Chapter 1: Gabriel Jones

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An advertisement blared through the television speakers before transitioning to a program. This time, the kid, usually indifferent, found himself captivated. His eyes widened as he stood up, a departure from his usual drowsiness.

"The enemy is on our borders, near our waters, and roaming in the sky of our great country, but fear not for one man, who puts fear back into the heart of the enemy, will save us all." A short slide played before cutting to an interviewer who faced the camera, "This is a trying time for our nation; our neighbors who once stood loyally by our side abandoned us. A state that we trusted for so long left for the enemy. And with everyone not being on our side, we have weakened. But thanks to one man, who I and we can thank for being able to live in this great country, I want to introduce a man who needs no introduction; he has received the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and Medal of Honor, Gabriel Jones."

The interviewer began to turn towards Gabriel, but abruptly, the television was turned off, and the kid stood up, perplexed, before turning to the back.

"Teddy, isn't this like the fifth time you have watched that interview? Come on, we can meet him afterward," the kid's father said.

"Dad, you have said that many times... Every time I try to meet him, he has to go on some mission... Remember that time when I waited for hours?" The child complained.

The man nodded, "You know how it is, son, he is busy." He walked past the couch before kneeling to match his son's height, "I promise you that you will be able to meet him today, okay? And, if for some reason he is not there, I promise I'll get you that airsoft you always wanted."

"You promise?"

Nodding, "I promise." The man carried the child and hugged him before the door opened in a rush.

"Mr. President." The man came out of the door and called.

President William Davis, the 72nd President of the United States of America, placed his son back down before fixing his tie, "What's the problem?"

"It's General Jackson, Sir. He says that it is an emergency; he says it might-" Before he could finish his sentence, the President raised his arm before pointing to his child.

"We'll talk in the office."

"Understood, sir."

The President turned back to his son, "Teddy, you get ready, all right? You follow Finn afterward."

"Yep." He replied before running back to his room.

Making sure that his son was in the room, he turned back to his bodyguard, "Tell me the details while we walk."

The bodyguard nodded before the two of them started walking out of the living area to a busier part of the White House. "The General seems a bit messy nowadays; many of his men don't even know if his decision makes any sense. If he didn't have Gabriel in his team, all of his missions would have probably been a failure."

"And what about the things that he is about to tell me?"

"The only thing that he told us was that we should give up on trying to reclaim California."

The President shook his head, "He already knows my answer to that one. If anyone thinks that I am dumb enough to let go of the resources that we have invested in that state, they're damn wrong. I'm not letting any of those Iron Empire or Hong Party bastards get any of it."

As they reached the Oval Office, the President turned to the bodyguard, "Finn, you go back to Teddy. Make sure he gets ready, all right?"

"Yes, sir."

William then turned to the two bodyguards guarding the Oval Office, "Mr. President, General Jackson is inside."

He nodded, "Both of you, follow me inside, don't say anything."

Both of them nodded before walking into the Oval Office, where the General was seated on the sofa reading the magazine, but as the President walked into the office, he threw the magazine under the table before standing up, "Mr. President, I bring news."

"What kind, the good or the bad?" Pres. William Davis asked.

"Both. We succeeded in capturing Florida." The General.

"So that's the good news; what about the bad news?"

The General sighed, "The bad news is that we have failed to recapture California; we have suffered severe casualties and lost many of our technologies there."

The President shook his head, "General, only a month ago you said that the enemy has sent only 10% of their troops and their tech to secure California compared to the 30% that they sent to invade Florida. You even told me that you were a hundred percent confident you could reclaim California!" he shouted. "Tell me, General, what did you do this time to mess this up badly, huh?"

"We had Gabriel Jones in Florida; we didn't have him in California."

The President turned back to the General, "What did you say?"

The General looked down before repeating what he said, "We didn't have Gabriel Jones in California."

The President covered his face with his palm, "Why not…"

"We attacked Florida and California at the same time to surprise them."

Shaking his head, "Why? We discussed this, Jackson. With the other Generals! That we would include Project Agent Gabriel Jones into every fight." He pointed to a patriotic poster that had the face of Gabriel Jones posing in it.

"I wanted to catch them by surprise, Mr. President. Besides, I cannot risk our best man being tired and killed in battle."

The President turned back; he couldn't believe that the General would talk back to him like this. "Why not?"

"It's not in my plan, Sir. If we let them take California, we could make them feel comfortable, and we can attack them at that time."

"It seems your age has caught up with you, General; you're following my orders now to a tee; I'm taking my place as the Commander in Chief; do as I say, or else."

Biting onto his teeth, General Jackson. "Yes sir…" He stood up before leaving the room.

President William shook his head before sitting back down on his sofa, taking a deep breath, and looking back behind him where his two bodyguards were, "You can go back to your positions…"

"Thank you, Mr. President."

He then took a look at his watch, noting the time, and taking out his phone and dialing a number; as he placed it on his ears, he didn't have to wait long for it to be answered, "Mr. President."

"Gabriel, you can't be late today, you got that? You have to be on time today. There is something that we have to discuss."