The President spoke over these protests, immediately silencing them.

“And you automatically responded – like the great automatons you are – to some primal, money-driven, self-centred impulse to nip it in the bud… without ever even considering the positive opportunity it offered. And,” he added with a dark frown, “to think that you were even willing to kill an innocent bystander… that truly appals me.”

“Who… the Australian?”

“He’s not innocent!”

“And he’s no bystander!”

The energy in the room was explosive as the Chairman stepped forward.

“Mr President, we’ve been through this,” he said, “surely there’s no point going over it all again!”

“I agree,” the President said, walking across the office to the door. “So… let’s get straight to the point shall we?”

He opened it –

“The point, Mr Chairman, is that you and your Committee are now defunct. You are banned from further meeting. You now have no money, no staff and no power. Your office door is locked. Nobody is interested in your opinion. From this moment you are all out on your own.”

He paused –

“Now go. Frankly, you make me sick!”

There was a general murmur of discontent as they shuffled towards the door. As he walked out the Chairman spoke loudly, more to the buffer of craning heads in the outer office than to the President –

“We were only trying to protect the American way of life. For God’s sake – somebody has to!”