Chapter 200: The President's Triumph!
A Seat at the Table
In a conference room predominantly filled with white faces, Amanda Waller's dark complexion was particularly conspicuous and even jarring.
Several ministers who disliked her gave her frank, disgusted looks. The Secretary of Defense and two military generals also wore unpleasant expressions. Amanda was the attack dog they had personally raised, and now that the dog had grown up, it had bitten its masters.
President Joel Nash was the first to applaud, warmly welcoming Amanda's arrival. Following his lead, sparse, scattered applause echoed through the room.
It was clear that few of the more than twenty high-ranking officials present were happy to see her.
Amanda remained unfazed. After a few polite words, she took a seat at the far end of the conference table.
Joel Nash cleared his throat and stated solemnly,
"The main purpose of today's meeting is the alien kidnapping case."
"This incident is extremely serious. It not only concerns the personal safety of everyone present but also involves national security, and even the entire planet. We will absolutely not allow races from other star systems to disregard U.S. law and commit atrocities on our soil."
"Everyone has reviewed the proposed plan. If you have any thoughts, you may raise them. If not, after the meeting, you are required to fully cooperate with Amanda's work and apprehend the alien as quickly as possible according to the plan."
The Secretary's Fury and the Director's Scrutiny
The moment he finished speaking, FBI Director Jack Harvey immediately stood up, his gaze aimed directly at Amanda at the end of the table. "Ms. Waller, to my knowledge, you had an extraordinary personal relationship with former Vice President Dick Cheney and were the de facto controller of A.R.G.U.S. before Floyd Russell. That alien corpse was obtained by you, wasn't it?"
Amanda replied, "Director Harvey, I need to correct a few of your statements: First, Mr. Cheney and I only had a working relationship, with no private ties. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been swept out while he was in a hospital bed."
"Second, A.R.G.U.S. was established by me. It is absolutely not a private armed group. It is a special organization approved by the White House that plays a huge role and has made enormous sacrifices in combating metahumans, aliens, and supernatural events. This is all detailed in the plan, which everyone has reviewed, so I needn't explain it. As for the alien corpse..."
Amanda offered a wry smile and countered, "Should we announce to the world that the U.S. obtained an alien corpse? Should we tell the intelligence agencies of China and Russia that we have first-hand alien data? Should we tell them to come and steal it?"
Jack Harvey sneered. "So you concealed the information and only told the Vice President." As he spoke, he gave Joel Nash a subtle look, his meaning obvious.
Joel Nash did not get angry. Instead, he said, "Amanda's approach at the time was not wrong. Her direct supervisor was Dick Cheney. When an incident occurred, of course, she had to report it to Dick Cheney. She wasn't required to report it to everyone present. The person with the problem was Dick Cheney; he was the one who concealed the alien information from us."
Amanda gave the President a grateful look. Nash continued,
"Are there any other questions?"
Attorney General Marshall Warren stood up and said bluntly, "How do you explain the subsequent events? The attack on the A.R.G.U.S. base, the annihilation of the Fourth Mechanized Infantry Division, and consequently, the kidnapping of the U.S. Vice President from his official residence—all of these were caused by your concealment."
The Secretary of Defense snorted coldly, his face dark.
The Fourth Mechanized Infantry Division, just like that, gone. The thought was agonizing. That was the Army's ace!
Damn A.R.G.U.S.!
Damn Dick Cheney!
Marshall's goal in bringing up the past was to escalate the conflict, and she was clearly successful. Her words immediately brought intense discomfort to the military brass, and if the military was unhappy, the plan would naturally be rejected.
Amanda was no god and could not control the thoughts of others, but she had her own way of operating.
"Director Harvey, Mr. Warren, I would like to ask a question: Do you truly understand the kind of entity we are facing?"
"Clearly, you do not. But I do. I have dealt with them and clashed with them. They are sentient races from outer space, not just Middle Eastern terrorists who ride camels. Their technological level surpasses ours by centuries, perhaps millennia."
"They can infiltrate our computer systems without a trace, monitor our daily lives, obtain all the information we try to hide, and even hijack nuclear warheads."
"Take this very meeting, for instance. Who can guarantee that we are not being listened to right now? And even if you knew you were being monitored, who here has the ability to find out? Also, consider former Vice President Dick Cheney: he was snatched from his own home, and the Secret Service could do nothing. Do you honestly believe that the FBI, CIA, and Special Forces outside can guarantee our safety?"
"Stop dreaming. It is utterly impossible. The red-skinned alien's abilities far exceed our imagination. If he comes here, no one will escape."
A strange silence descended upon the conference room after her speech.
Amanda's words struck at the core pain point of everyone present.
Those in attendance were powerful authorities, skilled at threatening others, and hateful of being threatened themselves.
Now, a knife was held to their throats, and they were helpless. They didn't even know who held the knife. That feeling alone was agonizing.
Joel Nash saw the shift in their mood and mentally gave Amanda a thumbs-up. She's the founder of A.R.G.U.S. for a reason; she certainly knows how to play the game.
A Unified Front
Seeing that no one was speaking, CIA Director Ted Lambert offered his opinion. "The alien situation can be handled by a joint task force established by the FBI, CIA, and Department of Defense. I do not agree with handing it over to someone with such questionable ties to the alien situation. That will only cause bigger problems."
A joint task force?
Joel scoffed internally but maintained a neutral expression.
"That's a good suggestion. Three departments working together can certainly handle the alien. But there are a few things I need clarified: Who will lead the joint task force? How will personnel be allocated? How will jurisdictions be divided? Which department will bear responsibility when problems arise? Since this involves three major departments, these must be carefully considered. It's best to prepare a detailed plan. Did any of you prepare one?"
The eyes of the room automatically fell on Ted Lambert, who closed his eyes sheepishly. Why look at me? I only made a suggestion; I never said I'd take responsibility.
Joel turned his gaze to FBI Director Jack Harvey and the Secretary of Defense. Both remained silent.
Joint task force? That's garbage!
Seeing this, Joel finally smiled, a wide, genuine smile. In all his years as President, he had never felt such a sense of triumph. You're all so arrogant, yet now you're cowering like dogs. Useless people! You're only brave enough to show off in the Middle East, but when you meet an alien, every one of you turns into a coward.
While mocking them internally, his gaze toward Amanda grew increasingly warm. This woman was truly his good fortune.
"Ms. Waller, do you have any other requests concerning the action plan? State them all now."
Amanda stood up, pressing her hands on the table, and said with iron resolve,
"I promise you all that the alien will be dealt with within seven days. If I fail, I will bear full responsibility."
"Well said," Joel applauded softly. He scanned the room. "The plan is settled. For the next seven days, you will cooperate fully with Amanda's work. If anyone, or any department, dares to disobey orders, I will use Presidential prerogative under the premise of endangering national security to send those troublemakers, along with their superiors, straight to Arkham Asylum."
"I am the President of the United States. I have that right."
Everyone: "..."
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