by Jim Wurst
And then, without ceremony, the seal of the Federal Election Commission appeared, followed by DuPont’s image. No amount of makeup could disguise the fact that the man had collapsed inside himself. After too long a silence while DuPont worked to speak without letting any panic rise in his voice, he finally plunged ahead.
“The Federal Election Commission has the following announcement to make. With 98 percent of congressional districts reporting, the Commission has determined that the Doctrinist Party candidate, General Jack Hayden, has 204 electoral votes; the Federalist Party candidate, Senator George Cranston, has 216 electoral votes. Therefore, we hereby declare that Senator George F. Cranston, Jr., is the president-elect of the United States.”
The Cranston townhouse levitated. The roars, cheers, cries and gasps overloaded the air in the building as it caught fire. They sucked the power out of the computers. George Sr. started spraying everyone with champagne. There was nothing chaste about Elena and Sean’s kiss. Lilly hugged her husband wordlessly, terrified. Mei compulsively started pounding Worth on the back. “We did it! We did it! We did it!” Worth the only person in the room who could have taken that beating stood there and shook the hands of every aide who passed close by. Cranston and Maggie did what they had never before done in public.
After the cracks in the walls grew a bit more, Cranston managed to regain control of the room.
“Family, friends. I cannot tell you what a debt I owe to all of you. We are no longer knocking, hammering on the door of history. Tonight, we have made history!” The room cheered as Cranston continued. “Lilly Madame Vice President, please.” Lilly walked towards Cranston slowly, as if she felt she should now be walking differently. He reached out and grasped her around the shoulders. At a saner moment, everyone would have realized that this was the first time Cranston had touched his running mate.
“I’ve got a speech to make right now, but my God, after that, are we going to party!” But before he got to the door, sweeping Lilly up with him, he turned to his father.
“Dad! Did you waste all the champagne?”
“Hell no,” he said as he reached behind his chair. “I’ve got this one.” And he passed it to his son.
The president-elect studied the label. “1997. The year you and Mom got married.” George Sr. flashed his magical smile as the champagne cork went flying to the ceiling.
CHAPTER 88
The Zhidoi laboratory was as calm as the Cranston household was exuberant. General Xi was the only person in the room not wearing a lab coat. Technicians were staring into their monitors, seemingly oblivious to the massive machine on the other side of the glass. Xi stared right at it.
“We’re at 23 percent power,” said the scientist sitting closest to the general.
“How much is needed for detection?”
“68 percent should be enough. Station two, what is the position of the Roosevelt?”
“175 degrees west, 38 degrees north.”
“Over the Pacific. Timing is just right,” Xi noted with satisfaction.
“38 percent power.”
“44 percent power.”
“51 percent power.”
“59 percent power.”
“65 percent power.”
And then, from another station came the report: “The Roosevelt is over Chinese space.”
“Captain, we’re getting abnormal readings over southern China.”
“Zhidoi?”
The Roosevelt’s helmsman was the same, but Hightower was gone. Instead, Navy Captain Catherine Foster was standing behind the helmsman.
“Possibly. Power reading exceeding previous reading by 38 percent, 40 percent.”
“Pinpoint the abnormality.”
“Confirmed, it’s Zhidoi.”
“Show me the readings.” There was no question as to what she needed to do next. She flipped on her private transmitter. “Priority One message for the President of the United States from Captain Foster of the USS Roosevelt. We can confirm with 100 percent certainty that the Chinese Device has powered up. To be clear, the Chinese Device is online.”
Thank You for Reading
THREE DEGREES
The Tempestas Series — Book 1
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