Chapter 54
Sai Jain was grateful for the protection General Steele’s guard provided, and now she had two of them, having inherited Long’s. Wearing her invention contact lens, she saw that both guards were sincerely concerned with her safety. And in the limited number of times she was able to wear it in public since she fled the factory in Centerville two days earlier, she saw that most people were to be taken at face value. If they seemed to be pleasant and helpful, they were. If they seemed to be unpleasant and unhelpful, they were. Her newly secured wealth was going to give her a chance to identify and help people who need help. So many people with so many needs; her concern for others was forcing her to think of ways to use her wealth to help some of them.
First on her list was underway: getting her team back together. She hadn’t yet contacted Stone to tell him—there was plenty of time to do that. How else to use the invention? Maybe to see what elementary school children were thinking when the teacher saw a lack of concentration from them, or when the evil kids were think of pending drug deals, or when the ill kids think of bringing guns to school and killing everyone; when patients and doctors got together and all thoughts could be shared; congregants might see the Lord; electorates would see what politicians thought; jurors would decide not only on facts; sales pitches would include what wasn’t being said; no secrets would be harbored between spouses; unprecedented access to totalitarian government’s thinking would tear barriers down; mental health experts will get inside the heads of those in need. The possibilities for good and bad frightened her.
The possibilities were all good for the president, as he had no compunctions, once he got his hands on Stone and Danders, that is. However, he was no closer to that now than he was two hours ago. An aide offered to get him a drink. Veck tried to prevent that from happening, explaining that everyone needed a clear head to track down the president’s two antagonists. Common sense says that the world is in dire straits with a sober psychopath in the Oval Office; imagine having a drunk one.
“I don’t give a shit what you think, I will have a Balkan vodka. It makes me think even more clearly than usual, and as you know, I am a genius to begin with.”
“Amen to that,” said the aide.
God help us all, thought everyone else in the room.
Veck was the only one to do anything about it. He excused himself from the room and called Stone. It was brief.
“We must have Congress invoke the twenty-fifth amendment. Do what you can from your end.”
“You’re far better connected to politicians than I am. Don’t lose sight of the fact that he was elected suffering from psychosis. He will fight his removal from office with tooth and nail, and the process will take too long.”
“But he will get tied up with it and that will draw him away from his obsession with you and Gary.”
“Even if it did, his mental state will worsen. We need a different solution.”
Stone then burst into laughter. “I know what to do.”
“I don’t like the sound of that laugh.”
“Your role in this will be minimal.”
“Whatever it is, I presume it will be viewed by some as illegal.”
“Possibly illegal, definitely ironic. I’ll be in touch soon.”
+++
The vodka had the opposite effect of what Veck had expected—it knocked the president out. No wonder. He’d barely slept for the past three nights, had eaten little, and was strung out. Someone said to hook up a vodka intravenous drip to keep him out indefinitely. That little bit of humor lightened the mood, albeit briefly; the group was alarmed by the president’s behavior and wanted to take action. All of them wanted nothing less than having his mental health evaluated. Veck agreed but chose to let Stone put his plan, whatever it was, in place first.
“My job is to serve the president, but our country comes first. We agree that the president is, and has been, acting irrationally. It is not treasonous to say so. Before we do anything not permitted under the constitution, go home, rest, and recharge. We have an unenviable task ahead,” Veck told them.
Some grumbling about not taking action at that moment followed, but it was halfhearted, and the group eventually left.
“Gary, we must act. The president needs to be eased out of office before he blows up the planet.
“Eased out? Do you mean..?”
“No, not that. I mean taking away his ability to order people to do dangerous, illogical, illegal things that will ultimately set the world ablaze.”
“Only way I can think of to do that…”
“That’s the one. Then comes McGowan’s turn, but we don’t have to be as genteel with him.”