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Literature

“I have an unexpected emergency! ” The operator was breathless. “, phone call for the President. “

Tench looked disbelief.

“Not at this point, you don’t! inch

“It’s coming from Rachel Sexton. She says really urgent. inch

The frown that darkened Tench’s deal with appeared to be more one of puzzlement than anger. Tench eyed the cordless phone. “That’s a house line. That’s not protect. “

“No, ma’am. But the incoming contact is available anyway. She has on a radiophone. She needs to speak to the President immediately. “

“Live in 90 seconds! inch

Tench’s chilly eyes stared, and she held away a spider-like hand. “Give me the device. “

The operator’s cardiovascular system was pounding now. “Ms. Sexton would like to speak to Chief executive Herney directly. She informed me to delay the press conference until she’d spoke to him. I assured-“

Tench stepped toward the operator today, her words a seething whisper. “Let me let you know how this works. You do not take requests from the girl of the President’s opponent, you take them via me. I could assure you, this is since close as you are getting to the President till I discover what the hell goes on. “

The agent looked toward the President, who was today surrounded by microphone technicians, stylists, and several workers talking him through last revisions of his speech.

“Sixty mere seconds! ” the tv supervisor yelled.

Onboard the Charlotte, Rachel Sexton was pacing wildly in the limited space when ever she finally heard a click on the telephone line.

A raspy voice came on. “Hello? “

“President Herney? inch Rachel blurted.

“Marjorie Tench, ” the voice corrected. “I are the President’s senior advisor. Whoever this is certainly, I must notify you that prank cell phone calls against the White House will be in breach of-“

To get Christ’s sake! “This can be not a bogus! This is Rachel Sexton. I am just your NRO liaison and-“

“I i am aware of who also Rachel Sexton is, ma’am. And I are doubtful that you will be she. You might have called the White House on an unguaranteed line telling me to interrupt an important presidential transmit. That is barely proper MO for someone with-“

“Listen, inches Rachel fumed, “I briefed your whole personnel a couple of hours back on a bolide. You sat in the front row. You watched my own briefing on the television sitting on the President’s desk! Virtually any questions? inch

Tench droped silent a point in time. “Ms. Sexton, what is the meaning of this? inch

“The meaning is that you have to stop the President! His meteorite info is all wrong! We’ve simply learned the meteorite was inserted by beneath the ice cubes shelf. My spouse and i don’t know simply by whom, and I don’t know how come! But everything is not the actual seem up here! The President is around to recommend some significantly errant data, and I firmly advise-“

“Wait one goddamned minute! ” Tench decreased her tone of voice. “Do you understand what you are saying? “

“Yes! I think the NASA administrator features orchestrated some type of large-scale scams, and Chief executive Herney is about to get caught in the middle. You might have at least got to put off ten moments so I can show him what’s been taking place up right here. Someone attempted to kill me personally, for The lord’s sake! inches

Tench’s voice turned to ice. “Ms. Sexton, let me supply you with a word of warning. For anyone who is having second thoughts about your role in helping the Light House with this campaign, you need to have thought of so very long before you personally supported that meteorite data intended for the Chief executive. “

“What! ” Is she even hearing?

“I’m revolted by your display. Using a line is a cheap stop. Implying the meteorite info has been faked? What kind of intelligence standard uses a radiophone to call the Light House and talk about classified information? Naturally you are hoping somebody intercepts this kind of message. inches

“Norah Mangor was murdered over this! Dr . Ming is also useless. You’ve got to warn-“

“Stop immediately! I don’t know what you aren’t playing for, but I will remind you-and anyone else whom happens to be intercepting this telephone call-that the White House possesses videotaped depositions from NASA’s best scientists, many renowned civilian scientists, and yourself, Ms. Sexton, almost all endorsing the meteorite info as exact. Why you are abruptly changing your account, I can only imagine. Whatever the reason, consider yourself relieved of your White Property post around this instant, and if you try to taint this discovery with any more absurd allegations of foul perform, I insure you the Light House and NASA can sue you for defamation therefore fast you will not have an opportunity to pack a suitcase before you go to prison. “

Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but no words emerged.

“Zach Herney has been nice to you, inches Tench clicked, “and to be truthful this smacks of a low-cost Sexton marketing stunt. Drop it at the moment, or we’re going press expenses. I vow it. inch

The line gone dead.

Rachel’s mouth was still hanging wide open when the captain knocked on the door.

“Ms. Sexton? ” the chief said, peering in. “We’re picking up a faint signal from Canadian National A radio station. President Zach Herney just begun his press seminar. “

68

Standing with the podium in the White House Briefing Area, Zach Herney felt the heat of the press lights and knew the earth was viewing. The targeted blitz performed by the White-colored House Press Office acquired created a contamination of press buzz. Those who did not learn about the addresses via tv set, radio, or perhaps on-line media invariably learned about it from neighbors, co workers, and family. By almost eight: 00 P. M., anyone not moving into a cave was speculating about the topic of the President’s address. In bars and living rooms over the globe, large numbers leaned toward their tvs in anxious wonder.

It absolutely was during moments like these-facing the world-that Zach Herney truly believed the fat of his office. Anyone that said electricity was not addictive had never really experienced that. As he commenced his treat, however , Herney sensed a thing was wrong. He was not a man prone to stage fright, and so the tingle of stress now securing in his main startled him.

It’s the magnitude of the viewers, he informed himself. And yet he recognized something else. Intuition. Something he previously seen.

It turned out such slightly thing, and yet

This individual told himself to ignore it. It had been nothing. And yet it caught up.

Tench.

Moments ago, because Herney was preparing to take those stage, he previously seen Marjorie Tench in the yellow hallway, talking on the cordless telephone. This was unusual in itself, but it was made in addition by the Light House agent standing close to her, her face white-colored with apprehension. Herney could not hear Tench’s phone discussion, but he could view it was good. Tench was arguing with a vehemence and anger the President experienced seldom seen-even from Tench. He paused a moment and caught her eye, curious.

Tench provided him the thumbs-up. Herney had never seen Tench give any individual the thumbs-up. It was the final image in Herney’s head as he was cued on to the stage.

On the green rug inside the press region inside the NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA) habisphere in Ellesmere Island, Administrator Lawrence Ekstrom was seated at the center of the extended symposium desk, flanked simply by top NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA) officials and scientists. On the large monitor facing all of them the President’s opening affirmation was being piped in live. The remainder of the NASA staff was huddled around additional monitors, crowded, overrun with enjoyment as their commander-in-chief launched in to his press conference.

“Good evening, ” Herney was saying, appearing uncharacteristically rigid. “To my own fellow countrymen, and to our family members and friends around the world, “

Ekstrom gazed on the huge charred mass of rock viewed prominently looking at him. His eyes relocated to a standby monitor, where he watched him self, flanked by his most austere workers, against a backdrop of a huge American flag and NASA emblem. The dramatic lighting manufactured the environment look like some form of neomodern painting-the twelve apostles at the previous supper. Zach Herney acquired turned this whole thing in a political sideshow. Herney had no choice. Ekstrom still seemed a televangelist, packaging The almighty for the masses.