Pandemic

At the far end of the table, Alex Clayton, dressed as suavely as Noah expected in a black suit with a light blue shirt and matching tie, sat chatting to a chubby man with vigilant gray eyes. Haldane assumed that the man was Clayton's boss, CIA Director Jackson Daley. Clayton interrupted his conversation to smile at Gwen and wave her over to one of the empty seats across from his. Clayton's smile vanished when he acknowledged Haldane with a slight nod, leaving no doubt that he reciprocated Noah's opinion of him.

Haldane followed Gwen to the end of the table and claimed the seat beside her. Clayton began to introduce them to Jackson Daley but stopped in midsentence when the President strode into the room. In person, the President appeared even taller than the towering images Haldane had seen on TV. Haldane began to rise out of his seat, assuming it was the proper etiquette, but no one else budged so he inched back into his chair.

The President pulled out his padded leather chair (the seatback of which was a few inches higher than the others), adjusted the water glass in front of him, and then took his seat at the head of the table. He nodded his greeting to several people around the table before turning to Savard and Haldane. "Welcome, Drs. Savard and Haldane, thanks for joining us at this ungodly hour," he said, and most people at the table chuckled politely. "Maybe a quick round of introductions is in order."

Moving clockwise from the President, all nineteen of the attendees introduced themselves by name and full title, but the rapid-fire names of the Secretaries, generals, and senators overwhelmed Haldane. He was too distracted to keep them straight; acutely aware that he sat in the very same room where the Cuban Missile Crisis, Gulf Wars, and other world-shaping events had played out.

After the introductions were complete, the President said, "I have called you together to discuss new developments in our current crisis." He looked over to his National Security Advisor, Andrea Home. "Dr. Home can explain further. Andrea…"

The attractive African American woman pulled her glasses from her nose and gently laid them on the table in front of her. "Thank you, Mr. President," she said in her crisp cadence. "As you know, we received a second ultimatum from The Brotherhood of One Nation, which has since been verified by the CIA as genuine. They are demanding a complete withdrawal of our military from all countries which they deem 'Islamic lands' in three days — or to be precise, sixty hours from now."

"When pigs fly," Secretary Whitaker grumbled half to himself.

Home glanced at the Defense Secretary, but continued in her same dry tone. "General Fischer can elaborate, but it is doubtful we could achieve anywhere close to the sort of timetable they have imposed upon us. And even if logistically we could pull our troops back, the potential for destabilization in the regions — especially the Middle East — is difficult to conceive."

Katherine Thomason leaned forward in her chair. "Leaving us where, Dr. Horne?" she asked.

Home nodded to the Secretary, showing far more patience for her interjection than Whitaker's. "Before we go there, Madam Secretary, we should hear from our colleagues at the CIA. They have other news." She turned and raised a hand toward the end of the table. "Director Daley?"

Jackson Daley leaned forward in his seat. "I think our DDO, Alex Clayton, has prepared something for the members of the NSC."

Clayton rose and buttoned up his suit jacket. "Thank you." He stepped away from his chair and walked to the far end of the table, standing just to Haldane's left and close enough that Noah could smell his expensive cologne.

Clayton pushed a button on the remote in his hand, and the same map of Somalia from his office appeared on the screen beside him. "Late last night, we heard from our field agents in northern Somalia that they think they have located The Brotherhood of One Nation's operations base. "

Murmurs erupted around the table. And Andrea Home tapped the tabletop to quiet the group. "Please go on, Mr. Clayton," she said.

"Our operatives spoke to two men, both local militia members, in the town of Hargeysa. Independently, the two locals confirmed the existence of a base ten miles northwest of the city."

Clayton used a laser pointer to circle Hargeysa on the color map. He moved the red point in a diagonal line up from the city. "Here, at the foot of the Karkaar Mountains, there is an abandoned military complex, including an old hospital. Our informants tell us that starting five or six weeks ago several Arab men began to move supplies into this base. The informants were paid as drivers and guards for these men, but they were never allowed within half a mile of the compound itself. They assumed it was used for drug trafficking."

"Why?" Ted Hart asked him, clicking his pen as if it were a lighter.