Revenge in Advance - Mona

"I do. I think that was a way to relieve the tension she was feeling at the moment. Bill, you know there's two sets of initials in Pat's notes that no one has been able to connect with a real name? What if those initials don't always reflect a name? What if they sometimes refer to a title?" Oscar asked.

"What are you saying?" Bill asked in response.

"What if 'FL' really means 'First Lady'? 'LS' could easily refer to Liz Skaggs. Yes, her full name is Elizabeth, but you know she prefers to go by 'Liz.'"

The impact of what Oscar said caused Bill's eyes to widen.

"My God," he said. "You think the First Lady is tied to MMAS somehow? If that's true, then the president really is in danger. And so are you, potentially, by being there." Oscar nodded in agreement.

"That's a distinct possibility, which is why I'll be watching her like a hawk," Oscar said. "Let's get the tech and the research guys on this right now," he added, pulling out his phone.

Bill nodded as Oscar dialed the research department. He gave the passcode and was instantly connected to the head researcher.

"John Harding here, is that you, Oscar?" the voice said at the other end of the call.

"Yes, John," Oscar said. "Look, I need you to do something with everything you have on the initials from Pat's notes and files. Assume the initials FL mean 'First Lady' and LS refers to 'Liz Skaggs.' Once you've done that, do a deep dive of the Internet and see what you come up with. Can you do that?"

"Of course we can do that, Oscar. For you, anything," John said.

"I appreciate that, John," Oscar said. "How soon can you get me results?"

"Give me a couple hours. I'll send the results by secure email," John said.

"Perfect, John, thanks," Oscar said, hanging up. He looked at Bill. "Looks like we'll know one way or the other in a couple hours."

"Listen, Oscar, I'm going to assemble a backup force of agents that will be at your disposal while you're in the White House. I know the White House Secret Service chief personally, so I'll arrange it with him. He won't like it much, but that's just too damn bad. We'll keep 'em off site unless they're needed, but I want to make sure nothing will stop them from coming in if necessary," Bill said.

Bill and Oscar decided to stop for lunch before returning to the Watergate. Liz Skaggs, meanwhile, was making a call on one of her burner phones from the relative safety of her office in the White House.

"Hey, sis," said the female voice at the other end. "How're things going? Did you meet with the infamous Oscar Warren?"

"Yes, I did. And his boss, Bill Jackson," Liz said.

"So, what do you think? Is Oscar the good guy Pat said he was?"

"I think so. Pretty old-fashioned, too, if you ask me. We'll find out just how good he is tonight, though. He's going to be staying here with us for a while. I plan on putting him in the Lincoln Bedroom. Maybe I'll put the move on him and see how he reacts," Liz said.

The woman at the other end laughed.

"How much do you think they know?" she asked Liz.

"It looks like they know quite a bit, but I'm not sure exactly how much. I know they're frustrated because they can't seem to get any photos of you and they still haven't figured out who is on the board. They pretty much understand our agenda, though. At least from their point of view. I'll find out more over the next day or so," Liz said.

"Good. While you're at it, see if you can find out where they're based. I'd love nothing more than to burn their base to the ground. With them in it," said the woman at the other end of the call.

Liz laughed.

"I'll try," she said.

"That's all I ask. Meanwhile, I'll call Nina and see what we can do about the security detail around him."

"Sounds like a plan. Talk to you soon, sis," Liz said.

After ending the call, the First Lady put her phone away and began absentmindedly stroking her crotch while thinking how she would seduce the man responsible for MMAS' recent setbacks. This was going to be fun, she thought.

Chapter 5:

Bill and Oscar finally got back to the Watergate, having enjoyed a nice lunch. Oscar was in the process of getting his gear back together when his phone rang.

"Oscar, this is John," said a very excited voice at the other end. "You're not going to believe what we came up with."

"Spit it out, man," Oscar said.

"Okay, here goes. Elizabeth Skaggs' maiden name is Daltrey. She was born in London along with her twin sister, Monique. We checked immigration records and found that Monique shortened her name to Mona before getting her student visa. Mona went to Harvard and after finishing law school there, became a naturalized citizen and went to work at a very prestigious law firm where she met and married Andrew Larsen," John said. "A few years later, they were divorced. And from everything we were able to find, the two sisters appeared to be quite close."

"So you're telling me that..." Oscar began.

"Mona Larsen and Liz Skaggs are twin sisters, Oscar," John said. "Your instincts were right. It seems that FL and LS are quite likely one and the same person." Oscar let that sink in for a moment before responding.

"Holy crap," he finally said. "Keep digging, John, see what else you can find. Good work, by the way."

"Thanks, Oscar," John said before hanging up. He turned to Bill, who sensed something was up.

"We got something of a breakthrough," Oscar said. "It seems that Mona Larsen and the First Lady are twin sisters."

"That means you and the president are in even greater danger than we first thought," Bill said. "I'll reach out to my contacts at the Secret Service. We need to be very careful going forward."

The two men discussed their options and Oscar headed back to the White House. Once there, Liz met him and escorted him to the Lincoln Bedroom, a room on the second floor of the White House that is part of a suite which includes the Lincoln Bath and Sitting Room. Oscar knew enough history to know that Lincoln never slept in the room, however, he once used it as an office.

Some of the furniture in the room was used by the Lincoln Administration and the centerpiece of the room, a giant eight foot by six foot rosewood bed with a humongous headboard and carved foot-board, was first purchased by Mary Todd Lincoln in the 1860s. There's no evidence the president had ever slept in it, but it's believed that other presidents had used the bed.

Oscar also remembered Rush Limbaugh said he once stayed in the room during one of the Bush Administrations and he looked around, half expecting to see a bronze plaque that read, "Rush Limbaugh slept here."

"I hope you enjoy your stay here," Liz said with a smile as Oscar put his clothing in the closet. "You know it's considered an honor to stay in this room, but it frankly gives me the creeps sometimes."

"I'm sure there's a lot of history in this room," Oscar said.

"I guess you're right," Liz said. "At least you'll be sleeping on a much newer mattress. The old one was pretty lumpy so I had it replaced. I hope it meets with your approval. I decided to modernize it a bit with one of those mattresses that let you adjust for comfort."

"That's mighty nice of you, Mrs. Skaggs. I'm sure it'll work just fine. Thanks," Oscar said.

"Please, call me Liz, Oscar," she said.

"Very well, Liz," Oscar said in response. Liz sat on the bed, pulling her legs under her.

"So tell me, Oscar, what do you normally do in these 'interventions' you told us about? Do you really help men cheat on their wives?" she asked.

"No, we don't help anyone commit adultery," Oscar said sarcastically. "Every intervention is different, since every situation is different. Sometimes all it takes is a friendly word of advise and the affair ends. No affair, no punishment. Other times, we have to take more direct action. There are times, however, where we actually have to play marriage counselor as well as law enforcement officer."

"Interesting," Liz said. "I see you're carrying. Have you ever had to kill someone?"

Oscar didn't appreciate the tone of her question, but knowing that she was in league with Mona, he thought he might rattle her a bit.

"Like I said, we're trained law enforcement officers, so there are times when deadly force is required to protect the targeted spouse," he said. "As for me, yeah, I've had to take some drastic action from time to time. I don't like it, but if that's what's necessary..." he began, finishing his thought with a hand gesture indicating he would shoot if required.

"I see," Liz said quietly. After a somewhat pregnant pause, she spoke again.

"What about your personal life, Oscar? Are you seeing anyone special now that you're divorced?"

"The only special people in my life right now are my kids," Oscar said. "I'm not seeing another woman, if that's what you're asking. And no, I haven't been with another woman since my divorce. Call me old-fashioned if you want, but I have my reasons."

"Oh my god, you mean it's been a year and a half since you've been with a woman?" she asked. "Sorry, but I find that hard to believe. I don't know any man who could go that long without sex."

"I know it sounds strange, but yeah, it's true. For starters, I still have some feelings for my wife and I'm not sure how that's going to end. Call me crazy, but I believe in the 'till death do you part' portion of my wedding vows. Then there's my kids. I want to able to look them in the eye and honestly tell them I haven't been with anyone other than their mother. Finally, there's the job. Not only does it keep me very busy, but it's made me leery of seeking another relationship. You'd be amazed at the garbage I've seen," he said.

"But didn't your wife try to kill you?" Liz asked.

"Yes, she did," Oscar said. "She was also under the influence and control of her MMAS operative at the time."

"So you blame MMAS for what happened to you," Liz said.

"Absolutely," Oscar said. "And that's why Mona Larsen and her co-conspirators have to be brought to justice. There's no telling how many others she and her cohorts have harmed." Liz frowned at that comment. "And now it appears she's targeted your husband. Who knows, maybe she'll use you like her operative used my wife."

A look of concern - or guilt - briefly crossed her face and she quickly changed the subject.

"So where are your children now?" she asked.

"At home. They're in good hands, by the way, and I talk to them every day," Oscar said.

"And where's 'home,' if you don't mind my asking," Liz said. Oscar immediately recognized that she was trying to get him to reveal the location of "Fort Apache," his base of operations.

"Someplace safe," he said, noting the look of disappointment on her face. He decided to change the subject.

"What about you, Liz? What brings you here, other than being married to the most powerful man on Earth? What's your story?" Oscar asked. Liz wasn't expecting this.

"Not much, really. Grew up in London as you probably know. Came here to the States for school and decided to stay. I met Lincoln when he in the Senate and we married after his wife died," she said.

"What about family? Any brothers or sisters?" Oscar asked. Liz shook her head.

"No family," she said. "Mum and Dad died in an accident and I was an only child."

"I thought I read somewhere you had a twin sister," Oscar said. Liz shook her head.

"Fake news," she said. "Probably put out by one of those right-wing conspiracy sites always attacking my husband as a globalist."

"Hmm," Oscar thought. He finished putting his things away and joined Liz in the main part of the bedroom.

"So, are you going to be my chaperon while I'm here?" he asked. Liz laughed and nodded her head.

"As a matter of fact, yes," she said. "And I'll be expecting you at dinner tonight at 7:00 pm sharp."

"I look forward to it," Oscar said. "Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do."

"Very well, Oscar," she said. "I have things to attend as well, but I expect to see you at dinner. And feel free to dress casual if you wish." She left the room with a smile, leaving Oscar wondering why she had lied to him. How deep was she in all of this, he asked himself.

Chapter 6:

"So, what did you find out?" Mona asked her sister.

"I think he knows a lot more than what he's letting on," a nervous Liz said. "He asked about my 'sister,' so I'm pretty sure he knows we're related."

"Which means he's going to be very careful around you in the future," Mona said. "We're going to have to move fast."

"He's having dinner with me this evening. Do you think I should spike his food?" Liz asked.

"No, he's going to be on the lookout for that. Just relax, let me handle this. Don't give him any additional reason to suspect you. Remember, he's not the target, your husband is. I want you to distract him as much as you can. Can you do that for me, sis?" Mona asked.

"Sure," Liz said.

"OK, thanks, sis, love you," Mona said.

"Love you too," Liz said, hanging up.

Oscar, meanwhile, had managed a short meeting with Kyle Bumstead, the senior Secret Service agent at the White House. Kyle had just finished a call with Nina Carlilse and wasn't happy at all.

"So, Warren, tell me, did you have anything to do with these new agents being dropped on my doorstep?" he asked when they met.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Oscar said to the red-faced man whose shaved head reminded him of a .45 caliber bullet.

"I just got off the phone with Treasury. They're giving me a bunch of newbies and telling me to put them on the President's detail. Dammit, that's my job, not theirs," he said. "Let me tell you something, Warren, this is MY house and I take my job very seriously."

"Excuse me, Bumstead, but I thought this is the 'people's' house," Oscar said. Kyle got even redder than before as he got in Oscar's face.

"It IS the people's house, as you say, but it's my job to make it the most secure house in the whole fucking world and that's exactly what I intend to do. I'll not have a bunch of unknown, untested newbies floating around here looking for the nearest toilet when the shit hits the fan. Got me?" he asked, spraying spittle in Oscar's face.

"Yeah, I got ya," Oscar said, wiping his face with a handkerchief. "And for what it's worth, I'm here to work with you."

"Really," Kyle said. "How?"

Oscar briefed Kyle on the whole situation involving MMAS, Liz and her twin sister Mona. He also informed Kyle that the task force now believes Nina is part of the plot to get the president.

"Shit," Kyle said when Oscar finished. "So you believe these new agents I'm getting are really part of this whole fucking thing?"

"I think that's a very real possibility," Oscar said.

"So what do you want from me?" Kyle asked.

"What we need more than anything else is intelligence. I know my boss has spoken to you about our backup team just off-site, and we appreciate your help there. But what we need is to somehow intercept communications to and from the First Lady. Can you help us there?" Oscar asked.

Kyle looked a bit nervous before saying anything else. He looked around for a few seconds then addressed Oscar.

"I spoke to your Bill Jackson. Quite an impressive fellow," Kyle said. "And yes, I believe we can help you with the other. I hope to God you're being straight with me about all this shit." Oscar nodded his head.

"Absolutely. I wouldn't have it any other way," he said.

"Okay, Warren, I'll read you in on the way to communications. But remember, everything I'm telling you is highly classified. I've already checked so I know you're cleared to hear it. Got it?" he asked.

"Sure," Oscar said. "Lead on."

Chapter 7:

On the way to communications, Kyle briefed Oscar on the capabilities of the department, which included highly sensitive and classified information on hardware designed to capture, trace and record conversations made over cell phones. Most of the technical details went over Oscar's head, but he understood the underlying principles and the basic operation.

"So can you set it to scan for and intercept calls made from, say, burner phones?" Oscar asked.

"Absolutely," Kyle said. "In fact, we key on those types of phones all the time. With all the civilian traffic in the White House - tours and that sort of thing - we have the system set to trigger on specific keywords. Recording doesn't start unless those keywords are detected. But the metadata of every call is recorded. Of course, all official phone communications are handled using secure and encrypted devices. Do you think they'd actually use standard mobile phones for this?"

"I do," Oscar said. "Something tells me they know the standard encrypted forms of communication here would be monitored and recorded, so they bypass that by keeping it simple and relatively low-tech."

"If you say so," he said. They made it to the secure comm area and Kyle let them in using his card key. Once inside, he went to a bank of equipment and began throwing switches. Taking a seat at a computer , he began clicking and typing commands. This was way over Oscar's head, but he got the general idea of what was going on.

Soon, a diagram came up on the large monitor overhead. There were a number of red dots which Oscar understood represented mobile phones that had been recently used. Kyle manipulated the diagram and they noticed one dot was on an upper floor - in the First Lady's office. Kyle clicked on the dot and a screen full of information popped up.

"Is this phone currently in use?" Oscar asked.

"It doesn't appear to be," Kyle said. "It looks like a call was made from there just a few minutes ago, though. And data indicates several other calls made from that phone in the last few days. And all of the calls were to the same number."

Could it be this easy, Oscar wondered.

"Is it possible to triangulate the location of the other phone from this?" he asked.

"It'll take a bit of time, maybe an hour or two, but we can locate it to the nearest tower at least," Kyle said.

"Can you set this to record any further conversations?" Oscar asked. Kyle nodded his head.

"Already done," he said. "I've also initiated tracking on both those phones and given them priority. Give me your phone and I'll set up an app so you can keep an eye on them both remotely." Oscar unlocked his phone and handed it to Kyle.

Kyle did his magic and handed the phone back to Oscar.

"You can now monitor both of those phones yourself. Both numbers have been pre-programmed so that should give you a heads up as to where they both are to within a few yards," Kyle said.

"Excellent, Kyle, thanks," Oscar said. "I'll give my people a heads-up. This is a great help."

"Just doing my job, Warren. I'm here to ensure the president's safety. I don't give a shit about cheating spouses, but I do get upset when my president or his family is in danger. And I really get pissed when I learn there's a plot being hatched in THIS house," he said. "And for the record, you're welcome," he added with a thin smile.

"Tell me something, Kyle," Oscar said. "Are the rumors about President Skaggs true?" Kyle chuckled.

"You obviously aren't from these parts," he said. "Hell, everyone here knows that Lincoln Skaggs is one of if not the biggest pussy hound on the Hill. If it wears a skirt, he's chasing it. Personally, I don't get it. I mean, have you seen the First Lady? If I was married to that I'd never even think about another woman. But it's not my job to mother him. I'm his protector, not his father confessor. Maybe you can talk some sense into him."

"Yeah, I understand," Oscar said. "The First Lady is a very attractive woman."

"Attractive, yes," Kyle said. "Chaste? Not so much. She's been known to get some strange every now and then. Maybe they have one of those 'open marriages,' y'know? Just be careful when you have dinner with her tonight and keep your head in the game."