One Day on Mars

'It might be more authentic if you didn't.' Gail cocked her head sideways and raised her left eyebrow in thought. 'Whatever you prefer is fine by me. But they would like to go live as soon as you are ready.'

'Gail . . . uh.' Moore paused for a second and reached over to the cameraman pushing the camera down. 'Turn that off for a minute.'

'What?!' Calvin gasped.

'Go ahead, Calvin. Seriously.' Gail knew when to turn the cameras on and when not to. And sometimes it was that trick that got you the real story.

'Calvin, stay here a minute.' Moore held up a finger at the cameraman. Then he grabbed the reporter by the wrist and led her a few meters to a tool room with a big window in it overlooking the hangar. He pulled her through the doorway to it and then closed the door behind them.

'What's this about, Senator?'

'Gail. There is a story here, a story that could make both of us if we played it right. Oh sure, you are a big correspondent now, but I'm thinking much bigger than that.' Moore paused to see if there was any reaction, but the reporter had a good poker face.

'What is this story?'

'Hell, just look out the window at all of that! Look how many wounded are pouring in here and to the hospitals across the city and at the Navy base. It will last for days. Then they will have to start moving the dead. That will take even longer!' Moore thought about how to say what needed to be said.

'Yeah, it is horrible. I get it.'

'Oh, you get the fact that this is a horrible thing that happened, but the bigger story is how did this happen. How did America allow this to happen? How did President Alberts allow this to happen? How did the Democratically controlled Congress allow this to happen?' He paused again and pointed at the streams of wounded that continued to pour into the hangar deck. A smile started to grow across Fehrer's face. Moore knew she would get it. A reporter isn't a good reporter if they can't find somebody to make a hero and if they can't think of somebody or many somebodies to crucify.

'I see . . . '

'Think about it. Why didn't we know that the Seppies had that big of an Army and Navy? Where did they get all that mecha and the carriers and the haulers? Either somebody in the government was asleep at the wheel, which is unforgivable, or they were in on it, which is even more unforgivable. And by God I'm gonna find out who.' Moore had her now. 'We are gonna find out who and fuckin' draw and quarter them, metaphorically speaking of course, on systemwide television.'

'And . . . there is always an and or a but. You need something more from me than just me doing my job.' Gail was sharp. Moore knew that she would be the right person for the job.

'I never thought of this until now, believe me or not I don't care, but all day long I've only thought of one thing and that was getting my family safe. But now that I've reflected on this for a few moments I want to make certain that this will not happen again in this country or at least it will not happen to us with our pants down and so unsuspecting.'

'Mmhm. How will you do that, Senator?'

'That's the key you just said. Senator Alexander Moore from Mississippi can't do a diddly thing about it. But President Alexander Moore could.' Moore stopped and stood looking Gail in the eye. 'Make me president of the United States and I'll not let this happen again. And you can be an anchor, a White House spokesman, or whatever you want. The right ally in the press could do this. You can do this!'

The press, if they played it right, had the power to sway most anything they wanted. Moore was a good candidate. He had given years as a Marine and showed how powerful and selfless and caring he was on this horrible day on camera. Gail and Calvin had caught it all and America was about to see it. With the right spin he could take the White House in November by a landfall. The GOP would have no choice but to choose him as their candidate. He continued to stare Gail in the eye and didn't make another sound.

'Deal.' Gail held up her hand and Moore shook it with a smile. 'Now come with me and let's get started on your campaign.' Gail opened the tool room office door and led the senator back out to the cameraman, who was standing around perplexed at the shots he was missing by having his camera off.

'So what was that about?' he muttered to his boss.

'Calvin, get the live feed ready. We're about to interview the senator,' she replied.

What a day, hey, Abigail? Moore said to his AIC.

She's a good ally, sir.

I know.

Yes, sir. What a day. It has been a long one.

Sir? Your wife and daughter want to go home.

So do I, Abigail. So do I.

Chapter 28

5:01 PM Mars Tharsis Standard Time

'. . . with this exclusive interview to go along with the footage you have just seen from the brave senator's exploits today on Mars, MNN correspondent Gail Fehrer has the senator live from the hangar deck of the crashed supercarrier the U.S.S. Margaret Thatcher, where a staging area has been set up to treat the hundreds of thousands of wounded. We go now live to the supercarrier. Gail?'