Black Flagged Apex

Chapter 28





6:15 AM

The White House, Oval Office

Washington, D.C.



The president of the United States rubbed his face with his hands and leaned back in the deep golden couch, waiting for his first cup of coffee to arrive. He warily eyed the two men seated on the matching couch opposite him. The concealed door leading to the West Wing opened, and a Secret Service agent entered, quickly stepping aside to permit the entry of the president's coffee service. A middle-aged man with thin brown hair dressed in a sharply tailored black suit with a crisp white shirt and black tie pushed a silver cart into the room. He efficiently placed the polished silver tray containing three matching silver cups and a large silver coffee pot on the low table between the couches. A few seconds later, an assortment of cream, sugar and other sweeteners appeared on the table. The man started to prepare the president's coffee.

"Thank you, Robert. That won't be necessary this morning," the president said.

"Very well, Mr. President. Will you be taking breakfast in the residence this morning, sir?"

"Yes. I'll eat with my family in about thirty minutes, Robert."

"I'll notify the kitchen, Mr. President. Gentlemen. Please excuse me." He nodded and pushed the beverage cart back through the same door through which he'd entered.

Jacob Remy, the president's chief of staff, leaned forward with Harrison Beck, the president's chief political advisor.

"So it's confirmed?" the president asked, helping himself to the coffee service.

"Unfortunately. Our hopes for a convenient bogeyman evaporated last night. The FBI conducted a major sting operation that killed or captured seventeen militants, none of them Al Qaeda. They've identified a possible terrorist training camp in West Virginia, which is under surveillance as we speak. SOCOM is putting together a package to take down the camp if ordered," Remy said.

"It looks like three militants were captured?" the president asked.

"That's right. One surrendered to the FBI. The others were severely wounded by undercover agents inside the market," Remy replied.

"And the special assets used for the operation?"

All three of the men knew what he meant by "special assets." Even within the confines of the Oval Office, none of them would speak directly about Sanderson's involvement.

"Two killed, as you know. The two wounded are in stable condition."

"Harrison, what's your take on the situation?"

"This is a tough one," Beck replied. "We haven't confirmed that this is the work of True America militants, but I can't imagine the FBI is too far away from drawing that conclusion. I think we're dealing with a splinter group, likely under the leadership of Jackson Greely or Lee Harding, but we don't have enough information to make the connection."

"I'm not sure we want to," Remy said.

The president nodded in agreement, and Beck continued.

"The True America political movement is sweeping the nation and grows larger every day. We all suspect that they'll make an independent bid for the White House next year, and they'll most certainly do some damage to the House and Senate. Projections show them taking at least twenty percent of the House, though these projections are early. Neither party has started to throw any serious money at advertising at this point. I see those poll numbers dropping drastically when the real money hits the streets. Still, their grassroots political campaign has been extremely effective and can't be discounted. Any connection to domestic terrorists will kill the movement. I can't see any scenario in which the True America political arm would condone this militant action. The True America folks on the Hill have very clearly denounced the previous militant rhetoric spouted by Greely and Harding. The two of them barely make a living giving speeches to NRA dinners and Libertarian rallies."

"Either way, we have to be careful with this, Mr. President. Our best-case scenario is that we stop this plot and never really connect this group to True America," Remy said.

Beck chuckled at his comment. "I don't think we're going to benefit from that kind of a convenient luxury. This reeks of True America, and if it links back to Greely or Jackson, no amount of distance will keep the political movement alive. The FBI has traced one of last night's captured cell phones to the Mount Arlington pump station, connecting them with the Al Qaeda plot to poison the water supply of 35,000 citizens. Then we have the picture of the guy taken at the Al Qaeda safe house—Julius Grimes. He's even been photographed in public with True America. Politically, the biggest challenge we face is not appearing overly eager to connect this to True America and torpedo the movement. We're dealing with a major political phenomena predicted to upset the two-party system in 2008, or at least shake up the status quo. We need to be one hundred and ten percent certain that True America is behind this plot before anybody mentions a possible connection between the two. The last thing we can afford in the early election cycle is the accusation that we're trying to pin this attack on True America."

"Our first priority is stopping any further attacks. I want a link to SOCOM's planning efforts and a continuous executive summary of the surveillance. I'll address General Gordon in the situation room later this morning. In the meantime, I'll talk to Director Shelby and make sure he understands the importance of keeping the True America link quiet for now," the president said.

"What do you think about approaching True America's leadership with these developments? Shake the trees a little. If the political arm is in any way connected, they might put pressure on the militant group. If they're not connected, they would likely start their own investigation. This could be a coup in the making within True America," Remy said.

"All speculation at this point. This might be a group completely unconnected to True America. Until we possess more information, we can't approach them like this. They'd ask for proof, and we'd be hard pressed to give them more than a picture of a guy that used to hang out at Greely's old True America rallies. They'd cry foul," Beck said.

"No sense in trying to predict their reaction to hypothetical situations at this point. We'll keep an eye on the political ramifications, but let me be clear about one thing. If True America is involved, I have no problem exposing them," the president said.

"At the right time," Remy added.

"Exactly. I'd love nothing more than to torpedo their movement."