A Time for Patriots

Ron nodded, then looked up at Brad. “Marina wants to keep it,” he said, the fear evident in his voice. “She told her parents — they noticed her morning sickness — and they freaked, and now my mom knows. I haven’t spoken to her yet, but she calls me every ten minutes. What the hell am I going to do, Brad?”

“Sounds to me like you’ve already got a plan of action, bro — you’re working your butt off, saving money for when the baby comes.” He looked at his friend carefully. “That is what you’re doing, right?”

“Well, of course it is, ass-wipe,” Ron shot back. “What’d you think I was going to do — skip town?”

“It had crossed my mind,” Brad said. He saw the hurt and disbelief on Ron’s face. “Oh, give me a break, jerk-off. I see you with a different girl almost every day. You may be with Marina most of the time, but you can’t say you’re exclusive.”

Ron’s face turned crestfallen, then he lowered his head in shame. “I guess I have been a jerk,” he said. “Marina didn’t sleep around — that was me.”

“Well, maybe the fickle finger of fate pointed you in the right direction after all.”

“The what?”

“Forget it — old TV-show bit. What I’m saying is: maybe out of all the chicks you aimed your shotgun at, the right one got bagged.”

That seemed to brighten Ron’s entire demeanor for the first time in many days. “Yeah, maybe you’re right,” he said. He actually smiled. “Did you know Marina is half Greek and half Apache Indian? Can you imagine a Greek woman going at it with an Apache? She sure is a wildcat in the sack, that’s for sure. And she can actually cook — not just reheat takeout, but make meals out of just random stuff in the cabinets. She wants to go to nursing school.” He fell silent. “Shit, I guess a football college scholarship is out the window.”

“You never know,” Brad said. “Like they say: when one door closes, another opens.”

Ron looked at him in mock disgust. “You been beating off while watching some chick flick again?” Brad laughed. Ron shrugged, still smiling. “Yeah, maybe that’s true. I always thought Marina was just another lay — you know, date the high school football captain, trading sex for cash. But she actually saved the money I gave her, and she used some of it to pay for her doctor’s bills — she didn’t blow it on clothes and stuff. All this time I thought she was just this moody, clingy bitch, when it turns out she was nesting, trying to straighten me out.” He was silent for a moment, then looked at his watch. “I gotta hit the road.”

Brad smacked his friend on the back as hard as he dared. “Congrats, you SOB. You’re going to be a dad. And you’ve actually got a plan.”

“I wouldn’t go giving me too much credit,” Ron said, shrugging off the sting in his back. “My dad ran out on my mom a long time ago, and I know how tough it’s been for her to raise two sons alone. I’d hate to do that to some little kid of mine.” He shook hands with Brad. “Thanks for listening, bro.”

“Sure. See you at practice.”

He watched Ron’s face fall. “I… I’m not so sure,” he said. “I got a chance for a full-time job at the overnight delivery company warehouse in Elko. I might drop out of high school after I turn eighteen in a couple months.”

Brad was thunderstruck. “Are you sure you want to do that, Ron?”

Ron shrugged. “I hate school, Brad, you know that — the only reason I’m there is for football and girls,” he said. “At the company I’ll get a decent salary, medical and dental, a pension, and they’ll help with getting a GED and an online bachelor’s degree. After a year I could become a manager. And I actually like working there. I won’t just be loading and unloading short-haul planes, but working toward a real career in the express shipping industry.” He fell silent, then nodded. “I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Brad shook his head. “Man, you’re freaking me out here, dude,” he said. “You’re turning into… like, a regular guy, right before my very eyes.”

“Yeah, I know — it’s hard for guys like me to be seen as anything else but an Adonis to you mere mortals.” They both laughed at that one. “I’ll see you soon, bro.”

“Congrats again… Dad.”

Ron nodded his thanks and left.

Nine

Duty cannot exist without faith.

— Benjamin Disraeli

Later that afternoon

Patrick’s desktop computer monitor showed the seal of the president of the United States. “Hold for the president, please,” the White House operator said after she had initiated the secure videoconference. A few moments later, Patrick saw President Ken Phoenix, seated at his desk in the private study next to the Oval Office. Beside him was Vice President Ann Page, smiling warmly. “Patrick, how are you, buddy?”

“Fine, Mr. President. Good to see you. You too, Madam Vice President.”

“It’s been too long, Patrick.” His expression turned serious. “I’ll get right down to it, Patrick: I received a very serious accusation from the Justice Department this morning, something dealing with the FBI agents leading the surveillance operation against the extremists near you.”

“The accusations are true, sir.”

Phoenix’s eyes widened in surprise. “You threatened three federal agents with death ?”

“Yes, sir.”

Phoenix sat back in his chair in complete shock. “The attorney general is screaming mad, Patrick. You used the CID robot and a Tin Man to threaten those agents with death? Why would you do something like that?”

“The agent from Homeland Security seduced Brad and lured him into a trap with the FBI,” Patrick explained, “and then the FBI agents set up Brad so they could get him to inform on me. I don’t suppose they mentioned any of that.”

The president rubbed his temples. “Has the entire damned world gone mad?” he murmured. “Why would the FBI want to spy on you?”

“I don’t know, sir.”

“They said you’ve been uncooperative ever since violating no-fly airspace a while back.”

“My attorney advised me not to answer any questions.”

“Attorney General Horton told you that?”

“Yes, sir.”

The president leaned forward and looked directly into the camera on his desktop computer. “Listen to me carefully, General,” he said. “You will rescind this… this death threat immediately, and you will guarantee to me that those agents have nothing to fear from you, the CID, the Tin Man, or any technology or weapons you control.”

“As long as I’m still free to protect my family, my community, and myself…”

The president held up a finger. “No conditions, Patrick. None . Agree to this, or I’ll send the Marines to come get you, the CID, and the Tin Man. I’m not going to have anyone threaten a federal agent, even you.” Patrick still hesitated. “I’m serious about this, my friend. If you have evidence that these agents did something illegal, turn it over to me, and I’ll have the Justice Department’s internal affairs look into it. But you will not go around threatening federal agents as long as I’m president.” He paused, the anger level in his face slowly rising. “Well?”

“I guarantee no federal agents will be harmed, sir,” Patrick said finally.

The president sat back in his chair. “That’s better,” he said after a few moments. “Just wait until Gardner gets hold of this. It’ll be front-page news all around the world in no time. The only reason I don’t bust you now,