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"What exactly do you mean by low-key?" asked Hayes.
Ke
"Of course I do."
"Well, he thinks that the Belleau Wood battle group has all the assets we need to pull off a successful hostage rescue, and in light of what happened the other night, he thinks it best not to get the entire national security apparatus involved."
Hayes folded his arms across his chest and stared into space for a moment. It was obvious he was torn between his trust for Rapp and his natural instinct to manage the situation.
"What type of timetable are we looking at?"
"The Philippines are fourteen hours ahead of us, sir. It's tomorrow morning there." Ke
"The earliest we'd launch a rescue operation is after sundown, which gives us at least eleven hours to prepare. Mitch is proposing that we give him the authority to put a plan together on-site, and then report to us tomorrow morning, our time, before we launch the rescue."
Hayes thought about this for a moment and then turned to General Flood.
"What do you think?"
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs looked at Ke
"What are we up against?"
"Enemy strength is estimated at sixty armed men… light machine guns mostly and a few RPGs."
As a soldier who'd been in battle, Flood was not a fan of micro-managing situations from thousands of miles away. He thought about the assets available and said, "The Belleau Wood has more than enough muscle to handle the job, sir. She has a task unit onboard, along with a platoon of Force Reco
Hayes shifted his weight from one leg to the other.
"What's your recommendation?"
Flood checked his watch.
"I'd say let Mitch put a plan together. We can convene in the Situation Room in the morning and get a briefing before we give it a green light. Until then the best thing we can do is stay out of their way."
The President stood in front of the fireplace considering the advice he'd just been given. He shifted his gaze to Ke
"Irene, I assume you agree?"
Ke
"You've said it yourself before, sir. Mitch has a way of getting things done. I'd say the best person to handle this situation is right where we need him."
Hayes agreed with a curt nod.
"All right. Let's plan on convening tomorrow morning. In the meantime I expect the two of you will monitor the situation closely."
Both Ke
"Good." Hayes nodded and then said, "All right, then, if you'll excuse me, I need to pick up my date."
THIRTY THREE.
Flood and Ke
The sight of the director of the CIA and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs descending the stairs together would lead to endless speculation that a crisis was brewing.
Ke
They'd gone no more than fifteen feet through the well dressed crowd when the general was snatched from Ke
In her mind a state di
She'd almost made it to the bar when a hand gripped her arm.
Ke
"Hello, Director Ke
Ke
"A
"I'm just trying to be respectful," replied a less than sincere A
"Hmm." Ke
Cutting straight to the chase, A
Looking at the pretty young reporter and thinking of her conversation with Jack Warch, Ke
"A
"Two cosmopolitans, please." The bartender nodded and went to work.
"Irene, officially, I'm on duty. I don't think I should be drinking a cosmopolitan."
Ke
"A
A
This was the most she'd ever heard from the always polite, but tight-lipped Ke
"No, its not that, it's just that whenever I'm at the White House, officially I'm working."
Ke
"Follow me."
Through the thickening crowd they went in search of a quiet place to talk. They garnered more than a few glances; both attractive women in their own right, A
As they continued through the East Room several people tried to stop Ke
Ke
A
Ke
This threw A
"No, he didn't tell me, and you know he didn't. So why don't you?"
Ke
It lay somewhere in the belief that Mitch deserved better. In a chilly tone she asked, "Do you have any respect whatsoever for your husband?"
"Of course I respect him," snapped A
"Then why do you put him at risk by walking around like a put-off high school homecoming queen?"