CORY WAS DINING with her both US Army generals at one end of the long table. Her stepdaughter Samantha and her 'son' Gillian were at the other end having their own hush private conversation.

Samantha peered at the President in front and placed her hand on Gillian's.

"When the time is right, I am going to ask her." The halfhearted Intersexual replied without lifting his head...

"Forget it, Mother, she is never supportive of me."

"We'll wait and see."

Cory sliced the bloody rare steak on her plate with her knife and fork; listening to General Gloria Fields. "The Mexican Intelligence had confirmed that they have the Preacher and they will hand him over after questioning. They also have requested that we should stop the bombarding their boarder, Madam President."

"No! Not until I see that fucker across on our side of the border—you will keep continuing shelling them!" Cory responded pompously in between chewing while she sliced her meat again. The other younger Army officer present, General Priscilla McClain clarified...

"But Madam President, you gave them a 24 hours mandate, and they have managed to apprehend the Preacher, don't you think..."

Pointing the dripping fork back, Cory disrupted by raised her voice—she distrusted the misconstruing general and has an instant disliking to her name McClain—it sounded like her ex-Chief of Police Macready who was a total screw-up in New Orleans...

"That is the point, you dummy—why don't they hand him back to me now this instance—unless those chipotle shitting Frijoleros are up to something!

"Double the security when you escort that Jesus-fucker back to me; make sure that is on top of the list—and he should not escape this time!"

General Field covered up for her colleague's bad judgment that has momentarily provoked their churlish leader, she patronized...

"Okay Madam President, we will keep on bombarding them until the Preacher is delivered over."

"Good and yes, and this time—go a little deeper and augment some hits on some of their nearby towns and villages—let those beaners over there suffer the price for electing that she-fuck yellow-dog President—by tomorrow, he should be seen as a totally incompetent fool!"

It was her pernicious command.

*

Lucinda Gates paced towards the Oval office entrance that was guarded by two Secret Service agents. She recognized one of them who was mentioned earlier by Agent Harrison—that would let her inside the office despite the president's absence—Lucinda casually asked them...

"Is the President back?"

"No, Ms Gates, she is still having dinner with the family and the Generals."

"Well, I wait for her inside then."

The door was opened and Chief of Staff Gates stepped into the Oval Office.

*

A messenger came over and she whispered to the scathing Cory. "Madam President, Ms Gates is waiting at the office." Madeline Cory nodded and dabbed her mouth on a napkin. She dropped it on the half-finished steak and finished her wine. She got up saying to the also standing Generals...

"Excuse me, I have got a country to run—and you two; I want to see the Preacher delivered alive at my doorstep tomorrow—don't fucking screw this one up!"

Cory left the dining table. Samantha too got off her chair and nodded to Gillian. She followed the president out of the door.

*

Lucinda Gates walked over to Cory's side of the desk and viewed around at the surrounding before going behind the desk. Unlocked a drawer and she took out a leather folder. She unzipped it and seeing some photos in it—the first one was of President Garcia with a red-inked marker circled over his head and crossed...

Doran the Preacher was also crossed in red...

She presumed that these were targets that should be dead in Madeline Cory's hit-list.

There were more photos in it—and what caught her attention was the one with Marlin hoisting Joana in the recent street battlefield in New Orleans. She had seen a similar copy in the CIA's database. Gates was confounded for a moment...

'So now Cory knew the identity of 'Joana Gilman'—uncovered as one of Samantha's twins with a similar resemblance to Joseph Edward Cory. Joana was also part of the Aryan Sisterhood—but the photo was not marked in red...

'So is the girl also scheduled to be in the execution-list?'

*

Cory paced over to her Oval Office, escorted by her two Secret Service Agents. Samantha called her from behind before joining beside her.

"Madeline, can I have a minute?"

"Yes, Samantha, what is it?"

Gillian followed them from a distance, he hid in the corner. The youth peeked at Samantha speaking to the most hideous person known to him...

She kept him as a prisoner in the White House to impersonate as Samantha's son for the last five years. If he tried to escape, the obtrusive Agent Wolfe had assured that she will hunt him down and then give him the most painful slow-death imaginable. He has been living in fear ever since.

"I learned that during your fundraiser campaign in LA, you are also running a rock concert benefit for the party?" Samantha enquired.

"Yes, what about it?" Cory asked back in return.

"Please, can I ask a huge favour—can you include Gillian's band in the benefit? It will mean a lot to him if he can perform a song or two. Please, Madeline, just for one time, please 'say yes' —and it will make him very happy."

Cory was amused to observe the sight of Samantha clasped her hand together like in prayer to a religious figure. That made her laugh before she responded back, "he is just average in his studies and now you are encouraging him to his musical career—do you think that is wise, Sam?"

Cory was being captious. Samantha crabbed along her side, still seeking leniency by Madeline Cory's approval. Her every gesture and body language were pleading out...

"But he is an awesome musician, Madeline—just give him a chance, please!"

After deliberately walking, with some notch of cogitation, Cory nodded. "Okay, I will give in on this one; well, at the least, I will get some shemale votes in the coming election. Go speak to my secretary tomorrow."

Samantha was both excited and alleviated "Thank you very much, Madeline!"

Too busy to reply back, Cory walked away, waving her hand to dismiss her. Samantha looked up behind at the keyed up Gillian with a bug-eyed stare. The woman whom he had deceived by thinking that he was her son ran up to him with arms open. Samantha Cory hugged and kissed him.

"She said 'yes,' Gillian—she said 'yes'!"

He was still in a state of disbelieve—now he can finally escape like a vermin from this tangled web of conspiracy and betrayal that he had lived by deceiving on this poor woman. His conscious could not do it anymore, and he wished not to stay on with this equally suffering woman any longer.

He planned for both of them to escape from the Whitehouse.

*

President Cory entered the Oval Office and found Lucinda Gates seated on a couch away from her desk. Gates was pretending to look into some reports from her personal file. She looked up and acknowledged her.

"Maddie, how did it go with the generals go?"

"Lu, it is confirmed—the Preacher has been captured and those Mexicans will be handing him over tomorrow morning—and it will be followed by his execution once he is brought back to Washington for all of his treacherous crimes."

Cory celebrated the moment by fixing her own stronger-than-the-regular gin and tonic.

"Now we can prepare to go on full scale with the LA Fundraiser—it is time to give another victory speech—yes, we are gonna win it big in my re-election!"

Cory laughed self-assuredly and Gates mirrored with a pretentious grin in response to mark the party's upcoming triumph. Her swift mind was still in finding the whereabouts of this girl who has grown up as Joana Gailman—before it is too-late and served the same fate as a traitor.