His overbearing grip caused his biceps to strain against a shirt that seemed to have been tailored for that exact purpose. Every time Rapp saw a picture of Cook, he seemed to have swollen a little more. Unlike the previous president, though, he wasn’t a former athlete. If Rapp had to guess, his impressive physique came as much from a syringe as from a gym.

“You’ve always put yourself at the center of the storm for this country,” he said, releasing Rapp’s hand and slapping Nash on the shoulder. “You both have. Now, grab a seat.”

They took opposite sides of a sofa and the president dropped into the chair across from them. “I have a lot of faults, but ingratitude isn’t one of them. So, let me start by thanking you for my job, Mitch. If you hadn’t gotten the power back on, I’d be governing four million square miles of dead bodies and scavengers. The reason this country still exists is because of you. Period.”

Rapp nodded respectfully, trying to hide his discomfort. He’d spent his life pursuing anonymity and being gushed over by the president of the United States was pretty much the opposite. If it had been up to him, he’d have given the FBI credit for saving the grid and faded comfortably back into the woodwork.

“Sorry,” Cook said, demonstrating his famous ability to read people. “I’m embarrassing you. I know. But it had to be said and now I’m done. I promise.”

“Yes, sir,” Rapp said simply. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Nash grinning at his discomfort.

“Obviously, we’re still mopping up the mess,” Cook continued. “But I think we as Americans—including me—learned a lot about ourselves during that crisis. And not all of it was positive. What do you think?”

“I’m not sure I’m qualified to offer an opinion, sir. My area of expertise is pretty narrow.”

Cook laughed out loud at that. “Beautifully put. But still, you must have an opinion. If not as an expert, as a citizen.”

Rapp let out a long breath. “I think your analysis is fair. A terrorist attack like that should have pulled the country together but it seemed like it pushed us further apart. Obviously, you had to expect that it would eventually turn into an every-man-for-himself scenario. That’s just the way survival goes. What surprised me was that people started turning on each other before their freezers even melted. And it wasn’t even about anything real. Political differences and conspiracy theories, mostly.”

Cook nodded. “It was a Pearl Harbor moment and we showed that we’re a very different country than we were in 1941. I suppose some of that’s inevitable but still we need to get some of that magic back before it’s too late.”

“Yes, sir.”