35
NSA Headquarters
Uncle Bill walked into the command center after having delivered another threat assessment to the Secretary of Defense. A few of the analysts looked up. The haggard expression they could see on his face was a trademark of his years of service. To them, his dedication was what made Uncle Bill, Uncle Bill.
It was already 9:00 a.m. and Knuckles, who had been at his desk since before first light said, “How was it, sir?”
“Same old cheery outlook. Terrorists can be real assholes.”
“Any new priorities?”
“None,” Bill said as he pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “We’ll have more decryption packages coming in.”
“Chatter from that North African terror cell?”
“Our current flavor-of-the-day.” Bill smiled. “Where’s Cade?”
“Oh,” the kid replied. “I think he went to
