New America 02 - Resistance Read Online Free PDF Page B

the lines – the slave trade was getting the job done and would be allowed to continue.
    President Sterling sneered at the shimmering holograms and paused long enough to ensure that his expectations were understood.  Without so much as a word, Simon tapped a button on his desk and terminated the link. As he headed to the south lawn for his morning walk, the president was joined by his protégé, Regional Governor Jackson Butler, the man who’d relieved Howard Beck of his home so President Sterling could take up residence there.
    “Good morning, Mr. President.”
    “Happy birthday, my dear boy.”
    “I didn’t realize you knew. T hank you, Mr. President.”
    “Thirty-eight?”
    “Yes, Mr. President.”
    “The youngest of all the regional governors by fifteen years.”
    “I wasn’t aware of that, Mr. President.”
    “Every fruitful endeavor requires youth.  Youth brings a forward-looking perspective, the absence of which is profound amongst those of my generation. We’re obsessed with the past and find the notion of change both terrifying and superfluous.  We need young minds to broaden our time-warped viewpoint.”
    “Thank you, Mr. President.  I’m pushing forty , yet you make me sound like a college student; it’s quite refreshing.”
    “You’re welcome, Jackson. I’d like to ask you a question.”
    “Of course, Mr. President.”
    “I’m counting on your honesty.  The other regional governors are far too frightened of me to risk making me angry.  Are you afraid of me, Jackson?”
    “Should I be, Mr. President?”  Jackson shot a grin at Simon .
    Simon laughed.  “Just as I thought.  Good.”  Simon stopped walking and looked Jackson in the eye.  “Do you think The Pulse Zone is worth saving?  I’m not asking whether or not you can do it, I want to know if you think it’s worth it.”
    “No, I don’t think it’s worth it.”
    “Why?”
    “Well, the most obvious answer is The Silent Warriors.  They were an issue before The Pulse and they’ll continue to be an issue no matter what we do.  That being said, they’re not the primary reason for my answer.”
    “What is?”
    “Damage has been done t hat I doubt can be reversed.  The Pulse Zone is becoming a wasteland in more ways than one.  The only way people feel safe is to band together in fortified communities.  Even if we could wave a magic wand and put the broken pieces of The Pulse Zone back together, the people are far too frightened to consider themselves part of something larger than their own communities.  The idea of contributing anything outside their own strongholds has become foreign to them.  They simply don’t trust in anything.  If they venture outside their own walls, they face being kidnapped by slavers or murdered for the clothes on their backs, or even worse – for sport.”
    “Even when we restore their utilities?  Ele ctricity and clean water don’t make a difference?”
    “Not really.  They’re still starving and dying from common place diseases that weren’t even a threat before The Pulse.  It might sound silly, but I also think they’re still getting over Internet addiction.”
    “That does sound silly.”
    “It might, but it’s true.  We lived in a connected society that was used to having the world at its fingertips.”
    “We lived in a spoiled society is more like it.”
    “I agree.”
    “Thank you for your frankness. I trust everything went according to plan?”
    “Perfectly, Mr. President.”
    “Does Jim suspect anything?”
    “Not a thing, sir.  He trusts me implicitly.  I told him I would do everything in my power to ensure that what happened to his grandchildren would never occur again.”
    “Good. Y ou were right, young man.  This fiasco proved the perfect opportunity to discover where loyalties reside amongst the eight people I’ve chosen to help me run this country.”
    “What did you think of the outcome, Mr. President?”
    “I wasn’t surprised by the three