The Zimmer Doctrine (Corps Justice Book 11) (19 page)

Epilogue

Wild Dunes

Isle of Palms, South Carolina

September 6th, 11:29am

They gathered where Cal’s rebirth began. After laying their fallen comrade to rest, they’d flown back as a family to the beach. Some were broken and bloodied, but they were all happy to be together again. Even Diane had flown in with Dr. Higgins.

Another memorial meant another opportunity to celebrate life. Finally, they had a few moments to relax after the potentially cataclysmic events of one week prior.

With the combined efforts of Neil's technical expertise and Chance Baxter's mighty ego, they’d unearthed the remaining pieces of the plot. Dr. Nahas filled in what details he knew, namely that his exploration vehicles had been retrofitted to carry different cargo. When Neil told him the cargo consisted of nuclear warheads, the doctor had withdrawn completely. His innovation, a tool intended to scour the depths of the oceans and unearth hidden treasures for his homeland, had been stolen and twisted to fulfill the evil desires of supposed patriots.

It hadn’t taken much digging to find Baxter’s CIA contact either. For someone with his intellect, Baxter truly believed that he was going to walk away a free man. Years of employ from a single handler at the CIA had given him that cocky assurance that he would remain untouchable.

When the director of the CIA found out that one of his top advisors, not only a good friend but also a fellow field agent with him during the eighties was the driving force behind the plot, he tendered his resignation on the spot.

When President Zimmer told the British and Israeli prime ministers of their countries’ intelligence agencies’ roles in the operation, they more forcefully demanded the resignations of the heads of MI6 and Shin Bet. The resignations were received; the world moved on.

Both prime ministers called to personally apologize. Zimmer’s British counterpart had gone to the extent of offering Baxter’s island to the Americans. The president said he would take it under advisement, informing The Jefferson Group that it might make a handy getaway for their covert team.

The plan had been quite simple. Barring interference, Baxter’s yachts would launch Dr. Nahas’s creations and the metal beasts would crawl to predesignated locations off the coast of every major power in the world. Then, with the weapons hidden, and the delivery vehicles only needing an occasional boost in power, subtle whispers would find their way to the ears of leaders worldwide. Who wouldn’t listen to a rumor that nuclear missiles lay within easy shot of their nation’s capitol? Thankfully, that didn’t happen.

They got lucky with Baxter’s yachts. It wasn't until Neil uncovered the chain of correspondence between the billionaire and the yacht captains that they found out, with much relief, the yachts weren’t moving. They’d been ordered to sit tight and that’s where they’d remained.

The yachts were taken down by American, British and Israeli special forces. Only one crew put up a fight. All the nuclear warheads were recovered.

Efraim Perlstein was in Israeli custody. The confessions flowed after being informed his side had lost. For all his bluster, Perlstein developed a humble streak in record time. His minions were being rounded up and the complete picture was coming together.

Hannah Krygier and Maya Eilenberg had been reunited. Maya, during her fall to the ocean, sustained a serious concussion. She was being monitored by President Zimmer’s own physicians at Walter Reed until she could be released from the physician's care. Her Aunt Hannah hadn’t left her side. From Maya's bedside, she had briefed her brother, the contrite Israeli Prime Minister. Krygier hadn’t known much of what Perlstein’s plan involved. However, the information she did know was willingly shared. This assisted the Israelis in asking Perlstein the correct questions.

So, as they soaked in the late summer rays under the blazing hot sun, the men of The Jefferson Group had much to be thankful for. Most importantly, they had their leader back. Cal had returned from his sojourn with a worldly gaze. To his men, and especially to Daniel, Cal seemed calmer now. The sniper smiled at that as he watched Cal and Diane chase Liberty down the beach, the puppy running away with a dead fish that had washed ashore. Daniel laughed and sipped from the plastic water bottle. Such days were few and far between. Luckily, Daniel knew how to enjoy them and he had a pretty good feeling that now Cal did, too.

+++

The White House

3:35pm

The cameras were rolling and Ken Wick flashed his rehearsed smile at the camera. He was still in command of
The Ludlow Report
, courtesy of the fact its host had contracted a stomach bug during his Caribbean cruise. It was all gravy for Wick, whose star had continued to rise and now seemed to be reaching a new pinnacle, as he sat across from President Brandon Zimmer.

“Welcome back. Before our break, President Zimmer and I were discussing the challenges he’s faced in his first term in the Oval Office. Now if it’s okay with you, Mr. President, I’d like to delve into something everyone’s talking about. Might you guess what I’m alluding to?”

Zimmer smiled warmly at his interviewer.

“Let me guess, you want to talk about The Zimmer Doctrine.” It was said, almost in jest. Wick knew the president didn’t like to talk about it. His sources said Zimmer disliked the use of his name in conjunction with the doctrine. In a cynical town like Washington, Wick didn’t believe a word of it.

“Yes, Mr. President.
The Zimmer Doctrine
. There’s been a lot of speculation about exactly what it is and how you plan to implement it. I’d like to ask you to describe The Zimmer Doctrine in a single word.”

Wick expected the president to play word games and dodge his question. It’s what so many politicians did and they were good at it.

But, much to Wick’s surprise, the president did not hesitate.

“Ownership,” Zimmer said.

Wick couldn’t find the words to respond for a long moment. He’d been ready to pounce. Now his ploy had backfired.

“Ownership?” Wick asked. “Could you elaborate?”

Wick saw his producer behind the cameraman. He was grinning at Wick's gaffe which he tried to ignore.

“Of course,” Zimmer said. “I’ve learned a lot about taking ownership of my actions. I am fortunate to have surrounded myself with friends and advisors who are never afraid to call me out when I am wrong or make bad decisions. It can be very humbling and frustrating, but I believe it has made me a better and more effective leader. What I’ve come to realize is that my legacy will be based on one thing and it isn’t how many Twitter followers I have. My legacy will be built on my reputation, as both a man and as a leader. It is my sincere hope that history judges me not only by the things I’ve done right, but also by the fact that I have owned up to my mistakes, America’s mistakes, and my attempts to fix them.”

“Is this what led you to give your speech at the United Nations where you basically accused the world of taking advantage of America’s goodwill?”

Zimmer smiled patiently. “I believe if you go back and listen to what I said, you’ll find that I pointed a finger at the world, but I also told the world that America would have to take a long look at itself in the mirror. You see, Ken, we’ve done a lot of good things around the world. We’ve helped countries that wanted and needed our help. But we’ve also made some big mistakes. One of the most egregious is that we’ve tried to implement our own ideology in cultures and settings that would probably be better served in a different way.”

“Could you give us an example, Mr. President?” Wick felt the reins slipping out of his hands. Zimmer was good. More than that, Wick saw that it wasn’t bullshit. The president really believed his convictions.

“The best example is one we've given serious thought to. For a long time, we’ve tried to bring democracy to the world. We have waved the flag of freedom and promised a new life if only countries would embrace the American political model. But, here’s the problem. We’re all different. What works here may not work in a developing country. They may not be ready or they may not have the capability to run things the way we do. Their leadership may say they’re ready because we’ve promised all this aid, but maybe, just maybe, we should look deeper and spend more time listening to their needs. Perhaps they have the answer and we need to stop placing our beliefs on them. You can’t make a centuries-old system change, but you can plant the seeds of freedom and tolerance and then work with that country’s people to see what grows. I’m here to say that we’ve been wrong in the past, and we’ll undoubtedly be wrong in the future. However, as long as I am president, I will seek to do what is right, rather than what is popular.”

“I think we’ve heard that line countless times before, Mr. President. Don’t you think it’s a little naive to imagine a world where everyone lives by the Golden Rule?”

The president stared at him for a long moment and smiled again.

“It might make me appear naive, Ken, but I’d rather be naive and hopeful than bitter and vengeful. Imagine what would happen if politicians truly took their constituents’ best interests at heart and stopped using scare tactics to sway votes.”

“That’s a bold thing to say considering you have a re-election coming up.”

Zimmer shrugged like he didn’t care.

“Believe what you want, Ken, but I’m taking my administration to task and I'm requesting that Congress work with me on this. It won’t be easy but I think it’s the right  thing to do.”

Wick thought he saw an in, but the clock in the corner informed him he had time to address only one more subject.

“One last question, Mr. President. How do you think this new approach bodes for your chances of re-election?”

President Zimmer’s smile was even wider this time.

“I guess we’ll just have to see.”

+++++

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