Anatomy of a Rebellion

Chapter 37

Talking Heads

Ethan drummed his fingers on the table in boredom. His head was rested in his other hand and he stared blankly at the wall. Three days had passed – or was it four? He couldn't remember – since William had made the announcement against Ethan. It hadn't been a terrible experience. In fact, life continued rather normally despite all the commotion. He answered every call by the media with the same line: "I don't see what the big deal is." His nonchalant attitude about being targeted by the Department of Justice made for a rather interesting change in public perspective.

For the first time in those three or four days he was escorted out of his room and led to a federal building. There he was taken on a dizzying route in a head spinning pace through the halls, up the stairs, and finally to some conference room he had never seen in his life. The men in suits that had taken him there said not a single word when they pushed him in and locked the door. An hour had passed and still Ethan had yet to have a single visitor. At least there's a window, he thought as his head turned to take a look outside. He was greeted by varying shades of grey, whether from the weather, the planes in the sky, or the steel and concrete buildings. All he could think about was how much he wanted to leave the city. There was a vacation house near Lake Huron calling his name.

That's Mackenzie's favorite, he thought to himself. Memories flooded back to him of the time when she first brought him there. It belonged to her father, she explained, and they had only visited a few times when she was younger. She really wanted to see it renovated, but her father wasn't interested and she didn't make enough money to take on a project so daunting. So after they left, Ethan poured a fortune into that little cottage. He convinced her to return a year later after all the work was completed. It was his first Christmas present to her. The second was a ring.

Ethan laughed to himself. He thought, This must be a form of torture. Stuck here alone I can only think of that? Not how to explain whatever I landed myself into, or even contemplating what I'm in trouble for. Just… her. And the good times we had. Strange to think I never would have met her had the chain of fate not led me there. But will that chain stay strong through all of this?

The door opened. Broken from his daydreaming, Ethan lifted his head from his hand and turned to see who entered. It was William and several of his staff. No one greeted the Senator. William and his men whispered between each other in hushed and hurried tones. For the first time Ethan got a good look at William. He still had his youthful cheeks, but his light green eyes clearly displayed wisdom most men his age did not possess. The right side of his lip was curved up in a grin, his hair had a small portion in the front that still needed to be combed, and his fitted suit gave away his small frame. Many rumors floated around about the youngster and how he had gotten his position, so many that Ethan felt like he already knew all about him.

Eventually, William dismissed his staff. Being left alone with the man who had prosecuted him would have annoyed Ethan at any other time, but after sitting alone for an hour it was welcomed. The Solicitor General sat down in one of the many chairs available at that large table in a rather unrefined way. It was like he was so exhausted he fell into it. His notepad was placed carefully on the table, however. Finally, after sharing the room for several minutes, William looked at Ethan. Straight faced, Ethan did not move. William said, "This place is full of vultures. I keep my hands in my pockets in case one tries to rob me."

"I keep my hands as fists, in case I need to punch one," was Ethan's response.

William let out an unrestrained laugh but Ethan didn't join him. Then he said, "I'm sorry for the events of the past few days. I hope you've been treated alright?"

"You've got me in a good hotel, General," Ethan answered honestly. "I feel like I'm on house arrest, but my watchers have been good to fetch me things and I can still talk to my fiancée. I'm actually kind of glad this is happening at the moment. If I don't get anything done, at least I'll have a good excuse for my constituents."

Despite the small smile on Ethan's lips, William saw through it. "But you don't really believe that." Ethan let his mask fall and his lips fell into a frown. "This is frustrating for you. There's a lot you would like to accomplish, and you feel like there isn't a lot of time to screw around. Time is running out for this country and you want to act before it's too late."

Ethan folded his arms over his chest. "I see. So this is why you're doing this to me. At first I was curious but it's started to make sense. I've heard the talk, too, you know. The talk about Major Raymond and how people seem to think he wants to form a coup d'état. I suppose my relationship with his adjutant is cause for concern."

"Personally I find the Major harmless," William said. He had begun to play with a pen; he tossed it up, twirled it around. It was proof that youth was still rampant in his veins. "Only those nearsighted old men would find him a threat. He is a loyal dog and concerned only with protecting his master. But a dog is still a dog, and if backed into a corner, it will bite."

"So, then you're plan is to lure him out by using me as bait? Upset Mackenzie enough that she convinces him to attack," he guessed.

"Please, tell me Senator, would you really fall for a woman who lets her emotions make such hasty decisions for her?"

Ethan chuckled, "Heh, probably not." William had stopped playing with the pen and stared intently at Ethan. The two men sat in silence for a moment. It was in that quiet second that Ethan saw William in a new way. Instead of a youthful, promising lawyer, he saw a cold-hearted, calculating politician. Something held itself in William's eyes that caused Ethan to shiver.

William went back to flipping the pen. He said, "The Hughes family has a fortune thanks to your grandfather's ingenuity around biofuel and tidal power. He was a great scientist. But it was your father that lobbied and turned it into wealth. My family's bank is the sole monetary provider and consultant for all of the Hughes family's personal and business assets. When you think about it, we've probably met before, although unlikely. We're certainly connected though. Our families never would have made any deals, however, if it wasn't for Congressman Ross's strong push to further fund the Hughes Projects. Your father and Congressman Ross became good friends and both achieved unshakable power in Washington. Suddenly, with the help of Congressman Ross, a young Senator from his home state of Michigan arrives in DC and manages to shake things up. Nothing unusual, that's American politics at its core."

Ethan shook his head, "You're overthinking it. I didn't run for office because of any family connections and I certainly am not marrying Mackenzie for those reasons, either."

"I figured as much. If the rest of the world could connect the dots, they would probably cry foul. Fortunately for us, they're not intelligent enough to do that. As for me, they say I got my position because my father paid for it. They'd be telling the truth, you know. I won't deny it. How strange is it that a fresh law school grad secured such a prestigious position without any experience? Of course he bought them off. They just got lucky that I'm not an incompetent punk."

Ethan could hear the mocking laughter in William's voice. Perhaps they weren't lucky, maybe they had made a mistake and unleashed a monster on the world. Not all politicians were focused solely on money and power, but most were. A swindler like the man in front of him could probably pull the rug out from under them all. Men like William were the ones who devoured nations from the inside out; even the most corrupt politician was powerless against the men behind the scenes. He wondered if he was to be William's first victim, so he asked, "What exactly is it that you want from me?"

"From you?" William repeated. "Nothing. I expect you to give America a real show. I want to see you rip the lying, conniving, crooked words right of the throats of those jackass men that run this circus show. Give them hell, that's all I ask. I know you of all people can do it. They'll try to expose you, but you're one of the few that can see the chain of power. Shine the light on it."

"What if in the process I discredit your boss?"

William raised a brow, "President Kenning? That man is a hack and a pathetic excuse for a President. Had he focused his military effort on one single point in the world, and his economic effort on a single point in the country, the majority of our problems would be solved."

"And which would you have chosen?"

William placed his hand on his chin in thought. "Economically I would have focused on creating new ways to grow and store food, considering this drought was predicted around a decade ago. As for military might, I would have crushed the cartels. No country is doing anything morally wrong, per say."

"Not even Prince Brunhart?"

"Brunhart targeted and invaded countries that were breaking international law and human rights. The others campaigned against him in order to protect whatever assets they had invested in that province of Europe. China is another story. While it's true they originally reached out and conquered surrounding nations, they did it in an act of self-defense and we have no right to step into the affairs of smaller countries without their permission. As I recall, none of them asked us to go there and defend them. And of course, there's a civil war in China now, so it will eventually fall on its own."

Ethan smiled at him, "You're an interesting character. Certainly not a dumb kid."

William stared blankly at him, a bit surprised at the statement. He wasn't sure if it was meant to be a compliment or not, so he didn't respond to it. He thought it was interesting that he could carry on such a normal conversation with a man like the Senator. It had flowed naturally enough, to the point where he wasn't even sure why he had originally called Ethan there. He wanted to keep talking, though, so he made mention, "I will meet your fiancée for the first time soon. I've decided to call on Major Raymond, although I'll try to disguise it as a visit to my brother."

"Are you married or seeing anyone, General?" Ethan inquired. He had enough conversations with Jordan to get an idea of what kind of man he was, so human curiosity had him wondering if William was the same way. When the Solicitor General pretended not to hear the question and instead played more intently with the silver pen, Ethan figured the answer. He changed the subject, "So… what reason do you have to talk to Percy?"

William stopped fiddling with the pen. "I just want to clear up a few things before he acts out of line. My brother is stupid, but I don't want him put in harm's way because a few boneheaded military men can't put their guns away," he claimed. It seemed only half sincere. He looked away and admitted, "If I was a citizen of Michigan, I would have voted for you. Instead of spending all that money on campaign ads, you just donated it to food banks and asked all supporters to do the same. Risky move, but brilliant."

"I don't see how a bunch of advertisements will do me any good. My work and my ethics speak for themselves."

William chuckled and said, "In this world, people will believe whatever you tell them. In some ways, it's a miracle you got elected, but the fact you are so popular now is unquestionably due to that stunt. You are a great man, Senator Hughes." He stood, grabbed his notebook and walked over to the Senator with his hand extended for a shake. "I expect great things from you."

Hesitantly, Ethan accepted the hand. He received a strong handshake from William, who provided the biggest smile he physically could and walked right out the door. The Solicitor General was immediately flanked by his staff as he set a quick pace down the hall. A man the same age as him moved to be at his side. He asked, "How did it go, Will?"

William had to think about it before he answered. "He's an interesting man, Cross," he said. As they turned the corner, William picked up the pace in an attempt to leave the majority of his staff behind. Only his friend Cross was able to keep up. With the older men away from them, William pulled out his cellphone and clicked away. He stopped abruptly and said, "Well that wasn't a smart move."

"Yankees?"

He was correct. William nodded, "They traded de' Medici."

"Oh. Well, he is getting pretty old."

"I guess." He shoved his phone back into his pocket, stopped all movements, then turned to Cross and ordered, "Don't let anyone do anything while I'm away."