in secret, at his private residence in the White House A.S.A.P. I don't have to tell you that both Rich and you are under orders to keep this meeting quiet. Neither of you is to breath a word of this to anyone, not even to his father. Is that clear to the both of you?" Asked Bill. "I will be there to pick you up tomorrow at noon and the two of us will fly to D.C. Pack about two days clothes. Civilian stuff only."

"And if I choose not to go?"

"You have to be kidding. This is not a request! It is a direct order from your Commander-In-Chief. I have already cleared it with your Commanding Officer. You will be ready by 12 noon." Barns said emphasizing the word WILL.

"No you can't do this to me!"

"Sorry buddy. I not only can, but I must! I have my orders and as you know, orders are orders! Pack a small bag. DO IT! I will pick you up at noon tomorrow and you better be ready." The agent said as he hung up.

Joseph closed the cell phone and turned to Richard and said, "A direct order, what can I do?"

"You go! What else can you possibly do? As long as you are still in the army they have you by the short hairs until you are discharged. And I'll give you ten to one odds that you will jump even after that. You better get packed. Come, I'll give you a hand." Richard said as he led the way up to the master bedroom.

"I'll pack all right---we are leaving for Canada tonight. You go home and start packing we will have to use your car as mine is too well known to the FBI." Joseph said as he started to grab some clothes and shove them in a travel bag.

"Now that's really a grown up and well thought out course of action." Richard said as he sat down on the chair. "And I'm the one that is supposed to be the actor! At times you can be more theatrical than me. Cut the dramatics and the horseshit."

"What do you mean? What dramatics? What horseshit?"

"You actually think I can just leave? I can't just pull up stakes and leave. I have obligations to the play and to its investors. If I leave now, I may never get another opportunity like this. What producer would ever take the chance and hire me again? I wouldn't even get a part as a bit player, let alone as a lead actor. Hell, I would be lucky if I could get a job as the theater janitor. You can run to Canada if you want to, but not with me. No! Not now. Not at this time anyway. If you want I will join you later after the play has opened and run a while."

"That could take a year! I never thought you would let me down this way."

"Let you down-what about you letting me down? What about you letting the country down? Look, my love, we both know you are going to go D.C. You'll kick and scream, but you will go anyway! It's your duty! Besides, you love this undercover shit. You love being the Gung-Ho agent. Now don't deny it!" He said, emphatically shaking his finger under Joseph's nose. "You forget, I have seen you in action and you revel in it. It's time we both grew up and faced