Free The Leviathan Effect by James Lilliefors Page A

special unit at Fort Meade, but the messages themselves have been scrambled or removed. As I say, we’re honoring the specific request to keep this within our group.”
    Blaine stiffened, slightly intimidated for a moment, as she often was, by her surroundings. The white marble mantle. The presidential seal on the rug and the presidential medallion on the ceiling. The two flags behind the desk—the US flag and the President’s flag. The Resolute desk, made of timbers from the HMS Resolute, presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880 by Britain’s Queen Victoria.
    “As Secretary Easton told you earlier, we consider these messages a credible and urgent threat to national security,” the President went on. “And we are responding accordingly. The details, needless to say, cannot be divulged to family or staff. We have already communicated this to your chief of staff. Until this issue is resolved, Cate, DHS will be run by Deputy Secretary Laine Wells.”
    “Oh,” Blaine said, surprised.
    “You can set up office across the street in the EEOB.” Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the ornate 553-room slate and granite building that served as offices for the White House staff, theVice President, Cabinet members, and various other government officials. “We need you on this full-time, Cate.” Then he took a slightly warmer tone. “We’ve set up a separate, secure room in the Eisenhower building, which is in effect the command center for this. We’re calling it the Data Visualization Center, which is serving as a portal to the NASA Center for Climate Simulation in Greenbelt. It’s been outfitted to monitor all available incoming storm data, from NASA, NOAA, the Space Station, as well as aircraft reconnaissance data, satellite, land-based radar data, buoy sensors, and computer models.” He slid a blank white rectangular badge across the desk, glancing at Defense Secretary Easton. “This will grant you access. We’re monitoring any and all geo-physical activity around the world that has the potential to become a threat to this country. From here forward, all of our meetings will be held either there, in the Cabinet Room or downstairs in the Situation Room. Okay?”
    “All right.” Blaine felt numb, thinking about the others in the “circle of five”—men, older than her; married, parents. She thought of her father, what he would think of her being here; it made her self-conscious.
    The President pushed a sheet of paper across the desk to her. “We’ve also set up a climate science advisory committee, which we will call upon as needed. Dr. James Wu is heading it up.”
    “Okay.” Blaine scanned the list quickly, looking for one particular name. Not finding it. The dozen names were all well-known climate scientists and meteorologists, most of whom she considered “policy” scientists. Men and women friendly to the administration’s views on climate change, global warming, and various other issues. The science of weather had become increasingly politicized in recent years and Blaine’s favorite source, Rubin Sanchez, once one of NASA’s most innovative researchers, had become marginalized because of his unorthodox views and even more unorthodox public presentations. It did not surprise her that he’d been left off the advisory board. Dr. Wu, the President’s chief science adviser, was a well-known professor of atmospheric science who’d been a pioneer in the field of storm forecasting, although he had taken an increasingly conservative stand on global warming and other weather issues.
    “You bring a valuable perspective to this, Cate,” the President said. “I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts and questions.”
    “Thank you.” She tried a smile. “With all due respect, sir, being the last one in this ‘circle,’ I think I’d rather hear what you’ve already found before I venture any opinions.”
    “Understood. Let’s go through the latest, then.”
    DeVries summarized the