Removal

by Murphy, Peter

  ‘Kelly,’ Linda whispered, fighting for breath through the trickle of blood which had begun to emerge from the corner of her mouth, ‘I have to go. If you see Bob…’

  ‘Linda, hang in there with me, please…’

  ‘No, Kelly, listen. Listen. It’s too late. Tell him I’m not taking him back this time. Tell him, this time, it’s over. Kelly, I love you.’

  ‘I love you too, Linda,’ Kelly replied. But, as she spoke the words, realized she would never know whether Linda had heard her or not.

  * * *

  A few seconds, or hours, or weeks later, Kelly hardly knew which, she heard Jeff’s voice shouting across the room to her, telling her to pick up Linda’s gun. Mechanically, she obeyed. She was still on her knees by Linda’s body. Turning in the direction of Jeff’s voice, she saw that he was holding Gary Mills’ weapon and pointing it at the same door by which the President had entered, however long ago that had been. Gary was sitting motionless in a chair by Jeff’s side. Looking up at the door, Kelly saw in its frame the figure of General Hessler. He had a nine-millimeter Glock pointed directly at Jeff. She knew that she somehow had to put her grief and shock aside, she needed to make the most massive effort of her life. Standing slowly, she forced her hands to point Linda’s gun at Hessler. But, despite her determination, her hands were shaking, and her eyes were wet with tears. Hessler smiled at her grimly, then looked across to the chair which contained the body of Steve Wade. He stared at the body for a few seconds, before shaking his head dismissively.

  ‘Useless fuck,’ he muttered. ‘All talk and no balls. You know, he actually thought he was still going to be in charge when all this is over. Well, at least now we’re through negotiating.’

  ‘That’s correct, General,’ Jeff said. ‘It doesn’t matter what the Senate does now, does it? Ellen Trevathan is President of the United States, and you’re under arrest for treason. Take two long steps further into the room, place your weapon on the ground, and take two steps back again.’

  Hessler laughed. ‘Well, you do seem to have me outnumbered,’ he said. ‘Two to one. Depending, of course, on whether the lady could actually use that weapon she’s holding.’

  As she stared into Hessler’s eyes, Kelly relived the moment when Linda fell, mortally wounded. And then, unable to control her thoughts, she began to relive another occasion when she had seen friends die. She saw herself back in that godforsaken factory in the Bronx. She saw the storage room near the main gate. She saw herself dive for cover with Joe and Tina, as the bullets flew all around them. She relived the endless waiting for the sound of the sirens that meant back-up was on the way. She relived the sound and the fury of that terrible night, the sharp crack as the bullet entered Joe’s skull, Tina’s imploring screams as she waited to die, lying on the ground by Kelly’s side. There had to have been something she could have done differently. This time she would do it right.

  ‘You’d better believe she can, and will, General,’ Kelly replied. ‘Without a second thought.’ Her hands were steady now, and her voice held a deadly calm.

  ‘Well, then, I am outnumbered,’ Hessler said, with a smile. ‘But not for long, I think. In fact, here come my reinforcements now. Now it’s my turn. And, since I’m not in a patient mood, let me advise you both strongly to drop your weapons, and do it now.’

  Half turning to the entrance leading to the garden, Kelly saw that Captain Manning had entered the room. He had drawn his own side-arm, but he had also seen Steve Wade’s body, and seemed shocked, and uncertain what to do. Behind him stood a lance-corporal and four Marines, all holding assault rifles. Manning looked at Hessler.

  ‘With your permission, General, what is going on here?’

  Hessler nodded towards Kelly and Jeff in turn.

  ‘These traitors shot President Wade, Captain. Have your men disarm them and take them into custody.’

  Manning looked at Kelly questioningly. But it was Gary Mills who spoke.

  ‘No, they didn’t,’ he said quietly, turning towards Manning. ‘Agent Samuels shot him. And I shot her. I’m sorry.’

  ‘You shut your mouth,’ Hessler said. ‘Don’t listen to this moron. I’m telling you, these people came in here under cover of negotiating, and they shot President Wade.’

  Manning looked around the room and took a deep breath. ‘With all due respect, I don’t think so, Sir.’

  Hessler turned his weapon and took aim at Manning.

  ‘What did you say?’ he demanded.

  ‘I disarmed Director Smith and Agent Morris myself when they arrived, Sir. They didn’t have anything to shoot the President with.’

  Hessler swallowed hard.

  ‘It’s obvious what happened then. They took Agent Samuels’ gun, and they used that to shoot the President,’ he offered lamely. ‘They shot her, they disarmed Agent Mills, and then they shot the President.’

  Without turning Linda’s gun away from Hessler, Kelly addressed Manning.

  ‘Captain Manning, what Agent Mills told you is correct.’

  Manning nodded. ‘Yes, Ma’am. I know.’

  ‘Good,’ Kelly said. ‘Then I need your help. I am the Acting Director of the FBI. I have a warrant for the arrest of General Hessler on a charge of treason. I need your help to execute it.’

  Hessler snarled in Kelly’s direction. ‘She’s crazy. Obey my order without delay, Captain. Detain these people and take them into custody.’

  Out of the corner of her eye, Kelly was able to see Manning’s hesitation all too clearly. The Marines standing behind him also seemed transfixed, waiting for someone to make a decision for them. Kelly knew that Manning was all that now stood between America and a second civil war. She tried to find words to tell him, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, the officer in Captain Manning took over.

  ‘I’m sorry, General Hessler,’ he said. ‘I can’t carry out your order, Sir. It’s over now. Please place your weapon on the floor, Sir.’

  ‘Fuck you,’ Hessler shouted. ‘If you don’t obey me, I’ll have you shot, you impudent little cocksucker…’

  ‘Marines,’ Manning shouted, even more loudly than Hessler, ‘disarm the General. And if he resists, shoot him.’

  The lance-corporal’s eyes opened wide, and he swallowed hard, but he obeyed Manning.

  ‘Sir. Yes, Sir. Marines, take aim. On my command, forward march!’

  Levelling their assault rifles at Hessler, the Marines awaited the lance-corporal’s order, which was only a second in coming.

  ‘Forward march.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Kelly said, under her breath.

  ‘No, you fucking don’t,’ Hessler snarled, extending his arm and his Glock in the direction of the approaching Marines. ‘I’ll have you all shot, you insubordinate assholes. In fact, I’ll do it myself.’

  ‘No, you won’t, you psychotic bastard,’ Jeff said. He took several bold steps forward, and put Gary’s gun right against Hessler’s head. ‘Try anything, and you’re the first to die. You have my word on that.’

  Before Hessler could reply, the Marines were on him. After a momentary hesitation, he permitted the lance-corporal to take away his gun.

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ he muttered, as much to himself as anyone else in the room. ‘There’s nothing you can do to me. The Williamsburg Doctrine has been part of the procedure since the Sixties. I did what was right for America. Fuck you all. You can’t touch me.’

  ‘We’ll see about that,’ Kelly replied quietly.

  The Marines surrounded General Hessler and led him away.

  ‘Thank you, Captain,’ Jeff said, the relief evident in his voice.

  ‘Yes, Sir,’ Manning replied. ‘What else can I do?’

  Jeff looked at Kelly, who had slumped into a chair, and knew that, for now, he had to take command.

  ‘Do you have any way to contact the Marines on duty outside the Capitol?’

  ‘Yes, Sir. My colonel’s in command there. We’re in constant communication by radio.’

 
; ‘Secure?’

  ‘Of course, Sir.’

  ‘Contact your colonel immediately. Tell him Wade is dead. Tell him that President Trevathan has declared a state of emergency, and that you are temporarily in command. Order him, and the Marines who are with him, to defend the Senate with any and all means at their disposal. Then get whatever reinforcements you can to Capitol Hill, ground troops, helicopters, whatever. You’re the expert. Whatever you think will help.’

  ‘Yes, Sir. Should the Marines move in and disperse the crowd, Sir?’

  Jeff considered for a moment.

  ‘Are those big TV screens still in place and operational around the Capitol and down the Mall?’

  ‘As far as I know, Sir.’

  ‘Good. In that case, order them not to take action for now, except to defend the Senate if necessary. But they should stand by to move on your command. After you’ve done that, alert all sections of the military to the fact of Wade’s death, starting with any units in charge of nuclear weapons.’

  Manning hesitated. ‘There is one thing, Sir…’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘The ‘football’.’

  ‘The what?… Oh, you mean…’

  ‘The box containing the nuclear codes, Sir. It’s supposed to remain within the reach of the President at all times. If I’m to give out news that President Wade is dead…’

  ‘Where is the ‘football’ now?’

  ‘It’s secure, Sir, but we need to get it to President Trevathan. Especially if the news of Wade’s death is going to be made public, and word gets out abroad. We don’t want to be caught with our pants down.’

  Jeff put a hand up to his forehead. ‘Oh, God, this is out of my league.’

  Manning smiled. ‘If I might make a suggestion, Sir?’

  ‘By all means,’ Jeff replied, returning the smile.

  ‘There’s talk that President Trevathan has appointed Mr. Lazenby Acting Vice President, and that he is still here in Washington. Is that correct, Sir?’

  ‘As far as I know,’ Jeff replied cautiously.

  ‘In that case, Sir, President Trevathan can execute what’s called an Article Twenty-Five in favor of the Vice President. It would allow him to take control for a limited period of time until the President arrives back in Washington. It would really help to know that is in place when I contact the various units. Just so there is no question as to who’s in charge.’

  Jeff nodded. ‘Very good, Captain. I’ll see to it.’

  ‘Yes, Sir. Anything else, Sir?’

  ‘Yes. Please take Agent Mills into custody, and have someone bring us our side-arms.’

  ‘Yes, Sir.’

  Captain Manning turned to leave the room, taking Gary by the arm. ‘Oh, and Captain…’

  ‘Sir?’

  ‘This isn’t your highest priority. But when you get a chance, send some of your men to arrest Admiral McGarry and Attorney-General Latham. The charges are the same as in General Hessler’s case.’

  Manning smiled.

  ‘It will be my pleasure, Agent Morris.’

  55

  SUDDENLY, THEY WERE alone, and the room was silent. Jeff walked over to the chair in which Kelly was sitting, removed Linda’s gun from her lap and placed it on the floor. He knelt beside her and held her as she wept silently. After some time, Kelly looked up.

  ‘I did it, Jeff. I killed her.’

  ‘No, you didn’t.’

  ‘If I hadn’t played on the doubts she was having… I saw it while we were talking. She had started to see what was going on. I thought if I could …’

  She lowered her head against his chest. Jeff kissed her gently on the forehead.

  ‘And you were right. But there was no way you could have foreseen what she would do.’

  He kissed her again. ‘She did it for you.’

  Kelly looked up.

  ‘It was after Wade told her he planned to have us killed. That was the final straw. She couldn’t see any other way out.’

  ‘She must have known what Gary would do,’ Kelly whispered.

  ‘Yes.’

  Jeff allowed her a minute more to pour out her tears.

  ‘Kelly, listen. I know this is hard for you. But I need you to function. We have to call the President.’

  Abruptly, Kelly got to her feet. ‘Oh, God, yes. Where’s the phone?’

  ‘I’ll get it.’

  As he did so, a Marine entered the room carrying their weapons, placed them on the table, saluted, and left. Jeff nodded to him. Kelly was dialing the number. Ellen Trevathan answered immediately.

  ‘Kelly, thank God. Are you OK? What’s going on?’

  With an effort, Kelly composed herself. ‘We’re fine, Madam President. We’re still at the White House.’

  She hesitated.

  ‘Look, there’s no easy way to tell you everything that’s happened. But you need to take action without delay. There are some things I’m going to have to explain to you later…’

  ‘That’s fine, Kelly,’ Ellen replied. ‘Talk to me.’

  Kelly took a deep breath. ‘Well, first, Steve Wade is dead…’

  Kelly heard the intake of breath on the other end of the line.

  ‘It was nothing to do with us,’ she continued. ‘His own people turned against him. I’ll tell you more later. The important thing is, whatever happens in the Senate, you are now President, and the mob has no basis for saying otherwise. Not that they ever did, but…’

  ‘I understand, Kelly’. The President’s voice betrayed her profound shock. ‘What else?’

  ‘General Hessler is under arrest, and the other conspirators soon will be,’ Kelly said. ‘But the most important thing is, a Captain Manning has taken charge of things here for the Marines. He is doing his best to make sure they can protect the Senate, but the situation there is very volatile. The Marines are outnumbered. We have reinforcements moving up, but they’re playing a very dangerous game.’

  ‘What should I do?’

  ‘Madam President, I think it’s time for you to speak to the American people,’ Kelly replied. ‘The big TV screens are still in place, and they can patch you through. I know it’s asking a lot, but if you can talk to them, you may be able to make them see sense. You should also make sure your broadcast reaches the military.’

  ‘No problem,’ Ellen replied. ‘We can do that.’

  ‘The other thing is…’

  ‘The ‘football’? I know. General Gutierrez had that figured out. Ted Lazenby should have the Article Twenty-Five declaration by now. I’ll be on my way to Washington as soon as I can arrange to leave here. Was that what you were going to say?’

  ‘You read Captain Manning’s mind,’ Kelly said.

  ‘Good, then let’s talk after my broadcast. You two stay put and take care of yourselves.’

  ‘We will, Madam President. And good luck.’

  ‘Thank you, Kelly. Good luck to us all.’

  * * *

  Kelly and Jeff watched the broadcast with Captain Manning in the situation room, which he was now using to coordinate the defense of the Capitol. Other TV sets had been placed so that the Marines on duty in and around the White House could also watch without leaving their stations. It seemed to Kelly that Ellen Trevathan had aged visibly in the short time since their last meeting. She understood exactly how the President felt.

  ‘The first thing I have to tell you,’ Ellen began after greeting the viewers, ‘is that former President Steve Wade died this afternoon in the White House. I very much regret that I do not have access to all the details of his death at this time. I am told that he died as a result of a confrontation involving members of his guard. Although I have no further information right now, I can assure you that no one in my Administration was responsible for his death in any way. I can also assure you that, as soon as I return to Washington, I shall ensure that there is a full inquiry into the circumstances, and I undertake to make the findings of that inquiry public, whatever those findings may be. For now, I am su
re you will join me in mourning the loss of a great public servant and, in my case, an old and dear friend. I have one other particular regret, which is that the urgency of the situation did not permit me to convey the news of Steve Wade’s death personally to the former First Lady and her children before announcing it on national television. Julia, wherever you are, if you are watching, I am truly sorry that you had to find out about it like this. If there had been any way to avoid it, I would have taken it.

  ‘Now, I must address myself to a nation which has been brought to the brink of a second civil war. In doing so, I am speaking to the whole nation, but of course particularly to those citizens who have chosen to make their views known by protesting in such large numbers outside the Capitol and in the surrounding areas of Washington. To you, I have to offer both a message of hope and a warning. First, you must understand that I am speaking to you now as your President. I became your President as soon as President Wade was impeached by the Senate. I know some of you wish that had not happened. That, of course, is now academic. As soon as President Wade died, the Presidency would have passed to me automatically, even if he had not been impeached. As your President, I cannot and will not tolerate the continued siege of the Senate. Not only has it caused enormous hardship to the senators, their staffs, the Chief Justice, and the many journalists imprisoned in the building, but it cannot be tolerated in a free society that the government, or any part of it, should be held hostage. Peaceful demonstration is one thing. Armed intimidation is quite another. This is not the time to apportion blame for what has happened, and that is not my purpose in speaking to you. I am sure many of you came to Washington for what you considered to be good reasons. But whatever your reasons may have been, it is now time to go home. You will have your opportunity to judge my Presidency at the next election, and I will welcome your judgment at that time. But I will not allow you to dictate the course of events by force. Therefore, I am giving you notice now to lay down your weapons and go home. Anyone who does this is free to leave, and will not be arrested or harassed by the military or the police. Simply put your weapons on the ground, and walk away. That is all you have to do.’