Mounting Fears

8

WILL WAS WATCHING THROUGH THE HELICOPTER WINDOW AS THE WHITE HOUSE got closer, when Kitty Conroy gave him a sheet of paper with handwritten notes.

"Mr. President, a clutch of press will be waiting when the helicopter lands, and when we land, I think you should make an on-the-run statement along these lines."

Will quickly read the notes and handed them back. "Right, I'll do that."

"Don't stop for more than a couple of seconds, say your piece, and get out."

"Right, Kitty."

The big helicopter settled onto the White House lawn, and everyone poured out. The knot of waiting press ran toward Will, shouting questions.

Will stopped, held up a hand to quiet them, and spoke rapidly. "Naturally, we are all saddened by the unexpected death of Vice President George Kiel, and our hearts and our prayers go out to his loved ones. On another subject that I'm sure will interest you, I spoke with President Khan of Pakistan a little over an hour ago, and he tells me that his military exploded the missile shortly after it was fired and that little loss of life or damage resulted from the explosion. The Pakistani military has moved quickly to secure all the other missile sites in that country, and I'm waiting for a final report. I'm optimistic that all will be well shortly. I'll address the subject when all reports are in, and that's all I have for you now." He walked quickly toward the White House, ignoring shouted questions.

"Marty," Will said, "you stay with me. The staff will put your things in an upstairs bedroom, and by tomorrow we'll have you in Blair House."

"Yes, Mr. President."

The two men walked into the Oval Office, and Will noted the flashing lights on his telephone. "And Marty, it's 'Will' when we're alone or with top staff. You can use the title in public or larger gatherings."

"Yes, Will."

Will took a brief call from the Pentagon and hung up. "No further word from President Khan," he said to the small group. Kate was on another phone talking with her people. She hung up.

"We've been able to confirm the location of the site with the remaining missiles," she said. "I suggest you allow me to give the Pentagon the coordinates, in case we have to knock it out."

Will nodded. "Tell them only on my direct and explicit order," he said. "I want to keep us out of this, if at all possible." He turned to Kitty. "Call the secretary of state and tell him I want him in constant touch with the Pakistani ambassador," he said.

"Will," Martin Stanton said, "does it worry you that we've heard nothing from Khan about the securing of the final missile site?"

"Yes, it does," Will said, "but Khan has, in the past, sometimes been slow to respond to communications. I hope this is just one of those times."

"I hope so, too," Stanton said. "I don't think you should say anything else publicly until that situation is fully clarified."

"I'll put it off until tomorrow morning," Will said, "but if we haven't had a positive response from Khan by then, I'll just have to report what I know. I can't allow this to drag on."

"I understand."

The phone rang, and Will picked it up. "Yes?"

"President Khan for you, Mr. President."

"Put him through. President Khan?"

"Yes, President Lee. I am calling to tell you that the final missile site has been secured. Also, I wish to express my condolences and those of my government on the death of Vice President Kiel. I knew him well, and he was a fine man."

"Thank you, President Khan."

"If you will forgive me for being brief, I have matters to attend to."

"Of course, Mr. President," Will said, "and I am glad to have your news." He waited for a response, but Khan had hung up. Will turned to the group. "Looks like we're out of the woods," he said. "The final site has been secured. Kitty, release that to the media and tell them I'll hold a brief news conference in the morning. No address to the nation. Let's not make too big a deal of this-it's over."

"Yes, Mr. President." Kitty ran for her office.

"I think that's it for the night," Will said. "Everybody get some sleep. Marty, you come upstairs with Kate and me."

UPSTAIRS, WILL TOOK a call from the secretary of state, who said he had gotten Khan's message from the Pakistani ambassador.

"Tom," Will said, "we've got to use these events as a tool for forging a new agreement with Pakistan on the handling of nuclear weapons. Let's make it our goal to have them all disabled and secured at a single location. We may not get that, but let's try. Get started on that first thing tomorrow, and make it your highest priority."

"Yes, Mr. President, and may I say that everyone at State is very sad about the death of George Kiel. He knew his foreign policy, and we had great respect and affection for him."

"Thank you very much, Tom, and good night," Will said, and hung up.

"Would you two like a drink?" Kate asked.

Both men nodded. "The usual," Will said. He allowed himself a drink or two a day at his doctor's suggestion.

"A single malt, if you've got it," Stanton said.

They settled in with their drinks.

"This was a close one," Will said. "There are a hundred ways it could have been a lot worse, and I think we've gotten off easy."

"So far," Kate said. "Do you really think that Khan will agree to tighter controls on his warheads?"

"If not, I'm going to tighten as many screws as I can think of," Will said. "He knows how bad this could have been, and I hope it's shaken him to the core."

"I've met the man twice," Stanton said, "but I don't think I know him well enough to offer advice."

"Nobody expects you to be an expert on foreign policy, Marty," Will said. "Not yet, anyway. Defer any questions from the press to Kitty or me. After all, you're still the governor of California."

"Perfectly true, Will."

"What kind of governor do you think Mike Rivera will make?"

"He's been a good lieutenant governor," Stanton said, "and I think he would have had a good shot at my job in November. It should be easier for him, now."

"Maybe you should give him a call before you go to bed," Will said.

"Yes, I will."

Stanton looked pensive. "This is the first nuclear explosion in the atmosphere since… the sixties? The French?"

"Since 1980," Will replied. "The Chinese."

The phone rang, and Kate picked it up. She listened for a minute or so. "Stay on it," she said, then hung up. She turned back to Will and Stanton. "We've had a report from an operative that something important was taken away from that last missile site," she said. "In a helicopter."

"What was taken?"

"No confirmation, but the helicopter probably means that the military took it away."

"I hope to God it was the warhead," Will said.

"I hope to God it was the military," Kate replied.