AmEarth

Peter sat in the living room of the luxurious embassy in Canberra, speaking on the phone with General Redford.

“Chen is on his way to Canberra. ETA six p.m.,” General Redford informed him.

“Thanks for the heads-up,” Peter said.

“Mr. President, you should know that Chen will not be there to help you. He’s there to investigate you. He wants to know how you did it.”

Peter looked out at the lovely manicured garden of the embassy and spied a baby kangaroo jumping across it with great agility and beauty. It jumped all the way to the flowerbed near the property wall and just as gracefully jumped backward. The embassy was similar to that in Wellington, and had obviously been built by the same architect, but this one was grander.

“I know, John. I expected some kind of move, but not this. Does he think that I’m going to share my speech technique?”

“What is your speech technique?”

“Why, are you interested in the presidency too?” Peter joked, feeling that he was beginning to trust Redford.

“Absolutely not!” General Redford laughed.

“Then I’ll keep my trade secret to myself, but tell me something…”

“What?”

“I need to know, are you with me?” Peter asked.

“Mr. President, you are my commander-in-chief.”

“Thanks, John. That’s all I needed to know.”

“Good-bye, Mr. President. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you. Good-bye.”

Peter looked at his watch. It was 5:45. Chen would be there soon. He spent the remaining time making a few calls to his security personnel. Only a few hours earlier Sergio had arrived at the embassy, mad as hell at the travel disruption Peter had caused. Peter ordered Sergio and Robbie to Canberra, and they had been literally pulled off the sailboat as it sailed between the islands of New Zealand. A helicopter had dropped them on to the AES Reagan, from where an F27 fighter jet immediately flew them to Canberra. Sergio left Robbie in the bedroom they had been assigned and looked for Peter to give him a strongly worded piece of his mind.

“What is the meaning of this?” Sergio entered, furious with the president.

“Sergio, I have a problem that has just presented itself. Please, bear with me here,” Peter answered.

“Are you mad? Airlifting me out of my own yacht and forcing me to come to this terrible city!”

“Will you wait a minute, Sergio? It has to do with Marianne and Scott.”

“Why? What’s happened to her? Is she okay?”

“Get ahold of yourself. She’s fine, but listen. Chen is going to be here any minute. He can’t know that you are here. Do you understand? I don’t want him to figure out how we’ve trumped the lie-detecting software. All you need to know is that you and I are a team now. We’ll have more power than Chen ever did, but we need to keep him back. Where’s Robbie?”

“She’s in the room they gave us.”

“Stay there and don’t come out until I personally come and get you. Now go! Chen will be here any minute.”

“What are you going to do?”

Peter dialed his wafer and looked at Sergio with a cold stare that said everything he needed to say. Sergio understood his meaning and walked briskly to his room. No more than five minutes later, ex-president Chen entered the living room, looking defiant. Peter knew that Neil had a long-winded rant prepared for him; a twenty-hour flight in a normal jet plane had given him a long time to prepare a speech.

“Peter, at last I find you! Nice place…enjoying yourself?” Chen asked innocently.

Peter looked up, ignoring his comment completely. He had his wafer phone to his ear, although no one was on the other end. With one finger, he signaled Neil Chen to be quiet and sit down. It was a polite gesture, but dismissive at the same time. Then Peter coolly turned his back to Chen and began agreeing into the phone and murmuring assent.

“Mhm. Yes. Mhm. Mhm. Yes. Got it…aha, okay, I’ll do that.”

Ex-president Chen was becoming furious, but managed to contain his emotions. Peter moved the phone down and made another call. This made Chen even more furious, but he was helpless. Here was his computer-chosen, ignorant replacement, who was supposed to fully believe in the alien threat, making a fool of him!

“Rogers? Now…thanks,” Peter spoke into the phone.

Peter continued looking at the baby kangaroos and ignoring Chen. He was no longer speaking on his wafer.

“Peter…” Ex-president Chen broke the silence, clearly irritated.

Peter turned around.

“Yes, Neil. I’m sorry. What can I do for you?”

“You know damn well why I’m here.”

“And you came all this way hoping that I would tell you?” Peter inquired, obviously implying that he wouldn’t do this.

“I need to know, damn it. You at least owe me that,” Chen demanded.

“I’m sorry, Neil, but that’s simply not going to happen.”

“Peter, you have to. I made you! From nothing! I need to know!”

“I’ll never tell you, Neil.” Peter reverted to using his first name, which blatantly ground on the man’s nerves.

“Peter, this is horrible! Why are you treating me like this? After all I’ve done for you!”

“Keeping people from knowing the truth is your specialty, Neil. Now you can know what that feels like. At least a little bit. Rogers!”

Rogers arrived, followed by two Secret Service MPs, who gently took ex-president Chen’s frail arms in their hands. They led him toward the hall and the front door.

“Peter—I just arrived. I’m hungry! You can’t treat me like this! I was the supreme president!” Chen moaned pathetically.

“Wait a moment,” Peter said to the security detail.

He walked directly up to Chen and looked him in the eyes.

“My dear Chen, I’m not only sending you back to New York, but you will be met there by AmEarth personnel. I have ordered you to be confined to house arrest. Any further attempts to undermine my presidency will be treated as treason. You are still a member of the committee, but you can only attend virtually, unless I allow you to be there in person. I repeat, any further attempts to undermine my presidency will be treated as treason. I have read all the transcripts of the committee meetings, as is my right as the president. Don’t try to present any further information to the computer that could jeopardize my position. It will be the last mistake you make. They have food on the airplane,” Peter finished coldly.

“This is how you treat a former president? I’m shocked!” Chen pretended to be outraged.

“All you want is to regain the position. Did you think for one second that I would be so foolish as to return this honor back to you? Did you really think that I would be your puppet?”

“I didn’t, Peter. I swear it.”

Peter turned around and ignored Chen’s pleading. He walked to the large staircase leading up to the bedrooms above as the guards forcibly moved Neil Chen toward the front door.

“I’ve just been on a plane for twenty hours!” Chen shouted as a last-ditch attempt to gain some mercy.

Peter didn’t even react; he barely heard him. Above, Sergio had been spying through a crack in his door and had heard most of the exchange. He stepped into sight as soon as the front door slammed.

“Well played,” Sergio said.

“Well, this should be interesting,” Peter replied, already wondering if this was the right play.

“What happened to my daughter?” Sergio demanded, ready to move on to the next crisis.