Chapter 2
A New Life: Part II
0630 hours local time, 8 June 2003, Officers Mess, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Dressed in his service khakis, Lieutenant Nathan Westbourne sat quietly, sipping his coffee as the morning buzz of the mess deck was in full swing. Sitting across from him was his executive officer, Ensign Brody Lovett. "You think that you're brother-in-law gonna find anything?" the Ensign asked.
"We have our orders Brod, just keep your mouth shut" Nathan said as he stood up, empty tray in hand. He tossed out his trash, and turned around when he heard someone yell his name. He turned and was met with a stiff right jab to the mouth, knocking him back into the trash can. Nathan quickly righted himself, only to be met with another punch to the jaw, this one knocking him to the floor. Blood dripping from his upper lip, he looked up and saw that it was none other than Tony who had hit him. Tony quickly shed his black leather jacket, revealing a tight black t-shirt, as he reached down and grabbed Nathan by the collar of his uniform. Tony lifted him off the ground and slammed him into a concrete pillar.
"You son of a bitch" Tony growled through his teeth. "You lying piece of shit" Tony said as he flung Nathan over one of the tables. Nathan's survival instincts kicked in, and he was quick to his feet. Despite his SEAL Training however, he was no match for Tony. Within seconds, Tony had Nathan pinned to the floor, locked in a chokehold.
"Tony that's enough!" Hollis Mann yelled as she came running over. Tony just ignored her. "Damn it, I said that's enough!" she repeated as Jeanne came into the Officer's Mess as well. When it became clear that Nathan was about to pass out, Jeanne knew she would have to be the one to act.
"Aw hell, gimme this" she said as she grabbed Hollis' Sig Sauer from her holster. Before the Special Agent had a chance to react. Jeanne cocked the hammer and fired off 3 rounds into the ceiling. Tony looked up and saw Jeanne standing there, smoke rising from the barrel. Tony saw the look in her eyes and released the hold, albeit reluctantly. Tony stood up as Nathan gasped for air. "Take a walk" she said as she pushed Tony away. Hollis then went to work.
"Lieutenant Nathan Westbourne, you are under arrest for violations of the following articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice: Article 81: Conspiracy; Article 134: False Swearing; Article 131: Perjury; Article 133: Conducting Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman of the United States Navy, and Article 118: Murder" Hollis said as she placed Nathan in handcuffs, and led him away.
0700 hours local time, 8 June 2003, Obama Family Estate, 41-505 Kalanianaole Highway, Waimanalo Beach, Oahu, Hawaii.
Meg was out for her morning swim when she heard her cellphone ring back on the beach. Meg quickly made his way back onto the beach. She threw a towel over her head as she picked it up. "Martin" she answered.
"Hey" said a very familiar voice.
"Hey yourself" Meg replied as she sat down in the warm sand. "You ok, you sound a little off" she questioned. When he didn't say anything, she spoke again. "Tony, you there?"
"Yeah" Tony said. "We had a break in the Warren Case" he said.
"That's great" Meg smiled.
"No it ain't" Tony said. "Me and Hollis just arrested Nathan for murder"
"Nathan?" she paused. "Nathan Westbourne? Kate's younger brother?" Meg asked.
"Yeah"
"Fuck" Meg let out slowly. "You gonna be ok?" she asked. Ever since Tony had started at NCIS, he hadn't had much of social life. With Rex working ridiculous hours, Three overseas, Liat in Israel, Molly with her mother in North Carolina and EJ in New York, he was very alone. He and Meg had been good friends for a number of years, but ever more so in the past month. Tony hadn't really found a place to stay yet. His father had a house in Virginia, but Tony really wasn't up living with his father like he was back in high school. On the occasion when he would babysit his grandson, Tony would crash there on Rex's couch. But on most nights, he would end up crashing on Meg's. Meg didn't mind much, she could use the company. And despite no longer being in the Army, Tony's security clearance hadn't changed, meaning she was able to vent to him about the problems she was facing. "How good is your case?" she asked.
"I got 'em dead to rights on everything but the 118. All the evidence for that is circumstantial"
"Sometimes a circumstantial case is better than a hard one" Meg said.
"That doesn't make any sense" Tony told her.
"Yeah I know. It's just something they taught us in law school" she chuckled.
"How's the President's speech coming along?" Tony asked. "Ricky blown his brains out yet?"
"The speech is coming along" Meg said. "I hope you can make it to the event" she said.
"If I'm still in town, I'll see what I can do" Tony said.
"Be careful, Tony" Meg cautioned him.
"Will do" Tony said before the connection broke. Meg tossed the cellphone away and collapsed on her back in the warm sand. She laid there for a few minutes until she caught a glimpse of someone walking over in the corner of her eye.
"Go away" Meg moaned as she covered her face with the towel.
"Afraid I can't do that" said a familiar voice. Meg pulled the towel off her face and saw General Clark standing over her.
"General Clark, Sir" Meg said as she stood up, more out of practiced reflex than anything else. Despite having resigned her Naval Commission over 7 years earlier, she still retained much of her training.
"Take it easy Meg" he said. Meg threw the towel over her shoulders, using it to dry her hair. "Walk with me?" the General asked.
"Of course, Sir" she said. On September 11th, 2001, Wesley Kane Clark was promoted to General of the Army by President McCain, something that was later formally confirmed by the United States Senate. In doing so, Wesley became the 1st 5-star officer in the United States Military since the death of Omar Bradley in 1981. However, in accepting the promotion, Wes also committed the remainder of his natural life to the United States Army, as 5-star officers are not permitted to retire. Much like the act that promoted him, it would take a similar act of congress to allow him to retire. There were times when Meg and others wondered in Wes had known what he'd gotten himself into. Other times, those very same people were extremely glad that it was Wes who'd gotten the chance to make history; the chance to influence American Military and Foreign Policy for the next 100 years. Not since the days of George Marshall did a General have this great a chance to direct the course of a nation.
"Meg, I need your help" Wes told him.
"What can I do for you?" she inquired.
"I need you to find me someone with a certain set of skills"
"For what task?"
"Regime Change" Wes said.
"I know of several people" Meg said. "I assume you're keeping this from the president?"
"He needs deniability" Wes said.
"You're Nephew would fit the bill quite nicely" Meg said. "I believe this would fall under his area of expertise"
"Tony isn't in the military anymore"
"No, but he's still a Federal Agent, and would gladly carry out the task at hand"
"Tony is heading up a very high-profile investigation. If he suddenly takes off without warning, it'll raise a lot of red flags" he said.
"General, you have the CIA and The Unit at your disposal, why come to me? Because I used to work for Sonny?"
"Who you kidding, Meg" Wes grinned. "You worked for Sonny from the day that you left the Navy, and you ain't never stopped. You may not be Consigliore anymore, but you must think that I'm dumber than a pet rock" he grinned as Meg stopped walking.
"Who is it that you want taken care of?" Meg asked. "As it so happens, I might know some people who can arrange such things"
"My opposite number up north" Wes said.
"Albert Clarke?" Meg asked, to which Wes nodded. "Quite the coincidence, don't you think?"
"Who did you have in mind?" Wes asked.
"Tony" Meg said. "I'd have him wait until he wraps up his business here in Hawaii, but he is the one I know of that has experience in assassinating a Head of State" she said.
"I'm not going to ask" Wes said.
"Once he's done, I'll meet with him, and give him all the details" she said. "You want it to look like an accident?"
"No" Wes said. "Blow his fucking head off"
"Yes Sir" Meg nodded.
0730 hours local time, 8 June 2003, Base Brig, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Nathan was isolated in the interrogation room as Tony looked in from the adjoining observation room. "Where are the rest of his men?" Tony asked.
"Base MPs have them isolated and under guard" Hollis said.
"Ok" Tony said. "Jeanne, do you have any doubts about your findings?" he asked.
"No" Jeanne replied. "There ain't in doubt in my mind, that boy was murdered" she replied in her thick Louisiana drawl.
"Ok then, let's do this" Tony said as he and Hollis moved into the hall and then into interrogation. They took their seats on the opposite side of the table from Nathan.
"If you want, you're entitled to speak with an attorney"
"Why am I under arrest?" Nathan asked.
"I'll take that as a no" Tony said.
"Why am I under arrest?" Nathan repeated.
"Well, for starters, you lied to Special Agent DiNozzo and Lieutenant Singer. You signed an affidavit knowing it contained false statements, which equates to both making false statements and perjury. And because of that, there's also conduct unbecoming. AND, b/c you convinced your team members to continue that lie, making it conspiracy" Hollis told him.
"Oh come on, like you never lied when you were with Delta?" Nathan looked over at Tony.
"We ain't talking about me" Tony told him. "And Lt. Douglas Warren was murdered. Me and Hollis know the who, the when, the where, and the how. Now we want to know the why" he said.
"He wasn't murdered" Nathan said. It was an accident during a 30-30 insertion" Nathan maintained the company line.
"Lt. Warren hit terminal velocity before splashing down. That is impossible to hit doing a 30-30" Tony told him. "But, is very likely, especially if he jumped from 35,000 and never deployed his chute"
"Are you implying that Doug committed suicide?" Nathan asked.
"His chute never deployed because it's kinda hard for a guy who's unconscious to pull the ripcord" Tony said. "The O-ring on mask was cut. I'm guessing that at 35,000 you fell for about 2 minutes before deploying. That means his brain was cut off from oxygen for at least 2 minutes. When you factor in the height he jumped from, he would have been unconscious within no more than 90 seconds after stepping off" Tony said. "Tell me I'm wrong" he dared his brother-in-law. Nathan nodded.
"About a minute after we jumped, Doug broke the pattern. I kept yelling for him, but he was silent. I told him to pull, but he just kept going" Nathan confirmed.
"Why'd you it?" Tony asked.
"I lied for the same reasons you did. To protect the team" he said.
"That much was obvious from the beginning" Tony said. "I mean why did you kill Lieutenant Warren"
"I didn't" Nathan replied.
"You did" Tony slammed his fist on the table. "You cut his O-ring. You issued the mask, and I want to know why" he demanded.
"The Mask was issued by General Banke" Nathan said.
"Who is General Banke?" Hollis asked.
"Brigadier General Alexander Banke, United States Air Force. Commander, Joint Special Operations Command Southwest" Tony said. "He's a former Air Force Pararescuemen" he said.
"Due to budget cuts, we don't carry any spare equipment. The mask was requisitioned and issued by General Banke" Nathan said.
"DiNozzo, outside" Hollis motioned. Tony and Hollis stepped into the hall. "Do you know this General Banke?" she asked.
"Our paths crossed a few times" he replied. "But if you want to take on an Air Force One Star, you're gonna need some help" he said.
"You have someone in mind?" she asked.
"I'll make a call"
1900 hours local time, 8 June 2003, Hangar 45-A, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Knowing he had no other choice if her wanted to clear his name, Nathan had his team assemble as requested by Special Agents DiNozzo and Mann. A door to the hangar opened, and Jeanne stepped in, now dressed in her Class-A uniform. "Ten-Hut!" she yelled. The SEAL Team snapped to attention as another figure stepped through the door, also in a class-A uniform; only this one was much different. The SEALs' jaws dropped when they saw who stepped through the door. The man walked over and looked them up and down.
"My name is General of the Army Wesley Kane Clark" he spoke loudly, and clearly. He placed his hands behind his back as he paced back and forth in front of them. "I am the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff" he continued. "And before I leave this hangar, I will know the why, and how of Lieutenant Douglas Warren's death" he told them. "Or Special Agent DiNozzo here, is gonna have your ass" he paused. "And I'm gonna have your soul" he grinned.
"General Banke gave me a direct order, Sir" Nathan said.
"To submit a false after action report?" the General asked.
"Yes Sir"
"And you did it?"
"It was a direct order, Sir"
"Was it lawful?" Clark yelled.
"Sir, I have to assume that any order given during a Black Operation is lawful, or I wouldn't obey half of them"
"We both know this wasn't training exercise. It was a Black Op" Tony spoke up. Nathan remained silent.
"Yes Sir" another man, the Team's Chief Petty Officer, stepped forward.
"As you were Chief!" Nathan yelled at him.
"Sorry Boss, cant let you twist in the wind alone" the Chief relied. "I've been doing this longer than the Lieutenant, Sir. I should have known better"
"Yes you should have, Chief" Clark scolded him.
"Damn it, Chief. I said as you were!" Nathan yelled.
"Aye Sir" the Chief stepped back.
"Your adherence to your code of silence is admirable, Lieutenant" the General told Nathan. "But the horse is out of the barn, might as well tell me the rest" he advised the young Lieutenant.
"An oath is an oath, General. I don't take them lightly" Nathan replied.
"Many honorable men have perished on that sword, son" Wes cautioned him.
"So be it, Sir" Nathan stood firm.
"It was a drug interdiction mission, Sir" said Ensign Lovett as he stepped forward.
"As you were, Ensign!" Nathan yelled. Lovett stepped back and another man, a Petty Officer, stepped forward.
"Into Kiribati, Sir" the man said before stepping back.
"Are you all fucking deaf?!" Nathan yelled.
"What was Lieutenant Warren's role in the mission?" Tony asked. Nathan stood silently for a few moments under the death glare of General Clark before answering.
"He was to fly out a plane that intelligence said would be there" Nathan finally gave up. "I guess the idea was to show the drug runners that their planes aren't safe, even in their own backyard"
"They're backyard?" Hollis spoke up.
"After Escobar's death in '92, Columbia wasn't as safe as it used to be for the cocaine lords. They began using smaller island nations as their bases of operation" Tony said. "Kiribati is made up of 21 Coral islands, many of them uninhabited, making it perfect for smuggling. And the main island offers transport to Hawaii. It's just over 3 hours flight time to the islands. Once they one US territory, getting it to the mainland is easy" Tony said. "Why didn't you just get a pilot that was HALO qualified?" he asked.
"General Banke changed the method of insertion from a 30-30 to a HALO, 2 hours before launch" Nathan said. "Sir, it's no excuse, but Lieutenant Warren reasoned that if he could eject from 35,000, why couldn't he jump? I agreed. I thought his only problem might be landing in water with all the gear we carry, so we each took some of his load. He only jumped with his suit, chute and O2 bottle" Nathan said.
"Why would General Banke intentionally sabotage his own mission?" Hollis asked.
"Nathan, are any of your men qualified pilots?" Tony asked.
"No" Nathan said.
"Then without Lieutenant Warren, the SEALs wouldn't be able to get the plane home" Tony figured. "For whatever reason, General Banke didn't want that plane back on US soil" he added.
"Lieutenant, keep your men here until I return. DiNozzo, with me. We're gonna pay a visit to General Banke" ordered General Clark.
1935 hours local time, 8 June 2003, Joint Special Operations Command Southwest Headquarters, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor Hawaii.
"Ten-hut" someone yelled as General Clark and Tony entered the Operations Center. The General walked over to a Captain, who seemed to be the senior man in the room.
"Inform General Banke that General Clark would like to see him" the General barked at the young captain.
"I'm sorry, Sir, but the General isn't here" the Captain replied.
"Well where is he?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not at liberty to say"
"You're at liberty?"
"Will all due respect, Sir, if I were to tell you, I would be in direct contradiction with a direct order from a superior officer"
"What do you think these are?" Clark growled as he pointed to the 5 stars on each of his shoulders. "Son, before this is over, I'll have your bars" he told him. With that, the General stormed out, Tony following tight behind. Hollis and Jeanne were outside waiting for them.
"There's a mission on" Tony said.
"How can you tell?" Hollis asked.
"You can smell the adrenaline" answered the General. "DiNozzo!" he barked.
"Yes, General"
"I have little doubt that right now, General Banke is on his way to Kiribati. Do you concur?"
"Yes Sir"
"Good. I want you to find out why General Banke didn't want Lieutenant Warren flying that plane out of Kiribati" Clark ordered.
"Yes Sir, how sir?" he asked.
"HALO jump with the SEALs, fetch it on back" he said.
"Yes Sir" Tony grinned.
0900 hours local time, 9 June 2003, Ar-Rutbah, Iraq.
It was early the next morning when Three arrived at the forward most US positions in Western Iraq, outside of the village of Ar-Rutbah. The men of Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment were the spearhead of Operation Desert Comet. Despite still being over 150 miles from Ramadi, the men under the command of 1st Lieutenant Tilden Hagan would be leading way once the orders were given.
"Thanks for the lift" Three said to the driver as he grabbed his rifle and jumped out. He had left his personal gear back in Kuwait; he didn't want to waste anytime carrying it when the orders came in. Three removed his helmet and strapped it to his web gear, slipping on his patrol cap instead. "Son, where can I find the CO?" he asked a Private who wear cleaning his rifle. The Private pointed over to a small camo-netted CP. "Thanks" Three said as he slung his rifle over his shoulder.
"Lieutenant, I want patrols and the sentries doubled" said 1st Lieutenant Hagan to one of his Platoon leaders.
"But sir, what about snipers?" the 2nd Lieutenant asked.
"Chance we'll have to take" Tilden replied. "We are the Vanguard of this Army, and it's our job to know what's out there" he added. "Dismissed". The younger Lieutenant saluted and ran off as Three stepped into the CP, removing his patrol cap and aviators as he did.
"Staff Sergeant Anthony DiNozzo, reporting in" Three said as he saluted.
"I was told to expect someone" Tilden said as he returned the salute. Three reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his orders. "So what happened? Draw the short straw?" he smiled as he unfolded the orders and read them over.
"I was "volunteered"" Three explained.
"Funny how that works out" Hagan grinned. "Your orders are open ended" he observed.
"Yes Sir. Colonel Colleton wants to be able to recall me should the situation arise" Three said.
"How's your old man?"
"I wouldn't know" Three replied as he took a seat on some sandbags, leaning his rifle next to him. "He works for NCIS now"
"He's out!?" Tilden was shocked.
"A month now"
"They kicked him out?"
"He was asked not to come back"
"Ahh" Hagan nodded. "Back where I come from, we call that getting canned"
"I think everyone calls that getting canned" Three grinned.
"It's a damn shame" Tilden said. "The Lieutenant Colonel was one hell of a soldier"
"He sure was" Three nodded.
"Answer me something"
"Sure" Three shrugged.
"Is it true that you're Harry Truman's Great-Great Grandson?" he asked.
"No" Three shook his head. "I hadn't thought that old rumor would've gone far" he added.
"You're your father's son" Tilden pointed out.
"Don't I know it" Three said calmly as he lit up a cigarette. He held the pack out to the LT, but he waived him off. "You ever wonder how we're all gonna be remembered? How this'll all play out?" he asked as he blew out a puff of smoke while he tucked the pack of cigarettes back into his breast pocket.
"I try not to think about stuff like that" Tilden spoke candidly. "Keep your head in the game, Staff Sergeant"
"Yes Sir" Three said.
"Any idea on when this show kicks off?"
"Just the same scuttlebutt everybody else has heard. Sometime in late June"
0015 hours local time, 9 June 2003, 35,000 feet AGL over the Pacific Ocean.
"Ya know, the Congresswoman is still gonna try and blame this on the SEALs" Tony yelled to the General as he checked his chute.
"Aw hell, like your daddy is so kind of saying, fuck 'em" the General grinned as his uniform jacket hung open, revealing a shoulder holster. "I just wish I was going with ya" he added.
"Will all due respect General, aren't you just, a little too old for this shit" Tony grinned.
"I can take you anytime, anywhere, DiNozzo" Clark jabbed his finger into Tony's chest.
"2 minutes!" Nathan yelled. Tony quickly strapped on his gear as the ramp lowered.
"Good luck!" the General yelled as the ramp lowered and Nathan began a countdown from 10.
"5…4…3…2…1...Go go go!" Nathan yelled as they all stepped out into the night.
0045 hours local time, 9 June 2003, Tabuaeran Island, Kiribati.
Once on the ground, Tony quickly shed his chute and unslung his rifle. Once he regrouped with the SEALs, they cautiously proceeded towards the airstrip. "The Island is supposed to be uninhabited, so anybody we run into is liable to be hostile" Tony said as he flicked the safety off his M-4.
"Good to know" Nathan nodded. When they reached the airstrip, they found it mostly deserted. "The cocaine plane must be gone" Nathan said as he handed Tony his night vision scope. "The only thing left is that old C-47"
"Unless that's it Tony said. "In the late '80s, I did some wet work for the CIA, running guns into Afghanistan. The Soviets were looking for anything fancy, so I used a fleet of old C-47s, slipped right past em" Tony said.
"That doesn't make sense, the Cartels fly those big Russian Antonovs, not some World War II hunk of junk" Nathan whispered.
"Either way, that's our ticket home" Tony informed him.
"Even if those engines do fire up, they'll be so loud they'll wake the dead" Nathan said.
"Then I'll wait until you set off your fireworks. If we're lucky, that'll cover the sound of the engines. If not, oh well, they'll be dead anyway" Tony shrugged.
"Ensign, accompany the Special Agent"
"Aye Sir" Brody nodded.
As Nathan and his men set the explosives, Tony and Ensign Lovett moved on the plane. Tony pulled down the ramp and quickly moved inside. What they found, shocked them. "What the hell is this, Sir?" asked the Ensign.
"It looks like an AWACS setup" Tony said as he shined his flashlight. "These assholes must use it to slip past our Navy and Coast Guard intercepts. Makes sense, with everyone thinking the cartels have the money for the biggest and the best, who'd suspect a piece of shit like this" he added as he looked over the gear. "Hey, look at this" Tony shinned the light. "This equipment is US Air Force issue, straight from Hickam" he read. "That's why Banke didn't want this flown out of here, he sold the rig to the cartels" he said. "Ok, come on" he said as he moved into the cockpit.
About a minute later, Nathan blew the charges, and Tony fired up the engines. "Come on, come on" Tony yelled as the fought with the engines. "Let's go, let's go!" Tony yelled. The SEALs quickly climbed aboard as the plane began taking fire.
"Let's go!" Nathan yelled as he joined Tony in the cockpit. Tony got the plane moving as 2 trucks came up behind them. The trucks chased the plane as it taxied down the runway. "We're running out of runway!" he yelled.
"Then we better fly!" Tony yelled as he pulled back on the wheel. The plane slowly lifted off and buzzed the trees as it soared. "Yahoo!" Tony yelled as they soared into the night sky.
0430 hours local time, 9 June 2003, Ford Island, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
When Tony touched the plane down on Ford Island, he found Dr. Benoit, Hollis and General Clark waiting for him. After killing the engine, he made sure that Hollis got everything she would need to make a case against General Banke. "Well I'll be damned" said General Clark as he looked over AWACS setup inside the plane.
"Who knows how many thousands of pounds of coke and junk the Cartels have flown in with this thing" Tony said.
"Well, the General will get his day in court, that's for sure" Hollis said.
"DiNozzo, walk with me" said the General as he stepped back onto the tarmac. Once they were out of earshot, the General spoke briefly. "I need something taken care of"
"Who?" Tony asked, seeing right through the thinly veiled double-talk.
"Alberte Clarke" Wes told his nephew. "He's become a problem we can no longer afford"
"If Clarke goes down, the Canadian Government would be in turmoil. The Quebecois would likely move use the situation to its advantage, and move into the Eastern Territories"
"Imagine that" Wes grinned.
"I don't like do the dirty work of other countries" Tony said as he lit up a cigar. "Not unless there is something in it for me"
"The Quebecois have no idea what we are planning" Wes said.
"So what brings this up then?" Tony asked. "I proposed taking out Clarke out 2 years ago; President Bush shot me down. So di McCain and so did Obama"
"This ain't coming from the President" Wes said. "This is coming from me"
"Any particular reason?" Tony asked.
"The CNP Government is teetering on the brink of collapse. With Clarke out of the way, it could full on collapse. Hopefully leading to a more sensible government"
"Regime Change"
"Exactly" Wes concurred.
"Eh, what the hell" Tony shrugged.
"You want back up?"
"No, I got someone" Tony said.
"Who?"
"I don't think it wise to answer that" Tony told him.
"Fine" Wes nodded. "Just get it done"
"Right" Tony nodded. As the General walked away, Hollis walked over.
"What was all that about?" she asked.
"Nothing" Tony shook his head. "Don't worry about it" he added.
"We got everything we need to nail Banke. You wanna make the bust?"
"Nah, it's all yours Holl" Tony said. "I gotta go away for a few days" he said.
"Should I get the shovel?" she grinned.
"Drop it" Tony growled.
"Whatever it is you're doing, and believe me I do not want to know, just don't get caught" she cautioned him as he walked away.
1715 hours local time, 9 June 2003, Obama Family Estate, 41-505 Kalanianaole Highway, Waimanalo Beach, Oahu, Hawaii.
The President's speech had gone off without a hitch. Sure, there had been an issue with the crowd signs, which had read "Obama for President". Meg hadn't given it a 2nd thought until Will McAvoy, the Communications Director, had decided to cross out the word "for" and wrote "is the" on each sign with a sharpie marker. The President had been introduced by his daughter, who despite only being 15, was quite the public speaker. The President had tried to keep the speech as brief as he could, and had avoided questions about the pending subpoenas from the Special Prosecutor. The crowd had been huge and they were getting non-stop coverage on all the major networks.
When she returned back to the Obama Estate, she found a familiar face waiting for her. "You missed a great event" she said as she walked over.
"I had other affairs to attend to" Tony said as he pushed himself away from the car he had been leaning on. "I actually gotta get going. I just stopped in to say goodbye"
"Doing Wes' dirty work again?" she grinned.
"I honestly don't what you're talking about" he said, keeping a stone face.
"Wow, even when you know I already know about it, you still try and protect my deniability" she said as she crossed her arms.
"Still don't know what you're talking about" Tony continued to tow the party line.
"Well, whatever you're doing, wherever you're going" she paused. "Be safe" she said. Tony gave her a warm hug and his trademark grin, his aviators hiding his eyes. He let her go and gave her a smile as he walked away back towards the Humvee he had liberated from Pearl. As he walked over, he flipped out his phone and quickly dialed.
"Yes" a voice answered.
"It's me, meet me in Yellowknife, day after next" Tony ordered.
0520 hours local time, 10 June 2003, Liat DiNozzo's Apartment, Haifa, Israel.
"Yes Sir" Austin said as he snapped his cellphone shut. Next to him, he heard a small moan. He glanced over a Liat snuggled up next to him.
"Who was that ahuvi?" she asked.
"Field Marshall Ben-Gidon" he lied. "I need to go" he said as he sat up.
PLEASE REVIEW
(Three's Voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Blood & Iron"-
In a whirlwind chapter, Tony makes his way from Yellowknife, to Port Charles, to New York, to Washington. In the Middle East, Chester, Tali & Zander work to locate a Chemical Weapons Lab. Meanwhile, Three reunites with his Uncle Dante. Finally, Operation Desert Comet kicks off.
A/N- Sorry this took so long, I was suffering from some serious writers block.