Chapter 14 Chapter Twelve

This is my personal account of a well-known event, from my own perspective.I'm not writing history.One of the reasons is that my field of view is not wide enough. Perhaps I should worry about the fate of the world, when in fact I am restless about my own affairs.Maybe it shouldn't be, but I've never heard of a wounded man sent home for medical care caring too much about the outcome of the war. Nothing to worry about though.The president being saved, and the circumstances of being saved, are sure to open the eyes of everyone, even politicians.In my opinion, ignorance of the truth is the real obstacle.The Slugs - those Titans - depend on concealment; once exposed, they are no match for the mighty United States.They have no power, they can only get power from parasitic slaves, I know this better than anyone else.

Now we can clear out their beachhead here, and go straight to the dragons and chase them to their lair.But it's not my job to plan interstellar expeditions.I am as ignorant of this work as I am of Egyptian art. As soon as the doctor let me out, I went to see Mary.I still don't know, all I know is the old man's words, but I did behave very rudely, there's no doubt about it.I don't expect her to be happy to see me, but I have to apologize to her or something. Do you think finding a slim, pretty redhead is as easy as finding a flat in Kansas?If only she'd been an insider, but she's a field agent.Field agents come and go in haste; the home staff ask to stay out of their own business.Doris never saw her again--so she said--and lost her temper with me for trying to find Mary.

I hit a soft nail in the personnel department.I didn't make a formal request, and I don't know the agent's name.Who do I think I am?They pointed me to the Ministry of Operations, which means the old man.This is not appropriate. So I went door to door, with no luck, which aroused more suspicion.I started to feel like a spy in my own department too. When I arrived at the biology laboratory, I couldn't find the director, so I talked to an assistant.He didn't know anything about the girl involved in the interrogation project; the subject of the project was a man—he knew it; he'd seen the video, and I asked him to take a closer look at me.He looked carefully and said, "Ah, you're that guy? Man, you must have suffered a lot." Then he went on to scratch his itch and write and draw on his report.

I left Ye Er without even saying thank you, and went straight to the old man's office.There is no other choice. At Miss Hynes's desk sat a strange face.I haven't seen Miss Hynes since I was taken away that night, and I haven't asked how she is; I don't want to know.The new secretary keyed in my ID number and, strange to say, the old man was in the office and willing to see me. "What do you want?" he asked angrily. I replied, "Think you might have something for me to do here." Actually, that's not what I wanted to say at all. "Actually, I just decided to send someone for you. You've been loitering enough." He said something furiously into the communicator on the table, then stood up and said to me, "Come on!"

I suddenly felt at ease, and followed him out.I asked, "Do you want to make up?" "Your own ugly face will do. Let's go to Washington." We went to the dressing room anyway and just changed into the clothes we were going out with.I got the gun and had them check my communicator. The guard first let us show our backs, and then let us approach to verify and let us go.We tucked our shirttails into our trouser waists and continued our way up.After I came out, I found out that this is the New Lower Philadelphia, and I knew the location of our department's new base. "This city is clean." I said to the old man.

"You've got rust on your head if you think so," he replied. "Keep your eyes open." No chance to ask more questions.The sight of so many well-dressed people made me uneasy.I found myself dodging crowds, searching for people with round shoulders.It was audacious and reckless to take a crowded elevator to the launch pad.After we got in the car and the controls were set, I voiced my concerns. "What the hell are the authorities here trying to do? I swear at least one of the cops we met along the way had round shoulders." "It's possible, and very likely."

"For God's sake, why? What's going on? I thought you'd already got this thing over with and we were fighting back across the board." "We're about to do that. What do you suggest?" "Ah, it's clear enough—even if it's freezing cold, we're not supposed to see people in jackets anywhere unless we're sure they're all dead." "Yes." "Well, and—well, the President knows the truth, doesn't he? I think—" "He knows the truth." "Then what is he waiting for? Wait until the whole country is occupied? He should have declared martial law and acted. You tell him it's long overdue."

"I told him." The old man stared down at the countryside. "Son, do you think the whole country is completely in the hands of the president?" "Of course not. But he's the only one who can take action." "Well—they sometimes call Chancellor Zvetkov a 'prisoner of the Kremlin.' Whether true or not, the President is a prisoner of Congress." 【① The author made up the name of the former Soviet Prime Minister. 】 "You mean the committee hasn't taken action yet?" "I've been helping the President convince Congress these days, ever since we stopped the parasite's attempt to kill him. Ever dealt with a Congressional select committee, boy?"

I'm thinking.Here we sit, stupid as the dodo, walking and walking along a path, straight to the parasite—yes, if we don't act, the human race will go extinct like the dodo. After a while the old man said, "It's time for you to understand real-life politics too. Congress refuses to act when faced with a danger much more obvious than it is now. It's not obvious to them this time. Only When you put the parasite in front of them, as you put it in front of us, then they can see. The evidence is not strong enough to be convincing." "What about the Assistant to the Treasury Department? They can't ignore that."

"No? We took the assistant minister's back from the East Wing. Killed two of his Secret Service bodyguards. Now the honorable gentleman is in the Walter Reed Mental Asylum, having a nervous breakdown." , have no recollection of what happened. The Treasury Department said they had foiled a plot to assassinate the President—which was true, but not the same as what they said." "Is the president silent on this?" “His advisers advised him to wait for Congressional support. At best, he may not have a majority — there are some die-hard politicians in both the House and Senate who would love to chop off his head and put it on a plate. Partisan politics is not a gentle game."

"My God, there's partisanship in this case!" The old man gave me a sideways look. "It's not what you imagined, is it?" I finally got a chance to ask him the question I'd been in his office to ask: Where is Mary? "It's a bit strange for you to ask this question." He grumbled dissatisfied.I let it go.He continued, "Where she belongs. Defending the President." We first went to the room where the special joint committee was reviewing the evidence.It was a confidential meeting, but the Don had all sorts of passes.They were playing a video when we went in, we quietly found our seats and sat down to watch. It's my ape friend, Napoleon -- an ape, with the Titan on his back, and then a close-up of the Titan.It makes me sick to see it.The parasites all look alike, but I know which one it is and I'm so glad it died. The ape disappeared and I was left alone.I saw myself pinned to a chair.I loathe the way I look; real fear doesn't look good.An on-screen soundtrack narrates what is happening. I saw them take the titan off the ape and put it on my naked back.And then I passed out in the frame - I almost passed out again.I don't want to describe these.Telling this incident, I have lingering fears.I was struggling when I saw the titan shocking my back - and I started to struggle again.There was a moment when my right hand broke free from the clamp and I never knew how, but now I understand why my wrist never healed. I saw the thing die.Having seen this part, it was worth sitting here and watching the rest. When the film was over, the chairman said, "How about it, gentlemen?" "Mr.president!" "Mr. Representative from Indiana speaks." "I'm not biased on the subject, but I gotta say, Hollywood stunts are way better than this." They all giggled, and someone yelled, "Yeah! Yay!" I knew we lost . The director of our biology lab testified, and then I was told to take the witness stand.I gave my name, address, and occupation, and then they asked me a few random questions about my experiences under the Titans. The questions are all read from a piece of paper.Obviously, the Chair was also not familiar with these issues. My sense is that they don't want to hear my answer.Two people are reading newspapers. Only two questions were asked on the bench.A senator asked: "Mr. Nivens—is your name Nivens?" I answered yes. "Mr. Nivens," he went on, "you say you're a detective?" "right." "It's from the FBI, can't it be wrong?" "Wrong, my superior reports directly to the President." The senator laughed. "As I imagined. Mr. Nivens, you say you're a detective—but you're an actor, isn't it?" he seemed to ask, consulting his notes. I told the truth, but I said too much.I said I did cast for one season on a summer show, but I was a real, living, real detective.I have no chance. "That's enough, Mr. Nivens. Thank you." The other question was posed by an elderly senator whose name I know.He wanted to know what I thought about arming other countries with taxpayer money - and he used the question to make a big splash and make his point.My opinion on this question is very vague, but that's okay because I don't have to express my opinion.Then the clerk said, "Stand off, Mr. Nivens." I sit upright. "Listen," I said, "listen you all. Obviously you don't believe me and think this is all made up. Well, for God's sake, get the lie detector! Hypnosis test will work too .This hearing is a joke." The chairman tapped the gavel in his hand. "Back off, Mr. Nivens." I stand there. The old man told me that the purpose of the hearing was to bring the joint resolution declaring a national emergency back to Congress for a vote and authorize the president to declare war. The Chair asked if they had thought about it.One of the congressmen who was reading the newspaper raised his head and said after a long time, "Mr. Chairman, I request that outsiders be cleared first." We had to back out.I said to the old man: "It seems that things are going to go wrong in this guy's hands." "Forget it," he said. "The President lost the game when he heard the name of this committee." "So what do we do? Wait until the slugs take over Congress?" "The President went straight to Congress with a message to Congress and a request for full authorization." "Can he be authorized?" The old man frowned, "Frankly speaking, I don't think there's much hope." The joint session of the House and Senate was of course held in secret, but we were present—presumably by direct order of the President.The old man and I sat in a box-like seat behind the Speaker's podium.They begin with a cumbersome process, and then, ceremonially, two representatives from each house are appointed to notify the president. I think the president was right outside the door, because he came in right away, accompanied by representatives from both houses.His bodyguards came in with him—all of us. Mary was also with the president.Someone brought her a folding chair, and she sat next to the president.Flipping through her notebook, she hands the file to the President, posing as his secretary.But the pretense ends there.She took her femininity to the extreme and looked like Cleopatra on a hot summer night—as out of place as a bed in a church.I could feel the commotion in the venue; she was as much a presence as the president. 【① Queen of Egypt from 69 BC to 30 BC. 】 Even the president has taken notice.One could see that he regretted bringing her here, but it was too late, and it would be even more embarrassing to have her go back now. Needless to say, I certainly paid attention to her.I stared into her eyes—she smiled at me softly and sweetly for a long time.I grinned happily like a silly boy and kept laughing until the old man poked me in the ribs and I stopped laughing.I sat back down and listened to the president, but I'm so happy! The President gave an intelligent explanation of the situation, why we knew this was the case, and what we had to do.The President's report is as straightforward and logical as an engineering report.Of course, touching people's hearts is similar to engineering reports.He's just stating the facts.Finally, he put aside the speech. "This is a peculiar, terrible emergency, unprecedented in history, and I must therefore request that I be granted sufficient powers to deal with the current situation. Martial law must be imposed in this area. Temporary serious violations of certain rights of citizens are necessary. , the right of free movement must be abolished. The right to be free from search and arrest must be subordinated to the principles of public safety. For any citizen, no matter how respected or loyal to the state, may be forced to become these secret enemies servants. All citizens must sacrifice part of their rights and personal dignity before the plague can be defeated. "I beg you with great reluctance to grant me these necessary powers." With that, he sat down. You can feel the thinking of the crowd.They were disturbed, but the president did not convince them.The President of the Senate raised his gavel and looked at the Senate Majority Leader; he was the one who, according to procedure, should have introduced the emergency motion. Something went wrong.I don't know if the majority leader shook his head or gave some other signal, but he didn't make a motion anyway.The delay made things tricky and the venue was chaotic.There were chants of "Mr. President" and "Order" everywhere. The president of the Senate deliberately ignored several others and gave the floor to a member of his own party.I recognized the man—Senator Gottlieb.As long as it is a motion proposed by his party, even the motion to lynch himself, he will vote for it.He opens with a cliché: He has as much respect as anyone for the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and possibly the Grand Canyon.He modestly drew attention to his long history of loyal service and then harped on the history of the United States. I thought he was stalling for time, so that his boss could come up with a plan on related issues—but I suddenly realized that his long series of clichés gradually made sense: he was asking to end this A joint meeting to start the process of impeachment and trial of the President of the United States! I think others figured out what he meant at roughly the same time; it's a miracle that people realize what his real intentions are when the senator's proposal is wrapped in so much corny rhetoric .I looked at the old man. The old man was looking at Mary. Mary responded to the Don's gaze with a peculiar urgency. The old man took a notebook out of his pocket and scribbled something down.Tear it off, crumple it up, and throw it to Mary.She grabbed the ball of paper, opened it and read it -- and handed it to the President. The president still sat, relaxed - as if his oldest friend wasn't tearing his reputation to shreds at this point.While threatening the security of the United States.He put on his old-fashioned spectacles, read the note, then turned his head unhurriedly to give the old man a wink.The old man nodded. The President nudged the President of the Senate lightly, and he felt the President greet him, leaning over to the President.The president exchanged whispers with him. Senator Gottlieb was still there blah blah blah blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. "Senator, please listen to me!" Gottlieb showed a look of surprise and said: "My speech is not over yet, and I do not agree to surrender the right to speak." "Senators are not required to surrender their floor. At the request of the President of the United States, and in view of the importance of your speech, the Senators are invited to speak on stage." Gottlieb looked bewildered, but also had no choice.He walked slowly towards the front of the venue. Mary's chair blocked the narrow steps leading to the podium.Instead of obediently getting out of the way, Mary turned around and picked up the chair, which not only didn't clear the way, but blocked it even more tightly.Gottlieb stopped and she collided with him.He grabbed one of her arms, and the two of them stood still.Mary said something to him, and he said something to Mary, but none of the others heard what they said.Finally they turned around, swapped places, and he continued toward the podium. The old man was trembling like a dog that has found prey.Mary looked up at him and nodded."Catch him!" the old man ordered. I jumped over the railing all of a sudden, like an arrow off the string.I flung myself on his shoulder. I heard the old man yell, "Gloves, boy! Put on your gloves!" I didn't stop to put on my gloves, and tore open the Senator's shirt with my bare hands, and saw the slug throbbing under his shirt.I pulled his shirt off for all to see. The six stereo cameras couldn't fully capture what happened in the next few seconds. I punched him behind the ear to stop his resistance.Mary held his leg. Standing next to me, the President pointed at the slug and yelled, "Look! Look! Now you've all seen it." The President of the Senate stood by, dumbstruck, his hand shaking with the gavel. There was chaos in Congress, men shouting, women screaming.The old man stood there yelling orders to the president's bodyguards, as if on the bridge of a commanding ship. We have the situation under control.The doors were locked, and there were no other armed law enforcement officers present except the old man's subordinates.There are police officers with guns - but what can they do?An elderly congressman pulls from his suit a revolver that should surely go into a museum, but it's just a minor accident. Under the muzzle of the bodyguards and the knocking of the gavel, the venue finally gradually restored order. The president begins to speak.He told everyone that this shocking accident had given them a chance to see the true nature of the enemy, and he suggested that everyone line up and walk over to witness the Titans from Saturn's largest moon.Without waiting for their consent, he pointed to the people in the front row and let them pass. They passed. I stepped out of the way, sat back down, and wondered whether this was accidental or the result of careful planning.With the old man, you can never figure it out.Did he already know Congress was infected?I rubbed my swollen leg, puzzled. Mary stood on the dais.There were about twenty people nearby, and a congresswoman had a sudden hysterical fit.I saw Mary signal to the Don again.This time, I was one step ahead of his order. If it weren't for the two of us next to me, I might have another fierce fight.The guy was a strong young man, a retired Marine.We put him down beside Gottlieb, and it took another yelling from the Don, the President, and the President of the Senate to restore order. Next comes "inspection and search," whether they like it or not.When the women came up, I patted them on the back.I caught a slug.Then I thought I had caught another, but it was an embarrassing mistake; the woman had round shoulders, and I guessed wrong. Mary found two more.Afterwards, the congressmen lined up in a long row, more than three hundred.It was soon discovered that someone was deliberately shrinking back. Don't believe what others say about congressmen being stupid.It took brains to get elected, and a good psychologist to stay in it.Eight men with guns wasn't enough--eleven should have been, including the old man, Mary and me.Most of the slugs would have gotten away without the help of the congressional organizing secretary. With their help, we caught thirteen, ten of them alive.Only one host was seriously injured. The U.S. Congress has not been a place to kill since Jefferson Davis, until today.