uncomfortable. A small vent in the corner of the pod circulated some air, but it still felt warm in there. ‘I appreciate that, sir.’
‘I want you in on this project,’ Thurman said. ‘All the way in.’
Donald swallowed. ‘Sir. I’m fully committed, I promise.’
Thurman raised his hand and shook his head. ‘No, not like—’ He dropped his hand to his lap, glanced at the door. ‘You know, I used to think you couldn’t hide anything any more. Not in this age. It’s all out there, you know?’ He waggled his fingers in the air. ‘Hell, you ran for office and squeezed through that mess. You know what it’s like.’
Donald nodded. ‘Yeah, I had a few things I had to own up to.’
The Senator cupped his hands into the shape of a bowl. ‘It’s like trying to hold water and not letting a single drop through.’
Donald nodded.
‘A president can’t even get a blow job any more without the world finding out.’
Donald’s confused squint had Thurman waving at the air. ‘Before your time. But here’s the thing, here’s what I’ve found, both overseas and in Washington. It’s the unimportant drips that leak through. The peccadilloes. Embarrassments, not life-and-death stuff. You want to invade a foreign country? Look at D-Day. Hell, look at Pearl Harbor. Or 9/11. Not a problem.’
‘I’m sorry, sir, I don’t see what—’
Thurman’s hand flew out, his fingers thudding shut as he pinched the air. Donald thought for a moment that he meant for him to keep quiet, but then the Senator leaned forward and held the pinched pads of his fingers for Donald to see, as if he had snatched a mosquito.
‘Look,’ he said.
Donald leaned closer, but he still couldn’t make anything out. He shook his head. ‘I don’t see, sir …’
‘That’s right. And you wouldn’t see it coming, either. That’s what they’ve been working on, those snakes.’
Senator Thurman released the invisible pinch and studied the pad of his thumb for a moment. He blew a puff of air across it. ‘Anything these puppies can stitch, they can unstitch .’
He peered across the pod at Donald. ‘You know why we went into Iran the first time? It wasn’t about nukes, I’ll tell you that. I crawled through every hole that’s ever been dug in those dunes over there, and those rats had a bigger prize they were chasing than nukes. You see, they’ve figured out how to attack us without being seen , without having to blow themselves up, and with zero repercussions.’
Donald was sure he didn’t have the clearance to hear any of this.
‘Well, the Iranians didn’t figure it out for themselves so much as steal what Israel was working on.’ He smiled at Donald. ‘So, of course, we had to start playing catch-up.’
‘I don’t understa—’
‘These critters in here are programmed for my DNA, Donny. Think about that. Have you ever had your ancestry tested?’ He looked Donald up and down as if he were surveying a mottled mutt. ‘What are you, anyway? Scottish?’
‘Maybe Irish, sir. I honestly couldn’t tell you.’ He didn’t want to admit that it was unimportant to him; it seemed like a topic close to Thurman’s heart.
‘Well, these buggers can tell. If they ever get them perfected, that is. They could tell you what clan you came from. And that’s what the Iranians are working on: a weapon you can’t see, that you can’t stop, and if it decides you’re Jewish, even a quarter Jew …’ Thurman drew his thumb across his own neck.
‘I thought we were wrong about that. We never found any NBs in Iran.’
‘That’s because they self-destructed. Remotely . Poof.’ The old man’s eyes widened.
Donald laughed. ‘You sound like one of those conspiracy theorists—’
Senator Thurman leaned back and rested his head against the wall. ‘Donny, the conspiracy theorists sound like us .’
Donald waited for the Senator to laugh. Or smile. Neither came.
‘What does this have to do with me?’ he asked. ‘Or our
‘I want you in on this project,’ Thurman said. ‘All the way in.’
Donald swallowed. ‘Sir. I’m fully committed, I promise.’
Thurman raised his hand and shook his head. ‘No, not like—’ He dropped his hand to his lap, glanced at the door. ‘You know, I used to think you couldn’t hide anything any more. Not in this age. It’s all out there, you know?’ He waggled his fingers in the air. ‘Hell, you ran for office and squeezed through that mess. You know what it’s like.’
Donald nodded. ‘Yeah, I had a few things I had to own up to.’
The Senator cupped his hands into the shape of a bowl. ‘It’s like trying to hold water and not letting a single drop through.’
Donald nodded.
‘A president can’t even get a blow job any more without the world finding out.’
Donald’s confused squint had Thurman waving at the air. ‘Before your time. But here’s the thing, here’s what I’ve found, both overseas and in Washington. It’s the unimportant drips that leak through. The peccadilloes. Embarrassments, not life-and-death stuff. You want to invade a foreign country? Look at D-Day. Hell, look at Pearl Harbor. Or 9/11. Not a problem.’
‘I’m sorry, sir, I don’t see what—’
Thurman’s hand flew out, his fingers thudding shut as he pinched the air. Donald thought for a moment that he meant for him to keep quiet, but then the Senator leaned forward and held the pinched pads of his fingers for Donald to see, as if he had snatched a mosquito.
‘Look,’ he said.
Donald leaned closer, but he still couldn’t make anything out. He shook his head. ‘I don’t see, sir …’
‘That’s right. And you wouldn’t see it coming, either. That’s what they’ve been working on, those snakes.’
Senator Thurman released the invisible pinch and studied the pad of his thumb for a moment. He blew a puff of air across it. ‘Anything these puppies can stitch, they can unstitch .’
He peered across the pod at Donald. ‘You know why we went into Iran the first time? It wasn’t about nukes, I’ll tell you that. I crawled through every hole that’s ever been dug in those dunes over there, and those rats had a bigger prize they were chasing than nukes. You see, they’ve figured out how to attack us without being seen , without having to blow themselves up, and with zero repercussions.’
Donald was sure he didn’t have the clearance to hear any of this.
‘Well, the Iranians didn’t figure it out for themselves so much as steal what Israel was working on.’ He smiled at Donald. ‘So, of course, we had to start playing catch-up.’
‘I don’t understa—’
‘These critters in here are programmed for my DNA, Donny. Think about that. Have you ever had your ancestry tested?’ He looked Donald up and down as if he were surveying a mottled mutt. ‘What are you, anyway? Scottish?’
‘Maybe Irish, sir. I honestly couldn’t tell you.’ He didn’t want to admit that it was unimportant to him; it seemed like a topic close to Thurman’s heart.
‘Well, these buggers can tell. If they ever get them perfected, that is. They could tell you what clan you came from. And that’s what the Iranians are working on: a weapon you can’t see, that you can’t stop, and if it decides you’re Jewish, even a quarter Jew …’ Thurman drew his thumb across his own neck.
‘I thought we were wrong about that. We never found any NBs in Iran.’
‘That’s because they self-destructed. Remotely . Poof.’ The old man’s eyes widened.
Donald laughed. ‘You sound like one of those conspiracy theorists—’
Senator Thurman leaned back and rested his head against the wall. ‘Donny, the conspiracy theorists sound like us .’
Donald waited for the Senator to laugh. Or smile. Neither came.
‘What does this have to do with me?’ he asked. ‘Or our
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