Chapter 2
An exhausted President finally reentered his hotel suite at 1 am Malaysia time. Worn out from the day long meeting and the state dinner that seemed to go on forever, all Jed wanted was to get undressed and get in the bed. Looking at the clock and calculating time back in Washington, he realized that he could call Abbey and get her in the office. But Jed quickly squashed that idea. He was so tired that all he wanted was the bed. His final stop was Japan and he had to be more rested than he certainly was now.
He quickly fell into a deep, exhausting sleep.
Suddenly, Jed woke with a start as the hotel klaxons were screaming. 'What the hell is going on?' he thought as he grabbed his glasses. He then noticed the smoke swirling through the room.
In an instant, Ron in his hastily thrown on blue jeans and open necked shirt came crashing into the room. "Sir, follow me. There's a fire just below us." Jed grabbed his robe and followed the head of his security team. "Where are the sprinklers, Ron?"
"I don't know. Come on."
Ron headed out into the hall only to be met with thicker black smoke and the agents waiting in the hall coughing even while trying to cover their mouths. Jed started to cough as the acidy of the smoke reach his lungs. His eyes were watering and his vision was getting poorer as the smoke increased. "Ron,…" cough cough . "Ron, can we get out?"
"I'm trying sir. Let's go back into your room and get some wet cloths." Ron grabbed Jed's arm and pulled him back into the suite. Ron ran to the bathroom and soaked some towels and brought them back to the President. "Here, cover your mouth with this. I'm sure we will get out in just a short time."
"How about…," cough cough '"blocking the door frame with these?" cough cough
"Won't work. It's in the ventilation system." cough cough Ron began to feel faint but fought hard. He couldn't leave the President in this much danger. There had to be a way out.
Jed was well aware of the seriousness of the situation. He began to feel his heart race and his breath came in short gasps. 'Hell, this is not the time for a panic attack' he thought. But his body refused to listen to him. When he began to shake, he knew that he was having flashbacks to the fire that almost killed him as a child.
Ron watched the President's eyes glaze over and knew then he was losing his protecee. "Sir! Stay with me." Ron shook the President's shoulder in an attempt to maintain consciousness. "Sir!"
But the smoke had become too much for Jed to handle and he slipped into unconsciousness as the carbon monoxide built up in his blood. Soon, Ron also lost consciousness. The two men slumped on the floor, both unconscious, both having awaited rescue that wasn't coming.
"Jed!"
"Jed! Where are you?"