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A new dawn had arisen... one that was as despotic as it was dark. Beck, his presidency cut short, was arrested and publicly executed. The Council was more than willing to sacrifice one of its own to maintain their invisibility and omnipotence- hiding in plain sight and pulling the strings from behind the curtains. Beck was sacrificed to maintain order as well as invisibility... someone had to take the fall for the carnage. Although he was gone, the vision for the new order held by his wing of the Council- one clearly outlined on the Georgia Guidestones- lived on. The Council may have become bifurcated in purpose, but they still spoke with one voice publicly. The herd had been culled and a new political order implemented. Despised by the world, but hailed as a martyr for the order, Beck was laid to rest in an undisclosed location. His funeral attended by a chosen few. He was gone... or so the public believed. Beck himself was alive and well in Geneva. A body double had faced a firing squad. The United States, such as it was, was under new leadership... or ownership depending upon your point of view.
Beck had been replaced as president by E. Davis Patterson- the former CEO of a large pharmaceutical conglomerate. With the world still in turmoil some 3 years after the conflagration, the Councils had fairly dispensed with the pretense of any democratic process. The people still voted, the mainstream media still selected the pool of candidates, but the political class- career politicians- were a thing of the past. Rather than burden themselves with the illusion of the cumbersome democratic process, a new technocratic paradigm was in place run with the sleek efficiency of the corporate model.
Patterson was a part of the new political class- career corporatists or financiers. The Congress was comprised of middle management types, more a bureaucracy than a deliberative body... the political infrastructure was now a mirror image of a megacorporation. The Judicial system was overseen by the International Court of Justice in The Hague- directorates came directly from them, taking the onus away from local magistrates who dispensed justice at the local level. It epitomized the nameless, faceless justice system of Medieval times where the judges covered their heads while pronouncing sentence. The appeals process had been dispensed with as well... Verdicts were draconian and swift.
For those accused of crimes against the State (which included almost everything- the State was now supreme and virtually unchallenged)- it was the death penalty. Lethal injections were done away with in favor of the more inexpensive and effective firing squad- it tended to stifle dissent. In the new dystopia, benevolence took a back seat to efficiency. The creators of the Nazi death machine of the 1930's would have been proud indeed of what their post-apocalyptic counterparts had accomplished... they blended perfectly the brutality of Stalin and Beria with the efficiency of Maoist China. The result was a juggernaut of inhuman cruelty.
The United Nations Executive Headquarters was housed in the old League of Nations building in Geneva. The old one destroyed along with the rest of New York City. The new Global President was a Brazilian named Arturo Oliveira, chosen by the globalists for his corruptibility. He has amassed a fortune selling off exotic woods from the Amazon Basin. From there he had branched out into real estate and telecommunications... not to mention the less visible means of support- drugs and human trafficking. It was rumored that his fortune almost equalled that of Carlos Slim.
His Chancellor- the second in command so to speak, was a German, Reinhardt Behrmann, who had risen the head of the former East German Stasi at the tender age of 29. He now got the opportunity to employ the skills and his penchant for cruelty he developed with the Stasi. His reputation for extreme cruelty preceeded him and proved very useful in overseeing the policing apparatus- allowing Oliveira to keep the appearance of having clean hands. The truth was both were equally brutal and ruthless.
The Minister of Defense was Robert "Duke" Wade, the former American Secretary of Defense under Denning and Beck. After the conflagration, as soon as the dust had settled, he made himself available to the new regime... Being a former general, he was instrumental in convincing many of his colleagues to switch sides. Hated in America now, he stayed in Europe for the most part, where his survival although not guaranteed was greatly enhanced. When he travelled outside Geneva it was in a heavily armed convoy, a practice adopted by most of the upper echelons of the new global administration. On the rare occasions he did return to America he was accompanied by a small army.
Geneva itself had turned into a compound, surrounded by a high wall topped with concertina wire. Very few were allowed in or out and those who were, were searched thoroughly. It had become the safe haven for the global despots. The upper echelons of government and high ranking Council members lived in lavish estates surrounding the city, all under heavy security. The rationale given the general public was: "How can we keep you safe if we're not safe ourselves." It was far beyond ludicrous... No one was safe. The only safety lay in the rural areas far from the UN oppressors- and even that was questionable.
Similar precautions had been made in capitals around the world. Most didn't have the high walls, but all had checkpoints going in or out. Without proper credentials, none were admitted. Everyone was required to carry official UN identification- at all times. Without them one risked imprisonment or getting shot on the spot. A black market in forged credentials soon developed and the World Council (the UN governing body) debated implanting microchips... first proposed in the late 20th Century. The news propaganda machine showed happy families expounding on how safe they now felt because of the improved technology... with the implants citizens could be tracked at all times no matter where on the planet they were.
Celebrities- the entertainment industry boomed as it always does during difficult times. Those who had proved their loyalty to the regime were shown getting dummy implants. Being a part of the elite, they were, of course, allowed to continue their decadent lifestyles. The "New Hollywood" had sprung up near Boulder Colorado, which had been spared the devastation of Denver. They churned out a steady fare of government sanctioned pro-regime propaganda films and soft core porn.
The most popular films with the general public at least were by far, however, anti-government underground movies, independently produced and banned by the regime. They were sold on the black market or online. The dark web had exploded in popularity after the war... so much in fact that the UN oppressors had a special task force designed to route out the producers of the movies and anyone else involved in maintaining the websites. Many of the more patriotic actors and directors eschewed the New Hollywood and went underground. They were brave souls indeed, hunted by the oppressors and executed on sight when caught... Needless to say, they became instant heroes to the people.