Apocrypha ✔️

Epilogue

The gray bus steadied itself as it crossed through the rough terrain of the landscape. Inside, the professor stood at the front of the bus, holding onto the railings to steady himself.

"We should arrive in about ten minutes." He announced. "So, to wake you all up, how about a pop quiz!"

The students groaned.

"Prof! It's too early for this!" One student said.

"We only got five hours of sleep!" Another student in the back yelled.

The professor clicked his tongue while shaking his head. "It's not my fault we had to go through safety precautions because of acid rain. This is just to review a bit before the final."

He pulled out a tablet and opened a file. There was a practice quiz he had prepared.

"First: Why is Joshua Barrington regarded as the Polar President? Anyone?"

A student in the front raised his hand. "Because of his shifting ideas. Joshua was known to be like many of his predecessors, imposing of harsh punishments and control, but was known for slowly reintroducing moderate policies."

"And can anyone tell me what those policies are?" The Professor asked.

"Civil unions, which the law was purposefully made ambiguous to allow same-sex relationships, though this was not tried for a while. Another law was creating the Ghetto Doctrine, which gave more liberties to the residents inside Ghettos."

"Yes, good job, Kim and Pol. It was known that Joshua was able to pass such progressive laws due to what was called 'The Catalyst.'" The Professor held up a photo of a USB drive. "Many today theorize that this contained many hidden secrets about several prominent Congresspeople and judges.

"While this drive has been lost, presumed to have been destroyed during the Invasion of DC, its impact cannot be overlooked." The professor scanned through the other questions.

"Uh, Professor!" A student called out. "Is it possible that Joshua's older brother, Gabriel Barrington, was the reason for the president's moderate views?" She asked.

"Hm, it is a strong theory. While Joshua never spoke publicly about his brother after the July Fiasco, those close to him say he privately still looked up to him. If you remember when we visited the ruins of Washington, we saw documents where Joshua continued to search for his brother.

"To say that Gabriel did not have a lasting effect would be a wrong statement. His scandal slowly showed the cracks in what was thought to be a perfect family."

The bus swerved right as it began to enter a dense forest.

In the back, a lone student cleared his throat. "What happened to the First Family?"

Some students around him rolled their eyes. "We went over this, Leo."

The professor smiled. "It's fine. The First Family has always been a point of interest for anyone. And it's no surprise why. They considered themselves to be the direct descendants from God. They believed themselves to be rulers of the world.

"By the time Micah Barrington came into power, the American Empire had already begun to crumble. Their overseas colonies in Europe and Asia revolted, weakening the government and military.

"Then, the invasion happened. For the first time since 2040, British and Canadian troops entered American soil and swiftly took control of many territories. Some of these territories were eager to defect to the other side.

"When DC was in the distance, the government employed Operation Samson, causing the entire Capitol region to be imploded." The professor showed the ruins. He stuck on one specific photo.