Politics of Blood (Gray Spear Society Book 8) (8 page)

They came to a group of three young men wearing identical black pants, white shirts, and ties. A red, white, and blue stripe pattern decorated the ties. Their haircuts were so short they almost looked bald. Tawni guessed they were around twenty years-old.

"I like your suits," Norbert said.

"We're protesting the President's military policy," one of the men said proudly.

"What part don't you like?"

"A strong America requires a strong military. Haley is trying to destroy our proud Armed Forces by taking away all the money."

"That's not accurate," Norbert said. "He just wants to reduce expenditures to a more sustainable level. Besides, he's a veteran. I think he served in the Navy. I'm sure he understands the value of a strong military."

"He never served! That whole story is a lie. Nobody has ever seen his military record."

"Did you read that on the internet?"

"It's true!" the man said.

Norbert sighed. "Right."

He and Tawni walked off.

"How long do we have to do this?" she said glumly.

"Until Aaron tells us we can stop."

* * *

Aaron walked into his office.

Perry looked up from his computer monitors and said, "Hello, sir. How did the meeting with the President go?"

Aaron wore a black business suit, a blue shirt, and a brown tie. He hadn't taken off his Secret Service costume yet. Perry thought he looked very impressive.

"Pretty well, all things considered," Aaron said. "There was no bloodshed. The legate was terrifying, as usual, but she kept herself mostly under control. She'll be staying with the President for the duration."

Perry's eyes widened. "Huh? They'll be hanging out together? How is that going to work?"

"Very awkwardly, I expect, but the legate feels the best way to keep him safe is to be his personal bodyguard."

"That is one hell of a bodyguard. And Boreas is with her?"

"Indeed. A formidable pair." Aaron furrowed his brow. "You look tired."

Perry was more than just tired. He could barely keep his eyes open.

"I worked straight through the night. This is my first real mission. I didn't want you to think I'm a slacker."

"I like that attitude. Do you have any results for me?"

"Yes, sir," Perry said. "I combed the databases of the FBI, the CIA, the Secret Service, and Homeland security. I also performed a deep internet search and went through the Society watch list."

Aaron cocked his head. "The what?"

"It's a list of dangerous people the Society keeps an eye on. I think it's a fairly new development. Anyway, sir, when I was done, I had a list of five thousand distinct threats. I cut that down by looking for people or groups who have a presence in the Chicago area. I figured there was no point in investigating somebody who isn't even here. I used the twins' correlation software to perform the analysis. It's amazingly powerful."

"Good job." Aaron nodded.

"Thank you, sir," Perry said. "Eventually, I trimmed the list down to a hundred threats that seem worth checking out."

"Did you print them?"

"No, but we can look at them on my monitors." Perry glanced at his bank of screens.

"You know me," Aaron said. "I like to see information in hardcopy. Do one threat per page. That will make the sorting easier."

"Yes, sir."

Perry typed on his computer for a moment to send the job to the printer. He got out of his seat. A stiff back made him wince. His ergonomic workstation was designed to be extremely comfortable, but no furniture could compensate for not moving at all for many hours on end.

He walked to the computer room where the laser printer was located.

He always marveled at the hardware whenever he entered the room. The twins didn't just have a lot of computers. They were also the fastest available on the planet. A special cooling system used mineral oil to keep the CPUs from burning up. There was a radiator the size of a double bus on the roof, and it was just for this room. Perry could hardly imagine how much the whole system had cost. Some of the equipment couldn't be purchased on the open market at any price.

He found his way through the maze of racks to the printer. A hundred sheets of paper took a little while to print out. While he waited, the hiss of ventilation fans was deafening. The twins didn't seem to mind the noise, but they didn't have human ears.

Bethany and Leanna weren't in their chairs at the moment. Perry wondered where they had gone.

Eventually, he collected the printouts and returned to Aaron's office. The commander was sitting behind his desk, and he had taken off his black jacket.

"Let me see," he said.

Perry handed over the thick stack of papers. Aaron began to go through them one at a time.

Perry was in awe of this man. Aaron was an absolute genius but not in the usual way. He didn't have a great understanding of math or science. He wasn't interested in literature. Aaron's extraordinary talents involved human behavior. He could read body language as easily as most people read a book. He usually knew what people would do before they did. He was always two steps ahead of everybody else in the room.

Aaron looked up from his work. "This will take some time. Get a little sleep. I'll find you when I need you again."

"Yes, sir. Thanks."

Perry walked off.

* * *

"We're thinking about giving the keynote on Saturday to Congressman Davis," Sandra Holt said. "His reelection campaign is in a dead heat. He needs the exposure."

President Haley shook his head. "I don't like it. He missed a lot of important votes this year."

"You don't approve, sir?"

"It's your decision, of course. You're the head of the planning committee. I'm just stating my opinion. I don't think Davis earned a keynote."

Haley was sitting in a large conference room packed with people. They occupied every available seat and were lined up against the walls, two deep in some places. Body heat made the room warm despite good ventilation. A mish-mash of colognes, perfumes, and certain odors infused the air. Nobody looked happy.

This was the final planning meeting before the convention. Political careers would be made and ruined here. Everybody wanted to see.

"It's a good point," Sandra said after a pause. "Maybe we'll keep the schedule the way it is."

She was a tall woman with a mane of raven hair. She wore a sunshine yellow suit, her signature look.

Haley glanced at Ethel. She and her bodyguard, Boreas, were lurking in the darkest corner of the conference room. They were still dressed like Secret Service agents and were doing a fair job of blending in. Both stood at attention like real agents. Sunglasses covered Ethel's strange eyes. With her lean build, she could be mistaken for a short, old man from a distance.

"Next topic," Sandra said. "The safety people aren't happy about all the bunting in the arena. They think it's a fire hazard."

"You really need me to make a decision about bunting?" Haley said.

"It's part of the presentation, sir. The national audience will see it."

He sighed. "Get rid of it. The flags are more than enough. And I've had enough. We've been at this for two hours. I'm going outside for some fresh air. Carry on without me, please."

He stood up. The Secret Service scrambled to escort him.

Guarded on all sides, Haley left the conference room and entered a hotel hallway. The carpet had a white and brown paisley pattern, and the walls were tan.

He was in the American State Hotel which had become the field headquarters of the Democratic Party. All the important meetings were here. The United Center was just for the television audience.

Haley started walking with no particular direction in mind. Just moving felt good. Hopefully, the planning meeting would be done by the time he got back.

He glanced over his shoulder. Ethel and Boreas were trailing several paces behind the real Secret Service agents. Director George Seferis was an equal distance behind them. He was glaring at Ethel with open hostility.
Doesn't he have better things to do?
Haley thought.
Why isn't he managing his agency?

Haley eventually found a third-floor balcony with a view of downtown Chicago. The air outside was refreshingly cool. He wanted to take off his jacket and let the sweat underneath evaporate, but there were certain things a president never did in public.

The Secret Service formed a perimeter. They were such a constant presence in his life he sometimes forgot they were there. One agent stood out though. Her name was Zimmer, and as the only woman on the protection detail, she was a novelty. She had short, red hair, cut in a masculine style. He wondered what hoops she had jumped through to get this job.

Ethel boldly walked up to Haley. The real agents gave her strange looks, but he waved them off.

She stood on the edge of the balcony and looked out. "Chicago is my favorite city," she murmured. "I spent most of my life here. So many memories." She pointed to her left. "See the river over there?"

He looked at a strip of brown water in the distance. It flowed between the tall buildings like a regular street.

"Yes," he said.

"I had to swim it in the dead of winter," she said. "The floating ice cut my skin. And that brown building is where I disarmed a bomb with just a nail file, clippers, and a ballpoint pen. See that very tall, blue building with the glass sides?"

He was certain she was just making up stories, but he was willing to be entertained. "Yes."

"I climbed the exterior one night from the ground to the roof. It was exhausting."

"Why?"

"There were people on top who needed my attention. Bad people." She didn't sound like she was making a joke.

"You arrested them?" he said.

"No, of course not."

The cool air suddenly seemed cold.

He noticed sunlight fell on her skin oddly, and it wasn't just the dark color. Light seemed to bend around her as if it had no business touching her.

Seferis joined the little group, scowling fiercely. "You two seem to be getting along well. I'm extremely uncomfortable with this situation, sir."

"Mr. Seferis," Ethel said, "there is no reason for us to fight. We can be great assets to each other. Is there anything you want? I'll be happy to do a favor for you to demonstrate my sincerity."

Haley decided to stay out of this squabble. The two adults could work out their differences on their own.

"You're trying to buy me off like the others," Seferis said. "You're an influence peddler."

She shook her head. "I have many responsibilities, just like you. Often, having friends in high places is very useful. I don't do favors for my personal benefit. Frankly, it's a pain in the ass sometimes, but it's part of the job. What do you want? I'm giving you a free wish."

Haley was desperately trying to figure her out. Clearly, she was part of a larger organization with extraordinary capabilities, but the purpose of that organization was completely unclear. He didn't even know why she was protecting him.

"I don't want anything from you," Seferis said. "Besides, you can't fix the important stuff."

"Like what?" Ethel said.

He hesitated. He had something to say but was unwilling to do so.

She took out her bulky, gray phone and made a call. "Hello," she said. "It's me. I need information about the Director of the Secret Service, George Seferis. He has a personal problem he is unwilling to discuss."

Haley heard tinny voices on the phone.

"Who are you calling?" he whispered.

She covered the phone with her hand. "My people in Washington."

He raised his eyebrows.
How many people does she have?

She nodded. "Thank you. That's just what I need." She hung up and faced Seferis. "Your sister has AIDS. She's dying."

He stared at her with wide eyes. Haley was also astonished. Seferis had never mentioned anything about a sick sister to him.

"Tell her to fly to Los Angeles immediately," Ethel said. "I know a woman who can help."

Seferis shook his head. "AIDS is incurable."

"It's going to take a miracle to save your sister. You're fortunate you came to me with this problem."

"I'm not telling my sister to fly across the country to meet some kind of witch doctor!"

"Then you'll lose her," she said. "I
can
fix the important stuff. Now, leave us alone."

Muttering under his breath, Seferis walked off.

"I'm not buying it," Haley said. "You don't know anybody who can cure AIDS."

"You're sure about that?" Ethel said.

In fact, he wasn't sure about anything. She seemed to exist in a different reality than he was used to.

"By the way," she added, "I have a miracle in mind for you, too."

"What do you mean?"

She smiled. "I don't want to spoil the surprise. Let's just say you're about to have a change of heart." She patted him on the chest.

* * *

Kamal was standing on the roof of the Rosemont Tower Hotel. He was watching Bethany and Leanna fuss over a device the size of a toaster. The girls were making tiny final adjustments before turning it on.

He had spent the morning constructing the device with them. It was built from exotic materials, electronics, magnets, and lasers. He had no idea what it would do. The twins had simply provided the plans with no further explanation.

Working so closely with them was disturbing. Their metal skulls and crystalline eyes were only part of the reason. They cooperated perfectly without verbal communication as if they shared a common brain. Their divine intelligence was the most unsettling aspect of all. Kamal was a brilliant scientist, but he was an ignorant fool compared to the twins. They understood the mysteries of the universe in a way that no normal mortal ever could.

It was a pleasant day for working outdoors. The sun was bright and the air was clear, but a cool breeze had kept him comfortable. He could see the tall buildings of downtown Chicago from the top of the hotel. Airplanes coming from and going to O'Hare Airport were always in the sky.