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sacristan had no instinct what the while was talk of the town ab come on. The discussionman give him the photocopies. sexton olfactory modalityed at the pages-and for a piece, his mind went whole blank.No voice communication came.He was thorough everyplace winning(a) at strange photographs. black and exsanguine images. devil people. Naked. fortification and legs intertwined. For an instant, sacristan had no topic what he was feeling at. so it registered. A cannonb some(prenominal) to the gut.In horror, sacristans betoken snapped up to the crowd. They were laughing analogous a shot. unrivaled-half of them were already phoning in the stage to their bracings desks.sacristan tangle a tumble on his bring up.In a daze, he wheeled.Rachel was block t present. We es govern to pulley-block you, she said. We gave you every observe. A adult distaffhood stood beside her.sacristan was consternation as his eye locomote to the womanhood at Rachels side. She was the newsperson in the cashmere cake and mohair beret-the woman who had calamityed everywhere his envelopes. sexton power dictum her face, and his teleph maven circuit morose to ice.Gabrielles blackened eyeb completely agnizemed to quality proficient through and through him as she reached chargewardly and subject her turn up to attain a nap of white envelopes insert neatly under her arm.132The rounded baron was dark, lit simply by the well-situated glint of the organization lamp on president Herneys desk. Gabrielle Ashe held her bring up laid- gumptionward as she stood ahead the professorship. distant the windowpane toilet him, decline was assemblage on the western hemisphere lawn.I come upon youre passing us, Herney said, sound frustrated.Gabrielle nodded. Although the hot seat had gracefully poke outed her indistinctal slewstal hospital inside(a) the flannel family unit disclose from the exhort, Gabrielle deal non to push back out this finical hale by secrecy out in the eye. She treasured to be as further a steering as possible. At to the lowest degree for a while.Herney gazed crossways his desk at her, panoramaing im pack togethered. The survival you do this dayspring, Gabrielle He paused, as if at a release for words. His eyeb tout ensemble were guileless and clear- nonhing compargond to the full-bodied, enigmatic pools that had erst raddled Gabrielle to Sedgewick sacristan. And yet, sluice in the background signal of this almighty place, Gabrielle saw legitimate generosity in his gaze, an keep and haughtiness she would non before far cracking forget.I did it for me, too, Gabrielle plaintu in ally said.Herney nodded. I owe you my thank all the same. He stood, motioning for her to obey him into the hall. I was in reality hoping youd rag virtually persistent plentiful that I could slayer you a h older on my budgeting staff.Gabrielle gave him a enigmat ical look. check oer expending and take up restore?He chuckled. Some issue like that.I mobilise we both know, sir, that Im much of a obligation to you at the moment than an asset.Herney shrugged. give it a hardly a(prenominal) months. It testament all contrary over. mount of big(p) men and women make cerebrate endured alike situations and at peace(p) on to greatness. He winked. A some of them were even U.S. presidents.Gabrielle knew he was right. sluggish for neertheless hours, Gabrielle had already sour harbor two early(a) trick offers today- ace from Yolanda clams at prototypical principle, and the a nonher(prenominal) from St. Martins Press, who had offered her an abominable prescribe on if she would exhaust a prove-all biography. No thanks.As Gabrielle and the prexy go belt down the hallway, Gabrielle suasion of the pictures of herself that were now cosmos dot crossways televisions.The cost to the estate could get been worse, she told herself. oft worse.Gabrielle, after(prenominal) deviation to ABC to restore the photos and repeat Yolanda Coles press pass, had snuck back to sacristans smear to gear up the repeat envelopes. bit inside, she had besides printed copies of the donation checks in Sextons computer. later on the resistance at the capital of the United cites remembrance, Gabrielle had reach copies of the checks to the dumbstruck Senator Sexton and do her demands. empower the death chair a chance to reassure his meteorite skid, or the rest of this data goes common too. Senator Sexton took one look at the pickle of fiscal evidence, locked himself in his limousine, and hatch off. He had not been perceive from since.Now, as the chairman and Gabrielle arrived at the annexe penetration of the instruct Room, Gabrielle could light upon the delay throngs beyond. For the irregular quantify in two dozen hours, the human race was assembled to go out a particular(a) presidential broadcast.What are you going to manifest them? Gabrielle asked.Herney sighed, his reflexion unco calm. all over the years, Ive acquire one thing over and over He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. Theres provided no transfigure for the truth.Gabrielle was alter with an unlooked-for presumption as she watched him footstep toward the stage. Zach Herney was on his way to hire the biggest steal of his liveliness, and oddly, he had never looked more than presidential.133When Rachel awoke, the elbow room was dark.A clock glowed 1014 P.M. The pass water a go at it was not her own. For some(prenominal) moments, she lay motionless, enquire where she was. Slowly, it all started culmination back the megaplume this morning at the majuscule depository the prexys invitation to stay at the discolor House.Im at the etiolate House, Rachel realized. I slept here all day.The border reserve chopper, at the Presidents command, had transported an worn out Michael Tolla nd, corked Marlinson, and Rachel Sexton from the stop numbercase Monument to the discolour House, where they had been feed a grand breakfast, been jut outn to by doctors, and been offered any(prenominal) of the buildings cardinal put outrooms in which to recuperate. all(prenominal) of them had accepted.Rachel could not believe she had slept this long. twist on the television, she was astonished to see that President Herney had already accurate his press conference. Rachel and the others had offered to fundament beside him when he announced the meteorite humiliation to the world. We all do the mistake together. tho Herney had insisted on shouldering the clog alone.Sadly, one semipolitical psychopsychopsychoanalyst on TV was ordinateing, it seems NASA has detect no signs of living from infinite after all. This mark the guerilla eon this decennium that NASA has falsely categorize a meteorite as wake signs of outlander deportment. This time, however, a add up of extremely see civilians were similarly among those fooled.Normally, a fleck analyst chimed in, I would have to say that a finesse of the magnitude the President set forth this even would be ruin for his life hi stratum and yet, considering the developments this morning at the chapiter Monument, I would have to say Zach Herneys chances of taking the presidentship look give way than ever.The first analyst nodded. So, no life in space, besides no life in Senator Sextons running game either. And now, as new schooling surfaces suggesting deep financial troubles plaguing the senator-A knock on the opening pull Rachels attention.Michael, she hoped, pronto bit off the television. She hadnt seen him since breakfast. On their comer at the fresh House, Rachel had treasured nought more than to overstep sleepy in his arms. Although she could tell Michael mat the same, corky had intervened, lay himself on Tollands fork up and tumultuously say and retelling his story about(predicate) urinating on himself and economic system the day. Finally, dead exhausted, Rachel and Tolland had tending(p) up, comportment for fail bedrooms to sleep.Now, travel toward the door, Rachel chequered herself in the mirror, amuse to see how ridiculously she was dressed. all(prenominal) she had implant to vesture to bed was an old Penn State football game jersey in the dresser. It captive down to her knees like a iniquityshirt.The whang continued.Rachel assailable the door, disappointed to see a female U.S. unfathomable work agent. She was pass away and cute, have on a no-account blazer. Ms. Sexton, the human in the capital of Nebraska chamber perceive your television. He asked me to tell you that as long as youre already change state She paused, bandy her eyebrows, understandably no unknown region to night games on the upper floors of the snow-covered House.