Silent Waters

Chapter 50

“My fellow Americans. Once again, good has triumphed over evil. Once again, in the face of danger, the best of America has showed itself.” President Hawkins paused and looked into the cameras. “The crisis is over. As I speak to you, the men and women of our military forces are preparing to board the disabled submarine Hartford. The hijackers that have survived are on the run. Our nation, our way of life, is safe.”

He smiled and then grew serious again. “This has been a trying day for every one of us. Today, the very foundations of America came under attack. But our belief in freedom and our ability to resist evil never faded. Our light never dimmed. We went out there and fought the terrorists who brought this fight to our door. We stood our ground and proved to those nations who support such actions that we are not weak or unprepared or lacking in our determination to stand up for our beliefs. America is strong. We have showed the world that we stand together and that we will never be defeated.”

The President continued to read the speech on the teleprompter in front of him. As always, Bob Fortier was prepared with the message they wanted to convey at just the right moment. And this was their moment. Every voter west of the Mississippi was glued to their television, and those on the east coast who were not in front of their TVs were listening to him on the radio. All programming was pre-empted. This was his time. His show.

Tomorrow, they would go to their polling places and vote. And who would they be voting for? William Hawkins.

The president read on, smiling occasionally, sounding confident and showing his pride in being an American. The speech touched on what he’d accomplished in the past four years in preparing America’s defenses for this kind of assault. He referred to the course of action he planned to keep the nation on for the next four. He talked about the hijacking and made it clear that his foreign policies must be credited for their ability to quash this threat and force these terrorists to abort their plans. Strength was the only way to answer terror, he told the nation. American strength.

Hawkins knew John Penn must be squirming in his small mansion in Rhode Island. There would be no rebuttal this time about the need for “balancing the interests of America with our responsibilities to the people on whose backs we’ve grown wealthy.” This was no moderated debate. Will Hawkins, President William Hawkins, had the platform all to himself.

He folded his hands in a prayerful attitude. Looking straight into the camera, he finished the speech with his own words.

“Tomorrow, as a nation, we will go and exercise the right that Americans have fought and died for. No terrorist will ever jeopardize that freedom while I stand watch. Go, my fellow Americans, with the secure knowledge that the future is safe for you and your children. You, my brothers and sisters, who are on the road, return to your homes. Here in the White House, we have kept the light burning for you.”

The director motioned for the camera crew to stop filming as those in the Oval Office started to cheer.

Hawkins moved from behind his desk and circulated among the crew and his staff and the members of his party’s congressional leadership that had come to share in his glory. Now he could do what he was even better at — shaking hands and making small talk.