Three hours after his eight o’clock return to duty at the White House, agent Heath Bishop remained at the ready no more than ten feet from President Harwell. His orders were to be at the beckoned call for whatever might be needed of him by the commander and chief, while also being sworn to secrecy with regard to all that he heard during various briefings and phone calls. Among many other things, agent Bishop had learned throughout the morning that there were still no nations or factions within the Middle East region claiming responsibility for the attacks upon the three American military academies. In addition, no radical Muslim influenced group in any part of the world had stepped forward either. To agent Bishop that seemed rather strange, because history showed that in nearly every case of terrorism, be it large scale or small, there had always been somebody claiming the credit for said action.

Although his primary duty was to help protect POTUS from harm, as a Secret Service agent Heath Bishop was required to remain abreast of international news and current events that could directly or indirectly impact how that protection was provided. Heath had been trained and programmed to root out those who intended to remain in the shadows while hiding from the reach of civilized authoritative justice, and was therefore overly suspicious during the current unprecedented global silence. As such, even with the absence of a true enemy or suspect to pursue, agent Bishop would continue to search for clues that might unravel the mystery behind who had attacked America.

Throughout all of the morning briefings, nothing much of anything was revealed other than frustrating excuses as to why little had been ascertained about the terrorists. But then one briefing finally provided something that a case might be built upon. Concluded roughly fifteen minutes earlier than the one currently underway, the content had held the focus of agent Bishop ever since. He thought about what had been conveyed, and how he, with the approval of the President, had become involved in the conversation when both of them were informed of something interesting occurring in Mexico.

The director of Homeland Security had come into the oval and said, “Mr. President, The Mexican authorities have informed us that eighteen people scheduled for a flight from Mexico City to Sau Paulo Brazil on Monday morning were unaccounted for. When they learned of such a large number missing from the flight, the authorities did a little digging. What they discovered was that eighteen more people under different names had missed an earlier flight of Sunday morning from Chihuahua to Mexico City.”

President Harwell had replied, “Alright, so that’s a lot of people to not make their flight on one occasion, let alone two. And you’re probably thinking that two flights on consecutive days with the same large number of missing passengers must somehow be more than just mere coincidence.”

“Yes sir, I am.”

“Alright, so assuming this information could be some sort of a lead, what significance do you place on the number eighteen?”

That was when agent Bishop joined the conversation by saying, “Excuse me Mr. President, but I may be able to help with that question.”

Turning toward the man, President Harwell responded, “Alright Heath, go ahead.”

“Yes sir. We know that fourteen parachutes were used during each of the attacks, and eyewitness reports confirmed that a helicopter retrieved those of the Colorado Springs site. We also know that the perpetrators were subsequently transferred into two small corporate jets for their escape southward into Mexico.”

“That’s right Heath.”

“Well sir, the numbers do add up. If we assume one pilot in each jet, and a crew of two for the helicopter, then combined with the fourteen jumpers we get eighteen.”

“The director of Homeland Security broke back in by adding, “Sir, that is a logical conclusion, and it was our assessment as well. I also have additional intelligence from Mexico that could help to clear things up.”

“Very well director, please proceed.”

“Yes sir. The Mexican authorities have reported locating the remains of two small jet planes that have burned off the end of a remote airstrip well south of Chihuahua. Not much of either smoldering aircraft remained by the time their investigation began, and the small amount of debris indicated that the jets had virtually melted under an intense heat for several hours.”

“So they believe that the jets crashed while attempting to land?”

“Yes sir they do. The belief is that the two planes overshot the runway and rolled into the desert causing something to ignite within them.”

“And what do you believe?”

“That explanation of the planes crashing seems plausible sir, and I have no reason at this time to believe anything different.”

Agent Bishop then spoke up again by asking, “And what about the bodies director? Have the authorities located any sign of human remains?”

Although insulted by the way a mere secret service agent had become involved in such a high level conversation, the director was smart enough to know that agent Bishop was highly regarded by President Harwell. Therefore he showed no emotional response to the younger man for having the temerity to suggest that the bodies hadn’t been taken into account. With a measured tone he replied, “That’s a good question agent Bishop, but nothing has been found as of yet. The fire was so intense that any bodies within would have been burned beyond all recognition. It will take more time for a forensic team to determine if the eighteen people we have been discussing were all lost in the crash.”

“How about transport vehicles, eye witnesses, or something like that?”

“What are you implying Bishop?”

“Excuse me Director, but if the airfield with the crash is well south of their intended departure point of Chihuahua, then how were they going to get from one location to the other? There must be a truck or something out in the desert for their use!”

“Bishop, if there was, it’s long gone by now.”

Sensing the possible tension that could arise during a continued exchange, President Harwell said, “Alright, thank you director, and please keep me posted on any progress that is made. Now, is there anything else that you would like to add?”

“Yes Mr. President. I have also received a report from the State Department. They have been in contact with the airport authorities in Sau Paulo, and agreed to pay a measure of cash for the information that was received.

“Very well, and what did they uncover?”

“It seems that the eighteen missing people on the flight from Mexico City were also intending to catch another international flight within hours after arriving in Sau Paulo.”

“Indeed. And where were they attempting to go?”

“Their flight was bound for Syria sir.”