Chapter 12
In the Shadow of the Gunmen: Part 2
0328 hours, Wednesday, 12 November 2002, The Dixie Pig Bar-B-Q, Alexandria, Virginia.
The bell above the door chimed as Master Sergeant Chester Martin, dressed in his civvies, entered the 24-hour BBQ joint. The TV behind the counter was on, tuned to CNN as Wolf Blitzer was recapping all the news thus far. But watching TV was the last thing Chester had on his mind. He took a seat at the far end of the counter, and looked down towards the other end when a man matching Tali's description was sitting. "Ironman, this is Freedom, over" Tali said into his radio. "Run your hand through your hair if you copy" Tali instructed. Chester ran his hand through his hair to signify he read her loud and clear. "That's him, at the end of the counter" she confirmed.
"Copy that" Chester said quietly in reply as he stood up. He walked along the isle, slipping his 45 from his shoulder holster under his jacket as he did. When the man say him coming, he reached behind him for something, presumably a gun, so Chester quickly produced his own. "Give me a reason" Chester said as he took aim. He the man pulled a gun anyway, Chester fired once, drilling the man in the shoulder. The man dropped to the floor, and Chester rushed forward, kicking his gun away. When the man began screaming racial slurs, Chester grabbed a glass ketchup bottle from the counter and slammed it against the man's face, grounding the glass shards into his mouth. "Shut up, you little bitch" Chester said as he kicked him in the gut. "Freedom, this is Ironman. Target secure, role the sirens" Chester said
"Got it" Tali replied.
0430 hours, Wednesday, 12 November 2002, White House Press Briefing Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"We are confirming now that a suspect has been taken into custody, and is being questioned by Federal Law Enforcement" Will said as he briefed the White House Press gaggle. "At this time, we are not releasing any information whatsoever about the suspect" he said.
"Will, can you tell us anything? His name, ethnicity, his motive?" a reporter asked.
"Yes Steve, because when I say we aren't releasing any information, I really mean everything except his name, address and social security number" Will replied sarcastically. "However, we are releasing the name of Special Agent Jack Reardon, R-E-A-R-D-O-N, a 4-year veteran of the President's Secret Service detail. Agent Reardon sustained 3 Gunshot wounds to the torso, and was pronounced DOA upon arrival" Will said grimly. "The President remains in stable condition in the recovery room at Washington General Hospital, and is expected to be released sometime on Thursday" he continued.
"Will, can you tell us anything about Rex Bartlett's condition?" asked Danny Concannon
"Yes, Rexton John Bartlett, the President's Personal Aide, or Body man, is now in his 6th hour of surgery to repair a collapsed lung and a ruptured pulmonary artery. We likely won't have an update on his condition until the procedure is complete, which isn't expected to be for another 6 or 8 hours. We will update you again in the next hour, thank you" Will said as he left.
0445 hours, Wednesday, 12 November 2002, OR Waiting Room, Washington General Hospital, Washington D.C.
With Rex still in surgery, all that Tony and Bridget could do was wait. Fortunately, they weren't alone as AJ, Liz, and Gabby were waiting with them. There was a somber calm and quiet over the room. The calm was suddenly shattered when Catherine, Tony's younger sister, burst through the doors. "Oh Shit" Tony said as he stood up and pulled Cat into a strong hug.
"What the hell happened?" she yelled.
"Cat, you need to calm down" Liz yelled as she stood up.
"My nephew was just shot" Cat yelled.
"I know, I was there" Liz yelled.
"Enough, both of you" Tony yelled. JESUS!" he yelled. Cat broke off her brother's hug and rushed back out through the doors. "Damn her" Tony spat out. "Forgive me, but it's my SON, in there.
"You ok?" Bridget spoke up.
"Yeah" Tony lied. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Yeah sure" Bridget replied, anything to take her mind off their son.
"Can you call EJ, I have to call Liat"
"Yeah, sure" Bridget said as she got to her feet, but not before giving Tony a kiss on the cheek. Tony gave her a small smile, before standing up himself and pulling his cell phone from his pocket.
1100 hours local time, Wednesday, 12 November 2002, Liat DiNozzo's Apartment, Haifa, Israel.
It had been a very late night for Liat the night before, and she was still fast asleep when her cell phone rang. She groaned and burrowed her head under her pillow as her phone continued to ring and ring and ring. She finally had had it, and tossed her pillow away before sitting up. Despite it being November, it was still unbearably hot, and Liat's A/C was on the fritz. Until Marcus was able to fix it, Liat was trapped in the heat. Sweat poured down body, soaking her white lace bra. She reached over and grabbed her phone, flipping it open. "Yeah" she answered groggily.
"Liat, it's your father" Tony said.
"Hey Dad" Liat replied as she tossed back the sweat soaked covers and looked at the clock. "The one thing I miss about home is the weather. It's still ungodly hot here" she complained.
"Liat, there's a reason I called. It's your brother"
"Three, is he ok?" she asked.
"It's not Three, its Rex. So I take it you haven't seen the news"
"No hang on" Liat said. "I'll call you back" she said as she abruptly hung up. She walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. She grabbed the remote off the counter and turned on the TV in the adjoining living room. Unlike its military, Israeli TV was terrible, so fortunately, Liat had Satellite American TV, courtesy of her grandfather. She turned on the TV and flipped to CNN.
"This is Wolf Blitzer here in the Situation Room. It's just past 5 here in New York, and allow me to recap all the events of the past 12 hours. It was just after 9pm in Rosslyn, Virginia. Shots rang out as President McCain was leaving a Veteran's Day Town Hall Meeting. President McCain received a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen and was rushed to the ER at Washington General Hospital. Also injured were White House Press Secretary Taylor Warren who received a severe laceration to the cranial ridge and a concussion. Rexton Bartlett, the President's Personal Aide, also received a gunshot wound to the chest. At this hour he is still in surgery to repair a collapsed lung and a tear in his pulmonary artery"
"Both shooters were killed by Secret Service at the scene, and there was a 3rd man on the ground, that was captured by Federal Law Enforcement at just after 3:30am this morning. Pres…"
Liat shut off the TV and quickly grabbed her phone and dialed her father's number. After the 3rd ring, her father answered. "DiNozzo"
"Abba, it's me" Liat said. "I just saw the news. What's the latest on Rex?"
"He's still in Surgery" Tony said. "Robin is in there with him. He should be out in the next few hours"
"I'm grabbing the next flight" Liat said as she snapped her cell shut and rushed to get dressed. She slipped into a track suit and grabbed her go bag from the hall closet and was out the door in minutes.
0530 hours, Wednesday, 12 November 2002, Washington General Hospital, Washington D.C.
The President was sitting up in bed, going over some papers, when the door to his private room opened. The President and Mrs. McCain both looked up and smiled as Michael "Sonny" Corinthos walked into the room. His hair might have been as gray as an old mare, but it was still full as it was when he served in Vietnam. "Hey you" Cindy said as she stood up and gave her husband's oldest friend a hug.
"Hey yourself" Sonny said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Sonny broke the embrace and walked over to the bed. "What's up you lazy son of a bitch" Sonny said as he and the President shook hands.
"Ya know, this could have been avoided if you were still Chief of Staff. They'd have been aiming at you instead of me" the President joked. "In all the vastness of your evil empire, you own a chain of steam cleaners right?"
"Yeah, why?" Sonny asked.
"Zoey puked in the back of the car. You know they're gonna bill me for that" the President joked, getting a chuckle out of Sonny.
"I'll have my people take care of it" Sonny smiled.
"You speak with Anthony yet?" the President asked.
"Yeah, Rex still has a while to go in surgery" Sonny said.
"You're not in uniform?" the President asked.
"No, I thought I'd save it for next month, when Navy gets the ass kicking it so royally deserves" Sonny smiled.
"Smart ass" the President replied. "We're gonna get em back for this, whoever it was"
"Tali and Chester are working that now" Sonny said. "You forget, they work for me too"
"Tell them to do whatever it takes" the President said.
"They know what to do" Sonny replied confidently. "Is Meg around?" he asked.
"She's at the White House with the Vice President"
"I'll have to stop over later" he replied. "I haven't seen today's paper yet, but I take it the secret is out?"
"Actually, no" Cindy spoke up. "The anesthesiologist is bound by doctor-patient confidentiality" she explained.
"And I think she threatened to have Anthony kill him in his sleep" The President said.
"Sounds a bit more like it" Sonny smiled. "So any thoughts on who tried to kill ya?"
"Tons of people with motive" The President said. "Cindy, could you get us some coffee?" he asked his wife.
"Sure" she smiled before leaving the room.
"Ok, now that she's gone" Sonny said, picking up on his old friend's play instantly.
"Snow White?" the President said in earnest. To almost anyone else, they would have thought that the President was off his rocker. But to Sonny, he knew he wasn't joking.
"Dead" Sonny replied.
"Really?"
"Singapore, 86', got into a shootout with some locals" Sonny explained. "Besides, what would Soo-Lee Trang want with you?"
"We killed her husband" the President said.
"It was a war, and Nguyen Trang was a General in the NVA" Sonny surmised.
"You willing to bet our lives on it?"
"I did it for over 4 years" Sonny said, as he tapped his ring on the arm of his chair. For most men who graduated from a service academy, or college, they wore their graduation ring on their right hand. Sonny, who was neither a service academy nor college graduate, wore a different ring. The ring Sonny wore was gold, with a blue emblem crest that bore the Croix de Lorraine. It was a special unit ring, which only a few people owned. Following Operation Ivory Coast, CINCPAC, aka Admiral John McCain II (The President's Father), had decided to form a special Joint Army-Navy Recon and Intelligence Unit. Colonel JR Ewing, who had been Sonny and Wesley's CO in the Green Berets, had been selected to lead the elite Unit. Sonny, who had received a battle field promotion to 1st Lieutenant, was also assigned to the Unit, along with Wesley Clark, and Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Sam Carsten. The 4 men, along with the XO, Navy Commander George Van Smoot, they were tasked with disrupting and eliminating VC Operations in South Vietnam, along with conducting cross-border raids into the North, as well as Laos and Cambodia. Once he heard about the Unit's creation, John McCain III (the President), requested that he be sent back to Vietnam to join it. Thanks in part to his father's influence, Lieutenant Commander McCain was also assigned to the new Unit as a helicopter pilot. So instead of spending the rest of the war in a cushy stateside post on Long Island, John was sent back to Nam, something which earned him the everlasting respect of his comrades in arms
The Croix de Lorraine insignia was chosen especially for the Unit by Commander Van Smoot. The insignia had been spray painted on the Unit's UH-1 Huey chopper, and when the 6 men left Vietnam in April of 1975, Commander Van Smoot had the rings made for each of them. All 6 of them, with the exception of Colonel Ewing who had passed away in 1996, still wore their rings to this day; often in place of their academy rings. The Joint-Unit from Vietnam is considered the predecessor to the Delta Force, which was formed in 1979, by Wes and Sonny. However, following Operation Eagle Claw in April 1980, Sonny resigned in protest, returning to New York, where he began his long career in Organized Crime. When Tom Colleton began his 1st tenure at Unit Commander in 1993, he had another set of rings made, for the members of the new Unit. Although, unlike the original 6 members, they didn't wear there rings. Tony's was currently locked up in a safe at Belleau Wood, The Corinthos Family Vacation home in Upstate New York.
"Either way, no matter who's responsible for this, they'll pay" Sonny said as he tightened his fist, his ring tightening around his finger.
"Damn right they will" the President said. "You should probably go see Rexton. He's gonna need all the family he can get right now" the President said.
"I think if Rex were here right now, he'd say that you were family too" Sonny smiled.
"Yeah, that's what hurts the most. One his 1st day, I screamed my head off at him"
8 months earlier-
"God damn it Rexton, go in there and tell Michael that I won't be handled with kid gloves. When I say "What's next" it means I'm ready to move on, got it!" the President screamed.
"And even though I screamed my head off at him, he came through for me that day" the President said.
"He'll make it" Sonny said confidently. "He will make it" he repeated.
Meanwhile, Cat had made her way out to the front entrance, where she pulled a pack of cigarettes from her purse. Yeah, they all knew smoking was bad for them, but that knowledge did little, if anything at all, to dissuade them from doing it. She pulled one out and stuck it between her lips, and then pulled out her Zippo lighter. She flicked it open and spun the wheel a few times, but it wouldn't light in her shaking hands. She got more and more frustrated as the lighter refused to light. She was about to toss the lighter to the ground, when someone reached over and took it from her. "Here" the man said as he flicked it once and lit it. Cat gave a small smile as she leaned in and lit up. After a few puffs, she asked "Who the hell are you?"
"Sergeant Smith, Ms. DiNozzo"
"You're the new guy my brother recruited" she said.
"Yes Mam" Zander replied as he, from force of habit, moved to the at ease position.
"Catherine, my name is Catherine, don't "Mam" me" Cat said.
"As you wish Catherine" Zander smiled.
"Alright wise ass" Cat said. "Your name is Andrew right?"
"Alexander" Zander said. "But no one really calls me that"
"Alexander"
"Catherine" Zander replied. "You can call me Zander" he said as he held out his hand.
"Cat" she replied as they shook hands.
"So you're the Colonel's sister?"
"Half-Sister/Cousin, it's a long story" she said.
"I've got nothing but time" Zander said as he leaned up against the wall.
"Tony's mom, Rebecca Paddington, passed away in 1978. Don't ever ask my brother about it, cause he can't stand to talk about it" she warned. "Anyway, after that, Tony's dad, Anthony Sr., starting dating my mother, Nadine Paddington"
"Paddington and Paddington" Zander said. "Cousins?" he guessed.
"Sisters" Cat said. "Tony's mother is also my Aunt, therefore, making us cousins. However, since we share the same father, we're also brother and sister" she said.
"Did you 2 grow up together?" he asked.
"No" Cat said. "My mother died giving birth to me, so I was sent to live with a foster family: The Middletons. I was raised Catherine Middleton for a number of years, until I was in my teens. Despite us not living together, Tony always kept in touch with me. When I was in my late teens, I moved to New Hampshire. I was formally adopted by Sonny and Olivia, and I ended up living with Sonny's Sister Courtney. After that, I moved down to New York to go to Toro Law School on Long Island. I graduated High School at 14 and Dartmouth at 18. Law School and passed the bar at 20. It's been so tough" she said.
"Where I come from, we call that a humble brag" Zander smiled. "Still, 20 years old and a lawyer is quite impressive" he said.
"Well, you're a Sergeant, and you're how old?"
"23" Zander said as he lit up a cigarette himself.
"That's impressive" Catherine said.
"Are you kidding, your brother is 34, and he's a Lieutenant Colonel. Not only that, but he made it just before he turned 30, and he's not even a West Pointer" Zander said.
"Yeah, but he's just about tapped out" Cat admitted.
"What do you mean?" Zander asked.
"Tony will probably get his Eagles one day. But Colonel, and command of the Unit will probably be as far as he gets in this man's Army"
"Why?"
"Tony is going to flourish for at least the next couple years, as long as President McCain is in Office. Hopefully, President McCain will be re-elected, meaning that Tony will continue to have luck until January of 2009. But after that, my brother will be screwed. Tony has managed to piss off a lot of politicians and most of the military's senior officer corps. Once President McCain and General Clark retire, the whole world is gonna going crash on top of him" she said.
"Well, here's hoping that he finds a way out" Zander said as he stomped out his cigarette".
0615 hours, Wednesday, 12 November 2002, White House Chief of Staff Megan Martin's Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
Meg was sitting in the arm chair in her office, which was next to the couch and around a coffee table. She had her reading magnifiers on, and was reading over a report when Margaret, her secretary, walked in to hand her some more reports. "So I hear we're in some trouble" Margaret spoke up.
"Yep. The President never signed the letter, giving power to the VP" Meg said as she placed the reports on the coffee table.
"He was supposed to sign a letter?"
"If the President is going under general anesthesia, he usually signs a letter handing over Executive Powers over to the Vice President" Meg explained, not looking up from the report.
"And the President didn't sign the letter?"
"No, we blew that play" Meg said.
"Is there gonna be trouble?"
"We'll see" Meg said. "But to be honest with you, I don't really care right now" Meg said as she closed the report and tossed it onto the table. Margaret started to walk away, when she stopped and turned around.
"Can I just say something, ya know, for the future" she said walking back.
"Sure" Meg said as she leaned forward to grab the next report.
"I can sign the President's name; I have his signature down pretty good" she bragged.
"You can sign the President's name?" Meg took off her glasses and gave her a brief smile.
"Yeah" Margaret replied in a serious tone.
"On a document removing him from power and handing it to someone else?" Meg asked.
"Yeah" Margaret smiled, which quickly disappeared. "Or do you think the White House Counsel would say that was a bad idea?" she asked.
"As the former White House Counsel, I would say that White House Counsel would say that's a Coup d'état" Meg said in a forceful tone.
"I'd probably end up doing some time for that" she guessed.
"I would think" Meg yelled. Margaret quickly retreated from the room as Will McAvoy walked in. "And what the hell are you doing practicing the President's signature" Meg yelled after her. "We've got separation of powers, checks and balances, and Margaret, vetoing things and sending them back to the hill" Meg said Will.
"We're getting more and more questions on why the President exited in the open air" Will said.
"Ok"
"I'm gonna talk to Aaron Pierce" he said, referring to the head of the President's Secret Service detail.
"Look, you can talk to Kate DiNozzo, but they're all gonna tell ya the same thing: the Secret Service doesn't comment on protection procedure" Meg said as they both stepped into the hallway.
"We'll it was 6 months ago that me and Sam Seaborne convinced them to let POTUS exit in the open air. They're taking the blame for our decision"
"So blame it all on Sam" Meg said. "He deserted us when we needed all hands on deck. Lay it all off on him" she said.
"Ok, that could work" Will said. "Oh, and you should talk to Obama"
"Why?" Meg asked.
"You know the Secret Service Agent that was killed last night? He left behind a 14-year old daughter. The VP wants to either adopt her or become her legal guardian" Will said.
"Ok, so? That's great"
"It's a Black man adopting a white girl, that's not gonna play well in the South"
"I'm from the South, trust me, it'll be fine" Meg said. "Anyone who makes a big stink about it will look no better than the lunatics that shot at us last night"
"Might I remind you, that most of the politicians who will make a stink out of this belong to the same political party we do" Will pointed out.
"You may not" Meg replied as she walked away.
0736 hours, Wednesday, 12 November 2002, Three DiNozzo's Apartment, Arlington, Virginia.
Ok, so it wasn't much of an Apartment. It had a bed, a few clothes in the closet and a TV in the living room, that was about it. Three only kept it for when he had to stay in D.C. overnight, which wasn't very often. Before being wounded, Three was up at 0530 every morning for PT. That PT had been pushed back and scaled back in the more recent months of his recovery. But on this particular day, it was after 0730 when Three finally woke up. The morning sunlight beamed through the blinds, streaming down on young Three's face. He moaned as he used his arm to block out the light. When he tried to move, he found it difficult. While his right arm was free, he found that his left arm was handcuffed to the headboard. "Oh yeah" he snickered as he recalled the "activities" of the night before. The 2nd thing, was the weight he felt on his chest and stomach. He looked down and saw a beautiful brunette stretched across his torso. "Hey" he whispered as he kissed the brim of her head. "Hey" he said again, a little louder this time. "Jenn!" he yelled.
"Huh, what?" she said as she lifted her head up from Three's chest.
"A little help here?" Three asked as he shook his chained wrist. Jenn smirked an evil grin as she reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the key. She reached up and unlocked the cuff, letting it dangle from the headboard. "Big mistake" Three smiled as he grabbed her wrists and quickly flipped her over, putting himself on top. Jenn giggle like a school girl as the cool morning air breezed over her exposed breasts. She giggled even more as Three attacked her neck. Jenn moaned in ecstasy as Three moved his way down her neck.
"Hmmmm" she moaned. "Three, we need to get up" she said. Three whined in disappointment as he dropped down to the mattress. "Come on, how about I make us some breakfast?" she said as she threw back the covers and stood up, wearing only her birthday suit.
"Ok" Three grinned as he pushed himself up against the headboard, the sunlight bathing his bare chest as he watched Jenn walk into the kitchen, butt naked. "I could get used to this" he smiled.
"So could I" Jenn said as she grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
"This is Wolf Blitzer from the CNN Situation Room. It's just after 7:30 am where in New York, and if you are just tuning in now, please allow me to recap the events of the past 12 hours. It was just after 9pm when shots rang out as President McCain was leaving the "Newseum" in Rosslyn, Virginia. President McCain was hit by a single round in the lower abdomen. President McCain was treated by Dr. Robin Scorpio at Washington General Hospital and is currently in stable condition. There were over 2 dozen injuries, including White House Press Secretary who received a severe concussion when she was knocked to the ground. One man, Secret Service Agent Jack Reardon was killed at the scene. Also among the wounded was President McCain's Personal Aide Rexton Bartlett, who was struck but a single round in the mid-torso. At this hour, Bartlett is in his 10th hour of surgery to repair a collapsed lung, and tear in his pulmonary artery. He'll break in with updates as they occur, but until then, we go live to Erin Andrews, who is standing by outside Washington General Hospital"
"Jesus H. Christ" Three said as he flew out of bed.
0845 hours, Wednesday, 12 November 2002, outside Washington General Hospital, Washington D.C.
"Hey Aaron" Will yelled as he walked up to Special Agent Aaron Pierce.
"Hey, Will, I heard they're about to take Rex off bypass" Aaron replied.
"Pretty soon, yeah. Listen, can I talk to you for a minute?" Will asked.
"Sure" Aaron replied. "Agent Lucas, get these people backed up another 200 feet" Aaron said to another agent.
"Yes Sir" the agent replied.
"And if they move in again, handcuff em to a parking meter" he yelled as he Will walked along the sidewalk. "What's on your mind?" Aaron asked.
"We're getting a lot of questions about why the President's exit was uncovered" he began.
"The United States Secret Service does not comment on procedure" Aaron said firmly.
"Yeah, Aaron, about 6 months ago, you got a memo about his protection"
"Yeah"
"It said that we wanted him to exit in the open air, because the President was a veteran, and didn't feel the need to be protected. He didn't what America thinking that he was cowering behind you guys. The memo specifically stated that we wouldn't be using the canopy anymore"
"Yeah"
"I wrote that memo" Will confessed. "And the President signed it at my urging"
"I know" Aaron said as they stopped.
"Aaron, it's not right that the Secret Service takes the blame for what happened last night. I want the Treasury Department to hand over my memo to the press"
"We can't do that"
"There are gonna be a ton of questions"
"There are always a ton of questions. Don't worry about it"
"It's not right. You're the guys… let me go over there and tell em it was our fault, not yours"
"It wasn't your fault"
"Aaron"
"It wasn't your fault. It wasn't Tony's fault, it wasn't Tali's fault, it wasn't anybody's fault, Will" Aaron said. "It was an act of madmen. You think a tent or canopy was gonna stop them? We got The President in the car, we got Liz and Zoey in the car, and at 150 yards and 5 stories up, the shooters were down 9.2 seconds after the 1st shot was fired. I would never let you not let me protect the President. You tell us you don't like something, we figure out something else. It was an act of madmen" he paused. "Anyway, the Secret Service doesn't comment on procedure" he finished before walking away.
0930 hours, Wednesday, 12 November 2002, White House Press Briefing Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"The Secret Service Agents carry a .357 Sig Sauer. The agents on the roof were firing a .726 caliber rifle, that are referred to as J-A-R, which honestly stands for "Just another rifle". They are made specifically and exclusively for the United States Secret Service" Will explained. "I wanted to mention something" he began. "This is out 5th press briefing since midnight, and obviously there is only one news story that is going to be dominating the news-cycles around the world for the next few days, and it would be easy to think that President McCain, Rex Bartlett and Jack Reardon were the only victims of an assassination attempt" he paused and pulled a list from his pocket. Since 1902, 25 United States Secret Service Agents have been killed in the line of duty. These people step in front of bullets to protect people. Secret Service Agents mostly get remembered when they screw up, a rarity in itself. But how about we start remembering them for what they do right?"
1245 hours, Wednesday, 12 November 2002, OR Waiting Room, Washington General Hospital, Washington D.C.
By now, Tony and Bridget had been joined in the waiting room by Sonny, EJ, Three and Jenn, along with Liz, AJ and Gabby, who had already been there. Zander and Cat had slipped in to, as had Chester and Tali, who had gotten what they needed from the prisoner and had turned him over to the FBI for further questioning. The only people really missing were Tony's mother Olivia, and his 2 other daughters, Molly and Liat. While Sonny had flown down DC, Olivia had kept on going to Fort Bragg, where she was now babysitting Molly, along with the 3 Quartermaine children. As for Liat, she was currently on a flight from Israel, which wouldn't be landing until after 2100 hours. Tony checked his watch, and realized that it had been almost 36 hours since he'd had any sleep. He chuckled to himself, as this was hardly the 1st time he'd put in a stretch like this. He had just briefly shut his eyes, when Robin emerged from the Operating Room, her surgical cap and mask on. Tony and Bridget snapped to their feet like a loaded spring as Robin walked over. "How is he?" Tony asked. Robin reached behind her head and untied her surgical mask, letting it hang around her neck.
"He's stable" Robin smiled. "He's asking for you" she said. Tony took a deep breath and pulled his sister into a tight and loving hug.
"I knew sending you to med school was a smart investment" Tony smiled, giving Robin a kiss on the cheek. Tony then turned his attention to Bridget. Tony gave her a loving smile and held out his hand. "Come on" he said. Tony reached over and took her hand, intertwining their fingers. Hand in hand, Tony and Bridget walked into the Operating Room, where Rex was resting comfortably on the table. "Hey bud" Tony said.
"Hi honey" Bridget said, as she leaned over and gave her son a kiss on the forehead.
"Hi mom, hi dad" Rex replied weakly.
"You're gonna be ok honey, we'll be with you, every step of the way" Bridget said, as she stroked her son's hair, which was run through with blood.
"Dad, can you get a message to the President?" Rex said, his voice getting weaker as he grew more tired.
"Sure, sure" Tony said as he leaned in to hear his son's voice. "Ok, will do" Tony smiled.
1310 hours, Wednesday, 12 November 2002, Washington General Hospital, Washington D.C.
The President was sitting up in bed, talking with Liz and AJ, when Tony and Chester stepped in. "How's Rexton?" the President asked.
"He's stable, and resting comfortably" Tony said proudly.
"That's great" Liz smiled. "I told you so"
"Yeah, yeah you did" Tony nodded.
"I hate to break up the party, put I do have some news" Chester said as he stepped forward. "The 3rd man is singing like a canary"
"I heard the guy was a skinhead" AJ spoke up.
"Yeah, all 3 of them were. But according to this guy, this wasn't some kind of race war, they were hired to perform a hit. They were each paid $250,000, and were provided with the weapons" Chester said. "The bank statements of both shooters and the 3rd man back up his claims" he said.
"Who hired them?" Tony asked.
"They didn't get a name, but they recall the man that hired them had a Russian accent?"
"Russian?" the President asked.
"Yes Sir, he was quite adamant about that, although I don't know how reliable that could be, given that this guy could have come from any of the Eastern bloc former Soviet-Republics"
"Why are the Russians after my father?" Liz asked.
"They aren't" Chester said as he pulled a folded over Manila envelope from his back pocket. "There's a reason they chose last night to pull off the hit" he paused. "It was heavily advertised by White House that the President's daughter would be in attendance" he explained.
"They were after Zoey?" Liz asked in shock.
"No" Chester shook his head. "The man had this photo on him" he said, opening the envelope. "He was after you, Mrs. Quartermaine" Chester said grimly as he held up the photo. It was an old one, from Liz's college days at Ohio State.
"Me?" Liz choked out.
"Yeah" Chester said.
"Why Elizabeth?" the President asked.
"I don't know" Chester said as he shrugged.
"I do" Tony said. "Liz was brought in to hunt down the mole. Prior to that, Liz had never set foot in the same room as the President in over a decade, let alone the White House. This has to be about the mole. That's the only thing that makes sense. That also means that you're closer to the truth than you think" he concluded.
"Rex was shot, my father was shot, because of me" Liz said, shock in her voice.
"My son was shot doing his duty. He got Zoey in the car, she as the priority" Tony said. "Tis the price we pay" he added.
"Then it won't be paid in vain" Liz said. "We're gonna find the son of a bitch responsible for this" she said.
"And we'll all be there to help" AJ said, to which Tony and Chester vigorously nodded.
"Then let's get to it" Tony added. AJ, Liz, Tony and Chester all left the room, when Tony paused in the doorway. "Oh, Mr. President, Rex wanted me to give you a message" he said.
"What is it Anthony?" the President asked.
"What's next?" Tony smiled.
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(AJ Quartermaine's voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Walk in Hell"-
On a midnight trip to California, the President's staff find themselves divided over the upcoming Army-Navy Game. Several Unit members find themselves in Port Charles for the 2002 Military Ball, where tragedy strikes. Meanwhile, it's Hell for the Holidays when assassins target Tony and Liz, as they discover their past has caught up with them.
This Chapter is dedicated to Special Agent Timothy J. McCarthy, United States Secret Service (Ret.), who's quickly thinking, and selfless actions, did, on March 30th, 1981, prevent the assassination of President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. As the would-be assassin opened fire, at close range, Special Agent McCarthy spread his body out, protecting the President from what would have been several fatal rounds. One of the six rounds fired struck Agent McCarthy in the abdomen, a round which would have certainly been fatal had it struck President Reagan. For his quickly thinking and heroism, we honor Special Agent McCarthy, as well as the 25 United States Secret Service Agents who have been killed in the line of duty since 1902.
Thank you for your service.