Free An Armageddon Duology by Erec Stebbins Page B

brunette standing before the Capitol building in Washington, DC. “Chaos has swept over the House of Representatives as a rebellion in the GOP threatens to bring the legislative branch to a standstill. Key members of House committees have suddenly switched their votes on multiple issues central to several pressing pieces of legislation. Among them are a host of financial reform bills including raising the marginal tax rate on the wealthiest Americans, legislation to remove corporate tax loopholes, and challenges to overturn the Supreme Court rulings on campaign finance reform and the personhood of corporations. In addition, numerous laws aiming to regulate the internet have found their support shifting dramatically, with numerous Democratic and Republican Congressman now supporting net neutrality and opposing governmental regulation and internet monitoring. For more on this developing story, we go to—”
    The screen dimmed and the audio cutoff. A monitor on the upper right brightened, and a panel of men and women on Fox News were yelling at each other across a common table. A stout man in a suit centered in the middle screamed over the group.
    “None of these theories makes sense! With elections nearly here, you aren’t going to see members of both parties suddenly reversing their long-held positions on important issues! I think that we need to step back and ask what is really going on here. What backroom deals are being made and has the White House been involved to try and throw the results in November into chaos? We all know the polls show that the midterms are not going to go their way, so they have to be involved!”
    A woman near the end of the table on the left cut in. “Based on what? Why do you always have to turn everything into a conspiracy of foul play by this administration?”
    A black man near the center raised his hands in the air. “This is all speculation at this point. We don’t know what is going on. Neither do the leaders of either party. Until we can get explanations from the members of Congress themselves, all this is just hot air.”
    The viewpoint shifted, jumping to a monitor on the lower level in the middle of the array. A heavyset man in a suit with gray hair paced about a television stage, waving his arms and gesticulating. Behind him was an enormous chalkboard, names of important political figures and organizations written and boxed in various locations, numerous arrows studded with short phrases and comments connecting the various names. The commentator was shouting.
    “A Democratic Super PAC with ties to a billionaire is suddenly bankrupt? Why? Where did all that money go? A week later, we find one member of Congress after another switching their votes, always in the direction of the liberal agenda. Always decreasing our ability to monitor communications for terrorist activity and attacking the earnings of the job-creating class. Am I the only one seeing this? I mean, could it be more obvious? My fellow Americans, we are poised on the edge of a terrible cliff, where the terrorist sympathizing, Marxist left-wing agenda has put our very freedoms in the crosshairs.” His voice caught, and he wiped his eyes. “There might not be much more time. I don’t know how many times I’ll be allowed to address you when the new world order is imposed. I’ve never said this before, but I’m scared. Scared for America. Scared for the world. Because, in the end, it is we Americans that stand between order and chaos on this planet.”
    The image and sound jumped to the upper left of the screens, a dour, bald man centered in the camera before a microphone. A woman’s voice spoke over the images.
    “The Russian president has just begun a press conference. This is Russia Today with an exclusive video feed of the event called in response to reported violations of international treaties this week by the US Congress.”
    The sound switched to the figure behind the podium. An angry voice speaking in