After America Read Free Page B

he had traveled: from being an anonymous city engineer in Seattle to provisional president and ultimately elected to a full four-year term as president of the much reduced United States in January 2004, not long before the Wave finally lifted. A hell of a trip.
    “Okay, I’ve probably seen enough,” he conceded. “Just thought it was important, you know, to have a look for myself.”
    “That’s why people like you, sir.” Culver smiled. “You
like
to get your hands dirty. Come on, shall we get back to the convoy? This place gives me the creeps.”
    They retraced their steps along Wall Street, carefully picking their way around the occasional pile of rags that had not been blown or washed away. There weren’t many left after so long. Jed and Kip both swerved to avoid a rusted three-wheeled baby stroller that had tipped on its side. They studiously avoided looking too closely at its contents. At one point a shaft of light between two burned-out buildings illuminated a small galaxy of twinkling stars on the footpath. Some of the smaller, more desperate freebooters did nothing but sweep the streets clear of rings, watches, bracelets, and other smaller bejeweled trinkets left behind when their owners died. There was a mountain of such stuff still lying around. As Kip sidestepped an pricey-looking silver watch, the thud of faraway gunfire reached them. His detail chief spoke briefly into a radio, but even Kip knew the small battle was too far off to concern them.
    The convoy was waiting back at the intersection with William Street, four black Secret Service Humvees and three Strykers bristling with machine guns and grenade launchers. More security men hurried toward his walking party as they approached.
    “Trouble?” Jed asked.
    “Nothing we can’t handle, sir,” replied the agent in charge. “Just a little flare-up over on Canal. It won’t bother us, but we should get moving anyway.”
    Kipper distinctly heard the crump of multiple explosions somewhere far off in the city. The muffled thrum of helicopters grew louder but faded away before he could see them.
At least they’re ours
, he thought. You couldn’t always be sure these days. The detail hurried him over to his vehicle and almost pushed him inside. Jed climbed right in after him, followed by Karen Milliner. The young woman’s expensive-looking black silk slacks were covered in dust and grime. She pulled herself into the cabin and seated herself directly in front of Kipper.
    “Sorry, sir, but I’ve just been talking to the Service, and I’m afraid I probably have to advise against going on with this. There’s been three big-ass firefights across the island this morning and more over in Brooklyn. A real humdinger near JFK with air force security forces.”
    Kip enjoyed Karen’s totally ingenuous use of words like “humdinger.”
    “Karen, there are gunfights all over this city every day and night,” he said. “Mostly freebooters and pirates fighting among themselves. There’s never going to be a time when you get the nice quiet background vision you want. Just roll with it.”
    Doors slammed up and down the convoy, and the engine turned over in their vehicle, a heavily armored SUV .
    “And while we’re on the topic, sir, respectfully and all, you really should have let me assign a camera crew to at least shoot some pool vision of your little walk around back there. I mean, what is the point of all that meetin’ and greetin’ if we don’t get any good coverage out of it?”
    Kip smiled and shrugged as the vehicle lurched forward. “The point? To meet and greet folks?”
    Karen opened her mouth to protest, but Jed cut her off.
    “Give it, up, darlin’. You’ll never win. I’ve been trying to get him to dress like a grown-up ever since I took this job, and he still looks like he’s about to go and boss a crew of ditchdiggers somewhere.”
    Kipper waved his hands back in the general direction of the salvage workers they had just