Mason took a deep breath, “I asked you here because I wanted to tell you how much I like being around you. Not to break up with you!”
This got Raina’s attention, and as she looked at him with wide hopeful eyes he continued, “I just wanted to let you know that despite all the times I may have seemed cold and distant, I’ve always cared about you.”
Raina sighed, “Mason…”
Mason then looked her right in the eyes and told her, “The truth is… I’ve never cared about anyone as much as I do you… not since…. since….”
Raina put her hand into Mason’s as she helped him along, “Since your wife passed?”
Mason nodded. He then cleared his throat, “But that’s enough of dwelling on the past. I need to move on and embrace the future.” He then looked at Raina and told her in all seriousness, “And I want to build it with you.”
And that was it, although she had marched over to Mason’s house ready to tell him off for how he had treated her, and had built up tremendous emotional walls to shield her from the pain in the event that he cast her to the side. Now all of those walls came tumbling down.
Before she had arrived, her mind was full of all kinds of words; admonitions and exhortations. But now that Mason had ramrodded right through all of her superficial posturing—now words were completely unnecessary as she leaned over toward him and he began to passionately kiss her on the lips.
The two embraced holding each other tight as Mason whispered into her ear the two words that she had always hoped for but had never really come to expect. Her told her, “I love you.”
The smile on her face was immediate, and as pleasantly surprised as she was to hear it, she didn’t hesitate to tell him right back, “I love you too”.
22
Feeling the Verne
AT AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION IN THE PENTAGON. General Thomson is wrapping up a debriefing in front of the President of the United States—Verne Landers. The General standing in front of a desk the President was seated at, informed him, “Although the worst of the crisis in New York had been averted, unfortunately the suspects still remain at large.”
After thinking about it for a moment, President Landers asked, “And what does the media know?”
Thomson answered, “Not much. They just know that someone released some kind of deadly virus at the Little Italy festival resulting in a couple of casualties.”
Gazing up at the General, Landers remarked, “So they don’t know that it involves international terrorism?”
The General shook his head, “No—they don’t know that for sure, but since a very similar attack occurred just a few days prior in Italy its not hard for them to connect the dots.”
Upon hearing this, Verne Lander’s eyes rolled back in his grey head as he slammed his fist on his desk, “Damn it! Just what I needed!”
General Thomson carefully inquired, “I beg your pardon sir?”
Landers sighed, “I’m only a few months into my presidency and a bunch of freaking terrorists decide to break loose all over the place.”
Landers let out a dry, abrasive laugh, “Ha! So much for a smooth transition.” Landers shook his head, “I can see tomorrow’s headlines now, ‘The avowed socialist Verne Landers soft on terrorism.’”
Thomson unsure how to respond simply stared quietly at Landers and let him vent his frustration. Finally, Landers sighed, “Okay—so who do you have on the case.”
Thomson getting a little anxious, then had to admit, “Well—about that. I’m in the process of reshuffling some of the counterterrorism agents involved.”
This was the wrong thing to say to Verne Landers however as he gave the General a hard stare. Causing the General to nervously swallow as he stood transfixed under the glare of the President’s ire.
Although President Landers was a grey haired, slightly bent over old man pushing 80, he really knew how to put people in the hot seat. Staring the General down, Landers anger was already rising to the surface as he seethed, “You mean to tell me—at a crucial juncture like this, you decide to clean house? Is that what you are telling me?”
Having finally met his match in Verne Landers wizened, but steely eyed gaze, Thomson sputtered, “Well uh—sir, you don’t understand. I was having some pretty serious personnel issues that I’ve been dealing with.”
Upon hearing this, President Verne Landers slowly clasped his wrinkled old hands in front of himself, and looking up from the rims of his glasses, demanded, “Personnel issues—like what? I’m all ears general.”
General Thomson wasn’t prepared for this onslaught. He thought he had good reason to suspend Onyx, but now that he had Verne’s withering attention, he was now not so sure. He needed to explain his actions, but they proved to be a stumbling block.
Thomson struggled, “Well—although the team managed to stop the main attack, some of the virus escaped.”
Verne inquired, “And you hold the agents involved responsible?”
Thomson nodded, “I do...”
Landers paused, before reasoning, “But without the work of those agents how many people do you think would have died that day general?”
General Thomson sputtered, “Um—without their work? You mean if no one was on the case?”
President Landers, with an excited wave of his hand, responded, “Yes! Exactly! What would have happened without those men and women working the case that day during the attack?”
Thomson paused, and swallowing hard, finally answered, “Potentially hundreds of thousands of lives sir…”
President Landers knowingly nodded, “I see…”
He then paused as he thought it over, before stating, “So—basically your telling me that the group of brave men and women you fired from the job potentially saved hundreds of thousands of lives yet you fault them for the deaths of two people? You fault them so
