to deal with. For in spite of the fact that the end was clearly in sight, the dark and nebulous forces that had driven the Tenth Corps on were still at play. With the same blind and mindless determination that had kept the Tenth Corps moving north, units still responding to the orders of the German Chancellor continued to hack away at the rear-guard elements of Big Al's tattered corps. It was in the words of one of Jan's male co-workers as if some Germans couldn't admit defeat as long as they had a chance to strike out and hit an American unit. Forgetting for a moment that her husband was still very much a part of the story, Jan's friend predicted that there would be one more final killing frenzy, one last mindless battle, regardless of how pointless it was, before serious political negotiations could begin. Though she hoped that everyone in Germany would simply allow the battle to die away quietly, Jan knew in her heart and soul that as long as men like her Scotty still stood on both sides of the battle lines that wouldn't happen.
So she watched the videos as they were beamed in live from Europe and prayed that somewhere on one of them she would be able to catch a glimpse of his face.
Flanked by Secretary of Defense Terry Rothenberg and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, President Wilson moved with such a brisk pace down the corridor that those following began to think she was trying to run away from them. They didn't realize how right they were. Tired of briefing after briefing on the military situation, Wilson was looking for any excuse to shake her entourage of stern-faced military bureaucrats and generals. So when Wilson saw Ed Lewis come around the corner out of a side corridor quite by accident, she called out, 'Ed, before you return to the State Department, there's something I need to go over with you.'
Without even a polite smile, she turned to Rothenberg. 'Terry, if you'd excuse me, there's a few things I need to discuss with the Secretary of State designee before he leaves.' Not waiting for a response, Wilson stepped away from Rothenberg and his gang of military men. Grabbing Lewis's arm, Wilson snatched him away from his assistant and started to head for the Oval Office as quickly as she could. Only after they were in the office and a member of the Secret Service closed the door behind them did she let her newly named Secretary of State go.
Walking over to the front edge of her desk, Wilson stopped, placed her hands palms down on it, and leaned forward. 'How much longer do
Walking over to one of the overstuffed chairs, he allowed his tired frame to drop into it and settle before he answered her. 'From what I've been told, maybe another six, seven hours before the last of the rear guard makes it to the 17th Airborne's forward outpost, providing the Germans don't cut the road again.'
Shaking her head, Wilson corrected Lewis. 'No, not that. I know about the counterattack that the Germans are preparing.' Spinning around, she folded her arms across her chest. 'No, what I'm talking about is how long before everyone figures out that we, with the help of General Malin, duped them?'
There was no need for Lewis to consider that question. 'Never.' For a moment Wilson stared at Lewis before he continued. 'There is no need for anyone to know. There are only four people who know exactly what happened and how this whole thing got started.' Lewis held four fingers up. As he named each of the conspirators, Lewis dropped a finger. 'To start with, there's you. But I don't think that you're going to go on national television and announce, 'Guess what, folks, I fooled you.' No, even if you had a burning desire to repent for your sins, this country has had far too rough a time. The last thing you need to do is follow the Ukrainian adventure and the German crisis with a Washington scandal like this.'
Holding herself close, Wilson considered what Lewis had said. There had been times, especially when she was alone, when she'd considered doing exactly that. But she didn't tell him, or anyone else, for she still wasn't sure which way she would go on that issue. Even as Lewis continued, Wilson decided that she was still undecided.
'Then, of course, there's me. I can assure you, Madam President, this has not been the highlight of my career as a public servant. Yet I have no intention of slitting my own wrists in public. You see, as much as I hate what we did, I consider what we did the best choice from a whole stableful of bad ones. I am confident that in time our actions will be able to stand on their own merit.'
'What about Malin? Remember, I'm obligated to relieve him as soon as he reaches Bremerhaven and bring him to Washington to stand court-martial.'
Lewis dropped his hand and let a slight chuckle slip. 'Yes, I know. And I've noticed that he has not been seen by anyone, especially the media, since his corps started re-entering friendly lines.'
Not having made any special effort to track him, Wilson pondered this for a moment. 'Do you suppose he's trying to skip out, escape or hide?'
'No, no need to worry about that. He's just waiting until all of his units are safe. When the last of the rear- guard units make it back safely, he'll turn himself over to the most senior commander on the scene and come back here to face his court-martial, just as we agreed to.'
'But then the nice little story about a renegade commander will be exposed as a lie.'
Lewis shook his head. 'No, not at all. He'll ask for a trial by a military judge only, which will eliminate the jury. Since much of the evidence that will be brought against him deals with national security issues, the session will be closed-door. And his defense attorney will be able to present only that information that Malin himself provides. So the trial will be quick. General Malin will be found guilty, sentenced, and after a few weeks forgotten. After all of his appeals have run out and the trauma of this crisis has been replaced on prime time news by another hot issue, you will pardon him.'
'Do we have to go through this charade?'
Shrugging his shoulders and clapping his hands together, Lewis sighed. ''Fraid so, Abigail. The German Parliament, which is on the verge of gaining control in Germany, is watching your every move. They are looking for anything that will allow them to bring this affair to an end. You see, the German Parliament, through their own little staged trial, will bring Ruff to justice, as they see it, just as you will bring your renegade corps commander to justice. Ruff, who took the nuclear weapons from us and placed unreasonable demands on you, will be gone. Malin, who violated German territorial integrity and started the German crisis, will be gone. Since neither the German Parliament nor you had any direct control over those events, the ones that precipitated the actual shooting war, there'll be no barriers to open and free negotiations. Resolution of outstanding issues will be quick, and everyone will trip over themselves as they rush to re-establish the prewar normalcy, whatever that was.'
Though she knew Lewis was a tough character, she had never viewed him as being a cynic. Unfortunately that happened to anyone who worked too long within the Beltway. She looked at Lewis. 'Who's number four? I thought there were only three of us?'
'Number four, Madam President, is Colonel Scott Dixon.'
'The same Dixon that's married to Jan Fields, the correspondent on WNN?'
'The very same. Malin insisted that Dixon, whom he considers one of the brightest minds in the Army, be in on the initial discussions when we were considering the feasibility of this whole escapade. Dixon made a quick study, came up with some initial planning guidance, and turned it over to Malin so that it appeared that Malin had done it on his own. The plan I brought back from Prague and that Malin executed was Dixon's.'
'And how will he react when Malin takes the fall for this whole affair?'
'Scott Dixon, Madam President, is a professional soldier. He will do what he is told. Before I left Prague over two weeks ago, General Malin, in my presence, asked Dixon to promise that he would never divulge any of the conversations that Malin and I had.'
'Dixon will adhere to that promise?'
'Abigail, Dixon's a soldier, not a politician. Of course he'll keep his word. Besides?' Lewis stopped.
'Go on, Ed. You were about to say something?'
Lewis looked down at the floor a little sheepishly before he answered. When he did, there was a hint of remorse in his voice. 'You know, of course, that the rear-guard detachments from the 4th Armored Division are part of Dixon's brigade?'
Cocking her head, Wilson tried to remember if she had been told about that, but in the blizzard of military briefings she had been given, she was sure that she had never made the connection. Finally shaking her head, she responded, 'No, to tell you the truth, I really didn't. But what has that to do with this?'
Slowly Lewis explained himself. 'The 2nd Panzer has not been stopped by naval or Air Force aviation from Britain. They're the ones that took a hammering back in central Germany, and if reports are to be believed, they're out for blood, anyone's blood. Since that unit is mostly easterners who have remained steadfastly loyal to Ruff, we expect that they'll make one more effort.'
'But why? I mean, it's over. They have no more nuclear weapons. Most of the Tenth Corps has made it to
