Chapter 6: NO!

Chapter 6: NO!

He quickly turned to face Moony and ordered, "Boy, victory howl."

"AWOOOOOOOOO... AWOOOOO..." Moony started to howl as trained.

Colone Phillips and Roosevelt just blankly stared at him in confusion.

"Hector? Are you okay?" Roosevelt asked him. Colonel Phillips was silent meanwhile.

*Cough* Hector chuckled and looked at their faces. In his head, he quickly came up with a way to have his total oversight over this department. "No, I just remembered something. You two will be shocked to know that I've faced this organisation in the first world war as well. But back then, they were more secretive, never really coming forward with their real name. But this time, it seems they have decided to play the big game.

"You know, they experiment on mutants. Sadly, we have given mutants a status even lower than coloured folks in this country."

Roosevelt sighed, true, civil rights were an issue in the country, but he didn't want to change them right now, as it can create large scale protests and riots from both sides. And right now, the country needs stability more than anything else.

Colonel Phillips, however, was excited, knowing that his proposal was as good as accepted. "Gene... Vice-President, then you should be the one overseeing this department. I'm sure if anybody, you should know the dangers of Hydra better than anyone." Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

Roosevelt agreed, "True, that is why I am accepting this proposal. Hector, you should appoint a Senator loyal to you to be the deputy head overseer of this department. We can't have the Vice-President openly be taking over such departments."

Hector nodded and started, "Agreed, but I have a different proposal for you, something that can create our nation stronger. And since we have such a huge majority in both the Senate and the House, this shouldn't be a problem. Colonel Phillips, you should listen to me and give your input as well."

Colonel Phillips became interested to know what proposal this legend has. Must be something good, well, it was also clear that Phillips was a fanboy by this point. "Sir, I will be glad to help."

"All right, I am saying this from my experience of fighting in the Spanish war and the World War. In those days, the Air Force was not a major thing. Now, we are in a different era, where the use of all three forces will be huge.

"This is why we can not have the previous military administrations. Since 1789, we have been using the system of having a Secretary of War, who oversees the army and the air force. Then there is the Secretary of Navy. It's understandable why this was the case, as back then the navy was extremely important. But, this system creates a lack of interoperability between the three forces. This can cause problems in multi-service joint operations. Hence, to create a synergy between all three, we need a single Secretary of Defence.

"The new chain of command shall be Army/Navy/Air Force chief of staff -> Secretary of the Army/Navy/Air Force -> Secretary of Defence -> Commander-in-Chief, the president. What do you think? A simple Act of Congress can make this happen." Hector proposed. This was his first step to make sure the coming war is fought efficiently.

Roosevelt fell into thought. What Hector said made a lot of sense, this would also streamline the chain of command, he will just have to talk to the Secretary of Defence to understand the conditions of all three services. "Your proposal makes sense. Make one of your loyal senators propose this in Congress."

Hector was happy. This would help him as well since he was not just going to sit in the office, he was going to physically participate in the war. But, first, he needed to make some preparations to emerge as the greatest man ever after the war. For this, he needs to make a trip to some Nazi-loving south American countries and show some good old satanic stuff to their presidents. He also needed money, for this, he was going to invest in a lot of companies that would produce war-related items. Production was going to skyrocket after all.

~Ah, I forgot the biggest one. Stark Enterprise should be in the budding phase right now.~ he remembered the thin, moustached man, Howard Stark. Anyway, his current assets were worth 19 Million dollars(374 Million today.) But his problem was, only 1.2 Million was in cash, the rest was his owned land. He didn't want to sell the land either, so he was in a bit of a pickle.

Colonel Phillip was dismissed after that and sent away. Roosevelt and Hector were left there only. So the man asked him, "Hector, tell me, what do you think are the odds of us entering the war?"

"Do you want the truth or sweet candy that lets you sleep nicely at night?" Hector inquired.

Roosevelt chuckled, "Hah, the truth of course."

"One hundred per cent. We will enter the war not because we have to, but because we must. Don't forget, the war is not just in Europe, but also in Asia. Imperial Japan has decided to expand much further than their little island. And one thing I know for certain is that expansionists never get satisfied. So, I suggest we start preparing for the inevitable." Hector said with utmost confidence.

Roosevelt felt taken aback, this was too direct. He wondered what Hector saw that he did not. Well, who would tell the poor guy that a literal Hell Lord was sitting in front of him?

"Director, I have a request. We have a Counterintelligence Division in FBI, right?" He inquired.

"Yes, Mr President," Hoover replied.

~Tsk... bastard thinks he can smooth talk me by calling me president. Huh.~ Hector cursed in mind and continued, "Yes, then I have very important advice. Alert all your divisions, Soviets have sent their spies to the United States to steal our technology. Now, by the constitution, I can not order you to do anything, I can only suggest. So take my suggestion, and maybe, if you prove yourself to Congress, perhaps when the next person sits in the big office, you can get a Secretarial position... perhaps an entirely new department for internal security can be made."

Hector saw the look of thirst in Hoover's eyes. The man wanted power, as much as possible. ~Dream on, you foolish prat.~

Hoover nodded and stood up with his chest inflated with a sense of pride and hope. He moved closer to shake hands, "Thank you for the advice, Mr President, I will guarantee you that no Soviet spy will enter our waters or air as long as I am alive."

Hector nodded and shook it, "And the nation will owe you a debt for that."

*WOOF*

As soon as Hoover left, Moony barked, Hector chuckled, "Haha, yeah, he was indeed a dumb fella. You want chicken for lunch?"

"WOOOOO..." and there goes the happy howling.

...

In the previous month, other than writing a book about his survival, he checked the industries he should invest in. Stark Enterprise was still a private company, fully owned by Howard Stark. The man was still a struggling inventor, but he was gaining fame slowly. Hector cared not to meet him, as he was the overseer of Strategic Scientific Reserve, and eventually, Colonel Phillips will recommend the young Stark to join.

He looked into the industries he should invest in. Most of these were automotive, clothes and steel companies. There was also the Hormel Foods Corporation, the company that made SPAM. It was going to be used during the War.

This was enough for him, he was not mad for money, as it didn't really matter to him. He wanted to enjoy his time, not spend it doing accounts.

...

April 1940,

The Finns sued for an armistice and cede the northern shores of Lake Lagoda to the Soviet Union. Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. Denmark surrendered on the day of the attack.

The war was getting fierce, America was facing the effects as well since many industries could not export their items to Europe anymore. But defence production had skyrocketed. Hector was already seeing his money increase.

But then a headache came his way. Congress passed the act to create the position of Secretary of Defence. It was fine until then, but Roosevelt invited him to his office and acted a bit too sugary for some reason.

Wary, Hector asked, "I know that face, what headache are you giving me now?"

Roosevelt chuckled, "Hah, it is you who gives the headache, my friend. Moony howled the whole day yesterday. Nobody could work."

"That was because someone had breached the White House's fence and he was just trying to alert people. Poor boy, nobody listened to him. Anyway, what is it?" He asked again.

Roosevelt dropped the news, "Fine, Hector, I want you to increase your burden, take the office of Secretary of Defence."

"NO!" Hector bluntly rejected.