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Back Balance of Power Save as PDF
Chapters (53)
  1. BALANCE OF POWER
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. About The Creators
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY

"No, they didn't." Hood wanted to get up. But he was too damn tired and way too disgusted to even think about moving.

"If I can do anything for you, unofficially, let me know," she said. She squeezed his hand again and rose. "Paul-it's a job. You can't afford to look at it any other way."

"Thanks," Hood said. "But if I do that I can't see how I'll be any different than Amadori."

She smiled. "Oh, you will be, Paul. You'll never try to convince yourself that what you're doing is right. Only necessary."

Hood didn't really see the distinction, but this wasn't the time to try to find it. Because, like it or not, he did have a job to do. And he was going to have to help Striker and Aideen Marley and Darrell McCaskey do their jobs as well.

He rose slowly and left with Carol. It was ironic. He once thought that running Los Angeles was difficult: angering special interests with everything you did and living in the public eye. Now he was working undercover and feeling as alone-personally and professionally-as a person could be.

He didn't remember who had said that in order to lead men you had to turn your back on them. But they were right, which was why Michael Lawrence was President and he wasn't. That was why someone like Michael Lawrence had to be President.

Hood would do this job because he had to. After that, he vowed, he would do no more. Here in the White House-which had awed him less than an hour before-he vowed that however this ended he would leave Op-Center… and get his family back.

TWENTY-FOUR

Tuesday, 6:50 a.m.

San Sebastián, Spain

Sleepy San Sebastián had been roughly awakened by the sounds of gunfire at the factory.

Father Norberto had remained at his brother's apartment long after the police had come for his body. He had stayed there, kneeling on the hardwood floor, to pray for Adolfo's soul. But when Father Norberto heard the gunfire, followed by the cries of people in the street and shouts of "la fábrica!"-"the factory!"-he headed directly back to the church.

As Norberto neared St. Ignatius he looked across the long, low field. He could see the helicopters hovering over the factory in the distance. But there was no time to wonder about them. The church was already filling with mothers and young children as well as the elderly. Soon the fishermen would arrive, returning to shore to make certain their families were safe. He had to attend to these people, not to his own wounds.

Norberto's arrival was heralded by the relieved cries of the people outside the church and thanks to God. For a moment-a brief, soul-touching moment-the priest felt the same love and compassion for the poor that the Son of Man Himself must have felt. It didn't alleviate his pain. But it did give him renewed strength and purpose.