1 Chapter 1-The Public Appearance

Things were soon to go downhill. It didn't take too long for the WCO and the Allied States' government to know that one of their important agents was MIA. I saw it all over the news—well, a distorted version of what the issue was all about. According to national television in the ASA, I was on a mission to better the entire world, and after a failed attempt to save someone's life, a teen boy went missing amidst the chaos. I saw Rob and Susan on the news. I could tell they were distressed, and it sent shivers down my spine to think about how I just cut them off completely, leaving them to worry. What was interesting was that for a couple of weeks or so, the ASA neglected to assume that I was in the Eastern Provinces and that I had defected. However, it was time to make a public appearance to the whole continent to let them know that I will fight for freedom. It was a late summer's night when I received a very special message, one that a typical seventeen year-old does not receive—the president of the Eastern Provinces contacted me by sending me a video attachment to my email account that I viewed through my iHolo. I was living in an apartment the WPA had so generously provided for me, and it was in their headquarters. These apartments were only available to its employees, some nicer than others for those in higher authority positions. They usually charged their employees for rent, but they didn't charge me because they knew I came from virtually nothing and I was going to be a part of a leading team that will liberate the continent from the shackles of the terrorist time traveling faction in New Seattle. Anyways, I digress. President Roland Huxley sent me a very formal message that I received while I was relaxing on the couch with Mary Ann, who had come in to visit. "Oh, wow, who is President Huxley?" I asked. "Umm…" Mary Anne chuckled, "That's our president here in the Eastern Provinces." I felt stupid. However, no one had told me, so it wasn't entirely my fault for not knowing. "Why ask?" Mary Anne added. "Well, it says I have a message from THE President Huxley," I said, astonished. "What? Let me see that," Mary Anne said as she grabbed my wrist to point the hologram in her direction. Attached to an email was a video several minutes long as well as a typed message:

Mr. Elijah,

I apologize for the informality of this method of contacting you, but please take time out of your busy day to view this urgent message.

Kind regards,

President Roland Huxley

An emblem of the Office of the President was below his sign-off. I clicked on the video attachment and set the iHolo to project on the wall for television view. The video commenced with a bearded, middle-aged man sitting at a nice desk with the same emblem on its front. The man had excellent posture and was looking directly at the camera, making me feel like he was actually talking to me in person. He began to speak, saying, "Hello, Elijah. I am the president of the Eastern Provinces of America. I admire your bravery in leaving everything behind to join a cause many are opposed to. Your decision to join Mary Anne will always be remembered, and I want you to be written in our history books for younger generations to admire and learn about, generations living in a world where maintaining their basic human rights is not a concern. I am aware Dr. Radcliffe has talked about partaking in a mission to take down the WCO. I imagine that no further details have been shared with you, for they have been allowing you to rest, acclimate to your new home, and prepare for the challenges ahead. I am here to tell you now that it is time to start the mission, and it begins with you publicizing yourself and letting the world know that you are alive and well and here to fight for freedom. This may be a challenge, but from what I know about you, I know you are servant-hearted and that you have a clear conscience as to what to do. To give you further information, at your earliest convenience, please meet Dr. Radcliffe, and he will escort you to the President's Home to meet me in person. Thank you for taking time to view this message, and I am looking forward to your visit." For several seconds, Mary Anne and I were silent, as I was sure she was trying to process the same information we had just viewed. She looked over at me and hugged me. "Wow, Elijah, this is a really big deal. You realize that the leader of the free world has personally requested to meet with you and that you are going to be broadcasted to the world?" I stuttered, saying, "I-I can't believe this." So many thoughts rushed through my head. What was going to become of the ASA and how they view the provinces? Surely it will open people's eyes about who the real enemy is. I felt so much pressure on me, as the free world was relying on me exposing the WCO for who they really are. Mary Anne and I briskly walked to Dr. Radcliffe's office, which was thirty floors up and on the other end of the north wing. Through the window of his office door, I could see him pacing back and forth, looking down at his iHolo. I knocked and slowly opened the door. "Hello, Elijah," Dr. Radcliffe said as he turned his head towards me, his eyes widening more, "I suppose you are here because of the message you received from the president?" "Yes, sir," I said with Mary Anne standing closely by. "Excellent, follow me, please. Our cab is waiting for us outside. Mary Anne, I'm sorry, but you'll have to remain here for this portion of the mission, as Elijah needs to be the only one there." Mary Anne humbly nodded her head and looked at me, with her eyes glistening. "Hey," I whispered, "I'll let you know as soon as I'm done. I'll see you later, okay?" Mary Anne smiled a small, cute smile and made her way back to her apartment. I proceeded to follow Dr. Radcliffe down to our awaiting cab. As we got in the vehicle, he said to me, "Relax. President Huxley is a very pleasant man to be around. He is very kind, professional, and he knows what he is doing. Don't be scared of him. He'll tell you what you need to say. In the end, you will have a great connection with a very important person, and you will make history. I know it. I believe in you, Elijah." I thanked him for his reassuring words. For the twenty minute car ride, it was mostly silent as I peered out the window, admiring the beautiful architecture of New Boston. At the very edge of the city, right on the coast, a beautiful Greek-style white mansion was there, gardens and ponds on elevated terraces lying all around it. It was beautiful. The cab entered the gate after being cleared by security. Next, it pulled through a turnaround with a fountain in the center. It stopped to let Dr. Radcliffe and I out. As I exited, I could smell the salty breeze from the ocean. The sounds of the fountains were peaceful, and the sun shining from above was not too hot. I walked alongside the sidewalk with Dr. Radcliffe and two special agents who met us at the cab, both tall, muscular, bald, and wearing black suits and sunglasses. Their faces were expressionless, which I thought was a bit unsettling. I knew that they were there to protect anyone on the premises, however, so I felt safe. Both agents opened the set of double doors to the home. Inside all sorts of people who seemed to be of high importance were on the move—some were walking briskly across hallways or up stairs, some were standing still and on the phone, and some were exchanging electronic documents with each other through their iHolos. "Right this way, please," one of the agents said. They led Dr. Radcliffe and I up the set of marble stairs, down the hallway, and up another set of stairs all the way to a set of wooden doors. Above it, a sign read, "The Circle Office." We entered to see the same man I saw on the video sitting at his desk in a large, perfectly circular room. There was so much old furniture as well as paintings depicting the founding fathers of the USA. Such old artifacts rescued from the now underwater District of Columbia were even more fascinating to view in person. My heart was pounding. I was standing face-to-face with our president. When he laid his eyes on me, he smiled a warm smile, and gestured his hands towards the seats in front of his desk. "Dr. Radcliffe, Elijah, pleasure to have you both here. Elijah, I know you may be a bit overwhelmed right now, but believe me when I say this: it is an honor to have you in my office," Huxley said. An honor to have me? I must be really important to him. "Th-thank you, sir. I am honored to be here and to serve this country," I said as confidently as possible. "You're not just serving this country, Elijah, you're serving the Allied States, The People's Republic of Mexico, and all other countries deprived of true liberty because you will be the leading voice of democracy right now. By showing your face to them, we hope to specifically end the oppression in the states and bring back liberty as it once was from coast to coast. Exposing the WCO for who they are will hopefully create an uprising in the states, which can weaken their government. Then can we overpower them and restore democracy. We hope that it won't come to war, but to be quite frank with you, Elijah, even as president, I really do not know what will happen when you show them that you're here. I wish for the most peaceful transition to freedom for the states, but I know that that's never really been the case for any nation becoming a free one. Whatever happens will be necessary," said Huxley. Did he really just say that I could cause this continent to go to war, just from one video? "Yes, sir, I understand. What do you need me to do, exactly?" I said. "Please take the honor of sitting in my chair. We will have a camera set up shortly. There will be a prompt in front of you for you to read. Of course, if there's anything you want to change, please do so. I want these words to come from your heart. I wrote them from what I know about you, but I want you to be the true judge of what to say," Huxley said. Right then, a crew of a few people came in with a camera and a prop for it. They quickly set it up, and a hologram appeared over the lens for me to read. "Elijah, if you could please come sit in my chair and review the words on the prompt," Huxley said in a more hurried tone. I hesitantly got up and meekly made my way over to the president's chair. I read the words, which took about a minute. They were actually well-written and seemed like something I would say, but better. "They look great, Mr. President. I am ready to begin," I said. "Excellent," Huxley chimed, "I'll be standing right behind you. Don't let me distract you. Cameraman, commence recording." The cameraman gave a hand gesture starting with 5 fingers and counting down. Phew, here we go. Hopefully I can do this in reasonable time with a good presentation. "People of the world," I began, "people of the Allied States of America, I am Elijah, and I used to work for the World Correction Organization in New Seattle, Washington. You might have been wondering what happened to me, where I went, or why I went missing. I am here to tell you that I am alive and well and in the Eastern Provinces of America. On my final night as a WCO agent in 1856, a horrible brawl broke out amongst the Mississippi town, a brawl that would not have happened if we had not interfered with history. However, I am not here to lecture you about the dangers of time travel. I am here to tell you that the WCO is not who they say they are. They are a faction rooted in self-interest and use their agents to change the past to help their organization only. They only seek power and to oppress others. It wasn't until that night that I realized that. So I ran. I ran with the WPA after a split second decision to join them, and they took me in and are providing for me here. To be clear, I am not being held hostage or forced against my will to say what I am saying. I am here to tell you that you are the ones in great danger. The faction that rules your country will eventually crush you. They already are. If you think that your government is working for you to improve your lives and that the WCO is changing the world to help everyone, you are heavily mistaken. You need to hear this from me and no one else in the provinces because I have firsthand knowledge about who the WCO really is because I used to be one of them. I am here to fight for you, and we will take down the WCO. Hold fast, for cavalry is coming." A few seconds went by before Huxley behind me said, "Cut. Elijah, that was beautiful. Now, we send this out to make you known and for the oppressed to hear your message."