PROJECT BlueBolt - AMERICAN GULAGS: BOOK I - AMERICAN GULAGS

by Marshall Huffman

  Sixty-two members of congress were able to meet. The game was a sham but they at least went through the motions of running and passing the ball around. They had worked out a clever system of dispersing information in the fake huddles. Amazingly everyone managed to make it in the game and it ended in a tie. It was decided to let the score stand rather than playing a tiebreaker.

  After it was over they all just sat around and poked fun at each other at least that is what they hoped it looked like to anyone observing. All sixty-one had agreed that the President had to be impeached. The first hurdle was now achieved.

  ****

  “What do you mean the game wasn’t held there?” Rheem demanded.

  “What can I say? We had all our people in place. The microphones were there and ready and no one showed up.”

  He looked at the man like he had just dropped in from outer space.

  “I don’t understand. We heard the conversation. We knew the time and date. We knew which field they were going to play on. Hell, we even knew who some of the players were going to be. I don’t understand this.”

  “Sir, all I know is I had my men in place two hours before the game was to start and we stayed three hours after just to make sure. No one ever showed up at the field we were told to watch.”

  “So what the hell did they do?” Rheem asked.

  It was a rhetorical question. He wasn’t expecting an answer. He was pacing back and forth the whole time trying to decide what to do next. This had to be the work of Judd and Crain. Somehow they had found out what was going on and managed to slip past his people.

  “I want you to go and get Senators Crain and Judd and bring them here. They are not to talk to anyone. I don’t care if they yell and scream. They can threaten but I want them here.”

  “You want us to arrest the two Senators?”

  “I want you to bring them in for questioning. I don’t care how you have to do it but get it done.”

  “Yes sir,” the agent said, raising his eyes.

  “Don’t let them intimidate you just because of their position,” he warned them.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “You can’t just barge into the Senator’s office,” Judd’s secretary said, trying to block the door.

  “Ma’am. You will move out of the way or I will move you. Believe me it would be best if you just stepped aside.”

  She glared at him but moved out of the way.

  The agents opened the door to find Senator Judd sitting behind his desk.

  “Ah. Delivering the case of Jim Beam?”

  “What? No. Sir, we need you to come with us to see the Director of ISS.”

  “Really? Well, this is quite unusual. Are you here to arrest me for something? A foul that wasn’t called during the game?”

  “Sir, I know nothing about any of that. All I know is that I was sent to collect you.”

  “Collect. Coollecct,” he said drawing the word out like he had never heard it before.

  “Please sir. Don’t make this anymore unpleasant than it has to be.”

  “Let me ask you something son. What would you do if I sent someone to collect you and you had no idea why? What would your reaction be?”

  “Senator, please, just come with me. The director will explain what this is all about. I don’t have a clue. I’m just the errand boy.”

  He stood there for moment then said, “Alright. I’ll take this up with your boss.”

  “I would appreciate that.”

  ****

  It had not gone quiet as smoothly at Senator Crain’s office. When they came barging in his office he ordered them out. They refused and said they would take him by force if necessary.

  Crain was one of the more feisty members of congress and had quite a reputation as a brawler at one time. When the agent stepped to take his arm the Senator threw a roundhouse punch that knocked the agent to the ground. Before the others could react he pulled a 9mm. Glock from his desk drawer and told them to take their guns out and kick them over to him.

  One of them started to take a step towards Crain and he pointed the gun directly at his face and said, “Just about one more inch and your friends are going to have your brains splattered all over their nice clean suits. You think I’m bluffing jackass? Just take the next step.”

  “You won’t get away with this,” he said stepping back.

  “Maybe not, but you sure as hell aren’t going to be the one to take me to see your big shot leader. You go back and tell Tony Rheem I’ll come to talk to him when I am damn good and ready. The next dumbass that comes barging in is going to eat some serious lead. Now get the hell out of here,” he yelled at them.

  The three men backed out of the room. Crain waited until they were gone then collected the guns, sat down at the desk and took out a bottle of Jim Beam. He didn’t even bother with a glass but took a big swig out of the bottle.

  Now what? What he had done was probably stupid but they weren’t going to just come in and yank him out of his own office like he was a criminal.

  They would be back, and in force he decided. He slipped out the back way and went and got his car. He drove home, changed clothes, took ten thousand dollars out of his safe and packed a few clothes.

  He threw his two shotguns in the trunk and drove out of DC and into Virginia. He would go to ground for a few days to see what shook out and then decide what to do next. He found a small hotel that was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. He signed in under a false name and paid for two nights in cash plus a deposit.

  Now he could take time to really think things through. He would need to make some contacts but not using a computer or his cell phone. Cell phone. Damn. He took the battery out of the phone. What about his GPS? He was pretty sure they could track him by his car’s GPS. This was not going to work. He knew he was going to have to come up with another plan or they would find him before he was ready.

  ****

  The agents ushered Senator Judd into Rheem’ office. He was sitting on the edge of the desk when they brought him in.

  “Please, have a seat Senator,” Rheem said.

  “What do you want?”

  “Now don’t be upset. This is just a quick meeting to confirm some items of concern.”

  “Items of concern? And those would be?”

  “Well, for one. The scheduled football game. Why was that not held at the Mall grounds?”

  “If you know that is where it was to take place then you already know the answer to that. Quit bullshitting and get to the point.”

  Rheem’ face started to turn red.

  “I want answers Senator. Was there even a game?”

  “Of course there was. You already know the Mall field was being used. It seemed in bad taste for a bunch of Senators to force them off the grounds. We just changed the location. I’m curious, is there a new law against a flag football game location being changed? Something you and the President may have come up with but forgot to mention?”

  “Senator, I advise you not to make me angry. I am not a nice person when I’m really angry.”

  “Why hell, I don’t like you much when you’re happy. So what is the big deal? Why does this even concern you?”

  “Knowing what goes on in the Capitol is my concern. Everything is my concern.”

  “Wow. I didn’t realize your job was so immense. Everything. Boy that’s a lot to worry about.”

  “I would advise you to stop mocking me,” Rheem said standing.

  “Or what? You’ll punch me? You’ll blackmail me? You will try to dig up some dirt on me. You listen to me. We played a flag football game. We even kept score. It ended in a 14 to 14 tie and we called it a day. Now if that is a national security issue you just let me know and show me that in writing.”

  “And Senator Crain can confirm this?”

  “Ask him yourself.”

  “I want a list of the so called players.”

  “Sorry. All I know is we both had around twenty-five or so show up. It wasn’t a sign u
p thing. Whoever came we let play. I think everyone got a shot at one time or the others. Some just made fun of us from the sidelines.”

  “You are telling me that you don’t know any of the people that were at the game?”

  “I saw Senator Crain there but you would expect that since you seem to know everything else? Which makes me wonder how you know so much about this. Do you have my office or my phone bugged, Director Rheem?”

  “Senator, you are not here to ask me questions but to answer mine.”

  “And unless you are going to trump up some ridicules charge, like enjoying a football game, I’m leaving. Are you really willing to take on congress and the press, director?” Judd said standing.

  “This isn’t over,” Rheem said as Judd walked out the door.

  ****

  “Good morning. I have called this press conference to discuss a troubling development taking place in America. Yesterday men from the newly created ISS, Internal Security System showed up at my office announced and attempted to drag me off to see the director of the ISS. They actually tried to use physical force to remove me from my office. I have been informed by Senator Judd that he too was ushered from his office under threat of arrest if he did not accompany the men to visit the director. It seems the director was concerned about a football game. A football game,” he repeated looking at the press members.

  “What in the world is so important about a few people getting together for an annual flag football game between parties? This has been a tradition of the past nine years. Suddenly it is a national security item? Are you willing to believe that one of the highest priorities of this new ISS is a football game? I hardly think so,” he said pausing again. He looked down at the reporters for several moments before starting again.

  “Something is fundamentally wrong when a newly created office has the unlimited power to drag Senators in for questioning. If they can do that with a member of congress how in the world will the citizens of this country be safe? This will lead to a Police State where our individual freedoms are stripped from us. Now I am going to stand right here and tell you that we as the American people have a Constitution that grants us protection from a government that feels it no longer has to answer for their actions. This new ISS office is a danger as long as it has no rules by which it operates. There is no oversight committee or safeguards in place and it answers only to the President. There is nothing in place to stop them from becoming a Gestapo Agency. Now I will answer your questions”

  It started immediately but he was expecting it and for once it didn’t annoy him.

  “Are you saying they attempted to physically remove you from your office?”

  “That is correct. At one point they actually drew their weapons or attempted to. I keep a gun in my office that is fully licensed and permitted on our persons at all time under executive order 3143.56. I happened to anticipate their moves and disarmed them.”

  “They actually pulled their guns on you?” he reporter asked skeptically.

  The Senator opened his briefcase and exhibited the three agent’s guns.

  “All over a football game?” another asked.

  “I assume that was a pretense. The real purpose I do not know.”

  “But didn’t you push for the creation of the ISS in the first place?”

  “Yes I did. I was given assurances that the ISS would operate in areas of national security, not act as policemen. Their powers would be specifically limited to controlling terrorism. After all, the incidents of the airlines and the Smithsonian were grim reminders of what terrorists are capable of. I was assured that the law abiding citizens of this country would not be their targets. Now maybe playing football with friends is considered subversive under the present administration,” he said smiling as a snicker went through the crowd.

  “Do you intend to talk to the President about this?” someone asked.

  “I think the President has more important things to talk about than what some overt zealous agents may have done. If I am wrong of course then I would expect to either be arrested or a smear campaign of distorted facts to ‘suddenly surface’ as so often happens in politics. I’m sure I’ll have a mistress or two and maybe even a love child suddenly show up. It is strange how that happens don’t you think?” he said smiling briefly.

  He answered questions for another fifteen minutes before going to his car and back to his office. They may come after him but at least he had taken the fight to them.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The President turned off the sound of the televisions and looked over at Rheem.

  “That was certainly different. He managed to escape and elude your people but was able to hold a press conference that you didn’t know anything about. Excellent work.”

  “Madam President he is a US Senator. We couldn’t just go in with a SWAT team and take him by force. Everyone in the building would have known about it. It would have been a public relations disaster,” he told her.

  “And that wasn’t? He took our own weapons right out of our hands. I’ll give him credit, it was well played.”

  “I’m not sure it was worth all of this anyway. Judd told me why the game was moved and I have checked it out. It is legitimate. They did have a game that ended in a tie.”

  “Honestly. Do you think I care about the score?”

  “Just saying.”

  “And you actually believe all they did was play a silly football game?”

  “From what we have ascertained, that is exactly what they did.”

  The President sat and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger for a few moments and then ran the palms of her hands down her face. At fifty-six she was starting to show her age. Those who knew her best felt she had aged considerably since taking office. She walked a little more stooped over and she had put on a few additional pounds. The lines on her face were even more prominent.

  She brushed the hair out of her eyes and turned to look out at the lawn. Rheem was content to just sit and wait.

  “Members of congress must know we have their offices bugged by now. Judd and Crain figured it out and have told the other members by now. Have your people go in and pull all that stuff out.”

  “Pull it out?”

  “Yes. Do it as soon as possible. I want them to get a false sense of security. Let them do their sweeps and such. I don’t want them to find anything that leads back to you.”

  “Does that include cameras?”

  “Yes. I want everything pulled.”

  “I’m not sure that is the right thing to do,” Rheem told the President.

  “Maybe not, but it is my decision. I want you to get on it as quickly as possible.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  ****

  “So what now?” Judd said as they walked along the river.

  “I don’t understand it either. One day the bugs and cameras are in place and the next day everything is gone. It makes no sense,” Crain replied.

  “Could they have some new technology to listen into our conversations?”

  “I honestly don’t know but we have to assume they do. I don’t trust my phone or computer.”

  “I think it’s safe to assume they still have those routed so they can listen in,” Judd answered.

  “What do you really think she is up to?”

  “I don’t know. Backing down just a tad? She has been pretty aggressive so far. Maybe your statements to the press made her realize she still needed to contend with congress,” Judd replied.

  “I don’t know. I doubt if she is capable of backing down. I think she is just changing course, trying to find our weak spots to exploit them.”

  They had just started to sit down on one of the benches when a man appeared and said, “Excuse me. Senator Crain?”

  “Yes. I’m Crain. And you are...”

  The shot threw him back against the bench and he slumped to the ground. Senator Judd looked at the man wide eyed. The man dropped the gun, turned, and slowly walked a
way.

  “Stop. Why did...Stop,” he yelled but the man just kept walking slowly away.

  Judd reached down and picked up the gun and pointed it at the man’s back.

  “Stop you bastard or I’ll shoot you,” he yelled, starting to run towards the man but he just kept on walking.

  Judd aimed for the man’s leg and pulled the trigger but nothing happened. He fired again but with the same result. He tossed the gun down and ran back to Crain and reached for his phone at the same time. He dialed 911 and checked for a pulse on his friend. It was there but faint.

  “911 what is your emergency?”

  “Senator Crain has been shot. A man just walked up and shot him.”

  “Senator Crain?”

  “Yes. Yes. The Senator has been shot. I need an ambulance and the police.”

  “Where are you sir?”

  “At a park bench along the Potomac.”

  “Uh, can you be a bit more specific? It will take longer if they can’t find you quickly.”

  “We are near the Washington Memorial Bridge. We were walking north. Please hurry. His pulse is growing faint.”

  Judd looked around and the man that had shot Crain was nowhere to be seen. He could hear sirens in the background. It seemed to take forever before an ambulance came racing along the walkway. Within minutes they were working on the Senator and hand him in the Ambulance.

  Senator Judd stood and watched as the ambulance raced back the way it had come.

  “Senator, I need you to tell me what happened,” the police officer said.

  “We were just walking along and decided to sit down when this man came out of nowhere and asked if he was Senator Crain. Crain acknowledged he was and the man just shot him.”