The Demands (part 6/?)
The senior staff is gathered in the Oval Office. They aren't very happy about being pulled back to work after only being gone a couple of hours. The President walks and is greeted with grumbles.
Josh, being Josh says, "Hey, where's Leo, its not fair that he doesn't have to be dragged out of bed too!"
The President looked at Josh with pain and fear in his eyes. Suddenly the whole staff realized that something was very wrong and now they are very scarred that Leo is not in the room with them. "A little over 2 hours ago, Leo and Margaret where kidnapped after leaving work."
Gasps can be heard from all the staff members as the stare in disbelief at their boss. CJ is the first to talk, "Have we heard from them yet?" "Do we know if they are ok?"
"We've had no contact with the kidnappers. There is a traffic stop tape of the kidnapping and a.. Le.. Leo was beaten during the attack while trying to protect Margaret. We don't know how server his injuries are"
"Can we see the tape", Toby asks while looking down at his feet.
"Its bad, but I guess you should see it. CJ, you might want to think about not watching it" the president says.
"NO, I'm the Press Secarty, I need to see it."
"Ok, lets go to the sit room."
Once again Jed is watching the brutal kidnapping of his best friend. It seems to pain him even more this time. When its over, tears are streaming down CJ's face. Toby and Sam are nresously looking at their hands and Josh is livid. "What are we doing about this?"
Ron begins to speak but the sit phone rings. He picks it up and turns quickly to the President. "Sir, we have just received a digital video file via the internet with their demands." Ron tells the person at the other end of the phone to pipe it into the sit room. "Sir, it will be ready in a couple of minutes.
The President walks over to Josh and puts a comforting hand on Josh's shoulder. "Josh, I know how you feel about Leo. Ron is doing everything that can be done,"
"Sir, we have the demands video ready"
"Ok Ron , lets see it" Jed is thinking to himself how much worst can it get. But after the first image that appears on the screen, he realizes how wrong he was. "Oh my g-d, LEO"!
The video shows Leo tired to a chair with two hooded men with assault rifles on each of him. Leo's face is black and blue and distorted from the swelling. Blood is flowing from an open wound above his right eye. His eyes seem lifeless. When he begins to speak his voice is weak.
"Mr. President, we're being held by a White Power Pride group and unless you release their jailed members, that are named in the included email, they will kill Margaret and myself. You have 72 hours to meet their demands."
A voice from off camera begins to speak. "You and your kind are through running our lives. Meet our demands or we will follow through on our threats. And just to show you we are serious.."
Leo yells, "Jed! don't .."
One of the hooded men takes his rifle and slams it down on Leo's wrist that was tired to the arm of the chair, you could hear the sound of bone breaking followed by a scream of pain from down deep inside Leo. And then the other hooded man slammed his rifle into Leo's chest and knocks him over. A women's scream is heard from out of sight and a blur goes by the camera rushing to Leo's side. You can see Margaret kneeling beside Leo . Then the video was over.
Jed just sat there in disbelief. He couldn't think straight. Tears were in his eyes. He was far to quiet for Ron's liking. The whole room was slient.
Josh, with tears streaming down he face, was the first to speak, "So help me G-d, they will pay for this."
The senior staff is gathered in the Oval Office. They aren't very happy about being pulled back to work after only being gone a couple of hours. The President walks and is greeted with grumbles.
Josh, being Josh says, "Hey, where's Leo, its not fair that he doesn't have to be dragged out of bed too!"
The President looked at Josh with pain and fear in his eyes. Suddenly the whole staff realized that something was very wrong and now they are very scarred that Leo is not in the room with them. "A little over 2 hours ago, Leo and Margaret where kidnapped after leaving work."
Gasps can be heard from all the staff members as the stare in disbelief at their boss. CJ is the first to talk, "Have we heard from them yet?" "Do we know if they are ok?"
"We've had no contact with the kidnappers. There is a traffic stop tape of the kidnapping and a.. Le.. Leo was beaten during the attack while trying to protect Margaret. We don't know how server his injuries are"
"Can we see the tape", Toby asks while looking down at his feet.
"Its bad, but I guess you should see it. CJ, you might want to think about not watching it" the president says.
"NO, I'm the Press Secarty, I need to see it."
"Ok, lets go to the sit room."
Once again Jed is watching the brutal kidnapping of his best friend. It seems to pain him even more this time. When its over, tears are streaming down CJ's face. Toby and Sam are nresously looking at their hands and Josh is livid. "What are we doing about this?"
Ron begins to speak but the sit phone rings. He picks it up and turns quickly to the President. "Sir, we have just received a digital video file via the internet with their demands." Ron tells the person at the other end of the phone to pipe it into the sit room. "Sir, it will be ready in a couple of minutes.
The President walks over to Josh and puts a comforting hand on Josh's shoulder. "Josh, I know how you feel about Leo. Ron is doing everything that can be done,"
"Sir, we have the demands video ready"
"Ok Ron , lets see it" Jed is thinking to himself how much worst can it get. But after the first image that appears on the screen, he realizes how wrong he was. "Oh my g-d, LEO"!
The video shows Leo tired to a chair with two hooded men with assault rifles on each of him. Leo's face is black and blue and distorted from the swelling. Blood is flowing from an open wound above his right eye. His eyes seem lifeless. When he begins to speak his voice is weak.
"Mr. President, we're being held by a White Power Pride group and unless you release their jailed members, that are named in the included email, they will kill Margaret and myself. You have 72 hours to meet their demands."
A voice from off camera begins to speak. "You and your kind are through running our lives. Meet our demands or we will follow through on our threats. And just to show you we are serious.."
Leo yells, "Jed! don't .."
One of the hooded men takes his rifle and slams it down on Leo's wrist that was tired to the arm of the chair, you could hear the sound of bone breaking followed by a scream of pain from down deep inside Leo. And then the other hooded man slammed his rifle into Leo's chest and knocks him over. A women's scream is heard from out of sight and a blur goes by the camera rushing to Leo's side. You can see Margaret kneeling beside Leo . Then the video was over.
Jed just sat there in disbelief. He couldn't think straight. Tears were in his eyes. He was far to quiet for Ron's liking. The whole room was slient.
Josh, with tears streaming down he face, was the first to speak, "So help me G-d, they will pay for this."