THE TEN THOUSAND

by Harold Coyle

  Turning back to the television, Jan listened, writing short notes in a spiral notebook that sat on her lap while she too sipped her coffee. The spokesperson, after finally succeeding in getting only one correspondent to ask a complete question, responded with carefully chosen words. "As I have stated in the text of the prepared statement, while President Wilson does not endorse General Malin's actions to date, she cannot ignore the fact that German reaction today, the resort to force of arms to stop General Malin, is placing innocent Americans in danger. The deployment of forces from the Mediterranean and the United States and the heightening of the readiness condition of Air Force units in England are all in response to the German decision to open hostilities and are intended to save as many innocent soldiers of the Tenth Corps as possible."

  Another correspondent took up where the first had left off. He didn't wait to be recognized or for the spokesperson to finish. He simply jumped up and shouted, "But Chancellor Ruff of Germany is claiming that the soldiers of the Tenth Corps by obeying Malin's orders have made themselves willing accomplices to what he is calling a crime against German sovereignty."

  The spokesperson, with specific instructions on what to ignore and what to respond to, turned his attention to this comment. "Chancellor Ruff might be right. Even if he were, however, the President feels that using the German Army to destroy the entire Tenth Corps, something that Chancellor Ruff has threatened to do, is the same as executing a person accused of a crime without a trial." The spokesperson paused, then added, "I would like to take this opportunity to point out again that even the duly elected German Parliament does not agree with Chancellor Ruff's decision. The call for an immediate cease-fire and an armistice negotiated by the European Council or the UN is a reasonable solution that President Wilson is more than willing to consider."

  This last comment led to the next question. "Could President Wilson convince General Malin, who hasn't been willing to listen to Washington thus far, to agree to a cease-fire?"

  The spokesperson, with a wry smile, responded. "That, at this point, is mere supposition. So long as the German government insists on resolving the issue by force of arms, I expect General Malin feels he has no choice but to respond in kind. It is now the Germans who have the responsibility of making the first move."

  With that response, the balance of the press conference fell into a round of follow-on questions that attempted to draw out more details on the deployment of American forces to Europe. The spokesperson, not having this information, fended off these and other questions as best he could until they reached a previously determined time limit. Finished, he closed his folder and looked up; and over the chorus of shouts, he thanked the White House press corps and walked out of a room still reverberating from shouts of further questions. As she watched the manner in which her colleagues acted, Jan couldn't blame Wilson for opting to sit this press conference out.

  Finished with her coffee and with watching, Wilson leaned over to the coffee table, put her empty cup down, and pressed the power button on the television's remote control. With a smile she sat up, looked at Jan, and told her that for the moment the show was over and she was ready to start their interview. Jan's cameraman and sound technician, who had been waiting in the outer office, were allowed in. While they prepared their equipment, Wilson prepared herself. She made no extraordinary efforts. Only a tug at her dark blue jacket, a smoothing of her skirt, and a quick check of her hair was all she needed. With a nod Wilson indicated that she was ready to start.

  Well drilled, Jan's crew started to roll, giving her the thumbs-up when they were running. Skipping most of the preliminaries, Jan went straight to her first question. "President Wilson, I would like to pick up where Tim Allen of the UP left off during the press conference that was just held. While your prepared statement made it clear that the deployment of forces —including alerting the 17th Airborne, redeployment of elements of the Navy and Marine Corps into the Baltic Sea, and increased readiness of Air Force units in Great Britain—was in response to the German actions this morning and would be used to support the Tenth Corps, your statement said nothing about the conditions under which those forces would be used and did not set a timetable for their use. Have conditions, including a timetable, already been determined, and has the German government been advised of these?"

  Without batting an eye, Wilson looked at Jan and began to respond. "To answer the first part of your question, as far as I am concerned, the conditions that would dictate the use of additional U.S. forces from outside the theater have already been met." Wilson paused to allow the implications of that statement to sink in before continuing. "If you recall, Jan, I stated several days ago that I would respond to any hostile actions against the innocent men and women of the Tenth Corps by the Germans by doing everything in my power to rescue as many of them as possible. The deployment of additional forces to that theater of operations is the initial phase of that effort. As to when they will be employed, I am still taking that under consideration. It is still contingent on German reaction over the next day or two."

  "Then," Jan asked, "you are committed but it is not, in your opinion, too late?"

  Wilson smiled. "It is never too late for sanity to prevail. I will be more than willing to entertain reasonable proposals and enter negotiations with Chancellor Ruff's government, provided the fighting stops and I have some assurance that he and his government are dealing with us in good faith and not simply stalling while seeking a military advantage while we talk."

  "Then, Madam President, we have not crossed the proverbial Rubicon. Our forces have not taken any actions that threaten to escalate this crisis any further, for the moment?"

  "That, as you know, is very subjective. For example, although our aircraft based in Great Britain have not violated German airspace, the Air Force has established round-the-clock patrols. They're already using aircraft based in Great Britain over both the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, including E-3 airborne early warning and command and control aircraft flying in support of the Tenth Corps. Down links, using satellites and other secure communications nets, are already providing the Tenth Corps staff with information from the E-3s on German air operations."

  The matter-of-fact manner in which Wilson was discussing the issue caused Jan to pause. Wilson was both calm and well prepared. This, coupled with no visible sign of stress or apprehension, made Jan wonder if the latest turn of affairs was not only expected but in fact had been planned for. Not wanting to lose momentum or give Wilson cause for concern, Jan popped the first question that came to her mind while she tried to figure a way of prying more information from Wilson. "Then it is your intention, Madam President, to use forces as they become available to assist the escape of the Tenth Corps?"

  "As I said, Jan, employment of additional forces is contingent on German reaction." Shifting slightly in her chair, Wilson looked down at her nails, then back up at Jan. "I would like to take this opportunity to point out that I do understand the position of the German people and Chancellor Ruff's government. Yes, American forces, the Tenth Corps, have violated a number of international agreements. Yes, they have violated German territory and endangered the peace. But the Tenth Corps did not fire the first shot. Chancellor Ruff's government has over the past week continued to respond to my calls and those of my representatives for a peaceful and a negotiated settlement with demands that we cannot accept. I ask the American public as well as the German public to bear in mind throughout this crisis that it was the seizure of the nuclear weapons by force of arms at Sembach that started this chain of regrettable events. In the passions of the moment, we must not lose sight of the events that have brought us to this point, or of the real issues at hand."

  Jan caught what Wilson was hinting at and jumped in. "You are, of course, referring to the nuclear weapons?"

  A smile lit Wilson's face. "Exactly. The United States, operating as an agent of the Western nuclear powers, including Britain, France, Russia, and Israel, took direct action to se
cure nuclear weapons from an unstable government, one which had previously denounced nuclear proliferation. The seizure of those weapons by Germany, another nation that had previously denounced nuclear proliferation, the manner in which they were seized, and the resulting crisis are entirely separate issues from the intervention in the Ukraine."

  "But we did contribute, Madam President, to this problem by bringing those weapons seized in the Ukraine to Germany. That was a clear violation of a previous agreement. Chancellor Ruff's government contends that that action on our part provided sufficient justification for their actions."

  Knowing that Jan's husband was part of the Tenth Corps, Wilson decided to hit on a very personal note without making it seem like she was doing so. Leaning forward, her face set in a determined, almost angry mask, she said, "Does that violation of a treaty justify the murder of innocent American and German soldiers, not to mention the destruction of German civilian property? Does it justify the relinquishing of control of nuclear weapons to the Germans? No. Chancellor Ruff's justification for his actions over the past few days is far too thin. Rather than responding to this crisis in a responsible manner, as the commander at Sembach did, Chancellor Ruff has been obsessed with a desire to extract a pound of flesh when we in truth never threatened the safety or sovereignty of the German people in the first place. It is our soldiers, our sons and daughters, who are being endangered and unjustly punished without due process of law at the hands of the German military. And I will not tolerate it. Not as long as I am the President of the United States."

  Wilson's angry and defiant response caught Jan off guard and, as Wilson had anticipated, hit her hard. The mention of American servicemen being endangered unnecessarily caused Jan to lose concentration as the image of Scott Dixon popped into her mind. The fact that the President of the United States was making a major policy statement as well as issuing a warning to a foreign government right there was forgotten for a moment. Scott and thoughts of his safety and well-being were what crowded Jan's thoughts. Because of this, an awkward silence of several seconds followed before Jan finally was able to pick up where Wilson had left off.

  But the steam was gone from Jan's interview. When she finally realized that everyone was looking at her, waiting for her next question, Jan didn't have one ready. Instead she looked over to Wilson, thanking her for taking the time for the interview. With few formalities, Jan and her camera crew left moments before Ed Lewis, waiting in an adjoining office, came in. Wilson, who had already moved from where she had been during the interview with Jan Fields-Dixon, was seated at her desk but facing away, out into the Rose Garden. Seeing that she was deep in thought, Lewis quietly walked over to where the breakfast buffet was still laid out and helped himself to a cup of real coffee. As he went about this, he made just enough noise to ensure that Wilson was aware of his presence yet not enough to disturb her train of thought. When he was finished at the table, he walked over to the sofa that sat catty-corner to Wilson's desk, took a seat, and waited for her to finish whatever she was working over in her mind.

  Without a word, Wilson slowly spun her chair around and faced Lewis. For a moment she simply looked at him. The expression on her face was one of pain. That, of course, did not surprise Lewis. It was in fact more of a surprise that she was holding up as well as she was when others about her, like Soares and Rothenberg, were losing their nerve and thrashing about the halls of the State Department and Pentagon like beached whales. For Wilson not only had the burden of the crisis to deal with, a crisis she was keenly aware her poor foreign policy decisions had precipitated, she was part of the three-way conspiracy that Big Al Malin was now playing out in central Germany. No, Lewis thought, she deserves to be concerned.

  When Wilson finally spoke, it didn't have anything really to do with the matter at hand. Instead of discussing the battles raging in central Germany and her responses, she announced quite blandly, "Ed, I'm becoming a real bastard. A cynical, manipulative, grade A, government-inspected and FDA-approved bastard."

  Caught off guard, Lewis's first reaction was to make light of her comment. "I think, Madam President, you're suffering from a little gender dysphoria this morning. I believe the female species uses a different term."

  Looking at Lewis, Wilson showed her appreciation for his efforts by smiling slightly. But just as quickly as the smile came, it left. In its place was a serious stare. "No, Ed, I meant what I said. I've become one of them, one of those macho-asshole male professional politicians who don't give a damn who they step on or what they do in order to have and hold the power that this city has come to represent."

  Seeing that she was stuck on this issue and his easygoing manner and humor wouldn't be enough to shake her off of it, Lewis put down his cup of coffee and prepared to deal with Wilson's crisis in confidence. "Abby, what did you expect? I mean, if the Lord on high was going to stage the second coming tomorrow and tempt the new messiah, he'd send him to Washington, not the desert. No one, Madam President, for all their good intentions, can do what you and others that have gone before you have to do and expect to maintain their eligibility for sainthood."

  "Ed," Wilson said as she shook her head, "I know that. Damn it, I know that. People told me that before I started my race for the White House and told me that when I got here. But it still doesn't make it any easier for me. I mean, I really wanted to be different. And as the first woman President I thought that I could be different, that I could set my own standards and do things in a more human, open, and, well, loving and caring way. I mean, after all, I raised two children, maintained a marriage, and held down a career without losing my sanity. Why, I thought, couldn't I do the same thing here? Why couldn't I balance it all and still maintain my pride and dignity. Is that, Ed, too much to ask?"

  "First off, Abby, I want you to know that you're the most human and caring individual that has occupied that desk that I've known. Despite all our differences, I admire the manner in which you have redefined the term 'presidential.' Perhaps this office was long overdue for a woman's touch and was just waiting for the right person who could retain her sense of femininity while dealing with the office and its demands." Lewis paused, picked up his cup of coffee, but set it down again without taking a sip. "Having said that, I must remind you, Abby, that you can't expect to play in a pigsty and not get dirty. Washington is the highest priced pigsty in the world, and this office happens to be in the center of it. That you've done as well as you have up to this point is nothing short of a miracle. Now tell me what's really on your mind. What brought on this sudden need for self-flagellation right in the middle of this crisis? Are you having second thoughts about letting Big Al make a run for the sea?"

  Shaking her head, Wilson looked up at the ceiling. "No, no. I, like you, am still convinced that, given the situation, General Malin's option was the best of all the rotten choices we had. That's not what's gotten to me. No, it seems like the big decisions are easy to make and live with. It's when they become personal, human, that it gets to me." Looking down at Lewis, she waited a few seconds, then began to unload. "Jan Fields-Dixon was just here doing an interview after watching my spokesperson read the statement we prepared this morning. The interview was going fine until we got to a point where I saw an opportunity to make an impression on her, to play on her emotions. Knowing full well that her husband is in the middle of this mess, I used that connection to drive home the righteousness of my decision."

  Wilson paused as she took in a deep breath in an effort to hold back a tear. "I hurt her, Ed. I wanted to play on her female emotions, and when I did, and I saw that I had thrown her into a momentary panic, I felt a sudden twinge of pride."

  "I'm sure, Abby, you did what you thought was right. As I said, you are the President. You have a great deal of responsibility and many things that—"

  Leaning forward, Wilson made a fist and pounded it on the desk. "That doesn't make me feel any better, Ed. I hear your words, but in my heart I feel like dirt. After despising and condemning male p
oliticians all these years for doing the same thing to me and other female politicians, I suddenly realized that, given the opportunity, I would do the same thing." Easing back into her chair, Wilson thought for a moment before speaking again, this time with a softer, almost mournful tone. "It's, it's like I've lost the last of my innocence. I suppose that I've become nothing more than a political whore like everyone else around here, and it will be easier from now on."

  Standing up, Lewis walked over to the front edge of Wilson's desk. Leaning over with his arms resting on his knuckles, Lewis stared at Wilson. "Abby, no one will ever be able to call you a whore. And the fact that you feel like this should be enough to convince you that you'll never be like the rest of us. You are something special. Despite what your detractors say, you've made, and will continue to make, a difference. Don't buckle now. You've got too much going for you, and we've got a lot to do."

  "Do you think, Ed, that Ms. Fields knows that her husband is leading the main effort?"