I know he was. It was a coup détat. I was there when Bill Ryan took the oath of office. Everyone was quite pleased with themselves, believe me. Now were going to have a war with Iran. Ryans going to make the declaration tonight, if he hasnt already made it. Why wait for the Today Show to come on? And since most of the Congress is dead, theres no sense asking them to declare it. Makes me wonder how the Russians are going to feel about all this.

We can stop it, Luke said.

What, the war?

The coup.

Mr. Stone, as far we know, time only moves forward. You cant stop something that has already happened.

Luke was silent.

The President and the Vice President are dead, Delliger said. The next two in line are Bill Ryan and Ed Graves, both hawks, both alive. After that, the entire line of succession is gone. They were all at Mount Weather. If you were going to stop this, assuming such a thing were possible, and topple Bill Ryan, who would you replace him with? At this point, who is the legitimate heir to the throne?

I dont know, Luke admitted.

All day, he had been so focused on stopping it from happening that it hadnt yet occurred to him the whole thing was already over. He was only now beginning to grasp the sheer scale of the operation. Don had told Luke he was window dressing, but that was wrong. He wasnt window dressing. He was a bug on the windshield.

For a second, Lukes mind flashed backwards to tonights meeting with Paul.

Paul had described Luke as a kamikaze flying a toy plane into an aircraft carrier. It would seem spectacular, but it would actually be pathetic.

I dont know either, Delliger said. But it doesnt really matter, does it? They have people everywhere. Can you imagine who had to be involved to make this happen? Cant you see how high this goes? If you were somehow able to undo this, who could you ever trust again? Youd have to root the conspirators out of every department and agency. This government is a corpse riddled with maggots.

He paused. I wish I had known all this five years ago. I never would have accepted the position. I would have thanked Thomas for the honor, politely declined, and gone about my business. Secretary of Defense? Its a joke. They humored me. I was never in charge of anything.

We can find evidence, Luke said. We could bring a case. Anything, a toehold, something to offer the media. Youre still on the inside.

Delliger shook his head softly. Ive been informed that President Ryan anticipates my resignation first thing in the morning. If he receives it, he will publicly thank me for my service and my dedication. If he doesnt receive it, hell fire me for gross incompetence. Its my choice.

Luke was thoughtful. Why did you agree to meet me?