Phase One

Jenner sat in the Situation Room surrounded by bigwigs. He felt small, and not just because he was the shortest and the youngest person in the room. But also because, as vice president of the United States, he was the least important person in the room. 

Jenner remembered getting the call from the suave, young candidate who said, “I want you to be my running mate.” It shocked him then. It still did.

Of course, Jenner knew he was on the long list for the position. He was flattered, but figured it was just for show--his party’s way of getting the name of an up and coming junior senator out there, give him a little traction on the slippery road of politics. 

His wife, Kate, had been outright giddy about his name on the list, but then, when it was a reality, she collapsed onto the couch. “I don’t know, Jenner, this is a lot. I mean you’ll be one step away from the presidency. Is this what we want? Would you even be ready for that? We're just so new to all of this. It's all too fast...” She looked down and placed her hands over her pregnant belly. “It's not how we planned.” 

Jenner had pulled her close. “Sh,” he whispered. “What could I do? I couldn't say no.” 

The situation room was getting antsy. The men sat in silence. With no phones or laptops, which were not allowed here, they fidgeted in their chairs and glanced often at the clock on the wall.

Jenner looked at the clock. The president was late. The press widely reported that he was always late and some said he seemed to enjoy keeping people waiting. Jenner thought that unfair. The president was a busy man. 

“What does a vice president even do?” Kate had asked him as they packed up their home in Philadelphia to move to Washington. He only smiled at her then, as if it was a rhetorical question. Truthfully, though, he didn’t really know. Three years on the job and he still didn’t know. Pretty much nothing, it seemed. In fact, until they started work on this project a few weeks ago, Jenner only saw the president a handful of times--mostly for photo ops. He had never been consulted about anything before this. It felt good to be included. 

The plan felt a little hazy to him. The president said it was part of the overhaul of the government, fulfillment of his campaign promise to get rid of big government. Jenner knew the president needed a win now, with the impeachment business and all. He had overheard things--an advantage of being inconsequential was that people didn’t seem to notice you--terrible things about the president's intent. Jenner put those rumblings out of his mind. Today felt like a good step forward.

Just then, a tall secret service agent poked his head into the room and looked around before opening the door. The president burst in and the dark-suited agent instantly blended into a corner. Everyone stood; the brass saluted.

The president went straight to his chair at the head of the table and shuffled through the papers he brought. A couple of the men bent down toward their seat before freezing awkwardly in place, looking around at the others who were still standing, waiting for the president to tell them to sit.

The president ignored the room and continued to review the papers. When he had organized them back into a tidy pile, the president poured himself a glass of water from a carafe on the table and finally looked at the standing men.

After a long moment, the secretary of state sat down, cross-armed, with an audible huff. The president looked at his right-hand man. “You good?”

“Yes.” It was more like a hiss than a word. 

The president put his hand to his ear. “What was that? Didn’t catch it.”

The secretary straightened himself up and said, “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” the president said and, after a pause, gestured the others to sit.  

He got right to business and turned to the secretary of transportation. “Is the travel ban holding?”

“Yes, sir. All international travel has been suspended, per your temporary 14 day executive order.”

“And, remind me, when does that expire?” 

“Next Tuesday, sir.”

“Okay, well, we are going to extend that indefinitely. But don’t release that information yet.” He looked around the table and said, “Got it? That does not leave this room.” 

Everyone nodded. 

“And the borders?” he said to the secretary of homeland security. 

“Still shut tight, sir.”

“Good,” said the president as he flipped over a paper and studied it. “What about the protests? Did we get them all squashed?” 

“Um, yes. Under control, sir.”

The president lifted his eyes and stared at the secretary of homeland security, but said nothing. The secretary loosened his tie. Then the president looked around the room as if expecting someone to say more. Each man averted his gaze and did not speak.

“Okay then. I trust that's true,” said the president as he tapped a pen on the table. “Moving on...” he turned to the secretary of the interior. “Is the bunker ready?” 

“Yes, sir. Ready and waiting,” the secretary announced, seeming quiet proud of himself.

“Good. I'm taking you all with me--everyone in this room—to a safe spot in Nevada.” He waved his finger around the table. “You and your families-your wives and children. Make sure they are ready.” The president leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head. “Be ready,” he repeated.

A bunker? That was new information to Jenner. But, he was ready. Kate became alarmed this morning when he suddenly told her to pack their things, but would tell her no more. He hated leaving her like that, as he rushed out the door to make this meeting. She looked scared. He had scared her. He threw her a kiss and a wink to try to make light of it. It only made Kate look more panicked. But little Emma, who was playing on the floor between them, giggled at him. 

“Jenner.”

Jenner snapped out of his thoughts when the president said his name.

“Congress is in session.”

Jenner blinked. Was that a question? There was nothing further, so he hoped it was and responded. “Yes, sir, an emergency session for the impeachment vote. Every member is at the capital, not a single soul absent. The house will take a vote on Thursday and I was told to be available for the senate vote on Friday.” 

“And the court?”

“They are also in session, yes.”

The president gave him a sly smile. “Excellent timing. Good stuff, Jenner,” he said as if Jenner had anything to do with it. But Jenner accepted the compliment, nodded and smiled back.

“Okay, now, for the big business,” he said to the secretary of defense. 

The uniformed man placed his hands on the table and leaned in. “Yes, sir,” he said.

The president looked at one of the papers. “Regarding the weather, are the conditions still looking good for Thursday?”

“Affirmative, sir. I am told that the weather will hold through the weekend.”

“And so, where are we hitting exactly? Right on D.C.?”

“Yes, sir. Washington will be ground zero. Our calculations show that most of the fallout will be contained to just beyond the east coast, absent an unusual turn of weather. Of course the high level clouds will carry detectable amounts of radiation to Europe.” he raised his eyebrows at the president.

“Understood,” said the president. 

“The southern states should be largely unaffected.”

“Good to hear. I sure love those Florida beaches.” 

“Yes, sir. They are very nice. And then there's the matter to the north.” The secretary pulled his hands off the table and sat back in his chair. “Parts of Canada will get hit pretty hard. It's unavoidable, sir, if we want to keep all the other parameters.” 

The president threw a dismissive hand in the air. “I'm not worried about Canada." The president turned over a paper. “So, we leave for the bunker tomorrow. Eradication of non-essential government will be the following day. And phase one will be complete.”

The secretary of state took a deep breath and blew it out loudly. The president and the secretary of defense shot a look at him. Everyone else lowered their heads and locked their eyes on the table. Somebody said, “Non-essential government?” and everyone lifted their eyes to the president.

“Yes, congress and the supreme court are non-essential. I am the president, and I can do anything I want. So they are unnecessary. But, they keep fighting me on it, trying to stay relevant.”

Jenner felt numb. He didn't like what he was hearing now, but the president's previous words started running through his head: I’m taking you and your family with me...taking you all with me...

“Okay,” said the president. “Now I'll give you an idea of what we expect after. We'll stay in the bunker for awhile, until things are stabilized. We have people in place who will take over all the state governments. And then, we leave the bunker. Most of you will be released from duty and free to go where you want. Some of you will be asked to go with me to the compound where my family and I will take over all official duties. 

Jenner knew he would not be asked to stay on. What would he and Kate do, just roam around the desert? But at least they had the chance, unlike their families...

“Well, that's that,” the president stated. “Everything is in order and it's a go, right?

A silence filled the room from floor to ceiling. A heavy silence that pushed on Jenner, making him feel smaller and smaller.

“Right?” the president boomed, shattering the silence. Jenner was not the only one who jolted.

“Oh, yes.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes. Yes. Yes.”

Oh my god, thought Jenner. I’m a yes man. That’s why I got this job. He looked around. They were all yes men, same as him. Not bigger. Not better. The same. It occurred to him now that nobody in the room, except for the general, was much older than he. Not even the president.

Jenner saw the face of his mother, tender and frail, sitting in her cramped Philly apartment doing a crossword puzzle.

Someone has to stop this. 

Then he thought of Kate's parents in the Hamptons, saw them tending their tidy flower garden.  

Why doesn’t someone stop this? 

The terrified face of Kate flashed in his mind and then his child. His sweet little girl, on the floor, laughing at him. 

“But...” Jenner saw everyone suddenly turn to him. Had he spoken? He realized he was now standing. 

The president raised his eyebrows. “But what, Jenner?”

Jenner looked around, all the eyebrows in the room raised at him now. “But--Is nobody going to say it?” 

“Jenner...” cautioned the president in a soothing voice. “Sit down.”

Jenner did not sit down. He threw his hands in the air. “Say it! Somebody say it!” He leapt away from the table and his chair tipped over with a crash. He grabbed the secretary of state on the shoulder and shook him. “You. You say it. Isn't that your job?” The man glared at Jenner with so much anger and brushed him away.  

Jenner nearly tripped over his own feet. He stumbled, caught himself, and walked around the table. He pointed at each man as he passed. 

“You?” he said to the secretary of transportation.

“You?” he said to the secretary of homeland security.

“You?” he said to the secretary of the interior.

Jenner saw each of them, cowered in their seats now. Small. Inconsequential.

The president watched from the other side of the table. He sat tall and unmoving, with no expression.

Jenner pointed to the secretary of defense and shouted, “You! Of course. It has to be you. You're the one who can stop it.” Jenner came up behind the man and tried to lift him out of his seat. “Tell him!” The bulky general did not budge. 

Jenner’s eyes darted around the room, he moved in jerky back and forth motions, like a caged animal, and swung his arms wildly. He spat as he spoke now. “Somebody please.” Tears filled his eyes and drool slid down his chin. Strings of wet hair stuck to his forehead. “Really? Nobody? Is nobody going to say it?” He bent over, put his hands on his knees, and heaved. 

The president gave Jenner a moment to catch his breath and then said, “Thank you, Jenner. That will be all.” He nodded to the man in corner. 

As the man took Jenner out of the room, the president said, “Well, that was something. Does anybody else have anything to say?”

Nobody did.

Several men in black suits whisked Jenner into a small room. An expert marksman. Point blank range. A single bullet to the head. Jenner was dead before he could say the word he began to form when he saw the gun: No.