Midnight Sun (126 page)

“
Yi
Ji
Sung
. H
e
pray
pootball
dere
mebe
two
year,
den
get
on
Manchessa
United
and
pray.
Now
he
too
old
pray,
but
he
still
sisstan
coach.
”

“
Dear
G
od,
”
Farrah
said
.
“
I
know
Ji
Sung
. W
e
were
close
friends
on
the
football
team.
We
tried
out
for
United
together
as
well,
and
he
got
my
spot
after
I
backed
out.
”

“
Wha?
”
Suki
said
,
her
eyes
stretching
wide,
“
Wow,
das
is
amajing
. W
hassa
you
name?
I
call
him
tonight,
maybe
gib
him
you
numba.
My
name
Suki
. W
assa
you
name?
”

The
Air
Force
Band
interrupted
their
conversation,
blasting
a
fanfare
to
present
the
foreign
leaders
as
they
mounted
the
stage
in
procession.
Farrah
snapped
back
to
his
senses.

“
Oh,
here
dey
come,
”
she
said
,
turning
toward
the
dignitaries
.
“
I
talka
you
later.
”

Suki
’
s
full
attention
locked
on
to
the
famous
men
climbing
the
stage,
looking
at
them
as
if
at
any
minute
one
of
them
would
come
down
and
hand
her
an
award
from
the
UN.

Smiling
and
chatting
with
each
other
like
school
boys
filing
into
a
classroom
,
they
looked
down
on
the
crowd
imperiously
, k
ings
and emperors
eying
their
subjects.
Farrah
put
his
hand
back
into
his
pocket
and
slid
his
finger
over
the
three
buttons
on
the
key
fob.
One
button
for
each
of
the
three
explosive
devices
in
the
tunnel.
Three
tiny
plastic
dots
that
would
change
the
face
of
the
world.

A
row
of
hard
-
looking,
observant
men
stood
at
either
side
of
the
platform,
their
presence
visible,
but
not
intimidating.
The governor of the State of Alaska stepped up to the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is with pride and great pleasure that I welcome to the Greatland the president of the United States of America.”

The
crowd let out a roar of applause and cheers as the
presidential
fanfare
sounded
and
the
y
turned
their
gaze
toward
the
man
ascending
the
podium.
The
p
resident
of
the
United
States
in
past
incarnations
had
only
visited
Alaska
twice.
Ronald
Reagan
had
a
secret
meeting
with
Pope
John
Paul
II
in
1986.
George
W.
Bush
visited
Elmendorf
Air
Force
Base
to
see
off
a
large
troop
headed
to
the
war
in
the
Middle
East
in
2005.
This
was
the
first
time
a
sitting
p
resident
addressed
the
general
public
in
the
Frontier
State.

Farrah's
heart
thumped
against
his
rib
cage.
The
p
resident
stepped
up
to
the
microphone
,
raising
his
hands
and
stretching
his
face
in
a
smile
that
seemed
much
more
genuine
than
Farrah
expected.
As
he
began
his
speech
,
the
p
resident
looked
legitimately
happy
to
be
on
the
stage
in
front
of
this
crowd
of
Alaskans
,
and
they
seemed
to
feel
likewise.