[indent][sub][COLOR=gray][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]The White House[/I] - [I]Washington, D.C.[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=gray][b]The Future Tomorrow #1.01:[/b][/COLOR] [I]No Hesitation[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][COLOR=dimgray][SUP][sub]____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR]

[CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/BUaVsSn.png[/IMG][/CENTER]

[color=5d8aa8][b]"Look at that smug bastard."[/b][/color]

[COLOR=gray]President Maxwell Lord allowed a satisfied smirk to cross his lips, indicating the massive portrait hanging above the mantle of his personal quarters. The Oval Office was where one assumed that he would conduct most of his business while holding the title of Commander-in-Chief. But Lord had already made a habit of balking at tradition, requesting something different to highlight both his history as the long-running CEO of the Roxxon Corporation and the severity of his new position while it operated in-hand with his running policy. Truth be told, though, he just didn't like the open windows of that area. While it had always been troublesome for him to watch addresses conducted from the space, thinking about how easily an assassin's bullet or a guided missile could penetrate the glass, Lord was exceptionally guarded when it came to his own prospects of longevity. Especially when it counted entirely on being able to drop a megaton boot on the throat of a populace that, in his eyes, had seen half of their numbers replaced with walking, talking nuclear warheads. Men and women who had been transformed into something [i]other[/i], sometimes against their will, and almost always carrying the potential for widespread disaster.

[color=5d8aa8][b]"Had it painted for me eleven years ago. My twenty-fifth at the company. I feel like the guy commissioned for it used a bit too much yellow, but I've never been accused of having taste in art."[/b][/COLOR]

Taking a swig of an imported glass of Markovian brandy, a vice he'd first acquired in his twenties - a time when it first began to seem that [i]anything was possible[/i] - Lord approached the painting with a sense of granduer that the office's other occupant didn't seem to share. But Lord could feel the swell of memories, the times of exceeding corporate triumph and devastating financial loss that only a high-level executive of one of the world's leading petroleum conglomerates could understand. He was still getting used to the idea of never again entering that world, the kind where the right move and a well-timed phone call could net you what amounted to a kingship.

[color=5d8aa8][b]"The important thing was that it exuded a certain [i]power[/i]. I wanted everyone who saw it, friends and enemies alike, to feel as though they were looking at someone devoid of hesitation. Hesitation is the enemy of progress. You'd do well to remember that. I certainly have."[/b][/COLOR]

Amanda Waller's brow raised, listening to the President's whistfulness over a piece of canvas and wondering whether he was serious. The trouble with working in such close proximity to Maxwell Lord for this long - [i]two years[/i] since they had formally entered the race - was that one could never tell where the truth lay with anything he said. The man was proven to be capable of so many things, most of them dangerous, but there was definitely a side of Lord that seemed to find humor in the ridiculous position that he'd found himself in. Waller just didn't know if this was one of those times.

[COLOR=6c7be8][b]"Yes, well. I've had to learn those lessons long before we ever found ourselves here."[/b][/COLOR]

Lord smiled at Waller's sardonic response, turning towards his Vice President as he finished the brandy off.

[color=5d8aa8][b]"I've no doubt. Tell me, have you ever considered why I chose you to be my running mate? There were no shortage of qualified candidates, some even [i]over[/i] qualified. And when I chose you, I never heard the end of it. An entire team of advisors telling me that the election was dead if I went ahead with our ticket."[/b][/COLOR]

Waller's stone-faced reaction indicated that she had both considered the reasons and was very well acquainted with the perception of her among the powerful. There was a reason that she'd garnered the nickname of "The Wall" - she had been hearing that second-hand ever since she'd first entered politics, nearly a lifetime ago.

[COLOR=6c7be8][b]"I assumed it was because I can't shoot lasers out of my fingertips."[/b][/COLOR]

[color=5d8aa8][b]"Hah!"[/b][/COLOR]

Lord placed his empty glass atop a desk and grabbed his freshly pressed jacket, hanging over the nearby sofa. Waller remained standing in the middle of the room, stoic as a statue and holding a government-issued Starkpad that displayed an illuminated list of keynotes. Lord was to give an address to the nation in five minutes, and as his VP, Waller had wanted to personally ensure that he remained on his toes. The last few interviews that he'd granted had ended with a bit of, well, rambling when it came to the usual topics. His anti-metahuman stances had become a hot-button issue, and Lord's passion, despite it being what arguably won him the White House in the first place, was bordering on fanatical to the public at large. There needed to be a toning down of the rhetoric [i]while[/i] remaining on point, otherwise Lord would just come off as unhinged. And a lack of control was the exact opposite of what they had wanted to project.

[color=5d8aa8][b]"That's cute. But no, I chose you because you're honest. And I need that honesty to keep [i]me[/i] honest. I know exactly what the people out there are expecting of me, the image that I've been building in the press. I won't apologize for it, but I also know that you've been less than pleased. Your background in espionage and black-ops, it doesn't mesh well with bluntness on a public forum. I can understand the frustration."[/b][/COLOR]

Waller raised the tablet, eyes darting between items on a [i]very[/i] long itinerary.

[COLOR=6c7be8][b]"Bluntness I can tolerate, Mr. President. Even admire. What I can't admire is how what you've been saying affects our standing in the eyes of voters. We already discussed how your long-term plan requires a second term to see to fruition, and if you're thrown out of favor now? We might aswell pack it up by the fourth year."[/b][/COLOR]

Lord shrugged as he slowly placed each arm within a sleeve.  [color=5d8aa8][b]"We'll get there. Don't worry."[/b][/COLOR]

[COLOR=6c7be8][b]"With all due respect, sir, it's my job to worry. It always has been."[/b][/COLOR]

Turning back towards her, President Lord adjusted his tie before buttoning the jacket up.

[color=5d8aa8][b]"Then worry [i]less[/i], at least. Contrary to what you and the rest of the cabinet think, I know what I'm doing. There's a very delicate balance to be had whenever trying to justify things like Agency checkpoints in the middle of highly populated cities, and if I don't hit that point down with a hammer, there's no way to make it seem nessescary in the public consciousness. Despite everything, we're still fighting an uphill battle. And far be it from me to tell you how to do your job, but we've got to treat it that way."[/b][/COLOR]

Waller was silent as Lord waited for the inevitable rebuttal. Only when he turned to approach the door did she offer something.

[COLOR=6c7be8][b]"Then perhaps we should shift towards the next phase."[/b][/COLOR]

Lord paused. [color=5d8aa8][b]"Waller..."[/b][/COLOR]

[COLOR=6c7be8][b]"As you just stated, we're fighting uphill. There are still people who need to be convinced, and I'm wondering if there's apart of you that needs to be convinced yourself. Like it or not, what you've put us in is the middle of an active war [i]as[/i] we've just exited one of the worst wars in human history. And in my experience, wars require striking before the other side gets a chance to. If you're going to keep the level of intensity up in the press, we need to match our actions accordingly. The checkpoints alone aren't enough, especially when we've subdued less than a third of this quarter's targeted metas."[/b][/COLOR]

Taking a step forward, Waller exuded a level of determination that even Lord couldn't match.

[COLOR=6c7be8][b]"To put it simply, Max. We've passed the point of a slow rollout."[/b][/COLOR]

The President fell silent for a moment.

Truth be told, Lord's strategy in business had always relied on overpromising to leave room for delivering later, when possible. But what an oil baron needed to hear to relinquish a couple of drums and what the American people needed to hear to buy into the nessescary means to save themselves from annihilation - the kind that The Reach very nearly represented - were two entirely different things. And as he began to form the words, his own words from before suddenly caught up with him. Hesitation [i]was[/i] the enemy of progress.

[color=5d8aa8][b]"Maybe we have. I don't know that they'll necessarily agree, but I know what needs to be done in spite of them."[/b][/COLOR]

Lord turned towards Waller, his expression considerably more grim than before. [color=5d8aa8][b]"Alright. Draft up a plan of attack, hand it out to the usual parties. And make sure you've got a working proposal on my desk by the time I've finished this speech."[/b][/COLOR]

Her expression inscrutable, Waller nevertheless nodded. Finally, they'd found themselves on common ground. With a deep breath, Lord prepared himself to face the public that stood just a couple of walls away. Opening the massive twin doors, President Lord was greeted by the sight of twelve waiting members of the Secret Service. One approached with a microphone setup and battery pack, given the nod to apply it to Lord's person.

[b]"This'll only take a moment, sir."[/b]

[color=5d8aa8][b]"Waller. One other thing."[/b][/COLOR]

The Vice President looked up from the tablet, already fully engaged in coordinating with the heads of The Agency on enacting Lord's orders.

[color=5d8aa8][b]"I need you to secure a meeting with Abraham Cornelius. If what we agreed upon is true, we'll need his insight."[/b][/COLOR]

Waller's eyes narrowed. [COLOR=6c7be8][b]"Mr. President, you should know who you're talking to by now."[/b][/COLOR]

The next few words put a wider grin on the President's face.

[COLOR=6c7be8][b]"Dr. Cornelius is on his way as we speak."[/b][/COLOR][/COLOR]