WAR (4 page)

“Elizabeth, thank you for bringing your concerns to me and not bringing it up at the general meeting. I’m sure if we handle this correctly and swiftly we can not only win, but we can reach an agreement that’s very beneficial to us. We can use the conflict to improve our people’s lives. I don’t want a war. I want compensation for the damage they’ve done to us. In fact, I want to crush that SOB in the White House. I made my billions by crushing my competition. I want to crush President Rand. I don’t think we can trust the USA to honor any deal we make with them. “We know they want to bring the country back together. They blacked us out to make our people suffer. If our people suffer enough they will vote to return to the security of the USA. I, we can’t allow that. We’ve worked too hard to create the LSA. We’ve finally created a true society where everyone is equal. I’m sure our people don’t want to return to the dirty capitalist society that’s the USA. I think we should have learned we can’t trust the USA. How can we trust President Rand when he has President Brownstone sitting next to him whispering in his ear? Brownstone should have been classified as a terrorist. Elizabeth, are you willing to sit across the table from a mass murderer?”

“Mr. President, sometimes we all have to do things we don’t like or want to for the benefit of our people.”

“Elizabeth, thank you for your concerns. If you feel you can’t carry on your tasks under these conditions, I’m saddened, but willing to accept your resignation. Of course, you’ll have to transport yourself back home as only senior government leaders will be allowed in the Gray House and its secure bunker. You’ll have to take your chances with everyone else in Boston.”

“Mr. President, I’ll give you my answer before we reconvene at 4:00.”

“Very well, I hope you see that sometimes violence is required. We have to protect the LSA, we have to protect our people. Signing a treaty with the USA isn’t going to preserve the LSA.”

“Mr. President, if we call on the Russian Federation for help, aren’t we going to owe them a payback? Aren’t we going to be indebted to the Russians?”

“Elizabeth, we’ll owe the Russians something, I’m sure we’ll be able to work out a repayment method they’ll be happy with. We might be able to acquire assets in our invasion that will enable us to repay the Russians.”

“Sir, violence isn’t the answer, it never is.”

“Elizabeth, you’re wrong, violence solved the first and second world wars, it saved the Jewish people from all being killed, violence brought forth America and the French Republic as we know it today. Elizabeth, throughout history violence has saved millions of lives and forged many countries. Violence and war are just politics taken to another level.”

“Sir, violence also caused the death of millions of my people.”

“Your people?”

“Yes Mr. President, the native Americans.”

“Elizabeth, drop that bullshit with me, I know there’s not an ounce of Native American blood in you. You’ve used that crap to better yourself for years. Lincoln said, you can fool some of the people some of the time, you can even fool all of the people some of the time, you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. You may have used that bullshit to get a professorship and to get elected but I know the truth, so drop the phony Indian spiel when you talk with me.”

“Mr. President, I have proof of my heritage…”

“Stop it, please decide if you can support my plan or let me know privately if you can’t in which case, I accept your resignation for health reasons. You have until 3:45 to decide.”

@@@@@

Sean’s cell phone rings while he’s cutting into a $50.00 sirloin steak. He’s about the put the steak into his mouth when he looks at the caller ID on his phone. He doesn’t recognize the number. However, he recognizes the area code as the one for Washington DC, “Hello, this is Sean Hannd.”

“Mr. Hannd, please hold for Rash Linebacker.”

“Rash, you SOB, your pants have gotten too big if you’re having an admin place calls for you. This better be good because I’m sitting in Morton’s enjoying a wonderful medium rare steak. Which I might add, has been prepared perfectly.”

“Sean, I’m sorry about that. I told the White House switchboard I could dial you myself. They insisted on placing the call. They do that in case it has to be transferred to another phone or agency.”

Sean’s ears perk up when he hears White House switchboard. He’s thinking,
There’s a story here, I don’t know what yet. But Rash wouldn’t be calling if he didn’t want something important.
“Are you working for the White House again? I hadn’t heard anything.”

“Sean, you couldn’t have heard anything yet because nothing’s been announced or even rumored. I got a call tonight asking me to stop by the White House, somehow they found out I was having dinner in D.C. I was on my way to see President Brownstone tomorrow when I got a call and shanghaied by the Secret Service. At least they picked up my dinner bill. President Rand wanted to meet with me. We chatted, and I asked him if I could bring you in on the discussion. Hence, the reason for the call.”

“Rash, please don’t tell me your calling because they want me to work in the White House, you know I won’t do that. I’m not like you. I couldn’t take the media’s bullshit without going off on them.”

“Sean, when can you be in D.C.?”

“Rash, I’m not sure, I don’t like what you may be implying.”

Rash laughs, “Sean, I know you’re in Burlington, North Carolina. I’ve already sent a plane to pick you up. You can turn me down, but will you turn down the President? I can connect him in a minute. By the way, you won’t be seeing President Brownstone tomorrow, he’ll be here in the House with President Rand. If you want to keep your appointment with him, you’re going to have to get on the plane I’ve sent and come see me.”

“Rash, can we talk about this later? My steak is getting cold.”

“Sure, once you’re here. Your phone isn’t secure. I promise all I'm asking you to do, is get on a really nice airplane and have breakfast with me and a couple of other people tomorrow.”

“I’ll see if I can find a hotel.”

“Don’t bother, you’re going to spend the night at the House, by the way, I’ll be spending the night at the House too.”

“I smell a crap storm heading in my direction. I agree, not that I have any other choices. I guess that if I turned you down, I’d be arrested when I boarded my flight tomorrow and taken to D.C. no matter what I said. What about my crew?”

“We’ll give them a ride and drop them off at Dulles, or where ever they want to go.”

“OK, I guess I don’t have a choice, I’ll see you soon.”

Sean looks at Joan and Ted, “Folks, we’re getting a VIP trip to D.C. Let’s order another round.”

Joan and Ted look at Sean, Joan says, “Can you tell us what’s going on?”

Ted responds, “I bet it has something to do with the announcement of the black-out in the LSA.”

Sean nods saying, “You’re most likely right, I don’t know what they want with me.”

Joan smiles, holding in a laugh, “Boss, maybe they want you to become the new press secretary. Like Rash was.”

“Joan, not going to happen. I like hosting my radio and television programs. I don’t want to put up with the media’s bullshit and lies. I refuse to stand in front of the room and tell them lies. I’m not as politically correct as Rash is. I couldn’t put up with the media’s dumb questions and attempts to play gotcha. Even twelve years after the split the media still leans to the left. They think they’re playing a game, they don’t understand lives are at risk when they play their games.”

Ted asks, “Sean, what are you going to do?”

Laughing, Sean says, “First of all I’m going to enjoy my steak, then we’re going to get into the black Tahoe’s I know are on the way to bring is to the airport where I’d guess we’re going to find a nice government VIP plane waiting for us.”

“Sean, my car is at the FBO parking lot at Dulles.”

“No worries, Rash said they would drop you
two
off where ever you want to go.”

Joan laughs, “Bet it beats flying coach.”

“It sure does.”

Chapter 2

              A large colonial home sits at the end of a long driveway lined with old oak trees. The house’s property is ringed by a ten foot high electrical fence topped with four strands of barb and razor wire. Lining the driveway and the woods surrounding the house are small sensors that alert the resident of the house to any intruders. The house can’t be seen from the street; unless someone knew the house was there, most would assume the fence line was protecting another forgotten federal piece of land. There are many such forgotten properties in the Washington, D.C., area. The silence of the cool and windy evening in rural Northern Virginia is broken by a telephone on an end table ringing. The ringing echoes in the book-lined study. A small fire is burning in the corner fireplace which provides a glow, warmth and a flickering light to the room. Sitting at the desk in the center of the room is a man in his early 70’s bent over a laptop typing by using two fingers; as he types, he reads and rereads what he just wrote while picking up a large cup of black coffee. Sipping his coffee, former US President Rod Brownstone looks up from his laptop thinking
, Who the hell is calling me at this hour? I better answer it; something must be wrong because my home phone almost never rings. No one knows the number, not even I remember it.  All of my friends call my cell, or if a booking agent wants to book me for something my aide handles it. If it’s a security issue, my secret service detail or the Colonel handles it. I better get this over with.

.              “Hello.”

“President Brownstone?”

“Yes, this is he. Who’s calling?”

“This is the White House, please hold for President Rand.”

Rod’s thinking,
Something really bad must have happened.

“Rod, are you there?”

“Hello, Mr. President, how are you? How’s things in D.C.?”

“Rod, I assume your phone has a secure mode on it?”

“Of course, it’s an STU-4A, the latest version. The secret service installed it about a month ago.”

“Would you please engage the secure mode?”

Pressing the hold and secure buttons while entering his password, Rod says, “Mr. President, we’re now secure.”

“Thank you. Rod, I need your help.”

“Mr. President…”

“I should be the one calling you Mr. President, how about we both use our given names?”

“Paul, what can I do for you?”

“Rod, I’m sure you’re aware that the LSA attacked us through our children.”

“Yes and I know you responded by bringing their grid down.”

“We also brought the Russian grid down at the same time.”

“Oh shit. How’s President Grameniko reacting? He doesn’t have a sense of humor. I’m sure you know he tried twice to take me out. If it hadn’t been for my security detail, I wouldn’t be here talking with you.”

“That’s part of the reason I’m calling; he and his government have gone totally silent.”

“Guess that means Russia is going to support Bloomberg. They’ll be sending troops to attack us. Grameniko will loan or give Bloomberg anything he wants, maybe even a nuke.”

“Which is the reason I’m bothering you at this ungodly hour. Rod, I need to contact a friend of yours. A certain Colonel Grover. We don’t have a secure number listed for him, and his apartment in DuPont circle looks like it hasn’t been lived in for a long time. Can you get a message you him for me?”

“I assume you’d like to see the good colonel?”

“Yes, would it be possible to tell the colonel I have something to discuss with him?”

“Paul, if you can hold on one minute, I’m sure I can get him on the phone. He’s here; he moved in a while ago and provides me with an additional layer of security.”

“I should have known. Would you mind seeing if your guardian angel would mind picking up the phone?”

A minute later another voice is heard on the line, “Mr. President, President Brownstone said you would like to speak with me.”

“Colonel, I know you consider keeping an eye on President Brownstone as your personal duty. If I can guarantee his safety, would you attend at meeting in the Pentagon’s war room today at 0500?”

“Mr. President, how are you going to protect him? President Grameniko still has a huge price on his head. There are many groups associated with the terror group he nuked who have sworn Jihad on him, and, of course, the left thinks he single handily destroyed the planet.” 

“Colonel, you should see my idea of protecting him in about 4 minutes. That’s if the blue force tracker is accurate. In fact, you’ll hear them before you see them.”

Before President Rand can complete his thought, Colonel Grover’s cell buzzes with a text message, “Tanks on trucks 1 mile and closing. Ours.”

“Mr. President, I accept your generous offer. I’ll be at the Pentagon at 0500.”

“Thank you, Colonel, I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Grover hands the handset to Rod saying, “I have to attend to a few items, I think he wants to speak with you again.”