Four weeks had passed since President Harwell instructed his Secretary of Defense to move forward with the increased surveillance of number twenty-three in Austin, and during the latter stages of that timeframe, the effort proved worthwhile. As had been outlined by the Secretary, his covert team was able to gain access into the residence, and as a result, tap into a broader communication highway.

That process began with determining when the residence would be most vulnerable to uninvited entry, so two members of the team took up secretive positions under cover of the surrounding landscape. For three days they observed and took note of when people would arrive or depart to identify any possible patterns. Throughout those seventy-two hours they realized that the best possible time to attempt their task would be in the late morning, and unless there was some unseen individual who hadn’t exited the residence during their observation of it, they believed that it could be done with relative ease.

Having then seized that opportunity, the duo moved with stealth into the home and swept it quickly to ensure privacy. Finding no other human present, they proceeded with their work as the remainder of the team provided cover by watching for incoming traffic from the van now marked as being with the local water company. Moving with haste throughout the residence, they placed several listening devices and tiny cameras within. During the process the duo located the phone used by number twenty-three, and as the most vital measure to their task, inserted a device which would record and transmit the phone numbers of what calls were made when it was in use. They subsequently left the residence with no trace of having ever been there other than some light footprints on a few carpeted areas. However in understanding that the maid would be arriving soon, the duo felt that her cleaning efforts would eliminate the hint of evidence in short order.

Throughout the next three days the team monitored all of the various devices from a safe distance of several miles, and when they felt completely confident that all was working perfectly, they made the drive east to exit Texas into Louisiana. Before doing so they were able to ascertain that the woman known as number twenty-three was a Ms. Gail Matthews who was also the owner of the residence. That was confirmed via video evidence from within the home office and various rooms of the residence, as it showed the same person receiving and placing all of the necessary calls. In addition, a time record of when some of those calls were made excluded the maid and other visitors from consideration.

In the weeks that followed the woman spoke several times with Marcus Stoddard and Ambassador Pearson, but more frequently with Samuel Tillman as she would either convey information to him or be asked to pass some along. Beyond those numerous conversations with numbers three, eleven, and two, she also placed calls to individuals known as numbers five, seven, thirteen, and thirty-one. The location and identity for each of those operatives was then determined by tracking their phones and using voice recognition software. It had taken some time to establish the various connections, but the Secretary of Defense was able to inform Heath, and subsequently President Harwell, of who three of them were.

Starting from the top of the list, number five was identified as the Speaker of the House for the Independent Republic of Texas Legislature. Subsequent digging had shown that the woman had held the same position as Madam Speaker within the political structure of Texas when it was part of the United States, and according to the ratified constitution of the new republic, she was third in line for the Presidency. Number seven was discovered to be the Commanding General for all of the military forces within Texas, with his former position as that of senior General for the Texas National Guard. Denise Walker, a former United States Senator from Texas, was identified as number thirteen. She, like her counterpart Nathan Pearson, had served in Washington D.C. before answering to what she felt was a higher calling. As the appointed Vice President under Marcus Stoddard, Denise Walker stood as second in line for the top position in their government. Finally there was number thirty-one, and although there was no voice link to another source which could identify his name, his location had been constant within the area surrounding El Paso and Fort Bliss since the tracking of his phone began.

After listening to the entirety of what Heath and the Secretary of Defense had to say, the President responded with a few questions. They discussed the various implications of who the newly discovered numbered operatives were, and why more information about the network needed to be continually gathered. If everything revealed by Gail Matthews as number twenty-three was accurate, then the organization could be even more formidable than originally believed. They not only possessed the extreme wealth and power of Samuel Tillman, but they had also placed high ranking numbered operatives into the top three government positions within the structure of the republic and another who headed all of the Texas military forces. When combining that information with knowledge of Ambassador Pearson and Commander Foster also being numbered operatives, the President wondered just how deeply entrenched the organization was.

Knowing that he had formed a tight circle as to who was aware of the information, and that it had been expertly maintained by those around him, President Harwell felt confident that a plan of action could be developed without news of it leaking out. He tucked all of what had been conveyed into to his memory for the time being, and ended the typical Monday morning briefing of Heath and the Secretary by thanking them once again for their superb efforts. Then after the Secretary departed, the President prepared for the next task at hand. It wasn’t always an enjoyable one, but regular meetings in the press briefing room were just another part of the job.

Strolling confidently into the White House pressroom, Jordan Harwell said, “Good morning everyone. It’s a fine day isn’t it? For those of you that celebrated in some respect over the weekend, I hope that St. Patrick’s Day was pleasant and safe.”

While he set the tone of his mood as pleasant and non-defensive, most eyes within the office regions of the White House were focused on the nearest flat screen or holographic monitor to view what was asked and answered. Unlike various other occasions, the barrage of questions which were aimed at President Harwell seemed rather benign. When given the opportunity, one reporter asked about what progress had been made toward the proposed combined statehood of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Island territories. The President informed him that discussions were moving along nicely, and many of the intricacies to make the proposal a reality had been worked out to mutually benefit the islands and the United States. Then he added a belief that a vote on the matter could occur in the near future.

Near the conclusion of the press briefing he was then asked something which could be defined as far less important. However the President, in maintaining the ridiculous notion of constant political correctness, was mindful of how he responded. Apparently one reporter felt that opposed to the President commenting on numerous national or global newsworthy topics, her readers would be more interested in who he thought would win the annual college basketball tournament. President Harwell had never laid claim to being an expert on the subject, nor did he really care who would ultimately come out on top and be crowned the national champion. Nevertheless, he did need to appear as if he had some inkling as to what she was asking him about. Looking directly at the woman, President Harwell made her believe that he had answered the question without actually doing so.

He stated, “I must admit that I’m not familiar with many of the teams which have advanced to this point in the tournament. However as with most years, there are probably a handful of them that could emerge as the champion. I do know that the University of Washington is surprisingly still in the mix, and as many of you are aware, that is my alma mater. Therefore I will personally be rooting for the Huskies.”