Politics… Don said, …is war by other means. Networking is a big part of how Ive kept this place going. Our people do a great job, but if the big-wigs dont know about it, then were out of work. To the bean counters, we are a line item, about as important as the one marked Miscellaneous.

Okay, Luke said.

I see you got a shower, Don said. Freshened up a bit?

Luke nodded. The shower facilities here were first rate. And he kept two changes of clothes in his locker, even while he was on leave. He wasnt feeling a hundred percent, but he was a lot better than before.

Close call today, huh?

I guess weve had closer ones, Luke said.

Don smiled. Either way, Im glad youre not dead.

Luke returned the smile. Me too.

We still partners? Don said.

Luke wasnt sure how to answer that. They had been together a long time. Until today, there had never been a moment, not one, when Luke thought Don didnt have his back. Today there had been two such moments. And in both cases, Dons instincts had been wrong. Don had been skating in one direction, and the puck had been sliding off at full speed in the other direction. If Luke had listened to Don, then the President, the Vice President, and a lot of other people would have died.

It was a profound change, much like seeing an iceberg the size of Kentucky calve away from Antarctica and fall into the ocean. It was a huge thing to witness, but the implications of it were even bigger.

Maybe Don was getting old after all. Maybe he was seeing the Special Response Team collapse all around him, this organization he had built over ten years, and he was scared. Maybe its demise was giving him a whiff of his own mortality. Maybe it was clouding his judgment. Luke was willing to believe these things.

Well always be partners, Luke said.

Good, Don said. Now listen, youre still under suspension. I havent been able to budge them at all. I think theyll rescind it, but it may be a day or two, so Im going to send you home. You okay with that?

Don

I wouldnt worry about it, son. You were on leave anyway. After everything youve done, you deserve a couple of days off. Hell, you look like something the cat dragged in here.

I have new orders, Don.

Dons face was firm. On whose authority?

Luke looked him directly in the eyes. The Presidents. He told me to continue pursuing the leads we had this morning, and then report back to his security team at Mount Weather. Id like to do that with the people here at SRT, but he told me if I had any trouble, theyd put Secret Service resources at my disposal.