Chapter 121
10:20 AM CST Day four of 1260 Kansas City, Missouri - City Center, 2nd Floor Meeting Room
“Oh there you are,” Madeline said as we returned from the restaurant. “We were wondering when you would make it back. You are just in time. We are going over the system we designed to get the dignitaries and you, Jack, from the hotel to the stage area or altar.”
“Stage,” I said, “not altar. I do not know how to build an altar or design one. Hasn’t been done for thousands of years.”
“Oh,” Madeline said, “I see. Okay then, the stage. If all of you can come closer, we have it laid out here on the table on this street grid.”
We gathered around, and the Chief of Police, Michael Poploski started describing the intricate system that had been designed. “What we have here are concrete barriers that are stacked one on top of the other, compliments of the Highway Department. It is about nine feet high. It travels from the hotels side entrance you see here,” as he pointed to the drawing, “and crosses Grand Avenue, then Main Street. It then curves to the Memorial itself on to the north building adjacent to where the stage is. The top of the barrier is steel panels, the same ones used on road repairs. It would take a good size explosive to penetrate it. The total distance is about two and a half blocks.”
Wow, I thought. They had done this in less than three days.
He continued, “At the beginning of the tunnel there will be a combination of Secret Service, FBI, and military personnel under the Colonel’s direction. The checkpoints are the same at the other end of the tunnel. In the middle of the tunnel you will again be stopped for identification before being allowed to continue, as well as at the beginning and the end.”
“At the termination of the Rally, the process will be reversed. This means, Jack, that you will be going first, we assume, and then the dignitaries will follow.”
“Also,” he said, pointing to the stage on the drawing, “This will be surrounded by military personnel, and plain clothes federal types, which include the FBI and Secret Service. They will be there two hours before the seating, which starts at 6:00 p.m. and one hour afterwards. We also have bomb sniffing dogs that will check the area every ten minutes before you and the dignitaries get to the stage as well as during the program.”
“Any questions?”
Veronica asked, “Where are the dignitaries sitting?”
He brought out a folder under the drawing. He had photographs of the south and north sides of the raised stage built into the Memorial. “The news media seats are here on the north side and which includes all the camera crews, along with John Roddenberg’s group and his anchor desk. You may have seen it on his broadcasts the past couple of days. City personnel and others will be seated in this area, including you folks.”
“On the other side is seating for the President and several other dignitaries from all across the globe. Many are the same people who will be here for the meeting on Friday with The Waldger Group. There are one-hundred and forty-five seats there stacked up like sports field seating. Oh, by the way, both sides of the seating here are encased in clear bullet proof glass extending about four feet above the highest tier of the seating, or about thirty feet.”
“The choirs and entertainment will be seated in this corner over here, so they do not block the view of the people on stage and the park. The Philharmonic will be in the opposite corner.”
“Jack,” he looked at me, “The stage drops off to a forty-foot fall overlooking Union Station. So be careful there. I understand you said to do it this way so that the people in the Union Station area and the people in the Park can have an unobstructed view. Am I correct?”
“Yes, that is right, chief. I will be careful.”
“Well, any other questions?” Madeline asked.
“No,” Veronica said. “We have no more questions.
“Well,” Madeline said, “Most of you I will see around 6:30 or so, on the stage.”