CHAPTER 181: UNCERTAINTY AND INDECISION

I looked up, expecting to see contempt, disgust, or at least disapproval, but instead, President Arroyo was studying my face, looking for something, maybe trying to see if I was telling the truth. I waited for his words of condemnation.

After a short moment, he said, "That is the best answer I could have hoped for, Timothy Bailey. One cannot grow or become better without being able to see their own faults, to admit mistakes. Many would argue that you should have killed those in Russia as well, at least some of them."

His words took me by surprise. Instead of condemnation, he approved my answer, if not my actions. I met his eyes, with relief and uncertainty. "I hope to have a council to advise me and maybe help me avoid such mistakes. But, I’ll be clear, the final decisions will be mine alone. Many governments have groups deciding their actions, but they don’t seem to do any better than those where one person leads. In the end, it comes down to who the leader is, what kind of person. A leader must be strong enough to resist the easy solution until he finds the right solution. I think after Chiapas I could have gone down a very dark path."

Arroyo nodded. "I don’t know what powers you have at your command, Timothy Bailey, but they scare me. I hope they continue to scare you as it seems they do. Since Chiapas, you seem to have adopted a rehabilitation and restitution approach, but I would imagine there are some criminals beyond redemption, men who’s hearts cannot be turned. Honestly, I would have though Rafael Camal de Leon was one of those. How would you deal with them, or can everyone be saved with some other bit of magic at your disposal?"

I shrugged, "No, there are some people that cannot be... judged safe to be released back into the public. It is a small percentage, but significant. I don’t have a solution for them, as far as we can tell, they will never be able to go free without putting others at risk. I’ve been advised to execute them. I’ve refused, and ordered their treatment to continue indefinitely, though I’m told it becomes ineffective or even counter-productive at some point. I guess it will be life in prison, effectively."

"I expect your prisons would have better conditions than most."

"I could make it so they don’t even know they’re in prison at all," I told him, "but I’m not sure letting them run wild, even in their own heads is the right choice either... I’m still working on it."

"Is that why you delivered Volkov and his people to the Hague, because you don’t know what else to do with them?"

"Yes, exactly. I’m not really sure that was the right choice either. There’s always a chance he gets acquitted or a light sentence, if they ever release him... He’d still be a danger, and unacceptable danger."

"So then what? Let’s say his lawyers get him acquitted? What will you do?" Arroyo was studying my face during this discussion, trying to read my every thought and emotion, but at this question, he really seemed to focus even more, as if this answer was crucial to him.

"I can’t let him run free... He will seek violent retribution. He’s not sane and never will be."

"But you won’t execute him?"

I hesitated. I had considered it. In the end I had rejected it, at least for now. "No, I don’t think so. Like I said, I’m still working on this part... I’m not taking the easy solution, but I don’t think I’ve found the right solution either."

Arroyo shrugged, the intensity of his gaze softening a little. "Sometimes a bad choice is still the best choice."

I nodded slowly. "So then, what is you r choice going to be Mr. President? Will you sign the United Earth Concord bill your Congress has passed and join me? I think you’d be a wise voice on my advisory council."

He sighed, "I’m curious, how will this advisory council work? We all have countries to run and can’t spend all day reviewing your every action."

"I haven’t figured it out yet, honestly. I’m thinking some kind of group conference call when there are major decisions. I can’t always wait days for a prolonged debate or whatever, I mean, a lot of what I do is pretty time urgent."

"Like when Russia is launching missiles at cities?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, there are times when I’m just going to have to do stuff. Maybe, if there’s a little more time, I say this is what I’m thinking, do you see anything wrong with it, or do you have a better idea? I don’t know yet. We’ll have to figure it out." I shrugged and smiled, "Maybe that’s the first advice the council gives me: what is the council’s role and how do we implement it?"

Arroyo nodded. "And if you disagree with their recommendation?"

"As I said, the final decisions are mine alone. I’ll explain why I didn’t take their suggestion, but..."

"No recourse, no supermajority over-ride vote?"

"No."

He nodded. "If the council is made up of the heads of states for those countries that join, they might see things very differently from the way you see them. There could be some trouble-makers."

"I know."

"So will you share the secrets of your magic tricks with the council members?"

I hadn’t even thought of that. Should I? What if I told them everything, the alien contact, the advanced technologies, the threat of alien invasion, all of it. No. Not yet... It would leak out immediately, and there would be chaos. That’s the kind of thing that has to be gradual, I think. "Not right away," I said. "Think of it like the nuclear non-proliferation treaties, some knowledge is too dangerous to be available to everyone. I have scientists working on things that could be weaponized and used destructively. I can’t risk that at this point. I do have things that can be released, some of the stuff we’re starting to reveal in our medical centers, for example, but no, the council will not have access to everything."

He shrugged and I couldn’t read him. I thought he was in favor of joining, but I wasn’t sure. "Well, you still haven’t answered. Will you sign the bill and make Guatemala part of the Universal Earth Concord?"