Chapter 9 Chapter VII Public Image

It was earlier, two Sentinel E|Triple B AWACS took off from Pope AFB, North Carolina at 08:00 local time and headed north from Oklahoma The aircraft are deployed from Tinker Air Force Base to Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina.Closing all local airports is overkill, Washington International Airport is still closed, and there are no lawmakers there fighting to resume flights to their constituencies.As for the other two airports Dulles and Baltimore｜Washington International Airport, the air traffic controllers work according to clear instructions. The planes flying in and out must avoid a range. multi-mile area.Any aircraft flying within this range will be immediately questioned.If this challenge is ignored, a fighter is immediately seen flying to the side of its wingtip.Two formations of four F|Sixteen fighter jets would circle the city at altitudes of 18,000 and 20,000 feet respectively.Noise can be kept to a minimum at this altitude (and at this altitude also allows these aircraft to search and achieve supersonic speed almost immediately), but the pattern drawn by the white trail on the blue sky is similar to that of the Eighth Air Force in World War II. It is as clearly visible as it was once painted over Germany.

Around the same time, Washington DC's 260th Military Police Brigade and National Guard troops were redeployed to maintain traffic control.There were more than a hundred Humvees parked on the side streets, each of which was picked up by a police or FBI vehicle nearby, and the street was closed to control traffic.A guard of honor composed of soldiers from various services lined up along the street for dispatch, and it was unclear which rifles were fully loaded. Some actually hope that the security measures will be put in place quietly now that the armored vehicles have been issued. In this city, there are sixty-one heads of state.This day will be a very safe hell for everyone, and the news media will make the experience available to everyone.

At this time, unless it is to meet foreign government officials in various uniforms (the Prince of Wales is a serving military officer), or visitors from tropical countries, dark suits will suffice.Some visitors will wear their national costumes, but in view of the maintenance of national dignity, some inconveniences must be endured.Just getting these people around the city to enter the White House is a nightmare, and then there is the question of how to arrange their order in the procession.Is it in alphabetical order by country?Or alphabetically by last name?Arranging by seniority would give disproportionate prominence to a handful of dictators who are here to find for themselves some kind of legitimacy in the main diplomatic community.They all made it to the White House, paraded past the coffin after the mourning procession of American citizens, paused briefly to pay their personal respects, and from here into the East Wing where a group of State Department officials were doing their best to bring coffee and pastries Wait until things are arranged.

Wren and his family were upstairs, putting the finishing touches on their black suits, attended by White House staff.Wren held up a copy of his first speech.He used to close his eyes and wish everything went well, but now he felt like a boxer who was pinned down by his opponent, unable to fight back, but trying to catch every punch well so as not to embarrass himself.Mary.Abbott finished his hair and styled it with hairspray, something Lane had never actively used in his life. They're waiting, Mr. President.Arnie said. OKRyan handed over the folder containing the speech to a Secret Service operative.He walked out of the house, and Kathy led Katie, and Sally followed, holding the hand of little Jack, into the corridor and down the stairs.President Lane walked slowly down the square spiral staircase, then left toward the East Wing.When he entered the hall, all eyes were on him, and their expressions were unusual, but there was little sympathy.Those who are not sympathetic are almost exclusively heads of state; not so the ambassadors, who all have a report tonight on the new US president.As luck would have it for Ryan, the first person to approach him was someone he didn't need to speak politely to.

Mr President.said a man in Royal Navy uniform. Your Highness.Ren paused, then smiled while shaking the outstretched hand.It has been a long time since we met in London, good friends. indeed so. The sun is not as warm as it should be because of the wind; it blows so hard that everything looks so cold.The SAR police took the lead with a team of locomotives, followed by three drummers, followed by soldiers marching in formation. They were from the third platoon of Company B, 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. Jie.Dühring's own squad was followed by horses without riders, the shock-absorbing posts of the gun carriages inserted into the stirrups in reverse, and the carriages carried the couple side by side in the funeral procession; behind was a long train .The grim rumble of drums echoed piercingly in the canyon formed by the crowd.As the procession marched northwest, soldiers, sailors and Marines began to raise their guns and salute first the former president and then the new president.

Lane tried to read the speech again, but found it impossible.It was cold outside and not very warm inside, but there were still thousands of people standing outside in twenty-nine degrees Fahrenheit, half of them on the innermost sidewalk.They were so close that he could see their expressions.A lot of people pointing and saying something to the people standing around him and there he is, that's the new president.Some waved, looking a little sheepish because they weren't sure if it was the right thing to do, but wanted to do something to show they cared.Ren didn't know whether to wave his hand in response, but because of concerns about the unwritten rules of funeral etiquette, he decided not to.So he just watched them, regardless of his expression and thoughts, he was in a neutral state, and he didn't say anything, because he didn't know what to say.He'll have to speak later, Wren thought, feeling frustrated for himself.

Security at the National Cathedral is tight.Secret Service operatives are well aware of this, and also know that no assassin (professional killer is mostly a Hollywood creation, anyway) would risk his life in this environment.On the roof of every building that looked directly at the Gothic cathedral, several policemen, soldiers, or US Secret Service operatives were deployed, many armed with rifles, while their own anti-sniper teams And the best weapon is a $10,000 handmade piece of gear that can hit targets half a mile away with precision.This group has won regular shooting competitions and is probably the best group of sharpshooters in the world to date, and they practice every day to maintain their level.Anyone who intends to do harm to others will recoil from the knowledge; and even a half-mad person would think that this is not a suitable day to die after seeing the protective measures on such a large scale.

However, the situation was still very tense, and even when the marching team first appeared in the distance, the operators hurriedly surrounded them.One of them, exhausted from having been on duty for about thirty hours, tripped over a stone step while drinking coffee and knocked over his cup.He mumbled and squeezed the disposable cup in his hand into his pocket, and then said into the microphone on his jacket collar that the place where he was standing guard had been cleared.The spilled coffee froze almost immediately into ice on the unevenly shaded granite. Inside the church, another group of operators checked every hidden corner again, so that the protocol department could make final preparations, and check for any mistakes according to the seating arrangement instructions faxed to them a few minutes ago.

The cannon carriage stopped in front of the church, and the guests in one car got off one after another.Ren stepped out of the car, followed by his family, and walked towards the team of Du Lin's family.The other official mourners, the high officials, were positioned behind him, while the lesser ones entered the church through the side door through portable metal detectors; meanwhile, the teachers and choir had also passed through Checked and in place. Roger would remember with pride his service with the 82nd Airborne, Wren thought.The soldiers leading the procession, under the supervision of a young captain (assisted by two serious-looking sergeants), set up their guns and prepare for duty.They all looked fairly young, with clean-shaven heads under their hats.He recalled that his father also served in the rival 101st Airborne Division more than fifty years ago, and he looked like these children, perhaps with longer hair than them, because in the 1990s In the 1940s, the bald head style was not yet popular.But they are just as robust, have the same strong sense of pride, and the same determination to get things done no matter the circumstances.Ren, like these soldiers, cannot turn his head at will.He had to stand at attention, like he did in the Marine Corps, though he could scan his surroundings with his eyes.His children turned their heads and moved their feet in the frigid temperatures while Kathy watched them, sharing her husband's concern about the repercussions of having the children stand outside in the cold, but in this case Under these conditions, even parental care can only be secondary, because even the bereaved children must be there to perform this duty.

Finally, the last officers in the line got out and took their places.When the number reached five, the soldiers approached the gun carriages, seven men on each side.Their commander unhooked one side, then the other, and the casket was raised and removed with a robotic sidestep.Soldiers carrying the President's flag began to march, followed by the President's coffin.The coffin was led by a captain, followed by the sergeant in command of the squad. There were three soldiers on each side, walking slowly according to the command of the sergeant.They were a little frozen from standing in the cold for fifteen minutes, and when everyone was walking, a soldier in the middle on the right slipped and fell on the frozen coffee, and his leg swept the soldier behind him, and All the coffins they carried that weighed more than 400 pounds hit the soldier who slipped and fell, instantly breaking his legs.

Everyone noticed this, and the operators ran over quickly, wondering if the soldier fell because of being shot.Andrea.Price moved in front of Wren, reaching into his coat pocket, apparently holding his automatic pistol and preparing to draw it, while the other operators prepared to evacuate Wren and the Doolings from the area.The soldiers had already removed the coffin from their fallen companion, whose face immediately turned white with pain. It was ice, he told the sergeant through gritted teeth, and slipped.The soldier was still able to hold himself back from uttering the expletives that flashed through his mind from the humiliation and embarrassment of the moment.An operator inspects the steps and sees the ice there, a small brownish white pile with reflections.He gestured to Price that she could leave, and immediately radioed all operators within sight: just slipped, just slipped. Ryan was reluctant to see what happened.Roger.Of course Dühring wouldn't feel anything, he thought, but his child would be different.When their father was thrown on the stone steps, they flinched and turned their heads sharply.His son turned his head first and saw it all, wondering why the fall hadn't woken his father up. Ah, my God.Critics groaned. When two soldiers from the 3rd Regiment pulled the wounded paratroopers apart, the cameras panned there.The sergeant took his place, and the coffin was quickly lifted up again, its glossy oak surface visibly dented from the fall, and looking slightly damaged from the outside. All right, soldiers.said the sergeant from his new position.walk in unison. Dad, nine-year-old Mark.Du Lin choked up and said, Dad.In the silence that followed the accident, everyone who stood nearby heard it.Soldiers bit their lips while Secret Service operatives, already humiliated by the president's death, looked down or at each other.Ren instinctively put his arms around the boy, but still didn't know what to say. All right, Mark.Lane put his arm around the kid's shoulders and led him to the door. It was warmer inside, and those who weren't too emotionally affected by the moment noticed that.The anxious protocol officer took his place.Wren and his family walked to the first row of seats on the right, and the Dooling family walked to the other side.In addition to these two coffins, which were placed side by side on the casket in the sacristy, the other three belonged to a Senator and two Representatives.The organ played music that Ryan had heard before but couldn't identify what it was, and the priests took their positions in front, showing professional composure.In front of Wren, where the hymn book would have been, was his speech. The sights on the television screens have polarized reactions, either in bad mood or in agitation.Hopefully, but opportunities like this one just happen by chance and never give you time to prepare beforehand.For this task, the preparation work included everything, but not because of technical difficulties, but because of the careful consideration of the method adopted.Although the choice of target is arbitrary, a target is a target, and terror is terror, and that is his profession. Just look at them guys.he whispered.The camera captures people sitting in church pews, mostly men, but also some women.He could tell that the seats were not in order, some people were chatting quietly, but most were not, and they looked around the interior of the church with blank expressions.Then came the late president's children, a son and a daughter, with the despondent air of being battered by the harsh realities of life.The kids take the load surprisingly well, don't they?They survived, and more than that, they no longer had any political significance.Therefore, he was not very interested in them.The camera then pans to Ryan again, pulling out a close-up of his face so he can be examined more closely. He hasn't talked to Roger yet.Dooling said goodbye.Ryan hadn't had time to sort out his thoughts and gather his thoughts, because this week was so busy, but now he found his eyes fixed on the coffin.He told Ann.Du Lin didn't know much, and the other three people on the bier were also very strange to him. In fact, they were randomly selected based on religious sect considerations.Roger was a friend, it was Roger who brought him out of private life and back into society, gave him important work, trusted him, took his advice often, reprimanded and taught him occasionally, but always as a friend. If he had given the position to someone else, where would I have been that night?Ryan asked himself.The obvious answer is that he would sit in the front row of the House chamber, and is now dead.Thinking of this, President Wren blinked his eyes to hold back his tears as hard as he could. Dooling saved his life, maybe not just his own.Durin together.Is life really so fragile, so completely at the mercy of such little things?At this moment there were other bodies lying in coffins throughout the city for other funerals, mostly adults but also some children of other victims who chose to bring their families that night Go to a meeting. mark.Doolin was sobbing, and his sister Amy pulled his head towards her.Ryan turned his head slightly so he could see people out of the corner of his eye.They're just kids, God, why are these kids going through all this?Such thoughts echoed in his mind.Wren bit his lip and looked at the floor. There was no one to let him vent his anger. The culprit of this heinous act was himself dead. His body is still in another box in the Washington DC morgue.Maybe thousands of miles away, the family left behind by this man is also enduring the shame and guilt attached to them.Because of this, people call all atrocities stupid, learn nothing from these atrocities, only leave lingering damage to those who lost their lives and those who survived in pain, but in the end people learn from it What kind of lessons have you learned?Ren, who has studied the science of human behavior for a long time, continued to look down with a painful expression on his face, while his ears were paying attention to the heavy echo produced by the voice of an orphan in this stone church. She sat in the fifth row at the back, by the aisle, and although the prime minister of India could only see the back of Ryan's head, she also studied the science of human behavior.A head of state cannot do that.In any case, the head of state is the most important actor on the world stage and must learn what to do and how to behave.Over the course of her life, she attended funerals and learned how to show grief appropriately.A political leader is less able to reveal the truth.Showing your true feelings will let others know where your weaknesses are and give them opportunities to take advantage of them.Because politics is not a matter of emotion. Clearly this guy Ryan doesn't understand this, he's showing his true self and what's worse, he's showing it in front of a third of the world's top political leaders who see and understand his weaknesses , and will save the discovery for a rainy day, as she is doing now.Wonderful, she thought, still keeping her face sombre and sad, in deference to a man she hated with all her heart. Rabbi Benjamin.Fletcher began by reading part of the Old Testament, where he spoke of duty, honor and faith, and a merciful God.Next is Frederick.The Reverend Ralston, who was the chaplain of the Senate, was out of town that night and so was not involved in the events of that day.A Southern Baptist clergyman and preeminent authority on the New Testament, Ralston spoke of the zeal of Christ in the garden and of his friend, Senator Richard F. from Oregon.Eastman, next he subtly shifted the conversation to praise the late president as a man of family There's no right way to do things like this, Ryan thought.It would have been better if these pastors, priests, rabbis had taken the time to sit there in mourning, but that wasn't the case this time, he didn't understand No, this is not right!Ryan said to himself.It's just a play and it's not supposed to be like this.But to the kids who stood a few feet across the aisle from him, it wasn't just a drama, it was their mom and dad who were killed in a senseless event and robbed of the promises of life ever since. Give them a future, and the love and guidance they deserve, and the chance to grow in a normal way.Mark and Amy are the important people here, and the ceremony was supposed to give them the help they needed, but it doesn't.This whole movement is a politicized movement, a movement to restore confidence in the country, to bring back faith in God and trust in the government.Ren thought, suddenly annoyed at the ongoing ceremony and at his failure to seize the opportunity early to change everything.There is a need in the state, but not as much as the shock of a terrible fate for the children.Who can speak for them? At this time a Catholic, the archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Michael.O'Leary's actions are all the more disgusting to Wren, God bless the Peacemakers, because they will be called.Lane's emotions were running high; it wasn't an abstraction for Mark and Amy that their father wasn't a peacemaker, he was Daddy, and Daddy was gone.Here three eminent, learned, and very virtuous priests were preaching to the nation, but the children in their presence received scarcely even a word of verbal kindness.Someone should say something to them, someone should try to make things better.That might be impossible, but someone has to try, damn it!Perhaps this person should be the President of the United States.Defending the country is Wren's job, he swore an oath to protect, defend and defend the Constitution of the United States, and he will do it to the best of his ability.However, the goal of the constitution is quite simple, which is to ensure the freedom of the people, which also includes the freedom of children.The drama has dragged on long enough.The hymn began again, and it was Wren's turn to stand up and walk to the pulpit. The Secret Service operatives turned around and scanned the nave again, for the swordsman was now an ideal target.When Wren walked to the reading table, Cardinal O'Leary had followed instructions to place the president's folder on the wooden table.He grasped the sides of the lectern with both hands to steady himself.His eyes scanned the crowd quickly, then at Roger and Ann's children.The pain in their eyes broke his heart, they carried all the weight of responsibility that they didn't deserve.Unnamed friends have told them to act braver than any Marine in a moment like this, maybe because your parents want you to.But it is not within the capacity of children to bear suffering in an atmosphere of quiet solemnity.Enough, Wren told himself, my responsibility begins here.The primary responsibility of the strong has always been to protect the weak.His hands gripped the smooth oak top, the self-imposed anguish calming his thoughts. Mark, Amy, your father is my friend, he said softly, I am honored to work for him and try to help him as much as I can, but you know what, he may be more helpful to me.I know you've always had to make allowances for your mom and dad who didn't have time for the really important things because they had important jobs to do, but I can tell you that your dad did everything he could to find time and You get along because he loves you more than anything in the world, more than the presidency, more than anything that comes with being president, except maybe your mother.he loves her very much too How boring!Really.Someone who cares about children.Dayelan thinks this way, no matter what, the children will grow up.Their duty is to learn, to do their best, and before they become adults, the world will teach them, destiny will teach them, Allah will teach them even though life is hard, Allah is always merciful.It was an utterly redundant ritual, and Wren the fool was wasting an opportunity to reorganize the country, to show strength and reliability, and to strengthen his grip on the government. His staff is bound to have a heart attack, the prime minister thought.It takes self-control to keep a calm facial expression, something she has learned in her career in politics.Then she decided to change her expression to pity, because he would see her, and she was a woman and a mother after all, and would meet him later in the day.She tilted her head slightly to the right, which allowed her to get a good look at the scene and the man.After another minute or so, she took a tissue from her purse and wiped her eyes. I wish I had the opportunity to get to know your mother better, Kathy and I have been looking forward to it.I want Sally, Jack, and Katie to be your friends, and your dad talked to me about that.This unprepared impromptu thought made Ren's stomach react violently.They were crying now because he had told them it was okay to cry now without having to use any words.But Ryan himself couldn't do that, and he had to be strong for them, so he gripped the countertop even tighter until his hands ached. You may be wondering why this happened, but I don't know either, kids.I wish I knew, and I wish someone knew so I could ask that person, but I haven't been able to.Ryan continued. Oh, God.Clark said, choked up, he'd just choked back a sob.In the offices of the CIA, where all the top officers are.There was a TV there, and every channel was covering the funeral.Look, I've seen it a time or two myself, man. do you know?john.Chavez is more self-controlled.At times like these, a man needs to be calm so that women and children can rely on him. What, Domingo?Clark's face was full of surprise. He was right.We're working for people who say it's important. John noticed.But who would believe it?Two CIA paramilitary officers had the same idea as the president.It was delightful to see Wren properly as a person.Damn, just like his dad.It was a regrettable fate that he had never had the opportunity to know Wren before.Then he wondered if Wren would take over as president.He doesn't act like other people, he acts like a real person.But why is that bad?Clark asked himself. I want you to know that you can come to Kathy and me anytime.You are not alone and never will be.Because you still have relatives to accompany you, and now my family is with you.He promised them all this from the pulpit. I want you to be proud of Mom and Dad.Your father was a wonderful man, a good friend, and he worked really hard to make people better off.It was a tough job, and he sacrificed many hours with you for it.Your father was a great man, a great man who did great things.The same is true of your mother, who also did many amazing things.Children, you must always keep them in your heart, remember every word they said and all the parents in the world care for their children.You will never lose, never.Wren assured them that hope would ease their misfortune from the blows of fate. Mark, Amy, God decided to call your parents back, and He didn't say why in a way that we could understand, and we couldn't, and when that happened, we couldn't fight it, we just couldn't.Ren's voice finally became hoarse. What a courageous person, daring to let his emotions show, Koga thought.Anyone can stand here and say ordinary political crap, but Wren is different; speaking to children in this way is sensible.Ryan knew he was a man, not an actor, and he didn't care about trying to appear strong and determined.Koga knew why, he understood what Ren was like better than anyone in the church.A few days ago, in his own office, he had guessed right.Wren was a warrior, and more than a warrior.He does what he wants and doesn't care what other people think.When the Japanese prime minister saw the US president step down the steps and approach the Dooling children, he hoped it would not be a mistake.He hugged them, and everyone present saw tears bursting down Rain's face.He's sorry he can't cry with him because his upbringing is harsh and it makes him suffer the humiliation of this great tragedy caused by his people and he has to play this political game . He didn't use the prepared speech at all, and the anchor raised objections.The speech had been pre-distributed to all news outlets, and had been selected and excerpted so that journalists could repeat passages that sounded good, thereby reinforcing the key points of the speech for the television audience. you are right.Critics reluctantly agree.Not only that, on his monitor, Ryan was still embracing Durin's children; it was too long.I think the president thought it was a big personal moment for them. indeed so.The anchor interjected. Mr Wren's job, though, is to run a country.Shaking his head, the critic said, wary of what he couldn't say at the moment: This isn't a president's job. Finally, Ren let go of his hand.He looked at the uncle and aunt who were with them, they were also crying, and through their tears he saw grateful eyes, which at least told him that he had done something anyway.He nodded and returned to his seat.Kathy looked at him with tears in her eyes, and although she couldn't speak, she held his hand tightly. What do we know about her? She's a doctor, an eye surgeon actually, and should be a good doctor.He checked his records, and US news outlets said she continued to work despite her official responsibilities. What about their children? It's not documented here, but I should be able to find out which school they attended.Seeing his puzzled look, he continued.If his wife had continued her practice as a doctor, then I think the children would have continued at their old schools. How are you going to find it? It's easy, all US news is available on the Internet.Wren was the subject of numerous news reports and I could find anything I needed.In fact he has found it, but there is no information about his family.Modern technology has made life for intelligence officers far easier than it used to be. With the final hymn, the ceremony is completed.Soldiers came and lifted the coffin, turned around and started marching.Mark and Amy rallied with the help of their relatives and followed their parents; Ryan led his family right behind them.Along the aisle, he carefully looked at the many faces, and was somewhat surprised to find that the people in the first four or five rows were not looking at the coffin, but at him.Andrea.Price stood there with the rest of the guard, and there were more outside, all with guns and fears, and a car waiting to take him to his next destination, where he would perform more official duties. duty, and then quickly off to the next stop, and the next, and the next. He couldn't let these things control his life, Ryan resented it.He had taken the job, but he could not repeat the mistakes Roger and Ann had made.He thought of the faces he'd seen walking out of the church, a club he knew he'd been forced into, but he'd never join.That's it, he said to himself.