Traveller Manifesto
79. Washington - Today

Washington – Today.

Betrayed! Left to hang!

General Connor! That sneaky, back-stabbing son of a bitch!

As happens, it had all taken place so surprisingly quickly.

First, she had been called to a meeting with the President. He had been briefed all about Israel Traveller of course. He knew it was risky, but he also understood the rewards. Each involved had been told that if this went to pieces they would be hung out to dry.

Senator Ruth Benton sat furiously. Her office, once a haven for some of the world’s most closely guarded secrets, was now the den of a pariah.

During the meeting, General Connor had the temerity to stand behind the President and nod sagely as she had been hauled over the carpet and treated like an intern. The President had, of course, been polite. That was his way, “We had agreed,” he said. “You can take any reasonable risk, anything that will sustain the United States and our closest allies. But if anything bounces back at us, especially if it gives us a bloody nose like this has, or even if we’re caught with our hand in the cookie jar, well you understand that I can’t be associated with it.”

There had been other implications of course. The media had turned against their darling and, in a manner that the world had not witnessed in years, began to scream impeachment. What kind of a President would not be completely aware of the major projects of his administration? A smart one obviously, for it was the good senator who would be sacrificed. She had been caught up to her neck in the said cookie jar.

They had followed the usual procedures of course. WikiLeaks was decried as a traitorous organisation which acted against the interests of the brave man and women who served in the US military and intelligence forces. That should have been enough. After all, who really cared if the USA and Israel copied the technology that was controlled by billionaires? Who really cared if a mission had been sent to ancient Israel?

That was not the issue that broke the Internet.

Why did the senseless generals insist on using a pursuit of Michael Hunter to test the newest in personal military technologies? This would do it! This could tip the scales towards autonomous weapons systems for next generation warfare. Thank God the public would never know the details, how Michael Hunter, Traveller and AWOL soldier, had turned traitor and murdered two Special Forces soldiers equipped with the latest in Super Soldier technologies. All the generals had to do was cease planning for the base in Saxon England, but they had miscalculated. Not only had the story leaked, but Michael Hunter was now one of the greatest heroes the world had seen. There were now millions who followed his history and his wife, the mysterious Tatae, was adored even more.

Idiots!

Of all the people they could chase, they targeted the famous Saxon Traveller himself.

And the fools were caught at it.

The public would have never been the wiser if Hunter was caught or killed. But of a highly trained team of three Special Forces specialists, armed with the latest combat gear, only one returned. Military whistle-blowers who were deeply offended by the strategy had leaked enough classified documents to expose the mission. The remaining soldier, an American Green Beret by the name of Sergeant Mark, had been interrogated by disciplinary officers. The implicated British and US Government minders were now running for cover.

Eventually, the truth would get out. Senator Benton, and the White House, knew that the full story would be leaked. There were too many soldiers in the clandestine operation who still had enough belief in the United States to allow those lies to remain as the cover story. Public opinion and media pressure was mounting. They smelled blood, and blood meant increased viewership and advertising sales for the media conglomerates.

And some of the blood was hers.

But not only hers, for the British Minister for Defence had already resigned, as had the British General in charge of the mission.

That was England of course. They had closer ties to Michael Hunter.

But in the US they had bigger fish to fry. The badly bruised Grand Old Party would never forgive her for the repercussions on Israel. Prominent American-Jewish businessmen had switched sides and, with the spineless Democrats, now cried long and loud.

The Transporter. It was always that damned Transporter!

The latest declaration of the Traveller Lottery in favour of Cuba, of all places, made it obvious that US and British Government influence in the Traveller missions had evaporated, for the moment at least. Russia again looked to be high on the list of Traveller missions, especially with the self-destruction of the Ukrainian mission, though China’s hack had also pushed future missions to Europe and lower profile nations such as Japan and India who were plainly jubilant. Helguard and Woomera were relentlessly pressing ahead with their court cases, events sure to embarrass the current administration for years. To make matters worse, the Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians, and just about anyone else who hated the Nation of Israel were boiling with indignation at the exposure of the international perfidy that promoted the cancer of illegal Israeli settlements and murder.

Yes, heads would roll. The higher the profile, the better.

So General Connor had switched sides and wisely nodded in support as the President chided her. God damn it! The President was in the Oval Office because of her! Meanwhile, over his other shoulder, the Speaker of the House, a known rival, had permitted his normally insipid expression the luxury of a rare flash of victory.

The President had already held a press conference assuring the public that all would be done to solve the issue. There were promises that would cost taxpayers a lot, of paying off the rightful owners of the Transporters, of open and honest disclosure. There would be humble consideration of how they had gone so wrong, of sackcloth and ashes, of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth by an already beleaguered administration.

Right!

The greatest indignity was to stand before the lights and cameras, before the braying idiots of the press, to give her heartfelt apology and resignation.

Yes, her enemies knew that was the ultimate humiliation.

Nothing would be achieved in regard to the real issues at hand. But a high-ranking head, the head of the normally imperturbable Senator Ruth Benton, would be the payment they wanted. It would be enough for the important few to feel better.

Given time and the right news distractions, everyone would soon forget about the whole episode.