The red phone at the top of the table rang and the room instantly silenced. Turner lifted it tentatively.
The room held its breath as they watched Turner listen to whatever was being said. Turner shook his head. “I’m not entirely sure what you’re telling me,” he said into the mouthpiece. He looked at Colonel Barnes, beckoned her towards him and handed her the phone as she approached. “The first test results are in,” he said, his tone one of great concern.
Frankie felt a shiver run down her spine. A sudden sweat soaked her shirt and her eyes struggled to focus on Colonel Barnes.
Shivers, sweating, blurry vision.
All symptoms of Ebola.
Chapter 9
“Madame President?” said the Secret Service agent holding out the telephone.” “I have President Mitchell for you.”
Acting President Maria Lopez smiled broadly. Her first experience as Commander-in-Chief was not one she wished to prolong. In the past half hour, the barrage of requests and issues that had crossed the desk of her airtight cocoon was eye watering. A national crisis was on the brink of becoming a global pandemic and an international disaster. Overwhelming was not even close to describing the situation she was in.
“Madame President,” said President Mitchell warmly, an emotion he had never felt when conversing with Maria Lopez. She had been, without doubt, his biggest pain in the ass since winning the presidency.
“Mr. President, it’s so good to hear your voice,” she replied, equally warmly. The feeling was mutual. She did not normally enjoy hearing his voice.
It was evident to both of them that, at times of crisis, political differences were set aside. Although they sat on opposite sides of the political spectrum, a truce would be maintained for the security of the nation.
“I just wanted to thank you for stepping up for me,” he said with pain evident in his voice.
‘Of course, Mr. President, whatever I can do.” The pain in his voice worried her. She had assumed he was calling to retake control.
“Can you bring me up to speed?” he asked.
Maria spoke for the next ten minutes, describing the aftermath of the attack, the lockdown of the White House and Walter Reed, the task force being formed and the actions put in place to ensure Nick Geller did not escape the country. She informed him of the countless calls from heads of state from across the world who had called to offer their support to the United States and condolences for the Vice President.
“It sounds as though you’ve been thrown in at the deep end,” said President Mitchell when Maria drew to a close.
“It’s why we enter politics, Mr. President,” she replied, giving a true politician’s answer.
“If it’s any consolation, I’m fairly certain we’re all clear on the Ebola front,” he offered.
“Have you had your results?”
“No, no just common sense. If he infected us, he would have been infected himself. Why go to the bother of blowing up the West Wing and escape if you’ve exposed yourself to a deadly disease?”
“That does make sense, Mr. President. But why is he doing this? Did he say anything before he shot you?”
“Just the usual Allahu Akbar stuff and then he pulled the trigger on a ridiculous looking little pistol. It was made out of some sort of plastic, probably made on a 3D printer. He walked straight through all our scanners without so much as a beep.”
“Thank God his aim was off,” she said wholeheartedly. She respected the office of the presidency above all else and would never wish ill of any president, no matter how much she disagreed with his politics.
“One sixteenth of an inch, that’s how close he was. One sixteenth of an inch to the right and I’d have been dead in seconds. I’m told it was an exceptional shot from the makeshift pistol. Its lack of power meant he had very few kill shots and he missed his by one sixteenth of an inch,” he said again, still coming to terms with how close he had been to dying.
“God was on the side of the good, Mr. President!”
“I hope he stays there. I think we have a storm coming and I pray he keeps us safe.”
“He will, Mr. President, he will. I’m sorry, sir, but you sound tired.”
“I’ve been tired since I took office two years ago.” He couldn’t help the subtle dig at how hard she had made his presidency. “I called to thank you and let you know that now I’m out of surgery and been given the all clear, I’m fine to take back the presidency.”
Maria didn’t need to be asked twice. She had future plans and taking the reins for even two hours was going to be a massive boost to her career when the time came.
“Of course, Mr. President,” she replied without missing a beat.
“Thank you, Madame Speaker,” replied President Mitchell and with those four words, he was back in charge of a country in crisis.
By the time she had replaced the handset, her Secret Service guard had halved. She was surprised it hadn’t entirely disappeared until she realized she was still just a heartbeat from the big ticket. Without a Vice President, she was next in line should the President’s health deteriorate.
Less than a minute later, the TV screen cut from the scene of biohazard-suited soldiers guarding the White House to the President of the United States. His left arm was pinned by a bandage across his chest and the Walter Reed logo was clearly visible above his head. The presidential seal was prominently displayed on the podium in front of him. His face was pained but his features and his stance were strong and resolute.
“Today, we suffered a great loss. A great American, a great man, a great friend has been slain by our enemies. Vice President Donald Brodie was killed during the attack on the White House. I’m sure you have all seen the images and you may be surprised to hear that, as far as we are aware, Vice President Brodie was the only fatal casualty in the explosion. Although his loss is devastating to the country and to me personally, I thank God that many more were not killed alongside him. As you can see, I have suffered a small wound to my shoulder. It is nothing more than that, a small wound and at no time was my life in any danger. I would like to thank Speaker Maria Lopez who took over the duties of President while I was incapacitated during a short operation. I am proud to say that our great country can now say that it has had a female President.”
A few smiles from the reporters assembled in front of the President suggested that the comment was taken in the lighthearted manner it was intended to be.
“As for the bio-hazard suits surrounding the White House, please do not be alarmed. That is merely a response that any terrorist attack on the White House will illicit. It is standard procedure and I assure you, it is nothing to be concerned about.”
Throughout all their disagreements and political fights, one thing had comforted Maria Lopez about President Mitchell — his honesty. Their views may have been very different but at least he was always honest about them, or so she thought. The blatant lie, so easily told and so convincingly delivered, had just altered her entire impression of him. If he wasn’t the man she thought he was, what else had he lied about? Before she had a chance to digest the information, the desk phone interrupted her.
“Yes,” she snapped.
“Madame Speaker, I’m pleased to say, we have the all clear, everybody has tested negative for the virus.” The caller ended the call. He obviously had many other calls to make.
Maria relaxed, although she didn’t know what was more comforting, the fact that the President hadn’t so easily lied or that she hadn’t contracted Ebola.
“And God bless the United States of America,” said the President as he ended his address.