A Necessary Kill Read Online Free Page B

known for being very forthright and direct. From a political point of view, Cunningham held her in high regard. She was strong-willed, frightfully intelligent, and widely respected by both parties. He knew he couldn’t simply replace her the way he had many of the others. Consequently, he exercised caution whenever she was present at meetings because she wasn’t privy to his ongoing agenda.
    Sitting across from her was Gerald Heskith, Cunningham’s chief of staff. He was a loyal and long-standing friend who had been instrumental not only in getting him elected as president, but also in helping him shape his vision for a new future. He was a little overweight, with the excess sitting primarily on his gut. He was a highly intelligent man, and many within the administration believed him to be a natural successor to Cunningham, when the time came.
    Beside Heskith was the secretary of defense, Bruce Fielding. He, too, was committed to helping President Cunningham in his goal to usher in a new era of peace. He had been brought in to replace Ryan Schultz, who Cunningham had felt simply wasn’t the right fit to be included in his plans for the future.
    Fielding was currently deep in conversation with General Pat Green, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was sitting at the opposite end of the table facing the president.
    “I understand what you’re saying, Pat, I do,” said Fielding, his voice deep and authoritative. “But there’s no sense in sending large numbers of our troops overseas at this stage. GlobaTech Industries has it covered, and I believe our priority should be the ongoing safety of our own citizens.”
    General Green was used to clashing with Fielding over issues regarding the armed forces, often feeling his advice was redundant or unwanted, despite his position and military history. But in light of recent events, he was struggling to exercise his usual level of diplomacy.
    He shook his head. “I can’t fathom why you would disagree with me on this! Why sit and wait for any problems to come to us? If we take responsibility and get involved now , we can help the countries that need it. At the same time directly contributing to the prevention of further conflict.”
    Both men fell silent, sensing the stalemate.
    Cunningham sat forward in his chair, taking a deep breath as he contemplated both viewpoints. Despite completely agreeing with Secretary Fielding—primarily because he had told Fielding what to say before the meeting—he knew the importance of acting like any other president would to keep up appearances.
    He looked to his left. “Elaine, what do you think?”
    Secretary Phillips was slightly taken aback. “Mr. President, it’s not really my place to comment on matters relating to our country’s armed forces. I—”
    Cunningham held up his hand. “As my secretary of state, I’m asking for an informed opinion on the current state of foreign diplomacy as a whole. Will sending our troops overseas make any significant difference, in your opinion?”
    She nodded and took a breath. “At the moment, I think GlobaTech is doing a fantastic job. Aside from the foreign aid and security it’s providing, it’s the PR equivalent of celebrities visiting an orphanage on Christmas Day. With both China and Russia so drastically affected by 4/17, the UN peacekeeping force has been crippled. Forgive my frankness, Mr. President, but the way things are right now we might as well privatize the entire United Nations and give GlobaTech the contract. It’s representing this country, and we as a nation are pretty much exclusively rebuilding the world. I don’t know what kind of threats our country might face in the future, but I don’t see that our immediate involvement would make enough difference to justify it, sir.”
    Fielding smiled, and Phillips cast a quick, apologetic glance to General Green, who looked even more deflated now that his point of view had been debunked by another member of the