Free First Strike by Jack Higgins Page A

people in business suitsworking away on laptops at the long conference table. Flat-panel displays were fixed to the walls, and there was a bank of telephones.
    â€œSecure communications and heavy duty shielding,” said Chuck. “Better leave these guys to it. They keep a constant watch on what’s going on in the world, gathering data from a multitude of sources, always on the lookout for trouble.”
    â€œAnd do they find it?” Jade asked.
    Chuck grinned. “Sometimes. Thanks, guys,” he called as he ushered them out again.
    â€œIs that the most secret and secure room in the White House, then?” Rich asked.
    â€œGuess so. Except maybe…” Chuck shrugged. “Yeah, probably.” He gave a knowing, teasing smile.
    â€œOh come on,” Rich told him. “You can’t leave it at that.”
    â€œPromise not to tell anyone, and I’ll show you what’s really the most secure and secret room. Though with everyone demanding freedom of information, the word ‘secret’ doesn’t mean what it once did.”
    Chuck led them back along a corridor to where he had pointed out the main Secret Service office. It was a large open-plan room with partitioned workspaces. In fact, itwas boringly like any other office.
    But before they reached it, they passed another smaller room, and a narrow flight of stairs. The stairs jutted out into the corridor, the side was faced with dark, wooden panels.
    â€œThese come out near the Press Secretary’s office and the Cabinet Room,” said Chuck. “We’ll go up there in a minute.”
    â€œAnd is this the room?” Rich asked, sounding slightly awed. He pointed to the door closest to the stairs.
    Chuck White laughed. “We have everything here in the White House. It’s like a big village. Self-sufficient. And that,” he went on, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “is the barber’s shop.”
    Without waiting for a reaction, Chuck pushed open the door and led the way inside. It looked just like an ordinary office—with oak-panelled walls and a large wooden desk.
    â€œNo one in today, but this is now the Office of Homeland Security,” said Chuck. “The barber was evicted a few years ago. Now he makes house calls.”
    It was the first room in the West Wing that hadn’t been a hive of activity. Jade was surprised how many people there were—even in the corridors.
    â€œIs that what you were going to show us?” Jade asked. “An empty room?” It seemed to her that Chuck had been heading past this room when Rich had asked about it.
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œReally?” Halford asked.
    â€œHow can you doubt me?” Chuck shook his head. “OK, you got me,” he admitted. “The most secret room in the White House is actually the cupboard under these stairs.”
    Without further explanation, Chuck led them up the nearby stairs to the first floor. In fact, it was also the ground floor as the West Wing was built into the hill side. So at the back of the building, the President’s Oval Office, although on this upper floor, had a view out over the grounds and a door out into the famous Rose Garden.
    Chuck gave them a quick look at the Roosevelt Room, which was where they would later be meeting the President. It was a large room, almost square but with a corner flattened off and a door set at an angle across. There were two other doors, and a large conference table in the middle of the room. There was a large fireplace on one wall, several paintings, and a grandfather clock.
    â€œWhich Roosevelt is it named after—Theodore or Franklin D?” Halford asked.
    â€œBoth really,” said Chuck. “Theodore had the room built, and FDR expanded it. So Nixon named it after them. Seems fair enough. Franklin D. Roosevelt used to keep fish in here.”
    â€œI’d have thought receptions like this would be in the main