Page 36 of Generation Lost

“No. There would be nothing left to rescue. The ship was sunk with everyone on board, from what we can tell. The water is too deep to dive there.”

“What was the cargo?” asked Ghost. Again, the president wouldn’t answer them directly. He looked away and then back at the screen.

“That’s confidential.”

“I see,” said Nine. “Well, if you need our help, let us know. Until then, we’re enjoying a nice break with our families.”

“You know, one day, someone will have the same technology that you have. Someone will create things that won’t allow for tracking or recording or all the other gizmos and gadgets you boys have. When that day comes, you’d better be ready.” Gaspar laughed at the man.

“Who says we’re not ready now?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“What the hell is happening in Washington?” asked Nine. “Why would we get into bed with these assholes?”

“We’re missing something big,” said Gaspar. “I know one thing. I’m getting fucking tired of presidents who aren’t playing straight. I feel like we’ve been lied to, manipulated, and used for every damn purpose known to man. I want to protect my country. I want to serve my nation but not under any of these assholes. It doesn’t matter what party they belong to, it doesn’t matter if they’re left or right, they all seem to be giving us the shaft.”

“I couldn’t agree more with that,” said Ian.

“So, do we just stop?” asked Nine. “Do we stop this altogether?”

“No,” said Ghost. “We all know we can’t. We’ve tried that. But taking shit on from the government? No. I think we talk to the boys and come to an agreement on what things we’ll take or not take. I know we’ve done that before, but this time we mean it.”

The others chuckled, shaking their heads.

“We always mean it,” smirked Trak. Miriam knocked on the door, entering with a frown on her face.

“Shit. What now?” asked Ghost.

“Be nice, and I’ll tell you,” she said with a sly grin. “I’ve been doing some research on the mortgage industry.”

“I thought that was solved,” said Nine.

“The one we were looking into is solved. But I started looking at all the small lenders in the country. Not the big banks or big lending institutions, small ones like this one.”

“And?” frowned Gaspar.

“Many were doing the same thing that Midwest Mortgage was doing, but on a smaller scale.”

“What do you mean?” asked Ian.

“I mean, over a period of ten, fifteen, twenty years, they raised required escrow amounts, interest rates, or insurance rates just enough that the homeowner didn’t complain too much. It wasn’t out of sorts like Midwest. They did it in a smart, underhanded way.”

“Smart and underhanded don’t usually go together,” said Wilson.

“In this case it does. I only went back twenty years, but do you know what all those additional fees add up to?” They all stared at her, waiting for her answer. “One hundred and ninety billion dollars. Billion!”

“What the fuck?” was the echo in the room.

“Checks were sent at the end of the year to a government-owned account, although for the life of us we can’t seem to find what department owns that account. This was done with the government’s knowledge, and the money was being sent to them. Rizzoli got greedy and took it too far. She did it all at once.”

“And these other homeowners, were they displaced? Was their land turned into casinos?” asked Nine.

“A few sold off, but not many. Those that did, it was a variety of things built in their place. Shopping malls, casinos, parking, it didn’t make any sense at all. But it’s not about what’s getting built. It’s about this funding something for the government.”

“That’s what you think this money is doing?” asked Jean, looking at the woman. “You think they’re funding something with all of this?”

“I think it’s obvious they are, but it’s something they don’t want the American public to know about and something that could cause problems for every administration. Think about it. This has been going on for at least four, maybe five different presidencies..”

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