The Tau Ceti Agenda

'That, if you've never seen it before, friends, was a hypervelocity railgun bullet vaporizing against the wall only centimeters from President Moore's head. I ask you this, do you seriously believe that Alexander Moore conspired to be fired upon? And look at this.'

The video rolled again, and it was clear that Moore was cursing at his bodyguards about something until one of them handed him a pistol. Moore slid the action on the railgun and rose over the wall and started firing away.

'Now we go to Colonel Roger Sauro, U.S. Army, retired, our ENN military analyst. Colonel, you have an analysis of what happened at the park?'

The colonel started breaking down the day's events step by step with the aid of computer simulations mixed with the Disney footage. It was clear that the Moores had been caught by surprise and in the middle of the terrorist attack. They had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Then they finished up by showing the footage of President Moore in an armored e-suit holding an HVAR to the forehead of the lead AI bot and telling it to let the hostages go.

'I don't think there are more than a handful of presidents in history that have ever performed above and beyond the call of duty like this. And I can't recall a single time when a president actually took up arms and put his own life at risk, literally like this.' The colonel finished his analysis and sounded thoroughly disgusted with the politicians on Capitol Hill and how they were attacking Moore after such a fine display of true heroism.

'Thanks, Colonel Sauro. We have a physicist from Princeton's Wheeler Laboratories here with us next, and we will be discussing this quantum membrane technology. Stay with us here at the only place for real news, Earth's News Network . . .'

Chapter 24

November 1, 2388 AD

Washington, D.C.

Sunday, 8:35 AM, Earth Eastern Standard Time

'I tell ya, Thomas, I just don't believe it. I've been the man's bodyguard for four years now and have yet to see him do anything that I thought was untoward. I mean, you've seen how he reveres his wife and daughter, right? He's just not that kind of man. And we've both fought side by side with him. This entire thing stinks of goddamned petty politics.' Clay Jackson adjusted his personal shield system and then straightened out his tie. Clay holstered his two mini M-blasters behind his back on his belt clips and then slid his coat on, checking the hidden pockets throughout it to make certain that the knives, daggers, throwing stars, stunners, and miniature explosives were all still accounted for.

'Well, that Nigerian congresswoman seems to think she has him dead to rights, Clay. The so-called evidence she has backs up her claims, and all the polls don't seem to be going in his favor, either. I know what you mean, though. To see him being put through this pisses me the fuck off. I'd like to have seen how those political twits would have reacted yesterday when they were being fired on with auto railgun fire. Bullshit!' Thomas closed his locker and adjusted his tie. The two men had been fighting together for years now. They had started together as AEMs on Triton, and then they had met Moore and fought with him at the Martian Exodus just outside of Mons City. They knew the man. He was a United States Marine through and through, and to suggest that he was anything less galled the two of them. 'I guess you just can't trust politicians, can you?'

'Goddamned politics is gonna kill us all one day. You mark my words. By the way, how's the hand?'

'Aw hell, the immunoboost had it working fine before we even got to SOCOM. But it's a hundred percent today. There might be a little soreness, well, call it stiffness. Don't hurt near as bad as a meter-long chunk of rebar being jammed through your thigh.' Thomas flexed his hand. 'Ain't modern medicine just amazing?'

'Oh well. Personal thoughts off, professional thoughts on.' Clay nodded to his partner that it was time to go to work.

'Roger that, Gunny,' the marine captain replied.

You read me, Clay?

Loud and clear, Captain.

Good. I'll check us in. Clay nodded with the slightest gesture to his partner as he slid his sunglasses on and activated the sensors on them. The display panels in the lenses began downloading situational awareness data from the sensors built into the glasses. The data was then broadcast DTM into their mindview, where both the wearer and their AICs could use it. The glasses had short-range lidar system, IR and QM imaging, and various color and polarization filters built in.

HQ one six zero zero Pennsylvania, over, he thought on the wide area net link.

HQ one six zero zero, here.

Clay Jackson, on.

Thomas Washington, on.

Roger that, Clay Jackson and Thomas Washington. I read you on site, lower security locker room. Shift transition is go.

Roger that, HQ.

'Thomas?' Moore turned the television off as the Secret Service agents swapped out. 'Clay? I thought I told you two to take a couple days off.' He looked at the marines sternly.

'Can't keep us away that easily, sir. I'll bet you don't take a day off.' Thomas smiled at the president with a raised eybrow, barely noticeable over his sunglasses frames.

'Sir, how're the First Lady and Dee?' Clay asked.

'They're still in bed, I think. But fine.'

'Good, sir.' Clay had grown quite attached to Dee, as she would often request him to guard her. Dee often confided in him like the older brother that she didn't have, which was another factor in Clay's anger toward the damned politicians attacking her father.

'Sir,' Thomas said sheepishly. 'I, uh, apologize for allowing yesterday to happen and us being caught with our