Chapter 12

"I think we are going to have to take action. The US is still actively hunting us. They are not stopping. In fact, they have intensified the search," Tom said after receiving an update from his computer.

It had been three days since the American embassy in London had received instructions to abduct lord Avery-Smythe and his wife. Security was tight around both the house and the work place, for the Lord. He was escorted to and from work by security provided by the British government. Tom had sent his forces, all but the companion, back to that alternate world.

A stiff formal protest had been sent to the American government over the message that had been passed on. They denied it of course, but Dodger surfaced, and provided internal security tapes that showed things clearly. Not only had they received it, but it also had been read out loud in the computer room, by the ambassador himself. The evidence was damning.

The US was now hunting fervently for Tom, Scott, and the agent known only as 'Dodger'. They did not know, of course, that Tom was also 'Dodger'. It seemed that the request to cease and desist apprehension attempts, from Tom and Scott, had gone unheeded. They and Courtney were on a classified terrorist list. They were wanted for questioning, and were considered armed and dangerous. So far, they were wanted alive, but agents were warned to affect apprehension from long distance, using surprise.

"We need to wake these people up, and set them straight. The question is, how do we do that?" Tom asked me and the gang.

"Why don't we just meet with a senate committee or something, and explain our side? They seemed reasonable when I saw a few senate meetings on TV, last year," Brenda asked.

Bless her idyllic heart. She still trusted the government. How cute.

"Are you even living in the same world we are?" Courtney asked her curiously.

"Now, Courtney, you were raised with a better grasp of the political realities, than she has ever had the opportunity to gain. Most people do not understand the ins and outs of how things actually get accomplished within their government," Lord Avery-Smythe responded.

"I am thinking that whatever we do, has to be tantamount to an ultimatum that cannot ignore. It must be something impressive, yet simple, that they understand and have to respect. I just don't know how to get our lawmakers in accord with it. They definitely have the power and authority to tell HS, the CIA, the FBI, the NSA, and the DOD to back off and make it stick. The problem will be, how to get them on our side," I said, stumped.

"Actually," Tom said thoughtfully, "It might not be as hard as you think," he finished with excitement in his voice!

"What's on your mind?" I asked curiously.

"Something to get everyone in congress... or rather, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch, and the executive branch... get the whole government on the same page of the menu. I think I have a great idea!" Tom breathed excitedly.

He wouldn't clarify. He just said that it was going to take 'shock treatment' to get it done, and he had an idea on how to provide the shock. He smiled a little smile (a smile I would NOT like directed at me!), and looked thoughtful. He nodded to himself, as if checking something from a mental list of some sort. The rest of us just stayed out of the way. We also tried to stay out of site of the security that was stationed outside, courtesy the British government.

Tom had disappeared for a brief time, and returned with a grin on his face. While we asked what was going on, he said he wanted to wait until Lord Avery-Smythe was back and then he would answer everything. It was not a long wait.

"So I was thinking what if I took the individual branches of government for a small visit to a place where they had no choice but to listen. I am talking each branch of the US government, the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. Not together, but separately," Tom tried to explain.

"Won't work, Tom. Taking them individually and threatening them is a non-starter," Lord A.S. Told him.

"I was not thinking individually as persons, but individual branches of governments. I can grab the entire senate first. Then the house. Next I would do the executive branch. Finally, I would take the entire Supreme Court, while they were all gathered in one place. They will be the easiest, as there branch of the government is smallest, and they all show up at one location for work," Tom replied with a grin.

"Hmm, might work. What do you plan on doing with them? What's your purpose?" Lord A.S. asked curiously.

"Ok, there is a lot of secrecy and back room dealing done on Capitol Hill. I plan on exposing quite a few peccadillos to the rest of their colleagues. I will expose certain aspects of what the senate is actually privy too, and what is being kept secret from their fellows. I will threaten to release the lot to the public at large, and let the chips fall where they may.

"Disclosure, in this case, will be good. It will show everyone I manage to get to the camp where I am going to put them, the true depths they have stooped to. It will scare them that people out here KNOW," Tom finished with a devil's grin.

I was actually excited about the whole thing. Threatening one individual in the CIA had done nothing to relieve our problem. Apparently something more drastic needed to be done. I thought Tom had hit on it perfectly. Taking everyone --or as many of a branch at one time as was possible-- seemed extravagant, but logical. Plus, Tom said he could do it. He could move a lot of weight very easily, apparently.

So we discussed this, and talked of all the ins and outs. Was it morally acceptable to us to do this? Well, the government thought nothing of negating a citizen's rights when they said national security was at stake. Giving the government a taste, however brief, of what they had voted to put the average citizen through, seemed fair and a good idea. After all, you should never set something in place unless you yourself won't mind going through whatever that something was, that had been set up. It seemed fair to put them 'to the test'. A little inconvenience was in the works for the immediate future of all branches of the government!

For some reason, Tom had changed his mind about taking the Judicial branch first, and had started with the senate. Don't ask me why. He had several large tents set up, with cots and blankets for the people inside them, for when that area was opened to them. That would not happen for some time, as it was still early in the day, here.

I stared at the monitor. People were everywhere. They were milling about, confused at their sudden appearance from their comfortable chairs on the senate floor, to this dirt covered, double fenced in area. As they picked themselves up from their positions on the ground to which they had all fallen... well, those who had been sitting had fallen, anyway... their voices were raised in question. The yelling started, and it was turning ugly. They were scared, and it was getting out of hand.

"Ok, spray them with the tranquilizer," Tom told a guy at the control panel.

In moments, a light mist was everywhere in the compound. Our place was sealed off, of course, so we were not affected by it.

"What does that mist do, anyway?" Lord Avery-Smythe, or A.S., as I liked to call him, asked.

"It's a calming tranquilizer. It will dissipate quickly, but will calm them. No side effects or problems of any type have ever been recorded with this particular drug," Tom responded.

The drug did settle them down in a hurry, thats for sure. Soon, everyone was relatively quiet, and was looking at the giant jumbo style TV screen. It was set up at an elevated location, just outside the fenced in area.