Greg Keyes - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Firestorm

“I’m here today to address the allegations directed at me and my administration, and to state definitively that they are entirely false,” he said. “This city is deeply in crisis, and will probably remain so for the foreseeable future. For the moment, that is my one and only priority, and all of the resources of this office are focused on maintaining public safety as much as is possible.

“When the danger is over,” he continued, “I will happily submit to any sort of outside investigation the citizens may call for. In the meantime, I remain in charge. This city is under martial law, and I am its executive officer.

“Thank you. God bless you all, God bless the City of San Francisco, and God bless America.”

The first mob to storm City Hall formed less than an hour later.

The police and National Guard units repelled the first wave with tear gas and rubber bullets. The crowd backed up, but continued to grow. Police were called in from other parts of the city.

Dreyfus watched all of it unfold on the TV, and he came to a decision. He reached for his jacket.

“It would have been nice to have been mayor,” he said with a sigh.

When he arrived at City Hall, the mob looked as if it was on the verge of charging again. Despite the bullhorn he held, it took him several tries to get their attention, and for a moment he thought they were going to charge him . Then someone in front shouted his name, then someone else, and before he knew it, it became a steady beat.

“Dreyfus… Dreyfus… Dreyfus…”

He raised his hand, and they quieted a little.

“Look,” he began, through the bullhorn. “I understand that you’re angry. I am too. If what we’ve heard is true—and I think the evidence is compelling—then Gen Sys, Mayor House, and anyone else involved must and will be held accountable. But for the moment, this city is collapsing around our ears. Already basic services don’t exist for many citizens, and the predictions are that it’s only going to get worse.

“We can’t fall apart now,” he said. “We need leaders.”

“You mean House?” someone shouted. “Screw that. Screw him!”

That was followed by a messy wave of rage that took a few moments to calm.

“No,” Dreyfus said. “I do not mean Mayor House. We have law in the city. We have procedure. It’s clear that—guilty or innocent—Mayor House does not have a mandate to govern. Under normal conditions, he would be under indictment even as we speak. Instead he’s chosen to go the way of the tyrant, protecting himself with his office and the brave men and women who serve that office.

“He should and must step down. In the event a mayor cannot continue in office, he is replaced by the president of the Board of Supervisors—in this case, Daniel Ngyun, a good man, a capable man. That is what we should demand.” He paused a moment to let that sink in, then continued. “To the policemen out there, you all know me. I may not be your chief anymore, but you know what I stand for. The mayor is right about one thing—we are deeply in crisis, and we cannot spare a single life on either side of this line. Not when we know our real enemy.

“We should not be fighting each other. We should be fighting this disease, this Simian Flu. We should demand full disclosure, now— about how the virus was created and how it might be cured. In holding back this information from the CDC, Gen Sys, Mayor House, and everyone involved has critically delayed the search for a cure. Who knows what might have happened if, rather than trying to cover their collective asses, they had instantly divulged the blueprint for this virus? There might already be a vaccination.

“So I’m talking to the police now. Stop fighting this fight. Your mayor is now Daniel Ngyun. Place yourselves under his control. That’s the law. Everyone else, go home. Trashing City Hall isn’t going to help anything. Odds are Mayor House isn’t even in there.”

Three hours later Dreyfus got a Skype call from Daniel Ngyun. The picture was pixilated, but the sound was clear.

“Way to put me on the spot, chief,” he said.

“Oh, come on,” Dreyfus replied. “You said it yourself—if you thought you could beat me in the primary, you would have run. Now you get to skip that part. Anyway, it was the only thing to do. So what’s up? To what do I owe the honor of this call?”

“Well, we can’t even find Mayor House right now,” Ngyun said. “I’ve removed Burston and appointed Tremont as Chief—”

“Good choice,” Dreyfus said. “But I was kind of hoping to fill those shoes again.”

“Yes, I kind of figured that,” Ngyun admitted, nodding. “But no go.”

“Still, I need to do something, Daniel. Maybe you can find a place for me on your staff, or… something.”

“From what I can tell, you’re doing plenty,” he said. “Quelling two riots, all of those talk shows, precipitating a more-or-less peaceful transition of authority. You haven’t exactly been a couch potato. But I can’t make you chief again.”

“I understand,” Dreyfus said, his heart sinking.

“I don’t think you do,” Ngyun responded, and there was a strange sound to his voice.

“I’m appointing you mayor,” he added.

“You’re what?”

“I convened a full meeting of the board. They didn’t all show up, but I had a quorum. Congratulations.”

“This is completely out of the ordinary,” Dreyfus said. “Normally the president of the board—”

“The president of the board has the 113 virus,” Ngyun said. “That’s why I’m Skyping, instead of coming over there in person. I don’t want to spread it around.”

That silenced Dreyfus for a moment.

“Oh, shit, Danny, I’m sorry,” he finally managed.

“I’m in the early stages,” he said. “But we all know how quick this goes. What could I do in a couple of days? I’d rather—well—prepare.”

“Maybe…”

Ngyun smiled faintly, and held up a hand.

“Yeah, I keep telling myself that, too. Maybe.” He shook his head. “Good luck, Dreyfus,” he said. “You’re the man this city needs right now. In all of this you’ve been the steadiest, most reasonable voice, and the people know it. They’ll follow you.” He sighed. “My wife and kids are still clean. I’m counting on you to bring them through the other end of this.”

“You have my word,” Dreyfus said, “I’ll do everything in my power. I swear it.”

“I know you will. Come down this afternoon for a quick swearing-in ceremony, and then get to work.” With a bloop , the screen went blank.

Dreyfus stared at it long after Ngyun’s image had faded. Then he poured himself a Scotch, trying to absorb what had just happened, feeling the weight start to press on his shoulders.

“By God,” he murmured to himself. “This is not how I wanted it to happen.” He raised the glass. “To you, Daniel. Godspeed.” He took a sip.

He’d wanted to be mayor. He’d wanted to be elected mayor. But right now, what he wanted didn’t matter. This was how things fell out. And he knew the first thing he was going to do.

He took out his phone and punched in a number.

“Tremont,” the voice on the other end announced.

“Hey Chief, I just heard,” Dreyfus said. “Congratulations.”

“Yeah,” Tremont said. “About that. I told them I thought you should—”

“Nonsense,” Dreyfus said. “You would have been my pick, too. If I’d had my say. Which in about an hour I will.”

“Sir?”

“The board is making me mayor,” he said.

There was silence on the other end of the line.

“That’s good news,” Tremont said.