Sam proceeded to escort Peg and Mimi back to the command center. On the way he openly told them he did not like what direction the F’B.I. and police were taking with the negotiations and that he wouldn’t have any part of it.
At the command center they found a corner with three chairs where they prepared to wait it out. Peg got them coffee and some tired doughnuts she noticed were from Jimmie’s. Mimi again began to sob gently on her shoulder. They sat unnoticed by others in the trailer busy with the sound of government. What a miserable way to spend a cold damp winter night in Massachusetts.
Back at the negotiation wall, Agent Ramos was on his own with Bernie. After giving the process a short respite, he heard Bernie on the open channel say to Ishaan, “Hey, Ishaan. I appreciate your honesty about corporate greed. I know that Agent Dean guy is probably trying to talk to me right now. I put him on mute because I’m not finished with you, yet. See, they’re jamming my wireless system and I no longer have control of the networks and the booby traps. They probably also know that.
“The question is whether they’ll storm the place, figuring I can’t or won’t do anything to you in the process. Or, maybe they’ll ask for your release and my surrender before they do that. I don’t know. The boys have probably been debriefed by now and told them about what’s under the table. So, I guess we have to wait and see what they’re going to do. Are you scared?” Bernie asked Ishaan.
“Of course I’m scared. I can think of better things to die for,” Ishaan curtly said.
Bernie consoled Ishaan with, “Well, maybe the M-Mtek suits didn’t hear your speech about modern labor economics and American worker entitlement? You really think it’s a matter of entitlement? That’s usually a word used by folks who are arguing about welfare. In a way it makes the average worker sound like a welfare recipient. Oh well. Maybe we all are, just at different levels. Everything is relative, I guess.”
“Right now I’m going to un-mute Agent Dean before he loses his cool and bombs the place. Bernie called out, “Hey, Dean. You still there? I’ve been finishing up my tete-a-tete with Ishaan. You going to tell me what you’re up to? By the way, nice jamming equipment you have.”
“Bernie, it’s straight forward from here on in. Let Ishaan out of there and give yourself up,” Dean begged. “You’ll get fair treatment. The fact that you’re a two-tour Iraq vet will work in your favor. We feel like we’re at an impasse with you. Don’t do anything foolish. I promise you we’ll make sure you get the best deal if you end this now.”
“I appreciate your concern, Dean. But look at it from my perspective. Everywhere I go from here to try to find work will be a disaster. Hell, even if I didn’t do this, it would have been a disaster. They would have sent me off to take classes taught by some HR social worker marm on how to do resumes. Or how to network to look for job openings. After a year or two of that I would come to the conclusion that driving a school bus in Waltham was the only way I could get health benefits. You call that a life at age 39?” Bernie asked.
Dean tried to comfort Bernie with,“ “Bernie, I hear you. It’s going on everywhere. You’re not alone.”
“Bernie kicked back, “That’s the problem, Dean. Get your head out of the government sand. That’s the problem. There’s legions of us out there and you and the rest of you goddamn government dweebs don’t know what to do about it.”
Up against a wall
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American Shutdown by Benjamin F. Campanelli
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