Nits and Nano

Nits and Nano

 

   Chapter 12

 

  

Cassie’s next couples of days were busy. The security breach happening right before the holidays had been a lucky stroke. The student body was busy getting ready to head home and the excitement of missing instructors and professors could be overlooked.

 

The former security chief was removed and he was informed that DHS would insure that he would never again work in any form of security. Three prospective new chiefs were brought in for interviews. Cassie was part of the interview process and she found she could use her deep scanning abilities to determine when they lied.

 

Then she used a form of binary search to narrow the lie down to the truth.

 

“Sir, looking over your application and resume I am sure that you lied to us. Now, some lies are harmless; others are not as harmless, as I’m sure you know. So let’s determine which are which. I’m going to ask a few questions. Failure to answer will be a ‘no’ so there will be no unanswered questions.

 

“Have you ever committed a felony even if nobody else knew of it?”

“No I have not.”

“Was it a violent felony?”

“I have not committed a felony!”

“Was money involved?”

He just sat there with his mouth closed.

“Was it sexual in nature?”

“Was a member of your family involved?”

“My opinion is that we turn this applicant down, he is most likely a sexual predator. He would use his position to force female employees into sexual liaisons.”

 

“Who do you think you are? I have never committed a felony!”

 

Cassie stood up and leaned toward the man, “I am Special Deputy US Marshal Howard! When you leave here, I will institute a deep background search of you and any sexual crimes around you.” She had, without thought, thrown back the left side of her jacket where her badge and credentials hung along with her pistol.

 

He stared at her left hip, turning pale as he did so. Then he turned and rushed out of the office.

 

Cassie sat back down. Her face focused on the door that had just slammed shut.  One of the assistants to the DHS agent in charged was talking on a phone in the corner. He hung up and bent to whisper to his boss.

 

“There have been three sexual assaults and murders of female employees that worked with him. We have notified the FBI of our suspicions. But how did you do that?”

 

“You ever see that TV show ‘Lie to me’?” 

“Well by telling him that saying nothing was saying ‘No’ he was forced to try to answer, but I could tell when he thought he was telling a lie.”

 

“By continuing to ask questions, I narrowed down his lies. He knew he had committed a felony. It was violent, but did not involve money. It did involve sex, but was not on a member of his family which is the most common sexual violence.”

 

“The background report showed he had never had a complaint filed on him; nor been part of an investigation in relation to a crime.  I am betting that a deep background with these suspicions will show that other females have been assaulted and murdered at other jobs where he has worked.  He has to move along though or suspicion would finally narrow to him. ”

 

“Marshal, this one interview with you present, would pay for your inclusion if we had to hire you to participate.”

 

Days later none of the applicants had been found acceptable, though none was as spectacularly denied as that first one. However, serious questions rose on the suitability of any of them.

 

“Marshal Howard, could you take over the position of security chief here?”  The DHS AIC asked her.

 

“No Sir, I have a full load about to hit me. Within a year and a half I will earn my BS and have half my MS done. I’ve got a proposal for you, though: Contract with CHH Security and Protection to handle the security here on site. The President of the company is a Special Deputy US Marshal; the Chairman of the Board is also. The company does close scrutiny of all its employees with spot checks of background routinely.”

 

“See if that would be feasible?”

 

He sat there thinking, and then he looked at her as his eyes widened. “That’s you! You are the Chairman of the Board.  So we would basically be contracting with you!”

 

Cassie smiled at him. “But not with me personally! We use a military ranking system; Clint Wilson is DOA, Director of Administration, and is President of the company and a Special Deputy US Marshal. He is the effective commander. I’m in charge of SOC, Special Operation Command, as well as the Chairman of the Board. He does not give commands to me, and I make suggestions to him.”

 

 

“I would not have supervisory oversight of whoever he puts in charge. That person would be in charge of the site.  Since I will be working the lab as a scientist and not a security person, we need a ‘Chinese wall’ here so I am not in a conflict of interest.  I certainly can report anything I see to Clint for follow up by the Security team.”

 

 

“Let me kick this up the ladder to my boss. It’s for sure that with you doing observation it would be a lot harder to pull what was going on here again. We busted three separate industrial espionage and two foreign espionage operations in this one sweep.”

 

Cassie thought that there would be no decision made until after the New Year, so she prepared to wait. This did not mean she sat back relaxing until she heard back. It meant that she concentrated on her studies. Her Graduate Tutor was now on her payroll as a temporary hire. She found him a room at her main house and saw to it that he made it to his classes. But approximately eight hours a day he lectured her.

 

In her one nanotechnology class she saw a shortcut for binding elements closer together. The instructor ignored her suggestion.  

 

Cassie took a couple of hours in the Research Building to run her math past the computer and it checked out. The next day, in her weekly meeting with the Dean of the Physics department, she showed him her printouts and what she had suggested to her instructor.

 

Over the next week her paper was published in the Nanotechnology Under-Review magazine. The Dean’s name was below hers. That did not bother her as the magazine would have never considered publishing it with just her name on the paper. The College applied for a patent. The college legal agreement with its researchers was 50% to the college and the other 50% divided equally with all the participants in the research. This did not bother Cassie at all; she was here to learn.

 

Knowing how much she was missing being with her family over the holiday, Cassie took care that as many of her people as possible were given leave over the holidays. That turned out to not be as many as she had first thought. The majority of those working for CHH were without families.

 

Cassie suggested to Clint that maybe a Christmas festival be held on the estate. For the next three weeks the estate got very quiet with no construction. She had no school except that she would go into the Research Building two or three times a week to keep up her oversight of the remaining security onsite. This security was temporarily in place from DHS.

 

Then the accident happened.

 

_________________________

 

 

Cassie slowly regained consciousness. Her head ached, as did her whole body. She automatically reached out to scan and she screamed. She felt compressed, as if the world had fallen on top of her. She blanked out.

 

In the distance she heard a voice, “Cassie, oh Cassie sweetheart. I am here baby. I am here.”

 

Well of course she was. Her mother was always there for her! Cassie felt her hand being squeezed tightly and squeezed back.

“She’s waking up!” she heard he mother scream.

“Sarah dear, don’t get excited.” Her dad said.

“She squeezed my hand, George!”

“Good! I have been scared. She has been unconscious for days. The Doctors said they can find nothing wrong, but a heck of lot they know!”

 

“Yeah, George our girl is unique.”

“I can hear you.” Cassie mumbled.

“Oh My God! Did you hear her George?”

“I heard her!”

Cassie felt kisses being pressed on both sides of her face. The pain had subsided. There were just a few aches. The headache was almost gone. She slowly opened her “eyes”. There were her Mother and Dad. She sighed in relief. She remembered the pain that had hit her when she had first tried to scan. She remembered how she had overdone it and lost most of the ability until she had learned to push just so far, and then relax before trying more.

 

Cassie extended her scan further and further but slowly. She gripped her mother’s hand tightly. “Cassie! Please dear, not so hard.” She heard as if from far away. She was in the Hospital near the college, but she had reached all the way to the college with her normal 360 degree scan. That was over 3 miles! Normally she could only scan this way to a distance of half a mile.

 

She then began narrowing her scan down and reaching in the direction of the estate which was nearly 15 miles from the campus. ‘Oh My God!’ she thought, as her scan ‘saw’ the whole estate and then began to pick out details. Clint and June were hugging. ‘Wait! When had June arrived here?’

 

“When did June get here? I thought that she was not coming until around April?”

 

“June? Who is June? Cassie?” her mother asked.

“Egh, she was my assistant up in Idaho, she is Clint’s girl friend.”

 

“I have not met her Cassie, so I don’t know when got here. Is she outside?”

“No, she is at the Estate.” She smiled, “She and Clint are kissing.”

 

Cassie heard the steady beeping from the medical machines that were all connected to her. Neither her mother nor her father said a thing. Cassie did what had become a routine habit the last month or so; she scanned herself.

 

The muscles of her body were all recovering from bruising. Some of her organs had taken a beating as well. In fact her body appeared like she imagined one would look like after a real hard beating. “What had happened to her?” she wondered. What about her sensitivity? Had it changed? She reached for the pendant that she wore, feeling for the boundary between the gold and silver that it was made from.

 

Her scan slid right along the boundary and went deeper then she had ever gone. It was empty. There was nothing there except for a few strange things that came and went with no apparent movement. Then she ‘saw’ it: a massive object. Then it hit her, this was an atom of gold! She looked closer and it grew as her scan got narrower. She saw the neutrons and protons that made up the nucleus of the atom and the empty space between them.

 

She saw the 79 electrons.  They were there, then gone as they shifted orbits; there was no actual movement. One moment they were in one orbit then they were in another! It was the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle in action.

 

She felt a sharp pain in her face and pulled her awareness back. “Cassie! Come back here!” Her mother was almost screaming in her ear.

 

“Mom! What are you doing? That hurt!”

“Cassie you just seemed to fade away! It scared me!” Her mother was crying!

 

“I’m sorry mom. But my sight has changed; its range has increased tremendously and my sensitivity has increased by orders of magnitude. What happened to me?”

 

“There was an accident at the Research Building you were in. The DHS thinks somebody may have put a bomb in place, maybe one of the disgruntle ex-employees or one of the applicants that got turned down. They have been as anxious as we were for you to wake up. They are hoping that you can shed some light on the problem.”

 

“Well, first, it was not a bomb. I remember that I scanned the whole building before entering it. I would have spotted a bomb. I had no feeling of unease, like I usually get when someone is about to do something against me. So it was not an overt act. I was doing a walk through.”

 

“I go to each floor, walking into each office to check if everything is on schedule and to ask if anything unusual is going on. A lot of the lab workers don’t like it. They think I am being nosey as they don’t know what my real position there is.”

 

“I had just entered the nano-biological lab where they are working with using biological material to work on the nano level; retroviruses and such. I had a feeling that they had been hiding something from me over this last month.”

 

“Grace! She was with me! What happened to her?”

“She’s okay Cassie! She hardly got hurt; she had your back and the thing that happened came from in front of you. We, your Dad and me, did not know where you were when this happened. They have not told us.”

 

“Grace has been kicking herself. She keeps saying that she was your shield and that she should have taken it, whatever it was.”

 

“Wait…” Cassie did another scan of her body; this time she used her new sensitivity. There deep within her very cell structure was what appeared to be a virus. It was everywhere. The virus had crossed the brain barrier and every neuron had the virus inside of it. Her body was saturated with the virus. She could not find a single cell of her body that did not have the virus inside it. She looked closer, even the bone cells!

 

When she really took notice, she saw that her teeth were repairing themselves. Where she had had fillings, the fillings were being pushed out of the previous cavity and the teeth were filling in the old cavity with new dental growth.

 

A closer examination of the DNA helix within her cells showed that they were now undamaged. The DNA in the cells are under tremendous stress, with the need to split with every cell duplication. Solar radiation, cosmic radiation and normal background radiation could all cause mutation of the cells.

 

Now hers were completely undamaged. Every cell in her body was healthy. This was not normal. Just walking out in sunlight would normally damage thousands and thousands of skin cells.

 

Cassie reached out to the Research Building and scanned it thoroughly. The Nano-biological lab was completely destroyed.

The center of the destruction appeared as if a thousand gallons of hydrochloric acid had been dumped on it. But then as you got further from that center it began to appear as if a bomb had exploded and not just dissolved.  It reminded her of what the science fiction writers had portrayed as what an attack of nano dissolver would do; except where an explosion seemed to have happened.

Then she had it. The nano-bots dissolvers had released a lot of energy when they had taken apart the molecules at the center. The sudden release of energy was like an explosion!

That was why the DHS thought a bomb might have gone off.  Her scan found no nanobots roaming the building. Cassie thought for a minute. She hoped that all the documentation had been destroyed. If what had happened to her was as powerful as she feared, it would be too dangerous to the human race for this technology to be released at this time.

 

That virus was repairing her body completely; she expected that it would soon lead to her vision being repaired if it was not a psychological condition.

 

“Mom, get me out of here before the doctors learn too much about me. Where are my things, credentials and my guns, my comm units?”

 

“Your people took them.”

“Get Clint dad, tell him I have to get out of here now. If he objects, just say ‘Security’ that should get him moving.”

“Tell Schultz to get me fully dressed as soon as possible.”

Cassie lay there observing her Dad in action. As soon as he finished with her people he started on the Hospital.

 

Five minutes after he started making phone calls, SSgt Schultz, Cpl. Perkins and Sgt Townsend entered her room.

“Where have you people been? I am laying here stark naked! Where are my guns?”

“We were down the hall in a waiting room, with the door to your room under our surveillance.” SSgt Schultz told her.

 

Grace handed her the backup holster with its Glock. Cassie ejected the magazine and un-chambered a round.

Clicking the magazine back into the pistol she chambered a round then ejected the magazine and loaded the loose round back into the magazine then reseated the magazine. Now the pistol was loaded and she was ready. A nurse rushed into the room

 

“All of you people have to leave!”

 

Sarah looked at the nurse and said. “Yes we know and we will as soon as you get my daughter unhooked from all these machines. Then we will all be going.”

 

“What! She can’t leave. The doctors have not released her yet.”

“In about 5 minutes we all are leaving. If you do not have her off those machines we will sue this hospital for every dime it has ever made and will make in the future. We might settle for ownership, and then we will bulldoze it to the ground.” George, her father, said.

 

The nurse turned and ran from the room. Minutes later she returned with hospital security guards. “Now, you people will get out of this room!”

 

Cassie looked at Schultz and reached out her hand, ”My Credentials.”

 

Schultz opened her ever present briefcase and took out her credential case and handed it to Cassie.

 

Cassie held them up facing the security guards, “You are interfering in a Federal Investigation and will be charged with Federal Obstruction of Justice, a 5 to 10 years sentence. I suggest you get out of here now. DHS should be somewhere in the building and they are not as nice as I am.”

 

“Nurse, get these things out and off of me. Now!”

 

Nobody moved for a minute. Then a voice from the doorway spoke up.

 

“I am Special Agent in Charge Blake of the Department of Homeland Security, and she is right I am nowhere as nice as she is. Get her out of that bed! Now!”

Everybody looked up as Agent Blake and five of his agents stepped into the room which was getting very crowded.

 

The Nurse began to slowly move to the bed looking around, wide eyed, at all the people in the room. Then she focused on doing what she knew how to do. Soon Cassie was completely unhooked. Throwing the sheet back, she slipped out of the bed and stood completely nude in front of the world.

 

Grace laid the bag she was carrying on the foot of the bed and opened it. From inside she handed Cassie a pair of panties and a bra. Then, piece by piece, with her mother’s help, she dressed in a full dress uniform. Her belt with holsters, Glocks and her credentials was firmly in place. Grace did the final bit, the triple braided gold chain holding the lapels together.

 

“Agent Blake, the accident was caused by the experiment in the nano-biological lab. They had not been telling me the full details on what they were doing. We need to round up every person that worked in that lab. A virus could have escaped. If so, we need to find out what it is supposed to do. I’m almost willing to bet that we will be missing some personnel that took trips out of the country just before or after the accident or have just disappeared.”

 

Agent Blake whirled on one of his agents, “Davis! Get on it.”

 

“Marshal Howard, this place is giving me an ulcer! I have fifteen laboratories under my jurisdiction and this one place is causing me fifteen times the problems of any of them.”

 

“What did your boss say about the security contract?” She asked as they walked out of the hospital.

 

“Oh, you would not know! We have Okayed it. Your man has been negotiating with the College about the security contract.  I think the Chancellor has been holding off to talk to you first.  Also, we found out that the former security chief went around to every department telling them that a lab worker was in fact a Deputy US Marshal. That how come so many violation with CD, papers and video all were leaving the same day. They were trying to make hay before getting burnt.”

“Ouch, I’m lucky I was not ambushed in the Research Building!”

 

“Oh Well thanks on the contract. We need to get that in play as fast as possible. I want my people over that facility like bees on flowers. I am going all futuristic on them. They will not be able to see who my people are. There is not going to be any fraternization between security and workers. The workers should have no interaction with security that is not related to security.”

 

“I am also going to increase the tracking of experiments. That one in the nano-biological lab should never have been done in that building. It should have been in a biohazard facility. I am majoring in Physics. I’m sure not going to be working with fissionable material in the center of a city!”

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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My thanks to Grumpybear for his editing and proofing help. But the final results are mine and all criticism should be loaded onto my shoulders.

 

© Virgil Lee Fuqua III and ‘vlfouquet.wordpress’, 2008-2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Vlfouquet and Virgil Lee Fuqua III with appropriate and specific direction to the original contents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Security, Security where are you?

Part II

Security, Security where are you?

Chapter 11

 

Cassie shoved her chair back from the work station. Stretching, she was scanning away at the people around her. She only had Grace with her. The laboratory was a high security area at the College due to the nature of the work being done there.

 

When the deep background check for her came back “denied” the head of Security for the college got on his high horse and denied her access to the laboratory. Cassie simply asked the Chancellor what was wrong. He called the Security Head in and chewed him out. He tried to place the blame on the government denying her access.

 

Chancellor Madison told Cassie he asked to see the report. When the Head of Security showed it to him, he flipped. There, in plain English, it stated that the Security Head was denied access as his security clearance was too low.

“Cassie, I’m sorry about this but Homeland Security finally came down and fixed everything. They explained to the Security People that you outranked them.”

 

He opened a plastic package and removed a sealed, foiled wrapped, envelope and had Cassie sign a receipt for it.

When she opened it, there was a photo id with a clip to hold it on her clothes.

“This ID opens every security lock we have on campus.”

 

Now she was scanning to gain information on the security protocols here. In the three days she had been working in the Research Building she had already seen multiple breaches of security.

 

Many of the lab personnel routinely took home reports and papers that were top secret. The Security Personnel were too friendly with the lab workers. Cassie had spotted two different sets of people making dates. 

 

In a security environment that was a no-no.  How could you expect security to crack down on a girl or boy friend?  With this relaxation, a friend of a friend could get away because they were together.

 

This was one of the things she had learned from her people. Never get friendly with a potential target.

 

In the last three days, she had come up with a list of people that needed to be investigated. These were the ones that she had detected breaking security, not just poor protocol, which was another list entirely.

 

She had been unable to get started on any research due to the failure in security which had hit her in the face the minute she had stepped into the lab.

 

As soon as her shift was over, she headed to the Chancellor’s office with her security detail.

 

As Cassie entered the outer office, the secretary immediately picked up her phone and called the Chancellor.

“Chancellor, Deputy Marshal Howard is here.”

“Yes sir,” she turned to smile at Cassie.

“He said to go right on in.”

Cassie’s scans noted that the Chancellor had been working on some papers but he put them aside and waited for her to enter.

 

Cassie stepped over to the door and opened it. “Schultz, you with me, the rest wait.”

 

The Chancellor stood up and met her half-way shaking her hand. “How have you been doing over there at the Research Lab?”

 

“I hope that as soon as I can start working, it will go well, but you have some problems.  Chancellor Madison you have some major breaches of security over there. I have noted Security Personnel violating Security Protocol.”

 

“Top Secret Documents are leaving the premises with no records of them leaving, who took them, where they went or why they went.”

 

“A full audit of all documents is needed immediately. You need a full shake up of the security department over there. Then the lab personnel need a full security orientation with follow up and discipline. I know scientists hate security procedures but there are reasons for them. In fact I am recommending a full background investigation of everybody in that building.”

 

“I am just giving you a heads up so you are not taken by surprise. I am, in fact, bringing my own people in right now. They will not enter the building but every person that leaves it will have a tail.”

 

“Cassie, that can’t be! Why we have never had a security failure!”

 

“Chancellor Madison, I think you have had some major ones but they have not been detected.”

 

“Now who at Homeland Security did you contact about me?”

 

“Here…” The Chancellor started digging into his rolodex. It was obvious that he did not use modern electronics to store such information.

Soon he handed Cassie a hand written number on a post-it note. She smiled to herself. “Thanks Chancellor, now don’t mention this to anyone.”

 

She stood and so did Schultz. Cassie reached over the desk to take the Chancellor’s hand and gave it a firm grip. They then exited the office and headed outside.

 

Reaching to her comm unit she turned it on and switched to her new channel that connected to Director of Administration of CHH Security.

 

“Clint.” She waited.

“Clint Wilson, DOA.”

“Clint, Cassie here. I have a polecat by the tail. I have noted more than 30 security protocol violations at the Research Building here on campus; these are Federals. I have also noted top secret documents leaving the premises without authorization or tracking information being recorded. We need a full audit and background check on all personnel on site including security and lab workers. At this time we need tails on all personnel leaving the building. The people assigned this duty need at least one of my deputies with them in case an arrest is necessary.

 

“We need warrants; get Lt. Colonel Woods to apply to the courts in DC. We need them as of three hours ago.”

 

“Cassie we have no standing in this. We do not have a contract.”

 

“As the ranking US Deputy Marshal in the area of this federal violation I am authorized to deputize any and all civilian personnel needed. As a special deputy US Marshal I’m calling on you for support and backup. Do you acknowledge this?”

 

“Aye! I understand and will act on those orders. It has been recorded. How many deputies do you have here Cassie?”

 

“All of my personal bodyguards and house security have badges and identification as special Deputy US Marshals.”

 

“Oh, Colonel Woods is also. I felt that as our legal liaison she might need it. So she will appear before the Judge as a Special Deputy US Marshal asking for those warrants.”

“Clint, I have the phone number of the Homeland Security agent that has worked with the Chancellor. I’ll have Shultz give you the number.” She looked in Schultz’s direction and nodded.

 

“Call them and tell them what we have going on down here, what we need, the audit, full background check and internal entry. Explain that nobody from our team except those previously cleared have been in the security area. They should be in charge of that part of the investigation.”

 

“Got it Cassie, are you coming in?”

 

“No, I will wait here, outside the Research Building. Start those surveillance teams coming; most of these people get off work in the next few minutes. I need tails now!”

“Cassie, go to the Security Channel.” Clint said over the comm unit.

Cassie reached down and switched her comm unit to “all channels”.”

 

“Security HQ, Detail 5 have you egressed the Primary Gate?”

 

“Detail 5, we are on SH 311; will be entering the campus in 4 minutes.”

“Security, Air, we have four birds in the air over the campus. Four more are on standby. “

“Roger Air, I thought you could handle five?”
“Security, Air, we can but we have one over the Shadow.”

“Roger Air.”

“Security, Primary Gate we have the entrance blocked and are ready for more details. We have lowered the security barriers. We have blocking force on SH 311 and we have direct entrance to the State Highway.”

“Security, Can you hold that blocking force, Primary Gate?”

“Oh yeah, Big Bertha has arrived and she is straddling the road. Hey, when did we mount those double fifties on her? Ain’t nothing getting past her! Primary Gate, Roger out!”

 

“Detail 6 egressing to SH 311”

“Detail 7 exiting to SH 311”

“Detail 8, that’s a ditto for us.”

“Detail 9, we are behind Detail 8.”

“Detail 10, we are the caboose choo-choo and we are gone!”

 

Cassie looked up as a Tahoe pulled up next to her. With a quick scan she saw a long line of Tahoes waiting on the next street over that dumped onto this one that she was sitting on. She only momentarily scanned them. In each Tahoe was one person with a Special Deputy US Marshal badge.

 

Then she went back to scanning each and every person leaving the Research building. The research assistant for Dr. Gilbert was coming out of the building. His briefcase was full of CD’s and papers that had the Top Secret tape on the binders. She had determined on her first day that her scan could “see” that tape.

 

Cassie pressed her talk button “Detail 1, the man going west to the parking lot is to be followed until you receive word to pick him up, or he attempts to board a plane. Do not let him dump that briefcase.”

“Roger that, detail 1 gone,.”

The Tahoe next to her pulled out and down the street. As it did this a second Tahoe pulled up next to her.

 

Cassie continued to dispatch one Tahoe after another until she was down to only one left. The Research Building was empty by then except for security and janitorial staff. She kept her attention focused on the building. Three professors and six lab assistants were being followed. Three air drones were in action as details had called for air coverage.

 

“Cassie, Clint here, switch to my channel.”

She reached to her comm unit and changed channels.

“Cassie here.”

“Cassie, Homeland Security freaked out! This place is doing some very sensitive work. They have more than a hundred agents headed that way. They are going to take it apart tonight. They asked us to stop the warrant issue; they got their own. They asked us to just tell them where they need the warrant right now. I gave them location and number of personnel onsite at each location. The head agent in charge will be at your site in about ten minutes.”

 

“Detail 10, block the exit from at the parking lot, put up your placard on all units to identify you. All Personnel in the field put on the US Marshal Tunics.”

With the last command all her people in her Tahoe began to pull tunics over their heads.

Her scan of the Tahoe next to her showed all the personnel in it were also putting on their tunics.

 

“Security, Air one, I have three government cars approaching the Shadow Position.”

 

“Detail 10, disembark and take up holding positions.”

 

“Okay, let’s get out of this target and take up position on the outside. Get heavy people!”

 

Within minutes of getting out of the Tahoe, her people were armored and armed with SCAR Heavy assault rifles.

 

Cassie was in light armor with only her personal firearms.

 

One car flowed past her Tahoe and took a position in the middle of the street. Another was behind and the third pulled up next to her Tahoe.

 

Three men exited the car next to her. One looked them over and came straight to her.

 

“Special Deputy US Marshal Howard? I’m Special Agent in Charge Blake, Department of Homeland Security. I knew that you would find and kick over any kettle of fish in this place. Nothing could be as clean as they were reporting and you have a record of not being snowed.”

 

“Excuse me, you expected me to find something wrong? If so why have you not moved in already?”

 

“Because I had no reason to; on paper it was as clean as could be. If I just arbitrarily came in here it would be another case of DHS sticking their nose in just because they could. But with you finding something wrong, now I can take it apart. I’m hoping it’s just a case of carelessness that got away from them.”

 

“I don’t think so. Right this minute I’ve got three professors with unrecorded or unauthorized documents in their possession and six lab assistants with CDs, Videos and documents not authorized in their possession. I’ve got details on all nine.”

 

“Nine! You have nine blatant violations of security?”

“Oh no, that’s not carelessness that’s criminal negligence at the least.”

 

“I was going to recommend a full audit of the building and a full background check on all employees on site.”

 

“Marshal you are definitely not going to make any friends here. I think I’m going to love having you here.”

 

 

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My thanks to Grumpybear for his editing and proofing help. But the final results are mine and all criticism should be loaded onto my shoulders.

 

 Into The Shadows © Virgil Lee Fuqua III and ‘vlfouquet.wordpress’, 2008-2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Vlfouquet and Virgil Lee Fuqua III with appropriate and specific direction to the original contents.

 

 

 

 

The Climax Of The Beginning

 

The Climax Of The Beginning

Chapter 10

 

Thursday was her one day free from school and Cassie finally made the meeting with Maj. Woods. The problem that she was bringing to Cassie was that she was effectively operating two departments with only herself and two NCOs. She was the head of the legal department on site, and in fact was the only trained lawyer. She was also the acting head of Human Resources. This had come about due to the fact that all employees were on personal contracts to the corporation.

 

There was no standard contract that fit all employees. There were variations in positions, salaries, and benefits. Even in those, no two were identical.

 

One example was June and Betty. Both were hired at the same time for identical positions, but they were not being compensated at the same rate or getting the same benefits even though  they had the same rank, Colonel.

 

Maj. Woods had found very few of the employees with the similar contracts, even at the same rank. Those that were, in most cases, were doing staff jobs.

 

Her request was for a larger staff or separation of the two different jobs.

 

After Cassie had heard the problem and Maj. Woods’ suggestions she thought for a moment.

 

“Major Woods, I need more input on this before we can make a final decision.”

 

“At this time, let’s just put a temporary fix in. You are head of our legal onsite department. This is your training. You are obviously well suited for this, as this examples show. So, for now, that’s where I would like you to stay.”

 

“I am not just blowing wind at you. You have found a problem that needs fixing. So now it’s time for those that can fix it to do so.”

 

“Schultz, schedule another meeting in a week. Make an appointment with Clint before then to discuss this with him.”

“Major Woods, thank you for bringing this to my attention before it got way out of hand. I will see you again next week. Schultz will let you know the best time for our next meeting.”

 

With that Major Woods was dismissed.

 

 

“Schultz, add this to the thousands things on my list to do. This one is urgent; it bears directly on our recruitment of more people.”

 

They spent the next couple of hours finishing up paperwork.

 

 

______________________

 

That afternoon Cassie was sitting back relaxing and scanning the estate. The construction was moving forward like crazy. The first thing that had been completed was a whole new high security gate entrance.

 

It was now a full security entrance. Any truck or vehicle entering had to go through a security obstacle entrance. There was no way any vehicle could crash the entrance. 

 

Once past the primary entrance, the vehicle was in the outer ring which would contain the main Administration, medical facilities and primary training facilities.

 

 

Clint would have his headquarters in the Administration building along with the base commander.

 

The main road from the primary entrance continued to the main house, but as it came over the ridge, where the main house could be seen, a secondary gate was installed. This was connected to a new security fence that separated the outer area from that of the main house and the facilities around it. Her SOC would be in that area at the main house.

 

As soon as residences were completed in the outer area there would be a shake out of the cadre separating her SOC and personal security out of the mix and assigning the rest to the outer area.

 

Now she was pulling back from organization and training for awhile as she concentrated on her schooling.

 

 

______________________

 

 

The Friday drive into the campus was the same as normal. Her scans picked up nothing unusual and her perimeters also noted nothing. Cassie closed her eyes and leaned back, scanning herself. She had no feelings of unease. She felt normal.

 

On campus she reported to the Dean of Math’s office where they sent her to the testing center. Cassie spent the whole day with the exception of lunch taking tests. For the next three days she did more of the same. She was given problems by the Dean himself to work on at home.

 

 

The second week it was the Physics department with more testing; here too, the Dean gave her problems to think on and to write about. In those two weeks she turned in more homework then she had ever done in her life for school.

 

The third week, one of the advanced graduate students was assigned full time to travel with her. He talked and talked and talked. It was like being in a physics lecture hall eight hours a day, discussing String theory, multi-dimensional universes, worm holes, black holes and Warp fields.  She began to worry that her head would actually explode.

 

Her sensitivity was becoming extremely acute. It was almost like she could feel the imperfection of the enjoinments of the connecting boundary of matter and its neighbors.

 

When each day was done and she came home, she was chased out to Sensei Inoue to be pounded on. The day after she completed her testing, she was hit with a surprise. She had not expected it. She had not been told to look for it. She had no warning.

 

Cassie rolled out of bed and Cpl. Lambskin opened the door to her room at the same time. She moved to the shower and quickly showered and performed her other necessities. She stepped into her bedroom as Cpl Lambskin laid her clothes out on her newly made bed.

 

Cassie froze when she saw what was lying there. “My Gi?” She asked.

 

“Yes, Ma’am! Sensei Inoue, left word for me this morning.”

 

“God, I hope he finds what he is looking for soon.”

 

Cpl. Lambskin held up a light robe for her to slip on. She then removed the covers from her breakfast sitting on the table. She must have slipped the food in while Cassie had been showering.

 

Cassie ate her light breakfast of a small bowl of multi-grain hot cereal, wheat toast, a touch of margarine and half a grapefruit and of course her Moko pot of coffee. In less than forty-five minutes from the time her feet hit the floor she was headed to the dojo. 

 

Cassie could not believe what her scan showed. The Dojo was full. Every senior NCO and every available officer was present. Cassie slipped in and found an open spot along the wall to kneel.

 

She scanned the mass of people here, and like she had first thought ‘everybody’ was here. Sensei Inoue was not alone either. There were four strangers that she had never seen.

 

All five were sitting behind a table on the side. Cassie did not understand what was happening. All her people were in gi, all kinds of gi. There were the general ones with top and bottom both white, some with a black top with white bottom and some the exact opposites with black bottom and white top. There was also black silk gi with embroidered emblems on the back. Then the shock hit her, she could tell the difference her sensitivity had developed to the point that she could tell the difference in the dye used in the gi.

 

 

She listened for a minute as one of the strangers stood up and talked in an oriental language for a minute or so.

 

Then June and Betty both came to the center, faced off and began a free style like none Cassie had ever ‘seen’. For the next couple hours it was martial art heaven in the dojo. Cassie’s name was called out three times and she recognized her opponent in every case. They were mainly some of the newer officers with lots of experiences. She won all her matches.

 

Finally, with more than half the room back in uniform as they were eliminated, Cassie was called one more time. Sensei Inoue himself came out to face her. They went all over the basic, and then the more advanced. They kept at it for over two hours and when she was finally taken down she was soaked.

 

After a shower, a massage and clean dry clothes she entered the dining room where Sensei Inoue was entertaining his guests. Cassie thought to retire to another room but Sensei Inoue would not let her.

 

“Cassie, let me express my gratitude to you in allowing us to hold the first meet of the Combat Martial Arts Federation here at your home.”

 

“Combat Martial Arts? What is that Sensei?”

“Well when I first showed up I became entranced by all the different styles that your people knew. What it came down to was, does it work? Your people have served all over the world. They have learned multiple styles, many of which do the same things.  To them, the only thing that matters is does it work and whether it the best possible form and style for a particular situation?”

 

“So I contacted other known martial artists that have served in the militaries of the world.  Each and every member of the board to start with had to have been nominated by at least ten people we knew ourselves.

That was our founding base. Then we recruited members and did an election of board members. It was a long drawn out affair but finally we felt we were ready. Today we held our first tourney, an invitation tourney.”

 

“You have never competed in any tourney before. We were not sure where you would be ranked. It was the consensus of the board after watching you today that you will be offered a black belt at the 3^rd rank.”

 

Having finished, he laid the black belt with 2 thin gold stripes on the end of the belt in front of her. She just sat there staring at the belt. Cassie finally reached out and placed her hand on the belt and just rested it there.

 

When she finally looked up she was alone. She stood and picked up her belt and carried it up the stairs to her room there she opened her gym bag and put the belt on top of her gear then zipped it closed.

 

__________________________________

 

 

“Security, Shadow, Preparing to depart.”

 

“This is Security HQ, the Shadow is preparing to depart. Coachman, your condition?”

 

“This is Coachman 1 we are approaching the rear exit.”

“Security, Detail 1 Ready”

“Security, Forward Scout departing rear echelon.”

“Security, Hawk one has gone airborne.”

Security, Back plate is awaiting the Shadow to follow.”

 

“Security to Shadow, your team is ready.”

“The shadow is preparing to egress.”

Cassie’s scan had cleared everything. Sgt. Taylor was acting as Schultz’s second today and joining Cassie.

 

“All Shadow Detail, be sure you have your new Deputy Marshal ID on you. This should be worn on you left hip for uniform dress and on your left chest in battle dress.”

 

“Security Verification Team, we have verified that all your personal security staff have US Marshal pull over tunic and all you personal vehicles have US Marshal Placards.”

 

“Coachman 1, I have personally checked and verified all detail members are now in full compliance with Special Deputy Marshal Identification.”

 

“This is the Shadow, Roger”

 

Cassie stepped out of the back door. Sgt Townsend opened the rear door of the Tahoe. Sgt Taylor was grabbed by Grace and shoved in through the open rear door. Cassie was next in the vehicle door and she felt her ass being shoved as she bent over. She went through so fast she almost pushed Sgt. Taylor through the door on the other side.

 

As she twisted upright Cpl Grace Perkins landed next to her. The front passenger door slammed shut as the coachman sat down in the shotgun position.

 

“Security, Coachman 1 we are departing.

“Roger, Coachman 1.”

“Back plate has taken up position and we are gone.”

“Roger, Back Plate.”

“Security, Forward Scouts we are through the first gate slowing down waiting for the Shadow.”

 

 

________________________

 

 

The trip to the campus of the College went smoothly. Cassie was watching for breaches of security procedures and protocols. Every member of her detail was on their toes.

 

There was only about another week of school before the holiday breaks started.

 

This week was Thanksgiving, and then it was just three weeks until the winter break started. Most of the dormitories would be closed over the winter break and even students with no place to call home had to find somewhere to hold up until after New Years.

 

This was going to be a lonely time for Cassie. Her first Christmas without family around her. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

____________________________

 

 

 

My thanks to Grumpybear for his editing and proofing help. But the final results are mine and all criticism should be loaded onto my shoulders.

 

 Into The Shadows © Virgil Lee Fuqua III and ‘vlfouquet.wordpress’, 2008-2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Vlfouquet and Virgil Lee Fuqua III with appropriate and specific direction to the original contents.

Presidential Marshal

 

Presidential Marshal

Chapter 9

 

Cassie woke up multiple times that night. When the new security detail reported she awoke. Then Cpl. Lambskin stuck her head into the room, checking on her. Each time, within seconds, she had fallen back to sleep.

The final wakeup was approximately 8:00 when the door to her room opened and Cpl. Lambskin rolled in a food cart. Cassie sat up, holding the covers to her chest. Cassie’s scan found a robe lying across her bed over her legs.

Sitting up, she pulled the robe over her upper torso and then stood where she could tie the belt on the robe. A quick trip to the bathroom and she was back sitting at the table where Cpl. Lambskin had set out the meal.

 

She was hungry and the food disappeared off the plates. Cassie felt like a new person after her second cup of coffee. It was good coffee, just not as good as they made at home. That stopped her for a second; she had referred to the estate as home without a second thought. It was! It was her home.

 

Finished with her breakfast, she stood up and took one last sip of the coffee. Then Cpl. Lambskin set to work on her. She used cotton swabs and ointments to remove any old makeup. Then she put a new face on Cassie.

An hour after getting out of bed, Cassie stepped out of her suite fully dressed in a Navy-blue uniform suit. Her chain was a triple braided gold thread. She pulled her Glock and inspected it. It was clean and ready for action. Her backup was the same.

 

She hung her credentials off her gun belt so that both the badge and the ID could be seen with a flick of her wrist to the bottom of her jacket.

 

Cassie activated her comm unit. “This is Shadow I am on the move.”

“Roger, this is Security Lead; we got the hall, where to Ma’am.”

“Shadow, I’m going to my father’s room.”

“Security 2, your father has been notified.”

“Tell him to save me some coffee.”

Entering her father’s suite, Cassie found him sitting at the table with his breakfast before him. He was fully dressed with his suit jacket hanging on a rack against the wall.

 

“Well Cassie, any plans for shaking up Washington today?”

“No, but they really almost blew it yesterday.”

“They don’t know you, not yet. I think the President is seeing beneath the surface. If so, our welcome will be different today.”

Cassie took a sip of the coffee before setting the cup down firmly and stood up.

Saying nothing, her father stood and put on his jacket. Then they walked out of the suite.

“Sergeant Schultz”

“Staff Sergeant Schultz, here Ma’am.”

“I have no idea how long we will be or if we will be staying another night, so standby.”

“Roger Ma’am, rear detail will stand by,”

They exited the Hotel through a side door where the Limo was waiting. The Security detail was basically unknown to Cassie.

 

One of the problems with having the same Security Detail the majority of the time was showing itself. These people had never worked with her; their only point of familiarity was reports and rumors.

 

She stopped “Security HQ, I need introductions I don’t recognize any of my detail.”

Cassie pivoted and stepped back inside the side entrance and then to the side.

She heard Security going all over the detail commander. “Why did you not see to introduction in a secured position? Shadow stepped out and saw no one she recognized! She is in a poor security position. You should know the protocol. Always be sure the primary knows you and knows the chain of command! Sergeant your relief is on the way. Stand by until relieved.”

 

“Cassie, what’s wrong?” Her father looked around the side entrance way carefully, and then focused down the hall.

She had scanned three of her people exiting the elevators and rushing toward her. They were fixing their uniforms as they came.

Cassie grinned as she noted SSgt Schultz, Cpl. Perkins and Cpl. Jerkin, all armed and moving rapidly in her direction.

 

Staff Sergeant Schultz came to attention, “Backup detail reporting Ma’am.”

“Who screwed the pooch Schultz?”

“Maybe all of us Ma’am; the new detail that relieved Sgt. Townsend reported and did their job. The morning relief detail did not do so. They followed the night relief detail and just found rooms for the night and put in a wake-up call.”

 

“This morning they knew they were to be the escort detail so they took that position. All detail commanders knew most of them and took it for granted that they had reported in.”

 

“I should have paid more attention.”

“No, I put you in a staff position with no command function. You get things done because of who and what you are without the authority needed to Command. Did you, at any time see, hear or feel that anything was wrong? If yes, then you could have come straight to me for orders. If not, then there was no error on your part. We need to get those protocols worked out and make them second nature. That Detail commander should have recognized that something was wrong and brought it up.”

“Where is Sgt Townsend?’

“He was up for two hours after being relieved to show the relief commander the perimeters, floors, and the location of all primaries. He has had only a couple of hours sleep. Acting in my staff function I advised the backup details to let him sleep for another two hours.”

“Do you know this detail’s personnel?”

“Yes Ma’am, I verified that when they all came in last night. Ma’am, you need to meet with all Security detail commanders as soon as possible.”

“Put it on the list with the other thousands of things I need to do.”

“Okay, Security, the Shadow is moving.”

“Security HQ, Roger that Shadow.”

“Coachman 2, the Shadow approaches.”

When they were out of the Hotel, Cpl Jerkin grabbed the door of the Limo and swung it open. Grace was on her other side and was glaring at the other Security personnel to back off. Schultz went in first and then Cassie was right behind her. Grace shoved her to the middle of the seat and took the Passenger side. Cpl Jerkins opened the shotgun side in front and took that.

Cassie watched the rest of the detail scramble trying to find seats for all of them. As they pulled out, the lonely Sergeant stood by himself in the driveway.

Cassie switched her channel to Captain Gifford.

“Captain Gifford?”

“Captain Gifford, on the network, how can I help you Ma’am?”

“Captain we had a screw up here in town. I came down to take my ride to the White House and did not recognize a single one of the Security detail waiting to escort me.”

“Didn’t the commander report in last night when he arrived?”

“No, he did not report to me or any of the other detail commanders, so I stepped out to enter the Limo and there were nothing but strangers.”

“You mean there was a complete breakdown of Security Protocol!”

“Yes Captain, Security HQ should have a report soon. The Commander was relieved immediately; I picked up an escort from my personnel. The other detail scrambled to find rides. All but the commander made it to other vehicles and is proceeding to the White House.”

“Oh my God! Cassie, I have no excuse for such sloppy performance, especially after the attack the other night.”

“Captain, fix it. Start right now.”

“Shadow out”

“Captain Gifford, roger out.”

“Security HQ, Roger all out.”

This time the reception at the gate entrance was a little different. They were directed to the front Portico where the doors were opened and held for them to exit the Limo. A secret service agent jumped into the Limo and gave directions to the driver where to park the Limo.

After entering the front door to the White House, Security approached for the wand treatment. Cassie waved them to halt. She removed her credentials with its badge and placed it in a plastic container on the desk. Then she undid her belt with both holsters containing her guns and her comm unit and laid them in the container. She next removed her gold chain that held her jacket closed and included it with the others in the container. Once more she spread her arms and lowered her head for the wand.

 

The hot spot on her chest, the combs in her hair and her ear buds were all sensed and cleared by the Secret Service Agent.

They removed her guns from their holsters and stored them in a locked box behind the desk. All the rest of her things were returned to her. They took a few minutes to put back on.

 

Schultz and Perkins both had to do the same though Schultz just smiled and opened her brief case showing a laptop and a portable scanner and a few papers and then held her arms out to her sides. They turned and Cassie spotted the Marine Captain from the previous night headed her way.

“Ms. Howard.” He said with a bow.

“Captain Howell, a pleasure to see you again.”

A person stepped up to them. “I am Gerald Lindsey, White House Protocol Officer.”

“If you have no objection Captain Howell will be your escort while here today.”

“I would appreciate that Mr. Lindsey.”

They turned and proceeded down the hall toward the back of the White House. Then they turned into another hallway.

“Who are you Ms. Howard?” the Captain asked.

“Who am I? Why I am Cassandra Howly Howard, the daughter of George and Sarah Howly Howard.”

“No, you are something more than the surface identity. I have not seen this place rumble like this since the President of the Russian Federation visited last year.”

“Take the Protocol Officer. He knows the precedence and address of every title, position or ruler in the world. You shook him up. He almost stuttered when he addressed you.”

“Oh, in case you were not told,” he looked at both her and her father who had been a silent witness, “The First Lady will be present when you enter the Oval Office.”

 

“That is very unusual. She is normally presented in one of the family rooms. Normally, she never goes to the Oval Office. She’d rather you call her by her first name, Mabel.”

 

He escorted them to the entrance to the Oval Office with idle chatter about the White House. The Secret Service agent there checked only their identity at the door and then opened the door for them to enter.

 

Cassie motioned to the hallway which had chairs down it length. “Schultz, Grace wait here for me.”

 

“Yes Ma’am.” Schultz answered. Grace frowned but followed Schultz to the chairs.

 

 

 

 

The President and his wife stood up to greet them as they entered.

 

The Captain escorted Cassie to her chair. This time she was given precedence over her father who was seated to her side.

Her scan detected him trying to hide his smile. Her Dad had been right. The procedures today were changed.

 

“Mr. President, I am pleased to meet you today.”

“And I, you Special Deputy Marshal Howard.”

“As I recently told an FBI agent, my rank is more an honorary position then a regular one. It is mainly a way to allow me to carry a concealed weapon.”

At that moment, a door opened and a man pushed a serving cart into the room.

“Ms. Howard, before I get left out again, I am Mabel.” The First Lady said. She reached over to take Cassie’s hand. When she released it she gave it a very slight squeeze.

 

“And before further discussion, thank you for my husband’s life.”

Cassie had nothing to say. This was really the first time that she even thought of the real implication of what she had done. She found that she was slightly embarrassed, something that had rarely happened to her.

 

You just don’t tell the President, or his wife, that saving him was nothing. It was something! The ramifications of his death in the White House would have thrown the whole world into chaos.

“You are welcome, Mabel. I was advised that you wish to be called by your first name?”

 

“Oh yes, I fear I will have forgotten it by the time we leave Washington. Everybody just loves calling me First Lady!”

All the time they were talking she had been acting as the hostess, pouring coffee for her husband and Cassie’s father.

“Coffee or Tea?”, she asked.

“I love coffee. Thank you.”

Cassie lifted the coffee cup and took a sip. She noticed that ‘Mabel’ had poured herself a cup. It was not as good as her coffee made in a Moka pot.

 

They sat there for a few minutes, more like any visiting friends. Then the President looked at his wife as he moved a file on his desk.

 

“Well, Ms. Howard it has been my pleasure meeting you. If possible, we should meet again for just a social visit. Leave me your card before you go. I must now run, I have a meeting with the National Parent Teacher Association committee.” With that, she stood and shook hands with Cassie and her Dad and left the room.

 

“She hates to be in the room with me when I discuss anything to do with my position as President. But she does actually have that meeting she needs to attend.”

 

“Now, Ms. Howard, I know a lot more about you today than I did when you left early this morning. NSA, FBI, even the CIA had files stacked up on my desk this morning.”

“Do you really know what you have in Idaho?”

“NSA moved a geological survey satellite into position before the sun rose this morning. They might have previously missed what you found, but having a location to start from they have been able to do a rather intense survey now. Our estimate is that you are sitting on top of the largest accessible gold source in the world. There are larger ones but they are harder and more costly to access.”

“You are going to end up one of the richest females on earth. With good money management you will become one of the richest individuals on earth.”

“Your personal enemies were a little harder to identify, but the CIA is very good at that. Even though they are not supposed to work within the USA, something like this brings all our intelligence agencies into play.”

 

“The consensus of the National Intelligence Committee is that your enemies are inside your extended family. As they do not represent a danger to the Government or people of the United States of America, we can take no further action in this matter.”

He looked at her with a cold dead look. Then a smile lit up his face for a minute.

“The Committee also said that you have already done more damage to them then they have even thought possible.”

 

“Having studied all of this and, interpolating what you are doing down there on your estate, it was the consensus of the Committee that a little help is all you will need. Mainly, this help is to prevent incidental interference from agencies not in the know.”

He turned to one of the Agents standing by a side door and nodded. The Agent opened the door and called a name.

The Attorney General stepped into the office. He looked at Cassie then stepped over to the President and laid a thick parcel on his desk.

 

“I am still not sure of this, Mr. President, but as far as I can determine it’s legal and has precedents.”

The President opened the parcel which he dumped out in front of him. He picked up a letter off the top and handed it to Cassie.

It was a letter on White House stationary. That much she could scan but the rest was to ‘light’ for her.

“Excuse me Mr. President, I need my assistant for a moment, may I have her come in?”

 

He looked up for a moment and then nodded to one of his Secret Service agents. The man turned and opened the door to the hall behind her.

“Schultz, I need you for a moment.” Cassie spoke into her Comm unit while pressing the button on it.

 

They waited a minute or two and the Secret Service Agent escorted Sergeant Schultz into the Oval Office.

“The reader Schultz.”

Schultz hurried to Cassie and set the briefcase in her lap.

Cassie opened the briefcase and booted the laptop up. Soon she was running the portable scanner over the letter from the president. With a flick of her fingers she had set the Comm channel to a wireless one from the laptop.

 

The letter the President had handed her stated: “I am proud to thank you for your time as a Special Deputy United State Marshal. With this letter, I am terminating your services in that position effective immediately.”

 

Cassie felt a deep sense of disappointment. She had not realized until then her great feeling of pride in carrying that badge on her belt. She clenched her cheek muscles to prevent tears from running. She reached to her belt and pulled her credential case loose and laid it on the President’s Desk.

Her father sat up at that as he had been unable to read the letter she now held. No matter! The expression of thanks in that letter, signed by the President, did not make up for her loss.

Cassie stood for awhile in the long shadow of all those previous men and women who had stood up to protect the people of the United States.

The President then handed her another page. This one also was on White House stationary.

 

Cassie sat there in a daze for a minute before she started scanning the letter.

Right below the heading was typed:

“Presidential Executive Order: 201x:00194

By my order this date of Oct. 13, 201x

Cassandra Howly Howard is appointed Special Deputy United State Marshal, TOE.

This appointment is for her lifetime and can only be rescinded by order of the President of the United States at the time it is rescinded.

 

The said Special Deputy United State Marshal shall be compensated with ($1) one dollar a year for the duration of this appointment.

She shall have the same authority as any full United State Marshal assigned to a Judicial District. As such, she may deputize any persons she needs in the performance of her duties.  Her Jurisdiction is any place the authority of the United States of America is found, or should be found.

All agencies, military commands and embassies are to give her full cooperation at all times. Failure to do so will be considered the same as malfeasance in performance.”

 

It was signed “President of the United States of America”.

 

Cassie froze upon reading it.

Looking up at the President, her mouth dropped open as she was at loss for words.

“We found where something similar was done back in the 50-60’s era. Your lack of monetary needs made it simple. No civil servant requirements.”

 

“And then there is this, a rush job, but the manufacturer was very pleased to respond to a request from the President.”

He handed her a new Credential case. She opened it and there, in the recessed badge holder, was a new gold marshal star. It was identical to a full marshal’s but with the words “Special Deputy US Marshal” on the top of the circle, but the bottom stated “Presidential”.

 

The Attorney General handed her a clipboard with a form to fill out and new credentials to sign. Unlike her previous credentials that had the Attorney General followed by the US Marshal in Texas, this set had the President at the top followed by the Attorney General.

The Attorney General showed her where she would need to sign it and Cassie signed it under her photo. The photo showed her as she looked right that minute. It must have been taken as she entered the White House. She then took the Identification Card and ran it thorough her scanner; on the back was a copy of the executive order.

 

The Attorney General then asked her for the ID card and said they would have it laminated and back to her before she left the White House. The Attorney General took his leave

 

 

 

“Marshal Howard, this is the best I can do for you. It’s more than the Attorney General thought I should do. You report to no one, but as a simple courtesy, if you are in another Marshal’s district, you should let them know.”

“That order gives you instant access to any US Embassy or Military Base in the world.”

“Please use it with discretion. I would hate to have to explain it to a Committee of Congress since it almost bypasses the ‘advice and consent’ clause of the Constitution.”

 

They spent an hour or so talking over the world news and economic situation. The President finally dismissed them as he had another meeting for the afternoon.

Captain Howell had been waiting and escorted her to the front. There he handed her the ID card in its credentials case and as Cassie got herself re-armed, he took one of her cards when she laid one down for the First Lady.

 

As they drove away her Dad asked her, “Cassie, do you like the Captain?”

“Yes Dad, I do. There is just something about him I like without reason. I know he is too old for me, or I’m too young for him, but I really would like to know him better.”

“Well, maybe not now, but remember, the longer you wait the closer you get to his age. Time can cure a lot of problems.”

They arrived back at the hotel and prepared to return to the estate. In her room Cassie thought for a moment.

“Sergeant Schultz.”

“Sergeant Schultz, here.” She replied back.

“Schultz, find that detail commander from this morning and report back here to me.”

“Roger, Sergeant Schultz out.”

Cassie prepared herself for this meeting. She took her credentials and inserted the tab on the case into a slot on her left Lapel. Flopped open, her Marshal Badge stood out prominently.

_______________________

 

An hour later, Cassie heard the knock on her suite door. A quick scan showed her Staff Sergeant Schultz and the unknown Sergeant from that morning’s Security detail.

“Enter.” Cassie was sitting at a desk working on her laptop. As the door opened, she turned her attention from the report she was writing. With the wireless interface she could hear each word as she typed it into the laptop. She was doing a full evaluation of the air assault by the Presidential Protection. She was sure both Clint and Captain Gifford were going to be very interested in what she had sensed.

 

As Schultz and the other Sergeant entered and came to attention she rotated to face them.

Their attention was attracted to her badge and then became deeply focused. It was a unique badge, maybe the first in a line of them.

“Relax and pull up a chair, both of you.”

Looking at Schultz, she nodded at the other Sergeant. Schultz knew what that meant and responded immediately.

“Ma’am this is Sergeant Taylor, Charles Taylor. He is fairly new to our operation. In fact this detail was his first command.”

 

“Sergeant Taylor, do you know what happened this morning? And why what happened this morning was wrong?”

“Ma’am it has been explained to me in great detail. My problem evolved out of my belief that I was part of a detachment reporting in and that the detachment commander was responsible for making sure that the whole detachment was reporting in.”

 

“I have never previously worked in Personal Protection or a Bodyguard Detail. I had not been fully oriented to that kind of protocol.”

Cassie’s head turn quickly toward Sergeant Schultz and raised an eyebrow with an implied question.”

“Who assigned you as detail commander?” Schultz asked.

“2^nd Lt. Curtis Avon, OOD night shift relief.”

“Who is that Schultz?”

“Ma’am, he is one of our new officers. He has been used as the relief OOD for different shifts.”

 

“Well, I want you to write up a training procedure to bring every officer up to standards, then the sergeants that would or will be detail commanders. This was a real SNAFU not only in training and protocol awareness, but also operationally.”

 

“Sergeant, I will be assigning you as Sergeant Schultz’s assistant for a week or so. If you can keep up with her, you will be fully up to standards in a week.”

“Schultz, make that so.”

“Yes, Ma’am it will be done.”

“Carry on.”

Cassie turned back to her report. She was planning mentally for her trip to USMS headquarters in Roanoke. There she would make her courtesy call. There were, surprisingly, a lot of people that she needed to inform. The Chief of Roanoke County Police was another.

 

 

The next morning, Cassie’s Tahoe made its first stop of the day at the Federal Building in Roanoke, VA.  Her back up security was with her along with one airborne unit and one early bird forward point. When her vehicle pulled up she spotted the early bird sitting in a position that it could note two sides of the area. 

 

Cassie exited the Tahoe. Grace was right in front of her. As they entered the building, Cassie wondered how the Marshal and his Chief Supervisory Deputy were going to react to what she was about to hit them with.

The building security stopped her as she passed through the front entrance. Cassie pulled up her credential case and opened it for them. The Deputy in charge at the front froze upon seeing her badge and then reading her credentials.

 

“These are my security staff members.  We are here to see the US Marshal and his Chief Supervisory Deputy.”

 

There was suddenly a Deputy that wanted nothing to do with the political fallout about to hit. Cassie and her detail continued down the hallway to the Marshal’s offices.

She walked past the receptionist and opened the door to the inner offices. It was obvious that the Chief Supervisory Deputy took the early morning to conference with the Marshal. As Cassie stepped in, both came to their feet.

 

Cassie stepped in and stopped after being sure her two people were fully in the office. Then she stepped forward as the two in the office started too stutter as they caught their breath to scream at her.

 

Cassie slowly held her credentials out with the full Presidential Executive Order visible. “I hope this will clear up all misunderstandings between the three of us. You are not, in any way responsible, for my actions. I am, basically a worldwide US Marshal with a roving district.”

“I find this very appropriate to have happen in Virginia, the State with Independent Cities, in and not in certain counties. I am a Marshal not assigned to any one Judicial District but have authority in all of them.”

They sat down and she informed them of the support that she might have to call upon them for and that she would try to keep this to the bare minimum.

Then she stood up, said her farewells, and she and hers departed.

 

The visit to the chief of police of Roanoke County Police went off much better than the visit to the USMS. The Chief got a laugh out of it as he pictured the confrontation.

 

As they left the Police Department, she called up Schultz. “Schultz, I am still planning on making the visit with Maj. Woods today. Have you found out more about it? We have lost almost a week on this. Please talk to Maj. Woods and see if there is anything that we can do to recover time lost.”

“Roger, that Ma’am. I will put in some effort to see if we can un-rock this boat.”

 

They drove to the campus and dropped her and two of her security. Then Cpl. Jerkin drove the vehicle to secure it. As Cassie and her two people entered the Physics class, the other students stood up and began to clap. Cassie froze and her scan went all over everybody, trying to find out why they were clapping.

 

Professor Howell walked into the room at that moment. “Class, please take your seat. Ms. Howard I was notified that you had a family emergency and would miss a few days. I hope it’s been taken care of now.”

 

“Your paper was filed before midnight the other day.  It was predictive, and the first paper filed on the factors that all three, NASA, UAH Astronomy and UCLA Jet propulsion laboratory had failed to make allowance for. We have received much credit for the work. Congratulations, Ms. Howard excellent work.”

“Ms. Howard, the Dean wishes you to join him to discuss opportunities with you.” With that, he dismissed her from the class. Cassie and her detail left the classroom and headed for the Dean of Physics’ offices.  She spent the reminder of the day with the Deans of the Math and Physics Departments.

 

The discussions of her academic position and her wealth led to major changes to how she would study and take her courses. First they were changing her degree to a BS/MS degree program. This would actually reduce her course work by about one year. All her major course work for a senior year would, in fact, be graduate level course work. On completion she would get double grades as undergraduate level and as graduate level work.

 

At the same time, she would begin to spend time in the Research Building working with some of their foremost researchers. This work, that normally paid a small stipend, would pay her only in credit work. They felt that they should be able to get her MS degree in about one semester of work.

 

Unknown to the Deans, she had been taking advance course work for the core curriculum during her High School classes so the year to a year and a half that was normally needed for the core curriculum was already finished for her. She had about one year of intense upper level course work left for her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My thanks to Grumpybear for his editing and proofing help. But the final results are mine and all criticism should be loaded onto my shoulders.

 

 Into The Shadows © Virgil Lee Fuqua III and ‘vlfouquet.wordpress’, 2008-2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Vlfouquet and Virgil Lee Fuqua III with appropriate and specific direction to the original contents.