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Chapter 21
California System, Liberty Space:
Trent sat in the co-pilot's chair of the armored transport as it launched from Los Angeles. Seated around the bridge were Lane, Jones, the pilot, and two of Jones' guards. A third guard was resting in one of the two bunks the ship had.
"We're clear, sir," the pilot informed the admiral.
"What's our ETA to Manhattan?"
"Approximately one hour and ten minutes."
"Good. We're making good time." Jones turned to Lane. "Mike, I never had the chance to properly express my condolences," he said. "I can't imagine what I would do if Renee was killed." He tilted his head to one side. "Is there going to be a problem?"
"What do you mean?" asked Lane tonelessly.
"We're going to confront Vanessa's killer," pointed out Jones. "It's not much of a leap to think that you may want to kill him."
"I'm a trained officer; I can separate my feelings from my duty," said Lane. "To be honest, these past two months have been so filled with various crises that I've hardly had time to dwell on it."
"I know what you mean," assented Jones. "The whole damn sector's gone to hell."
"What's the plan?" asked Trent.
"We're going to confront Grimes directly," said Jones. "I'll present the evidence to him and ask for his immediate resignation before placing him under arrest." He paused. "Of course, to make sure this goes off without a hitch, we'll need some special equipment." He pressed a button on a consol on his armrest and a screen came up. After a few moments, the screen showed a Navy officer. "Lieutenant Morales, I need one of our SJDs coded to block out Class Alpha One signals. And I also need you to keep this off the record."
The lieutenant raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Alpha One? I'll see to it personally, Admiral. When do you need it by?"
"We'll be arriving on Manhattan within the hour. I need it as soon as possible."
"Aye, sir," said the lieutenant with a salute before the channel closed.
"That device will neutralize Grimes' panic button," Jones explained upon seeing the confused looks. "Hopefully we can arrest him without alerting every soldier on Manhattan."
"Is there a suicide bomb in the office?" asked Trent, recalling that there was one in the Rheinland Chancellor's office.
"If there is, I'm unaware of it." Lane nodded in agreement. "Still," continued Jones, "we must be careful. If we suspect he's about to trigger such a device, we may have to neutralize him."
"Could I be the one given that 'unpleasant' duty?" asked Lane wryly. Jones looked at him sternly. "I said that I could keep my emotions in check, not that I didn't want him dead."
Jones sighed. "For security's sake, the only one of us who'll be armed is Mr. – Trent, was it?" Trent nodded. "Mr. Trent. It will be much easier to conceal one weapon than it would be to conceal three."
"What will happen after Grimes is arrested?" inquired Trent.
"The Order of Succession after the elected President is the three heads of the Liberty Military Department in order of seniority," explained Lane. "Grimes was head of LPI for sixteen years, Dick has been head of the Navy for thirteen, and I've been head of the LSF for eight. Thus, when Grimes is arrested, Dick here will become Acting President."
"A duty I'm not looking forward to," admitted Jones. "I'm a man of the military, not a politician."
"Since the evidence exonerates President Jacobi," continued Lane, "there will not be a special election unless and until it is proven she is deceased. Assuming she is found alive, she will resume her duties as President."
"Grimes will be tried, of course," added Jones. "Most likely on various charges of treason, conspiracy, and murder. He will almost certainly be convicted on this evidence, and the seriousness of the charges will mandate a life sentence."
"In the meantime, we'll need to coordinate against the Orrids and their allies," said Lane. "As soon as you're installed as AP, we'll need to contact Michael King in Florida and bring the LSF back to Manhattan."
"Agreed, and I'll have to recall our ships in the Independent Worlds."
"Sir, we're approaching the jump gate," said the pilot.
"Very well," said Jones. "Let's see what this will entail."
Planet Manhattan, New York System:
The armored transport sat down near the main Navy building on Manhattan. The rest of the trip had seen Lane explain the Orrid situation to Jones. Jones had suggested that Lane remain in disguise in case there were moles working for Grimes around. Jones had retrieved the device (a small metal cylinder) quickly and the three made their way to the nearby Administrative Building. Instead of using the main entrance, however, they were instead using a private elevator that would take them directly to the President's Office on the top floor. Normally, only the President and the three heads of the LMD had access to it, but since one was a fugitive and the President under arrest, only Grimes and Jones had access to it. It was protected by a handprint scanner and retina scanner. Jones passed both security measures and entered the building.
Trent had hidden his weapon inside a container provided by the admiral that would block the weapon detectors that were just inside the door. It worked perfectly, for no alarms were set off when Trent entered.
"One crisis averted," he quipped. Jones shushed him and called the elevator. It arrived quickly, and the three stepped in.
"I'll be the one to confront him," said Jones after a few moments. "The two of you should hold position near the door, in case he alerts security in some fashion." Trent and Lane nodded as the elevator reached the top. Trent had to admit that the elevator moved fast; it had taken all of thirty seconds to climb two hundred floors.
The hallway they entered was adorned with portraits of the previous Presidents of Liberty. The elevator they'd just stepped out of was at the western end of the hall; the door to the President's Office was directly across from the door leading to the reception area. It was there that most of the guards were stationed. Only a single guard stood outside of the main office, and he turned to regard the three men approaching.
"I'm sorry, sirs, but Presidential Security is not allowing President Grimes to take appointments for security reasons," he said.
"You are aware of who I am?" asked Jones.
"Yes, Admiral, but security will not allow anyone access to the office, no exceptions. I'm afraid you'll have to reach him through teleconference."
"I see," said Jones. Blindingly fast, he wrapped his right arm backwards across the guard's neck and used his right leg to sweep the feet from under him. As the guard fell, Jones crouched and the guard fell hard across Jones' knee. The guard dropped to the floor, unconscious.
Trent whistled. "You know some moves, I'll give you that." Jones shrugged and opened the door. He pulled the guard in and Trent and Lane followed. The office was large, big enough to accommodate a fighter. There were many statues, bookcases, filing cabinets, and a large conference table in front of a large screen. The main desk appeared to be made of some type of oak and was cluttered with papers and a computer terminal. Steven Grimes himself sat in the chair behind the desk. He was a short man, somewhat overweight, and sported tidy black hair. He looked up from a piece of paper as they entered the room.
"Dick," he said as he eyed the unconscious guard, "I hope you have a very good explanation for this." His arm twitched behind the desk. Trent assumed that he'd pressed his panic button.
"Won't work, Steve," said Jones, holding up the jamming device by way of explanation. He'd obviously reached a similar conclusion. "You probably recognize one of my two companions –"
"Unfortunately, I can't say that I do," said Grimes, looking at Trent and Lane. Jones raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"The younger man is Edmund Trent –"
"Edison," corrected Trent under his breath.
"– while the older gentleman is Michael Lane."
Grime reared back in surprise, and Trent thought he saw a hint of fear in his eyes. "Why, exactly, are you cavorting with a fugitive?" he asked.
Jones stepped forward and handed Grimes the data pad with the evidence chip in it. "I think you should look at this. It should clear several things up, Mr. President."
Grimes took it and read. As he read, his face grew increasingly paler. Admiral Jones sat in a chair across the desk from Grimes while Trent upholstered his weapon, though he kept it pointing down. Lane stayed near the door with the unconscious guard. After a few minutes, Grimes sighed. "This is… rather convincing."
"Do you deny the accusations?" asked Jones.
Grimes sighed again as he looked up. "To do so would be an exercise in futility."
"Why?" said Lane levelly. Too levelly. He didn't need to elaborate on his one word question, though.
"My reasons are my own," replied Grimes. Trent now aimed his weapon at the Acting President. Grimes glanced at him briefly before turning his attention back to Jones. "So, what do we do from here?"
"You will announce your resignation immediately," said Jones with a steel edge in his voice. "We will then place you under arrest for treason, conspiracy, and murder." Jones leaned over the desk menacingly. "I would highly suggest that you also inform us of what you know of the Orrids' future plans, as well as the location of the jump hole generator. Otherwise… well, you know how it works. Guards can get a little carried away… accidents happen…"
"There's no way we can make this disappear?" Grimes asked. Jones shook his head and Grimes leaned back. "That's unfortunate," he said at length.
"There's no way out of this, Steve," said Jones.
"I'd have to disagree," replied Grimes. Trent saw Grimes' right arm twitch but he hesitated a moment before pulling the trigger.
Too late.
The desk exploded.
A/N: Meh, I should stop making promises. A month indeed. Anyway, I know the chapter is short (the shortest of the story so far), but I thought I'd put it out there. I won't deny, I have lost some of my interest, but I'm still determined to finish the story. When, I don't know, but it will be finished. Chapter 22 will be out sometime, and it's one of the longest chapters to date. Until next time (whenever that is), take care.