False Flag (16 page)

In August, he met with the President, who was vacationing in Morgan’s home on Martha’s Vineyard. The two agreed to pursue this course of action—
the reset
. They also pledged to do so in concert with one another. The message Morgan sent to the President’s Chief of Staff was clear—
we need to continue our Martha’s Vineyard conversation
.

“Mr. President, it has been some time since we’ve had an opportunity to speak,” started Morgan.

“That’s true, John, but I’ve been a little busy.” The President bristled.

“Then I’ll get right to the point. We need to discuss bringing this to an end, Mr. President. Our companies are ready to deliver the computer servers, transformers, and the overseas personnel to restore power across the country. We’re prepared to fulfill our end of the bargain. I need your approval to set things into motion with DARPA.”

DARPA, an acronym for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, was an agency of the Department of Defense responsible for developing new technologies for the military. Created in 1958 under the authority of President Eisenhower, scientists at DARPA had produced hundreds of technologically sophisticated tools used by the government in every capacity.

Companies controlled by the Boston Brahmin, as an integral part of the military-industrial community, worked closely with DARPA program managers. One of the projects initiated in the past year was known as RADICS—Rapid Attack Detection, Isolation and Characterization Systems. The project, still in its infancy, was designed to provide early warning of impending cyber attacks on critical infrastructure as well as rapid forensic identifications of cyber threats. The RADICS project was also expanded to include mitigation and damage control following a successful attack by isolating unaffected networks, repairing damaged ones, and coordinating efforts to replace damaged electricity transmission components, like transformers.

Morgan knew that billions of dollars would be made from the cyber attack, and not just in the United States. Every advanced nation in the world would pay handsomely for the innovative technologies and the response protocols established by the Boston Brahmin’s companies.

“There’s still work to do,
John
,” said the President, placing emphasis on Morgan’s name. “You’ll make your money, now let me finish what I started.” This conversation was not going the way Morgan intended. The President was surly and combative.
He’s mocking me
.

“Our goals may have differed, Mr. President, as we discussed at Martha’s Vineyard. But we both agreed on what brought us here. We’ve made our point, and the American people have suffered enough. It’s time to give them the hope and change that you envisioned many years ago. It’s an opportunity for you to cement your legacy among world leaders.” Morgan was trying to exploit the President’s vanity.

“Let me be clear, John. We’ve only begun this process. You, and privileged white Americans like you, don’t understand the plight of the common man. You don’t understand what my people have experienced for hundreds of years.”

Morgan was incensed.
My people?
“With all due respect, Mr. President, this is not the time for political rhetoric,” said Morgan sternly into the satphone. “We need to bring this to an end.”

The President ignored him, shouting into the receiver, “White people don’t have to worry about their race being targeted by police as they walk down the street. White people have been unjustly enriched for centuries on the backs of people of color. White people don’t have to worry about being passed over for a job interview because they have a black-sounding name.”

Morgan had had enough. “What is your point, Mr. President?” asked Morgan. “Not so long ago, someone with a self-described
funny name
was elected President. White people like me supported that President. The President I supported pledged to bridge the racial divide in this country, not widen it. So, what is your point?” Morgan repeated the question, this time shouting.

“My point is, John, that the time has come for the reset you seek, but it will fulfill my vision, not yours. I envision a country in which everyone is equal—
socially, economically, and politically
. This country became rich by invading, occupying, and looting poor countries around the globe. In the name of capitalism and free markets, this country has achieved its power by economic plunder. This stops now. It’s true that I pledged to bridge the racial divide of this nation. I also pledged to fundamentally transform America. The job is not done.”

The line went dead.

Chapter 26

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

6:00 p.m.

Prescott Peninsula

Quabbin Reservoir, Massachusetts

Morgan suddenly felt clammy and light-headed. He found his way to a chair in the small bungalow and sat down. No one had ever spoken to him that way. “I’m John Morgan,” he unknowingly said aloud.

The numbness he was experiencing in his jaw and extending down his left arm was not new. Although there was no history of heart disease in his family, his cardiologist had diagnosed him as being hypertense. It had been developing gradually over several years as he developed sleep apnea. His first concern was that the stress of his
job
was the cause. His physician assured him hypertension had little to do with stress and a lot to do with issues surrounding his kidneys, thyroid, and sleep issues.

Recently, his prescription was changed to an ACE inhibitor called lisinopril. Morgan failed to communicate this change to Susan, who was responsible for maintaining the pharmacy at 1PP. Morgan ran out of his lisinopril a week ago and began taking a generic diuretic class of blood pressure medication instead. His body was not handling the transition well.

His shortness of breath subsided, and he wiped the sweat from his face and neck. Morgan was able to make his way to a pantry cabinet and found the low-dose aspirin. His hands shook as he took the aspirin, quickly chasing it with water.
This cannot be happening to me. I’ve got to calm down
.

He lowered himself into his nearby bed and thought about the conversation with the President. The President had avoided him, and that was telling in itself. The emotional outburst revealed the President’s true feelings. He had violated rule number one, which was never let them know what you’re thinking.

Perhaps the President was blinded by his anger, which would prevent him from thinking clearly. But Morgan could not take any chances. They would be in danger now. The President would consider Morgan a threat and take steps to minimize his influence.
Or worse
.

Morgan had recovered from his episode and was seeing the situation with more clarity. It was time to move forward. He used the satphone to place a call to General Sears. After a brief tussle with a new aide, General Sears came on the phone.

“Hello, John.”

“Mason, this won’t take long,” said Morgan.

“I appreciate that, but I’m here for you, John.”

“In your dealings with the President, is his focus on repairing the damage to the nation or something else?” asked Morgan.

“I would call his actions and attitude
strategic scheming
. As you know, I am not part of his inner circle. I become involved in the process once his decision has been made.”

“Who are his primary advisors?” Morgan paced the floor and glanced out of the windows of the bungalow. Susan and the girls were gathering pine tree nuts near the edge of the woods.

“The usual suspects, including Rice and Jarrett, are always by his side. But he’s brought back an old friend—his favorite general.”

“Are you talking about Cartwright?” asked Morgan, who suddenly snapped to attention.

“One and the same. James
Hoss
Cartwright, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is back and has become an integral part of the President’s advisory team.”

“You had him stripped of his security clearance when he leaked the details about Stuxnet,” said Morgan.

Cartwright had conceived and ran the cyber operation known as Olympic Games, which included Stuxnet and other highly sophisticated pieces of malware aimed at the Iranian nuclear effort. Stuxnet entered Iran’s nuclear apparatus through hacked suppliers. The Stuxnet worm was introduced into five component vendors that were key to Iran’s nuclear program, including the one that developed the centrifuges. These firms became unwitting Trojan horses for Stuxnet. Once the malware infiltrated the Iranians’ network and compromised the data at the critically important Natanz plant, it set back the Iranian nuclear program several years.

“I was told privately that the President urged Hoss to release the information to the media,” said General Sears. “The administration authorized the leaks in order to increase the President’s bona fides on national security prior to the last election. Of course, the White House denounced the leaks and demanded an investigation. The shit storm was then dumped in my lap. I had no choice but to recommend his security clearance be stripped.”

“How can he possibly advise the President without the necessary security clearance?” asked Morgan.

“The President isn’t following the rules anymore, John,” replied Sears.

Morgan chuckled.
He never has
. “Mason, what is the consensus within the military?”

“Most are angry, especially at the dictates coming out of the White House,” replied Sears. “Morale is in the tank, and trust in the President’s decisions is minimal at best. Nobody wants to take actions against peaceful Americans trying to survive, but the orders from the President are more directed toward the law-abiding than they are against those wreaking havoc in our cities.”

With the Declaration of Martial Law, the President exerted the most extreme assertion of domestic executive power in the history of the republic. Morgan anticipated this, but the heavy-handed approach against those who disagreed with him was surprising. There was no functioning Congress, and the President was not taking steps to reconvene one. The courts were closed, with no plan to bring them back into session. The President was wielding power without any checks and balances. Morgan took a deep breath and chose his next words carefully.

“Mason, we may be approaching a constitutional crisis in our country. You need to carefully compile a list of those high-ranking officers who would stand with us if the President needs to be removed from office.”

“John, are you suggesting a coup d’état? This will be a difficult subject to broach with anyone under my command. Remember those three words—
duty, honor, country
.”

“Of course I remember them,” said Morgan. “I pledged them myself many years ago.”

“Honor is a commodity in short supply these days outside of the military,” said Sears. “Our military is the single greatest fighting body in the world today because of this one word.”

Morgan interrupted. “I am keenly aware that the men and women of the U.S. military take their oath seriously when they pledge to support and defend the Constitution.”

Sears fired back. “We also pledge to obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over us. According to regulations found in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, that last part is important. The UCMJ Article 92 requires all members of the United States military to obey lawful orders.”

Morgan didn’t like arguing with General Sears. One confrontational phone call was enough for today. But he had to pursue this option. “Do you consider the President’s actions to be a lawful order?”

“Article 92 works to define what a lawful order is, but in a nutshell, it’s any order given by a superior authority in good standing.”

“Unless,” added Morgan, “that order conflicts with the Constitution, U.S. law, standing lawful orders, or is issued by someone who does not possess the authority to issue that order. I’m also familiar with the UCMJ’s loose definition of an unlawful order.”

“But, John, removing the President from office, forcibly or otherwise, is not our job. Nor do we have the requisite constitutional authority. We’d be just as guilty as the President if we initiated a coup.”

Morgan remained quiet for a moment as he realized the
overthrow option
was not viable. He knew the law prohibited it. Article II of the Constitution established the President as the Commander in Chief. Regardless of the actions of a sitting President, unless he was legally removed from command, he was in charge. The honor of the military precluded them from doing anything against their commander, regardless of their personal opinions. The nation as a whole might believe a President had no honor at all, but that was what made our military better than him. They did have honor. Ultimately, they might not like what he was doing, but they would stand with their honor intact and continue to obey all lawful orders issued by their commander.

“Mason, you’re right,” started Morgan. He knew a commander unfit for duty could be removed from office. But there was a process required by the Constitution. In the case of the Commander in Chief, that task resided with Congress. The House of Representatives must impeach him, and the Senate then had to enforce that impeachment, passing sentence and removing him from office. “A military coup would not be constitutional and thus a violation of the oath every service member takes upon entrance to the U.S. military, and that just isn’t going to happen. Our military members are too honorable to stoop to extra-constitutional measures regardless of the consequences.”

“That’s right, John,” said Sears. “But let me put your mind at ease about all of this. The men under my command are not blind. They see what the President is attempting to do, and they want no part of it. Let’s just say the commanders in the field are initiating a
work slowdown
.”

Morgan felt relieved that he had not alienated the most important asset available to him in government. It was time for him to reassure Sears.