The briefing room is tense, a palpable tension fills the air and I look across the table and see a tired President look across the table at me and Tech2.

Cheney sits by his side, his hands folded and a willingness to listen like I have never witnessed before.

"What's the Strategic Defense Agency got for us at this point." Bush says looking me straight in the eye, "I want options."

"Mr. President...it's gonna be messy. We have multiple targets in multiple nations. If you look at the SDAI analysis before you, you will see that Bin Laden is presently a moving target. He is moving from bunker to bunker like a mole."

"God dammit, I want viable mission fulfillment!"

"Understood Mr. President. Because conventional bombing has only a 5% chance of success - and collateral damage from a nuclear strike opens up a can of worms your advisors have informed me you prefer not to open - our recommendation is that you send in an SDAI team."

"What are the chances of success?" asks the President.

Cheney frowns and looks down at the paper before him on the polished mahogony table.

I sense he is not happy with our suggestion, yet he just adjusts his glasses and starts reading the report.

"The Taliban and Bin Laden are heavily armed with automatic weapons, carry a good number of jeep mounted stingers and handhelds with them wherever they go and have access to the Taliban's military depots. Fortunately, our operatives destroyed two of the depots and depleting much of their immediate hand weaponry and ammunition in Kabul. They will not</> go down easily."



"What are the chances of success?" President Bush asks me again - somewhat frustrated at my seeming evasion.

"60%"

"That's all?" Bush says with visible disappointment

"The Taliban radar systems can be deactivated fairly easily - however coordinated strikes must take out Iraq's stations prior to entry as they have up a crude system of jamming in place."

Tech2 speaks up, sitting at his left side is Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, who is composed and listening with that look that tells you he is absorbing every utterance and storing it in his head for future usage.

"Team entry is difficult and exit is very, very difficult. We will meet heavily armed resistance in mountainous terrain. Bin Laden is estimated to have a small army of personal bodyguards at this time numbering about 70."

"We will use ------------------- and ----------- which will make possible entry and also exit if we position carefully. We will require two aerial refueling encounters."

Rumsfeld interrupts,

"Israel wanted to team up with us on this one. I informed them that these particular teams always work alone. They have extracted valuable information for us though - under duress</>."

A chill runs through my spine as I know what that entails.

Cheney looks at me and says, "I don't like this one bit. It sounds like a suicide mission - with too high a probability of failure. SDAI is the President's personal ace-in-the-sleeve and the Executive Branch can't risk losing such an effective tool."

Cheney turns to the President, "Special Forces could be used in lieu of SDAI - and they could follow the same game plan."

"I agree," Bush says, "SDAI is better suited for NMD implementation."

I feel like I have been stabbed in the back and pulled back from a planck at the same time.

Rumsfeld clears his throat. He knows the success ratio just plummeted from 60% to 30%, but I know he wants NMD just as much.

I turn to look at him and he looks at me - I know then in a simple glance that he wants me to back down and let SOPS take care of this.

Bush, despite what folks say, is a savvy man and with just one glance at me, knows that an exotic dance, his advisors perform around him, has just been completed.

"You go tell Bin Laden hello from me and the folks at the WTC."

He stands up and everyone gets to their feet hastily.

"SDAI goes in."

He reaches across the table and extends his hand...I grasp it and we lock eyes.

"I want you back here coordinating, there's still much work to be done. That's an order."

"Yes Mr. President. Understood."

SDAI-Tech1

PS
All similarities to folks living or dead is purely coincidental. All events related herein is artificial and have no links to past , present or future actual happenings.

(I was unsure if this was more suitable for 'offtopic' or 'current events' Justin can play musical chairs with the post if deemed necessary ;-)