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be promoted to Colonel,” AJ told him, “and will be running a special project outside of our standard departments.  He'll have a lot of leeway, which will ruffle some feathers, but the rest of the brass can deal with it.  I'm telling you this because I want to make it absolutely clear that my final orders are to be carried out to completion.”
    “Sir, I feel I'm missing something,” Kelley prodded him to come out and say what he was here to say.
    “As the new Director of The One, you'll be tempted to trash everything and start over,” AJ warned him, “That's a fool’s move.”
    “Did you just say I'm your successor?”  Kelley asked.
    AJ stood up and grabbed the man's hand to shake it.  “Congratulations, son,” he said.  “You'll never sleep another day in your life.  Now, if you'll excuse me I have to make the announcement to the world.”  He paused and looked at Kelley.  “Unless you don't want the job?”
    “No, sir,” Kelley stood up.  “I mean, yes, sir.  I'm honored to take the reins.”
    “Very well,” AJ said and left.
    William James Kelley Junior, new Director of The One waited a moment after AJ left.  Then he turned to Porter and asked, “They offered you the job first?”
    “Yup,” Porter replied.
    “Why did you turn it down?”
    “I'm a soldier,” Porter told him the half-truth, “I work better as a soldier and I can do a lot of good in the field.  What I'm not, is a politician.”
    “Strange that two Majors were the prime candidates,” Kelley said.  “There’ll be a lot of angry Generals.”
    “War Generals.  It's why they went with you,” Porter told him.  “They want to bury everything about the war.  So the last thing they want is a veteran war General commanding the most powerful force on the planet.  You, you're boy genius Billy Kelley; the people love you, the politicians love you and the corporations love you.  I only got offered the job because AJ likes me.”
    Kelley gritted his teeth and let Porter’s less than subtle barb slide.  “Have a good morning,” he said and walked out.  In the foyer his assistant, was waiting for him.  She was holding her notebook in her lap and stood when she saw him.  He headed straight through to the hallway.  His assistant followed close behind him.
    “Did the meeting go well, sir?” Helen asked.
    “He's making the announcement right now,” Kelley replied.  “You're looking at the new Director of The One.”
    “Congratulations, sir,” she said.  “What about Major Porter?”
    “The idiot thinks he can do more in the field,” Kelley said.  “He still thinks fortune and glory can be swooped up in war.  If I do things right, there won't be another war anywhere.”
    “I'm sure you will,” Helen said.
    “Before Rodgers is done with his speech I need you to sell those stocks I was talking about. Also change the titles on those properties and start releasing the news snippets to the media.  Then I want to see The One's accounting reports.  Lastly, set up a meeting with that military contractor, the one with the base designs.  And buy up their stock.”

Part 2: A Bright New Future
1989, Virginia
     
    Since the war, The One had been housing people on borrowed land.  To remedy that, Director Kelley promised to build seven state-of-the-art bases around the globe.  Construction started a few months ago and wouldn't be finished for some time.  So for now places like Bethesda naval station served as a temporary headquarters.
    Robert Day liked to sit and watch the ships coming and going.  The cold ocean air made his cheeks red, but he could stay out for hours.  It was one of the few times he felt guilty that those two men had to follow him.  The big one was dressed in a navy uniform.  It was his job to make sure that Robert didn't stray into the wrong places and that he was, largely, kept safe.  The tall one was dressed in a One uniform, and it was his job to make sure the navy didn't screw up.