CIA : Its not what you think

Chapter Three

CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia - 7.16 am

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(Main POV)

"And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free"

The unofficial motto of 'The Agency' shone in the gold coated plaque hung under the eagle logo in the Director's office wall at the CIA. The morning sun added a sharp gleam on it making the words bevel out. This glare on the plaque fell on the eyes of Director Philip Vanderwal, who sat inclined near his desk, brow creased in deep thought. He squinted his eyes at the occurrence and it disturbed the flow of thoughts running in his brain. "Dammit.." He muttered in an annoyed tone as he swiveled around in his chair so that the plaque was behind him. 

A Texas man of 52, Director Philip Vanderwal received the honor of being the Chief guardian of the nation's most powerful guard three years ago. After 4 years of service under the Directorate of Operations as the Head, Philip was identified as a worth candidate for the Directorial chair. His predecessor was to be remembered as a legend in the National Security Arena and to carry forward that legacy, the CIA had eyes on Philip. But that alone doesn't secure the position. The final decision is made by the President with approval from the Senate. Yet that process made no difference to CIA's choice. Philip Vanderwal's service was commendable and the President's manner of appreciation ended up with making the agency's Directorial decision a reality. As a counter move of gratefulness, Philip Vanderwal stood in a dedicated manner, guiding the guard in fulfilling its duty flawlessly.

His triennial tenure had been the definition of 'out of the blue'. From all around the world, national security gets targeted every second in friendly and unfriendly manners ,with much respect to the harmful ways. Terrorist, anti-US corporations, third world countries,...name it. The eagle is always under watch, but unfortunately the cage its in is made of ultra hard steel and the padlock requires a series of authentications for entry. Yet the attempts keep coming. Such recent incident was an attack to a nuclear power plant in Arizona, which turned futile just 2 hours before expected action. A foreign violent terrorist group had formulated a mission on the location to disrupt the national energy production. The group's plan had been destroying the cooling machines using air attacks. As flights over nuclear power plants are restricted, the CIA intelligence data confused the security officials as they revealed flight plans over the area. Without further ado, the law enforcement forces were immediately notified as implementing the law was out of CIA's duties. The rest were history and the nation's safety was unharmed.

Although there had been some fiascos tangled with the agency, in areas like drug trafficking, human rights violations and cyber intelligence, the CIA continued to work for the nation with increasing power. "Mistakes are our greatest teachers" was a fact passed on to Philip by his predecessor. By it will he stand along with the agency. That was what he told himself constantly. Yet dishing out an appropriate solution for them was the real enigma. Also figuring out whether it was solely a fault of the agency and identifying its affects. Today was another day.

It has been an early day for Director Philip as he had to rush in to work even before daybreak under the orders of DNI, Director of National Intelligence. Now he sat in his chair looking absolutely lost thinking of his next move. This was a first.  

*ring*

The phone on his table rang sharply for the millionth time, shattering the eerie silence that had kept company. With a jolt, the Director sprang up from his slouched position to answer it.

"Sir, Captain Roger Jonson on the line for you" The operator's voice came through.

"Patch him through" He waited as the call was transferred while he wiped a hot bead of sweat from his brow. The previous calls had been from the DNI and the IRS, with an air of interrogation in the callers' voices. Though he answered back with tough confidence, the human instinct to react to terror had been challenging him the entire time. The present call might be a contrast to the initial ones yet Philip Vanderwal stayed away from guesses.

"Phil, Roger here" came the voice of the Chief Commandeering Officer of the Crime Branch of the DC MPD, Captain Roger Jonson. Instantly, the Director felt a bit light hearing the Captain's comedic voice.

"Roger! 'lo, what's the buzz in there?"

"Plenty. Of course you will get the details as we are on our way to your headquarters"

The Director raised his brow. An MPD conference.

This was a usual when a potential security threat is detected; the law authorities consult with the guardians.  

"Good. Ill have an officer at the entrance for you. Just-" The Director stopped short when he heard a cackle down the line.

"That guy will have to wait for us at the top of the building"

The Director went numb with confusion. "You mean-"

"Yes, at the helipad. We are bringing our little toy, the Black Hawk"

Philip Vanderwal didn't need clarifications. Air travel was fast in theoretical terms but also in case of security, aerial view helped in surveillance. The MPD officials seem to be taking every step possible for deception of the recent events. 

"Okay, Ill send him asap"

"Wait, buddy! We are still not in the air. We are waiting for one guy to come who will be here in a jiffy, Id say!"

"But you said you were on the way, you-"

"Old age symptoms, boy! We'll see yah beard soon!"

With a click, the line went dead. After a moment of thought, Director Philip kept down the receiver. With the Captain's voice playing annoyingly in his head, he gazed absently at the phone before directing his sight on the unofficial motto hung over his door.

...truth shall set you free.

He could tell that the news he was waiting for.....could have him stay up all night for days.

//

This chapter might look like a filler as its short but it was vital. Enjoy!

-s