The Memorial Day Murders

Chapter 34 : Locked on

Geneva, Switzerland

Stepping off Air Force One President Reagan inhaled a chilly but easy breath as he descended the metal staircase. He had come for a private summit between him and the leaders of Germany, Great Britain, and Switzerland. He also requested them to bring along the heads of their intelligence department as well. He came without his aide as both Jack Peterson and Oliver Evans are called in to help keep a lookout when he made this trip. Bruce came along for the occasion as well as their agents. Six figures stood on the tarmac of the empty airfield : Madeline Grey, the UK prime minister with the chief of MI6 Roland Churchill, Lucas Merkel, the German chancellor along with Benjamin Frank, the director of the BND, and last but not least, the Swiss President, Benjamin Schaffhauser and William Von Accola, the director of the Intelligence Service of the Federation. They greeted each other politely but Bruce noticed the expression between the chief of MI6 and the ISF director.

Riding in armored SUVs they departed the airfield and headed to a more clandestine location far from the public : an underground bunker owned by the ancestor of the ISF director. He couldn't help but to notice some hint of likeness between the two, as if they were brothers but in truth both men shared a connection to Isabella. They reached the bunker almost two hours after President Reagan's landing. The three intelligence officers got off from the lead vehicle and Roland Churchill unlocked the main door of the bunker, checking the condition inside like he is looking out for someone. William patted him on the shoulder and told him in a language that doesn't resemble in English. The BND director somehow had a smile on his face as the ISF director wasn't just talking to the MI6 chief. Bruce eyed the men with suspicion until the Swiss president noticed his gaze.

"Have a seat please." the director said. As calm as ever William Von Accola took his seat beside the Swiss President as his aide as well as his cousin Roland, whom is now sitting opposite him. 

"We have received word about the vice president's disappearance." said the British prime minister, her olive green eyes unwavering. "But why are we called here Mr. President?"

"I wouldn't call for a clandestine meeting with you all if I'm only focusing on finding the vice president." he said. "The Taliban is active again, my director of National Intelligence informed me." hearing this the leaders straightened their backs as a similar chill ran down their spines as he has once did hours ago. "A few hours ago, they attacked my embassy in Kabul."

"Why didn't you inform me?" the British prime minister asked, but not at the American president. The question is directed to the chief of MI6.

"Ma'am." he said. "We heard whispers but we cannot be sure about it." but the Swiss were usually calm, as they have no part in the war. But William knows that his niece has been at odds with the terrorist group. Still, he knows that his father currently on a break in his cabin tucked away in the snowy Alps can protect her for the time being. 

"This is bad." the German chancellor said, rubbing his chin with his hand. "And Mr. President," he said. "are you here to consult with us for a plan?"

"I need your opinions on this Lucas." the president replied. "We don't have the luxury to just sit here and talk about war plans."

"True, true." he nodded. President Reagan then flicked his gaze towards one of his oldest and loyal friends, Benedict Schaffhauser. 

"I have information that would be interesting to you Mr. President." he said, sounding in a formal tone. Gesturing at the head of the ISF he slided a tablet towards the president. "It's a security camera footage installed in the park overlooking the CYBERPOL headquarters." taking the tablet the president pressed 'play' on the video footage. The time stamp is nine in the morning, local time. Two black SUVs pulled up to the curb and a woman stepped out, wearing a black baseball cap. She looked up to the camera, seemingly knowing that the camera is there, and lifted the tip before giving a light smile towards the camera. President Reagan nudged Bruce by the elbow and he stuck his head to look at the footage. "Her expression is unreadable." the president said.

"Seemed like an invitation to track her down." said President Reagan, studying her expression. "You can't really miss that gold and black hair right?"

"Hardly." Bruce added. "She's one of the only few to have natural gold and black hair. Out of their range of vision Roland and his cousin William shared a knowing glance. Their niece picked a spot to avoid the camera for the exchange to happen and is well aware of the camera installed at the entrance of the park. "Can we fast forward? There's nothing else."

Annoyed the president pressed on a button and the footage went fast in a blur. He pressed pause when the vice president shows up again. This time urgency replaced her calm expression earlier as she was spinning in midair, more of a pivot, followed by a perfect landing. Bringing an arm close to her eyes a flash of blinding light emitted and a few seconds later she broke into a sprint and dived into the back seat of the first SUV. "The director tracked down the license plate to his... well, his cabin on the Alps.

"Right, we go now." the president said, standing up. "The cabin is our last chance to find the team."

"You did not just left Isa your keys to the cabin right cousin?" Roland said.