Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [56]
“What’s that?” asked Clayton, concern evident in his voice.
“That I don’t have to call you ‘Mr. President’ when no one else is around.”
“That certainly won’t be necessary, Jack. When we’re alone, you can just refer to me as ‘Your Royal Highness.'” Clayton poked Jack’s arm and put up his dukes for the fight.
Jack laughed and said, “Before we start, I should tell you that I got a call last night from Wang Peng. I returned his call, and he told me he was leaving for New York to work with the Chinese delegation at the United Nations on the Chunxiao matter. He asked if I’d be interested in having dinner with him in New York on Wednesday evening, and I agreed.” He could see Clayton digesting the question as he continued.
“This could be one of the great historical ironies of all times. Think about it, Clayton, what are the odds that two close friends would end up reporting directly to the two most powerful people in the world? Absolutely astonishing; and I’m sure Peng will feel the same once he finds out about our situation.”
“That is incredible, Jack. There could be some good opportunities here. Last week, when the president briefed us on his call with Chairman Lin Cheng, we were all impressed by China’s calm, reasoned approach compared to Japan’s more militant response. I thought right then that Wang Peng had something to do with it. Frankly, I’ve always felt we’d be better served by finding collaborative and not confrontational approaches with China, and this may provide an opportunity to kick-start the process.”
Clayton looked like he was warming to the idea. “I remember the old days at Stanford when we’d get together with Peng and solve all the world’s problems over a few beers,” he reflected. “Now we might actually have a chance to do something real about them.”
Jack nodded and said, “Well, the whole ballgame will change after President Burkmeister goes public with his news on Monday night. I’m wondering if I should meet with Peng given the new set of circumstances.” It was a question more than a comment and Clayton responded.
“I’m not sure how it’ll all play out, but let’s keep things the way they are for now and not make a decision until we have to. My gut tells me to do whatever we can to maintain our relationship with Peng for diplomatic and friendship reasons. It seems like the right thing to do.”
With Jack onboard and fully engaged, the two brothers spent the next few hours talking, arguing, and deliberating over their next steps. In the back of his head, Jack realized it was not so different from the meticulous planning process they had shared as kids when they built a go-kart or completed a science project together. But now there were well over seven billion reasons—one for every person on the planet—why they had to get it right the first time.
19
Georgetown
24 September 2017
Hugo Bromfield loved Sunday mornings. Sitting in his Georgetown condo, he eagerly devoured every news show he could and systematically prioritized the issues on which his boss needed to focus on in the following week. His living room was a miniature news center with demographic maps, sophisticated software, and a long table on which to plan out his weekly machinations. It was an extension of his personality; for him there was no higher calling than politics and power—with emphasis on the latter.
Today’s shows held no surprises. The media’s obsession with the president’s health, Chunxiao, rising oil prices, and a plunging stock market continued, and there were many opportunities for his boss to make hay. He jotted down a few bullet points on each that even Collingsworth could grasp, as he relished the opportunities emerging before his eyes.
This morning, though, his mind drifted back to the incredible day he had yesterday at Wellington’s World.
Their visit had exceeded anything he could have imagined. Wellington Crane met them at his private airstrip as his Gulfstream G-650 long-range jet taxied up to the tarmac, and he personally drove them to his estate in his vintage 1998 Rolls-Royce. He gave them a guided tour of