A Sacred Storm (47 page)

“What happened?” asked Jennings. “Did he try and do anything bad to you?”

“I don't think so,” said Stratton. “If he did then it didn't work. I don't think he was interested in hurting anyone else, I think he just wanted to get away.”

“He's still dangerous though, isn't he?”

“Yes, he's still dangerous. Very dangerous.”

Greg Albany led them back through the numerous corridors to the conference room. President Mackenzie and his small committee were waiting for them at the table. Jonathan Ayres and Cardinal Vittori had joined them.

Jennings took one look at the Prime Minister and flipped. “Ayres! You fucking snake!” he shouted.

He made a lunge for the table, but Grady held him back.

“Not now, buddy. Leave it for another time. We've got bigger fish to fry.”

Jennings muttered under his breath then simmered down slowly and took a seat alongside Stella and Stratton. He asked one of the aides to bring him a coffee.

“I take it you didn't have any luck with our young friend then?” said Mackenzie, addressing Stratton.

“No. I'm not sure if there's anything we can do about him. He's been given too much power too soon. His head's exploding with concepts that he can't possibly understand.”

“Of course he understands them,” said Ayres. “He's the Son of God – he understands everything.”

Mackenzie gave the Prime Minister a harsh look. “I think we all know that Christiano is
not
the Son of God, Jonathan, so let's just cut the bullshit. I think you've done enough lying already.”

Ayres opened his mouth and then shut it again.

“Good,” said Mackenzie. “Now that we're all agreed, let's decide what we're going to do about him. About this whole fucked-up situation.”

“So you agree with us now then do you?” said Stella.

“I didn't disagree with you in the first place,” said Mackenzie. “But I have to do what's in the best interest of the country. The circumstances have changed now, and if you might have the good grace to accept my apologies then we can start to address the new position. Is that okay with you?”

Stella nodded.

“Good,” said Mackenzie. “Now let's get down to business. Has anybody got any ideas as to how we deal with Christiano? It seems pretty clear that he's going his own way now.”

“But which way?” said General Perry. “We've got no idea what he's going to do next. He's a loose cannon, and if you ask me he needs to be taken out of the equation..”

“And how do you suggest we do that, General?” asked Ayres. “Bullets are no good against him.”

“No, they're not,” admitted Perry. “But I don't think even he could stop a missile.” He looked at his watch. “He'll be flying over the Atlantic in about an hour, a long way from our shores. We can pick the plane off then.”

“What about the other people on board?” said Vittori. “Sophia is the daughter of a very good friend of mine.”

“There may be a few civilian casualties, but that can't be helped I'm afraid, Your Eminence.”

“This is not what we want,” said Vittori. “Not what we want at all. I do not think that killing Christiano will help our cause in any way whatsoever. It will just make a martyr of him, exactly like the Mahdi. And besides, it is immoral.”

“Immoral?” said Perry, eyebrows raised. “Forgive me, Your Eminence, but having heard the full story of what you've done, I don't think you're in any position to take the moral high-ground with us. You and your little gofer here,” he waved his hand at Ayres, “haven't exactly been boy scouts have you? We know you had the Mahdi killed, and I suspect that he isn't the only one who's died during this little contrivance of yours. I'm guessing that between the two of you there's more blood on your hands than the rest of us put together.”

“I resent that,” said Vittori, becoming visibly flustered.

“Well,” said Perry. “Resent it or not, it's true. I think you should stop trying to fool everyone with your pious act, because everyone at this table knows what you are.”

Vittori bowed his head and fell silent.

“Good,” said Perry. “Now that we all know what's what, let's get down to business. Does anyone else object to our shooting the plane down?”

A chorus of yeses echoed round the table.

“Okay,” said Perry. “Can somebody enlighten me as to why?”

“For the same reason we don't want you nuking the Middle East or anywhere else,” said Stratton. “Because none of this is going to be resolved by killing anybody. We've already stated our case to you, General. The only way to avoid Armageddon is for everybody to just stop the violence. No more aggression and no more retaliation. You need to get this message across to the whole world by whatever means possible. And you need to start everything off by laying down your own weapons.”

“We may as well pull our trousers down and ask Johnny Arab to fuck us up the ass with a nuke. There is no way I'm going to allow this country to lay itself open to attack.”

“I don't think it's your decision,” said Stratton, looking to Mackenzie.

“Listen, General,” said Grady. “As a rule I'd be right behind you one hundred percent on this one. But if you'd seen the shit that I have over the last six months then you might think differently. I agree that what he's saying goes against every instinct we have, but if he says that's the way to go, then I think that we should listen. Whether we sense them or not, there's powers in this world,” he opened his arms, “in this universe if you will, that are greater than anything mankind could possibly create itself. This isn't a case of logic or military strategy anymore, this all comes down to faith and bravery.”

“There's a thin line between bravery and stupidity, Mr Grady.”

“Yes, there is, and if you don't listen to Stratton then you've crossed over into stupidity.” He turned to Mackenzie. “What do you think, Mr President? Ultimately it's your decision.”

Mackenzie shook his head. “I don't know,” he said. “I just don't know. I can see where General Perry is coming from on this, and my head, in the role of President, tells me that to survive we've got to act, and act quickly.”

Perry nodded his approval.

“But,” Mackenzie continued. “There's a part of me as a human being that's telling me to listen to Stratton here. And sometimes even the President has to act as a human being would.”

Perry's face dropped. “Mr President, you surely can't even consider taking the course that they're suggesting. We'll all be wiped out within a few days.”

“I'm sure you won't, General,” said Grady. “You'll be locked safely away in your bunker with the rest of the White House and the Pentagon.”

“That's not the point,” Perry countered. “This isn't about me, this is about the people of the United States, the people of the free world. We have a duty – no, we're sworn – to protect them, and I'll be damned if I'm going to go back on my word. And I'll be damned if I'll let you go back on yours, Mr President.”

Mackenzie stared Perry in the eye. “Have you forgotten who you're talking to, General.”

“No, Mr President I haven't, but you seem to be forgetting who you are and what you're here to do. This is a democracy we're defending. Do you think any of the good citizens out there would vote to sit around and let themselves die?”

“Of course they wouldn't, General. But they voted me capable of making the big decisions for them. They have faith in my judgement and I will not let them down.” He paused. “And before you go off again, just remember that as yet I have not made any decision. All I'm doing is giving all options their due consideration.”

The table went briefly silent while everyone digested all that had been said so far. It was Stratton who started the discussion again. “I can certainly understand your concerns, General,” he said. “And if I was in your position I would probably be saying exactly the same thing. But what you have to understand is that this is no longer just about territoriality, or about the United States or the Middle East or China or Russia defending themselves, this is about humanity as a whole. If you take the route that you're suggesting then everyone will die. It'll start off a chain reaction that will destroy the planet. If you choose to stay passive then there's every chance that the others will as well.”

“And what if they don't?”

“Then the United States will fall, but humankind will survive.”

Perry grunted. “I've never heard such crap in all my life. You expect us to sacrifice ourselves for a bunch of barbarians. What sort of world would it be without us. The whole planet would be back in the Dark Ages within months. Women and children would be terrorized, the civilized society that we've created would be gone forever. Nowhere would be safe.”

“I'm sure that your enemies would say similar things about you. But that's the whole point isn't it. Everyone thinks that their way is the best and only way. The attitude is that if you're going to die then the enemy must die too.”

“It's a natural reaction,” said Perry.

“I know it is,” said Stratton. “And look where natural reactions have brought us…This is time for the human race to rise above its primitive urges and act for the higher good. If you lay down your weapons and get blown to smithereens then at least there'll be someone left on the planet? They might not share your beliefs, but they'll be alive – and just maybe they'll learn from your sacrifice. Perhaps the guilt of slaying an unarmed man will finally show them the futility of it all. If nobody lays down their arms then there'll be nobody left to learn anything. Well, not on this planet anyway.”

“This is bullshit!” yelled Perry. “I am not going to allow myself and an entire nation to be killed for the small possibility that a few savages might learn a lesson in life!”

“Listen,” said Stratton. “I'm not trying to upset you, General, I'm just trying to make a point. The point is that human life is sacred and no-one's life is more important than anybody else's. Just because you think your life is worth more than some lowly Muslim, doesn't make it so. Just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't make them any less deserving of life than you.” He paused. “Look at it this way, as a General it's your job to minimize casualties – am I right?”

“It's one of them.”

“Okay then, let's say there were two strategies available to you. One of which saved over half your men, and one of which killed them all. Which one would you choose?”

“The first one obviously.”

“Exactly, so would any commander in their right mind. Now take a big leap of imagination and see the universe as a general, and everyone on earth as his men. Which strategy do you think would be most beneficial to him at this present moment – yours or mine? And remember, just like you he doesn't have any favourites – he just has men, and to him like to you it's a numbers game.”

“Listen to me you jumped up little shit!” yelled Perry. “You're not going to trick me with your fancy philosophizing. This is the real world, and my job is to defend my country. And you can talk until you're blue in the fucking face – it's not going to change my mind!”

“General!” said Mackenzie. “Please calm down. This is only a discussion. Let the man have his say.”

Stratton thanked the President and continued. “I'm sorry, General, I didn't mean to upset you, I just wanted to make a point. But that point is only hypothetical anyway because I don't expect anyone to be bombing anyone else. If you call a ceasefire or a truce then the world will follow, I'm sure of it. Nobody wants to start a nuclear war if they don't have to.”

“Well, you certainly don't know the Muslims then,” said Perry.

“I don't know all of them personally, no. But do you? Have you really tried to make a truce with them? Or has all the negotiating been on your terms?”

“The things they want are ridiculous,” said Perry.

“Ridiculous to you maybe, but not to them. I seem ridiculous to you, but that doesn't make me wrong – or even right, we just have different points of view.”

“Okay, I accept that. But they don't want to negotiate anyway. All they want is the destruction of the United States and its allies.”

“Gentlemen,” said Mackenzie. “I think that's enough. You've both made your points well. But this argument could go on forever. I think it's time I made a decision. General, I appreciate your position, and at any other time I would wholeheartedly agree with you. But you made a point about this being the real world, and that just doesn't hold true anymore. This is no longer the world we knew, this is something new and dangerous, something we don't really understand. We need to adapt to this new understanding or I believe we will indeed be heading into oblivion. We are still the most powerful nation in the world, and as such we have a responsibility to lead from the front. I believe that we should follow Stratton's recommendations and reduce our defence condition to its lowest level.”

“But—” Perry started.

Mackenzie put up his hand. “I've made up my mind, General. I'm not just the President of the United States, I'm the leader of the free peoples of the world, and if we can save lives by doing this then I suggest we do it. I don't want to die, but neither do I want to be responsible for the extinction of mankind. This is time for a dramatic leap of faith. My heart tells me so.”

Perry stood up. “Are you guys just going to sit there and let him do this?!” he shouted to the table. “You've got to be out of your minds!”

“Enough!” said Mackenzie. “Let's put this to the vote. All those in favour of the peaceful solution raise your hands now.”

“We can't include outsiders in this vote, Mr President,” said Perry.