start, and swung her badly bruised and cut legs over the side of the table. “I want to talk to my daughter right now.”
She tried to stand up, but a wave of dizziness seemed to pass over her and she started to sway.
Koz put a hand on her shoulder and braced her. “Easy now. I’m sure she’s been taken care of.”
“Like your Green Berets tried to take care of me?” she shot back.
“We’ll find her, ma’am, I promise, and make sure she’s safe.”
“You do that, Colonel,” she said, then noticed she had nothing but a bra on above her waist. She folded her arms over her chest, wincing as her shoulder flexed. “May I have my blouse back?”
“Try this.” Koz opened a locker closet and pulled out an Air Force bomber jacket. He draped it over her shoulders.
“Thank you,” she said with a shiver.
A beeping sounded in the medical compartment. Sachs jolted, turning to see if it was one of her medical monitors. But Koz walked over to the intercom on the wall and punched a button. “What is it?”
Captain Li’s voice squawked over the speaker: “Sir, we have NCA commanders on screen for the attack conference.”
“I’ll be right there,” he replied, and turned to leave.
“You’re just going to leave me here?” Sachs demanded. “I don’t think so.” She took two steps and was restrained by her IV feeds like a dog on its leash. “I demand you take me to see the president, Colonel Kozlowski, even if it’s in the mirror.”
Kozlowski looked back at her without answering her implicit claim, although he felt a pang of guilt mixed with uncertainty. “I think it’s best that you’re confined to these quarters pending a thorough medical review.”
“Are you serious, Colonel?” Her tired, brown eyes seemed to search his face and heart for something Koz felt was no longer there.
Koz gave a cool nod to Nordquist, who was already preparing a syringe. “We want to avoid any panic until our forces are in place.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Sachs shouted as Koz put his hand on the door.
“Trust me, it’s for your own good,” he said, and walked out.
An alarmed Captain Li was waiting for him in the hallway as the door slid shut behind him like a coffin on a protesting Sachs and syringe-wielding Nordquist.
“Where is she?” Li asked as he brushed past her toward the battle staff compartment. “What’s going on in there?”
He said, “She’s recuperating.”
Li was on his heels like a terrier. “Recuperating? Hello? Are we back in the USSR or what?”
“Can it,” he said as he marched into the next compartment.
Li would not let up, nor would he expect her to. “She
is
our only legal president, and our respect for a higher authority, in this case the Constitution, is the only thing that separates us from the boys in Beijing.”
Koz nodded as they entered the battle staff compartment. “Let me feel out the others on the conference call.”
“You’re talking about a coup, sir.”
Koz caught a few stray glances from the young crew as they passed by. A little louder, Li, he thought.
“She’s delirious, Captain,” he told her, waiting until they had entered the empty briefing room. “She accused me of trying to kill her. How much credibility is she going to have with her commanders if she starts making wild charges like that? You really want her in charge?”
“What I want and what is right are often two different things, sir.”
“Let me put this another way, Captain.” He turned to face her, square on. “America has just suffered its worst blow in history. We’re on the brink of universal Armageddon. As president, Deborah Sachs is not some civilian politician but our commander-in-chief. Would you follow this woman into battle?”
Her answer was firm and unwavering. “Yes, I would.”
Koz studied Li’s stoic, determined face. “Well, I’m not so sure.”
Li simply stood there, not giving in.
Koz took a breath. “OK,” he told her. “While
She tried to stand up, but a wave of dizziness seemed to pass over her and she started to sway.
Koz put a hand on her shoulder and braced her. “Easy now. I’m sure she’s been taken care of.”
“Like your Green Berets tried to take care of me?” she shot back.
“We’ll find her, ma’am, I promise, and make sure she’s safe.”
“You do that, Colonel,” she said, then noticed she had nothing but a bra on above her waist. She folded her arms over her chest, wincing as her shoulder flexed. “May I have my blouse back?”
“Try this.” Koz opened a locker closet and pulled out an Air Force bomber jacket. He draped it over her shoulders.
“Thank you,” she said with a shiver.
A beeping sounded in the medical compartment. Sachs jolted, turning to see if it was one of her medical monitors. But Koz walked over to the intercom on the wall and punched a button. “What is it?”
Captain Li’s voice squawked over the speaker: “Sir, we have NCA commanders on screen for the attack conference.”
“I’ll be right there,” he replied, and turned to leave.
“You’re just going to leave me here?” Sachs demanded. “I don’t think so.” She took two steps and was restrained by her IV feeds like a dog on its leash. “I demand you take me to see the president, Colonel Kozlowski, even if it’s in the mirror.”
Kozlowski looked back at her without answering her implicit claim, although he felt a pang of guilt mixed with uncertainty. “I think it’s best that you’re confined to these quarters pending a thorough medical review.”
“Are you serious, Colonel?” Her tired, brown eyes seemed to search his face and heart for something Koz felt was no longer there.
Koz gave a cool nod to Nordquist, who was already preparing a syringe. “We want to avoid any panic until our forces are in place.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Sachs shouted as Koz put his hand on the door.
“Trust me, it’s for your own good,” he said, and walked out.
An alarmed Captain Li was waiting for him in the hallway as the door slid shut behind him like a coffin on a protesting Sachs and syringe-wielding Nordquist.
“Where is she?” Li asked as he brushed past her toward the battle staff compartment. “What’s going on in there?”
He said, “She’s recuperating.”
Li was on his heels like a terrier. “Recuperating? Hello? Are we back in the USSR or what?”
“Can it,” he said as he marched into the next compartment.
Li would not let up, nor would he expect her to. “She
is
our only legal president, and our respect for a higher authority, in this case the Constitution, is the only thing that separates us from the boys in Beijing.”
Koz nodded as they entered the battle staff compartment. “Let me feel out the others on the conference call.”
“You’re talking about a coup, sir.”
Koz caught a few stray glances from the young crew as they passed by. A little louder, Li, he thought.
“She’s delirious, Captain,” he told her, waiting until they had entered the empty briefing room. “She accused me of trying to kill her. How much credibility is she going to have with her commanders if she starts making wild charges like that? You really want her in charge?”
“What I want and what is right are often two different things, sir.”
“Let me put this another way, Captain.” He turned to face her, square on. “America has just suffered its worst blow in history. We’re on the brink of universal Armageddon. As president, Deborah Sachs is not some civilian politician but our commander-in-chief. Would you follow this woman into battle?”
Her answer was firm and unwavering. “Yes, I would.”
Koz studied Li’s stoic, determined face. “Well, I’m not so sure.”
Li simply stood there, not giving in.
Koz took a breath. “OK,” he told her. “While
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