Angels of Vengeance: The Disappearance Novel 3 by John Birmingham Page B

service.’
    ‘That’s the spirit,’ said Culver, brightening considerably. ‘Dissembling with the best of us.’
    They walked down the hallway, observed by portraits of presidents past, and re-entered Kip’s office via the anteroom, the door being held open for them by a Secret Service officer. The current US President was finishing off a sandwich, gazing out of the window at the snowfall. He waved them back to their seats as he returned to his own place, behind the generously proportioned desk that dominated one side of the room.
    ‘Now, Paul’s going to take us through the budgetary position, using small words and big numbers so that I can understand,’ he said, with a warning tone that wasn’t entirely to be taken as a joke. Secretary McAuley, who seemed to have not moved at all during the break, preferring to remain in his chair reviewing his papers, thanked the President.
    ‘Did you read that book I gave you on the Federalist Era, Mr President?’ Culver asked. ‘I’m not joking – you’ll find this Treasury stuff a whole lot easier to digest if you have a sense of history.’
    Kip looked pained. ‘I’m trying, Jed. I’m trying. I’m more of a biography man.’
    ‘I gave you a copy of Miller’s biography on Alexander Hamilton as well,’ the Chief of Staff pointed out.
    Kipper rubbed his head at that. ‘Well, the Federalist book is easier, but not by much. Paul, break it down for us laymen, if you would.’
    ‘Certainly, Mr President. The situation remains dire,’ he began, ‘although there are some positives. The call on supplementary spending for the armed forces has abated considerably as the last federal units rotate out of New York. Governor Schimmel’s state militia have resumed control of Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs, augmented by private security forces funded from salvage concessions in the interior rather than directly out of consolidated revenue.’
    ‘If I may, Mr Secretary?’ Ritchie raised his hand. ‘Some of those savings should come by leaving heavy equipment stored in New York for future use, either by the state or federal authorities in the future. Am I correct?’
    ‘That is correct,’ McAuley replied, nodding his head. ‘We only have to bear the cost of transporting troops who are still on active duty or wish to return to their original duty stations for discharge. Some troops will be discharged directly into New York’s state militias or into the civilian workforce, which will serve to reduce expenditures even further.’
    ‘So we’re not doing too badly, then,’ Culver interjected. ‘If there’s a safe place on the eastern seaboard today, it has to be New York. Next to KC and the Hood, it’s the most heavily armed and populated outpost in CONUS.’ He felt pretty good about that. Maybe in another year the joint naval base of Norfolk would join that list, if the Brits got a move on.
    ‘This is significant,’ Paul McAuley agreed. ‘Even after the end of major combat in the city, we were still haemorrhaging funds there. That difficult period is now behind us.’
    The Secretary of the Treasury shifted in his seat, crossing his legs as though settling in for a long haul. Jed decided to avail himself of the sandwich plate. In many respects, McAuley was potentially the most powerful man in the room. Relegating Chief of Staff Culver to second place. Fortunately, while McAuley had Alexander Hamilton’s grasp of economics combined with a modern-day understanding of the imploded global economy, the egomania wasn’t included in the package, for which Culver was eternally grateful.
    ‘The line of credit negotiated with our Vancouver Alliance partners was activated at midnight last Friday,’ the Treasury chief continued, ‘guaranteeing our recurrent funding needs for the next twelve months. Once we agreed to pay our surviving creditors at face value with regular interest payments, our ability to regain credit was somewhat restored.’
    ‘So let me get this