Chapter 31

As the sun began to rise in the nation's capital, it became evident that the funeral for President Ruskin would be held on a cold, clear day. Certain members of official Washington had already been stirring for several hours, trying to come to grips with the effects of the Mexican default, which had not yet become public knowledge. Unfortunately, that was not the most serious event that would occur that day.

Members of A.S.S.W.H.O.L.E. were arriving at their destinations, ready to begin their quest for a segregated society in the Pacific northwest. Three man sniper teams, armed with mortars and automatic weapons, had set themselves up on rooftops overlooking police headquarters and substations in Spokane, Tacoma, Yakima and Seattle in Washington, Boise, Pocatello and Idaho Falls in Idaho, Portland, Salem and Eugene in Oregon, Butte, Great Falls and Billings in Montana, and Casper and Cheyenne in Wyoming. Squads with rockets were stationed at points overlooking the naval base at Puget Sound and the ports of Portland, Seattle and Tacoma, prepared to block access from the sea by sinking any large ship that happened to be unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Car bombs with timers were already parked in strategic locations. Most of the police forces would be changing shifts between 7:00 and 8:00 A.M., local time, which would be about the time that the funeral would be starting in Washington, D.C. A.S.S.W.H.O.L.E. was ready for them.

In Washington, D.C., another man was also making preparations this morning. He was of average height, average build, with no distinguishing scars or marks on his body, but his profession was anything but average. John Stevenson was the top hit man for the Medellin drug cartel, and he had a $2,500,000 contract to assassinate the new President of the United States, who was talking about possibly legalizing drugs, which, if carried out, would cost the cartel billions of dollars.

He had arrived in Washington from Miami about two hours before Steve Stone, but instead of going to the White House, he went to a nondescript hotel in one of the capital's suburbs where questions were not asked. There he registered under an assumed name, went to his room and read the newspapers to learn the details about the state funeral for President Ruskin.

After finding what he wanted to know, he then went out to reconnoiter possible sites for his business. First he went to the White House, where he walked around a bit, looking as if he was one of the crowd that seems to gather whenever there is a national emergency or tragedy. He decided that he would be unable to make a clean hit there, because the President would be in her armor plated limousine, making an attempt there difficult at best.

Next, he went to Union Station, where the President's body would be loaded onto a train for the cross country journey to his hometown for burial. He looked around, checking where the new President probably would be, saw the security people already sweeping the area for explosives and roping off areas to restrict public access, and decided that escape after the assassination would be very difficult at best.

Then he went to the final location where he might have an opportunity to fulfill his contract, the National Cathedral. There he saw security people roping off areas near where President Lehrer would be entering the cathedral. He figured where she would be getting out of her limousine, and saw a spot where he could get a clear shot that was no more than one hundred feet from where the President would be. He then looked around for possible escape routes and saw that he would probably be able to escape into the crowd that would be rushing away in panic from the scene. From there he would be able to go to the nearest Metro station and quickly get away from the scene. His plan was ready.

It was now early evening, so he decided to stop at a fast food restaurant to grab something quick to eat before returning to his room to make the final preparations. Once in his room, he disassembled the small barrel Mac-10 machine pistol he would use, cleaned it, reassembled it and loaded it. He made sure that he had extra ammunition clips tucked in his belt in case he needed them after the hit in order to make his escape, knowing he would not have the chance to reload at the scene. Then, after going over the whole plan once again in his mind, and assured that everything was ready, he set his travel alarm for 5:00 and laid down and went right to sleep.

The next morning, the ringing of his alarm brought him to immediate alertness, and he showered and shaved, got dressed, and went out to a nearby greasy spoon for breakfast. He then went back to his room, put on several layers of jackets, put the Mac-10 under his arm and put on his overcoat before grabbing a blanket to ward off the cold which he would place over his shoulders before he arrived at the cathedral. He then walked out of the hotel, flagged down a taxi and had it drop him at the Metro station, where he boarded, changed trains and got off at Woodley Rd., about ten blocks from the cathedral. He then walked slowly through the gathering crowd, his blanket wrapped around his shoulders, slowly making his way toward the cathedral. By 8:30, he had arrived at his destination with history. Now, all he had to do was wait for President Lehrer to arrive.

President Kathleen Lehrer was receiving her morning briefing from her advisers before getting changed for the funeral. The President had arisen shortly after her attacker, and after a quick shower, she had gotten dressed and started to work.

Steve Stone, who had slept in the adjoining bedroom, heard her moving about and woke up. He put on a bathrobe, popped his head into her room and wished her good morning. The President looked up and replied, "I wish it was."

Steve said, "You seem to be in a terrific mood this morning."

"Do you think I should be happy? I have the funeral to go to today, plus trying to figure out what to do to resolve the Mexican default problem and talking to the Chinese to get them to support our actions in the U.N. Why should I be in a good mood?"

"I'm sorry, honey. I know you have a lot on your mind today, but I thought you might at least be a little bit civil."

"I'm sorry I snapped at you, but I have too much on my mind to be in a very pleasant mood."

"I understand. All right, I'll leave you alone so you can get some things done."

"Thanks," replied the President.

Steve then shaved, got into the shower, washed himself and got dressed. While doing that, he thought how much Kathy had changed since he had last seen her a month previously. Now she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, and that would put a strain on anyone. He also realized that his relationship with her would be different. They would both have to be careful about showing any affection for each other around others because of the damage it could do to her efforts to lead. Steve was beginning to wonder if it had been a mistake to come back to Washington.

Steve went into the family dining area and saw the President's children, who were just starting their breakfasts. Marty looked up, saw the young doctor, and said, "Good morning, Steve. Wanna join us?"

"Good morning, Marty, Sara. How are you two doing this morning?" asked Steve as he sat down at the table.

"All right, I guess," answered Sara. "I'm still trying to get used to this place. The Secret Service won't let us go anywhere without them, and I'm not too crazy about that, but we're treated well here, so I guess it will be all right."

Steve looked at Marty's plate. "That looks good. Eggs Benedict?"

"Yes and it's delicious."

"I think I'll build up my cholesterol count a bit and have some too, along with some coffee and grapefruit," he said to the steward who appeared at the table. "After eating so many Mexican dishes while I was there, it's good to have something rich for a change."

Marty looked at him and said in a mischievous voice, "you better watch it Steve, you're going to get fat."

"I guess I'll have to go back to the barrios just to lose the weight I put on here," he joked.

"I would hope that your motives for going back would be more noble than that," teased Sara.

"Oh they are, believe me," said Steve. "As you know, there are a lot of people who need a lot of help down there and I intend to do what I can to help them."

"When are you going back?" asked Marty.

"I don't know. I'll probably stay here for a little while to try to help your mother if I can, but I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"Just your presence here is a help to me," said the President as she walked into the dining room, " and I hope you'll stay here. You have insights into a number of things that I could use, and I want you to stay."

"Good morning, Mom," said Marty and Sara.

"Good morning, Kathy, I mean Mme. President," said Steve.

"Cut out the Madame President bullshit Steve," ordered the President with a smile, as she sat down. "We've known each other too long for that kind of formality and you know it. I also don't want to hear anything about you going back to the barrios. If something were to happen to you there, I don't know what I would do. You don't know how relieved I was to hear your voice the other day and know that you were safe. I want you to stay here. I need you."

"I don't want a lot of gossip that will hurt you or your ability to govern" replied Steve.

"I can handle that," replied the President.

She ordered her breakfast and turned to her children. "After breakfast, I have to get changed for the funeral. The Secret Service wants me to wear a bulletproof vest under my dress and they have a special piece that will go under my hat. They are real nervous about me going out in public, so security is going to be extremely tight. You two will be riding with me and Steve will be going in another car. I doubt if you're going to be able to see much of the crowd because the Secret Service told me that we will be getting out of the limo and going about ten feet right into the cathedral and we will be dropped real close to the train platform at Union Station."

"This whole thing is kind of scary," said Sara. "you don't really think someone will try to kill you, do you?"

"I don't know, but if someone does, the United States won't have a legitimate leader, and chaos will result. As you know, I'm the last survivor in the line of succession, so if something happens to me, we'll be in even more trouble than we are now. Our enemies are aware of that and would like nothing better. After Thursday night, we have to be very, very careful. That goes for the three of you as well. Our enemies may try to strike at me through you, so your lifestyles will be affected by all of this too, at least as long as I am President."

"Steve too?" asked Marty.

"I think you and Sara know how I feel about Steve. It would be a terrible blow to me if something were to happen to him. That's why Steve will have Secret Service protection too. I can't take the chance."

"What if I don't want it?" asked the doctor.

"I'm sorry, Steve, but I've already ordered it for you. As I said, I can't take the chance that something will happen to you. We'll talk about this more a little later. We have to get going soon."

They finished eating and went to get ready for the funeral. The President put on a kevlar vest under her funeral dress and placed the kevlar piece under her hat so that a large part of her head would also be protected. She met Marty, Sara and Steve, and they all went to the East Room for the brief ceremony there prior to leaving the White House for the funeral procession to the National Cathedral.

Let us now switch to The Most Trusted Man in America for his report on the funeral.

"We're in front of the White House, where the late President's flag draped casket is being loaded onto the caisson, while his wife's casket is being loaded into a hearse for the journey to the National Cathedral. President Lehrer, with her two children, President Ruskin's two daughters and Dr. Stephen Stone, an old friend of the new president, beside her, looks on. The caskets are now loaded, and the late President's daughters are now getting into the first limousine with their husbands, the President and her children are getting into their armor plated limousine, and Dr. Stone is getting into the one behind it with other high ranking members of the U.S. government."

"The procession is now pulling out from the White House, following the horse drawn caisson bearing President Ruskin's body, accompanied by the military honor guard. Muffled drums and the sound of the horses' hoofs can be heard. Immediately behind the caisson is the riderless horse with the boots reversed in the stirrups, the symbol of the fallen warrior. Next comes the hearse with the late First Lady, then the limousine with the late President's daughters, then the new President's limousine, followed by those of the other mourners, including leaders of two thirds of the nations of the world. Security here is extremely tight."

"The procession is now turning onto Pennsylvania Ave. and proceeding on the route to the National Cathedral. The streets are lined by hundreds of thousands of people who braved the very cold weather in order to say good by to the late President and First Lady. This is a very solemn occasion, as you can imagine. People are standing along the route of the procession wiping away tears, and some are weeping openly. It reminds one of the outpouring of grief that accompanied the funeral of President Kennedy."

"President Ruskin was 57 years old at the time of his death from the bombing of the Capitol by Iranian terrorists at the beginning of his State of the Union message last Thursday evening. A period of uncertainty as to who his successor would be existed until early the next morning because it was unknown whether anyone who was ahead of Secretary of Education Kathleen Lehrer in the line of succession had survived. Secretary Lehrer had been absent from the State of the Union as a security measure that has at least one person in the line of succession absent from such events. By 8:00 Friday morning, it was found that no one ahead of Secretary Lehrer had survived, so she became President."

"President Lehrer came to office with no inkling that she might be thrust into the most powerful position in the world in the midst of the worst crisis in the nation's history. Not only had the line of succession been wiped out in one stroke, but almost everyone in the Congress had been killed, as had the Supreme Court, and President Ruskin's top domestic and national security advisers, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Now it appears that the Ayatollah Makhtol's forces are making progress in a number of areas throughout the Islamic world, and his agents have been linked to the series of terrorist attacks that have taken place throughout Europe in the past several days."

"Then two days after the Capitol was bombed, an uprising in Mexico occurred and the new government there just announced this morning that they were defaulting on their international loans, the large majority of which were from U.S. banks. So, besides a war and a political crisis that she must deal with, President Lehrer must also deal with the very real possibility of a financial collapse."

"The consensus so far is that President Kathleen Lehrer is not afraid to make controversial decisions and that she has so far done a credible job as President and showing that she is in charge. She has shown that she will try to come up with new ideas to resolve long standing problems that have been plaguing the country. Her proposed solution to the drug and crime problems is a case in point. She announced Saturday night that she was developing a new policy that would treat drug abuse as a health problem and not as a legal problem, which many people have interpreted as a push for legalization of currently illegal drugs."

"The procession is now approaching the National Cathedral. President Lehrer will enter the cathedral after the late President's daughters who will immediately follow their parents' bodies. Admission to the funeral service is by invitation only. The honor guard is now at attention next to the caisson. They are now loosening the straps that have been holding President Ruskin's casket onto the caisson. Now they are carrying out, with solemn ceremony, the task of removing the body of their fallen Commander-in-Chief from the caisson while the Marine Band plays the funeral dirge. This is a very sad and solemn occasion."

"President Ruskin's daughters are standing dry eyed next to the coffin of their father, supported by their husbands. They look as if they are still in a state of shock, as are the rest of the people throughout the world. The honor guard is now moving to take Mrs. Ruskin's body from the hearse. The honor guard is now taking the two caskets into the cathedral, where they will be placed side by side for the funeral service. The late President's daughters and their husbands are now entering the cathedral behind their parents' coffins."