Months went by as they waited for some sort of sign from the government. Two weeks following the OSHA tests, they received a call from the government psychiatrist.
He was elated as he reported the test prisoners were doing extremely well and were fast becoming good examples for fellow Massachusetts State Prison inmates. The PAXed convicts behavior had brought a brief period of comparative tranquility to the normally oppressive institution.
Meanwhile the PAX plant hummed along, turning out bomb casings for the gas.
Hundreds of the sleek containers, being readied to carry PAX to a waiting world, were now stored in the back parking lot. More months went by as Warren and Roger waited for the government to plod its way to some sort of decision. Surprisingly, the media kept close watch on the proceedings and reported each time there was some sign of action on the PAX project. Warren‟s smiling photo accompanied nearly every story.
Most were positive and hopeful PAX would deliver as promised. However, Warren was embarrassed by all the publicity and it became awkward for him. Whenever he and Roger went anywhere, autograph seekers plagued him for his signature and young women gazed gaga eyed when he walked by. Being a celebrity might be okay or some, but Warren preferred to keep a low profile.
Finally, they received a message from Senator Hargrave, their PAX ally. The Senate would vote on his initiative the next day. If positive they would be off and running. The senator also reported his good buddy, the President, was hopeful both houses would pass the bill, and he had pen poised to sign it into law. That evening Warren and Roger went to dinner at their favorite restaurant to celebrate. They thoroughly enjoyed the food, wine and jovial company and were only bothered a few of times for Warren‟s autograph. Roger even signed menus as a friend of Dr. Peace.
They laughed at all the foolishness and had a happy time, joking and patting one another on the back in congratulations. A bit tipsy from all the wine, their blood alcohol levels went over the limit. Glad the apartment was close-by, the celebrants were relieved when Warren‟s short, weavy drive home didn‟t result in a DUI. Both awoke the next morning with ugly hangovers. Fortunately it was Saturday and they took the day off to recover.
In spite of considerable positive support, the Senate and House were in no hurry to get involved in the controversial antiwar weapon. Debates raged in both houses. Once again the old arguments: World peace would put too many out of work, eliminate police and law enforcement, and result in a baby boom, rocked Washington and the news media. PAX supporters, including the President argued they were ready to offer alternative employment to all, and pointed out PAX would only eliminate violent crime.
There would still be lots of laws for people to break and law enforcement to try to control. Ultimately, weeks went by until the nay sayers gave up the fight and by a narrow margin voted in the PAX initiative. It was quickly signed into law and Warren and Roger were invited to the White House for dinner with the President and family. They also received an invitation to appear before the Pentagon Chiefs of Staff the day following the White House dinner.
****
The dinner at the White House turned out to be a gala affair. Besides the President and first lady hosted. Also attending was their grown daughter, Peggy and her escort, good friends Senator Hargrave and his wife, the Vice President and his wife, plus the Secretary of State and her husband. Conversation dealt mostly with the success of the PAX initiative and their hopes for its future. The guests were well versed on Dr. Peace‟s plans and though they had a few questions, were mostly there to congratulate him on a job well done.
As the meal progressed the President turned to Roger Cooper.
“Roger, I hope I won‟t offend, but I understand you are Warren‟s most successful PAX guinea pig. I‟m sure we‟d all like to hear how that came about.”
Ever the comedian, Roger took the floor and regaled the diners with anecdotes about actually being PAXed. He even managed to joke about his crazy life before and during his incarceration at the California Medical Institute. Those at the table roared with laughter throughout the monolog, as Warren sat by, laughing at his portage's remarks and proud he‟d helped in his friend‟s rehabilitation.
Ultimately the evening drew to a close and the President escorted his guests to the front steps of the mansion. He had volunteered the presidential limo to take Warren and Roger back to their hotel. As they climbed in he remarked.
“Tomorrow morning is your meeting with the hawks at the Pentagon. Sorry there‟s no way out of that one. I fear they won‟t be as glad to see you as we are. But I‟ve given them orders to cooperate and they‟ve come up with a conservative plan to start off PAX
distribution. Good luck to you, and let Senator Hargrave here, know how it goes.”
****
The next morning, Roger and Warren were confronted by a table full of long faces as they met with the Pentagon chiefs. Aware PAX threatened the officers‟ war machine, Warren tread softly. Frankly there wasn‟t much additional information for him to offer.
His now famous video pretty much said it all. His respectable do-it-yourself production job and fascinating content created a demand for the DVD. To raise more PAX funds he‟d sold it to the cable channels and it was featured at video rental stores. The hour program was even available through Amazon. The officers present, along with anyone with courage to brave the grim viewing, had seen it and it was the talk of the news media.
The generals, made an attempt to be polite, but it was a strain. Finally they came to their plan. Together, they had agreed the next step in the PAX saga would be to drop the gas bombs on Afghanistan. The Secretary of State had met with and garnered an agreement with the Afghan President to do so. PAX would either bring peace to the area, or it wouldn‟t, and they‟d been assured the PAX bombs would cause no further suffering or damage.
The meeting ended and General Frank Gibbon of the air force asked Warren and Roger to follow him to his office to work out the details. After they were seated the general made a confession.
“Listen, I‟m on your side. I wouldn‟t want the others to hear this, but since I‟m about to retire, I could care less about losing my job. That‟s their problem. I can only hope your PAX will do the job and bring about the peace you promise.” He shuffled through some papers and took up a thick folder. Encouraged by the general‟s cooperation,Warren and Roger smiled “Here‟s what I propose. We will furnish five B-52Hs to carry the bombs. Since your factory is close to Hanscom AFB we can drop in there and pick up the bomb loads. I‟d like to get cracking on this, so hope the twenty-third will be all right with you. I think we can scrape up enough heavy equipment to move and load up the bomb bays.”
“General, that sounds great!” Warren exclaimed “Looks like we‟re in business!”
The general smiled and added, I‟ll be sending a Major Larson up to your plant to help you coordinate things. Let‟s hope all goes according to plan.”
The three men shook hands and Warren and Roger made their way down the long halls of the Pentagon to the entrance. As they walked out into the sunlight, Roger clapped Warren on the back.
“Congrats! Ol‟ buddy. Looks like we‟re off and running.”
Just then a small car pulled out of nowhere and ignoring the curb tore up the long walkway toward them. It swerved to a stop in front of them and the passenger reached out of the window pointing something at Warren.
Roger moved quickly pushing Warren out ot the way as he shouted.
“Warren, look out! He‟s got a gun!”
There was the bark of a pistol as Roger spoke and with a moan he dropped to the ground. The pistol fired again and Warren felt the bullet zip past his head. Though the assailant had missed his prime target, the driver tore across the lawn, onto the street and out of sight. Only moments later MPs came running and fired after the retreating car. Meanwhile a distraught Warren hurried to his friend‟s side.
“Roger! Oh no! Roger?!”
Kneeling next to his friend, he saw blood oozing out onto the sidewalk and nearly panicked. “Call an ambulance, my friend‟s been shot. It looks bad.”
Minutes later an ambulance came screaming into the scene. The medics inspected the wound, gently loaded Roger onto a gurney and into the vehicle. Waiting only moments for Warren to climb in, they took off, siren wailing. The hospital was nearby and they drove right to the emergency entrance. They‟d phoned ahead, and orderlies where waiting to wheel the wounded man into the operating room.
Desolated, Warren gazed around in confusion for a few moments until a nurse directed him to the waiting room. Worried and shaken, he was given no clue to Rogers condition. Was he still alive? Would he live? Disturbing questions poured into his mind. To lose his best friend and confidant was a tragic possibility. He suddenly realized how important the wounded man had become to him, and struggled manfully to hold back the tears.
He also wondered why someone had tried to assassinate him. Roger had saved his life. He already owed his friend so much. This was a debt he could never, or might never be able to repay. During his mental anguish someone came by to take down the necessary information. Roger‟s PAX Corp. health insurance would cover the costs. But all that was pure crap. What Warren really wanted was to know if his friend would live?
He suffered the uncertainty for nearly two hours before a doctor came into the waiting area. His face drawn and concerned, he gave Warren the prognosis.
“You‟re Dr. Peace? I‟ve seen your picture and news stories. What you are trying to do is certainly admirable.” The surgeon paused and took a breath before he continued,
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but at the moment Mr. Cooper is extremely critical. The bullet nicked his heart. At first we thought he was going to leave us at any moment. But he has a strong constitution and he‟s fighting to live. Whether he will or not is out of our hands. We can only wait and pray. He‟s just barely hanging in there and it could be days before we know for sure.”
“May I see him?” Warren moaned.
“It might be better to wait twenty four hours. A visit tomorrow couldn‟t cause any further damage.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I‟m really concerned about him. Roger is very important to all of us.”
“I understand, and he‟s getting the best care available. We can only wait and see.”
Warren made his way out of the hospital and took a cab back across the Potomac to his hotel. He turned on the TV just in time to see his smiling photo and hear the dramatic story of what had happened. Also shown were pictures of Roger as the shooting victim, plus a sinister looking man with a beard who was identified as Awar al-Walid, the al-Qaeda operative responsible for the attack. The story mentioned a chase by military police and a shoot out. The driver of the getaway vehicle had been killed and al-Walid, arrested. The apparent motive for the assassination attempt was to prevent Dr. Warren Peace from completing his bid to pacify Afghanistan and squelch any plans to pacify the rest of the Muslim world. Peace was contrary to the Al-Qaeda jihad to create a purely Muslim state.
A phone call from the President‟s office sent condolences and prayers for Roger‟s recovery and thanks that Warren was safe. Senator Hargrave called to say they were sending security officers to guard Warren‟s room and Roger‟s at the hospital.
Warren called the PAX plant and spoke to the manager, informing him of the air force plans and Rogers condition. Shocked, the manager promised to have all in readiness when he returned in three days. The desk called and said their were reporters in the lobby. Warren excused himself and said he wouldn‟t be able to talk to them for a few days.
He plugged his laptop into the hotel service and checked his mail. His e-box was full, and he skimmed the notes which looked urgent. There was one from Emily. It was a Dear John. or in his case a Dear Warren, The gist of the message was: They had both been too busy with their careers to have time for each other. He was now famous and out of reach. She finally found herself with time on her hands and needing a new boy toy. She‟d fallen for one of the other interns. He wasn‟t as well endowed as Warren, but he was more available, and that‟s what she needed at the moment. She still loved him but their relationship was doomed, and she hoped he understood, Love Emily
Women! he growled quoting the old axiom: Ya can‟t live with „em and ya can‟t live without „em” Well, his plate was overflowing with troubles and didn‟t need any more. At the moment his concern about Roger was first and foremost in his mind.
He phoned the hospital to checked on his friend several times. No change. Roger was still in critical condition, but hanging in there. The next day, accompanied by his body guard, he made his way back to the hospital and was directed to Roger‟s room.
Sure enough there was a guard at the door. The sentinel recognized the young scientist. Leaving his own guard outside he went in. Seeing his fallen comrade for the first time since the assassination attempt, he choked back a sob. Roger lay sprawled across the bed. The covers were thrown back to reveal his muscled chest and the bandage across it. Warren pulled up a chair to sit next to the bed. The wounded man looked pale and drawn. The hospital quiet was broken only by Rogers labored breathing and the pings and blips of read-out equipment--the only signs of life.
He took a pale, cold hand in his and sat looking down into the stricken face--a face he had become so accustomed to see smiling and laughing. Looking around to make sure he was alone, he bent forward and whispered:
“Roger...Roger...Listen to me...You‟ve got to live! You‟ve brought so much to my life. To go on without your positive presence seems nearly impossible.” His voice grew fuzzy as tears choked his voice. He hadn‟t cried since he was little, but overcome by emotion he laid his head on the bed and wept. He lay there for a while. Until suddenly he heard Rob groan and felt the stricken mans hand tighten on his. He started and sat up, searching the pale face. Suddenly the blue eyes flashed open for a moment. Elated by these signs of life, Warren reached for the call bell. A few moments later a nurse came in. She smiled to see her charge was coming out of his coma and left to get a doctor.
The eyes opened and the weak voice spoke: “Warren, Thank God you‟re here. I was afraid I‟d never see that gorgeous face of yours again.” The effort was almost too much for him, he moaned, reaching his free hand toward the bandage. “Whoa...damn thing hurts like a sonofabitch!”
Alarmed, Warren cautioned his friend: “Roger, hold still, the Doc‟s on his way.”
A doctor entered and checked the read outs.
“Hmmm. Much Better. Looks like you‟re going to make it after all, Mr. Cooper.
Hold on. I‟ll give you a shot for the pain.” turning to the patient‟s guest he said. “Dr.
Peace, it seems your friend here is pretty tough. That and your presence may be just what the doctor ordered. However, now that he‟s come to, maybe we should let him rest a while. Why don‟t you come back in the morning.”
“Damn it, Doc! Does he have to go?” Roger growled weakly. “He just got here, I‟d sure like for him to stick around a while.”
“Doctor‟s orders!” the doctor said with a smile.
“I‟m going, Doc.” Giving Rogers hand a squeeze, Warren added. “Roger, better take it easy like the Man says. I‟m just happy to see you back among the living. See you in the morning! And Doc Thanks for taking such good care of my buddy.”
****
The next morning, accompanied by his guard, Warren went to the hospital to see his friend . As he entered the room he was delighted to see Roger sitting up, and eating breakfast.
“Hey Roge! How‟s it going? You‟re able to sit up and take nourishment, that‟s great!”
he enthused
“Pretty good, still hurts like hell, but they give me stuff for that. Something like morphine. Good stuff. Feel‟s okay at the moment.”
“I‟m still sorry you took the bullet. You saved my life.”
“I couldn‟t let anything happen to you. You know why.
“I known--I know...” Warren whispered softly.
“You made the rules. We‟re not supposed to talk about it. But that doesn‟t rule out the way I feel about you. Nothing‟s going to change that...ever!”
“Roger, you‟re my best friend...my only real friend. We‟re alike in a lot of ways, but in that way, we‟re different and it makes me nervous to talk about it. Let me just say this one thing though. If I was designed that way, I‟d be the luckiest guy in the world.
You‟re a very special person and very special to me. In a way I blame myself for changing your orientation. I think I put it all in your mind when I did the PAX-BI job on you.” In any case, all I can offer you is sincere brotherly love, but no more than that.”
Roger tried to protest. “Warren, I don‟t blame you. Since that woman ruined my life I have no feelings for women. I guess what I feel for you has just replaced that need. In any case, it‟s a whole lot better than no emotion at all.”
Warren interrupted. “Just wish you hadn‟t risked your life for me.” He patted his friends hand and changed the subject. “Let‟s talk business. Now you‟re out of danger, I need to get back to the plant. That air force major is already there checking out the facilities and I need to help get the bombs ready for next weeks mission. Just came by to make sure you were okay, before I go. I‟m sorry you‟re going to miss the action this time. Come on home when you‟re able, but take good care of yourself.”
“Oh...uh...A final note on the subject of love. I just got a note from Emily. She‟s dumped me for one of her medicos. One more thing you and I have in common. I can certainly agree with you on the subject of the so called fairer sex”
“Women!” cursed Roger.
“Women!” growled Warren.