Per 
In order to realize her vision for a more powerful UIU, Florence Thorne must confront her greatest challenge yet: Vice President Al Gore.
November 19, 1996
Old Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Florence Thorne is nervous.
In her life, Florence has faced-off against countless foes, and bested them all. She has fought gangsters and Nazis, magicians and monsters, and even one of the Great Lakes. She has — frequently — been favorably compared to a natural disaster and a nuclear bomb. She is undoubtedly one of the most powerful battlemages of the post-war era, so much so that she was once considered a strategic asset.
But now she faces her greatest challenge yet.
"Quit pacing." Harper Mallory, Executive Assistant Director of the Unusual Incidents Unit, does not look up from her copy of Infinite Jest.
"It helps me think," Florence says.
"What do you need to think about?" Mallory asks. She turns a page in her book. "We've practiced this. You'll do fine."
Florence shakes her head. "What if I don't? We need his support."
Mallory snorts. "He backed Dick Clarke on extraordinary rendition. We'll get his support."
[words]
"The Vice President will see you now."
Albert Arnold Gore Jr., 45th Vice President of the United States of America, smiles warmly at the two women as they enter his office. "Madam Director, your visits are always a treat." He shakes Mallory's hand, then turns to Florence. "Agent Thorne, your record was the most… interesting part of my morning briefing."
Florence swallows. "Interesting in a good way, I hope."
"For the most part." Gore studies her, his gaze lingering on the tattoos on her left arm. "Did you really disrupt a nuclear power plant in upstate New York?"
She nods. "Yes, sir, but in my defense a giant worm monster was trying to eat it, and that didn't happen, so I like to count that one as a win."
The Vice President laughs, once, before his expression turns somber. "The number of disasters that didn't happen thanks to your intervention is somewhat alarming, truth be told. Unhappy is the land in need of heroes."
"Oh, I know that one," Mallory says. "Brecht, Life of Galileo."
Gore smiles brightly and snaps a finger gun at Mallory. "Got it in one. We need to address the structural deficiencies that produce these circumstances, rather than relying on individual heroism to save us."
"Well, that's sort of what we're here to talk to you about," Florence says.
"Yes, yes, your wizard SWAT proposal." He sighs. "I must confess, I have some concerns. But let's hear your pitch first — maybe my briefing missed something important."
"Yes, sir." She clears her throat. "On May 17th of last year, 35-year-old Army veteran Shawn Nelson stole an M60 tank from a National Guard armory and drove it on a rampage through San Diego. Local police lacked weaponry sufficient to penetrate the tank's armor, and were only able to board the tank and shoot the driver after he crashed into a highway median. If not for that, the Air National Guard would have been deployed to destroy the tank."
Gore nods. "I remember. What's your point?"
"There is no National Guard to call for paranormal incidents. If street cops can't handle it, that's it. The United States lacks the capability to deal with high-profile paranormal disturbances. Our first-responders are our last-responders. We are leaving our fates in the hands of others with greater capabilities."
"Such as the Foundation."
"Precisely. At any moment, the Foundation maintains between five and eighteen rapid response task forces that are capable of quickly neutralizing a high-profile paranormal disturbance — things like a rogue battlemage or a psychic terrorist attack. Not particularly big threats, in the grand scheme of things, but more than any UIU field office can normally handle."
"But the Foundation is handling it."
"Sure. For now. Do you really want to rely on a criminal conspiracy for the safety of American citizens? The Foundation does not share our interests. It does not care about the well-being of civilians, nor does it answer to the authority of the United States. And as long as we rely on them to perform essential government functions, they have leverage over us — leverage that allows them to ignore our laws and constitution, stockpile weapons of mass destruction, and kidnap our citizens. I think we should remove that leverage. It is long past time the United States stopped relying on the Foundation."
"On that, I happen to agree. My concern is that your proposal doesn't seem logistically feasible. You say the Foundation has eighteen rapid response teams, and you propose to supplant them with one team of FBI agents."
"I do, sir."
"How?"
"There are three factors which will allow the proposed team to be successful." She holds up a finger. "First, our operational area is the United States, rather than global. We have less area to cover and therefore need fewer resources."
"Not twenty-times fewer resources though," the Vice President notes.
"No, which brings me to my second point." She holds up another finger. "Foundation task forces typically do not employ special asset agents — what we would call irregular agents — or if they do they do so in a limited role supported by a large force of regular agents. Most of our irregular agents are partnered with regular agents in a similar manner, and we have seen a lot of success with this tactic. However, I believe that it dilutes the potential utility of our irregular agents. By creating a unit composed entirely of irregular agents, we can concentrate power at a point and accomplish more with less."
"Oh, I see, it's not just a SWAT team for policing wizards, it's a SWAT team of wizards."
"Yes, and combat psychics. And maybe even some reality benders," she admits. "Most of our irregular agents have talents that lend themselves to forensic investigation. There isn't really a place for those whose skills are more combat-oriented."
"Such as yourself."
Florence inclines her head in agreement. "I'll admit, Mister Vice President, that detective work is very different from hunting monsters and dueling wizards. But only as different as stopping a bank robbery is from investigating one, and the FBI does both."
"The FBI has dozens of SWAT units across the country for dealing with mundane bank robberies. You still haven't told me how your wizard SWAT will be able to cover the entire United States."
"With magic, Mister Vice President." She holds up a third finger. "There are hundreds of pocket dimensions adjacent to the continental United States, all interconnected by Ways. With proper knowledge of the Way network, it is possible to navigate from any point in North America to any other point in less than an hour. With sufficient thaumaturges, it would even be possible to manufacture new Ways, as is already done for transportation to Paramax." She lowers her hand. "That is how a single team can do the work of eighteen."
crit credits:
images:
tags: