Any Means Necessary (a Luke Stone Thriller-Book #1)

Chapter Ten

6:20 a.m.

Congressional WellnessCenter - Washington, DC

It was not easy to find.

Jeremy Spencer stood in front of a set of locked gray steel doors in a sub-basement of the RayburnHouseOfficeBuilding. The doors were tucked away in a corner of the underground parking lot. Few people knew this place existed. Even fewer knew where it was. He felt foolish, but he knocked on the door anyway.

Someone buzzed him in. He pulled back the door, feeling that old familiar sense of uncertainty in his stomach. He knew that the Congressional Gym was off-limits to everyone but the members of the United States Congress. And yet, despite the breach of long-standing protocol, he had been invited inside.

Today was the biggest day of his young life. He had been in Washington for three years, and he was moving up.

Seven years ago, he was an upstate New York trailer park redneck. Then he was a student on a full scholarship at the State University of New York at Binghamton. Rather than kick back and enjoy the free ride, he became president of the campus Republicans and a commentator on the school newspaper. Soon he was posting on Breitbart and Drudge. Now, what seemed like a deep breath later, he was a beat reporter for Newsmax, covering the Capitol.

The gym was not fancy. There were a few cardio trainers, some mirrors, and some free weights on a rack. An old man in sweat pants and a T-shirt, with headphones on, walked on a treadmill. Jeremy entered the quiet locker room. He turned a corner, and in front of him was the man he had come to see.

The man was tall, mid-fifties, with silver hair. He stood at an open locker, so Jeremy saw him in profile. His back was straight, and his large jaw jutted forward. He wore a T-shirt and shorts, both soaked from a work-out. His shoulders, arms, chest, and legs, everything was muscular and defined. He looked like a leader of men.

The man was William Ryan, nine-term Representative from North Carolina, and Speaker of the House. Jeremy knew everything about him. His family was old money. They had owned tobacco plantations since before the Revolution. His great-great grandfather was a United States Senator during Reconstruction. He had graduated first in his class at the Citadel. He was charming, he was gracious, and he wielded power with a sense of confidence and entitlement so complete that few people in his party considered opposing him.

"Mr. Speaker, sir?"

Ryan turned, saw Jeremy there, and flashed a bright smile. His T-shirt was dark blue, with red and white letters. PROUD AMERICAN was all it said. He held out his hand for a shake. "Sorry," he said. "Still a little sweaty."

"No problem, sir."

"Okay," Ryan said. "Enough with the sirs. In private, you call me Bill. If that feels too hard, call me by my title. But I want you to know something. I requested you, and I'm giving you an exclusive. Late this afternoon, I may end up giving a press conference with all the media. I don't know yet. But until then, all day long, my thoughts on this crisis are going to be under your byline. How does that feel?"

"It feels great," Jeremy said. "It's an honor. But why me?"

Ryan lowered his voice. "You're a good kid. I've been following you for a long while. And I want to give you a piece of advice. Totally off the record. After today, you're no longer an attack dog. You're a seasoned journalist. I want you to print what I'm about to say word for word, but starting tomorrow, I want you to become slightly more... nuanced, let's say. Newsmax is great for what it is, but a year from now I see you at the Washington Post. That's where we need you, and it will happen. But first, people need to believe you've matured and grown into a so-called fair and balanced, mainstream reporter. Whether you have or not isn't important. It's all about perceptions. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"I think I do," Jeremy said. His blood roared in his ears. The words were exciting and terrifying all at once.

"We all need friends in high places," the Speaker said. "Including me. Now fire away."

Jeremy took out his telephone. "Recorder is on... now. Sir, are you aware of the massive theft of radioactive material that took place in New York City overnight?"

"I am more than aware," Ryan said. "Like all Americans, I am deeply concerned. My aides woke me at four a.m. with the news. We are in close contact with the intelligence community, and we are monitoring the situation closely. As you well know, I have been working to pass a Congressional Declaration of War against Iran, which the President and his party have been blocking at every turn. We are in a situation where Iran is occupying our ally, the sovereign nation of Iraq, and our own personnel have to pass through Iranian checkpoints to enter and leave our embassy there. I don't believe there has been a series of events so humiliating since the Iran hostage crisis in 1979."

"Do you believe this theft was carried out by Iran, sir?"

"First off, let's call it what it is. Whether or not a bomb goes off on a subway train, this is a terrorist attack on American soil. At least two security guards were murdered, and the great city of New York is in a state of fear. Second, we don't have enough information yet to pinpoint who the terrorists are. But we know that weakness on the world stage encourages these sorts of attacks. We need to show our true strength, and we need to come together as a country, both right and left, to defend ourselves. I invite the President to join with us."

"What do you think the President should do?"

"At the very least, he needs to declare a nationwide state of emergency. He should issue temporary special powers to law enforcement, until we track these people down. These powers should include warrant-less surveillance, as well as random search and seizure at all train stations, bus terminals, airports, schools, public squares, malls, and other hubs of activity. He also needs to act immediately to safeguard all other stockpiles of radioactive material, everywhere in the United States."

Jeremy stared into Ryan's fierce eyes. The fire there was almost enough to make him turn away.

"And here's the main thing. If the attackers do turn out to be from Iran, or sponsored by Iran, then he either needs to declare war, or step out of the way and let us do it. If this is indeed an Iranian attack, and in the face of that information, the President continues to block our efforts to protect our country and our allies in the Middle East... then what choice does he leave me? I myself will initiate the impeachment proceedings."