to be right all along. He had finally learned to trust his own judgment, and now with this extended family of FBI, Navy Seals, and Russian spies, truly talented people surrounded him, he could let them run with the ball; after all, that is what they wanted to do. He still anguished over Admiral Torrance, he wished he could somehow rescue him from that fateful decision, but his fate was already sealed; he would hang with the rest of them.
Elena became bored with the news reports, but was interested in how Alex would react to the various news reports. She stuck her head in his office. Alex motioned her to come in and have a seat.
“General, you are being portrayed as some kind of messiah, the US news media is falling all over itself to praise you, how do you feel?”
“Honestly, I don’t feel any different than I did yesterday Elena, I am so focused on uncovering these people and bringing this to an end, I really haven’t had time to dwell on anything else for any measurable length of time.”
“General, you realize that these traitors are going to try and have you killed, you are a direct threat to them. And your popularity will undermine their ability to sway the American people to their way of thinking. You need to think about another secret location from where you can command activities. These Thursday press conferences are dangerous, too many people know exactly where you are at a given time; a Predator could be programmed to drop a bomb on the media center. One of the technicians could be compromised and walk in with sarin gas pellets in his intestines undetected by conventional means. I’m reminded about the story of Duke Charles of Lorraine; he was a famous Austrian military man in the sixteen hundreds. He was assassinated with a wig by one of his servants who had been bribed.”
“Elena that is why you’re here, your expertise in these areas will be vital to me being able to carry out my mission. I am depending on you to anticipate what my enemies may do. I can’t go hide in a cave, as the defacto commander in chief, the American people can’t be allowed to see their leader hiding away like some field mouse. I would like you to arrange a meeting tomorrow with Commander Morris, Ted Jeffers, and agents Somers and Evans. Begin the process of outlining the threat, brainstorm amongst yourselves at the possibilities. Then put in counter measures to blunt those threats when they present themselves.”
“You are always thinking aren’t you? I can’t ever recall meeting such a person as you General, Sandi is right; you are one of a kind. But, if you value my advice, just remember the Bin Laden episode, he kept on the move, continually frustrating and embarrassing the United States. I’m not suggesting you go hide in a cave, just be more mobile and don’t be so forthcoming with the news media. Bin Laden was killed because he was in plain sight and stationary.”
“Elena, you have already provided a good return on my investment in you. What you say is true and very good advice. Our people are driven by success, this country has a long history of rewarding it’s leaders, whether it be in government or the private sector. What is not apparent to so many outside the US is our leaders are transparent; they are in public and accessible for all to see, and more importantly for all to emulate what made them successful. Our leaders set the example and to do that…you have to be visible and real-time.”
“Jesus Christ Boyd, Hanken made Torrance look like a fool. We can’t let this continue, get your insider busy and get this over with now,” Carter Billups growled.
“I anticipated that and I’ve initiated termination actions this morning,” replied Boyd Langer.
Evening approached, dinner was a time of reflection for everyone, and the day’s events had occurred at a blurring rate of speed, but they all realized they had handled it as a team …and it worked. Alex announced the next day’s agenda. The two FBI techs would arrive sometime that evening and they would start on the tape analysis the following day. Elena was to convene a meeting to discuss potential threats and counter measures and Alex mentioned whom he wanted in attendance. Sandi said she and Elena needed to go into town after Elena’s meeting and do some shopping for the wedding. She reminded everyone that it was less than two weeks away.
Ted Jeffers brought up the issue about Don Cray being one of the people involved in the takeover. He was certain Cray would dispatch agents to the area to monitor Alex’s activities; in fact they were probably already here. Jeffers sent six of his best agents from Los Angeles to cover the Colorado Springs area. Their job was to uncover covert CIA activities in and around the base. He suggested that Elena go in disguise when she went into town with Sandi, just in case any one of the CIA agents might recognize her.
Alex agreed with Jeffers, there would be greater scrutiny on this location, and the resultant media coverage would invite the conspirators to step up surveillance and possibly take aggressive actions against him personally. This was one of the reasons for the meeting the next day with Elena. She had the expertise in the field of undercover activities, and could spell out various scenarios and techniques that could be utilized by the opposition. Commander Morris suggested he step up the level of personal protection for Alex. He would assign two more Seals to accompany agents Somers and Evans whenever Alex went outside the residence. Somers also recommended that Sandi and Elena have an escort anytime they left the base; Morris agreed and would assign two Seals to them as well. Morris turned to Alex.
“General, I apologize; I assumed this without your permission.”
“Now that you are all here, let’s get something clear. You’re going to be the very backbone of our operations; you don’t have to assume anything. I expect you to act in the best interest of all, utilizing your experience and skills. I expect you to take the initiative, I need you to anticipate, don’t come running to me asking permission to do something that makes perfect sense, just do it. If you screw up, I’ll jump at you, then forget it, and move on. We do not have the luxury to dwell on the past; we must deal with current events, and plan for any future contingencies. At this table there is an incredible amount of experience and skill levels, you must have the confidence in yourselves that there is nothing we can’t overcome when we work together. So, Mike you don’t have to apologize, just do what you know is the right thing and tell me later. Is everyone on the same page?”
“Alex, what about expenses, how do we account for that, especially if a big ticket item comes up?” Jeffers asked.
“I say this to all of you, I have at my disposal over six hundred fifty billion dollars in cash and bullion, plus two U.S. mints. You need it, you order it. Forget cost, it is not a consideration.”
Elena spoke up.
“General, when it comes to expenses, how do Andrade and I handle that?”
“This will be my final comment concerning Elena and Andrade, and I want all present here today to take what I say to heart. Elena and Andrade were doing the bidding of their government; they were acting in a patriotic role as agents to uncover a potential threat to their beloved country. They have, and so has their government, agreed to work with us in restoring our country. They are a part of this team, an integral part; they both possess invaluable skills that we can utilize in the coming weeks and months. I want each and every one of you to show them the respect you show the other members of our team. To answer your question Elena, you and Andrade have the same discretion as anyone else on the team when it comes to expenses. If I send you to Europe and you need to buy a car, I don’t want you to compromise your mission because you couldn’t track me down to get permission to do a logical thing. And that goes for all of you, if it makes sense, just do it.
“And Sandi I want this to be the last time Elena goes off the base unless it’s to fly out on a mission. There’s simply too much risk in someone photographing her with you. If she and Andrade’s whereabouts were to become known to Torrance or worse Cray, it could complicate our mission. After the broadcast you are a recognizable member of my closest
