partial summary transcript

Daily Threat Assessment Task Force Teleconference Call

April 10th

Homeland Security representative: “… could you repeat that again, Jerry?”

CIA representative: “Yeah, our counterparts in Canada report—”

State Department representative: “Canada has counterparts? Who knew.”

[[Laughter]]

FBI representative: “Some fucking diplomat you are. Go on, Jerry.”

CIA: “Like I said, our friends in the Security Intelligence Services up north received a tip-off that there was a shipping container coming in at the St. Lawrence Seaway that might be of potential interest. Said to be identified as a Mextel Lines container, off-loaded from an Algerian-registered vessel.”

FBI: “Potential interest like smuggling maple syrup to avoid duty fees, or something more explosive?”

CIA: “The latter. They got intel via cellphone intercepts and the usual chatter. Thing is, they located the shipping container. Next day, they went back to tag it so they could track it … it was gone.”

[[Cross-talk]]

FBI: What now?”

[[Cross-talk]]

Homeland Security: “… we’ll take the lead in notifying the appropriate authorities, once Jerry can get us a better description of that shipping container and what might be in it.”

FBI: “That’s it?”

State Department: “What else, then?”

FBI: “Christ, if the Canadians think this is a threat, once we get an ID on what the damn thing looks like, let’s go public. Let the people know. Do it that way, we’ll get the damn thing in twenty-four hours.”

[[Cross-talk]]

CIA: “Plus letting our jihadist friends know about the SIS’s techniques. No, I like the low-key approach. It’ll work better.”

FBI: [[Expletive deleted]] “Thought our job was to protect civilians, no matter what.”

Homeland Security: “One would think that, wouldn’t one.”