Introduction: The State of Things

America in the early twenty-first century has become a shadow of its former self. The election of conservative political outsider Dave Morgan as president in 2020 has given rise to a populist movement that favors isolation over internationalism. Force over diplomacy. Fear over hope. Corruption over decency. And sadly, bigotry over equality. Although relatively small, President Morgan’s cult-like base is still holding strong. They have given in to the idea that all negative press about Morgan is “phony news”. In their minds, the president can say and do no wrong. This is compounded by the fact that the Republicans control both the House and Senate, giving President Morgan licence to do virtually anything he pleases. Of course, if Mogan had his way, there wouldn’t be any congressional barriers to making laws at all.

To make matters worse, President Morgan has aligned himself more with world dictators than our closest allies. He attacks the leaders of Canada and Germany just for stating facts and speaking up for their respective people’s self-interest. In contrast, Morgan praises the leaders of our enemies such as North Korea, Iran, and Russia. It’s as though the American president is looking to completely change the international order.

The only beacon of hope is that the end of his first term is fast approaching, meaning Dave Morgan’s time in office could very well come to an end. The vast majority of Americans now oppose Morgan and are ready to vote him out of office---and out of their lives for good. However, on October 20th, 2023 --- nearly one year out from the 2024 presidential election, everything changed. This is where our story begins.

Prologue: The Attacks

It was a typical American Friday morning in October. Parents sending their kids off to school. Local businesses opening up shop. The smell of diesel fuel in the air as buses made their scheduled morning routes. It was the kind of day to which, in normal circumstances, most people would soon forget and move on. Then, at approximately 8:34 AM EST, the attacks began.

It started in Boston with a truck bomb at the Public Garden. Minutes later, similar blasts rocked downtown Los Angeles and Denver. Then, just as news outlets were going on air to report on the apparent terror attacks, even larger explosions were set off in New York City and Orlando. Each blast was massive and could be felt for several miles. Buildings were destroyed. Hundreds of people across the country were killed. Thousands were injured. It was clear to everyone that these were not mere coincidences. America had just been the victim of deadly coordinated terror attacks. This was the most horrific assault on the American mainland since 9/11. The question remained--who was responsible?

Early reports, as usual, were somewhat unreliable as the chaos of that morning brought conflicting accounts from bystanders. However, within several hours, the general consensus was that the attacks had been carried out by KISL, an anti-American terrorist group based in the mountains of Pakistan. KISL had been terrorizing Europe and its surrounding Middle Eastern countries for several years. However, this was the first time the terrorist group had dared carry out a plot on American soil. It was also KISL’s largest and most devastating attack to date.

Reaction from the government was swift and harsh. There was no ambiguity on the position the United States was planning to hold. The country was most definitely on the brink of war.

“Make no mistake.” President Morgan said in a television address.

“We will not rest until KISL is destroyed and we can be confident in the security of the American people. Justice will be served.”

The days that followed were filled with anxiety and a deep-seeded fear that permeated throughout the heart of the country. People were scared...and rightly so. But however much the public was worried about the impending war, nothing could have quite prepared the country for what happened next.

Two weeks after the attacks, President Morgan again addressed the nation in primetime. Only this time, the message was something unlike anything ever uttered by a president before. He began in usual fashion, providing updates on the plan of action against KISL. However, Morgan then pivoted and said what would become one of the most consequential presidential statements in the history of the United States.

“In light of the recent attacks on this nation, I hereby demand that Congress immediately pass a bill that suspends the upcoming elections and abolishes executive term limits indefinitely.” Morgan stated.

“We are in the middle of the biggest national security crisis this country has ever seen. We are in no shape to handle a presidential election at this time. Our current leadership should remain in place until the threat of KISL and other terrorist groups has been completely neutralized. I alone can resolve this. I alone can lead the country through this war.”

The public outcry was fierce. Within hours, massive protests engulfed the White House gates. This was an obvious attack on the rule of law and the majority of Americans knew they had to push back. However, it soon became clear that Morgan’s allies in Congress were more than happy to be on board with the president. After days of tense debate and multiple filibusters by the Democrats, it was done. On party line votes, both the Senate and House passed the Emergency Executive Powers Act or EEPA. The new law of the land stated that all future presidential, congressional, and senatorial elections were to be postponed until further notice. It also stated that executive term limits were now officially over. President Morgan was now, for all intents and purposes, “president for life”.

The next three years saw major shifts in the American fabric and our standing on the world stage. Sure, there were numerous judicial challenges to the new law. Unfortunately, these attempts to save the nation from tyranny ultimately fell short due to a right-leaning Supreme Court which was propped up by hard-line conservative justices hand picked by Morgan. And because all future national elections were effectively canceled, Morgan was able to utilize his permanent majority in Congress to fulfill his extreme right-wing agenda. And extreme it was. For example, press freedoms were drastically diminished as one law was passed that prevented news outlets from publishing articles that “painted the president in a bad light”. Over time, the majority of small market newspapers and television stations became effectively under government control. It became very difficult for the media to publish, print, or air anything that reflected negatively on the president or the government in general. Opinion pieces speaking out against the government essentially became a thing of the past. Comedians and late-night hosts feared retaliation if they dared go “too far” with their satirical shots at the president. Other freedoms and protections were ended as well. Abortion became illegal. Protests against the government were outlawed. Marriage equality was abolished. And on top of all of that, the DOJ, CIA and FBI had quickly become political weapons of Morgan. The president used every asset at his disposal to go after his political enemies and any person or group that would dare cross him.

Once solid American democratic institutions were dying and dying fast. Not only was the country at war but America now looked more like a dictator-led state than the “Land of the Free”. The United States had become isolated from our most trusted allies. The presidency as we knew it was over. Democracy was dead. The country needed a hero.