Pre-Dawn Wake-Up: C.J.'s Brutal Briefing
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
C.J. abruptly wakes the sleeping press corps with a brutal schedule brief, outlining a relentless day ahead where the President's schedule is already predicted to unravel.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Composed, briskly impatient—professional calm used to impose order while privately bracing for disorder.
C.J. walks up the narrow aisle, interrupts sleeping reporters and delivers a concise, controlled briefing that lists greeters, enforces a photos‑only rule, states departure time, and warns the team that the schedule will break down.
- • Convey the President's immediate schedule accurately to minimize surprises and leaks.
- • Control the press narrative by setting rules (photos only) before they can ask questions.
- • Establish expectations so staff and reporters are prepared for imminent chaos.
- • Protect the President's time and movement by managing access tightly.
- • Information equals control—early, clear briefings reduce mistakes.
- • The press will push for access; pre‑emptive rules protect the President and message.
- • The day's logistics are fragile and will likely be disrupted, so setting expectations is necessary.
- • A tight, authoritative tone will keep reporters disciplined in a pressured environment.
Groggy but professional—briefly startled, then immediately attentive and resigned to having to work through the coming disruption.
A credentialed Air Force One reporter (and the sleeping press section collectively) is roused mid‑nap, listens to C.J.'s list of greeters and timing, mentally recalibrates filing plans, and registers the offhand forecast that schedules will collapse.
- • Capture an accurate timeline to file copy and prepare questions.
- • Stay positioned for access to the President or spokespeople given the photos‑only restriction.
- • Anticipate where and when to be to get useful soundbites or visuals.
- • Protect ability to report while maintaining relations with press operations.
- • C.J.'s briefing is authoritative and necessary for access; ignoring it risks losing access or being shut down.
- • The administration will control messaging tightly; scoops depend on reading the space carefully.
- • Logistics and schedule slips are newsworthy in themselves and foreshadow bigger stories.
- • Being prepared and mobile during a compressed itinerary yields the best reporting outcomes.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Unspecified Presidential Airport is the scheduled arrival point described in C.J.'s briefing; it is where the President will be greeted by congressional members, the Mayor, and City Council for a photos-only appearance and from where the motorcade will depart for the hotel.
Harrison's Hotel is cited as the next scheduled stop after the airport; it functions as the day’s immediate logistical destination and the moment where the team expects the schedule to begin slipping—signaling transition from public appearance to private meetings and potential crisis management.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph
Key Dialogue
"C.J.: You guys? Everyone? Sorry, but we're landing in a few minutes, and I just wanted to brief everyone on the President's schedule. The President will be greeted at the airport by Congressmen Hark and Jennsen, the Mayor and various City Council Members. It's photos only, no formal remarks. We will depart the airport at 6:20 and head for the hotel, at which point I predict that we will no longer be on schedule."