Road To Reelection : Fragile Relations

Chapter 10 : Why her?

California

The sun is already rising from the horizon when the cockerel crowed. At the ranch owned by Robert Reagan, father to US President Jeffery Christian Reagan and Jonathan Reagan the day is just only beginning. Waking up to the sound he got up from bed and freshen up, the noise waking his wife, Kimberly Han Seol Yoon in the process. Already adapted to this life she too wakes up from her sleep. The bedroom next door however, is the opposite. Jonathan, or John, as his family tends to call him, lay asleep in his bed while grabbing another pillow in his half-asleep, half-awake state, to cover his ears, to block out the annoying voice. He had just returned from his post in Virginia and wasn't in the mood to let a mere chicken interrupt his sleep.

"Five more minutes." he groaned. But the animal has none of it and continued. Finally giving up he wakes up and walks downstairs to the kitchen, still wearing the shirt and sweatpants he wears to sleep last night. Grumbling to himself as he walked into the kitchen his mother is setting up the food at the kitchen island.

"I thought you said that-"

"That I'm waking up late today? Not gotta work with that chicken I swear to kill and cook it for dinner." She merely smiled in sympathy towards her son's remarks.

"That chicken's growing older John." his father remarked, downing the mug of coffee he always have for breakfast. Taking the remote control on the marble tabletop he turned on the television, tuning into CNN News.

"Still our developing story the missile that destroyed the South Korean Navy destroyer Gwanggaeto the Great is now identified as North Korean origin. The Pentagon agreed on this statement given to them by South Korean authorities as they too are skeptical of China's supposed involvement in this. So far the White House hasn't commented on this yet but sources from the White House also said that the President is well aware about the event."

"Woah, dream come true?" John joked. "They lost their nerve or something?"

"Sources from the White House also said that the South Korean President as well as the Russian President, arriving at the White House to discuss the issue with President Reagan. White House Chief of Staff Jack Peterson refused to comment as well although he is also involved. With the elections coming soon this is regarded by presidential historians, as a challenge for the Reagan Administration to see that will the President be reelected for a second term."

"What is it with them nowadays? With the testing of supposed 'defensive' missiles and now a full blown attack?"

"Your brother can handle this. The kids always do." Robert is always fond of his sons and has developed a liking towards his adoptive granddaughter Isabella. When he first met her he thought that he was seeing a mirror image of his elder son's dead girlfriend until Jeffery told him that she's Alice's daughter. His wife Kimberly was very nervous about meeting Isabella but both women get along well despite being a North Korean and a South Korean respectively. Kimberly managed to escape to the United States, working as a diplomat assigned to the Swiss embassy in DC and defected. They fell in love and married, with her giving birth to Jeffery while on vacation on his father's ranch in California and Jonathan in the same place two years later. His genes in politics must have been passed on to Jeffery, as he spent nearly twenty years in the United States Congress before being elected to the highest office in the country.

But Rob, as his father and mother would call him, was more worried about his second son Jonathan, always giving him a heart attack in a literal state when he declared that military service is his profession for life. He was killed in action but no body was found until Jeffery or Jeff gave Rob a shock to the heart that he is actually alive and well, serving in a military black ops team. Happy to have his son back John wasn't spared in being reprimanded and Rob agreed to let him rejoin the army but on the condition that he will not be deployed overseas.

"The leader's always been this ambitious." came the voice of John's mother. Rob knew that Kimberly disliked the leader's antics but she rarely spoke about it, until today. "Something that some people know, mostly the elite class. Nobody wants to cross him-" before she could finish the window behind her shattered and Kimberly fell face first to the ground.

"Dad get down!" John shouted. Both father and son ducked behind the island but nothing was heard. "Must be a sniper." he mused. Crawling to a wood cabinet he opened up the door while standing up as nobody can aim at him due to the lack of windows and retrieved his service rifle, a M16A4. Running to his father's aide while crouching low the unknown attacker somehow did not shoot. "Mom! Mom can you hear me?" he shouted. There was no reply, as his mother is dead from the gunshot wound to her head. The front door was kicked open and men in suits rushed in. John refused to reply anything but still had his weapon aimed at the intruders. "Don't move or I'll shoot!" he shouted in warning.

"Secret Service! Secret Service!" the man leading the charge shouted, raising his badge which John still doubted.

"Tell me how can I trust you." he growled, shielding his father by standing in front of him. "What's my brother's code name?" he asked.

"Sentry! The name's Sentry!" the same man shouted in reply. Suspicious and hesitant at the same time he lowered his service rifle. "Special Agent Richard Fowler. We're alerted to the breach when the shots were heard."

"We don't want Secret Service protection Agent Fowler. I've already made it clear to my brother."

"Not the case right now." the agent replied. "We'll need to escort the both of you to safety now. We'll get you to Blair-"

"No, get us to wherever the Vice President is staying." John said. "My brother would freak out."