Seated in his private office at four in the afternoon, Samuel Tillman concluded his conversation with number twenty three. As had been agreed upon with number five during their meeting and subsequent lunch prior to Thanksgiving, number twenty three was relaying vital information from her that could lead to the next phase of the overall plan. Although certain specific details had been omitted for the time being, such as how or by what level of ease the forwarded news had been achieved, for Samuel and those in the organization the message content was fantastic. After slightly more than forty-eight hours since his address to each wing of the Texas State Legislature, the all-important question had been acted upon and answered with clarity.

After setting the burn phone down and moving from his office into the kitchen area, Samuel found Victoria and Ms. Holloway engaged in a typical conversation over a cup of coffee. Then he asked, “Are any of the grandchildren around?”

Victoria replied, “No Samuel, Jennifer and Blake are both at basketball practice. Although for Jennifer, it’s really more about watching the boys practice than anything else.”

“Yes, that young lady definitely needs some focus.”

“Jennifer is focused Samuel, just not on what you would want.”

“Alright Victoria, I hear you. So then where is Savanah?”

“Ashley has her at physical therapy, so none of the grandchildren will be home for more than an hour.”

“Very well, then I have some news.”

“Alright Samuel, what is it?”

“It is done. I don’t have specifics, but I just concluded a conversation with number twenty three who was passing along the confirmation from number five.”

“It’s done? Well that happened faster than you anticipated.”

“Yes it did. I asked them to be decisive one way or the other by the end of the week so we had ample time to prepare, but they surprised me by actually doing so. The information number five passed on included that the deliberation had moved swiftly with little resistance during the time since I departed. A motion for a vote was put forward early this afternoon and then seconded immediately. Apparently they concluded less than an hour ago.”

“That’s wonderful. So what’s next?”

“I will be on the burn phone in my office several more times this evening I’m sure. I have instructed number twenty three to initiate contact with each of the five operatives in Washington D.C., and she should be able to reach all of them rather quickly. Perhaps number twenty nine will be a challenge in that regard, but at least for the time being, he is the least important of the five to receive and respond to my message.”

“And what is that message?”

“I asked number twenty three to deliver a simple message from me that the light is now multiple shades of green for their requirements within the Capitol Building and on the opposite side of the Potomac. The operatives will in turn each contact me for discussion and instruction. After those conversations, numbers eleven, thirteen, seventeen, and nineteen will begin their final preparations for what they hoped would be coming, and exactly how to play their part in the grand orchestration. Each has been well prepared, but they will still have questions of me as to the specific date and precise timetable when their actions should commence. Beyond that, I need to contact number seven directly and inform him of his next assignment as well. Numbers three and five have done their part for now by helping to guide things along in the proper direction, and they each showed an extreme level of expediency for any level of government during the process. But now because of what will happen due to the wheels being set in motion, number seven will need as much time as possible to prepare for the upcoming responsibilities of those he commands. So as I said, it will be a busy night for me.”

Ms. Holloway, who had known for decades to never speak of certain business matters that were discussed within the Tillman mansion, then asked, “It sounds as if you could be missing out on the family dinner tonight. Would you like me to make something for you to eat right now Mr. Tillman?”

“Thank you for the thought Ms. Holloway, but I will probably just get something out of the fridge when I’m through with the business at hand.”