Sararown and dead from the coming winter. Bono watched the passing terrain in wonder. Every road they crossed was lined with dead cars and semi-tractor trailers—all of them already looted—and rows of walking people. He looked across the open fields. Miles and miles of makeshift camps. Fires, smoking white, dotted the landscape in every direction. He frowned as he looked. The fires were too big. Completely inefficient. Fools! Why didn’t they save their fuel for the winter? A small fire to cook with would have been enough. Soon they were going to need that wood for heat.
The helicopter crested a low, tree-covered ridge, the ground orange and yellow from the fallen leaves, then crossed a small lake. His eyes opened wide as they flew over the brackish water. He tried to count them all but quickly lost track. A hundred boats of all shapes and sizes were sitting on the water, fishing lines stretched from all sides. He didn’t know how many fish were in the lake, but it was pretty clear there were a lot fewer today than yesterday and there’d be even less tomorrow.
The refugees were hungry. But it was going to get much worse.
He leaned forward, looking behind the helicopter as it passed the lake, amazed at the absurd number of boats he had seen. He could have walked across the lake without getting his feet wet by jumping from boat to boat.
They passed over a major highway, Interstate 30 or 40 or something, he didn’t know, but the helicopter followed it until it turned slightly south to bend around a low hill. He looked down intently as they flew. There were bodies there. Some had obviously been carefully placed along the side of the highway; others had been left where they had fallen, their legs and arms and heads stretched at awkward angles. He cringed as he watched. Men. More women. A few children. It made him sick to see it. It was depressing, discouraging and it made him miserable. Watching the despair, he wanted to cry.
They had to get help. They had to turn it around, and they had to do it soon or it might actually be too late. There was a tipping point, a point where things would crumble and decay beyond their ability to put them back together. How many Americans were down there starving? Had they come to the point where they were killing each other now? How many had already committed suicide? He swore as he looked down. Where was the government? Where were their allies? Wasn’t there any help?
He turned and looked across the helicopter toward Sam. As if he knew, the other soldier turned away from his window and looked at him. They both had on military headsets that plugged into the helicopter’s intercom, allowing them to communicate by pressing a button on the microphone cord that extended from the communications panel overhead. Bono pressed the button. “It’s as depressing as anything I’ve ever seen.”
Sam nodded grimly. “Did you see that family along the lake?” he asked.
Bono shook his head.
“There were four t Sam. She wip
TWENTY-SIX
Offutt Air Force Base, Headquarters, U.S. Strategic Command, Eight Miles South of Omaha, Nebraska
The civilian aide, a military lawyer from the Pentagon, paused at the glass door and knocked but didn’t wait for Brucius to answer before the aide pushed it back and slipped into the room.
The sun was just rising outside, the day coming alive, but deep in the basement compound, no one would have known that unless they were looking at the clock. In the sterile, carpet-and-cement rooms, there was no sense of day or time, no sense of light or darkness, weather, rain, heat, or cold. It had been a week since Brucius had been out of the command post, and his normally tanned skin was turning pale from lack of sun. He was sitting at his desk, slumped back in his leather chair, his fingers interlaced together under his chin, his eyes closed, his breathing heavy and strong. The aide waited a long time, knowing Brucius was asleep. Listening to Brucius’ breathing, the aide hated to wake him, but he finally cleared his throat.
Brucius sat up, instantly awake, his eyes moving as if he were trying to figure out where he was.
“Sir,” the lawyer said.
Brucius focused on him. The first thing he noted was the satisfied smile.
“We got them, sir,” the lawyer told him.
Brucius shook his head in disbelief. “You didn’t.”
The lawyer’s smile widened. “Yes, sir, we did.”
“Both of them? They’re alive?”
“We got them both. It was easier than we thought it would be. Our guys found them holed like a couple of scared Chihuahuas outI want to be like youTllShe really didn’t know. at Sanner’s country estate.”
Brucius sat back. He had to think. “No kidding?” he muttered, his mind racing, almost unwilling to accept their good fate. It was the first bit of good news they’d received since the nuclear warheads had been exploded over the four quadrants of the United States—certainly the first bit of good news he’d received since arriving here at Offutt—and he was almost gun-shy, thinking there must be some mistake.
The aide watched him carefully, reading the look on his face. “It’s true, sir. They’re on their way here.”
“How did Raven Rock miss them?”
The bald man shrugged his shoulders. “Like everyone else, they thought that they were dead.”
Brucius harrumphed. “It’s not like them to make such a big mistake. It’s not like them to make any mistake at all.”
“Perhaps not. But I suppose they’re mortal, like the rest of us, and they’re going to screw it up from time to time.”
Brucius was suspicious but didn’t say anything. “They’re on their way here?” he repeated.
“Yes, sir. It will take a little doing. We’ve had to walk a fine line, you understand, using their position to get our hands on government transportation but at the same time trying not to draw too much attention to the fact that we have —”
“If you commandeered government assets to transport them, then Raven’s going to know.”
The lawyer hesitated. “Probably, sir.”
“They’ll follow them here to Offutt.”
“Maybe, sir. But we’ve been careful.”
Brucius shook his head. “Careful or not, they’ll find them. They know how important this could be. If they’re out there, the word will spread, especially if you used government assets to bring them in.”
“It was either that or have them hike across the country,” the lawyer answered.
A moment of silence followed as both men thought. Brucius put his hands together and vigorously rubbed his face. “I don’t think you did the wrong thing, I just want us all to understand and be prepared. They’re going to know. They’re going to try to stop us. They can’t let this stand. They know those two individuals could turn their entire plan up on its head.”
“Even with them, we still need Jefferson.”
Brucius immediately thought of Sara Brighton, his heart sinking in his chest. “Is that true? Does the Constitution even say?”
“Are you kidding sir?” the man scoffed, not so much at his boss as at the absurdity of it all. “No, sir, it doesn’t say. I don’t think our Founding Fathers were sufficiently premonitory, even in their greatness, to see this day. The Constitution is mute on the number of Supreme Court justices that even constitute a court, let alone any direction in such a situation as we face today. But this much we do know: A majority is the key.”
Brucius stepped toward him. Their entire future rested in the answer to the question he was about to ask. Inside, his gut crunched, and though he didn’t know it, his breathing stopped. “And how do we stand? What do these two have to say?”
“Sanner will rule for us. Gainsborough is unI want to be like youl twwilling to say for now.”
Brucius slammed his fist into his palm. “In order for what we want to do to be constitutional, which is, after all the entire point, we need at least two of three. Far better to be unanimous. Think of how powerful that would be. No split decision. No muddled middle ground. A clear decision. A
TWENTY-SEVEN
Offutt Air Force Base, Headquarters, U.S. Strategic Comma
nd, Eight Miles South of Omaha, Nebraska
Brucius waited by the door of the executive office in the back of the command center. The room was built on a small platform that was eighteen inches higher than the downward sloping floor below it, and a wide, tinted window looked out on the operations center, which was a beehive of activity now. Men and women manned almost every work station, intent, focused, and frankly a little scared, the tension hanging like extra oxygen in the air. They had a plan. They had a mission. No more waiting. No more wondering. They all knew what they had to do. There weren’t as many people as they needed to get the job doneI want to be like youafing the reached, and everyone had multiple tasks to perform, but they were focused, intent and relieved to be doing something.
The entire future of the country came down to what they did right now. There was no time for indecision or hesitation, and certainly no time for fatigue. In a few hours it would be over.
Sara walked toward him, and he put his arm around her as he led her into the conference room and shut the door behind them. They stood together by the tinted window. He was frazzled, being pulled in every direction. She was in a hurry as well. They would have to make it quick.
“Are you ready?” Brucius asked her.
Sara nodded hesitantly.
“Do you have any final questions?”
She thought for a while, looking off. “I have a thousand questions, Brucius.” He waited. She looked back at him. No time for all my questions, her expression said.
“OK, OK,” he said. “We’ve been monitoring the access protocols. They only open the personnel tunnel into Raven Rock once each day. You’ve got the proper code words and authentication. No one’s going to question you, Sara. There’s not going to be any problem getting you in, of that I’m pretty sure. People are coming and going every day. They’re preparing to bring all their operations topside, at least for a while, and a couple of hundred personnel go in and out of Raven Rock every day. Getting you in will be easy. You’re going to be OK.”
She looked at him, her face expressionless. She knew it wouldn’t be that easy but there was no use arguing the point right now.
“Once you’re in, you’ve got to find him. Don’t delay for any reason. As you’ve no doubt been told, there is a designated area within Raven Rock for members of the Supreme Court, but the truth is, he might not be there. If he’s not, I’d expect to find him on the executive level, somewhere near Fuentes and his staff.”
Sara listened carefully. All of this she knew.
“Get in. Talk to him. Tell him what’s going on. Tell him I’m out here. Tell him that most of what James Davies testified to isn’t true. Convince him to come with you. He knows you. He’ll trust you—”
“He’ll think it’s a trap.”
“No. He’ll realize there will be danger, but he’ll know you wouldn’t set him up.”
Brucius hesitated. He walked away from her, then turned back and leaned against his desk. He looked at her intently. “Sara, we’ve found two other surviving members of the Supreme Court. They are the last ones left alive. All the others have been confirmed dead. We’re bringing them out here. They’re on their way to Offutt even as we speak.”
Sara had already heard the rumors. “It seems to me, that being the case, there is little need for me to go to Raven,” she said.
“I wish that were true. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It’s even more important now. I’m almost afraid to tell you because I realize the added pressure doesn’t help, but here’s the situation. Right now, Justice Sanner is for us. Justice Gainsborough is up in the air. In fact, she is demanding we take her directly to Raven Rock. She doesn’t even want to come here. It’s making it awkward, as you can imagine, forcing her to come out here.”
It took SaraI want to be like yourygap less than half a second to understand what Brucius was really saying. “You’ve got a split decision then. If Justice Gainsborough sides with Justice Jefferson in Raven Rock that would be two against.”
“But Jefferson doesn’t understand the situation. He has no idea what’s going on out here. Remember that, Sara, he doesn’t know. I’m certain he will side with us once he understands the facts.”
“Which means it’s even more important.”
“Yes. It’s even more important that you get to him. Without him, we are through. It’s one for us, two against us. This is the only chance we have.”
Sara nodded. “I’ll do what I can, Brucius. I’ll do anything you ask me to. I’d give my life for my country. Millions of us would. But you’ve got to remember, I’m not a soldier, I’m not a spy. I’m nothing. I don’t have any skills or background that would lead any of us to believe I’m going to be successful. I wonder if we’re all crazy. Are we storming the castle walls with the only thing we have left, a couple of middle-aged mothers like myself?”
Brucius shook his head. Very little about Sara came across as a middle-aged woman. And she was far more capable, far more intelligent and resourceful than she was giving herself credit for.
“I’m the last choice, the least likely person to be successful in this thing,” she concluded with a worried look.
“No, Sara, that’s completely wrong. Completely wrong. Yes, we’re sending you into the lion’s den; there’s no sense pretending this is anything else. It would be stupid and patronizing to minimize the danger. But if you can get in there, if you can just talk to him, then you’re not the only choice, you’re the best choice. You have no dog in this fight, not a thing to gain. You’re just a friend. Someone he can trust. Someone who was willing to risk her life just to talk to him. You won’t be asking any favors. You’ll want nothing in return. He’ll listen to you, Sara. He’s a good man. He respects you and Neil. Once you talk to him, I believe he’ll do the right thing. I think it’s going to work.”
Sara drew a long breath. “Is there anything else?” she asked as she stepped toward the door.
Brucius hesitated. “They’re giving you a small handgun. It’s light and simple to use. I know you don’t want to take it, but Sara, you can’t be foolish or compassionate or whatever you might want to call it, not right now. If you have to use it, then you do it, you understand? If you need to use it to protect yourself or to protect others, don’t you hesitate. You have an obligation to see this through. There’s too much riding on this.” He swallowed awkwardly and took a step toward her. “I know how difficult this must be for you, Sara, but this is war. You can’t hesitate to act. If you do, you’ll be dead—and if not you, then maybe Jefferson or someone else. You’ve got to make a commitment. You’ve got to make thfferson, we co
e right decision now. Put aside your normal motherly instincts, close your eyes, and make the decision that you’ll do anything necessary to make this work.”
“I’m not taking the gun,” she said. Her voice was firm with determination. “There’s no reason I should take it. I couldn’t use it anyway. I couldn’t shoot a sparrow;s no way in this wI want to be like youpiwlyporld I could shoot another human being.”
“You would if you had to. If the mission depended on it, I think you’d do what you had to do.”
“If it’s likely to come down to that, you’d better send someone else.”
He looked at her and waited, unsure of what to say. “Please take it with you, Sara.”
She only shook her head. “Is there anything else?”
“Think about your children.”
“I think about them every day. Every moment. They’re the only thing I think about.”
“Then do what it takes to protect yourself.”
“I’m not going to take the gun.”
They glared at each other. She was so stubborn. He was so determined. She didn’t understand how it might help her in a desperate situation. He didn’t understand the sense of kindness in her heart.
“Please,” he tried a final time.
She headed for the door. “My flight is waiting.”
He reached out and touched her arm, tu
rning her around. She looked at him, her eyes hard. His voice was soft and pleading now. “Please be careful, Sara. Please go and get him out of there.”
She glanced down at his hand then took another long breath. “Things will be OK.” She patted his arm and turned around.
He watched her go, the glass door closing behind her softly. For a long time he stood there, considering the last thing she had said.
“Things will be OK.”
He wondered what that meant.
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