While some might have taken offense, Bob was perfectly happy with the fact that he did not rate a limousine from the White House motor pool. A few of his co workers, including Mary, had even told him to argue with the idiots about that. They didn’t understand that Bob did not want all the fuss and bother. It showed Bob exactly how different his thinking was from the people he worked with now. All but Mary were thinking about nothing but status and did not seem to realize that Bob could care less. At least Mary brought up security but, even she failed to grasp the basic concept. You might have more shooters in a heavily armed convoy but, that also made you a big fat target.

Mary should have known better or, at least, that was how Bob had it figured. Maybe she did know and just did not think of it? Well, Bob did. He knew your security on the move had nothing to do with how big your protection force was. It was all about speed. You didn’t advertise where you were going and you got their fast, that way any would be assassins didn’t have any time to plan their attack. Bob also figured he had one other bit of protection and that was, just the simple fact that he did not figure he was worth a bullet. As a battalion commander, he might have been worth the effort, by an enemy in the field but, as far as the White House went, Bob fully understood he was way down on the pecking order.

The other thing Bob knew was that, he was also loyal to his institution. He didn’t bring secret service with him. The army had it’s own protective details for Generals and that’s exactly who Bob ordered up. He had three guys, all of them in the same car as him, and as far as Bob was concerned, that was too many as it was. After all, he figured he could take care of himself. His bodyguards completely disagreed and, unfortunately, so did the President who ordered him to take the security, even if it was minimal.

It wasn’t quite as bad as having staffers around. They tended to always be little more than ass kissers and Bob hated when people tried to do that. That’s why he usually limited his staff to the size of a Phil. Conner was more likely to try and piss him off as opposed to brown nosing and, these days, that was a breath of fresh air. Still, it was not all roses and sunshine. Just like a lot of staffers, Bob’s protective detail would not even let him answer his own phone. When the secure line in the car rang the guy beat Bob to the punch and when the General displayed the fact that he didn’t like it the plain clothes guard simply stated, “my apologies general but, you should really have somebody for that.”

“I been answering phones since I was a kid, Sergeant,” Bob growled, “I think I can remember how.” He grabbed the phone and found Mary on the other end. He snapped at her too, “why isn’t Jim making this call?”

She sounded pretty nervous, “it isn’t about that Bob.”

Bob felt alarmed, “Janet? Is she out yet?”

“No,” Mary sighed. “And there’s a good reason why. Look, Bob, we have some updated intelligence coming in. I thought you might need to know.”

“Just spill it Mary,” Bob grumbled.

“I’ve just gotten a list from Spivey,” Mary told him, “Bob, they’re killing high ranking officials over there. There’s been a string of assassinations and…”

That made Bob think about his situation but, he shook it off and said, “how bad?”

“It’s bad,” Mary said in a way that Bob easily recognized. She was scared, “they didn’t just kill the targets Bob. They took out their families and anybody around them. I mean children Bob. They just cut them down.”

That led Bob to one thought, “where the hell is our daughter?”

“She’s safe right now,” why was it that Mary sounded about as unconvinced as Bob felt. She told him, “believe it or not, she spent the night with the Prime Minister.”

“I hope that was a joke,” Bob snapped back.

Now Mary sounded more like her old self as she snapped at her ex, “I don’t mean she slept with him Bob! She’s at Ten Downing for the moment. Spivey has eyes on, so, she’s ok. Probably couldn’t be safer anywhere else.”

That did not explain her nervous fear and Bob knew it. What was more important was that Mary knew he knew. Bob could figure out the problem for himself, “except that she’s sitting in the biggest target in England right now.”

Mary snapped, “damn it Bob! Even if the guy doesn’t trust his own security they can’t all be bad. If nobody has made a move on Thayer, yet, I doubt they will. Besides, it looks like they’re trying to oust him, not make him a martyr. Besides all that, we are taking steps.”

“Oh screw a few guards Mary,” Bob grunted back. “Everybody knows where that place is. They don’t have to put a bullet in that guys head. All they got to do is nuke the block with a couple of cruise missiles. With our daughter sitting right on top of the bulls eye.”

“Are you done?” Mary asked with fury behind her voice. Then she hung up without waiting for a reply.

Bob began to rant, “what is this shit Sergeant? I didn’t think shit like this was supposed to happen in the White House? It’s the fucking White House, right? Since when do they let shit go on like this in the White House?”

The sergeant looked kind of nervous. He also looked out the window for a moment, like he was checking something, and then he replied, “general sir, it is my duty to inform you that we’re in Kansas, not at the White House.”

Bob didn’t bite the guys head off. Instead he calmly replied, “thank you for that sitrep Sergeant. I might find it very useful at a later date.”

With the black SUV parked in the driveway of the modest looking home, Bob parked his goon squad next to the vehicle so that he would have the honor or ringing the doorbell by himself. When this was accomplished he turned back to his detail and gestured to the button, “see, I’m still certified.”

A young girl answered the door and she looked confused. She looked even more confused when she noticed the guys in black suits next to the black car. Then she said, “Jehovah’s Witnesses? Sorry, we already got a church.”

“Uh,” Bob suddenly felt self conscious and, he even realized that just maybe, the little girl was right about how this looked. He told her, “Ed home?” Now, Bob noticed past the door and realized that there must have been a great deal of pandemonium going on before he arrived. He had a good guess as to why.

The little girl just called out over her shoulder, “Gordo!”

A guy dressed in an army uniform came walking to the door. He started to say, “can I help you,” but stopped when he saw the goon squad.

Lizzie looked scared when she told her husband, “they want your Dad.”

Yet another disadvantage to working at the White House. Bob was racking up quite a list. He had to put his foot down here, “I’m not here to take anybody in.” He then looked back to his men and said, “ok, I know it looks bad but, I’m an old friend of your dad, I am assuming you’re Gordon, right?”

Now the uncertainty was being replaced by curiosity as Gordo replied, “can I tell him who’s calling?”

“Sorry,” Bob apologized, “I’m Bob Isaacs. Me and your father…”

Gordo’s eyes got large and he said, “general! I’m sorry sir, I…”

“Cut the crap kid,” Bob told him, “that’s why I didn’t tell you who I was right off the bat. So we could skip the stuttering part. Is he here?”

Gordo tossed a thumb over his shoulder, “yeah, he’s out back.” Gordo led the general through the toy filled living room and said, “pardon the mess, sir. It’s just, I… well I was off today and got called in to work. Lizzie was about to drive me and we were, well, you know.”

“Trust me son,” Bob told him, “I know better than you think. Besides, I kind of figured that was the case.”

Gordo was confused as he opened the back door, “how would you….?” He then realized who he was talking too, “I guess you would know, wouldn’t you?”

Ed Lewis looked up from his laptop and saw who was coming out the door. He actually lit up and began laughing, “well I’ll be son of a bitch. What you doing here Bob, I kind of figured you’d be busy right now.”

“I am,” Bob told his old friend. He then nodded to the kid who excused himself, obviously trying to get ready. “Still had to come by and see you while I was out here.”

It was another one of those strange moments in Bob’s life when he realized that, there had been a day and age when this man squirmed when he saw Bob coming. Of course, when Bob thought back, there had also been a time when the reverse was true. Now they were both smiling at the thought of each other’s company. As Bob talked with the man he actually felt like a real human again. He only wished he had more time to do it.

“Before you go Bob,” Ed asked still laughing, “at least tell me where you’re sending my boy? England or the middle east?”

Bob laughed it off, “I don’t have a clue where they’re going Ed, honest to god, you’d have to ask Jim Garret for that info. Hell you probably got Lenny’s direct number, call him.”

Ed laughed at that, “oh you don’t know anything, that’s why them three gorillas of yours keeps peeking over the back fence. You can’t tell me they’re guarding you cause you got a sparkling personality.”

How did he get a good head count? None of the guys ever came back here! That made Bob laugh even harder, “honest Ed, don’t have a clue. That’s not even why I’m out here. For that matter, I’m not even really sure why I’m out here. They don’t tell me much at work these days.”

“Did they ever,” Ed replied and they both laughed again. “Speaking of that, I read about Caldwell and that sergeant that went MIA. I’m guessing you didn’t know about that one ether?”

“Damn right I didn’t,” Bob grumbled and laughed now, “why does it not surprise me though.”

“I had to figure something like that was going to happen,” Ed replied. “After we pulled them out of the Hurt, I talked to that Thompson girl at Seau-Neaut, when they were on profile. The way she talked about that Captain, I had to wonder then.”

“Really?” Bob rolled his eyes, “and you didn’t tell me?”

“What was there to tell?” Ed replied. “They went through the shit together. They came out of it a team. At the time, I supposed that’s what should have happened. I had just forgot that she wasn’t just a soldier. She was also a little girl with some starry eyes.”

“He should have known better,” Bob replied, “he was not some little girl.”

“Exactly,” Ed pointed out, “he was a little boy. Hell Bob, they’re all damn kids. Look at mine. He thinks he’s old enough to tell me how to run my life now.” Then Ed brooded, “maybe we were just as bad at his age, hell I don’t know. He’s still all I got.”

“They’re just going on alert Ed,” Bob relented. “As far as I know, they’re not going anywhere.”

That actually drew a short laugh from Ed, “well ain’t he going to be pissed off.”

Those words rang in Bob’s ears for the next leg of his journey. It made Bob wonder how many other young bucks out there were itching at a chance to go face to face with an Orc. If Bob had been running an actual outfit he would have taken that as a sign of good morale. It would have made him think that he had one less problem to deal with. Now, Bob had to wonder about that. His daughter, Ed’s son, that Thompson girl, and even Lieutenant Sayers were just kids. They were going through everything that the country was and, in the end, was it really worth it?

Bob did not think about it that long though. When he saw where he was going he had to ask his driver if they had the right address. It was run down, dumpy, little roadside motel from a by gone era. It wasn’t even on the main highway and if there was one word that Bob might use to describe this, Aunt Emma’s Roadside Retreat, it would be dusty. If he could use more than one word he might call the place a set from a horror movie.

As it turned out, this Jeffery Kramer guy was not even here right now. His vehicle was though. It was a four wheel drive pick up truck with yellow flashing lights all over it. Bob had to ask the clerk, “do you know what this guy does? I thought he was a college professor or something.”

The old skinny guy at the night window, despite the fact that it wasn’t night, talked through the hole in the glass and said, “he’s one of them tornado people. He comes up here every spring from Texas.”

“You’re kidding right?” Bob mumbled without thinking and then told the guy, “you know where I can find him?”

“Yeah,” The guy pointed across the street, “he’s probably over there eating right now.”

The place was one of those pulled pork sandwich joints. Bob had seen plenty in the south but, never knew they had them up here in Kansas. He went over to look even though he did not figure on finding his man. The simple fact was that Bob had no idea what the guy looked like. That’s why Bob left the detail behind to watch the truck. That was just in case the guy came back. Bob had noted how the clerk had only rated this place as a ‘probably.’

There were more than a few people inside and Bob stopped as the screen door slammed behind him. He then took a good look around the place and he didn’t see anyone that was obviously a meteorologist. That made him think about it and he supposed that it only made sense. What the hell did a meteorologist look like? Apparently, it was just like everybody else because this guy in a cowboy hat called Bob over.

The man dropped some money on his table, between the dirty plates, and then said, “I got this feeling that you’re looking for me.”

“That would depend on what your name is actually,” Bob told the guy, wondering if he was being mistaken for a cop and about to get in a shoot out, “Doctor Kramer I presume?”

“Have a seat friend,” the man in the cowboy said, “you found him. Actually I saw you guys pull up over there and figured you’d be headed this way. Don’t get too many guys in suits, with bodyguards, out here.”

“Oh no,” Bob replied, “that’s my three sons, Ernie, Chip, and Rob.”

Kramer actually laughed, in a half crazy kind of way but laughed none the less, “I seen that show on that retro channel. I like that channel a lot. Course my all time favorite is I love Lucy. You ever see that one?”

“I just got to ask you something Doctor, assuming you are a Doctor that is,” Bob said, “why is the President of these here United States, so interested in your work? Hell, I don’t even know what you do. What are you, one those guys that tries to get in a barrel and get picked up by tornado’s, something like that?”

“Oh hell no,” Kramer waived that off, “no that’s like old school stuff. You’re talking about the Toto project from way, way back. They didn’t get in the barrels by the way.”

When the guy said “Toto” he suddenly had Bob’s full attention. It was probably just a coincidence but, it was kind of an eerie one. He fought off the urge to shiver and just listened to the man go on, “no, these days, we try and drop sensor packets from above. The NSSL folks got a few drones that sprinkle the thunder heads with these little robot guys. They try and fly down the funnel. Most of them get smashed or get thrown two states over before they come down but, some of them little buggers make it.”

“That’s fascinating,” it wasn’t. Bob then asked, “what’s an NSSL folk?”

“National Severe Storm Laboratory,” Kramer replied, “it’s down in Oklahoma. Most of the data we farm, winds up there.” When he got a strange look, Kramer explained, “they do this full time. See, most of us only come up here during storm season. Of course, that’s only when we can get the funding to actually do something. You know, that money thing? My day job is teaching at the University of Texas. Course, I got me three different grants right now, so, I’ll definitely be up the next few years.”

The guy sounded enthused about that, “who bank rolls you to chase rain clouds?”

“Different folks,” Kramer told him, “they all got their reasons. It’s not like they’re paying me for nothing. The academy of sciences is my biggest one. You have to compete for those grants though. I got a few private sources, corporations mostly, some looking for tax breaks and others cause they’re interested in my data.”

Bob then asked the guy why anyone would want to know about tornado’s, that wasn’t in their path. When the answers got too technical he had to stop this Kramer guy and say, “ok never mind that. Let me ask you something else, who is rolling out your grants right now? You can tell me right? That’s not like some top secret stuff?”

“Oh no, that’s public record or, well, in this case it is,” Bob had never heard of any of these guys and he was starting to wonder if this was the way Presidents played practical jokes. World War Three was about to explode and Devon had Bill out here talking to a reject from a country and western band. Then Kramer said, “course, way back when, my mainstay was them Tidemen folks. They were bank rolling a lot of guys at one time.”

“Tideman?” Now Bob was suddenly interested, “out of Connecticut?” When Kramer nodded, Bob said, “why the hell would they want to know about wind sheer? They make submarines. I would kind of think that’s not much of a problem under water.”

Kramer just shrugged, “I have no idea. I sent in my proposal and I got my checks. I didn’t ask much after that.”

Bob thought about it and then asked, “mind if I get a copy of that proposal?”

Kramer actually pulled out is telephone and after he tapped the screen a few times he asked for an email address. Then, with a swish of his finger he smiled and said, “done.”