President Daria deals with a Dictator
President Daria Lane nervously checked her secret pocket as she mounted the steps to the reviewing stand. She carefully kept in step with President Goodwill Mason supreme hardly-benevolent despot of the Republic of Ultimistan.
Her mind found a silly facet of the situation to distract her temporarily. "Almost wish I were dealing with his father. He was only five-three, my height. At five-nine this guy sort of towers over me."
First Lady Jane Morgendorffer noticed that the limp Daria had suffered from a wound as an Army lieutenant during a peacekeeping mission in Africa was more pronounced today. Jane tried to make things easy for her spouse's left leg but she knew that ironically the wound led to Daria's entry into politics. More importantly the wound led to Daria and Jane at an altar side by side in white dresses.
Jane took her seat behind the two leaders along with other second-ranked guests and dignitaries. Jane barely listened to introductions and translations as she kept her eye on her obviously tense spouse.
Daria took a seat next to Goodwill Mason and nodded at the grinning Goodwill. She favored him with a small smile.
President Lane stood at the lectern and true to her style and habit eschewed notes as she began her speech.
"I want to thank Governor Cranshaw of Texas for that gracious introduction on this historic occasion. When I campaigned and was elected president and took my oath it drove home the point that I am president of every state and territory in this great country. Today I am proud to say that I was born in Texas and spent much of my childhood in the Lone Star State."
Daria paused for scattered Texans in the crowd to whoop and holler.
Secret Service Agent Adam Smith was trained to basically ignore the President's and other assorted speeches and keep his ears open and eyes peeled for any threat from the crowd. Even so his ears pricked up at President Lane's next words.
"Down in Texas, indeed across the South, we have a saying that some men 'need killin'' and indeed I can think of fewer men to whom that better applies than…"
An instant before she could finish her words or pull her Ruger LC380 .380 ACP from its concealment her spouse jumped up and forward a half-step. Jane extended her arm and blew President Goodwill Mason's head off.
"Jane!?" Daria screamed as the Secret Service tackled their charge and carried the President kicking and fighting off the stage.
The last thing Daria saw of the scene before several agents protectively swarmed her was Jane dropping her pistol and putting her hands on her head.
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President Daria Lane glared at the officer, "I don't care what your precious protocol is. I'm the gah-damned President and I will see my wife face to face without gah-damned glass between us."
Officer Kolczak gave up under the withering gazes of the President and her coterie of flinty-faced Secret Service agents. He led them to a bare interrogation room. Before he could direct her President Lane chose her own seat at the steel-clad table and sat staring ahead.
"I love you," Jane and Daria told each other minutes later as a shackled orange-clad Jane was chained to a chair across from Daria.
"Jane, why?"
"Why?" Jane smirked breezily. "Because you were gonna use that hand cannon of yours. Other people could have gotten hurt from a stray bullet. My trusty Browning .22 was a safer choice at that range."
Daria was aware of tears running down her cheeks.
"Jane, f***, tell me WHY? How did you know what I was going to do?"
"Daria, hell, you know you talk in your sleep under stress. Daria, this was a bold move, nothing else has worked before, maybe this will, who knows, but I know the country will need its President more than ever now."
Jane's voice dropped, "They don't need little Janey."
"I need you. Dammit Jane, our girls need you."
"Yeah," Jane's voice caught. "How are our girls?"
"Daray thinks you're a hero. Cambridge just wants her mommy."
Jane dropped her head as her own tears fell on the cold hard table.
She raised her eyes again to mumble, "And your gambit? How is the region reacting? All out war; just civil war in Ultimistan or the extended peace branches you gambled on?"
"Predictably they fired mortars and missiles at their neighbors on the peninsula but only for a couple hours and we'd warned everybody and sent them counter measures. No civil war in the Ultimistan yet; it seems like our informants were right; cooler heads might prevail, too early to tell of course. Out bombers began high-altitude runs dropping bundles and bundles of food and clothes to the Ultimistan civilians. Still too early to tell."
"Yeah, too early to tell, amiga. Too early."
Officer Kolczak scowled as Daria took her shackled hand.
"Jane, two words, 'presidential pardon'. I'd already given myself one."