Marty was about to be introduced as president of Texas at a Republican fundraiser in Dallas as Bill O’Hare rushed up and whispered to him. “President Barker needs to talk to you as soon as possible,” he told Marty.
Marty nodded, and straightened the red tie he wore with his suit. He gave his short speech, trying not to rush it. Then he explained the situation to his hosts, who gave him a long round of applause, and headed for his car to return President Barker’s call in private.
The two presidents had established strong lines of communication, and Marty had President Barker’s direct number. It had been set up to handle any crisis that arose during the separation negotiations.
“Hello, President Kert,” President Barker said.
“Mr. President, your message had a tone of urgency, according to my chief of staff. What can I do for you?” Marty asked.
President Barker took an audible deep breath, as if he were calming himself. “Marty, we are in a situation that could spiral out of control here at any time. I speak, of course, about the bleak economic outlook for the Eurozone, specifically about their weaker partners―Greece, Spain, Portugal, and perhaps Italy.”
“I was under the impression that Amanda Sanderson had given assurances that Texas would do its part in preventing this upheaval in Europe,” Marty said, frowning.
“She did, Marty. But I’m afraid this has turned uglier than any of us thought possible until a couple of days ago. China is making serious noises about insisting on ‘collateral’ for future loans to anyone, including us,” Barker stated. “That could be catastrophic. As you are well aware, this entire global economy has been a sham propped up by paper and unsecured credit for decades. It’s a house of cards facing a hurricane. The collapse of any of these smaller economies could be the first in a long line of cards to fall, setting off recession or worse, depression.”
“What do you need from Texas, sir?” Marty asked him.
“Right now, we just need you to reassure the world that we stand together economically. It’s apparent that you folks are much better than the rest of us at preparing for this kind of situation. We need your guidance and support now more than ever.” President Barker sounded tired.
“I’ll have a comment ready in a couple of hours, Mr. President,” Marty told him. “I’ll run it by you and then hit the networks with it. How does that sound?”
“Thank you, Marty.” The edge of fatigue seemed to leave his voice, and Marty thought he sounded relieved. “You don’t have to clear anything with me, though. You are the chief executive of a sovereign state, and you have my complete confidence. Together, we just may be able to ‘pull the fat out of the fire’.”