Page 45 of Generation Lost

“Where did he go? Where’s that fucker, Bodwick!” he screamed.

“I don’t know, sir. He was just here,” said one of the men.

“You idiot! He’s a former president. He knows all the secret doors and hallways! Never mind. I don’t have time to look for him right now. We have to leave.”

“They’re holding some interesting signs out there, sir,” said one of the Secret Service agents. “What do they mean?”

“Nothing. How would I know?”

“Is it nothing, or how would you know? Sir.”

“You protect me! You report to me! Get me out of here,” he screamed. The agent nodded, looking at the others in the room.

“Alright, sir, we’ll get you out of here.”

Using some of the same passages that Michael had used, they took the POTUS through the tunnels and out behind the White House. As the black SUV pulled up, he was shoved into the backseat, and the vehicle took off.

Straightening his tie, he leaned back with relief. It was all too short-lived. When the two men in the front seat turned to look at him.

“Afternoon,” smiled Tailor. “Fine day for a ride, don’t you think?”

“Who are you? Who the hell are you?”

“My mama doesn’t like cussin’,” said Alec. “Please keep your potty mouth to yourself.”

From the third row, he felt the stick of a needle, and then everything went dark. A little while later, he looked up to see lights above him and people murmuring.

“Wh-where am I?”

“Don’t worry, Mr. President, we’ve got you now,” said the general.

“Wh-what are you doing?” He yanked on the restraints, hoping to pull himself free. “What are you doing? I’m the president!”

“Not for long,” said Nine.

Over the next few days, the president’s confession was played over and over again, listing all the men and women involved, including listing off DiBenedetto, St. Pierre, and the others. The manufacturing sites were bombed by U.S. planes, and the casinos were shut down.

The heads of a number of agencies were charged, jailed, and confessions were flowing for leniency. A new president was sworn in, as well as vice president.

“We owe you a lot,” said the general.

“Nope. You owe us nothing,” said Nine. “Just do us a favor. Don’t call us.”

The man laughed, shaking their hands as they boarded their jet. He would be calling them. He should have been calling them more and working more closely with them. He knew better now and would make sure to include them on things in the future. He only hoped they’d be willing.

The auditorium was packed with everyone from Belle Fleur.

“Alright, everyone, settle down,” said Luke. “Dad? You’ve got the floor.”

“We suspected that you all would want to know how everything went down,” grinned Gaspar. “So, let us explain.”

“A few hours before the money was to be picked up, we created some bags of our own. Actually, the kids at the school, Tony, Victoria, and a few others created the bags,” smiled Ghost. “While DiBenedetto and St. Pierre were watching the bags being packed, we had someone waiting with their own cart filled with our bags.”

“Who? How did you get anyone down there?” asked Wilson.

“Simple. Ghost technology.” They all stared at Ghost, then realized what he was talking about. Tony smiled at them, Grip standing beside him.

“Tony stayed in the basement and swapped out the carts. He was able to time it precisely, placing a stealth net over their cart and uncovering ours. It felt like they hit a bump in the road. While they were looking down to see what it was, ta-da! We swapped it out.