— KENAGAN, PLEASE explain to me the progress of the investigation. I heard that you have made important progress. — Kenan asked discreetly.
— Yes, Mr. President, we have some information, but we are still at the beginning of everything. We confirmed the hypothesis that bugs were planted in the room where the summit took place.
— But how? — Kenan Vaine asked curiously. — The Secret Service thoroughly investigated the place yesterday, after the incident, and had not found any.
— We discovered that they were removed before the search and we found them still in the belongings of the suspect, a former cleaning employee.
— That is not possible! A cunning plan, to say the least! — Kenan was very surprised by the method used by the enemy.
— Yes, we are dealing with someone shrewd. — Floyd seemed dissatisfied.
— This person, do you believe she would be responsible for the act? I mean, a mastermind in this endeavor...
— No, she's just a small piece, a pawn...
Hearing this, Kenan shuddered. He remembered his conversation with the intruder, when he had used the same metaphor to describe his plans.
She was just one of his pawns, how many more would he have...?
Keeping the memory with him, he continued the conversation:
— I ask that you dedicate yourself more to this, this matter cannot be exposed in any way to any type of media. I know you understand the seriousness of what we are dealing with, Kenagan, an unforeseen event of this magnitude would be disastrous.
— I believe the situation is relatively under control. My biggest concern was the possibility, although brief, that someone had facilitated this inside the White House, someone from within, someone big, from the top, but this theory was already rejected when we discovered the first clues. If he needed to make this whole plan for the wiretaps, it is likely that it was someone from the outside...
— Don't let this feeling fool you, he is certainly not just anyone. — Kenan also remembered General Benjamin Norton's words before leaving that meeting. — Overconfidence only predicts the imminence of our defeat, Kenagan.
Floyd Kenagan raised his eyebrows, revealing his surprised eyes at the highlighted phrase in the President's speech. He finished sipping his coffee and put the cup back on the tray. He settled into his seat and asked:
— Tell me, what did this invader really... well, what did he say during your conversation?
Kenan was going to answer him, he even stammered the words he was organizing in his mind, but the conversation was interrupted by the plane's telephone. No call was expected, which put them on alert.
Floyd stepped forward, was the one who picked up the phone and said to Kenan:
— President Kenan, you're going to answer and I'm putting you on speakerphone. Be careful what you say and try to prolong the conversation, I want to record this and try to triangulate the connection.
— Yes, I'll try. — Kenan answered the call.
— Good afternoon to all. — said the voice on the phone, before the President had even said a word.
Everyone was astonished and listened attentively to what was being said. Kenan, recognizing the same muffled voice from before, confirmed it to everyone with gestures:
— It's him!
The man continued:
— Mr. President, a good player knows what his pieces are capable of, doesn't he?! The wisdom of a strategist is measured by the attention he pays to his simple pawns.
— What do you mean by this?
— Just to remind you that the game is not over.
— Stop with the metaphors! — said Kenan in a serious tone.
— Metaphors? — the voice replied, laughing. — No, no, certainly not... I'll show you that this is very real, Mr. President!
A torturous silence took over the plane, everyone wanted to know what would happen at that moment. The seconds passed like hours in the gloomy atmosphere that surrounded those present. Kenan felt his collar tighten around his neck, nervous, Floyd Kenagan was frantically searching for a way to track it and Gregory Evans didn't know whether to stand up or remain seated.
With the nods he received from Floyd Kenagan, Kenan Vaine moved away from the telephone, taking steps back, as they suspected that there might be explosives or something dangerous planted there. Finally, after the longest seconds, the man spoke again, in a joking tone that bordered on malice:
— Pawns, Kenan, watch out for the pawns! Check!