AT THE PLEASURE OF THE PRESIDENT
She didn�t know why they were bringing her there. She was confused. She didn�t have an NSC card, therefore she wasn�t allowed in there. She was ushered into the room and saw President Matthew Santos and White House Counsel Ainsley Hayes standing around. The President looked worn out, and Ainsley looked� hesitant. There was a long table in the middle of the room with a phone at one end and a pitcher on the other. Several TV sets on the walls loomed dark and silent above their heads. There was a built-in cabinet with doors closed and finally, the seal of the President just next to the door through which Donna entered.
�Donna, it�s good to see you,� Matt Santos said with a bitter smile. �I�m afraid I�m the bringer of bad news.�
�Josh?� Donna asked anxiously.
�No, at least as far as I�m aware of he is safe and sound in Vienna. It�s Sunday night, and except Ainsley and me you are the only one here,� he informed her.
�Sir?� Donna asked back hesitantly. Surely there must have been others in the White House. The building was the workplace of some 1100 people, some of them assigned to do night duty.
�Oh, okay, there are security officers and Secret Service agents and two assistants in Communications to watch the news but nobody else. You remember the lockdown earlier this day?� President Santos asked her, and after Donna nodded he continued, �Everyone was happy to leave in the evening. The Deputy NSA is also in the building but�and here come the bad news�he is trapped in the Situation Room with the entire body of the Joint Chiefs and several Secret Service agents.�
�Trapped? What does that mean? What happened? Where was the security breach?� Donna asked Santos.
�In the Situation Room,� President Santos said.
�The Situation� The Situation Room?� Donna�s voice faltered. The Situation Room was probably one of the safest places on the face of this globe. The idea of a security breach in the Situation Room was unimaginable and unbearable at the same time.
�Yes, apparently one of the Chairman�s aides is wielding a gun down there,� President Santos said with a nonchalance that made Donna nervous.
�Sir, what are you not telling me?� Donna asked him.
�Donna, the White House is in a lockdown, again. No one goes out, no one comes in. We have a secure phone line to the State Department, we have several TV sets and I think there is a chance that our videophone works but I have to admit, I don�t know how,� he said, gesturing towards the closed cabinet. �No one picked up so far. The only good news is that the Press Corps was escorted out of the building after the earlier lockdown and they are still accommodated over at the OEOB. The first breach originated near the press area, so they left happily. Doug went with them,� the President explained, with his last sentence referring to the Deputy Press Secretary. �But the problem is, as I said earlier, that although I have a line outside, I can�t reach anybody over at State. Apparently, they are in a lockdown too.�
�Sir? Wouldn�t the agents know if other government offices were in a lockdown?� Donna asked President Santos.
�Yeah, but they are experiencing range problems,� President Santos said, looking over to his chief agent Ron Butterfield who nodded.
�What does that mean?� Donna asked, looking questioningly at Ron.
�Well, it means that their transmission is limited to the White House,� President Santos answered.
�But surely there were some agents on the portico?� Donna asked Ron, and after the agent nodded she continued, �We could send one of them to State or to the OEOB. We need to establish contact to the outside world,� Donna said, and didn�t add �to Josh�.
�Ron dispatched two of his agents, but so far none of them reported back,� President Santos imparted, throwing Donna an unfathomable look.
�Could we get an update on the situation in the Sit Room?� Ainsley asked, joining their conversation for the first time.
�Ron?� President Santos turned to Ron.
�Well, sir, I just wanted to update you when Ms. Moss arrived. There is nothing but silence from the Sit Room,� Ron said in his usual matter-of-fact voice. And while his news caused turmoil in her stomach, his tone calmed some of Donna�s fears. But his next words had anything else than a calming effect.
�Silence?�
�Yes, sir. The agents there were transmitting up until a minute, and then I heard several shots fired and then everything went silent,� Ron said, his voice impassionate.
Donna couldn�t fathom how he could stay so composed after such disturbing news. But she knew that Ron�s priority was President Santos� safety; she also knew that he couldn�t have done anything short of embarking on a dangerous rescue mission, which in turn would have resulted in deserting his post and jeopardizing the safety of his charge.
�Could we try the State Department again?� Donna asked, looking down at the phone, trying to give off the same calming effect as Ron.
Nodding his consent, the President picked up the phone and dialed the extension to get Secretary of State Arnold Vinick�s office.
�Maybe we should try the switchboard,� Donna suggested. �I mean the Secretary is in Vienna with Josh, maybe his assistants are having the day off.�
�Donna, if no one picks up the phone in the Secretary�s office the call is redirected to one of his deputies and there is always a deputy on duty,� Matt explained.
�Oh, okay then. What�s next?� Donna asked, looking at the other three occupants of the Operations Center.
Matt sent her a smile and then turned to Ainsley.
�Ainsley, I need you to draft a document. I want to name Donna as my Special Advisor,� Matt Santos said, and then looked over to Donna. �Are you ready to serve at the pleasure of the President of the United States, Donna?�
�Yes, sir,� Donna said, nodding her agreement. These were extraordinary times, and there had to be extraordinary measures. The President needed someone to rely on, and she was the one he had to pick.
�Okay, Donna, while Ainsley is drafting your appointment, sit down with Ron, he will update you. You have your cell phone in that bag?� he asked then.
�Yes, sir. You think you can get a signal down here?� Donna asked him, wondering why she didn�t remember her cell phone.
�Well, I certainly hope so,� the President said, and Donna, after dialing Josh�s number, handed him her phone.
�I wanted to call Helen,� President Santos said.
�You might want to know what we are facing before scaring the living daylight out of her, sir� Donna said with a shrug of her shoulders
�Yeah, good thinking,� President Santos said, flashing a smile at her.
Donna sat down, and Ron took a seat next to her.
GO TO PART THREE