Copperhead by Gene Wolfe

"Copperhead" is a 2001 science fiction short story by Gene Wolfe. It is about a very powerful remote control held by the President of the United States. Non-Spoiler Summary In A Nutshell: "Copperhead" follows the President of the United States as he learns of the suicide of one of his colleagues. In order to get control of the situation he has the Secret Service bring in two women. One of them is let off easy, but the other one gets a little bit of a history lesson as he explains to her where she really came from, and how she got here. The telephone in the study rang ten minutes before the news came on. The new President picked it up and said hello. "Mister President?" "Speaking." Only eighteen people were supposed to have the number. For an instant, the new President wondered how many actually did. "This is Marsha. Boone's killed himself." My Two Cents: • The good: Gene Wolfe is an awesome writer! Sure, his stories are bizarre, but they are just so darn unique how can you not like…