by Newbiel
"That was the first and only time you will even consider hurting my family. You are maybe the President of the United States but that will not matter if you choose this path. My grandfather is known to be ruthless to people who want to hurt his family but compared to me, he could be considered almost nice. Don't force my hand on this William, this is your only warning." Nathaniel said in a chilling voice.
"You are threatening the President of the United States! This is treason!" Tobias shouted.
"Tobias, you have three seconds to take your hand off your gun or I will do it for you." Nathaniel said coldly, looking at Tobias like he was a lamb ready for execution.
Seeing Tobias was not going to comply, Nathaniel started counting.
"One."
"Okay stop! Both of you just stop! Tobias, move your hand away from your gun, this is an order!" The President shouted, his hands put in a sign of appeasement. Obeying orders, Tobias put his hand away, still ready to jump in front of Nathaniel in case of an attack.
"I present to you my apologies, I just wanted to see how you would react in case of extortion against your family, I was not expecting things to go awry this fast. I will not go after them, this is a promise. Can I hear the rest of your condition?"
"Glad to hear that. Our headquarters will be located in an old bomb shelter in the sub basement of the Lyndon tower in New York. It will need a complete refit before being operational, I was going to pay that myself but now, you are going to put in half of the money. I want access to the CIA, NSA and DOD database. You will pay us that amount of money a year in addition to transport when we are on a mission for you." Nathaniel said once calmed.
Looking at the numbers, the President was surprised.
"I expected that number to be much higher." He said. It was even a tiny fraction compared to the mercenary company the US was using in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I'm not doing this for the money but I will never start a company that loses money either. That amount will be enough to pay my people well and give them good health insurance. This is all that matters for me."
"I will consider it, when are you going to leave the city?" The President asked.
"In two days. If I don't have an answer from you at that time, I will conclude that you are not interested and I will take my business elsewhere."
"I will have an answer for you at that time but we still have a few questions for you. How did you enter and exit the White House without being noticed by none of our mens or cameras?"
"You have a breach in the East perimetre and the patrol road of the Secret Service needs to be modified. For the exit, I used two dozen cats that I brought with me to trigger the motion sensor in the garden and attract the K9 dogs. After that I just mixed with the cops team until I was out. You did find the cats, right?" Nathaniel smiled.
"Yeah, we found them alright. My son and daughter even found one and wanted to keep it. Tell me they are vaccinated at least." The President said bitterly.
"Yes, they are. I bought them at a farm on the outskirts of the city and brought them to a veterinarian myself."
"We still have a problem, the press knows that something happened last night with the lockdown and everything else. They have demanded since this morning to have answers. So far, we did not give an answer but the more we wait, the worse it will get. What do you want to do?" The President said, asking Nathaniel specifically to test him.
"Did you catch all the cats?" Nathaniel asked.
"Not all, we have only seventeen. Some are missing and a couple had an altercation with our K9 dogs and died as a result. Why do you ask?" Tobias questioned.
"It's a pity." Nathaniel said sadly before continuing. "I brought those cats for two reasons, diversion and justification. Stage a press conference and just say that the cats triggered the motion sensor of the house. You have not communicated before to make sure it was not a diversion and for National Security purposes. Continue by saying your own children took affection for one of the cats and decided to adopt him. Think about posting a photo with your children playing with it. You can also finish by saying you will sell the rest of the cats who broke into the White House at an auction for charity purposes. In no time the story will die down, you will even get a boost in popularity with that." Nathaniel smiled craftily.
Looking at the two men who had their jaw hanging, Nathaniel laughed before looking at the time.
"And I believe my half hour with you is over sir. Tobias, walk with me. We need to review the placement of your Secret Service agents to tighten the security." Nathaniel said, getting up, Tobias following him after confirming with the President.
Chapter 109: :
Tobias and Nathaniel had not left the Oval Office for long when a side door opened and a dignified looking lady entered. She was around 5"6" and seemed to have the same age as the President.
"So, what did you think about that young man dear?" The President asked his wife.
Not many people knew this but before becoming the First Lady, Linda was a very good psychologist. She even taught profiling classes in Quantico for the FBI. Over the years, they had done this kind of thing quite often, William talking to people and Linda in another room with audio and video to observe the one he was talking to.
Her help soon became invaluable as she could tell when people were lying to him. William could affirm without a doubt that it was because of his wife that he became President and before that a successful politician.
"He's interesting, very interesting." His wife smiled.
"Alright, give it to me. How much of what he said was bullshit?"
"None of it."
"Excuse me?" William asked, thinking he heard wrong.
"None of it was dear. He did tell some half truth on a few questions but the rest was 100 percent the truth. It was quite refreshing to see. I'm tired of politicians deep shit who do nothing but lie through their teeth."
"Hey! I'm a politician too."
"Yeah but you know better than trying to lie to me." Linda said with a satisfied smile putting her hand on his shoulder.
"That I do. What did you find out about him?"
"He's methodical, conscientious and ruthless when the situation calls for it. He does not trust the government or any intelligence agency and he had a fear of betrayal deep inside of him. He does not talk for the sake of talking. Everything he says and does is always thought of beforehand. He's like a chess player planning ten moves ahead of everything we can do."
"Can you explain what happened when I threatened his family? It's like he became a totally different person, it freaked the hell out of me."
Before Linda answered, she slapped him on the back of the head.
"Hey! Why did you hit me?" William asked wrongly, patting the back of his head.
"I did it because you are a moron. I know you wanted to rattle him but did you forget the importance the Lyndon's put on family? We met Robert and Diane enough for you to realize that." Lina rebuked him harshly. "What you are talking about was a change in personality. I saw that a couple of times in war veterans who experienced too many life and death situations. I never thought it was possible to see it on someone this young however."
"Yeah, nothing makes sense with this kid. Would he have gone through with his threat?"
"Yes. He was ready to kill you both the moment you said the bit about his family. He meant everything he said afterward, so I advise you to not even mention his family in front of him ever again."
"No need to tell me that, believe me. I almost shit myself when I saw him looking at Tobias like he was already dead." The President said, shivering.
"I was in pretty much the same shape; I almost called the Secret Service to stop him. By the way, the phrase that he told in all six languages, I had them translated. Luckily, we have a lot of translators here to do the job. You were right, it was not some random words at all. Read it." Linda said.
Picking up the piece of paper that his wife gave him; William started to read through it. As
the message was not long, he finished quickly. The stare that the couple shared in that moment was trouble.
*****
Sitting on the couch, Karine and Mary Lyndon were watching the news while drinking a glass of red wine. On the screen, they could see a repeat of the Press Release about what happened in the White house last night. The title 'The White House attacked by cats" was on the bottom of the screen.
Smiling at the absurdity of it all, Mary took a sip of her drink. Looking at her wife, she could see Karine was frowning at the screen seemingly thinking of something.
"What is going on with the frowning face, love?" Mary asked.
"You know what my opinion is about coincidence, right?"
"Of course I do." Mary answered laughing. "You think if your conclusion is a coincidence, it means you are not working nearly enough to have a real answer. What's on your mind?"
"Nothing ever happened to the White House, our son is in Washington for three days and suddenly, it's attacked by cats? And moreover, now they will sell the cats in questions for charity? Come on Mary, I can recognize Nathaniel's footprint all over it."
"It does indeed sound like him. He always liked cats since he was young but since I'm allergic we can't have any pets. What do you think really happened?"
"I'm sure I don't want to know and for his sake, I hope I never will. You know my colleague can't stop saying things like 'Yeah but your son is a genius, you must be so proud' and it's true, I'm proud of him but they will never understand how much of a pain in the ass he truly is." Karine said, making Mary laugh.
"It's true, it's not everyday you have a sixteen year old son who is smarter than you and makes more money than you. I comfort myself thinking I can bully him as much as I want and he can't say anything about it. We also have enough dirt on him to make sure he stays single all his life." Mary said, gloating.
"I did not think about this but now that you mention it, I really love it. We know who has the real power in this household." Karine laughed.
"When is he scheduled to come back?"
"Friday night if everything goes as he planned, which it often does."
"Good, I miss him. This home is so empty without our son in it." Mary said, looking at Nathaniel bedroom.
"I know, I miss him too. Let's not say anything about this or he will get even more cocky. We can't have that." Karine said.
"You are right love."
Chapter 110: :
Washington DC. 14/11/2012. 16:00.
Sitting at a table on a café terrace, Nathaniel was reading a book, a drink of orange juice not far from him. Even if the weather was starting to get cooler, it was a beautiful day with the sky free of any clouds. This was why he had chosen to sit outside, not wanting to miss such a good day. Wearing blue jeans, and a white blazer, Nathaniel was not gathering a lot of attention sitting here reading.
"A young man reading an actual book in this day and age? We don't see that a lot anymore." A woman said, approaching the table.
Smiling, Nathaniel put down the book on the table and got to his feet. Taking the chair in front of him, he held it for the woman in question.
"My lady." Nathaniel said.
Smiling, the woman sat down, Nathaniel sliding the chair under her. Making a sign to the waitress, Nathaniel sat back on his place. The waitress brought a coffee for the woman in question.
"I did not know if you were going to come. How may I call you by the way? Ma'am, First lady or Linda?" Nathaniel asked.
"How could I not come? Being invited using a sixteenth century old modified poem told in six languages does not happen a lot to an old lady like me. Even my husband did not go to such a length to invite me on our first date. Since it's an unofficial meeting, let's call me Linda and I would call you Nathaniel? How does it sound?" The first Lady offered.
"It sounds great actually."
"You really did your research well. My coffee is exactly how I like it." Linda said after taking a sip.
"I would be a poor host if I were to order you something you do not like." Nathaniel said, drinking his orange juice.
"Nice attention but let's cut to the chase, shall we? Why am I here? You are not the type of man to ask me to come without an agenda."
"Because behind every great man, there is an even more formidable woman and in your case, it's even more true. Gifted psychologist, teaching profiling at Quantico before becoming the First Lady and able to see microexpressions on peoples faces. Impressive considering there are less than fifty people on this entire planet capable of doing that. I thought we could have an honest conversation where I could answer some of your questions. I do not promise to answer all of them if they are too sensible."
"Hum interesting proposition. How did you know I was in the next room listening?" Linda asked.
"It would have been stupid of him to not call you to be honest. In addition, I spotted the camera and the listening device." Nathaniel answered.
"That's not all." Linda said, it was not a question.
Nathaniel simply smiled without giving an answer. He could not tell her he had sensed her along with the five Secret Service agents ready to enter at the first sign of fight. Linda decided to move on seeing he was not going to answer. Since he was working with the power of his soul, he had succeeded in improving the skill of Marc and now he could feel people around him without closing his eyes anymore. It was not as efficient of course but it could be very useful in combat where you can't close your eyes.
"How did you get your hands on Top Secret information? That's one of the things that we can't explain."
"I'm using the access code of a dead CIA operative and when it's not enough, I hack my way in, I also know where to find sensible information. And before you ask, no, I was not the one who killed him nor was I involved with the one who did."
"Are you working or did you work for a foreign country?"
"No." Nathaniel answered firmly.
"Good. Why do you want to do this? You are talented enough to succeed in your life and you are already famous and wealthy. Why do you want to take that much risk?"
"Because this country is in bad shape. It has been in bad shape for a while now and it continues to get worse. The gap between wealthy and poor people continues to be more pronounced each year and nobody does anything. The bottom fifty percent of Americans own 2.5% of the total wealth of this country. Everybody knows that the system is rigged in favor of rich people but nobody talks because every American believes they can make it. Despite all that, we continue to call ourselves the greatest country on Earth. This is a disgrace."
"You don't believe we are the greatest country on Earth?" Linda asked.
"No, of course not, how could we? We are first in only two categories, defense spending and number of prisoners per capita. We were the greatest country in the world after the civil war. We fought the british for our freedom but now? Now we have become even worse than the old british empire was. We lost the way our founding father set for us. I actually met one of their descendants. He's a Senator and he used his power only for his own ambition, his own pursuit of money. He passed laws restricting women abortion pushed by conversative lobby in his state despite having two beautiful and smart daughters. He did that because he knew that his daughter could afford to go outside of the country if the situation called for it. And I'm only saying something soft. There are places in this country where people are treated like slaves. They need help but nobody cares anymore. We lost our sense of unity and it's in times like this that bad people strive. Bad people that they can't stop or don't want to even try stopping." Nathaniel said with conviction.
"You are talking about John Livingston? The father of your girlfriend?"
"Not girlfriend but not that far off either and yes I talk about him. I was expecting him to do something, help people. It turned out he was a disappointment. I waited for someone in the government on law enforcement to help take down the wealthy who are doing despicable deeds but nobody came forth. I had to act
."
"Who did you bring down?"
"Caldwell."
"That was you?" Linda said surprised. "My husband even asked the FBI to launch an investigation to find out where the information that erupted came from but nothing could be found. They had to close the case eventually for lack of evidence. Now that I think about it, it does fit your skill set quite well. Does your family know what you are planning to do?"
"All my family knows about the Caldwell case but about me wanting to become the fighting arm of the President, no. My mothers know but my grandparents don't. They know my internet security company will be a front but they have no definite proof about the rest."
"One last question before I need to leave. Can we trust you?"
"It depends. If you're asking me if we can trust you with our secret, can we trust you to do what is needed for this country, I would say yes but if the question is can we trust you to obey our every whip, the answer is no. Like I said before, I will never break my ideals and morals for you or anyone for that matter."
"Good enough for me." Linda said, getting to her feet as a limo parked in front of the café and a couple of Secret Service agents appeared on each side of her.
Giving Nathaniel a handwave, Linda walked in the direction of the limo when she suddenly stopped. Turning back to Nathaniel who was on his feet and busy leaving a tip for the waitress, Lina asked.
"Are you really sixteen years old?"
"Yes." Answered Nathaniel.
Nodding to herself, Linda was going to turn back when Nathaniel spoke again.
"And no." He said smiling.
Lindas mouth dropped open, looking at Nathaniel back as he was leaving the café like nothing had happened. She was sure that he had told the truth both times but it was impossible for these two answers to be true.
Chapter 111: :
Washington DC. Walter Reed Army Medical Center. 15/11/2012. 18:00.
Walking in the hospital hallway, Nathaniel saw a nurse coming out of the room. He had seen her the last time he came and she was the one who had lead him to Scott's room. She was a pretty looking brunette in her mid twenties, towering around 5'9. She had long, enticing legs that were gathering a few admirative stares from her patients and colleagues.
