Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [117]
“Yes she will, Mr. President.”
“Good. I’ll have George Gleason and Candace Pierson draft an announcement, and we’ll release it at nine this morning. I’ll have them call you first to make sure you’re okay with it. George will coordinate the succession logistics, and I’ll also make sure the White House is ready to welcome the new First Family following the ceremony—that is, if you’re ready to move in. As for me, I’ll be shoving off for Walter Reed, and I won’t mind that a bit based on the way I feel now. Doc Toomay said they could do a lot more for me there, and I’m ready to go.”
The president had a faraway look in his eyes, as though trying to remember something from his distant past. He yawned and then said, “Excuse me. You know, I’ve had a number of friends who fought cancer, and they all told me that they felt a fatigue like they had never known before. I now know what they meant.”
Clayton sensed that it was time to leave. “I’ll be on my way, Mr. President, and I hope you have a restful day. We’ll just take tomorrow as it comes.”
“Thanks for coming, Clayton, and please know you’re in my thoughts and prayers.”
Clayton nodded his good-bye and turned before the president could see the tears in his eyes. Just like Burkmeister: lying there in bed dying of cancer, and he’s worrying about me. It would mean a lot to have the president there with him tomorrow, but it didn’t look promising.
After returning to his office, Clayton checked his messages and called Maggie. She wasn’t answering, so he left a message.
“Hi, Mags. I’m on the run and won’t be home for dinner tonight. I met with the president and he’s in poor shape—far worse than I had imagined. Oh, by the way, I hope you’re not busy tomorrow because he wants to move up the swearing-in ceremony from Saturday to tomorrow. We should also be prepared to move into the White House on Wednesday. Can you handle the arrangements on our end? I’ve got to go, Mags, there’s a call I need to take. Bye, hon, I love you.”
About ten minutes later, Maggie McCarty picked up Clayton’s message. She listened and gently hung up the phone. Staring at the wall, she thought, So like Clayton to treat something like this with such nonchalance. She honestly didn’t know if she should give him a hug or just strangle him … but she was leaning toward the latter at that precise moment.
42
New York City
9 October 2017
Joseph “Big Joe” Harrington was wrestling with a problem any news editor would give a week’s pay to have. He had before him an assortment of breaking stories, any one of which would, on a normal day, dominate the headlines for at least a week.
His employer, Shared News Services, was the fastest-growing news service in the world. While SNS’s content delivery system enabled end users to select the headlines stories they wished to view, he still had to put the news out there in some sort of order. He shuffled through the articles and pictured each beneath the masthead of their baseline e-publication format.
President Burkmeister to Resign at Noon Tomorrow: The White House announced at 9:00 a.m. today (EST) that president Burkmeister will resign his presidency earlier than anticipated due to failing health. Vice President Clayton McCarty will be sworn in as president at noon on Tuesday, October 10, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House. This preempts the initial succession date of October 14, 2017.
Saudi Oil Embargo Gains Traction: Gas prices skyrocketed and markets plummeted as oil prices increased from $265 to $312 per barrel since the coup. Pump prices now average $9.04 per gallon nationwide. Shortages are widely reported and airlines have cut back sharply on scheduled flights. Wall Street expects heavy losses today.
Israel Hammered in Pincer Attacks: In a series of major uprisings, Hamas-led forces have attacked Israeli outposts in Gaza and the West Bank, and Hezbollah forces have launched heavy rocket attacks from Lebanon. The Golan Heights are under rocket attack, and sporadic rioting has paralyzed