“If our lives are extended by humanity’s faith in us, it is shortened when they lose that faith. We don’t know that any of these heroes have actually died, but they seem to have faded out of existence. No bodies have ever been found. Unfortunately, a similar phenomena happens to the villains we face.
“We had assumed that this was something that just started happening recently. But with you showing up, we are wondering if it might have been going on much longer than we realize. Have you returned from the dead or were you ever dead?”
“I wish,” said Arthur. “That I had some kind of answer for you. I do not think that I was I dead. I was somewhere else, but I can’t seem to remember anything particular about it. It’s as though I’m remembering it through a fog.”
“Do you remember if there was anyone else there?” asked Iceni.
“There were others. I do remember that. But lest I get your hopes up, I should mention that from what I can recall, everyone seemed relatively normal to me. I don’t recall anyone dressed as strangely as you all. I don’t believe any of your friends were there.”
“Arthur,” said Prime. “We don’t want to rush you into anything. We’ll leave it up to you if you want to make your return public, but it would be my advice to first wait awhile and get acclimated with the modern before making any announcements. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like and several of us would be happy to take you to some of our cities when the time is right.
“We also don’t want to put any pressure on you, but some of our peers are the smartest men on the planet. They would love a chance to run some tests on you and see if they can determine where you’ve been all these years. Some of our magicians would like to be involved as well. Of course, our hope would be to make our way there and see if it holds any clues as to what has happened to our friends.
“But don’t rush to answer. You need time to get comfortable and settled in here.”
“I appreciate the kindness you all have shown me.” said Arthur. “I assure you, I am as eager to have answers as you are. I feel as though a part of me is missing without my being able to remember where I’ve been all these years. I would gladly help in any way I can. I ask only that it wait a day as I need some time to rest and think.”
“That would be just fine, and thank you in advance for your help.” said Prime. “Iceni, would you mind showing Arthur to a room and where he can find something to eat?”
“Gladly,” responded Iceni. “Come with me, Arthur.”
It had taken a couple of days but New Moon had found what was on the files that might have been stolen. He, Prime, and Iceni, the de facto leadership of The Select, had gotten together to discuss it because New Moon felt there is more to the initial theft than meets the eye.
“I was able to find out what was on those files,” said New Moon. “And it’s a matter of national security, but not in any traditional way of thinking. What the thieves may have acquired, and for now I think we have to assume they have, is all of the information on how the US Dollar is printed, serialized, and tracked in the United States. Presumable they learned where the information was warehoused and decided that was easier than trying access it through the Mint, Federal Reserve, or Treasury.
“I took that bit of information and looked to see if anyone might be acquiring other resources necessary to print money, and I’ve found several leads. I haven’t had the chance to explore them yet, but I wanted to bring this info to you two because I think something larger is going on here. There are plenty of counterfeiting operations that pop up from time to time. But stealing the information necessary to perfectly replicate the official process is a step beyond anything we’ve ever seen before.
“Undoubtedly the goal here is to make this money completely indistinguishable from official currency. And at the same time, whoever is behind this scheme must be a person or group of significant means. They clearly paid those supervillains we took down to keep their mouths shut, and we have to assume the same group was behind their getting broken out during transport two days ago. I’m not sure exactly what the threat here is, but it’s something more than standard money printing.”
“Why do you think we haven’t heard from the government on this threat?” Asked Prime.
“Because,” said New Moon. “I don’t think they have any clue what to do about it. They’re out of good options. They can’t change protocols because to develop a new system could take months to years, and years more to cycle the the present cash out of society.”
“I’ve seen talk about removing cash from the process all together.” said Iceni. “Is that an option they might choose to take?”
“They can’t at this point,” said New Moon. “Because they would have to act too quickly. There’s been increasing discussion about eliminating cash, but there are plenty of people who won’t be warm to the idea. Unless it’s a gradual process, it could spark a crisis.”
“But isn’t this a crisis already?” asked Prime.
“Yes,” said New Moon. “It could become one. But the nature of this situation makes the idea of eliminating cash a harder sell, not just publicly but within government.
“This was the current protocols being stolen from what was supposed to be a secure location. Any authorization and verification for digital currency is going to be similar. It’s hard to then look at the digital alternative as being significantly more secure. In some ways, it may be less so.”
“What about stopping printing altogether?” asked Iceni.
“That would seem to be a solution,” said New Moon. “But the government is locked into a situation where inflation is necessary to prop up their activities. They believe that inflation is necessary for ‘growth.’ They think that stopping printing would cause a crisis. I won’t bore you with details, but whether an option or not, they won’t consider it one.”
“So where does that leave us?” asked Prime.
“The best thing we can do,” said New Moon. “Is to find the data that was stolen, if it was gotten out, and stop those who acquired it. The problem is that at this point we have to consider it likely that it’s been copied and the genie won’t be put back in the bottle. So we may have to keep chasing this down until the government institutes new protocols. I’ll start following the leads I’ve gathered and let you know when I’ll need further help.”
Chapter 2
On a sunlit afternoon, in front of his business empire’s new headquarters just completed in Polestar city, Kenneth Jackson speaks to a crowd of press and eager supporters. A political run by the magnate had long been rumored, and there was speculation as to what office he might seek. Today, it seemed, the public would finally find out.
“My fellow Americans, many of you know that I’ve long been critical of William George’s presidency. He’s lead an administration rife with corruption and lacking true leadership. It’s been so incompetent that the only thing it seems to be able to do well is benefit large donors at the expense of average Americans. You deserve better from your elected officials. We all deserve better.
“The problems with the present administration are not a recent phenomena. They are the same that plagued the one before that and the one before that and on back as far as you or I can remember. It’s so common that we’ve come to treat it as normal rather than expecting better.
“It’s time for real leadership in the White House. It’s time for a vision of America that views us with a proper perspective. A vision that sees the faults in our country’s past as well as its achievements. A vision that sees the great potential that this country holds and how to unleash it.
“Today I come before you not too proud to admit that I see that vision. I see a bright future for America and I see how to reach it. And today I come and humbly ask that my fellow Americans might entrust me with the opportunity to show them that vision, so that we might seek it together. And it is with that in mind that I am announcing my candidacy for President of the United States.” The crowd of supporters, who had clapped at various points throughout, erupts in applause.
“And though I will be running in the opposite party of the President,” continued Jackson. “I by no means hold my adopted party less accountable for the sad state of affairs in our nation. I’m just as opposed to their corrupt past as the corruption of the present.
“I won’t tire you today with the details of any particular plans. But I will let you know that I’ve begun to bring together teams of the best and most knowledgeable in every single major issue. And just like I run my companies by having a hand in every major operation, I’ll be personally involved in every plan we announce. This will be the most transparent campaign and administration that this country, and the world, has ever seen.
“It’s time for a fundamental transformation of America for the better. America is ready for change. America is ready to claim a new vision for its future. One that calls back to what has built those elements of America that make us different than the rest of the world. We finally have a great hope again.