Construir USIC

Arco - 2021-04-15 → 2021-04-20 - Washington D. C.

📅 Jueves, 15 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 09:24 | 📍 Fort Odenton, Maryland — Sede del USIC, despacho del CINF

La pantalla principal de tu despacho muestra el calendario de implantación del United States Information Corps.

Hay dos programas que llevan meses avanzando en paralelo: la construcción y equipamiento de las instalaciones Tier 0 y Tier 2, y la formación del personal que acabará operándolas.

La primera parte empieza a acercarse a su conclusión material.

La segunda sigue siendo el verdadero factor determinante.

Coges el teléfono.

You) “Megan? Could you come here for a second, please?”

Me) “Of course, Nacho.”

La teniente aparece poco después con su tableta, todavía con el uniforme azul marino del USIC y una expresión alegre.

Me) “Good morning. What’s on your mind?”

You) “How are our friends from Georgetown doing?”

Megan sonríe.

Me) “The future instructors?”

You) “Exactly. How’s their BCT going? And how are we looking for their AIT and OCS?”

Megan abre el expediente de formación.

Me) “Very well, actually. All forty-four reported for training on Monday, March fifteenth, as planned. Thirty-eight enlisted candidates and six officer candidates.”

You) “Excellent.”

Me) “They’re currently in their fifth week of the twelve-week Basic Combat Training program. We haven’t had any withdrawals.”

Sonríes.

You) “That’s wonderful.”

Me) “Their training reports have been particularly encouraging. Apparently the cadre was initially surprised by how many of them were already experienced in explaining things, organizing study groups and helping classmates understand instructions.”

Te ríes.

You) “They’re teachers, Megan.”

Me) “Exactly. One of the instructors wrote that they keep trying to turn remedial training into a classroom.”

You) “I love them already.”

Megan se ríe.

Me) “The cadre seems to like them too, although they’ve been reminded that knowing how to teach doesn’t exempt anybody from learning how to be a soldier.”

You) “Quite right.”

Señala el calendario.

Me) “All forty-four complete the same initial twelve weeks of BCT. After that, the thirty-eight enlisted candidates move into their six-week Advanced Individual Training program, where they’ll acquire the USIC-specific military instructional qualifications.”

You) “And the six officers?”

Me) “Twelve additional weeks at Officer Candidate School. Twenty-four weeks total before commissioning as Second Lieutenants.”

Asientes.

You) “So we’re looking at late August for the officers.”

Me) “Assuming they complete everything on schedule, yes. The enlisted instructional cadre will finish its initial training earlier, after eighteen weeks in total.”

You) “Good. Very good.”

Megan consulta otra página.

Me) “We’ve also arranged for their existing academic qualifications to be incorporated into their instructor development records. They already know how to teach. What they’re learning now is military doctrine, training administration, weapons instruction, safety, leadership and the USIC-specific curriculum.”

You) “That’s exactly what we wanted.”

Me) “They’re enthusiastic, Nacho.”

Te acomodas en la silla.

You) “I remember that group coming into the recruitment tent. Fifty-three education students, all together.”

Megan sonríe.

Me) “And forty-four signed up.”

You) “Thirty-eight instructors and six future officers.”

Me) “Correct.”

You) “An excellent beginning.”

Megan asiente.

Me) “It is.”

Te vuelves hacia la pantalla principal.

You) “Now we need to prepare for the next phase.”

Me) “Mass recruitment?”

You) “Exactly.”

Megan cambia de documento y abre el plan de implantación territorial.

Aparece el esquema de las diez instalaciones Tier 0, los doscientos doce centros Tier 2 y Fort Odenton como cuartel general y núcleo de apoyo.

Me) “The physical construction program has advanced considerably.”

You) “I know. That’s why we can’t afford to lose time on personnel.”

Señalas la pantalla.

You) “Ten Tier 0. Two hundred and twelve Tier 2.”

Me) “Yes.”

You) “Four thousand three hundred seventy-eight military billets, excluding the headquarters and Fort Odenton’s supporting establishment.”

Megan asiente.

Me) “And thirty-one thousand four hundred forty federal FPS and FEMA positions assigned to the facilities.”

You) “Thirty-five thousand eight hundred eighteen people across the Tier network.”

Me) “Exactly.”

La teniente amplía la tabla.

Me) “The current approved structure is still the September third model. Thirty-five military personnel and six hundred federal FPS/FEMA personnel for each Tier 0. Nineteen military personnel and one hundred twenty federal personnel for each Tier 2.”

You) “Good. I don’t want anyone quietly substituting the older July projections.”

Megan sonríe.

Me) “They won’t. The superseded figures are clearly marked in the implementation records.”

You) “Excellent.”

Repasas los datos.

You) “And we’re going to need a lot of Second Lieutenants.”

Me) “Quite a lot.”

You) “Which means we need to recruit them now. We take twenty-four weeks to produce a new officer through the BCT and OCS path.”

Megan señala la proyección.

Me) “That’s the critical lead time. Even if we begin another intake immediately, its officers won’t be available until the autumn.”

You) “Exactly. The facilities are nearly ready. The officers aren’t.”

La joven cambia de pantalla.

Me) “The good news is that the civilian protection and continuity workforce is considerably further along.”

You) “Tell me.”

Me) “The nine hundred experienced FPS supervisors who transferred voluntarily are already part of the USIC structure. Eight hundred ninety-six assigned to the installation coverage establishment, with four headquarters liaisons.”

You) “And the new intakes?”

Me) “Approximately thirty thousand new FPS and FEMA personnel have been progressing through FLETC training cohorts. Those who complete their qualifications continue working or conducting temporary practical assignments with DHS until their final USIC facilities are ready.”

You) “Good.”

Me) “We’re maintaining the agreed arrangement. They remain federal civilian personnel, but they’ll operate under USIC’s command structure when assigned to our installations.”

Asientes.

You) “So the first Tier sites can receive federal protective and continuity coverage before our own military establishment is ready to take over the rest of the duties.”

Me) “Precisely.”

You) “DHS/FPS for physical protection and DHS/FEMA for continuity and emergency response.”

Me) “Yes. Their existing expertise is what’s allowing us to stage the activation instead of waiting for the entire military personnel pipeline.”

Sonríes.

You) “Excellent.”

Megan te observa unos instantes.

Me) “You’re pleased.”

You) “Very.”

Te recuestas.

You) “Megan, USIC became a formally commissioned service on January thirtieth. We’ve already been exercising our founding authorities since July, but January was the formal institutional milestone.”

Me) “I remember.”

You) “And now we’re only in April.”

Miras el calendario.

You) “That’s not even three months.”

Me) “No.”

You) “We’ve got the headquarters functioning. The installation network is approaching physical readiness. The civilian workforce is training. We have our first military instructor cohort in BCT, and we’re building our command structure.”

Megan sonríe.

Me) “It’s been quite a year.”

You) “It has.”

Después vuelves a señalar la proyección de personal.

You) “But we have a mission. And my job is to make sure we can actually perform it.”

Megan asiente.

You) “I don’t want anyone confusing a commissioned service with a fully established operational service. We’re real. We’re legitimate. We have authority, personnel and a headquarters. But we still need to build the force.”

Me) “Understood.”

You) “The Tier 2 buildings being constructed doesn’t mean they’re operational. Tier 0 construction and equipment installation aren’t the same thing as certified capacity. And neither gives us commanders, executive officers or trained noncommissioned personnel.”

Megan marca tres apartados en su tableta.

Me) “Infrastructure acceptance, civilian operational coverage and military personnel readiness.”

You) “Exactly. Three separate milestones.”

Me) “And we activate capabilities as those milestones are met.”

You) “Yes.”

La teniente reorganiza el plan de formación.

Me) “Then I’d propose opening the recruitment schedule immediately. We’ll need sufficient BCT and OCS capacity, an intake sequence matched to the installation activation priorities, and a separate training pipeline for the enlisted military positions.”

You) “Agreed.”

Me) “We should also use existing Army training infrastructure rather than build redundant facilities before we’ve graduated our initial instructor cadre.”

You) “Absolutely. The Army’s already helping with training, logistics and personnel administration. I see no reason to duplicate what works.”

Megan sonríe.

Me) “I’ll coordinate with Silvia and Rebecca on the personnel plan, and with Katie on training and readiness.”

You) “Perfect.”

Me) “We’ll also need geographic distribution priorities.”

You) “Yes. I don’t want two hundred twelve new lieutenants appearing on the same day without their installations being ready to receive them.”

La teniente se ríe.

Me) “That would be inconvenient.”

You) “Slightly.”

Megan vuelve a consultar la tabla territorial.

Me) “We can organize the intake by projected readiness of each Tier site. The first graduating officers go to the installations that have completed acceptance and civilian integration. Later cohorts fill the remaining ones.”

You) “Good. And remember our autonomy doctrine.”

Me) “Local command independence?”

You) “Exactly. These aren’t merely administrative managers. Every Tier commander must be able to maintain essential functions and protect personnel during a crisis, even when communications with headquarters are interrupted.”

Megan asiente.

Me) “So the commissioning curriculum needs to emphasize independent judgment, continuity planning, federal interagency coordination and responsible command decisions.”

You) “Precisely.”

Te inclinas hacia ella.

You) “We’re building a service that operates national information infrastructure. If a regional center loses contact with us during a disaster, I want its commander to know what to do without waiting for me to answer the phone.”

Me) “That’s a very clear training objective.”

You) “Good.”

Durante unos momentos revisáis la programación de las primeras promociones.

Megan toma nota de los plazos, posibles dependencias y cuestiones que debe coordinar con Army y el personal de OCUSIC.

Finalmente cierra el expediente de formación.

Me) “One thing I particularly like about this.”

You) “What’s that?”

Me) “Our forty-four Georgetown recruits.”

Sonríes.

Me) “They aren’t going to be the entire training establishment, obviously. But they’re going to form part of the first homegrown cadre of USIC instructors and training officers.”

You) “That’s the idea.”

Me) “And when the larger recruitment waves arrive, they’ll already have both their professional teaching background and their new military qualifications.”

You) “Which means they’ll be able to help develop the next generation.”

Megan asiente.

Me) “Exactly.”

Te quedas contemplando los datos de la pantalla.

You) “Imagine them in ten years.”

Me) “Oh?”

You) “Experienced instructors, senior NCOs, captains, majors. Maybe somebody’s running one of our training schools.”

Megan sonríe.

Me) “I imagine several of them will.”

You) “I hope so.”

La joven te mira con afecto.

Me) “You really do like thinking about people’s careers forty years into the future.”

You) “Well, they’re signing up to build something. I want them to have somewhere to grow.”

Megan asiente.

Me) “Then let’s make sure we’ve got the next intake ready.”

You) “Please.”

La teniente se levanta.

Me) “I’ll start coordinating the mass recruitment plan this morning. We’ll keep the approved Tier staffing model, separate the infrastructure and personnel milestones, and map the twenty-four-week commissioning pipeline against projected site readiness.”

You) “Excellent. Thank you, Megan.”

Me) “You’re welcome, Nacho.”

Cuando llega a la puerta, se detiene.

Me) “Oh, and one last thing.”

You) “Yes?”

Me) “The Georgetown recruits sent a group photograph from training.”

Levantas inmediatamente la cabeza.

You) “They did?”

Me) “Forty-four very tired people in uniform. Apparently they wanted their first commanding general to see that they’re still together.”

Sonríes ampliamente.

You) “Send it to me, please.”

Me) “Already in your inbox.”

You) “Wonderful.”

Megan se ríe.

Me) “I thought you’d like that.”

You) “Very much.”

Cuando sale, abres el mensaje.

La fotografía muestra a cuarenta y cuatro jóvenes que, apenas un mes atrás, estaban estudiando Educación en Georgetown.

Ahora están aprendiendo a ser militares.

Dentro de unas semanas comenzarán a especializarse como instructores y futuros oficiales del USIC.

Y tú tienes ante ti una tarea todavía mayor: conseguir que el resto de la estructura esté preparada para recibirlos y que las siguientes promociones puedan empezar cuanto antes.

Vuelves a abrir el calendario de reclutamiento.

Hay mucho trabajo por delante.

Y estás deseando hacerlo.

📅 Jueves, 15 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 10:18 | 📍 Fort Odenton, Maryland — Sede del USIC, despacho del CINF

Megan acaba de salir con el encargo de preparar las siguientes promociones de reclutamiento cuando vuelves a examinar la documentación de la campaña federal contra la influencia corruptora.

El proyecto de implantación territorial del USIC sigue su propio calendario. Las diez instalaciones Tier 0, los doscientos doce centros Tier 2 y los miles de efectivos que acabarán trabajando en ellas forman una responsabilidad monumental.

Pero hay otra iniciativa que requiere tu atención.

Y, sobre todo, hay una persona que necesita comprender de dónde ha salido.

Coges el teléfono.

You) “Di? Could you come to my office, please? I want to explain how we ended up needing all those federal investigators we discussed last week.”

Ev) “Of course, Nacho. I’ll be right there.”

Apenas dos minutos después, Elodie aparece con su habitual libreta verde, una carpeta de documentos y una sonrisa.

Ev) “Good morning!”

You) “Morning, Di. Come in.”

Se acomoda frente a ti.

Ev) “Is this about the interagency project?”

You) “Exactly. I realized I’ve been asking you to develop an enormous institutional structure without properly explaining how we arrived at the decision to create it.”

Di abre inmediatamente su libreta.

Ev) “I’m listening.”

Te recuestas en la silla.

You) “First, I want to make something clear. This isn’t about punishing people for having money, hiring lawyers or expressing political opinions.”

Ev) “I assumed as much.”

You) “It’s about what happens when money starts buying access to public authority. When political connections become more important than qualifications, when companies can influence decisions behind closed doors, and when ordinary people start believing that the system belongs to whoever can afford it.”

Elodie asiente.

Ev) “Institutional capture.”

You) “Exactly.”

Di apunta la expresión.

Ev) “And that’s why your agency list covers so many sectors.”

You) “Yes. The vulnerabilities aren’t limited to one industry. They can appear in financial markets, federal procurement, energy regulation, healthcare, defense contracts, employment decisions… anywhere important decisions can be influenced.”

Ev) “All right. But what made you decide to tackle it now?”

La pregunta llega con naturalidad.

Te quedas unos segundos pensando cómo explicarlo.

You) “Do you remember Ashley Smith?”

Elodie levanta la cabeza.

Ev) “Of course. Amy introduced us at Georgetown. We weren’t particularly close, but I knew her.”

You) “She’s one of my closest friends.”

Ev) “I gathered that when I met her here.”

Sonríes.

You) “She’s an extraordinary person, Di. Very capable, extremely loyal, and someone I’m genuinely proud to have in my office.”

Elodie te escucha.

You) “A few weeks ago, something happened that brought home just how much damage people can do when they convince someone that powerful connections matter more than personal merit.”

Di deja el bolígrafo sobre el papel.

You) “Ashley had been involved in a difficult personal situation for several years. I won’t go into the private details. They’re hers, and I don’t think she’d appreciate me discussing them unnecessarily.”

Ev) “Of course.”

You) “What matters here is that somebody repeatedly used supposed political connections to make her believe her future could be controlled by other people.”

Di frunce ligeramente el ceño.

Ev) “Her career?”

You) “Among other things. She wanted to serve. She had the qualifications and the commitment. But she was repeatedly told that influential people could prevent her from becoming an officer.”

Elodie permanece muy quieta.

Ev) “That’s awful.”

You) “It was.”

Te inclinas ligeramente hacia delante.

You) “I met her at Georgetown during our recruiting event. We talked. I evaluated her, and I offered her a commission because she’d earned it.”

Di sonríe.

Ev) “That sounds like you.”

You) “I hope so.”

La joven escucha mientras continúas.

You) “Later, legal proceedings brought certain things into the open. There was evidence that political connections had been invoked in an attempt to influence the handling of the case.”

Ev) “Actual contacts with public officials?”

You) “Yes. The extent and consequences of those contacts are matters for the appropriate authorities, but the attempt itself was significant.”

Di anota unas palabras.

Ev) “So there was a documented connection between a private dispute and attempts to use political influence.”

You) “Correct.”

Ev) “And that raised a larger question.”

You) “It did.”

Te levantas y caminas hasta una de las ventanas.

You) “Di, Ashley is a First Lieutenant now. She works here. She’s doing very well, and I’m immensely proud of her.”

Elodie sonríe.

Ev) “She seemed very happy when I met her.”

You) “She is. And that’s what matters to me personally.”

Vuelves hacia la mesa.

You) “But I kept thinking about all the people who don’t have someone willing or able to examine what’s happening to them. People whose careers, businesses or opportunities can be affected by improper influence without anybody noticing.”

Di te observa con interés creciente.

You) “I don’t believe the answer is simply to find one person who behaved badly and punish him. I want to understand the systems that make that behavior possible.”

Ev) “And identify where those systems are being abused.”

You) “Exactly.”

La joven consulta sus notas.

Ev) “So the personal experience gave you a reason to look more closely, but the institutional objective is much broader.”

You) “Yes.”

Ev) “Does Ashley know about the initiative?”

You) “Very much so.”

Sonríes.

You) “Actually, she was with me when I began developing it.”

Di levanta las cejas.

Ev) “Really?”

You) “We spent a long drive talking about the difference between doing something because you’re angry and doing something because you genuinely believe the country needs it.”

Elodie asiente.

You) “She helped me think through that distinction. And she supported the idea.”

Ev) “That must have meant a great deal.”

You) “It did.”

Di cierra momentáneamente la libreta.

Ev) “Nacho, thank you for explaining this without turning Ashley’s personal history into an office briefing.”

La miras.

You) “She’s my friend, Di.”

Ev) “I know.”

You) “I can explain why we’re doing something without telling everybody everything about her life.”

Elodie sonríe.

Ev) “I appreciate that.”

Vuelves a sentarte.

You) “Anyway. That brings us to March twenty-seventh.”

Di abre una página nueva.

Ev) “The Saturday meeting?”

You) “Yes. I went to the White House and requested an extraordinary meeting with Daniel and the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

Elodie levanta lentamente la cabeza.

Ev) “The entire JCS?”

You) “Yes.”

Ev) “On a Saturday?”

You) “At five in the afternoon.”

Di te contempla.

Ev) “You really don’t do anything halfway, do you?”

Te ríes.

You) “Apparently not.”

Ev) “What did you propose?”

You) “An open institutional campaign against corrupt influence networks. Particularly the systems concentrated around K Street, although the actual scope is nationwide.”

Di empieza a escribir.

You) “I explained the national security implications, the risks of foreign influence, the distortion of public administration and the damage to public confidence.”

Ev) “And Daniel supported it?”

You) “He did.”

Ev) “Immediately?”

You) “After understanding what I was asking, yes.”

Elodie asiente.

You) “I also told him that the political cost could be enormous.”

Ev) “Naturally.”

You) “And that I was prepared to resign if he couldn’t support the initiative.”

Di deja de escribir.

Ev) “You offered to resign?”

You) “Yes.”

Ev) “From USIC?”

You) “Yes.”

La joven te mira durante varios segundos.

Ev) “Nacho, that’s a remarkably serious thing to offer.”

You) “It was.”

Ev) “Why?”

Te acomodas.

You) “Because my office is institutionally protected. Daniel can’t simply remove me because he disagrees with me.”

Di asiente: ya ha empezado a estudiar las particularidades estatutarias del USIC.

You) “If I had pursued a major political confrontation without his support, I could have put him in an impossible position.”

Ev) “A powerful military official pursuing a politically explosive initiative against the wishes of the President.”

You) “Exactly.”

Ev) “And removing you would require an extraordinary institutional process.”

You) “Yes.”

Te quedas pensativo.

You) “I didn’t want him to have to fight me. Especially not when he’s Amy’s father.”

Elodie sonríe ligeramente.

Ev) “Of course.”

You) “I love Amy. Daniel is important to her, and he’s become important to me too. I wasn’t going to turn a policy disagreement into a confrontation that could damage their relationship.”

Di asiente despacio.

Ev) “So you gave him a genuine choice.”

You) “Yes.”

Ev) “And he chose to support you.”

You) “He did. He told me to remain in command and develop the initiative.”

La joven contempla la página.

Ev) “That explains why the project has presidential backing.”

You) “Exactly. The Joint Chiefs also understood what we wanted to accomplish.”

Ev) “And that’s when you started designing the investigative team?”

You) “Yes. Small central groups, substantial institutional support, protection against pressure, and enough expertise to trace influence across different sectors.”

Di reconoce inmediatamente la estructura.

Ev) “The two specialists per agency.”

You) “Correct.”

Ev) “The FBI cell.”

You) “Initially one young agent. We’ve since developed that into the six-person cell we discussed.”

Ev) “The senior federal lawyers.”

You) “Another improvement from last week’s discussions.”

Ella sonríe.

Ev) “And the legal research infrastructure.”

You) “Yes.”

Di contempla sus anotaciones durante varios segundos.

Ev) “All right. Now I understand something I didn’t understand last Thursday.”

You) “What’s that?”

Ev) “Why you were so interested in protecting investigators financially and professionally.”

Asientes.

Ev) “If you’re investigating networks that may have influence over appointments, budgets, contracts and political careers, the investigators themselves need to be able to work without worrying that an unhappy official can destroy their livelihoods.”

You) “Exactly.”

Ev) “That’s why you proposed guaranteed salaries, institutional protection against retaliatory removal, and oversight by experienced FBI OPR investigators.”

You) “Yes.”

Di apunta algo nuevo.

Ev) “Then those protections need to be part of the founding structure, not an afterthought.”

You) “I agree.”

Ev) “And the political drafting team will need to work closely with the federal lawyers. Otherwise we’ll build a perfectly good operational model and discover too late that its statutory language doesn’t protect the people carrying it out.”

Sonríes ampliamente.

You) “That’s precisely why I hired you.”

Di levanta la mirada.

Ev) “I think you might have hired me for several reasons by now.”

Te ríes.

You) “True.”

La joven vuelve a mirar el esquema.

Ev) “There’s something else. You keep mentioning K Street as the symbolic center of the problem.”

You) “Yes.”

Ev) “But K Street also includes people who conduct legitimate advocacy, represent associations and provide information to lawmakers.”

You) “Of course.”

Ev) “Then we should make the public distinction very clear. We’re targeting corrupt transactions, concealed influence, fraud, improper pressure and institutional capture. Not advocacy merely because it’s professionally organized.”

You) “Absolutely.”

Di asiente, satisfecha.

Ev) “Good. That’s going to matter enormously when we communicate the initiative.”

You) “I know.”

Coge una hoja nueva.

Ev) “And there’s a public announcement planned?”

You) “There is.”

Ev) “Where?”

You) “The Army War College. Carlisle.”

Elodie deja escapar una pequeña risa de sorpresa.

Ev) “The Army War College?”

You) “Yes.”

Ev) “Why there?”

You) “Because I want the next generation of senior military leaders to see what we’re doing and why.”

Di se queda pensativa.

You) “And because we intend to invite representatives of some of the most influential organizations in Washington.”

Ev) “For the announcement?”

You) “Yes.”

Ella levanta lentamente las cejas.

Ev) “Nacho…”

You) “Yes?”

Ev) “I suspect there’s more to that invitation strategy than you’re telling me.”

Sonríes.

You) “There is.”

Di cierra los ojos un instante y empieza a reírse.

Ev) “Of course there is.”

You) “We’ll go through it together.”

Ev) “Good. Because if I’m going to help you manage the political consequences, I’d really like to know what those consequences might be before we invite half of Washington to Pennsylvania.”

Te echas a reír.

You) “That’s a very reasonable request.”

Ev) “Thank you.”

Permanece unos segundos contemplando las páginas que ha llenado.

Después levanta la cabeza.

Ev) “May I tell you what I think?”

You) “Please.”

Ev) “I think this is a serious institutional initiative with a very clear public-interest rationale. I also think it’s much larger than the staffing problem we discussed last week.”

You) “It is.”

Ev) “And I understand now why you wanted someone who could take your ideas, identify their political implications and make sure the right people were working on them.”

You) “Exactly.”

Di sonríe.

Ev) “Then I’m glad you explained the origin. It changes how I’ll approach the entire project.”

You) “How so?”

Ev) “I’ll treat institutional integrity as the central objective. Every recruitment decision, legal provision, public statement and operational arrangement should support that objective.”

Asientes.

Ev) “And I’ll make sure we’re building something that can survive beyond one President, one administration or one particularly energetic Major General.”

Te ríes.

You) “I’d appreciate that.”

La joven te contempla con una expresión divertida.

Ev) “Besides, apparently you’ve decided we should all still be working together forty years from now.”

You) “If you’d like.”

Ev) “Ask me again in a few years.”

You) “Fair enough.”

Di sonríe y vuelve a abrir su libreta.

Ev) “All right, Nacho. Now that I understand why we’re building the investigative team, I have a considerably better idea of how to organize my part of it.”

You) “Wonderful.”

Ev) “And I think my two prospective drafting specialists are going to find this absolutely fascinating.”

You) “I hope so.”

Elodie recoge los documentos, aunque permanece sentada.

Ev) “One more thing.”

You) “Of course.”

Ev) “About Ashley.”

Te quedas escuchando.

Ev) “I won’t ask you for anything personal. But if she ever wants to contribute her perspective to the policy work, I’d be very glad to listen.”

Sonríes con afecto.

You) “Thank you, Di. I’ll let her know.”

La joven asiente.

Ev) “Good.”

Después contempla la carpeta de la iniciativa.

Ev) “I have to say, when Amy told me you were looking for a political adviser, I didn’t expect to spend my second week helping design a federal campaign against institutional corruption.”

You) “Disappointed?”

Di empieza a reírse.

Ev) “Not even remotely.”

Su sonrisa se ensancha.

Ev) “I think this might be the most interesting job in Washington.”

You) “I’m delighted you think so.”

Ev) “I do.”

Recoge finalmente su libreta verde.

Ev) “And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have two potential colleagues to call, a legislative drafting structure to design, and approximately forty questions about Carlisle.”

Te echas a reír.

You) “Only forty?”

Di sonríe desde la puerta.

Ev) “That’s just the first page, Nacho.”

📅 Viernes, 16 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 20:17 | 📍 Annapolis, Maryland — Bar del centro histórico

El local está bastante animado para ser viernes. Hay música a un volumen agradable, varias mesas ocupadas por grupos de amigos y una barra larga detrás de la que dos camareros trabajan sin descanso.

Habéis encontrado una mesa para tres junto a una de las ventanas, con vistas a la calle.

Amy se ha sentado a tu derecha y Ashley enfrente. Las dos han decidido que esta noche van a disfrutar de una salida completamente informal, sin reuniones del JCS, expedientes, informes ni conversaciones sobre Washington.

Tú llevas vaqueros, zapatillas y una camisa azul oscuro. Amy viste pantalones negros y una blusa verde; Ashley ha elegido unos vaqueros y una camiseta blanca bajo una chaqueta.

Andrew Hayes, responsable de tu equipo de protección, se encuentra unas mesas más allá con otro miembro del destacamento. Ambos van de paisano. Andrew ha aceptado una limonada y parece dispuesto a disfrutar de una noche relativamente tranquila.

El camarero termina de dejar vuestras bebidas. Para ti, un chocolate caliente que ha provocado una breve discusión con la cafetera del establecimiento.

Amy lo contempla, divertida.

Amy Walker) “I still can’t believe you found a bar that makes hot chocolate.”

You) “Excellent establishment. Five stars.”

Ashley) “You haven’t even tried the food.”

You) “Irrelevant.”

Ashley se ríe.

Amy levanta su vaso.

Amy Walker) “You know, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.”

You) “Oh?”

Amy Walker) “How come Hannah never comes to these things?”

Sonríes mientras coges tu taza.

You) “She’s never really liked them. Hannah’s a home person. A proper, proper home person.”

Amy asiente, interesada.

You) “We’re Texans, sweetheart. A Texas military family. Suburban house, Sunday barbecue, wife who loves being a homemaker, two kids… that’s practically the Military Family Starter Pack 101.”

Ashley levanta lentamente una ceja.

Ashley) “Oh, really?”

Te vuelves hacia ella con absoluta seriedad.

You) “Of course. You missed that ROTC seminar.”

Ashley abre la boca.

Ashley) “Oh my God.”

Amy estalla en carcajadas.

Amy Walker) “Nacho!”

Pero tú continúas, imperturbable.

You) “Military Family Structures 101. Essential instruction. Usually delivered right after Military Courtesy and before Introduction to Lawn Maintenance.”

Ashley empieza a reírse tan fuerte que tiene que dejar su vaso.

Ashley) “Introduction to WHAT?”

You) “Lawn Maintenance. Highly relevant for officers. If you’re lucky, they cover acceptable barbecue techniques in the advanced module.”

Andrew, que acaba de escuchar la última parte mientras comprueba discretamente la sala, tiene que llevarse una mano a la boca.

Su compañero lo observa, desconcertado.

Protection Officer 2 (Po2) murmura:

Po2) “What?”

Andrew apenas consigue responder.

Andrew Hayes (Ah) dice:

Andrew Hayes) “Military Family Structures One-Oh-One.”

Se dobla ligeramente sobre la mesa, incapaz de contener la risa.

Ashley lo señala.

Ashley) “Andrew! You’re supposed to be supporting me!”

Andrew Hayes) “I’m sorry, Lieutenant. He’s got a point about the lawn maintenance.”

Amy se echa hacia atrás, completamente descompuesta.

Amy Walker) “Oh, you’re both ridiculous!”

Tú bebes tranquilamente un sorbo de chocolate.

You) “Anyway, Hannah genuinely enjoys being at home. Always has. Even when we were kids, she’d rather spend a Saturday baking something with me than going somewhere noisy.”

Amy sonríe con cariño.

Amy Walker) “That does sound like her.”

You) “She’s happy looking after Ava and Rachel, making the house beautiful, planning meals, gardening, having friends over. That’s the life she’s always wanted.”

Ashley apoya los codos sobre la mesa.

Ashley) “And you’re happy with that?”

You) “Of course. She’s happy, I’m happy, the girls are happy. It’s wonderful.”

Amy Walker) “And Hannah makes the best Sunday barbecue.”

You) “That’s actually my department.”

Amy sonríe.

Amy Walker) “You help.”

You) “I command the grill.”

Ashley) “Is that a statutory USIC authority?”

You) “Constitutionally protected.”

Andrew vuelve a perder la batalla contra la risa.

Amy se inclina hacia ti y te besa la mejilla.

Amy Walker) “My very distinguished grill commander.”

You) “Thank you, pretty.”

Ashley os contempla con una sonrisa.

Ashley) “I do love how happy you all are together.”

Amy la mira.

Amy Walker) “You should come over on Sunday. Hannah was talking about making that potato salad you liked.”

Ashley) “Really?”

You) “Absolutely. Bring an appetite.”

Ashley sonríe ampliamente.

Ashley) “I’d love to.”

La conversación continúa entre pequeñas historias de la semana. Ashley cuenta cómo Rebecca se ha tomado extraordinariamente en serio su reciente nombramiento como adjunta de Silvia, y Amy explica que ha conseguido avanzar bastante en su trabajo final gracias a un par de mañanas sin interrupciones presidenciales ni generales.

You) “Speaking of which, who are you two setting me up with tonight?”

Las dos levantan la cabeza.

You) “Last time we did this, I met the President’s daughter, who apparently flirted with me without my noticing.”

Amy se queda inmóvil.

Después abre mucho los ojos.

Amy Walker) “Excuse me?”

Ashley empieza a reírse.

Ashley) “Oh, here we go.”

You) “I’m just asking. Apparently this is how these evenings work.”

Amy te mira con una indignación completamente teatral.

Amy Walker) “I was not being subtle!”

You) “I thought you were being friendly.”

Amy Walker) “I touched your arm approximately twelve times!”

You) “You are a very affectionate person.”

Ashley se lleva ambas manos a la cara.

Ashley) “Oh my God, Nacho.”

Amy Walker) “I asked whether you had a girlfriend!”

You) “A perfectly reasonable question.”

Amy Walker) “I complimented your eyes!”

You) “That was very kind.”

Amy Walker) “I told you I thought you were handsome!”

You) “Again, very kind.”

Amy deja caer la frente sobre tu hombro, muerta de risa.

Amy Walker) “How did I ever manage to get through to you?”

Le acaricias el cabello.

You) “Persistence, sweetheart.”

Ashley señala a Amy.

Ashley) “You know what the funniest part was? I could see exactly what she was doing.”

Amy Walker) “Of course you could!”

Ashley) “She kept looking at me like, ‘Is he serious?’”

You) “I was being perfectly serious.”

Ashley) “THAT WAS THE PROBLEM!”

Las dos se ríen.

Andrew se ha girado ligeramente en su silla, escuchando con una expresión de extraordinaria diversión.

Andrew Hayes) “Sir, if I may…”

You) “Of course, Andrew.”

Andrew Hayes) “With all due respect, even we noticed.”

Te vuelves hacia él.

You) “You did?”

Andrew Hayes) “Sir, your protection detail was approximately three steps ahead of you in understanding what Miss Walker wanted.”

Amy levanta ambos brazos.

Amy Walker) “THANK YOU!”

Ashley golpea suavemente la mesa, riéndose.

You) “Well, nobody told me.”

Andrew Hayes) “We considered it outside our operational responsibilities, sir.”

You) “Clearly a serious oversight.”

Andrew Hayes) “I’ll update the procedures.”

Amy se seca una lágrima de risa.

Amy Walker) “Please do.”

Te vuelves hacia Ashley.

You) “Anyway. Back to my question. Who have you arranged for me to meet tonight?”

Ashley se acomoda, recuperando una expresión maliciosa.

Ashley) “Well, Amy, should we tell him?”

Amy le sigue inmediatamente el juego.

Amy Walker) “I don’t know. He might not notice.”

You) “Oh, come on.”

Ashley) “We did consider introducing you to a very attractive young woman.”

Levantas las cejas.

You) “Oh?”

Ashley) “Smart. Beautiful. Wonderful personality.”

Amy Walker) “Excellent education.”

Ashley) “Very well connected.”

Amy Walker) “And extremely persistent.”

Empiezas a sospechar algo.

You) “Really?”

Amy te sonríe dulcemente.

Amy Walker) “She’s sitting right here, handsome.”

Ashley se dobla de risa.

You) “Oh.”

Amy te rodea el cuello con un brazo.

Amy Walker) “Hello. I’m Amy.”

You) “Lovely to meet you, Amy.”

Amy Walker) “I think you’re very handsome.”

You) “That’s very kind of you.”

Amy Walker) “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

La miras con una expresión exageradamente pensativa.

You) “Well, I should probably tell you I’m married.”

Amy asiente con solemnidad.

Amy Walker) “I know. Your wife and I are very good friends.”

You) “Oh. That’s convenient.”

Ashley) “UNBELIEVABLE!”

Amy se echa a reír y te besa.

Amy Walker) “You ridiculous, wonderful man.”

You) “So is that a yes on the date?”

Amy Walker) “Absolutely.”

Ashley se recuesta en su silla, contemplándoos con una sonrisa enorme.

Ashley) “You two are disgustingly adorable.”

Amy apoya la cabeza sobre tu hombro.

Amy Walker) “Thank you.”

You) “We try.”

Ashley coge una patata frita del plato que acaba de llegar.

Ashley) “Although, for the record, I am never setting you up with anybody again.”

You) “Why not?”

Ashley) “Because apparently I’d have to write you a formal memorandum explaining that someone is flirting with you.”

Andrew interviene desde su mesa.

Andrew Hayes) “Three copies, Lieutenant. Signed and acknowledged.”

You) “And one for the Federal Register.”

Amy empieza a reírse.

Amy Walker) “Oh, no. Not the Federal Register!”

Ashley) “With a formal appointment clause.”

You) “For the duration of my pleasure?”

El efecto es inmediato.

Amy se queda sin aire de la risa.

Ashley deja caer la cabeza sobre los brazos.

Andrew se levanta para apartarse un momento de la mesa, porque se está riendo demasiado.

Andrew Hayes) “Jesus Christ, General!”

Tú sigues bebiendo chocolate caliente con toda la tranquilidad del mundo.

You) “What? It’s perfectly valid administrative language.”

Amy consigue incorporarse y te señala con un dedo.

Amy Walker) “I swear, someday I’m going to frame that General Order.”

You) “It was an excellent order.”

Ashley) “Of course it was.”

Amy Walker) “Very episcopal.”

You) “You’re both impossible.”

Ashley sonríe.

Ashley) “And yet here you are.”

La miras con afecto.

You) “And delighted to be here.”

La respuesta hace que Ashley sonría de otra manera, mucho más tierna.

Ashley) “Me too.”

Durante un rato os dedicáis a comer, comentar tonterías y observar a los grupos que van llegando al bar.

Amy termina contándole a Ashley cómo reaccionó Di cuando comprendió el alcance del proyecto institucional que estáis preparando. Ashley se alegra sinceramente de que su antigua conocida de Georgetown haya encontrado su sitio en OCUSIC.

Ashley) “She’s good, isn’t she?”

You) “Very.”

Amy Walker) “I told you!”

You) “You did, sweetheart.”

Ashley) “She’s also going to keep you very busy.”

You) “Apparently.”

Amy levanta su vaso.

Amy Walker) “To Di, then.”

Ashley lo levanta también.

Ashley) “To Di.”

Tú alzas tu taza de chocolate.

You) “To Di. And to all the wonderfully capable people in my life.”

Las tres bebidas chocan suavemente.

Andrew observa la escena desde su mesa.

Andrew Hayes) “You know, General, I think this might actually be the first quiet Friday evening we’ve had in a while.”

Lo miras.

You) “Don’t jinx it, Andrew.”

Andrew Hayes) “Understood, sir.”

Amy se acerca a tu oído.

Amy Walker) “So, handsome. About that date…”

You) “Yes, pretty?”

Amy Walker) “I happen to know a lovely girl who’d be very interested in going home with you tonight.”

Sonríes.

You) “Oh?”

Amy Walker) “She’s got red hair, freckles, and a very handsome boyfriend who apparently needs written notice whenever someone flirts with him.”

Ashley vuelve a reírse.

Te inclinas y besas a Amy.

You) “I think I know her.”

Amy Walker) “Finally!”

Ashley levanta las manos.

Ashley) “Ladies and gentlemen, progress!”

Y el resto de la velada continúa entre bromas, comida y conversaciones sin ningún propósito más importante que disfrutar de una noche entre amigos.

Por una vez, tu tarea más complicada consiste en defenderte de dos jóvenes que te conocen demasiado bien.

Y, a juzgar por la cantidad de veces que consiguen hacerte reír, están ganando por goleada.

📅 Lunes, 19 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 10:36 | 📍 Washington D. C. — The White House, Oval Office

Daniel Walker está firmando un documento cuando su secretario le comunica que habéis llegado.

Al levantar la cabeza y veros entrar juntos, sonríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Well, look who decided to visit! My two favorite troublemakers.”

Amy se ríe.

Amy Walker) “Hi, Dad.”

Se acerca a abrazarlo. Daniel le da un beso en la frente y después te estrecha la mano.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Nacho. Good morning.”

You) “Morning, Daniel.”

El presidente contempla a su hija, que lleva un vestido azul claro, una chaqueta blanca y el cabello pelirrojo recogido parcialmente sobre los hombros.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “You look lovely, sweetheart.”

Amy Walker) “Thank you, Daddy.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Everything all right?”

Amy te mira.

Tú le devuelves la mirada.

Lleváis todo el trayecto desde Odenton intercambiando sonrisas, pensando en cómo se lo vais a contar.

You) “Actually, Daniel, we’ve got some news.”

Daniel deja inmediatamente el bolígrafo.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “News?”

Amy Walker) “Yes.”

La expresión de Amy es tan feliz que el presidente empieza a sospechar que hay algo importante detrás.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “All right. Come sit down.”

Os conduce hacia los sofás.

Pero antes de que lleguéis, Amy te coge de la mano.

Amy Walker) “Actually, Dad, I’d rather tell you standing up.”

Daniel se detiene.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Sweetheart?”

Amy sonríe de oreja a oreja.

Amy Walker) “You’re going to be a grandfather again.”

El presidente permanece inmóvil.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I’m going to be a…”

Mira a su hija.

Después a ti.

Vuelve a mirar a Amy.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Wait. Amy?”

Ella asiente, riéndose.

Amy Walker) “I’m pregnant, Daddy.”

Daniel abre mucho los ojos.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Oh, my God.”

Amy apenas tiene tiempo de abrir los brazos antes de que su padre la abrace con una fuerza extraordinariamente cariñosa.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Oh, sweetheart!”

Amy Walker) “Dad!”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “My little girl!”

La joven empieza a reírse contra su hombro.

Amy Walker) “I’m not that little anymore.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Apparently not!”

Daniel se separa lo suficiente para mirarla a la cara.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “You’re having a baby?”

Amy Walker) “Yes.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “A baby.”

Amy Walker) “Yes, Daddy.”

El presidente vuelve a abrazarla.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Oh, Amy. That’s wonderful. That’s absolutely wonderful.”

A Amy se le humedecen los ojos.

Amy Walker) “We’re so happy.”

Daniel te mira por encima del hombro de su hija.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Nacho!”

Sonríes.

You) “Surprise.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Come here!”

Te incorpora inmediatamente al abrazo.

Durante unos segundos estáis los tres juntos, riéndoos.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Good Lord. I’m going to be a grandfather again.”

Amy Walker) “In about nine months.”

Daniel se separa, todavía emocionado.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “How long have you known?”

Amy Walker) “Not long. We wanted to tell you ourselves.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And Hannah?”

Amy sonríe.

Amy Walker) “She knows.”

You) “She’s delighted.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Of course she is.”

Daniel vuelve a mirar a su hija.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And how are you feeling?”

Amy Walker) “Wonderful. A little overwhelmed, but wonderful.”

Le acaricia cariñosamente la mejilla.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I’m so happy for you.”

Amy apoya la cabeza en su hombro.

Amy Walker) “Thank you, Daddy.”

El presidente contempla después tu expresión.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And you, Nacho?”

You) “Absolutely delighted.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Another baby.”

You) “Another baby.”

Daniel empieza a reírse.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Ava’s going to have quite the family.”

You) “She’s very enthusiastic about being a big sister.”

Amy Walker) “She’s already practicing with Rachel.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Oh, that’s adorable.”

Amy sonríe.

Amy Walker) “She told me the baby should have a dinosaur.”

Daniel suelta una carcajada.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Naturally.”

Finalmente os sentáis.

El presidente tarda todavía un par de minutos en dejar de sonreír como un abuelo que acaba de recibir la mejor noticia del año.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I have to admit, this is considerably better than most Monday morning briefings.”

You) “I’m glad.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And I thought you were coming to discuss the interagency program.”

You) “We are.”

Daniel te contempla.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Of course you are.”

Amy se ríe.

Amy Walker) “We can do both, Dad.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Apparently.”

La joven se acomoda junto a ti.

Tú le acaricias la mano antes de mirar al presidente.

You) “Actually, Daniel, there’s something important I want to say before we get into that.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Go ahead.”

You) “This is your last chance to accept my resignation.”

Daniel deja de sonreír.

Amy gira inmediatamente la cabeza hacia ti.

Amy Walker) “What?”

You) “Daniel, I’m serious. I really don’t want to put you in an impossible position.”

El presidente te contempla.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Nacho.”

You) “I know what we’re planning. I know the scale of it, and I know how much political pressure it could generate.”

Amy te mira, completamente desconcertada.

Amy Walker) “Wait. Resignation?”

You) “Yes, sweetheart.”

Amy Walker) “From USIC?”

You) “Yes.”

La joven se incorpora.

Amy Walker) “Why on earth would you resign?”

Daniel levanta una mano suavemente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Amy, let him explain.”

Pero Amy ya está mirando a su padre.

Amy Walker) “Daddy, do you want him to resign?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Absolutely not.”

Amy Walker) “Then what are we talking about?”

Te vuelves hacia ella.

You) “Pretty, I offered Daniel the same option on March twenty-seventh. If he couldn’t support what I intended to do, I was prepared to step aside.”

Amy frunce el ceño.

Amy Walker) “Why?”

You) “Because he can’t simply dismiss me from my institutional command. Not without an enormous process involving a considerable part of the federal government and Congress.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “That’s correct.”

You) “And I won’t use that protection to force him into a political confrontation he doesn’t want.”

Daniel te observa con afecto.

You) “The initiative could become one of the defining battles of his presidency. I don’t want him to have to spend his final years defending a general he can’t remove, particularly when that general is also dating his daughter.”

Amy abre la boca.

Después la cierra.

Vuelve a mirar a su padre.

Amy Walker) “Daddy?”

Daniel responde inmediatamente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I’ve already told him I support the initiative.”

You) “And I’m giving you one final opportunity to reconsider.”

El presidente niega con la cabeza.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “No, Nacho.”

You) “Daniel—”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “No. I’m not accepting your resignation.”

Lo miras.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I understood the risks when you came here in March. I understand them now. And I still want you commanding USIC.”

Su expresión se suaviza.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Especially today.”

Amy te aprieta la mano.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “You’re building a family with my daughter. I don’t want you sacrificing the career you love because you’re worried about protecting my political reputation.”

You) “Thank you.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Besides, I happen to agree with what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Amy contempla alternativamente a ambos.

Amy Walker) “All right. Somebody needs to explain this to me properly.”

Sonríes.

You) “That’s another reason I brought you.”

Ella levanta las cejas.

Amy Walker) “Good. Because I was about to demand it.”

Daniel empieza a reírse.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “That’s definitely my daughter.”

Durante los siguientes minutos le expones el programa.

La iniciativa contra las redes de influencia comprada de K Street.

La cooperación con FBI, Treasury, FinCEN, OFAC, SEC y los demás reguladores federales.

Las células investigadoras pequeñas, protegidas institucionalmente y respaldadas por la capacidad completa de sus agencias.

El equipo de juristas federales y sus sistemas de investigación jurídica asistida por inteligencia artificial.

La preparación del anuncio en Carlisle, ante los alumnos del Army War College, los jefes militares y representantes invitados de Washington.

Y el propósito de perseguir las redes de corrupción, fraude, presión política y captura institucional hasta sus últimas consecuencias.

Amy escucha con extraordinaria atención.

Daniel interviene de vez en cuando para explicar qué decisiones ya ha respaldado y cuáles estáis preparando.

Finalmente llegáis al segundo componente: la transformación económica.

You) “And there’s another part. I want to make it possible for an ordinary family to live comfortably on one income again.”

Amy levanta la cabeza.

You) “Housing, food, healthcare, children, family life. A second salary should be a choice, not a requirement for survival.”

Amy Walker) “That sounds wonderful.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “It does.”

You) “But it means confronting financial incentives that have been distorting the economy for years. We’re looking at major changes to speculative trading, financial supervision and the relationship between productive work and capital.”

Amy asiente lentamente.

Amy Walker) “So this isn’t just about political corruption.”

You) “No.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “It’s about the broader relationship between public institutions, the economy and the people they’re supposed to serve.”

La joven permanece unos segundos pensativa.

Después te mira.

Amy Walker) “And you’re worried this will damage Dad’s legacy?”

You) “Very.”

Amy parpadea.

Amy Walker) “Nacho, that’s ridiculous.”

Daniel levanta las cejas.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Amy?”

Ella se vuelve hacia él.

Amy Walker) “Dad, I’m serious.”

El presidente sonríe, sorprendido por su contundencia.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “All right. I’m listening.”

Amy se incorpora ligeramente, todavía sujetándote la mano.

Amy Walker) “You two are looking at this completely backward.”

Amy Walker) “Dad, Nacho… if you spent a week at Georgetown, or Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, you’d realize that our generation is going to absolutely adore you for doing this.”

Daniel se queda mirándola.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Adore us?”

Amy Walker) “Yes! And you could hear versions of the same thing at UT, MIT or Caltech, even if people express it differently.”

Te vuelves hacia ella, sorprendido.

Amy, tu novia dulce y cariñosa, la estudiante de último curso que lleva semanas intentando terminar su proyecto de STIA, acaba de adoptar el tono de alguien que ha tenido esta discusión demasiadas veces en clase.

Amy Walker) “Nacho isn’t even particularly original about the problem. Sorry, honey.”

Te ríes.

You) “No offense taken.”

Amy Walker) “The way he’s responding to it is original. The fact that he cares enough about his people to actually do something is absolutely him. But the frustration? The underlying ideas? He’s a product of his generation.”

Daniel apoya los codos sobre las rodillas.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Go on, sweetheart.”

Amy señala los documentos que habéis dejado sobre la mesa.

Amy Walker) “We don’t hate lobbyists because they’re lobbyists. We understand interest representation. We study it. We understand why industries, unions, nonprofit organizations and professional associations need to communicate with lawmakers.”

Su expresión se vuelve más intensa.

Amy Walker) “What we hate is watching Congress bend over backward to accommodate whoever has the most money while ordinary Americans get screwed.”

Daniel abre ligeramente los ojos.

Amy Walker) “And if you listen to almost any political conversation at the School of Foreign Service, eventually somebody says something like, ‘The Hill keeps screwing us over to kiss China’s and Russia’s asses, and if our politicians had any balls they’d put the Fed against the wall and tell them to fix the fucking country.’”

El presidente se queda completamente inmóvil.

Tú también.

Amy continúa con absoluta naturalidad.

Amy Walker) “And then somebody from Economics will explain exactly what they think should change, and somebody from STIA will point out the national security implications, and somebody from Government will tell you why Congress hasn’t done a damn thing about it.”

Daniel parpadea.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Amy.”

Ella se vuelve hacia él.

Amy Walker) “What?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “You just said all of that.”

Amy Walker) “Yes, Dad.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “In the Oval Office.”

Amy Walker) “We’re family. You wanted to know what people my age actually think.”

El presidente abre la boca, pero termina riéndose, todavía sorprendido.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Well, I’m certainly finding out.”

Amy sonríe.

Amy Walker) “Good.”

Tú te quedas contemplándola, maravillado.

You) “Sweetheart… you’re right.”

Ella te mira.

Amy Walker) “Of course I am.”

Te ríes.

You) “No, I mean it. I’ve been hearing variations of that argument every Tuesday in the Tank since I became CINF.”

Daniel se vuelve hacia ti.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Really?”

You) “Yes. Usually with somewhat more diplomatic language.”

Amy suelta una carcajada.

You) “But the underlying frustration is exactly the same. Every time a legitimate military operation gets delayed or restricted because somebody is worried about political optics, I hear it.”

Te acomodas hacia delante.

You) “I’ve heard officers from practically every service complain that we’re spending more time worrying about how our adversaries might react than about whether we’re doing our own jobs properly.”

Amy asiente con entusiasmo.

Amy Walker) “Exactly!”

You) “And I’ve been treating those conversations as frustration from experienced military officers.”

Miras a tu novia.

You) “I hadn’t realized you were having almost the same conversations at Georgetown.”

Amy Walker) “Honey, we’ve been having them for years.”

Daniel contempla a su hija con una mezcla de orgullo, asombro y diversión.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I think I’ve seriously underestimated how candid your classmates are.”

Amy Walker) “Dad, I’m a senior in Science, Technology and International Affairs. We spend our time studying how technology, economics, security and public policy interact. We’re not sitting around politely discussing whether governments should do things. We’re arguing about why they haven’t done them already.”

El presidente empieza a sonreír.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I see.”

Amy Walker) “And I know that sounds rather dramatic, but we spend four years learning how these systems work. Some of my classmates can explain the mechanics of semiconductor supply chains, financial sanctions, cyber operations or strategic competition better than people twice their age.”

Te vuelves hacia Daniel.

You) “She’s right about that too.”

Amy señala tu uniforme.

Amy Walker) “And you’re the perfect example, Nacho. You went to MIT. You’re Army Cyber. You understand what happens when institutions adopt technology without understanding what it actually does.”

You) “Occasionally.”

Amy Walker) “Your Suburban, honey.”

Daniel estalla en carcajadas.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Oh, that poor Suburban.”

You) “I’m never going to live that down.”

Amy Walker) “Absolutely not.”

El presidente continúa riéndose, pero Amy ya está recuperando el hilo de su argumento.

Amy Walker) “My point is that Dad is worried about what established political organizations are going to say when you go after their influence.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “They have considerable resources, sweetheart.”

Amy Walker) “I know. But you’re thinking about the people who already have access to power.”

Se inclina hacia él.

Amy Walker) “I’m thinking about the people who are going to inherit the country.”

Daniel deja de reírse.

Amy continúa, con una seguridad que no necesita elevar la voz.

Amy Walker) “And we’re tired of being told that everything is too complicated, too politically sensitive or too economically disruptive to change.”

Te aprieta la mano.

Amy Walker) “Dad, if you actually make it possible for people to afford homes, raise children, have careers and believe that their government doesn’t belong to the highest bidder, your legacy won’t be destroyed.”

Lo mira directamente.

Amy Walker) “You’ll be remembered as the President who finally did something.”

Daniel permanece pensativo.

Tiene delante a su hija de veintiún años, recién embarazada, feliz, enamorada y con una capacidad para discutir de política pública que, aunque sabía que existía, rara vez había visto desplegada de aquella manera.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Sweetheart, I’ve heard you speak about your classes before. I’ve read your papers. I know how hard you’ve worked.”

Amy sonríe.

Amy Walker) “I know, Daddy.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “But I don’t think I’ve ever heard you quite like this.”

Ella se ríe.

Amy Walker) “You’ve never asked me what my classmates say when there aren’t any professors or parents in the room.”

Daniel suelta una carcajada.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Apparently I’ve been missing quite an education.”

You) “You certainly have.”

Amy continúa, ahora algo más tranquila.

Amy Walker) “And it’s not that everybody agrees on the solutions. Believe me, they don’t. You should hear what happens when somebody from Economics and somebody from International Politics disagree about monetary policy.”

You) “That sounds entertaining.”

Amy Walker) “It’s practically a contact sport.”

Daniel se ríe.

Amy Walker) “But there’s a surprisingly broad agreement that the relationship between money, political access and actual government decisions is deeply unhealthy.”

El presidente asiente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “That’s useful to hear.”

Amy Walker) “And when Nacho talks about making it possible for one ordinary salary to support a family, that’s going to resonate enormously.”

Se acaricia distraídamente el vientre.

Amy Walker) “Especially with people who want children someday and can’t imagine how they’ll afford them.”

Daniel sigue el gesto con la mirada.

Durante un instante vuelve a aparecer en su expresión la felicidad del futuro abuelo.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And now you’re one of them.”

Amy sonríe.

Amy Walker) “I am. Although we’re incredibly fortunate, and I know it.”

You) “We are.”

Amy Walker) “That’s why I love what Nacho wants to accomplish. He’s not trying to make everyone live like us. He wants people to have choices.”

Daniel asiente lentamente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I understand.”

Amy se vuelve hacia ti.

Amy Walker) “And you need to stop assuming everybody’s going to hate you for it.”

Sonríes.

You) “I never said everybody.”

Amy Walker) “You offered to resign twice.”

You) “Fair point.”

Daniel se ríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “She’s got you there, Nacho.”

You) “She certainly does.”

Amy se acomoda contra tu hombro, satisfecha.

Amy Walker) “Good.”

Daniel recoge el documento que habéis preparado sobre Carlisle.

Lo contempla durante unos segundos.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “You know, there’s something rather extraordinary about today.”

You) “What’s that?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I began this meeting learning that I’m going to have another grandchild.”

Amy sonríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Then I had to refuse your resignation for the second time.”

You) “Sorry about that.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And now my daughter has just delivered one of the most passionate political arguments I’ve heard in this room.”

Amy Walker) “You’re welcome.”

Daniel empieza a reírse.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Good Lord, Amy.”

Después contempla a ambos con un afecto evidente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I think I may have been looking at the political consequences from the wrong direction.”

Amy asiente.

Amy Walker) “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Then I want your perspective included as we prepare this.”

Te vuelves hacia él.

You) “That’s an excellent idea.”

Amy levanta las cejas.

Amy Walker) “Included how?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “You know Georgetown. You understand the generational argument. You have the academic background to explain why these issues matter beyond the immediate political fight.”

Señala la documentación.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And I think you and Di could develop an exceptionally good explanation of what we’re trying to achieve.”

Amy sonríe ampliamente.

Amy Walker) “I’d love that.”

You) “And I would love having you involved, pretty.”

Ella te besa la mejilla.

Amy Walker) “Then you have me.”

Daniel se reclina, contemplándoos.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Wonderful.”

Pero Amy todavía tiene algo que decir.

Amy Walker) “And Dad?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Yes, sweetheart?”

Amy Walker) “When we finally make the announcement, don’t sell this as a favor you’re doing for young people.”

El presidente levanta ligeramente las cejas.

Amy Walker) “Explain it as the government doing the job it was supposed to do all along.”

Daniel asiente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “That’s a distinction worth making.”

Amy sonríe.

Amy Walker) “Good.”

Tú miras a tu novia, genuinamente impresionado.

You) “You know, I think I’ve been underusing your Georgetown education.”

Amy empieza a reírse.

Amy Walker) “You think?”

You) “Quite seriously.”

Amy Walker) “Honey, I love you, but sometimes you spend so much time surrounded by generals that you forget there are other people who know things.”

Daniel estalla en carcajadas.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Oh, I like that.”

You) “I’m learning.”

Amy Walker) “I can see.”

El presidente deja la carpeta sobre la mesa, todavía abierta por el apartado de Carlisle.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “All right, then. Let’s talk about how we present this to the country.”

Amy se incorpora inmediatamente.

Tú acercas tu documentación.

Daniel coge un bolígrafo.

La reunión continúa, ahora con tres perspectivas distintas alrededor de la mesa: la del presidente que asumirá la responsabilidad política, la del general decidido a construir la capacidad institucional necesaria y la de una joven especialista de Georgetown que acaba de recordarles a ambos para quién quieren hacerlo.

📅 Lunes, 19 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 11:42 | 📍 Washington D. C. - The White House, Oval Office

Daniel lleva varios minutos examinando sus anotaciones mientras Amy continúa explicando cómo se perciben en Georgetown las relaciones entre Washington, el poder económico y los adversarios estratégicos de Estados Unidos.

Finalmente, el presidente deja el bolígrafo.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “All right. I want to test something.”

Amy levanta las cejas.

Amy Walker) “What?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Your hypothesis.”

Coge el teléfono de su escritorio.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Get me my Chief of Staff, please.”

Te vuelves hacia Amy.

You) “Oh, this should be interesting.”

Ella sonríe.

Amy Walker) “Very.”

El jefe de gabinete presidencial, Charles H. Mercer (Ch), aparece pocos minutos después con una carpeta bajo el brazo.

Ch) “Mr. President.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Charles, I need flash polls.”

Mercer se detiene.

Ch) “Flash polls, sir?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Immediately.”

El jefe de gabinete consulta su carpeta.

Ch) “What are we planning? What exactly do you want to measure?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Public opinion. But I don’t want to measure support for a proposal. I want to test a hypothesis.”

Ch) “Which hypothesis?”

Daniel señala a Amy.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “There’s a substantial generational divide in how Americans perceive our strategic adversaries, institutional responsiveness and the relationship between political power and economic influence.”

Mercer mira a Amy y después a ti.

Ch) “All right. What populations?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Focus groups. Universities. High school seniors. Young professionals. Mid-career professionals. Senior professionals. Separate the cohorts clearly.”

Ch) “And the questions?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Ask about China, Russia, foreign influence, national resilience, trust in federal institutions, and whether people believe Washington is prioritizing their interests.”

Mercer toma notas rápidamente.

Ch) “What policy are we testing?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “None.”

El jefe de gabinete levanta la mirada.

Ch) “None?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I want their existing opinions. Unprompted. Don’t describe an initiative or suggest an answer.”

Ch) “Mr. President, what are you going to attempt?”

Daniel sonríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Me? Nothing.”

Mercer deja de escribir.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I’m simply curious about a decision that’s already been made.”

El jefe de gabinete se queda inmóvil.

Su expresión es la de alguien que acaba de escuchar una de las frases más inquietantes posibles en la Casa Blanca.

Ch) “A decision that’s already been made.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Precisely.”

Ch) “And you want me to test public opinion afterward.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Yes.”

Mercer te mira.

Tú le sonríes amablemente.

You) “Good morning, Charles.”

El jefe de gabinete cierra los ojos un segundo.

Ch) “General.”

Amy se lleva una mano a la boca.

Daniel empieza a reírse.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Charles, I promise we’ll explain everything eventually. For now, I want the snapshot.”

Ch) “Understood, Mr. President.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Twenty minutes. Use our rapid-response research contractors and the existing university panels.”

Ch) “I’ll get you the fastest preliminary results available.”

Mercer se marcha con la expresión resignada de un hombre que ha aprendido que su presidente considera la tranquilidad administrativa una comodidad prescindible.

La puerta se cierra.

Amy empieza a reírse.

Amy Walker) “Dad, that was cruel.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “What?”

Amy Walker) “You just told your Chief of Staff that you’ve made a major decision and don’t need his political advice.”

Daniel sonríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I didn’t say I didn’t need his advice.”

You) “You merely declined to tell him what the decision was.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Exactly.”

Amy Walker) “That’s worse!”

Los tres os reís.

Durante los siguientes veinte minutos seguís conversando sobre la perspectiva generacional. Amy explica que las actitudes de sus compañeros están influidas por años de debates sobre desigualdad, competencia tecnológica, dependencia industrial, mercados financieros y la sensación de que Washington responde con demasiada lentitud.

Daniel escucha con una atención cada vez mayor.

A las 12:09, Mercer vuelve.

Trae una carpeta nueva y una tableta.

Su expresión resulta fascinante.

Ch) “Mr. President.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Charles. What have you got?”

Mercer se sienta frente a vosotros.

Ch) “Preliminary flash findings. The first panel responses and rapid focus-group summaries are in. They’re not a nationally representative survey yet, but the direction is unusually consistent.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Go ahead.”

Mercer abre la carpeta.

Ch) “We’ve separated respondents by age and career stage. The differences are… substantial.”

Daniel se incorpora ligeramente.

Ch) “Among older professionals, we see a familiar division. Strong concern about China and Russia, but considerably more confidence in established institutional processes and a preference for incremental change.”

Pasa a la siguiente página.

Ch) “Among young professionals and university students, the responses look very different.”

Amy sonríe.

Ch) “They’re far more likely to connect foreign strategic competition with domestic economic insecurity, financial concentration, political access and failures of industrial or technological policy.”

Daniel levanta las cejas.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “How much more likely?”

Mercer le muestra una tabla.

Flash exploratoria - percepciones por cohorte

Resultados ficticios de los paneles rápidos de la escena. Porcentaje que relaciona la vulnerabilidad frente a China/Rusia con captura institucional y debilidad económica interna.

Ch) “The strongest concentration is among college-age respondents and younger professionals. They don’t merely see Beijing or Moscow as external threats. They’re describing American institutional weakness as a strategic vulnerability that those adversaries exploit.”

Amy asiente.

Amy Walker) “Exactly.”

Mercer continúa.

Ch) “One particularly striking finding: when respondents were asked what Washington should prioritize to strengthen national security, younger groups repeatedly brought up housing affordability, wages, domestic industry, political accountability and the independence of federal institutions.”

Daniel se queda mirando la tabla.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Without being prompted?”

Ch) “Yes, sir.”

You) “Good Lord.”

Mercer vuelve la página.

Ch) “And when we asked what people believed prevented action, the younger respondents overwhelmingly described political incentives, donor influence and institutional reluctance.”

Daniel mira a Amy.

Ella levanta las manos.

Amy Walker) “I told you.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “You certainly did.”

Mercer señala otra sección.

Ch) “Interestingly, the focus groups did not express blanket hostility toward advocacy organizations. Several participants explicitly distinguished legitimate representation from buying political access.”

Amy Walker) “There it is.”

Ch) “But there was remarkably little patience for the argument that structural reforms should be delayed because they might upset established financial or political interests.”

Daniel permanece callado.

Mercer termina de exponer las conclusiones.

Ch) “Mr. President, I don’t know what decision you’ve made. But if it involves confronting concentrated political influence or rebuilding confidence in federal institutions, the youngest cohorts appear far more receptive to a major intervention than our conventional political assumptions would suggest.”

Daniel se recuesta lentamente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Well.”

Amy sonríe.

Amy Walker) “Well.”

El presidente contempla a su hija.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “You were right.”

Amy se encoge de hombros con una naturalidad encantadora.

Amy Walker) “I know my classmates, Dad.”

Daniel se ríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Apparently rather better than I know their generation.”

Amy Walker) “You know us. You just don’t always hear us talking politics when we’re being ourselves.”

Mercer mira alternativamente al presidente, a Amy y a ti.

Ch) “Mr. President, may I ask what this is actually about?”

Daniel cierra la carpeta.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Not just yet, Charles. Thank you. Excellent work.”

Mercer permanece inmóvil.

Ch) “Sir?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I’d like the full analysis when it’s available. This preliminary work is exactly what I needed.”

El jefe de gabinete te mira.

Después mira a Amy.

Finalmente vuelve hacia su presidente.

Ch) “Understood.”

Se levanta.

Ch) “I’ll have the research team continue.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Thank you, Charles.”

Cuando la puerta se cierra, Daniel empieza a reírse.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “He’s going to kill me.”

Amy se ríe también.

Amy Walker) “Dad, you can’t keep doing that to him!”

You) “He does seem rather exasperated.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “He’s a very good Chief of Staff. Unfortunately, I appear to have developed a habit of conducting the most politically consequential conversations of my presidency without inviting him.”

You) “Well, this isn’t really an administration project.”

Daniel se vuelve hacia ti.

You) “It’s a state initiative. You’re supporting it as President, but the institutional continuity doesn’t depend on your administration.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Correct.”

You) “And that’s precisely what I want.”

Amy asiente.

You) “Although I’ll be delighted if it benefits your administration politically.”

Daniel sonríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “How generous of you.”

You) “Well, I like you.”

Amy Walker) “I should hope so.”

You) “And if Robert follows the same course when he becomes President, perhaps he won’t interfere with the people I enjoy working with.”

Daniel se queda mirándote.

Después empieza a reírse.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Nacho!”

You) “What?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “You’re telling me that one of your main interests in the Vice President winning the election is that he won’t replace your friends?”

You) “Well… yes.”

Amy se dobla de risa.

Amy Walker) “Oh my God, honey!”

You) “I like our current Joint Chiefs.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I know you do!”

You) “They’re excellent officers. And very nice people.”

Daniel se ríe todavía más.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “You are unbelievable.”

You) “I’d rather not have to start all over again with a new group.”

El presidente se lleva una mano a la frente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Good Lord.”

Finalmente recupera la compostura.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “All right. You know what? Let’s settle this.”

Coge el teléfono.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Please ask Vice President Ellsworth to join us.”

Amy levanta las cejas.

Amy Walker) “Dad?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I’m going to request the first political concession of Robert’s future presidential campaign.”

Te vuelves hacia él.

You) “Oh?”

Daniel te señala, todavía riéndose.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And you’re staying out of this conversation.”

You) “Me?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Yes, you. You’ve caused quite enough trouble for one Monday morning.”

Amy se ríe.

Amy Walker) “He has.”

Unos minutos después entra Vice President Robert Ellsworth (Vp), un hombre de trato cordial y amplia experiencia política, que saluda al presidente y después a vosotros.

Vp) “Daniel. Amy. Nacho.”

You) “Good afternoon, Robert.”

Amy Walker) “Hi, Robert.”

Ellsworth se acomoda en uno de los sillones.

Vp) “What’s going on?”

Daniel sonríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Robert, I have a request.”

Vp) “That sounds ominous.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “It’s about your future presidency.”

Ellsworth levanta ligeramente las cejas.

Vp) “We’re starting early?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Apparently.”

El vicepresidente se ríe.

Vp) “All right. I’m listening.”

Daniel se inclina hacia delante.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I want you to leave the current Joint Chiefs of Staff alone.”

Ellsworth parpadea.

Vp) “The Joint Chiefs?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Yes.”

Vp) “All of them?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “All of them.”

El vicepresidente te mira.

Tú sonríes con la máxima inocencia posible.

Vp) “Is this his idea?”

Daniel empieza a reírse.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Of course it’s his idea.”

You) “I haven’t said anything.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “You’re not supposed to!”

Amy pierde la compostura.

Ellsworth contempla la escena con evidente diversión.

Vp) “All right. Explain.”

Daniel se acomoda.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Our current chiefs are capable, experienced and have developed an unusually effective working relationship. I don’t want political turnover to dismantle that simply because a new administration wants to make its own appointments.”

Ellsworth asiente lentamente.

Vp) “That’s reasonable.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Adrian Rowe, Oliver Price, Thomas Whitaker, Nathaniel Holloway, Kevin Caldwell, Michael Keller, Marcus Bennett, Liam Morrow, David Mercer and William Hargrove. I want institutional continuity.”

Vp) “And Nacho?”

Daniel sonríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Nacho isn’t part of the bargain. Neither of us controls his appointment in the ordinary political sense.”

Ellsworth se ríe.

Vp) “I’m well aware.”

Te mira.

Vp) “No offense, Nacho.”

You) “None taken.”

Daniel continúa.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I’m asking you to commit to retaining the current chiefs in their positions when you take office, rather than replacing them for political reasons.”

Ellsworth permanece pensativo unos segundos.

Después asiente.

Vp) “Agreed.”

Daniel levanta las cejas.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Just like that?”

Vp) “Daniel, you’ve assembled an effective military leadership team. I’m not particularly interested in replacing competent officers simply to claim I’ve appointed my own.”

Sonríe.

Vp) “And if Nacho can work this well with them, that’s another reason to preserve the arrangement.”

Daniel empieza a reírse.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Oh, he’ll be delighted.”

Vp) “I can see that.”

Ellsworth se vuelve hacia ti.

Vp) “Well, Nacho. You have my word. I intend to retain the current Joint Chiefs.”

Sonríes ampliamente.

You) “Thank you, Robert. I really appreciate that.”

Vp) “You’re welcome.”

Amy te aprieta la mano.

Amy Walker) “Look at you. Collecting presidential promises to keep your friends.”

You) “It’s very important.”

Daniel se echa a reír.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Apparently more important than most of the things presidents usually negotiate.”

Ellsworth sonríe.

Vp) “If this is the first concession of my campaign, I suspect I should consider myself fortunate.”

Los cuatro os reís.

Pero Daniel todavía tiene otro asunto que plantear.

Se vuelve hacia el vicepresidente y recupera una expresión más seria.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Robert, there’s a reason I wanted to speak with you today beyond the Joint Chiefs.”

Vp) “I’m listening.”

Daniel señala la carpeta que contiene las conclusiones preliminares de los sondeos.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I’ve just discovered something quite remarkable about how younger Americans view our country’s future.”

Amy sonríe.

Vp) “Oh?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And I think it’s going to be very important for what we’re planning.”

El vicepresidente toma la carpeta que Daniel le ofrece.

Tú te acomodas junto a Amy.

Ella apoya una mano sobre la tuya y observa cómo Ellsworth comienza a leer.

La conversación apenas está empezando.

📅 Lunes, 19 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 12:38 | 📍 Washington D. C. — The White House, Oval Office

Robert Ellsworth lleva varios minutos examinando los resultados preliminares de los sondeos que Daniel acaba de poner en sus manos.

Las diferencias entre grupos de edad son tan pronunciadas que vuelve a revisar las preguntas para comprobar que los resultados no sean simplemente consecuencia de su formulación.

Vp) “These are unprompted responses?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Yes. Charles had the research team ask about national security, foreign adversaries, institutional trust and economic priorities. We didn’t present a policy proposal.”

Vp) “Interesting.”

El vicepresidente pasa otra página.

Vp) “Very interesting.”

Amy, sentada a tu lado, sonríe.

Amy Walker) “They’re not particularly surprising if you’ve spent time with people our age.”

Ellsworth levanta la cabeza.

Vp) “I imagine you have a rather better understanding of that than I do, Amy.”

Amy Walker) “Well, we are the people starting our careers, Robert. We’re the ones trying to figure out what kind of country we’re going to spend the next forty years working in.”

Vp) “Fair enough.”

Amy Walker) “And we’re finding that the institutions we’re supposed to trust are often more responsive to established financial and political interests than to the people who actually depend on them.”

Ellsworth asiente lentamente.

Vp) “I’ve heard that argument.”

Amy Walker) “I’m sure you have. The difference is that, for us, it isn’t an abstract argument about government reform. It’s about whether we’re going to be able to buy houses, raise children, build careers and have any meaningful influence over the decisions that shape our lives.”

El vicepresidente contempla de nuevo el documento.

Vp) “And you’re saying a presidential campaign built around those concerns could be unusually effective.”

Amy Walker) “I’m saying it would be extraordinary to hear a presidential candidate campaign for the interests of the people who are supposed to vote for him.”

Daniel suelta una carcajada.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “What a revolutionary concept.”

You) “Campaigning for voters rather than lobbyists. Absolutely outrageous.”

Ellsworth empieza a reírse.

Vp) “Gentlemen, I do believe we’ve discovered a radical new political strategy.”

Amy levanta un dedo.

Amy Walker) “I’m serious!”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “We know, sweetheart.”

Amy Walker) “Then listen. You don’t need to invent a new generation of voters. They’re already there. And you don’t have to persuade them that Washington has problems. They can tell you exactly what those problems are.”

Ellsworth se acomoda mejor.

Vp) “What would you have me tell them?”

Amy responde sin vacilar.

Amy Walker) “That you intend to govern for them. That political access isn’t for sale. That their salaries, homes, families and futures matter more than whether a lobbying firm is happy with your administration.”

El vicepresidente asiente.

Amy Walker) “And then actually do it.”

Vp) “That’s the difficult part.”

You) “Which is why we’re building the institutional capacity now.”

Ellsworth se vuelve hacia ti.

You) “The investigative teams, the lawyers, the regulators, the FBI cell. That’s the operational side. We’re building something capable of following evidence and taking action across the federal government.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And something Robert can inherit without needing to start again.”

Vp) “I like that considerably.”

El vicepresidente deja la carpeta sobre sus rodillas.

Vp) “You know, the interesting thing is that I’ve spent years hearing campaign advisers explain how dangerous it is to challenge established interests.”

Amy Walker) “Because they’re thinking about the donors.”

Vp) “Often, yes.”

Amy Walker) “And we’re thinking about the voters.”

Ellsworth sonríe.

Vp) “You’re making a rather persuasive argument, Amy.”

Amy Walker) “Thank you.”

Vp) “And I have to admit, there is something attractive about campaigning on the promise that government should serve the people who elect it.”

Daniel se ríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Robert, if you say that at a campaign rally, please remember that Amy deserves credit.”

Vp) “I’ll have her write the speech.”

Amy Walker) “I’d be delighted.”

Tú sonríes.

You) “You might want Di involved too.”

Amy Walker) “Oh, absolutely. Di would make sure the language actually means something.”

Ellsworth levanta las cejas.

Vp) “Di?”

You) “Elodie Voss. My political adviser.”

Daniel empieza a reírse.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Robert, don’t ask him about her job description.”

Vp) “Why?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Because he hired her as a political adviser, promptly gave her responsibilities resembling those of a chief of staff, and then authorized her to recruit her own legislative drafting team.”

Ellsworth te mira.

Vp) “How long has she been working for you?”

You) “Eleven days.”

El vicepresidente se queda contemplándote.

Vp) “Of course.”

Amy empieza a reírse.

Amy Walker) “That’s how he operates.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Which brings me to something I’ve been thinking about.”

Daniel deja su taza sobre la mesa.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “All three of us have been treating the generational divide as though it were merely a question of political attitudes.”

Ellsworth asiente.

Vp) “And you think there’s more?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I think we’re looking at a generation that’s already beginning to enter positions of real responsibility.”

Amy sonríe.

Amy Walker) “Exactly.”

Daniel se vuelve hacia ti.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Take Nacho.”

You) “Oh, dear.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “He started university in 2016.”

You) “Yes.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I took office in January 2017.”

You) “Correct.”

El presidente se queda pensativo.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And almost from the beginning of my administration, the Department of Defense was bringing me assessments of an exceptionally promising young Army Cyber officer.”

Levantas la cabeza.

You) “Wait.”

Daniel te mira.

You) “What assessments?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Yours.”

Parpadeas.

You) “Mine?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Your evaluations. Academic performance, technical work, ROTC progress, later your Army training and recommendations from senior officers.”

Lo contemplas.

You) “You’ve been reading my evaluations?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Of course.”

You) “Since when?”

Daniel sonríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Since the Department of Defense started making the case that your development should receive unusual attention.”

Te quedas inmóvil.

You) “Daniel.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Yes?”

You) “Did you know they were accelerating my institutional career?”

El presidente asiente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Yes.”

Lo miras, completamente sorprendido.

You) “You knew?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Nacho, they needed somebody capable of building a very unusual institution. They believed they’d found that person, and they wanted to make sure the usual pace of career development didn’t prevent him from doing the work.”

Te recuestas lentamente.

You) “Good Lord.”

Amy te aprieta la mano.

Amy Walker) “Honey?”

You) “I had absolutely no idea.”

Daniel sonríe con afecto.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I know.”

You) “I thought they were simply giving me increasingly difficult assignments.”

Ellsworth empieza a reírse.

Vp) “That sounds rather like you.”

You) “They were!”

Daniel asiente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “They were. And you kept handling them.”

You) “I thought that was the point of being an officer.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “It is.”

El presidente sonríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “But your progression was extraordinary. The speed was extraordinary. The responsibilities were extraordinary.”

Amy lo escucha atentamente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And now I’m realizing something I should perhaps have understood years ago.”

You) “What’s that?”

Daniel señala los documentos de los sondeos.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I kept looking at your evaluations and thinking we had discovered an exceptional young officer.”

You) “Well…”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And we had. But perhaps the exceptional part wasn’t that your generation was producing ideas unlike anything we’d heard before.”

Amy se incorpora ligeramente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Perhaps it was that you had the ability, the opportunity and the authority to implement ideas that many people your age already believed in.”

Te quedas contemplándolo.

Ellsworth asiente lentamente.

Vp) “That’s quite a distinction.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “It is.”

Daniel continúa.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “We’ve been interpreting Nacho’s career as evidence that he’s far ahead of his generation.”

Amy sonríe.

Amy Walker) “He’s ahead in what he’s been allowed to do.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Exactly.”

Amy Walker) “Not necessarily in what he thinks needs doing.”

Te vuelves hacia ella.

You) “That’s… actually a very good point.”

Amy se ríe.

Amy Walker) “Thank you, handsome.”

Daniel se queda mirando a su hija.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Good Lord.”

Vp) “What?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “We’ve spent years wondering what might happen when this generation finally starts taking over institutions.”

Amy levanta las cejas.

Amy Walker) “And?”

Daniel señala a los dos jóvenes sentados frente a él.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Apparently, it’s already happening.”

Ellsworth contempla tu uniforme, después a Amy y finalmente los resultados de la investigación.

Vp) “And perhaps we’re about to discover that a great many of them have been waiting for somebody to give them a serious opportunity.”

You) “That’s certainly been my experience.”

Ellsworth sonríe.

Vp) “With your staff?”

You) “Absolutely. Silvia, Rebecca, Megan, Katie, Ashley, Di. They’re capable people. Give them responsibility, trust them to exercise judgment, and they produce excellent work.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And then you put them in charge of departments.”

You) “If they need departments.”

El presidente estalla en carcajadas.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Of course!”

Amy te besa la mejilla.

Amy Walker) “That’s my boyfriend.”

Ellsworth se ríe también.

Vp) “I think I’m beginning to understand why the DoD was so determined to accelerate your career.”

You) “Apparently I should ask William how long he’s been conspiring with the President.”

Daniel suelta otra carcajada.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Oh, please do. I’d love to hear that conversation.”

Te echas a reír.

You) “I can’t believe you knew.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Nacho, I authorized the institutional support they requested because the evaluations were persuasive. And every subsequent assessment suggested we’d made the right decision.”

Te quedas pensativo.

You) “So you’ve been following this almost since you took office.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Yes.”

You) “And we’ve only just started having these conversations.”

Daniel sonríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Well, you were rather busy building USIC.”

Amy Walker) “And going to MIT.”

You) “And ROTC.”

Vp) “And apparently planning the next forty years of everybody’s careers.”

Los cuatro os reís.

El vicepresidente recupera entonces la carpeta de los sondeos.

Vp) “You know, there’s a political implication here that I find particularly encouraging.”

Daniel levanta la mirada.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Go ahead.”

Vp) “If Amy is right, I don’t need to present this as an older politician promising to understand young voters.”

Amy asiente inmediatamente.

Amy Walker) “Exactly.”

Vp) “I can campaign on what we’ve actually started building. An institutional project shaped by people who belong to the generation entering the workforce now.”

You) “And one intended to continue for decades.”

Vp) “Precisely.”

Ellsworth contempla a Daniel.

Vp) “I think you’re right about the inheritance. If we begin this properly during your administration, I can run on continuing it rather than merely promising to start it.”

Daniel asiente, satisfecho.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “That’s what I was hoping you’d see.”

Vp) “And I don’t see why we should be timid about it.”

Amy sonríe ampliamente.

Amy Walker) “Good.”

Vp) “If we’re going to confront corrupt influence and rebuild confidence in government, we should say so. Clearly. Repeatedly. And we should explain what we’re accomplishing.”

You) “I couldn’t agree more.”

Ellsworth se inclina hacia delante.

Vp) “Then I think we have the beginnings of a very interesting presidential campaign.”

Daniel sonríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I think we do.”

Amy contempla a ambos políticos.

Amy Walker) “And Dad?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Yes, sweetheart?”

Amy Walker) “Please don’t make the mistake of treating us as the voters of the future.”

El presidente la mira.

Amy Walker) “We’re voters now. We’re workers now. We’re officers, researchers, engineers, analysts and public servants now.”

Te aprieta la mano.

Amy Walker) “Some of us are already running federal institutions.”

Daniel contempla tus dos estrellas de general.

Después mira la mano de su hija entrelazada con la tuya.

Y termina sonriendo.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Yes, Amy.”

Hace una pausa.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Some of you most certainly are.”

El vicepresidente vuelve a abrir su carpeta, esta vez por la sección dedicada a prioridades económicas, y se prepara para plantear su siguiente pregunta.

📅 Martes, 20 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 09:07 | 📍 The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia — The Tank, sala de reuniones del Joint Chiefs of Staff

Cuando entras en el Tank, los diez miembros restantes del Joint Chiefs of Staff ya están reunidos.

William Hargrove está conversando con Nathaniel Holloway y Thomas Whitaker. Adrian Rowe revisa unos documentos junto al vicealmirante Oliver Price. Al otro lado de la mesa, Michael Keller, Liam Morrow y David Mercer parecen estar manteniendo una conversación particularmente entretenida.

En cuanto te ven, varios se levantan para saludarte.

CJCSAr) “Good morning, Nacho.”

You) “Morning, Adrian. Gentlemen.”

El almirante Holloway se acerca y te estrecha la mano con una sonrisa bastante más amplia de lo habitual.

CNONh) “Good to see you, son.”

You) “You too, Nate.”

El general Caldwell te da una palmada amistosa en el hombro.

CSAFKc) “I hear you’ve been busy.”

You) “When am I not?”

El comentario provoca varias risas.

Entonces el general Rowe cierra su carpeta.

CJCSAr) “Before we begin, Nacho, there’s something we’d like to say.”

Te detienes junto a tu silla.

You) “Of course.”

CJCSAr) “Thank you.”

Parpadeas.

You) “For what?”

El general Whitaker sonríe.

CSATw) “For speaking to the Vice President on our behalf.”

Te quedas inmóvil.

You) “Oh.”

Holloway empieza a reírse.

CNONh) “Yes. Oh.”

Miras a William.

Hg) “Don’t look at me. I didn’t tell them.”

You) “How on earth do you know?”

El almirante Price se acomoda en su asiento.

VCJCSOp) “Nacho, Washington has very few secrets when politicians are pleased with themselves.”

Las risas recorren la mesa.

CJCSAr) “Apparently, Vice President Ellsworth has been telling people that he made his first commitment concerning his future administration.”

You) “Good Lord.”

CNBGDm) “And that the commitment was to keep the current Joint Chiefs in their posts.”

CCGLm) “At your request.”

You) “I really need to learn how Washington works.”

CNONh) “Please don’t. You’re much more entertaining this way.”

Te echas a reír.

You) “I didn’t realize Robert was going to tell everybody.”

CJCSAr) “He hasn’t told everybody. But he told somebody, who told somebody else, and by yesterday evening the information had reached us.”

CSOMk) “Which is remarkably quick, even by Pentagon standards.”

Morrow sonríe.

CCGLm) “I’ve been told the Vice President described it as an unusually straightforward concession.”

You) “It was.”

Bennett cruza los brazos, divertido.

CMCMb) “How did you manage it?”

You) “Daniel asked Robert to leave the current chiefs alone when he becomes President. Robert agreed.”

CSATw) “Just like that?”

You) “Pretty much.”

Price se ríe.

VCJCSOp) “Gentlemen, apparently we’ve spent entire careers worrying about presidential transitions unnecessarily.”

Os sentáis entre nuevas carcajadas.

Sin embargo, cuando Adrian Rowe vuelve a hablar, su voz tiene una calidez especial.

CJCSAr) “Seriously, Nacho. We appreciate it.”

Lo miras.

CJCSAr) “Every one of us has served under changing administrations. We understand political transitions. We also know that senior appointments can become part of those transitions, regardless of how well an incumbent is performing.”

You) “I know.”

CJCSAr) “You didn’t have to advocate for us.”

You) “I wanted to.”

Holloway asiente.

CNONh) “That’s what makes it meaningful.”

You) “Nate, you’re all very good at your jobs. I enjoy working with you. It seemed perfectly reasonable to ask Robert not to replace people who are doing excellent work.”

El almirante sonríe.

CNONh) “Thank you, son.”

Caldwell señala tu silla.

CSAFKc) “And you’ve only been a member of this table for a relatively short time.”

You) “Well, you made it easy.”

CSATw) “We did?”

You) “Yes. You’ve been extraordinarily welcoming. I ask questions, you explain things, and we work together. That’s exactly how I hoped this would be.”

Hargrove te observa con una expresión de satisfacción apenas disimulada.

Hg) “You might be surprised how much that means to people who’ve spent thirty years in uniform.”

Sonríes.

You) “Then I’m very glad.”

La conversación continúa unos momentos, hasta que recuerdas algo que te hizo particular gracia durante la reunión del lunes.

You) “Actually, there’s something rather funny about the whole conversation.”

Rowe levanta las cejas.

CJCSAr) “Oh?”

You) “Daniel and Robert still seem to believe William’s appointment is formally theirs to decide.”

Hargrove deja lentamente su taza sobre la mesa.

Hg) “Excuse me?”

Sonríes.

You) “They were discussing the continuity of the Joint Chiefs as if every appointment depended on the administration.”

William empieza a reírse.

Hg) “Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

CSATw) “Did you correct them?”

You) “No.”

Las carcajadas son inmediatas.

CNONh) “Of course you didn’t!”

You) “I didn’t see any reason to interrupt.”

Hg) “Nacho, you literally signed the order confirming my appointment two weeks ago.”

You) “I remember. Wonderful ceremony.”

CSOMk) “With the medieval language?”

You) “For the duration of my pleasure.”

Morrow se lleva una mano a la cara.

CCGLm) “There it is.”

Hargrove se ríe.

Hg) “And the President apparently still thinks he could appoint my successor?”

You) “Well, strictly speaking, I haven’t asked him what he thinks. But he certainly spoke as if Robert would have the usual appointment authority.”

Whitaker se inclina hacia delante.

CSATw) “Which General Orders Number One transferred to the CINF.”

You) “Exactly.”

Rowe sonríe.

CJCSAr) “And the order was sent for publication and archival registration.”

You) “Four signed originals.”

VCJCSOp) “Very handsome originals, as I recall.”

You) “Thank you, Oliver.”

Hargrove menea la cabeza, todavía riéndose.

Hg) “I can’t believe you let them carry on.”

You) “William, Robert was making a generous commitment. I wasn’t going to interrupt the man to explain that one of the appointments he was promising to preserve wasn’t his to change.”

CNONh) “That’s magnificent.”

CSAFKc) “The Vice President has graciously promised not to exercise a power he doesn’t possess.”

You) “Exactly!”

Las risas llenan el Tank.

Adrian Rowe se quita las gafas para limpiarlas.

CJCSAr) “I trust you’ll explain it when the matter actually arises.”

You) “Of course. It’s not a secret. The order is public. I simply found the conversation amusing.”

Hg) “I certainly appreciate the extra layer of imaginary job security.”

You) “You’re welcome.”

Pero hay algo curioso en la reacción de tres personas concretas.

Michael Keller ha dejado de reírse antes que los demás. Liam Morrow contempla la documentación de la mesa con una expresión reflexiva. David Mercer parece estar pensando en algo que va bastante más allá de la peculiar situación de Hargrove.

Finalmente, Keller habla.

CSOMk) “Nacho, can I ask you something?”

You) “Absolutely, Michael.”

CSOMk) “When you spoke to the President and Vice President, did you specifically advocate for all of us?”

You) “Yes.”

Keller asiente lentamente.

CSOMk) “Including Space Force?”

Lo miras, sorprendido.

You) “Of course.”

El general sonríe.

CSOMk) “I see.”

You) “Michael, you’re the Chief of Space Operations. Why wouldn’t I?”

Morrow interviene con una sonrisa discreta.

CCGLm) “I think I understand what Michael is asking.”

Te vuelves hacia él.

CCGLm) “The Coast Guard has a rather unusual position among the armed services. We’re accustomed to having to explain our place in conversations that concern the larger military establishment.”

You) “Liam, you’re a full member of the Joint Chiefs.”

CCGLm) “I know.”

You) “And a very good one.”

El almirante sonríe.

CCGLm) “Thank you.”

Mercer interviene.

CNBGDm) “There’s also the National Guard.”

You) “What about it?”

CNBGDm) “Our responsibilities are substantial, but they don’t resemble those of the Army, Navy or Air Force service chiefs. The Guard Bureau sits in a particular position between federal responsibilities, state organizations and the reserve components.”

You) “Yes.”

CNBGDm) “And although you’ve always treated us as colleagues, I think some of us assumed that, when you discussed senior military leadership with the President, your attention would naturally go first to the larger services.”

Lo contemplas.

You) “David, why?”

La pregunta es tan sincera que Mercer sonríe.

CNBGDm) “Because you have enormous responsibilities yourself. You command a new military service, oversee a growing national infrastructure and now have USCYBERCOM and USNORTHCOM reporting through your office. We thought you might identify more closely with Tom, Kevin and Nate.”

Te quedas callado unos segundos.

Después miras a Keller, Morrow y Mercer.

You) “Gentlemen, I’m building USIC.”

Los tres te escuchan.

You) “Our entire military establishment is still smaller than some individual commands belonging to the larger services. We rely on Army administrative support, training capacity from other services, federal civilian agencies and a relatively small headquarters.”

Keller asiente.

You) “If anyone in this room should understand the importance of making sure every service has an effective voice, I think it ought to be me.”

Morrow sonríe ampliamente.

CCGLm) “That’s a fair point.”

You) “Michael, Space Force operates in an incredibly important domain with a relatively compact service structure. Liam, your service combines military, maritime and domestic responsibilities in ways most people don’t fully appreciate. David, your people connect national defense with the states in a way none of the other chiefs can replicate.”

Te encoges ligeramente de hombros.

You) “Why would I want any of that disrupted?”

Keller se queda contemplándote.

CSOMk) “I suppose you wouldn’t.”

You) “I wouldn’t.”

Mercer asiente despacio.

CNBGDm) “That means a great deal, Nacho.”

You) “I’m glad.”

Morrow apoya las manos sobre la mesa.

CCGLm) “You know, I think I’ve been making the same mistake as the Vice President.”

Levantas las cejas.

You) “Oh?”

CCGLm) “I’ve been looking at the authority you exercise rather than the institution you’re actually building.”

Hargrove se vuelve hacia él, interesado.

CCGLm) “You have the authority to issue orders that affect combatant commands and federal infrastructure. You sit here with responsibilities that sometimes exceed those traditionally associated with a service chief.”

You) “In certain areas, yes.”

CCGLm) “But your daily work is still that of a founding commander. You’re recruiting your first instructors, organizing training pipelines, equipping installations and establishing a professional culture.”

You) “Exactly.”

Keller asiente.

CSOMk) “You’ve been building something from the ground up.”

You) “And I’m learning from all of you.”

La respuesta provoca una sonrisa en los tres.

Keller parece especialmente satisfecho.

CSOMk) “Well, I’d be delighted to have you spend more time with us. Space Force has encountered quite a few challenges establishing its own identity and personnel systems.”

You) “I’d love that.”

CCGLm) “And I’ve got a few lessons about maintaining a relatively small service with substantial responsibilities.”

You) “Please. I could use all the help I can get.”

Mercer sonríe.

CNBGDm) “Then perhaps we ought to arrange something together. There’s considerable overlap in the problems we’re trying to solve.”

You) “That sounds wonderful.”

Whitaker interviene desde el otro extremo de la mesa.

CSATw) “For the record, the Army is also available to provide advice.”

You) “Tom, the Army practically raised me.”

El comentario desata nuevas risas.

CNONh) “And the Navy?”

You) “You gave me Silvia.”

Holloway se lleva una mano al pecho.

CNONh) “Our finest contribution.”

Hg) “And Rebecca.”

You) “After a rather complicated administrative process.”

Nate empieza a reírse.

CNONh) “You’re never going to let me forget Norfolk, are you?”

You) “Not a chance.”

El ambiente recupera su jovialidad habitual, pero hay un cambio perceptible en la forma en que Keller, Morrow y Mercer participan en la conversación.

Michael deja de hablar de Space Force como si fuera una realidad que debiera justificar constantemente ante el resto del Tank. Empieza a explicarte cuestiones concretas de organización, carrera y formación con la confianza de quien sabe que su interlocutor entiende lo que significa levantar una institución nueva.

Liam se une enseguida, comparando los problemas de sostener capacidades distribuidas geográficamente con los que estás resolviendo en la red Tier del USIC.

David añade la perspectiva de las relaciones federales y estatales, particularmente relevante para las emergencias en las que tus instalaciones deberán cooperar con las autoridades territoriales.

En un momento dado, Rowe contempla a los cuatro con una sonrisa.

CJCSAr) “Well, this is encouraging.”

You) “What is?”

CJCSAr) “We’ve just spent fifteen minutes discussing how four very different military organizations can learn from one another.”

CSOMk) “Isn’t that what the Joint Chiefs are supposed to do?”

CJCSAr) “Precisely.”

Morrow se ríe.

CCGLm) “Perhaps we should try it more often.”

You) “I’d be delighted.”

Hargrove te observa desde su silla.

Hg) “You know, Nacho, I think you’re making a habit of collecting colleagues.”

You) “I like colleagues.”

Hg) “We’ve noticed.”

Rowe recupera la documentación prevista para la sesión.

CJCSAr) “All right, gentlemen. Shall we begin the actual meeting?”

Whitaker consulta su reloj.

CSATw) “I believe we’re only twenty minutes late.”

You) “An excellent achievement by our usual standards.”

Price se ríe.

VCJCSOp) “I’ll have that entered in the minutes.”

Mientras todos abrís las carpetas, Keller se inclina ligeramente hacia ti.

CSOMk) “Nacho?”

You) “Yes, Michael?”

CSOMk) “Thank you for remembering us.”

Lo miras con una sonrisa.

You) “Michael, I didn’t have to remember you. I never forgot you in the first place.”

El general sonríe de una forma extraordinariamente franca.

CSOMk) “I’m glad.”

Al otro lado de la mesa, Morrow y Mercer intercambian una mirada de satisfacción.

Y tú descubres algo bastante agradable: al pedirle al futuro presidente que conserve a los hombres con los que te gusta trabajar, has hecho mucho más que defender unos cuantos nombramientos.

Has conseguido que tres compañeros comprendan que, cuando hablas del Joint Chiefs of Staff, estás hablando de todos ellos.

De tus compañeros.

Sin excepciones.

📅 Martes, 20 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 10:08 | 📍 The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia — The Tank, sala de reuniones del Joint Chiefs of Staff

La reunión lleva ya cuarenta minutos desarrollándose con normalidad cuando William Hargrove cierra la carpeta que tiene delante.

Hg) “Gentlemen, I have a problem.”

Adrian Rowe levanta la cabeza.

CJCSAr) “Operational?”

Hg) “Potentially. And I’m not joking.”

Eso basta para que la mesa deje de prestar atención a los documentos anteriores.

Hargrove activa la pantalla compartida.

Hg) “One of our National Guard cyber components has identified a coordinated intrusion campaign targeting federal immigration and border systems. The indicators point to an operation associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.”

David Mercer se incorpora ligeramente.

CNBGDm) “One of ours?”

Hg) “Yes, David. The initial detection came through a National Guard cyber element supporting federal network-defense monitoring.”

La pantalla muestra un esquema de relaciones entre USCIS, CBP y varios servicios del Department of Homeland Security.

Hg) “They’re trying to obtain access to immigration identity and document-management systems. The objective appears to be the generation of authentic-looking travel credentials through compromised government processes.”

Oliver Price frunce el ceño.

VCJCSOp) “They want to manufacture valid passports?”

Hg) “That’s our assessment.”

Nate Holloway deja lentamente el bolígrafo.

CNONh) “The audacity.”

You) “Good Lord.”

Hargrove asiente.

Hg) “And that’s not even my main problem.”

CJCSAr) “Go ahead.”

Hg) “Our current rules of engagement and weapons release authorizations don’t provide a defined posture for this situation. We have hostile cyber activity directed against federal infrastructure, but the threat matrix doesn’t adequately cover a non-state criminal organization attempting this kind of operation.”

Whitaker mira a Hargrove.

CSATw) “So your forces can identify and monitor the attempt, but the response authorities aren’t aligned.”

Hg) “Exactly. The available posture was developed around other categories of hostile actors and operations.”

Morrow interviene.

CCGLm) “And there’s a clear maritime and border-security dimension if the documents become usable.”

Hg) “Yes.”

Hargrove se vuelve hacia ti.

Hg) “And now that CYBERCOM reports through USIC, Nacho…”

Sonríes.

You) “The hot potato is mine.”

Hg) “I’m afraid so.”

Te quedas unos segundos contemplando la pantalla.

Después acercas tu tableta.

You) “William, let them in.”

Hargrove parpadea.

Hg) “Excuse me?”

You) “Let them enter a sandbox.”

El silencio dura apenas un segundo.

Hg) “You’re proposing a controlled environment?”

You) “Exactly. Give them an apparent success. Unreal data, controlled systems, a convincing environment. Let them think they’ve reached the document-generation process.”

Mercer se inclina hacia delante.

CNBGDm) “And observe what they attempt to create.”

You) “Precisely.”

Hargrove empieza a sonreír.

Hg) “Oh, I see.”

You) “We collect the document records, associate them with the operation, and coordinate their controlled handling with DHS.”

Señalas la pantalla.

You) “Then we give the identifiers to the relevant countries and agencies. We don’t need to catch everybody at the first border crossing. We can use the documents to establish the network.”

Holloway asiente lentamente.

CNONh) “Identities, facilitators, couriers, supporting organizations…”

You) “Exactly. DEA works the organization at its origins. CBP and the domestic investigative agencies work the American connections. We can permit selected movements under coordinated surveillance and identify the people behind them.”

Price se acomoda.

VCJCSOp) “Rather than arrest the first courier and warn everyone else.”

You) “Yes.”

Hargrove mira a Mercer.

Hg) “The National Guard component may have handed us something rather valuable.”

Mercer sonríe.

CNBGDm) “It certainly appears so.”

Te inclinas hacia delante, encantado con la idea.

You) “Bait and capture.”

Lo dices con una satisfacción tan evidente que Caldwell empieza a reírse.

CSAFKc) “There it is.”

You) “We let them think they’ve succeeded. We find out who uses the documents, who distributes them and who benefits from them. Then we take the network apart.”

Rowe contempla el esquema.

CJCSAr) “That turns a cyber intrusion into a coordinated criminal investigation.”

You) “And a rather interesting one.”

Hg) “I can have the operational planning started immediately.”

You) “Please do.”

Coges tu tableta y abres el sistema de comunicaciones institucionales.

You) “I’m also notifying DEA.”

Comienzas a redactar una nota dirigida a su enlace federal competente.

Asunto: Coordinación operativa prioritaria — Intrusión contra sistemas USCIS/CBP

El texto dispone la coordinación entre DEA, CBP, USIC y USCYBERCOM para desarrollar una operación conjunta contra la estructura criminal identificada. Incluye intercambio de inteligencia, conservación de evidencias, análisis de documentación fraudulenta y coordinación de actuaciones tanto en origen como dentro de Estados Unidos.

Añades a los destinatarios principales.

Después incluyes al mando del componente cyber de la National Guard que originó la alerta.

Finalmente incorporas a Hargrove.

Firmas digitalmente.

You) “Done.”

Hargrove consulta su dispositivo y levanta las cejas.

Hg) “Nacho?”

You) “Yes, William?”

Hg) “Why am I copied on this?”

Lo miras, desconcertado.

You) “What do you mean, why?”

Hg) “You’ve already issued the coordination instruction.”

You) “William, it’s your case.”

El general se queda contemplándote.

You) “You brought it here. It originated with a cyber component supporting the National Guard, and CYBERCOM is coordinating the military cyber response. Why wouldn’t I keep you informed?”

Hg) “Well…”

You) “I need you to work it. And I want David’s people involved too. They found it.”

Mercer levanta la mirada.

CNBGDm) “You copied the Guard component?”

You) “Of course.”

CNBGDm) “Directly?”

You) “Yes. They should know what happened to their report.”

Mercer contempla su tableta.

Durante un instante parece sorprendido de que la pregunta siquiera necesite formularse.

Hg) “Understood. I’ll take responsibility for the CYBERCOM coordination.”

You) “Wonderful.”

Vuelves a la pantalla.

You) “Actually, David, which unit identified the intrusion?”

Mercer consulta su expediente.

CNBGDm) “Let me pull up the originating report.”

Unos segundos después, la información aparece ante vosotros.

CNBGDm) “A joint cyber defense team from the Maryland National Guard’s cyber element. Their analysts identified the activity and escalated it through the federal coordination channel.”

You) “Excellent.”

Abres el informe.

Lees el encabezamiento, el resumen de detección y la secuencia de notificaciones.

El equipo había advertido la anomalía, correlacionado varios indicadores y presentado un informe suficientemente claro como para permitir que USCYBERCOM identificara inmediatamente la importancia de la amenaza.

You) “Very good work.”

Mercer asiente.

CNBGDm) “It is.”

You) “Who commands the team?”

Mercer consulta el campo correspondiente y te proporciona la identificación del oficial responsable y la unidad de adscripción.

La incorporas a una nueva comunicación.

Rowe observa cómo empiezas a escribir.

CJCSAr) “What are you doing, Nacho?”

You) “A commendation.”

El general levanta la cabeza.

CJCSAr) “A commendation?”

You) “Yes.”

Continúas escribiendo.

From: Chief of Information, United States Information Corps

Subject: Command Commendation — National Guard Cyber Defense Team

Reconoces formalmente la iniciativa, competencia técnica, diligencia analítica y calidad del informe emitido por la unidad. Señalas que su actuación permitió identificar una amenaza criminal contra sistemas federales sensibles y facilitó la coordinación inmediata de una respuesta interinstitucional.

Incluyes al comandante de la unidad, a la cadena del National Guard Bureau y a USCYBERCOM en la distribución.

Lo repasas una vez.

Firmas.

You) “There.”

La comunicación sale.

Levantas la cabeza.

Diez hombres te están mirando.

You) “What?”

Holloway empieza a sonreír.

CNONh) “You just wrote a command commendation.”

You) “Yes.”

CSATw) “For a National Guard unit.”

You) “Yes.”

Mercer sigue contemplando su tableta.

CNBGDm) “Signed by the Chief of Information.”

You) “Well, I am the Chief of Information.”

Caldwell se lleva una mano a la boca.

CSAFKc) “Oh, good Lord.”

You) “What?”

Price empieza a reírse.

VCJCSOp) “Nacho, most officers don’t casually write commendations during a Joint Chiefs meeting.”

You) “Why not?”

Bennett deja escapar una carcajada.

CMCMb) “Because they tend to regard them as rather significant administrative acts.”

You) “They are significant. That’s why I signed it.”

Holloway se echa hacia atrás, riéndose.

CNONh) “Of course.”

Te vuelves hacia Mercer.

You) “David, your people did excellent work. They identified something important, escalated it properly and gave us the opportunity to respond. I thought they deserved recognition.”

Mercer tarda un instante en contestar.

CNBGDm) “They do.”

You) “Then what’s the problem?”

Mercer empieza a sonreír.

CNBGDm) “There isn’t one, Nacho.”

Keller interviene.

CSOMk) “You know what I find extraordinary?”

You) “What?”

CSOMk) “Less than an hour ago, David, Liam and I were telling you that the smaller services sometimes feel overlooked.”

You) “I remember.”

CSOMk) “And you’ve just interrupted a discussion of a major cyber incident to commend a National Guard team because they did their job exceptionally well.”

You) “Yes.”

Keller se ríe.

CSOMk) “Without asking anybody whether it was politically convenient.”

You) “Why would I?”

Morrow empieza a reírse también.

CCGLm) “That’s precisely the point.”

Mercer vuelve a mirar el documento.

CNBGDm) “My people are going to be delighted.”

You) “I’m glad.”

CNBGDm) “A commendation from a two-star general commanding another service, issued directly to their unit, for a report that might otherwise have disappeared into an interagency case file…”

Se interrumpe y sonríe.

CNBGDm) “They’re going to remember this.”

You) “Good. I hope it encourages them to keep doing excellent work.”

Hargrove se vuelve hacia ti.

Hg) “Nacho, do you have any idea how many generals write perhaps one or two personal commendations in an entire year?”

You) “No.”

Hg) “Well, now you do.”

You) “That’s unfortunate.”

Rowe empieza a reírse.

CJCSAr) “Unfortunate?”

You) “Yes. There must be a lot of good work going unrecognized.”

Las carcajadas son inmediatas.

Whitaker niega con la cabeza.

CSATw) “You’re going to make every personnel office in the Pentagon very busy.”

You) “Excellent. They’ll have something worthwhile to process.”

Holloway se dobla ligeramente sobre la mesa.

CNONh) “I can’t take this.”

Incluso Rowe tiene que apartar sus documentos para recuperar la compostura.

Mercer vuelve a intervenir, todavía sonriendo.

CNBGDm) “Nacho, may I ask something?”

You) “Of course.”

CNBGDm) “Did you deliberately include the unit’s command staff in the distribution?”

You) “Naturally.”

CNBGDm) “Why?”

You) “Because I want the people who did the work to receive the recognition, and I want their commanders to know that their work was noticed.”

Mercer asiente lentamente.

You) “It’s their achievement, David. They shouldn’t have to hear about it secondhand.”

El general contempla de nuevo la comunicación.

CNBGDm) “Thank you.”

You) “You’re welcome.”

Esta vez su agradecimiento tiene un peso distinto.

Hace menos de una hora te había confesado que, pese a vuestra cercanía, había llegado a considerarte más próximo a los jefes de los grandes servicios que a él.

Y ahora tiene en sus manos una commendation firmada por el CINF para una unidad de la National Guard, emitida sin ceremonia ni cálculos, simplemente porque la unidad había trabajado bien.

Keller se vuelve hacia Rowe.

CSOMk) “Adrian, I think we should encourage this habit.”

CJCSAr) “I think so too.”

Morrow asiente.

CCGLm) “Absolutely.”

Hargrove consulta la instrucción operativa recién recibida.

Hg) “Well, while you gentlemen are discussing the future of military commendations, I have a cartel to deal with.”

You) “Indeed you do, William.”

Hg) “I’ll coordinate with DEA and CBP, establish the working group and get the cyber component involved.”

You) “Wonderful.”

Hg) “And I’ll keep you informed.”

You) “Please.”

El general sonríe.

Hg) “Since you apparently insist on remaining informed about cases that belong to the commanders responsible for them.”

You) “A terrible habit, I know.”

Rowe recupera por fin el orden del día.

CJCSAr) “All right, gentlemen. We have a response framework, coordination instructions and a unit commendation.”

Mira el reloj.

CJCSAr) “Not bad for fifteen minutes.”

You) “Quite productive.”

CNONh) “He says, after casually launching a federal operation and decorating half the National Guard.”

You) “Nate, it was one team.”

CNONh) “Give him another hour.”

La mesa vuelve a estallar en risas.

Mercer, entretanto, está escribiendo discretamente una respuesta al comandante de su componente cyber.

No necesita explicar demasiado.

El documento del CINF ya contiene todo lo importante.

Y, por primera vez en mucho tiempo, un informe técnico procedente de una pequeña unidad de la National Guard no solo ha llegado a la mesa del Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Ha recibido una respuesta operativa, ha puesto a varias instituciones federales a trabajar y ha terminado con el reconocimiento personal de un general de dos estrellas.

David Mercer guarda finalmente la tableta.

CNBGDm) “Gentlemen, I think my people have had a very good morning.”

You) “They’ve earned it.”

Hargrove asiente.

Hg) “They certainly have.”

📅 Martes, 20 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 10:52 | 📍 The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia — The Tank, sala de reuniones del Joint Chiefs of Staff

La reunión está llegando a su fin cuando Adrian Rowe pregunta si queda algún asunto pendiente.

Hargrove acaba de confirmar que USCYBERCOM ya está coordinándose con DEA y CBP. Mercer ha recibido el acuse de recibo de la commendation dirigida a sus especialistas de la National Guard, y Nate Holloway todavía aprovecha cualquier oportunidad para bromear sobre tu facilidad para firmar reconocimientos.

Consultas el reloj.

You) “Gentlemen, if there’s nothing else, I should get going. I’m leaving for Colorado Springs at eleven.”

Thomas Whitaker levanta la cabeza.

CSATw) “Colorado Springs?”

You) “Yes.”

Kevin Caldwell sonríe.

CSAFKc) “What have you lost at the Air Force Academy?”

You) “Nothing, Kevin.”

CSAFKc) “Then why are you going to Colorado Springs?”

You) “I’m visiting NORTHCOM.”

La respuesta provoca un pequeño cambio en la atención de la mesa.

Adrian Rowe deja de recoger sus papeles.

CJCSAr) “NORTHCOM?”

You) “Yes.”

CSATw) “An inspection?”

You) “Not at all. I’m going to introduce myself to the commanding general and his deputy.”

Durante unos segundos nadie dice nada.

Después Oliver Price levanta lentamente la mirada.

VCJCSOp) “You’re going to do what?”

You) “Introduce myself.”

Nate empieza a sonreír.

CNONh) “Nacho, you’ve already spoken to Jonathan Mallory.”

You) “Briefly, over video.”

CNONh) “Exactly.”

You) “That’s not the same thing.”

Hargrove se reclina en su silla, visiblemente entretenido.

Hg) “Oh, this ought to be good.”

Rowe te observa.

CJCSAr) “Why didn’t you simply ask Mallory and his deputy to come here?”

La pregunta te desconcierta sinceramente.

You) “Because I owe them a proper introduction.”

Whitaker frunce el ceño.

CSATw) “You owe them one?”

You) “Of course. NORTHCOM has been reporting through my office since April second. I’m already eighteen days late.”

Miras a los presentes.

You) “I’ve been busy, and we’ve had a brief videoconference, but it’s only polite to introduce myself in person.”

El silencio que sigue resulta extraordinario.

Nate es el primero en romperlo.

CNONh) “You’re flying across the country because you think it’s rude not to visit?”

You) “Yes.”

El almirante empieza a reírse.

CNONh) “Good Lord.”

Caldwell levanta ambas manos.

CSAFKc) “Nacho, you’re a two-star general. You could summon the NORTHCOM commander to Washington.”

You) “I know.”

CSAFKc) “And you don’t want to?”

You) “Why would I?”

El general te contempla, divertido.

You) “Kevin, Jonathan has a combatant command to run. I’ve got a perfectly good aircraft, and I’m the one who hasn’t introduced himself properly.”

Hargrove se tapa la boca con una mano.

Hg) “He’s serious.”

You) “Of course I’m serious.”

Mercer empieza a reírse.

CNBGDm) “William, you’ve known him long enough. Why does this still surprise you?”

Hg) “Because somehow he keeps finding new ways to surprise me.”

Rowe te mira con una curiosidad creciente.

CJCSAr) “What do you intend to discuss with Mallory?”

You) “His command. His deputy. Their responsibilities, their staff, what they need from USIC, what they expect from me. I’d also like to see their headquarters.”

CSATw) “So it is an inspection.”

You) “No, Tom. It’s a visit.”

CSATw) “To a combatant command headquarters.”

You) “Yes.”

CSATw) “Where you’ll meet the commander and review the organization.”

You) “If he wants to show me around.”

Whitaker niega lentamente con la cabeza.

CSATw) “Unbelievable.”

Tú sonríes.

You) “Gentlemen, I’m not visiting to tell Jonathan how to command NORTHCOM. He’s a four-star general. He’s been doing this rather longer than I have.”

Hargrove asiente.

You) “My new responsibility is to make sure he has the coordination and representation he needs. It seems reasonable to begin by listening to him.”

Rowe se queda contemplándote.

Después sonríe.

CJCSAr) “That’s actually an excellent approach.”

You) “Thank you.”

CNONh) “And an extraordinarily unusual one.”

You) “Apparently.”

Keller interviene desde el otro extremo de la mesa.

CSOMk) “Have you told Mallory you’re coming?”

You) “His office received the visit notice yesterday. I’m hoping somebody informed him.”

Hargrove estalla en carcajadas.

Hg) “You’re hoping?”

You) “William, I learned my lesson with Di and the military police.”

Eso provoca una nueva ronda de risas.

Morrow señala tu reloj.

CCGLm) “You’d better get moving, Nacho.”

You) “Yes. I should.”

Te levantas y empiezas a recoger tus documentos.

Rowe también se pone de pie.

CJCSAr) “Give Jonathan our regards.”

You) “I will.”

Whitaker te estrecha la mano.

CSATw) “And enjoy Colorado.”

You) “Thank you, Tom.”

Caldwell sonríe.

CSAFKc) “Try not to acquire command of the Air Force Academy while you’re there.”

You) “No promises.”

Holloway empieza a reírse antes incluso de que termines la frase.

CNONh) “For heaven’s sake, Nacho!”

Te despides de los demás, incluido Mercer, que vuelve a agradecerte el reconocimiento a sus especialistas.

Cuando estás llegando a la puerta, Hargrove te llama.

Hg) “Nacho?”

Te vuelves.

You) “Yes, William?”

Hg) “You know Jonathan is probably going to assume there’s some enormous operational problem you haven’t told him about.”

You) “Why?”

Hargrove abre los brazos.

Hg) “Because his new reporting authority is flying from Washington to Colorado to meet him!”

You) “Well, I hope he likes visitors.”

William se echa a reír.

Hg) “Oh, he’s going to love you.”

You) “Wonderful. See you, gentlemen.”

La puerta se cierra detrás de ti.

Durante varios segundos, los miembros del JCS permanecen mirando hacia ella.

Finalmente, Nate se vuelve hacia Rowe.

CNONh) “Adrian, has that boy ever done anything the normal way?”

Rowe recoge sus papeles.

CJCSAr) “Not that I can recall.”

Keller sonríe.

CSOMk) “I think that’s part of why it works.”

Hargrove contempla su teléfono.

Hg) “Well, I’d better warn Jonathan that the visit really is just a courtesy call.”

Whitaker empieza a reírse.

CSATw) “Good luck convincing him.”

---

A las 11:03, atraviesas el aparcamiento reservado del Pentagon acompañado por Andrew Hayes y tu equipo de protección.

El Suburban espera junto al acceso.

Andrew te abre la puerta.

Andrew Hayes) “Joint Base Andrews, sir?”

You) “Yes, please.”

Te acomodas en el asiento trasero.

Andrew Hayes) “The aircraft is ready. Flight arrangements and ground transportation at Peterson are confirmed.”

You) “Wonderful. Thank you, Andrew.”

El capitán consulta su tableta.

Andrew Hayes) “May I ask something, sir?”

You) “Of course.”

Andrew Hayes) “Is this a formal command visit or a personal introduction?”

Sonríes.

You) “A personal introduction.”

Andrew levanta la cabeza.

Andrew Hayes) “Understood.”

You) “I’d prefer not to turn it into a major ceremony.”

Andrew Hayes) “I’ll pass that along.”

El vehículo se incorpora al tráfico.

Mientras avanzáis hacia Andrews, abres la carpeta de NORTHCOM.

El expediente contiene la estructura del mando, sus responsabilidades de defensa territorial, el papel de NORAD, la cooperación con autoridades civiles y la información institucional de su comandante.

También figura el nombre del deputy commander, al que todavía no has tenido ocasión de saludar personalmente.

Repasas las páginas con interés genuino.

No tienes intención de aparecer en Peterson para impresionar a nadie con tus dos estrellas ni con las nuevas competencias del USIC.

Quieres conocer a las personas con las que vas a trabajar.

Y, después de lo ocurrido esa mañana con Keller, Morrow y Mercer, estás todavía más convencido de que merece la pena prestar atención a esas relaciones.

---

En Colorado Springs, entretanto, el general Jonathan R. Mallory acaba de recibir una llamada de William Hargrove.

NCJm) “William. Good morning.”

Hg) “Jonathan. I wanted to give you a heads-up.”

NCJm) “About General Pindado?”

Hg) “Yes.”

Mallory mira el aviso de visita sobre su escritorio.

NCJm) “He’s flying out today. Is there an issue?”

Hg) “No.”

NCJm) “Something involving homeland defense?”

Hg) “No.”

NCJm) “A classified operational matter?”

Hg) “Jonathan, he wants to meet you.”

Mallory permanece unos segundos en silencio.

NCJm) “He wants to meet me.”

Hg) “And your deputy.”

NCJm) “Why?”

Hargrove empieza a reírse.

Hg) “Because he says he’s eighteen days late introducing himself.”

Mallory se queda inmóvil.

NCJm) “William.”

Hg) “I’m serious.”

NCJm) “He’s flying all the way to Peterson because he thinks he owes me a courtesy call?”

Hg) “Exactly.”

Mallory se recuesta lentamente.

NCJm) “I could have come to Washington.”

Hg) “We told him that.”

NCJm) “And?”

Hg) “He said you’re busy running a combatant command and that he’s got a perfectly good airplane.”

Mallory empieza a sonreír.

NCJm) “Well, I’ll be damned.”

Hargrove se ríe.

Hg) “That’s more or less what we said.”

NCJm) “What’s he like in person, William?”

La pregunta hace que Hargrove se tome un momento antes de responder.

Hg) “Very intelligent. Extremely capable. Polite to a degree that sometimes confuses people. He’s twenty-two, Jonathan, but he takes his responsibilities seriously.”

NCJm) “I’ve read his record.”

Hg) “Then you know what he’s accomplished. What the record doesn’t quite convey is how he treats people.”

Mallory escucha.

Hg) “He genuinely wants to work with you. He isn’t coming to inspect your headquarters or establish dominance. He’s coming because, in his mind, a new professional relationship ought to begin with a handshake.”

El comandante de NORTHCOM sonríe ampliamente.

NCJm) “I think I can accommodate that.”

Hg) “I thought you might.”

Mallory consulta el programa del día.

NCJm) “I’ll have my deputy join me. We’ll receive him personally.”

Hg) “He’ll appreciate it.”

NCJm) “And William?”

Hg) “Yes?”

NCJm) “Thanks for the warning.”

Hargrove empieza a reírse.

Hg) “My pleasure.”

Cuando termina la llamada, Mallory se queda unos instantes contemplando el aviso de visita.

Después llama a su ayudante.

NCJm) “Please let the Deputy Commander know I’d like him with me when General Pindado arrives.”

Su ayudante asiente.

NCJm) “And cancel the inspection briefing somebody put on the schedule.”

El oficial lo mira, sorprendido.

Aide 1 (Ad1) responde:

Ad1) “Sir?”

NCJm) “Apparently our new reporting authority is coming to introduce himself.”

El ayudante parpadea.

Ad1) “Just to introduce himself, General?”

Mallory sonríe.

NCJm) “Just to introduce himself.”

Vuelve a examinar el nombre que aparece en la notificación.

MG Ignacio Pindado — Chief of Information, United States Information Corps.

NCJm) “I think this is going to be an interesting afternoon.”

📅 Martes, 20 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 13:46 | 📍 Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs — Cuartel general de NORAD y USNORTHCOM

El avión militar ha aterrizado hace apenas veinte minutos. El trayecto desde Andrews ha sido extraordinariamente cómodo y, salvo por una breve conversación con Andrew sobre los horarios de regreso, has aprovechado el vuelo para terminar de leer el expediente de NORTHCOM.

La documentación es fascinante.

La defensa del territorio continental, las relaciones con Canadá a través de NORAD, la coordinación militar ante emergencias nacionales, la vigilancia aeroespacial y la integración de componentes de distintas ramas forman una organización considerablemente más compleja de lo que puede parecer desde fuera.

Pero al aproximaros al edificio principal descubres que alguien ha entendido tu visita de una manera muy distinta.

Hay militares formados.

Muchos.

Una banda espera junto a la explanada. Un destacamento de honores ocupa posiciones perfectamente alineadas, y varios oficiales de protocolo comprueban por última vez la disposición de los participantes.

Te quedas mirando por la ventanilla.

You) “Andrew?”

Andrew Hayes) “Yes, sir?”

You) “Why is there a band?”

Andrew contempla la explanada.

Andrew Hayes) “I believe that’s the receiving ceremony, General.”

You) “The what?”

Andrew Hayes) “The receiving ceremony, sir.”

Vuelves a mirar.

You) “Oh.”

El vehículo reduce la velocidad.

You) “Oh, dear.”

Andrew mantiene una expresión de profesionalidad impecable, aunque percibes el esfuerzo.

You) “I think somebody misunderstood what I meant by a courtesy visit.”

Andrew Hayes) “It appears the command has prepared a formal reception, sir.”

You) “How very kind of them.”

Andrew sonríe.

Andrew Hayes) “Very kind.”

El Suburban se detiene.

Uno de los militares del equipo de protección abre tu puerta y bajas.

En el extremo de la formación esperan dos oficiales generales.

El primero, GEN Jonathan R. Mallory, comandante de USNORTHCOM y NORAD, luce las cuatro estrellas de su grado en el uniforme de servicio de la Air Force. Es un hombre de porte tranquilo, próximo a los sesenta años, graduado de la United States Air Force Academy.

Junto a él se encuentra su segundo, LTG Thomas E. Redford, del United States Army, un oficial alto, de cabello entrecano y expresión cordial.

Ambos avanzan para recibirte.

La banda comienza a tocar.

El destacamento presenta armas.

Durante un instante contemplas toda aquella organización desplegada para recibir a un general de veintidós años que solamente quería dar la mano a dos compañeros.

You) “Oh.”

Mallory te recibe con una sonrisa.

NCJm) “General Pindado. Welcome to Peterson.”

You) “Oh, good afternoon. There really was no need to go to so much trouble. After all, I’m only a…”

Te detienes.

Bajas la mirada hacia las dos estrellas plateadas de tu uniforme.

Después vuelves a contemplar la formación.

You) “Oh, damn. That line worked much better when I was a field-grade officer.”

La expresión de Mallory cambia.

Primero parece sorprendido.

Después empieza a reírse.

NCJm) “I imagine it did, General.”

Redford suelta una carcajada perfectamente audible.

Thomas Redford (Tr) interviene:

Tr) “Welcome to the general officer corps, sir.”

Sonríes, un poco avergonzado y muy divertido.

You) “Thank you. I’m still adjusting.”

Mallory te tiende la mano.

NCJm) “Jonathan Mallory. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person.”

Le estrechas la mano con entusiasmo.

You) “The pleasure is mine, sir. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

El general levanta ligeramente las cejas al escuchar el tratamiento.

NCJm) “You can call me Jonathan, General.”

You) “Of course, sir.”

Redford empieza a sonreír.

Mallory te contempla.

NCJm) “That may take some work.”

You) “I’m afraid it usually does.”

Te vuelves hacia su segundo.

You) “And you must be General Redford.”

Tr) “Thomas Redford, sir. Deputy Commander, USNORTHCOM.”

Le estrechas la mano.

You) “Very pleased to meet you, sir.”

Redford sonríe de oreja a oreja.

Tr) “Likewise, General.”

Mallory contempla fugazmente a su adjunto.

NCJm) “Thomas, I believe we’ve just discovered something rather unusual about our new reporting authority.”

Tr) “Indeed, sir.”

You) “Oh?”

NCJm) “He’s calling both of us sir.”

Sonríes.

You) “Well, you are a four-star general and a lieutenant general. It seems appropriate.”

Mallory se ríe.

NCJm) “You’re aware that your institutional position makes that entirely unnecessary.”

You) “Of course.”

Tr) “And yet?”

You) “And yet you’re both senior officers with decades of experience. I’m hardly going to pretend otherwise.”

Redford intercambia una mirada con su comandante.

Tr) “I like him already.”

Mallory asiente.

NCJm) “So do I.”

El oficial de protocolo se aproxima para anunciar el siguiente paso de la ceremonia.

Protocol Officer 1 (Pr1) saluda.

Pr1) “General Mallory, the honor guard is ready for inspection.”

Te vuelves inmediatamente hacia Mallory.

You) “Oh, sir, I really didn’t come to inspect anything.”

El oficial de protocolo vacila.

Mallory empieza a reírse.

NCJm) “It’s the ceremonial inspection, Nacho.”

You) “Ah.”

Miras a los soldados formados.

You) “Well, in that case, it would be terribly impolite to disappoint them.”

Mallory sonríe.

NCJm) “My thoughts exactly.”

Recorréis juntos la formación. Saludás a los militares del destacamento y prestas atención a los honores que han preparado. Cuando termina la ceremonia, te detienes brevemente ante el oficial responsable.

You) “Please convey my thanks to everyone involved. This was a wonderful welcome.”

Pr1) “Thank you, General.”

You) “And to the band, too. They were excellent.”

El oficial sonríe.

Pr1) “I’ll pass that along, sir.”

Mallory te acompaña hacia la entrada.

NCJm) “I owe you an explanation.”

You) “Oh?”

NCJm) “William Hargrove called me this morning.”

You) “He did?”

NCJm) “Yes. He told me you were coming purely as a courtesy visit and that you didn’t want an inspection or a major ceremony.”

Te quedas contemplándolo.

You) “He was very considerate.”

Mallory empieza a reírse.

NCJm) “He was. Unfortunately, by that point, my protocol staff had already interpreted the visit through the normal procedures for receiving a senior authority.”

Tr) “And the moment somebody mentioned the Chief of Information arriving from Washington, the machinery became unstoppable.”

You) “I see.”

NCJm) “I did try to explain that you weren’t expecting anything elaborate.”

Tr) “But the ceremony was already prepared, and the band had rehearsed.”

Sonríes.

You) “Then I’m delighted we went ahead with it.”

Mallory te mira.

You) “They clearly put a lot of work into welcoming me. It would have been a shame not to appreciate it.”

El comandante de NORTHCOM asiente.

NCJm) “That’s a very gracious way of looking at it.”

You) “It’s the least I can do.”

Entráis en el edificio.

El ambiente cambia de inmediato. Los espacios de recepción dan paso a los pasillos de un cuartel general operativo, con oficiales, suboficiales y personal civil desarrollando sus tareas habituales.

Mallory señala hacia el interior.

NCJm) “We have a conference room prepared, but I understand you didn’t request a formal briefing.”

You) “No, sir. Although I’d genuinely love to learn more about what you do here.”

Tr) “We can certainly arrange that.”

You) “Thank you.”

Te vuelves hacia Mallory.

You) “I really came because we haven’t had a proper opportunity to meet. Our commands are now linked institutionally, and I thought it would be courteous to visit you rather than summon you to Washington.”

Mallory asiente despacio.

NCJm) “William mentioned that.”

You) “I’ve been meaning to come since the reporting arrangement became effective. I’m eighteen days late, I’m afraid.”

Redford levanta las cejas.

Tr) “You’re apologizing for taking eighteen days to visit a four-star combatant commander?”

You) “Well, yes.”

Mallory se detiene junto a la puerta de su despacho.

NCJm) “Nacho, most general officers in your position would have sent us a memorandum.”

You) “I did send the memorandum.”

Tr) “And then you flew here.”

You) “Exactly.”

Los dos generales se ríen.

NCJm) “Well, we’re very glad you did.”

Entráis en el despacho del comandante.

Mallory se quita la chaqueta del uniforme con naturalidad y la deja sobre el respaldo de una silla. Redford hace lo mismo. Tú sigues su ejemplo.

En una pared hay un gran mapa de Norteamérica. Otro panel muestra la estructura conjunta de NORAD y USNORTHCOM, con sus componentes y relaciones de coordinación.

Mallory señala los sillones.

NCJm) “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

You) “Thank you, sir.”

Te sientas frente a ambos.

NCJm) “Can we get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Water?”

You) “Hot chocolate, if you have it.”

Redford levanta la cabeza.

Tr) “Hot chocolate?”

You) “Yes, please.”

Mallory empieza a reírse.

NCJm) “Thomas, I believe William neglected to mention that detail.”

Tr) “I’ll see what we can do.”

Pide las bebidas por teléfono. Para sorpresa de todos, la cafetería del edificio confirma que puede preparar chocolate caliente.

You) “Excellent headquarters.”

Mallory se ríe.

NCJm) “I’ll make sure that goes into our next command evaluation.”

You) “Five stars.”

El comandante se acomoda.

NCJm) “All right, Nacho. Since you came all this way, what would you like to know?”

Miras el mapa de la pared.

You) “I’d love to understand your priorities. Your current challenges, how you organize the command, what you expect from USIC and what you need from me.”

Redford asiente.

Tr) “That’s quite an invitation.”

You) “I mean it.”

Mallory contempla tu expresión.

NCJm) “Most visits begin with us explaining what we’ve accomplished.”

You) “I’d like to hear that too.”

Sonríes.

You) “But I already know you’re competent officers. I don’t need you to spend the afternoon proving that.”

Mallory se queda unos instantes en silencio.

Después sonríe.

NCJm) “Well. That’s refreshing.”

You) “I’m glad.”

Tr) “May I ask something, Nacho?”

You) “Of course, sir.”

Tr) “How do you envision the relationship between USIC and NORTHCOM?”

La pregunta te interesa inmediatamente.

You) “As a working relationship between professionals.”

Te inclinas hacia delante.

You) “I don’t want to interfere with your operational command. Jonathan commands NORTHCOM. You support him as deputy. I’m responsible for the institutional functions assigned to USIC, including our strategic reporting relationship and the capabilities we’re building.”

Mallory escucha atentamente.

You) “What I want is for you to know that if NORTHCOM needs something from USIC, you can tell me directly.”

NCJm) “And if there’s a disagreement?”

You) “We discuss it.”

Tr) “And if we think you’re wrong?”

You) “Please tell me.”

Mallory levanta las cejas.

You) “Seriously. I have twenty-two years of life and less experience in senior command than either of you. I expect to learn a great deal.”

Redford sonríe.

Tr) “That’s not an answer we hear very often.”

You) “Well, I can’t learn if nobody explains things to me.”

Mallory se echa hacia atrás, divertido.

NCJm) “William was right about you.”

You) “Oh dear. What did he say?”

NCJm) “That you were unusually capable, extraordinarily polite and genuinely interested in other people’s work.”

Sonríes.

You) “That’s very kind of him.”

NCJm) “He also said you’d probably call me sir despite outranking me institutionally.”

You) “He knows me rather well.”

Los tres os reís.

En ese momento llaman a la puerta y un miembro del personal trae las bebidas.

Hay dos cafés.

Y un chocolate caliente.

Redford observa tu taza.

Tr) “Well, gentlemen, I think this may be the first time a visit from a senior Pentagon authority has begun with hot chocolate and an invitation to tell him he’s wrong.”

Mallory alza su café.

NCJm) “To new working relationships.”

Tú levantas tu taza.

You) “To new friends, I hope.”

El comandante de NORTHCOM sonríe ampliamente.

NCJm) “I think we can arrange that.”

Las tazas se encuentran sobre la mesa.

Y Mallory, que había empezado la mañana preparando la recepción formal de un superior institucional, abre su carpeta de trabajo con la agradable sensación de estar a punto de mantener una conversación bastante más útil.

NCJm) “All right, Nacho. Let me tell you what NORTHCOM actually worries about.”

Dejas tu taza a un lado.

You) “Please, sir. I’m all ears.”

📅 Martes, 20 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 14:34 | 📍 Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs — Cuartel general de USNORTHCOM

Jonathan Mallory lleva casi cuarenta minutos enseñándote las prioridades operativas de NORTHCOM cuando llegáis a un apartado especialmente desagradable de su informe logístico.

El general señala dos líneas marcadas en ámbar.

NCJm) “And this is where we’re having trouble. Twenty-five M1 Abrams and eighty-three HEMTTs. They’ve been approved, but we haven’t received them.”

Thomas Redford asiente desde el otro extremo de la mesa.

Tr) “The Abrams are needed to complete the armored support allocation. The HEMTTs are holding up several transportation and sustainment elements. We have crews, maintenance capacity and the associated support structure. What we don’t have are the vehicles.”

You) “Eighty-three HEMTTs?”

Tr) “Yes, sir.”

You) “And twenty-five Abrams?”

NCJm) “Correct.”

Abres la distribución de material del Army.

You) “Who has them?”

Redford consulta su documentación.

Tr) “USARPAC has a substantial allocation committed to the Pacific posture. Army Materiel Command has been trying to reconcile priorities.”

Empiezas a leer.

You) “Hmm.”

Mallory bebe un sorbo de café mientras examinas los registros.

You) “Wait a second.”

NCJm) “Something wrong?”

You) “Why are these vehicles being held for the Pacific component when the corresponding Army formations are embarked or assigned to maritime deployment?”

Redford se inclina hacia la pantalla.

Tr) “That’s part of the allocation rationale.”

You) “But USARPAC has access to Army Prepositioned Stocks afloat.”

Tr) “Yes.”

You) “Including the maritime prepositioning assets intended to support precisely that kind of deployment.”

Mallory asiente.

NCJm) “They do.”

Te quedas contemplando las cifras.

You) “Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

Redford sonríe ligeramente.

Tr) “General?”

You) “They’re on ships, Thomas. The Pacific Army component is on ships. That’s what the maritime prepositioning assets are for!”

Mallory se echa a reír.

NCJm) “I take it you’ve found an alternative.”

You) “I believe so.”

Revisas la disponibilidad, las reservas asignadas y las necesidades declaradas. Después abres la comunicación correspondiente a Army Materiel Command y comienzas a redactar.

You) “I’m reallocating the twenty-five Abrams and eighty-three HEMTTs to NORTHCOM.”

Mallory deja la taza.

NCJm) “You’re doing what?”

You) “Reallocating the vehicles.”

Tr) “All of them?”

You) “Yes.”

Añades la referencia a la cobertura mediante existencias de preposicionamiento marítimo para las necesidades de USARPAC y ordenas coordinar la entrega con los mandos logísticos responsables.

Repasas el documento.

Lo firmas.

You) “There.”

Mallory contempla tu tableta.

NCJm) “Nacho.”

You) “Yes, sir?”

NCJm) “We’ve been trying to resolve that allocation for weeks.”

You) “That’s rather unfortunate.”

Tr) “Army Materiel Command has had multiple coordination meetings about it.”

You) “Well, they can stop having them now.”

Redford empieza a reírse.

Tr) “Good Lord.”

Mallory recibe la notificación casi inmediatamente en su sistema.

La abre.

Lee la orden.

Después vuelve a leértela.

NCJm) “Twenty-five Abrams. Eighty-three HEMTTs. Priority transfer to NORTHCOM.”

Levanta la mirada.

NCJm) “You’ve actually done it.”

You) “Well, yes. You told me you needed them.”

El comandante de NORTHCOM se queda contemplándote.

NCJm) “Most senior officers would have promised to look into it.”

You) “But I’ve already looked into it.”

Tr) “And signed the redistribution order.”

You) “Exactly.”

Redford se lleva una mano a la frente, riéndose.

Tr) “Jonathan, I think we’ve just found the most efficient logistics meeting of my career.”

Mallory sigue observando el documento.

NCJm) “William warned me you were unusual.”

You) “He keeps saying that.”

NCJm) “He neglected to mention you could solve a six-week equipment problem between two cups of hot chocolate.”

You) “To be fair, I’ve only had one.”

Los dos generales estallan en carcajadas.

Mallory termina por dejar la tableta.

NCJm) “All right, Nacho. You’ve just done us a considerable favor. What can we do for you?”

Lo piensas apenas un segundo.

You) “Actually, there is something I’d love to see.”

NCJm) “Name it.”

You) “Your Quick Reaction Force arrangements for our Tier 0 facility here in Colorado.”

Redford se incorpora.

Tr) “The Colorado Tier 0?”

You) “Yes, sir.”

NCJm) “We have an established response package assigned to its protection.”

You) “I’d love to see it work.”

Mallory asiente.

NCJm) “We can arrange a demonstration this afternoon.”

You) “Oh, no, sir. Not a prepared demonstration.”

Los dos generales te miran.

You) “I want to see what happens when an alarm actually sounds. The personnel scramble, the crews move, vehicles form up and the response package activates.”

Redford sonríe.

Tr) “An unannounced readiness drill.”

You) “Exactly.”

NCJm) “You want to activate the QRF without giving the crews advance notice.”

You) “Yes. We can go discreetly to the staging area, observe the personnel and trigger the exercise through your normal command arrangements.”

Mallory parece encantado.

NCJm) “Thomas?”

Tr) “We can do that.”

You) “Wonderful.”

NCJm) “You understand this is a substantial response formation?”

You) “That’s why I want to see it.”

Redford abre el plan correspondiente.

Tr) “The full alert package comprises six hundred fifty-one personnel.”

Sonríes.

You) “Excellent.”

Tr) “Ground maneuver, aviation, transportation, security and supporting elements. It’s designed around the five-minute proximity requirement for the facility.”

Mallory señala el esquema.

NCJm) “Eight MH-60s, twelve Little Birds, Bradley fighting vehicles, Strykers, HEMTTs and M-ATVs.”

You) “Good Lord.”

Tr) “And the Air Force component maintains the associated aerospace response arrangements.”

You) “Tell me.”

Tr) “USAFA support is on alert under the applicable arrangements. An airborne early-warning platform coordinates two combat air patrols and a close-air-support complement.”

Te quedas contemplando la organización.

You) “That’s extraordinary.”

Mallory sonríe.

NCJm) “We take the protection of national strategic infrastructure seriously.”

You) “I can see that.”

Te vuelves hacia ambos.

You) “I’d really like to meet the personnel who would come for us.”

La expresión de Mallory se suaviza.

NCJm) “Then let’s go meet them.”

---

A las 15:31 llegáis a las instalaciones de concentración de la QRF.

El recorrido se ha realizado por accesos habituales, sin anunciar una visita de inspección a las unidades. Mallory y Redford han autorizado el ejercicio y coordinado los controles necesarios con un reducido grupo de responsables; las tripulaciones y equipos de respuesta todavía desconocen cuándo comenzará.

Tú has solicitado cambiarte de uniforme antes de salir del cuartel general.

Cuando reapareces vestido con el ACU gris del USIC, Mallory te contempla de arriba abajo.

NCJm) “Nacho.”

You) “Yes, sir?”

NCJm) “You changed uniforms.”

You) “Yes.”

Tr) “You’re joining the exercise?”

You) “I’d like to accompany one of the vehicles, if that’s acceptable.”

Mallory sonríe.

NCJm) “I don’t see why not.”

You) “Excellent.”

Tu ACU lleva el distintivo de Major General en el pecho. Andrew Hayes también viste su uniforme de campaña, igual que el resto de tu equipo de protección.

El capitán comprueba discretamente las comunicaciones.

Andrew Hayes) “Our vehicles will remain with the formation, sir.”

You) “Thank you, Andrew.”

Andrew Hayes) “Two Suburbans, full protection element. We’ll follow the assigned vehicle and maintain contact throughout.”

You) “Perfect.”

Cerca del edificio de operaciones, un suboficial se aproxima.

Staff Sergeant 1 (Ss1) saluda.

Ss1) “Generals. Welcome to the QRF staging area.”

Mallory devuelve el saludo.

NCJm) “Thank you, Sergeant. We’re here to observe readiness.”

Ss1) “Yes, sir.”

You) “Sergeant, would it be possible to draw an M4?”

El suboficial levanta la cabeza.

Ss1) “For you, General?”

You) “Yes, please.”

Ss1) “Of course, sir.”

Redford te mira, divertido.

Tr) “You really are getting involved.”

You) “I’d like to experience the response alongside the personnel.”

Mallory sonríe.

NCJm) “All right. Let’s get you equipped.”

Unos minutos después recibes una carabina M4, registrada para el ejercicio y bajo las condiciones de seguridad correspondientes.

El suboficial observa tu identificación.

Ss1) “Major General Pindado, United States Information Corps.”

You) “That’s me.”

Ss1) “Yes, sir.”

Se detiene un instante.

Ss1) “Sir, may I ask something?”

You) “Of course.”

Ss1) “Are you evaluating the QRF?”

You) “I’m here to learn how you work.”

El hombre te contempla.

Ss1) “Understood, sir.”

Le sonríes.

You) “Thank you for your help, Sergeant.”

Ss1) “My pleasure, General.”

Mallory y Redford os acompañan hasta la zona de vehículos.

Hay filas de material militar preparado para responder.

Los HEMTT destacan por su tamaño, sus enormes neumáticos y las cabinas elevadas. A poca distancia se encuentran varios Strykers y vehículos de protección M-ATV. Más allá aparecen los Bradley, con sus tripulaciones destinadas en las proximidades.

En otra zona de la instalación se concentran elementos de aviación.

El conjunto resulta impresionante.

Mallory señala un Stryker de mando.

NCJm) “We can ride in that vehicle. It’ll give us direct contact with the response command element.”

Contemplas el Stryker.

Después miras hacia un HEMTT próximo.

You) “Actually, sir, would you mind if we rode in that truck instead?”

Redford levanta las cejas.

Tr) “The HEMTT?”

You) “Yes.”

NCJm) “Why?”

You) “Because I’d like to see what the ordinary soldiers experience.”

El comandante de NORTHCOM sonríe.

NCJm) “Well, that’s a rather different perspective.”

You) “I thought so.”

Redford se ríe.

Tr) “And I suppose you’re taking us with you?”

You) “If you’d like.”

Mallory mira a su segundo.

NCJm) “Thomas?”

Tr) “I think we’d be foolish to miss this.”

Los tres os dirigís hacia el vehículo.

Junto al HEMTT hay seis soldados de infantería.

El responsable del pequeño equipo es un cabo joven, de unos veintitantos años, que está revisando una hoja de comprobación con los otros cinco 11B.

Cuando advierte que se aproxima un grupo de oficiales, levanta la cabeza.

Primero ve a Redford.

Después a Mallory.

Finalmente te ve a ti, vestido con ACU gris, dos estrellas sobre el pecho y una M4.

Su expresión cambia de manera espectacular.

Corporal 1 (Cp1) se pone inmediatamente firme.

Cp1) “ATTENTION!”

Los otros cinco soldados reaccionan al instante.

Mallory devuelve el saludo.

NCJm) “At ease, Corporal.”

El cabo baja la mano, aunque sigue mirando a los tres generales como si acabara de producirse una anomalía imposible.

Cp1) “Good afternoon, generals!”

You) “Good afternoon, Corporal.”

Te aproximas con una sonrisa.

You) “Is this your vehicle?”

Cp1) “Yes, sir!”

You) “Excellent. Mind if we join you?”

El muchacho parpadea.

Cp1) “Sir?”

You) “We’d like to ride with your team.”

Mira a Mallory.

Mallory sonríe.

NCJm) “The general is asking whether you’ve got room for three visitors, Corporal.”

Cp1) “Three…”

Mira de nuevo.

Un general de cuatro estrellas de la Air Force.

Un teniente general del Army.

Y un major general del USIC, armado y vestido para campaña.

Cp1) “Yes, sir! Of course, sir!”

Redford está haciendo un esfuerzo considerable por mantener la compostura.

Tr) “Excellent.”

El cabo se vuelve hacia sus hombres.

Cp1) “Make room for the generals!”

Los cinco soldados empiezan a reorganizar sus equipos a toda velocidad.

Tú levantas una mano.

You) “No need to rearrange everything on our account. We’d like to ride as normally as possible.”

Cp1) “Yes, sir!”

You) “What’s your name, Corporal?”

Cp1) “Corporal Matthew Reed, sir!”

You) “Nice to meet you, Matthew. I’m Ignacio Pindado. Nacho is fine.”

El cabo se queda inmóvil.

Cp1) “Nacho, sir?”

You) “Yes.”

Cp1) “Understood, General.”

Mallory empieza a reírse.

NCJm) “I think that may be a little ambitious, Nacho.”

You) “I’m beginning to notice.”

Redford estrecha la mano del joven cabo.

Tr) “Thomas Redford. Good to meet you, Corporal.”

Cp1) “Thank you, sir!”

Mallory hace lo mismo.

NCJm) “Jonathan Mallory.”

Cp1) “It’s an honor, General!”

Por último, tú le estrechas la mano.

You) “Thank you for having us aboard.”

El cabo contempla tu mano durante una fracción de segundo antes de estrechártela.

Cp1) “Of course, sir!”

Andrew observa la escena desde unos pasos más atrás, con una expresión de diversión difícil de disimular.

Andrew Hayes) “Sir, your protection vehicles are positioned.”

You) “Thank you, Andrew.”

El capitán se aproxima al cabo.

Andrew Hayes) “Corporal, I’m Captain Andrew Hayes, USIC Protection Division. My team will accompany your vehicle in two Suburbans. We’ll maintain coordination with your command element.”

Cp1) “Yes, Captain.”

Andrew Hayes) “You continue operating under your normal procedures. We’re here to accompany the generals.”

Cp1) “Understood.”

Andrew te mira.

Andrew Hayes) “We’ll be nearby, Nacho.”

You) “Wonderful.”

El cabo vuelve a mirar a sus cinco hombres.

Uno de ellos, Soldado 1 (Pv1), se inclina discretamente hacia su compañero.

Pv1) “Are those actually three generals?”

Soldado 2 (Pv2) responde en voz baja:

Pv2) “Shut up.”

Pero no lo suficientemente baja.

Redford los escucha.

Tr) “Yes, gentlemen. Three.”

Los dos soldados se ponen rígidos.

Tr) “And we’re delighted to be here.”

Mallory suelta una carcajada.

You) “Gentlemen, please relax. We’re just going to accompany you.”

El cabo Reed todavía tiene aspecto de necesitar unos instantes para asimilar lo que está ocurriendo.

Cp1) “Sir, are we expecting an operation?”

You) “Nothing you haven’t trained for, Corporal.”

Reed asiente despacio.

Cp1) “Understood, sir.”

Sus ojos vuelven a desplazarse hacia la carabina que llevas.

Cp1) “General… may I ask why you’re carrying an M4?”

You) “Because I’m wearing an ACU, and I thought I’d be properly equipped.”

Redford empieza a reírse.

Tr) “Perfectly reasonable.”

Mallory lo mira.

NCJm) “Thomas.”

Tr) “What?”

NCJm) “You’re enjoying this far too much.”

Tr) “Yes, sir.”

El cabo Reed observa a los tres generales y después a su equipo.

La situación es tan extraordinaria que sus hombres parecen debatirse entre la incredulidad y el deseo urgente de comprobar que no han olvidado absolutamente nada.

Finalmente recupera suficiente seguridad para hablar con normalidad.

Cp1) “General Pindado, this is our assigned HEMTT. I’m responsible for the five infantrymen accompanying it. The vehicle crew handles driving and mechanical readiness. We’re part of the installation response package.”

You) “Excellent. What do your men normally do when the alert comes?”

Cp1) “We move according to our assigned response instructions, sir. We secure our equipment, board, maintain accountability and report readiness to the movement control element.”

You) “Very good.”

Cp1) “We’re expected to be ready quickly.”

You) “I’m sure you are.”

El cabo sonríe por primera vez.

Cp1) “We train for it, sir.”

You) “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

Mallory se acomoda junto a vosotros, todavía vestido con su uniforme de servicio.

Redford examina el vehículo mientras escucha al cabo describir la distribución habitual de su equipo.

Ninguno de los dos se ha cambiado de uniforme.

Tú, por el contrario, estás preparado para subir con los soldados, llevando tu M4 y el ACU gris del USIC.

La combinación resulta tan desconcertante que otro suboficial que pasa junto al HEMTT se detiene brevemente para comprobar lo que está viendo.

Sergeant 1 (Sg1) saluda.

Sg1) “Generals!”

NCJm) “Afternoon, Sergeant.”

Sg1) “Sir.”

El hombre continúa su camino, aunque vuelve la cabeza una vez.

Redford sonríe.

Tr) “We’re going to be the most discussed HEMTT crew in Colorado by dinner.”

You) “I hope Matthew doesn’t mind.”

El cabo levanta inmediatamente la cabeza.

Cp1) “Not at all, sir!”

You) “Good.”

Mallory contempla la zona de concentración.

NCJm) “Everything looks remarkably ordinary, doesn’t it?”

You) “That’s what I like.”

Alrededor, la actividad sigue su curso habitual.

Un especialista comprueba una conexión en otro vehículo. Dos militares trasladan material de una zona de almacenamiento. Un conductor termina de revisar su HEMTT. Varios soldados conversan mientras esperan instrucciones.

Más lejos, los helicópteros permanecen en sus áreas asignadas.

Nadie ha ordenado todavía el scramble.

Los seis hombres del equipo de Reed saben que algo extraordinario está ocurriendo, porque resulta imposible ignorar la presencia de tres generales junto a su camión.

Pero no saben cuándo llegará la orden ni qué se les pedirá exactamente.

Y eso es precisamente lo que querías.

Redford se acerca a ti.

Tr) “Nacho, are you satisfied with this position?”

Miras el HEMTT, al cabo Reed y a los cinco soldados.

Después observas los dos Suburban de tu equipo de protección, estacionados en las inmediaciones.

You) “Very much, sir.”

Mallory sonríe.

NCJm) “Then we’ll stay here.”

You) “Thank you.”

El comandante de NORTHCOM contempla a sus hombres, que continúan preparándose para una jornada aparentemente corriente.

NCJm) “It’s a substantial responsibility, protecting one of these facilities.”

You) “It is.”

NCJm) “Six hundred fifty-one personnel in the complete response package. Ground maneuver units, aviation, armored support, transportation, medical and sustainment elements.”

You) “And the Air Force.”

NCJm) “And the Air Force.”

Redford asiente.

Tr) “Eight MH-60s, a dozen Little Birds, Bradleys, Strykers, HEMTTs, M-ATVs, and the air-defense and close-air-support arrangements. A considerable commitment for a single strategic installation.”

Contemplas a los soldados.

You) “It is.”

You) “And I’m enormously grateful.”

Mallory te mira.

NCJm) “For what?”

You) “For taking our security seriously.”

El comandante sonríe.

NCJm) “It’s our job, Nacho.”

You) “I know. That’s why I wanted to meet the people doing it.”

El cabo Reed escucha esa última frase.

Se vuelve discretamente hacia uno de sus soldados.

Cp1) “Make sure everybody’s equipment is ready.”

Pv1) “Yes, Corporal.”

El joven suboficial vuelve a dirigirse a ti.

Cp1) “General, would you like to see how we normally arrange the team aboard?”

Sonríes.

You) “I’d love to.”

Reed comienza a explicarte la distribución del personal, los puntos de acceso y las responsabilidades de sus hombres.

Mallory y Redford escuchan con interés.

Andrew permanece cerca, coordinado con los dos Suburban.

La explanada sigue tranquila.

Todavía no ha sonado ninguna alarma.

Y, mientras el cabo Matthew Reed enseña orgullosamente su HEMTT a tres generales que jamás habría imaginado tener como pasajeros, ninguno de sus cinco soldados sospecha que está a punto de vivir una de las jornadas más memorables de su carrera.

📅 Martes, 20 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 15:48 | 📍 Colorado Springs, Colorado - Área de concentración QRF de USNORTHCOM

El cabo Matthew Reed está terminando de explicarte la distribución de los seis soldados de su equipo cuando te vuelves hacia Jonathan Mallory.

You) “Jonathan, whenever you’re ready, let’s sound the alarm.”

El comandante de NORTHCOM te observa un instante.

NCJm) “You want to begin now?”

You) “Yes, sir. I’d love to see how they respond.”

Mallory mira a Thomas Redford, quien comprueba su reloj y asiente.

Tr) “Everything’s ready.”

NCJm) “Very well.”

Mallory activa su radio.

NCJm) “Exercise control, this is NORTHCOM Actual. Execute the readiness exercise. Full response package.”

La confirmación llega inmediatamente.

Exercise Controller 1 (Ex1) responde:

Ex1) “NORTHCOM Actual, acknowledged. Exercise commencing.”

Mallory guarda la radio.

NCJm) “Here we go.”

Durante aproximadamente dos segundos no ocurre absolutamente nada.

Después, la sirena.

Una alarma electrónica, potente y sostenida, atraviesa toda la zona de concentración. Casi simultáneamente, los altavoces exteriores empiezan a transmitir el aviso.

Ex1) “EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE. TIER ZERO SECURITY ALERT. POSSIBLE HOSTILE INCURSION. QUICK REACTION FORCE, SCRAMBLE. THIS IS AN EXERCISE.”

El efecto sobre los militares que os rodean es inmediato.

El cabo Reed gira sobre sus talones.

Cp1) “LET’S GO! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!”

Sus cinco soldados abandonan instantáneamente lo que estaban haciendo.

Uno recoge su equipo. Otro asegura su casco. Los demás se desplazan hacia el HEMTT mientras los conductores empiezan a poner en marcha los vehículos.

Cp1) “ACCOUNTABILITY! EVERYBODY ON THE TRUCK! LET’S MOVE!”

El joven cabo ha olvidado por completo que está acompañado por tres generales.

Y tú estás encantado.

Mallory lo observa con una sonrisa.

NCJm) “Well, that was quick.”

You) “Very.”

Reed te señala la zona de embarque.

Cp1) “GENERAL, ON BOARD! NOW!”

You) “Yes, Corporal!”

Redford empieza a reírse mientras subís.

Tr) “I think we’ve just been ordered aboard.”

NCJm) “I believe we have.”

Andrew ya está moviéndose hacia los Suburban.

Andrew Hayes) “Protection element, mount up. We’re moving with the convoy.”

Los dos vehículos de protección se ponen en marcha.

A vuestro alrededor, la explanada se transforma en cuestión de segundos.

Los motores diésel empiezan a rugir. Varias tripulaciones corren hacia sus Bradley. Los Stryker abandonan sus posiciones de estacionamiento. Los M-ATV se incorporan al movimiento y los HEMTT comienzan a organizarse para salir.

Los militares que hace un momento conversaban tranquilamente están ahora embarcando, comprobando sus equipos y comunicando disponibilidad.

No hay una formación ceremonial.

Hay cientos de personas haciendo aquello para lo que han entrenado.

Dentro de vuestro HEMTT, Reed comprueba que sus cinco hombres estén a bordo.

Cp1) “ONE!”

Pv1) “HERE!”

Cp1) “TWO!”

Pv2) “HERE!”

El recuento continúa hasta completar el equipo.

Reed se vuelve hacia la cabina.

Cp1) “TEAM ACCOUNTED FOR! READY TO MOVE!”

El conductor confirma.

Driver 1 (Dr1) responde:

Dr1) “Copy! Moving!”

El camión se pone en marcha.

Mallory consulta su reloj.

NCJm) “Forty-three seconds.”

You) “Good Lord.”

Redford sonríe.

Tr) “They’re making excellent time.”

El HEMTT se incorpora al flujo de vehículos.

A través de las ventanillas puedes ver los primeros Bradley desplazándose hacia la salida, seguidos por Stryker y otros vehículos de apoyo.

Por encima del ruido de los motores comienza a escucharse algo distinto.

Helicópteros.

Miras hacia el exterior.

Un MH-60 despega, seguido por otro. Más allá, varios Little Bird empiezan a elevarse sobre sus áreas de estacionamiento.

El movimiento continúa extendiéndose por la base.

Mallory recibe una transmisión.

NCJm) “NORTHCOM Actual. Go ahead.”

Ex1) “Aviation elements reporting launch. Ground response package moving. Air coordination established.”

NCJm) “Acknowledged.”

Redford se vuelve hacia ti.

Tr) “The aviation component is activating. Eight MH-60s and twelve Little Birds in the full package.”

You) “Impressive.”

Tr) “The air picture is being coordinated separately. We’ve got the airborne early-warning aircraft maintaining the exercise picture, two combat air patrols and the close-air-support complement.”

Mallory asiente.

NCJm) “And the USAFA-related support elements have received their alert.”

You) “That’s an extraordinary amount of coordination.”

NCJm) “It has to be.”

El cabo Reed, entretanto, está hablando con sus soldados.

Y durante el primer minuto del trayecto, lo escuchas explicarles por qué se están moviendo.

Cp1) “LISTEN UP!”

Los cinco hombres se vuelven hacia él.

Cp1) “Our brothers at USIC need us! Their facility is under attack, and we’re going to help them!”

Su voz supera perfectamente el ruido del motor.

Cp1) “I don’t care what we find when we get there. Those people are counting on us, and we’re bringing every single one of them home!”

Uno de sus soldados responde inmediatamente.

Pv1) “YES, CORPORAL!”

Cp1) “WE GO IN, WE DO OUR JOB, AND WE GET OUR PEOPLE OUT! WHATEVER IT TAKES!”

Pv2) “HOOAH!”

Los demás se unen.

Durante unos segundos, el camión se llena de voces.

Reed vuelve a comprobar el equipo de sus hombres.

Cp1) “Keep your heads in the exercise! Stay with your team!”

Solo entonces parece recordar que está acompañado.

Se vuelve.

Te ve.

Ve las dos estrellas.

Ve al general Mallory y al teniente general Redford.

La expresión que aparece en su cara resulta maravillosa.

Cp1) “Oh, sir-”

You) “Carry on, Corporal.”

El muchacho parpadea.

You) “Please.”

Mallory se está riendo.

NCJm) “You were doing an excellent job.”

Reed traga saliva.

Cp1) “Thank you, General.”

Redford señala a sus hombres.

Tr) “They’re listening to you. Keep leading them.”

El cabo asiente y vuelve inmediatamente a su trabajo.

Tú te acomodas de nuevo.

You) “Jonathan?”

NCJm) “Yes?”

You) “I think that may be the most reassuring thing I’ve heard all week.”

Mallory contempla al joven suboficial.

NCJm) “I know what you mean.”

---

A los dos minutos, el convoy ya ha establecido su movimiento hacia la instalación.

Los vehículos circulan por los accesos previstos para una emergencia, dentro del dispositivo coordinado por NORTHCOM.

Desde el camión observas cómo los distintos componentes se distribuyen según sus funciones.

Los Bradley y Stryker forman parte de la respuesta blindada. Los M-ATV transportan personal destinado a tareas de protección y apoyo. Los HEMTT permiten mover equipos, personal y recursos de sostenimiento.

Los helicópteros proporcionan movilidad y observación aérea.

Andrew mantiene contacto con vuestro vehículo desde uno de los Suburban.

Andrew Hayes) “Nacho, Hayes. Protection element is with the convoy. Both vehicles accounted for.”

You) “Thank you, Andrew.”

Andrew Hayes) “We’ve got you.”

Mallory sonríe.

NCJm) “Your protection people are very good.”

You) “They are. I’m extremely fortunate.”

A los tres minutos y medio, Reed recibe una nueva comunicación.

Cp1) “Copy. Entry support element acknowledged.”

El cabo consulta su hoja de asignaciones.

Cp1) “All right, gentlemen. We’re assigned to the facility entry response.”

Te vuelves hacia él.

You) “Entry response?”

Cp1) “Yes, General.”

Redford empieza a sonreír.

Tr) “Oh, this is interesting.”

Mallory mira la identificación del equipo.

NCJm) “Thomas, did we just randomly choose an entry-team vehicle?”

Tr) “Apparently.”

Te echas a reír.

You) “Wonderful.”

Reed os mira.

Cp1) “Sir, we’re part of the personnel assigned to respond to a compromised building. We support the entry teams and the security of the affected areas.”

You) “Then that’s what I’d like to observe.”

Mallory asiente.

NCJm) “We can accompany the exercise under the controller’s arrangements.”

You) “Excellent.”

El cabo Reed parece estar debatiéndose entre el entusiasmo y el convencimiento de que la jornada se ha vuelto completamente absurda.

Cp1) “Yes, sir.”

A los cuatro minutos, el paisaje empieza a cambiar.

Aparecen los accesos exteriores de la instalación Tier 0.

Y por primera vez contemplas uno de los grandes centros estratégicos del USIC desde una perspectiva que no procede de planos, fotografías ni presentaciones de ingeniería.

El complejo es enorme.

Hay edificios de infraestructura, amplias áreas técnicas, sistemas eléctricos, zonas de servicios y estructuras de dimensiones extraordinarias.

Algunas partes todavía muestran actividad de equipamiento y puesta en servicio. La construcción general ha avanzado mucho, pero la instalación sigue en proceso de completar su activación.

Y ahora está rodeándose de vehículos militares.

You) “Good Lord.”

Mallory mira hacia el exterior.

NCJm) “Your Colorado Tier Zero.”

You) “It’s enormous.”

Tr) “And this is only one of ten.”

Te quedas contemplándolo.

You) “I know. But seeing it in person is something else.”

Mallory sonríe.

NCJm) “I thought you’d appreciate that.”

---

Cinco minutos después del aviso, los primeros componentes de respuesta están entrando en la zona de la instalación.

El HEMTT reduce la velocidad hasta detenerse en el área que le ha sido asignada.

Reed levanta la voz.

Cp1) “DISMOUNT! LET’S GO!”

Sus cinco hombres se levantan inmediatamente.

Tú te incorporas con ellos.

Andrew aparece junto al vehículo poco después, acompañado por otro miembro de tu protección.

Andrew Hayes) “Nacho, we’re with you.”

You) “Thank you.”

Reed desciende y reúne a sus soldados.

Cp1) “TEAM ACCOUNTABILITY!”

Las respuestas llegan rápidamente.

Los hombres forman junto al vehículo mientras el cabo recibe las instrucciones correspondientes al ejercicio.

A vuestro alrededor, la movilización continúa.

Los primeros elementos blindados ocupan sus zonas asignadas. Los vehículos de apoyo descargan personal y equipos. Los equipos médicos se establecen en el área prevista y los responsables de coordinación comprueban las comunicaciones.

Se escuchan helicópteros sobrevolando el complejo.

Mallory contempla su reloj.

NCJm) “Five minutes.”

Redford asiente.

Tr) “The initial response is on schedule.”

You) “That’s extraordinary.”

El general se vuelve hacia ti.

Tr) “And the remaining elements continue arriving and establishing their assigned functions.”

Miras alrededor.

Hay militares por todas partes.

No todos hacen lo mismo.

Unos aseguran las zonas exteriores. Otros se preparan para apoyar la continuidad de las operaciones. Los equipos de transporte mantienen el movimiento. Las unidades aéreas continúan comunicándose con el mando de la respuesta.

Reed recibe una instrucción del controlador.

Cp1) “Understood. Building access team moving.”

Se vuelve hacia sus hombres.

Cp1) “ALL RIGHT! WE’RE UP!”

Tú observas el acceso principal del edificio señalado en el ejercicio.

You) “Jonathan, may I accompany them?”

Mallory mira al controlador.

NCJm) “We’ll remain with the observation element. Thomas, you’re with us.”

Tr) “Of course.”

Andrew confirma la disposición de tu protección.

Andrew Hayes) “We’re ready.”

El cabo Reed os contempla.

Cp1) “General, we’re moving to the entry point.”

You) “Lead on, Corporal.”

---

El edificio seleccionado para el ejercicio está dentro del complejo principal.

Al acercaros, ves por primera vez la escala real de su arquitectura interior.

Las puertas dan paso a una zona de acceso amplia, diseñada para controlar el movimiento de personal y material hacia sectores internos.

Hay corredores de servicio, controles de acceso, paneles de supervisión y puertas que separan distintas áreas de la infraestructura.

Los equipos del ejercicio ya han establecido que se simula una intrusión en una sección del edificio.

Reed recibe la información y se vuelve hacia sus hombres.

Cp1) “We have a simulated hostile presence inside. Exercise conditions apply. Follow the controllers and stay with your assigned team.”

Sus soldados asienten.

Pv1) “Understood.”

El equipo se incorpora a la actuación junto con los demás participantes.

Las comunicaciones del ejercicio van confirmando qué sectores han sido comprobados, cuáles siguen pendientes y dónde deben concentrarse las siguientes actuaciones.

Tú avanzas con Mallory, Redford y Andrew por el itinerario autorizado para observar el desarrollo.

A cada paso descubres algo nuevo de la instalación.

Un área de distribución eléctrica.

Una galería técnica.

Una sala de supervisión de sistemas.

Un corredor desde el que se accede a las zonas de equipos informáticos.

Y finalmente una de las grandes salas de infraestructura digital.

Te detienes.

You) “Oh, wow.”

Filas de bastidores se extienden ante vosotros. Hay canalizaciones, sistemas de refrigeración y elementos de alimentación y monitorización distribuidos por todo el espacio.

Parte del equipamiento está instalado y parte continúa en fase de integración.

Pero la magnitud del proyecto resulta evidente.

You) “I’ve seen the diagrams. I’ve reviewed the procurement packages. I’ve approved countless documents about these facilities.”

Mallory sonríe.

NCJm) “And?”

You) “I’ve never actually walked through one.”

Redford levanta las cejas.

Tr) “This is your first Tier Zero interior?”

You) “Yes.”

Mallory empieza a reírse.

NCJm) “You chose quite a way to visit it.”

You) “Apparently.”

Andrew contempla el entorno.

Andrew Hayes) “It’s impressive, Nacho.”

You) “Very.”

A cierta distancia, Reed continúa trabajando con su equipo.

Los controladores presentan nuevas incidencias simuladas.

Una de las zonas se declara comprometida; los militares participantes deben identificarla, verificar las condiciones de seguridad y comunicar su estado.

Reed recibe una transmisión.

Cp1) “Copy. We’re checking the assigned section.”

Sus hombres avanzan con él.

Escuchas las confirmaciones de los distintos equipos.

Pv1) “Area checked, Corporal.”

Pv2) “No exercise casualties in this section.”

Cp1) “Report it.”

Las novedades pasan a la cadena de coordinación.

El ejercicio continúa por los corredores y salas designados, donde los equipos comprueban espacios, verifican el estado del personal simulado y comunican los resultados.

Un controlador anuncia que uno de los trabajadores de la instalación figura como no localizado.

La información llega inmediatamente a los responsables.

Reed se vuelve hacia sus hombres.

Cp1) “We’ve got a missing employee in the exercise. Let’s get that accounted for.”

El equipo recibe la ubicación general asignada para la búsqueda y continúa con los procedimientos establecidos.

Tú escuchas con atención.

You) “Jonathan, that’s what I wanted to see.”

NCJm) “What is?”

You) “They’re thinking about the people.”

Mallory asiente.

NCJm) “They are.”

You) “The installation matters enormously. But the people working inside it matter just as much.”

Redford sonríe.

Tr) “That’s an important part of the response.”

El ejercicio continúa.

Poco después, el trabajador simulado es localizado y su situación queda comunicada.

Cp1) “EXERCISE CASUALTY LOCATED. REQUESTING MEDICAL SUPPORT.”

La respuesta llega rápidamente.

Ex1) “Acknowledged. Medical element notified.”

Reed mantiene a sus hombres trabajando mientras los sanitarios del ejercicio reciben la información necesaria.

Mallory consulta una actualización de la situación general.

NCJm) “External security established. Aviation elements on station. Interior response continuing. Medical and sustainment support active.”

You) “Good.”

Tr) “The full response package is now accounted for.”

You) “All six hundred fifty-one?”

Tr) “Yes. Across their assigned functions.”

Sonríes ampliamente.

You) “That’s wonderful.”

---

A las 16:19, el ejercicio entra en su fase final.

Los controladores han registrado la respuesta de las distintas unidades, los tiempos de movilización y las incidencias simuladas.

El sector interior designado como comprometido queda declarado asegurado para los fines del simulacro.

Los equipos de respuesta comunican el estado de sus áreas.

Reed recibe la confirmación correspondiente a la suya.

Cp1) “Copy. Section clear. Team accounted for.”

Mira a sus hombres.

Cp1) “Good work, gentlemen.”

Los cinco soldados sonríen, todavía concentrados.

Mallory recibe la comunicación final.

Ex1) “NORTHCOM Actual, exercise objectives completed. All response elements accounted for. Awaiting termination authorization.”

NCJm) “Understood. End exercise.”

La confirmación se transmite a los componentes participantes.

Ex1) “EXERCISE TERMINATED. EXERCISE TERMINATED. ALL UNITS, RETURN TO NORMAL READINESS PROCEDURES.”

A tu alrededor cambia inmediatamente el ambiente.

Los soldados siguen ocupándose de sus equipos, pero desaparece la urgencia del ejercicio.

Reed se vuelve hacia ti.

Cp1) “General, the exercise is complete.”

You) “Thank you, Corporal.”

El joven parece estar esperando una evaluación.

Y tú tienes una muy clara.

You) “You did an extraordinary job.”

Reed se queda inmóvil.

Cp1) “Thank you, sir.”

You) “All of you.”

Miras a sus cinco hombres.

You) “I heard what you said in the truck.”

El cabo abre los ojos.

Cp1) “Sir?”

You) “About your brothers at USIC needing you.”

Matthew se ruboriza.

Cp1) “Oh. Yes, sir.”

You) “That meant a great deal to me.”

Reed baja un instante la mirada, visiblemente emocionado.

You) “You didn’t know I was listening. You were talking to your men. And you reminded them why they were going.”

Cp1) “Yes, sir.”

You) “I’m very grateful.”

El cabo parece no saber qué responder.

Cp1) “It’s our job, General.”

You) “I know. And I’m grateful you take it so seriously.”

Mallory sonríe.

NCJm) “Corporal, I think the general is telling you he’s pleased.”

Reed responde inmediatamente.

Cp1) “Thank you, sir!”

Te acercas para estrecharle la mano.

You) “Thank you, Matthew. Truly.”

El joven te la estrecha con energía.

Cp1) “It was an honor having you with us, General.”

You) “The honor was mine.”

Después saludas personalmente a los otros cinco soldados.

Pv1) “Thank you for coming with us, sir.”

You) “Thank you for having me.”

Pv2) “We weren’t expecting three generals.”

Redford empieza a reírse.

Tr) “Neither were we, Private.”

Mallory se vuelve hacia él.

NCJm) “Speak for yourself, Thomas.”

You) “I certainly wasn’t expecting to find myself in an entry team.”

Los soldados se ríen.

Reed sonríe abiertamente por primera vez desde que comenzó el ejercicio.

Cp1) “It’s been quite a day, sir.”

You) “It certainly has.”

---

Al salir del edificio, el complejo Tier 0 presenta un aspecto muy distinto del que tenía durante la llegada.

Los vehículos están recuperando sus posiciones, los militares vuelven a sus zonas de concentración y las tripulaciones realizan las comprobaciones correspondientes después del movimiento.

Los helicópteros terminan sus actividades.

La enorme instalación vuelve progresivamente a su rutina de construcción, equipamiento y preparación operativa.

Te detienes un momento junto a Mallory y Redford.

You) “Gentlemen, I don’t quite know how to thank you.”

Mallory sonríe.

NCJm) “You don’t need to.”

You) “I do.”

Redford cruza los brazos.

Tr) “We were happy to show you.”

You) “Jonathan, Thomas, I’ve spent months trabajando on these facilities. Budgets, contracts, staffing, engineering, continuity plans, construction schedules…”

Te vuelves hacia el complejo.

You) “And today I’ve seen what happens when somebody threatens one.”

Mallory asiente.

You) “Six hundred fifty-one people. All those vehicles. Eight MH-60s, twelve Little Birds, air patrols, medical support, ground response, all coordinated to protect one installation and the people inside it.”

NCJm) “That’s the commitment.”

You) “And they were here in five minutes.”

Tr) “The initial response, yes.”

You) “It’s extraordinary.”

Mallory te observa con una expresión satisfecha.

NCJm) “You asked us to show you what we could do for USIC.”

You) “Yes.”

NCJm) “Well, now you’ve seen it.”

Sonríes ampliamente.

You) “I have.”

Durante unos segundos contemplas la actividad del complejo.

You) “I hope we never need them to do this for real.”

Mallory asiente.

NCJm) “So do I.”

You) “But if we do, I know they’ll come.”

Redford sonríe.

Tr) “They will.”

Mallory te tiende la mano.

NCJm) “Nacho, I’m very glad you came to Colorado.”

Se la estrechas.

You) “So am I, sir.”

NCJm) “And I think we’ve established the beginning of a very good working relationship.”

You) “I certainly hope so.”

Redford también te estrecha la mano.

Tr) “You’re welcome back anytime.”

You) “Thank you, Thomas. I’d love to return.”

Andrew se aproxima.

Andrew Hayes) “Nacho, the vehicles are ready whenever you are.”

You) “Thank you, Andrew.”

Antes de marcharte, vuelves la cabeza hacia el cabo Reed, que está ayudando a sus hombres a organizar el material junto al HEMTT.

You) “Matthew!”

El joven se vuelve inmediatamente.

Cp1) “General!”

You) “Keep looking after your men!”

Reed sonríe ampliamente.

Cp1) “Yes, sir!”

You) “And thank you for looking after ours!”

El cabo se pone firme.

Cp1) “ANYTIME, GENERAL!”

Sus cinco soldados sonríen a su alrededor.

Mallory contempla la escena y después te mira.

NCJm) “I think you’ve made six very loyal friends today.”

You) “I think they’ve made one.”

Redford asiente lentamente.

Tr) “That’s a rather good way of putting it.”

Te diriges hacia los Suburban con Andrew mientras, a tus espaldas, los últimos vehículos del ejercicio terminan de regresar a sus posiciones.

Has venido a Colorado para presentarte a dos compañeros.

Has conseguido resolver una necesidad logística importante de NORTHCOM, conocer a su comandante y a su segundo, recorrer por primera vez una instalación Tier 0 y comprobar personalmente la respuesta que podría recibir el USIC si alguno de sus centros estratégicos fuera atacado.

Pero hay una imagen que sabes que recordarás particularmente bien.

Un joven cabo de infantería, gritando dentro de un HEMTT que sus hermanos del USIC estaban bajo ataque y que iba a acudir en su ayuda costase lo que costase.

Y tú, sentado a unos pasos de él, descubriendo que todo aquel trabajo de construir un servicio militar nuevo ya tiene detrás a personas que están dispuestas a responder por él.

📅 Martes, 20 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 19:26 | 📍 Joint Base Andrews, Maryland — Terminal de aviación militar

El avión acaba de detenerse en la plataforma cuando Andrew se aproxima a tu asiento con una expresión divertida.

Andrew Hayes) “Nacho, I think you may have caused a little excitement at the Pentagon.”

Levantas la cabeza de tu tableta.

You) “Oh?”

Andrew Hayes) “Apparently, nobody can quite figure out how you managed to reallocate twenty-five Abrams and eighty-three HEMTTs from USARPAC to NORTHCOM.”

Sonríes.

You) “I signed the order.”

Andrew se queda mirándote.

Andrew Hayes) “Yes, sir. I believe that’s the part they understand.”

You) “Then what’s the problem?”

Andrew Hayes) “The part where the allocation had been under discussion for weeks, and you resolved it during a courtesy visit.”

Te ríes mientras recoges tus cosas.

You) “Well, Jonathan needed the vehicles.”

Andrew Hayes) “So I’ve heard.”

You) “And the Pacific component has maritime prepositioning assets.”

Andrew asiente, con una sonrisa cada vez mayor.

Andrew Hayes) “They’ve heard that too, sir.”

You) “Excellent.”

Andrew Hayes) “Several times, apparently.”

---

La historia que Andrew empieza a contarte durante el trayecto hacia el Suburban había comenzado unas horas antes, mientras tú te encontrabas en Colorado.

A las 14:46, en el Pentagon, una sala de coordinación logística había recibido la notificación de reasignación de material.

Un coronel del Army Materiel Command había abierto el documento, comprobado la firma digital y llamado inmediatamente a su superior.

Colonel 1 (Co1) había sido el primero en formular la pregunta.

Co1) “Sir, have you seen this?”

Major General 1 (Mg1) respondió sin levantar inicialmente la vista.

Mg1) “What is it?”

Co1) “Twenty-five Abrams and eighty-three HEMTTs. Reassigned from the Pacific allocation to NORTHCOM.”

Mg1) “By whom?”

Co1) “Major General Pindado.”

El general había dejado su bolígrafo.

Mg1) “The Chief of Information?”

Co1) “Yes, sir.”

Mg1) “Why is the Chief of Information reallocating Army ground equipment?”

Co1) “Apparently, NORTHCOM told him they needed it.”

Mg1) “That’s not an answer, Colonel.”

Co1) “It’s the only one I’ve got, sir.”

El general había cogido el documento.

La orden estaba registrada, firmada y distribuida correctamente. Incorporaba las referencias institucionales correspondientes y la disposición de compensar las necesidades de USARPAC mediante los medios de preposicionamiento marítimo disponibles.

Mg1) “Where is Pindado?”

Co1) “Colorado Springs.”

Mg1) “Why?”

Co1) “Visiting NORTHCOM.”

Mg1) “Inspecting?”

Co1) “No, sir. Apparently he went to introduce himself.”

El general había dejado caer la espalda contra la silla.

Mg1) “Of course he did.”

A las 15:02, la consulta había llegado a varios responsables de logística y planificación.

Uno de ellos había preguntado si Mallory había solicitado formalmente la reasignación.

Otro había explicado que el comandante de NORTHCOM llevaba semanas reclamando aquellos vehículos.

Un tercero había señalado que el problema se encontraba en los compromisos de distribución entre distintos teatros.

Y entonces alguien había abierto la orden de Ignacio y leído en voz alta la referencia a los stocks de preposicionamiento marítimo.

Co1) “He says USARPAC can use its afloat prepositioning assets.”

Mg1) “I can read, Colonel.”

Co1) “Yes, sir.”

Mg1) “Did he actually review the allocations?”

Co1) “The references are in the order.”

Mg1) “How long did he spend on this?”

Co1) “We don’t know.”

Mg1) “Find out.”

La respuesta, cuando llegó, no ayudó.

El general Pindado había estado hablando con Mallory y Redford, había consultado los registros, había identificado los vehículos y había firmado.

Todo ello durante una conversación que había comenzado como una presentación personal.

A las 15:49, mientras los oficiales seguían debatiendo cómo incorporar aquella redistribución a la planificación logística, saltó una nueva notificación.

EXERCISE ALERT - NORTHCOM QUICK REACTION FORCE - COLORADO TIER 0.

El coronel la abrió.

Co1) “Sir?”

Mg1) “What now?”

Co1) “NORTHCOM has activated a full QRF exercise.”

Mg1) “At Peterson?”

Co1) “Yes, sir.”

Mg1) “For what installation?”

Co1) “The USIC Tier Zero in Colorado.”

El general se quedó callado.

Mg1) “Isn’t that site still undergoing activation?”

Co1) “Yes, sir.”

Mg1) “Then why are they conducting an emergency response?”

Co1) “It’s a readiness exercise.”

Mg1) “Who requested it?”

El coronel volvió a mirar la pantalla.

Co1) “Major General Pindado.”

Durante unos segundos, nadie dijo nada.

Mg1) “Of course.”

A las 16:05 ya habían recibido el siguiente informe: el dispositivo completo de respuesta incluía seiscientos cincuenta y un efectivos, vehículos blindados, transporte pesado, helicópteros y coordinación aérea.

Un oficial de operaciones había llamado para confirmar si existía una emergencia real.

Otro había preguntado por qué se movilizaba un dispositivo de aquella magnitud para una instalación que todavía estaba en proceso de equipamiento.

Y un tercero había descubierto que el comandante de USIC estaba participando personalmente.

Lieutenant Colonel 1 (Lc1) intervino:

Lc1) “Sir, we have confirmation that General Pindado is embedded with one of the ground-response teams.”

Mg1) “Embedded?”

Lc1) “Yes, sir.”

Mg1) “In the command vehicle?”

Lc1) “No, sir.”

Mg1) “Then where?”

Lc1) “An HEMTT.”

El general cerró los ojos.

Mg1) “An HEMTT.”

Lc1) “Yes, sir.”

Mg1) “Why?”

Lc1) “Apparently, he wanted to experience the response alongside the soldiers.”

El coronel que había recibido la primera orden de redistribución empezó a reírse.

Co1) “Sir, at this point I’m beginning to think there’s no point asking why.”

---

A las 19:41, ya sentado en el Suburban de regreso a Fort Odenton, recibes una llamada de William Hargrove.

Andrew Hayes) “General Hargrove on the secure line, Nacho.”

You) “Put him through, please.”

La voz de William llega inmediatamente.

Hg) “Nacho.”

You) “William! Good evening.”

Hg) “Did you have a nice trip?”

You) “Wonderful. Jonathan and Thomas were excellent hosts.”

Hg) “I heard.”

You) “They showed me NORTHCOM, and I visited the Colorado Tier Zero.”

Hg) “You did.”

You) “It’s an extraordinary installation.”

Hg) “I’m sure.”

Reconoces perfectamente el tono.

You) “William?”

Hg) “Yes?”

You) “Why are you laughing?”

Hargrove pierde la compostura.

Hg) “Because I have just spent the better part of an hour listening to people at the Pentagon trying to reconstruct your afternoon.”

Te echas a reír.

You) “Why?”

Hg) “Because you arrived in Colorado to shake hands with two generals, reallocated a hundred and eight military vehicles, and then activated a six-hundred-and-fifty-one-person QRF.”

You) “Well, when you put it like that…”

Hg) “And apparently you did the exercise riding in an HEMTT with a corporal.”

You) “Matthew Reed. Excellent young man.”

Hargrove empieza a reírse otra vez.

Hg) “Of course you know his name.”

You) “He commanded the team I accompanied.”

Hg) “Naturally.”

You) “Very impressive leadership.”

Hg) “Nacho, I swear, you’re exhausting.”

Sonríes.

You) “I’m sorry.”

Hg) “Don’t apologize. It’s the most entertaining thing I’ve heard all week.”

Se escucha otra voz al fondo de la llamada.

Richard Callahan (Ca) interviene:

Ca) “Ask him about the Abrams!”

Hargrove se ríe.

Hg) “Richard’s here.”

You) “Hello, Richard!”

Ca) “Good evening, Nacho. What the hell did you do to USARPAC?”

You) “Nothing terrible.”

Ca) “You took twenty-five Abrams and eighty-three HEMTTs!”

You) “NORTHCOM needed them.”

Ca) “And USARPAC?”

You) “They’ve got maritime prepositioning assets.”

Hay unos segundos de silencio.

Después, Callahan empieza a reírse.

Ca) “That’s exactly what the logistics officers said you told them.”

You) “Well, yes.”

Hg) “The funny part is that every time somebody asks why you did something, the explanation sounds completely reasonable.”

You) “Thank you.”

Hg) “But nobody can keep up with the speed at which you do it.”

Te acomodas contra el respaldo.

You) “I wasn’t trying to do anything particularly extraordinary.”

Ca) “Nacho, you redirected a major equipment allocation while drinking hot chocolate.”

You) “Jonathan offered me some.”

Hg) “Of course he did.”

La carcajada de William llena el habitáculo.

Andrew, sentado delante, está haciendo esfuerzos sobrehumanos para mantener una expresión profesional.

Ca) “And what about the QRF?”

You) “It was magnificent, Richard.”

Tu entusiasmo resulta inmediato.

You) “Six hundred and fifty-one personnel. Eight MH-60s, twelve Little Birds, Bradleys, Strykers, HEMTTs, M-ATVs. We had an airborne early-warning platform coordinating two combat air patrols and close-air support.”

Hg) “We’ve seen the exercise report.”

You) “The initial response reached the facility in five minutes.”

Ca) “Excellent.”

You) “And the corporal commanding the team I accompanied was wonderful. He reminded his soldiers that their brothers at USIC needed them and that they were going to help us, whatever it took.”

William guarda silencio un instante.

Hg) “That must have meant something to you.”

You) “Very much.”

Ca) “I can imagine.”

You) “I’d spent months reading about the facilities and their protection arrangements. Today I actually saw the people who would come if we needed them.”

Hargrove responde con una calidez especial.

Hg) “I’m glad you got to see that, Nacho.”

You) “So am I.”

Durante unos segundos, la conversación recupera la tranquilidad.

Hasta que William vuelve a reírse.

Hg) “One more thing.”

You) “Yes?”

Hg) “Somebody asked me whether you’d deliberately scheduled the QRF exercise to distract everyone from the vehicle reallocation.”

Te quedas inmóvil.

You) “What?”

Ca) “I’m not joking. Somebody actually suggested that.”

You) “Good Lord, no!”

Hargrove estalla en carcajadas.

Hg) “I know!”

You) “I was having a perfectly pleasant visit!”

Ca) “And somehow that visit generated enough operational traffic to occupy half the Pentagon.”

You) “That’s rather unfortunate.”

Hg) “Unfortunate? Nacho, people have been laughing about it all afternoon.”

Te ríes.

You) “Well, I’m glad somebody enjoyed it.”

Hg) “Everybody enjoyed it. Once they worked out that nothing had gone wrong.”

Callahan interviene.

Ca) “The logistics officers are still arguing about how you saw the prepositioning solution so quickly.”

You) “It seemed obvious.”

Ca) “Of course it did.”

Hg) “And the NORTHCOM staff are apparently delighted with you.”

You) “I liked them very much.”

Hg) “We know.”

William se toma un momento.

Hg) “You know what Adrian said when he heard the whole story?”

You) “What?”

Hg) “He said, ‘Keeping up with Pindado is exhausting. But I haven’t enjoyed being on the Joint Chiefs this much in years.’”

Te echas a reír.

You) “That’s very kind.”

Ca) “It is.”

Hg) “And rather accurate.”

Andrew finalmente pierde la batalla contra la risa.

Lo miras por el retrovisor.

You) “Andrew?”

Andrew Hayes) “Sorry, Nacho.”

You) “Something funny?”

Andrew Hayes) “Sir, we’ve been accompanying you all day. I’m still trying to understand how a courtesy visit became a logistics intervention and a full-scale readiness exercise.”

You) “Well, Jonathan asked what he could do for me.”

Andrew empieza a reírse otra vez.

Andrew Hayes) “Of course he did.”

Hargrove lo escucha al otro extremo.

Hg) “Is that Andrew?”

You) “Yes.”

Hg) “Captain Hayes, my condolences.”

Andrew Hayes) “Thank you, General.”

Ca) “You deserve a commendation just for keeping up with him.”

You) “Oh, that’s a good idea.”

Los tres hombres responden casi al mismo tiempo.

Hg) “NACHO!”

Ca) “DON’T!”

Andrew Hayes) “Sir!”

Te echas a reír.

You) “What?”

Hargrove apenas puede hablar.

Hg) “You’ve already written one today!”

You) “Yes. For the National Guard cyber team.”

Ca) “We heard!”

You) “They deserved it.”

Hg) “Nobody’s arguing with you!”

La conversación degenera en carcajadas durante casi un minuto.

Finalmente William consigue despedirse.

Hg) “Go home, Nacho. See Hannah, Amy and the girls. And please, for the love of God, don’t reorganize another combatant command before breakfast.”

You) “I’ll do my best.”

Ca) “That’s not a promise!”

You) “Good night, gentlemen.”

Hg) “Good night, Nacho.”

La llamada termina.

Te quedas contemplando el teléfono unos segundos, todavía sonriendo.

Andrew se vuelve ligeramente desde el asiento delantero.

Andrew Hayes) “Well, sir. That was quite a day.”

You) “It was.”

Andrew Hayes) “Enjoyable?”

Miras por la ventanilla hacia las luces de Maryland.

You) “Extremely.”

Andrew sonríe.

Andrew Hayes) “I thought so.”

You) “And Andrew?”

Andrew Hayes) “Yes, Nacho?”

You) “Matthew Reed really was excellent.”

El capitán asiente.

Andrew Hayes) “He was, sir.”

You) “Remind me to send Jonathan a note thanking him for the exercise and mentioning Matthew’s performance.”

Andrew empieza a reírse suavemente.

Andrew Hayes) “Another commendation?”

You) “No. Just a thank-you note.”

Andrew Hayes) “Understood.”

Se vuelve hacia delante.

Después añade, todavía divertido:

Andrew Hayes) “Although, knowing you, sir, I wouldn’t rule anything out.”

Sonríes.

You) “Neither would I.”

El Suburban continúa hacia Odenton.

En el Pentagon todavía hay oficiales revisando la redistribución de los vehículos.

En Colorado Springs, el personal de NORTHCOM está terminando de consolidar los resultados del ejercicio.

Y en Fort Meade, William Hargrove y Richard Callahan siguen riéndose al recordar que todo había comenzado porque considerabas de buena educación presentarte personalmente ante dos generales.

Para tus compañeros, seguirte el ritmo resulta agotador.

Pero cada vez les resulta más difícil imaginar una jornada de trabajo tan entretenida como las que pasan contigo.

Arco - 2021-04-25 - Odenton, Maryland

📅 Domingo, 25 de abril de 2021 | 🕘 07:38 | 📍 Odenton, Maryland — Residencia de la familia Pindado, dormitorio principal

Lo primero que notas al despertarte es el peso familiar de Hannah, que duerme con la cabeza apoyada sobre tu pecho y una mano descansando sobre tu costado.

Lo segundo es Amy, acurrucada contra tu espalda, con un brazo rodeándote la cintura por debajo de las sábanas.

No sabes muy bien cómo habéis conseguido terminar los tres en aquella posición. Hannah suele quejarse cariñosamente de que ocupas demasiado espacio, mientras Amy sostiene que el verdadero problema es que ninguna de las dos piensa renunciar a su sitio junto a ti.

Esta mañana, al menos, parece que han llegado a un acuerdo.

Te quedas un rato escuchando los ruidos discretos de la casa.

Rachel todavía no ha reclamado su desayuno. Ava debe de estar dormida, una circunstancia que en los últimos cuatro años has aprendido a considerar bastante excepcional después de las siete.

Hannah se mueve ligeramente.

Hannah) “Morning, sweetheart.”

You) “Morning, honey.”

Levanta la cabeza lo suficiente para darte un beso.

Hannah) “Did you sleep well?”

You) “Wonderfully.”

Amy protesta suavemente a tu espalda.

Amy Walker) “Some of us are still trying.”

Hannah sonríe.

Hannah) “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

Amy abre un ojo.

Amy Walker) “Morning.”

Te inclinas como puedes para besarle la frente.

You) “Good morning, pretty.”

Ella termina por despertar y se acomoda más cerca.

Amy Walker) “It’s Sunday. Nobody should be awake this early.”

Hannah) “Ava disagrees with you.”

Amy Walker) “Ava believes breakfast is a competitive sport.”

Hannah se ríe.

Hannah) “She’s definitely Nacho’s daughter.”

Amy Walker) “Oh, absolutely.”

Sonríes, pero tu atención ya se ha desplazado hacia el día siguiente.

Mañana.

Lunes, 26 de abril.

El día en que el proyecto que lleváis desarrollando desde finales de marzo dejará de ser una decisión respaldada privadamente por el presidente para convertirse en un compromiso formal del Gobierno de Estados Unidos.

Mañana habrá una reunión del gabinete convocada expresamente para presentar la iniciativa.

Daniel presidirá.

Tú estarás detrás de él, explicando al gabinete la estructura, el alcance y los objetivos.

Después llegará la preparación final de Carlisle.

Y unos días más tarde, ante los futuros mandos militares y los representantes convocados de Washington, comenzaréis públicamente la confrontación.

No es que el lunes vaya a sustituir todo lo que existe.

Es que vais a comprometer las instituciones necesarias para que el país pueda volver a funcionar como creéis que debería.

Hannah nota que estás pensando.

Hannah) “What’s on your mind, love?”

Le acaricias el cabello.

You) “Tomorrow.”

Amy termina de incorporarse.

Amy Walker) “The Cabinet meeting?”

You) “Yes.”

Hannah sonríe suavemente.

Hannah) “You’ve been preparing for it for weeks.”

You) “I know.”

Amy Walker) “And Dad’s completely behind you.”

You) “He is.”

Te quedas mirando el techo.

You) “Tomorrow changes everything so that, hopefully, nothing important has to change.”

Amy te observa, interesada.

Amy Walker) “What do you mean?”

You) “Families getting up on Sunday mornings. Children growing up safely. People going to work, coming home, paying their bills, raising their kids.”

Hannah te escucha con una expresión especialmente tierna.

You) “I don’t want to change those things. I want to make sure more people can have them.”

Hannah) “That’s a lovely thing to want, sweetheart.”

Amy te besa el hombro.

Amy Walker) “And tomorrow we’re taking a very big step toward it.”

You) “Yes.”

Durante unos segundos permanecéis los tres juntos.

Después te vuelves hacia Amy.

You) “Honey, Amy, call your father, please.”

Ella sonríe inmediatamente.

Amy Walker) “Of course.”

Se incorpora, busca su teléfono en la mesilla y selecciona el contacto.

Hannah se acomoda junto a ti, observando con una sonrisa cómo Amy espera la conexión.

No tarda demasiado.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Good morning, sweetheart.”

Amy Walker) “Morning, Daddy.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Everything all right?”

Amy Walker) “Everything’s wonderful. Nacho would like to speak with you.”

Daniel deja escapar una pequeña risa.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “At seven-thirty on a Sunday? This should be interesting.”

Amy activa el altavoz.

Amy Walker) “You’re on speaker, Dad. Hannah’s here too.”

Hannah) “Good morning, Daniel.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Good morning, Hannah. How are my favorite girls?”

Hannah) “Very well, thank you.”

Amy Walker) “And your future grandchild is behaving beautifully.”

La voz del presidente se transforma inmediatamente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Oh, sweetheart. How are you feeling?”

Amy Walker) “Wonderful, Daddy.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Good. I’m glad.”

Te acercas al teléfono.

You) “Morning, Daniel. Nacho here.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Good morning, General.”

Sonríes al escuchar el tratamiento.

You) “Daniel… last chance.”

Al otro lado se produce una pausa breve.

No necesitas explicarlo.

Daniel sabe perfectamente de qué estás hablando.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Nacho.”

You) “Yes?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Are you asking me one final time whether I want you to resign?”

You) “I am.”

Hannah te acaricia tranquilamente el brazo.

Amy escucha sin intervenir. Ya conoce la razón de aquella oferta y ha discutido contigo suficientemente sobre ella como para saber que esta llamada tiene un significado especial.

You) “Tomorrow we’re going to make this the policy of the United States government. After that, we’re not going to be discussing a proposal anymore.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I know.”

You) “And once we make the public announcement at Carlisle, every organization we’re confronting will know precisely what we’re doing.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I know that too.”

You) “I don’t want you to discover six months from now that you’ve sacrificed your presidency to protect me.”

La respuesta llega con una serenidad absoluta.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Nacho, listen to me.”

You) “Yes, Daniel.”

El presidente hace una pequeña pausa.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Go get them, General. Good luck… and good hunting.”

La solemnidad de sus palabras llena el dormitorio.

No hay risa, ni ironía, ni una fórmula política cuidadosamente redactada.

Es el presidente de Estados Unidos hablando con uno de sus generales.

Una autorización inequívoca.

Una expresión de confianza.

Y la promesa de que estará a tu lado cuando empiece la confrontación.

Te incorporas ligeramente.

You) “Thank you, Mr. President.”

Daniel responde con la misma seriedad.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “You have my full confidence, General.”

You) “I’ll do everything I can to justify it.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I know you will.”

La voz de Daniel se suaviza.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And Nacho?”

You) “Yes?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Stop offering me your resignation.”

Amy empieza a reírse.

Amy Walker) “THANK YOU, DAD!”

Hannah suelta una carcajada.

Hannah) “I’ve been telling him the same thing.”

Daniel también se ríe.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Good. Then perhaps the three of us can finally convince him.”

You) “I believe I’m being outnumbered.”

Amy Walker) “You absolutely are.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Get used to it.”

La conversación recupera su tono familiar.

Daniel pregunta si Rachel ha dormido bien y si Ava sigue entusiasmada con la llegada de otro bebé. Amy le cuenta que su hija mayor ya está proponiendo nombres, aunque de momento todos parecen estar relacionados con dinosaurios.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Well, that’s one approach to naming a child.”

Amy Walker) “We’re taking suggestions.”

You) “I have vetoed Tyrannosaurus.”

Hannah) “For now.”

Daniel estalla en carcajadas.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I’d like to see the birth certificate.”

Después vuelve al asunto del día siguiente.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I’ll see you tomorrow, Nacho. The Cabinet meeting is confirmed.”

You) “Yes, sir.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I want you immediately behind me when we present the initiative. You’ll explain the institutional structure and the operational plan.”

You) “Of course.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “I’ll make the presidential decision clear to the Cabinet. Then you can walk them through the implementation.”

You) “Understood.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “And we’ll finish preparing Carlisle afterward. I want that announcement to have the full weight of the institutions standing behind it.”

You) “Absolutely.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Good.”

Amy interviene.

Amy Walker) “Dad?”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Yes, sweetheart?”

Amy Walker) “I’m proud of you.”

Daniel tarda un instante en responder.

Danuel walker - POTUS) “That means a great deal, Amy.”

Amy Walker) “I mean it. I think what you’re doing matters enormously.”

Danuel walker - POTUS) “Then I’m glad you’re helping us.”

Amy sonríe.

Amy Walker) “Me too.”

Daniel se despide finalmente de los tres, deseándoos un domingo tranquilo.

Cuando termina la llamada, Amy deja el teléfono sobre la mesilla.

Durante unos segundos nadie dice nada.

Después Hannah se inclina y te besa.

Hannah) “There.”

You) “There what?”

Hannah) “You’ve asked him for the last time.”

Sonríes.

You) “I have.”

Amy Walker) “And he answered.”

You) “He did.”

Amy se acomoda de nuevo junto a ti, apoyando la cabeza sobre tu hombro.

Amy Walker) “I have to say, honey, hearing my dad tell you ‘good hunting’ was rather impressive.”

You) “It was.”

Hannah) “He sounded very proud of you.”

You) “He’s been extraordinarily good to me.”

Amy levanta la cabeza.

Amy Walker) “You know something?”

You) “What, pretty?”

Amy Walker) “He’s going to enjoy tomorrow.”

You) “You think so?”

Amy Walker) “I do. He gets to stand in front of his Cabinet and announce that he’s actually going to do something about the problems people have been complaining about for decades.”

Sonríes.

You) “And I get to stand behind him and explain how.”

Amy Walker) “Exactly.”

Hannah se ríe.

Hannah) “You two sound very happy about going to work tomorrow.”

You) “We are.”

Amy Walker) “Very.”

Hannah os contempla con cariño.

Hannah) “Well, I’m happy you’re happy.”

Después mira el reloj.

Hannah) “Although, since it’s still Sunday, I suggest we have breakfast before either of you starts reorganizing Washington.”

Amy se echa a reír.

Amy Walker) “Excellent idea.”

You) “Pancakes?”

Hannah) “Of course.”

Amy Walker) “With strawberries?”

Hannah) “Absolutely.”

You) “Hot chocolate?”

Hannah sonríe.

Hannah) “Naturally.”

Entonces, desde el pasillo, se escucha una voz infantil.

Av) “DAAAADDY!”

Los tres empezáis a reíros.

You) “And there’s our commanding officer.”

Amy se incorpora.

Amy Walker) “I’ll get her.”

Hannah la detiene cariñosamente.

Hannah) “I’ll come with you. Rachel should be waking up soon.”

Las dos salen juntas del dormitorio, hablando ya de desayunos, fresas y de si Ava aceptará ponerse un vestido antes de bajar.

Tú permaneces unos momentos sentado en la cama.

En la mesilla está el teléfono desde el que acabas de hablar con el presidente.

Mañana estarás detrás de Daniel Walker, en una sala llena de los principales responsables del Gobierno federal, explicando cómo vais a poner en marcha una campaña institucional de una magnitud extraordinaria.

Después llegará Carlisle.

Y entonces lo sabrá Washington.

Pero ahora es domingo.

En tu casa están preparando tortitas.

Tu esposa y tu novia están riéndose con vuestra hija mayor.

Rachel empieza a reclamar atención desde su habitación.

Y tienes exactamente la vida que deseas ayudar a que otros puedan construir.