"Well," Donald said, "the message was just delivered. One copy each to the White House, one to each house of Congress, and one each to the major dailies. We used a messenger service with a couple of layers of cutouts for all the deliveries - we'll know before long whether the ones to the government got through. Not that it matters. All the addressees are on it, so if one or more of the government divisions didn't get theirs, they'll know soon enough. Here's a copy."

He handed one to each of them, and waited as they read them silently.

"Simple enough," said Carter. "And they have it now?"

"We got confirmation on all five over an hour ago. We don't know what happened to the ones to the government, but they can't miss the coverage of the others. So it's time to start monitoring the news."

They had the two major cable news channels up and waited for the news. It was not yet noon, so it was sure to be on before the day was out.

"What happens if they don't respond?" Tommy asked.

"The next set of attacks will be minor, at first. There will be a handful of bridges taken out, on well-travelled major highways - not freeways but roads we can block while the bridges are blown, so no one gets hurt. Maybe a half dozen or so, in the right places they'll have major problems for weeks, maybe months with congestion from the detours. We're ready to take down a couple of the big cross-country electric transmission towers. And just for fun, so to speak, there'll be a fire in southern California. The rain that usually dampens the forest fires doesn't start until November, so we should have a pretty good show for them."

"What are the chances we'll have a reply by the deadline?" Jessica asked.

"I'm guessing none," replied Donald. "But you never know. They get threats from crackpots all the time, but this one comes after the event. Their only decision is whether to respond. I suspect they won't. We deliberately gave them no more time because they probably can't make a decision that quickly. And so they'll most likely miss the deadline."

Before long it happened. They saw the anchor on CNN holding up a paper for the audience to see. It could only be the letter. Donald turned the volume up, picking up the narration in mid-sentence.

"...available is your responsibility. If no contact is received by the specified time, hostilities. will be resumed.

"And that is the content of the letter," she continued. "Let's go now to Angela Collins in the nation's capitol. Angela?"

"Hi, Brianna. As you can see I'm standing in front of the White House, as close as we can get now. As we arrived trucks were arriving with bringing more barriers, and the normal security zone has been extended considerably. We're actually inside it - they've reserved a space for the press - we're still far away now."

"Obviously they're taking this seriously then," said the anchor, evidently someone named Brianna. Carter and Tommy didn't joke about the names now, all attention was on what was happening.

"Yes, Angela. Of course any threat is taken seriously. So the reaction is not different this time. But there does seem to be more urgency this time, and the events of last Friday would make any threat more serious."

"Has there been any word from the White House?" Brianna asked.

"Not at this time," Angela replied. "We expect something soon, so we'll remain here until then. We had someone from the White House Communications Office come by a few minutes ago, the only thing we learned was that a statement would be forthcoming."

"Are you seeing a heightened level of security in general?"

"Yes, we are, Angela. When I arrived on Monday it was very different from when I was here a couple of weeks ago. And it didn't seem to be leveling off, even before the letter arrived."

"Does anyone know if the President is in the White House at this time?"

"Actually, we don't," Brianna said. "We knew he was here Friday and Saturday morning. We don't know if he has left since then or is still here"

"And no one has asked the Communications Office?"

"Not as far as I know, Angela. Of course there haven't been any briefings since the one on Saturday. I'm sure that question will be asked today."

"Thanks, Brianna. We'll interrupt our regular programming and come back to you if there are any developments. And now we have Dr. Michael Summersby, senior fellow at the Chelsea University school of political science. Dr. Summersby?"

"Thank you, Angela." The bespectacled sixtyish man of slight build was wearing a typical suit and wearing an earpiece as he sat behind a desk, apparently in a studio somewhere.

"Dr. Sommersby," Angela said, "this letter is perhaps the most unusual thing we have seen in a long time, if ever at all. It appears to have been delivered in just the five copies given to the addressees - the Washington Post printed a large number of copies for distribution to television and other news outlets. It was delivered to the Post long after the day's papers had been printed, so evidently the sender was counting on it to be distributed widely nonetheless. What is your initial assessment of it?"

"Well, Angela, this is something quite unique. It is, aside from the obviously unbalanced mentality behind it, it is lucid and concise, to the point. Whoever composed it is certainly not sufficiently disturbed to be unable to communicate in a coherent fashion."

"Do you have a any thoughts as to its validity?" Angela asked. "Or could it be someone unrelated taking advantage of last Friday's tragic events?"

"That's certainly a possibility," Sommersby replied. "In fact, it's surprising there haven't already been such communications from such people. Or perhaps there have, and they haven't been reported. But every threat must be taken seriously."

"Then the president should make the address tomorrow?"

"That's a very good question. Since the letter is unequivocally tied to the events of last Friday, it must be considered in that context. The administration certainly has nothing to lose by responding, and if a line of communication is established, it may aid in finding the perpetrators, if they are the ones who sent it."

"And this should not be interpreted as negotiating with terrorists?"

"No, Angela. They would simply be responding to the letter. If it is indeed from them, as I say, it may help in tracking them down. The only thing the administration should not do is give in to their demands."

"Thank you, Dr. Sommersby," Angela said.

As the commercial break came on Donald turned the sound back down

"The professor gave them a couple of hints," Donald said. "They may respond in order to have a chance to track us. The main problem is they are probably too disorganized to get it done in time. There probably isn't one person pulling the strings, and they'll have come to a consensus on whether to reply. So we probably shouldn't be surprised if they don't. Either way, our conscience is clear.

General Anthony listened to the talk, hoping he was to be left out now that the discussion was political strategy.

"First," said Dean Jordan, "do we respond? It seems a no-brainer. As well as the consensus of the analysts we've seen. In fact not one recommended against it. Anyone not think so?"

Anthony was glad he put it that way. There was no need to speak. Everyone was going with what the analysts had said. They might as well, he thought, as none of them was capable of forming a useful idea. The response would buy time. As for tracking down the perpetrators, he suspected that would be easier said than done. Much easier.

"All right, then," Jordan said. He had by default become the leader of the group, which was probably for the best, since the president was incapable of conducting a meeting. He sat now, in the center of the semi-circle at the table, as in the position of leadership, but like the past two presidents he was nothing more than a puppet.

Hearing no objections, he continued.

"The president will have to speak. There's no way around it. But like last Saturday, it will be just to introduce the others. He will acknowledge receipt of the letter and an agreement to communicate. At that point we've got until whenever we hear from them again. The main thing is to get through the speech tomorrow."

Jordan didn't look at the president as he spoke. Most of them avoided looking at him any more than they had to. While he wasn't as far gone mentally as one of his predecessors had been, he rarely had anything to say. He knew he was nothing more than a mouthpiece, and knew when he accepted the nomination that he would make no decisions, only implement those of the party leaders.

But Anthony, more experienced, and more skillful in such matters, watched him without anyone ever realizing how much he studied the president, or anyone else in these meetings. None of them had the ability to focus on more than one thing at a time, and his surreptitious inspections. What he saw, while he found it distasteful, was also troubling.

These people were where they were because they were the most successful results of a lifetime of indoctrination by the schools and colleges they attended coupled with a self-absorbed personality that placed their personal well-being above all else, with all else a means to that end. Including, he thought, selling their country down the river. Such people always thought they would stay on top no matter what happened, often seeming not to realize that they were being used just as they used others.

"It's almost three-thirty," Jordan said. "If we're all in agreement, let's get it ready. Jane, can you have the speech writers get a draft in the next half hour. That will give us plenty of time to get any tweaking done - it's short and to the point, so it shouldn't be difficult."

"I can have it by four. Is there anything else?"

"Just the follow-up statements by Dean, and Frank and Alice if you think those are needed."

"We should probably limit it to one," said Frank. "Too many speakers, too many questions, too many opportunities for mistakes."

"Everyone all right with that?" asked Jordan. "Sorry you're it, Dean, but Homeland Security is pretty much the mandatory offering here."

"Not a problem," Dean said. "We'll be all right."

"OK, then. We'll meet here at, let's make it four-fifteen."

Anthony waited for the others to rise, taking a little extra time to get his briefcase closed as he watched them leave. He was far enough behind that the elevator doors were closing as he approached, as he had hoped. He preferred not to be around them any more than necessary. Something was troubling him, and he hadn't yet been able to put his finger on it, but a sense of foreboding had settled in and nothing could make it go away.