A Catastrophe of Presidential Proportions (Jesi & TheKatsMeow)

TheKatsMeow

TheKatsMeow

Member
The West Wing was moving at its typical pace; office aides flying by, receptionists receiving calls by the dozens, the White House press secretary stressed out and complaining about something or another. Abilene sat at the edge of it all, her feet propped up on the desk of her father's personal secretary, affectionately referred to as Miss M by the First Family. The employees were accustomed to her hanging around outside of the Oval Office. Any attempts to send her away had long since been forgotten and given up. She was far too stubborn not to be right in the middle of it all. If she couldn't have friends, she might as well keep herself in the political loop.


Glancing over the top of her copy of The New York Times, her eyes quickly scanned over the bustling hall before returning to the article at hand. Her parents had already skimmed over the country's major newspapers earlier that morning. Abilene typically brought two or three different publications with her from the residence to pass the time until she was ushered off for some photo-op or world culture lesson.


Her gaze moved from the newsprint once more, this time flickering to the silver watch on her left wrist. Supposedly, the new head of her security detail would be arriving sometime soon and she wanted to be there when he did. She had grown very close to the former position holder. The man in his early forties had been somewhat of a second father figure to her. His relocating to another branch was sudden and Abilene was completely unprepared for having to build a new relationship. What if he was too uptight? Always following exact protocol, constantly ratting her out to her parents... She gave a slight sigh and turned her attention back to the paper. This new guy would certainly have big footsteps to fill.
 
Hunter Madsen was riding down a hotel elevator when he checked his watch, again. He had had nightmares about being late for the most important job of his life so as a precaution he planned almost everything down to the seconds. Taking a breath he took a few moments to check his reflection on the elevator walls, making sure his grey jeans were in order with his unbuttoned blazer, running a hand through his slightly unruly brown hair. Ding. The elevator sounded as it came to a stop and slid its door open. Hunter strode out to the concrete parking lot, looking for some sign of the president to beckon him over, like car with the presidential seal. Instead he was approached by a man in a plain suit who escorted him to a black Toyota Camry.


"Hunter Madsen, right?" The man asked, sliding into the drivers seat.


"Yes, sir." Hunter replied, slipping into the passengers side.


"Pleased to meet you, I look forward to working with you. Miss Abilene is very excited to meet you." The man said, pulling onto the street. After a few moments of silence they began talking about responsibilities and behavior of staff. Hunter knew he was more than capable of serving the presidential family.


The man parked his car somewhere in the White House and escorted Hunter up to the Oval Office, ready to meet with the presidential family.


(( I'm so tired, I feel like this one might be... Kinda scattered, my apologies - the next one I won't write so late for me xP ))
 
Abilene recognized the ever familiar sound of her mother's heels even before she had come into sight. Four more clicks sounded before the shoes hit the carpeting of the secretarial area connecting the Oval Office with the office of the White House Chief of Staff. As if on cue, the muffling of the steps was instantly accompanied by the first lady's hurried and direct manner of speaking.


"For Christ's sake, Abbie. Feet off the furniture." She was a blur of white pantsuit as she quickly crossed the room and slipped into the Oval Office, her assistant following right behind her.


Abilene rolled her eyes as she swung her legs to the floor, folding the newspaper and leaving it on the top right corner of Miss M's desk. As she stepped over to the door there was a moment's hesitation. She was now legally an adult and her parents are sitting her down to meet a brand new, pre-selected, overpriced, overqualified, babysitter. A babysitter.


"This is humiliating..." She muttered, smoothing down the back of her skirt. Her hand rested on the doorknob for a brief second before pushing the door open and taking a step inside.


((It's completely alright, I understand the feeling haha))
 
Hunter had to try to keep his jaw from dropping as he was ushered in to the Oval Office. He had only really seen its interior in movies and pictures. Following the man who had picked him up, Hunter caught his first glance at the President and his family walking in. Suddenly his palms were sweaty and he was over conscious about everything.


"Mr. President," the suited man began, "Mrs. Manchester, this is Hunter Madsen, the new head of security."


Hunter nodded and tried to discreetly wipe his hand on his pants. "Good afternoon, Mr. President," he moved over to the First Lady, "Mrs. Manchester. It's nice to finally meet you," He said, taking a seat on one of the couches beside his mysterious driver.
 
The door closed behind Abilene with a soft click, almost shaking her head at the sight of her parents sitting there with those cheesy, politician smiles. The situation already made her rather uncomfortable, and that was before she paid any attention to who those smiles were directed at. Her green eyes widened as they landed on the stranger seated on the opposite couch. Surely there had been some sort of mix up. She had caught the end of the introductions but this young man looked to be practically her age. Something could not be right. Quickly trying to rein in her thoughts Abilene plastered on a polite smile and moved to stand behind the chair nearest to where her parents were seated.


The president nodded and glanced towards his daughter. "Yes, well it's very nice to meet you as well, Mr. Madsen. And as long as we're exchanging pleasantries, allow me to introduce you to the subject of your detail, or should I say 'your own personal headache'." He paused, chuckling slightly at his own remark. "Mr. Madsen, this is my daughter, Abilene."


Abbie didn't react to the light jab, only keeping her smile and giving a small nod towards this new 'Mr. Madsen'. "Hello."
 
It was a almost strange to hear someone as important as the President saying something so ordinary. There was a kind of disbelief Hunter couldn't get around.


"Morning, Miss Abilene." He said, taking a short moment to look her over. 'Personal headache'? Abilene didn't look like the type to be high maintenance but who could tell, she was after all the President's daughter!


Hunter quickly returned his gaze to the President. "Is there anything specific you want to know?" Hunter wasn't informed what this meeting was about other than being introduced to his ever so important employers. "Or is there anything either of you wish me to do in particular? I haven't even met the staff yet so I'm not quite sure what I have to work with."


Hunter was nervous to say the least but he kept his voice as even as he could and tried to seem professional.
 
"Ah, yes, well the staff is nothing to worry about. I'm sure you'll do just fine. However, I-" The president was interrupted in mid-sentence by a knock at the door. A petite woman with a dark ponytail stepped in.


"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, Mr. President but I thought you might want to see this right away." She moved across the carpet in short, quick steps, handing her employer a slip of White House stationary. His eyes skimmed over the scribbled writing, their color exactly matching Abbie's. With a slight nod and a quiet, "Thank you, Miss M.", he stood and shot another smile Hunter's direction.


"I'm afraid we'll have to cut this short but I trust that Charles here can get you set up with Abbie's itinerary." He said, motioning towards the man in the suit. "I apologize that you had to start on such a busy day. I look forward to being able to have a real conversation with you, Mr. Madsen." With that he turned and followed his secretary out of the room, slipping the now folded piece of paper into his pocket.


There was a moment of silence before the first lady glanced to her watch and then to her daughter. "You're going to need to be changed before one, darling. Why don't you help show Mr. Madsen around in the meantime? Everyone is stretched pretty thin already today."


Abilene hesitated, still unsure how she felt about this new arrangement. Knowing that she couldn't exactly tell her mother no in this setting, she nodded and returned her gaze to Hunter. "Of course."
 
Hunter nodded as the First Lady excused himself, glad in a sense that now he didn't feel as intimidated. Rising from the couch he took a few moments to look around the office, marveling at how different it looked in person. Then his thoughts wandered to how many famous people had been that very room.


When Hunter's gaze meandered over to where Abilene was sitting he was pulled out of his reverie.


"Oh, sorry. Shall we get going then? So you have enough time to get ready for your appointment at one," Hunter was still nervous, feeling as though the White House had turned into a sauna.
 
Abilene gave a small smile and stood up. "Oh it's perfectly fine. I remember the first time I saw this place too. It can all be a bit overwhelming." She took a quick look around herself before taking a few steps towards the door. "So, what do you need then? A schedule I suppose. Then there's the rooms the security uses. There's a sort of 'on-call' room. You know, for whoever's turn it is to catch some sleep or whatever."


She shrugged and pulled the door open, stepping through. "This way, Mr. Madsen." She paused by Miss M's desk, waiting for him to follow before moving into the hall.
 
"I suppose I'll have to get used to it all," Hunter said as he took one last glance around the room. "A tour down to the security rooms and such would be great," he added as he strode toward Abilene. Again he tried not to gawk as she lead him around, keeping his excitement at bay. There was so many bragging rights that came with the job. How many people do you meet that get to say they work at the White House? Well, there wouldn't be much time for socializing... But it was still impressive, especially for his age.


While trying to keep his excitement to a dull murmur and his nervousness on an equally discreet level, it was quite hard to process everything at once, making him feel like one hot mess while he desperately hoped he didn't look like one.
 
As she continued down the corridors, Abilene kept a polite smile, giving a slight nod or a small wave to anyone she passed. As soon as they reached an empty hall between the West Wing and the residence, the smile dropped.


"Alright, so how old are you really? I mean, if you don't mind me asking that is, but I could always just go take a peek at your files." She stopped, turning to face Hunter. "Older than you look, probably. What then, 26? 27? That's still rather young for this kind of post." She glanced over him, letting her eyes skim down to his feet and back again.


"Not that you can't handle it. They might as well put 'unnecessary babysitter' in the job description." Abilene paused and waited for an answer, her attitude obviously very different from the Oval Office moments before.
 
Hunter had thought things were going so well but he must have misjudged the situation somewhere. He felt a bit vulnerable as 'his files' were mentioned, as though there was something to hide from his past or maybe something to learn.


"I'm 20." Hunter said plainly, he shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm good at what I do, obviously. Why would I have to 'babysit' you if we were friends?" Hunter leaned against a wall, looking Abilene straight in the eyes as he was too timid to fully check her out as she had done to him. "Can we be friends? Or am I to stay solely to my department? Left to make sure you do as your told and that you're safe at all times." He added for good measure.
 
Abilene raised an eyebrow, remaining silent for a moment before giving a response. "Alright... Friends." She spoke slowly, almost cautiously. The idea of having a real friend around her age had been forgotten almost as soon as her father decided to run for office. Suddenly no one wanted to know her for her. Everything revolved around her family's position.


She took a small step back, maintaining eye contact. "The service typically uses the majority of the rooms in the hall to the left. My room is to the right and up the stairs with blue carpeting. The very last room on the row. My parents' room is in the hall across from that. You can't really miss it." Her voice was slightly quieter, knowing that she shouldn't have been so quick to snap at him.


"They print itineraries for all three of us every morning. I'm not really sure how they'll get mine to you, to be honest. There's usually a copy on my nightstand when I wake up." She shrugged and glanced towards the end of the hall.
 
Hunter watched Abilene as she calculated her words in response to his. Then, almost as if a switch had been flipped, she continued with the tour, giving detailed instructions that he repeated a few times in his head to make sure he wouldn't forget.


"Is there a room for me to sleep in down there?" Hunter asked, pointing to the hall to the left. "And who should I ask for specifics on your itinerary?" He ran a hand through his hair, "Am I responsible for getting you up in the morning?" Hunter glanced up the hall to the right at the stairs that led to the Presidential Bedrooms.


((So is Hunter supposed to be Head of Security in general with the added job of taking specific care of Abilene or is he supposed to be focused primarily on Abilene alone? ))
 
"Room? Yes. Specifics? I would say you'd need to ask the man you came in with. Wake me up? No. I can get up on my own. That shouldn't have to be part of your job." Abbie counted off the answers to his questions on her fingers. She paused, trying to think of anything else he'd need to know.


"There should be a dining room down that hall. The kitchen feeds all the employees that are here all the time. There's also a mess hall in the basement of the West Wing. Oh, and just as a side note; anything marked off with the red velvet ropes is an area open to the tour groups. So if you want to avoid cameras, those are the areas to stay out of." She fell silent and glanced down at her watch.


"The only thing I have to do today is visit Lady Liberty's at one. Kind of a publicity thing or whatever..." Her voice trailed off towards the end, unsure what else to say.


((Oh, sorry about that. He was meant to be the head of Abilene's security detail so just kinda in charge of her and the three or four other people on her security team.))
 
Hunter pulled out his phone and checked the time. It was exactly noon. "I guess you better go get ready for that then? I'd like to just take a look around," he gestured down the left hall. "Thanks for giving me a tour. See you in a bit? I assume it might be good practice to go with you, unless you would prefer me not to, of course. It is, after all, my first day." As the First Lady had said it seemed as though everyone was busy. There wasn't much instruction on where he was to report to or what was expected of him exactly. It would get better though, right? He was anxious to find his room, then the mess hall and finally the rest of Abilene's posse.


((Awesome. Thanks ;D ))
 
Abilene nodded. "Well I probably wasn't much help but, no problem. And sure, I mean, it's not really my decision to make but you're welcome to come. I'll probably be somewhere around here in half an hour or so."


She started to turn to head towards the right hallway before pausing and glancing back over her shoulder. "Your first name, Hunter, right? I mean, since we're friends and all..." She flashed a smile and continued on her way, giving another smile to the agents at the top of the stairs leading to the Presidential Suites.
 
Hunter nodded as she asked for clarification about his name and as she finally walked up the steps to her room he turned down the left hall. There was a number of rooms all of which had their doors closed and it was so quiet his footsteps sounded like hammers as he walked upon he carpet. When he came to the end of the hall he found a door labeled, "Mess Hall". Slowly he tried the knob and pulled it open, slipping inside. There was a sort of banquet set out with bowls of fruits and salads, a little table of hot foods as well.


Hunter picked up a tangerine and began peeling it over a trash can as he inspected the room when a group of men walked in, talking loudly to each other. They surrounded the tables, dishing food and sitting down to one of the tables in the background.


"Aye, are you the new Head of Abilene's Security? I thought you were starting today! I told you, Joe." One of them said. Hunter had just finished his peeling when they called him over.


"Yeah, the name's Hunter." He said, sampling a slice of tangerine and taking a seat next to the other three at the table.


"We're your guys then. This is Joe," a redhead with blue eyes was pointed out, "Ryder," a blond with brown eyes, "and I'm Timothy." He said. He was a brunette like Hunter who also had brown eyes.


"Sweet. I've already met Abilene. I -" Hunter was interrupted with a few chuckles and sighs. "I was wondering how it works around here. Like how I get her itinerary every morning and where I sleep. Things like that."


"I've got you, mate" Ryder said, getting up, "I'm not that hungry." It was then that Hunter found his room and his schedule, meeting some more of the staff and learning a bit more about his duties. Of course he was back with the rest of them by the time they had to leave for the Liberty thing Abilene had to attend.
 
Abilene took one more look in the mirror, clipping her watch back on her left wrist. She had changed into a white button up shirt tucked into a pair of navy blue dress slacks with a thin grey belt and grey heels. She had been given three pre-approved outfits to choose from, each looked over by her her mother of course. Glancing at the time, Abbie quickly rolled up the blouse's sleeves and headed towards the door.


She was still clipping a string of pearls around her neck as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Looking up, she gave a small smile and placed her hands on her hips. "Good afternoon, boys. I see Hunter found you alright. Who's ready for another day of grins and handshakes? No one? Great, me neither." She laughed slightly and let her hands fall back to her sides.
 
Hunter chuckled a bit at Abilene's joke along with the others of which at least one of them was faking their laugh. "Shall we?" Hunter said, gesturing toward the hall, waiting to trail Abilene. The others hadn't briefed him on where he was supposed to stand or what he was to do in duty, there had been many situations he had been taught at school. He whispered, "What formation do you all usually use?"


"It depends on the place..." Ryder whispered back, "We'll decide on one later. It won't matter for this one as much as it's just a publicity thing. Don't worry about it."
 
Abilene gave a nod and stepped past them. She knew her own way, moving down the corridors to a set of doors near the back of the building. Two, black SUVs waited outside, each with their own driver. The older of the two chauffeurs opened the back door of the first car, allowing Abilene to slide in. There was enough room for two people in the back seat and one in the passenger in each car.


"Thank you, James." She said quietly, turning her attention to a tan file waiting on the seat next to her. Scooping it up, she flipped it open and skimmed over the print. "Well this is just great..." She mumbled, leaning back in her seat as she glanced over the next few pages.
 
Hunter glanced at the others as they approached the SUVs and he decided to grab the passenger's seat on the first car with Abilene, it seemed like a Head Of Security place to be. Quickly the others filed in, the one climbing in behind Abilene and two taking the other car. Clearly this publicity thing wasn't going to be a favorite of Abilene's as she muttered her disapproval.


In the silence of the drive Hunter took to trying to calm his nerves. He had done other jobs such as ones like this but not for someone as important as Abilene. Upon their arrival Hunter's phone vibrated in his pocket, a text from an unknown number. Quickly he flipped it open and read the words carefully typed saying:


Classic Wedge formation, take Detail Leader position. You have no protection as of yet. I got your back mate - Ryder


Hunter shoved his phone back in his pocket and jogged a few steps to catch up with the others, gliding into position as he scanned the area, making sure he was no more than arms distance from Abilene as per his formation description.
 
Abilene tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, taking a breath before plastering on a bright bright smile just in time for one of the orphanage's coordinators to slip through the doors. She typically didn't mind the trips to Lady Liberty's where she got to interact with the children but this seemed to be more of a photo op, focused more on the adults.


"Welcome back, Miss Manchester. We're so glad you could make it. Really, thank you so much. I-" Abilene politely cut in before the woman could gush anymore. There was no reason for thanks, all she would do would be shake hands with the organization's other workers and supporting politicians.


As she stepped through the doors with the coordinator, the group of adults standing inside started a light round of applause. Abilene really had to focus on keeping her smile, this scene always bugged her. The attention and recognition as if she had done something important. Yes, she'd rounded up the original funding for Lady Liberty's but after that she had nothing to do with it.


She pushed her thoughts so the side and stepped towards the right side of the room, beginning her typical routine of working the room clockwise. Most of the adults returned to their own groups and conversations as they waited for her to get to them. Abbie moved from group to group shaking hands, smiling, making a few comments.


"Good to see you again, Mrs. Culver. Alright, yes I'll let him know. Oh hello Mayor Graham! How are those zoning laws coming along? Well that's good to hear. Ah, Senator Macmillain. How are thing with your daughters? Lovely, lovely. Is Marissa still interested in journalism? Well you just let me know, a temporary White House Press Badge might suit her just fine." And so it continued.


She had almost made it around the whole room before shaking hands with a face she didn't recognize. She didn't think much of it, not even when the man leaned forward to whisper in her ear, but as he leaned back her perfect, unwavering smile faded. Her eyes flew from the grinning stranger to Hunter with a frightened expression and before she could say a word, an explosion blasted somewhere outside. The room erupted in panic.
 
As soon as Hunter saw Abilene's worried expression he instinctively reached for his radio to communicate to his team, sliding between the man and Abilene. As his hand grasped only the collar of his jacket he cursed himself mentally, he was not properly equipped and immediately following there was an explosion outside. Hunter put his hand on Abilene's back as he steered her away, Ryder taking the front of the formation, Hunter and Joe at the sides and Timothy in the back.


As Ryder led them to their pre-decided second exit, Hunter turned to Abilene.


"What did that man say to you?" He asked, unable to keep the urgency out of his voice. He was eager to get out of the place for Abilene's sake and felt extremely vulnerable especially as a Detail Leader without any equipment. In retrospect it would have been more responsible of him to have gotten a radio and body gear before coming on a job. Fortunately, the four of them had seemingly perfect coordination as they were all working together nicely, so far.


"I need to know what he said exactly, to keep you safe." Hunter repeated.
 
"I... But... He..." Abilene frantically glanced between Hunter and the startled crowd, her eyes wide. It took a few seconds for her mind to catch up. "Your government thought we would never catch up..." She paused, her voice hardly loud enough for him to hear. "Sweet dreams, little Abbie."


Her voice trembled as she looked around to the other agents. "Does that mean he's got more than just this? There's more than one of them?" As her mind began to jump to conclusions, she only became more and more panicked.


"Do they have plans?! Manpower?! Weapons?!" Abilene desperately grabbed Hunter's arm, knowing they didn't know anymore than she did but the words just spilled out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top