Free National Burden by C. G. Cooper Page A

tied.”
    Zimmer slammed a hand on his desk. “Dammit. We will not allow the Russians to rebuild the Soviet empire. Travis, have Ellen call everyone in. Nobody’s going home until the Russians have pulled their troops out.”
     
Chapter 17
SSI Safehouse, Arlington, Virginia
11:13 a.m., March 5 th
     
    Cal’s phone vibrated on the kitchen table. He snatched it up. “Stokes.”
    “Hey, it’s Neil.”
    “What did you find out?”
    “We’re still sifting through Southgate’s phone records.”
    “Come on, man. This is kid’s stuff to you.”
    “I know, I know, but a lot of calls come in and out of the senator’s office. A vast majority of them are encrypted or at least masked. I’m not sure if we’ll have an answer for you today.”
    “That’s not good enough. The deadline is five o’clock. I need something before then.”
    “But--”
    “Listen, Neil, if we don’t find out who’s feeding Southgate with this line of horseshit, we all may be facing conviction in federal court.”
    “Cal, I know you don’t want to hear this, but the President was part of--”
    “Don’t say it. I know. That’s not the point. The point is someone is trying to torpedo the President. I’m not gonna let that happen.”
    Neil sighed. “Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”
     
     
    +++
     
     
    The White House
     
    The mood in the Situation Room was tense if not downright hostile. Split right down the middle, the President’s advisors couldn’t come to a consensus. The Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs all wanted the President to send in a carrier group along with a full Marine contingent.
    Everyone else, including the president’s national security advisor, Attorney General and the Secretaries of Treasury, Commerce and the Director of Homeland Security, preferred a more cautious approach. To make matters worse, all communications coming out of Lithuania had ceased. The entire country was under some sort of blackout.
    “Mr. President, let’s not make any rash decisions. Our markets are volatile as it is. Any hint of military incursion could send us tumbling back into a recession,” said the balding Secretary of Commerce, the most vocal of the dissenters. Zimmer made a mental note to see what he could do about replacing the man. He’d been nothing but a whiner since he’d entered office, rarely with a solution to go along with his complaint.
    “I understand,” answered Zimmer, “but I will not stand by and let the Ukraine debacle happen again.”
    When Russia had effectively seized control of Crimea weeks before, Zimmer deferred to his war-weary cabinet members. He’d been slammed by numerous publications for his lack of action, and conservatives had howled to any reporter within reach.
    The Secretary of Defense spoke up next. “Mr. President, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency is on his way over now. Might I suggest we wait and see what he’s learned from his people in-country?”
    “Fine. Let’s adjourn until he gets here.”
     
    +++
     
    Bethesda, Maryland
     
    Steve Stricklin could hardly contain himself as he walked back to his car. The meeting with Senator Southgate had gone better than expected. Not only had the senator taken notes during their conversation, he’d also promised to do everything he could to either see him reinstated at the Bureau or placed somewhere in one of the many companies Southgate had relationships with. The icing on the cake for Stricklin was when his host had suggested the possibility of having to testify in front of a senate investigative committee.
    “I’ll do whatever you need, Senator,” he’d said, already imagining the clicking cameras and pretty reporters asking for interviews. He couldn’t wait to tell his mother about how he would soon be a celebrity.
     
     
    +++
     
     
    Senator Milton Southgate sat in the Congressional Country Club lounge overlooking the famous golf course, now covered in snow. He hadn’t known