He had trouble believing the day had finally arrived. There he stood in Trevor Stone's office on the second floor of the mansion and while he may not be Emperor, he might as well be.
He would be President of The Empire. No, eventually they would hold a vote and he would be President of the reborn United States of America. Between now and then he held nearly as much power as Stone had wielded, only poor Jon Brewer did not realize as much. Trevor had ruled with an authority derived from his actions since the invasion. People saw him as a savior and his initial bunch of lackeys pledged an oath of complete devotion.
Evan knew his authority came from a different place. He wielded the power of uncertainty. With only the vaguest of guidelines and parameters on paper, he could expand his authority as far as he cared. Oh, there were a few bumps in the road that needed smoothing, but as the reporter had suggested the title "President" might as well be "Emperor."
Trevor, Evan thought, used his power to create a cult of personality spiced with the fervor of a crusader. In contrast, with Evan Godfrey in charge, the people would not be wasted on some foolish crusade. Instead, he would help them build a utopia, of sorts. While perfection could never truly be achieved, Evan knew his vision of government and society would come as close to the ideal as any man dared to dream.
A 'normal' President in the old days might achieve one or two initiatives of note. But not Evan. Through the cloak of uncertainty he would command the authority to mold the new world to his liking; in his image.
Evan chuckled and played the past few weeks over again, enjoying the memory of each scene, of each victory, of each piece falling into place.
His fine mood spoiled as in walked Gordon Knox. The Intelligence Director paused at the doorway between the two Doberman Pincher dogs guarding inside the room, locked eyes on Evan, and then strolled forward in careful steps.
Evan, feeling the strength of his new position, did not let his stare waver. For the first time ever, he held the advantage over Knox. He planned to enjoy every moment of what few moments of their rivalry remained.
Knox spoke first, "Well, looks like you're moving right in."
Evan kept his voice calm, cordial, yet the glare in his eyes carried much darker overtones.
"I feel it's important to get right to work. There are so many…so many projects I'm looking forward to completing. Things I think are long overdue."
A grin flickered at the corner of Knox's mouth. "I wish you the best of luck, Evan. With everything you're contemplating, you're going to need it."
"I believe we make our own luck, Gordon. In fact, I'd say that luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I've been preparing for this for a long time, and now I have the opportunity to do the things I've dreamt of."
"Just be careful, Mr. President, that you don't bite off more than you can chew. People who do that have been known to choke."
"Rest assured, when I put my mind to something I complete the task."
Gordon asked, "Is that a fact?"
"You can count on it. And let me say, your contributions over the last several years have been much appreciated. In fact, I feel a debt of personal…personal gratitude to you. Alas, with the restructuring I envision, I think your services will need to be terminated."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Evan. You know, Trevor came to rely on me. He could always count on me to get the job done. He knew what I was capable of."
Godfrey reminded, "Trevor Stone is gone."
Gordon grew a big, sadistic smile. His tone dropped and he spoke in a slick and smooth voice that could have been a wizard casting a spelclass="underline" "Trevor is gone? Is he really, Evan?"
Gordon walked over to one of the dogs guarding the entryway. The perfectly black and impressively muscular Doberman sat rigidly in a Grenadier's version of military attention.
Knox glanced at the stoic dog then to Godfrey and warned, "I don't think Trevor is gone at all, Evan. Look close now. Look into the eyes of each of the K9s. Can you see him, Evan? Can you see Trevor Stone looking back at you? Watching you?"
Evan licked his lips and, on impulse, glanced at the canine. He saw the dark, obsidian eyes of the mysterious beast. He saw the power Trevor held over the animals; the way they did his bidding without question, the way Trevor had been able to communicate-somehow or another-with the creatures. And in those dogs he saw all the things about Armageddon he tried to ignore: Trevor's jaunts into the woods, nuclear weapons that would not detonate, the mystical runes.
Evan's eyes wavered for a split second but that split second gave Gordon a victory.
Before Godfrey could recover, Ashley stormed into the room in big steps. Gordon's evil grin disappeared immediately; he felt a woman of Ashley's stature should not be exposed to his dark side. She glanced at Knox quickly but reserved her anger for Godfrey. "Get out of here." Evan's mouth hung open for a moment before he replied, "But my dear, my new duties require that I-"
"I said get out of my home. This is Trevor's personal office. My family lives on this second floor. I will go through the desk and forward to you anything of relevance."
Between Gordon's disturbing remarks about the K9s and the ferocity of Ashley's indignation, Godfrey realized he held a weakened hand. He bowed politely and made for the door. He stopped when Knox said, "See you around, Mr. President." "No, Gordon, you won't." With that, Evan Godfrey left the lakeside estate. He would never return. Ashley and Gordon lingered. "I should be going," Knox volunteered, but did not move.
Ashley stood in the middle of the room staring at the floor with her body sort of swaying in a mixture of relief at Godfrey's departure and unease at being alone with Knox.
"Gordon, you were always a good friend to Trevor. He counted on you a great deal."
"He counted on me? Isn't that funny. All these years I really think it was me counting on him. He gave me purpose. You know, I spent a lot of my years in the old world working some dirty jobs in the intelligence community. At first I did it because I believed in the 'home of the brave' and all that. Over time, I just did it because it was all I knew."
Gordon stepped closer to Ashley. She kept her eyes on the floor.
He continued, "But when aliens invade your world, enslave and murder children…well then you know you're on the right side. You learn that maybe there is a time when the ends do justify the means. That's my time, you understand? That's where I live. Trevor let me be who I am and still feel like one of the good guys."
She said, "You are one of the good guys."
He did not know how to respond and she did not have anything more to say. An awkward silence screamed through the room. Outside a car or truck or something drove around the lake; the chop-chop of distant helicopter blades echoed.
Gordon's hand slowly rose in the air and gently reached to her cheek. She closed her eyes and stood as still as if I hunter's knife touched her throat. For him-for one moment-no glass separated them. He felt the warmth of her life and knew her to be flesh, and blood, and real.
She trembled in what could only be fear.