WHILE THE COUPLE were getting ready in the guest room, Kenan Vaine and Floyd Kenagan waited patiently in the living room while Gregory Evans changed in his bedroom. The FBI inspector general remained vigilant for a long time through the glass doors and windows, his eyes fixed on the street, ready for whoever was going to ambush them.
—What a decrepit end to such a well-laid strategy, don't you think? — Kenan asked sitting on the couch as he watched Kenagan's surveillance.
Floyd Kenagan untangled himself from the curtains and walked over to the President. Then, in a low voice, he continued the conversation:
— What are we going to do, now that all this has happened?
— I don't know, my dear, I still don't know... This man's cunning really surprised me...
— They left us empty-handed...
Kenan remained thoughtful for a moment, until he decided to return to the subject:
—Although everything seems like a catastrophic situation due to the surprise we had last afternoon, I believe we should keep the same plans.
Floyd Kenagan raised his eyebrows in astonishment:
— Why do you think that?
— This is a wave that doesn't change the course of the boat. In fact, if we pass the crest, we can take advantage of the momentum on the way down and continue further.
—Explain it to me, Sir. — replied the inspector curiously.
— You see, the fall of the Twin Towers was supposed to undermine Bush's credibility, but it only strengthened his campaign. Bin Laden was nothing more than a campaign operative for Obama.
— We can turn this situation around until it turns to our advantage — said Floyd, who was beginning to see the point of view of the most powerful man in the world.
— Yes...
—The old political Manichaeism... — said Floyd Kenagan, crossing his arms. — If we needed an enemy to fight, he is right in front of us.
— Exactly. To the world now we are the victim, Kenagan, and in public opinion, the victim is always stronger than the oppressor!
The two talked cautiously, until they were surprised by the figure of the famous agent who appeared from the room in their direction. He had a different appearance after bathing and taking care of his minor injuries.
— Excuse me, — he said. — Forgive me, I will pay more attention to you from now on.
— How are you? — Kenan asked.
— I'm better, I'll take care of this tomorrow at the hospital. Tommy and Kathy are resting in the guest room, but Kathy has already treated your wound with what she could. I think you'll be fine after receiving medical care.
— That's good news. — Floyd tried to show interest.
— I'll get some bath towels and some changeable clothes...
"No, you don't need to," Kenan said, perhaps worried about what kind of clothes he would have to wear. "We'll leave at dawn."
— I don't object to them going out, but at least they should take a good shower and wear clean clothes. If my wife sees the trail of dirt we leave in the house, she will be our next enemy.
Kenan smiled, remembering that all women are the same.
— No problem, Greg, send the bill to the office.
—That's the least of your problems, sir... I just think you'd draw more attention in these tattered clothes than you would in minimally acceptable clothes.
— As always, you're absolutely right, Greg.
— I'll get you something to eat, you must be hungry. — he said, trying hard to be welcoming.
— Thank you. — Floyd Kenagan replied.
Greg turned and went to get something to serve.
— We need to set our course for the next few hours. — Floyd said, continuing the interrupted conversation.
Kenan sat on the edge of his seat, leaning on his knees, while he pondered something with his eyes downcast. He replied:
— More than ever, I need to get the support of the allies to start the siege, but we need to evaluate what will happen here in the country, to know how far this madman is really willing to confront us...
An unbridled rage rose to his ego, and he struck his own knee, exclaiming:
— I can't believe it! Shit! Just when I was about to take the most important step!
Floyd Kenagan was surprised, he had never seen the President so excited that he changed his language, obviously these were not times for a heady kind of peace, they were at war. He tried to calm his temper:
— Calm down, Mr. President! Don't let the situation make you lose control! Let's continue towards the objective you have set and I am sure we will be victorious.
Kenan took a deep breath and leaned back on the couch. He kept his eyes downcast, however:
— We can't waste any more time, Kenagan, the fastest one will win this duel.
A third person chimed in:
— They really won't waste any time.
When the two looked up, they saw Tommy Leone coming from the room, staggering a little hunched over and leaning against the wall. His bandages were wet with blood, which made Kenan feel a little dizzy.
—What do you mean by that? — asked Floyd Kenagan, unclear about what he had heard.
— You won't be here long, is what I mean. You'll leave as soon as possible.
— I allow you to say these nonsense only because I consider what happened to us as a debt, but I think it is better to collect your thoughts, my young man. — replied Floyd, chastised.
— We won't be long. — said Kenan, also bothered by the boy's rudeness.
— There's an army behind you out there, am I right? I don't want my wife to be the target of this political nonsense again. — Tommy said, approaching the two and sitting down in the armchair with difficulty because of the pain.
— We're in a war, son. — Kenan replied, trying to argue. — A war in which...
— Yes, we are in a war, — said Tommy. — A war that you have sustained, a war that has already driven thousands upon thousands underground.
— Don't be childish, you brat! — exclaimed Floyd Kenagan. — You want to accuse us of being guilty because we are defending yourselves!
Tommy shifted in his chair, as he still felt a sharp pain in his side. He put his feet up on the coffee table and picked up the TV remote. He continued:
— Those who wage war don't go to war. It's always been that way, don't try to fool me. My father went to the Gulf War and never came back, he was one of those killed in battle. He left my sick mother to take care of me alone for the next two years, until she died of the tumor.
Kenan and Floyd Kenagan fell silent through his narrative. He continued:
— I grew up alone, because I had no family here. I went to an orphanage. Now tell me: who was the hero of this war? Whose name is at the center of all the news, texts and books about it? My father did not have Bush as his last name. And no, I would never say that my father was a hero. I don't see him that way, I see him as a victim, a good man who fell into the clutches of poorly resolved negotiations. The real instigators of the conflict sat at their tables every day and ate their meals, lay in their beds and slept comfortably, until one side fell.
Kenan decided to risk a fact:
— So tell me, boy, what did you see happen that day?
— With you? — the young man replied, as he flipped through the cable TV channels as if he were in his own home.
— Yes, what did you see?
Tommy gave a sarcastic smile, looking up at the flat screen where the logo of a news channel shone.
— This is the most ironic point of all! — he replied in his acidic way. — I saw the President become a victim of the very thing he promised to destroy. I admit, this was something unprecedented...
Floyd Kenagan tried to end the subject, but Tommy interrupted him again and said:
— That is why I ask you to hurry. Ever since I lost my family, I have resolved that I would never care about this country, and I really don't, but now I have another family and you are here. I do not want it to be destroyed again by a war that is not mine. As long as you are near us, I will fear for Katherine.
— Aren't you afraid for yourself too? — Kenan asked, a little irritated.
— She keeps me alive, you can be sure of that.
Kenan and Floyd Kenagan were wise enough to no longer challenge him with arguments, not because they thought they were incapable. Kenan, for example, could talk for hours about any subject and ramble on with countless justifications that would allow him to win the debate, as he had done over the years with his adversaries. Rhetoric and philosophy, eloquence and boldness, skills he had developed from an early age, but which he had decided not to use against that young man who had become someone so important in his life during that terrible day. The two remained inert, somewhat out of respect for the young man's situation and his reception within their home.
Kenan responded by ending the debate:
— We will leave as soon as we are ready. You have my word, and I am sure that Mr. Evans will not object to your remaining here until you are well enough to return to your home.
Tommy looked at him, nodding in confirmation. After that, he turned up the volume on the TV and listened to what was being said:
"... Today's date will be remembered in the history of the State of New York. A mysterious attack once again brought terror to the population of several cities during the afternoon. The technological attack caused delays and loss of control among dozens of people who were participating in the event on Fifth Avenue, with President Kenan Vaine and several politicians from the region. On television, the effect spread throughout the State, increasing the number of victims by thousands. All public transportation services are canceled until control is reestablished and the government recommends that no one leave their homes until further notice. President Kenan Vaine is doing well, but declared a state of emergency after the attack..."
Tommy glanced sideways at the President and his inspector after hearing the news. Floyd Kenagan frowned and with a serious look replied:
— Mass control. News about a President can only be given when there is no longer any doubt. The country would panic...
— Necessary lies, aren't they? — Tommy snorted a little in disappointment.
Greg arrived with his improvised meal and served it at the table. Everyone participated.