Terror on Wall Street, a Financial Metafiction Novel by Kenneth Eade, Gordon L. Eade

really there, and smiled. 
         “Oh, my goodness.  You’re right!”
         Harry continued to pack up his briefcase, then paused.
         “I’m sorry, Ms. Baxter: did you have a question?”
         “Yes, professor.  Are you really serious about saving the world, or is it just a learning exercise for the class?”
         “My dear, everything in life is a learning exercise.  But, serious?  Yes, I’m dead serious.  I think that unless we do something and do it quickly, we may be heading back to an economic stone age.”

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    ARMAGEDDON
     
     
     
    Carlos and Henry stopped on their trip to Midway to pick up Harry and his wife Jennifer.
          Harry opened the door for Jennifer, then slid in next to her.
         Carlos looked at Harry in shock when he saw the Band-Aid on Harry’s face and the scrapes on his hand.
         “What happened to you, Professor?”
         “Nothing, just a few scrapes.  Anybody able to get any news on the radio?”
         “It comes and goes.”
         “Use the dial, not the digital shortcut.  I remember when all radios had just dials.” 
         Carlos fiddled with the radio dial, and an AM station crackled to life.
         Members of the House Committee on Terrorism have proposed wide-sweeping reforms to the visa waiver program, with House Speaker Nettle Winehard proposing an outright ban on Muslims.
         “How ignorant.  It’s not the Muslims who caused this problem.  They should call for a ban on the industrial military complex.”
         Now we will go live to the White House, where the President is addressing the nation.
         “My fellow Americans, in this time of crisis, we must all stick together.  Panic is not going to help, and just feeds the enemy. I’ve put together a task force from the FBI and the Department of Home Security and they’re working diligently to keep the American public safe.  The FDIC and the Federal Reserve are both doing their jobs, and I can assure you that these measures will stabilize our economy."
         “They always approach everything as if it were a war.  The terrorist attacks created very small casualties themselves, but they triggered an economic collapse of gigantic proportions.”
         “And I remember what you said, professor.  Printing money is not going to get us out of this.”
         “No, Mr. Rodriguez, it’s not.  But neither is putting an army on the streets.  The elite are scrambling to do something to protect themselves.”
         “Not us.”
         “Of course not us, Mr. Brammon.  Our only use to them is to be a consumer at the bottom of the food chain.”
      When they got to the airport, they found Larry waiting outside the private terminal.  He had made it just in time.  They exited the car.
         “Good luck, Henry.”
         “You too, Carlos.  Give them hell on the hill!”  Henry shook his fist and drove off as Carlos waved.
         Harry was happy to see Larry Thompson.  He smiled and shook his hand.
         “Glad you could make it, Mr. Thompson.  Have you heard from Mr. Pendleton and Ms. Baxter?”
         “No, Professor.  Last I heard, they were both flying out of O’Hare.”
         Harry frowned.   “I hope they made it.  We need them in Washington.”
         “If there still is a Washington.”
         “O’Hare is closed.  That’s why I asked.  We’ve been trying to call them, with no luck.”
        When they got inside the terminal, they learned that the pilot and co-pilot were already on the plane.  The co-pilot came out to the gate to hurry them on.
         “If we’re going to get out of here at all, we have to try to do it now.”
         “We have two more people who may need a ride.”
         The co-pilot just pointed to his watch.  “Five minutes.”
         He rushed back onto the plane.
         After five minutes of