Molly stepped off to the side and grabbed a chocolate protein bar. She felt a bit guilty for eating so much but she was improving for two after all. Besides, she knew she'd have to give up the chocolate soon. She really wanted to breast feed and didn't want to take any chances on a fussy baby.

It was Nigel's turn. He stepped forward. "We are leaving the domain of facts we know to be true. We are now entering the domain of speculation. The question on my mind is why. Why did the aliens come and transform Earth? We do not have an answer. We're now living what would have been fanciful Science Fiction a few months ago. But there is a Science Fiction story I keep thinking of. It's called 'To Serve Man' and it was by Damon Knight. It's an old story, from the early 1950's. Aliens named Kanamits land in New York. Initially we are wary of them but they help us. They eliminate war, disease and hunger, but we only have their word that they are only here to help man. The Kanamits accidentally leave a book and the government gives the book to a code breaker. Eventually he deciphers the title – ' To Serve Mankind.' The leaders of Earth think they have proof of the good intentions of the Kanamits. Eventually he decodes more of the book. It's a cook book. Man has gone from master of the planet to the Kanamit's dinner."

"We do not have proof that the aliens are hostile, but I sincerely feel we must assume they are until we have positive evidence to the contrary. Our whole world is being changed around us. It could be a prelude to colonization by a life form that requires the world to be changed before they can settle here. We might find our lives considered by them as meaningless as a pig we turn into pork chops. This could be an alien scientific experiment. We might be the equivalent of a planet full of white rats to them."

"As a doctor tracking an infection, I believe that most of the people in the United States are now infected. I expect that number to climb rapidly. According to CNN, people are driving through neighborhoods blasting the alien screech. They are cranking it up full blast in airplanes and subway cars and other places where people can not get away. There is already a web site selling a T-shirt that says 'Don't improve me. I'm already improving.' We need to have a fallback if mankind can not survive these massive changes to the human genetic code."

"I propose taking uninfected people underground and keeping them secure and uninfected. We would need to provide uninfected food but that can be done. Certain plants can't pass the infection. They include wheat, corn and the cabbage family, and they alone are enough for a survival diet. If we also raise uninfected crops and livestock in these facilities then we can keep the original human gene pool alive indefinitely. There is no need to provide air filtration. According to all evidence the infection can not be spread by air. I would recommend a large, underground structure like the NORAD facility in Cheyenne Mountain. Something like a salt mine could also be used. There are many old salt mines in Kansas that are now being used to archive records."

This was Molly's queue. She finished her drink and stood. "Like most Americans, I am infected. I am also a scientist. I know that once a gene line is lost, it is lost forever. This seems like cheap insurance. Even if the whole story of the neutron star is true, it can't keep that output level up for long. After a few hundred years, the star will be burned out and the radiation will stop. It is a fact that the infection comes with a high cost – a much faster metabolism that demands more fuel. Mr. President, I had a protein shake and a protein bar since coming to this meeting. How many sausages and jerky sticks have you eaten?"

The President nodded, thinking and trying to count. Molly continued. "If the high octane life style among the infected is no longer necessary, mankind will have a higher chance of long term survival if it re-populates the old low octane genes. To do so, we need plants, people and animals with those genes."

The light seemed to go on in the President's head. He understood. Molly and Nigel were so relieved. "How many people?"

"A minimum of a thousand to get adequate genetic diversity and enough of a skill set. I recommend ten thousand. We must develop and follow a protocol for the scenario that every infected person will suddenly die and only the uninfected will be around to repopulate the world."

The President nodded. "I will sign the executive order and will go before Congress to get long term funding. But we can't use NORAD. It's the heart of our defense system."

Molly smiled. "Sir, that directly leads to our next subject. First, Mr. President, tell me who is the most famous king of all time."

Bush scratched his head. "Henry the Eighth, I don't know. Caesar I guess. Maybe Alexander the Great."

"So, how many statues to Caesar or Alexander the Great do you find in Washington? How many buildings are built to their name? How many signs have their name?"

He shrugged. "Not many I guess."

"Then think again. The king of whom I speak is revered in every city in this country. Statues and pictures are everywhere. Honor and fame is given to him. People even wear his image."

Gates nodded. "The King of Kings."

"Exactly. Two thousand years later, people still follow him when the Caesars who controlled the largest empires on Earth are now all but forgotten,"

"Alright, I'll accept that. I'm a Christian."

"The most optimistic assumption we have about the alien infection now spreading across the globe is that it is what those infected with it say it is. The aliens are trying to help us survive by forcibly mutating us. The highest ranking person among the infectees told me that as soon as the world is 'improved' the aliens will stop visiting us and stop contacting us. We will be on our own. They have limited resources and faster than light inter-stellar travel is extremely difficult for them. They must focus on the next world with intelligent life that will be hit by the radiation. We will receive no alien technology."

Bush nodded. "That sudden foreign aid cut off isn't very friendly."

"They think we have been given enough and to be truly worthy we must show that we can do the rest ourselves." Molly shrugged. "I don't pretend to understand it. It's just what I was told by a former Threshold agent who was infected months ago. Our world is about to go through a time of incredible scarcity. Some plants and animals just aren't going to make it. Our food needs will go way up. With this scarcity, we run the risk of widespread war like we're already seeing in Africa and may be seeing very shortly in Indo-China and South America. Mr. President, mankind no longer has the resources to wage war. If we do, it will be suicide for our species. You right now have the historic chance to be that great leader of peace that the world will revere for thousands of years. Greater than Washington, greater than Lincoln. You won't just save the country. You'll save the world."

Bush stroked his chin. Obviously the idea of statues to him in every town square on Earth appealed to him. "How?"

Nigel stood up. "The first step is to do something that politicians almost never do, and that is tell the truth. Tell the people what we know and what we know we don't know."

Director of Security McConnell shook his head. "That will start panic. People won't be able to handle a sudden alien invasion."

"The people are already in a panic. Telling them the truth will calm them by identifying what they are afraid of and it will build your credibility."