'Oh my gosh this is amazing', Jill said as she gazed at the great pyramid. 'Can we really go inside?' she asked the guide.
'Yes ma'am, I'd be delighted to show you. Please follow me', he said and, turning he gestured for Jill to walk with him. 'My husband would love to be here', Sam heard her say as he walked close behind his charge. 'He loves history and we always wanted to visit here together but we haven't made it; so far anyway', she explained, her voice joyful but the guide could detect a hint of disappointment there too.
Sam looked all around as they neared the entryway. He was satisfied everything was secure, had looked over every part of the planning himself and, in truth, he was excited to see inside the pyramid. His sister Carrie and he had always been fascinated by ancient Egypt. Before stepping inside he beckoned to Natasha standing at the far side of the entryway. 'All ok on your side?' he asked, speaking into the tiny mic at his wrist.
'All good', she answered, taking up her position at the entrance to the pyramid where she would remain for the duration of the first lady's visit.
They blinked as they emerged from the darkness into the bright sunlight. The tour was over, the first lady listening intently to the guide as he answered another of her questions. Immediately Sam heard a crackle as the connection burst to life. Natasha's voice came through. 'I've a message from the command post for you to check your phone for an important message', she said.
'Take over Capri while I deal with this?' he asked.
'On it', she replied.
Sam stepped away and took out his secure phone, eyes scanning the area but nobody was within earshot. He had a missed call, a message was left. He listened carefully. Swallowed hard and listened again. Typed a reply, heavily coded but it should make sense. He waited for a few moments in case there was an answer but none came through. He put his phone back in his pocket and took a deep breath. Returning to his charge he was on high alert.
'I'm sorry, ma'am, there's an issue. We've reports of a serious lightning storm and it's in our flight path', he said. 'We're going to have to delay our departure, but it does mean you can visit the museum in Cairo', he said, knowing he would be pleased. He'd had it scoped out days ago. He and President Biden had discussed the possibility of a contingency plan, just in case it was needed. When a President says 'just in case', then you know it's important. And so, on the pretense that weather may prohibit a visit to the pyramids he'd already secured the museum. It was going to be a Godsend now, he realized. It would give him time to get in touch with the president, if that was even possible.
'Oh, well, every cloud I guess', she declared. 'I'd love to see the museum'.
He walked her to the car, checked his phone again, still no reply. Trust your judgment. Go to Plan B. Celtic, was all the message had said, but he knew so much more was involved in that, so much hidden beneath the simple text. It kept spinning around and around in his head. Ordinarily he'd tell his team to be extra cautious, but right now he wasn't sure who to trust.
Anthony was by his side. 'Anything I need to know?' he asked.
Sam looked at him. Trust your judgment, the message had said, well, he'd do just that. 'Stay by her side like glue, tell me and only me if you notice anything odd, anything out of the ordinary, but don't make her suspicious. I want to keep her here for a couple of hours before we head to South Africa. I need to check a few things out', he explained succinctly as they walked towards the car.
'I'm on it', came the reply.
Anthony was true to his word. He asked the staff at the museum for all the trimmings. Took the team leader aside and said that the president had asked for his wife to be given extra time to enjoy the museum. It worked like a charm. He couldn't stop them talking even if he wanted to.
