Chapter Six - part seven

  By noon everyone in D.C. was aware of the sudden and unexpected change in the command structure. They knew because they were all in the command center of the secured bunker where the President had been staying almost since the start of the chaos. They were all watching and waiting for a video link to be established from Edwards AFB. When the screen suddenly came up they saw only one man standing in the center of it. He was still in his pilot uniform and looked very weary and well worn at first glance. A closer look made you reconsider your first impression. The President stepped forward and spoke as he came up on the screen at Edwards. "Colonel Cooper, I have been looking forward to meeting you. I assume that General Kendrick has given you at least a little briefing as to the developments here?" James gave a quick short reply. "Yes Sir." The President hesitated a minute as a frown tried to form before he could continue. "Very well then Colonel. I have been told by several people, and your record seems to confirm their opinions of you, that you are the man that can resolve the current situation we are facing. Let's say I were to put you in charge of the situation; what would your recommendations be?"

    James remained in place and showed no reaction at all to what had just been asked. After a moment he did lower his head and fold his hands in front of him. James remained like that for a good deal of time. Then he raised his head drew in a deep breath and replied. "Sir, I can't make any recommendation that will fix the situation, at least not that people would be willing to accept. That said, I can offer a few possibilities for restoring order for the short term. It will require massive amounts of coordination and cooperation from all sides. It will involve some major restructuring of your current social systems too. That will take a lot more time to make happen, but unless we start on it immediately... nothing we do will make any lasting difference. Sir, I can try to get you past the winter and spring. It won't be easy or cheap, but I think we can manage it for that long. But by summer we will have to have major changes ready to go. Then it will be another struggle to get the people to accept those changes. If we manage that and they start working with us... maybe we can eventually try to resolve the current situation for the long term. It won't be fast or simple. It will probably still be bloody too, but I see only two options and the other is a complete collapse of the nation."

   The President had been listening intently, but when James was finished he frowned and spoke in a rather stern voice. "You haven't told me what you would recommend. All you have done is to tell me the possible problems and the danger of doing nothing. I know all of that; Hell the world knows all of those things! I asked what you would do if you were put in charge!" The President was clearly not pleased with the answer he had been given. James didn't seem to be concerned by that at all. In fact he smiled as he spoke again. "Sir, what I do will depend on what you let me do, and on what the people let me do. I would start with restoring some of the desperately needed infrastructure. That will require that we actually have control of the cities and the surrounding areas. You will have to immediately pull most of the troops currently stationed overseas home. Otherwise we simply won't have the manpower we must have to secure the cities. You will also have to at least double the total number of troops within the next year. We will have to be able to start restoring strength to overseas units by the end of a year or we will lose control overseas too. If you are willing to commit and start those things then maybe by late spring to early summer I could have a majority of the cities under control and infrastructure being restored. They won't be like they were, but they will be able to function. People will be able to live and work safely again. I can't tell you more than that about how I would fix things. I am sorry sir, but I have to be hands on and adjust to the situation as I go or I am useless."

   This time the President laughed. Shaking his head he spoke to James. "So you just want me to give you control of most of the military and then double the size of it. Then maybe you can do something. Is that what you just asked for?" James showed a reaction this time. He turned a bit red as he nodded and replied. "Yes Sir; that pretty much covers it sir." The President just stood there looking at him for a long time then he asked another question. This time his voice was much softer. "Did you stop to pray before you responded to my first questions?" James smiled and nodded his head again. "Yes sir." That answer and a level look directly at the President was it. They stood there facing each other on video screens from across the nation. After a long wait the President spoke again. "Colonel Cooper, I want you to requisition whatever you need to get the west coast in order. I will order that you be given anything you want. I also want you to review and make further recommendations for the other areas where we are having major issues as well. We will try to make those recommendations work for us. You have two months to regain control of the west coast. When and if you get control of the coast you will have earned a star or two. Then I will put you in charge of everything west of the Mississippi too. Get it all under control by the first of June and I may make you the new Joint Chief. Screw this up and I may still have you shot. Are you willing to accept the terms of my new orders?" James smiled as he replied without a moment of hesitation. "Yes sir, I will follow your orders, but could you just forget the stars and Joint Chief talk? I think I would rather you just have me shot... at least that would be quick!."

  The President began to chuckle and then started laughing. "You're dismissed Cooper. I will be in touch. You have command of everything west of the Mississippi effective immediately and you still have only two months. Get to work!" He turned away from the screen even as James saluted and did the same. Smiling he looked at General Kendrick. "I am glad he didn't decide to go into politics instead of the military. I think he could have been a real force to be reckoned with. He is everything you told me he was and more. I understand now why you went to him when this all blew up. He is definitely fearless! He never even blinked!" Shaking his head the President began giving orders to his staff and cabinet while asking questions about what would be required in order to do what James had suggested. General Kendrick moved back and took a seat to one side of the room. Fearless, that was a good description of what he had just seen. He remembered the way a young inexperienced boy had looked into his eyes and faced him so many years ago. That had been no inexperienced boy standing there looking into the eyes of the President of the United States today though. That had been a man! A man tried and tested, a man with enough faith to risk everything in an effort to save his nation!