

  “He had a list. I thought it was the best one.”

  “Okay, I don’t care. We’ll get used to it.”

  “Right, that’s what I thought.”

  “What else did he say?”

  “We can’t communicate with people who knew us when we were the Bridge family. I said okay, but I know we’re not going to let our family and friends think we’re dead forever.”

  “What does it matter, now that Mom is gone?”

  Tom looked at her with his most sincere expression of sympathy and squeezed her hand. “She’s not the only person who cared about you.”

  Serena didn’t answer. The grief was only six months old. She was still struggling to hold herself together. Being her mother’s caretaker had given her too many intimate moments with her. It would take time to heal, which was what she told herself whenever she felt like the rain would fall forever.

  “As soon as things happen, we’ll contact everybody, but in the meantime, I think we should do whatever the off-grid people want us to do.”

  “Exactly, I agree. What if we did all this and there was no reason to do it, and we’re stuck in hiding because we burnt down our own house? How many laws have we broken now? I feel like such a criminal.”