Play it Again Sam Pt. 06

It was a rhetorical question, but I answered anyway.

"They would lose their fucking minds."

Pembroke gave small wince at my profanity, and I felt like an ignorant lout. Damn this guy was good! If I wasn't careful, I would reveal something just because I was trying not to disappoint him. He used his grandfatherly visage like a weapon.

"Yes," he intoned. "Quite. There would be mass hysteria. Not only that, but the public would demand accountability. We know who is ultimately behind this attack-"

"North Korea." I jumped in.

He mimed like he was sealing his lips.

"As I said, we know where the final responsibility lies. Rest assured that this provocation will not go unanswered. But, if possible, we would like to administer justice tactically, precisely. A disaster has been averted, and so we have the opportunity to avoid an escalation as well. The public would demand open conflict. We very well might become embroiled in a full scale war. Far better to handle this quietly."

I believed him. Word that North Korean terrorists had tried to detonate a nuclear bomb on American soil would enrage the country. It was hard to imagine anything less than war satisfying the masses.

"As for yourself Mr. Watley, if your role in recent events were to become widely disseminated, I'm afraid your personal safety would be compromised."

"How so?"

"You would be a grand hero... but also a tempting target. Some of the terrorists come from a nation that is well known for its violent reprisals, and willingness to strike across national boundaries. In addition, terrorist radicals of all stripes would view you as tantalizing prey. The hero who rushed in to stop an act of terrorism... It would be a serious blow to American morale if that man met a grisly end at the hand of yet other extremists. You would have to make a lifelong commitment to personal security."

My father had raised similar points. North Korea had no problem making assassination attempts outside their borders. We hadn't though that I would become a target for other radicals as well, but it made sense. If I were to become famous for killing terrorists, I could end up on the death list of every extremist sect that hated America... which was pretty much all of them.

I looked at Pembroke.

"I did briefly have aspirations of fame and fortune, but this past week had disabused me of that notion. What is the official story going to be?"

"There's no denying that what occurred was a foiled terrorist attack. But the names of yourself and your companions will never be mentioned in connection to it. And anyone who suggests a "nuclear" component to this event will be quietly cautioned, then loudly discredited if necessary. Since your call to the police mentioned terrorists with a bomb, that information is now public. All the personnel who entered that building were government employees. The NYPD wasn't allowed in until the scene had been cleared. So we can control the narrative."

He paused a moment.

"You didn't give your name to the police dispatcher, but you called from your own registered cellphone. That's a problem. As far as we can tell, only a few police officers know your identity. We've done as much as we can to suppress that information. Far better for you, and for the country, if we let the world believe that this attack was foiled by government assets."

"So Uncle Sam is going to ride in after the fact and steal all the glory huh?" I asked with a touch of bitterness.

Pembroke looked a mite sheepish at that.

"Unfortunately, yes. No offense Mr. Watley, but in the realm of counter-terrorism you are a non-entity. You are a civilian. You performed masterfully, some might even say suspiciously so. But you will never strike fear into the hearts of the world's radical elements. They would put your success down to luck."

I found that slightly insulting, but couldn't really come up with a good counter argument.

So I settled for blowing Pembroke a raspberry. He looked shocked. Then he chuckled.

"No," he said. "You are definitely not James Bond. And that's who we want everyone to think stopped that bomb. A team of highly skilled government operatives. If North Korea, or anyone else ever found out how close they came..."

He paused to let me fill in the blank.

"They would immediately try again."

"Precisely. We don't know how they got so far this time. This has become the priority for every law enforcement and intelligence agency in the United States. It's also the reason why you, who should be the hero of the hour, have gotten such short shrift. It's obvious that you know more than you are telling. We are trying to prevent a second attempt, maybe here again, maybe somewhere else. Anything you fail to disclose could potentially be the one thing we needed to know to save millions."

I cleared my throat.

"I am one hundred percent sure that I do not know anything that would tell you how they got the nuke into the country. I don't know anything about their movements before they got to the embassy."

"Then how did you know they would be there? Pembroke asked.

"I didn't. I was just in the right place at the right time." I said emphatically. It had been my standard answer whenever the government accused me of having foreknowledge."

Pembroke opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off.

"After this, I'm going home. I can understand why you would be desperate for answers, and I wish you all the luck in the world in tracking the terrorists' movements and preventing any future attacks. I'd like to offer you a hypothetical situation if I may."

"Please, go ahead."

"Let's say, hypothetically, that I was hiding how much I knew, and how I knew it. That I did have advance knowledge. Well, again hypothetically, that advance knowledge would have been hours, not days. Have you watched the entire video General? Have you seen and heard what those North Koreans intended?"

"I have." He replied.

"If Seal Team Six had raided that building, what do you think would have happened?"

"Are you implying that you are somehow more qualified than the Navy Seals, Mr. Watley?"

"No, no," I said. "That's not what I'm getting at. By now you know the way all the terrorists were laid out. Four North Koreans, in two locations, had remote detonators. And they were in radio contact with all the other terrorists who were spread out on different floors, and even different buildings. Could the Seals have taken them all by complete and utter surprise? So swiftly and quietly that none of the North Koreans had an opportunity to detonate that bomb?"

Pembroke looked troubled, but he defended his men.

"Mr. Watley, if you, a stock trader could do it, I assure you that the U.S. military is more than capable. Especially with the advance knowledge that you appeared to have had."

"Ah, but there's the rub, General Pembroke. Looking back, knowing what you know now... Would you have attempted an assault? With four fanatics who had their fingers on the button, would you have risked going into that building? Remember, we're still speaking hypothetically."

That got his attention. He actually paused to give the question some serious thought.

"No... No, I don't believe I would order such an action."

"What would you do then? How would you stop them if you couldn't risk a direct attack?"

"My first priority would be interceding before they ever reached-"

"No." I interrupted. "You may have backtracked their movements. I have no idea where they spent that Friday, though I assume it was somewhere in or around New York. You can't get to them before they reach a populated area. You can't risk a direct attack. What do you do?"

Pembroke harrumphed irritably. He was a smart man. He knew what I was getting at.

"In hindsight... if we had known how tenuous the situation was... we wouldn't have gone into the building or attempted to make contact. We would have fired several Hellfire missiles into that building, until it was just a pile of rubble and the nuclear device a twisted piece of scrap iron."

"Would there have been much collateral damage with an airstrike like that?" I asked.

"No, very little, if any. With today's tactical weapons we could have razed that building down to the foundation without harming the adjacent sites. There would be some flying debris, but as the street in front on the building was almost empty, injuries to bystanders would be minimal."

"And what about the ambassador's family?"

Pembroke paused. "In this scenario, Mr. Kun's family would be an unfortunate sacrifice to preserve the greater number of lives."

"Well General," I said. "You have an answer, at least in this hypothetical situation. If I could have given you more advance notice, three more innocents would have died. As well as the building being destroyed and an even bigger public relations crisis than you are facing now."

"But what makes you qualified to make that kind of decision Mr. Watley? We only would have used an airstrike if we deemed the risk of detonation too high. If the United States government is not willing to risk the lives of millions of New Yorkers, what gave you the right to risk them?"

I brought my hands up to rub my face. It was early in the day, but this was a wearying conversation.

"I don't have a good answer for that General Pembroke. Not one that would make sense to you. I can only say that on that day... I felt like I was in a unique position to do something about it. I did. It's done. There may be a legion of g-men whose job it is to second guess my actions, but personally, I've always found the 'what if' game to be a colossal waste of time."

Pembroke sighed. "You are absolutely sure that you have nothing else to say?"

"If I knew something that would help prevent another attack I would tell you in a heartbeat. But I don't."

I stood up in preparation to leave.

"So," I said. "Is this it? Do I fade back into obscurity? I'm not going to see a bunch of "repairmen" camped out in my neighborhood am I?"

"No, Mr. Watley. No surveillance. Off the record, I have to commend you for your quick thinking with that video. Some elements would have tried to hound you indefinitely if not for the threat of you releasing it. Just between you and me, you are correct. Were the video to surface, we would be powerless to prosecute you for it. But I hope you understand that whatever fame you were to achieve would come at a great cost, both to yourself and the nation."

I honestly didn't care. I was just happy that time had started moving again. That I could start really living again. But I felt I had to belly-ache a little just for appearance's sake.

"I understand. I can even see the logic of it. But it's still a kick in the teeth that I can save so many lives with no reward or recognition. It is its own reward, I realize. I feel good about how things have turned out. Still... I get the feeling that the government would be just as happy to see the back of me."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Mr. Watley." Pembroke said, leaning forward. "Because I assure you that the nation is very grateful for your service. In fact, I've been authorized to tell you that once some time has passed, you and your wife, along with the Kenjis, will be invited to a private audience at the White House."

That took me aback. I let out a low whistle. Under the circumstances it made sense, but I was still star struck at the thought of meeting the President.

"Also," he continued. "You and your companions are going to receive a gift. For the next five years, you have been granted a moratorium on all taxes. Though if any of you were to leave the state, you would have to pay taxes in your new state. The moratorium only applies to Federal, New York, and New Jersey taxes. If you move, we may be able to work something out."

"Wow." I said, stunned. That was a very nice gift. Especially when you consider that I had made over seven million dollars in the stock market before I escaped the time loop. I thought that the feds didn't know about that until...

"I understand that you recently made quite a windfall. Very recently."

I just raised my eyebrows in mock innocence. If the government had subpoenaed my banking information, they had done it in secret, but I wasn't exactly surprised that they found my new wealth. I wondered how it all looked from an outsider's perspective. I went from a white collar schlub, who was in debt up to his eyeballs, on Thursday... to a badass, kung-fu fighting, millionaire, scourge of terrorists on Friday...

"I am Batman." I whispered under my breath.

Shit! I'd forgotten where I was. I looked at General Pembroke. He had clearly heard me, from the thinly veiled amusement on his face. I coughed and quickly got us back on track.

I thanked the General for the government's generous gift. No more mention was made of my newfound wealth, though in hindsight I'm sure it only added to the cloud of suspicion around me. We made small talk for a few more minutes. He gave me a card with his number on it in case I felt a need to get in contact.

Then we made a small ceremony of saying goodbye, and I headed home.

In the end, Uncle Sam's gratitude outweighed his suspicion. I was contacted several times over the coming weeks to clarify some point for them. Sometimes I could be helpful, sometimes not.

My role in thwarting a terrorist attack never became public knowledge. The video remained unseen by the world at large, though for the rest of my life I would get random people walking up to offer me bubblegum. There was a large intelligence community in New York, and I was treated as a minor celebrity whenever one of them recognized me.

For the most part, once I walked out of the hotel that day, I put the events at 57^th and Park Avenue behind me. I was just a regular citizen.

...

Now I had to go home and face my wife.

Well technically, she had waited for me to finish my meeting with the national security adviser, so she was going home with me. But how much longer would it be our home? That was the question.

We spent an uncomfortable train ride to New Jersey, followed by an awkward drive home. I hadn't thought to worry about my Ford Taurus until we got back to New Jersey. Of course it had been towed, since I left it all week, so we had to get a cab.

Once we walked in the door, the dam burst.

"Please talk to me Sam! This silence has been killing me!"

We had talked quite a bit over the last week, but I knew what she meant. We hadn't been talking about us.

"Come on," I said. "Let's sit down and talk this out. I'm sorry I've put this off, but I really didn't want to talk about our marriage while we were guests of the government. I didn't want any distractions from the more important issues."

"They weren't more important to me Sam. Nothing is more important to me than our marriage. I know you don't believe-"

"I believe you Julie." I interrupted.

She'd been prepared to try and convince me.

"You believe me?"

"Yes, I believe you. I believe our marriage is the most important thing to you. I believe you love me. I believe if I gave you a second chance you wouldn't stray again."

Julie's face showed a mix of confusion and hope.

"That's not our problem Julie. Feelings have never been our problem. Or more accurately, they have never been your problem. No your problem has been your actions don't match your feelings."

"I know," she sniffed. "What I did was terrible. I never meant to hurt you."

I sighed. What do you say to that? It was true, from her perspective. But it was so idiotic.

"Well... you did. More than I ever believed another person could hurt me. You took the best thing in my life and turned it into a lie. You made me question myself, at the most basic level. It took a long time for me to recover my dignity and prepare to move on."

"Move on?" Julie asked. "Does that mean you already have your mind made up? Do I not get a chance to fight for us... to try to make it up to you?"

"I've had four years to think about this Julie. It would be pretty sad if I hadn't decided on a course of action in all that time. Maybe from your perspective it's not fair that you were in the dark while I was deciding the fate of our marriage... But in my view, it couldn't be more fair. You kept me in the dark for years, while you made me a fool of me. And you had chances. You had our entire relationship together. If you had ever stopped; if you had ever really put me first... Then there might have been hope for us."

Julie had tears running down her cheeks. With over a week to process things, she had gotten over the hysterics that I had encountered every time I confronted her in the loop. But she was still prone to bouts of crying. I think the time spent in the hotel, with me treating her more as roommate than soulmate, had brought home to her how much things had changed.

"So what are you going to do Sam?" Julie asked despondently. "Do you not love me at all any anymore? Can you ever forgive me?"

"I still care for you Julie. I don't know that I would call it love exactly. Originally, I had a revenge plan all mapped out for you, but I had a change of heart. I spent a lot more time with you over my last couple months in the time loop, and I remembered some of the things that made me love you in the first place. So... no scorched earth. The only thing you have to prepare yourself for, is I'm going to air the dirty laundry of all my 'supposed' friends."

Julie paled.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in my original plan, I was going to get ahold of you and your sisters' diaries, and make copies for all your friends. Does Samantha know that Emma slept with her husband? Do any of the husbands know what happened at Claire's bachelorette party? I considered letting all that go. For your sake. But that bag full of assholes who used to call themselves my friends never showed me any consideration. And unlike you, they haven't built up any goodwill with me.

"I may not go to the trouble of providing evidence, but I'm still going to be sending a lot of emails. Let them do their own investigating. All the dirty little secrets, at least the ones you and your sister knew about, are about to be aired. I'm going to provide them with the courtesy they never extended to me. I hope they all choke on it."

Julie was silent for a moment, trying to process what that all meant for her. Her circle of friends obviously didn't give a shit about her infidelity, they'd all known about it for years. But they might not be so forgiving when her demons came to haunt them. Then of course there was her sister...

"Sam, please don't do that to Emma. Please. Steve will leave her. She'll be devastated. She's wasn't like me, she didn't stray often. Please."

"My dear sister-in-law? My favorite member of your family, who told me that I was the brother she always wanted... and who had such a great time dishing with almost everyone she knew about how pathetic her sister's husband was in the sack?"

Just talking about this was getting me worked up again. Opening a pool of rage that I'd thought I had put behind me.

"No," I said. "I'm not going to get into all the reasons why you and all your friends and family deserve what's coming. You're all going to get off fucking light. Especially you. Be thankful that I want to put this period in my life behind me. I'm still young. I can rebuild a better life for myself, and there no place in it for people like our old friends. So I'm going to send off my emails, then they cease to exist for me."

"What about me?" Julie whispered. "Am I just part of your past now?"