9:56 am—Stetson-King Household
Amanda wanted to do something productive. She wanted to be able to stand and make some tea like her mother might have done. She wanted to make yet another phone call to her husband and pray that, this time, he would answer. But instead, she watched the news with a numbness and shock that she'd never experienced before.
"…I just drove past the Pentagon across the 14th Street Bridge which is now choked with traffic. We're beginning to hear emergency sirens and rescue personnel standing out across Washington. There is a gigantic black billowing cloud of smoke that is rising over the Pentagon…"
Amanda's heart caught in her throat. "Philip," she choked out.
She stood instantly and turned off the television. She couldn't take another minute of coverage which made her doubt the safety of her family. Not when all she could do was worry.
"Mom, I'm scared," her thirteen-year-old whimpered as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Sweetheart, I know you are," Amanda managed around a well of emotion which had stuck itself in her throat. She hurried over and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "I'm scared too."
"What if Dad doesn't come home? What if Philip's been hurt?"
Amanda wanted to scream at her daughter to stop talking—these fears were playing over and over in her head. This was the kind of thing she'd wanted to stop by joining the Agency! This was exactly why she'd convinced Lee to stay in the Agency when he'd wanted to retire! And now, she was just as lost as her thirteen-year-old.
"Sh," Amanda managed, surprised that her voice sounded even remotely soothing. "We're going to be fine. No matter what happens today, we're going to fine."
