People in an emotional situation often think that. But it isn't true.'
'You don't understand!' Stone said. He gestured angrily at Orr with the gun. 'This man is evil!'
'This man is a United States senator, and you are not his judge!' Kat yelled.
Slowly, the woman sat beside Orr. She was obviously attempting to place herself between the handgun and the senator. That was a sweet gesture, but at this range, Stone would take both of them out before Rodgers could reach him. That left just one option, and the general did not want to use it.
'Kat is right,' Rodgers said. 'You may get jail time for whatever you've done till now, but it beats having these boys cut you down.'
'You tell me not to kill by threatening to kill me?' Stone laughed.
'You're as twisted as Orr!'
Rodgers continued to move closer to Stone. The young man was standing sideways, the gun aimed down. He scowled, angry, cornered. In hair trigger situations like this, it was important to be determined without being overly aggressive.
'Let's stop thinking about who can kill who,' Rodgers suggested. He extended his left arm slowly and opened his hand. 'Let's do as Kat suggested and talk this thing over. Give me the weapon so we can start to ratchet this thing back.'
Stone said nothing. Often, that meant the individual was ready to capitulate. It was usually noticeable in a softening of the tension around the mouth and eyes, in the sinew of the neck. Unfortunately, none of that was happening here. The thumping of the helicopter probably was not helping Stone to think straight.
'I'll tell you what, Eric,' Rodgers said. 'I'm going to have Lieutenant Murdock, who is standing right behind me, get on the radio.
He'll send the helicopter away. It will be easier to talk.'
'I don't want to talk!' Stone cried. 'I want to finish what we started!'
'What who started?' Rodgers asked.
'The admiral, Kendra, and myself.'
'What did you start?'
'The counter process Stone said. 'That was the code name the admiral devised. It was his idea, and it was the right idea!'
The young man was under both internal and external stress. More than intent and desire, physical strain could cause the handgun to discharge. Rodgers had to take precautions. He held his right arm straight down, the index finger pointed toward the floor. That was a sign to the marines. If the general crooked his finger, that meant to ice the target. If he raised his arm again, it meant to stand down.
'Talk to me about the counter process Rodgers said.
'It was conceived to work within the senator's plan.'
'Like a virus or a mole,' Rodgers said.
'Yes.'
'What was the senator's plan?'
'To kill his enemies,' Stone replied.
'That's a lie!' Kat shot back.
'Let him talk!' Rodgers cautioned.
Rodgers watched Stone's grip on the handgun. There was no change. The general continued to walk toward him.
Stone turned slightly to address Rodgers directly. 'Killing William Wilson was Orr's idea,' Stone said. 'Kat fleshed it out. It was a way of drawing attention to a problem and solving it at the same time.'
