President of the United States Nicholas Simmons viewed the adoring crowd from the televised monitor overlooking the standing room only crowd at the New York Armory, sitting in the midst of the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a ten-minute walk from the George Washington Bridge.

It was a payback campaign stop for local congresswoman Juanita Sanchez, who helped pass the President's tax-cut legislation amidst vociferous and politically damaging opposition.

Secret Service Agent Zachary Thompson was supervising the Presidential protective division and, with an earpiece in place, sporting a black suit that did not hide the linebacker physique, again surveilled the surrounding crowd. His six-foot-four, 230-pound frame stood five feet to the right of the President and behind the bulletproof glass that encompassed the stage.

Suddenly, Special Agent Thompson fell to one knee with his SIG Sauer P229 in hand, pointed directly at the President, and squeezed off one shot. The impact was immediate and with a spurt of blood, President Nicholas Simmons fell to the ground...