by C. G. Cooper
It was at one event that she’d met the President’s campaign manager. They’d hit it off and kept in touch until the day the campaign needed a new Events Coordinator for the election. She’d worked out a leave of absence from her studio and joined the campaign trail. It wasn’t as glamorous as Hollywood, but Janet felt like she was doing her patriotic duty.
Her mind was swirling. She had so many moving parts for the Convention. Sometimes she wondered how she’d be able to keep it all together. To make matters worse, they were doing things a little different this year. Typically, the convention floor was full of constituents for the entire event. For this DNC, the first day would be more entertaining. The lower level would be empty, except for the entertainment and an occasional ‘Rah Rah’ speech from party leaders. They’d booked three of the President’s favorite bands to start. The Marines would really kick things off toward the end of the night. The President wanted the tone to be patriotic, hence the many strings pulled for the Silent Drill Team to perform. In the end, everything would come together. It always did.
Riley looked at her watch. Her stomach grumbled as she thought about the lunch she’d missed and the dinner that would probably also be skipped. She had just a couple of hours before the Marine Corps reps came to the convention center to walk through the space. They’d requested the meeting to finalize the show’s particulars. Janet had enough on her plate and wished she didn’t have to go. These Marines were perfectionists though. They wanted to make sure every detail was ironed out prior to show time. Riley cursed them and their efficiency.
To make matters worse, the President had just requested to be at the dress rehearsal the following morning before any of the crowd showed. He wanted to see the Silent Drill Team run-through and spend a couple minutes mingling with the Marines. Capt. Andrews would not be happy with the change. At least they wouldn’t have to contend with a large Secret Service presence in the morning without a crowd being there.
In another hour, Janet would head down to the convention floor. After that, she’d walk back to the hotel for one final meeting. The guy from Ichiban Gaming had called earlier in the day. He said he had another small request for the convention. Janet wanted to be done with the guy. He gave her the creeps, but she couldn’t really deny the request. After all, he had pulled her out of that little situation back in L.A. four months ago. She never should have listened to her girlfriend and gone to that party. Janet knew there would be drugs all over the man’s house and she had been secretly battling addiction for five years. In the end, she gave in and got wasted. It was only by a stroke of luck, and the help of that Japanese guy, that she avoided landing in jail.
He’d asked for nothing in return, until two months before the convention. She felt obligated to help because she was in his debt. The request wasn’t out of the ordinary. So the guy wanted one of his companies to do some of the work at the convention. Who didn’t? It was a big deal to be one of the vendors for a political rally. Besides, the bid was competitive so technically Riley wasn’t doing anything wrong. It was her call which companies would be hired to setup for the week’s events.
+++
Everyone in the room froze. Had they just found a piece of the puzzle?
“Are you telling me that I’m about to go to a meeting with someone on that list?” Andy asked incredulously.
“Looks like it. But the question is, what is she doing to help these guys?” wondered Cal.
“I’m seriously thinking about calling my boss and pulling the plug. Am I the only one that’s getting a really bad feeling about this?” Andy asked.
No one answered. They all felt the same way. There was only one direction this was going: downhill.
“Andy, how about you go meet with Ms. Riley and see what you can find out? Who knows, maybe you’ll stumble onto something. Who’s going with you?”
“My First Sergeant and my squad leaders.”
“Good. Starting now, I don’t think you or your Marines should be traveling alone. Can you get that word to your men?”
“Sure. I’ll call their rooms right now. Anything else?” Andy asked his friend.
Cal couldn’t think of anything. “I don’t think so. Just keep your eyes open and let us know if you notice anything fishy. Can you give me until tomorrow morning to make the call about cancelling the show?”
Andy wasn’t so sure. His sixth sense told him to pack up his boys and head back home. “I guess. But you better be damn sure you’re doing everything you can to find out what they’re planning.”
“We’re all over it.”
They said their goodbyes and left Andy to make his calls. Cal hoped that they would have a better idea of what they were dealing with by tomorrow’s deadline.
+++
“Make sure the Riley woman follows your directions. Remember, we cannot afford another failure.”
The Japanese man bowed to his employer. Kazuo Nakamura sat back in his chair as his underling departed. In less than twenty-four hours, everything would change. He looked forward to returning to Japan as a conquering hero.
Chapter 34
Washington, D.C.
8:42pm, September 18th
“Are you ready to go, Mr. President?” the head of the Commander in Chief’s protection detail asked.
“Sure am.” He stretched as he rose from his chair. “Sam, we’ve really gotta tell the Air Force One boys to stop booking these late flights.”
The Secret Service agent chuckled. “Well, sir. You know it makes it a lot easier for the airports when we’re not stopping traffic in the middle of rush hour.”
“I know. It’s just that the kids never get enough sleep when we fly after nine pm. You’d think that after four years they’d be used to it.”
“Yes, sir.”
The President glanced at his new smart phone and sighed at the time. “Well, I guess we better get going.”
He followed his detail out to the waiting caravan.
Chapter 35
Las Vegas, Nevada
8:45pm, September 18th
Capt. Andrews and his small Marine contingent showed up at the Las Vegas Convention Center fifteen minutes early. He’d given word to keep their eyes and ears open without giving details. The Marine Captain didn’t look like much to strangers, but his Marines knew the boyish face belied a fearless warrior and strong leader. His gaze remained serious as they toured the staging area.
“What the hell is that?” Andy pointed to the two identical trailers waiting side by side.
“We had to bring in a backup, Captain,” answered Janet Riley as she strolled in, hands full of paperwork. “The last thing we wanted was to have the first one crap out and then be dead in the water.”
The explanation made sense to Andy. Anytime Marines did a dog-and-pony show for VIPs, they liked to have backups, just in case.
“So which one are we loading into?”
“The one on the right. It’s got a small green sticker on it. The backup is on the left with a small red sticker on the entrance ramp.”
“Why don’t you guys go inspect the trailers while I have a word with Ms. Riley.”
His Marines split up and set about testing the mechanics of the two trailers.
“How can I help you, Captain?” Riley asked tiredly. She was ready to wrap the meeting up. It would’ve been easier for the Marines to just do their inspection without her, but Andrews had requested her presence.
“Are we still a go for the practice run tomorrow morning?” Andy could barely conceal his suspicion of the woman. He wasn’t used to holding his tongue. If so much wasn’t riding on him to keep his mouth shut, he’d call the woman out right now.
“Uh, yeah, with one change.”
Crap. Here we go, thought Andy.
“The President wants to watch the practice run and then come meet your Marines.”
It wasn’t what Andy had expected. Being part of the world’s most famous drill team, he was used to visits by the President and other foreign
dignitaries. Considering the strings the White House had pulled to get the Marines there, it wasn’t surprising that he wanted to have a quick photo op.
“Alright. I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Where will he be during the dry run?”
Riley pointed to the far end of the ground floor. “My workers are going to set up a couple of chairs for the President. That’s where you guys should finish before you march off, right?”
“Correct. So just forget the about face and march off?”
“If that’s okay,” Riley requested politely.
The Marines wouldn’t mind meeting the President. He was, after all, their President. He wasn’t a bad guy and it was rumored that he’d really taken a liking to the Silent Drill Team.
“Sure. If we can make it quick though. I want to get my guys out of their uniforms and taking a break before tomorrow night. We’ll be cooped up in that trailer long enough.”
“No problem. I think they’ve only got ten minutes scheduled for that anyway. Anything else I can answer for you?” added Riley, hopefully.
“Not that I can think of. Thanks for meeting us down here. If it’s okay, we’ll just spend some time walking the arena. You don’t need to be around for that.”
Riley was grateful. “Sure. Take as much time as you need.”
Andy thanked Riley for her assistance and she departed for her room next door at the Hilton. Maybe she’d have a few minutes to take off her high heels before her next meeting.
+++
10:10pm
Andy walked back to his room after a couple of last words with his Marines. They’d all be ready to hop in the vans at first light. The boys knew better than to hit the town tonight. Regardless, he’d passed the word that everyone was to remain in their rooms until the morning. They could party tomorrow night after the show.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Cal.
“Hey, you find out anything?” Cal asked eagerly.
“Not really.”
“No changes?”
“Just some minor things.”
“Like what?”
“They’ve got a backup trailer for the show and the President is coming to our practice tomorrow.”
“Is that out of the ordinary?” Cal wanted to shut down the show before the Marines were put in a bad situation.
“Not really. It’s actually not a bad idea to have a backup trailer. That thing is frickin’ huge. We’d be screwed if one of tires went out or the mechanical door stopped working. As for the President visiting, I don’t see anything wrong with it. Sometimes the bigwigs want to meet us beforehand because after the real show it’s total chaos,” Andy answered honestly.
“What about the Riley chick? Was she acting strange?” There had to be something.
“Nope. Looked a little stressed out, but I would be too if I had her job. Sorry I couldn’t help, Cal.”
“It’s not your fault, man. Thanks for keeping this quiet. We’ll get to the bottom of it before tomorrow night’s show. Wait, do you think you could get me and Briggs and a few other guys in for the practice run tomorrow? I’d like to see the layout and take a look around.”
“Let me call one of the Secret Service guys that I just talked to over there. I don’t think it’ll be a problem as long as you don’t come armed and keep your distance from the President.”
Cal laughed out loud. “No offense, Andy, but I’ll pass on meeting the President.”
Andy chuckled. “Cool. I’ll call you back as soon as I know.”
The call ended and Andy dialed the Secret Service agent’s number.
“Hey, Pete. I’ve got a favor to ask.”
+++
11:13pm
Congressman Zimmer was just getting ready to hop into bed when his cell phone rang. It was his father.
“Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
“Are you ready for the Convention?”
“You still think I should be going with you?”
“Of course. I need you there with me. By the way, there’s a slight change for tomorrow. I know I told you we wouldn’t need to be at the convention center until five, but I just got a call from the President. He’s going to the venue early to watch the Silent Drill Team practice. He invited us to come along to watch and stick around to chat afterward. I think he’s going to try to get me to be Secretary of State again. I’ll have to tell him no, but you can’t refuse a Presidential summoning.”
“Why don’t you want to be at State, Dad? I thought it was something you’d pushed for before?”
“Maybe with Hank Waller in office, but the current President and I don’t exactly see eye-to-eye on much these days. You remember that little argument we had about our CIA assets in Jordan?”
Brandon did remember. His father had grown into a hugely popular figure among intelligence and military personnel. Despite his political affiliation, he was a staunch defender of a powerful armed forces and a robust intelligence arm. The tiff with the President about Jordan had been about the President’s decision to pull half of the CIA’s human assets stationed there in exchange for a larger drone and signals intelligence presence. Sen. Zimmer had argued that while technology certainly augmented the intelligence gathering process, spies and informants were absolutely necessary. The President, still pushing for full withdrawal from Afghanistan, didn’t relent. His closest advisors still professed the increased use of technology because it protected American lives.
Sen. Zimmer almost screamed in the President’s face that if it weren’t for intelligence community’s boots on the ground, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden never would have been found. In the end the President won and twenty-five CIA personnel were pulled out of Jordan. A week later, the coup in Syria caught the American government by surprise. One of the duties of the withdrawn CIA staff was to monitor the situation within the Syrian government. They’d even found seven exiled Syrian officials living in Amman, Jordan, and convinced them to be American informants. Each man still had extensive networks inside Syria. A day before the coup, all seven men disappeared. It was later determined, the lack of American protection around the men had allowed their capture and subsequent murder.
No, Sen. Zimmer would respect the office, but he could not serve directly under the man. Their ideological differences were too extreme.
“So why do you want me to come with you tomorrow?” Brandon asked.
“I think I’m gonna need a little moral support, Son. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt for you to mingle with him a little bit. He is the President.”
Brandon wasn’t sure. He’d have to check with the SSI guys. Then again, what could it hurt?
“Will it be okay to bring Trent with me?”
“Is that your bodyguard?”
“Yeah. It’s kinda one of the requirements you signed me up for.”
The Senator thought about it for a second. “I don’t see why not. I’ll call the President’s office and have them add him to the list. What’s his full name again?”
Brandon relayed Trent’s full name and former military rank. What would Trent say about meeting the President?
“I’ll have my driver come pick you two up at six thirty.”
They ended their conversation with a quick goodbye. Brandon walked into the adjoining living room and found Trent flipping through the TV channels. “Anything good?” Zimmer asked.
Trent answered without looking up. “Nope. It’s all commentary on the Convention. This damn TV can’t even get me the Falcons game replay.”
“Hey, something’s just come up.”
Trent muted the television and looked at Zimmer. “What’s up?”
“My dad got invited to meet with the President tomorrow morning. He wants you and me to come with him.”
“What? Cal’s not gonna like that.”
“I know his attitude isn’t your fault, Top, but Cal’s being an ass. I don’t really care what he thinks right now.”
Trent had spent enough time with the Congressman to know that the man
had truly experienced a wake-up call. More than anything, the comment was a reaction to his most recent conversation with Cal.
“Congressman, I know you two got into it, but Cal’s trying to do the right thing. Put yourself in his shoes. He has to protect you PLUS all the rest of us. All I’m saying is that it’s a lot of pressure and you might want to give the guy a break.”
Zimmer exhaled. He knew Trent was right. Brandon had grown to respect the SSI men immensely. He trusted their judgment and promised himself that, if allowed to stay in office, he’d never lose that perspective. There were secret men and women, true patriots, that laid their lives on the line so that men like him could do their jobs and America could remain free. It was something he couldn’t forget.
“I know,” Zimmer replied. “But, this is really important. Have you ever met the President?”
“Nope. They don’t let many big dudes like me around the White House, unless you just won the Super Bowl.”
“Well, this is your chance. I’m sure Cal will be good with it as long as you’re with me. Do you mind asking him? I don’t think he’s ready to talk to me yet,” Zimmer almost pleaded.
The Marine thought about it. On one hand, he was sure Cal would be pissed. It really wasn’t smart to let the Congressman out until everything blew over. On the other hand, they’d be surrounded by Secret Service agents AND he’d get to watch the Silent Drill Team. What could go wrong?
