American Detective: Starting as a Rookie Cop in an American TV Show

Chapter 1503 Chaos in the Special Zone (Part 9)

“Tell me just how bad things are,” Dana said, following Rossi into the tent and getting straight to the point.

A table, a map, and an LCD screen had been set up inside the tent, turning it into a makeshift frontline command post.

One of the screens was broadcasting the news, and the male anchor, with a look of grief and indignation, said, "This is the first time since the British and Canadians burned down the White House in 1814 that an enemy force has successfully occupied the center of power in this Commonwealth."

Before Rossi could answer, a soldier wearing a tactical helmet approached them. "Sir, we've surrounded the White House. The commando team is in position and ready to go."

Rossi nodded and said in a deep voice, "Please remain vigilant, Colonel. No unauthorized actions are permitted. We may be facing a serious hostage crisis. Do you understand what I mean?"

Watching the colonel leave to receive his orders, a bewildered Dana was about to ask more questions when Rossi pulled her aside.

The old man's expression was serious, and he deliberately lowered his voice as he said, "I think you can see it too, my dear, the situation is very bad right now."

"Just how bad is it? Why are you in charge of on-site command?" Dana asked, puzzled.

Rossi pulled back the tent flap and looked at the still-burning Capitol Hill. "I just received confirmation that Womack is currently out of contact."

Although she had a vague idea of ​​the worst possible outcome, Dana still found it hard to believe, "How many people were in the building at the time?"

Rossi's face was dark and bluish, and he spoke through gritted teeth, "Most of the members of Congress and cabinet members except for the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State are inside."

Dana almost lost her balance, taking a deep breath and taking half a step back to barely stand. "If I remember correctly, today, in addition to the President and First Lady, the Minister of Defense and the Secretary of State will also be welcoming the President of the Peninsula."

So, they were all in the White House before, so what were you referring to as the hostage crisis you mentioned earlier?

“Just an hour ago, five minutes before the terrorists stormed the White House, 'PEOC' went offline and has been out of contact ever since. And just now, the Secret Service agent in charge of presidential security issued the 'Olympus Has Fallen' alert before he was killed.”

Rossi's words almost made Dana faint; "Olympus" was, of course, the code name for the White House.

The so-called "PEOC" stands for Presidential Emergency Operations Center. It is a fortified bunker building located below the east wing of the White House. It serves as a safe haven and communications center for the president and senior leaders when they are in the White House in an emergency.

The fall of "Olympus" refers to the enemy's invasion and control of the White House, while "PEOC" had already been disconnected before this, and the message behind it is truly chilling.

The Capitol is still burning, and the loss of contact with PEOC means that the entire top-level structure of the country has been swept away.

The truly terrifying thing about a group without a leader is never the lack of leadership, but the ensuing power struggles and conflicts of interest.

Although the country's upper structure is claimed to be democratically elected, it has always been nothing more than a power game confined to certain rules.

Whether it's members of parliament, the president, or his cabinet, they are all just pieces on a chessboard. Although they are not exactly at the mercy of others, each piece represents the will of certain people or groups of people.

Now that the chessboard of power has been completely emptied, what kind of bloody storm will erupt outside the game while new pieces are placed on it?

“‘Designated Survivor’!” Dana reacted instantly. “We need to contact the Secret Service immediately to confirm Maureen Cahill’s condition.” Rossi waved her hand to indicate that she didn’t need to worry about that. “Although the Director of the Secret Service is also currently missing due to the attack on Capitol Hill, Jack’s friend, Deputy Director Joey Reicher, is currently personally escorting her to the Pentagon.”

Judges from the Hong Kong Court of Appeal are on their way to meet her. According to the principle of governmental continuity, once the president's capture is confirmed, Ms. Cahill will become the new president of the country.

"Sorry, my mind is a bit muddled right now." Dana covered her forehead and leaned against a pile of boxes with Rossi's help.

"You mean Professor Cahill, um, Congressman Zoe Anderson's wife, is going to be our new president? Damn it, everyone knows her cabinet position is..."

Dana stopped abruptly, glancing around instinctively. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Hannah and Jie Jie, her own people, surrounding her.

But at least she now roughly understands why Rossi, who usually keeps a low profile, has appeared at the temporary command post.

Currently, not only is this country leaderless, but the FBI is in the same situation. Although the entire department will not be completely paralyzed without a director, the question of who to listen to is certainly a big one.

Although having veterans like Rossi willing to step forward and take charge can temporarily suppress some of the dissenting voices, it will inevitably bring a lot of trouble.

Normally, Rossi would never have wanted to get involved in this trouble, but his protégé was up to his old tricks again.

“I understand. Arrange a helicopter for me to go to the Pentagon. Hannah and Jenny are coming with me. The rest of you stay here.” After figuring out the details, Dana immediately understood what role Rossi needed her to play.

Rossi reached out and pulled open the tent for Dana, pointing to a helicopter with its rotors running in the distance. "It's all arranged. Be careful. The new president needs your support."

"But Jack..." Hannah didn't understand the political intricacies and only wanted to stay here, since her man was still in that white house in front of her, his fate unknown.

“There are special forces here, we can’t be of much help.” Jie Jie, on the other hand, seemed to understand the key point, and immediately pulled Hannah to follow behind her female superior.

As Rossi watched the helicopter slowly take off, he was about to return to the temporary command center in the tent when Clay and Aubrey rushed over and stopped him. "We found Jack's car, and Kate said he's alright."
-
"The next room is the last corner. After entering the corridor, the second room is the white house's continuous monitoring center."

More than an hour has passed since the White House was occupied, during which time Jack has been playing hide-and-seek with the terrorists under Kate's guidance.

The white house isn't particularly big, but it's not small either. On a daily basis, nearly 2000 people work there handling various tasks, both large and small.

For example, the Situation Room, located on the ground floor of the West Wing and not far from the famous Oval Office, also known as the Presidential Office, has at least 130 staff members.

They belong to five different observation groups responsible for monitoring various domestic and international events, as well as a group that accompanies the president on his travels, and are divided into different positions such as video operators, communications technicians, and intelligence analysts.

Although most ordinary staff were evacuated in time when the alarm sounded, many key positions still required personnel to remain on duty.

Therefore, during this hour and a half, although the gunfire outside had long since subsided, sporadic gunshots could still be heard from time to time inside the white house.

The terrorists not only cruelly finished off the wounded Secret Service agents who had fallen to the ground, but also killed anyone they saw during the search and cleanup operation, with no intention of leaving any survivors.

(End of this chapter)