It was like the air was sucked from the room. Every single person in that space gasped simultaneously.
Joe swallowed hard. He could see her in his mind's eye. He pictured her lying on the bed on AF1 as they flew through the sky just a few days ago. He saw her face blossom into pure perfection as he brought her to ecstasy. He heard her voice in his ears. Heard her laughter as he ran from their bed. Could feel the sensation of her hand slipping into his. Feel the soft brush of her skin against his fingers. His heart skipped as he remembered the way she had looked at him as they descended the steps.
They shared an intimacy totally unique on this earth. Theirs was a love that could never be explained with words, never articulated adequately to any other person. Their love was their anchor. It informed everything, directed every decision. It was truly unspoken. It was unspeakable. No poet in the world could fully capture what they meant to each other.
What she meant to him.
He closed his eyes for a moment to steady himself. To gather his emotions. He imagined he felt her hand on his back, giving him comfort, her own wordless way of telling him she was there for him. Ready to fight for him. For them.
It was his turn now.
Time to step up.
He was in the fight of his life; the fight for her life.
Literally.
He opened his eyes and took in the room.
He would fight for her with everything he had. Every weapon in the arsenal.
He had prepared for this. The long days and nights of strategizing, gaming out every scenario were about to be tested. Thank God he had insisted they had a plan ready.
He could feel the tension ratchet up a notch in the room.
Strangely Joe felt a calmness come over him now.
He knew what he had to do.
Knowing Putin was playing games with him actually made him feel like he was on surer ground.
'They're advancing quite quickly sir', the analyst's voice broke through the strained atmosphere of the room. 'Can you tell if they're aiming for the school?' Joe asked. 'It's a strong possibility sir'. Joe clenched his jaw tightly. 'Put up a drone over them, do it as discreetly as you possibly can. Someone get me the Pentagon. I want the Secretary of Defense', he ordered. There was movement on his right. 'The Secretary is on the line sir', a voice said. Joe spoke, his voice steady, his words clipped. 'Lloyd, begin to put Operation Willow Grove into effect. That's an order.'
Pairs of eyes locked all around the room. The air could be cut with a knife. 'They are still advancing sir and aiming straight for the school I'd wager', the analyst's voice filled Joe's hearing. Lloyd's voice came back through the speaker. 'Yes sir. Operation Willow Grove is now in effect Mr President.' A series of clicks were heard on the line before the Secretary's voice came clearly through. 'This is the Secretary of Defense with direct instructions for the Commander of the Fleet.' 'Mr Secretary sir, this is the Commander of the Fleet', came the reply. 'Admiral, you are ordered to scramble a sortie to fly over Sochi immediately,' in the room the sound of the Admiral's breathing came clearly over the speaker. There was a slight pause. 'Mr Secretary they will be in the air in moments sir. I'll confirm when they are airborne.'
The analyst addressed Joe, 'the drone is up sir and approaching the troops, you'll see the visual on the screen here as soon as it's live sir'. A chair was brought across but Joe waved it away. 'Where are our special ops?' Joe queried. 'They're approaching fast sir, they should be able to see each other in about 10 minutes'. 'Ok, make sure they don't engage without my say so' Joe said. 'What is the status of the First Lady?', he asked. 'She is still in the school sir'. Joe nodded. A screen flashed into life in his peripheral vision. It was tuned to CNN, Jill was sitting at a table, surrounded by a group of mothers, their children all playing together nearby, the haunted looks clearly visible on their faces.
