State of Siege

FIFTY-FIVE

Alexander was asleep when Hood walked into the hotel room.

Sharon had gone to the NYU Medical Center with Harleigh. In addition to a physical checkup, it was important that she talk to a psychologist as soon as possible. Harleigh had to understand that she did nothing to bring this on herself and shouldn’t feel guilty about having survived it. Before any of the other damage could be attended to, she had to understand that.

Hood stood by the side of the king-size bed and looked down at his son. The boy’s life had changed, his sister’s needs would be different, and he didn’t even know it. The innocence of sleep.

Hood turned and went into the bathroom. He filled the sink and washed his face. His life had changed, too. He’d killed a man. And whether the man deserved to die or not, Hood had killed him on international territory. There would probably be a trial, and it might not be in the United States. The process could take years, and it might very well compromise the security of Op-Center.

How did they know certain things? To what extent were the CIA and the State Department involved? What was the connection between the U.S. government and the missing Bulgarian Georgiev? The government agencies had no authority in any of these areas.

The irony was that the United Nations might come out of this looking like the wounded party, the victim of a United States conspiracy. From withholding dues to bugging the secretary-general, we’d broken many of the rules that States Members of the United Nations promised to uphold. Nations that sponsored terrorism, trafficked in narcotics, and crushed human rights would be able to wag their fingers indignantly at the United States.

And we would take it. We would take it because the media would be watching. Hood had always felt that television and the United Nations were made for each other. In their eyes, everyone was the same size.

Hood toweled off and looked at himself in the mirror. Sadly, he didn’t think the most difficult fight would be with his enemies. That would come when he and Sharon tried to talk. Not just about his behavior tonight but about a future that suddenly looked very different from what they’d been planning.

“Enough,” he said quietly.

Hood dropped the towel on the counter and took a drink of tap water. He walked slowly back to the bedroom. The night was starting to catch up with him. His legs were weak from all the running, and he’d strained his lower back when he’d run crouching into the Security Council chamber. He eased himself down beside Alexander. He kissed the boy lightly behind the ear. He hadn’t done that in years and was surprised. He could still smell the remnants of little boyhood there.

The peace of the child gave comfort to the man. And as he slipped into sleep, Hood’s last thought was how strange it all was. He had helped to make these two children. Yet by their needs and by their love, the reverse was also true.

These children had created a father.