Apocalypse Slaves Pt. 15

John would show him... John would show all of his followers as well.

And then they'd all be sorry.

*

Caine leaned back in his seat and looked over to where President... or he should say President-in-Exile... Charles Sullivan sat watching with trepidation at the exchange. "Well?" Sullivan asked Caine. "What are you going to do about this?"

"He's not wrong, you know," Caine said, bobbing his head towards the monitor. "The United States was never intended to be an autocracy that you and your predecessors have made it out to be. There was a reason why our leaders were elected and why later leaders eventually imposed term limits on both the Executive and Legislative branches. They didn't want any one man or woman to have too much power and turn this country into another monarchy or dictatorship. You all changed that with your stupid little Hereditary Amendment."

"That amendment..." Sullivan started to ground out.

"Is all well and good if you lose all of the branches of government at the same time," Caine deadpanned, not even interested in getting into the ethical debate of having one's son or daughter inherit the government in the event of a successful decapitation strike... either manmade or when the universe wanted to bitch slap humanity. "However, the government has... somewhat... been rebuilt in the wake of the Flare. You have no need for such a constitutional law anymore and it should be abolished."

Sullivan sputtered as if Caine had physically slapped him. "So that's it then?" he asked incredulously. "You're just going to leave the government in the hands of that... that... that despot!"

Caine smiled at him before clearing his throat to make a citation. "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security," he quoted, suddenly thankful that he paid attention in Mrs. Wilson's Civics Class waaaaay back in high school. "Exact words of the Declaration of Independence. I'm going to hazard a guess here that the reason why you've had minor powers such as the Colorado Coalition, the New California Republic, and even my fledgling little nation here pop up is because you've never given the former states any real incentive to stay, and you lack any kind of real power to force them back into the fold. Don't you? I've seen all the social parties that you all have had back east. It's just another day for you while everyone west of the Mississippi have to deal with harsh, life-and-death decision every day. Now you're seeing what everyone else has to deal with, don't you? You got to live it up in the White House while other people get displaced from their homes by others every... single... day."

Sullivan withered under the rebuke. Caine could tell that pride made him want to deny the allegations but deep down they both knew that Caine... and even this Hancock fellow... was right. "What do you suggest that I do? Just let it go? Just fade away into obscurity as the man who'd lost the presidency to an usurper?"

"I'd enjoy retirement, if I were you," Caine flat out told him. "You've gotten off WAY easier than others in the past who've been deposed. You still have your family with you, all still alive no less, and you still have your head on your shoulders. That's more than what the Nobles of France or the Romanovs of Russia got. So, yeah, claim a nice piece of land here in Lincoln and just quietly fade away into obscurity. I'll handle this dumbass who wants to go to war with me."

"So what are you going to do?" Sullivan asked.

"Hm..." Caine crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back more in his chair in thought. "To pull this off I'll need more than armies..." he mused. "I'm going to need generals... heroes... champions..." he said.

Then a broad smile graced his lips. "Disciples..." he said as if in a joke with himself. "Yes... Disciples will work nicely."

THE END

Caine's story will be continued in the series: "The Disciples of Caine."