First Crisis:
POV of Gregory Tymes:
Why was I the first problem that the Seaborn administration? I remember clearly, the day my old deputy left he said, "Don't cause them any problems, Greg. And... learn to like people. The whole hate thing doesn't suit you." I only wish now that I'd listened to him.
On another note, why the hell did they start tours of the White House? Who ever decided it was a good idea had better hope I never get my hands on them...
Right... back to January 2016...
DATE: 1/25/2016
A week after the inauguration, White House tours began. It was the second year . Normally I'd stay in the West Wing and never venture into the path of tourists. But I was stuck showing two new interns around, two former campaigners, Petey Garrison and Sean Bower. Petey was the one who annoyed me the most. He was always asking question. Now don't get me wrong, he's a great kid but, I put sole blame on him for what happened and everything that followed... even though no one else does.
We were walking past the Blue Room, the furniture was still missing from when the Christmas tree had been put up and, of course, Petey had inquired about that.
What else could I do but answer him? I was supposed to be showing him around.
"They stick the Christmas tree in there," he told him. "You wait until Christmas. Best time of the year around here."
"Look!" I heard a tour guide shouted and saw her pointing at me. "The Communications Director of the White House."
She was flocked by several adults and atleast ten kids. I knew right away this was going to be trouble when the Secret Service agent behind them gave me a sympathetic look.
"What's a communication director?" a little boy with few teeth and those he did have were plagued by cavities.
"I write speeches," I told him. There was a *lot* more to my job than just that but from the looks of that kid, there was no way he'd ever be able to comprehend it.
A prissy little girl in a frilly dress came up behind him. "You sit around writing all day?"
"Yes."
"They *pay* you for that," a man, few teeth and those he did have full of cavities, obviously the one boy's father, grunted.
I nodded. "Yes."
The man rolled his eyes.
"How much?" a woman in a suit asked. On seeing her and her note pad I *knew* she was trouble.
"Enough," Greg told her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish showing these two here around the White House so I can go back to sitting down and writing."
We kept walking, the quiet Petey having learned from my rudeness to the tourists. "I hate people," I muttered as we walked away.
***
POV of Petunia Goshhook:
I couldn't believe the man, he was horrible. Those two darling children, the future and hope of the supreme reign of the human species. I was sure to click on my recorder to make a reference of his disrespect to them as his day would come.
He was trouble. Pure evil. I knew it the first time I laid eyes on him.
And you'll never believe what he did next!
He openly admitted to his two companions, evil as well, though they were only his minions, that he hated people. Can you believe that? He said "I hate people!"
I was thuroughly shocked that an anti-humanist could be on the White House staff. It was apalling. But I went along, continuing the tour. I learned his name that way: Gregory Tymes. And the people talked about him as if he was normal! The entire White House! Evil!
Once the tour was done, I left that evil place immediatly. I sat in my car a few moments to get my wits about me then drove to The Leader's house. He told us that we much report any actions that disregard the supremity of the human race. That man most certaintly did that and so did those governmental people by treating him as an equal.
Well, I played the tape for The Leader and he too was shocked. He'd always said the US government supported their beliefs in supremity. Now he was finding he was wrong.
That night we had an emergancy meeting. My tape was played for everyone and I was so happy that everyone was eager to lash out at the government for hiring the man. The Leader said it might be an accident and they may have been too ignorant to realize the mans wickedness.
So we sent a letter.
***
POV of Jefferson Moore:
DATE: 1/28/2016
Very little of the mail addressed to the POTUS actually gets seen by him. I saw a lot more of the Seaborn administration letters than the President did. How the letter from Petunia Goshhook ever made it through, unread and uninvestigated, to this day is unknown.
I opened the envelope, breaking the weirdest looking seal ever concieved. A hand with the world in it and a big H in the background. The seal, for some reason scared me. And with three siblings teaching me their Secret Service ways, I don't scare easily.
The letter inside sent a shiver down my spine. I don't remember the entire message, and the letter itself was later... destroyed.
What I do remember were the words "Supreme", "Human race", "Evil", "White House", "Government", "Anti-Humanist", "will take actions", and... the name Gregory Tymes. I'd been warned about letters like this, saying the government was evil and democracy was the way of the devil and such. But... this letter...
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. I sat looking down at the letter for a while, not moving. I was vaguely aware of a buzzing sound but my attention was drawn to the source of my fear.
"Jeff," someone said. But I didn't turn. And it wasn't because of my slight hearing impediment. I couldn't bring myself to turn.
"Jeff! JEFF!"
That last call got my attention and I turned to see White House Chief of Staff, Joshua Lyman standing by my desk.
"The President wants you... What?"
He must have picked up on my fear to aske me what was wrong so I handed him the letter. I watched as he rad it and his face dropped.
"Where's the envelope, Jeff?" he asked me in a dark voice.
I grabbed the envelope and shakily handed it to him. He nodded and said, "Jeff, the President wants you." Then he walked off with the letter and envelope. I wasn't sorry to see them go.
***
POV of President Samuel Seaborn:
Now, when my aide walked in, it was clearly obvious that something was wrong. Ever since I'd met the kid, there hadn't been a time when he didn't carry himself like his siblings. All being in the Secret Service, and him having planned to, he knew all about hiding fear and acting quick. If not for an accident which blinded him in his right eye, he'd have been on my detail along with his sister.
I'd been planning on having him run a speech down for Greg and Lisa to go over but when I saw him, the speech was the last thing I was worried about.
"What's wrong, Jeff?"
He didn't look very certain. Like maybe he shouldn't tell me. What ever it was had spooked him.
"Jeff?"
"Just a letter, Mr. President," Jeff had answered.
I gave him a skeptic look. "What was *in* the letter?"
"I think they're going to kill Greg," he blurted out. "Something about him being Anti-Humanist and evil and so are we because he works he-"
I placed my hands on his shoulders and shook him slightly. "You're rambling," I told him.
Jeff nodded. "Yes, sir." He took a deep breath. "It said that Greg hated people and he was evil and we were evil, too. Because he worked here. That humans are supreme and Greg doesn't believe that and that they'd... take actions if Greg kept working here."
"Where is this letter?" I asked. I'd been in office less than two weeks and already someone was threatening my staff.
"Mr. Lyman has it, sir."
I handed Jeff the speech and had him run it to Greg and Lisa. Once he'd left, I called for Max and had him find Josh for me. If one of my staffers was a risk, I wanted to know.
***
POV of Joshua Lyman
Right away I took the letter to the White House Secret Service detail. Sure, it wasn't a threat to the President directly but it was clearly a threat to Greg and, if he'd read the letter correctly, everyone.
Castor Blackwell was the head of the White House Secret Service during the Seaborn administration. I burst into his office, disregarding his meeting with one of his agents and threw the letter down on his desk in anger.
"How could something like this get through?" I asked, angrily. "Did someone investigate this or not?"
Blackwell read the letter and I saw his eyes widen. "Who sent this?" he asked. "I'll get someone on it."
I handed him an evelope with no return address. "Honestly, Blackwell. You're supposed to find out about these things. This thing scared the shit out of Jeff. Hell, out of me as well."
There was a knocking at the door and we both looked to see Agent Maxwell Bannerman standing there. "Sorry, sirs," he said. "But the President wished to see you, Mr. Lyman."
"Jeff must have told him," I said. "Look," I ordered. "Find out about this. We don't need some humanistic cult after us."
Blackwell nodded and I left, flanked by Max.
We walked up to the Oval Office, still angry that such a letter could go uninvestigated. Wouldn't someone saying a White House member was evil and saying they would take actions against the government warrent some alarm?
The two of us walked past Mrs. Campbell, the secretary, at her desk and entered the Oval Office.
"What's going on, Josh?" Sam asked me.
"I'm not sure," I answered. "An unsigned letter with no return address claiming that Greg Tymes hates people, that he's evil, and that they'll 'take actions' if he stays with the staff. Blackwell is having it checked out."
"Should we be worried?"
"I don't think so," I answered though I *was* worried. "Probably not."
"Probably?" Sam aksed.
"It's probably just some crazy lunatic who thinks he is God or something," I told him. "In a few days the Secret Service will have it figured out."
***
But a few days passed. Then a week. Despite the letter being hand written, they couldn't match it up and there were no finger prints or saliva on the envelope for them to run through the computers. They were drawing dead ends everyway they turned.
A frustrated Blackwell, closed the case on Febuary 5, 2016.
Then, on Febuary 8th, the second letter arrived.
***
POV of Gregory Tymes:
Why was I the first problem that the Seaborn administration? I remember clearly, the day my old deputy left he said, "Don't cause them any problems, Greg. And... learn to like people. The whole hate thing doesn't suit you." I only wish now that I'd listened to him.
On another note, why the hell did they start tours of the White House? Who ever decided it was a good idea had better hope I never get my hands on them...
Right... back to January 2016...
DATE: 1/25/2016
A week after the inauguration, White House tours began. It was the second year . Normally I'd stay in the West Wing and never venture into the path of tourists. But I was stuck showing two new interns around, two former campaigners, Petey Garrison and Sean Bower. Petey was the one who annoyed me the most. He was always asking question. Now don't get me wrong, he's a great kid but, I put sole blame on him for what happened and everything that followed... even though no one else does.
We were walking past the Blue Room, the furniture was still missing from when the Christmas tree had been put up and, of course, Petey had inquired about that.
What else could I do but answer him? I was supposed to be showing him around.
"They stick the Christmas tree in there," he told him. "You wait until Christmas. Best time of the year around here."
"Look!" I heard a tour guide shouted and saw her pointing at me. "The Communications Director of the White House."
She was flocked by several adults and atleast ten kids. I knew right away this was going to be trouble when the Secret Service agent behind them gave me a sympathetic look.
"What's a communication director?" a little boy with few teeth and those he did have were plagued by cavities.
"I write speeches," I told him. There was a *lot* more to my job than just that but from the looks of that kid, there was no way he'd ever be able to comprehend it.
A prissy little girl in a frilly dress came up behind him. "You sit around writing all day?"
"Yes."
"They *pay* you for that," a man, few teeth and those he did have full of cavities, obviously the one boy's father, grunted.
I nodded. "Yes."
The man rolled his eyes.
"How much?" a woman in a suit asked. On seeing her and her note pad I *knew* she was trouble.
"Enough," Greg told her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish showing these two here around the White House so I can go back to sitting down and writing."
We kept walking, the quiet Petey having learned from my rudeness to the tourists. "I hate people," I muttered as we walked away.
***
POV of Petunia Goshhook:
I couldn't believe the man, he was horrible. Those two darling children, the future and hope of the supreme reign of the human species. I was sure to click on my recorder to make a reference of his disrespect to them as his day would come.
He was trouble. Pure evil. I knew it the first time I laid eyes on him.
And you'll never believe what he did next!
He openly admitted to his two companions, evil as well, though they were only his minions, that he hated people. Can you believe that? He said "I hate people!"
I was thuroughly shocked that an anti-humanist could be on the White House staff. It was apalling. But I went along, continuing the tour. I learned his name that way: Gregory Tymes. And the people talked about him as if he was normal! The entire White House! Evil!
Once the tour was done, I left that evil place immediatly. I sat in my car a few moments to get my wits about me then drove to The Leader's house. He told us that we much report any actions that disregard the supremity of the human race. That man most certaintly did that and so did those governmental people by treating him as an equal.
Well, I played the tape for The Leader and he too was shocked. He'd always said the US government supported their beliefs in supremity. Now he was finding he was wrong.
That night we had an emergancy meeting. My tape was played for everyone and I was so happy that everyone was eager to lash out at the government for hiring the man. The Leader said it might be an accident and they may have been too ignorant to realize the mans wickedness.
So we sent a letter.
***
POV of Jefferson Moore:
DATE: 1/28/2016
Very little of the mail addressed to the POTUS actually gets seen by him. I saw a lot more of the Seaborn administration letters than the President did. How the letter from Petunia Goshhook ever made it through, unread and uninvestigated, to this day is unknown.
I opened the envelope, breaking the weirdest looking seal ever concieved. A hand with the world in it and a big H in the background. The seal, for some reason scared me. And with three siblings teaching me their Secret Service ways, I don't scare easily.
The letter inside sent a shiver down my spine. I don't remember the entire message, and the letter itself was later... destroyed.
What I do remember were the words "Supreme", "Human race", "Evil", "White House", "Government", "Anti-Humanist", "will take actions", and... the name Gregory Tymes. I'd been warned about letters like this, saying the government was evil and democracy was the way of the devil and such. But... this letter...
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. I sat looking down at the letter for a while, not moving. I was vaguely aware of a buzzing sound but my attention was drawn to the source of my fear.
"Jeff," someone said. But I didn't turn. And it wasn't because of my slight hearing impediment. I couldn't bring myself to turn.
"Jeff! JEFF!"
That last call got my attention and I turned to see White House Chief of Staff, Joshua Lyman standing by my desk.
"The President wants you... What?"
He must have picked up on my fear to aske me what was wrong so I handed him the letter. I watched as he rad it and his face dropped.
"Where's the envelope, Jeff?" he asked me in a dark voice.
I grabbed the envelope and shakily handed it to him. He nodded and said, "Jeff, the President wants you." Then he walked off with the letter and envelope. I wasn't sorry to see them go.
***
POV of President Samuel Seaborn:
Now, when my aide walked in, it was clearly obvious that something was wrong. Ever since I'd met the kid, there hadn't been a time when he didn't carry himself like his siblings. All being in the Secret Service, and him having planned to, he knew all about hiding fear and acting quick. If not for an accident which blinded him in his right eye, he'd have been on my detail along with his sister.
I'd been planning on having him run a speech down for Greg and Lisa to go over but when I saw him, the speech was the last thing I was worried about.
"What's wrong, Jeff?"
He didn't look very certain. Like maybe he shouldn't tell me. What ever it was had spooked him.
"Jeff?"
"Just a letter, Mr. President," Jeff had answered.
I gave him a skeptic look. "What was *in* the letter?"
"I think they're going to kill Greg," he blurted out. "Something about him being Anti-Humanist and evil and so are we because he works he-"
I placed my hands on his shoulders and shook him slightly. "You're rambling," I told him.
Jeff nodded. "Yes, sir." He took a deep breath. "It said that Greg hated people and he was evil and we were evil, too. Because he worked here. That humans are supreme and Greg doesn't believe that and that they'd... take actions if Greg kept working here."
"Where is this letter?" I asked. I'd been in office less than two weeks and already someone was threatening my staff.
"Mr. Lyman has it, sir."
I handed Jeff the speech and had him run it to Greg and Lisa. Once he'd left, I called for Max and had him find Josh for me. If one of my staffers was a risk, I wanted to know.
***
POV of Joshua Lyman
Right away I took the letter to the White House Secret Service detail. Sure, it wasn't a threat to the President directly but it was clearly a threat to Greg and, if he'd read the letter correctly, everyone.
Castor Blackwell was the head of the White House Secret Service during the Seaborn administration. I burst into his office, disregarding his meeting with one of his agents and threw the letter down on his desk in anger.
"How could something like this get through?" I asked, angrily. "Did someone investigate this or not?"
Blackwell read the letter and I saw his eyes widen. "Who sent this?" he asked. "I'll get someone on it."
I handed him an evelope with no return address. "Honestly, Blackwell. You're supposed to find out about these things. This thing scared the shit out of Jeff. Hell, out of me as well."
There was a knocking at the door and we both looked to see Agent Maxwell Bannerman standing there. "Sorry, sirs," he said. "But the President wished to see you, Mr. Lyman."
"Jeff must have told him," I said. "Look," I ordered. "Find out about this. We don't need some humanistic cult after us."
Blackwell nodded and I left, flanked by Max.
We walked up to the Oval Office, still angry that such a letter could go uninvestigated. Wouldn't someone saying a White House member was evil and saying they would take actions against the government warrent some alarm?
The two of us walked past Mrs. Campbell, the secretary, at her desk and entered the Oval Office.
"What's going on, Josh?" Sam asked me.
"I'm not sure," I answered. "An unsigned letter with no return address claiming that Greg Tymes hates people, that he's evil, and that they'll 'take actions' if he stays with the staff. Blackwell is having it checked out."
"Should we be worried?"
"I don't think so," I answered though I *was* worried. "Probably not."
"Probably?" Sam aksed.
"It's probably just some crazy lunatic who thinks he is God or something," I told him. "In a few days the Secret Service will have it figured out."
***
But a few days passed. Then a week. Despite the letter being hand written, they couldn't match it up and there were no finger prints or saliva on the envelope for them to run through the computers. They were drawing dead ends everyway they turned.
A frustrated Blackwell, closed the case on Febuary 5, 2016.
Then, on Febuary 8th, the second letter arrived.
***