“Mr. Secretary,” the vice president interjected, “may I suggest that a summit meeting of heads of state may be premature. We haven’t been fully apprised of the damage in Japan, China, and the rest of the Far East. Our own West Coast, Hawaii, and Alaska have been decimated. We can expect flooding in our East Coast and Gulf cities. The banking centers are unable to function. I believe that we lack adequate knowledge of the extent of the problem. It may take days before governments gain control over their own resources. Then we can take a more reasoned look at a plan to put the world back together.”

Despite his earlier misgivings, Al Augustus found himself agreeing with the logic of the new vice president. “I must concur with the vice president’s analysis. I suggest we focus in on the domestic crisis for now. Any objections?” There were none.

“Assuming that Dr. Eisenblatt is correct,” he continued, “we need to take emergency action to protect the nation’s machinery from the corrosive effects of volcanic ash. I recommend that all civilian and military aircraft be grounded pending analysis of the effect of falling debris. We should warn factory owners to take steps to shield equipment from outside air. All military gear should be placed under protective covering. Buildings should be shut and sealed. Intake valves and ducts need to have extra protective filters—and those need to be cleaned or replaced almost every hour.

“And, of course, we must broadcast on every available outlet a warning to the population about the airborne dangers facing us in the next few days. We will adjourn for now and reconvene tomorrow. We’ve all got work to do!”

AL AUGUSTUS AND JAMES WONG walked out of the meeting together. Al motioned to an empty office, and they went in and sat down.

“Jimmy, what’s your take on Beaulieu?”

“The guy’s obviously brilliant,” Wong responded. “Did you hear his put-down of State?”

“That’s true, but do you sense anything—well, a little creepy about him?”

James Wong thought for a moment. “Actually, now that you mention it, there was this one incident.”

“What happened?”

“I was talking to him about China, and at some point I simply mentioned that Buddhism had come to China from India, and suddenly his eyes changed. So help me, Al, somebody else was staring out at me. Then, as quickly as it happened, there was Mark Beaulieu, gracious and urbane as ever. It was spooky.”

Al Augustus became very animated. “Jimmy, that same thing happened to me last night! We were having a friendly chat, and I made some off-hand remark. I don’t even remember what it was. Then, there were those eyes—icy cold. I felt a chill go through me like you wouldn’t believe.”