There was a flashing banner across the bottom on the screen: BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS!

The Wolf News anchor-on-duty was sitting at his desk, facing C. Harry Whelan, Jr. A banner read: C. HARRY WHELAN, JR., WOLF NEWS DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTOR.

Whelan was answering a question, and although he hadn't heard it, Parker knew what the question was: "What's going on at Fort Detrick?"

"Well, of course I don't know, know, Steven," C. Harry Whelan, Jr., said, somewhat pontifically, "but it seems to me, with the director of Central Intelligence there-plus that unnamed senior official from Homeland Security-that the situation there, whatever it is, is under control. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say we have a case of high-level arf-arf." Steven," C. Harry Whelan, Jr., said, somewhat pontifically, "but it seems to me, with the director of Central Intelligence there-plus that unnamed senior official from Homeland Security-that the situation there, whatever it is, is under control. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say we have a case of high-level arf-arf."

"'Arf-arf,' Harry?"

"You don't know the term?" Whelan asked, surprised.

The anchor-on-duty shook his head.

"Well, far be it from me to suggest anything at all that would cast any aspersion whatever on my good friend, Central Intelligence Agency Director Jack Powell-or for that matter on the unidentified senior Homeland Security official-but, hypothetically speaking, if President Clendennen had two dogs-say, a Labrador and a c.o.c.ker spaniel-and they started chasing their tails, the sound they would be making would be arf-arf arf-arf."

The camera paused for a moment on Mr. Whelan's face-he looked very pleased with himself-and then a picture of the front page of The Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal replaced it and a voice-over deeply intoned, replaced it and a voice-over deeply intoned, "For only pennies a day ..." "For only pennies a day ..."

The screen went black.

"I hate that sonofab.i.t.c.h," President Clendennen said.

A full thirty seconds later, Porky Parker broke the silence: "May I ask what's going on at Fort Detrick?"

President Clendennen glared at him.

Secretary of State Natalie Cohen came to his rescue.

"Mr. President, you're either going to have to make a statement, or have Jack make one in your name."

"That might prove to be difficult, Madam Secretary," President Clendennen said sarcastically, "as we don't seem to have the first G.o.dd.a.m.n clue about what's going on at Fort Detrick."

He let that sink in, and then went on: "And if what the DCI has just told me is true, I don't think we should broadcast that little gem from the White House."

"Mr. President, what exactly did DCI Powell say?" Amba.s.sador Montvale asked.

"He said this colonel had gotten word to him that he 'strongly suspects' that the attack we made on the quote unquote Fish Farm in the Congo-the attack that brought us this close"-he held his thumb and index fingers perhaps a quarter of an inch apart-"to a nuclear exchange-did not kill all the fishes."

"You're talking about Colonel Hamilton, Mr. President?" Montvale asked.

The President nodded.

"How could he know that?"

"That's what Powell said; that he got a message to that effect from Hamilton."

"What does Hamilton say?"

"He's not answering his telephone," the President said bitterly, then picked up his telephone.

"Get me Powell," he ordered, and then, not twenty seconds later, said, "Is he still not answering his phone?"

There was a short reply.

"The minute he comes out of that laboratory, put him in your helicopter and bring him here."

He put the telephone handset into its cradle.

"And now we wait," Clendennen said. "The President of the United States, the secretary of State, and the director of National Intelligence wait for some lousy colonel to find time for us. ..."

[FOUR].

U.S. Army Medical Research Inst.i.tute Fort Detrick, Maryland 1035 4 February 2007

Colonel J. Porter Hamilton, Medical Corps, U.S. Army, came through the outer portal of Level Four BioLab Two wearing only a bathrobe. The crest of the United States Military Academy was on the breast, and the legend WEST POINT was on the back.

He found in the room the garrison commander, the director of Central Intelligence, the a.s.sistant secretary of Homeland Security, the special agent in charge at the Department of Homeland Security, the Fort Detrick provost marshal, two Secret Service agents, and Master Sergeant Dennis.

"You'll have to pardon my appearance, Colonel Russell," Colonel Hamilton said.

"Not a problem, Colonel," Colonel Florence Russell replied.

Hamilton turned to DCI Powell, and said, "I can only surmise that those people relayed my message to you."

Powell nodded.

"Colonel, my name is Mason Andrews. I'm the a.s.sistant secretary of Homeland Security. I would be grateful-"

"First things first," Hamilton interrupted. "Sergeant Dennis, could I impose upon you to take your car and get me a uniform from my quarters? I'm afraid the keys to my car are in there, in my uniform."

"Way ahead of you, Colonel," Dennis said. "Fresh uniform's in the lobby. I'll go get it."

"Good man," Hamilton said. "Mr. Powell and I will be in the locker room."

He looked at Colonel Russell. "Colonel, would it offend you if I suggested that you come with us? You could turn your back while I dress."

"Not at all," she said.

"The President's really curious about what's going on here, Colonel," DCI Powell said. "He wants to see you at the White House. There's a helicopter-"

"Would you prefer to wait until we're at the White House?" Hamilton said. "I have to bring Colonel Russell up to speed on this before I go anywhere."

"I'll go with you and Colonel Russell," Powell said.

"So will I," a.s.sistant Secretary Andrews said.

"I think not," Hamilton said.

"Excuse me?" Andrews bristled.

"I can tell you what you need to know right here: There is no immediate threat." He turned to the provost marshal, and added, "As soon as you can, you're to establish a guard around, one, where the package was originally examined; two, my office; and three, this building, to which no one is to enter without the specific approval of myself, Master Sergeant Dennis, or of course Colonel Russell. And you may lift the shut-down. Colonel Russell will have more details after we have spoken."

"Yes, sir," the provost marshal said.

"You had better impound the golf cart on which the package was moved-bring it and the two security people who drove it here. Dennis will see to their bath. Just a precaution. Better safe than sorry, I always say."

Master Sergeant Dennis came back into the room carrying a plastic bag in his prosthetic hand. He handed it to Hamilton.

"Good man," Hamilton said as he took it. Then he said, "Dennis, they are going to bring the golf cart and the security drivers here. See that they get a complete bath. Then do the same to the golf cart."

"Yes, sir."

"Colonel Russell, Mr. Powell, if you'll be good enough to come with me?"

"Am I correctly inferring, Colonel, that I was not included in that invitation?" Mason Andrews asked icily. He didn't wait for Hamilton to reply, and-obviously on the edge of losing his temper-went on: "Perhaps you didn't hear me, Colonel, when I told you that I am the a.s.sistant secretary of Homeland Security."

If he had intended to cow Hamilton, he failed.

"Mr. Secretary ... or is it Mr. a.s.sistant Secretary?" Hamilton replied. "I know that Mr. Powell is cleared for this sort of information. I don't know how much the President wants you to know. I am not about to risk the ire of the President by telling you any more than I already have."

Andrews flared: "Now, G.o.dd.a.m.n it, you listen to me, Colonel Colonel-"

"Mr. Andrews," DCI Powell interrupted, "why don't you let the President settle this? You're welcome to ride with us to the White House."

The a.s.sistant secretary of Homeland Security took a moment to get his temper under control.

"Perhaps that would be best," he said finally. "Thank you."

[FIVE].

The Oval Office The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C.

1205 4 February 2007

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Colonel," President Clendennen said.

The sarcasm was lost on Hamilton.

"I came as quickly as I could, Mr. President," Hamilton said.

"I know. You were on Wolf. We all saw you both taking off from Fort Detrick and landing here. And we all saw C. Harry Whelan, Jr., tell his several million viewers he believes you were coming here to deliver the bad news. Please tell me he's wrong."

"Actually, Mr. President, it's a mixed bag. The news could be much, much worse."

"Well," Clendennen drawled, p.r.o.nouncing the word whale whale, "tell me the good news."

"There is no cause for immediate alarm. I told Colonel Russell what was necessary for her to do, and that once she had done that, she could lift the shut-down. I have changed the Potential Level Four Biological Hazard Disaster to Level Two Biological Hazard Incident."

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"That, in my judgment, there is reason to believe that all Congo-X under my control is contained in a safe environment, and there is no immediate risk to the general public."

"'Congo-X'? What is that?"

"It is what I call this virus. Or organism. Or whatever it is. What I brought from the Congo just before the Fish Farm was attacked."

"Which is it, an organism or a virus?"

"I'm afraid I don't really know, sir. More than like a combination of both. An 'organismus,' perhaps. Or a 'virusism.' Those are terms I made up in the last week or ten days. There is no scientific terminology that I know of to describe Congo-X."

"Colonel," Press Secretary John D. Parker said, "did I understand you to say there is no immediate danger to the public?"

"I was speaking with the colonel, Parker," the President said unpleasantly.

"Mr. President, if the colonel can a.s.sure us that there is no immediate danger to the public, I think-to counter that comment of C. Harry Whelan, Jr., on Wolf News-you should make a statement to that effect. And as soon as possible. Immediately. We really have to control this before it gets out of hand."

The President glared at Parker.

"Mr. President," Amba.s.sador Montvale put in, "I think Porky's right."

Parker glared at Montvale, which wasn't lost on the President.

"What do you think I should say, Porky?" Clendennen asked.

"Mr. President, if you make any statement, it carries great importance. I mean to suggest that it will give the impression that this situation is more serious than the colonel suggests it is."

"In other words, you want to make the statement?"

"That would be my recommendation, Mr. President."

"I agree with Porky," Amba.s.sador Montvale said.

"That makes it twice, doesn't it?" the President asked, and then went on: "And what would you say, Parker?"

"Sir, something along the lines of this: 'There was an incident early this morning at Fort Detrick that has attracted a good deal of media attention. The President has just spoken with the chief scientific officer at Fort Detrick, who has a.s.sured him there is no cause for concern. What it was was the routine triggering of a safety system, erring on the side of caution. To repeat, there is no cause for concern.' Something like that, Mr. President."