Covert Coffee (The Serena Wilcox Dystopian Trilogy Book 2)

Covert Coffee Chapter 15

15

President Ann Kinji was busy with tasks worthy of presidential attention and even the real and present danger of a possible assassination attempt was not enough for her to abandon her post. After all, every day was a day when assassination was possible when one was sitting president of the United States of America! Fortunately nothing unusual was planned besides the typical ebb and flow of The Cube; meetings, conference calls, briefings, and documents demanding her signature.

One of the first things she did when she became the first elected president of the newly re-united post Big War States of America was establish a new style of governing. Ann Kinji would not be campaigning during her presidency. She would not be vacationing. The honor of the office was worthy of sacrificing her own ambitions and personal life for the years she was in office. Some argued that retreats are a mental health issue, with the loudest voices coming from Congress, in defense of their own frequent vacationing schedule, but that was what her garden was for – and yoga, eating well, and her alone time with God. She centered herself without abandoning her post, as many hard-working Americans must do. No, she told her staff, vacations are a luxury that the President of the United States should give up while in office.

She fully expected her precedent to be knocked down; probably as soon as the next administration, but she hoped that her example would inspire future American presidents to at least cut back on how long they stayed away from The Cube. Having come from humble beginnings, Ann was aware of what message luxury vacations sent to Americans who were struggling to pay the bills: Their president didn’t care about their problems, but instead flaunted his/her wealth! Not during Ann’s term! Ann was “for the people”, a campaign now restricted to free publicity only.

Yes, Ann was idealistic. And incredibly, unbelievably popular. Some predicted she would be assassinated, and Ann surmised that those who held this opinion would feel validated when the truth about Covert Coffee eventually, and inevitably, leaked out. Others predicted she would be run over by her own party, by lobbyists, and by all the insiders to the Cube leftover from the pre-Big War days on the Hill. Yes, Ann would be blindsided they said.

Ann concluded that both schools of thought were correct, which was serendipitously verified by an urgent message from Agent Lehman:

<<MADAM PRESIDENT, I’M SORRY TO REPORT THAT YOUR SUSPICIONS WERE CORRECT. YOU NEED TO MEET WITH ME, URGENT. THE LOCATION YOU SENT ME TO IS NO LONGER SECURE. PLEASE ADVISE.>>

No longer secure? How had that happened? The computer lab in Hudson, Wisconsin was top secret, hidden inside the walls of a luxury home near Willow Creek State Park. Experts insisted that the location would be secure for many years to come. How could it be compromised its first year in operation? This was a blunder to the tune of billions of dollars! First matter at hand was the immediate problem of where to meet with Lehman, and she realized that she couldn’t meet with him herself. The cloak and dagger routine, as Beav had so boldly suggested, was ridiculous. She was President of the United States, not a member of Scooby-Doo and the Gang, although she did make a decent Velma with the right wig and glasses; her entry in a residence hall costume contest had won her a free pizza.

She called upon the only person left she could trust: the First Gentleman. Ted was the first man to ever hold that title and she was so proud of how he had defined the position. Ted didn’t read stories to school children, even though he, of course, respected teachers and nurturers. He felt that his unique position in The Cube allowed him the opportunity to fill in the gaps. He wasn’t a co-President, that would be a ridiculous exaggeration, but he was definitely a valuable asset to the presidency. He was with Ann most of the time, especially when the Vice President was required to be in a separate location from the President, as dictated by security or because the VP had a full agenda elsewhere.