"Ok," Elizabeth settled back into her seat and shoved her glasses onto her face as the car moved slowly through traffic. "Let's go over the details for this conference one more time."

"Yes ma'am," Nadine opened her bag and retrieved a folder with the Secretary's itinerary in it. "We are going to start with a few welcoming remarks from the Secretary General and then there will be a brief reception for lunch. We have blocked out some time for you to speak with the new foreign minister from Pakistan."

"Right," Elizabeth made a few notes on the talking points that Matt and Jay had put together for her for that meeting. "Pakistan wants to discuss the new government and transition from the old government."

"I think it will be tricky ma'am," Nadine warned. "With H.S. taking over after the coup and being tied to Abedi, there was a lot of violence. I don't think that Pakistan will be too anxious to make nice."

"Especially not since we went in and rounded up their entire nuclear arsenal," Elizabeth sighed. "Of course, that has made some of our other allies very happy."

"Yes ma'am," Nadine agreed warily. "Of course, following the main conference, the Russian foreign minister has asked for a brief meeting with you."

"Ha," Elizabeth's laugh was filled with sarcasm. "I'm sure they want to talk about Pakistan too. I still can't believe that they just pulled out of render safe that way."

"Russia," Nadine mused. "Are you happy with the remarks that Matt drafted for you to give at the main conference."

"Yeah," Elizabeth nodded and slid her own notes back into her bag. "They will do. I'll tell you Nadine, speaking before the general assembly is something that I am not sure I will ever get used to."

"Is that a bad thing," Nadine's voice was calm and even as she replaced her own notes in her bag.

"What do you mean," Elizabeth was puzzled by the question.

"How many people are going to have the opportunity in their life to speak there and more than once about issues that affect the fate of the entire world?" Nadine's voice was still steady and even as though she had scripted the entire exchange, a tone that was not lost on Bess.

"Wise words Nadine, as usual," she pulled her glasses off and shoved them in her pocket as her motorcade stopped outside the United Nations building in the middle of New York City. "Here we go," she took a deep stabilizing breath and waited for Frank, her security leader for the day to open her door. "Thanks Frank," she flashed her million dollar smile as she climbed out of the SUV.

There was a throng of people lining the walkway into the building. Some were obviously tourists just trying to catch a glimpse of someone, anyone, famous. Others were people coming out in support of the Secretary of State and her work. Some people were there to protest the conference which was supposed to focus on the issues facing the world in the wake of the Pakistani coup and the manner in which the resulting terrorist government had been taken down. It never ceased to amaze Elizabeth how many people would protest United States led bombings in middle eastern countries and how few showed up for other protests like ending world hunger or child trafficking. As far as she was concerned, a lot of people had very skewed priorities; not that she was regularly in favor of dropping bombs, but still. She was thinking this very thing over, strolling into this building as she had done before; she gave no thought to the people who were standing around yelling and paid little attention to the words they were yelling. Frank was to her left and the other members of her detail were in front of her, making sure that protesters stayed back. Nadine was behind her and without Bess's knowledge, she was scanning the crowd for familiar faces. In New York she occasionally ran across an old friend from her theater days and it was always in the oddest places. Suddenly her eye fell upon something strange. As the Secretary passed with her detail something shiny appeared in the hand of one of the protesters next to Frank.

Nadine turned to take a second look in time to see the man raise the knife and begin to run toward the Secretary. She was nearly even with his position on the opposite side of the walkway when she started to run, she had to get there. "Madam Secretary," she screamed. She briefly passed the man, dove forward and shoved her hands out into the Secretary's back taking Frank and the Secretary both by surprise. Then it happened, she felt searing pain in her shoulder as she began to fall forward.

Bess and Frank both turned as Bess caught Frank's arm to keep herself from falling. There was a man, he was behind Nadine. Bess and Frank realized at the same time that he had a knife, just as he plunged it into Nadine's shoulder as she fell forward. "Nadine," Bess screamed and moved toward her only to be grabbed by two of the other members of her detail while Frank leveled his gun at the deranged man. Bess could only resist as her detail dragged her inside the building and watch as the man plunged the knife into Nadine a second time after she fell before Frank fired his weapon shooting the man in the chest. "I need to get to her," she told her detail.

"Negative ma'am. You need to stay here. We are clearing the crowd and bringing the car up. We are heading out."

"Not without Nadine," she tried to keep her voice quiet but she felt like screaming. She was watching through a window as people swarmed around. Frank had secured the knife and was checking the man's pulse. Nadine was lying in the middle of the walkway, breathing hard but not moving. Then suddenly the SUV was in front of them blocking her view of Nadine and Frank.

"Madam Secretary get in," one of the detail pushed her through the door of the building and into the car. "Roger that," the door slammed shut behind her and the other side door opened. Frank pushed Nadine's limp body onto the seat and slammed the door. The car peeled away with lights flashing and the sirens of their police escort screaming off away from the United Nations building.