“I think that Congress might disagree,” the FBI Director said. “I have already had a number of very icy inquiries from certain congressmen. Their constituents are not happy.” He hesitated and plunged on. “We arrested a number of people on very shaky legal ground. Worse, a number of people have died, often for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This isn’t Soviet Russia, Madam President; there will be a reaction against us if this carries on.”
“I don’t care about legalities,” McGreevy said. “I care about ensuring that we are fit to join the Galactic Federation.”
The FBI Director smiled. “This would be the same Galactic Federation that just wiped Tehran off the map?” He asked. “How many people died in that strike?”
“They retaliated against the Iranians for failing to protect their people,” McGreevy said. Toby, who had half-expected her to dismiss the death toll as merely Iranians, was almost impressed with her switch, or her ability to turn a tragedy into an advantage. “I will not take the risk of this country going the same way, no matter how many legal niceties get broken in the process.”
“Then I am afraid that you will have to do it without me,” the FBI Director said. “My spies in Congress tell me that there are already measures afoot to impeach you. You may end up being the President with the shortest term of office ever.”
McGreevy opened her mouth, and then caught herself. “Be very certain about this,” she said. “Are you offering your resignation and refusing to do your job properly?”
“The duty of the FBI is to stop crime, terrorism and enemy spying within America’s borders,” the FBI Director said. “It is no part of our duties to shoot down innocent civilians, even civilians who may have a slight connection to Blake Coleman. We have an agreement with our population, Madam President; we agree to work within the law and using due process to catch criminals and they allow us to work without interference. If we break that unspoken agreement, we can expect them to start pushing back. This is not Russia. Right now, there are places where I wouldn’t send federal agents unless they were very heavily armed…”
“With illegal weapons,” McGreevy snapped. “I’ve been telling people for years that these nuts are dangerous.”
“I think you will discover that you and your followers did a great deal to make them dangerous,” the FBI Director said. “You’ll have my resignation on your desk within the hour. I’d wish you luck, but quite frankly the best thing you could do right now is resign and allow someone a little less close to the Galactics into the Presidency. I don’t know why they’re here either, yet I’d be astonished if they have our own good in mind.”
With that, he stalked out of the door, leaving McGreevy and Toby behind. Toby kept his face expressionless, even though he was deeply shocked — and worried. If the FBI Director quit — no, he had quit — the remainder of the FBI would fall under the control of one of McGreevy’s clients. And then she would have a formidable weapon at her disposal. True, many other agents would resign rather than turn into jackbooted thugs, but far too many would remain inside. Toby had long suspected that some of them were silently aroused by the chance to play at being a far harsher service than the FBI had ever been, intruding into the lives of the nation’s citizens and intervening at will. They’d get their chance now.
“Sanderson,” McGreevy said. She sounded as if she was holding herself under very tight control. “You no longer have a place with the former President. You can come and work with me, now, or you can get out.”
Toby didn’t hesitate. He’d expected the offer, although he hadn’t expected it to be so blunt. “Yes, Madam President,” he said. “I would be happy to work under you.”
“And keep your job,” McGreevy said, dryly. If she was aware of the double meaning, she didn’t bother to show any sign of it. “Are you going to give me as much service as you gave your previous master?”
The odd stress on master was mocking, Toby knew. “If that is what you command, I will be happy to serve,” Toby said. The resistance needed him, he reminded himself. He would have loved to quit, but he had the feeling that he wouldn’t have been allowed out of the building without permission. “What can I do for you, Madam President?”
“You will sit in on a number of meetings,” McGreevy said. “Once you have heard them all, you will give me your advice. Great things are going to happen in this country and I intend to ensure that they happen sooner, rather than later.”
Toby still felt filthy an hour later, when the Cabinet filed into the room to discuss the situation with the new President. McGreevy’s old post as Secretary of State had been filled by one of her creatures, as had two other posts, both resigned in disgust after the attack on Iran. Toby was sure that McGreevy would be able to portray both men as betraying her, or being reluctant to serve under a female President, or whatever other charges could be used to blacken their names. They wouldn’t be allowed to rock the boat too much… he remembered the dead reporters and shivered. The chances were that the deserters were already being targeted for elimination.
He took a seat in the corner and listened carefully, without saying anything. McGreevy didn’t seem inclined to replace the Directors of either the CIA or the NSA, which was lucky as both men were involved in the resistance. Without them, it would be much harder to coordinate action against the aliens and a federal government that was being increasingly subverted by the aliens. The situation appeared to be the same in the rest of the First World states, while chaos was sweeping across the Middle East after Tehran had been struck. There was fighting in Palestine, civil war in Iraq and unrest in Saudi Arabia. Toby was tempted to believe that the aliens had planned everything; the sudden oil shortages forced the United States and the rest of the First World into becoming more dependent on fusion, hence strengthening the Galactic Federation’s position. But they hadn’t known that an American assassin was going into Iran, had they? They were powerful, yet he was sure they were not gods.
“Madam President,” Barney Koch said. He was the replacement FBI Director, although Congress hadn’t confirmed him yet — and might never confirm him, depending on what happened in the impeachment proceedings. “I regret to report that we have encountered considerable difficulties in implementing the anti-militia program.”
Toby smiled, inwardly. Militias generally didn’t keep membership lists, which left the FBI dependent upon inserted agents and following up family trees. Anyone who had ever got into trouble with the government on illegal weapons charges was regarded as a potential militia member — and therefore their families were targeted for arrest. Sometimes it worked, but many of the people who’d been rounded up were innocents — and some of them chose to go down fighting rather than surrender to the government thugs. And if that wasn’t bad enough, local police were reluctant to get involved, often pointing out that the targets were actually decent people. The State Governments were feeling the heat from the media, but they were also feeling the heat from their own people — careers were at stake.
“Then call in the army and declare martial law,” McGreevy snapped. “I want this problem uprooted before it’s too late.”
General Williamson, the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, scowled. “I regret to say that we have been having considerable difficulties of our own,” he said. “The pullout of the Middle East has been delayed as our units are coming under fire from rioting citizens in the region. Back home, thousands of soldiers have been discharged — including thousands of soldiers who happen to have family and friends targeted by your purge. I’m afraid that what remains of the military is not suitable for deployment as a police force.”