"Ahhh!" Duke's body was robust, but his willpower clearly fell short of 006's. Bella's attempts to extract the bullet failed twice because of his screaming.
"It's okay, it's okay! The surgery is simple, really simple." Her voice took on a soothing, almost hypnotic calm as she called over her shoulder.
"More anesthetic! More!"
Natasha knew a bit about first aid and now acted like a nurse, helping prepare the anesthetic.
Both women were incredibly bold, and Duke's body was genuinely strong.
"Phew—" After several agonizing minutes of struggle, Bella finally extracted the bullet from the wound. She cleaned it, sutured it, wrapped it in bandages, and the treatment was complete.
"Big sister, is my dad okay now?" Little Emily asked pitifully.
Bella removed her gloves and ruffled the little girl's hair. "He's fine now, don't worry. Your dad's very strong. He'll be on his feet soon."
Bella stripped off the surgical gown, but the heavy smell of blood still clung to her. She wanted to grab Natasha for a bath together.
"Want to come?"
"I'm busy! No time!" The young woman was fiddling with various instruments in the communications room, trying to restore contact with the outside world. At minimum, she wanted people outside to know what was happening in the White House. She was swamped and had no time for a leisurely bath.
"So I'm going then?"
"Go, go." Natasha waved without looking up.
Bella took the equally blood-soaked little Emily to bathe. How many people could say they'd bathed in the White House underground bunker? She was filled with a sense of accomplishment and even considered leaving graffiti like "so-and-so was here"...
The others didn't share her leisure.
The bunker was sealed tight, but they could still hear sounds from the door above.
The traitorous agent Walker had brought the attackers and seemed to be preparing to breach the door by force.
"Don't worry, they can't get in." Charlie reassured President Sawyer.
"I know. Thank you for your help."
Charlie laughed heartily. "Actually, I've been meaning to tell you—I didn't vote for you."
President Sawyer made an appropriate 'how could you' expression.
They chatted about wives and children, gradually warming to each other.
President Sawyer thought the Swan family was full of talent!
Though he felt this thought was terribly unfair to the three Secret Service agents who'd died in the line of duty, comparing them, he still felt the family of four was more formidable.
The two adults were his main protection now. One girl could perform highly specialized surgery with focused eyes and steady hands, completely unfazed by blood spraying like a fountain—that psychological fortitude was off the charts. The other girl was professionally operating complex communications equipment, trying to contact the outside world. This family didn't seem like civilians at all.
Natasha soon completed another task no civilian should manage.
"Mr. President, I've connected you to the Pentagon. They seem to have received... false intelligence. Please explain the current situation to them."
"False intelligence? Hello? This is James Sawyer." President Sawyer quickly verified his identity. After the other side confirmed him, he finally learned what was happening outside.
What he heard nearly made him explode with rage.
"Mr. President, Mr. Walker has accused you of conspiring with the attackers and kidnapping several government officials and over a dozen tourists. He's accusing you of treason and selling state secrets..." The Deputy Secretary of Defense on the other end sounded puzzled.
Honestly, he also thought Walker's accusation was absurd. A national leader wouldn't need to do this, right? It was unbelievable—the President committed treason? What hope was there for the country?
"That's slander! Walker is a fraud! He's deceived everyone! Walker is the traitor. He shot and killed three Secret Service agents. I suspect he's connected to this entire incident. You must investigate him—check who he's been meeting, whether there's suspicious income in his bank accounts..."
President Sawyer went on at length. Clearly, veteran agent Walker's betrayal had deeply shaken him. Someone he trusted so much—how could he just betray them like that?
"Mr. President, the attackers still hold numerous hostages. What are your orders?" the Deputy Secretary of Defense asked.
The attackers occupied the White House. Bella's family had escaped, but the remaining dozen or so tourists from the tour group had become hostages. Plus, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the White House Chief of Staff, and over ten other government officials had all fallen into the attackers' hands.
The military had set up a perimeter outside the White House but hadn't dared attack due to the hostages.
"Rescuing the hostages is the first priority. As for me..." President Sawyer looked around. "I'm safe here."
The Deputy Secretary of Defense responded, "Yes, sir."
Everyone, including President Sawyer, had confidence in this turtle shell of an underground bunker. It could withstand a nuclear blast—did they think they could breach it with some C4? What a joke!
President Sawyer quickly contacted his family to report he was safe and they shouldn't worry.
Meanwhile, Natasha quietly reported her whereabouts to S.H.I.E.L.D.
The one-eyed man on the other end didn't know what to say anymore. He looked utterly exasperated.
"I'm begging you—how about you visit Australia next time? S.H.I.E.L.D. will cover the travel expenses. Give America a break!"
This time Natasha absolutely refused to take the blame. Bullying me because I'm young and inexperienced, huh?
"That's rich, as if the Secret Service supervisor wouldn't have turned traitor if we hadn't come. Did we bring this trouble?"
Pride rang in her voice. "This has nothing to do with us! You should be grateful—if our family hadn't been here today, the United States of America would've lost another President!"
S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't subordinate to the U.S. government, but couldn't ignore it either. They had to help when needed.
For Nick Fury, a super-spy who'd retired with the rank of colonel, he'd seen countless dark chapters in American history, but he still had feelings for the country.
Especially since Natasha had contributed significantly to the whole incident, S.H.I.E.L.D. could step in and claim credit for free. They could even demand a huge budget afterward. This was far more meaningful than the Paris incident.
"Wait there. I'm coming myself!" He left those words, hung up, and directed his subordinates to head to the White House for the rescue.
...
The group settled in to wait in the underground bunker. It had food, drinks, even several game consoles. After bathing, Bella resisted touching them, mindful of her author persona. Natasha had similar thoughts. Little Emily, however, went off to play for a bit.
They waited leisurely for rescue while the outside world exploded into chaos.