“Fine, fine,” the Coach said, her tone irritated. “But you have to understand—it is a very big deal for me not to follow throughon an assignment. Getting things done is my entire brand. So, if I am going to consider not killing you, then I will needa very good reason.”
She held up the notebook.
“This—” she said, “how bad are we talking?”
“End of the world,” Will said. “And we have no time.”
“About what I thought,” the Coach said. “So saving you means I’m saving myself, and my husband, and my children and grandchildren,just as the lovely Ms. Shore suggested.”
She looked out the window, toward the waterfall visible through the slightly warped, imperfect panes, and tapped her fingersagainst her lips.
“Okay,” she said, turning back to Will and holding out the notebook. “Do what you have to do.”
Feeling a bit dazed, Will took the notebook.
“But please, don’t forget that I came here to kill you,” she went on. “I am not your friend. Bluffs, trickery, or chicaneryof any kind will result in . . .”
The Coach gestured at Grunfeld, who lifted his gun in a mildly threatening way.
“I’m sure it won’t come to that, though,” she said, smiling. “Now, where are we going?”
Will stared at the Coach, trying to think of any ruse, any bluff that could get them away. He looked at Leigh, the woman whohad, without any doubt, just saved his life. Her eyes were wide, clearly hoping he would return the favor.
“Denver,” he said.
Chapter 42
“We believe the Chinese incursion into Pakistan’s airspace was entirely intentional, Mr. President.”
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Ira Blackman, pointed with his pen to the large screen taking up most of the farwall of the Situation Room. It was currently showing a satellite image of the Pakistan/China border, with various air- andland-based military units from both sides overlaid on the map as graphic chits—China in red, Pakistan in yellow.
The scans are all clean, Daniel Green thought, but the doctors made it clear that doesn’t mean anything. Lymphatic cancer comes on quickly. I could be clean one week and have one foot in the grave the next.
“A display of power in the wake of the Oracle’s prediction about the revolution in a few years. They want to show they’reas strong as ever,” the national security adviser added.
Green reached for a cup of coffee in front of him—full, black—and took a sip. It was hot, and perfect. The world was ending,but God forbid they let the president’s coffee get cold.
“But they turned around, right?” Green asked, sending the question out to the twenty or so uniformed military advisers crowdedinto the room. “It wasn’t an actual attack?”
“Correct, Mr. President. The Pakistanis scrambled fighters to intercept, and the Chinese returned across their own border,”the chairman said.
“Do we think they will attack?” Green said.
A long, not entirely reassuring glance between the national security adviser and the chairman.
“Not without provocation, sir.”
“Define provocation,” Green said, almost—almost—wishing he hadn’t sent Tony Leuchten away. He was better at dealing with themilitary.
“Almost anything. A misunderstood order from home, an itchy trigger finger . . . but the most likely cause would be Törökullaunching his nuclear weapon at the city of Uth,” the national security adviser replied.
“The Sword of God,” Green said.
“Correct.”
“And we still can’t find the goddamned thing?”
“Not yet, sir. We have drones scanning the region looking for radiation signatures, but the terrain makes it extremely challenging.If he’s got it stashed in a cave, or a deep valley, we might never—”
The door to the Situation Room opened—in itself an unusual enough situation that every head in the room turned to look. Green’ssecretary, a formidable woman named Meredith, entered and walked over to him. She leaned down and spoke quietly into his ear.
“Telephone call, Mr. President.”
“I presume it’s extraordinarily important, or you wouldn’t be telling me about it,” Green said.
Meredith nodded.
“It’s a Major Carter Grunfeld, Mr. President. He used an authorization code I wasn’t familiar with: Sundown. Do you want tospeak to him?”
Green’s mouth quirked upward.
“Sundown,” he said. “Yes. Put him through.”
“Very good, sir,” Meredith said.
She lifted the handset for his secure phone, tapped a few buttons on its face, and handed it to him.
“Major. What’s the status? If you’re using Sundown, I’m expecting good news,” Green said.
“Mr. President, this is the Oracle,” an all-too-familiar voice said. “I need a favor.”
The president’s grip tightened on his phone. He could feel its edges digging into his palm and fingers and wished he couldsqueeze the damn thing until it shattered.
“What makes you think I’d be interested in doing you any favors at all?”
“Because then I’d owe you one. And because it would make me much more willing to forget about the whole kidnapping thing inNew York, and the fact that you tried to have me killed today.”
“Son, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Green said. “What I do know is that you’re not very good at keeping yourpromises. Why the hell you chose to release that prediction, to make a private matter so drastically public, I’ll never—”
“This is bigger than you,” the Oracle snapped. “You know what I’m capable of, as much as anyone can. Will you help me?”
The president looked back into the Situation Room. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs was pointing his index finger at the nationalsecurity adviser, red-faced, indignant. The screens along walls displayed fifteen different versions of the next twenty-fourhours—twelve of which resulted in the end of the world.
“What are you looking for?” Green said. “No promises. Just tell me what you want, and we’ll see.”
“I need to speak to Törökul,” the Oracle said.
The president spasmed out a sound—something between a chuckle and a groan.
“How the hell do you suppose that’ll work? Maybe you haven’t heard of the Sword of God. Catchy name, right? I should havehim manage my campaign. Man has a gift for marketing.”
“I can stop that, Mr. President. I can keep him from launching that missile. You just need to get me in front of him,” theOracle said.
“What makes you think I have that power?” Green asked.
“You’re the president of the United States,” the Oracle answered.
Green waited, but that
