****
Fred Burch, investigative reporter, was frustrated. “The military has all streets leading to the Simple place blocked,” he told his editor, over his cell phone.
“The interviews with the librarian and the school quarterback were dynamite, but nothing compared to the potential interview with the old uncle,” said Lucy Carn, the editor. The librarian had hinted that the Simple was involved, and the local school quarterback said that Simple's nephew was some sort of freak. “You have to get in there.”
“I did the next best thing. My friend’s brother-in-law is in the Army. You won’t believe what he told me a few minutes ago.”
“Shoot.”
“The Army isn’t here to protect the Simple home, they’re here to attack it.”
“What? Say that again!”
“They’ve sent in assault teams, paratroopers, and tanks, and so far they can’t get in. They have orders to destroy the place and to kill everyone there.”
“But why? What the hell is going on? The kid and the dragon were heroes, weren’t they? If they are hooked up with Simple why would Harry Simple be a bad guy? It doesn't make sense!”
“I thought so too. But the orders are straight from the President.”
“God Fred, this is the story of a lifetime! We have to get collaboration and figure out what's really going on!”
“I have unmistakable sound tracks of gunfire and explosions. Hell, I can hear it still going on as we speak. This story is true, I know it is. The Simple home is being attacked by special forces of some sort and by the regular Army.”
“OK. OK, that’s enough for me to hit the President with some damn pointed questions at the news conference and try to get collaboration from the man himself. You keep pushing from your end. I’ll get Thompson to interview the librarian again, to ask her what she thinks about rumors that the Government has been attacking Wonder Boy’s home and so forth. The rest of the media will pick up on this line, I’m betting. This stinking Administration is about to crack, I can smell it. We’ll break this thing open, and lots of rats are going to scramble for higher ground and tell the world what’s really happening. We just have to position ourselves to throw some of the fleeing bastards some life-preservers. I’ll contact some of my book publisher friends so they can help us put together juicy deals for folks we can get to talk the soonest and the most.”
****
White Dragon's Chosen Page 44
