A Heartbeat Away - Michael Palmer [108]
“We have a serious situation,” Townsend began.
“That seems rather obvious, Doctor,” Ellis said. “So I trust you are not here to rehash old business.”
“I do have new concerns, Madam Speaker,” Townsend replied. “And they revolve around President Allaire.”
Ellis, her spirit suddenly taking flight, looked on gravely, mirroring Tilden’s worried expression. Thanks to her connection with Genesis, and her nearly disastrous encounter with Group C, she knew specifics about the virus and its horrific physiological effects. Was Allaire suddenly infected? Had he fallen victim to his own creation? That had to be it. Destiny had taken her firmly by the hand.
“Is there something wrong with the president?” Tilden asked. “I was with him just a few hours ago. We were discussing supply shipments. He seemed fine to me. Anxious, but fine.”
Ellis was pleased that Tilden had been excluded from whatever was going on, but she was hardly surprised. Clearly, Allaire considered him as much of a dimwit as she did.
“I, too, thought he was doing well,” Townsend said. “But now there’s been an incident.”
Again, Ellis felt a rush. Bad things should happen to bad people, she was thinking.
“What sort of incident?” Tilden asked.
“The president went into a rage during a video conference with the virologist who is working on the antiviral treatment.”
“Do you know what set him off?” Ellis asked.
“That’s the strangest thing of all,” Townsend replied. “Nothing really did it. It was like a switch had been thrown. Even the president admits that his outburst was disproportionate to the issue being discussed.”
The virus, Ellis thought. It could be stress, but she sensed it was infection.
Then she realized a downside to Allaire’s getting infected that she had not considered. Her thoughts opened on the horror she and O’Neil had encountered within the Senate Chamber. The lethal insanity of Archibald Jakes. The blood. The sickness and stench fouling the room. The wretched sounds of suffering. If Allaire was succumbing to the same malady, then this virus could be spreading faster than Genesis had led her to believe it would.
“So, does Allaire—excuse me, President Allaire—know you’re speaking with us?” she asked. “I mean, you are his physician. Is it appropriate to be discussing his medical status with us?”
“He doesn’t know that I’m speaking to you about this,” Townsend admitted. “But I have another duty to perform that exceeds my obligations to any privacy standards.”
“Duty?”
Ellis already knew what was coming. She had to hold on to the side of her chair to keep from floating.
“The Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Townsend said.
“Are you suggesting the situation is so dire that we must consider forcibly removing the president from office?” Ellis asked.
Of course, she now knew that was exactly what Townsend had come to discuss. Still, it was meaningful to her to hear the words spoken aloud.
“I have not approached President Allaire about transmitting to Vice President Tilden, our president pro tempore of the Senate, and yourself, a written declaration that he is unable to discharge his duties. But this is a matter we discussed soon after the virus was released.”
Ellis knew the mechanics of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment verbatim. Tilden, along with either Congress, or the Cabinet and principal officers of the executive branch, could remove the president from office with a simple majority vote. The president’s personal physician held tremendous influence in determining how people would vote.
“What are you proposing we do, Dr. Townsend?” Ellis asked, barely able to keep a tremor from her voice.
The stars