The Speaker of the house eaves and the president questions the media. In the chapter, the president claims that the media has used all means it can to have headlines that will make their publications increase in sale and increase the number of viewers of the media news. By this, the president means that the media may use the existing conflict and division in America to sell its ideas for personal benefit. President Duncan enters the situation room and fears that the attack might have started. He feels relieved that the offense has not yet begun and has to deal with another situation. The situation involves two terrorists from Somalia who are in a meeting and have brought along their families. The president could authorize an attack that could get rid of the terrorists. However, with the presence of five children in the room, the president finds it impossible for him to authorize the killings that will involve the death of those children. President Duncan goes back to his office, which is oval in nature. Most of the employees at the white house are hoping for the weekend for them to rest following the stress they experience in their line of duty. However, the president is afraid that as time passes, America is nearing an attack that will paralyze all its activities.

The president describes a girl who gets into his office and discusses her safety with the president. The girl is keen to notice that she is not safe in the white house since the secret service does not like her. However, she knows a lot about the dark ages but fails to tell the president where she learned about the dark ages from. Carolyn, the staff in the white house, interrupts them when she gets in with news claiming that a helicopter had crashed. The president is in his private room and is dressed up. His head of secret service does not want the president to go alone and is persistent that the secret service should follow him to ensure his safety. The president wants to go along and off the record to stop the terror attack planned to take America back to the dark ages. The girl in the room previously had given him an envelope with information that code could be used to stop the attack. The president followed a subway tunnel that landed him in the Treasury Department where he took a car and went to visit an old friend, Danny, to tell him of his mission off the record. The friend supported him wholeheartedly. Further, the president walks into the treasury department and finds some cars parked and chooses a vehicle that he will use in his entire mission. The president thinks that his time would be had and fun without having to deal with the secret service. He reminds himself that he has to do this to save his country. President Duncan and his wife met in a law school. The president used different means of approaches to convince Rachel, his wife, to fall in love with him. Duncan had made an excellent first impression of Rachel, and since he met her, he asked his friend Danny whether she was single or not.

Further, President Duncan went to Mandy, place another character introduced in the book. Mandy was Rachel’s, Duncan’s wife, friend. Rachel and Mandy lived together in Harvard long before Duncan and Rachel got married. Mandy is welcoming to Duncan who introduces himself as Charles Kane, a name that Mandy had suggested. The two discuss Rachel and Duncan agrees that she misses his dead wife badly. Both Mandy and Duncan discuss how I have been since Rachel died. However, Mandy has no idea of the president’s plans o go off the record and meet a terrorist threatening to take back America to the dark ages. Mandy asks if Duncan is going for a date and Duncan claims that he is meeting someone showing that he does not discuss his plans with Mandy. The president leaves Mandy’s house and finds his car parked in a parking lot. He takes it, goes to the Capitol Hill neighborhood, parks his car, and walks around blending with the pedestrians. He finds police officers trying to arrest an African American who is resisting arrest. The president meets up with other notices the street has people from different races and background. The president goes to the Capitol Hill Bar to meet up with his daughters. He nods at some secret service that is around. The president tells his daughter that he is on his way to meet Nina and the terrorists. The daughter does not feel right about the mission and exchange words that almost feel like the last goodbye. Later, the daughter has to go with the secret service agents.