Chapter 12: The President

Remaining surprisingly calm, Casey watched her father leave the cafeteria. During their last few encounters, he spoke to her in a way that felt different from his usual manner. Though his tone was often firm, it typically carried a sense of care and authority, almost like a father guiding his child. However, his tone seemed unusually stern on these occasions, lacking the warmth and reassurance he typically conveyed. She was touching on topics that made him deeply uncomfortable, and although she couldn't quite understand why, he was very concerned about their safety.

Rather than heading straight back to her lab, she took the lift to the rooftop garden for a few minutes of meditation. Teleporting would zap energy she didn't want to expel. Within seconds of settling, she heard a commotion that interrupted her. There was talking outside the pod entrance she was hoping to relax in. "She is getting too inquisitive, I knew it wasn't a good move to employ her," the voice outside the pod said. Another person responded, "Let me think about it." She could tell one of the voices was Harold Olderstone, and the other she knew but couldn't place.

As she was finding it difficult to focus, she thought she'd take the opportunity to approach Harold about a tour of her father’s lab. Becoming aware of her movement as she exited the pod, the conversation ceased, and they turned to her. Although Casey was surprised to see it was the President Harold was talking to, it seemed they were even more surprised to see her standing there. Casey didn't miss a beat; she nodded to Harold while approaching the President, who was much taller than her.

Harold reached out to stop her from approaching him, but the President said, "It's okay, Harold," and with that, Harold dropped his arm.

Casey reached out her hand to shake and said, "Mr. President, I'm Casey Pride." Casey was even more surprised when he responded, "I know who you are, Casey; sorry we disturbed you."

Even more surprising, he said, "I heard you visited the chemical manufacturing plant."

With his blue, somewhat deep-set eyes on her, it took a minute for Casey to respond, "Yes, we have some issues with the seawater chemical membranes, so I was looking into it."

"I'm aware, it's something my team is working on," he said.

"Oh, I only recently became aware of it. I'm surprised you know already," said Casey. He didn't respond to that question; he appeared to attempt to distract her with, "You can leave that with my team; you worry about finding an alternative." It was similar to what her father had said, "Just do your job."

She was a little annoyed that someone else was now trying to keep her in the dark, but it was the President, so a little more cautious than when speaking to her father, she said, "I would be happy to work with your team. We might be able to leverage each other to find a solution and maybe identify alternatives if there is a problem with sourcing. I've already started looking."

The President and Harold glanced at each other, the President's short, light brown, combed-back hair moving slightly in the breeze. Harold said, "No, that ..." but before he could finish, the President interrupted, saying, "Let me think about that, Casey. I'll get back to you." Harold gave the President a look that showed he was not pleased but didn't say anything. Before Casey could respond, Harold and the President were gone.

Donald Trump Jr., the President, had fair skin, a healthy, tanned appearance, and a slight orange tinge like most Calberras. He was tall with a lean build. On the big screen, he carried himself with a confident posture. His clothing choices tended to reflect a polished, professional appearance, and he wore suits during public appearances, similar to his father.

He had been in politics long before he inherited the presidency from his father in 2066. His mother, Ivana, died in 2022 at the age of 73. Ivana was a former model and the first wife of Donald Trump, with whom she had three children. His siblings played key roles in the government.

He certainly knew about Casey, it was his decision to recruit her. It wasn't his original intent, as the aim had been to embed the knowledge of the Gnia-itra formula within the family and close friends. To achieve this, the president’s brother Barron Trump, and a close friend of the family, Rupert Murdoch's daughter Chloe Murdoch, were appointed Jonathon's protégés about 10 years ago. Unfortunately, they had recently been killed in the same accident when test-driving a new vehicle that could fly, float and drive on roads.

It was a devastating loss for both families; there was no opportunity to save them, as due to the malfunction of the vehicle’s tracking system, it took two days to locate them, and by then, their bodies were unsalvageable.

This left a huge gap in maintaining the integrity of the Gnia-itra drug, so to not waste time the President had a plan. It was to induct Casey into the Calberra lab so he could test to see how loyal she would be; then, if she worked out, she would be transferred to her father’s lab to ensure the intellectual knowledge of the drug would not be lost and as a result sustain the Calberra community.

It was risky, as the drug was only known to and used by the Calberras. Jonathon was the only exception, and to keep Jonathon loyal, he and his daughter were the only two outside of the Calberra entitled to take the drug. The President knew it important for Casey to find a solution to the lysoid issue before any discussion about her moving to her fathers lab was critical, as if she knew they were redirecting the lysoid from the seawater membrane chemical pouches over the community, for the production of the Gnia-itra drug, without a replacement she might cause trouble.

He would have liked to talk to Casey longer on the rooftop, but he had a meeting with the Murdoch family—well, more specifically, with Lachlan. Tension had been building within Lachlan's family for some time. He had been at the helm of the Murdoch media empire for decades, but cracks were beginning to show. His siblings had long been dissatisfied with his leadership. Their grievances with the empire’s management had simmered for years, and now, they were growing bolder, eager to force change.

The media empire had become a point of contention for the Murdoch siblings. They resented how it had evolved into a singular, monolithic voice that spoke primarily for the government, perpetuating divisive narratives that fragmented society. They could no longer ignore the fact that it had become little more than a mouthpiece, manipulating public opinion to serve political agendas. The weight of this reality was crushing, and the resentment it fueled had only grown.

Behind the scenes, the siblings had been quietly plotting to dismantle the Calberras' stronghold on the empire. Their vision was clear: a new era for Murdoch Media—one built on transparency, integrity, and accountability. They wanted to tear down the walls the Calberras had constructed, but their approach had been cautious, even passive. They knew better than to rush. The Calberras were powerful, and their own dependence on the Gnia-itra kept them tethered in a delicate balance. Progress was slow, frustratingly so.

The recent death of Chloe, however, had shifted the dynamics in ways they hadn't anticipated. It had ignited a firestorm of emotions within the family, and, more importantly, it could embolden Lachlan’s siblings to take a more assertive stance. What had once been whispered in the shadows might now be shouted from the rooftops. This new energy was enough to push Lachlan to seek counsel with the President. The stakes had never been higher, and he knew he had to tread carefully. The balance of power within the Murdoch empire was fragile, and the scent of confrontation was in the air. Lachlan could feel it—his siblings were preparing for a battle that could change everything.