"You said you wanted to see me, sir?"
President Hayes looked up from the report he'd been reading and nodded.
"Come in, George. Please."
It was only fair he ask politely, after all, he was sitting behind Hammond's desk at that particular moment.
Hammond walked over and sat down easily, not showing any sign of resentment at having his office commandeered for the duration of the emergency. It was, after all, one of the most secure places in the complex, and the phones had direct access anywhere in the world – which was convenient at a time like this.
"Did you get the others taken care of?"
"Yes, sir. They're all fairly busy right now."
That was really an understatement. The diplomats were all on the phones, contacting their own governments – or if they were the head of that government, they were contacting their staff and military advisors to let them know what was going on and what was expected to happen in the next several days. They were also undoubtedly ordering a few more staff members to Colorado to help them with the summit that was already being planned now that the flight restrictions were starting to be lifted.
"Good." Hayes looked at Hammond for a long moment, his head resting on his hands, which were folded under his chin. "Your people did good, George."
Hammond nodded.
"Thank you, sir. They're good at what they do."
"Better than good, George."
"Yes."
"Because they have a good commanding officer."
Hammond shrugged.
"It's really them, sir. Not me."
"Nonsense. You're being modest – and while that's becoming, it's also completely unnecessary in this instance. And actually will work against us."
"What do you mean?"
"You know that Bob is turning in his resignation?"
Bob in this case, Hammond knew, was Vice President Kinsey. He nodded.
"Yes, sir. I heard."
"Well, this is going to cause upheaval in many political circles – even among those who are expecting it. To the general public, it's going to be even worse, and following right on the tail of the events of the past several days, it'll be that much worse."
"You could have him postpone the announcement."
Hayes shrugged.
"I could. However, I'm rather inclined to have him make the announcement sooner than later."
Which was a nice way of saying that he couldn't stand Kinsey – something Hammond could relate to. However, while he did understand the problem – and sympathized – he wasn't the one to ask for advice about it. He didn't have any more of an idea of how to make things smoother than Hayes did, certainly.
"I don't know what to tell you, sir…"
The President smiled, and Hammond decided he looked tired.
"What the American public is going to need, George, is reassurance. And they're only going to get that if they trust that the person chosen to replace Bob is someone they can rely on and depend on. Someone who is steady and capable – and preferably a leader."
Hammond hesitated.
"Are you asking me to recommend someone, sir?" Hammond asked, more confused now than ever. He didn't know all that many high level politicians. Only the ones he'd been struggling with off and on for years over budgets and proposals – and none of those politicians were worth mentioning as a contender for Robert Kinsey's job. However, he did know several military people who might make fine candidates – if they were interested.
Hayes shook his head, his smile now more amused than tired.
"I have a man in mind already, George."
"Oh."
Since it seemed as if the President had more to say, Hammond didn't say anything else himself. Sure enough, Hayes gave him a moment to think about what he was saying, realized that the general wasn't going to say anything else, and continued.
"The person I have in mind is a career military man, with a solid service record under his belt and has proven himself more than capable of command."
"Sounds like just the guy," Hammond agreed, trying to figure out who he was talking about. Of course, there were several career military men – and women, although Hayes had already confirmed it to be a man – who fit that description.
Hayes watched Hammond as another long silence stretched out between them. Then he chuckled and shook his head.
"You must be tired, George, because I know you're not usually this obtuse."
"Sir?"
"I'm talking about you, general. Yours is going to be the name that I send to congress to replace Bob when he resigns."
"What?"
"I want you to be my next Vice President."
Hammond stared at Hayes, expecting the man to start chuckling and admit it was just a big joke. But Hayes was watching him intently, his expression serious.
"You're kidding."
"Not at all."
"I can't be Vice President, Henry! I'm not a politician."
"And our last Vice President was – and look where that got us," Hayes replied. "You'd do a fine job."
"No one even knows me. I'm the commanding officer of the most secretive base on the planet, and –"
"You're the commanding officer of the base that holds all the people who just saved the world from certain doom," the President interrupted. "That's going to be enough right there – once the Stargate program goes public."
"But no one knows me."
"They will. I'm going to make sure of it."
Hammond shook his head.
"There have to be others. People who are more experienced and capable of this kind of-"
"I trust you, George," Hayes replied, interrupting once more. "And I know you. You'd do fine. Believe me."
"But-"
"Just think it over, okay?" the President asked. "I know it's a big step, but it's important that the American people not lose faith in the government – which could easily happen when Bob steps down. With you there to take his place… they'll feel secure and safe. After all, you're the one who commanded the missions that saved the planet."
"That's not accurate, Henry, and you know it."
"But it's close enough to the truth, George." The President stood up. "At any rate, I need to get in touch with a few people and get ready for the upcoming talks. Just think about what I said, okay? It'd only have to be for the rest of this term – I'll pick someone else as a running mate for the next election if you're not happy. Okay?"
Hammond shook his head with a sigh.
"I'll think about it."
"Good."