“May I speak with Colonel Hamilton, please?”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible at the moment, Mr. Parker.”
“Why not?”
“Colonel Hamilton is in Level Four BioLab Two.”
“And there’s no telephone in there?”
“There’s a telephone. He’s not answering it.”
“Perhaps if you told him the White House is calling, he might change his mind.”
“To do that, Mr. Parker, I would have to get him on the line. And he’s not picking up.”
“Can you tell me what he’s doing?”
“I can tell you what I think he’s doing. A package was delivered to him shortly before he declared the potential disaster. I think it’s reasonable to presume he’s examining the contents of that package.”
“To what end, Colonel?”
“To see if what it contains justifies changing the current status from ‘potential’ to ‘actual.’ Or from ‘Potential Level Four’ to a lesser threat designation. We won’t know until he tells us.”
“The President, Colonel, is going to want to know.”
“Colonel Hamilton is not answering the telephone in the laboratory, Mr. Parker.”
“I understand DCI Powell is there.”
“Yes, he is. Would you like to speak with him, Mr. Parker?”
“Not right now. Colonel, you understand that I’m going to have to tell the President that the only person who seems to know what’s going on won’t answer his telephone?”
“I suppose that’s true,” Colonel Russell said.
“I’ll get back to you, Colonel,” Parker said, and then feverishly tapped the switchhook in the telephone handset cradle to get the switchboard operator back on the line.
“Yes, Mr. Parker?”
“Get me DCI Powell.”
“Powell.”
“Mr. Parker is calling, Mr. Powell. The line is secure.”
“Mr. Powell, John Parker. What the hell is going on over there?”
“John ...” the director of Central Intelligence began, and then stopped. After a long moment, he resumed: “John, I was just about to call the President. I think it would be best if he decided what to tell you about this.”
Parker heard the click that told him Powell had just broken the connection.
Porky Parker normally had unquestioned access to the President, anywhere, at any time. But now when he approached the door to the Oval Office, one of the two Secret Service men on duty put on an insincere smile and held up his hand to bar him.
The second Secret Service agent then opened the door, and called in, “Mr. President, Mr. Parker?”
Parker heard President Clendennen’s impatient reply: “Not now.”
Then he heard another male voice: “Mr. President, may I respectfully suggest that we’re going to need Parker.”