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killed in a terror attack last night at Sun Life Stadium during Monday Night Football — an event that is supposed to be a good time for all. I would like to commend our valiant first responders for their prompt reaction and highly professional handling of this horrific incident. To those responsible, let me assure you: you will be held accountable. The United States does not negotiate with terrorists nor does it give in to the demands of terrorists. We are working tenaciously to bring those responsible for this heinous act to justice. We have elevated our terror alert status to the maximum alert possible until further notice. That is all for now.”
    The president started to step down from the podium.
    “President Carmichael?” a female reporter called out. “What about the Hofstad video? Will you close the embassy in The Hague?”
    The President halted for a moment and then stepped back up to the podium. He shook his head emphatically as he looked at the reporter.
    “We will not.”

FIVE
    Bethesda, Maryland
    “This is all my fault.” Jasmijn cradled her head in her hands. Tanner clicked the television off and looked at her. He put a hand on her arm.
    “It’s not your fault. It’s the terrorists’ fault. They’re the ones doing this.”
    Jasmijn raised her head and rubbed her eyes. “The president just said they won’t give in to Hofstad’s demands. If they don’t shut down the embassy…”
    “Standard policy. They’ll be working behind the scenes as we speak to take Hofstad down.” But no sooner had the words escaped his lips than he questioned the validity of his own statement. His loyalty to his country was beyond reproach, but his trust in some sectors of the government itself had been compromised through his own experiences as a former FBI Special Agent in the Counter-terrorism Division (CTD). Well regarded for both his field acumen as well as his analytical capabilities, Tanner had been directly responsible for identifying, tracking, bringing to justice, and in some cases, killing — literally hundreds of terrorists. Indirectly, that count easily rose into the thousands. After a dozen years it seemed that nothing could derail his stellar career within the vaunted CTD.
    But then came along a fiery administrative assistant by the name Caitlin White. He’d had a brief relationship with her and when he tried to call it off after realizing it wasn’t meant to be, she refused to accept it. In retaliation, she claimed Tanner had harassed her on the job, filing a formal grievance. In the hyper-politically correct era of the time, the Bureau preferred to let a good man go rather than suffer the negative press of any kind of impropriety happening in D.C. And thus had ended his illustrious career with J. Edgar Hoover’s storied organization. His pride wounded but his skill-set untouched, Tanner had withdrawn for a time, taking long walks on the beach alone, solo swims farther from shore than was prudent, meandering hiking trips into the mountains with minimal gear. When he emerged from these soul-searching activities nearly a year later, he was more convinced than ever that his country needed him even if it had cast him aside. He would not turn his back on the nation that had given him so much, even though it had spurned him. Each day’s news headlines reminded him that America needed him. He could not stand to sit idly by and do nothing while he watched threat after threat to his beloved homeland materialize.
    And so it was that Tanner Wilson had cast himself out from hiding in order to seek out like-minded individuals. For the irony was that although he had been branded an outcast, he knew that he was not the only one. Far from it. And he had been all too aware that while talented, he would require help. In the FBI he had enjoyed the support of a competent and motivated team. That would not be easy to replace, but at the same time he had been aware that it was just a matter of finding those in a similar