Ryan saluted the Air Force sergeant at the base of the stairs and then shook hands with President Gumelar. He was a decade younger than Ryan, with wiry hair that stuck straight out if it was cut too short, dark-framed glasses, and a neck that looked slightly too thin to hold up his head.
“Gugun!” Ryan said, clasping the man’s hand. “Thank you for hosting me.”
Gumelar smiled for the cameras a few dozen yards away. “I am glad to see you, old friend, but you did not leave me much choice.”
Ryan returned the tight smile. “I could say the same.” He shook hands with the three dour generals that formed the welcoming committee with Gumelar and then nodded to Marine One. Sergeant Scott stood at attention at the base of the steps.
“I was thinking you and I should ride together,” Ryan said. “It’s quicker than the motorcade.”
Gumelar held up an open hand, attempting to demure. “Mr. President, I—”
“Bring one of your security guys,” Ryan said. “There’s room.” He looked over his shoulder at Montgomery. “Right, Gary?”
“Of course, Mr. President,” Montgomery said.
This was where it got tricky. Gumelar didn’t have to come along. Things still would have worked, just more slowly. But who turned down a free ride in one of the most famous helicopters on earth?
Head swaying on his willowy neck, President Gumelar stammered, “I… I would be honored.”
Both men turned to wave to the crowds, which, Ryan noted, were polite but sedate. Police had kept any protesters at least two hundred meters away.
Ryan stopped a few steps back from the double doors on the VH-60N White Hawk that was about to become Marine One when he stepped aboard. He let President Gumelar get on first.
Admiral Bailey, Ryan’s physician, trotted up carrying his medical bag. “Special Agent Montgomery sent word that you wanted to see me, Mr. President.”
“I do, Doc,” Ryan said, waving an open hand at the helicopter doors. “We may be in need of your services in a few minutes.”
“Aye-aye, Mr. President,” Bailey said, and hurried up the steps.
After everyone else was on board, Ryan stepped forward to salute Sergeant Scott. He waited a beat, then took a moment to shake the young Marine’s hand.
“Rod,” Ryan said — sometimes a young man needed to know his commander in chief knew his first name. “I was so sorry to hear about your grandfather.”
Still ramrod straight, the Marine beamed. “Thank you, Mr. President.”
“I could have pulled some strings to let you go to the funeral.” Ryan grinned. “I know a couple of generals…”
“He would have rather I carried on here, Mr. President.”
“No doubt.” Ryan nodded. “Hell of a guy, your granddad.”
“You knew him, sir?”
“Not well,” Ryan said. “But he was a close friend of a very close friend of mine. I did have the opportunity to meet him once, years ago.” Ryan put a hand on the young Marine’s shoulder. “I’m sure he was proud of you.”
Sergeant Scott’s eye twitched like he might tear up. Ryan rescued him by changing the subject. “Did our special guest make it on board?”
“Yes, sir, Mr. President,” the Marine said. “Rear bulkhead seat, directly behind you, beside Director Foley. President Gumelar will sit on the couch across the aisle from you, as instructed.”
“Very well,” Ryan said. “We’ll talk later. They’re secondhand, but I have a couple of kickass stories about your granddad that he probably never told you.”
Ryan stepped aboard the helicopter, noting immediately the cooler air as Sergeant Scott shut the doors. He felt the familiar flutter in his gut that plagued him every time he boarded any kind of aircraft. A fancy version of the ubiquitous Black Hawk, the VH-60Ns used by HMX-1 were decked out inside with carpet, soundproofing, and leather seats. They were maintained by some of the most professional people in the world, double- and triple-checked.
And yet…
Helicopters and Ryan had come to an uneasy truce over the years. There was a lot of truth to the adage that the definition of a helicopter was “a million parts rotating around an oil leak, waiting for metal fatigue to set in.” He had to fly on them, but he never truly enjoyed the experience.
“So, Gugun,” Ryan said, ready to get to work. “I understand new charges have been dreamed up against Father Pat.”
President Gumelar took off his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief he’d taken from his suit pocket. “Jack,” he said. “I am sure you know that even United States courts sometimes bring charges after the initial point of arrest.”
“Ah, but our courts allow the accused to face his or her accuser,” Ryan said. “But that’s neither here nor there. I didn’t come to argue, Gugun. I came to help you.”
“To help me,” Gumelar said. “Is that so?”
“You and I both know perfectly well that China is behind this,” Ryan said. “They are attempting to play us both. I have a list of twenty Chinese diplomats whom we are ready to declare personae non gratae and expel from the country. I’m here to ask you to take similar action.”
“China is an important trading partner for us,” Gumelar said.
