Today’s excerpt is from Back
To China, a stand alone book featuring Jim Scott, Bob Becker, Hector
Garcia, Hector’s son Billy, and others.
In the aftermath of the kidnapping of two scientists working at Area 51,
the new President soon gets a bellyful of three men not yet replaced from the
last administration. Enjoy and have a great day.
m.j.
When the photos
had been passed around without further comment, until Sir Anthony had them
back, the Director asked, “Where did these come from, if you don’t mind me
asking, Sir Anthony?”
The ex-President
felt he knew what the answer was going to be…Jim knew what the answer would be,
and nearly smiled as he thought, “You
just stepped in it, big boy.”
Sir Anthony blew
out a mouthful of air and answered, “Roughly fifteen years ago, an agreement
between the United States and Great Britain was reached whereby we would
exchange real-time satellite photos…this to assist the War on Terror. Some of these photos—alas, those of lesser
quality—are from one of our satellites.
The ones of better quality came from one of your satellites.”
The President
was taken aback and growled at the CIA Director, “Our own satellites took most
of these photos, and you know nothing about it?”
The Director
swallowed and shook his head. “No,
sir…nothing. Evidently our people
thought this to be just routine construction.”
The President
held in check the growing anger he felt and softly muttered, “From what I can
see here, there is little doubt Sir Anthony is correct in his assessment.”
Deciding to give
the CIA Director some cover—or at least change the subject—the Homeland
Security Secretary asked, “Sir Anthony, if I may…how is it you are able to
determine just where our missing scientists are at any given time?”
“Before Mr.
Hogan traveled to America and Area 51, we implanted a GPS disc in him, for just
such an eventuality as we now face.”
The President
quickly questioned all four of his people if the same thing had been done with
Mr. Walendy—and if not, why not. The
Secretary and two Directors remained silent, but the general—much to his
pending regret—answered, “We didn’t, because in America, we don’t force our
people to have anything implanted in them.”
Jim just closed
his eyes and waited for Tony’s response, which was soon coming. “My dear general, neither do we.
We asked Mr. Hogan if we could
do so, and told him why. He immediately
saw the wisdom of the implant…as I’m sure Mr. Walendy would have…if asked.”
With the tension
in the room—including his own—growing, the President quickly turned the
conversation to the kidnapping itself, and what was being done on the ground in
Las Vegas. What followed was quite a bit
of CYA (cover your ass), buck passing, and blame directed at others. After about ten minutes of that, the
President was ready to explode.
Instead—in very
even and controlled speech—he looked from the Secretary to the two Directors
and issued his verdict on what he’d been hearing since they arrived. “You three gentlemen will have your
resignations to me within the next thirty minutes.”
Then he looked
at the general. “You go back to the
Pentagon and find another switch to sleep at.”
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