[Chapter 713: Ready for Action]
In Texas, the Christmas spirit was lively, even if it didn't snow, and it always felt just a bit lacking. The cowboys on the ranch noticed that their legendary boss had shifted his focus to Texas. To this group of cowboys, things in the country were pretty grim; only Texas was managing to hold its own, while other places were really struggling.
Especially Los Angeles -- where the police were seen as utterly incompetent. If it weren't for the boss stepping in, Beverly Hills would probably be in chaos as well. A few gunshots sent hundreds of thugs running wild, and that wasn't even a secret. However, in the minds of these muscle-bound guys, the security company seemed far too restrained. If they were on the scene, they wouldn't stop until they ran out of ammo.
As for the Los Angeles police, they were utterly inept; a handful of them couldn't handle even one problem. They joked about how strong the African American community was, wondering if they were stronger than the cattle they tended. If it came down to it, one shot could take care of a lot; problems were only compounded by complacency.
That damned court was also messed up; they'd already drained a few million dollars with no proper accountability. It was as if taxpayer money didn't even matter to them.
...
A new year had started, and William White definitely needed time to assess the situation. The internet had developed well over the past two years. Sure, using email for work wasn't considered a cutting-edge luxury anymore.
"Dad, it seems like William White is being overly cautious. Does he really think he's above the fray?"
"Ha, you've got it all wrong. Your perspective is off. William White is signaling to others that he's ready and that he welcomes a challenge at any time."
Bush Jr. was taken aback; he hadn't expected such an answer. His dad's time in Washington was ticking down. Joyful moments felt like nonsense -- there was still a chance for their family to rise again.
"Ha, that guy from Arkansas is probably feeling pretty conflicted right now."
"Do you really think he wants to pick a fight with William White? He may not realize but his wife isn't someone to mess with."
"Dad, William White shares your sentiment. He sees it as being practically another female president. If the public was ready, America could have its first woman."
Well, William White's original wording wasn't exactly that. According to him, if a wife was too smart, she should be knocked down a peg before the honeymoon; otherwise, a man's tragic life would last for many years.
...
William White had a poor relationship with the unions, and the auto workers' union was a Donkey's stronghold. In the months ahead, there would be no shortage of disputes.
Calling it foresight might have been an exaggeration, but his intent was very clear. In fact, the Donkey folks were probably dreading this confrontation too -- if they truly got on his bad side, they had to think twice about jumping into the Elephant's embrace.
"Sir, gold prices have dropped below four hundred dollars an ounce. Should we reduce our short positions? Our think tank's analysis shows that the market still has a dollar shortage. Considering there are no significant conflicts, gold prices should stabilize around the four hundred dollar range."
"Filson, you missed a key point. No one knows how much that Leo Wanta was able to walk away with."
Filson was at a loss; if so many under him couldn't find those figures, how would their think tank come up with numbers out of thin air?
"Sir, isn't that guy still in Europe? Isn't the Kremlin on his tail?"
"How would they even pursue him? What's the rationale? To help the state recover losses?"
Hell, the state was gone, and so was the cash. If there ever was an outcome, that money wouldn't end up in individuals' hands; instead, many others would find themselves in trouble.
"Sir, this is an account you can't really calculate. The Soviets are too chaotic right now to bother with this."
"Actually, it's not that no one knows -- they should be stakeholders in this mess. If this matter comes to light, they would be torn apart by angry crowds. Isn't it better this way? If possible, it's best if no one ever finds out."
"According to the data currently released, both gold and foreign exchange reserves have issues. It's just that we don't know how much money that guy really took."
William White wanted to say it might be everything. However, such shocking news was best left unsaid.
A large amount of dollars going unaccounted for was, in fact, the reason behind gold's weakness. The market was currently lacking dollars, so naturally, it was short on all currencies. If that cash didn't circulate, the dollar would remain very strong.
It was quite amusing, really -- it was akin to buying stocks on the secondary market and then canceling them. The company's core business hadn't changed, but the stock kept going up.
Supply and demand determined value, which became especially evident in a fully marketized America. When William White shorted gold, Wall Street couldn't make head or tail of it. This guy had always been bullish; clearly, something had rattled him.
Wait, Soros was involved?
Come on, even now, that topic didn't have a chance of being declassified.
Yes, things in America have a shelf life. Once that time passed, some sensitive materials would be declassified. This at least gave taxpayers some accountability.
However, certain things fell outside that scope. The cause of Kennedy's assassination would never be revealed, and the same went for Monroe.
Presidents had the authority to extend secrecy periods, and that was just standard protocol. There were some things even the president truly didn't know. Do you think the scenes depicted in Independence Day film were jokes?
Wrong. In terms of confidentiality, even a president might not have a clue about certain secret bases.
You could allude to faked alien invasions in your scripts, but the operations of Washington didn't belong to the same realm. Get too wild with your fabrications, and you'd get torn apart by critics.
"Filson, let the CIA deal with that guy; we can both assume our new president would be quite interested. If that guy spills, a lot of unreimbursed amounts could find a way through," William White said with a mockingly dismissive expression.
With so much money involved, you might as well play with fire -- nothing came that cheap. If it really was in the hundreds of millions or billions, perhaps he might consider it. But with trillions at stake, even William White couldn't just digest that kind of capital.
Filson wasn't foolish; although the boss had been vague, he had inferred some crucial details. The amount of money involved must be staggering enough to affect the international market's currency supply.
Thinking along those lines, Filson broke into a sweat. How much money did this even need? No wonder the boss was so reluctant to say more.
"Sir, if the market is short on money, precious metal prices won't rise."
"Hmm, I don't know the exact figure, but about five hundred million dollars in our Swiss bank's account has issues."
"Got it; this explains it. If that money just sits in the bank, there won't be any changes in precious metals. Sir, we've cleaned up our loose ends here. Going forward, there will be nothing more than the unions causing a ruckus, and then it's just the Legendary World left."
"Sigh, this gaming console really is fraught with trouble. If there are problems, Filson, hold them off. If it gets out of hand, I wouldn't mind giving it up."
"Give up? Are you sure about that, sir?"
"Of course; the production aspect is really lacking in interest. If we did it again, we'd create an internal cycle. Of course, if your game is willing to sell to me, we wouldn't mind that either. These guys are just too annoying; I've lost my patience."
"Alright, I understand, sir. I will do my best to hold them off."
*****
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