Cities along Florida’s west coast were inundated by the rising tides, as well. The line of devastation continued around the Gulf of Mexico, reaching Mobile, New Orleans, Galveston, Houston, Brownsville, and the resort towns along the coast of Mexico.

On top of all this, crime was skyrocketing in the cities, and armed militias were being called into service to halt the bands of outlaws and thugs who were preying on the thousands of displaced persons. These were not normal times, and the death of two presidents within days of each other seemed merely one more piece of a terrifying mosaic of human suffering.

What the people wanted was strong leadership, and many felt that in Mark Beaulieu they had finally found their man. As for the new president, he understood that he had finally achieved the destiny that had been prophesied long ago in Andra Pradesh Province, and he played his role with consummate skill.

First, he visited the grieving widow of President Ted Rust, before the eyes of the world. The meeting had all the pathos and theatrics of a soap opera. With tears streaming down her cheeks, Valery Rust clutched the hands of the new leader and thanked him that he had been there for the nation in this time of need. Privately, he had already offered her the post of secretary of health and human services. She jumped at the chance and immediately began making plans to install her radical sisters in key government posts.

After the courtesy call, Beaulieu arranged for the body of Ted Rust to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda, along with that of his predecessor. Next, he arranged a solemn funeral procession down Pennsylvania Avenue, and then an elaborate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, where the bodies of both ex-presidents would be interred with full military honors.

The following morning, the president called the attorney general and demanded a full investigation into the appalling lack of security that had allowed a cold-blooded assassin like Benjamin Benares to be placed in such a sensitive position in the executive branch of the United States government. Two FBI agents were immediately dispatched to the office of Percy DuVal, the head of White House personnel, to make preliminary inquiries into clearance procedures used in the hiring of Benares.

DuVal gave them the thin folder on Benares. Copies were made of all documents in the file and given to the agents. As they signed the hand receipt, they promised DuVal a return visit, and walked out. Fifteen minutes later, Percy DuVal left the office. He drove the two blocks up Pennsylvania Avenue to his favorite restaurant and left his car running at the curb.

The owner was all smiles. “Good day, Mr. DuVal. Have you come for an early lunch?”

“No, Georgio,” he said. “I just remembered a call I have to make, and my cellular phone isn’t working. I need to use your phone.”

“No problem, Mr. DuVal. Please help yourself.”