(Will, Mateo, Noah, Kaito and Frenchie of Socotra House Security).

The Chairman has a few things going on in his expansive private life that does not directly involve our Creative Section or our leader Miles. There are some simple jobs piling up involving the company or corporate property that need a little extra protection. That is where Will, Mateo, Noah, Kaito and Frenchie would agree.

You have not met these young men since they have been on company business from the old HQ over at Big PInk where they have occupied the ground-floor patio condo with good lines of site across the north parking lot and access to garage level below and six floors on the old staircase to the roof with unobstructed lines of fire clear to the Potomac.

The Patrol is all veteran, mostly retired Special Ops, Info Warfare and support to direct and indirect operations. The ones who stayed in made it to retirement at twenty, and then decided to form their own Shore Patrol and see if there was anyone who needed men who understood how things could be done in a manner that avoided public offense but kept thing orderly and neat, at least after it got cleaned up in the morning.

Which is why the Boys were here in the Conference Room at the new HQ at the Fairfax Trillium. Miles had his tablet lit up and he waved it at the dozen faces around the long table and the steaming mugs of Flat Yank coffee. Deirdre had agreed to produce a double load of sausage rolls, biscuits and gravy to go with the bagels and tubs of spread-able goodies to smear over them. Keeping the Boys filled was a way to avoid trouble before the day got rolling.

Miles held the tablet up and waved it. “The Chairman is concerned about the results of the primary down in Louisiana. Senator Cassidy is out on his butt after his three terms in the senior body. The AP claims Julia Letlow and John Fleming now will advance to a runoff that highlights the fact that politics and parties no longer work the way we understood them. We are fine with that, of course, since we weren’t completely sure we understood it before everything changed in 2020.”

That is what seemed to bring Will to his feet with a look of determination. He was actually just going toward the Field Thermos Dispenser to freshen his java, but took the opportunity to look at the Boomers at their corner of the table, the one with the view toward the Pentagon. Then he glowered at the Zooms who were concerned about the unprecedented- to them- closure of the long Island Railway and the trouble of getting back to Long Island for the Memorial Day weekend.

So the news was comfortably local to start with the other stuff hanging so low from the tree. Some sources we trust have been measuring the temperature of the Mid East. There are indications the hard liners running what appears to be a government are determined to hold Mr. Trump hostage against the Strait of Hormuz until the war and gas prices cost him the mid-term elections and turn the US House and possibly the Senate into nests of derangement.

We think that means a demonstration of resolve will be coming up, maybe as soon as this week. We are not sure what it might be. For their part, the Iranians are talking about cutting the undersea cables that carry data vital to global finance and energy trading.

At the moment, things are hanging in a delicate balance. But there is urgency on both sides. The Iranians are wondering if their lights are going to stay on and if there is anything left for dinner tonight. Their best point of leverage in the Straits also hurt them first, so being in the dark, hungry and without communications to start to rebuild is a daunting prospect.

Mr. Trump is looking at the calendar. He has some things he needs to accomplish in short order. We expect it to be dramatic.

Which is why the Shore Patrol was summoned from Ruthie’s All Day. It is a full-service, family friendly, all-day neighborhood restaurant and bar we use as an alternate command post with a custom-built wood-burning hearth that appeals to people who want to relax but be close to duty. It is conveniently located in Alcova Heights by the entrance to Arlington Cemetery, where some of us plan to spend eternity. So, it is doubly convenient. The signal advantage to Ruthie’s is their fresh-baked cornbread, widely acknowledged as the best north of Richmond.

But there were matters the Chairman was concerned about. Things might be unsettled, and in this fragile moment of semi-peace, it is time to check stocks to ensure consumables are in the locker. That no one has moved Arlington County back into the District, transformed us a into new state. Will is thinking about running for the Senate when they do it.

In the meantime, the Shore Patrol is on station, mostly awake and ready to harness old skills in which a Shore Patrol grimace from the door was enough to quiet rowdy sailors.

But today is a brilliant bright blue, the sun a neon yellow riot. Splash made a sudden yelp, looking at his phone. “It might be starting. Word now is there is a drone hit one of the nuclear generator plants in the UAE. Looks like Iran is attempting to provoke something. Things might be getting started today.”

The Shore Patrol just nodded and sipped their Flat Yank. They have been in these sorts of things before.

Copyright 2026 Vic Scocotra
www.vicsocotra.com