"You'll have to pardon my appearance, Colonel Russell," Colonel Hamilton said.
"Not a problem, Colonel," Colonel Florence Russell replied.
Hamilton turned to DCI Powell, and said, "I can only surmise that those people relayed my message to you."
Powell nodded.
"Colonel, my name is Mason Andrews. I'm the assistant secretary of Homeland Security. I would be grateful-"
"First things first," Hamilton interrupted. "Sergeant Dennis, could I impose upon you to take your car and get me a uniform from my quarters? I'm afraid the keys to my car are in there, in my uniform."
"Way ahead of you, Colonel," Dennis said. "Fresh uniform's in the lobby. I'll go get it."
"Good man," Hamilton said. "Mr. Powell and I will be in the locker room."
He looked at Colonel Russell. "Colonel, would it offend you if I suggested that you come with us? You could turn your back while I dress."
"Not at all," she said.
"The President's really curious about what's going on here, Colonel," DCI Powell said. "He wants to see you at the White House. There's a helicopter-"
"Would you prefer to wait until we're at the White House?" Hamilton said. "I have to bring Colonel Russell up to speed on this before I go anywhere."
"I'll go with you and Colonel Russell," Powell said.
"So will I," Assistant Secretary Andrews said.
"I think not," Hamilton said.
"Excuse me?" Andrews bristled.
"I can tell you what you need to know right here: There is no immediate threat." He turned to the provost marshal, and added, "As soon as you can, you're to establish a guard around, one, where the package was originally examined; two, my office; and three, this building, to which no one is to enter without the specific approval of myself, Master Sergeant Dennis, or of course Colonel Russell. And you may lift the shut-down. Colonel Russell will have more details after we have spoken."
"Yes, sir," the provost marshal said.
"You had better impound the golf cart on which the package was moved-bring it and the two security people who drove it here. Dennis will see to their bath. Just a precaution. Better safe than sorry, I always say."
Master Sergeant Dennis came back into the room carrying a plastic bag in his prosthetic hand. He handed it to Hamilton.
"Good man," Hamilton said as he took it. Then he said, "Dennis, they are going to bring the golf cart and the security drivers here. See that they get a complete bath. Then do the same to the golf cart."
"Yes, sir."
"Colonel Russell, Mr. Powell, if you'll be good enough to come with me?"
"Am I correctly inferring, Colonel, that I was not included in that invitation?" Mason Andrews asked icily. He didn't wait for Hamilton to reply, and-obviously on the edge of losing his temper-went on: "Perhaps you didn't hear me, Colonel, when I told you that I am the assistant secretary of Homeland Security."
If he had intended to cow Hamilton, he failed.
"Mr. Secretary… or is it Mr. Assistant Secretary?" Hamilton replied. "I know that Mr. Powell is cleared for this sort of information. I don't know how much the President wants you to know. I am not about to risk the ire of the President by telling you any more than I already have."
Andrews flared: "Now, goddamn it, you listen to me, Colonel-"
"Mr. Andrews," DCI Powell interrupted, "why don't you let the President settle this? You're welcome to ride with us to the White House."
The assistant secretary of Homeland Security took a moment to get his temper under control.
"Perhaps that would be best," he said finally. "Thank you." [FIVE] The Oval Office The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 1205 4 February 2007 "Thank you for coming so quickly, Colonel," President Clendennen said.
The sarcasm was lost on Hamilton.
"I came as quickly as I could, Mr. President," Hamilton said.
"I know. You were on Wolf. We all saw you both taking off from Fort Detrick and landing here. And we all saw C. Harry Whelan, Jr., tell his several million viewers he believes you were coming here to deliver the bad news. Please tell me he's wrong."
"Actually, Mr. President, it's a mixed bag. The news could be much, much worse."
"Well," Clendennen drawled, pronouncing the word whale, "tell me the good news."
"There is no cause for immediate alarm. I told Colonel Russell what was necessary for her to do, and that once she had done that, she could lift the shut-down. I have changed the Potential Level Four Biological Hazard Disaster to Level Two Biological Hazard Incident."
"What does that mean, exactly?"
"That, in my judgment, there is reason to believe that all Congo-X under my control is contained in a safe environment, and there is no immediate risk to the general public."
"'Congo-X'? What is that?"
"It is what I call this virus. Or organism. Or whatever it is. What I brought from the Congo just before the Fish Farm was attacked."
"Which is it, an organism or a virus?"
"I'm afraid I don't really know, sir. More than like a combination of both. An 'organismus,' perhaps. Or a 'virusism.' Those are terms I made up in the last week or ten days. There is no scientific terminology that I know of to describe Congo-X."
"Colonel," Press Secretary John D. Parker said, "did I understand you to say there is no immediate danger to the public?"
"I was speaking with the colonel, Parker," the President said unpleasantly.
"Mr. President, if the colonel can assure us that there is no immediate danger to the public, I think-to counter that comment of C. Harry Whelan, Jr., on Wolf News-you should make a statement to that effect. And as soon as possible. Immediately. We really have to control this before it gets out of hand."
The President glared at Parker.
"Mr. President," Ambassador Montvale put in, "I think Porky's right."
Parker glared at Montvale, which wasn't lost on the President.
"What do you think I should say, Porky?" Clendennen asked.
"Mr. President, if you make any statement, it carries great importance. I mean to suggest that it will give the impression that this situation is more serious than the colonel suggests it is."
"In other words, you want to make the statement?"
"That would be my recommendation, Mr. President."
"I agree with Porky," Ambassador Montvale said.
"That makes it twice, doesn't it?" the President asked, and then went on: "And what would you say, Parker?"
"Sir, something along the lines of this: 'There was an incident early this morning at Fort Detrick that has attracted a good deal of media attention. The President has just spoken with the chief scientific officer at Fort Detrick, who has assured him there is no cause for concern. What it was was the routine triggering of a safety system, erring on the side of caution. To repeat, there is no cause for concern.' Something like that, Mr. President."
The President was thoughtful for a long moment. Then he asked, "Read that back, please."
A female voice came over a loudspeaker and recited Parker's suggested statement.
"At the end of the first sentence, where it says 'has attracted a good deal of media attention,' strike that and change it to 'has apparently caused much of the media to start chasing its tail once again. Arf-arf.' The rest of it is fine. Type that up for Mr. Parker."
"Are you sure you want to do that, Mr. President?" Secretary of State Natalie Cohen asked.
The President ignored her, and gestured for Parker to leave the office. Then he turned to Hamilton.
"Okay, Colonel. Now let's have the bad news."
Hamilton inhaled audibly before he began to speak.
"I think we have to presume, Mr. President, that the attack on the establishment-the laboratory-slash-manufacturing facility-in the Congo was not successful. There is a quantity-I have no idea how much-of Congo-X in unknown hands."
"How do you know that?" the President asked, softly.
"Because a quantity of it-several kilograms, plus another several kilograms of infected tissue-was delivered to me at Fort Detrick this morning. It is identical to the Congo-X and the infected tissue I brought out of the Congo."