The vice president suggested another demonstration before they adjourned and left the room. Before the others followed, he said, “Fritz, can you set us up to go to an open field somewhere? Colonel, I need a weapon and someone to shoot it.” Stepping into in the Oval Office debris, he brought out a seat cushion. Fritz shut the door. In the bottom drawer of his desk, he had the map for the open field where the Israeli settlers had gone after their rescue from the Eledorians. The paperclip was already in place.
“Where are we going, Sergeant?” the president asked.
“Mr. President, perhaps the prime minister would help here.” He looked at the Israeli. “He's been here before.” Fritz opened the door, and the vice president and Colonel Mitchell led everyone out.
“Where are they, Fritz?” the president whispered.
“Where the settlers went.” They watched the vice president stage the assassination of a seat cushion. They heard him say, “Now if you will all wait here.” He walked into the hall. “Fritz, shut the door.”
Fritz quickly reset the portal.
“Let 'em wait a second. Let it sink in,” said the vice president. “The Israeli PM is telling them where they are.” His head bobbed, as if he were counting down, and then he said, “Okay. Let's get them back.”
As they returned, they all looked squarely at the vice president. He smiled at each of them. The president stood to the side, holding back a snide remark.
With everyone in the meeting room again, the president asked them to be seated for a moment. They were being reconnected to the White House and their rides, he said. “Please look over your packages. We have an opportunity now that has been squandered for years. Think of what you have seen, and we will find agreement tomorrow.”
Crossing into the debris field of the Oval Office, the president escorted them to the White House exit. In the empty school, now quiet, Fritz began asking questions. He asked Jane how James was. She said he was in bad shape. He asked about the others. Twelve people, including Lily Evans, were wounded by the explosions or falling plaster. Seven were killed: three from the housekeeping staff, a secret service agent, and three soldiers.
“Have you spoken to Linda yet?” Jane asked.
“Only earlier. I ought to call her.” He ran down the hall. The vice president waited for the president's return.
Tony asked, “Are you done?”
“Almost.” The vice president continued to watch through the portal.
“NICE SHOW, JOE,” said the president. “I intended to wait until tomorrow.”
“Hope I didn't spoil it for you, Mr. President. At least they'll all have a night to think about it. But where will we do it tomorrow?”
“Well, not here. That's for sure. We need to talk to Fritz.” He opened Ashley's classroom.
In the meeting room, Jane backed up all the meeting segments, and in the hall, Fritz spoke to Linda.
“The newsfeed was live,” said Linda. “Two explosions were in front, and two seemed to be behind. But four hit the building. It looked like it came from across the street.”
“It did. The hotel. Lin, James is badly hurt. The Oval Office is a mess. The president just signaled me. I'll call you in a bit, when I know what's next.”
“Fritz, be careful.”
“SORRY TO PUT this pressure on you,” the president said. “I'm not going to let this end in a disaster. We're going to do more tomorrow. I'm going to make this work.”
Fritz looked him in the eye. “Then do it, Mr. President.”
Jane had wandered in with her open laptop. She reported that two hotel employees and nine Asian men were found shot to death on the roof, along with eight empty golf bags. Surveillance video for the past week had been taken for analysis. “Apparently, the shooters checked in on Monday. Some guy named Nakamura arranged everything. He's dead, too. No evidence of a fight. They fired their shells and then someone executed them.”
* * *
FRITZ REACHED HIS classroom at quarter to eight and grabbed the White House brochure. Disturbed by banging in the hall, he stepped through the fake wall and saw Tony with Jane and Ashley. The leaders were running late after their long night reading, but the president wanted Fritz to get him at eight.
“Where are the generators?”
“The colonel is bringing them,” said Tony. “They left a couple of minutes behind me.”
Fritz called the president, who answered his cell phone before the first ring was done. “Are you ready, Fritz?”
“Not yet, Mr. President. We're waiting for Colonel Mitchell. Have you decided what to do?”
“I have maps and photos of the tunnel entrance from the Old Executive and Camp David. We'll gather in the meeting room and then head to Camp David.” Fritz heard a touch of sadness in his voice.
Four cars stopped by the door. “The colonel's here. What time do you want to do this?” Fritz saw the soldiers leaving the cars. “They're dressed like waiters again.”
“Fritz, hand me over to Mitchell.” Fritz held out his phone.
“Morning, Mr. President. Yes, sir. We can try. Can we get through your office? Okay, yes, sir. We'll be right there.”
The colonel handed the phone back. The president told Fritz to come to the Oval Office as soon as he could and asked to speak to Jane. Fritz called down the hall.
Jane took the phone while the generators and power cords were being set. “If that's what you want, no problem. Camp David has all the recording devices we need. Are you going to need the colonel? Okay. Tony just signaled he's set. Okay. In a minute.”
She gave the phone back and said, “He's ready.” The open door displayed a clear sky where the ceiling had been. As the president crossed the room, Fritz was astounded by the desk, cleaned and polished, sitting in its prominent spot, an anchor of American resilience.
Ashley held the door as the previous night's dinner carts were shoved through the Oval Office and out of sight. Colonel Mitchell came out smiling. “Thought you might want this, Mr. President.”
A reserved smile crossed the president's face. “The Proclamation. You saved it. Oh, thank you.”
“Fritz grabbed it last night in case of another attack.”
The president squeezed Fritz's shoulder. He tugged up his jacket sleeve, checked the time, and crossed the hall. “Almost done?” he asked.
Colonel Mitchell, standing at his right, said, “One more trip and everything's out. We don't have time to make it neat and pretty for them, sir.”
“Push in the chairs. They won't be here long enough for it to matter.” His phone rang. “Hi, Joe. Really? Already? Give me a second to set up. I wasn't expecting them yet.” The president listened. “See you in a minute.” Facing his companions, he said, “He's hearing positive comments. Fritz, let's go.”
Colonel Mitchell called his men, who had taken off waiter white and put on their service uniforms.
“Here's the tunnel. And this is where we're headed at Camp David.”
With the hallway returned to perfect camouflage, the leaders entered the hall. The Israeli prime minister winked, and Putin actually smiled.
Jane kissed Ashley and joined the dignitaries. Fritz reset the portal, knocked on the meeting room door, and reopened his classroom door to their new destination, a conference room at Camp David. Jane, wearing a skirt, blouse, and heels, waited with the president. Directing the group through the door, the president wore his battle face. The leaders glanced at Fritz as they passed. After Jane and the president entered, the vice president said, “And away we go. Who wants breakfast?”
Monitoring the portal wasn't necessary while the meeting proceeded. Ashley and the vice president went to Hoffmann's and returned with trays of sandwiches. Ashley told Fritz he thought Mr. Hoffmann was going to faint when they walked in. Conversation ate the morning. When Robert E. Lee's visit was mentioned, questions abounded. One soldier asked where else Fritz had been. Ashley checked on any breaking news on Jane's computer.
The conversation changed whe
n Linda called. She had called Lucy Williams. Linda choked up. James wasn't expected to survive, and Lily Evans had died. She wondered if the president knew.
“He didn't say anything, Lin. About either of them.” Everyone was looking at him. “But he doesn't look like he slept much. I'm sure he knows.” Fritz hung his head. “The meeting is still going, so we're just hanging around.” They said goodbye, and Fritz told the group what Linda had told him.
Finally, Jane called to say they were adjourning. “She said to open the door in five minutes so everyone could go into the school meeting room.”
Everyone played their parts. The president emerged with an unidentifiable look on his face. Fritz looked for tell-tale signs of agreement but saw only poker faces. The president said, “I'll call you when they're gone.” The colonel and the soldiers accompanied him.
“How did it go?” Fritz asked Jane.
“I'll let him tell you.”
“Does he know about Lily Evans and James?”
“I'll let him say, Fritz. This situation is above my pay-grade.”
Within five minutes, the president called. Saying nothing, he nodded to Tony and walked to Ashley's room. Although Fritz had questions, he waited for the president to speak. He told them to sit down.
“This hasn't been my best day.” With a quick glance at the late-afternoon sunlight dancing through the window, he took a deep breath and turned back to his waiting audience. “Fritz, will you set up for dinner. We covered a lot, but they're not all convinced. I know they suspect some of what we've used the portal for, but I haven't said outright.” His grimace reflected his frustration. “I know they want to talk to advisors, but they need to agree first or this will get mired in excuses. They're stalling. I can't help but think some of them are happy about last night's attack.”
“Do you think one of them is the perpetrator?” Ashley asked.
“I don't know. I think so, but who?”
Fritz asked, “What do you need for tonight?”
“Same as this morning. But Fritz, I may need you to set up to take them to their homes. Like the Speaker.”
“I have the maps ready. It'll be the middle of the night.”
“So much the better. If you can find bedrooms, that would be best. Drop them, leave, and then show up again.”
“Mr. President, they don't know where we are, do they?”
“I haven't said anything. They only know it's a school. I'm still concerned about your safety, Fritz. I should go now. I want to check on my family, and I need to check on James and Lily's families.” His eyes began to fill up.
“Could this be the Caballeros, Mr. President?”
“One thing at a time, Fritz. I asked Mel to get as much info about the attack as possible. So pick me up at six. They'll be ready at 6:15.” He returned to the hall and through the panel with Fritz right behind.
Reaching into his jacket pocket, he withdrew a picture, yellowed and old. “Hang on to this for me. Keep it safe.”
“Sure.” In the photo, a young woman stood on the porch of a house. He reset the Oval Office, and the president stepped into the White House.
* * *
AT QUARTER TO SIX, they met in the parking lot. Jane had her laptop in her satchel. Once again, she was Major Barclay.
“You're a chameleon, Jane,” Fritz said.
“I'm not important, Fritz. I don't want to be a distraction. My job is to record everything. The president is trying hard to contain his anger, and he's very upset about James and Lily.”
“How long do you think he'll go tonight?”
“It could be late. Even those who know what he's doing are keeping quiet. No one wants to be the first to agree.”
At six, the president came through the portal. He was biting his lip. He told them James had lost his battle. “Jane, we need to find out where these attacks are coming from.”
“We will, sir. I have a feeling.”
The president looked at his watch. “Game time.” Fritz reached out and felt the buzz. It ran through his fingers, up his arm, and into his head. Though he didn't know why, he knew everything would work out. He blinked and saw how it would play out.
“Are you okay?” the president asked.
Fritz met his eyes, and smiled. “Yes, sir. And we'll all be okay. Go get 'em.”
When the door clicked, Ashley asked, “What happened?”
“I don't know. But I could see it. Like a gigantic sunrise.”
Uncommon for him, the vice president frowned and said nothing. The stifling quiet on a hum of whispers made Fritz uneasy. He wondered if his vivid image was wrong. Could the bright light be something other than sunrise?
“Sir, what do you think is going to happen?
The Vice President looked around, licked his lips and inhaled. He was trying to choose the words. “I've spoken personally to most of those guys over the years. And for years, they've been afraid that a solution will take them out of control. Some of them are greedy. Some like the power. They all like their cushy lives. Some aren't willing to change.” He looked down at his hands. “Fritz, they're all smart people, playing the odds. The portal is a game-changer. They're measuring the cost to them personally. If all of them had thought about their countries before, you wouldn't have to ask.”
“Do you think the president will get an agreement tonight?”
The vice president put his hand to his chin, and a cautious smile reached his face. “I don't know, but he'll scare them for sure. They'll be on the spot. He'll force them to say yes or no.” Then he shook his head and said, “And woe to them that vote no.” He checked the wall clock. “It won't be much longer.”
“Do you know how long it will take to fix the Oval Office?”
“You ask a lot of hard questions, Fritz, but I guess I should expect that. You are a teacher.” Quiet chuckles filled the room. “A few weeks for repairs, maybe.”
Fritz wanted to ask every question that came to mind, but the vice president turned away. Ashley touched Fritz's arm and shook his head. Quiet returned, but not for long.
Cell phones rang together. Fritz didn't have time to say hello. “Fritz, get us out of here. Quickly.” The president was shouting. Everyone was moving. Fritz reset the portal and the push to exit was magnified by the background explosions. Ashley stood by the door, ignoring protocol, waiting for Jane. The president said, “Ashley, I don't know where she is.”
Pushing through the doorway, he ran in, calling her name. Fritz kept the door open watching explosive flashes and hearing accompanying booms. Between concussions, he could hear Ashley calling.
“Call her phone,” Fritz yelled.
His phone to his ear, dodging broken furniture and fallen ceiling slabs, Ashley rounded a corner. When he reappeared, he was carrying Jane and led a dozen men. Colonel Mitchell ran in to help. Finally, Fritz shut the door.
“Open your door, Fritz,” said the president. The classroom appeared. The portal was shut. The president moved the meeting back to the original meeting room.
* * *
“I'M FINE, ASH,” said Jane. “I got hit on the head.” She started to stand. Fritz pointed to blood running down her left leg.
“I'm taking her out of here. I'll talk to you later.”
* * *
“SOMEONE IN THIS room is responsible for this attack,” the president said. “You may not have ordered it, but one of you told someone we were meeting at Camp David.” He looked around, staring from his lowered brow. “Only four people on my staff knew. They are all beyond suspicion. Which of you gave our location away?” Four reluctant hands went up. Saudi Arabia, England, the United Arab Emirates, Israel. The president's anger hid his disbelief. These are the wrong guys. “Anyone else?” No hands. “Wait here.”
“Fritz, set up Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, England, and Israel. We're taking a trip.”
“Yes, sir.” The Saudi king was the first stop.
“Your Highness, if you would.” Fritz opened the door to a dark room and shu
t the door. The president returned alone. Fritz reset the portal and yanked the door open again.
Two men returned. “But, Mr. President. Please.” The president waved his hand to cut the king short. Next, the president of the United Arab Emirates was escorted through, and once again, the president returned alone. Fritz repeated the process for each man. When they had seen the extraordinary stealth and the precision, the president herded them back to the meeting.
* * *
“MR. PRESIDENT, please, I only told Massoud in case I was needed.”
“And you told me that you could keep a secret, so we have a problem.” The president pounded on the last word. “I know you all have others who you would like to tell. I can't stop you. I trusted the honor of your word as enough. I was wrong. And all of us were in mortal danger.”
“But Mr. President…”
“We have been attacked. Again. Like we were in Geneva. U.S. navy bases have been attacked. I have been clear about what the United States hopes to achieve here, and what we are willing to do to help you make life better in each of your countries. All of you have seen firsthand what we are able to do. We are not here for politics or diplomacy. We are here to stop your endless wars and petty arguments. Addressing the needs of your countries is our goal. Stability with economic development is the only way you can remain in power. Tomorrow morning we will meet again. I hoped we could do this tonight. I will have an agreement sent to each of you. Be prepared to sign it tomorrow.” He headed to the door.
“Mr. President, I will sign it now,” said the British Prime Minister.
“Thank you. Tomorrow.” No one doubted his anger. “Now it's time to leave.”
Storm Unleashed (Quantum Touch Book 4) Page 15
