A grin flickered at the corner of Knox's mouth. 'I wish you the best of luck, Evan. With everything you're contemplating, you're going to need it.'
'I believe we make our own luck, Gordon. In fact, I'd say that luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I've been preparing for this for a long time, and now I have the opportunity to do the things I've dreamt of.'
'Just be careful, Mr. President, that you don't bite off more than you can chew. People who do that have been known to choke.'
'Rest assured, when I put my mind to something I complete the task.'
Gordon asked, 'Is that a fact?'
'You can count on it. And let me say, your contributions over the last several years have been much appreciated. In fact, I feel a debt of personal…personal gratitude to you. Alas, with the restructuring I envision, I think your services will need to be terminated.'
'I'm sorry to hear that, Evan. You know, Trevor came to rely on me. He could always count on me to get the job done. He knew what I was capable of.'
Godfrey reminded, 'Trevor Stone is gone.'
Gordon grew a big, sadistic smile. His tone dropped and he spoke in a slick and smooth voice that could have been a wizard casting a spell: 'Trevor is gone? Is he really, Evan?'
Gordon walked over to one of the dogs guarding the entryway. The perfectly black and impressively muscular Doberman sat rigidly in a Grenadier's version of military attention.
Knox glanced at the stoic dog then to Godfrey and warned, 'I don't think Trevor is gone at all, Evan. Look close now. Look into the eyes of each of the K9s. Can you see him, Evan? Can you see Trevor Stone looking back at you? Watching you?'
Evan licked his lips and, on impulse, glanced at the canine. He saw the dark, obsidian eyes of the mysterious beast. He saw the power Trevor held over the animals; the way they did his bidding without question, the way Trevor had been able to communicate-somehow or another-with the creatures. And in those dogs he saw all the things about Armageddon he tried to ignore: Trevor's jaunts into the woods, nuclear weapons that would not detonate, the mystical runes.
Evan's eyes wavered for a split second but that split second gave Gordon a victory.
Before Godfrey could recover, Ashley stormed into the room in big steps. Gordon's evil grin disappeared immediately; he felt a woman of Ashley's stature should not be exposed to his dark side. She glanced at Knox quickly but reserved her anger for Godfrey. 'Get out of here.' Evan's mouth hung open for a moment before he replied, 'But my dear, my new duties require that I-'
'I said get out of my home. This is Trevor's personal office. My family lives on this second floor. I will go through the desk and forward to you anything of relevance.'
Between Gordon's disturbing remarks about the K9s and the ferocity of Ashley's indignation, Godfrey realized he held a weakened hand. He bowed politely and made for the door. He stopped when Knox said, 'See you around, Mr. President.' 'No, Gordon, you won't.' With that, Evan Godfrey left the lakeside estate. He would never return. Ashley and Gordon lingered. 'I should be going,' Knox volunteered, but did not move.
Ashley stood in the middle of the room staring at the floor with her body sort of swaying in a mixture of relief at Godfrey's departure and unease at being alone with Knox.
'Gordon, you were always a good friend to Trevor. He counted on you a great deal.'
'He counted on me? Isn't that funny. All these years I really think it was me counting on him. He gave me purpose. You know, I spent a lot of my years in the old world working some dirty jobs in the intelligence community. At first I did it because I believed in the 'home of the brave' and all that. Over time, I just did it because it was all I knew.'
Gordon stepped closer to Ashley. She kept her eyes on the floor.
He continued, 'But when aliens invade your world, enslave and murder children…well then you know you're on the right side. You learn that maybe there is a time when the ends do justify the means. That's my time, you understand? That's where I live. Trevor let me be who I am and still feel like one of the good guys.'
She said, 'You are one of the good guys.'
He did not know how to respond and she did not have anything more to say. An awkward silence screamed through the room. Outside a car or truck or something drove around the lake; the chop-chop of distant helicopter blades echoed.
Gordon's hand slowly rose in the air and gently reached to her cheek. She closed her eyes and stood as still as if I hunter's knife touched her throat. For him-for one moment-no glass separated them. He felt the warmth of her life and knew her to be flesh, and blood, and real.
She trembled in what could only be fear.
He told her, 'We each have had our bit to play in all this. The only difference is I've enjoyed what I've had to do. I think that makes me a bit of a monster.'
'Gordon,' she stumbled her words without pulling her eyes from the floor. 'You're not…you're not a monster.'
He felt that to be very nice of her to say. She trembled at his touch, yet she still maintained the front. Still played the role.
Gordon said, 'I loved Trevor, do you understand? I would have done anything for him. With him gone I want you to know…I want you to know that if you ever need anything…'
He stopped, unsure how to finish the thought without sending the wrong message. Ashley was a work of art far beyond his station. To feel her warmth for that moment was as close as he dared ever get. Monsters did not deserve so much. 'Gordon…' His hand retreated. 'It's okay. I can be very scary.' 'I'm not afraid of you,' she lied. Again, he thought it very nice of her to try so hard.
'It is good to be afraid of monsters, Ashley. Fear is a basic, fundamental response to danger. It's healthy. But Ashley, Trevor sometimes needed a monster to do the jobs that others…that others should not be polluted by. The time may come when you need just such a monster. If so…well, if so, then just come catch a game.'
Gordon pulled a small slip from his pocket and held it to her. Ashley examined the paper before accepting the mysterious gift. It was a ticket. More specifically, a ticket voucher for 'any event' at the 'Miami Orange Bowl.' 'I don't understand. You'll still be around. Evan will need an Intelligence Director.' Gordon shook his head. 'I think Evan has enough of his own monsters.' 'Where will you go?' Gordon's eyes glazed and he waited several seconds before answering. 'I'm going home.' — Ray Roos strolled the first floor of the mansion. He had already packed his bags and shipped off to D.C., his valuables from his home on the far side of the lake. He had also cleared out what few files, equipment, and paperwork he kept at the mansion and handed over all his important stuff to Tucker, who would handle security for the Stones for as long as Ashley and her boy would need security. Roos expected that that would not be long at all.
Nonetheless, one bit of business remained.
He waited until Lori Brewer left for lunch. The Chief Administrator of the Empire-who would soon serve in a greatly diminished capacity-left the mansion with her husband and General Jerry Shepherd, who had come to town for a week of meetings with the other brass. That brass, Roos knew, would soon be operating out of the Pentagon building in D.C., just as President Godfrey would soon occupy the re-opened White House.
In any case, he walked into Lori Brewer's office, moved to her desk, bent over, and removed the small silver eavesdropping device he had affixed there months before.
He stood and examined the electronic bug. He considered how one tiny little listening device changed things so much.
Ray smiled to himself, stuffed the bug into a pocket in his sport jacket, and marched out of the room. He had a plane to catch.
13 — The Day They Tried to Kill Gordon Knox
Three helicopters buzzed across the Potomac River moving northeast. The merchants and customers doing business in the ad hoc marketplace on the Ellipse south of the White House recognized the lead chopper as Marine One, an H-3 Sea King that had served the last President of the old world and now served the first President of the new world.
Two Internal Security UH-1 'Huey' helicopters flanked the lead bird as the trio flew for the south lawn of the White House. An elated Evan Godfrey rode onboard Marine One accompanied by his wife Sharon, Dante Jones, Ray
