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

Chapter 1506 The Fall of Olympus (Part 3)
"Ladies and gentlemen, please rise."

Maureen composed herself slightly, placed her hands on the table, and looked directly at everyone present.

She didn't recognize most of these people, and could only barely identify a few, such as the general who had the loudest voice earlier, who was Army Chief of Staff General Craig.

Although the fire on Capitol Hill is still burning and the list of casualties is still being compiled, the list of high-ranking officials who are confirmed to be missing has been basically compiled.

According to the information Joey Reicher received on his way there, not only the FBI lost their director, but many important government departments, including intelligence agencies such as the CIA and DHS, also lost their top leaders.

The most critical issue is that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Al Kleiman, was also trapped in the fire, and the position of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is currently vacant.

It should be understood that although the president is nominally the leader of the armed forces and exercises military power through the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is nominally a military advisor, is actually the executor.

With the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff now "missing," and the President and Secretary of Defense reportedly having successfully taken refuge in the White House underground bunker but subsequently lost contact, the entire federal military system is effectively paralyzed.

This is precisely why Maureen, the "designated survivor," was forced into the role and hastily sworn in as president.

Because regardless of whether the chiefs of staff of the various branches of the armed forces present can unite to make a decision, it still needs the president's approval to take effect.

Even an interim president is still a president. A snake can't function without a head. Whether it's to take the blame or to uphold the spirit of the constitution, even if Maureen is just playing the role of a "rubber stamp," she must first be firmly held in this position.

Of course, this does not mean that the chiefs of staff and commanders of the various branches of the armed forces, as well as the second-in-commands of other important departments, really need to respect her.

Just as they were showing at that moment, no one cared about this woman who had taken the throne of "President" through illegitimate means, or rather, no one thought she could last long enough.

Perhaps the president could regain his freedom at any moment and take back his power. Even if it is eventually confirmed that he has met with misfortune, a temporary election could be held at any time.

Maureen had served as Zoe's chief of staff for several years, and she had already figured out most of the key points on the way here. As a senior psychology expert, she was even more insightful about the little schemes of everyone present.

With the Capitol destroyed and all the bigwigs and members of Congress inside killed, who among these people—whether generals, deputy ministers, or deputy directors—wouldn't want to take this opportunity to advance their careers?

Whether it's the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Director of the FBI, or the head of any other department, the normal procedure requires nomination by the President and then approval by the Senate.

But now that the entire Congress has been wiped out, the normal procedure is obviously not working. So the only remaining option is for Maureen, the "interim" president, to temporarily appoint a "temporary" position.

Not all of those present were unaware of this, but rather than hastily currying favor with a female president who had been pushed into office through a procedural process and was previously an unknown Minister of Housing and Urban Development whose future in office was uncertain, everyone unanimously chose to wait and see.

So Maureen decided to give them a heads-up.

After the group of people at the rectangular conference table reluctantly rose, she coughed lightly and said, "Please take a minute to observe a moment of silence to mourn all those who perished in today's disaster. They were our friends and our heroes."

Dana Morre, standing behind Maureen, smiled slightly upon seeing this, but then lowered her head.

Rossi had asked her to come to the Pentagon immediately out of some concern, but judging from the president's behavior at this moment, such concerns were obviously unnecessary.

After the moment of silence, Maureen took her seat and, taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on her and temporarily pausing their phone calls, she called out loudly, "Can anyone tell me the current situation of the White House underground fortress? And is there any intelligence gathered about the intruders?"

The group looked at each other, and no one spoke for a moment.

Don't be fooled by how busy these people seemed just now; 99% of the calls they made were just empty talk. Like General Craig before, some orders didn't even need to be given by him. His purpose was simply to show his presence at such a crucial moment.

"Well, PEOC is currently out of contact. As for intelligence on the intruders, since the CIA director is also likely dead in the Capitol, we are still searching for the relevant personnel."

Maureen glanced at her watch and impatiently interrupted Admiral Craig's rambling, "So it's been almost two hours since 'Olympus' fell, and we still know nothing about our enemy?"

The scene fell into a deathly silence.

“Here’s the situation, Madam President,” a female military intelligence assistant cleared her throat, breaking the awkward silence. “The field command post has been established, but because secure communications have not yet been established, the situation is not yet fully summarized.”

"Forget about secure communications." Maureen waved her hand. "Immediately notify the on-site supervisor. Use whatever you have on hand, whether it's a mobile phone, a landline, or a VoIP phone. We need to get in touch with the site immediately and obtain firsthand information."

Dana Morge immediately asked loudly, "Who is in charge of the network communications here?"

In front of the pile of equipment against the wall, an elderly man with gray hair, wearing glasses and dressed like an engineer, raised his hand to signal in this direction.

"An FBI command vehicle has arrived on site. Contact David Rossi or Harry Tasker and tell them that the President is in the Pentagon’s underground command center."

After speaking, Dana Morges looked coldly at the heads of various departments who were still holding their phones and hadn't reacted yet, "As the Deputy Director of the FBI, I must warn you all first: it is strictly forbidden for anyone to disclose any information to any media."

Otherwise, I wouldn't mind disemboweling you and hanging your bellies outside the building.

“No, you are now the acting director of the FBI, Ms. Morge.” Maureen’s words made Dana Morge pause slightly.

Before she could react, still hesitating whether to be polite or simply say something like "thank you for your trust," the department heads who had been stunned just moments before raised their hands and began to introduce themselves and their departments to the president.

(End of this chapter)