Houston: The Girl Of His Dreams Pt. 01

"So, Regis, how is your Agent Smith?" Brent asked.

"I got a message from my agent, Houston," Regis said. "The doctor said he believes John was hit with an extremely potent psychotropic drug, and they're trying to find a suitable treatment."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Regis," Brent said. "I hope he recovers soon."

"I do too, Mr. Secretary," Regis said.

"So, what can I do for you? I take it you haven't spoken to the ambassador yet."

"No, Mr. Secretary, I haven't," Regis said. Brent already knew something of Regis' reputation, so he wasn't surprised the man hadn't followed the proper chain of command. So typical of these brash colonials, he thought to himself. Still, they seem to get the job done when push comes to shove.

"The truth is, Mr. Secretary, I've gotten some very disturbing reports from my agents," Regis continued. "They believe they're being stonewalled. Held back by your people."

"I see," Brent said as the waiter returned with Regis' coffee. Regis considered the tiny cup on the table between him and Brent and wondered how in the hell he was supposed to hold the tiny thing. Don't these people know how to pour a man's cup of coffee, for crying out loud? He kept his criticism to himself as he gingerly picked up the cup and took a tentative taste.

"Well, Regis, I've gotten some disturbing reports myself," Brent added. "Especially concerning your Houston Smith. According to Ms. Callahan, Mrs. Smith is abrasive, confrontational, insubordinate and exhibits violent tendencies." Regis smiled. That's my girl, he thought proudly. He nodded his head.

"Only when she's provoked, Mr. Secretary," he said.

"Are you excusing her behavior?"

"I'll talk to her about it, Mr. Secretary, rest assured," Regis said.

"I've also heard that Mr. Smith put his fist through a wall after a disagreement with one of my people," Brent said. "I certainly hope this isn't the type of behavior you condone and encourage in your people."

"I'm sure John had a good reason for that, Mr. Secretary. According to the agreement between our two governments, my people were to have access to all information related to this case. They were also supposed to have access to all the infrastructure necessary to complete their job. From what I've seen, that hasn't happened."

"Your people were given all the files we had, and they were given, as you say, access to infrastructure and access to support personnel," Brent said.

"Mr. Secretary, with all due respect, sir," Regis said. "Where I come from, we have a saying. Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining."

"Now see here, old boy," Brent began, his temper flaring. Regis held up a hand and cut him off.

"Mr. Secretary, my people were given nothing but hardcopy paper files to sort through. You know as well as I do that alone slowed them down considerably. They were also given no access to any digital files and the one computer they had access to was an old out-of-date machine with an operating system that barely functions and the only Internet access they had was through a slow dial-up. As a result, I have a man laying in a hospital bed fighting for his life," Regis said.

"On the other hand," he added. "Your people have been given full access to whatever they need, no questions asked. They've also been treated with the utmost respect and dignity, unlike Mrs. Smith, who says your agents have engaged in actions that could be seen as sexual harassment. Now, I'm not here to trade accusations, Mr. Secretary. As far as I'm concerned, our people are adults and they can handle their own problems."

"On that, we can agree, Regis," Brent said. "So, what is the REAL reason you're here?"

"I'm not entirely sure you're aware of the big picture, Mr. Secretary," Regis said. "What would you say if I told you there is a conspiracy underway to completely undermine Anglo-American relations?"

"I'd say you're bonkers," Brent said.

"I understand, Mr. Secretary. Do you remember what happened to Elizabeth Skaggs?"

"You mean your former First Lady? The one who died of a stroke here a couple years back?"

"Yes, her," Regis said.

"What about her?"

"She didn't die of a stroke, Mr. Secretary. She poisoned herself. She was about to poison a federal agent, then changed her mind and took her own life."

"Oh my God. That's bloody awful," Brent said.

"I agree. But there's more, Mr. Secretary. You see, she was part of a plot to take down President Skaggs. And, she was a British subject."

"What?" Brent asked, his eyes wide. He sat up in his chair at this revelation.

"I though that'd get your attention," Regis said. "Her twin sister was a woman named Mona Larsen. She was an attorney who started something called the Mutual Marital Assurance Society. Originally, it was a group set up to punish husbands who stray in their marriages. Using rather barbaric means, I might add. The group turned political and set their sights on something higher. Namely, the White House."

"There's more, Mr. Secretary. You remember that incident in Penrith here a few months ago?"

"Yes, a rather sordid episode if you ask me," Brent said.

"The woman involved in that, a Cecelia Greene, was Mona and Elizabeth's older sister," Regis said. "On top of that, we have evidence indicating that an employee of yours, one Ian McWhorter, made a number of trips between the US and the UK for the purpose of transporting US taxpayer money to Greene and her associates. Part of that was for a hit on a US federal agent. We also have evidence suggesting that he's involved in a sexual relationship with the current president's wife. If that's not a serious security breach, I don't know what is. As I'm sure you're aware, Mr. McWhorter is in the US right now with Prime Minister Brown."

"Bloody hell," Brent gasped.

"Indeed," Regis said. "Now, imagine the worst -- that something might happen to either your prime minister or my president -- or both -- while at a secure facility in my country's heartland. What do you think the ramifications of that might be?" Brent's eyes grew wide and his face turned a paler shade of white. Regis nodded his head.

"That's right," Regis said. "Everything our two countries have built up over the last 100 years or more would be gone, like THAT," he added, snapping his fingers. "My agents were this close," he said, holding his thumb and forefinger very close together, "to busting the whole damn thing wide open when my man was attacked. And that was despite your people's best efforts to stonewall them."

"You think my people may have been in on it?" Brent asked.

"My agent -- Houston Smith -- believes someone tipped them off," Regis said. "The only ones who knew they were going to Hackney were my agents and Callahan's team."

Brent sat in his chair, thinking about the potential ramifications and considering all his possible moves. He stroked his chin as he played political chess in his head. He finally came to a decision and looked at Regis.

"What do you need from me?" he asked.

"Well, for starters, something a bit more civilized than this crap you call coffee," Regis said with a sly smile. Brent smiled back. Yes, perhaps this American was redeemable after all, he thought to himself.

...

To be continued...