Richard Stephenson - Collapse

Two weeks was all Lindsay needed.

The president of the United States was being hauled away by the Secret Service. His feet were about an inch off the floor as he was transported down the hallway from the Clinton Room to an elevator. He deduced that this was the standard procedure to prevent the president from protesting and refusing to evacuate with the Secret Service. Along the way he noticed that every entranceway was replaced by a massive steel door. The lights were out and all Malcolm could see was a faint, red light that barely illuminated the hallway. The president and his four protectors entered the elevator; and the door slammed shut. The elevator did not hesitate or require a button to push; it immediately descended.

“Ad-Man secure.” One of the agents spoke the president’s call sign over the radio. Malcolm was not particularly fond of his call sign. The “Ad” was short for admiral. He understood the meaning and so did everyone else. He still didn’t like it because it sounded like he was an advertising executive and not the president of the United States.

The elevator traveled ten stories under the White House and the door opened to reveal the presidential bunker. From the time the first explosion rocked the White House until the door of the elevator opened one hundred and twenty feet below, forty-seven seconds had elapsed.

“Okay boys, that was fun. Someone mind telling me what’s going on?”

“Yes, Mr. President. A dump truck filled with explosives crashed the barricade and collided with the north wall of the compound. It exploded on impact and took down a large section of the north wall.”

“I heard more than one explosion.”

“Yes, Mr. President, I heard them, too. Let me check.” The Secret Service agent pulled out his smartphone and tapped a few buttons. “Once the wall was down, suicide bombers started running across the lawn.”

“What about my guests in the Clinton Room? Are they safe?”

“Yes sir, they are fine. The White House A.I. secured the room and they are safe.”

“Good, thank you, Mike.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Computer, give me a status update on what’s happening.” President Powers straightened his suit coat.

“Yes, Mr. President.” The screen in front of the president displayed video footage of the attack. “Seven assailants have been killed on the White House lawn. Four explosions managed to cause minor damage to the north wall. One explosion was too far away to cause damage. The remaining two assailants’ vests failed to detonate.”

The lead agent in charge of the presidential detail smiled when he saw the footage. “Excellent! My sniper teams on the roof did an outstanding job.” The footage showed the suicide bombers sprinting across the lawn; one by one they were struck by a bullet and fell to the ground. They had dead-man switches which caused the explosives to detonate when they hit the ground.

“Yes, Mike, I’m very impressed. Your team did an outstanding job. Well done.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.”

“Computer, I want you to grant full temporary access to Chief of Staff Reid. Tell her everything you just told me and inform her that I am alive and well. I’m sure my guests have a lot of questions. Once you’ve answered her questions, I want you to put her on vid-con. I’d like to speak with her as soon as possible.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. President, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Excuse me? And just why not?”

“Security procedures must be adhered to, Mr. President. If you were allowed direct communication with anyone outside of this room, you might be pressured into surrendering yourself to enemy forces.”

“Mike?”

“She’s right, Mr. President. You still have full command and control down here. You just cannot have personal interaction with anyone. The office of the president must be protected.”

“I understand, thank you. If someone had a gun to my wife’s head, I would no doubt give in to any demand to save her life. How much longer will I need to stay down here?”

“Mr. President, we are going to get you out of here just as soon as possible.” Special Agent Mike Reese had been the lead agent on the president’s detail for the last four years. He knew the president could be fidgety about all of the protection and fuss.

“What’s the hold-up? What are we waiting on?”

“Sir, we are erecting a make-shift barricade to block off the hole in the north wall of the compound. We are also grounding all air traffic within two hundred miles. Any flight approaching DC is being diverted to another airport. Once that is done and we run a full sweep of the area and the airspace is secure, we can move you up top.”

“So, I’m going to be down here for a while?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Computer, send word to Chief of Staff Reid that the guests in the Clinton Room will be joining me in the presidential bunker.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Mr. President, I’m not sure that is…”

“Mike, don’t start. I will not hide out down here like some frightened child while they stay up top during a terrorist attack on the White House. They were all screened before they entered the White House, and they have my full trust. Make it happen.”

“Yes, Mr. President, I’ll get it done.”

“Thank you, Mike.”

Special Agent Reese left the other three agents behind and rode the elevator to the top. A few minutes passed, and the elevator door opened. CIA Director Jimenez rolled his wheelchair into the room along with FBI Director Warren Gill and Secretary Laferriere.

“Mr. President, do I still have access to Langley?” The director of the CIA was steering his wheelchair into the room and almost knocked over Secretary Laferriere.

“Yes, Roberto. The link remains effective as long as you’re in the White House.”

“Good. Computer, bring up a map of the Iranian Theater.”

Warren Gill looked confused and exchanged glances with the other men in the room. “Mr. Jimenez, an attack on the White House just took place and we don’t know if something bigger is coming, and you’re looking at the Iranian Theater?”

The crusty old man in the wheelchair scratched his face and didn’t take his eyes off the screen. “Mr. Gill, I’m very well aware of what’s happening; if you recall I was in the same room.”

The elevator door opened, and the remaining guests of the Clinton Room poured into the room.

“Why the hell are we looking at the Empire? We need to know what’s happening outside right now! More attacks could be coming!” Governor Prince was glaring at Jimenez and then looked at the president in desperation.

“There won’t be any more attacks.” Jimenez said with confidence.

Everyone in the room looked at the president. He was as confused as the rest of them; he calmly addressed the CIA Director. “Roberto, I think everyone in the room, especially me, deserves an explanation. What just happened?”

“The attack we were just a part of was nothing but a diversion to draw our attention away from something else.”

Governor Prince rolled her eyes. “Exactly, which is why we need to be figuring out what they are going to do next! This could be a part of a very large attack! We need to figure out what the next one will be before it happens and a lot of people die! Stop wasting time and do your job, Jimenez!”

“Governor Prince, I am doing my job, if you would kindly calm down and let me speak.”

The president silenced the governor with only a glance.

“The Silent Warriors have never once coordinated multiple attacks. The Thanksgiving Day Massacre happened in several cities, but it was still one attack. They have also never hit a military or political target. They always focus on attacking the public to get people angry at us.”