Ennis Chaney’s insides have been churning since he finished reading the UMBRA file. His eyes blaze as he stares down the nuclear physicist. “Doctor, I’m going to ask you something, but I want you to know that I’m directing my question to every person in this room.” The tone of the vice president’s voice stifles all peripheral movements. “What I want to know is why, Doctor. Why is the United States of America even engaged in this type of goddam suicidal research?”

Dr. Roodhof’s eyes dart around the table. “Sir, I … I’m only the project director. It’s not my place to determine US policy. It was the federal government who funded nuclear-weapons laboratories to research pure fusion back in the 1990s, and it was the military that applied the pressure for the bombs to be designed and built—”

“Let’s not reduce this issue to finger-pointing, Mr.Vice President,” interrupts General Fecondo. “The reality of the situation is that other foreign powers were pursuing the technology, which obligated us to follow suit. The LMJ, the Laser Megajoule complex in Bordeaux, France, has been conducting pure-fusion experiments since early 1998. The British and Japanese have been working on nonexplosive magnetic-fusion research for years. Any or all of these countries could have bridged the feasibility gap in order to create thermonuclear nonfission ignitions.”

Chaney turns to face the general. “Then why does the rest of the world, including scientists from our own country, seem to think that we’re responsible for the detonation in Australia?”

“Because everyone in the scientific community believed our research was farthest along,” Dr. Roodhof answers. “The IEER recently published a report stating that the United States was two years away from field-testing a pure-fusion device.”

“Were they right?”

“Ennis—”

“No, I’m sorry, Mr.President, but I want to know.”

“Mr.Vice President, this is not the time—”

Chaney ignores Mailer, his eyes boring into Roodhof’s. “How close are we, Doctor?”

Roodhof looks away. “Fourteen months.”

The room erupts into a dozen side conversations. Borgia smiles to himself as the president’s expression turns to anger. That’s it, Chaney, keep rocking the boat.

Ennis Chaney sits hack wearily in his chair. He is no longer fighting the windmills, he is fighting global madness.

President Mailer bangs his palm against the tabletop, restoring order. “That’s enough! Mr.Chaney, this is neither the time nor place to engage in a free-for-all debate over the policies of this presidency or those of my predecessors. The reality of the situation is that another government has detonated one of these weapons. I want to know who it was and whether the timing of the explosion has anything to do with Iran’s military buildup along the Strait of Hormuz.”

CIA Director Patrick Hurley is the first to respond. “Sir, it could be the Russians. The magnetized target fusion studies conducted at Los Alamos were joint US-Russian experiments.”