The War Cloud

29

Kozlowski stepped outside Sachs’ compartment to give her “time to think,” shut the door behind him, and glared at Captain Li. “What the hell were you doing there, Li, spooking the president with visions of DF-5 nukes raining down on us? You and I have no opinions with regards to attack options.”

“I was providing my commander-in-chief with potential consequences of her actions, like she asked.” Li offered no apologies. “You think President Rhinehart would have given us the time of day if he were on board with his VP, SecDef and members of the NSC? History has appointed you and me as the new president’s primary protectors and filters of information. Otherwise, Marshall and the NCA might as well be running the country.”

“That may not be such a bad thing at this point, Captain.” Koz looked at the presidential seal on the door dividing them from Sachs. “What the hell is she doing in there?”

“Maybe she’s dancing to Britney Spears. Or praying. Or bawling her eyes out. Who besides God needs to know?”

“I do, Captain. I need to know. I have no idea what Sachs is thinking. Only that she is. Doesn’t that worry you?”

“A woman who thinks for herself?”

Koz stared at Li’s black, penetrating eyes. “Of course not,” he said, and then he held up the small action figure USB drive Sachs had given him at his request and handed it to Li. “This belongs to Jennifer Sachs. It’s her school USB drive. She’s probably got files on her that might give us a clue to her friends and where she may have gone.”

“Wow, Fembot Fiona,” Li remarked as she took it. “I’ll check her Facebook texts, too. If she’s not talking to her mom, she might be talking to friends.”