Chapter Text
**America the Beautiful, Ray Charles**
Kara woke when the dog leapt off the foot of the bed. Danny was trying to be quiet as he rummaged in the kitchen for a snack, but the dog was moving the minute he heard the lid come off the jar of peanut butter. The bedside clock said four AM and as much as she wanted to go chat, she needed more sleep. She pulled a pillow, one that smelled deliciously of his scent, over her head and tried her best.
Five minutes later she admitted to herself that it wasn't happening. Flutter was intent on kicking her in the bladder it seemed. She wiggled her feet to the floor and shuffled to the bathroom. When she came out, she saw he was sitting at the kitchen bar, picking through a small candy box. Curious, she padded out to his side.
He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to his body. Chilled, since the hotel thermostat was locked at 65 due to the energy rationing, she sank into his warmth. "Hey" He kept his voice hushed as he kissed the underside of her chin. "You guys need your sleep."
She smiled and stole a peanut butter cracker from his plate and passed it down to the waiting dog. Trust Danny to come home from working at 4 AM and tell her that she was the one that needed sleep. "So do you. And it's warmer under the covers. Certainly more fun than hanging out here in the kitchen going through…" She eyed the little box on the counter "a bunch of pins and old jewelry. What are you doing?"
He grinned and shuffled the box but she sensed a tensing of his muscles along her side. Whatever he was doing, he was nervous to tell her. "You've caught me." He pinched a small object between his fingers and it jingled as he pulled it from the little box. He grabbed her hand and released the object into her palm. It was two rings, tied together with a bit of thread.
She gasped, her other hand going to her collarbone in shock. "Did these belong to your parents?" She turned one ring into the dim light and admired the pretty inset metalwork gleaming in a the soft gold.
He nodded against her side. "I'm pretty sure they aren't actually cursed." He teased. "But if you want something different or you feel spooked that their marriage didn't turn out well, I can get something new or we can melt them down and..."
She interrupted him with a peck on the forehead. "No, I think they will be lovely. They are just objects. They can't be cursed." At least the rational side of her believed that. Well it wanted to believe it since they were such beautiful bands. "And it will be nice to wear something from my family and something from yours together, even if it's unlikely they will ever meet.
The muscles of his shoulders relaxed and she was reminded of how nervous he had been about proposing. Tex had later told her he'd almost asked her several times in the weeks after he'd gotten the ring in Norfolk, but chickened out, wanting it to be just right. "I was afraid you might not want them, like the way you don't want to wear your father's oak leaves." He shuffled the box slightly before setting the lid back on top, but she noticed there were many pins inside.
Her own father's oak leaves were pinned to a roll of fabric in her sock drawer. The last time she saw either her father or her brother in uniform, they had been wearing them. Her father had retired as a Major when her mother crashed a car coming home from a bar at 3 AM. Kara had been home alone, only 8 years old. The next time she saw them was when her oldest brother Eric had come half way across the world to gift her with their father's butterbar at her commissioning from the academy. It was actually the last day she'd seen him in person. He had just been promoted to Major himself and she would never forget how invincible he'd seemed to her, resplendent in his tan beret and green dress uniform, the pin that had been their father's shining on his collar. At dinner that night, he had regaled her with stories of his successful missions and she had asked him many questions about his work. He had been working with the Kurds, training snipers within their own forces, so the US could reduce troop numbers without leaving the region in chaos. He'd even joked that she better get herself a clearance before the next time he came home if she was going to keep asking him so many details.
"I don't think I'll know until the time comes if I'm ready for that. I know it will be hard to take off the bars I wear now. Eric sent them in the mail from God knows where, after we got back from the Congo last year. It was the last I ever heard from him. Putting them in a box would feel like putting him in a box." Of course, this entire conversation assumed that she stayed in the Navy. She knew Danny had no intentions of resigning his commission but she wasn't sure what the future held for her yet. Changing the subject she asked "Are those your dad's pins too?"
He shook his head. "No, he'd already given most of his away by the time I was even born. Most of them are Vince's. When he gave them to me, he said that once he retired he had no intention of ever appearing in uniform again." She recalled the mop of gray hair, cuttoff cargo shorts, and dingy flip flops Vince was sporting the last time she saw him and decided that sounded about right.
Yawning, she nodded toward the bedroom. "I think I need more sleep before tomorrow's big meeting. Come to bed soon? I'll do my best to warm it up while you finish your snack." She had no idea if she did warm the bed much. The minute she hit the pillow she was sound asleep and she stayed that way until Danny was opening the blinds and telling her to get up or there'd be no time for breakfast before the meeting.
The next day Kara tried to project calm and confidence as she followed Chandler into the President's cabinet room. Really, she told herself, there was no reason to be nervous. She had lived and worked with most of these people for weeks at the short end, years at the longest. They had stuck with her even after she'd broken the non-fraternization rules. Still, she had never imagined herself sitting in on a presidential meeting. For the past week she had welcomed Flutter's antics, but right now he seemed to share her jitters and it was quite distracting.
President Michener himself was shaking hands at the doorway as people entered. She had seen him almost every day since he came aboard the ship so she wasn't surprised when he clasped her hands and welcomed her into the meeting room. "Ah, the lovely Lieutenant Foster. I am hopeful that you'll have some good suggestions for us today. How are you? And how is our future citizen?"
"I am well sir, we both are." She hoped the flush of pleasure on her cheeks at his warm greeting was excused as a pregnancy thing.
"Glad to hear it. I think everyone other than you and Danny is looking forward to playing grandparent, aunt, or uncle when he or she arrives."
Her lips curved into a smile and she squeezed his hand. "We feel very lucky to have ended up with such great people, Sir." She replied with sincerity as she moved forward to stand at attention next to Chandler. She had to admit that she genuinely liked the President despite some lingering suspicions about his previous alliance with the Immunes. He was very different than the other political figures she had met in the past. She wondered if that came from not having been elected to the position, and if his friendliness would last once the country did return to normal elections.
Danny and Halsey were standing on the other side of the table but as soon as she took her place the dog crawled under to sit at her feet. A bemused smile crossed her lips. If Danny didn't think she knew he was sending the dog to babysit her, he had another think coming. She knew that dog wouldn't move a muscle once commanded to sit at attention. But, ever since the night of the inaugural ball, whenever they were together he stuck to her like glue. She raised an eyebrow at him across the table but all he did was lift one un-apologetic shoulder in response. She had anticipated this anyways. She reached into her pocket and slipped the dog a nibble of bacon she had saved from breakfast. Danny caught the movement and narrowed his eyes at her. She knew he thought she spoiled the dog but she didn't care. She figured it was always best to stay on the good side of an animal that was perfectly capable of killing you.
The room they were using was one of the courthouse's many former jury chambers. Since arriving a week ago, Michener had transformed the entire first floor of the building into his offices and the second floor into the military offices. The nearby Deloitte building was serving as a second set of defense related offices and the remaining members of the city and local county governments had reopened city hall. This room featured a large whiteboard along one wall and a window that looked out toward the river on another.
She was surprised to see none of the local officials, save Judge Siskin, whom she recognized from the inauguration. People had been streaming into the city ever since the word went out that the cure could be obtained here. Now that their doses had lost contagiousness they were mainly focused on assessing the status of the country while newly innoculated civilians, guided by Burk and Miller, were greeting the new arrivals. So far they knew that large parts of the country were running low on food and energy. The second half of winter was going to be pretty hard if basic services weren't restored.
Once everyone arrived the President shut the door. Heads swiveled in surprise at the loud click as he locked the door. He took the chair at the head of the table. "Please, Please. You know I'm not a formal man." There was a quiet murmur as those assembled sat. The President shuffled a stack of papers, sighed, and then began. "I need to start with a very serious request. Until such time as I have a press secretary in place to advise us all on information releases, nothing said here goes outside of this room." Kara noticed that Chandler gave a short nod. He must have an inkling of what this was about. She was fairly certain, based on the choices of personnel, the locked door, and the president's demeanor, that it wasn't about restoring water and electricity after all.
Michener steepled his hands and leaned forward over the table, eyes moving from person to person as he continued. "I've thought very hard over the last few days about what I am going to say here today. There are grave issues we must deal with. And I have also thought long and hard about what it meant to be a citizen before the Red Flu and what it should mean now. And I want to assure you, that my goal is to work to restore the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States of America. That being said, this is going to be a long process. It took nearly 240 years to make us the nation we were, and we're not going to rebuild that overnight." He paused and looked around the table as if weighting something in his mind. "We have already proclaimed ourselves the rightful government via our constitutional laws of succession. Having witnesses confirming the deaths of each person in line before me, we can be sure that it is appropriate for us to begin governing." There was a collective holding of breath. Kara wondered if he was going to say there was a legitimate challenge to his presidency.
"Through discussions with Val, the woman who was running communications for the Immunes, we have learned of another group, perhaps an ever bigger threat to the United States than the Immunes. She has been able to gather messages that indicate that eleven states are being claimed by a new nation." Eyes connected with eyes around the room as each person wondered grimly what that meant for the future. "Our young friends who joined us from Baton Rouge were able to confirm the existence of the group, who are calling themselves the Mexicali Federation, or MCF." Across from her, Danny stared at her, his sympathetic eyes confusing her. Had he learned more that she didn't already know on his watch last night? That would explain why he'd been so quiet pensive this morning.
Slattery was the first to speak up. "Sir, has there been a formal declaration of succession communicated to you or a previous President?"
The President shook his head. "Are far as we know, there has not. But, from Val's digging we know that about a half hour after my inauguration they issued a press release in El Paso declaring that a man by the name of Carlos Hidalgo had been inaugurated as El Presidente of the Centralized Republic of the Mexicali Federation." This time the collective gasp was audible.
Slattery folded his arms over his chest and sat back contemplating. Kara swore she could see the gears working in his mind. She was sure he was coming to the same conclusion as everyone else. Somehow information about their actions were reaching that organization, and fast. That meant they likely had someone with pretty good access to information working for this rival government right under their noses. Suddenly the locked door made more sense.
Kara glanced toward Chandler and saw that his jaw was set and his posture rigid, but he was looking at the others in the room, rather than at Michener. Suddenly, she couldn't take the weight of it. Eleven states was over twenty percent of the country. Hundreds of thousands of people had lived in those states. What were they now? Citizens? Contested citizens? Traitors? She was surprised to feel a lump in her throat. Even as a military officer, she had never given much thought to how important the intact United States were to her before this moment.
"Sir, please." She clicked her pen and sketched a quick map, aware of the confused looks from those who could see her paper. "Sir, what do we know? Which states? Who is this Carlos Hidalgo? Is he a real threat?" All eyes swung back to Michener and his face actually relaxed a bit, as if he was relieved that he would finally be able to get the burden of this knowledge off his shoulders.
"At this point we know precious little but we need to comb the details to decide the best course of action. The name MCF first cropped up on the internet about five weeks ago but they have probably been coalescing for the last two months or so. They are also claiming a large segment of Mexico as well as..." A low din of comments and murmurs filled the room as he counted the states off his fingers. "California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas" As he spoke, Kara labeled the states on her crude map. "Louisiana, Utah, Colorado, and Kansas." Her eyes shot up from her paper.
"Kansas sir?" She must have startled a bit because Halsey shifted to lean more heavily against her leg.
"Yes, that's your home state, isn't it?" She wasn't surprised he remembered. Everything she had learned about Michener said he paid attention to the details about people.
She swallowed hard. The lump in her throat was threatening to become tears. She could blame the baby hormones but she had a pretty good feeling she'd have felt this way anyways. "Yes." Her voice came out strained. When she glanced at Danny she saw he was watching her closely. She reached under the table and sunk her hands into the dog's fur. Mustering her courage she gave Danny an almost imperceptible nod which he returned. She would be ok. Looking into the green eyes she knew so well, she reminded herself that home was now wherever he was.
The President continued. "We know practically nothing else at this point. It sounds like they were just arriving in Baton Rouge earlier this week, despite claiming the state of Louisiana for the last few weeks. The territory they claim in Mexico is most of the area west of the mountains. They are making El Paso-Ciudad Juarez their capitol which may be a telling choice given the cities' histories with crime and corruption. Val is working on figuring out who this Senor Hidalgo actually is.
"Captain Chandler?" The President nodded to Chandler who stood and moved to the white board. In neat lettering he placed a label at the upper left corner. The Plan: Michener continued talking as Chandler began outlining what he was saying. "Chandler and I have discussed this at length we have developed an initial plan. We have three possible needs to consider." Chandler began 3 columns on the board "1) We need to spread the cure in the US and beyond. 2) We need to gather intel about the MCF and figure out how to deal with them. 3) We need to restore the federal government and encourage the re-establishment of state and local governments everywhere we can to prevent further spread of the MCF." Heads nodded around the room. No one would argue with that.
Michener continued. "The United States is officially under a state of emergency and as such, I have the authority to appoint agents to complete these tasks. But a state of emergency is meant to be a short term condition and I would like to keep the end game in mind, a stable representative democracy that works to protect the freedom, safety, rights, health, and wellbeing of all its citizens."
He rose and began to pace around the conference table in long slow circles. He picked up a roll of paper from the sideboard. "Fortunately, we have a document which guides our decision making." He unrolled the document and showed the group. "The constitution says that I can make treaties and I am Commander in Chief. But, I cannot levy taxes. I cannot budget and dispense money. In short, I cannot pay for my executive orders except with good faith."
He paused at the far end of the table and looked back at his empty chair. "With that in mind, I am beginning to think about what I want my legacy to be. And I know in my heart that I was not satisfied with life as we knew it before. I want an improved way of life for the United States. I want you to want it too. So much so that you will work for the promise of a good future for your children and your children's children. We will rebuild, and in doing so, we will craft a country where every citizen is able to enjoy a high quality of life. We have limited resources and much to accomplish. That means that our government and services are not going to look exactly the same as they did before. I have gathered you here today because I envision a significant role for each of you in this transition period."
As he paused to look around the room, Kara realized that Michener was sweating bullets. She wondered if he was nervous about taking command in this way. Up until this point he had allowed each of them to fulfill their duties through Chandler's command. There really hadn't been any need for him to direct them because they had all shared the same common mission, to create and distribute a cure. But now, with a contagious cure spreading across the country, the pathways forward were more open, and he might eventually come under fire for the decisions he made. She didn't envy his position one bit. "My door is always open to all of you. Lieutenant Nishioka has been serving as my Chief of Staff so get in touch with him if you need an appointment. Now…" He nodded to Chandler who began writing a list of numbers along one side of the board. "There hasn't been time to discuss these appointments individually but time is of the essence so I am going to lay out my plan, allow us to discuss, and send you forth to begin working on the tasks I will elucidate." Kara made eye contact with Danny across the table. He looked as baffled as she did. Discuss your new roles? That was certainly not the way they usually did things in the Navy.
Michener had made it to the front again and paused beside Judge Siskin. She pushed her reading glasses atop her sharply cropped steely gray hair and rose to stand beside him. "Chandler and I have discussed this at length and I have consulted with Judge Siskin on the constitutionality of my plan as well. President Ryan previously suspended the federal court system when he enacted the first declaration of federal emergency and we do not yet have the means to reinstate the courts. However, as an appellate Judge, Siskin is an expert in constitutional law and will serve as Juris de facto. We will all act to uphold the constitution. However, in cases of doubt, Judge Siskin's rulings will be taken as final and binding until a court can once again operate. That is my first executive order." He paused while Chandler added some notes on the board: Judge Lauren U. Siskin, Juris de facto.
"She has recommended that we create a federal contracts registry to record all contracts, personal, civil, and federal until such time that individual states can reinstate their legal systems. Thus, my second executive order establishes the National Registry of Contracts. Any contract formed during this time of federal emergency is subject to revocation by the state, commonwealth, or territory in which it was formed upon the re-establishment of the state legal system unless, it is recorded in the registry. This will allow us to invalidate contracts made in MCF territories. Judge Siskin will recruit staff to create and maintain the registry as well as broadcast its existence nationwide." As he spoke, Chandler wrote under the number 2: Registry of Contracts.
The President held out the paper scroll to the judge. "If you accept your part in restoring our nation, place your hand on the constitution and reaffirm your vow to uphold the ideals of our great nation, described within." In that moment Kara was somewhat awed by Michener. She had already accepted that he was an intelligent man, but she hadn't expected him to be such a brilliant political strategist. She knew he was as traumatized by recent events as the rest of them, maybe even more, but her respect for him grew stronger as she watched him remind them that they were not serving him, they were serving the ideals of their country. Her oath completed. Judge Siskin followed Michener around the table, pausing beside Senator Findley.
"Senator Findley, as our only known surviving congressperson, I hereby appoint you to acting vice president. Judge Siskin, would you please do the honors." The middle aged senator rose from his chair slowly. The story Kara had heard was that he had defied the former president's recommendation to join the safe zone at Camp David and had instead returned to North Dakota to be with his family, which so far had survived. He was probably in his mid-fifties, with a receding hairline and a bit of a paunch, but thus far he had yet to utter a single complaint other than to say he wished he could get his family to St Louis to receive the cure a little faster. A fairly conservative republican, politically he couldn't be much farther from Michener if he tried. Still, the men seemed to treat each other with much more respect than Kara expected and she would be curious to see how they navigated their differences in opinion as the reorganization progressed.
Senator Findley surprised them all when he choose to also use the constitution rather than a bible for his swearing in, which brought a glowing smile to Judge Siskin's wrinkled face. After they applauded, he echoed the President's message to view his door as open to any of the senior staff. Then he faced the president. "So boss, what's next?"
Michener smiled. "Glad you brought your enthusiasm Dennis. Your first assignment is to invite each state to send senators and representatives to the State of the Union address. We will set the date as June 15th but keep the location secret until the last minute for security reasons. As has always been the case, we cannot appoint senators or representatives, that is up to the states. But we need connection between our leadership and state's needs. So your job is to reach out to the survivors of each state and territory, identify any kind of remaining leadership, and advise them to determine how their state will proceed." A low murmur circled the room. The only state known to have any kind of functioning government was Maine, and that information was 4 weeks old already. "Slattery is going to help you put together a team for work on this, and of course, you should recruit from civilians as well."
"Now, as far as states that have been claimed by the MCF, our policy is and will remain that they are always part of the United States of America and should be included as well. We will have to assume the June 15th meeting will include spies for the MCF and pose a significant security risk to us. As you know, a large component of the constitution is a description of the military's roles, responsibilities, and the authority of the president and congress to assemble forces. After much deliberation, I have decided it would be best to bring the military under one combined command structure. Therefore as my third executive order I hereby suspend the Department of Defense as we knew it, including its corresponding structure." Another murmur of surprise echoed around the room at his pause. "There were too many holes and unknowns to operate effectively under that system, including the fact that we believe the MCF has control of a major Army facility, Fort Bliss. As we identify former and potential new leaders we will regrow our military and determine what structure makes sense for us now. In the meantime, we will go back to the the form outlined in the constitution and operate with two branches, foreign and civil defense. As Chief of the Navy, Chandler will be heading up the foreign defense branch while Commander Slattery, with his experience as a police officer, will temporarily head up the civil defense branch and seek a qualified permanent leader." Chandler's appointment was no surprise so all eyes turned to Slattery. He nodded and leaned back in his chair. Clearly he had known about this in advance as well. Kara examined Tom as he wrote up the third executive order on the board. Although he was neatly turned out in a fresh uniform, she detected tired lines around his eyes and a heaviness to his movement. They must have hashed this out late into the night. Michener asked Tom and Mike to rise. Then Judge Siskin came forward and directed them in the officer's oath.
Michener was on a roll now. "We have an urgent need to recruit and train troops able to operate here and abroad, with the necessary officer's corps as well. Thus I am charging Senior Master Chief Jeter with the immediate development of recruitment and training facilities here in St. Louis and at Fort Leonard Wood. We have a very limited budget at our disposal so my fourth executive order is that we will pay recruits with the cure, food, housing, and medical care for themselves and their immediate family. We need at least 2000 boots on the ground in 30 days time so finding retired and released soldiers and integrating them will be top priority." Kara's eyes shot to Danny's and saw he was nodding grimly. 30 days then. Something was in the works for 30 days from now and he was probably going to be part of it.
Jeter rose to stand between the Judge and the President. "I gladly accept the opportunity to serve in this or any capacity Sir." As Jeter spoke the enlisted oath in his deep and sure voice, Kara wondered what task Michener could possibly ask of her. The things she knew how to do, read the weather, make recommendations for the tactical use of weaponry, gather and present information, seemed insignificant compared to the scale of the tasks Michener was handing out. Perhaps he would wrap up the rest by telling them who they were assigned to work with. Her palms began to sweat.
However, after Jeter sat, the president turned toward Kara. "Lieutenant Foster." She pushed back her chair and stepped up to the head of the table, pulling her jacket closed around Flutter as she went. She had naturally assumed she would continue to support Chandler, so she was surprised that the president called on her.
"We need someone located here, in Saint Louis to act as the liaison, a coordinator of sorts, between myself and the military leadership. That person needs to have tact, discretion, and poise, and they also need to possess an analytical mind and strong will. You have all of those attributes and more. Captain Chandler and I have discussed your situation at great length. He says you a fine officer and more than capable of handling yourself in the field as well. But you also are entering a time of life where traveling the world is not the best for you personally. When we take these things into consideration, it makes sense to me to nominate you to this position." She was floored. She had the utmost respect for Michener but this was a job for someone with significantly more experience than her. Her eyes shot to Danny. His jaw was clenched but his eyes implored her to take it. She wondered what he already knew.
Michener gave her a fatherly smile. "Perhaps it would help if I described what Lieutenant Green will be doing?" She nodded mutely.
Chandler took over for Michener. "Lieutenants Green and Burk will be fulfilling a multipart role. Officially, they will be assisting Jeter with the training of new troops. However, unofficially, they will begin planning a mission to infiltrate and disrupt the MCF's operations. When congress convenes in June, we intend for all 50 states to be represented." Danny's eyes met Kara's across the table. They had known from the very start that their time serving on the Nathan James together was a fluke. And to be honest, this was a better situation than they might have anticipated. She swallowed hard and considered her options. She wanted to help, as much as she could, and this position could be a good fit for her in the long run. She met Chandler's eyes and saw that he too wanted her to accept. She took a deep breath and turned toward the president. "Yes,, I will do it." and Judge Siskin waved the three of them forward.
Chandler held up a hand. "Just a minute." He lowered his hand palm up in front of Danny and she wondered what he was doing. Danny gave her an crooked smile as he dug in his breast pocket. There was a clinking of metal and even Burk looked at him questioningly. Then he produced two tacks, each pinned through a piece of cardboard, and placed them in the Captain's hand. Chandler pursed his lips and lowered one brow in question.
Danny turned toward Kara. "I still didn't know which one you'd really want, so I brought them both. You know either one of them would be proud to have you wear theirs."
Chandler held his hand out toward Kara. "The position comes with a promotion. Do you accept?" Her eyes flew to his. There was a hint of a smile behind his firm set lips. She reached out, her hand trembling and picked them up. One was labeled Vince. One wasn't labeled, but she knew that until last night it had been pinned to a poll of fabric in her sock drawer. Objects might not be cursed, but she wasn't sure she could walk around with the weight of those memories on her collar all day long. She handed Vince's to Tom and placed the other back in Danny's hand. He nodded, put it in his pocket, and then patted it like he was keeping it safe, right over his heart.
She took off her bars and looked at them shining in her palm for a second. One of her earliest memories was helping her dad get ready for a 4th of July parade when she was about 3. She'd accidentally dropped the pin on the cracked tile floor of the farmhouse bathroom and put a tiny dent in the corner. Both of her big brothers, resplendent in their boyscout uniforms, had teased her and said her father would have to retire and become a farmer again because she'd dented his pin. But her father, who she realized now had always had the ability to see through all the chaos to what really mattered, had shrugged and told her he'd say he was wearing it in honor of someone important. That's what they'd always been to her. In contrast to the oak leaves, that felt weighted with sadness, these bars had been something joyful. She looked at her hand again. "I'm still not ready to put these in a box yet." She met Danny's eyes. "Would you wear them for me, in honor of someone important?" He nodded and she handed them over, watching him replace the ones he usually wore. Satisfied, she nodded to Chandler. She could do this. She would do this.