Russian Roulette

Chapter 6 : Growing tensions

The White House

Sitting back in my personal bedroom up in the Executive Residence I nursed Vicky while tuning into the latest news through my tablet device. I knew that it would be a long while to see Vicky again so I asked grandmother to take Vicky here and give her time to rest. After nursing Vicky I held her in my arms and hummed a lullaby to put her to sleep. I often wondered, did mom ever raise me in this way? She tends to shower me with more love and care than my father did. I know dad loves me but he knows it's too late to reverse the damage he's done to our relationship.

I can only hope that Bruce won't be like him as Vicky grows up. My phone on the nightstand buzzed, prompting me to press the pause button on the news footage playing on my tablet. "Jun-myeon?" I asked upon answering the call.

"Hi Isa." my younger cousin greeted. "Can I come over with Baek and Chan?"

"I guess so... but I'm at the White House."

"I think he wouldn't mind, right?"

"I'll go ask him."

An hour later

Nightfall came as I waited for the boys to arrive as the journey from California to Washington DC can take a long time. They soon arrived, looking very exhausted from work and training alike. Both Jun-myeon and Baek-hyun wore T-shirts emblazoned with the unit of their Navy SEAL team. Chan, however, is dressed in a more casual manner similar to mine. "You guys looked exhausted." I said. 

"The SEAL training did the job." Baek replied. 

"You still have a long way to go." I said. "I have a friend who is a Navy SEAL." Seeing the exhaustion on their faces I moved aside and let them in. We passed several rooms and halls to reach the dining room, all under the watchful eyes of Secret Service agents posted around the White House.

"Security's pretty tight." Jun-myeon complimented. "Just like my father's when he's at work in the Navy Headquarters in Busan."

"Your father watches the sea while mine watches over the entire country." Beak-hyun said. 

"My father watches the air." Chan said. "But they all have to pay more attention thanks to our neighbor's actions." the country known as DPRK, is a constant source of conversation nowadays as Jun-myeon's father, Admiral Kim Han Dong, was nearly killed on board the destroyer known as Gwanggaeto the Great while saving refugees fleeing from the country. But my chief of staff Oliver Evans stepped into the corridor linking both the East and the West Wing.

"Sorry Madam Vice President..." he said, then proceeding to whisper in my ear. 

"I see." I said, nodding. Then I turned to my cousins. "Sorry guys, I have work to do."

"Don't worry, we can talk later anyway. Is grandmother around?"

"She's setting up dinner, I think. She said that she will come."

"We'll see you later then?" Baek-hyun asked. I nodded and they proceeded to head to the dining room in the Executive Residence.

"Is the President aware?" I asked Oliver as we hurried down to the Situation Room.

"He is aware as we speak Madam Vice President. The NSC is already on their way to the White House."

"And I thought I can breathe easier before the work can even begin." I said. "And I was going to talk to Ryan for a follow-up."

"Good luck with that one Madam Vice President." he chuckled. We entered the Situation Room, located in the basement of the West Wing just as President Reagan is reading papers while seated at his desk. 

"Mr. President." I greeted.

"Oh, Madam Vice President." said the President, looking up from the papers. "Glad that Oliver reached you."

"Certainly it is sir." I said. Sitting beside him he then handed me a copy of the papers he was reading just now. 

"Intel compiled by the defense secretary." he said. "From our old friend in Afghanistan." nodding in silence I took the papers and read the reports thoroughly. "Heard that the Taliban suffered another major blow after Sayyid Bin Masir is captured."

"Better than hearing news of them pushing back the coalition by force." I said. "The situation there has entered into a stalemate situation."

"Taliban is pushing our buttons somehow. The nightly bombing raids."

"We give in and they win Madam Vice President."

"I've fought them long enough to remember that sir." I said. Members of the National Security Council arrived and sat at the table. Some of them opened the bottles of water that have been prepared for them and drank from it. Several coughing sounds were heard while I gently put down the papers. "Sir, they're here." I whispered. "We shouldn't waste their time as well as ours." The President nodded and arranged the papers together, placing them down on the table.

"Might as well get them done faster, it's already dinner time." the President addressed the room. "What the hell is going down in Kabul?"

"One hell of a bomb attack sir." Secretary of Defense Dominic Hayes replied. "The Taliban breached one of our bases, dressed as an Afghan soldier."

"Location? Time of the incident?"

"A few blocks away from the government offices, ten pm local time." CIA director Tyler Wilson reported. "Might as well piss us off." 

"Anything from the local government? Caroline?" I asked. 

"Emergency responses are already there, our embassy is also in close proximity but it's not affected." Secretary of State Caroline Harris reported.

"Renovations are still underway." I read from the reports.

"Casualties?" asked the President.

"Two dead and multiple injuries." Caroline reported. "We need this trip more than ever sir."

"So I predicted." the President said. "Any word on the investigation of the Volodin poisoning?"

"Not yet sir." Director of National Intelligence Catherine Eckhart reported. "But we suspect that the Russians may or may not be a part of this."

"Old communists?" the President asked, but his gaze turned to me. 

"Fifty-fifty." Catherine reported. "As this is just an assumption."

"Agreed, I'll keep that in mind." the President replied. "Anything else?"

"No sir." the DNI said. 

"Ok, dismissed. Get back to work." the President addressed the room.