Chapter 36

Hour Five

Ron and the two Navy Seals teams were at the Coast Guard Station on Cape Cod going over the final details of their mission. The Coast Guard had commandeered three local fishing boats to carry the men over to the island and they would go ashore several hundred yards down from the house itself. Using night vision goggles, the teams would break off into three separate units, one going to the Guest House, one entering the Main House through the front door and heading directly up the front stairs to the second floor, and the third going through the back-glass doors into the kitchen and into the Master bedroom.

A second run of the drone an hour ago, after the storm had passed, had shown no changes in position of the motionless forms or an increase or decrease in the number of moving images. So the number they expected to engage had stayed static. However, at Ron's urging, a medical team had been added to the beaching team which would follow the Seals after entering the house. Any medical evacuation would be done by a Coast Guard helicopter after the grounds were secure. Any injured would be flown immediately to Boston to Massachusetts General where a team of specialists were on standby. They had not been told who their patients might be, just to be ready for any type of injury, including trauma.

In the Situation Room, the National Security Team, Leo and the Vice President were anxiously awaiting the start of the mission. They had only received one more communication from the terrorists an hour earlier. A faxed copy of a photograph of the First Lady spread eagle on a bed with the caption 'I could do so much more'. It had made Leo sick, but he stuck with his job knowing he had to be strong and continue to try and get them back without major harm coming to either of them. Other than that, he didn't know the status of the President. He only prayed that Jed was still alive and would come through this without having a relapse of his MS.

In the Nantucket house, Abraham was getting nervous. He had not heard anything from the White House on his demands. There had been nothing on the news about the Nantucket incident and he wondered why it wasn't an international event. His two hostages were not in the best of shape. Upstairs, the First Lady slipped in and out of awareness. Whether she was intentionally trying to sleep to ignore her situation or was physically deteriorating, Abraham couldn't tell. He didn't have the expertise to determine that. But if she died, then it would be one less person he would have to worry about. He thought about giving her another dose of the sedative, but then thought no. She just might take that decision out of his hands.

In the downstairs bedroom, the President was still tied up on the wooden board. He was somewhat aware of his surroundings. When Abraham had shown him the photograph of his wife's new position, Abraham could see the anger in his eyes. But Abraham only laughed at him because the President was helpless to take any action. And he knew that Abraham meant every word he said about the President cooperating or else his wife would experience even more humiliation than what was being done now.

Because of the lack of information, Abraham decided to play his trump card. He set up a video camera in the spacious bathroom to record his next psychological ploy.

"Okay, guys, I've waited long enough. I want you to untie him and secure him face up on the board across his chest and legs. Also, secure him across his forehead. Make sure he cannot move an inch of his body."

Abraham watched as four of his biggest men secured the President with wide leather strips as ordered. Jed tried to fight them, but given his weakened condition and the strength of the men, it was a lost cause.

"Now, pick up the board and place it in the tub with his head under the faucet."

Up to this point, Jed had no idea what was about to happen, but as soon as they placed the board under the faucet he knew. Waterboarding. He had read many briefing papers on this form of torture that had been done, especially in places like Guantanamo. He had tried to outlaw it, but it still managed to slip through with some of the older Marine interrogators.

He tried to move his head, to avoid what was about to occur, but was secured in such a way there was no movement possible.

Abraham moved into his line of vision. "Mr. President, I want you to experience what many of my brothers have. This is inhumane and should be stopped. And I am taping this to show the world that the President of the United States deserves the same treatment."

He stepped back and nodded.

A cloth was placed over the President's face and water from faucet was started. The flow was continued for twenty seconds, paused for ten, continued for another twenty seconds, paused for ten, and then continued for forty seconds. The President's body spasmed, his mouth expelled water during the pauses, and at the end of the process, his body went into several seizures. The cloth was removed and Abraham watched as Jed's eyes rolled to the back of his head. He ordered the board lifted from the tub and placed on the floor.

"Release him."

As soon as they did, the President's limp body rolled onto the floor, his face toward the floor. Abraham reached down and checked for a pulse. "It's there. Weak, but there. Tie him up and put him back on the bed."

The tape was shut off.