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“That’s a lucky guess, Chauncey.”

Then pick your favorite number.

She nodded and closed her eyes. When she thought of the number, she smiled to herself, then concentrated really hard.

Number one.

Chelsea threw her face into the pillow and squealed with delight.

It will get easier them ore you doit.

Now go to sleep. Tomorrow is an important day.

Good night, Chauncey, Chelsea thought, as loud as she could. She rolled over and closed her eyes.

It was so cool to have a special friend.

THE INVASION

Like most jobs, being the president’s go-to, behind-the-scenes man had pros and cons. Black budgets? Pro.Watching the most powerful people in Was.h.i.+ngton do whatever you told them to do? Pro. Meetings in the Oval Office where you were the center of attention? Pro.

That same meeting at 3:00 A.M. to deliver bad news?

That would be a con. A big con.

“I’m afraid there are new incidents,” Murray said.

The president in his pajamas. Vanessa fully dressed, hair pulled back tight as ever. Maybe, like Murray, she hadn’t even been to bed yet. Or maybe she was a vampire and didn’t need to sleep at all. He wouldn’t have ruled that out.

“With that weather a.n.a.lysis?” Gutierrez asked. “Did Montoya’s idea find this mystery satellite?”

“Not yet, Mister President,” Murray said. “We’re still getting NASA to pull their heads out of their a.s.ses and focus all their energies on it, if you’ll pardon my French, sir.”

“Even in an emergency, bureaucracy is what it is,” Gutierrez said. “Keep me informed on that. So, let’s hear about this new development.”

Murray cleared his throat and stepped into the breach. “Two people infected with the rot were found at a rest stop near Bay City, Michigan.

They did not have triangles. Donald Jewell of Pittsburgh and his teenage daughter, Betty. The father died on the spot. The daughter was being kept in one of the portable labs for observation. We flew Doctor Montoya’s team there, they performed the examination, and in the process the girl became violent and killed Doctor Amos Braun.”

“What?” Gutierrez said. “How? How did it happen?”

“She took his scalpel and stabbed him in the throat, sir. The girl then tried to attack Doctor Montoya. Agent Clarence Otto shot and killed the girl.”

“How is Montoya?” Gutierrez asked. “Is she okay? Was anyone else hurt?”

“No sir,” Murray said. “Doctor Braun was the only casualty.”

Gutierrez slumped into his chair. Vanessa seemed to pick up on this and leaned forward.