Caleb Martin
Period 4
March 21, 2013
Chapter 6
Secretary Hughes had been assassinated by a Confederate spy who pretended to be part of his security detail. My journey to the great walled city of San Antonio had been pointless. I would now have to go to the capital in Dallas to hopefully get a meeting in with the President. I lingered around town for two more days before I decided to leave. I did lots of shopping and resupplied for the long road ahead. I would not be walking the hundred miles to Dallas and I had pawned off the sheriff's motorcycle to pay rent at the hotel so I decided to hitch a ride with a military battalion that was passing through Dallas on their way to take Shreveport. So they thought, little did they know that the Confederates were already encroaching on Longview. I faded in and out of consciousness as we drove along damaged Interstates. It became increasingly obvious that we were approaching the capitol as we passed the occasional trader, traveler, and truck. While the Old World Dallas had been burnt to ashes by thermonuclear fire, a perhaps better Dallas rose to fill the void. It was the only place in the Texas Union where true civilization remained. While other cities like Longview or San Antonio had become specialized in trading or arms manufacturing, Dallas was the one place where there were libraries, schools, and art still existed. We approached the huge capitol and proceeded down the main thoroughfare, Avenue of The Union. It was my first trip to post-war Dallas and I personally thought that the new Dallas looked better than the one that came before it. The Union government had tried to model The Avenue after the National Mall in D.C. Grand buildings for our government agencies lined the cobblestone avenue. The truck came to a stop in front the Hexagon which was a play on the Old World Pentagon in D.C.
I would be going no further with the battalion and decided to explore the capitol a little bit before I tried to meet with President Pierce. Across the street from the Hexagon was the newly-built Union Archive which held all works relevant to our fine nation. There was a line out the door to see their newest exhibit, "Meet the Chronicler of the Waste!" the banner read and I felt tempted to join the others in the line but I had to stay focused. The Chronicler had been writing down the story of our nation since its founding so that when we fix the world future generations will look back and see what a struggle early life in the Texas Union was. I kept walking down The Avenue and soon the towering Capitol Building was in sight. Our Capitol Building wasn't as awe-inspiring as the pre-war one in D.C. but in post-apocalyptic terms it was a gem.
After nearly twenty minutes of walking I finally reached the steps of the Capitol Building and let out a sigh of relief as hopefully my journey was almost over. The building was crowded as "law-makers", press, and tourist were everywhere. I talked to a kind receptionist and before I knew it I was sitting face to face with the President in his office. We discussed the issues at Longview and the death of the Secretary of Defense. President Pierce was saddened by the news and declared that the Confederates' actions would not go unnoticed. He would be sending all available battalions to counter the threat in Longview. Just when I thought the meeting was over the President decided that I was going to replace Secretary Hughes as the new Secretary of Defense. I was shocked. He said that if I was capable of surviving the massacre at Fort Reaper than I was capable of anything. I begged him that military service was not my thing and that I was a doctor not soldier but the President would not take no for an answer. I was taken immediately to a Congressional swearing-in where I was applauded by an enormous crowd.
The President secured my 'limo' which really was just an old taxi painted black to give it an executive look. My "advisor" Mr. Isidro showed me around the capitol and then led me to my new office. I really did not want to be here, I just wanted to go home. But I realized that our nation's fate I hold in my own hands. I now had the power to stop this mess and win the war. I would learn that this was a fast-paced job as I would be leaving tomorrow to oversee that the battle would be a quick and decisive victory for us. I went to bed for tomorrow was sure to be a long day. I thought that war would be easy but once we left everything started going to hell in a hand basket. Besides I learned that day it's not polite to be late to your own funeral.