Murray McDonald - Critical Error

The Sheikh smiled as the first attendees began to arrive. He made his way towards the young lady that was co-ordinating the event and while talking to her, he managed to check the sheet. Nothing had changed.

Rebecca woke Sam up. She had just had a call from Ben and they were to meet him in Driscoll, a small town near to where the ceremony was due to take place. He didn’t like it and wanted some assurances. Unfortunately, she did not have any to give.

Sam spoke at length to his brother and agreed that Clark would remain with his wife while the rest would travel to Driscoll.

Although they had flown down with the President on Air Force One, Preston, Johnson and Gates were part of the advance party, along with members of the Cabinet. The President liked his grand entrances and everyone would be seated and in place before he arrived.

Preston had shared a car with the others and the smile on his face suggested he would not be sharing one back. It seemed to Johnson and Gates that the rumors must have been true. However, Johnson was going to wipe the smile off Preston’s face soon enough. There was only going to be one Vice President announced that day and it was going to be Allan Johnson and he had the goods to make sure it happened.

As the car pulled up to the stage, Johnson broke off from the group and made his call.

“Mr President?”

“Yes, Allan?”

“I’m hearing some very disturbing rumors.”

The President knew exactly what the rumors were. “Yes, Allan and I’m afraid they’re true. You’ve got to appreciate that it was Henry who…”

Allan’s tone changed. “Killed the President for you?!”

“Allan,” protested the President angrily.

“No Andrew, I have the evidence that will put us both in the frame. I suggest you change your speech and quickly.” Johnson killed the call and headed back to the others with a spring in his step.

He joined them as the co-ordinator had singled the three of them out and asked them to head over to a waiting minivan. It appeared that the President wanted to arrive with them at his side. They jumped into the van and were greeted by the Secretary of Defense.

The President’s motorcade pulled out of Corpus Christi and made its way towards Bishop. It swept along at sixty miles an hour and the President took the twenty minutes to put the final touches to his speech.

He had just had the call from Johnson when his phone rang again. He instantly answered expecting it to be Johnson again.

“How dare you?!” he screamed.

“Mr President?” enquired Ben.

“Ben, I’ll be with you shortly. I’ll talk to you then,” he needed to get off the phone and get a hold of Johnson.

“You need to meet with me now. I’m in Driscoll, in the diner on the far side of town.”

“I don’t have time.”

“Make the time Andrew,” instructed Ben.

As they pulled out of Bishop, an unmarked car pulled out in front to escort them towards the President’s motorcade.

“Where are we meeting?” asked Preston.

“Driscoll, Sir,” replied the driver.

Preston could see the sign. Driscoll was just 3 miles ahead. He wondered if the President would take him in The Beast with him and really make a statement.

As they pulled into the diner, the Secret Service began to dismount and were about to sweep the place when the President saw Ben in the window. The man sitting next to him was not a man he wanted the secret Service to see. Despite huge protestations, he walked into the diner alone and took the seat opposite Ben Meir and Senator Charles Baker.

“Ben, Charles,” he said as he sat down.

“Momentous day, Andrew,” replied Ben.

President Andrew Russell did not like how Ben had dropped the ‘Mr President’.

“Andrew, let’s take a walk,” he said, getting up from his seat. Charles Baker remained seated as instructed.

Ben walked the President out into the parking area and as both men waved away their security, they talked. At least, Ben did a lot of talking. Particularly after a minivan slowed down beside them before picking up speed and disappearing into the distance.

Rebecca and Sam had been instructed to stay out of sight and in the car. They were to play no part. Ben had only allowed them to come because he knew Sam wouldn’t let his brother out of his sight. Ben had spent over an hour with Senator Baker before the President had arrived and as such, Rebecca and Sam were becoming increasingly restless and in Rebecca’s case increasingly desperate to go to the bsthroom.

After having held on as long as physically possible, she could wait no more and after securing a promise that he would not move unless the ground began to swallow him up, she jumped out of the car and ran to the restrooms at the side of the building. As she stepped back out of the restroom, feeling very refreshed, the President and Ben were arguing just a few yards in front of her. As she waved an apology for the interruption, her view was blocked by a minivan pulling in between her and them. Four men got up, as though about to disembark, only for the driver to turn and say something, after which they all sat down. Rebecca watched as the van pulled away and she could see a look of horror on the President’s face that mirrored hers but for very different reasons.

As Rebecca walked back towards the car, she opened the door and slumped into her seat.

“What’s wrong?” asked Sam turning to her. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost!”

“I have!” she answered.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States of America.”

President Andrew Russell took the stage and looked at his audience and the people at home.

“Citizens, countrymen, people of the world. We are not here today to mark the memorial of a great disaster, we are here today to be thankful for saving a people from another. We are here to welcome and offer our support to a people who have fought to protect themselves day in and day out. Hopefully that fight is over. It will not be easy and many wounds are still to be healed but we will be there for them and I’d ask you to be there for them too.” The president paused as the audience began to digest what he had just said. The murmur died and he began again.

“Behind these gates, lay a land devastated by the worst man can do. As much as we can create, we can destroy. But the land has now been made safe. Scientists and engineers have eradicated every last drop of radiation. The land is safe but we have no need for it. We discarded it so easily that we should be ashamed of ourselves. People fight and die for land and we have so much of it that we can just shut it off. Another people were threatened by a similar atrocity but they did not have land to just shun and discard. They had no land they could go to and be safe. That was until now.”

The gates swung open and a sea of tents could be seen stretching off into the distance. The President and Prime Minister of Israel joined the President at the podium. He greeted them with a hug and a handshake while hardly a whisper was raised from the audience.

“Over the last few days, Israel has evacuated its citizens. It has been the largest humanitarian operation ever undertaken.”

“Why the secrecy?” came a shout.

“The four nuclear weapons could have been triggered at any time. If the terrorists had caught wind of it, they may have detonated the bombs and killed millions of innocents.”

“What of the holy land?” came another shout as the impact of what was being said hit home.

“Jerusalem and a large area around it has been handed to the UN. It is to become UN territory and will become the headquarters of the UN, replacing New York. It will be a neutral land from which to operate. Jerusalem and the cities around it are holy cities, not just for Judaism but Christianity and Islam also. More than half of the world’s population sees these cities as some of their most holy.”