《The Art Of Politics》Chapter 8 : The meeting
Advertisement
Entering the fortified Situation Room styled bunker dad and I occupied a chair each while the Secret Service agents stood sentry. The screens were on, showing the faces of every leader of the countries that were ambushed by the bombs. They looked unhappy to say the least.
"Mr. President." The Japanese prime minister, Takaguchi Kawa, begun. "You are aware of what's happening right?"
"I do, Prime Minister Kawa. I do." He replied.
"Shouldn't you be doing something too Madam Vice President?" The Canadian Prime Minister, Everett Grant, asked me in the eye. He was well aware of my other life, as a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent turned prime minister.
"Believe me Everett, I have already started looking." I said. "I only have two suspicions on my mind."
"Vice President Reagan." The Russian president leaned forward. "Are you telling me that you're suspecting my country of the attacks?"
"Anyone of you could be." I replied with a laugh. "China, North Korea, Cuba, maybe."
"You can't be..."
"There are insurgents that threatened to rebel against the Cuban leader, trying to ruin any chance of peace my father has offered."
"The vice president is correct." The chancellor of Germany said. "Anyone of us could be behind these attacks."
"Madam Vice President." Madeleine Gray, the prime minister of England said. "Can I say the truth?"
"Go ahead." I said, my voice grim.
"What is your agent instinct when it comes to these attacks?"
"You don't have to know Prime Minister Gray." I said. "I don't have to show my cards. To let the enemy win." She seemed stunned in respond.
"You're brilliant I must say." She added. "To keep your cards to yourself. Knowing when to put them on deck."
Advertisement
"And it won't be now Prime Minister Gray. When the time has come I will." She smiled at me.
"You reminded me so much of your mother."
"You kept dropping by the South Korean embassy in London." I said. "Mom always hurry me to my room so that you both can talk."
"Old times." She said cryptically.
"So? What will be your agenda here ladies and gentlemen?" Dad asked. "We're wasting time if there is no reason about this call."
"Mr. President. Didn't we have a summit at the UN two days later?" The Japanese prime minister asked.
"That would be the cover for you all to come." Dad said. "My daughter and I will be expecting you all to come." The leaders all nodded in agreement and terminated their connections. I looked up from my notebook as I was scribbling down notes again and saw dad pinching the bridge of his nose to fight off, probably fatigue.
"You okay daddy?" I asked.
"Yeah, yeah I'm okay. Just tired."
"I can tell." I said.
"I recommend that both of you should rest." Agent Barrowman said. A while later I sat in my room, on the bed as the notebook laid on the nightstand. Resting my head on the pillow I stared up to the ceiling as I planned for my next move.
"Who was it?" I muttered. "Who is behind this? How did they bypass the security of the White House?" I thought before I fell asleep.
Hours later
Someone kept knocking at the door as I woke up, listening to the rain splattering outside the window. Sleeping for hours made me feel better as I swung out of bed and opened the door. "Dad?" I asked as I saw him outside my door.
Advertisement
"Can we talk? Andrew's not around to hear our discussion." He said, entering the room.
"...Okay." I said. Dad locked the door and sat at the study table, I sat on my bed. We kept silent for a while until he cleared his throat.
"What do we have now?" He asked, looking at me. "Who do you think is the one that leaked the security details of the White House?"
"Dad, I'll tell you what I don't believe in : Shouldn't the White House be fortified to the teeth? I mean that the Secret Service are working around the clock to protect us."
"True." He said, leaning forward. "The White House has been rebuilt after the explosion."
"That means..."
"Someone sold our security systems on the black market."
"You're saying that we have..."
"A Benedict Arnold?"
"Ninety percent." Dad said, his expression grim. "I'm still hoping that there's not."
"I don't believe that however." I said. "I have my own theory."
"And what would that be?"
"First of all, the press knows that the White House is being rebuilt. The Secret Service did not disclose that whether the White House is under protection or not."
"Conclusion?"
"We accidentally let them endanger our lives. We gave them the slip."
"I see. That makes sense anyway." I folded my arms, clutching the pen and spinning it later in my fingers. "There's something though, something I learned from the Darkest Hour."
"Which is?"
"In the dossiers you came to the conclusion that Russians are backing a splinter group."
"Yes, that is correct sir." I said. "If I'm correct, it's either the rebel group from Cuba or the splinter group is conspiring to kill us both."
"And this will be the second time just like what happened during the JFK assassination."
"Countries will burn but America will fall the hardest." I said. "But if Russia wasn't doing their version of Operation Northwoods who wants Russia dead in the water as well?"
"Ukraine?"
"Ukraine's military capabilities is strong, but they can't stand up against Russia."
"China?"
"No sir. You know how lovey dovey these two countries are right now."
"Us?"
"Not to my knowledge sir. But I will consider it a probability."
"Cuba?"
"You serious?" I asked, staring at him. "I have read the Bay of Pigs files. Not pretty, no way, and not gonna happen."
"Our best enemy?"
"North Korea?"
"Exactly."
"No sir. The country could be the only one to be able to paralyse Sony and attacking us with WannaCry but to my standards... not really."
"You're saying..."
"North Korea... it's not a probability." I said. "You're making me wanna cry now sir. Our military experts even notes that North Korea could be bluffing with the whole missles thing. But they did fire missles that landed within the oceans of South Korea and Japan." I said in an alarming tone.
"What's it with you and WannaCry?"
"It's a meme. I'm still in university when this happened. Files got corrupted and all, and this meme started flying when the school reopened. When every professor asked on why they didn't hand in their assignments my classmates all responded WannaCry and every professor all said that they should be the ones that wanna cry, not the students." Dad chuckled in amusement. "So that's the reason that you keep using the word."
"What else?" I asked.
Advertisement
- In Serial354 Chapters
The Numbers That Brought Our Fates Together
Elena Lee, the daughter of the pharmaceutical tycoon, has been tormented by nightmares since she was six years old. In those dreams, she meets a strange man. It looks like he is trying to save her or... to kill her. But what will the girl do when the man from her dreams suddenly appears before her eyes in reality? *** *** *** Flames devoured the remnants of a fallen plane. The pilot's voice was no longer audible. Slowly falling white snow reinforced the feeling of complete hopelessness. "Lena, run!" "But…" "I said, RUN!" Taking his words as an order, Elena's legs, not listening to the desires of her heart, carried her away from this place as quickly as possible. Out of breath, but finding the strength to run farther through this dark forest, she heard nothing but the knock in her chest. Suddenly, the ground disappeared under her feet, and the body lost its balance. "Oh, and who is this hiding in here? Did the little mouse decide to play with the big cat? Oh dear, as I said, you can not hide from me. Neither in this life nor the next one." Elena's heart sank in horror. She has just lost the last chance to survive.
8 437 - In Serial982 Chapters
Necropolis Immortal
A great war raged between cultivators a hundred thousand years ago. Immortals fell by the tens of thousands, the path of cultivation itself was severed, and after the dust settled, tombs forested the world.
8 195 - In Serial57 Chapters
Lucinda the Shifter
Unwilling to follow in the footsteps of her parents, Lucinda desperately seeks an alternative while enduring the beginnings of a lifestyle she has no interest in. What she wants, is to gain the ability to transform into a variety of animal forms. But, first she has to find out what Class that is, and then how to actually become it. This tale follows the journey of Lucinda. From the largest turning point in her short life, and through the events that follow. ** Huge thanks to Overcomplicated Appleπ for the cover artwork. If you want to see more of her work, click this link.
8 177 - In Serial43 Chapters
Throughout the Ages
A new virtual reality game has just been released, different to any that have come before it. Throughout the Ages sees the players guiding a small community from the the stone age onwards, acting as benevolent gods that inspire and bless their charges. The peoples of Lorinas are not mere abstractions, though, but complex AI with their own thoughts and motives, living in a rich and dangerous fantasy world! Follow the tale of John, the uninteresting author self-insert character, and his sexy AI handmaiden Jade, as they pursue success in a game where their decisions can mean life or death! This story is supposed to be a dungeon lord like story in a VR multiplayer setting, I hope people who read it enjoy it. Partially ghostwritten by the incredibly handsome and clever Sniggyfigbat, and edited by the occasionally competent Dosahder.(Warning: this synopsis might not be entirely objective) (Upload schedule is highly irregular due to having to match three different plannings) more tags might be added in the future.Also it is my first story so please point out spelling and grammar mistakes.
8 109 - In Serial41 Chapters
Born Immortal
Astyr Tyr was found newborn and naked on the side of the road with nothing but a bracelet and a name. After fifteen years of being bounced around the foster system, she finds herself in a small town on the brink of discovering big secrets and maybe... Her place in the world.Credit for the cover photo goes to S Baker under the Creative Commons License. Check out her work here http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahbaker
8 164 - In Serial43 Chapters
The Search for Cinderella
After being left destitute by her stepmother Jade must dress up as a man to make a respectable living since she lives in a time where women are bound by the confines of society. She finds herself employed by Prince Luke who is in search for his one and only true love.
8 231

