A state of disobedience

The sergeant major just nodded, not even offering so faint a greeting as had his boss.

'You'll be wanting to resume your duties in the capital directly,' offered the general.

'Yes. How soon will the area be cleared?'

'If progress keeps up, we should be past the state house by tomorrow, about midmorning.'

Forsythe smiled in anticipation of paying back some scores. The only dark spot on his future horizon was the fact that the Seguin bitch was dead. He had been looking forward to her execution with shivering anticipation.

* * *

'It's time to leave Juani. Time to leave here, to leave the state, to leave the country. We've lost.'

Juanita, unanswering, just swung her head minutely from side to side. She had cried herself out hours since and seemed to have no emotion left to her, no feeling at all.

'You'll go by car. I've got an unmarked civilian sedan. There's a trunkful of money in it. It'll take you to Brownsville where one of Hanstadt's people will see you across into Matamoros. 'Patricio' told me off line that he'll arrange to give you a refuge in Panama.'

Juani just continued her minuscule headshaking.

'Come on.' Schmidt reached for the woman's arm.

'No!' she shouted fiercely, pulling her arm away from Schmidt's grasp. 'No,' she repeated, more calmly.

'Stop being silly, Governor. It's time to go . . . and past time.'

'I'm not being silly,' Juani retorted. 'But I am not leaving until I have tried every last thing.'

'We have,' commented Jack. 'Nothing worked in the long run. Now we have to fight. That's all that's left. I intend to do it. And you are going, first to San Antonio and then to someplace safe.'

Schmidt might never have admitted it, even to himself, but the thought of his best friend's sister, who was also his governor, and even also the woman who might have, in a different and better world, become his wife, being hurt or killed had in part unhinged him.

'No . . . there's one more thing we can do.'

'What?'

'Can you still get me on television, one last time?'

'Why? What good would it do?'

'I want to talk to our people.'

'You want to go into the breach one more time?' asked Schmidt, somewhat incredulously.

'Jack, I have to. You say we've lost. I tell you I haven't even begun to fight.'

* * *

Washington, DC

'Do you suppose the bitch is really dead, Caroline? God I hope so.'

The general felt a small quiver of disgust, not an emotion she had ever before associated with Wilhelmina Rottemeyer. She answered, coldly, 'I don't know. No one knows.'

Willi looked at her number one military advisor suspiciously. 'What's your problem?'

'I can't go on with this, Madame President,' McCreavy said with reluctance.

'With what?' demanded Rottemeyer. 'It's almost over. A few more days, a week at most, and all of Texas will be back under control. Another few days and New Mexico will be broken, too.'

'You don't understand, do you?'

'Understand what? I understand that they've abandoned their capital, that their troops are pulling back. That Houston is being brought back under control.'

McCreavy sighed. 'Nothing is under control. The hostages you made of the Marines' families? I just found out this morning. They've been freed. Apparently the Marines who took the base back kept up appearances for a bit while they worked out some details. Now you can expect the Marines there by El Paso to join the Texans. And word has gotten out. The Second Marine Division has sent emissaries to the Texan forces facing them and declared a truce. Those two Marine brigades at sea in the Gulf of Mexico? Same deal. And the 18^th Airborne Corps has said to hell with you too.'

'I'll have them all shot!'

Again, McCreavy sighed. 'Then you'll have to give the orders yourself, Willi. I'm through.' With that McCreavy reached into a jacket pocket and removed a letter which she presented to Rottemeyer. 'That's my resignation.'

Before going on, McCreavy forced away the beginnings of a sob. When she continued, it was to say, 'And I'll be moving out today, Willi. All my things will be gone by this afternoon.'

Rottemeyer's eyes opened wide in shock and horror. 'Caroline, you can't be serious. You can't leave me.'

Tenderly, for she still felt some tenderness toward her President and now former lover, McCreavy reached out a hand to stroke a face. 'I must, Willi.'