The Survivalist (Frontier Justice)

Executive Order 16661

  Establishment of the Viral Defense Corps

  By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Congress, and as the elected President of the United States, the following is hereby ordered:

  Section 1. Establishment of the Viral Defense Corps. An agency shall be established in the Department of Defense that shall be known as the Viral, Defense Corps (VDC). The VDC shall be headed by the vice president until, a permanent director can be appointed.

  Section 2. Functions of the Viral Defense Corps. (a) The VDC shall be responsible for testing the inhabitants of the United States for the Superpox-99 virus. (b) The VDC shall be responsible for categorizing citizens as either infected or virus free. (c) The VDC shall be responsible for protecting virus-free citizens from those infected with the Superpox-99 virus.

  Section 3. Authority of the Viral Defense Corps. (a) The VDC shall have the authority to perform blood-sample testing on any inhabitant of the United States. (b) Beyond enforcing mandatory testing, the VDC shall have no additional authority over those who are found to be virus free. (c) The VDC shall have the authority to detain, imprison, segregate, or take any other actions deemed necessary to prevent those who test as infected from posing a danger to the population of the United States.

  President Glass stared at the paper with the same horror that a frightened man might study a contract he had just signed in blood with a Crossroads Demon. And like that man who had traded his soul for profit, she understood that her signature on the order could only lead to eternal damnation.

  She felt sick to her stomach. This was the kind of action that dictators took to tighten their grip over citizens too frightened to rebel. She had no misconceptions about what she was signing. Lincoln had carefully worded the document to give him the legal authority to enforce his brutal agenda of population cleansing. In her heart, she knew that such an action was indefensible.

  Despite all her reservations, she scribbled her name at the bottom of the page. President Glass accepted that she was taking the easy way out. But she also understood that, if she fought against his agenda, she would have to propose one of her own. And that was something that she was currently incapable of doing. It was better to ride on a train headed to hell than to be left behind sitting on the cold iron tracks of indecision.

  Chapter 14