He didn't dial his wife to worry her in the middle of the night. He dialed a secure direct 10-digit line to the National Military Command Center at the Pentagon. It rang once. Duty officer Major Collins speaking. A crisp voice answered.
Collins. This is Major General Warren Hayes authentication code Delta 79er Tango. Warren said his voice dropping into a register of pure icy command. There was a brief pause on the line as the major verified the code. Authentication confirmed.
Good evening, General Hayes. How can I assist you, sir? Major, I need you to wake up General William Brooks. Warren ordered referencing the four-star Chief of Staff of the Army. And tell him I have a situation in Virginia.
The silence on the secure telephone line was absolute and profound, stretching for three agonizing seconds before Major Collins finally responded. The young officer's voice had lost all of its bureaucratic stiffness, replaced instantly by the sharp, immediate urgency of a soldier receiving a critical operational command. Yes, General Hayes. Right away, sir. Major Collins said his fingers already flying across his encrypted keyboard.
Can you provide me with your exact coordinates and current situational status? Warren maintained his perfectly modulated tone, speaking clearly so the recording devices in the police precinct would capture every single syllable of the conversation. I am currently being detained in a holding cell at the county police precinct in Virginia, directly off Route 1. I was subjected to an unwarranted traffic stop by an Officer Mitchell Carter. I have been falsely accused of driving under the influence, resisting arrest, and carrying fraudulent federal identification.
My vehicle, a Mercedes S-class, has been illegally impounded and my personal belongings, including my Department of Defense credentials, have been seized. Notify General Brooks that I have been unlawfully deprived of my liberty under the color of law and I expect an immediate appropriate military and federal response to secure my release. Understood, General. I am patching this transmission directly through to the Chief of Staff's residence and simultaneously notifying the Provost Marshal General. The United States Army Criminal Investigation Division will be mobilized immediately.
Please remain safe, sir. Cavalry is on the way. Warren handed the phone back through the iron bars without another word. Sergeant Miller took the receiver, a deep, unsettling frown creasing his heavy forehead. He looked at the tall, impeccably calm man sitting on the metal bench.
Suspects usually cried, screamed, begged, or threatened lawsuits. They never spoke with such terrifying clinical precision. They certainly never ordered the awakening of a four-star general. Who was that? Miller asked, his voice losing some of its previous gruffness.
That was the beginning of the end of this precinct's current administration. Warren replied softly, staring directly into Miller's eyes. I suggest you go back to your desk, Sergeant, and run my fingerprints through your automated system. I believe you will find the results highly educational. Miller swallowed hard, a sudden cold knot forming in his stomach.
He turned and walked briskly back to the booking desk. Officer Carter was leaning against the counter, loudly boasting to two other patrolmen who had just returned from their shifts. Carter was enthusiastically pantomiming the way he had shoved the fake general against the side of the luxury vehicle. "I'm telling you, the guy was a total piece of work." Carter laughed, sipping from a Styrofoam cup of bad coffee.