Adultery Cheating and Rivals by xleglover-COMPLETED

[Ramesh_Rocky]

"My family is there!" Mike yelled back. He moved towards the door.

"Seal the door!" JJ ordered. The doors swished closed and locked. "Mike you're not going anywhere!"

Mike looked at JJ. "It's my family," he said. "Hal, open the door." The door immediately unlocked and opened. Mike stepped out and said, "Hal, lock the door." The door immediately closed and locked.

"How did he do that?" JJ said shocked. Brent, Abraham and Maria shook their heads, looking bewildered. Big, his head tilted, looked curiously at the door.

JJ glared at no one in particular. He picked up the phone. "Mitch, where are you?!"

*********************

Mike was in the garage, looking for a car with keys in it. All of a sudden Mitch was there. "I can't let you go Mike," the assassin said.

Mike looked at Mitch. He said "If you could've saved your wife, would you have? Wouldn't you have done anything?"

Mitch closed his eyes. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath. "Come on," he said irritably, turning and running the other way.

"Where are we going?" Mike shouted, running after him.

"You can't fucking drive to New York!" Mitch yelled back.

Mike and Mitch were in a high speed military helicopter. Mike looked out the window, willing the helicopter to go faster. "You know it's over," Mitch told Mike sagely. "These things last minutes. Seconds. Whatever happened already happened."

Mike picked up the radio but Mitch shook his head. "You won't get anyone. I've already tried. It's chaos out there." After a moment he asked "Mike, how did you control the doors? How'd you do that?" For a high security location like CATF, there was nothing more serious than the ability to lock and unlock doors. Mike's ability to do so, seemingly at will, bypassing all the biometric controls, was a major security breach.

Mike didn't answer. He turned and looked back out the window.

Mitch frowned. He said "You know when this is over, you're going to have to answer questions."

****************

Mike rushed into the ballroom. Mitch was close behind, flashing his creds to get past the security officer, FBI and Secret Service.

The ballroom looked like a warzone. There were bloody bodies everywhere. First responders were helping the wounded. Mike quickly scanned the faces. He didn't see Jen or Anna.

Then he saw Ricky. He was covered with blood and bandages but alive. Mike ran over. "Ricky, where's Jen and Anna!" he asked desperately.

"Mike ...," Ricky said, his voice trailing off.

Mike grabbed Ricky's shoulders. "Are they alright?" he asked, panicked. "Is my family alright? Ricky! Where are they?"

"Mike ...," Ricky said. He looked distraught, disoriented, weary.

"He's in shock," Mitch said.

"Where's Jen and Anna?!" Mike yelled, shaking Ricky's shoulders.

"He can't answer, he's in shock!" Mitch said again.

Leo approached. "Come on, I'll take you," he said looking grim.

"Take me where?" Mike said looking scared.

"Come on," Leo said again.

*************************

It happened so fast.

First there was jubilation with the news the girls were safe. The mood in the ballroom went from funeral to celebration with the news, and it practically became a party. Someone even called back the band and they reopened the bar.

Jen looked for Lou. She saw him across the room huddled with FBI agents. They locked eyes and she gave him a questioning look. "Was it Mike?" she silently asked. "Did he find the girls?"

Lou grinned at her. He nodded. "Yes, it was the Phantom," he silently answered.

Jen broke into a big smile. HER husband found the girls. Mike saved them. He was a hero. She was so proud to be his wife!

But then it all changed.

She heard dark suited Secret Service agents scream "CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!" And then it was chaos. The Secret Service agents surrounded the President and First Lady, forming a defensive perimeter. Lou and Ricky bolted towards Jen.

"Anna!" Jen screamed. She didn't know what was going on but she wanted her daughter. A moment ago she'd been dancing to the music. Jen saw her, 20 feet away. She ran towards her but 20 feet seemed like 20 miles.

"Mommy ...?" Anna said, looking scared at all the commotion and sudden tension in the room.

Suddenly men with dark complexions burst into the room. There were dozens of them and they all were heavily armed with automatic weapons. Bullets started flying, mostly towards the President, but everywhere, at Jen and Anna too.

Deidre froze. Jasmine leaped through the air and pushed her best friend to the floor, yelling "Dee get down!"

Jen ran towards Anna but she was too far away. Lou tackled her to the ground, shielding her body with his. "Anna!" Jen cried frantically.

"Stay down!" Lou yelled, pinning her to the floor underneath him.

Hugh ran to protect Frank. But Frank yelled "Not me you fool! Protect the child! The child!"

Hugh scooped Anna into his arms and threw himself to the ground, protecting the 4 year old with his body. Frank leaped onto Hugh to further protect Anna and, ironically, also protect his bodyguard.

Ricky was close to Lou and Jen. They had some cover behind upturned tables. He evaluated the battle with an experienced eye. It wasn't going well for the Secret Service. They were fighting valiantly but they were outmanned and outgunned. They needed help.

"Do you have a gun?" he asked Lou.

Lou nodded. He handed Ricky his handgun. "Is that real?" Lou asked, motioning towards the Medal of Honor metal on Ricky's chest. When Ricky nodded, Lou said "Make them count." Ricky nodded again. He was familiar with this gun. It had 12 bullets.

Ricky crouched like a panther, preparing to strike. "Ricky," Jen said worriedly.

Ricky gave her a confident grin. "Don't worry," he said. "This is what I do." Then Ricky leaped from the table, firing the gun with deadly accuracy.

**** Interlude ****

In the weeks and months that followed, the Ballroom Battle (as it became known) was studied and analyzed more thoroughly than any firefight in history. Ricky's impact on the battle was the most controversial issue; years later it was still hotly debated. Many experts argued his brief crossfire gave the Secret Service the breather they needed to close ranks and reorganize their defenses. Other experts disagreed, arguing Ricky's 12 bullets had no meaningful impact given the thousands fired by both sides. The experts were split about 50-50. Everyone agreed though Ricky showed uncommon bravery and represented the best of our country's armed services.

The experts also agreed on this. The difference between winning and losing - with losing meaning the likely capture of the President and First Lady and the death of everyone else in the ballroom - was the advance warning from CATF. Because normal response time for reinforcements was 90 seconds. That's in the book, the Secret Service's strategies for protecting the President are based on it. But in the Ballroom Battle, because of CATF's warning, reinforcements arrived after only 57 seconds. 33 seconds. Only a few heartbeats. But it made the difference between winning and losing.

So many people died protecting the President. The country mourned. The people needed heroes. There were many to choose from. Most of all, Ricky, the Metal of Honor warrior who fought so valiantly. And Colonel Banks, who died to save the President's girls. Their heroism helped the country heal and move forward.

CATF's contribution was downplayed and the details muddled. Because the government couldn't let the public (and its enemies) know it had a working quantum computer. And also, because of what happened later. So Mike's role in the Ballroom Battle - and saving the President's daughters - was hidden. It became one of the country's most closely guarded secrets. Mike got no attention, no metals, no credit. He preferred it that way. And the few who did know thought it was fitting. Because the Phantom walked in the shadows.

***************

The first to arrive were the security officer. A dozen burst into the room. The street cops though were no match for the terrorists' zeal and automatic weapons. They all went down. But they bought time.

Next to arrive were a group of FBI agents from a nearby field office. They were better trained and armed. The terrorists had to divide their forces to fend off the FBI, delaying their advance on the President.

Finally the Secret Service quick response team and elements of the National Guard arrived. That's what really turned the tide. Within moments the Ballroom Battle was over. It was a victory; the President and First Lady were safe and unharmed. But even in victory there are loses.

"Are you okay?" Lou said, getting off Jen.

"Yeah, yeah, I think so," Jen said.

Then she heard someone scream. "Deidre!" Jasmine cried, tears in her eyes. "No! Deidre!"

Jen looked over. Her mouth opened in horror. Deidre's body was bloody. She wasn't moving. Somehow, even though Jasmine shielded her, she'd been hit by a bullet. She was dead.

Jen rushed towards Frank, Hugh and Anna. Frank got off Hugh and then Hugh got off Anna. Jen's eyes went wide. "NO!" she cried running to her baby. "NO!"

Hugh was covered with blood. But it wasn't his blood. It was Anna's. Somehow, like Deidre, she'd been hit even though shielded.

"NO ANNA!" Jen cried, running to Anna and cradling her baby's limp body in her arms. "ANNA NO!"

Cheating and Rivals Part 79

"Anna! Anna!" Jen cried.

"Mommy?" Anna said weakly, her voice barely audible.

Relief washed over Jen. Anna was still alive! But there was blood everywhere! "Please someone help me! Please!" Jen begged.

Jen felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up. It was Jasmine.

"Let me see," Jasmine said calmly, getting on her knees and inspecting Anna. She quickly found the wound. It was her leg. Jasmine looked worried. The wound looked horrible. Frank stood close by, looking too. Like Jasmine, he'd been around, he'd seen his share of gunshot wounds. Jasmine and Frank shared a knowing look. This was not good.

Jasmine skillfully stopped the bleeding. But it was temporary at best. "We need to get her to a hospital!" she said urgently.

"Mercy Hospital's not far away!" Lou said. "But probably the roads are blocked!"

"I'll run!" Jen said picking up her baby.

"Lou, you lead!" Frank said taking control. "Hugh, you take the rear!"

"I'll come too," Jasmine said. She wanted to be there in case she started bleeding again. She saw Frank glance at Deidre and said "For now we focus on the living."

***************

"Jen! You're okay?!" Mike said bursting into the hospital with Mitch close behind. His eyes and hands were all over her, checking if she was hurt. "You're okay? Where's Anna?"

"Oh Mike she was shot!" Jen sobbed, falling into his arms. She was crying uncontrollably.

"What?" Mike said, his body suddenly numb.

"She's barely hanging on!" Jen cried, her face soaked with tears. "But the doctors say, even if she lives, she might lose her leg!"