The traumatized Secretary of Defense took a long time to catch his breath. The feeling of being dragged through the portal was awful—like a can of sardines being crammed into an even smaller box, already crushed yet still being shoved harder from behind.
If someone had interviewed the Secretary about his feelings at that moment, he would have definitely said, "I want to die!"
Until Thea dragged him into the conference room, his mind had been completely blank, never recovering from start to finish. Now, seeing several of his former lackeys chattering endlessly in his ear, he finally recovered from his dazed state. Looking at the familiar environment before him, he almost cried! Somehow, this old fossil actually came back!
General Lane pushed a few bootlickers aside. With his status, he didn't fear the Secretary of Defense. He instructed his subordinates to check if the Secretary was the real deal. A large group of people busied themselves checking pupils and blood, along with a barrage of password inquiries.
At this moment, Amanda pretended to be very serious, standing straight with a dark face, but inside, she was almost blossoming with laughter. If those criminals killed Steve Trevor in a fit of rage, that would be simply wonderful. Although these people had destroyed her Task Force X plan, compared to Steve's life, that was nothing.
Criminals were everywhere on the streets. With some exchange of benefits and moral binding, she could always use superheroes to catch a few more back. But there was only one Steve. As a national hero and the founder of A.R.G.U.S., his personal prestige was unmatched. Having fought him for so many years, Amanda knew too well that as long as Steve didn't commit treason, the country wouldn't touch him.
The more she thought about it, the happier she felt inside. Knowing the occasion wasn't right, she still couldn't help but ask Thea softly, "Where is Steve?"
"Don't know, didn't see him!" Thea truly hadn't seen him. There were only two trucks; most likely he was held in the front one. She just grabbed the person and left. In her mind, she didn't even consider Steve someone worth noting.
Amanda was very satisfied with this answer. She looked down at her feet, afraid her joy would be discovered by Thea or anyone else.
A bunch of officials crowded around, asking the Secretary of Defense if he had leaked any secrets. Thea felt he had most likely leaked quite a bit, but what did that have to do with her? She stood up, ready to leave.
"Miss Queen, don't go yet! Please, you must stay a while longer." Seeing her about to leave, General Lane hurriedly stopped her.
"I have other matters to attend to."
"No matter what it is, we'll help you solve it!"
Thea stared at the old general with a half-smile. "At 2:00 PM, Lois Lane from the Daily Planet is supposed to interview me exclusively. You see..."
Old General Lane almost choked on his breath. He was also very helpless regarding his daughter, who had a hundred times his courage. But words had already been spoken; whether for public or private reasons, only he could handle this.
"I'll call and explain to her..." The old general ran to the side bitterly to make the call.
Actually, Thea didn't really want to leave. Regardless of how much time it took, she was the one who brought the person back. For such a high-ranking official, she had to get some benefits before leaving. Compared to Parallax or Ares, Enchantress really wasn't much.
Although General Lane had walked to the side, Lois Lane's voice still transmitted through the phone. Even from far away, Thea could hear the voice of this famous female reporter. Clark Kent once evaluated his wife's articles, saying they were as fierce as a tiger and could make your hands shake as you read them. In Thea's understanding, this meant Lois Lane was particularly fierce!
Now, this notoriously fierce woman was chewing out her own father because General Lane had disrupted her interview schedule.
General Lane presented facts and reasoned, talking in circles for a long time before finally putting down the phone and nodding to Thea.
At this moment, a staff member whispered a few words in his ear. General Lane's brows furrowed. He thought for a while, then asked Thea, "Miss Queen, the Secretary's memory of being kidnapped is blank. Do you have any way to restore it?"
"I'm just fast; I don't have those profound means." Thea refused flatly. Mind control, mind reading—these were abilities these politicians tabooed the most. Actually, two small spells—one Mind Control and one Mind Recall—could solve it, but Thea wouldn't admit she had this ability even if beaten to death.
General Lane's expression relaxed ever so slightly, but soon he put on a pained face again, nodded, and went aside to figure out how to restore the Secretary's memory.
For the time being, Thea settled down in the Department of Defense, occasionally calling her group or reading idle books. It had to be said, they actually managed to come up with a solution. They found, or rather captured, three expert hypnotists to hypnotize the Secretary separately.
The final comparison results frustrated this group greatly. The Secretary had spilled more than half of what he should and shouldn't have said. Except for the nuclear weapons still under presidential control, the other party had pretty much got hold of all the remaining conventional launch codes. Coupled with Rick Flag, an elite soldier leading the way, finding a few intercontinental ballistic missiles wouldn't be difficult.
The few guys who were flattering the Secretary earlier all fell silent. If an ordinary person were responsible for even a tenth of this leak, they could be shot directly without trial. But right now, he had the highest rank in the room. Several people were unsure whether to control him first or report to the government first.
"I voluntarily suspend my duties. General Lane will handle all subsequent matters temporarily." Having dealt with politics for half his life, the Secretary of Defense knew his situation too well. Although he was extremely reluctant to give up power, at this moment, he could only announce he was temporarily stepping down, as if he were attending his own funeral!
Regarding his so-called "temporary handling," the guys with qualifications to compete for the Secretary position all had their own understandings. Who the President would nominate later required private maneuvering, but this old guy's career was basically over. If no major consequences occurred, maybe he could scrape by with a stable retirement. If the consequences were serious, whether he'd even live to see tomorrow was another question.
General Lane, temporarily handling the aftermath, assumed command without declining. He pondered for a few seconds, feeling he still had to rely on Thea as the main force. "Miss Queen, does your new group need any help from us recently?"
So this is how they negotiate terms? Thea watched helplessly as the whole situation quietly shifted; the Secretary she saved abdicated directly. This made her a bit depressed. Damn it... I still lack experience. I should have negotiated terms before saving him.
General Lane choosing to lay his cards on the table and negotiate with her now was actually a very smart move. The new Secretary was undecided; if the conditions were too high, he might not even keep the position, and promising empty words would be useless. If the conditions were too small, Thea would lose out.
Quite cunning. Thea rejected several plans in succession, weighed them repeatedly, and finally stated her condition. "Queen Consolidated has big ambitions in high tech and clean energy. We hope to be able to inject capital into the Red Room Laboratory."