Wordzzle 39 (Jack Benny's permanent age)

Why not stop by the Raven's Nest and say Hi to Katherine.

And while you're there you might tell her to feel better and get well.

Check out all the great stories and then if you're really in need of a read, you might experiment with my ongoing tale.

This Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: palace, hypocrite, canned air, telephone, biscuit, pinball, acorn, customary, fruit juice, waterfall

Mini Challenge: buyer's remorse, lava, haphazard, mildew, soup to nuts

This week's episode: "Fruition"

The White House is noted for its rose garden and dining rooms, but few know of its myriad meeting rooms, both public and private. This afforded the lame duck president the chance to go from event to event in an effort to get some good PR and appear busy. Hypocrite that he was, and knowing that over three quarters of the nation had buyer's remorse over his failed presidency; he still wanted to leave on a high note. Of course he continued to the end to sign orders and statements to undermine the incoming president.

This particular Monday featured 3 overlapping events that he would attend. His good physical health would allow him to bounce around his temporary palace like a pinball from meeting room to meeting room. The G-20 meeting would be his main focus, but in actuality he would spend more time with the corporate leaders that would be there during and after the G-20 Summit. His customary bumbling would not be in evidence this day. His seemingly haphazard demeanor was just for show and not his real modus operandi. For PR purposes he would drop in on an FBI ceremony to put his seal of approval on it and get the photo op. That shouldn't take him more than 5 or 10 minutes at the most.

The meeting of the G-20 would start off in a public meeting room and break up into working groups in more private areas. This would allow his corporate buddies to have access to the ministers of finance of the attending countries.

A surprising amount of minerals, raw materials and basic textiles come from emerging markets, many represented in the G-20. From soup to nuts, from fruit juice to lava lamps, the G-20 countries, especially the Asian giants, were critical to the failing economy. Without their products, money and energy, the economy would mildew, rot and die like the wheat in the fields of Washington State during the recent floods.

McCool and Jean rode in the FBI SUV with Sgt Johnson and Zan to the White House. Their ceremony wouldn't be till late in the afternoon, but a friend of Paul's in the Secret Service had invited them to come early and get a private tour.

The only condition was that they would have to come in behind the G-20 group and appear to be more security. The corporate moguls were to be brought in via the tunnel and would come from across the street at Blair House.

They trailed the last minister's limo into the compound after being thoroughly checked at the gate. They were in Mobile telephone contact with Paul's friend all throughout the process. There was tight security surrounding the G-20 event.

Claude watched the morning news from the breakfast table in the B & B. He took a last bite of a homemade breakfast biscuit and excused himself from the table. He walked out into the garden to make his calls. It only took two.

Financial Centers all over the world had been experiencing electrical and infrastructure problems during the weekend. Now the news came out from these entities that all was well, along with account updates for their major numbered account holders. The updates caused numerous phone calls between the wealthy individuals, companies and partnerships and the banks.

One such call went to the minister of finance for Brazil. When he saw the caller he answered his phone as he exited his limo. Sixty seconds later the EMP device (one very similar to the ones used at the banks) came on. The electromagnetic blast was limited to a three block radius of the white house.

Somewhere in the distance car alarms started going off. The Secret service agents became aware of the problem when they lost all radio communication. There was a protocol for this, but most did not know it. In the ensuing confusion, the fire under the finance minister of Brazil's car went unnoticed. By the time they did take notice, it was dangerously close to the vehicle’s gas tank.

The ministers were herded into a foyer at the rear of the white house. When enough of them were in the room together the proximity fuses in the heels of their shoes ignited the gas capsules hidden within the shoes and the room was filled with what seemed to be lethal gas. Because all power was off in the white house till the generators kicked on (about 2-3 minutes); they were effectively locked in the foyer with the gas.

At the same time the fire in the limo reached the gas tank and it exploded, wounding one of the civilian females still outside on the portico. This group was rushed around towards the side entrance and a runner was sent to fetch a doctor from the security shack.

Simultaneously a call went out to a group of Blackwater guards to rush to the White House to escort a state department entourage. When they rushed up to the gate they were met with gunfire. The guards mistakenly took them to be part of what was happening inside the compound.

At the security shack the runner from the portico found the guards engaged with a group of mercenaries. The snipers on the roof were partially blocked from the fire fight by trees and without radio communication did not know they were engaged in a tragically wrong friendly fire incident. The agent added to the firepower brought to bear on the assumed unfriendlies with his automatic.

Confusion reigned in the White house. The president was hustled to the escape tunnels. The corporate officers were held in an anti-room in the basement. The G-20 ministers were finally freed from the foyer and put in secure rooms on the ground floor. The canned air of the secure rooms was a welcome relief from the noxious but non-lethal gas

Finally the special weapons fast reaction unit entered the fight and the mercs were subdued, though none were taken alive.

The entire episode was over in less than 10 minutes.

The repercussions from this incident would last more than ten years.

Billionaires had become millionaires this day, and millionaires just regular folks with a few bucks in the bank. Charities and good causes from Zanzibar to New Zealand experienced an outpouring of generosity unknown in their history’s. Even the much talked about and maligned ACORN group was funded in a big way from anonymous sources.

The reason for the attempt on the G-20 ministers and the lame duck president would not be traced for a few days. When it was, the culprits behind the treasonous act would be surprising and surprised. Names like Blackwater, Haliburton, AIG, Exxon-Mobil, and many other well know corporations would be implicated. In the end, the restitutions and civil and criminal penalties would ravage their coffers and their ranks.

The outrage of the public would cascade down on these companies like a waterfall of vengeance and indignation.

The new administration would have its hands full finding out what had happened and why. Their race to justice would be swift and sure. The new president could not appear weak. The trap had sprung and now the very government these businesses and businessman had looted for the last 8 years would turn on them like a trained Tiger gone wild.

Claude came back into the quaint kitchen of the B & B. He thanked their host and hostess and lead Justine out to the bike. They left Silver Springs and headed west. Theirs would be a road trip of some distance. He plugged in the lead for the intercom and radio. He put Justine’s helmet on soft jazz and he listened to NPR.

The report of the attack at the white house should be coming on soon.

RT