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  67. 3:46 a.m.

TSA, with the help of several different agencies, was searching travel manifests going back three months. They were corroborating with agencies from both Mexico and Canada.

The CIA was shaking down every informant they had in the Middle East.

The First Lady was planning a joint press conference with the Vice President who, under the terms of the twenty-fifth amendment, was now Acting President.

“Sullivan’s only been missing forty-eight hours,” Susan said, shaking her head, “and now Cortney has the reins.”

“Well, if you guys hadn’t lost him,” Welds said, picking up right where he had left off.

Vice President Ted Cortney wasn’t Ingrid’s first choice as Commander-in-Chief. When he ran against Sullivan in the previous election, he was eighth in the polls when he finally pulled out after the Iowa caucuses. After winning the primary, Sullivan had added him to the ticket. Ingrid had always found him a bit pompous and melodramatic. More suited to host a daytime talk show than be the second most powerful man in the country.

“We can’t not have a president,” Donald Port Authority spat. “What if we have to nuke somebody? Gotta have somebody to push the button.”

Ingrid pushed that thought away and asked, “Have we heard anything from any terrorist group yet?”

“Not yet,” Cooper said.

A moment later, his phone buzzed and he excused himself to take the call.

He returned a moment later and said, “Looks like I spoke too soon.”

::::

Cooper pulled up the video on his laptop and said, “This was posted twenty minutes ago on an ISIS website.”

They were ISIS.

Ingrid felt a quick stab of vindication, but it was short-lived.

Cooper pushed play.

The screen filled with a black flag clinging to a concrete wall. White Arabic lettering filled the black flag.

Welds, who was fluent in several Middle Eastern languages, pointed to the flag and said, “The writing translates to ‘There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.’”

On-screen, four men stepped into frame: two terrorists — clad in all black, hoods over their heads — plus Billy and Sullivan. Both Billy and Sullivan had gags in their mouths.

Ingrid took a deep inhale.

“Dammit,” Tasha said. “They got them back to the Middle East.”

The two terrorists forced Billy and Sullivan to their knees, then rested long knives against both men’s throats.

Ingrid gritted her teeth.

Please, no.

A third terrorist, ostensibly the camera man, entered the frame. He was the one with the beard. He too was fully covered in black from head to toe.

He began spouting in Arabic.

Welds translated.

“This is a message to America. In the name of Allah and Muhammad, we have captured your President. We warned you that if you insisted on fighting the Islamic State you would have blood on your hands. And soon that blood will be spread. We are here because of your President’s arrogant foreign policy toward the Islamic State and the continuing bombings in Muhassan, Albuomar, and the Mosul Dam despite our serious warnings. We take this opportunity to warn those governments who have entered this evil alliance with America against the Islamic State to back off and leave our people alone.”