Vengeance

2 WASHINGTON, D.C.

Darkness was falling across the District as CIA Director Christine O’Connor entered the West Wing of the White House, descending to the Situation Room in the basement. The last to arrive for this evening’s impromptu meeting aside from the president, Christine took one of two empty seats at the table, then took note of tonight’s attendance. Seated around the table were Secretary of State Marcy Perini, Secretary of Homeland Security Nova Conover, FBI Director Bill Guisewhite, National Security Advisor Thom Parham, and Kevin Hardison, the president’s chief of staff.

Christine had been invited because the perpetrator of this morning’s assassination had been identified: a man the CIA had tracked down twice but who had slipped away on both occasions. Now that Christine had arrived, Hardison contacted the president’s secretary, informing her that they were ready for the president, who arrived a moment later. All stood as he entered, returning to their seats after the president settled into his chair at the head of the table.

“What have you got?” he asked.

Hardison replied, “Director Guisewhite has the lead on the investigation and will brief you on what we know.”

After the president nodded, Guisewhite began.

“Good evening, Mr. President. As you’re aware, Secretary of Defense Glass was assassinated this morning after his speech at the National Defense University. Although the sniper sent a bullet through the lens of a local TV reporter’s camera, the images of the assassin had already been recorded in the camera’s digital memory. His picture was run through all available databases — there was initially no result, until regression analysis identified the perpetrator: a disguised Lonnie Mixell.”

The president’s eyes shifted momentarily to Christine O’Connor, whose organization had previously been tasked to track down the former U.S. Navy SEAL who had been incarcerated for killing several prisoners during a tour of duty in the Middle East. After his release from prison, Mixell had turned on the country that he believed had betrayed him, helping America’s enemies and even attempting to assassinate the president a year ago.

Additionally, he harbored a vendetta against the fellow SEAL who had reported his transgressions in the Middle East — Jake Harrison, his former best friend. Three months ago, Mixell had obtained revenge for his eight-year incarceration, slaying Harrison’s wife and wounding Harrison and his daughter.

Complicating the matter, Christine was from the same town as Mixell and Harrison, and the three had been close friends until Mixell’s imprisonment. Christine had sided with Harrison, which infuriated Mixell, and Christine had also been wounded in the confrontation between Mixell and Harrison.

Christine had left Mixell’s body in the barn, believing he was dead. But when law enforcement searched the barn, they found no body, just a bloody trail leading to a broken window. They had used dogs to track him through the Northwest wilderness, but they had lost his trail in a heavy rain.

The president turned back to Guisewhite. “You’re sure it was Mixell?”

“Yes, Mr. President. We have video from a local television station that was filmed during the assassination.”

“What kind of security was in place?” the president asked, irritation evident in his tone. “This man is number one on the FBI’s most wanted list and there’s an Interpol red notice on him. How did Mixell get onto an Army base to begin with and escape afterwards?”

“Mixell was disguised with a beard and colored eye contacts,” Guisewhite replied, “plus he had an official ID. The surveillance video at the entrance gate shows the guard scanning Mixell’s ID card, and his entry onto the base was approved. As far as Mixell’s escape, there was initial confusion after the assassination, and it took a few minutes to lock down the base. By that time, Mixell had already exited.”

“Do you have any leads on him?” the president asked.

“Not at this time,” Guisewhite replied, “but we’re monitoring all transportation hubs and the cameras at every Metro, train, and highway toll, and have law enforcement searching for the suspect’s vehicle.”

The president nodded curtly. “What about the other deaths? Two civilians and two DSS agents?”

“That’s correct. Bonni Shuff, a reporter for a local station, plus her cameraman, Ed Lipska, were the civilian casualties. Mixell was partially concealed from his vantage point in the parking garage across the street, but Bonni and Lipska had a clear view from their position on the sidewalk, in line with Mixell’s shot on Secretary Glass. It looks like Mixell took out anyone able to identify him. However, I don’t think he expected to be captured on video during the assassination.

“Regarding the DSS casualties, two agents were killed as they moved across the street from Lincoln Hall toward the parking garage, which discouraged pursuit. The other DSS agents took cover, and Mixell used their reluctance to cross the street to his advantage, buying enough time to escape.”

“Are there any other details I need to be aware of?” the president asked.

After Guisewhite replied no, the president turned to Hardison. “What’s the plan?”

“The deputy secretary of defense, Peter Seuffert, will be the acting SecDef until a replacement is nominated and approved. Regarding Mixell, the FBI will coordinate with the CIA again to track him down.”

The president shifted his gaze back to Christine. “You’ve tracked down and supposedly killed Mixell twice, and both times he’s slipped through your fingers. This time, make sure he’s dead,” he said tersely. “Put his head on a stick if you have to.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

A report from the Situation Room speakers interrupted their discussion. “Mr. President, the new Russian president is delivering his inauguration speech. Do you want us to broadcast it on the Situation Room display?”

The president declined the offer, and there was a momentary silence in the Situation Room as everyone reflected on the change in Russian leadership.

After the United States had assisted the previous Russian president, Yuri Kalinin, in thwarting a military coup, Kalinin’s relationship with America had turned conciliatory — or soft, as his political enemies had framed things. Kalinin’s hard-liner opponent in the recent presidential election had seized on this perceived weakness, blaming Kalinin for Russia’s declining influence on the world stage.

The U.S. had lost a quasi-ally in Yuri Kalinin, and the relationship with the new Russian president would undoubtedly be more strained.

Thom Parham, the president’s national security adviser, broke the silence. “Negotiating preapproved sanctions with Congress was a wise decision. Hopefully, they will send a strong enough signal to the Kremlin to deter any aggressive moves.”

“Without Kalinin,” Secretary of State Marcy Perini added, “Russia will likely strengthen its relationship with Iran, which could seriously undermine the international sanctions in place to deter Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons.”

“Perhaps we could send a more direct message to Russia than just the SecDef’s speech,” Parham replied.

“We need to tread carefully,” Hardison said. “The last thing we need, right before our presidential election, is another confrontation with Russia.”

The president mulled his options, then announced his decision.

“We’ll sit tight for now and see what initiatives the new Russian president pursues.”