“Director Comey is not happy, Captain Astor!” FBI Special Agent Albert Johnson slammed down a copy of the Oregonian on Scion’s desk, jabbing an accusing finger at the front page headline. “This is classified information, and someone on this team leaked it to the press!”
JJ glanced down at the headline in question and the ghost of a smile flickered briefly across his lips. Trump prostitution tape shocks nation, GOP silent as campaign scrambles for response. “Agent Johnson, if that video is classified now, it certainly wasn’t when we handed it, and all the other evidence of the Russian conspiracy, over to you people two days ago. You can’t post facto criminalize its release… and even if you could, do you have any proof that this came from the Vanguard and not your own agency? Or from the Justice Department? Or SHADE?”
“No one at the FBI, or at Justice, would jeopardize a case of this magnitude!” Johnson barked, his face darkening. “Even those cowboys at SHADE wouldn’t risk that!
“And the release of that video may well alert the principals in this investigation, which is only just getting started, that we have more evidence of their conspiracy, allowing them to destroy further evidence or to flee our jurisdiction!”
“Oh bullshit,” JJ said, the incipient humor dropping from him at last. “I’ve done little else the last three days aside from analyzing and absorbing all the data we unlocked from that Russian hard drive. The documentary evidence is overwhelming all on its own, and should be enough to secure criminal convictions against scores of Russian agents and their American pawns, as well as bring treason charges against a dozen US senators and twice that number of congresspersons… plus Trump and most of his campaign staff.
“Tell me, Agent Johnson, have you actually read all of the evidence contained on that drive? Do you understand how widespread and deep this Russian infiltration runs in our government?”
The FBI agent, looking slightly poleaxed, deflated a bit as he sat back in his chair. “Well, no, obviously not – I understand there are thousands of pages, much of it in Russian, and hours of video aside from that damn “pee tape.” Our analysts are still going through it all, but I know the Director has been very much on top of it… he himself gave me summaries to read before sending me out here… although I didn’t realize… is there really evidence of senators and congressmen under Russian control?”
“How much control the Russians have over their puppets, how much influence they’ve actually been able to wield, will be up to the courts to decide,” JJ shrugged. “But, yes, over 30 members of congress have been compromised, either through the millions of dollars illegally funneled to them, or outright blackmailed, like that moron Trump – never mind his sexual perversions, his ties to Russian dark money and his laundering of Mob money has had him in their pocket for years.
“And the Russians funneled even more money through NGOs to influence American policy and elections, especially the NRA and several companies that manufacture voting machines. Then there’s the Russian government-backed hackers who’ve infiltrated and manipulated social media everywhere in the West. Believe me, Agent Johnson, no one in the Vanguard wants to see any of these people escape justice.
“But we also don’t have complete faith in our government’s willingness, or ability, to pursue this fully. The desire to whitewash and cover up is strong in Washington, and this scandal is going to rock our system to its foundations. We both know that there are a lot of people, even ones un-compromised by foreign powers, who’d like to see the status remain quo and will be pushing to see it all played down.
“Which is why the Vanguard has kept our own copy of all the Russian data we recovered. I understand that your visit today is because Director Comey is eager to ensure that no more information is “leaked.” And it won’t be, not from us, as long as the investigation moves forward – expeditiously, let me add – to arrests and trials.”
“It’s not your place to dictate to–” Johnson began, his momentary shock giving way once more to anger.
“I’ve already spoken to both AG Lynch and the President,” Scion interrupted him smoothly. “As we are effectively US Marshals, the Attorney General is the Vanguard’s boss, and the President is hers… and both understand the necessity of making sure this rock is completely turned over and all the things crawling under it are exposed to the light of day. As long as the Director keeps that in mind, there should be no conflict between us, yes?”
Disgruntled but unable to do anything about it, Agent Johnson eventually made a clipped goodbye and left the AzTech Pyramid even less happy than when he’d arrived. JJ smiled after him and returned to his computer display and the next batch of Russian documents it had translated for him… a particularly disturbing piece on how few voting machines, in how very few congressional districts, would need to be hacked to swing a presidential Electoral College victory without raising undue suspicion…
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Later that day, at the usual Friday weekly round-up meeting of the Vanguard, JJ described his morning visit from the FBI and the concerns of its Director.
“I don’t know which of you leaked that tape,” he concluded. “And I don’t want to know. But let me make it very clear that no other information will be given to the press without the consent of the entire team – Comey is not wrong in being concerned about the potential for some of these bastards to wriggle away if things aren’t done properly. So no more unilateral actions on this matter. Is that clear?”
With wide-eyed innocence everyone around the table nodded, and variously voiced their complete agreement with the order, and their shock, shock I say, at seeing that disgusting tape released to the public.
“Although,” grumbled Chuck once everyone had settled back, “I’m more shocked that Trump’s poll numbers haven’t taken a bigger hit! I know the mainstream media won’t play most of the tape without blurring the relevant bits, but the uncensored version has had millions of hits online, despite the game of whack-a-mole the social media companies keep playing with it –”
“Yes, well, as I said, that’s politics and we’re staying out of it from here on out,” JJ interjected. “So, moving on to new business, I see that Phantom Ace has a report for us on an encounter last night at a chop shop in the Outer Peninsula. Gideon would you –”
He was interrupted by the sudden blare of the alert klaxon, the flashing red bars that appeared on everyone’s computer screens, and the booming voice of dispatcher Angela over the speakers.
“Vanguard, this is Dispatch. We have a Code Red Emergency! Repeat, Code Red! A civilian jetliner is in distress off the coast.”