“Twelve pounds of C-9 is enough to demolish a good-sized house,” a man in army fatigues was saying, the smoldering ruins in the background. “That was probably in case he got stopped at the door.”
“Pauling might have used a little less explosive,” Marya muttered sotto voce, “if he’d known he was going to give us Davis on a platter.”
“Who’s next in line if Davis dies?” Rory asked. “He looks like he’d blow over in a strong wind.”
“Cabinet members, I think. It’s not my beat. Maybe the president of the Senate, R. L. Osbourne. She’s better than most.”
As they found out in a few minutes, though, Senator Osbourne had been in the meeting room and was among the dead. So were the chief of staff, the attorney general, and the UN ambassador, as well as the administrators of Defense, Energy, the CIA, FEMA, and NASA. LaSalle liked to have all her cabinet together when she made her pronouncements, watching them for shifts of allegiance.
There would be a fundamental realignment of power in Washington, as soon as everyone came back. Marya had been right about the exodus, politicos prudently putting some distance between themselves and ground zero. Of course, the explanation was that they wanted to be with their families in this time of tragedy, and their families happened to be out of town, or at least were able to catch up with them there.
The vice-president didn’t live through the hour. They watched the chief justice swear in Cool Moon Davis, inside a fast helicopter headed for Camp David. Then they saw a few minutes’ coverage of the traditional riot in Washington, confined to a few blocks downtown, the looting and arson quickly discouraged by armored shock troops from the D.C. Police department and an air-mobile civil disturbance unit from the National Guard. No soldiers or police were hurt.
“I’m going to watch the rest of this at home,” Rory said. “I feel like people are looking at me. You’re welcome to come along.”
“Thanks,” Marya said. “I wouldn’t mind getting away, either. Of course they’ll call as soon as I get my shoes off.”
They stopped by Pepe’s table on their way out. “Don’t bother coming in tomorrow,” she said. “It’ll just be chaos. I’ll call if anything comes up.”