COVERT WRITERS TAKEDOWN by Joe Bergeron (best beach reads txt) 📕

whom I am a courier for. He may be acting on behalf
of another party.”
The President place both hands on his hips.
“Well then, Bruce, this could get very
interesting, couldn’t it?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I understand you’ll be addressing the
graduating class at Annapolis this year. Give them
wisdom, Bruce, they’ve earned it.”
“Yes, Sir. I’ll do my best.”
“Very well, thank you for bringing this over.”
“Yes, Sir.”
They understood one another.
Turner stood, saluted, turned, and left.
Benson’s next appointment wasn’t actually an
appointment in the Oval Office. It was a photo
opportunity for six Freshman Congressmen, and two
Congresswomen scheduled to take place in the Rose
Garden.
They might have to wait a few minutes. The
demands on the President of The United States are
great.
Pete Radler and the President’s Social
Secretary would keep them entertained.
242
Besides, there was a nice spicy punch they
were all enjoying, along with some hor dourves.
They wouldn’t mind a wait at all.
Unsealing the white envelope he reviewed the
letter.
It was short and to the point, the signature on
it from a
Michael J. Courtney.
Benson’s right hand pressed the necessary
digits on his phone system to engage his secure line and
dial a short number.
The phone in his left hand, he heard one ring.
“Scott Orefice.”
“Scotty, I have a letter in my hand from
Michael Courtney, just delivered to me by the Chairman
of The Joint Chiefs of Staff who was unaware of its
contents when it was given to me. I’d say Courtney and
his gang have some authority, wouldn’t you?”
It didn’t take him long to figure this one out.
“Yes, Sir. I’d bet that contact was made
through Andy St. Croix. He probably made a lot of
friends in Vietnam, Including Admiral Turner.”
“Courtney’s asking for a meeting with me. He
told me in the letter that there’s an organization at
work trying to destroy my Economic Reform Plan for
Cuba.”
The CIA Director gave the President’s
statement some thought for a moment. His next
statement would be a question. He knew there would
need to be some kind of involvement.
There would be.
“Mister President, how do you want me to
handle this?”
He’d already predetermined a response.
“Contact him like you said you would. By
accessing this office through the channel he used,
Courtney demonstrated his weight.
243
He’s working with good people, Scotty. I feel
confident he and St. Croix have a solid plan in place to
find and rescue Pat McKenzie. Find out what you can.
Let’s keep a close eye on them.”
He expected the response he’d just received.
“Yes, Sir.”
The Director also knew it was time to set a
planned operation into action.
“Mister President, Yankee Echo is gearing up
to answer a directive, and it’s going to be very negative.
It’s going to cause some damage to your Reform Plan. I
think we should push President Santiago into that
contract with Kushima as soon as possible. Once we
have the money secured, I’ll be able to take care of the
prejudice.”
The thought of extreme prejudice caused
Benson to close his eyes for a moment. Wars have no
victors, there are only casualties, and the memories of
its attendants never fade.
He placed the Director’s thoughts in a
temporary memory bin.
“Yes, Scotty.”
That was all that needed to be discussed on
that subject for the time being.
“Do you know where St. Croix is right now?”
“No, Sir. He constantly loses our details. His
escape and evade tactics are no match for us. Wirtham
told us he’s putting together a Zero team with Courtney,
but we don’t know where. All we know is he’s in Miami
somewhere. We hope to make contact when Courtney
joins him.”
“Give them a lot of slack - and keep me
informed.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Phones were cradled.
The President picked his up again, this time to
speak with his secretary.
“I want to speak to President Santiago as soon
as possible.” 244
He heard an affirmative response
…Time for a photo opportunity.
The Director of Central Intelligence stood and
walked to the bank of windows in his office. Now, arms
folded, he returned to his desk picking up a portable
cellular phone next to the main unit.
Two digits of pressure connected him with one
of his agents.
“Martin - where’s Courtney?”
“He’s in the JGM offices, Sir.”
Returning the portable phone to its original
resting place, he connected with his secretary on the
main system.
“Beverly, get me Michael Courtney at JGM
Exports, please.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Friday, May 26, 12:22 p.m.
Heliocentric Theory was first applied by
Aristarchus of Samos, a Greek astronomer and
mathematician who lived (310-230 BC).
His Theory held that the earth and planets
revolve around a fixed sun, and that the earth rotates
on its own axis throughout this orbit.
Nicolaus Copernicus, a Renaissance
astronomer, revived this theory in refuting the
Ptolemain system.
It was upheld again by Galileo Galilei, an
Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and
philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific
Revolution.
The idea that the earth could not be at the
center of the universe was just as opposed at the time of
Aristarchus, as it was in 16th and 17th century Europe,
on the basis that it subordinated man’s place in the
Universe.
245
Michael Courtney had thought he worked from
the center of the universe within Yankee Echo.
In fact, he was told he was the center.
But it was unreal. He’d fooled himself, and
they’d fooled him.
For ten years now, unaware to him, his work
had been strategic development of issues the Central
Intelligence Agency wanted developed.
In retrospect, he couldn’t ever remember
working on anything related to a corporate entity. With
fifty corporations involved, there must have been
hundreds of issues needing attention, remediation,
public sympathy, support.
He guessed those must have been handled by
Robert Wirtham.
‘How could I have been so stupid? How often
did these companies and the CIA press The Laws into
action through me? Shit, I never worked on any
corporate issues. Robert must have handled those. So
what do I do now? Damn it, Kay, why didn’t you tell
me? Why didn’t Robert level with me when we were at
UVM? Would I have taken this position back then if I
knew the power behind it? How many other lies were
there…are there?’
Pushing back his chair, he stood, grabbed the
three pages he’d written, and walked into Wirtham’s
office.
“Here’s the TAC. I’ve worked out details for
states by regions. I want this in the fax system by three
this afternoon. Can we handle that?”
There was a tone in his voice Wirtham had
never heard. He decided to leave it alone.
“Sure…have you heard from Andy yet?”
“No. I thought you might hear from him first.
I know he’s going to need some money.”
“It’s available…what’s your gut on Pat being
near Belize?”
246
“I’d say it’s certain.”
He’d expected a lot more.
“That’s all?”
“That’s all for now, Robert. Let’s get the TAC
going.”
His teacher studied the pupil, eyes connected.
It felt confrontational.
The former UVM professor backed down.
“Consider it done.”
Wirtham knew his TAO XIA Master was either
close to the truth, or he knew it already.
Friday, May 26, 12:24 p.m.
Geraldine Allison stepped into the conference
room.
“You have a call on line three…it’s the Director
of The Central Intelligence Agency, Scott Orefice.”
His first instincts told him not to accept the
call.
Logic overruled. What he hell, he had to talk
to him someday.
“Thanks, Gerry.”
He pushed the appropriate button on the
Merlin set.
“This is Michael Courtney.”
“Mister Courtney - you sent a letter to the
President - he’s asked me to respond. I’d like to send
one of my Deputy Directors to speak with you.”
The analyst didn’t answer.
“Mister Courtney - I suggest you talk with us
on this matter.”
…He finally responded. He wanted to see the
President. He also needed to neutralize the current
situation and take control.
247
‘What the hell can they do, shoot me?’
“I don’t know you, Mister Orefice, and I didn’t
write that letter to you. If the President wants an
explanation, I’ll give it to him. I’m sure you can set up
a meeting.”
“The President is a very busy man, Mister
Courtney. I have…”
“I would think that the CIA Director has a
pretty busy agenda too, Mister Orefice. Your
appointment in this matter gives it both scale and
urgency. Set up the meeting and maybe I’ll be there.
Have someone contact me. I’m getting tired of being
jerked around.”
He returned the receiver to its cradle with
enough force to make one final unspoken comment the
Director would hear.
She stood in the doorway, legs crossed, her
head and shoulder resting on its frame.
“I had a great cab ride over.”
He looked up without raising his head and
offered no response.
She remained in the same position.
“I should have told you everything, Michael.”
Still no answer. Instead, he rose and
approached her, gently placing his hand on her lower
back providing enough pressure to begin moving her
into the room. When she was several steps forward, he
closed the conference room door behind her.
Pulling a chair away from the table, he
motioned with his left hand.
“Please, sit.”
She complied, placing her purse on the table
top and removing her blazer.
Courtney moved to the edge of the conference
table and half sat on its edge.
“Kathleen, you can yell and scream about
manipulation, but you allow yourself to remain in a
manipulative position, and you’re just as governing as
the rest of us. 248
You assume innocence and vulnerability.
You’re soft and gentle in every instance where it fits
your agenda. But you’re also capable of being cold and
calculating.”
Removing his eyes from hers, he left the table
and began walking around its perimeter. Her thoughts
returned to a Boston College classroom where she’d
seen him so many times in class do the same thing from
his desk. When he was in this mode, he didn’t just tell
you something, he flooded you with the truth.
“You have great intuition, wonderful
perception, and a face and body that won’t quit…”
She had to allow herself a Mona Lisa type
smile.
“…None of this is ever very distant from you.
They’ve become tools you use to take what you want.
You’re psychokinetic, Kay, you can make things move
without having any physical contact with them…but
you’re also translucent. You let people get close enough
to see an image, but not the real thing. I loved you for
the image, Kay, but recently you’ve become very
transparent, and I don’t like the image I see.”
He continued his journey around the table.
“I rationalized you, so I’m not without fault
myself. I probably manipulated you, your father and
Robert as much as I’ve been manipulated over the
years. We’re seemingly stuck in paradox, Kathleen -
something’s both true and false at the same time.
Emotions are true, but a lot of the premises those
emotions are built on are probably false, so its possible
the emotions themselves could be false.”
Halting his perimeter navigation, he once
again assumed a half seated position on the table.
“Right now, I hate all this shit, but I’m still
going to find your father. I’m also going to find and
break Breacher One and his friends, and I might end up
breaking this whole fucking place apart. People wanted
my application of the Laws - they’re going to get it.”
249
Looking through her eyes again, he saw an
emptiness reflected there as if it were coming from a
rear view mirror.
One thing had been left unsaid.
“Tell your friend, David Eisenberg, I’m taking
control of the organization.”
He got off the