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Back The Occurrence Save as PDF
Chapters (117)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. PART ONE: Up From Buried Light
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. PART TWO: Re-Entry
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. PART THREE: Convergence
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. PART FOUR: Surrender
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. PART FIVE: The Tablets
  67. 58
  68. 59
  69. 60
  70. 61
  71. 62
  72. 63
  73. 64
  74. 65
  75. PART SIX: The Trial
  76. 66
  77. 67
  78. 68
  79. PART SEVEN: The Cave of Memory
  80. 69
  81. 70
  82. 71
  83. 72
  84. 73
  85. 74
  86. 75
  87. 76
  88. 77
  89. 78
  90. 79
  91. 80
  92. 81
  93. 82
  94. 83
  95. PART EIGHT: Guardians
  96. 84
  97. 85
  98. 86
  99. 87
  100. 88
  101. 89
  102. 90
  103. 91
  104. 92
  105. 93
  106. 94
  107. PART NINE: Into Buried Light
  108. 95
  109. 96
  110. 97
  111. 98
  112. 99
  113. 100
  114. 101
  115. 102
  116. 103
  117. Acknowledgments

And in the flood of remorse, he accepted his destiny. And knew it would end with the sacrifice of his life.

45

45

Senator Ledge entered Charles Bruton’s office at the Pentagon. The room looked every bit as stately as the Oval Office. Plush blue carpet, shined oak desk, the American flag behind it.

The men shook hands.

“I’m glad Julian came home okay,” Bruton said, a sorrow hung on him like lost faith.

“Me too,” Ledge answered, a deep respect for that sorrow laced both words.

“How’s Martha?” Bruton asked.

“She’s fine.”

Bruton moved to the oval table next to his desk and sat. He motioned for Ledge to do the same, but Ledge was too anxious to sit.

“Can I get you anything? Coffee?”

“No thanks.”

Bruton leaned back in the chair and said, “So, what did you want to see me about?”

Off what Julian and Dominique had told him, Ledge had planned the strategy of how he might broach the subject of their contact with Hashim, but a photo of Bruton’s son on the table caught him by surprise.

“The pain never goes away,” Bruton said.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“You’re one of the lucky ones. Your son came home alive. Is that what’s bothering you? Guilt?”

“That never goes away, either.”

“Peace comes hard. And harder in these days of trying to manage ourselves and the world.”

Ledge looked at him, his eyes crushed in thought. He went back over the arc of their friendship, searching for clues as to how to proceed and what to reveal. He and Bruton had shared political secrets, but the repercussions of what he was holding now were grim at best.

Campaigning for his senate seat a fourth time, Ledge came back immediately when he’d found out that Bruton’s son had come home in a body bag from a CIA mission in Afghanistan. That deepened their bond. But would that bond withstand what Julian and Dominique had told the senator of Hashim? He wouldn’t know unless he took the chance.

“What if Hashim is here to surrender?”

Bruton stared at Ledge, chuckled and said, “Surrender? Where did you get that idea?”

Faced with the truth of why he was here, Ledge realized it had all happened fast and he wasn’t prepared to go through with saying it out loud, but he wanted to plant a seed.

“You remember Jack Dean?”

“I try to forget ex-CIA who insist on chasing ghosts,” Bruton answered. “Like the tablet he claimed was hidden in the desert over there. And you believed him enough at the time to have us go search for it.”

“We were desperate to get any leverage we could against Saddam. But this isn’t one of Dean’s theories.”

“Whose is it?”

Ledge stared at the photo of Bruton’s son. It gave him time to think.