The Girl in the White House

by Nick Harlow

  “Please tell me there aren’t other names on the list.”

  “You’ve seen the scandals involving the Secret Service in recent years. A lot of the newer agents don’t completely grasp how serious this job is. And that it takes total commitment.”

  Sydney turned to Scott. “Hey, I’ll stay with Agent Ryan for a while. Mind monitoring the networks? And keep a close eye on Gina Collins and her network.”

  “Sure, no problem. I’ll let you know if anything else breaks.”

  “Great.” She waited till Scott left, then turned to Ryan. “I wanted to talk with you about something. Privately.”

  He took a long drink from a bottle of water. “Sure. What’s on your mind?”

  “Well... I’m a little worried about how I’ll react if I have to... actually shoot someone. I froze when I saw Brooks after you shot him. I mean... I’ve never seen anything like that. It happened so fast. And after you shot him... his face... his eyes...”

  Ryan reached out, took her hand and locked eyes with her. “Look, taking a life, even one that’s trying to kill you, is no small matter. It’s a shock, especially to someone who’s never been in a situation like this. People think it’s like what you see in the movies, but real life situations have different effects on different people. You never really know how you’ll react and you can’t prepare for it. I guess it’s the equivalent of being thrown into the deep end of the pool without knowing how to swim.”

  “Yeah, that’s a good way to describe it. And I only watched, I didn’t pull the trigger. So, have you ever... I mean, before this.”

  Ryan slowly nodded. “Once, when I was a police officer. It was a long time ago.”

  “May I ask how you reacted?”

  “About the same as you did, but thankfully it was after I took him down. I saw the guy’s face, those dead eyes seeming to look right into me, and it haunted me for weeks. Even though he was a murderer and had been shooting at me. But God, I’ll never forget that look. That part is right out of a horror movie.”

  “Did you freeze? When he was shooting at you, I mean.”

  “No, but I’d been a cop for a few years. That part was instinct. I’d had enough training so I knew what to do in that situation. Every though it felt like my heart was going to explode through my chest, I didn’t panic. Was I scared? Hell, yeah. Then he shot at me, and all of a sudden I calmed down and fired back. Thankfully he missed and I didn’t. It took quite a while for my heart rate to calm down after it was over. There’s a reason they take cops off the street after you take someone out. Even the toughest cops need time to recover and deal with it.”

  “I don’t have that experience, Agent Ryan. How can I know I won’t panic if I’m in a bad situation?”

  “You won’t, and in your case you can’t prepare for it. Even if you play out scenarios in your head, having a gun pointed at you changes you forever. I can’t explain it, but somehow self-preservation kicks in when your life is in danger. You’re scared, your heart rate rockets, but you don’t panic. At least police officers don’t and I don’t think you would either. In an instant you become someone else. It happened with every law enforcement person I know. Yes, you’ll get emotional afterward when you have time to think about it and process it, but when the actual moment comes, knowing you, I think you’ll be okay. Like I said, I can’t explain it. But I have never been more focused than the time I had to take a life, probably because my own was a stake. I’m pretty sure you will be as well if you’re in that situation.”

  “I sure hope you’re right.”

  “And I sure hope you don’t find yourself in that position. Just remember the people we’re fighting have no qualms about killing us.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re the strongest teenager I’ve ever met. You have a life force that’s off the charts and you’re smart as hell with a lot of spunk. We call you Spitfire for a reason and it’s not because of your hair color. I have great faith in you. And if I wasn’t here I know you’d be the one to take charge and keep everyone safe. In fact, if, for some reason, I don’t make it, that’s your assignment. Be the leader.”

  “I really don’t want the job. But don’t worry, you’ll make it through this. I sure wish I had that faith in myself.”

  “You actually do, you just don’t know it. But if the time comes, you’ll know what to do.”

  “Just stay conscious, Agent Ryan. I can’t do this without you.”

  “Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”

  PRESIDENT DONOVAN WATCHED Mayfair chastise his cohorts while the phone on the conference room table continued to ring. He leaned back toward Gladys and whispered. “He’s worried about the news report. I’ll bet he thinks one of them is a mole, or has gone over to the other side and is feeding the FBI information.”

  “You think that’s possible?”

  “Who knows? Might be the media jumping the gun as usual. They’d rather be first than right these days. You see how many rumors our Press Secretary has to shoot down on a daily basis.”

  “That’s not Gina Collins’ style. The woman doesn’t make mistakes and she’s never wrong.”

  “You are right about that. But I know she’s on thin ice at her network and needs an exclusive like this. She might be trying to own the story. The fact that she used an unnamed source this soon makes me wonder.”

  Gladys nodded and pointed at the table. “Well, accurate or not, nothing’s gonna move for real until Mayfair picks up the damn phone.”

  Donovan nodded and raised his voice. “Hey, Mayfair, in case you don’t know, this line is not set up to go to voice mail. The FBI will let it ring forever and it’s starting to get annoying.”

  Mayfair whipped his head toward the President. “Then perhaps I’ll yank the cord out of the wall.”

  “Then perhaps you won’t be able to tell the outside world what you want. And I do assume you have to do that at some point. May as well start now.”

  Mayfair glared at him, then moved toward the phone and answered it. “Hello...” He listened for a few seconds. “Who you’re talking to doesn’t matter. And no one has been hurt. The President is untouched. But that won’t be the case if you don’t comply with our demands.” He listened and nodded. “Fine, I’ll put it on speaker.” He hit a button on the phone to activate the speaker and turned to Donovan as he slid the phone toward the President across the massive oak table. “They want to speak to you and know you are unharmed.”

  “President Donovan, this is Special Agent Lauria with the FBI. I need to know that you and the hostages are okay.”

  The President leaned toward the phone and raised his voice. “We’re fine for the moment, Agent Lauria. All twelve of us are unharmed.”

  “But they won’t be unless you comply with our demands,” said Mayfair. “So you will need to follow my instructions to the letter.”

  “And what are your demands?”

  “Not yet. First I need to tell you what else I’ve got to trade.”

  “What are you talking about? You’ve got the President—”

  “And his daughter.”

  Silence.

  Donovan cocked one ear toward the speaker phone and heard muffled voices.

  Mayfair had thrown them a curve ball.

  The rogue agent began to smile. “What’s wrong, Agent Lauria? Cat got your tongue? Are you still there or are you busy trying to find a scenario in the playbook about the President’s child being taken hostage? Let me save you the trouble since I’ve read the same playbook... it’s not in there.”

  “I need proof that Sydney Donovan is unharmed. Put her on.”

  “Not possible. She’s being held in the underground bunker. Oh, wait, I almost forgot. I’ve got a bunch of other kids down there as well. Sons and daughters of very important people.

  “Who are the hostages?”

  “None of your concern right now. By the way, I have cut off all outside communications with the bunker, so don’t bother trying to call them.”

 
“Then how do I know these young people are okay?”

  Mayfair nodded at the President and pointed to the phone. “Agent Lauria, they just showed video of my daughter and the other kids on the closed circuit system. She was unharmed at the time we saw it a few minutes ago. But Agent Mayfair is threatening to kill her in front of me if we do not comply with their demands. Or if you guys attempt a rescue. So please hold tight until I find out what these people want. I don’t want you taking any action, are we clear?”

  Mayfair glared at the President, his cover blown.

  “Yes, Mister President. So, Agent Mayfair is in charge. And when might we know what your demands are?”

  “When I decide to reveal them. But don’t worry, Agent Lauria, it won’t be long. Be patient, stay where you are, comply with our demands and no one gets hurt.”

  “Do I have your word that you will not harm any of the hostages?”

  “You do. As long as I have your word that you will not try any tactical maneuvers to rescue them. You should know we have wired this end of the White House with a significant amount of explosives that are set to go off if this area is breached. Enough to take down the whole building like that scene in Independence Day. And the networks have thoughtfully provided several shots of the building, including one from a helicopter, so if you try anything or if I see anyone moving toward the White House I’ll know. Therefore, don’t try anything.”

  “Fine. We agree to not take any actions and we are standing by to listen to your demands. This is now a dedicated direct line, so just pick up the phone when you’re ready to talk. I will be here. And Mayfair...”

  “Yeah?”

  “Let’s resolve this peacefully, okay? No reason for anyone to be harmed as long as you’re reasonable.”

  “That part’s up to you. Talk to you soon. It won’t be long, Agent Lauria.” Mayfair hung up, then quickly moved to the President and backhanded him across the face. “You sonofabitch. Now they know who I am.”

  Donovan spit out a bit of blood and ran one hand across his face. “Like they wouldn’t have figured it out anyway.”

  “Don’t try any more tricks, Mister President. Now, as long as you do what you’re told from this end, you’ll be having dinner with your lovely daughter tonight.”

  “Well, considering that time frame, whatever you want is obviously something urgent. Why don’t you spare us all the suspense and tell me what the hell it is you want and then maybe I can help speed up the process? Although I can probably guess it has something to do with the situation overseas. Am I getting warm?”

  “Keep guessing.” Mayfair’s satellite phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and answered. “Yes?” He nodded and a slight smile emerged. “Excellent. I’ll get started on this end.” He ended the call, then turned to the President. “Well, you’re about to get your wish.”

  “Don’t keep me in suspense. What do you want?”

  “As you surmised, something that will require you to make a decision. A decision that will be a big part of your legacy that is so precious to you. Will you trade what you consider to be innocent lives for that of your own daughter? Are total strangers in a foreign country thousands of miles away worth less than your precious Sydney? You’ve got a choice to make, Mister President. Welcome to the ultimate no-win scenario. No matter what you decide, I win. You lose.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Sydney watched as Vince put the 9-volt batteries they’d found into each of the radios. “You actually think they’ll work considering the date on the batteries? And get past the jamming?”

  “We’ll know in a minute. The batteries aren’t that old and they should still have a decent charge. They’re only a year past their expiration date. Batteries are a lot like yogurt.”

  “Excuse me?”

  He looked up at her as he opened another package of batteries. “Think of it like the expiration date on food; you’ve eaten stuff way past the date and it’s fine. Yogurt seems to last way beyond the date on the package because yogurt is basically fermented milk. Actually, the Food and Drug Administration once said you can eat yogurt fourteen days after the expiration date.”

  “Vince, how the hell do you know this stuff?”

  “I don’t get out much and I don’t have a girlfriend. Which is probably the reason I don’t get out much. Anyway, back to expiration dates. Companies always err on the side of caution and use dates earlier than the actual expiration date.”

  “I guess that makes sense.”

  “And as far as the radios go, in this case, I think it helps that they are analog, especially if the bad guys were only interested in knocking out digital cell phone signals and Ryan’s radio. I can set them all to different channels until we find one that works.”

  “How did you ever learn about obsolete equipment? I mean, you seem to know more about analog electronics than modern technology and this stuff existed before we were born.”

  Vince laughed a bit. “My dad noticed I liked to take things apart when I was little, so whenever the TV station got rid of some piece of equipment that was obsolete, he’d bring it home and let me tinker with it. I’d take the whole thing apart and study the function of each part. I liked reverse engineering old electronics better than typical toys. The guy across the street was a veteran who had been in charge of communications on a Navy ship, and he’d show me how things used to work. He helped me build a short wave radio and a ham radio. Put it all together, and I don’t consider any technology to be obsolete. It you can turn it on and it still works, you can still find a use for it. The concept of communication hasn’t changed, just the way we do it. But we could still talk to each other using two tin cans and a string if we had to.”

  “Well, so much for getting the latest cell phone upgrade.”

  “Yeah, the cell phone companies really have the general public conned. Nothing’s ever really obsolete. They just want you to think it is after six months. I’ve actually got a Motorola Razr flip phone that’s about ten years old and it still works fine. Got it free when the network threw it out. And to be honest, things made years ago were of a better quality. The old land line phone we have at home sounds a hell of a lot better than any cell phone.” He finished installing the last battery, closed the back on the radio, turned it on, and smiled as he saw a red light. “Okay, the battery on this one is still good. He turned on another which also worked and handed it to Sydney. “Now, let’s give this a shot. Go to the other side of the room, press the red button to key the microphone, and talk to me.”

  “Sure.” She walked to the far end of the room and pressed the button. “Spitfire to TV Guy, come in.”

  Nothing.

  She tried again with no results and shook her head. “Aw, hell.”

  “Don’t give up yet.” He twisted a knob on the radio. “Let’s try it on another channel. Move that little dial near the antenna to number two. Then try again.”

  She did so and repeated her message.

  She heard her own voice coming from Vince’s radio.

  He flashed a big smile, then keyed his own microphone. “You’re loud and clear, Spitfire. How do you read me?”

  “Clear as a bell. Excuse me, I read you five by five.”

  “Copy that.”

  She quickly walked back to him. “This is really good, Vince. Any idea how much range these things have?”

  “I’m sure Agent Ryan can tell us. But if these were Secret Service issue, I’m sure they’ll work anywhere in the White House. The only question is how long the radios will last. The good news is that they’re not affected by the jammer so that we have a way to communicate.”

  “You think there’s any way the bad guys will be able to pick up our signal?”

  He shook his head. “No way. Their radios are set to one specific frequency. And there would be no reason for them to monitor anything if they have a jammer down here.” Suddenly his eyes lit up. “However...”

  “What?”

  “I just thought of another advanta
ge with analog. For our situation, anyway. If these do have a decent range it is possible that someone in the outside world might be able to pick things up with, say, an old police scanner.”

  “Seriously?”

  He nodded. “Years ago when analog cell phones first came out people discovered their calls were being heard on scanners. My dad told me that back in the day newsrooms had a field day listening in to some pretty racy calls at night when people would be stopped at the red light next to the station.”

  “Makes me never want to use a cell phone again.”

  “Well, digital got rid of that problem. Or so people think. Anyway, let’s get all of these set to channel two and then give everyone a radio. After that, I’ll see if I can reach someone who might have an old scanner and lives nearby. It’s a serious longshot, but you never know.”

  “Right now getting out of this situation seems like a longshot. But anything that might help is worth a try.”

  “WE’RE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS,” said Agent Ryan to everyone but MacGyver, who was still working on making a connection with the teleprompter computer. “Time to thin the herd when we get a chance. We’ve got weapons, communications, and the element of surprise.”

  Sydney furrowed her brow. “By thin the herd you mean...”

  “We’re going to subtract one member of Mayfair’s gang by luring him into a trap.”

  “And how are we going to do that?” asked Scott.

  “Next time Mayfair calls down here, I don’t answer. No response on the radio, nothing from the camera. He’ll get worried something’s gone wrong and send someone down here to check. Hopefully we can take that person alive and get information out of him. It would help if we can find out what they want, what their plan of escape is. And who’s behind it because I assure you, Mayfair’s not the brains who came up something like this. Even if we don’t get any information, at least we’ll have one less bad guy to deal with.”