Inglorious Exchange

Chapter 5 : The breach

Looking at my watch I can already feel the breeze outside the capitol building as I walked past the halls upon exiting the Senate Chamber with a few senators. Oliver, my chief of staff, followed me closely while the senators chatted with each other. Oliver is one of the people who can already see through someone's emotion through their facial expressions and body movements which he kept that to himself. For me, it was easy to spot his movements but we each kept our tricks hidden within our sleeves. He had something to say but he chose to keep quiet because I have been worn out by the sessions. We exited the Capitol Building but the rainy weather is still in full swing. Agent Timothy Brock already has an umbrella in his hand and he opened it for me. "Shall we go Madam President?" he asked.

I turned, my hair flying briefly in midair before resting completely on my right shoulder. "We should call it a day people." I say. 

"How about dinner?" Howard asked. "It's already late and we haven't had dinner yet."

"Quite." I said, looking at my watch. "Where would you suggest Blake?"

"How about that Italian restaurant nearby?" Sanders asked. I turned to look at Brock, who is still waiting beside me with the umbrella. 

"Well... what do we have to choose?" I said, smiling. 

Luigi's Ristorante

"Did you see his face when the law was passed?" Sanders asked. "I finally settled the score." 

"Well... you both should settle your scores behind close doors and not when we're on camera Crystal." I say. "Don't know what will the press say tomorrow."

"Still Jefferson isn't here to hear that one out." 

"But you guys found common ground on the whole gun act." Edward said. "Sigh of relief before you guys can attack each other in a debate."

"Jefferson and I do share the views upon gun control Charles."

"That's good, the Senate Chamber is not a war zone people." I said, sipping a glass of Italian soda. "If you're debating don't scream." several senators chuckled in response. 

"The spaghetti's nice, for real." Howard said.

"I didn't have Italian in a week." Sanders said. "Still I wouldn't object."

"You can just make it at home." Charles said.

"But we are very busy. Is there any fresh to go meal or something?"

"Just call a take away!" several senators objected.

"The gun control act is gonna pass. Hope that President Reagan signs it into law."

"He just told me in the Oval Office when he signed today's bill into law."

"Great!" the senators said.

After dinner

"Thanks for footing the bill." I told Senator Howard.

"No problem, but my wife's gotta be furious when she found out that we went for an Italian restaurant for dinner."

"You suggested Italian for dinner."

"Oh, right."

"If there's a Senate session tomorrow, I could be there." I said. Timothy shielded me from the rain with the umbrella he is having and I climbed into the limousine. He kept the umbrella and sat beside me inside the vehicle and the driver pulled away from the curb. My phone rang and the caller's ID is none other than the director of the FBI Julius Harkavy. "Director Harkavy?"

"I'm glad that I can reach you. The president wasn't responding to my phone calls."

"He's at another meeting in the White House. Something wrong?"

"There's been a breach in our intelligence. Someone stole files from my office and sold it to someone else."

"What?"

"Our British counterpart too suffer a breach. Identities of their agents worldwide are leaked."

"Oh God. What about our assets?"

"I'm pulling them out as we speak." he said.

"We have to hurry." I say as the White House came into view. "I'll contact the President immediately." I entered the White House and headed towards the Oval Office to speak with the President. "Where is the President?" I asked.

"He's not in here ma'am." the ever stoic Secret Service agent Andrew Barrowman said. "He's in the Roosevelt."

"For god's sake! I have to meet with the President now, national emergency."

"He's meeting with the DNI, and will expect another meeting with the Senior Advisor for issues on the whole trade agreement with China and Philippines."

"The DNI's in there? Great, I need to see her." I say, knocking on the door. The door opened but it wasn't the president but Jack.

"Madam Vice President? I thought-"

"Not the time Jack, I have to see President Reagan." I said. President Reagan and the Director of National Intelligence Catherine Eckhart looked up when I entered the room, my clothes slightly wet from the rain. 

"I didn't expect you." President Reagan frowned. 

"Well the FBI did. Called you but you didn't reply."

"What happened Isabella?" Catherine asked me.

"Harkavy called, says there's a leak in our intelligence department." I said, sitting down at the nearby chair. 

"Seriously?" Catherine asked in shock. "Why didn't I get this?"

"... Because the Brits had already knew the leak." in came FBI director Julius Harkavy and CIA director Mike Fox. 

"I'm listening." President Reagan said, folding his fingers together. 

"I know it's an inconvenient time frame sir but the lives of our intelligence assets is at stake."

"Who leaked it?" he asked, motioning both men to sit down. 

"We don't know, but we know it happened in Paris." Harkavy replied.

"Any evidence to proof it?" Eckhart asked.

"CCTV footage showed three individuals walking within the subway but disappeared."

"People don't just vanish into thin air Harkavy." I said.

"Curiously enough the CCTV at the other side of the subway platform went black after they entered the second platform on the other side. Maybe there's a trace of a hack."

"Sir, sorry sir." Jack popped his head into the room. "The director of MI6 is here with his aides."

"The director of the what now?" Julius asked alarmingly. 

"Didn't you mention that MI6 is compromised too?" I asked. 

"I didn't contact him. He contacted me about the leak."

"He knows the leak before you do." I said. "And you kept Mike in the dark."

"He was informed about the leak minutes after that phone call." 

"Forget the meeting let's go down and have a long chat about our situation." President Reagan said.