Chapter 27

27
THE WHITE HOUSE

Tom Hanneman was waiting when the President arrived in the back office. Robert Haskill was anything but the calculating yet genteel image he always tried to present to the American people, his television constituency. With no power tie and no make up, the man looked worried and tired.

"Tom, can you please tell me what the hell is going on? How can these people be fighting already? Doesn't it occur to them that they both might be satisfied with whatever this Guy is?" The President dropped heavily into a chair across the table from his leading political advisor. He stood again abruptly, motioning to an aide to close the door.

"Okay, Mr. President. I hope you are ready for a tale of truth stranger than fiction. First, the most important question. Is Jesus Robeles anything more than a freak patched together in Robeles' gene clinic? In other words is He similar in any way to His namesake? Word on the street in Rio De Janeiro is that the Guy can do miracles without breaking a sweat. No one has seen anything like raising the dead, but the general opinion in Brazil is that He could do it if He wanted to. My privileged opinion is that He is closer to what the Christians for Christ say He is than what Stratton and his bunch say. No one in or out of the Brazilian Government has a clue as to what He wants, where He wants to go, why He is here, nothin'."

"Meanwhile all your friends, the voters, are already more agitated over Him than they ever were over the Tomb discovery. We've interviewed them across the country. Most of them think of this as the sequel to Tomb, the movie. Everyone has an opinion, an ox to gore or an axe to grind. It is hard to find anyone to talk to about this who doesn't either get pretty damned mad or start to sob in joy. No one seems to be neutral. The Fundamentalists are totally paranoid about the other side and about going to Hell. The problem they are starting is that they are officially declaring the onset of the Seven Years of Tribulation, the End Times, the End of the World. They are on this not because they think Jesus has come again, but because they think Jesus is the anti-Christ and, hence, a signal of the end of time. Yes, they are stockpiling food. Yes, they are buying guns." Hanneman spoke as he continued to listen to his headset.

"If I thought we could get away with it, I'd recommend that we suspend all weapon sales for ninety days. We are predicting a thirty point approval drop on that action. That, of course, would be suicide with the election arriving in ten months." Hanneman was famous for providing a complete history of anything in a few minutes. Haskill counted on him even though most of the rest of the staff thought he was too much the spook. An asset like Hanneman had to be kept out of the public light. A human interest story on the guy could drop approval ratings by four or five points.

"So what are the Brazilians going to do with Him? What do I need from the Brazilian Government?" President Haskill asked.

"You probably need more than you can expect to get. We have next to no influence with President Falau. It's a bad deal because you didn't even do it -- Congress screwed Brazil on the Hemisphere Trade Exemptions Act a year ago. You signed it because it amended a highway appropriations bill. That's water under the bridge. We still have plenty of operatives in Brazil, and we're starting to get some good intelligence from them." Hanneman apparently had 'good' operatives everywhere. He could get today's lunch menu from Antarctica in an hour.

"Number one. Always think of Jesus in company with His friend, Juan. They are inseparable. They grew up together on the island, and it's pretty clear that they intend to stick together. Here's a satellite photo of the government facility where they are staying. You can see them swimming. Before you even ask, no I don't think they are lovers. Just lifelong friends." Hanneman hesitated a moment, then continued. "Number two. Both of them are in way over their heads. They have never lived anywhere but the jungle. They have never had to deal with the bad actors from high political circles who are beginning to show up. Jesus and His friend are going to wind up dealing with the Brazilian Interior Ministry or worse. The State Security force might get involved if Interior can't manage them."

"On the other side, Jesus Robeles apparently has some kind of organization of His own. As of right now we can't seem to penetrate much further than a post office box, but we are on it. The thing is headed by a lawyer named Santos in Rio. It's full of money, and its designed to be invisible." Tom Hanneman turned to face the President, "It looks like Santos is having trouble getting through the Interior Ministry at the mansion. It's a good guess that the government is trying to gain the upper hand before Jesus can get to His attorney. Brazilian courts have plenty of clout, but they tend to only hear cases from the elite. The Brazilians want to stop that before Jesus hooks up with His money and becomes elite."

"What's your advice on the violence here? How can this administration pull the plug on all these demonstrations? That's rapidly turning into an election problem." The President had donned his face of sincere concern.

 asked any of them to do anything! He's never said a word to fire up the Fundamentalists or to encourage the other side, the Christians for Christ and the others. All Jesus has done is get rescued from His island and put into a government mansion in Rio. If He were guilty of inciting riots, there would be plenty to do, but He hasn't said so much as a single word in public. The rioting problem is not in Brazil -- it's all right here. We're working on a comprehensive solution, but we're not going to present it to you until it will work. That is as much as I want to say right now."

The President's face turned ghostly. "Hanneman, you're not going to kill Jesus on my watch. I can't go there, election or no election. There's not a way my soul can dodge that kind of stink, I mean, just in case, you know, if that is what you are thinking."

"We considered and rejected surgical elimination. That plan was discarded because we believe that this crisis presents an opportunity for both your administration's campaign and possibly for the country." Hanneman rose from the table offering his hand to the President.

"I knew I would be able to count on you to take care of me. Thanks, Tom." The President was helpless to offer anything but another phony smile, but Hanneman understood. The man's face had long ago become a possession of teleprompters and cue cards punctuated with words such as "sincere", "earnest" or "jovial".