by Ira Tabankin
“I always thought the President would rate a better room, this one wouldn’t make a good Motel 6 room.”
“Yeah, but, it’s my hospital room, I think my name plate is in here someplace.” Holding her good hand. “How do you feel?”
“I don’t know, kind of numb all over, is that funny?”
“No, they put you on a morphine drip. You wouldn’t feel a truck running you over. Lacy, I love you, thank you for staying with me.”
“Wendy told me I’m pretty banged up.”
“Nah, you’ll be fine in a week or two. Just try to get some rest and follow the doc’s instructions, he gets pissed if you don’t do what he says. Believe me, you don’t want to piss him off. He’s really a sadist hiding under that white doctor’s coat.”
Lacy smiles at Jay, she tries to reach up with her right arm.
“Honey, don’t. You’ve got an IV in it blocking you from moving your arm.” Jay bends over to kiss her. “I promise you, everything is going to be fine. You’ll be out of here and as good as new quicker than you know. Doc’s got a locker full of miracle drugs, they should be miracle drugs based on what we paid for them and the number of times they’ve brought me back.”
“Jay, I’m sorry, I lost an eye, no miracle drugs are going to bring it back.” Tears begin rolling down her right cheek. “I let you down. I got wounded, when I should have stayed in the house or shelter.”
“No, you didn’t. You ran to the sound of the guns, you placed yourself in a position of harm to help others, they tried to kill me and wounded you instead of me. Look at it from my point of view, you missing an eye will make it easier for me to hide from you. I may finally be able to win our game of hide and seek.”
Lacy tires to smile, “What about my arm?”
“It’ll be fine soon enough. Right now, the most important thing is you get some rest.”
“What about you? You look like you’ve single handily fought the war and lost. You look about how I feel.”
“I haven’t begun to fight this war yet. When I do, it won’t be me that’s covered in blood.” Squeezing Lacy’s hand, “I promise you, when this war is over, we’ll have our revenge.”
Jay sits in the chair next to Lacy. Soon, they’re both fast asleep. Doctor Basco stands in the doorway looking at the two of them sleeping. Lacy peacefully in her bed, Jay leaning forward in a chair next to her bed.
Wendy whispers, “Should we wake him?”
“Let him sleep, he needs it. His body needs to release the stress.”
“He’s going to be sore sleeping in that position.”
“He’s going to be a lot angrier if you wake him and make him leave her side. When he wakes, call Todd. I asked him to get a recliner brought over so Jay can sleep next to Lacy. I know Jay, he won’t leave her side as long as she’s here.”
“Do you think we should transfer her to their home?”
“I will as soon as she’s strong enough.”
Tony slips behind the doc, he interrupts their discussion. Looking into Lacy’s room, he shakes his head. “I’m going to wake him in thirty minutes, I’ve got some really good news for him. Frank got Sammi and Linda out of Mount Weather, they’re on the way here.”
“That really is great news; he needs some good news. Contact me before you wake him, I’ll give him something to help him get going. He’s going to need something stronger than coffee.”
“Will do. Doc, how are you?”
“I’ll be fine. I’m worried about Fred.”
“I know, I asked John to stay with him.”
“Tony, what’s the progress on digging Franco and everyone out?” Dr. Basco asks.
“We haven’t made any progress since we were attacked. We know they’re alive, we hear them tapping.”
“How are we going to get them out?”
“Colonel Black’s working on it.”
“Tony, I don’t mean to alarm you, but have you seen Nancy? I can’t account for her.”
“Oh SHIT! I thought she was helping your staff. I just assumed she was in here.”
“In medical emergencies she usually comes here, this time she didn’t come. I thought she might be with you, if she was, I was going to ask to borrow her services.”
Tony turns around running to the security room to review the recorded footage to locate his wife.
“Make a hole, get out of my way, move, move, make a hole. Todd, get the recordings of the attack spooled up, no one can locate Nancy.”
“I’m on it, they’ll be on the big monitor.”
Chapter 3
The C130 carrying Sammi and Linda from Mount Weather lands on a blocked off section of Interstate 65 South. The escorting fighters inform the Bandit CAP flight that two F16s are approaching the President’s farm. Once the C130 lands, its escorting fighters vertically zoom to merge with the two flying F16s flying CAP over the area. As soon as the C130 stops, Frank opens the rear cargo door, the Humvee ambulance rolls down the ramp waving to the C130’s crew. The ambulance pulls behind the barricade blocking the Interstate, the C130 turns around and takes off, heading to its base for refueling and their next tasking order. Major Walker radios, “Freedom Flight, General Authur says job well done, you are instructed to paint an E on your tail for an excellent mission, he also said the beer’s on him.”
“Thanks, it was a milk run, please pass along our prayers to the President. We’re ready for any tasking. We pray he and his family are okay.”
“Will do.”
The C130 flies west out of sight. The fighters remain flying large circles above Jay’s farm. Two, fifty miles from the farm and two flying a circle two hundred miles away, blocking any planes or drones from approaching Jay’s home. A smiling Frank looks at his two passengers saying,
“Sammi, Linda, let’s go home. Your father, Papa Jay is waiting for you.”
Linda screams, “Yeah, I want to see my Papa Jay. Can we put the siren on?”
“Sure, Sergeant, did you hear that? Light em up, hit the lights and siren.”
The driver turns around to look at Linda,
“Hold on and cover your ears, I’m going to turn on the lights and the siren all the way home.”
“Yea!!”
The screaming ambulance roars south on the Interstate bringing Jay’s family home. The siren can be heard for a mile. Three state police cars merge with the ambulance escorting them to the farm. Sammi notices the freeway has been blocked for their rapid and safe transport home.
“Frank, did my father close the freeway for us?”
“No, the Captain of the State Police did. He didn’t want to take any chances with the President’s daughter. Remember, you’re now the first daughter. No one wants a hair on your head harmed. Do you remember Colonel Black?”
“Of course, why?
“He’s been tasked to head up a new Presidential Protection detail, sort of like the Secret Service. He’s recruiting from each of the Confederate States, he’s going to recruit from both the military and members of their protective services to form a new agency to protect your father, staff and his family. No one will be able to touch you again.”
“What about Ricky?”
“You’re going to have to discuss his situation with your father. My job is completed.”
“Can I hire you to bring him home?”
“No, I’m sorry. I report to Tony, who is one of your father’s special advisories.”
“Yeah, I know Tony very well. He’s a strange man. I can’t ever tell what he’s thinking. I heard he’s now the official Vice President, I bet he’s confused how to play that role.”
“That’s Tony. I can tell you, he’d give up his life for your father. He’s totally loyal to him.”
“As is my father to him.”
@@@@@
It doesn’t take the DHS guards in Mount Weather long to realize they’ve been suckered. There’s no report from the local hospital of a VIP arriving, nor is there any information in their network on a US Army Major General
James Brown. Only a handful of people comes down ill with the same disease as Sammi and Linda. They’re able to follow the trail of the disease to the hallway their VIP ‘guests’ used leaving the facility. Mount Weather’s Chief Medical Officer’s only thought is the entire event was staged as a cover to kidnap their special hostages. He hasn’t figured out how to inform the President. The CMO sits in front of the commander of the base’s security who’s shaking his head.
The CMO looks at the facility’s head of security, “Shit, we’ve been had. That damn Army doctor was a fraud; he must have been a member of the Confederacy’s Special Forces. His mission must have been to break the President’s family out. Make sure we still have his son-in-law; I’m going to have the SOB chained to the wall so we don’t lose him. The President is going to be pissed. See if you can figure out what he used to make them sick.”
“Yes, sir.”
Five minutes later the security chief’s cell phone rings.
“Commander Jakes here.” Looking at the CMO, “I asked my staff to make sure we still have the son-in-law.”
Speaking to the agent on the other end of his cell, “Please tell me we still have the son-in-law.”
“Sir, the son-in-law is here. He’s demanding to know when he can see his wife and daughter again.”
“Bring him to my office. Bring him in chains.”
The Security officers look at him confused.”
“Yes, that’s right, I said chains.”
Ricky is brought to the security office in iron chains,
“Where is my family, what have you done to them? Where are they?”
“Why don’t you tell us where they are?”
“How the hell do I know? I was on the third floor; they were on the second. I heard they were sick. I demand to know how they are, where are they? I called the medical room, they weren’t there. What have you done to them?”
“Sit down, let’s discuss what happened, maybe you can shed some light on what happened to them and where they are.”
“What do you mean what happened to them? What aren’t you telling me?”
“Someone came here saying he represented the President. He wore the uniform and had the correct ID for an Army Medical officer, who said he was taking them to the local hospital and then disappeared. They showed all the signs of being very ill.” Ricky shakes his head, his face turns dark red,
“Jay! Damn him. He left me behind.”
“Jay?”
“My father-in-law. The high and mighty President of the Confederacy. He sent some secret agent to grab his daughter and granddaughter back. He sent someone to grab them and left me behind. He’s a real asshole.”
“Why did he leave you behind?”
“We’re not on the best of terms. I don’t know if he meant to leave me or since I wasn’t in the same room as his daughter and granddaughter, their agent left me in order to get Jay’s family back. I was most likely his secondary concern. He might have left me behind on purpose. Leaving me here takes me off his chess board.”
“What do you suggest we do with you now? You’re not high on your father-in-law’s list of most loved. He’s not going to do what we want by us threatening you. You’re worthless to us now. Since you’ve moved to the worthless list; why should I spend a penny on you? I could give the order and be done with you right now. What value can you bring us?”
It slowly dawns on Ricky what the Commander is saying.
“WAIT! Jay might not love me, but his daughter does! If you let me speak with her, she’ll convince her father to do what you want.”
“Do you really think so? I’m not so sure. Maybe we need to make sure she knows we’re serious.”
“What do you mean, show her you’re serious?”
“We have a special room we use to get information out of people like you. It’s a very special room, very few people know it exists. It doesn’t even show on the blueprints. The weak-stomached Congressmen wouldn’t like what happens in the room.”
Ricky begins to sweat,
“What goes on in this secret room?”
“Many would consider it illegal. This shelter was built to house the government in time of war, we might need to get information out of people in a hurry. We built a soundproof room to persuade people like you to tell us everything we want to know.”
“WAIT! I’ll tell you whatever you want you to know, there’s no need to resort to violence.”
“You don’t know anything. We need to make sure your wife understands there won’t be much left of you to return unless her father agrees to do what we want. In your case it’s not about getting information out of you, it’s about showing your wife we’re serious. Yes, I think the only value you bring us is if you pay a visit to the black room.”
“NO! Please, let’s talk about this.” Ricky is thinking of the torture he endured, naked on the ant hill. “I'm sure we can come to an understanding!”
Pressing the intercom button, Commander Jakes tells the guard sitting outside his door, “Take this asshole to room black 99, make sure he’s uncomfortable.”
The guard smiles saying,
“With pleasure.”
Ricky is dragged screaming out of the security room towards the secure elevator.
@@@@@
A hand softly touches Jay’s shoulder, “Jay, Jay, you’re needed.”
“Huh? What time is it?”
General Arthur whispers,
“Sir, it’s seventeen hundred hours. We need you, and we have a surprise for you.”
“Have we been attacked again?”
“No sir, we have a good surprise.”
“Give me a minute to hit the head, I’ll be right there. I hope you’ve got a fresh gallon of coffee; I’m going to need it.”
“We do; we also have a light snack waiting for you and the doc has something he said would be better than coffee.”
“I’m not hungry, just coffee. Believe me, I love the doc, but not his little pick me ups, the last time he gave me one, I didn’t sleep for three days.”
“Sir, you need to eat. You need your strength.”
“I’ll be right there.”
He leans over kissing Lacy’s forehead. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”
“Where am I going to go?”
“Just stay here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“General, I’m ready, lead on.”
“Yes, sir.” Said the general handing Jay a large travel mug of coffee.
@@@@@
Three cups of coffee later, and a quick shower and shave Jay looks and feels almost normal. Looking at his dirt and blood covered clothes, might as well toss these, they’re ruined, I’ll put them in a plastic trash bag and dump them later. Jay walks into the conference room wondering why it’s dark. If they woke me for nothing or already decided whatever they said they needed me for, I’m going to enjoy watching a certain General digging fence holes. At least, I had a chance to clean up. I couldn’t stand the way I smelled, making anyone sit close to me could be considered cruel and inhuman punishment. Jay’s about, to say something when the lights in the conference go on, Linda jumps into her Papa’s arms, knocking him on his ass. Lying on the floor, Jay laughs with tears of joy in his eyes.
“YOU’RE HERE!! Oh my, God, you’re safe and home! Jay smothers his granddaughter in hugs and kisses. The reporter records the event. Jay motions to Sammi, “Come give your father a big hug, Welcome home. I’m so happy you’re home safe and sound. Did they hurt you? Did they do anything to you? I’ll kill them with my bare hands if they touched you or Linda.”
“Dad, we’re fine. They treated us with respect. No one touched us.”
Everyone in the room cheers and claps. Jay wipes tears from his eyes.
“General, I take back what I was just thinking about you. I owe you a big one. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Thank Tony, his outside expert pulled it off, I only provided support.”
“Tony, is your ex
pert here?”
Frank steps forward with his right hand extended, “Sir, name’s Frank. Pleasure to meet you.”
“Frank, don’t go far. I want to speak with you and Tony sometime today, I’ll tell Fred to fit you into my day.”
Tony leans over to whisper to Jay, “Is Fred still working? Shouldn’t he take some time off?”
“I tried to get him to take time off. He told me working gives him something to do, it takes his mind off of his loss. I decided I’m going to rename the street in front of our homes in honor of Cheryl and some of the new state buildings in honor of his sons.”
