And then he told.

Seamus shoved the man aside and ran as fast as he could back to the main room.

“Zira! Quick! We have an emergency situation. Divert all troops. Immediately! Divert all troops!”

“Me?” Secretary Rybicki said, pressing his hands against his chest. “You’re accusing me? Seriously?”

“I am,” Ben said. “Because you did it.”

Rybicki stood on wobbly feet. “I don’t believe it!” He looked at Kyler. “You’re not buying this crap, are you?”

Kyler looked pensive. “I’m listening.”

“This is an outrage. I’m glad you’re so fond of lawyers, Kincaid. ‘Cause I’m going to have a dozen of Washington’s best shoved right up your-”

“I doubt it,” Ben replied. “I think you’re going to need all the legal talent for your defense.”

“It’s preposterous!” Rybicki insisted. “I’m the secretary of defense!”

“Which makes you one of the few people in the nation in a position to help Colonel Zuko hack into our defense computers. And, of course, your position gave you access to the Oval Office-and the president’s cigarettes-anytime you wanted them.”

“I’m not listening to this,” Rybicki exclaimed. “It’s insane.”

“As if that weren’t enough,” Ben added, “you were the one who snuck next door and sabotaged the breaker box. Pity you forgot which chair you were sitting in.”

“I noticed that he had moved, too,” Secretary Ruiz said. “I just didn’t put the pieces together.”

“Passing me the note about Secretary Ruiz’s connection to Apollo was a nice touch,” Ben added. “It directed my suspicions to him-and diverted them from you. Briefly.”

“This gets crazier by the minute,” Rybicki said. He was pacing back and forth, practically wearing a hole into the carpet. “Why would I do such a thing?”

“I’m guessing you want the colonel to detonate another missile on American soil and inflict serious casualties. Because that tragedy will lay the foundation for whatever dramatic foreign policy shift you want.”

“And what might that be? Since you have all the answers.”

“I think you’re in a better position to explain than I am,” Ben suggested. “But it would appear to me that, like the vice president, you want America out of the Middle East. Altogether. To give the colonel what he wants.” He paused. “But Swinburne wants us out because he thinks our foreign entanglements are compromising our national security. I don’t know what your motive is-but it’s more than that.”

“So just tell us already,” Kyler said. His teeth were tightly clenched. “I trusted you, Rybicki. And I for one would like to know what made you go rogue.”

Rybicki sputtered. “But-but-”

“Damn it, man,” Cartwright said sharply, “we all know you did it. It’s written all over your face. So tell us why!”

“But I-I never-”

“Goddamn it!” Kyler bellowed, slapping his hand against the table. “We want to know why!”

“I-I-I-” Rybicki looked helplessly from one face to the next. “I just want what’s best for the country! In this temple as in the hearts of the people!”

“I thought as much,” Ben said. “What is it you were after?”

“I want the same thing you want, Kincaid.”

“I very much doubt that.”

“It’s true. Don’t you think the United States needs to commit to alternative energies? To end our addiction to oil?”

And all at once, Ben could see the whole picture all too quickly. “Oh, my God.”

“Why do you think we’re in the Middle East, anyway?” Rybicki asked.

Kyler answered. “To protect Israel. To give us a foothold closer to Asia. And, of course, to ensure the steady supply of oil.”

“Yes, and let’s face it, the last one is the one that really matters. That’s the reason we keep invading over and over again. We need oil. We endanger our security and we enrich some of the most dangerous people in the world to feed our dependency on a rapidly diminishing fossil fuel. It’s insane! And yet nothing stops us. Carter urged restraint, slower driving, energy conservation-and we practically impeached him for it. Americans think they are entitled to all the oil they want. Even when the price of oil went sky-high in 2008, consumption barely dropped. We simply can’t quit. We’re addicted!”

“So you were going to force our hand,” Ben said.

“It’s the only way! We can supply our own needs if we just practice conservation and make the relatively simple conversion to natural gas. So why don’t we? Why aren’t we seriously pursuing solar energy, wind, water? We’ve been talking about these alternatives since the seventies, but we’re still not making any significant progress. Because the oil companies are too entrenched, too well connected. Because oil is cheaper.”

“So you were going to fix all that?” Kyler asked.

“I wanted to make America safe again. In this temple and in the hearts of the people.”

“I’m not following this,” Ben said. “If that’s your goal, why do you want our troops out of the Middle East?”

“So they won’t be hurt.”

A long line creased Ben’s brow. “Hurt? How?”

For the first time, Rybicki smiled, and the smile sent chills up Ben’s spine. “So I see there’s at least one thing the brilliant lawyer didn’t quite put together. That makes me happy.”

“I still don’t understand,” Ben said. “What did I miss?”

“You’re operating under the assumption that Zuko is the one who engineered the theft of the nuclear suitcase in Arlington. But you’re wrong.” A full-out grin spread across his face. “It was me.”

“You’ve got the nuclear suitcase?” Kyler said incredulously. Rybicki smiled defiantly. “I used Zuko’s people. But there was a quid pro quo: I helped them get into the defense computers, and they helped me get the suitcase. And they did.”

“What were you planning to do with it?”

Rybicki opted not to answer the question. His hands were twitching. “I don’t believe I care to answer that question. I want a lawyer.” He paused. “And I don’t mean Kincaid, either.”

The president nodded. “Did you seriously think you could get away with this?”

No response.

“Does this betrayal mean nothing to you? Are you so self-righteous you believed you were justified in endangering thousands of lives?”

Rybicki looked away.

“Fine.” The president’s frustration rippled through his face. “Agent Zimmer, I think you can forget about stepping down pending an investigation. There’s not going to be an investigation-of you. I’d like the secretary of defense placed in custody pending formal charges.”

“Yes, sir. Gioia?”

The agent stepped forward. “Right here.”

“Take the secretary of defense into the next room and restrain him until we get the all-clear signal to leave the bunker.”

“Will do.” Gioia took Rybicki by the arm and led him away. Ben was relieved to see that he did not resist.

“Mr. President.” Zimmer had his hand pressed against his right earphone. “I’ve finally been able to contact Colonel Zuko.”

“I’ll take it,” Kyler said.

“Wait just a minute!” Swinburne whined. “I won that trial. You have been relieved-”

“That trial was invalid,” Cartwright said, “based on fraud tainting the verdict. I’m setting that verdict aside. If you want to institute more proceedings at a later time, you can-though I wouldn’t recommend it. For now, Roland Kyler remains president.”

Swinburne sputtered nonsensically.

“Oh, be quiet,” Kyler said, shoving him aside. “And just in case you haven’t guessed, I want your resignation on my desk tomorrow morning.”

“But-but-”

“Just do it,” President Kyler said. “You’ll be saving yourself a lot of embarrassment. Now put the colonel on speaker.”

Ben couldn’t help smiling as Kyler stepped up to the communications station. He seemed strong, back in control, and-best of all-presidential.