Others Become Aware (part 8/?)
Mallory had not been asleep for very long when someone starting pounding on her door. She had been up late grading tests and was in no mode for a late night visitor. The only person who came by this late was Richard and he was out with his team mates tonight. She didn't feel like messing with a drunken hockey player tonight. The pounding continued. "I'm coming Richard!".
Mallory went to the door and looked out. She saw two men dressed in dark suites, neither of them Richard. Her heart went to her throat. These were Secret Service. She threw open the door, "What's happened to my Dad?"
"The President requests that you come to the White House".
Mallory recognize one of them. "Trent, what's going on? Has something happened to my Dad, tell me NOW!"
"Miss O'Brian, if you would please get some clothes on, we will take you the White House and the President will speak with you".
Mallory just stares at Trent and tears start to fall. She realizes something is terribly wrong. She relents and goes off to the bedroom to get changed.
A few minutes later she returns. "Lets go".
Across town at a large Tudor style house , in Chevy Chase, a similar scene is occurring. Jenny was sound asleep when Ruth came into her room and woke her up. "Jenny, there are some men from the White House here to see you"
Jenny sat up in bed very quickly. "What do they want?"
"They wouldn't tell me. All they said was they were here to take you to the White House"
"Oh my God, Something must have happened to Leo". "Tell them I'll be right down." Jenny starts rushing around the bedroom getting dressed. After a few minutes she heads down stairs.
Two Secret Service men were waiting for her in the forayer. "Mrs. McGarry, the president wants us to bring you to the White House"
"What's happened to Leo? Please tell me, is he ok?"
"Please Mrs. McGarry, we need to get going"
Both service cars pull up at the White House at the same time carrying Leo's daughter and ex-wife. Mallory rushes to her Mother. "Mom, did they tell you anything? Is Daddy ok?"
"Honey, they haven't told me a thing. I guess Jed will let us know what's going on."
Mrs. McGarry, Miss O'Brian please follow us. The secret service lead them to the Oval Office. Inside, the President is waiting for them on one of the couches. He rises to meet them. Before he can even get a word out.
"Uncle Jed, what's happened to my father" Mallory stood in front of him on the verge of tears. They started flowing freely when she got a good look at her honorary uncle's face.
"Mallory, Jenny . Leo w..as kidnapped a little after midnight. Margaret was with him too. Apparently he was taking her home"
Mallory falls to the couch and starts sobbing. "Daddy."
Jed walks over to Jenny. "Jenny, I know you two are divorced but I thought you would still want to know and be here for Mallory"
"Oh Jed, I still love him and miss him, I wish I would have told him" Jenny starts to cry.
Jed walks over to her and takes her in his arms. "Jenny, we're going to get him back, you'll have your chance. I promise"
After a few minutes, Jenny gathers herself. "Jed, you said he was kidnapped. Have you heard from the kidnappers. Is he Ok?"
Both Mallory and Jenny's eyes are on Jed. He doesn't know how he is going to be able to tell them. Should he tell them about the tapes or should he keep them from them. "Uh, we have heard from the kidnappers. They are an extremist group that wants prisoners released.
"Was Daddy ok, did you get to talk to him?"
The President doesn't know what to do. He stands there with tears in his eyes.
"Jed, what aren't' you telling us?" "Did you talk to him?" Jenny has walked over to Jed and is demanding an answer.
"Jenny, they um they sent a tape"
"I want to see it" Jenny says very firmly.
"Uncle Jed, I do too!"
"I don't think it would be a good idea ladies. It .."
Before he could go on, "I want to see the tape, he's my father, and I have the right to see it!" Mallory has moved with in inches of Jed. "Uncle Jed, please"
"Jed, let us see the tape"
"Jenny, .. its pretty bad."
"Jed, what aren't you telling us"
"Well actually we have um two tapes. There was a traffic camera at the intersection and it shows the kidnapping. Both are not pretty, I'm not sure either of you should see them"
"I demand to see both of them right now!"
Jed nods to Trent who has been in the room the whole time. And he leaves. Jed gets on the phone and calls Abbey. He wants her to come stay with Jenny and Mallory and she should probably see the tape also. Within a few minutes Trent has returned with a videocassette in his hands, Abbey follows him into the office.
"Oh Jenny, Mallory". She rushes over to them and hugs them.
"Jenny, Mallory lets go to Leo's office and watch this" The President leads them through the connecting door.
Trent goes to the VCR and starts the tape. Abbey, Mallory and Jenny are huddled by the TV. Jed stands in the background, not wishing to relive what takes place.
But once again all too familiar events appeared on the scene.
The tape begins. Jenny, Mallory and Abbey stare at it in disbelief as Leo's limo stops at the intersection. A black truck is in front of the limo; another car comes from behind and slams into the limo. The limo driver gets out and is shot down. Leo is pulled from the car and then Margaret is pulled out after him. She struggles against the kidnapper and he grabs her by the hair and hits her in the face. Leo pulls from his attacker and hits him in the face. He's apparently trying to get to Margaret. The kidnapper goes wild with rage and repeatedly hits him in the head with his gun. Leo slams into the side of the car and falls to the ground. Margaret tries to get to him but they throw her into the back of the truck. Then they drag Leo to the truck.
"Daddy!" Mallory cries out as she buries her face into her mother's chest.
Jenny is practically holding Mallory up. Her eyes are full of rage. "Jed, how could this happen? Where was the secret service?"
Before Jed could come up with an answer Abbey grabs a hold of both the ladies and directs them over to the couch. "Jenny, I'm sure we'll find out all the answers to your questions, but right now we need to be strong"
"Jed, you said they was a demands tape from the kidnappers, I'd like to see it now."
"Trent start up the tape again" Jed was bracing himself for the next outburst against Leo's desk.
The second video begins.
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.
The three women sat frozen on the couch and watched the tape. Mallory couldn't control her tears and Jenny was dying inside watching her ex- husband being beaten and wondering if she would ever be able to tell him she was sorry for giving up on them.
Abbey got up and went over to her husband and buried her face into his shoulder. "Jed, his face, his voice, the be..beating, what are we going to do?"
Jed didn't have an answer for his wife. All he could do was hold her tight and wait for the kidnapper's next move or for the secret service to come up with a lead.
Mallory had not been asleep for very long when someone starting pounding on her door. She had been up late grading tests and was in no mode for a late night visitor. The only person who came by this late was Richard and he was out with his team mates tonight. She didn't feel like messing with a drunken hockey player tonight. The pounding continued. "I'm coming Richard!".
Mallory went to the door and looked out. She saw two men dressed in dark suites, neither of them Richard. Her heart went to her throat. These were Secret Service. She threw open the door, "What's happened to my Dad?"
"The President requests that you come to the White House".
Mallory recognize one of them. "Trent, what's going on? Has something happened to my Dad, tell me NOW!"
"Miss O'Brian, if you would please get some clothes on, we will take you the White House and the President will speak with you".
Mallory just stares at Trent and tears start to fall. She realizes something is terribly wrong. She relents and goes off to the bedroom to get changed.
A few minutes later she returns. "Lets go".
Across town at a large Tudor style house , in Chevy Chase, a similar scene is occurring. Jenny was sound asleep when Ruth came into her room and woke her up. "Jenny, there are some men from the White House here to see you"
Jenny sat up in bed very quickly. "What do they want?"
"They wouldn't tell me. All they said was they were here to take you to the White House"
"Oh my God, Something must have happened to Leo". "Tell them I'll be right down." Jenny starts rushing around the bedroom getting dressed. After a few minutes she heads down stairs.
Two Secret Service men were waiting for her in the forayer. "Mrs. McGarry, the president wants us to bring you to the White House"
"What's happened to Leo? Please tell me, is he ok?"
"Please Mrs. McGarry, we need to get going"
Both service cars pull up at the White House at the same time carrying Leo's daughter and ex-wife. Mallory rushes to her Mother. "Mom, did they tell you anything? Is Daddy ok?"
"Honey, they haven't told me a thing. I guess Jed will let us know what's going on."
Mrs. McGarry, Miss O'Brian please follow us. The secret service lead them to the Oval Office. Inside, the President is waiting for them on one of the couches. He rises to meet them. Before he can even get a word out.
"Uncle Jed, what's happened to my father" Mallory stood in front of him on the verge of tears. They started flowing freely when she got a good look at her honorary uncle's face.
"Mallory, Jenny . Leo w..as kidnapped a little after midnight. Margaret was with him too. Apparently he was taking her home"
Mallory falls to the couch and starts sobbing. "Daddy."
Jed walks over to Jenny. "Jenny, I know you two are divorced but I thought you would still want to know and be here for Mallory"
"Oh Jed, I still love him and miss him, I wish I would have told him" Jenny starts to cry.
Jed walks over to her and takes her in his arms. "Jenny, we're going to get him back, you'll have your chance. I promise"
After a few minutes, Jenny gathers herself. "Jed, you said he was kidnapped. Have you heard from the kidnappers. Is he Ok?"
Both Mallory and Jenny's eyes are on Jed. He doesn't know how he is going to be able to tell them. Should he tell them about the tapes or should he keep them from them. "Uh, we have heard from the kidnappers. They are an extremist group that wants prisoners released.
"Was Daddy ok, did you get to talk to him?"
The President doesn't know what to do. He stands there with tears in his eyes.
"Jed, what aren't' you telling us?" "Did you talk to him?" Jenny has walked over to Jed and is demanding an answer.
"Jenny, they um they sent a tape"
"I want to see it" Jenny says very firmly.
"Uncle Jed, I do too!"
"I don't think it would be a good idea ladies. It .."
Before he could go on, "I want to see the tape, he's my father, and I have the right to see it!" Mallory has moved with in inches of Jed. "Uncle Jed, please"
"Jed, let us see the tape"
"Jenny, .. its pretty bad."
"Jed, what aren't you telling us"
"Well actually we have um two tapes. There was a traffic camera at the intersection and it shows the kidnapping. Both are not pretty, I'm not sure either of you should see them"
"I demand to see both of them right now!"
Jed nods to Trent who has been in the room the whole time. And he leaves. Jed gets on the phone and calls Abbey. He wants her to come stay with Jenny and Mallory and she should probably see the tape also. Within a few minutes Trent has returned with a videocassette in his hands, Abbey follows him into the office.
"Oh Jenny, Mallory". She rushes over to them and hugs them.
"Jenny, Mallory lets go to Leo's office and watch this" The President leads them through the connecting door.
Trent goes to the VCR and starts the tape. Abbey, Mallory and Jenny are huddled by the TV. Jed stands in the background, not wishing to relive what takes place.
But once again all too familiar events appeared on the scene.
The tape begins. Jenny, Mallory and Abbey stare at it in disbelief as Leo's limo stops at the intersection. A black truck is in front of the limo; another car comes from behind and slams into the limo. The limo driver gets out and is shot down. Leo is pulled from the car and then Margaret is pulled out after him. She struggles against the kidnapper and he grabs her by the hair and hits her in the face. Leo pulls from his attacker and hits him in the face. He's apparently trying to get to Margaret. The kidnapper goes wild with rage and repeatedly hits him in the head with his gun. Leo slams into the side of the car and falls to the ground. Margaret tries to get to him but they throw her into the back of the truck. Then they drag Leo to the truck.
"Daddy!" Mallory cries out as she buries her face into her mother's chest.
Jenny is practically holding Mallory up. Her eyes are full of rage. "Jed, how could this happen? Where was the secret service?"
Before Jed could come up with an answer Abbey grabs a hold of both the ladies and directs them over to the couch. "Jenny, I'm sure we'll find out all the answers to your questions, but right now we need to be strong"
"Jed, you said they was a demands tape from the kidnappers, I'd like to see it now."
"Trent start up the tape again" Jed was bracing himself for the next outburst against Leo's desk.
The second video begins.
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.
The three women sat frozen on the couch and watched the tape. Mallory couldn't control her tears and Jenny was dying inside watching her ex- husband being beaten and wondering if she would ever be able to tell him she was sorry for giving up on them.
Abbey got up and went over to her husband and buried her face into his shoulder. "Jed, his face, his voice, the be..beating, what are we going to do?"
Jed didn't have an answer for his wife. All he could do was hold her tight and wait for the kidnapper's next move or for the secret service to come up with a lead.