CHARLIE Chapter Three

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CHARLIE Chapter Three

Straightening his collar, the Presidential aide takes a huge lungful of air. He looks at the stack of paper in his hand for the umpteenth time. Why do I always have to be the bearer of such bad news, he thinks to himself, as he enters the oval office. “Mr President,” he begins, “I think you should see these reports.” He hands the pile of paper to the President.
“What are they?” asks the President.
“Well Sir, they’re from our space center on the west coast, some of the scientists out there claim to be receiving strong radio signals from outer space.”
“Outer space!” exclaims the President “Get outta here! There’s nothing out there, no intelligent life, it’s just fantasy, that’s what it is.”
“Well sir, I think you should read this one” replies the aide, as he starts walking, slowly, backwards towards the exit.
“Very well, leave it with me..”

The President sits in his oversized swivel chair and starts to speed read the pile of papers in front of him, he hates the thought of having to work on such a sunny day. I should be out on the green now, he thinks. I might not have time for a full round of golf but I could be potting a few balls on the lawn. Suddenly, he drops the stack of paper to the floor and jumps up out his chair. “Johnson! Johnson! Where are you?” He shouts across the large room and his voice carries into the corridor.

The Presidents aide comes hurrying back into the room, pulling the door firmly closed behind him. “Yes sir?” He enquires, breathlessly.
“Johnson, I want you to call a meeting of our security people, as soon as possible,” the President starts, “and Johnson, this could be an emergency!”
“Yes sir, straight away sir.”
Johnson backs out of the Oval office door for the second time this morning and breaks into a run as he reaches the hallway. He carries on down the carpeted corridor till he reaches his own little office. Once inside, he locks and bars the door and pulls down the shade over the window. He picks up the telephone and asks the internal operator for an outside line. Heavily, he punches all the sevens onto the telephone keypad and the message on his screen reader says: ENTER YOUR SECURITY CODE. He presses in his personal number which the system accepts and he’s now clear to contact the coast.
Read on..