Resistance (33 page)

The others, including Presidential Counsel Hanson, Attorney General Clowers, Secretary of Agriculture Seymore, Secretary of Transportation Keyes, Secretary of the Interior Farnsworth, Secretary of Commerce Lasky, and Chief of Staff Dentweiler, occupied the quadrants in between, with room to spare.

The room still reeked of fresh paint as Grace motioned for his advisers to sit down. The reports that followed were anything but encouraging: As Seymore spoke of persistent food shortages, Keyes bemoaned a
lack of trains necessary to move critical supplies around, and Lasky reported that the steadily growing underground economy was a serious problem. The greenback was steadily falling out of favor as more and more citizens were choosing to use silver coins, gold pieces, and old-fashioned barter to settle their debts. All of which made for a very gloomy meeting until it was Dentweiler's turn to speak.

“So, Bill,” Grace said. “What have you got for us? Something positive I hope.”

It was Dentweiler's moment, and he planned to take full advantage of it, as all eyes rested on him. “Yes, Mr. President, I
do
have something positive to report. Simply put, Project Omega is poised for success. The first objective, which was to recapture Daedalus, has been accomplished.”

That news was sufficient to stimulate applause, which made Dentweiler feel very good, and brought a broad smile to Grace's face.

“Well done! That's the sort of thing we need more of. Where is he?”

“Sheridan, Wyoming, sir,” Dentweiler replied. “Our experts are trying to establish workable communication protocols with Daedalus. Once that effort is complete, we'll be able to open negotiations anytime we want to.”

“So, Daedalus is cooperative?” Farnsworth wanted to know.

Dentweiler smiled tightly.

“No,” he answered honestly, “I wouldn't go that far … But, thanks to the right sort of encouragement, Daedalus continues to grow
more
cooperative with each passing day. Let's put it that way.”

A number of people chuckled, but the Vice President wasn't one of them.

“I think we're playing with fire,” McCullen observed
darkly. “The last thing the people of the United States want us to do is negotiate with the Chimera. But, even if they did support the idea, we would be foolish to trust someone like Daedalus. He may have been human once—but he isn't any longer.”

“Project Omega is an option, Harvey, and nothing more,” Grace interjected smoothly. “And I think all of us want to have as many options as we can come up with. But enough of that … Let's move on to the Victory Tour. How's that coming?”

Some of the cabinet members, Secretary of War Issen among them, thought it was premature to call the upcoming swing through the heartland a “victory tour,” given conditions on the ground, but Grace had persisted. After the Lincoln Memorial incident, the people needed reassurance.

“Preparations are well underway,” Dentweiler replied confidently. “You're scheduled to give the first speech the day after tomorrow, here in Denver. After that it's on to Omaha, St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, Houston, Phoenix, and the West Coast. We'll be busing people in from the Protection Camps to enhance the crowds. I think you can count on some extremely positive coverage in all the major papers.”

“It will boost morale,” Lasky predicted enthusiastically. “I like it.”

“So do I,” Grace agreed, “although I can't say I'm looking forward to all those chicken dinners!” That produced a chorus of chuckles.

The meeting ground on, and the snow continued to fall.

It had been a long day, and Cassie Aklin was tired by the time she finally arrived home, and was able to close and lock the door. Her roommate had already departed
for work by then, which meant Cassie had the apartment to herself, as she shed her work clothes in favor of a robe and slippers.

Then, with some Nat King Cole playing on the radio, Cassie made a simple dinner that consisted of scrambled eggs with small chunks of fried Spam mixed in, and a piece of toast. Though plain by prewar standards, the meal was special because eggs were hard to come by. The local grocer had been kind enough to hold two of them for her.

Later, after the dishes had been washed, dried, and put away, Cassie went into the living room, where a book titled
The Catcher in the Rye
sat waiting on the side table next to her favorite chair. She had just sat down, and was in the process of making herself comfortable, when she heard a knock on the door.

It was probably Elsie, the elderly woman who lived down the hall, but with so many desperate people flooding into town she took the moment necessary to peer through the peephole before turning the bolt. What she saw made her heart jump.

“Nathan?” Cassie demanded, as she threw the door open. “Is it really
you?”

That question was answered in no uncertain terms as Hale stepped in to close the door with a backward kick and wrapped Cassie in his arms. Her lips were there waiting, and half a minute passed as they kissed and whispered private things to each other.

Then, when they broke contact, Cassie looked up into Hale's face and smiled.

“I missed you … Could you tell?”

Hale smiled.

“No, let's try that again.”

So they kissed again, and it wasn't long before a trail
of discarded clothing led to the bedroom, where Hale laid Cassie on her bed.

“Let's take it slowly,” she suggested softly. “Let's make it last until dawn.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Hale responded with mock seriousness, as he lay down next to her. “Your wish is my command.”

Two hours later the lovers took a shower together. And even though they had fallen well short of Cassie's goal, neither saw any reason to complain as they helped dry each other off. Then, clad in nothing more than a pair of boxer shorts, Hale followed Cassie into the kitchen, where she made a grilled cheese sandwich for him.

“So,” she said as Hale took his first bite, and she sipped some tea. “Are you on leave? I know you aren't here for a checkup … I would have heard about that.”

“President Grace is going to give a speech in front of the state capitol,” Hale explained. “And given how unstable the situation is, SRPA agreed to provide extra security. So, being a true patriot, I volunteered to take part.”

The last was delivered with a mischievous grin and Cassie laughed.

“Liar! You wanted to mooch one of my world-famous grilled cheese sandwiches!”

“Yeah,” he agreed lightly. “You have me dead to rights. It's all about your grilled cheese sandwiches.”

Cassie smiled indulgently. “You are a very bad boy.”

Hale's eyebrows rose. “Really? Does that mean I'm going to be punished?”

“Yes,” Cassie answered gravely. “It's too late to send you to bed without your dinner … But I can still send you to bed early.”

“Damn,” Hale said regretfully as he took a sip of milk. “That sounds very strict. But, if I must, I must.”

The sky was three shades of gray, the occasional snowflake twirled down from above, and a man in a red Santa Claus suit held the door open for Susan Farley and Anthony Puzo as they left Union Station. The Santa's bell made a cheerful clanging sound and was an audible reminder of Christmases past. So Susan put both of her suitcases down long enough to adjust the blue scarf she was wearing on her head, remove a one-dollar bill from her purse, and push it down into the pot that hung suspended under a metal tripod.

That was a lot of money for anybody, given the war, and Susan felt momentarily proud of herself. Then she remembered that she wasn't going to need any money, impulsively shoved a ten-spot into the cauldron, and bent to pick her suitcases up off the cigarette-butt-littered sidewalk. “Bless you!” the man said fervently. “Merry Christmas!”

Susan doubted such a thing was possible, but smiled anyway as she made her way out to the curb. Puzo had corralled a cab by then, and consistent with his normal manner, made no attempt to help Susan with her suitcases. Once the luggage was stowed in the trunk, and the passengers were sitting in the back seat, the driver pulled out into light traffic.

“We're staying at the Ridley Hotel,” Puzo informed him. “It's on the corner of 14th and Lincoln.”

The cabbie nodded obediently as he guided the car up 17th toward the home of the Colorado legislature.

It was a relatively short drive, but there was enough time for Susan to catch a glimpse of busy sidewalks filled with men in uniform, shabby-looking civilians, and brightly decorated shop windows. But no amount of
red, gold, and green could win the war, and the sight of it left Susan feeling sad.

The Ridley was a popular hotel that was set up to meet the needs of state legislators and the lobbyists who besieged them. It was also a favorite with traveling businessmen who were fond of the hotel's masculine decor, high-ceilinged rooms, and spacious Buffalo Bar.

As the cab pulled in under the Ridley's elaborate portico, two bellhops, both attired in pillbox hats, burgundy jackets, and gray slacks, hurried out to remove the suitcases and haul them inside. A large fireplace dominated one end of the enormous lobby. It was surrounded by groupings of furniture—the emphasis being on leather chairs, brass lamps, and large side tables. They were littered with cast-off newspapers, empty coffee cups, and half-filled ashtrays.

The reception desk was located at the far end of the room. It was made of highly polished dark wood. Etched-glass panels separated each of the three well-groomed receptionists and Puzo chose to approach the one in the middle.

“Good morning,” he said breezily. “You should have two reservations … One for my daughter, Mary—and the other for me. My name is Perkins. Horace Perkins.”

The receptionist was a middle-aged man dressed in a black three-piece suit. He had the manner of an undertaker as he ran a narrow finger down the ledger in front of him.

“Welcome to the Ridley, Mr. Perkins … Ah, yes, here we are. Two interconnecting rooms on the third floor. Is that correct?”

“Yes, it is,” Puzo confirmed. “I can't stand people walking around over my head. Your elevators are in good working order, I trust?”

“They are,” the clerk answered gravely, as if anything
else would be unthinkable. “If you and your daughter would be so kind as to sign these registration cards, I'll have one of the bellmen escort you to your rooms.”

Then, as if to signal the end of the conversation, the receptionist brought his hand down on a button which rang a small bell. Susan was still in the process of signing her fake name when a burgundy-clad bellman arrived to load their luggage onto a cart.

Ten minutes later the bellman was gone and Susan was in her nicely appointed room, looking out through one of two tall windows as Puzo entered through the connecting door. “So,” he said, coming to stand next to her. “What do you think?”

She was silent for a moment as she looked out onto the wintry scene. The capitol was off to her right. It was an impressive structure of Colorado white granite. Topped by a round tower, it had a bell-shaped dome, reportedly made out of real gold. Ironically enough, it was intentionally reminiscent of the United States Capitol, which the Grace administration had been forced to flee.

Occasional flurries of snow made it difficult to see clearly but the range was reasonable, just as she had been told. “I can do it,” she said simply.

“Good,” Puzo replied. “Would you like some lunch? The Ridley has a good restaurant. Or so I hear.”

Susan felt slightly nauseous, and had ever since leaving Montana, so she shook her head. “No. Thank you. I'll take a walk instead.”

Puzo shrugged. “Suit yourself. Let's meet here at two
P.M.
We have lots of prep work to do.”

Susan nodded, but didn't turn to look as Puzo left the room. She waited for the door to close, let her breath out, and was surprised to learn that she'd been holding it in. Then, standing on tiptoes, she reached up to turn
the window latch sideways and free it from the catch. With that accomplished she bent over, took hold of both handles, and lifted.

Much to her relief the window rose smoothly, allowing a blast of cold air to enter the room. Susan stood there for a moment as the incoming breeze caused the curtains to billow, and directed her gaze to a point roughly a thousand yards away. That was where a crew of men were hard at work constructing a wooden platform. And that was the spot to which her future was irrevocably linked.

After many months of testing and inoculations Hale had come to detest hospitals. But after Operation Iron Fist, and the mission into Hot Springs, South Dakota, he felt an obligation to visit Dr. Linda Barrie to see how the scientist was doing. So having accompanied Cassie to the Denver Federal Center, Hale pried Barrie's room number out of the woman on the hospital's front desk, and went up to see her.

Thanks to her rank, Barrie had a room to herself. She said “Come in” when Hale knocked on the partially opened door. Her face was still a bit pale, but just as pretty as before, and seemed to brighten at the sight of him. She was out of bed, but sitting in a chair, and made no attempt to rise.

“Nathan!” she exclaimed. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“You look good,” Hale said awkwardly as he placed a small Christmas tree on a table. It had miniature ornaments and had been purchased in the gift shop downstairs. “Everybody says you're doing well, too.”

What followed was an awkward conversation for the most part, since the operation that brought them together
was over, and they didn't have much to talk about. So the visit didn't last long.

But as he got ready to go, Barrie motioned for him to come closer. Once Hale was close enough to touch she reached up to pull his head down. Their eyes were only inches apart when she spoke. “Thank you, Lieutenant Hale. Thank you for what you did for Anton, thank you for saving my life, and thank you for serving our country.” And then she kissed him on the cheek.

Hale mumbled something incoherent, fled the room for the hall, and felt glad to escape the hospital. The interaction with Barrie had left him feeling confused. Fortunately Hale had work to do, and was already thinking about it, as he followed a recently shoveled sidewalk out to the parking lot.