The Christ Clone Trilogy 01 - In His Imagery
By
James Beau Seigneur
The Color of the Horse
Derwood, Maryland
It was an extremely pleasant late fall day in Washington, D.C., with
temperatures in the upper 60s, and the sky clear and sunny. It seemed to Decker
a great day to play hooky from work. On the other hand, he had not been into the
office for over three years and he figured he was about due.
Decker boarded the Metro at the Shady Grove station and noticed that the train
was less crowded than usual. Several stations later, when the cars continued to
be less than fully occupied, he realized the reason: the Disaster. He was aware
the D.C. area had lost about fourteen percent of its population — nearly
one-and-a-half million people — but seeing the impact in microcosm on the Metro
brought the figure home. The thought continued to occupy him as he exited at the
DuPont Circle station and made his way to the offices of NewsWorld Magazine. Is
this what the world was like after the great plagues that swept Europe in the
Middle Ages? he wondered.
When Decker walked off the elevator to the lobby of NewsWorld, the receptionist
insisted that he sign in and wait for an escort before going back to the working
offices. Decker was not a rude person but he was somewhat territorial, and
despite having been gone for so long, to him this was his territory. He had no
intention of either signing in or waiting for an escort. Fortunately for the
receptionist, Suzy Stites was on the next elevator. "It's all right," Suzy told
the receptionist, "he works here."
Very few familiar faces greeted Decker that morning. Over the last three years,
most of the people he knew had been transferred to other offices or had retired
or taken other jobs; a few were victims of the Disaster.
When Suzy caught up to Decker he was staring unhappily at the person who now
occupied what had been his desk and his office. Far worse, though, was the fact
that some young jerk was in what had been Tom Donafin's office. "Mr. Hawthorne,"
Suzy called, preventing Decker from saying something to the new occupant that he
might regret later. "Mr. Hawthorne," she repeated as she got closer, "Mr. Asher
would like to see you."
Decker gave the young reporter in his old office one last dirty look and
proceeded to Hank Asher's office. "I want my office back," Decker told Suzy as
he walked away.
"This is not going to be a good day," Suzy muttered, trying to maintain a smile.
"I want my office back," Decker repeated as soon as he walked in Asher's door.
"That's what I wanted to see you about," said Asher. "We're giving you a new
office, a corner office with windows and a view."
Decker's mood changed quickly as he looked around covetously at Asher's office.
He knew that Hank's description could only fit one office atNewsWorld, and they
were sitting in it.
"Wait a second," Asher said, reading Decker's thoughts. "Not this office!"
"So where then?" Decker asked.
"Decker, word just came down today. You're being promoted. They're putting you
in charge of the New York office."
Decker thought for a second. "What if I don't want the New York office?"
"Why wouldn't you want it?"
Decker thought about his house in Derwood — the house he had told Elizabeth they
would make their home. He thought about the grave in the backyard in which his
family lay. "I'm just not interested," he answered.
Asher thought he understood what the problem was. After all, he dug the grave.
"Decker if it's about your ... uh ... house, there's no problem. I've been
authorized to offer you a very generous raise. You should be able to afford an
apartment in New York and still keep your house here."
"Are you crazy?" Decker asked. "Do you have any idea how much an apartment in
New York goes for?"
"It's less now than you may remember," Hank answered. "There are a lot fewer
people in New York since the Disaster. It's a buyer's market."
Decker cringed a little as he recalled what the cabby in New York had said about
dead people's apartments. "Yeah, that may be so," Decker answered, "but I hate
apartments."
Asher closed the door and lowered his voice. "Look Decker, just between you and
me, I've been told to offer you whatever it takes."
Decker looked at Hank to be sure he wasn't kidding. "What do you mean, 'Whatever
it takes'?" he asked.
"Don't get crazy on me now, Decker."
Decker thought for a moment. "Why?" he probed.
"Why what?" Asher responded.
"Why are they being so generous?"
"They need a new head for the New York office, and I guess they think you're the
man for the job."
"Look, Hank, I'm flattered but there must be more to it. NewsWorld is not the
type of organization to throw money around. How can they possibly offer to pay
me enough to maintain two homes?"
"I don't know, Decker. It sounds a little out of character to me too, but I
think you'd be crazy to look a gift horse in the mouth."
"So what else did they tell you?"
"Look, Ima Jackson just called me this morning and told me that the decision had
been made to give you the New York office. I asked her how much I was supposed
to offer and she said 'whatever it takes.' When I asked her to be a little more
specific, she just repeated herself. She told me not to ask questions; that the
decision had come down from way above her head, and that I was to see to it that
you accepted the position. I guess somebody on the board of directors must want
you there. To tell you the truth, I was hoping you might be able to fill me in
on what's going on."
"I have no idea at all," Decker shrugged.
Hank Asher took a deep breath and shook his head. It made no sense that the
board of directors should care about the promotion of a particular reporter.
They almost never got involved at this level.
"When do they want a decision?" Decker asked.
"A.S.A.P.," Asher responded.
"I don't know," Decker said. "I'll get back to you."
That evening Decker took Christopher out for dinner. He wanted to talk with him
about his first days in his new school and to see how he'd feel about moving to
New York. Christopher had been given a battery of tests at his new school
because his records from California had not yet arrived.
"How do you think you did?" Decker asked him.
"Okay, I guess. The tests were pretty easy."
Decker had always thought of Christopher as bright; he decided to pursue it a
little. "Christopher, what sort of grades do you usually get in school?"
"I've always had a 4.0," Christopher answered.
"That's good," Decker said, not really surprised. "Have any of your teachers
ever suggested that you should skip a grade?"
"Yes, sir. Almost every year the subject was brought up, but Aunt Martha said
that I should be with kids my own age. She said it would be bad for my social
growth to be put with a bunch of older kids."
"What do you think?"
"I guess she was probably right," Christopher answered. "She said that once I
got to college I could go as fast as I wanted because I'd be old enough to make
my own decisions."
"Your Aunt Martha must have been a remarkable woman. I wish I had gotten to know
her better," Decker said. Christopher smiled. They took a few more bites of
their food and Decker changed the subject. "How would you feel about us moving
to New York?" he asked without explanation.
"New York?" Christopher said with unexpected enthusiasm. "Would we be near the
U.N.?"
"Well, I don't know. I've been offered the job as head of the New York office
for News World. The office is just a couple of miles from the U.N. but I don't
know where we'd actually live. We'd have to shop around for an apartment."
Christopher's excitement was obvious. "You really are a big fan of the U.N.
aren't you?" Decker asked.
"Yes, sir! I bet if we moved there I could get a job as a page to one of the
delegates. And did you know that they have their own university?"
"I had no idea you would be so favorable to the idea."
"Oh, yeah! It'd be great!"
"Well, don't get too excited. I haven't taken the job yet."
Decker still wasn't comfortable with the circumstances of the promotion but he
did check the Internet for prices of apartments near the U.N.
After Christopher went to bed Decker got out the financial records that
Elizabeth had kept while he was in Lebanon to determine how much he needed to
ask for to be able to keep the house and get an apartment in New York. He had
only studied the figures for a few moments when he dropped his head and began to
cry. In Lebanon he had wondered so often what Elizabeth was doing. The figures
provided a partial answer. Not only were they debt-free except for the mortgage,
Elizabeth had made frequent extra payments on the house, and she had put a tidy
sum in their savings account. The tears he cried were not of joy but of pain as
he came to realize that Elizabeth must have pinched pennies the whole time he
was in Lebanon, saving for when he got home. How many things, he wondered, had
she denied herself? How many times had she and the girls eaten leftovers of
leftovers? How many times had they made do with less when everyone around them
had all they needed? Now he was home and here was all the money, but they
wouldn't be able to enjoy it.
Between Elizabeth's frugality and the apartment prices he found on the Internet,
Decker determined he wouldn't need to ask for as much from News World as he
thought he might. Still, as he neared the bottom line he wondered just how much
they were willing to pay him. This brought back the question of what was behind
this sudden and uncharacteristic generosity. He was torn between keeping his
mouth shut and just taking the job, and wanting to know what was behind the
offer. Was this really a gift horse, as Hank Asher had suggested, or was it a
Trojan horse? As he continued to think about it, he became more and more
resolved to know the answers, and to know them before he took the job.
Decker went directly to Hank Asher's office, closed the door behind him, and
gave Asher a slip of paper with a figure written on it.
"What's this," Asher asked, after he looked at it.
"That's how much I want to take the job in New York," Decker answered without
flinching.
"Are you crazy?! That's twice what I make! There's no way they're going to pay
you that much!"
"You're probably right," Decker answered, "But let's see."
Asher thought it was a dumb idea but he placed the call anyway. No sooner had he
told his boss, Ima Jackson, how much Decker wanted than she authorized it. Asher
put his hand over the phone and looked at Decker dumbfounded. "She says yes," he
mouthed without actually saying the words.
This wasn't the way Decker planned it at all. He had assumed that Jackson would
refuse and then he'd offer to negotiate. Then once he was talking with her
face-to-face, he could get some answers. "Ask her why," Decker directed in a
whisper.
Now Hank's pride was on the line. He didn't particularly appreciate that News
World was willing to pay Decker so much more than he was making. He asked, but
Jackson directed him to simply comply with her instructions. Asher gritted his
teeth and took his orders like a good executive, but this would not be the end
of it. Whatever happened with Decker, Asher planned to demand a substantial
increase in his own pay in the very near future.
"So, what are you going to do?" Asher demanded, after he hung up the phone. He
was angry about the whole situation, and didn't want to be pushed any further.
"Call her back and tell her I'm not interested. Tell her that if they want me
that badly they're going to have to tell me why. Tell her I'm in no mood for
games and either I get some straight answers or else leave me where I am and
give me my damned office back! Tell her she can reach me at home. I'm taking the
day off."
When Decker arrived at his house the phone was ringing. He recognized the
caller's voice immediately as Ambassador Hansen's daughter, Jackie.
"Mr. Hawthorne," she said, "Ambassador Hansen asked me to call you. He was very
impressed with your article about him in this week's issue of News World and he
wishes to thank you for all the nice things you said about him."
"Well, please relay my regards back to the Ambassador. Tell him I appreciate his
graciousness, especially considering the circumstances of the interview."
"Thank you, I will," she answered. "Ambassador Hansen would also like to know if
you would be at all interested in discussing the possibility of accepting a
position as his press secretary and chief speech writer. The position has just
come open and the Ambassador feels that you would be an excellent choice to fill
it."
Decker was surprised by the offer. Was this opportunity knocking? Perhaps
another case of being in the right place at the right time? He was uncomfortable
with what was going on at News World. If he took the job as head of the New York
office, he would have to live with Asher's ire about his higher salary. But
should he really turn down that much money? On the other hand, it made sense to
look at another offer. Then he remembered the expression on Christopher's face
when he talked about the U.N. Decker hadn't quite realized it yet, but since the
deaths of Elizabeth and the girls, Christopher was quickly becoming his family.
"Sure," he said. "I'd be interested. I'd be glad to consider it."
"Good," she responded. "When could you come to New York to discuss it further?"
"I can be there tomorrow afternoon, if that's okay with Ambassador Hansen."
"That would be fine. We'll arrange for your airline ticket and I'll have someone
call you back within the hour to confirm the time."
Decker hung up the phone and immediately went to work updating his resume.
In New York Jackie Hansen sat at her father's desk with the door closed. In a
moment she would instruct her secretary to make the arrangements for Decker's
flight. Right now she needed privacy to make another call. "This is Jackie
Hansen," she said into the receiver. "I need to speak to the Director."
"Yes?" she heard after a moment.
"He said yes," Jackie Hansen said, without explanation. "He'll be here tomorrow
for the interview."
"Excellent! You've done very well," Alice Bernley said, and then hung up the
phone and smiled at Robert Milner. The look on her face left no doubt that the
plan had been successful.
"I guess we can tell Bragford to call off the people at News World" Milner said.
"I think this is a better arrangement anyway. We'll be in a much better position
to direct the boy's future with Mr. Hawthorne working for Ambassador Hansen than
if he had accepted the job at the magazine."
"Assuming that Jackie is able to ensure that her father offers him the job,"
Bernley said, "how can we be sure Mr. Hawthorne will accept the offer?"
"When News War Id abruptly withdraws its offer of a promotion and a raise,
Hawthorne will have to consider it a professional insult. He'll be looking for
some way to preserve his honor. Ambassador Hansen's offer will provide him that
opportunity," Milner answered.