Gate 216

Gate 216-2

We drove to the airport, and Jonathan met us there. "You were almost late, but we've got time I think. These were the only flights into Washington: we got lucky that they haven't closed that airport yet." "Where do we go?" "Gate 216." "OK, guys, let's go." The line was shorter than I had ever seen, before or since. Nobody wanted to go in; everyone wanted out. We got in with barely minutes to spare. Jonathan went to smooth over the ticket lady, while me and Sam caught our breath a few feet away. We heard mumbling, and then a loud "WHAT?" before we went over to see what was happening. "What do you mean, we can't get on the plane?" Jonathan was almost yelling, which he very rarely does. "I got these tickets not an hour ago, and they told me it was fine! What could have possibly happened in that time that hasn't already?" The ticket lady looked me and Sam over as we cam up, like we were suspected criminals. "I have my orders from the top," the ticket lady said with no ceremony, as if she told every one this. "You are not to leave on this plane. In fact," she said as we began to protest, "You three are not to leave this airport." I did not like the sound of that. "What do you mean, us three?" The ticket lady pointed behind us, and we saw our answer walking toward us: the President of the United States and the First Lady. Now, I had met the President many times, as he was a great friend of both my mom and dad, and he tended to remember me every time we met. Usually he had a smile on his face, and was a nice man to everyone, always ready with a joke to cheer you up. But none of these characteristics were evident in his face: this was the face of a man that held the most powerful position in the world, and had for one and a half terms. This was the man stopped wars, and fought them when necessary. It was this man that walked up to me and said, "Katrina Carivall, you and your friends are not to leave this airport." I walked up to the President until I was only feet from him, stood straight as my father had always taught me to talk to this man, and retorted, "With all due respect, Mr. President, do I not have the right protected by law to travel where I wish when I would like? Or have the laws been changed within the last hour without the knowledge of the American people?" A hint of a smile played at the corners of the President's mouth, and he came back with what I already knew, "Yes, you do have that right, Miss Carivall, but in matters of national security, the President has the power to stop you from entering any given city if I believe it to be a threat to national security. And as you know, Miss Carivall, you entering this city is a matter of national security, because you are the reason they are here." Now this was something Jonathan and Sam were not expecting. "You're the reason Washington is being bombed?" Sam exclaimed. "Are you that important, Kate?" "Maybe not Katrina," the President interjected, "her body certainly is." "Mr. President," I said quite firmly, "I would rather this information stay between the top-secret scientists, you, and me, if at all possible." The President looked at me with an unreadable look, and said, "It can no longer be kept secret from these two, Katrina: they are now involved in this, and therefore must know what's going on. You two have been spending time with a government secret for the past two years. Katrina Carivall is the biggest government secret this country holds." "How can a person be a government secret?" Sam asked. "Not so much a person, Sam," I cut in. "But what a person's body contains. You've heard of Area 51?" "Yeah of course," Sam replied, almost scoffing now. "Only the biggest government hoax in history." "Don't be so sure," the President retorted. "Though grossly exaggerated by Hollywood, there is an organization within Washington that develops top-secret warfare for the US Government. This organization is called the NHI, or the National Headquarters of Investigation. It is the technology developed by this organization that these terrorists are looking for." "What exactly is this technology that the terrorists are blowing up Washington to find?" Sam asked skeptically. "That would be Katrina," the President replied calmly.

From the Author: Thank you for reading! These two sections are the first chapter of my novel, Gate 216. I really hope you enjoy it! If you don't mind, I'd love to hear what you think, critical or complementary. :)