The Memorial Day Murders

Chapter 31 : New problems

Situation Room, The White House

President Reagan entered the soundproof and windowless room, bundled up in a jacket bearing the seal of the President of the United States. As the time slowly reached the 48th mark the vice president is still missing. He looked at the people who stood up to greet him : FBI Director Ryan Carey, DNI Catherine Eckhart and General George Duncan from The Pentagon. He motioned them to sit down as cups of coffee and bottles of mineral water were placed in front of them. But there are more matters for him to attend to besides on keeping tabs with news regarding the findings. The three of them are just one of the few personnel to be called to the White House Situation Room as he should be expecting the new Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, National Security Advisor Kaitlyn Brandon, and the various men and women from the said departments. Since the new SecDef has gone missing following the car crash the deputy will take his place. 

Soon the room is filled with the said personnel and the President nodded. "This is embarrassing, whenever I tried to have a shut-eye I have to deal with emergency briefings. It's bad, not just me, everybody's health and sleep cycle would be suffering from damages." nobody laughed or said anything as the matter they have to deal with is as serious as in trying to find the vice president, who is still missing. "Better make this quick."

"Yes sir." Kaitlyn Brandon responded. "A lone wolf attack happened at our embassy in Afghanistan. The whole building just went down in flames, I saw the footage just now."

"Any word from our embassy personnel?"

"Sir." Secretary of State, Caroline Harris said. "We lost our ambassador, his family perished alongside him." President Reagan slammed a fist against the table in anger. "Most of our embassy personnel are injured."

"Thank God." he said. "Any word on the perpetrators?"

"We have a few witnesses." Tyler Wilson, the new Director of the CIA said. "They agreed on one thing. Caucasian men in his thirties, looking around the place in a suspicious manner."

"Body?" the President asked.

"No body sir, CIA said that he used a suicide vest, homemade." Catherine Eckhart, the DNI, interrupted.

"There's more Catherine." Tyler said. "The CIA found out and raided his home in New Jersey. His laptop contains one hell of a surprise."

"Go on Tyler." he said. "I'm listening."

"Darwin Blake, former Navy SEAL. Bomb expert, on a working visa here in Kabul."

"Working visa?" the President questioned.

"That's not the point Mr. President." the CIA director shook his head. "He has been in regular contact with someone named Desert Eagle."

"A code name." said Jack Peterson, President Reagan's chief of staff and close friend. "Haven't I heard that name before?"

"Probably." Tyler said, nodding. "The Desert Eagle's IP is traced back to the Taliban."

"Which means-"

"The Taliban has been active sir." Tyler said. 

"The kids are their primary target." George Duncan said. "The Taliban caught wind of the death of Sayyid Bin Masir as soon as the Apaches and Chinooks arrived." everybody shares similar glances at the desk. 

"Wait." President Reagan said. "That operation... was Sayyid Bin Masir really killed?"

"Alpha team confirmed it sir." Duncan added. "I and Forest were there when it happened."

"I have received a phone call in the Roosevelt Room." the President said. "The information is contrasting." 

"Was it the vice president?" Ryan Carey asked. He has been silent during the entire conversation and also one of the few people who knows the vice president well. "Highly unusual."

"It wasn't me she called. It's Barack." the President said. "She told him that the body didn't belong to Bin Masir."

"A body double?" the DNI questioned. "Was the intel wrong?"

"If the DNA matched Bin Masir's... that could be someone in the family." Jack said.

"A twin?" Duncan guessed.

"Exactly." Jack said. "A Yakub Bin Masir."

"So... did they killed an innocent civilian?"

"No General Duncan." Jack retorted. "I think not."

"Explain." said the President.

"Yakub is also a radicalized member of the Taliban." the CIA director said. "The brothers are polar opposites of one another. Sayyid is the brains but Yakub is the brawn."

"Why did we never heard of this guy?" the President asked.

"Yakub might be the brawn, but he is an experienced brawn." the DNI said. "Records placed him in the Iraqi Army, joining a faction determined to drive us out from Iraq soil."

"That might be when he and Sayyid were approached by the Taliban's recruitment camp." Tyler said. "Problem is, if The Pentagon is expecting Sayyid, why would Yakub be there in the first place?"

"Maybe Yakub didn't even exist in their files." Ryan said. "According to my sources at The Pentagon not much of Sayyid Bin Masir's family is in the records."

"The problem is," the President said. "Did The Pentagon screwed Elite Alpha up?"

"Seems that way sir. I apologize." Duncan said. "They bungled up the information, sent mine and Forest's team on the run. But Elite Alpha wasn't alone, you also have coalition forces comprised of ROK soldiers and SAS fighter jet pilots."

"And where are they now?"

"I think you know one of them sir : Brian Park Jong Dae." Jack said.

"Why are you mentioning my nephew?" he asked. 

"He's part of the ROK black ops team with Elite Alpha." Duncan said. "Their information didn't just screw up the team, they also screwed the South Koreans and the Brits as well."

"Any word from them?"

"The SAS are very unhappy. As Harold Manchester will tell you sir." Duncan said. 

"Anything else?"

"No sir." the National Security Advisor shook her head.

"Eckhart?" 

"Only follow ups of the story sir." the DNI responded. "The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, as I quote, 'Revenge for one of our fallen soldier that you Americans has killed years ago'."

"Is this war?" the President questioned.

"From where I'm standing, it is one." the DNI said.

"We're not going to play into their hands sir." the FBI director said. "The war is already a damaging one itself."

"Time to talk to the Afghan leadership." President Reagan said. "How should we do this? In-person or over the phone?"

"If we discussed with our major allies in NATO, Great Britain and Germany for example." the DNI suggested. "I have heard rumors of dead veterans there."

"What about the Italians?"

"Not even a whisper yet."

"I guess a talk is necessary." the President stood up. "Place a call as soon as you can Jack." 

"Yes sir."