Topher Lydon

Chapter Twenty-five WORLD END: T-minus 153 days, 0 hours, and 0 minutes 7 RIDEAU GATE, Ottawa, Ontario The air in the Drawing Room was thick with anticipation. The sunlight, usually bright and clear through the vast windows, felt muted, casting long, dramatic shadows that mimicked the tension in the room. Lisa Sternosti, her face a mask of practiced neutrality, finished her brief and snapped her phone shut. "The car is ready. He's expecting you now." All eyes were on Wi

They want the throne, they want the fame But few survive to claim the name The cost of the crown, it bleeds the soul It burns the weak, it makes them cold I pay in silence, I pay in pain, Still I stand, and still I reign. (Forgive my dips into poetry, just seemed a moment for it)

Indeed, having a deeply flawed man standing up and doing what's right, despite his flaws, might be just what' s needed however. I don't think there's a politician alive that doesn't have some secret. Be it declining mental faculties, medical complications, moral complications/compromise, or deep seated bigotry. All of these things should cause anyone pause. Will is who he is, and he has his vulnerabilities... I don't think any of us would trust a perfect person sitting at a PM. Will, he's interesting to me. His strict morality and ethics, his diplomacy are probably his greatest strengths, but also weaknesses. Compromise and unwaivering morality can, at times, hinder a great leader. Especially in a time of war. It goes back to the King on a white horse metaphor. How long, on a muddy battlefield, can that image last?

Very true, but their goal is more layered. It attacks Will's credibility, yes. But it also attacks Will's mental health as Lisa pointed out a few chapters back. The order seek to topple the Prime Minister, push Will (via Caleb's support) then destabalize him through a multipronged attack on his sensibilities, his image, and his mental stability. Making sure to prime everything for an election. They need to remove Will from play, otherwise their Bob Hesston move is simply not going to work. And Will, for all his faults, is a deeply popular politician, entrenched, and that makes removing him really difficult for Abernathy. Sorry I like thinking this through, it helps me formulate the story and focus in on their motivations. I try to keep these thoughts strictly spoiler free, merely focused on the narrative to the point of commenting. I know what happens, true, but I like putting myself into the mind of a reader as well. It lets me feel the story out a bit better.

I find that interesting as well. There is doubt there, Paternity Fraud. The question is who, and why. We know Will's family covered it up, small towns have their scandals, and I get the impression from this stage of things that it was the Major's intention to protect his son from what he saw as a predatory action, Majella and Arthur trying to protect the family reputation from exploitation. Jenny perhaps having second thoughts about what she had done, or doubts over the whole thing. But then desperation does change things, and the intentions she had change after the reality of raising a five year old boy by herself. The Kompromat is perfectly designed because it exploits the implications of the actions. Reframing them to something sinister. It doesn't matter if Edward Rawlins is Will's son at this point, that there was some kind of tampering, a dispute that quietly went away... that's enough to cause doubt. And good intentions can always be twisted.

Will doesn't handle shock well. His history over the past series of books show it's his biggest vulnerability.

I don't go back there. The place is... not conducive to my mental health. Best to leave it behind me

She was only doing what the rest of her peers were doing. Securing a life after High School. I can open my year book and count the number of girls that used this tactic. (too damn many). And have always felt it was something that needed attention drawn to it. Too many times I heard the phrase "Can't rape the willing." as a defense.

It was a sport to some in my hometown. Of 85 people in my graduating year, only 5 got out of that town, and only two got to university. The Baby Trap snared far too many friends of mine. It's one of those institutionalized shames that went on far too long.

Chapter Twenty-five WORLD END: T-minus 154 days, 2 hours, and 0 minutes Ottawa, Ontario – On Route to Toronto The X5 glided smoothly along the highway, a silent vault cutting through the Ottawa morning traffic. West was behind the wheel, his focus sharp and disciplined. Andrew sat in the passenger seat, his left shoulder still stiff and bandaged beneath his sweater, but he was fully alert. Trailing them closely was an unmarked RCMP cruiser—a silent guardian in the cold, clear

yikes, that's desperate.

Eek that stuff'll melt yer insides out.

The continuations of Kyle's story, don't worry Steve, Lydia, and Kenny will feature. And the Muffin Man isn't losing his coffee boy yet!

Some one needs to work in that house.

I mean it's no secret. Peter's been like this ever since carter's shadow kind of defined his... attraction to West as 'I hate you, but that's what makes you hot'

Best meal she's had in decades in Peter's opinion.

That explains her expression at her last Canadian State Visit.

Where the Queen's food is prepared, no less... I have always had a soft spot for Peter's utter irreverence of such things.

i can see it being a pressure cooker. No freedom whatsoever, and add to it the frustrations they all have to be going through. Like, how is Matt supposed to sell cars through his computer. (I mean sure autotrader but... that's not the same.) But it is good West's stepping in to actually make the reality known. They are under attack, proven threats. Andrew nearly assassinated, Will beaten in public, the kids threatened and Jacob assaulted. Like it or not, it's a reality for them, and no one wants to be the parent that didn't act in the face of real danger. At least they can pull together. many families don't have the love that's in that room standing together.

Foreplay, ahhh I miss those days. LOL