Revenge in Advance - The Briefing

"Well, sir," she said. "Earlier this evening, Mr. McWhorter called us to his room and said we were to follow him here for some reason. When we got here, Mr. McWhorter tried to insert this into the president as his wife tried to put that on him," she added, pointing to the chastity device. "From where we were, it looked as though the president stopped his wife and kicked Mr. McWhorter twice. After that, we notified the Secret Service agents." Tim nodded his head when they finished.

"I see," he said. He turned to George and surveyed his bruised feet, which were beginning to swell up. "Are you okay, George?" he asked.

"Yes, I am, Tim," he said as paramedics tended to his feet. "Thank you for asking." The Prime Minister nodded his head.

"Right," he said. "I see you still remember how to use your feet." George smiled weakly. Tim turned to Collette and Amanda. "I take it you've placed Mr. McWhorter under arrest?"

"Yes sir, we have," Collette answered. Tim nodded his head again.

"Very well," he said. "Obviously, his diplomatic immunity is revoked. We'll leave the rest to the diplomats. Who knows, perhaps he'll reach retirement age by the time they sort it all out. Good work, by the way."

"Thank you, sir," Collette said.

...

Judy Chastain was laying in her bed when she heard the alarm sound. She smiled, knowing that soon, she would be sworn in as the new president of the United States. Predictably, she heard a hard knocking on her door. Surely, she thought, this would be the Secret Service, telling her that George Pierce was incapacitated after being found in a very compromising and embarrassing position.

She opened the door after putting her robe on and was surprised when several very large Secret Service agents barged into her room, guns drawn. Bill Jackson entered the room after the agents.

Before she could say anything, one of the agents had turned her around and placed handcuffs on her, while reading her Miranda rights.

"What the hell is this?" she asked, furious.

"This is what happens when you plot to take out the President of the United States," Bill said. "And engage in a conspiracy to murder a federal agent using taxpayer money."

"What?" she asked.

"If I were you, I'd get a good lawyer," Bill said. "Take her away," he said to the agents.

A similar scene played out in the room occupied by Trisha and Yolanda, who were busy smashing each others pussies together on the bed. They tried to cover themselves up as a group of Secret Service agents smashed the door down, guns drawn.

The agents tossed robes at them and ordered them to cover themselves up. After the girls were covered up, they were quickly arrested for their part in the conspiracy to bring down President Pierce.

"Yolanda Carstairs," one agent said, "you are also under arrest for the premeditated murder of President Lincoln Skaggs." Their Miranda rights read, the two girls were quickly ushered out of the room.

The next day, both delegations left Fort Apache. George refused to take the wheelchair offered to him and instead, walked slowly to Air Force One with his British counterpart. Word had gotten out about his "role" in taking down the conspirators and everyone around him found a new respect for the man.

Before he mounted the steps to the plane, he turned to Bill. The Prime Minister followed suit.

"Bill, thank you for everything," George said, shaking his hand. "Whatever you need, you've got. Just say the word."

"I second that," Prime Minister Brown said. "And please, take good care of my soldiers."

"I will, Prime Minister," Bill said, shaking Tim's hand.

After the plane left, Oscar and Bill went to Oscar's apartment. That evening a "Fox News Alert" came on the television.

"This just in," an anchor said. "Multiple arrests of highly-placed figures were carried out at a government base in the Midwest. Among those arrested were First Lady Barbara Pierce, House Speaker Judy Chastain and at least two staffers. One of those staffers was reportedly arrested for what officials said was the alleged murder of former President Lincoln Skaggs.

"A British diplomat was also taken into custody. According to reports, the diplomat was allegedly involved in a long-term sexual relationship with the First Lady. More to come as details of this are made available. President Pierce is set to address the nation soon. Stay tuned," the anchor said.

"And that, as they say, is that," Bill said. Oscar shook his head.

"I hope you're right, Pop," Oscar said. They heard a knock on the door. Oscar opened to find Collette and Amanda in civilian clothes. "Come in, please," he said. "You're just in time."

"In time for what?" Collette asked.

"President Pierce is getting ready to address the nation," Oscar said. "Please, have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Yeah," Collette said, "I'll have one of those root beers if you don't mind." Rita grabbed a couple of root beers out of the fridge and they all sat down. John and Christine heard Collette and came running into the room.

"Can I sit with you?" John asked Collette. She smiled and patted the seat next to her. Christine sat next to Amanda. Oscar smiled as he and Rita sat on the love seat, leaving Oscar's favorite recliner for Bill.

Soon, the television switched to the Oval Office. George sat behind his desk, looking resolute. His feet still hurt and he hoped that he was able to mask the pain.

"My fellow Americans," he began. "You've probably heard by now that prominent figures -- including the First Lady -- have been arrested. I won't keep you in suspense. Those reports are true. It has come to our attention that there has been an ongoing international plot to overthrow the duly-elected government of the United States by a group of individuals seeking to fundamentally transform humanity in a way that defies all logic or reason.

"If this plot had been successful, not only would this government have been overthrown, but the special relationship between this country and one of our closest allies would have been irrevocable damaged. I am happy to say that plot has been stopped in its tracks." He stopped reading the teleprompter, took off his glasses and pushed his papers aside.

"Please allow me to speak heart-to-heart with you for a moment. I'm just a simple, plain-spoken man who says what he means and means what he says. I grew up on my father's farm in Idaho, played football in high school and college. Served in the Army for a while, then went to Boise to serve as a state representative. From there, I went to the state Senate, then came here to Washington to serve in the House and later in the Senate.

"I was honored when Lincoln Skaggs asked me to be his running mate six years ago, and I swore I would work to bring decency and integrity to this administration. I'm here now because someone murdered the former president. You'll learn more about that in due course.

"You may also have heard that the First Lady -- Barbara Pierce -- has been involved in a long-term affair. That report, unfortunately, is also true. I can't begin to describe how I feel about that right now. I met Barbara in high school, married her out of college and raised two sons with her. Normally, I would have divorced her, but thanks to events out of my control, I was unable to. You'll learn about that in due course as well.

"We're not going to agree on everything, but as my former constituents in Idaho can tell you, I'm ready to calmly discuss any disagreement with anyone, anywhere and any time. But one thing I think we can all agree on is this -- we are a nation of laws. While I'm president, know this. No one, not even the First Lady or the Speaker of the House, is above the law.

"I fully intend to finish Lincoln Skaggs' second term as spelled out in the Constitution. I may decide to run for another term, but right now, I'd just as soon go back to the family farm and retire. I had hoped to spend those years with Barbara, but that's not going to happen. I'll let you know when I've made that decision.

"Until then, may God bless you, and may God bless these United States of America and her allies. Good night," he said as the screen faded to black, followed by a panel of talking heads intent on telling their audience what they had just heard.

"Well," Collette said. "That's sure to set the tongues wagging."

"Yes, it is," Oscar said.

"It's so sad," Bill said. "I really feel for the guy. But, we have a job to do." He looked at Collette and Amanda. "Are you two getting settled in alright?"

"Yes, we are," Collette said. "We have to go to the UK for a bit to pack and collect our orders, but we'll be back, probably within a fortnight." John looked at Collette, his face beaming.

"You're staying here?" he asked.

"Yes, we are, John," she said. "But we have to go back home for a bit, first. We'll be back soon, though." John and Christine looked at their father then back at Collette and Amanda.

"Our mother died and we don't have any aunts," Christine said sadly. "Would you please be our Aunt Collette and Aunt Amanda?" she asked. Amanda looked at Collette and gave Christine a hug, fighting back a tear.

"Of course," she said, "if your parents say it's okay."

"It's more than okay with us, right, Rita?" Oscar said. Rita nodded her head.

"It's okay with us," she said. Both children let loose, hugging Collette and Amanda, who hugged them back.

"Right then," Collette said. "And when we get back, maybe I'll teach you how to play real football, not that stuff you like to watch." John smiled and hugged her.

"We'd better be off then," she added, standing up. "We have to catch an early flight out in the morning." Oscar and Rita said their goodbyes at the door and relaxed after everyone had left.

"Well," Rita said after everyone had cleared out, "you still want to write your memoir after all this?" Oscar laughed.

"Why not?" he asked. "Besides, who'd ever believe it, anyway?"

Epilogue:

The DOJ investigation took a few months to complete, but by the time it was all said and done, a number of conspirators had been brought up on multiple charges. Trisha was found guilty in her role to bring down the president and sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. She was also found guilty of misappropriation of government funds and fined thousands of dollars.

Yolanda didn't fare as well, and was sentenced to death for murdering President Skaggs. She was also found guilty on charges of aiding and abetting sedition and the overthrow of the government and given an extra 20 years in federal prison.

Judy also faced the death penalty after investigators found her complicit in the murder of the former President and in the conspiracy to murder a federal agent. She, too, also faced 20 years in prison for her role in the overthrow of the government.

Barbara was also found guilty of conspiring to overthrow the government and was handed a 20-year sentence in federal prison without the possibility of parole. Her arm had healed, but she never fully recovered the use of her vocal cords and could only manage to speak one or two words at a time.

Several other minor conspirators were also convicted, although most of them got lighter sentences after turning state's evidence. Naturally, the country was treated to one spectacle after another as the shocking news of MMAS was made public during the trials.

Many were shocked as they learned of the group's ultimate goal and soon, MMAS operatives, mostly imaginary, were seen behind nearly every blade of grass. Needless to say, many marriage counselors and family law attorneys saw their business boom during those months.

All of this was exactly what the Skaggs administration had hoped to avoid, but with the arrests and public trials of so many highly-placed figures, there was no avoiding the subject. Talk shows and talking heads on both sides of the Atlantic discussed every aspect of the controversy endlessly.

Now that he felt safe to do so, George wasted no time divorcing his wife. The divorce went through quickly and Barbara got nothing due to her criminal activity.

Diplomats on both sides of the Atlantic argued about Ian's fate for several months. The UK wanted to have him extradited in order to pursue charges, but US diplomats argued that he played a pivotal role in the attempted overthrow of the US government and needed to be held accountable. Talks continued to drag on, but they felt as though a compromise was in the works.

Ian, meanwhile, had been held in a federal prison, where his diplomatic skills were useless against hardened criminals who hated him from the moment he arrived. His arrogance and condescending manner toward the other prisoners ended when one of them introduced him to a shiv, inserted strategically between two ribs and into his heart. Guards found him dead in the showers the same morning that diplomats had agreed on a basic compromise.

His body was returned to Great Britain where he was quickly and unceremoniously buried and forgotten.

George spent the remainder of his time in the White House cleaning out what many called "the swamp." It wasn't easy, and he fought powerful people on both sides of the political aisle to get it done. Most of his time was spent dealing with conspiracies and "news" outlets convinced that Russian bots were responsible for what Judy, Barbara and others had done.

He kept his word to Bill and Oscar and even offered Bill a Cabinet position as the head of HomeFront security. Bill turned the offer down, saying that such a position could be easily abused by a corrupt administration.

George even offered the task force's assistance to other countries facing similar problems, and soon, delegations from France, Germany, Israel, Italy and Australia -- among others -- began showing up at Fort Apache.

Lonely, depressed and exhausted, George retired at the end of the term. His disgust with the culture in Washington was made quite public during his farewell address to a joint session of Congress when he ceremoniously washed his hands of the whole mess, using a bowl of water placed on the podium.

"May God help us all," he said in conclusion to a stunned audience. He returned to the family farm in Idaho and spent his remaining days riding horses, fishing and hunting. He didn't stay lonely very long, however, as he eventually fell in love with a woman he had known since high school. Three years after retiring from the White House, he remarried and wrote his memoirs.

Life at Fort Apache went on and Oscar learned how to play the role of diplomat with delegations from all the countries that came to visit. Thanks to the publicity generated from the trials, his field operatives were busier than ever, chasing alleged MMAS plants and operatives, only to learn that most of them never really existed.

Eleven months after the incident with George, Rita gave birth to the couple's second child, a bouncing baby girl named Michelle Marie Warren, named after their mothers.

Collette and Amanda had many more adventures, but those will be left to another author for another day.

That night, Oscar looked at the blank Word document on his screen as he thought about the last few years of his life. Finally, he put fingers to keyboard and typed, "The Warren Files, Chapter One."