Karen ran from the house to greet Mike when he pulled up in his bass boat at Sanjay's dock. She was now thirteen years old and thoroughly Texan. She stood at the end of the dock waving to him and shouting, "Unk!"
"Hello, Sweetie. How's my favorite niece doing today?" Mike called back as he brought the boat up to the dock.
"I'm fine," Karen answered as she caught the rope he tossed to her. She tied the boat to the dock with practiced ease. She said, "Daddy will be here in a minute. He's torturing the guy my sister is dating."
"How is he doing that?" Mike asked with a smile. He turned off the motor on the boat.
"He's telling a story about you and him facing down a squad of terrorists who were trying to take out Homeland Security," Karen answered with a giggle. She didn't believe that her Daddy was really capable of doing those kinds of things. He was just too nice. She added, "I don't think the boy is going to believe him. I mean, we're talking about my Daddy."
Mike held up his left hand and pointed to the stubby middle finger. He said, "That's when I lost half of this finger."
"Do you mean that story is true?" Karen asked wide eyed.
"Yes. Your father is a hero and a lot of people owe him their lives. He was even given a medal for it," Mike said.
"Wow, I didn't realize that," Karen said. She knew that her father worked for Homeland Security, but she didn't think that he actually fought terrorists. This was the first that she heard about her father getting a medal.
"That's in the past," Mike said.
Karen looked at Mike and realized that he had just admitted to fighting terrorists with her father. He never talked about that kind of stuff. She wanted to ask for more details, but held back. Her mother would tell her everything that she wanted to know. Her mother was always talking about what a great hero Mike was. She asked, "Did Daddy know the Hunter?"
"What's the matter with his boat?" Mike asked to change the subject. When he had called about going fishing that evening, Sanjay had suggested that they take Mike's boat since his had a problem.
"The wire to his fish finder is corroded. You can't go fishing without a fish finder," Karen answered unsurprised by the change in subject. Nobody ever answered any of her questions about the mysterious Hunter.
"That's right. Finding those fish is serious business," Mike said winking at her.
"It looks like a great evening for fishing," Karen said looking out at the lake and sighing. The water was calm and the temperature was comfortable. She really wanted to go fishing with Mike and her father.
"Are you going with us?" Mike asked as he climbed out of the boat.
Now that he was out of the boat, Karen hugged him. In a ritual that had begun when she had started walking, he picked her up and they rubbed noses. Soon he wouldn't have to pick her up to rub noses with her. With obvious disappointment in her voice, she said, "No. I have a paper due at school on the current elections in China. Those guys are so boring that it makes my head hurt."
It continued to amaze Mike that kids were so knowledgeable about what was going on in foreign countries. When he was Karen's age, most kids didn't even know where the United States was on a world map. He said, "I'm sure that you'll write a great paper."
"Daddy would kill me if I got less than an A on a political paper," Karen said rolling her eyes.
Sanjay walked down the path to the dock carrying his rod and tackle box. Raising his rod in a salute, he said, "Hello Mike."
"Hello Sanjay. I heard that your fish finder is out," Mike said.
"Yes. I'm going to stop and get a new one tomorrow," Sanjay said. He was going to get the new one with GPS navigation that had the entire lake floor mapped out. He paused to look at Karen and said, "Your mother says that you have a paper to work on tonight. You better get back up to the house and get to work."
"Yes, Daddy," Karen said. She gave Mike another hug and said, "I hope you catch a big one, Unk."
"I'll try, Sweetie," Mike said. He watched Karen run up to the house. She was starting to turn into a young woman. Pretty soon Sanjay would be chasing the boys away. Turning to Sanjay, he said, "They sure grow up fast, don't they?"
"Yes," Sanjay said. The boys were circling his daughters like sharks around a wounded seal. While he put his fishing gear in the boat, he asked, "How's Vincent and Susan?"
"Susan takes after her mother. She's always good. Unfortunately Vincent takes after me."
"What did he do now?" Sanjay asked. He had wondered why Vincent wasn't in the boat. Undoubtedly, the boy was grounded again. It seemed to him that the boy was always grounded. Mike tended to be a very strict father.
"He told his geography teacher, 'Fuck France and all of the Frenchmen in it, ' when she asked him to point out France on the map," Mike answered. The young man was smart as a whip, but his mouth found some very creative ways of getting in trouble.
Sanjay wasn't surprised at Vincent telling a teacher something like that even though he was just ten years old. Vincent was actually a pretty good kid and wanted to be a Marine when he grew up. The problem was that he tended to say things in a rather blunt and direct fashion. Pretty sure that he knew the answer to his question, he asked, "Did he say it in French?"
"Of course. If you want to insult France, do it in French so they know they've been insulted," Mike answered getting back into the boat. Shaking his head, he added, "It wasn't that he didn't know where France was on the map, it is just that he doesn't like the French."
Sanjay laughed. As he untied the boat and climbed into it, he said, "He shares your attitude towards the French."
"That's true," Mike said. President Archer's address to the United Nations had laid a basic idealistic foundation for international relations. The reality that emerged fell far short of that ideal, but it was still an improvement over what had been in place. France was one of the countries that fought the hardest against the changes.
Once they were far enough from the dock that their wake wouldn't cause a problem, Mike cranked up the engine and headed out at a fast clip. Shouting to be heard over the engine, Sanjay asked, "Where are we going?"
"I'm going to take us to the point," Mike shouted back while gesturing to the place he thought they would try first.
It didn't take them long to get to their destination since it was just at the end of the little inlet on which their properties were located. When they reached the spot, Mike cut the engine and let the boat drift. He said, "We'll try here."
"Great," Sanjay said grabbing his fishing rod. They had caught a couple of fish in that area in the past.
Mike picked up his rod and said, "Karen asked me about the Hunter again."
"It is that stupid movie. It has everyone talking about the Hunter again," Sanjay said shaking his head. Hollywood had just released another movie about the Hunter. It had to be the fifth or sixth movie about the Hunter. In this one, the Hunter was portrayed as some sort of super spy like James Bond.
"Speaking of stupid movies, are you going out to the university Saturday?" Mike asked.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. You, your Dad, James Wentworth the Third, and President Anthony Archer on a stage to discuss the war is going to be a pretty interesting evening. I can't wait to hear what you have to say on the matter," Sanjay said winking at Mike.
"I'm just the moderator," Mike said pledging to himself that he wouldn't say anything other than to moderate the discussion.
"I'm even taking the kids despite how late it will be when we get home," Sanjay said.
Mike's rod bent as a fish struck his lure. He shouted, "I got one!"
Cathy returned from work to find Kim setting the table for dinner. Kim was no longer just the housekeeper; she was a member of the family. Household chores were shared among everyone at the house. The kids called her Aunt Kim and were just as likely to go to her for permission to do something as their parents. Kim rarely used the voice except on the kids, but they seemed immune to it. Cathy hugged Kim and said, "Hello."
Kim kissed Cathy on the cheek and said, "Mike is in the living room."
"I'll be back to help with dinner," Cathy said.
Ever since the move to Texas, Cathy always helped with the meals. Kim appreciated the help and the company. Smiling, Kim said, "Take your time."
Cathy went into the living room where Mike was seated in his comfort chair watching the news. Despite the fact that he was basically facing away from her, he turned towards her as soon as she entered the room. He asked, "How was work?"
"Boring as always," Cathy answered. She had finished her internship and was now an entry level intelligence analyst. After three years in that position, she was on the short list for promotion.
"Isn't there anything interesting happening in Asia?" Mike asked.
"No," Cathy answered. The world of international politics had become very boring over the past ten years. It seemed to her like everyone was more focused on what was going on in their own backyards rather than beyond their white picket fences. Trade always remained the one source of tension, but the international quarters in Mexico provided a good location for hammering out those tensions.
"How about the elections in China?" Mike asked.
"No major surprises there. There were no riots, protests, or charges of election fixing. Everything is quiet," Cathy said.
Smiling at the suggestion that she was bored, Mike said, "Remember that it is important to be vigilant."
"That's what the sign over the door says," Cathy said with a smile. Mike had the message, 'Always Vigilant, Ever Diligent, ' carved in the concrete arch that was over the main entrance to the building. She asked, "Did anything interesting happen on the news?"
"They finally arrested Reverend Brown," Mike answered making reference to a rather radical individual who was preaching that Christians should rise up and eliminate all Muslims and Jews.
"Federal or international charges?" Cathy asked. For a country to be free to trade in the international marketplace it had to abide by certain international laws. The laws weren't really that much of an imposition and, with a few exceptions, reflected statutes that most countries already had on their books. The difference today was that failure to enforce them could isolate a country very quickly. Gross violations resulted in the armies of the entire world knocking on their door.
Mike answered, "International. They charged him with Incitement to Commit Crusade/Jihad."
"That's a death penalty crime," Cathy said rather surprised by the charge.
"Yes, but he was really pushing it. He went on television and called for Christians around the world to unite and take up arms," Mike said. With the entire world watching the television programs of every country in the world, getting on television and spouting that kind of nonsense was a very quick way to get charged with a crime.
"No wonder they charged him with that. What's happening in Israel?" Cathy asked noticing the end of a story about Israel on the television.
"They're still debating if it should be international territory like Antarctica or remain an American Protectorate," Mike answered. At the moment no one lived in Israel although many people visited it. The American forces had built a fence around the city of Jerusalem and allowed people to visit the area for the day. The only thing people were allowed to take in with them was water and they weren't allowed to leave with anything.
"That will take a century to resolve," Cathy said shaking her head. It was a complicated mess. Almost all of the Jews living in Israel at the time it fell had died in the fight for the city of Jerusalem. Of those that survived the fall of Israel, the majority were killed in the war. After five years of sexual abuse and torture, few of the female survivors were sane. The children who had survived didn't know enough about their family to identify their property rights. Thousands of relatives and other interested parties had cropped up claiming property, but it was difficult to claim a condominium that no longer existed. Without a government backing a currency, monetary assets were worthless. The businesses were gone.
"I'd rather we take our time with that than to rush in and create another problem," Mike said.
"The Jews want their homeland back," Cathy said.
"And I'm sure that they'll get it back. It is going to be a little different this time than it was the last time. This time there won't be any disputes about who owns the land," Mike said.
Cathy asked, "Speaking of disputes, where are the kids?"
Chuckling at the suggestion that the kids were fighting, Mike answered, "I've got them separated. Susan is in her room playing a game with her friends on the computer. Vincent is out on the dock fishing."
"Did they finish their homework?"
"Yes," Mike answered with a smile. She was a very diligent mother in making sure that the kids were always prepared for school the next day.
"Did you check it?"
Trying to look blank, Mike answered, "No."
"Why not?" Cathy asked wondering why he had such a stupid expression on his face.
"Their material is way beyond me. Did you know that kids today can count to eleven? In my day, we only had to count to ten. I run out of fingers at eight and then I get confused. They even know the whole alphabet. All I ever needed was ABC," Mike answered as he scratched his head.
"You're horrible," Cathy said swatting him lightly on the arm. He had been hanging around Sanjay too much. Laughing, she said, "I don't know why I love you so much."
Mike stood at a podium to the side of the well lit stage. President Archer, General Bowman, and James Wentworth the Third were seated in comfortable chairs on the other side of the stage. The auditorium was filled with college students, faculty, visitors, and press to watch the first discussion of World War III by the three major players.
For the University of North Texas, this event was a major coup. The discussion was being broadcast live on the Public Broadcasting Network. Mike had put together the entire program as part of deal to join the faculty with tenure. It turned out that the deal hadn't been necessary since someone had funded a chair for him at the school.
After an hour and a half of informal discussions in which Mike had led them through the war in chronological order beginning with the election of President Archer, Mike said, "We have enough time left to take some questions from the audience. There are microphones along the aisles for those of you who have a question."
Upon looking over at the left-most microphone, Mike saw that a student was already standing there waiting to be recognized. Pointing to the young man, he said, "Ask your question."
The young man smiled at Mike and, in a very nervous voice, said, "There has been a lot of speculation about the identity of the Hunter. One name keeps coming up in all on all of the websites. Professor Bowman, are you the Hunter?"
Mike turned to the panel and asked, "Which one of you wants to address that question?"
General Bowman asked, "Wasn't the question directed at you?"
His question caused a minor laugh in the room. Mike answered, "I'm just the moderator."
President Archer answered, "I'll take a stab at it."
Turning to face the young man, President Archer said, "The Hunter has chosen to remain unidentified. Until he chooses to step forward, I'm afraid his identity is classified. I'm not sure why he avoids getting recognition for his great contribution, but I'll respect his wishes on that matter. I feel that as a national hero he should be given the right to remain anonymous."
The student bent to the microphone and said, "It sounds like you knew him personally."
Smiling, President Archer said, "Yes, I knew him. I knew him quite well. I will say that he was often a pain in my side. He was brutally honest at times and I needed that."
A young female voice could be heard across the quiet room, "That sounds like Uncle Mike."
"Ssh!"
Mike shook his head and said, "In case you haven't guessed, that's my niece, Karen."
After the laughter died down, President Archer said, "More often than not, the Hunter told me things that I didn't want to hear. He was also my most trusted source of advice. I would have to say that many of my better decisions as President were a result of advice given to me by the Hunter."
One of the faculty members waited at the second microphone. Mike knew that it was her opinion that the military had not received sufficient credit for ending the war. Mike pointed to her and said, "Ask your question."
"All three of the panelists have given a lot of credit for the war's end to Homeland Security, but it seems to me that it was the campaign of total war that ended it. I'd like to hear your opinion on that," the woman said.
Mike turned to the panelists and said, "I'd like to hear what President Archer has to say about that matter."
President Archer said, "No one can deny that Homeland Security played a key role in taking down terrorists within the country. They identified and helped dismantle the entire infrastructure that had been built to support terrorism. They hunted down individual terrorists who had escaped and were planning additional acts of terror. They provided critical information to law enforcement and the National Guard. Their work was outstanding.
"When the War on Terror moved to the international front, Homeland Security was there gathering facts on who the terrorists were, where they were, and what they were planning. It was Homeland Security who found Jamal bin Laden. That find led to a very quick and relatively bloodless end of terrorism in a whole region of the world. As a result of a single strike in the Philippines, we didn't have to deal with Indonesia and that would have been a nightmare. Throughout the campaign, Homeland Security was watching the Military's flank so that there weren't any surprises."
President Archer paused and then added, "I would say that Homeland Security played a very significant role."
Mike looked at his father and asked, "What do you say, General Bowman?"
Nodding his head in agreement, General Bowman said, "We were given warnings of actions being undertaken by the enemy days before they could carry them out. You've got to remember that we fought that campaign with an incredibly small force. We put a lot of weapons in the air, but there were only a hundred thousand soldiers on the ground. One surprise and we could have lost every man. There were no surprises and that was due to the diligence of Homeland Security."
Mike turned to James and said, "As the former head of Homeland Security, I'm sure that you have something to say."
James Wentworth the Third said, "I could be boastful and say that I agree with everything that has been said, but I think that would be a little misleading. Without appropriate leadership at the helm, we would have lost this war. Without a military that, despite how horrible the circumstances were, did what had to be done, we would have lost this war. Homeland Security did its part, but it was just a part."
Another member of the faculty was waiting at the microphone. This particular individual was a strong opponent to Mike's joining the faculty in the political science department since he didn't have a degree in the subject area. When called upon by Mike, he said, "It is my opinion that Homeland Security was filled with a lot of racist individuals. Would any of you like to comment on that?"
President Archer answered, "What many people may not realize is that many Muslims who remain in this country owe their lives to Homeland Security. For example, Mike Bowman went to extreme lengths to assure that innocent Muslims would not be targeted. He told me once that he would not allow innocent Americans to be killed because of their religion. He told me that after the Jersey City Massacre when many people felt that it was better to kill them all and let God judge their innocence. I'll admit that I was one of those people."
James Wentworth the Third said, "There are a lot of people who believed that all of our analysts were white men who leaned politically to the right of Attila the Hun. Many people think that the situation was worsened as a result of the early purge of foreign born analysts. That's a misleading characterization. That purge got rid of a lot of people who put other countries ahead of America. Even after the purge, we had people of every ethnic background working in Homeland Security."
Nodding his head, Mike said, "You've got to remember that it was our job to be suspicious of people who were in a position where putting the interests of a foreign government ahead of ours could hurt us significantly. There's that old saying that you should prepare for the worst and hope for the best. It does lead to a suspicious mindset.
"That didn't prevent us from admiring and respecting men of foreign birth. One of the great heroes of the war was Amid abd Al- Jabbar. He was a virtual maestro at making sense out of the coded messages that the terrorists were using to coordinate their attacks. He was killed by someone who had lost his family in a terrorist attack. His death was a major setback to our efforts."
James said, "There were a lot of men like Amid abd Al-Jabbar in Homeland Security."
Mike pointed to the next person and said, "Ask your question."
A student said, "President Archer, why was your inauguration was delayed by about ten minutes?"
"A security guard discovered an atomic bomb that had been left outside the White House," President Archer answered. Although it had never been classified, this was the first time that he had admitted it in public. His confirmation of what had always been rumored created a minor stir in the room. He held up his fingers an inch apart and said, "We came this close to my Presidency starting with a bang."
When the laughter at the pun ended, the student asked, "What happened?"
Grinning at Mike, President Archer answered, "Mike Bowman disarmed it. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his quick thinking and calm nerves."
General Bowman looked over at the expression on Mike's face and said, "Mike, you were the one who put us in an arm lock and dragged us here. Don't be surprised if some of your secrets come out tonight."
"Okay, I suppose I deserved that," Mike said. He looked over at the other microphone and pointed to the man standing there. He said, "Ask your question."
The man, wearing a Marine uniform, said, "I served under General Bowman during the war. I am proud to have served under you, sir. I'd like to know why you stepped down when the end of the war was so close."
General Bowman had dreaded that question. He sighed and said, "I led one of the most destructive military campaigns in history. We may have killed more people than died in all previous wars throughout history. Some people have accused me of genocide. History will decide if that charge is true.
"Many soldiers took part in that campaign, but the orders and the responsibility for the consequences of those orders were mine. Those orders were horrific. I'm the first to admit that.
"In my defense, we had a history with respect to fighting terrorists. We lost every time we fought them in the past and that was against even smaller forces than what we faced in that war. We would think we were winning and had forced them out of the territory they held, but they had actually gone underground. They'd bubble up like bad swamp gas and kill our men. We would withdraw and they'd reclaim the territory. They would emerge stronger than when we started.
"You've got to remember, we were fighting an enemy that didn't play by the rules. We couldn't tell bystander from foe. The bad guys dressed like everyone else. There were no uniforms. They used innocent civilians as human shields. We had to fight the war as we did.
"Although I expect that some people in this room will disagree, I am not a cold blooded killer. Each and every death weighed heavily on my conscience. The problem was that I never saw an alternative. I carried that burden for as long as I could so that no one else would have to shoulder that responsibility or carry that guilt. When people started surrendering I knew that others could continue in my place."
Shaking his head, President Archer said, "General Bowman, I have to disagree with you on one point. The orders and responsibility were mine. You were carrying out my orders."
"We can argue that point for days, but that is why I stepped down," Robert said in a very soft voice.
"I'll concede that point," President Archer said.
The soldier said, "I have to say that I appreciate the efforts General Bowman made on the behalf of all the men and women who served under him. The counseling sessions upon our return stateside were very helpful in dealing with the psychological issues associated with our service. I know that my family is very grateful, Sir."
"Thank you," General Bowman said.
The soldier said, "Semper Fi."
The two Bowmans on stage responded, "Oorah."
Mike pointed to another faculty member who was waiting at one of the microphones. He recognized the man as a historian who was studying the four years of the President preceding Archer. He said, "Ask your question."
The faculty member said, "On one occasion there was a memo released by a group that was called the Intelligence 100. Some feel that memo caused the terrorists to attack. Others say that the attack was coming and that the memo warned our people. That this memo existed was leaked to the press by one of the embassies in Washington, but the actual memo was never published. In fact, that one leak is the only public reference to that group. Was there really an Intelligence 100 and what role did they play in the War On Terror?"
Mike gestured to James Wentworth the Third. The man answered, "I was not affiliated with the Intelligence Community at the time that a certain memo signed by the Intelligence 100 was sent out. I can affirm that the memo in the form of an e-mail did exist. I read it and can say that it was one of the finest intelligence assessments that I've ever read. It did not provoke the terrorists into attacking. They were going to attack and did so in the manner predicted by the author or authors.
"That memo was responsible for a lot of people reacting to the dirty bomb in an appropriate manner. It put a lot of law enforcement agencies on high alert and that mitigated the consequences of the planned attacks on our country. If it hadn't been sent out, I am sure that we'd have suffered even greater loses. We might even have lost the war."
James was quiet for a moment and then said, "The fact of the matter is that I don't know if the Intelligence 100 existed or if that memo was penned by one lone analyst who felt that the country needed to be warned. That question has bugged me for years. Regardless, I am thankful to whoever authored that memo."
President Archer glanced over at Mike and then over at James. Looking at the audience, he said, "That topic came up many times while I was President. I was introduced to one individual with the credentials that he was a member of the Intelligence 100. I believe the group existed and that it saved thousands of lives. There are times when I believe that we would have lost the war on terror if it wasn't for the Intelligence 100."
James looked over at Mike and asked, "Do you have any comments?"
"No. I think you two answered the question quite well," Mike said holding his hands out to his side. After the laughs quieted down, Mike pointed to a young woman standing at the microphone and said, "Ask your question."
Not unlike a number of women in the audience, the young woman was topless. She asked, "How close did we come to losing the war? How close did I come to being a slave?"
President Archer frowned and looked down at the floor. He turned to Mike and said, "I would like to hear Mike Bowman answer that. Of all of us, I think he has the most insight into that."
Mike was silent for a moment and then answered, "That's a very difficult question for me to answer. I saw the war from a very narrow perspective. I do know that we were lucky on many occasions. The attacks on our Intelligence Agencies could have wiped out Homeland Security on at least two occasions. Our entire government could have fallen except for the diligence of the Capitol Police. President Archer could have been killed by the atomic bomb or the attack on the White House. The research into the technologies on which our weapons were based could have been halted by a single person. In fact, they almost were halted.
"All in all, I would have to say that we came very close to losing. We were lucky."
Shifting in his seat to face Mike, James Wentworth the Third said, "I think it is interesting that a lot of our good luck originated with you, Mike. You released the initial warning about the rail guns. You disarmed the atomic bomb that would have killed President Archer. You and Sanjay single-handedly stopped an attack on Homeland Security that would have resulted in a total loss of our intelligence analysis capabilities."
President Archer smiled at Mike and added, "That's true. I always did value your advice in spite of the fact that you were always a pain in my side. You were brutally honest and there were times when I needed that."
A young female voice rang out through the auditorium as Karen shouted, "I knew it! Uncle Mike is the Hunter."
"Now Karen, we both saw the movie. You know that I'm not that suave
or handsome," Mike said.