Legend

Epilogue

It had been a surreal experience since the moment the team had stepped off the transport until the time they had finally been called to final debrief by Niles. The invitees didn't include any of the regular Event Group hierarchies, with the exception of Virginia and Jack. Pete Golding was even missing. Heidi Rodriguez was there, sitting next to Sarah, and so was Professor Ellenshaw. Alice smiled as she took in the small group. Carl came in late and apologized. Only Niles was yet to enter the room.

"This isn't a normal debrief," Virginia said, looking at her watch.

"No, its not," Alice said, knowing full well that Virginia was anxious to get out of the meeting and fly back to Los Angeles to see Master Chief Jenks, who was laid up in the hospital there. The Stanford graduate students had been debriefed by members of the FBI and told that the others on their trip had met with a boating disaster — a story they all wholeheartedly agreed to proliferate if asked. Three of the Zachary team was in for much harder times, including Helen's assistant and Kelly's fiance, Robby, who had taken in enough rads to assure him of some form of dreadful illness before he reached old age. The other two kids wouldn't make it through the month.

As for the Event Team that had been under Jack's command, including the Proteus Operation, they had lost thirty-three people, all brilliant men and women, friends that couldn't easily be replaced — Keating, Jackson, Larry Ito, Dr. Waltrip, and many others. Losses Jack would have a hard time getting over.

The door opened and Niles walked in. He stepped aside and allowed Senator Garrison Lee, the former director of the Group, to enter. Lee was followed by the president of the United States, who was supposed to be on a fund-raising tour of Arizona, Nevada, and California in support of the newest party candidate, a former general in the U.S. Army whose campaign was starting to steamroll after the secretary of state's abrupt resignation.

The Group started to stand, but the president waved them back down.

"Don't do that, please," he said. He couldn't meet their eyes.

He waited for Senator Lee to be seated out of respect for the old gentleman, and then he sat at the far end of the conference table. Alice smiled at her former boss and current roommate, and Lee patted her hand.

The president spoke first, catching Niles off guard.

"No," he said looking up from the tabletop toward Niles. "I will not accept it, so don't even try."

Niles angrily removed his jacket and looked at Lee, who didn't flinch from his gaze.

"My right; I was lied to at every step," Niles calmly said.

"Not by me," the president countered brusquely.

Alice closed her eyes and stopped taking the minutes of the meeting.

The president took a deep breath and then finally looked at the people around the conference table.

"The United States government has known about Padilla's valley since early in 1941. The information was discovered by an American agent working in the Vatican. He gave the information to his controller in Army Intelligence, who knew beyond a doubt what ore was in his possession. That agent was able to retrieve the route from the diary, with the official sanction of the Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Madrid. They deemed that we Americans would be able to use the material wisely in the end. So, the route and ore found its way to the University of Chicago, whose experiments in building a reactor underneath Stagg Field in Chicago had been an unadulterated failure to that point. Enrico Fermi was allowed to examine Padilla's ore samples firsthand. He came away convinced the samples were as close to weapons grade as they could ever achieve artificially. Naturally, he continued work on his atomic pile in Chicago. But they wanted to use the Padilla samples as a fallback material, so they went after it."

Niles had refrained from telling everyone in the room. The president insisted he be the one to take full and ultimate responsibility for the lives lost.

He swallowed and looked from face to face. "You know the rest. His friend at Princeton, Albert Einstein, sent ten of his closest and most trusted people, along with Fermi's chosen few. He dubbed them the Chicago Mining Association. Unfortunately, he never saw most of them again and the ones he did would live only three months, with the exception of Professor Kauffman in Arizona. Needless to say, Fermi was more competent than he believed himself to be, and was successful in producing a chain reaction the very same month his expedition was destroyed."

"And then the world became a better place," Lee interjected with sarcasm.

"The material from El Dorado had been kept and filed away for years and years. Then it was accidentally discovered by the head of the Army Corps of Engineers, and that information was shared with several friends of his, including my own national security advisor and the former secretary of state. Together, they found a worthwhile cause for the use of the weapons-grade material. An event that would make one man look good enough to hold this very office, and for the others to have high new positions afterward as a reward for stopping the threat of invasion from an aggressor nation."

Niles still looked angry.

The president looked at Compton and said, "Resignation not accepted, Mr. Director, simply for the reason you are too valuable to the American people."

Niles swallowed and allowed himself to feel for the first time in days.

"I withdraw my resignation request," Niles said and allowed Alice to take his hand and for Lee to reach over and pat both of theirs.

The president sat a moment, looking tired. "Now, Major Collins, I understand you believe you have the right to award battlefield commissions to sergeants?"

Jack grinned. He was prepared for the argument with the president. "Not only sergeants, but navy junior grades also." He nodded toward Virginia, who stood and made her way to the double doors and pulled them open.

Second Lieutenant (temporary grade) William Mendenhall stepped in dressed in his U.S. Army dress blues that still had his gold, staff sergeant's stripes on the sleeve. He was followed in by Lieutenant JG Jason Ryan, USN, who was dressed in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt of multiple colors. They both stood at attention.

"Glad to be home, Mr. Ryan? I understand Delta wants you back, and the Proteus program also wants you. So tell me, are you done flying for the air force?" the president asked.

Ryan glanced at Collins before answering the president.

"I think the major knew that laser platform would try to kill me, sir."

"Well, it's his right to do so. After meeting you and seeing you again, Mr. Ryan," he looked pointedly at the shorts and Hawaiian shirt, "I can't blame him."

"Mr. President," Jack said, standing, "I officially request that Sergeant William Mendenhall be given assignment to the very next class at OCS. He will make a fine officer in the army. As for Mr. Ryan here, either we need to promote him for duties above and beyond, or kick his ass out of here completely, if you'll pardon the expression — your choice."

The president stood and shook both men's hands, and nodded his agreement.

"I suppose you would have also tried to resign if I didn't give in?" he asked the major.

"Me, Mr. President? Not a chance, I was hoping for Niles's job until you talked him out of quitting."

The president smiled and then slid two small cases along the conference table toward Niles. "Do the honors, Mr. Director, please."

Niles, with as much pomp and circumstance as he could muster, simply tossed one box to Jack and the other to Carl.

The director then opened a flimsy paper and read. "Major Jack Collins, as befitting a military liaison to an agency outside of his own, you are hereby promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, with pay grade adjustment commensurate of said rank, minus one hundred dollars per month, which is to be deducted toward the repayment of monies to the United States Navy, stemming from charges brought about by Master Chief Archibald Jenks, United States Navy, for the destruction of U.S. government property, namely the commissioned river transport, USS Teacher. Lieutenant Commander Carl Everett is hereby promoted to the rank of captain, United States Navy, with pay grade increase for same, plus a monthly deduction of pay amounting to one hundred dollars, as aforementioned compensation for property recently destroyed."

Jack and Carl looked at each other and couldn't gather the words.

"You are also hereby officially reprimanded by the president of the United States and said reprimand will be placed in both 201 files. In addition, both officers will immediately fly to Los Angeles and formally apologize to Retired Master Chief Archibald Jenks, whom I must say is quite anxious to see you," the president finished for Niles. "Now, you're officially dismissed."

Jack Collins and Carl Everett walked from the conference room stunned at what they had just happened. As the doors closed behind them, they heard the life of the Event Group return to normal as the director and president started their yearly argument.

"Now, Mr. Director, we need to discuss this outrageous budget you've turned in for the next fiscal year; it just won't do. I won't be in office the next time around, and the next guy may not be so generous."