Houston Goes to Washington Pt. 03

"How far down are we going?" Houston asked Oscar when the elevator began moving.

"About 300 feet, roughly," Oscar said.

"Why so far down?" Houston asked.

"Gives the prisoners a deeper sense of isolation," Oscar said. "We call it the dungeon, and for good reason," he added when the doors opened. John and Houston looked at the walls, which reminded them of something one would see in an old European castle. They appeared to be made of rock or brick, and the light bulbs in the center of the ceiling didn't provide much light in the hallway.

They walked about 50 yards to another door. A well-dressed man standing by the door shook Oscar's hand.

"John, Houston, this is Avery Hamilton," Oscar said. "He's the U.S. Attorney handling Nancy's case. Avery, this is John and Houston Smith, the federal agents targeted by Nancy. I take it she's conferring with her lawyer?"

"She is," Avery said. "The virtual hearing is about to start. I've filed a motion to have her named an extremist under the Enhanced Patriot Act."

"Enhanced Patriot Act?" John asked. "What's that?"

"After Elizabeth Skaggs died, the president pushed for and signed a bill that significantly enhanced the Patriot Act," Avery said. "It created an official designation -- extremist -- for individuals like Nancy and the others she worked with. Once designated an extremist by a judge, many of the person's constitutional rights are suspended, pending a review."

"Oddly enough, Senator Legstrom worked with the president to push this," Oscar said. "To my knowledge, Nancy will be the first to be designated an extremist."

"I may ask the two of you to testify," Avery said. "Are you up for that?"

"Sure, if it'll help," Houston said. Oscar pulled out his card key and opened the door.

Nancy was dressed in what appeared to be an orange hospital gown. She sat behind a small table and her hands were cuffed to two rings in the middle of the table, forcing her to lean forward. A female guard sat in one corner, watching her closely. Another man sat next to Nancy with papers laid out in front of him. Oscar addressed the guard first.

"Have you informed our guest of the rules?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, I have," the guard said. Oscar nodded his head before turning to Nancy.

"Uncomfortable, are we?" he asked as he opened his briefcase.

"Yes," she said. "Very." Oscar looked at the guard.

"I thought you said she was told the rules here," Oscar said.

"She was, Agent Warren," the guard said. "Apparently, she needs remedial training."

"Apparently," Oscar said. He turned back to Nancy. "Lets get one thing straight, bitch. I frankly don't give a shit if you're comfortable or not. This isn't a resort, in case you haven't noticed."

"I want my lawyer," Nancy said.

"And people in Hell want ice water, bitch," Oscar said, causing Houston to smile. "Besides, you have legal representation," he added, motioning to the man next to her.

"I said I want MY lawyer, not some underpaid public servant. My husband is a powerful U.S. Senator," she said. "My family is very powerful. You have no idea what we can do to you."

"That will be enough," Avery said. "We're not here to debate. We're here for your first preliminary hearing. Are you ready, George?" The other lawyer nodded his head.

"I am, Avery," he said. Avery nodded his head and motioned to the guard, who turned on a large monitor mounted on the wall. A man wearing a black robe could be seen sitting behind a bench. He looked up from the papers on his desk and spoke to his camera.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he said. "We are here today to consider an emergency motion by the U.S. Attorney asking this court to designate the plaintiff, Nancy Garrison, an extremist under the provisions of the Enhanced Patriot Act. Are the people ready to present their case, Mr. Hamilton?"

"We are, your honor," Avery said.

"And is the defense ready, Mr. Freeman?" the judge asked.

"The defense is ready, your honor," George said.

"Good," the judge said. "Present your case, Mr. Hamilton." Avery stood and consulted his notes before speaking.

"Your Honor," he began, "Ms. Garrison is known to be a top-echelon leader in an organization known as the Mutual Marital Assurance Society, or MMAS. This is an organization dedicated to the destruction of humanity as we know it. It's the primary reason for this Task Force's existence, in fact. The top two leaders of the group are now deceased, and we are in the process of dismantling the lower echelons of the organization. However, we have received information that indicates Ms. Garrison's role was to rebuild and reorganize should those top leaders be removed.

"Given the lengthy list of charges pending against Ms. Garrison, including seditious conspiracy, murder and crimes against humanity, and her leadership role in MMAS, the people believe it in the national interest that she be designated an extremist under the provisions of the Enhanced Patriot Act," Avery said, sitting down. The judge nodded his head and turned to George.

"Please respond, Mr. Freeman," he said. George stood and consulted his notes before speaking.

"Your Honor," George said. "The ACLU and a number of pundits have said the Enhanced Patriot Act, and especially the provision designating certain individuals as 'extremists' for the purpose of denying them some of their rights under the Constitution, are clearly unconstitutional. A case has been brought to the Supreme Court, but it has not yet been heard. My client has the right to due process and should not be denied that right.

"Additionally, she is the wife of a very important United States Senator. It's inconceivable she would be involved in the acts alleged by the prosecution," he added before sitting down. The judge nodded his head and considered what he heard before speaking.

"Well, before I address the merits of the motion before the court, I'd like to inform the defense that Senator Legstrom passed away earlier today," he said. Nancy sat stoic as she took in what the judge said. "I'm told it was a heart attack, but we won't know for certain until after the autopsy. Please accept my condolences, Ms. Garrison.

"Mr. Freeman made a good point, Counselor," he added, looking at Avery. "Regardless of what the defendant has allegedly done, she DOES have a right to due process and I'm not very comfortable stripping people of their rights, even on a temporary basis. Having said that, Mr. Freeman, I would like to remind you that it's up to the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of a law, not television pundits. To my knowledge, the Court has not placed an injunction against that provision of the law. Are you aware of any such injunction?"

"No, your honor," George said. "I'm not aware of any such injunction."

"In reviewing your motion, Counselor, I believe you have met all the requirements of the law," the judge said. "Considering the charges against the defendant and her leadership role in MMAS, I am granting the motion with a review in 30 days. I understand you will be pursing the death penalty, is that right?"

"Thank you. Yes, your honor, the people intend to seek the death penalty," Avery said. Nancy's face turned white as she took in what Avery said.

"Very well," the judge said. He pounded his gavel. "Court is adjourned." The monitor went dark and Avery looked at George.

"Well, I guess we'll see each other in court after all," Avery said. "By the way, are we still on for golf tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," George said. "You owe me a rematch. By the way, what happened to the Senator? This is the first I've heard of his death."

"Earlier this afternoon," Oscar said. "I'm the one who found him."

"How did it happen?" Nancy asked.

"He was in his office bathroom when I found him," Oscar told her. "I don't know exactly how it happened, but I suspect it was suicide."

"So, what happens to me now?" she asked George.

"Well, you're officially an 'extremist' with some of your rights temporarily suspended," George said. "You'll be held here, incommunicado, pending your trial. The only people you'll be allowed to contact until then will be me and your guards. Between now and your trial, it would be best if you followed all the rules you've been given, no matter how screwed up they appear to be. Trust me, the judge won't be impressed by the way you've acted so far."

"Can I at least contact my family?" she asked. "They'll need to get with me about Franklin's final wishes."

"No," George said. "Someone from my office will take care of all that for you."

"I hope you're happy now," Nancy told Houston. "You'll get your pound of flesh after all."

"I'll be happy when they plant your skanky ass in the ground, bitch," Houston said.

"Alright, I guess we'd better get going," Oscar said, looking to end a confrontation before it began. Avery stood up, grabbed his briefcase and followed Oscar, John and Houston out of the dingy cell.

"So, what's the reason for designating her an extremist?" Houston asked after they left the room.

"We'll be able to prosecute her far more aggressively than normal," Avery said. "Now that we have the designation, we can treat her like an enemy combatant. Maybe even put her case in front of a military tribunal."

"You think you can really get the death penalty?" John asked.

"I'm certain of it," Avery said. "Especially with all the charges she'll be facing. Several of them carry the death sentence."

"Well, good luck to you," John said. "If there's anything you need from us, let me know," he added, giving Avery a business card.

"I'll keep that in mind," Avery said. "Thank you."

"C'mon," Oscar John and Houston. "Rita's got dinner waiting and I'm starved. Why don't you guys spend the night, and I'll arrange a flight for you tomorrow morning."

"Sounds like a plan to me," John said as they headed back to the elevator. "By the way, how's Ryan doing?"

"He's doing alright," Oscar said. "We got him settled in and I've been told that he'll be going to Idaho at the beginning of the month."

"That's good to hear," John said. "You really think that Camp Rollins will help him?"

"Absolutely," Oscar said. "They have an amazing track record up there. I'm told all the instructors are former military plus he'll have access to the best counseling and legal support available."

"Good," John said.

...

Epilogue:

The next five months were a blur for John and Houston. Regis kept them busy with various assignments, but they were also called to testify in Nancy's trial, which was actually a closed-door military tribunal held at Fort Apache, out of the public's eye.

Nancy was finally found guilty on all charges and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Because of her designation as an "extremist," she was not allowed to appeal the sentence, which was carried out a week after the verdict. Her family, which was under investigation for a number of things, including its ties to the Chinese Communists and the Russian Mafia, was billed for the execution and court costs and placed under a gag order.

All of Nancy's accomplices were also found guilty on all charges, which included murder, kidnapping and conspiracy. They, too, were sentenced to death. Both John and Houston were called to testify in their trials as well.

After reading the transcripts of the trials, President Skaggs recognized Houston with a medal for bravery, which was given to her in a secret ceremony attended by John, Regis and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Today, John, Houston and Regis stood in the gallery overlooking the gym at Alpha Sector's headquarters, watching Ryan Ogilvie go through his paces below. Regis recruited Ryan after the former congressional staffer finished his three-month course at Camp Rollins in north Idaho. Following that, Ryan was put into an intensive two-month course at Alpha Sector. All three were impressed with him. Ryan seemed like a new man after he completed his course, and wanted to get out of Washington, DC.

"Where are you gonna put him, boss?" John asked.

"He'll be our new liaison officer to Oscar's task force," Regis said.

"I take it his divorce is final," Houston said.

"Yes," Regis said. "He made out like a bandit, in fact. Of course, it helped that Naomi was pregnant with another man's child."

"That poor man," Houston said.

"Not so fast," Regis said, motioning to the gym floor. As they watched, a curvy blonde stepped into the gym and wrapped her arms around Ryan after he finished his workout. They engaged in a deep tongue-kiss before heading to their respective locker rooms.

"That's Julie Carson," Regis said. "She's with the Task Force."

"That explains a lot," John said. Regis and Houston smiled at that. "So, what's our next assignment?"

"You two are going back to London," Regis said.

"Does this have anything to do with the new administration?" John asked. News broke two days earlier that President Skaggs died of a sudden heart attack. The Vice President, George Pierce, was sworn in to finish Skaggs' second term.

"Yes," Regis said. "When you get there, you'll need to report to the U.S. Ambassador. He'll fill you in on the details. He's also arranged a meeting between you and the British Home Secretary."

"Home Secretary?" John asked. "That's a bit over our pay grade, isn't it boss?"

"Just a bit," Regis said. "But I'm sure the two of you can handle it."

"Can you give us any idea what this is all about?" Houston asked.

"The new president is looking to make a number of changes," Regis said. "He and his contingent will be making the rounds to see how we operate. He's planning to visit Fort Apache first. There'll also be a contingent from the British government. I've heard some rumors that I need you two to verify. Remember, this is just information gathering. No heroics, you got me, young lady?" he asked, looking at Houston.

"I gotcha, boss," Houston said.

"So, when do we leave?" John asked.

"Day after tomorrow," Regis said. "Here's your tickets," he added, pulling two sets of tickets from his jacket pocket. "Take the rest of the day off. You two have earned it."

"Thanks," Houston said. They left Alpha's underground headquarters and drove home. When they got inside, Houston turned to John.

"I want you to go upstairs, sit down on the bed, close your eyes and wait for me, okay?" she asked.

"Sure, I guess," John said. "Why? What's going on?"

"It's a surprise," she said. "Don't peek until I tell you, okay?"

"Okay," John said before going upstairs. He sat on the bed with his eyes closed wondering what Houston had in store for him. He could hear her doing something, but he wasn't sure what. After what seemed like forever, he finally heard her voice.

"Okay, you can look now," she said. John opened his eyes and got the surprise of his life. Standing before him was his wife, wearing a costume he had never seen before. The top consisted only of two leather straps that criss-crossed her body, leaving her breasts bare.

The "skirt," if you could call it that, consisted of a few fairly wide strips of material that left the sides of her legs completely exposed. They were quite short, falling just below her crotch. She wore a tiara and a pair of laced sandals. In one hand, she held a long fake costume sword.

"Wow," he said as he took her in.

"Kneel before your warrior princess," Houston ordered with a slight smile on her face. John wondered what she was up to, and decided to play along with her a bit. He got down before her on one knee. She took the fake sword and touched one of his shoulders, then the other.

"I dub thee Sir John," she said when she finished. "Now, my knight protector, stand and accept your prize." He stood and looked at her pretty face. She wrapped her arms around him and looked him square in the eye. "Now, take me to bed and ravish my naked body, my wonderful husband. I need your big cock inside me right now."

"Your wish is my command, my princess," he said as he prepared to pick her up. Before he did, however, she reached over and pressed "play" on a DVD player sitting on his night stand. He instantly recognized the old song...

"It's your one way ticket to midnight...
Call it Heavy Metal..."

...

Notes: For those who like to pick nits, there is no such thing as an "Enhanced" Patriot Act with the "extremist" provision as portrayed in the story. I made that up... After all, this IS fiction...