▌Chapter 23 ─ Kidnapping The President ▌

      ━━━━━ BEN AND CLARA Gates sat in the office of an old friend. He looked at the picture they had given him. "The eagle with the scroll." He took his glasses off and turned away from them, grabbing a book. "Conspiracy theorists like to believe that it's the symbol for the president's secret book." Clara looked at the book that he placed on the table.

"You bought Riley's book." Ben said, while he and Clara smiled at Sadusky.

"Ha-ha. Your friend writes a book about government conspiracies, and you don't think we know about it?"

"But is it true? Does the president have a secret book?" Ben asked him.

Sadusky put his glasses back on and grabbed Riley's book, opening it up. He then pulled them off and looked at Ben and Clara.

"Do you like ducks?" He asked the two.

They moved outside and away from the building. Clara held onto Ben's hand as they walked with Sadusky. He looked at the couple as ducks landed on the water that was near there.

"There is a book." Sadusky told the couple.

"Why are you telling us out here?" Ben asked him.

"Cause inside, I'm a federal agent. Out here, I'm talking to you as a friend, Ben."

"Where's the president's book kept?"

"Only the current president knows. The book is passed from president to president, each one chooses his own hiding place."

"You're the FBI. Can't you get it for me?"

"The only way you'll ever see that book is if you get elected for president."

"Well, you never know."

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The couple had made it back to Patrick's house. Ben sat in a chair explaining what they had found out to the others. Clara sat on the couch, her eyes on Ben. Abigail sat next to her, and Riley sat across from them, meanwhile Patrick was pacing around.

"All I need is a few minutes with him." Ben told the three.

"A few minutes. Really? Ben, even if you were married to the president, you wouldn't be able to get a few minutes with him." Riley explained, leaning forward.

"Not when he's surrounded by his handlers, but if I can get him alone..."

"How do you expect to get the president alone?"

"Before the Civil War, the states were all separate. People used to say, 'United States are.' Wasn't until the war ended people started saying 'United States is.' Under Lincoln, we became one nation."

"And Lincoln paid for it with his life." Patrick reminded him.

"So did Thomas Gates..."

"Right."

"...with his life. So... how am I gonna get him alone? I'm gonna kidnap him. I'm gonna kidnap the president of the United States."

Abigail and Clara laughed, not sure if he was telling the truth or not. "Th... That's not funny." Abigail told him.

"I'm your father. How do you expect me to respond to this?" Patrick asked him. "I can't let you ruin your life." Riley stood up from the chair.

"Are you out of your mind?" Abigail asked him as she stood up.

"Are you kidding me? You can't honestly think that I'm going to allow you to do that, Ben." Clara said, staring at her husband.

"Exactly how do you plan on doing this?" Patrick went on to ask.

"I was thinking Mt. Vernon." Ben replied, looking at his father.

"Ohh." Clara knew exactly what was there.

"What?" Abigail asked.

"I'm in." Riley said.

They got to work, Ben sat in front of Clara who stared down at her hands. "What are you thinking about?" Ben asked her.

"That your stupid." Clara looked up at Ben as he placed a hurt look on his face. "You know that's not what I mean, Ben."

"I know. I also know that you want to come with me." Ben told her.

"I do. If you're really considering this I'm coming with you."

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

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It was the night of the President's birthday party. Clara had made it into the water and left before Ben dived in after her. She made it to the edge of the water and stood up. Once she was out she removed all the gear allowing her dress to appear. She found a guard standing near the bushes, she changed her face and smiled at him.

"Are you all right ma'am?" He asked her as she walked up the hill.

"Oh, I seem to have lost my way. I was with a cute man, but I think he went to get drinks and hasn't returned." Clara replied.

"I'm sure he's at the party, please go rejoin them." He said, showing her up the hill.

"Thank you."

Clara stood at the top of the hill waiting for Ben to arrive. When he finally did arrive the two joined each other's side to find the president.

"How'd you get in?" Ben asked her.

"Piece of cake." Clara replied, with a smile on her face.

"Good, that's good." The two moved in between the crowd of people. "Good evening, Your Excellency." The couple continued forward passing by more people. "Hello." He said, as they passed by others. "Prime Minister, it's a delight to have you back in the States." The two passed by a security guard. Clara caught sight of the President talking to others.

"Spread the word that campaign contribution limits are not enforced..."

"Happy birthday, Mr. President." Ben said, catching the President's attention.

"Oh, thank you." He said, turning to look at Ben and Clara as they passed by him.

"Ben Gates. Clara Gates. The Templar Treasure."

"Or, right. Ben Gates, yeah."

"We won't keep you, Mr. President."

"Thanks so much. Always a pleasure."

"I can't tell you what a thrill it is for us to be invited here tonight, sir." Ben said, while he and Clara smiled at him.

"Yeah, you must have the Secret Service hopping about now." The President replied.

"Sir?"

"Considering your newly discovered lineage."

"Oh, yeah. Oh..."

"Carry on."

"I beg your pardon, sir, but I know what a huge admirer you are of George Washington, and I thought you might wanna take a look at this. Have a look at this." Ben said as he handed the map over to the President.

"This is a map of Mt. Vernon drawn by George Washington himself."

"Mr. President, that is exactly what it is."

"I was an architectural history major at Yale."

"We did not know that." Clara said, sending a smile towards the President.

"You didn't?"

"No." Ben replied. "It belonged to my great uncle. He got it from the granddaughter of a slave named Charlotte."

"Happy birthday, Mr. President."

"Frank, always a pleasure. Thank you so much."

"Charlotte, who lived and worked here at Mt. Vernon."

"Yeah."

"And we're standing right here, sir. This line is an underground tunnel, an escape route that was never found."

"I wonder... I wonder if it's still there."

"Well..." The President started to laugh.

"Only one way to find out, sir." Clara said.

"Well, maybe we should take a look." He said, looking between Clara and Ben.

"Are-Are we allowed to do that?" Ben asked in return. "No, I mean, I know you're allowed to do that. You're the president. Can we come with you?"

They followed behind the President, he grabbed a flashlight and walked down the steps into what would lead them to the underground tunnel.

"You guys are just everywhere." The President said, looking at the guards.

"Yes, sir."

"Give my friend your flashlight, would you, please?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you." Ben said, as he took a hold of the flashlight.

"Well, according to this map it should be... Well, it's one, two. In here."

"Yeah, in here."

"Should be in here." Ben and Clara kneeled down slightly looking into the opening.

"May we?" Ben questioned, as he and Clara looked back at the President.

"Absolutely."

"All right." Ben walked in first and Clara followed in right behind him. Clara looked back at the President watching him follow behind them. He turned to look back at one of the guards who followed them.

"You know, Craig, I... I appreciate you doing your job, but I have no enemies down here in the cellar in this tiny little room." He told Craig.

"I'll just wait here, then." Craig replied. He turned around but popped back out.

"Over here." Ben said. Ben and Clara stood up as the President joined them.

"That's the mark of George Washington." The President said, shining his flashlight at the mark.

"Only it's slightly different." Ben replied.

"How?" He asked the two.

"These axes." Clara said, pointing to them. "The angel's off."

"For it to correspond with the ones on the map, it should form a perfect 'V'." Ben moved the ax slightly, a noise could be heard from the other side. "Ok, what else?"

The President looked down at the stamp that rested on the map. "The arrowhead..." He looked up at the arrowhead that rested on the wall. "...is sideways." He then turned it downward, a hatch opened beside the President causing him to fall back slightly. He looked at it then over at Clara and Ben. "We're all right! Don't worry!" The two men moved the door a little more, the President walked forward. "Come on."

Clara looked over at her husband. "After you." Ben said. The blonde moved forward, the President held his hand out to Clara who accepted it. She stood up and looked at the door that stood in front of her. Ben closed the door behind them, causing both Clara and the President to look back at him. This was the part that Clara wished they weren't doing.

"Gates, what are you doing?" He asked them both, looking between the two.

"I'm sorry, Mr. President. We need to ask you a question which I know you can't answer unless we're alone." They continued on heading down the tunnel. "Mr. President, sometime between 1880, when the Resolute desk was placed in the Oval Office, and now, one of our presidents found a secret compartment in the desk. Hidden inside was a plank with Native American writing on it. A treasure map to Cibola, the legendary City of Gold, sir."

The President turned to look back at both Clara and Ben. "You did all this just to ask me about a treasure map?"

Clara shrugged her shoulders sensing the judgment in his question. "That map is a possible key to proving that Thomas Gates' innocence. Now, I know for a fact that the plank is no longer in the Resolute desk."

"Oh, you've been in my desk, too?"

"But I believe that the whereabouts of that plank is now hidden in the president's book, sir. The book known only to our presidents. It contains all our nation's secrets."

The President proceeded to laugh, looking away from the two. He then shook his head and looked back at them. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." He told them.

"Clara and I saw the seal on the desk, sir. I know the map exists." The President walked back towards the couple.

"And you're not gonna tell me how to get out of here unless you get what you want."

"The way out is that direction, and we'll show you." Clara told him, as Ben turned the flashlight down the tunnel.

"You don't negotiate very well, do you?" He asked them.

"No, sir."