Two days later, the President of the United States, William Dudley Perrey arrived at Washington D.C and headed towards the White House with his personal car.
Looking out of the window, he saw the hallowed ruins of the aftermath of the Ruthenian Empire nuclear bomb. A bomb so powerful that it flattened the city of Washington.
There was dust and motes floating in the air, swaying back and forth against the wind. The sky was dark and gloomy as if William just entered an undiscovered land. The city was full of life back then, there were trees on every street but now, they were reduced to nothing but ash and debris. In fact, even the very ground seemed abandoned, as the inhabitants had left before.
As he drove through the streets of Washington, people looked up at him from the gutter where they queued up as they got their daily ration. They must be the citizens who have survived the blast. They can be considered lucky but if one were to look around their surroundings, lucky wouldn't be the right term. In fact, they are as good as dead. Why? Because of radiation.
The nuclear bomb released radioactive materials that ionized the air, a fallout, making the city of Washington uninhabitable, though for one or two days only. Alexander used a crude atomic bomb so the radiation is not lethal. If it were a hydrogen bomb it would have been different.
The car stopped in front of the White House. William stepped out of the vehicle and looked up to the White House which is now dilapidated due to the enormous blast of the nuclear bomb.
Truly, a terrifying weapon. Not even the Washington Monument, the Supreme Court of Justice Building, and The Capitol survived from its wraith.
William sighed wistfully, a thought crossed his mind. "Is this the end?"
Since all of the senators and the house of representatives in Congress were caught and killed in the explosion, the Black Hand leadership was no more. Though there is a protocol in place should problems like this were to arise, they didn't expect this to this degree.
And since he is the Shepherd of the United States, he became the surviving leader of the Black Hand. But how can he lead in a broken country?
The states learned that the elected president was affiliated with the Black Hand from the broadcast of the Ruthenia Empire. In response, they started to lose faith in the federal government.
If the federal government and its elected leader were the Black Hand all the time, then does that mean they are responsible for the deaths of innocent civilians abroad whenever they conducted operations overseas?
No, they don't want to get indicted, so one by one, the state now considered seceding from the union, and there was no federal government that could stop their decision.
Texas, Georgia, Florida, and California, to name a few, were the states that are seeking secession from the union. Though not confirmed yet, they knew they'll eventually reach that conclusion.
It was like a return to the past when the country was destroying itself in a civil war due to a moral issue about slavery. Now, it's not slavery, but the states learning that they have been supporting the Black Hand all along. Of course, they'll feel betrayed by it.
"What should we do, Mr. President?" One of his people asked. William glanced over his shoulder to look who spoke, it was the Vice President of the United States, John Nance Garner.
William just stared at the desolate ruins of the White House. "We have to bring back the confidence of the union to the federal government. No matter what happens, this country can't be divided. This attack is a provocation of war from the Ruthenia Empire and we must respond to it."
"But Mr. President, we have more problems than dealing with the Ruthenia Empire. The New York Stock Exchange crash, the country has fallen into a recession, people looted stores, and states turned violent. I think the only way that you could stop this country from ever collapsing is you resigning," John suggested in a genuine tone.
"Me? Resigning? I'm the president of the United States," William said, surprised that his Vice President was proposing that solution to fixing the problem the United States is having right now.
"You're no longer the President of the United States. You acted against the interest of the nation, therefore making you unqualified. Please, Mr. President, to quell their turbulent emotions, you should step down as president and give it to someone else who is truly deserving."
"Are you saying that I didn't deserve this position?"
"Well, the Black Hand helped you get to where you are now, you are nothing without them. Not that they are gone, but so are you. Mr. President, step down now peacefully, otherwise, we would take drastic measures to force you out of your position."
When John announced that, two policemen stepped forward with their hands reaching to their pistols holstered onto their waist.
"And the one deserving is who? You? Nance? Don't make me laugh, you are the most incompetent people I have seen in my life. The reason I chose you as the Vice President is that I had no choice. The goal was to become the president, not to choose an underling!" William raised his voice at him.
"Hmm…so you are openly admitting that you want the presidency because the Black Hand told you to? That makes you a member of the Black Hand. A crime syndicate who do nothing but kill scores upon scores abroad under the guise of fighting for equality and justice. Being a member of such an appalling organization makes you a traitor. That's high treason, the highest form of treason. Since the Ruthenia Empire destroyed the Supreme Court, so is our judicial process. We would apologize to the world by executing you, and convince the nations that are at war with Ruthenia to negotiate peace talks with them."
"Wait…" William smelled something fishy. "The way you are phrasing your words, could it be that you have been working with the Ruthenia Empire?"
"I'm working for the best interest of the United States. My allegiance is with the United States. The Black Hand started this war, a nonsense war. You manipulated all the countries in Europa to wage war against another, and to what end?"
"Didn't it even cross your mind that I'm doing it so that the United States will reign supreme at the end?" William questioned him with a stern face.
"But you jeopardize the security of the United States!" John shouted loudly. "You and the Black Hand endanger national integrity! who put the United States in danger! The Ruthenia Empire wouldn't even drop their bomb if the Black Hand didn't do shit! It was you who was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of lives in Washington. No matter how you bend it or manipulate it, in the end you just committed treason against the state. Give up now, this conversation is pointless. Take him."
John ordered the police to arrest William. William didn't resist, he allowed himself to be brought away. He did not care anymore, it wasn't worth arguing further. The Black Hand collapsed, and the rest will follow. It looked like the Black Hand had failed to turn its vision into a reality.
