"If you can enter the Oval Office, there is a picture frame on the wall to the right of the desk, and there is a safe hidden behind it. When you open it, there is a satellite phone exclusively for the president, which can be directly connected to the Pentagon via a dedicated line.
The password to the safe is..."
General Craig interrupted Joey before he finished speaking the password. He even reached out and turned off the microphone of the conference phone on the table.
"Wait, can we trust this guy? Almost all the Secret Service agents in the White House are dead. Why would he, an FBI agent, be there?"
Dana Moger narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at the Army Chief of Staff with a rather unfriendly expression. "Jack is our best FBI agent. I believe that even if Director Womack and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Al Kleiman were here, they would definitely think so.
If you have any doubts about this, you can go and ask General Hammer, the instigator of the Alcatraz incident. He should have a lot to say about this."
Maureen also continued, "When my 'husband' Zoe was the chief of the LAPD Wilshire Branch, Jack was the best police officer under her command. He has always been like a family member to us.
Although Jack is not a military man, Sergeant Jason Hayes of 'DEVGRU' (SEAL Team Six) has fought side by side with him many times. I trust him more than anyone here."
"OK, I have no questions." Seeing that Joey was about to say something, the Army Chief of Staff, who noticed that the atmosphere was a little weird, quickly raised his hand to "surrender" and turned on the microphone again.
General Craig was no fool. Initially, he simply wanted to take advantage of the situation, capitalizing on this rare opportunity to gain political capital.
Seeing the entire upper echelon wiped out, it was impossible for the Army Chief of Staff to not have other concerns. Seeing no way out, he decisively chose to back down.
The agent named Jack immediately stated his intention to rescue the president's senator "husband." Of course, he couldn't object or interfere, but if things went wrong, his earlier doubts could be used as leverage.
Joey briefly recounted what had happened. Jack, on the other end of the line, was silent for three seconds, expressing shock. Then he asked, "What do they want?"
"We don't know yet. We're trying to figure it out, hoping to rescue the president and the others," Maureen said.
She had no real interest in the presidency, but rather than helplessly watching her lover risk his life, Maureen wanted to do what she could to help Jack.
"I've disabled the internal surveillance. This might give us some leverage, but I don't know how long it will last."
Jack continued to speak in a subdued voice, causing the people on the other end of the line to crane their necks and hold their breath. "I need help planning an evacuation route. I heard there are some abandoned tunnels beneath the White House.
I'll find a way to get into the President's office and get a satellite phone. I'll contact you in about 20 minutes. I should evacuate. The enemy could find us at any time once they realize the surveillance is down."
After hearing the call end, Maureen looked at Joey, who nodded quickly. "There are indeed some usable abandoned tunnels beneath the White House. I'll arrange for someone to deliver the architectural plans immediately."
-
The White House covers an area of approximately 70,000 square meters. The main building has three floors above ground, with over 100 rooms of various sizes. There is also a basement level that houses a library, an exhibition room, and rooms for Secret Service agents and personnel.
The White House has been expanded several times. Originally, there was only the main building in the middle, with six Roman columns on the south side. The three halls within were called the "Red," "Blue," and "Green" rooms.
Both the West and East Wings were later expanded. The Oval Office in the West Wing is the famous presidential office, frequently appearing on television and in news photos.
"Puff!"
With a spurt of blood, a body slowly fell onto a circular rug woven with the bald eagle emblem, the blood quickly absorbed by the thick carpet.
There are many ways to infiltrate secretly, but to avoid detection, there are essentially two methods: one is to remain invisible, and the other is to secretly eliminate anyone who discovers you.
Jack wasn't a die-hard Assassin's Creed player, but he did enjoy the classic game "Commandos."
Unfortunately, reality wasn't a game. Even if he could outmaneuver every patrol with his incredible senses and agility, the bodies he left behind would be pursued.
So, he'd dodged whenever possible, and when he couldn't, he'd imitate Jackie Chan, holding his breath and hiding in the corridor above, waiting for the patrol to pass before jumping down.
Jack actually had a satellite phone on him, the same one he'd used to contact Rossi and the others.
But given the current situation, there was no telling if the intruders had a mole inside the Pentagon. Out of caution, he chose to keep the satellite phone as a backup.
Therefore, Jack followed Joey's instructions and made his way from his original hiding place in the East Wing to the Oval Office in the West Wing. This was considered the White House's core office area, but it was clear the intruders weren't taking it seriously, leaving only a two-man team in the outer corridor.
He'd originally planned to leave one of the intruders alive, launching a surprise attack by snapping the neck of one of them and then taking the other hostage into the Oval Office.
However, the intruder wasn't obedient and tried to warn him the moment he let go, but Jack had no choice but to slash his throat.
The Oval Office, the presidential office, is decorated in a different style with each new president, but the general layout remains largely unchanged.
A desk sits by the window, facing several chairs. At the other end are two long sofas and a coffee table. Flags adorn the walls, and on either side of the desk hang oil paintings of Lincoln and Washington.
By the time Jack opened the safe behind the Lincoln portrait, successfully retrieved the satellite phone, and reconnected with the Pentagon, Maureen and Joey had already temporarily left.
Although only acting president, Maureen had a lot to do, including receiving the nuclear button—the safe box Americans often call the "nuclear football"—and issuing a brief televised address to reassure the public.
The Air Force Chief of Staff and the Chief of Naval Operations had also arrived at the Pentagon, along with a group of intelligence analysts from the CIA's International Intelligence Division, but no one could explain the Han country president's whims.
Troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula and in Japan were placed on high alert, and the USS George Washington (CVN-73) stationed at Yokosuka Air Base had weighed anchor and was preparing to enter the Sea of Japan.
Maureen not only prepared to summon the ambassadors of the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council, but also established a dedicated phone line with the leaders of the other two of the top three.
The world was currently in a state of confusion. To avoid any misunderstandings, Seres and the Russians had urgently dispatched diplomats to the two countries on the southern and northern sides of the peninsula to investigate the situation.
After obtaining the "key prop," Jack left the Oval Office and headed for the second floor of the White House.
After the internal surveillance was cut off, the intruders apparently sensed something was amiss. Although they couldn't access real-time footage, they retrieved old footage and discovered Jack's presence.
Patrols on the first floor of the White House were significantly increased, forcing Jack to risk exposing his whereabouts and eliminate a three-man patrol team.
The second floor of the White House was actually the living quarters of the "First Family." On the first floor, facing south on the east side, there was a room known as the "Lincoln Bedroom," where Zoe hid.
There are many legends about the bedroom being haunted, but only one is plausible: Kennedy's first lady, Jacqueline, had the "Lincoln Bedroom" renovated in a Victorian style during the White House renovation.
During the renovation, the small living room on the east side of the bedroom was removed. This room, once used by President Lincoln as a small office, became part of the partition wall. Zoe now hid in the mezzanine of this partition wall.
(End of this chapter)