Disclaimer: Terry chemistry and American Politics inspired this story.
Quote: 'People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war, or before an election.' — Otto von Bismarck, Prime Minister of Prussia and First Chancellor of a Germany he helped unify in 1871.
At St David's, Sally Langston checked her face in a pocket mirror, relieved to see she looked pale and wan as if she was recovering from an ordeal. Then she hastily put the mirror away, hearing a knock on the door.
Her personal assistant entered, along with her media strategist, and the specialist medical team in charge of her recovery.
After a routine examination, the doctor said, "You're doing great, better than I'd expect for someone who's been through the kind of trauma you've experienced...Your staff tells me you want to put yourself through the hoops with the media circus out there. Sure you feel up to it?"
"I have a campaign to run, the public need to know that the I have the strength to carry on."
The doctor gave a wry smile. "I sure don't want to argue the point with the future President of the United States, but I'll caution you to take it easy."
After the doctor departed, Sally's media strategist escorted a handful of senior journalists from the three major networks and international media agencies into the room.
Reporter from Network A: 'Ma'am, let me say, on behalf of the network that we are glad to see you alive and as well as can be, under the circumstances.'
Sally: "I thank you and I thank the Good Lord for saving me from that hellfire. Do we have an update on Olivia and Fitzgerald?"
"No, ma'am."
"Olivia has been amazing during the end run of this campaign. It would sadden me personally and professionally to lose a natural born leader like her. I pray to God that both she and Fitz are found safe."
'Amen," said a nurse, standing by Sally's bed. As Sally and the journalists turned their attention towards her, the woman blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt but I was going to vote Republican for the first time in my life because of Olivia Pope Grant."
Sally reached out for the nurse's hand, clasping it in both of hers. "I hope the Republican Party can still count on your vote. Olivia put her faith and trust in me to achieve the changes we need for a better tomorrow. She had the confidence to partner with me to fix the challenges of our times. I fully intend to implement the blueprint that Olivia and I envisioned, in memory of my friend, the Fixer, when I become the next President of the United States."
Fitz stared at the white ceiling with a sense of déjà vu. His head was bandaged and he was lying in a hospital bed. Hearing the door open, he turned, then smiled in relief as Olivia trundled in, wearing a hospital gown, holding onto a mobile saline drip stand.
"Hi."
"Hi." She smiled. "They told me you were awake."
Fitz patted the space on the bed beside him.
Olivia grinned. "The doctors said no hanky panky."
"I don't know Hanky or Panky." Fitz held out his hand to her, drawing her close after she placed her hand in his.
"You had the strangest expression on your face when I came in," Olivia said as she laid her head carefully on Fitz's chest, mindful of the tubes attached to them both, as Fitz folded her gently in a hug.
"I was afraid Mellie would walk in and tell me my life with you had been a dream."
Olivia lifted her head and rested her chin on his chest. "It wasn't a dream."
Fitz smiled, gently rubbing her back. "I also had a dream that a mermaid, with legs, who looked a lot like you dragged me from the depths of the ocean to a fiery surface and we both floated together under the stars."
"That was definitely a dream," Olivia hid a smile, laying her cheek on his chest.
"You sure?"
"Yep, I'm sure."
Fitz chuckled, rubbing her back some more. "Have you seen the kids?"
"I've talked to them, but Zeke doesn't them to visit just yet."
"Why?"
"He doesn't want the world to know we're alive."
Back at St David's…
Reporter from Network B: "Mrs Langston, are you aware the owner of the boat, claims he never invited you onboard or that he even knew you?"
"It is true that he did not know me. I heard about the invitation from Olivia. She told me that one of her private clients wanted to donate to our campaign. She was…is… a successful fixer. I believe she even had clients who were members of the Russian mafia."
"The owner of the boat is a Russian businessman."
"Now that does not surprise me, given Olivia's passionate defense of Eastern Bloc politics. They probably took her to be a Communist sympathizer."
The nurse on standby, interrupted, "Are you saying Mrs Grant was a Communist?"
"I am saying no such thing. Olivia assured me she was not a Communist, and I believe her."
"I would never have voted for Mrs Grant if she was a Communist."
"The Republican Party has never supported Communism, nor will it ever support Communism."
Reporter B: 'Do you wish to see a return of McCarthyism, Mrs Langston?"
"Joseph Robert McCarthy was a proud Republican but misguided in his ambitions to keep Communists from destroying the American Dream. I have no desire to open the closet to spectres of the past, I only wish to assure the American public that their dreams, are my dreams for a better, more prosperous America."
The FBI chief sat across from Zeke in the White House Situation Room.
"The fisherman that got roped into the search and rescue mission has a criminal record and he's not from Texas. He's registered to vote in the state of Georgia. Here's where it gets interesting – remember that experimental drug Mrs Langston gave her husband to change him from gay to straight?"
"Instead he became a murderer and tried to kill Olivia."
"Yeah, the Langston hazard. Those two had more in common that we realised. The point is the guy on the boat with Mrs Grant's associates helped develop the drug. He's a pharmaceutical scientist."
"That's a helluva coincidence."
"Yeah, coincidence."
"Let me call Frank, tell him we have three guests to fly back from Texas."
In separate rooms, Abby and Quinn faced the police.
"Are you saying the shooter didn't mean to shoot Mrs Langston. Her gun went off?"
Abby: "I'm not saying anything. I am exercising my right to remain silent."
"This is a capital crime. You're looking at the death penalty unless you cooperate."
Abby made a 'zipped' motion across her lips.
In a similar set up, down another corridor, more cops questioned Quinn, who sat belligerent, her arms folded across her chest.
"You admit you tried to shoot Mrs Sally Langston?"
Quinn remained silent.
"We have a witness. He's signed a statement saying you tried to shoot the Republican candidate for President."
Quinn glared at them, but didn't say a word.
"Now look, Lady, I don't think you realise how much trouble you're in, and you're not helping—." Whatever he was going to say next was interrupted by the police chief, walking in with the Attorney General.
"Stay seated, gentlemen. The Feds are here to take our suspects into custody. Stands to reason they'd want to get their hands on this, since it's a federal crime."
"You're not under arrest," The AG murmured almost under his breath, as he escorted Quinn out of the room. "The President wants you in federal custody for your own protection."
"Have they found Olivia?"
"We don't have any confirmed reports yet."
After Abby joined their little entourage, a policewoman escorted them over to the claims desk to collect their things, while the AG lagged behind, to answer a call from Zeke.
"My phone is gone!" Abby frowned, as she upended the manila folder containing the things that had been confiscated by the arresting officers.
"So is mine. And the cash in my purse."
"Hand over a form," the cop told the gum-chewing clerk behind the desk.
"Here," said the clerk. "Fill it out and we'll get back to you in 30 days."
"I don't want compensation. I want my phone!" Abby glared at the woman.
"Yes, hun, I hear you. And I want my lunch but I ain't seen it since 10 this morning."
"Don't you get it – I want my phone!"
"Obviously my message was too subtle for you, so let me spell it out – I won't be seeing my lunch and you won't be seeing your phone. It's the sad truth and you gotta accept that."
Hearing raised voices, the police chief who'd been hanging back with the attorney-general, hurried over. "What's the problem?"
Before anyone else could speak, Abby snapped, "Our phones have been stolen."
"We have a civil forfeiture program in this state. That means we get to keep anything we consider relevant to a crime."
"Since the state is handing over this criminal investigation to the Justice Department, any evidence should be handed over as well," Quinn glared at him.
The police chief looked at her as if he was inspecting a bug and debating its prospects. "Sign that form, we'll let you know when we find the missing evidence."
The counter clerk and the waiting cop smirked.
Huck woke to find someone shining a light into his eye. Going to instant attack mode, he tried to lift his fist but found his limbs restrained.
"It's okay, Huck." Olivia placed her hand over his clenched fist. "I asked for the restraints because I didn't want you to attack the medical staff when you regained consciousness." Feeling his hand relax, she nodded at a couple of attendants. "You can remove the restraints."
After the medic finished her checks, she told Olivia that Huck was scheduled for several scans. "You have a few minutes, until we get everything ready."
Olivia sat down beside Huck as he tightened his grip on her hand. "You're okay?" he asked her, hoarsely.
"Yes."
"Fitz?"
"He's awake but he's got a bump on his head that needs monitoring. He'll be on light duties for a while."
"Tom?"
"He's in surgery, he had a big gash on his leg, missed an artery by an inch. And he's lost a lot of blood."
"I can't move or feel my left leg."
"You're in a body cast – you've broken a couple of ribs and your leg."
Huck flitted his gaze to the glass pane on the door. "Why are there guys with guns outside the door? Where are we?"
"We're in a private hospital, at a secret location. Zeke's orders. He doesn't think it's safe for us to venture out just yet." Then she smiled, "And in case you're wondering about Sally Mae. She's fine, after retching a bellyful of salt water."
Huck grunted. "One day, I'd like to see her live show."
"I have a feeling it wouldn't be as good as the real Sally Langston show."
Reporter from Network C: 'Mrs Langston, our News Director was sent a package this morning. It contains documents you may find interesting. Can you tell me what the first document is?"
The reporter handed over a page to the nurse who took it to Sally, and after the nurse had also handed over her reading glasses, Sally read the document.
"It looks like a letter from the White House."
"It was attached to an email sent to a local towing company. They were asked to bring the Russian-owned super yacht from the Bermuda Triangle to a few miles off the coast of Texas. Would you have any idea why the White House would make that request?"
"We don't know that this letter was sent by the White House. It could be photoshopped."
"It has the President's seal on the document."
"Again, a copy could be obtained."
"The second document is a call log from a cell phone," The reporter read out a number. "Is that number familiar to you?"
"Why, yes. it's President Zeke's private number. I know it because he called Olivia many times during our campaign."
"The log indicates that a phone call was made from that cell number to the Texas Water Police. A department source told us the search and rescue teams were asked to stop their mission to find you. Do you know why the President would make that call?"
After the media captured Sally's stunned face, staring in silence; the nurse began clearing everyone out of the room.
All programming interrupted with a cacophony of Breaking News segments…
…'In a bizarre twist of events, the White House has been implicated in trying to stop the search for Republican Presidential candidate Sally Langston. A live media conference with the Republican Presidential candidate ended abruptly when a news source presented a directive, allegedly from the President's private cell phone, requesting an end to the search and rescue of Mrs Langston. The search goes on for Mrs Olivia Grant and her husband, former President Fitzgerald Grant….
…'Our analysts say the superyacht was loaded with enough high-grade explosives to blow up the Golden Gate bridge. Mrs Langston is lucky to be alive. Did the Russians try to subvert American Politics by taking out a candidate that has consistently stood her ground against Communism and its impact on the American Dream? Did they want her left-of-centre deputy to take the hot seat in the White House? These are the questions we put to our panel of experts..'
…'According to Terrorism researcher, Mr X, the level of state surveillance is so extensive it is difficult to imagine how a private citizen could amass weapons of mass destruction or detonate them on US territorial waters under the radar. Could the United States Government have aided and abetted in a terrorist attack against one of its own citizens?...'
…'Can the President of the United States be indicted of a crime while in office? That's the explosive question that broke the Internet this morning. Our Constitution states that a President can be impeached for High Crimes and Misdemeanours, but can he face criminal prosecution in a court of law? The Justice Department says no. They have precedent set in 1973 by the Watergate scandal, when the department decided that a sitting President cannot be indicted. Just as a reminder, President Nixon resigned before he could be impeached. A sharp contrast to former President Fitzgerald Grant who resigned after being acquitted of several articles of impeachment that focused on terrorism and treason.…'
White House press briefing.
President Zeke walks in as the Press Secretary starts taking questions.
"I've got this, Joe. Howdy, folks. I take it y'all have questions for me. First, let me say that I am aware certain allegations have been made against the White House and me, personally during a high-profile interview with a President candidate. I have referred those matters to the House Judiciary for investigation, open to impeachment. Yes? Front row, you've got a question for me? Fire away."
"Mr President, are you saying the allegations are untrue?"
"I don't want to pre-empt an official investigation, but I have confidence that justice will prevail."
"Mr President, did you call off the search and rescue mission for Mrs Langston?"
"No. My private number was ported a couple of hours before that call was made. I reported it to the authorities concerned, including the Secret Service and FBI. That's on record, and documentation has been provided to the investigating committee."
"Mr President, you have made no secret of the fact that you want Mrs Olivia Pope-Grant to be the next President of the United States. Is it true that you think she would make a better President than Mrs Sally Langston?"
"Yes, it's true."
There was a silence, as if everyone was unprepared for that bald admission. Zeke waited a heartbeat before adding, "It is also true that I believe in a democracy, not a dictatorship; that I believe the American people have the intelligence to choose the right candidate for the office of President, once they know the facts. So let me remind everyone of the facts – a boat exploded off the coast of Texas; there were a lot of explosives on that boat; the boat was owned by a Russian. Did this guy have any connection to the Russian government, our findings don't indicate that. Did I set him to be the fall guy for an assassination attempt on a Presidential candidate, when my friends the former President of the United States and the woman I want to be the next President of the United States were onboard? Hell, no. A call was made at 2.39am to call off a search and rescue mission for survivors. Sally Langston was admitted to St David's at 1.22am. Those are the facts. We'll keep you updated on any further facts as we find them."
Zeke walked off stage.
Cornelius Reynolds aka Mack and his crew made their way separately around town, talking to people whose home was on the street.
A couple of hours later, Mack made a call to Hollis.
"The guys down here thought they were extras in a movie. They had to sign a confidentiality agreement saying they won't say shit to no one. Rule doesn't apply to bros on the street. Oh yeah, and some redhead was here a couple of days before the explosion. Spitting image of Langston. Had them fooled into believing she was Langston, until they saw the real deal milking cows and catching chickens on a game show."
"This chick got a name?"
"Hey, I'm good but I'm not that good. Somethin' else I found interestin'. The Hollywood guys told everyone to stay close to shore, because it was a war movie, and the military was out there trying to make it realistic. They even said there'd be a couple of explosions that would cause real damage to the boats around here if they got too close. The production crew got everyone to sign another document saying they read and understood they'd be liable for all and any damages."
The Defence Secretary had a meeting with Zeke in the Situation Room. "A handful of rogue generals have gone Douglas Macarthur on you. Someone's sold them a line about the next Vice President of the United States being a Communist and they've done their best to make sure that doesn't happen."
Later, Zeke sat across from a highly-decorated military man in full regalia in the basement interrogation room. "They tell me you are the mastermind behind Operation Poped."
The man said nothing, stone-faced.
"Did you give an order for an ammo shipment, headed for the Middle East, to remain on American soil."
Silence.
"We have a recording of you giving an order for the ammo shipment to remain on American soil. Do you deny this is your voice?"
Silence.
"We have a biometric voice print taken from the Military database which matches the voice recording for the order."
Silence.
"You wanted to bring a foreign war to home ground?"
"I was keeping the country safe."
"You diverted a shit ton of explosives with the intent to murder a former President, a vice presidential candidate and the Republican nominee for President."
"Sally Langston wasn't onboard."
"Who told you that?"
The man stared at the wall behind Zeke in silence.
"You wanted to murder Olivia Pope and Fitzgerald Grant."
"I wanted to keep the country safe from Communists."
"The Grants are not Communists!"
"That's what I'd expect a Commie sympathiser to say!"
"Where's your evidence that they are Communists?"
"I don't need evidence! I've been in the military for 40 years! I know the enemy! I know how they operate! These medals are evidence of all the times I got it right! These medals are evidence I never got it wrong! Ever! It's my duty to protect this country from enemies of the state! And you can bet your last dollar, I do my damn duty each and every time!"
Zeke stared at the man. Then he sighed. "I expect you to hand in your resignation before you leave the White House."
After the man was escorted out of the room, the Secretary of Defence turned to Zeke. "There goes a free man. Congress won't want the media and public getting in too deep about the wars we're sponsoring in the Middle East."
Zeke sighed again. "Another one for the 'Shit Happens' file."
James Novak stepped into the sauna, cautiously clutching the towel around his waist, then smiled at the sight of TJ Broadhurst already seated on the wooden bench.
"I wasn't sure if that text was a hoax."
"It wasn't. I own this hotel. Dad helped me out with the finance. So I knew this would be the best place to talk without being overheard. I gave instructions for us not be disturbed. I'll bet the staff think I'm your gay lover."
James laughed. "You've come a long way since you interned at the White House."
A shadow passed over TJ's face. "The Grants were amazing to me."
"I'm sure they'll be back, firing on all engines before we know it."
TJ didn't smile. "The Coshes have a hand in their disappearance. Dad's heard a few things over whiskey and cigars that he'll refuse to divulge in front of a judge but he wanted me to pass on the information to you. He considered Fitzgerald Grant more than a golfing buddy. He wanted it known there's a rumour and that rumour is based on fact…"
Rowan walked out of the hotel, into an unmarked car. He glanced over at Oscar in the backseat, looking like he hadn't slept for the last two days.
"Been burning the candle at both ends?"
"Comes with the territory."
"This isn't going to make it any easier." Rowan handed over Jerry's phone.
After listening to Olivia's video message, there was a long silence. Then Oscar said, "Damn."
"Jerry checked his messages after speaking to Olivia today. He's been avoiding his phone because he didn't want to speak to his friends about Olivia and Fitz, before or after they were found. He's kicking himself now but I told him it would have upset him even more to know what Langston did."
Oscar nodded. "Might even have been dangerous for Jerry to know about this. We checked out the hotel where Langston was staying. A kid from the local art school came to see her last night. Brought over recording equipment that he was supposed to collect from the concierge, but he died in a hit-and-run this morning and his equipment has disappeared."
Zeke met with the intelligence chiefs. "Did some renegade operatives do another Argo? Except they wanted to murder the Grants instead of rescuing hostages?"
"It wasn't our guys. Not this time. We checked it out. Some of the missing trillions from the Defense budget got funnelled into a private security firm that specialises in crises events. It's run by an ex-military guy who personally supervised the fake Hollywood movie scene in Texas."
"Yeah, this one definitely has the Pentagon's paws all over it. They didn't want to put the last nail in the coffin of their Cold War dreams."
"Or see an end to Perpetual War. Like the time the Pentagon paid half a billion dollars to a British PR firm to fake Al Qaeda videos. Bin Laden was a bonanza for the war machine."
"Where does the kid who wants to be the next Spielberg come into it?"
"That was Langston's idea. Along with getting Sally Mae Reardon to impersonate her. The original plan had been for Langston to be on the boat, but return to shore because she forgot something. Bet she didn't want to take a chance that she'd be stuck on the boat when the explosives went off."
Zeke sighed. "The rumour is that the Coshes have a hand in all this."
"Remember when we bailed out the banks because they were too big to fail? These guys are bigger than the banks."
"You're going to have to let Karma get them. Because there's no agency in town game enough to take on their lawyers. We'll have a Third World Economy once they've taken us to the cleaners."
"Guess this is checkmate."
Zeke stood. "Game's not over."
Zeke was in the private residence, giving instructions to pack an overnight case, when he was advised that Maurice, the gate-keeper wanted to have a chat.
Maurice came in looking worried as hell. "Sir, I've done a bad thing."
"Relax man. After all the things I've been hearing lately, nothing you did would faze me."
"I'm letting you know, I've got my bags packed. Ready to go when you fire me."
Zeke stared at the man. Then said, "Take a load off." He waved a hand over the couches in the private sitting room, before heading for the drinks cabinet. "Tell me your poison."
Maurice sat down the edge of the couch, took the glass offered but didn't drink the root beer he'd requested. "I'm an accessory to murder. I let Mrs Langston's former chief of staff in the White House. He said he wanted to pick up a file that Mrs Langston left behind. He said she needed it for her campaign. He had a security clearance pass, I thought that he had permission to be there. I'm sure he's the one who sent those emails from the White House. You know those emails they were talking about on the news."
Zeke put down his glass, got to his feet and fished out his phone. "Maurice, you're not fired. And you're not an accessory to a crime. Sit back. Finish your drink. Order some food, if you're hungry. I'll send someone over to look after you."
Zeke left the room and made some calls.
Breaking News…
…Republican Presidential Candidate, Sally Langston's former chief of staff was escorted out in handcuffs from the headquarters of Mrs Langston's re-election campaign. He is reportedly helping the FBI investigate a series of emails sent from the White House to various parties involved in the Texas explosion that resulted in the rescue of Mrs Langston and the disappearance of Vice Presidential candidate Olivia Pope Grant and her husband, former President Mr Fitzgerald Grant…
President Zeke waited patiently for Sally Langston to wake up from her nap. He'd arranged for the surveillance cameras in her room to switched over to C-Span at a signal from him.
When Sally woke, she blinked at him several times. "…Mr President?"
Zeke flashed a toothy grin. "Yes, Sally, it is I. How you doin?"
"This is a … surprise." She sat up, with a slight frown, staring from Zeke to the Secret Service man and woman standing on guard by the door. "Are you really here… it feels like I am in a dream."
"Or a nightmare. You've got the media thinking I wanted you dead."
"Oh," Sally waved that accusation away. "The media always gets it wrong. They are in the business of spinning fake news."
Zeke smoothed a hand over his bald head, giving the signal for the cameras to switch over. "Glad to see you looking well for someone who was nearly fried, then drowned after that massive explosion."
"Have they found Olivia and Fitzgerald?"
"The search goes on. What do you remember?"
Sally frowned slightly as if she was trying to dredging through her memory. "I remember I got to the yacht early, and that I had to wait for Olivia and Fitz to arrive."
"You didn't think it was strange that you were the only person onboard?"
"I didn't know I was the only person on that yacht. The tender crew told me to wait on the main deck, because our host was planning a surprise."
"What did the host look like?"
"I never met him. It was Olivia who told me about the invite."
"You arrived before Olivia to meet a man you'd never met?"
"You make it sound like a blind date. I had planned to meet our sponsor with Olivia but she and Fitzgerald called to say they were running late."
"How soon after you arrived did the explosion happen?"
"It wasn't long after Olivia and Fitz came onboard. I remember Fitzgerald made a comment about the host taking a long time to come and greet us. After that, the last thing I remember is flying through the air, like a clay pigeon, to land bang in the water. I must have lost consciousness because I don't recall a thing after that."
There was a knock on the door.
"It must be time for a routine checkup," Sally smiled.
The Secret Service opened the door and two nurses walked in wearing blue scrubs and surgical masks.
As Sally watched, the bland smile on her face was slowly replaced by confusion, then alarm as one of the 'nurses' removed her mask to reveal Olivia's face.
"Hello, Sally," she said mildly.
After staring open-mouthed, Sally whispered, "You are not real. You can't be real. This is a dream." She stared at Olivia some more, then turned an accusatory glare on Zeke. "You told me they hadn't been found!"
"I said the search goes on."
Olivia kept her gaze on Sally. "You know that every word you told Zeke is a lie. You weren't on that boat. Fitz, Huck, Tom, and Sally Reardon, the actor you hired to impersonate you can all testify that you were not on that boat."
The second 'nurse' removed her surgical cap and mask to reveal Sally Mae Reardon. "Hello, sugar, bet you thought you'd never see the likes of me again."
Sally Langston stared from Olivia to Sally Reardon. "Who is this woman? I have never met her in my life!"
"My heavens, you don't even have a nodding acquaintance with the truth. I auditioned for the part, and my agent got your consent in writing, allowing me to impersonate you without fear of prosecution."
Olivia took out a phone from her pants pocket and pressed play on the message that had been sent to Jerry.
Sally Langston's recorded voice filled the room at maximum volume. "…I am sure you have met Sally Reardon by now. She does a better job of being me, than I do myself. I do have to apologise to her as I have done to you, Olivia. I'm sure Ms Reardon felt she landed a performance of a lifetime, allowing her to stage the Sally Langston Show Live for as long as I remain President of the United States. Sadly her dreams cannot be realised at this time, because the dreams of the American people must take precedence over the delusions of misguided individuals. It is with deep sadness and regret that I bid you both farewell…"
"Stop that, stop that!" Sally covered her ears and started screaming, "The devil! The devil! God save me from this evil!"
Without warning, she reached for a water jug by the bedside table and threw it at the two women, which Zeke managed to deflect so it crashed against the far wall, spilling glass and water everywhere.
The Secret Service managed to restrain Sally by the time nurses and doctors rushed in.
Breaking News…
…'Republican candidate Sally Langston has been transferred to a secure psychiatric ward at Texas State Hospital following a mental episode caught on live TV. Mrs Langston turned violent during an informal meeting with President Lucas Zeke, which was broadcast in real time on C-Span across the country. Her actions were triggered by the unexpected appearance of her deputy running mate, Olivia Pope-Grant and a woman identified as Ms Sally Mae Reardon, an actor paid to impersonate Mrs Langston on the night of the explosion. Meanwhile, hospital authorities are blaming the breach of Mrs Langston's privacy on hackers...'
A/N: Sorry for the delay and thank you for your patience. Took me a while to figure out what do with Sally. Going back and checking names I've used for my characters, I appear to have given Mack a couple of surnames but he started life as Cornelius Reynolds before I forgot and wrote Cornelius Ryan, and now he's back to being Cornelius Reynolds. :)
References:
Can a sitting U.S. president face criminal charges? - Reuters
Hillary Clinton's Benghazi Debacle: Arming Jihadists in Libya . . . and Syria - National Review
Generals Gone Rogue: A History Of Friction - NPR
Criminals Stockpile Stolen Military Arms, Hearing Told – Washington Post
Defense Intelligence Agency - Wikipedia
Pentagon Paid for Fake 'Al Qaeda' Videos – The Daily Beast
How the CIA Fooled Hollywood With Fake 'Argo' Movie – The Hollywood Reporter
These states let police take and keep your stuff even if you haven't committed a crime - Vox
