Chapter 170: Chapter 151: The First African American President

Columbia, Federal District, the United States of America
December 28th, 1828

"So this is the bunker," President-elect Eliyah Peters of the Republican Party mused as he walked down several flights of steps and stopped in front a pair of sturdy, oak doors, "And inside is?"

"The Oracle," President Crockett replied. Nearby, Secretary of Defense Meriwether Lewis, who was recently appointed by the president to replace the previous secretary, held up a candle-lit lantern to provide a light source for the two men. The president pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the doors of the "Bunker." As they entered, Secretary Lewis fiddled with a few objects in the corners of the room and within minutes, the room was lit up by several bright arc lamps powered by charcoal sticks and large cell-batteries.

Peters cocked his eyebrows as he looked at the lamps, "Were those developed by ARPA?"

"They developed the arc lamps towards the beginning of the nineteenth century. Though, it was only recently that they managed to allow these arc lamps to last a while. They last a few hours and need to be replaced constantly," Crockett shrugged, "But it lets us sit in this dark, stuffy room without a lantern warming up our faces. They're not for commercial use, at least, not yet."

The room was quite plain, contrary to Peters' expectations. There was a very long meeting table, accompanied by nearly three dozen chairs. The walls were lined with bookshelves after bookshelves, crammed with various books and texts. A thin chest rested on one of the bookshelves and President Crockett managed to bring it down after nimbly climbing onto one of the chairs. He used another key to open the chest and when he did, Peters was greeted with the piece of evidence that proved that Crockett wasn't a madman.

The object was thin, barely thicker than a two hundred-page novel. It was about a third of a meter in length and a strange logo with a bitten apple was displayed on the smooth metal surface of the Oracle. Crockett lifted the top half of the contraption and a screen, along with a set of keyboards, was revealed to the people in the room. He pressed a button and the screen lit up.

Peters jumped back, "What in the mother of Jesus?"

"There isn't Jesus here, only the wonders of the future." The sitting president replied.

"Relax, sir," Secretary Lewis said with a knowing smile, "It won't bite. I reacted the same way you did when I first saw it, but it's a non-living machine like a steam engine. Just... much more advanced."

After loudly clearing his throat, the first African American president shifted the collar of his shirt and took a deep breath, "Right. That was silly of me. And forget about my outburst there, gentlemen. Usually, I do not say such vulgar language."

"Of course," Crockett tapped a few buttons on the keyboard after the screen displayed "Samuel Kim, password." He awkwardly pressed enter and the Oracle now displayed a picture of the American flag with several emblems on the bottom parts of the screen, "Now, in the future, this is called a "laptop." Apparently, it is a powerful machine capable of doing anything within the reaches of your imagination. Or so I was told."

"Fly to the moon?" The Georgian asked.

"Funny that you mention it. America did land on the moon, using the power of computers, which is a more general way of calling these machines. I believe it was in the mid-twentieth century."

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"America landed on the moon?"

"We'll probably land there a bit earlier this time around," Crockett replied nonchalantly, "A shame, I did want to see those metal rockets before I died."

The recently elected president shook his head in disbelief, "I will need to verify that later."

"And that's one of the easier things to comprehend. Some of the information you will learn will haunt you. It is called the Oracle for a reason; you can see into the future and make your decisions accordingly, using examples from the future to avoid catastrophic mistakes. However, that information will remain a scepter above your head, a constant reminder that one mistake you make can affect the destiny of mankind as a whole. Being the President of the United States is not an easy job, especially since you know that your actions may cause significant changes to the future. Not just good changes, but terrible changes as well. There have been far too many times where I have stayed up late at night, pondering if the things I have achieved will leave a positive influence on our world. Will one of my decisions kill millions in the future? Will it lead to mass murders, to famine, to wars?" The man shook his head, "It is a burden that we have to take unwillingly, but it is our burden."

At that moment, Peters saw the sixth president age several decades right before his eyes. Then everything clicked into place. Why he was so insistent on creating a foreign organization for American nations, despite his focus on domestic issues and his conservatism. Why the president prepared so much to protect the Native Americans in California and Sierra before allowing a federal inspector group to "discover" gold and silver out in the west. Even as he clamored for a faster settlement of the west. Why his hair was completely gray despite being merely forty-two years old.

The American presidency, prestigious as it was, was taxing. Every single president before him read the content within the Oracle and realized just how much power they held in their hands. As Crockett mentioned to him in an earlier meeting, "A butterfly's wing flap in China can cause hurricanes in England."

Would he be up for the task?

The Seventh President of the United States, Eliyah Peters, the son of two former slaves, gripped his hand tightly. There were no records of him in the other history, something that Crockett mentioned to him the first time he was told about "the Secret." That meant his parents were most likely slaves in the other world and continued to remain as slaves throughout their entire lives. He would've been born into slavery, not into a moderately affluent farming family. He never would've attended a federal university, because they didn't exist in the other world. He would've been stuck as a "Negro," nothing more and nothing less.

The changes the previous presidents have brought upon the world were positive and allowed a man like him to rise to the nation's highest office. He was elected with the confidence and blessings of the people, despite his skin color, despite his background.

Would he be able to do the same?

"I am willing," Peters slowly responded, "To take the burden."

President Crockett looked at him for a few moments and patted his shoulders, "You'll become one of the greatest presidents this nation will ever see, just you wait."

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