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Praetorium Honoris

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Time to Pay the Piper

The White House - the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) is to the right.
Source
Burleson placed the pen on the table and sat back, massaging his right wrist. It had been a very long time since he'd had to do more than sign a document using a pen, writing things out long hand had made his hand go numb. He looked at the guard standing in the room, who had not taken his eyes off of him the entire time he'd been writing.

"I'm done."

The security man keyed his radio and spoke two words, "He's done."

Nothing happened immediately, which caused Burleson to look questioningly at his guard, who didn't say a word but continued to watch Burleson. Much like a lion watches its prey before springing into action.

Burleson looked down at the legal pad, he'd really spilled his guts, leaving out nothing, even the bits which made him look particularly bad. He wondered if Nakagawa's comment about this not going to trial was real. Would they throw him to the wolves over at Central Detention? Or would he be "disappeared"?

If it were up to him he wouldn't let this go to trial. Too much dirty laundry might be aired, though the media was quiet for the moment, who knows what sort of havoc they could wreak given a story of this magnitude?

There wasn't a clock in the room, he'd glanced at the guard a couple of times, trying to discern if the man was wearing a watch. He wasn't. He knew that depriving a prisoner of a sense of time was fairly effective in getting them disoriented. But hell, why'd they need to do that, he was cooperating, wasn't he?

The door to the room opened, a woman he didn't recognize came in and walked to the table, picking up the legal pad. She looked it over briefly then handed it to him.

"On the last page, I need you to write out your full name, sign beneath that, and put the date on it as well."

He hadn't been locked up long enough to lose track of what day it was, but he did have to think for a minute before putting it on the paper. After writing out his full name, he signed the document with a flourish, no sense going out as a wimp.

The woman examined it, nodded to the guard, then left, taking the legal pad with her.

"What happens now?" Burleson asked the guard.

Who again said nothing.


"Wow. He didn't leave anything out, there's enough in here to convict him of sedition at the very least. It seems that he left 'levying war' to his flunkies, I wonder if Johansen could shed any light on that. Do the Maryland Staties have him in custody at the hospital still?" Aspinall asked the President.

"Good question." Nakagawa buzzed his secretary.

"Hi Grace, get Director Ramirez on the line would you?"

"Certainly, Sir."

Moments later, the President's phone chimed.

"Mr. Director, is Johansen still in the hospital up in Maryland?"

"Yes Sir, he's healing nicely but the docs, being docs, say it's too early to move him. We've got a heavy guard on him. Heh, I should say 'they' have a heavy guard on him, I'm not used to the new job yet."

"Have they cleaned up your building yet?"

"Some of the executive offices are ready, but for now we're operating out of the EEOB. Place was a mess, seems some of the previous occupants didn't like losing their jobs and trashed the place when they left, hastily I might add."

"Bastards."

"Yes, indeed they are Mr. President. I have pulled in a number of agents from outside of headquarters and they're working out, so far. Can't say I trust all of them, but ..."

"I know, Juan, but ya gotta trust somebody right?"

"In this town?"

After a good laugh, Nakagawa recommended that Ephraim Johansen be formally charged with treason and brought to Washington. Ramirez agreed and said he'd get his old organization to make that happen.

Ramirez suggested sending him to the detention facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB), to which the President agreed and had Aspinall call JBAB to set that up.

"Alright, Juan, I'll let you get back to work, you need anything, call. You have my personal line, right?"

"Yes Sir, I'll let you know when Johansen is on the move."

After disconnecting, the President looked at his chief aide, "Maybe we should move Burleson over there as well?"

"I'll make that happen, Sir."


"Where are you taking me? I haven't been charged with anything, I want a lawyer, damn it."

The two men escorting Burleson ignored him.

"Seriously, this is still America, right?"

One of the men, the larger of the two, looked at Burleson and said, "You can cooperate or you can be unconscious. Your choice."

Burleson made no further protest, it had been worth a try.


"Now look here, this man is my patient and I say he's not capable of being moved."

Captain Leroy Jackson of the Maryland State Police looked at the doctor, "You can come along, to take care of him. But make no mistake Doctor, this man will be in DC no later than tonight. You can come voluntarily, you can stay here, I don't care. He's traveling."

"I can't be held responsible ..."

Jackson sighed, "Do you have any idea what this man did?"

"Well no, I ..."

"Man was complicit in the death of a Maryland State trooper. He's also a suspect in the deaths of at least twenty Federal agents. Right now Doc, you're on the edge of hindering law enforcement in the investigation of a capital crime, if I were you ..."

The doctor reached for the clipboard hanging at the end of Johansen's hospital bed, scanning it quickly he wrote, "Patient being moved AMA¹, signed out to MSP²" then signed the form. "He's all yours."

Johansen had listened to all that without speaking. Truth be told, he was feeling better, his stump seemed to be healing nicely from what the nurses had told him and he was no longer on IV pain meds. He was also tired of being in the hospital, while he wasn't looking forward to the brig at JBAB, at least it would be different.

He didn't even bat an eye when Jackson began to read him his rights.




¹ Against Medical Advice
² Maryland State Police

22 comments:

  1. The guy deserves a firing squad for treason, but I think the Prez plays it more by the book. Although that book might need to be edited.

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    Replies
    1. He might find himself up against the wall eventually, we shall have to wait and see.

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    2. If he mysteriously does himself in while in jail.... wait a minute, he already talked didn't he?

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    3. I'll leave the mysterious jail deaths to the Dems.

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    4. Firing squad is too honorable. Hanged by the neck until dead. Publicly. On the Mall.
      Boat Guy

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    5. Sets an example, that's for sure.

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  2. Now for the rest of those old farts....er......individuals......... :)

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    Replies
    1. They're a target, that's for sure. (Had to dig you out of the spam filter, freaking Gargle is at it again.)

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  3. My wife is a diehard Red Sox's fan and even she is amazed at their ability to snatch DEFEAT out of the Jaws of Victory.

    It would be bad to scrabble out a "win" against traitors to the Constitution just to lose it to shysters. Even if the result was Hatfield's and McCoys level feuding for a bigger slice of the power pie.

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  4. Burleson seems genuinely surprised that he is treated as he would have treated others had circumstances gone the other way. It reflects the blindness of those who believe they are above the law but in a position to enforce it.

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    Replies
    1. A thing which constantly amazes, and angers, me.

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    2. Is blindness the correct term?
      I think it unbridled hubris. Though knowing full well of what they do, the repercussions of their acts, yet continue unabated. Knowing but so full of their own agency as to defy all law of God or man.

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  5. The number of times I've had to try to explain that the laws of mathematics and physics don't care about someone's position or authority ... I don't want to think about it. Dr. Feynman did us all a favor with his O-ring in his ice water demo.

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  6. The cleanup is often messier than the action that requires the cleanup.

    Sigh.

    Wonder if there are any more of the traitors' people running around still in DC? Could make transporting the POS difficult.

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    Replies
    1. Making a mess is easier than cleaning it up. DAMHIK

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  7. Burleson need sign date, and number each page. And numbered in reference to each other page. Ex: 1 of 7, 2 of 7 ....
    The omission of such a seemingly small detail has foundered many a process.

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    Replies
    1. I thought of that, decided that as there is no intent to take him to trial, why bother? But if they change their minds, yup, could be a problem.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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