He went to find Auden Travis and Yasmin Silvers, who didn’t know if the meeting was on or off but had stayed on duty in case. He installed them together in an observation room whose display would show the scene in his office. From their shocked expressions, neither knew in advance that the other was also going to be watching the meeting. That was exactly as he intended.
He had ten minutes left when he reached his office. He didn’t feel the slightest bit hungry, but he had eaten nothing since midday. From the credenza behind his desk he took two bars of milk chocolate and a packet of potato chips. After eating half a chocolate bar, he went across and poured himself a strong scotch and water.
A perfectly balanced dinner, and Dr. Forrest Singer should be proud of him. Something from each of the five food groups: fat, salt, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.
When Sarah Mandei and Nick Lopez appeared together at the open door of his office, Saul was feeling a lot better.
“Mr. President.” After they had expressed their condolences for the loss of Saul’s mother, Lopez stared curiously over to the corner of the office. “There’s something new in here, but I can’t quite say what.”
“Sit down, Nick. You, too, Sarah. I think what you’re noticing is actually something missing. It’s the Disraeli Persona. I’ve retired it.”
Sarah Mander sat down in a flow of flowered print skirt. “Really?” She was as fresh and elegant as Saul felt old and battered. “I thought Queen Victoria’s favorite was your favorite, too.”
“He was. He is. But I managed without him after Supernova Alpha, and I discovered something rather strange. The advice he gave me when the Persona was not working seemed rather better than the advice he offered me when it was. I think he was of his times. As we must be for ours.”
They were outwardly relaxed and inwardly wary. As they should be. He had offered them no agenda for the meeting.
“Occasionally, though,” Saul went on, “I still use Disraeli’s words. Here is something he said: ’Life is too short to be little.’ That is why I have decided to accept your idea of a Pax Americana. I must congratulate you. You realized, long before I did, that this country, because of Supernova Alpha, is in a unique position of power and influence in the world. The idea that we should exert that power is not merely logical, it is essential to the continued existence of this country. And, in fact, of the world.”
Now he had them baffled. With luck he also had them off balance. He went on, “Before I get to that, I want your opinions on a rather different problem. What do you know about Pearl Lazenby?”
“The Eye of God,” Lopez said at once. “The Legion of Argos.”
“But not anymore.” Sarah Mander’s perfect brow wrinkled. “Wasn’t she sentenced years ago to perpetual judicial sleep?”
Saul nodded. “She was. Not perpetual in principle, but in practice you’re quite right. She was sentenced to serve over six hundred years. But the supernova got into the act. Control of the syncope facility where she was stored broke down, and her followers came in and rescued her. Now she’s promising a ’holy cleansing’ of the whole country — starting with Washington. They apparently have over a hundred thousand people under arms, and they’re all set to march this way. My question is, how do you think we ought to handle the situation?”
Nick Lopez spoke at once. “Delicately. You can stop them easily with the Army. But the PR would be terrible.”
“So you have to use a small specialized team, and take out the leader.” Sarah Mander went on as though she was continuing Lopez’s remark. It confirmed Saul’s impression. Regardless of what the House Minority and Senate Majority Leaders thought of each other personally, when it came to political instincts they were identical twins.
“Without her the rest of the organization is nothing,” Lopez said. “Capture her, but whatever you do don’t kill her. Otherwise you’ll have a martyr on your hands.”
“And bad trouble. All of which I’m sure is obvious to you.” Sarah Mander arched her eyebrows at Saul. “Leaving only the question, why are you asking us?”
“I want to be sure that we all agree on the approach to small things, before we go on to large ones. I believe that the three of us are going to be working together extremely closely over the next few years. Perhaps the next few decades. We have to understand each other.” Saul spoke again partly to keep them off balance, but they were professionals. Little could be read from their faces. He doubted that was true of the two secret observers.
He went on, “By the way, I have instructed General Mackay to do exactly what you propose. Pearl Lazenby is to be captured by a minimal strike team. Deaths and injuries within the Legion of Argos are to be avoided wherever possible, and the life of Pearl Lazenby herself is not to be taken, no matter what the circumstances.
“But now, to the larger issue. I said that I wished to follow through on your suggestion of a Pax Americana. That may be the wrong term. A better one might be a dux Americana. We have to lead the world in an unprecedented global effort. If we fail, then nothing else that anyone does for the next half century will make any difference. Humans are likely to become extinct. We have not seen the last of Supernova Alpha. What we have experienced so far is a small first wave of what will hit us later.
“I don’t expect you to believe this without proof. In the next several days, if you are willing, I will arrange for that proof to be presented to you. Nor do I expect you to make an instant decision to cooperate completely with me. I will tell you only one thing. In this matter, anyone who is not with me is by definition against me. That will have several consequences. In your case, Nick, it will mean that Auden Travis will no longer be working on my staff. He is an extraordinarily dedicated and competent aide. But from now on, you and I must share a common goal. Otherwise he cannot stay.”
Nick Lopez opened his mouth, and closed it again without speaking.
“And you, Sarah. I know about General Mackay and Secretary Munce, and I am sure there are many others. You will no longer seek to recruit or suborn members of my administration.”
“Yes, sir.” Sarah Mander stared at him. “Mr. President — Saul — something major has happened to you. And I don’t mean the loss of your mother, which is something I’ve been through myself and I know how hard it is.”
“It has indeed, Sarah. I’m hoping that it will happen to you, too, and to Nick as well.”
“What is it?”
“It’s this.” Saul walked over to the side table and came back carrying decanter, glasses, and ice. Without asking, he poured three drinks. “I listened yesterday to somebody who told me that unless there is an all-out global industrial effort — my words, not his, he doesn’t think geopolitically — unless that happens, our civilization will at best come crashing down to the Dark Ages. At worst, no one will be around to worry about that or anything else. Humans will go the way of the dinosaurs, and our nemesis, like theirs, will come from beyond the Earth. I believed what he told me. And I decided that I had a choice. I could either sit back and be remembered, if there’s anybody left to remember anything, as the man who had a chance to save humanity from destruction and did nothing. Or I might be remembered as the totally unreasonable, obsessive, remorseless single-issue bastard who tried to force the whole world to share his point of view. I asked myself, What was I in politics for? Comfort and privilege, or immortality?