THE BOY’S DEATH IS RULED MURDER, LEADING TO NEW RELIGIOUS FERVOR

The results come in from the Chinese: They have found an unmistakable injection point, and the cell tissue would indicate that it was made about the time of the Inaugural Ball. Derasmo can't keep this quiet. Derasmo tells President Mengsei and the First Lady, and then Derasmo lets the Chinese present their findings to the heads of the intelligence departments. Biyu, Rose, Orman, and VP Johnson are in the room as well. All are shocked, angry, dismayed, and now must consider that someone is attacking the Presidency.

There is a warming with the Chinese over their confidential help, and all are impressed that the information didn't get leaked by the Chinese. Nevertheless, word quickly leaks from within the U. S. that the boy was murdered.

Now the conspiratorialist are out in million-person marches. Many demand President Mengsei resign to save his life, but he refuses as that may be exactly what the killer wants.

This mass hysteria is much worse than seen ever before, and now includes larger religious groups, especially the Nazarenes. Masses are claiming it is a divine sign, that it was done by the hand of God. Wescott now has all the EON churches preaching this message, and hundreds of thousands of people start joining the Nazarene movement. There is new talk of other states going the way of Missouri-to-Nazarene. There is even talk of a change to the U. S. Constitution to declare the whole country for Christ.

CIEX CEO Karper is dismayed to see ties to yet another CIEX BWS product in the news relative to a killing, but now she believes she understands things more clearly. Karper isn’t so sure that EON didn’t kill the boy. Karper begins to wonder if her romantic partner, VP Johnson, isn't in on it—VP Johnson is the one who has the most to gain, as Karper sees it, and VP Johnson is the one who had once advocated for the whole nation to convert as Missouri did, which seems to be a surging idea in wake of the boy's murder.

Karper abruptly cuts off her relationship with Johnson. Then Karper takes her thoughts to Secret Service Director Derasmo and Lead FBI Investigator Orman, telling them her theory—EON Director Wescott is behind it all. Orman is alarmed and tries to assure Karper that Karper is imagining things, that EON couldn't be behind it as the news that it was a CIEX chemical will hurt CIEX considerably now, and EON relies too heavily on CIEX dividends for funding of the EON operations. Derasmo not only disagrees with Orman, but is alarmed by Orman's bold use of such twisted logic.

THE BOY’S MURDER IS EXPLAINED AND KARPER IS KILLED

After their meeting with CIEX CEO Karper, Secret Service Director Derasmo now starts to have her ex-husband, FBI Exec Assist Dir Orman followed.

Derasmo learns Orman has re-opened his investigation into the Lunalpha Disaster. Then she is told that her Secret Service men lost Orman's trail.

Meanwhile Marcia has become convinced that this is the work of CIEX directly. Unable to provide irrefutable evidence to Paul for her CIEX hunch, Marcia dives into trying to write an algorithm that will prove it. Paul is consumed with his work on BWS capture for the DHS.

Orman calls Karper, inviting Karper to meet again and talk more about Karper's ideas regarding EON's blame, apologizing for previously dismissing Karper's notions. Karper is happy to hear Orman has changed his mind, and invites Orman to join her on her flight back to Boston, that they can talk in private on the way. Orman agrees.

When Karper shows up to her jet, she finds a different pilot. Inside, she finds FBI Exec Assist Dir - Criminal Services Division Orman and, to her shock, EON Director Wescott.

Orman quickly ties up Karper. The plane takes off and goes beyond near space and leaves the atmosphere. They are weightless.

Here Wescott tells Karper the truth about what they did to the boy. It was called Operation Isaac, named from Abraham being told to sacrifice his son Isaac for God. Much the same, the President’s son needed to be sacrificed for God. Wescott says his lovely friend Tassima was who stuck the boy. But Wescott adds that since Karper's dress matched Tassima's that night, some may think it was a hit by Karper, by CIEX. No matter.

Wescott tells Karper that Karper's body will never be found as Karper will die from oxygen starvation in about five minutes, and then her body will burn up as it re-enters the atmosphere.  "Poof—you will be erased. Gone in a blaze of glory. Literally", Wescott says.

Wescott explains that they killed the boy to spark the predictable, mass fear and conspiratorial chaos that is now erupting down there on Earth—like setting off a bomb next to a flock of sheep—all Wescott had to do was open the corral gate on the other side.

Orman and Wescott don helmets and the jet begins to be depressurized. Karper asks if President Mengsei will be killed. Wescott whispers, "That's all up to God now," then shoves Karper out into the void of space.

GETTING President Mengsei’s BWS FROM HIS LUNALPHA HELMET

President Mengsei learns from Chief of Staff Rose that FBI Exec Assist Dir - Criminal Services Division Orman has re-opened an investigation into the Lunalpha Disaster. Neither President Mengsei nor Rose want this, but President Mengsei won’t interfere. President Mengsei tells Rose to just let it play—that the FBI will find nothing. And if they do, then justice must take its turn. This is not the answer Rose was hoping to hear.

Word gets out that CIEX CEO Karper is missing. Orman suggests to Rose that perhaps Rose should be investigated for Karper’s death, that perhaps Rose killed Karper as cover-up for Rose’s involvement in the other murders, including Senator Nichols and the CIEX Employee, and even the President's son. Rose doesn't react much. But then Orman adds, “Maybe you've even got something to do with that fire at Lunalpha 20 years ago.” At this, Rose decks Orman, and Orman takes note that it was Lunalpha what pushed Rose too far, not the accusation of Rose killing the President's son. They tear into a full fight and Rose nearly kills Orman before they are broken up.

Rose returns to President Mengsei and President Mengsei is shocked to see his Chief of Staff looking so beat up. Rose thinks Orman's actions are just revenge for Rose getting Orman’s job in the White House. Rose asks for President Mengsei to shut Orman down, for both their sakes, but again President Mengsei refuses as he thinks Rose is being ridiculous, that Rose is battling his own demons over the Lunalpha matter, and that President Mengsei getting involved will only draw attention to it, if not raise suspicions of a cover-up.

Rose suggests that EON is a common denominator to the deaths of late. But neither Rose nor President Mengsei can see why EON would do that—how it would serve EON's interests? Then President Mengsei notes (from a report on his screen embedded in the surface of the Resolute Desk) that EON's membership is estimated to have grown by 1 Million in just the past week.

President Mengsei is feeling overwhelmed. He meets virtually with his beloved sister, Biyu, and tells her that he and Rose (Biyu's romantic partner) want Biyu to come permanently (defect) to the United States. President Mengsei needs Biyu with him. Biyu guesses correctly that President Mengsei is afraid. Biyu says she will consider it. What neither realize is that a spy for the Chinese PLA is also 'present' in that virtual room.

Marcia has a breakthrough in her work: she confirms that all the Johnsons born in 2008 who were elected in the United States to any office were helped in some way by EON, if not by Wescott directly. In addition, Marcia discovers that CIEX was a major funder of President Mengsei's campaign, even though the funding was done through associated companies. Finally, in Marcia's view, the odds of the boy dying are so astronomically small, and due to a CIEX chemical, that there is simply no mathematical solution but that CIEX, working through its largest owner, EON, has orchestrated the scenario to date. And with Senator Nichols being assassinated with a CIEX BWS gun, Marcia is all the more certain. This leads Marcia to the conclusion that CIEX CEO Donna Karper, and the ex-CIEX CTO and now White House Chief of Staff, Scott Rose, must be at the center of it. Marcia now believes that the reason CIEX broke into Paul's apartment the other night was not to recon Paul, but to recon her, because Marcia was getting close to the truth about them. Marcia asks Paul to help her bring her conclusions to Angela Derasmo, the head of the Secret Service, the woman who interrogated Paul about his cyberbees.

But Paul says no. Paul thinks Marcia is taking her ideas too far. First, Paul reasons, the press are suggesting that Donna Karper is dead, as she has mysteriously been missing for over a week. But more importantly—at this point Paul deals Marcia the cold truth—something that we didn't know either—Paul tells Marcia that he knows Marcia's supposed university degrees are all bogus—Marcia has no more than a high school education—and with tens of thousands of other conspiratorialists out there, with all their own crazy ideas, Marcia will not just be rejected, but laughed at, and Paul's credibility will be even more at stake because Paul would have recommended Marcia to the Secret Service as being an expert. Marcia is devastated and leaves—after first wildly accusing Paul of working with CIEX, of just wanting to cover it up, and now using Marcia as his excuse.

Biyu's connections in the Chinese PLA have finally found the last helmet (what turns out to be President Mengsei's actual Lunalpha helmet) and Biyu has it internationally drone-shipped to Rose. But Rose knows he is now being watched by FBI Exec Assist Dir Orman, and that Orman specifically mentioned the Lunalpha Disaster.  Rose has the drone deliver it to a different place for pick up, but doesn't realize that the FBI were already tracking that specific drone. The FBI see Rose get the box. Rose is home only an hour before the FBI are at his door, with Orman saying they want to look around. Rose has little to hide, he thinks. To his reasoning, there is no way the FBI would know the significance of the helmet—they are just there on the bogus theory by the asshole Orman that somehow Rose had something to do with the murders. When one of the agents asks about the old space helmet in the box, Rose says it is just something he is collecting from his astronaut years. 

What Rose doesn't notice is the BWS code-stealing-device on Orman’s wrist. (It's the same as Paul was making in Paul's apartment.) At one point Orman lingers near the box, then removes the helmet and puts it on and parades around with it, using his hand with the device to hold it up. Orman and Rose exchange some terse words and Orman and the agents leave.

Once they are gone, Rose quickly records President Mengsei’s BWS code from the helmet, then digitally wipes the helmet's data clean.

Outside, Orman calls Wescott and tells him that they finally have the President's BWS code.

DERASMO LEARNS THE CODE IS OUT AND DEVELOPS A COUNTER-PLAN

Chief of Staff Rose takes President Mengsei's Lunalpha helmet to the White House. But before Rose can give it to President Mengsei, Secret Service Director Derasmo intercepts it. Rose tells Derasmo that Rose is upset that Orman is investigating him. But Derasmo is not moved. After all, Orman is her ex-husband—not that Derasmo had any influence over Orman when they were married. Besides, Orman is the Executive Assistant Director of the FBI's Criminal Services Division—Orman can do as he pleases. Rose is surprised when Derasmo comments that after all, Rose himself is a 15, so who can blame people for keeping an eye on Rose?

Rose takes offense at even the slightest suggestion of treason on his part, of being dishonest with President Mengsei.

Derasmo keeps the helmet and Rose goes into the Oval Office. There Rose lies to President Mengsei, saying the helmet had no codes when Rose got it from Biyu, that it was naturally radiation-wiped, like the others, from being exposed on the surface of the Moon for 20 years.

Meanwhile, Derasmo has asked Paul to meet Derasmo at a designated place.

Derasmo gets a call from Orman about the helmet, and Orman’s suspicions that Orman claims he developed from following Rose. They fight, but Derasmo still takes note of the info and Orman's suspicions that Rose copied the President's BWS code from that helmet.

Paul arrives at a designated meeting place and sits with Derasmo. At first Paul is very cautious, but then Derasmo apologizes and tells Paul that the whole affair the other day, about the cyberbees, was just a misunderstanding. Now Derasmo needs Paul, and for Paul to be discrete. Derasmo produces the helmet and Paul takes it back to his place. After running some diagnostics, Paul reports to Derasmo that it was not radiation-wiped, but manually wiped, and very recently. Paul realizes that Derasmo is suspicious of Rose. This makes Paul reconsider that perhaps Marcia's theories about CIEX and Rose might not be so crazy.

Now Derasmo is convinced that President Mengsei's BWS is on the loose, either in Rose's hands, or someone else's, maybe the Chinese have it, or maybe even Orman.

Derasmo knows it’s only a matter of time before someone takes a shot at President Mengsei, using that BWS. But Derasmo no longer trusts anyone in the White House or the FBI. Certainly not Rose or Orman.

Derasmo needs to get the BWS gun (that she knows must be out there somewhere) to shoot automatically, to cause the BWS gun to be falsely triggered. Derasmo asks Paul to meet Derasmo at Derasmo's home to discuss this more.

At Derasmo's home, Derasmo asks Paul to privately build something for Derasmo—an android copy or clone of President Mengsei that can emit the President's BWS and thus take the incoming BWS micro-missile. The head will need to be designed to absorb and contain the micro-missile for later evidence. But also, it must look extremely lifelike. There are already human copy drones, so Paul should start with one of those.

Derasmo also tells Paul that Paul is being watched too much at his apartment, by FBI and others, and asks if Paul has somewhere else he can go, to hide away while he does her secret work. Paul says yes, a floating house on the Potomac River (Marcia's).

After Derasmo checks out Marcia (seeing Marcia is just a nut-job numerologist/conspiratorialist), Derasmo agrees to the plan. Derasmo will get the floating house's coordinates and then have parts shipped to Paul—anything Paul needs. Under no circumstances should anyone know what Paul is up to.

Paul also tells Derasmo that his girlfriend, Marcia, has some theories on CIEX and Rose being behind the murders and setting up the coincidences. But Derasmo is not interested in the theories of some conspiratorialist.

Later at Marcia's house, the first thing Paul and Marcia decide to do is to build android clones of themselves. They kid about then being able to have a foursome with themselves.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ON THE MOON and a suspect is found in chicago

Secret Service Director Derasmo tells President Mengsei what she knows—the helmet was not actually radiation-wiped as White House Chief of Staff Rose claimed, that it's likely that Rose wiped it himself, and thus likely that Rose now has President Mengsei's BWS code. President Mengsei realizes he can no longer trust Rose—a difficult realization as they are friends and have such a powerful secret held between them (regarding the Lunalpha Disaster).

Rose realizes he is cut out, that Derasmo may suspect that he kept President Mengsei’s BWS. He starts to wonder if President Mengsei trusts him either. Rose is dropping into madness, self-doubt, and shame. Even Rose is beginning to wonder why he kept President Mengsei’s BWS, and why he can't bring himself to erase it now. It is during this despair that Rose realizes that FBI Exec Assist Dir Orman must have captured the President's BWS during that bogus search.

Rose can't let Orman now kill President Mengsei using the BWS code that he, Rose, obtained. Rose heads to the White House, flying drunk, and wrecks his drone car (flying vehicle) into Lafayette Square. After Rose is brought inside the White House, the First Lady hears drunk Rose saying something to President Mengsei about them killing those people on the Moon. 

President Mengsei confides the actual story of the Lunalpha Disaster to his wife. (We see it through a series of flashbacks.) When Mengsei and Rose were astronauts, in their late twenties, they were instructed by their direct manager at CIEX (who at the time was Donna Karper), to sabotage the Agricultural Research Unit at CIEX's Lunalpha Moon station. It was all part of a plan by CIEX to get a trillion-dollar contract for a new lunar research facility, and thus new inter-space shuttles which CIEX needed to keep up with China relative to Mars exploration. Yes, Mengsei actually saved the three people, but the other four died in a fire that he and Rose started. There is more that Mengsei isn't saying, but the First Lady doesn't press President Mengsei.

Plans are made for Biyu's defection, but President Mengsei is having second thoughts. He hates the idea of putting Biyu at risk, and Biyu can hardly claim political asylum because so far the Chinese have done nothing but be helpful. So that means Biyu will have to sneak out, because Biyu is an officer in the PLA and the Chinese have banned Biyu from anything but sanctioned travel. And now that President Mengsei doesn't fully trust Rose, how can he trust that Rose will not somehow undermine the deal with Biyu? President Mengsei knows he can trust Rose's love of Biyu—that much President Mengsei does know.

Secret Service Director Derasmo is extremely agitated knowing that President Mengsei’s BWS is out, and there are very few she can trust to tell that too. But now, if President Mengsei is in the open, the hit could happen, and there is little Derasmo can do.

Marcia's "applied numerology" work turns up a likely suspect (a 15) in Chicago—where President Mengsei and the First Lady are scheduled to soon be for a Good Friday event. She sends a message to Secret Service Director Derasmo.

Derasmo comes to Marcia's floating house to meet with Paul about his work on the President's and First Lady's android clone targets.

Derasmo mentions Marcia's ideas regarding Rose and CIEX, and Derasmo appreciates them, that honestly Marcia's ideas are as good as the intel Derasmo was otherwise getting. Marcia is pleased. Marcia shows Derasmo her work in more detail, explaining to Derasmo how Marcia's algorithms have brought forward the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect (as potential assassins have begun being called).

Derasmo leaves and then sends a Secret Service team to watch the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect, but won't tell her team her source. Someone in the Secret Services mentions the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect to someone in the FBI. Soon FBI Exec Assist Dir Orman learns about the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect, but tells the FBI to let the Secret Service handle it—then Orman tells Wescott. Wescott is pleased and dispatches Tassima to "set it up" before the Secret Service can get onto the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect.

In Chicago, Tassima is observed (by the Secret Service) walking near the apartment of the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect. (She has a backpack containing a broken-down BWS gun, but the observers don't know that.)

By the time the Secret Service raids the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect's home, they find a BWS gun there and arrest the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect. As President Mengsei was scheduled to be in Chicago, Derasmo feels a moment of relief, that perhaps they have found their man. But Derasmo can’t be sure because President Mengsei’s BWS was not uploaded to the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect's BWS gun. All she can do is arrest the man for having the illegal gun.

Derasmo and her team start interrogating the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect about his plans, the BWS gun, and how and from whom the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect was to get the code to input into the BWS micro-missile. The Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect won't say anything, which only makes Derasmo more assured that he is their man.

Meanwhile, Derasmo is told about them seeing Tassima near the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect's apartment, and Derasmo tells them to find Tassima and bring Tassima in for questioning. Derasmo is told that Tassima is in St. Louis for a big Nazarene event. Derasmo tells them to go there and bring Tassima to her—something they are clearly hesitant to do.

Derasmo sets up a meeting with Paul and tells him that Marcia's information looks to have been perfect, and thus Derasmo won't be needing the android targets at the upcoming Good Friday event. Derasmo now has high praise for Marcia and Marcia's techniques. To Paul's chagrin, Derasmo tells Paul that Paul should now spend more time helping the real genius of the two of them, Marcia. To this Paul pivots and brings up his thoughts for permanently altering someone's BWS—it hasn't been successfully done yet, but Paul has an idea. Derasmo is intrigued.

NAZARENE IS IN OPEN DEFIANCE OF THE U. S. GOVERNMENT

Arkansas has agreed to join Nazarene—combining the two states into one large state of Nazarene. This highly alarms other states, especially the ones bordering the now-bigger Nazarene.

A major ceremony occurs in St. Louis, the capital of Nazarene, as a massive cross is suspended beneath the Gateway Arch—now renamed Resurrection Arch. Lawsuits had delayed the cross suspension for 20 years, but finally the Supreme Court (now primarily EON-leaning) ruled in favor of Nazarene.

It is being guessed by the resistance to Nazarene—led by Texas—that the mystery with the President's coincidences has led to two of the Supreme Court justices flipping in favor of removing the separation of church and state. Now there is open talk of a Constitutional Amendment to declare the whole nation for Christ—battle lines are being drawn.

During the Nazarene event, CIEX's new CEO is announced—he is also a leader in EON, to no one's surprise—and CIEX announces that they will soon be finally moving their headquarters from Boston to St. Louis, bringing 185,000 jobs and 2 Trillion in annual revenue.

Tassima is in St. Louis with Wescott. When the Secret Service show up to take Tassima in for questioning, Wescott makes a request of the Governor of Nazarene, and the Nazarene State Guard won't let the Secret Service get near Tassima.

Back in Washington D.C., Secret Service Director Derasmo is outraged, but FBI Exec Assist Dir - Criminal Services Orman is upset with the Secret Service trying to go where they don't belong. Orman leaves to go attend the Nazarene events himself.

During the cross-hanging ceremony, Wescott is informed that three BWS guns are ready—each having the range to cover a third of the nation—San Francisco, (West Coast), St. Louis (Central), and Washington DC (East Coast). The Chicago one was a plant to lead Derasmo and the Secret Service astray.

Wescott wants what he calls the 5th Act of his Grand Opera, LE POREM, to occur as it must: on a Friday—preferably the upcoming Good Friday in Chicago—with President Mengsei sitting next to his wife. They have several possible 15s (patsies) in various cities. They just need to black bag one and have one patsy 15  found near the BWS gun that is eventually used.

Wescott estimates that since the Secret Service think they already have their Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect, the Secret Service will relax some at the Good Friday event.

Rose MAKES HIS DECISION

On Thursday, March 23, 2062, the day before Good Friday, White House Chief of Staff Rose is a mess. He knows he will lose Biyu if she ever learns what he did in the Lunalpha Disaster, and how Rose caused her brother, President Mengsei, to be blamed too—if it all comes out.

And Rose realizes FBI Exec Assist Dir Orman captured President Mengsei's BWS code that night in the ‘search’—thus Orman is in league with EON Director Wescott—thus the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect was just a ruse set up by Wescott—thus EON will still be planning to kill President Mengsei the next day in Chicago. Rose knows he must do something—not just anything—but something honorable.

Rose tries to tell Secret Service Director Derasmo what he thinks regarding Orman and President Mengsei's BWS code, but Derasmo only half-listens. Derasmo thinks they have their man now: the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect.

Derasmo and President Mengsei think Rose is losing his mind. Privately, President Mengsei is more concerned about Rose opening up about what they did in the Lunalpha Disaster.

President Mengsei leaves a virtual presence message for Biyu—saying Biyu should stay put in China—that it isn't worth the risk—that the whole defect idea was his—that he is glad Biyu didn't do anything rash.

But what President Mengsei doesn't know is that Biyu has already been arrested in China on suspicion of being a double-agent for the United States. Their primary evidence is the virtual meeting Biyu had with President Mengsei where Biyu agreed to try to defect.

President Mengsei and the First Lady are relieved that Derasmo feels so confident about the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect, but Derasmo confirms to them that the secret dummy plan is still in the works—just in case Derasmo may think it necessary sometime in the future.

Chief of Staff Rose confronts FBI Exec Assist Dir Orman, openly accusing Orman of being in league with EON to kill the President. Orman has FBI agents arrest Rose, but eventually lets Rose go. Orman tells Rose's theories to Wescott, who says that he has grown weary of Rose and tells Orman to go kill Rose.

But later, Orman instead lies to Tassima—saying Wescott wants her to go kill Rose—that it should be easy because Rose is stoned out of his mind. Tassima goes and finds Rose alone and moves in on him. But Rose was just faking the disability to lure in whatever predator he knew was coming for him. Rose overpowers and kills Tassima.

Rose gets access to Tassima's house, and there breaks into her hidden system. On it Rose discovers the central coding program for all three of the BWS guns in the nation. Rose doesn't know where they are exactly, but that they are in those three cities, and set to automatically fire. He sees President Mengsei’s BWS code is loaded into them—so he knows now that Orman did in fact steal it from him—thus Rose is the reason President Mengsei will die the next day.

The sun is coming up on Good Friday, and President Mengsei and his wife are scheduled to be at the outdoor event in Chicago. Rose knows this is when it will happen. If Rose turns off the guns, then Wescott will know Rose did that ahead of time, and simply go to ground, kill Rose, and wait to kill President Mengsei later. Or if the St. Louis BWS gun—the one that Rose can see is in range of Chicago—doesn't fire for some reason in the moment, then, same thing—Wescott alerted, Rose killed, President Mengsei killed later. Besides, Rose needs the St. Louis BWS gun to fire so that Derasmo can trace the BWS micro-missile back to the St. Louis BWS gun, and eventually trace the evidence to Wescott.

But Rose can't let President Mengsei be killed.

EON TAKES THE SHOT, ROSE DIES, AND TEXAS ARMS UP

Good Friday comes and President Mengsei and the First Lady are at an event in Chicago. Chief of Staff Rose has unexpectedly flown in to be with them. President Mengsei is pleased that his troubled friend Rose is there. Now perhaps they can start rebuilding their friendship, now that the Chicago 15 Pre-Suspect has been caught.

Rose sees President Mengsei and the First Lady sit down next to each other. At first Rose sits nearby.

Wescott is at the event as a guest. He is excited—he is about to witness his 5th Act of his Grand Opera (President Mengsei’s assassination) right in front of him. But why is Rose there, Wescott wonders. Wasn't Orman supposed to have killed Rose?

With President Mengsei in the open, and sitting next to his wife, Wescott presses a remote "on" button. 260 miles away, the BWS gun in St. Louis comes on. Once on—as it is set on auto-fire—it registers that its micro-missile's target has been found through the BWS system—thus it activates and launches its micro-missile. We start to follow the screeching micro-missile as it zips from St. Louis to Chicago at Mach 2—it will take ten minutes to arrive on target.

Suddenly, as the choir is singing, Rose stands, and starts to leave the viewing area, seeming to want to get away from President Mengsei. President Mengsei gets up to summon Rose back, but sits again.

Wescott sees Rose walking away, and mutters to himself, "Not wanting any Presidential brains on your coat?"

Wescott tries to reach Tassima, but gets no answer. We see that she is dead in Rose’s place, with a written document beside her body.

Rose then inexplicably starts walking, then running away from the outdoor crowd, removing his bowler hat as he goes.

We follow the micro-missile as it slows near the event and closes in on the main viewing area where President Mengsei is sitting, still watching Rose.

Rose is now in an open area, away from people.

Rose stops, turns toward President Mengsei, and salutes him. Just then the micro-missile rips through Rose’s head.

We now realize that the prior night, too late to find the BWS guns, knowing he can't shut them down without just delaying the assassination, thinking no one would believe him if he tried to warn them, and ultimately feeling great guilt over Lunalpha, Rose switched his own code for that of President Mengsei's in Tassima’s BWS auto-fire system.

In China, Biyu is in prison, and there she has seen Rose's death on live media. Biyu is told that she is responsible—but another, more kindly guard, says that's not true, and holds Biyu as she cries.

President Mengsei is moved into protection and on his way out of Chicago. He was shaken badly by the sight of the death of Rose.

And to make matters worse, President Mengsei is informed:

1. Texas has declared itself militarily independent of the United States, and thus Texas will be arming its northern and eastern borders against any incursion by Nazarene.

2. President Mengsei's sister, Biyu, is in a Chinese prison, accused of being a traitor for attempting to defect to the United States, and if she is found guilty she may be executed.