The Press Briefing Room was chaotic, as veteran journalists from every spectrum scampered into their seats for an explanation of the pandemonium that was breakout out all across the nation. Terrorist attacks, the death of the Deputy Director and his wife, and assailants on the loose were more than the public or the Stock Exchange could endure. Everything seemed to be falling apart at the seams. Though the public generally had a favorable opinion of John Stoddard and his management of the country, that opinion was falling precipitously each moment that their concerns went unaddressed. However rare it was for Stoddard to actually meet with the press and take questions, the events of the past 24 hours demanded an appearance.
If one were judging by looks alone, John Stoddard's demeanor and stance would have set all hearts at ease. Tall and still ruggedly handsome in his 60s, he had been a businessman for many years before coming to Washington and the skill and salesmanship that he had obtained through that experience had paid big dividends for him any time he had to stand before the public and make a political speech. But flowery speeches written by seasoned speech-writers were quite different from meeting face to face with an adversarial press, each trying to trip over one another to be the one to get that one soundbite that would lead the news on all networks for perhaps weeks to come. Despite his calm exterior, John Stoddard was a bundle of nerves.
After a few moments of brief introduction by his Press Secretary, Stoddard took the podium and read his own statement.
"My fellow Americans," he began with a stern, authoritative voice, "at approximately 4:30 PM yesterday, in Port Arthur, Texas there was a domestic terror event unlike any this nation has ever seen. 38 people were injured and 8 people killed by a chemical attack perpetrated by faceless cowards wishing to overthrow this government and indeed this country through the use of nefarious means. Later in the day, they attacked and murdered the Deputy Director of the FBI, Garrison Kennedy, and his wife, and seriously injured his daughter while they were staying in a cabin together as a family in rural Virginia. Kennedy served the nation well for many years and this is a great loss to our government and the FBI. These people have proven their point that they are dangerous people to reckon with, but I would like to address them right here and now. If you are listening, however dangerous you are, we are more so. To you who woudl wreak havoc in this land, I say, we have never bowed to terror. We will never bow to terror. And try as you may, you will never succeed in your goals. We will hunt you. We will find you. And we will bring you to justice, dead or alive – it doesn't matter – your reign of terror will end.
As you can probably understand, things are quite hectic around here at the moment, so I will now take a few brief questions from the Press Corps before heading back to work." Stoddard said as he opened up the floor. Nearly everyone in the seats raised their hands to be recognized.
"Yes, you over there with the brown tie." He said, pointing at a man in the front.
"Yes, sir." said the reporter. "John Watkins, CNN. The nation is getting understandably nervous with the recent rash of attacks that have been happening around the country. First, the attacks along the eastern side of the country followed by the apparent murder of Director Grier and now the murder of Deputy Director Kennedy and his family. It is leaving the public with the impression that your administration is no longer in control of the country. What do you have to say about that?"
Stoddard shifted his feet and replied. "Mr. Watkins, what I have to say is that we have names of those involved and we have insight into what it is they are after. Due to the sensitive nature of this investigation, however, I can not go into much detail about specifics. Suffice it to say, this case is my administration's number one priority and we will not stop until order is restored. Yes, you…I believe it is Kara Mitchell?"
"Yes, sir. Kara Mitchell, Fox News. You spoke of the grizzly murder of Deputy Director Kennedy last night and prior to that, Director Grier was also the victim of an apparent homicide. Do you believe that this group is targeting the FBI specifically, and if so, what are you doing to protect Director Abramson, Associate Director Monk, and other higher ups within the administration?" she asked.
"We are not at liberty to discuss our methods for protection, but we have taken the threat seriously and while we do not believe the FBI is a target specifically, we are ramping up security for all of our personnel in this administration. Incidentally, with Kennedy's untimely demise, it is now Deputy Director Monk. He is second in command. Taking his place as Associate Deputy Director is Will Jeffries. I have time for one more question. You, in the red tie."
"Yes, President Stoddard. Gordon Mayhew, Village Voice. One of your jobs as President is to do everything within your power to protect this country from enemies foreign and domestic. With this string of attacks we have seen a real shortfall in your capability to fulfill this duty. This has added to the general lack of ease around the country, which we are seeing in indicators such as increased gun sales and stock market decreases. If these attacks continue, and you are not able to quickly apprehend the perpetrator or perpetrators, are you prepared to step down from your role as President and allow another person, perhaps who is capable of protecting the country, step into your place?"
Stoddard was slightly taken aback by the question, and even found it a bit disrespectful. Step down? was that what this moron was really suggesting? He tried to maintain composure, but the suggestion caused his emotions to rise. He straightened his eye and leaned one arm across the top of the podium and looked the reporter with steely eyes.
"Mr. Mayhew, it may seem to you that the office of President of the United States is some omnipotent and omniscient force that can at the drop of a hat rid the world of all evil, but I can assure you that it is not. My administration is VERY active, in ways that you cannot even imagine, using every technology within our means, trying to solve this case as quickly as possible and with as little damage as possible, and we have agents stationed in various places to ensure…"he said.
"Various places? Does that mean you know where they are going to strike next?!" a sharp female reporter shouted out.
"Mr. President, do they have a list of demands?" shouted another.
"President Stoddard, what do you have to say to the victims of the attack in Port Arthur and their families when they ask how a chemical attack could possibly happen on US Soil?" shouted a third.
Stoddard hesitated for just a second which appeared as weakness to the press and the nation.
All at once, a conglomerate of reporters began talking over one another. John had inadvertently opened Pandora's box and had given them their headline.
By noon Eastern Time every news channel ran with devastating headlines: Feckless Government Hiding Target Cities, People Demand Answers; Incompetent Stoddard's Future in Doubt as Terror Orgs Take America; American People Fed Up With Government Secrecy At Their Expense, Congress Considers Impeachment; Stock Market Plunges To Nine Year Low Among Terror Fears… on and on it went.
People gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue, picketing Stoddard and demanding he step down. Foreign leaders called him becoming nervous as to his standing in the country. And political opposition took that opportunity to capitalize on the tragedy…anything was fair, in their minds, in love and politics.
Sitting in a hotel room in Rockville, Maryland sat Sammy Miller and a few of his partners in crime. They were reveling in the chaos, and they took Stoddard's bold statement against them as something of a challenge.
"Cowards? You call us cowards?" Sammy said. "You will soon see what a coward really is Stoddard." he said, putting out a cigarette in a can of cola.
In San Francisco, Leland dropped Adrian off at the University of California Berkeley's library first thing in the morning and promised he would meet him there to work on the case around noon. When he arrived, he found Monk sitting at a table with his reading glasses on, surrounded by stacks and stacks of books and folders about the history of the college. Knowing his friend and his sense of organization as he did, he knew Adrian had already been through the largest stack, speed reading the books in order to find whatever it was he was looking for. He was sure that he hadn't heard the news about the President's disastrous presser, and didn't want to distract his train of thought by telling him just then. So, he simply pulled up a chair and sat beside his friend and launched into the discussion.
"Hey Buddy, finding anything good?" Leland asked.
Adrian did not look up, but was studying a book called Berkeley in Photos: 1868-1968 – the First Hundred Years.
"Hi, Leland. Depends on your definition of good. But, if you mean am I finding anything, yes I am." Adrian said. "Alllthough…" he continued, "I would say what I'm finding has revised my theory just a bit. And I'm not very happy about it."
Leland grimaced and then leaned forward. "If you're not happy, I'm not happy. What have you got?"
"Well..if I were to talk to you about multiple domestic attacks at various sights of some sort of strategic importance for the purpose of overthrowing the government, what do you think of?" Adrian asked.
"I think of the current situation." Said Leland.
"Yeah. What else." said Adrian.
Leland paused and thought. "Well…I think of the anti-war movement in the 1960s and 70s." he said.
"Exactly." Said Adrian.
Leland looked towards Adrian with a furrowed brow. "You saying that hippies from the 1960s are carrying out these attacks?" he said, dubious of the very words leaving his lips.
Adrian chuckled, "No…no…no… They aren't carrying out the attacks. Half of those guys are pushing 70."
Leland looked relieved. "Then what?"
"They are the Masterminds of them." Adrian replied.
Leland raised his eyebrows.
"Alright…here's what happened. This series of attacks did not start happening until this year for a reason. July 4th 1967, Boston, Massachusetts – fifty years to the day prior to the attack that we witnessed at Boston harbor– a violent student hippy group called the "War and Peace Brigade" planned a bombing of the Army Recruiting Center near Fort Independence. Unfortunately for them, before their Volkswagen Van could arrive at the Center, there was a short in circuitry of the actual bomb and it blew up the van and the students that were inside.
Up until that point, there had been no blood drawn in these protests, though many within their ranks believed that it was time to give an eye for an eye for America's involvement in Vietnam. Overthrowing what they believed was American Imperialism and Racist Ideology against non-whites was a cause worth dying for, however the leadership of the group disagreed and they disbanded.
Because of other crimes they had committed as a part of their protests, most of the group, violent side and less violent side, was being heavily pursued by the FBI and was ultimately forced to go underground. As the war wore on, people began to forget about them and the terrorist mystique surrounding them faded. By 1980, they grew tired of the fugitive life and many of them turned themselves in. However, most did not see any heavy jail time because the methods the FBI used in pursuing them were in themselves unconstitutional and in some cases illegal."
"What became of them?" Leland asked.
"Here's where it gets interesting. They started over. They rejoined society. They joined the government. They became high school teachers, college professors, engineers. To the average person, they became just like us.
Some grew ashamed of their conduct during those years. Regardless of whether they were right or wrong on Vietnam, the way they protested the war, racism and what they saw as unrestrained American Imperialism was wrong. People died unnecessarily, their friends, and that ate at their conscious- the ones who had one. They felt they had gone too far. Those people went and pursued more effective ways to change the public's thinking. They taught students to peacefully protest what they didn't agree with and to get involved in their world and be the change makers.
The others…the ones who did not feel guilt, felt that the movement hadn't gone far enough and they continued to have a bitter taste in their mouths about how their movement ended. They too became educators in the world, government officials, doctors, cops and even military and taught some in the next generation to pursue violence as a means of protest. Their students in turn taught another generation of students to do the same. Rather than teaching others to peacefully work it out or at least try to understand their differences, they were successful at emblazoning this bitter spirit into the minds of some their students and those students have carried forward this plan at this modern day." Monk explained.
"So our modern anarchists are the seeds of this movement?" asked Leland.
"Yes, as well as some of the social emphases we see today – some to the good some to the bad. Some handled peacefully and with the desire to further understanding. Some handled poorly with the desire to harm." Adrian said.
"Makes sense. But, you said I had unique experience regarding this." Leland said.
"Yes, remember your role as the peacekeeper during the Berkeley riots in the 1980s, riots against Nuclear Proliferation…You were right there in the middle of it trying to enforce the law. You arrested people and interviewed people whose voices represent part of the mindset that we see in the NAPLF." Monk said.
"None of those people were murderers." Leland said.
"A few were violent though. Remember the pipe bomb set outside the nuke plant?" Adrian said.
"Yeah. Nobody was injured. Found out it was some college kid trying to make a point. He spent a few months in jail and was let go." Stottlemeyer replied.
"That's where we find our key." Said Adrian.
"Hunting down those kids?" Stottlemeyer asked.
"No, finding out who taught them." Said Adrian. "The first person we need to talk to has a class that ends at one o'clock. Damon Brown."
"Brown…Brown…where have I heard of him." Leland mused.
"Former intelligence chief. One of the richest men in the world. I think he was a civil rights attorney during the time of the Berkeley riots. You may have run into him in court." Said Monk.
"Yes. That's right. Damon Brown. He got the sentence dropped for one of the guys I was trying to prosecute for assault of this bystander who walked by his protest line. How is he involved?" Leland asked.
"He knew Sharon Grier, or at least the person we now know as Sharon Grier. I think she may have been one of this students back in the 80s. I've been looking through these photos to see if I might even spot her in the crowd. Call it a hunch." Monk said.
"You think the late Director of the FBI was an anarchist?" asked Leland.
"I think she was an anarchist only in the sense she was willing to do anything to topple this government and bring about a Communist regime. I believe she is the one who helped them to come up with all of these Libyan arms – particularly so now that they are using more lethal weaponry such as chemical weapons." Monk said.
"And, you think they killed her. Why?" asked Leland.
"She got sloppy. They were in the middle of an operation and she tried to come on to me and revealed part of their hand. They always get sloppy." Said Adrian.
"You're right. Sooner or later, if they aren't killed, someone usually slips." Said Leland.
"And that's when we get them." Said Monk "The President called me this morning and told me about everything that went down yesterday. He was very agitated. Not looking forward to talking to the press at all. He is holding me and Abramson personally responsible to make sure that there are no more deaths." Monk said.
"How are you supposed to do that? These guys are slick." Said Leland.
"By finding their leader, and stopping him." Said Adrian. "Listen, it's 12:45 PM. How would you go like to pay a visit to a certain professor with me?"
Leland looked at his friend and smiled. "I would love it."
