WAR (27 page)

              “I wanted to use the uniforms only for our escape and if we needed to bluff our way through any roadblocks.”

              “Do you think we got Bloomberg?”

              “I thought so; we’ll soon know for sure won’t we?”

              “The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can go home.”

              “Colonel, have you noticed that the prices seem to be going up on everything every other day?”

              “Yes, I’ve been recording the changes; they’re small changes, they rise every other day. Since most in the LSA works for the government, they’re all on a fixed income. Hence the price changes we're seeing are going to be impacting them sooner versus later.” Before the Colonel can finish, they’re shocked to notice their lights turn on. Grover says, “Look, I guess we succeeded because the power has been turned back on. Lights, hot water, maybe even a news broadcast."

              “Colonel, I wouldn’t count on the truth.”

              “Captain, truth is where you find it. Let’s see what they’re saying.” Turning on the television, Grover and the Captain hear, “Celebration! All of the LSA, tonight we celebrate. The evil USA has agreed to turn on our electricity. Today is a happy day for everyone in the LSA. We have lights, heat, and hot water.  What we don’t have is the internet. President Rand announced today that he turned on our electricity, however, he turned off our internet. We have overcome having our electricity turned off; we can live without the internet.” 

              “Colonel, why did he turn one service on only to turn the other off?”

              “I don’t know. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. Let’s make our way to the remains of the Gray House.”

@@@@@

“Commander, we found them!” Major Robert Wiener tells Commander Zack Ryder of the Virginia militia.

“Where is their main body?”

“Inside the underground parking garage that was being repaired at Tysons I.”

“Makes perfect sense, they’re less than a mile to the Beltway and close to 66 which will take them directly into D.C. Call the other platoon leaders while I call the Pentagon.”

“General Wilcox, this is Virginia militia leader Zack Ryder, my people have found the Russian armor getting ready to attack D.C. They are in the underground garage at the Tysons I Galleria. What do you have to send us? We have bodies, but not heavy weapons.”

“I’ll have TOWs and Javelin missiles with some additional bodies at your HQ in less than twenty minutes.”

“Thanks. We’ll attack as soon as your people and equipment arrive.”

“Stay in touch, your reinforcements are almost at your position. Good hunting.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Eighteen minutes later five large transport trucks pull up in front of the Tysons Marriott Hotel. “Commander, help is here.”

Zack leaves his makeshift office on the ground floor to meet Major Ron Griffin, “Major, welcome, I understand you’ve brought us some freebies?”

“Commander, sure have. Truck full of missiles and enough C4 to bring down the entire parking complex. I’ve also brought you some manpower.”

“I like that. No need to risk any of our people’s lives. Can you do it? I mean bring the entire garage down on them? What about the mall above them?”

“That’s going to be a little problematic.”

“I ain’t paying for a new mall. This job doesn’t pay.”

Laughing Major Griffin says, we got it covered. My boss called the Governor who’s called the developer. I don’t think anyone’s happy about what’s going to happen, but if we don’t stop their armor here, a lot of lives are going to be lost. Plus they most likely will bring the bridges into D.C. down.”

“When do you want to leave?”

“ASAP.”

“Let’s go, my people are ready to help provide cover for you.”

Chapter 18

                              “Halt! Identify yourselves. You are entering a restricted area.”

              “Commander Grover and a squad of four from DepLIES Portland. We are crime scene specialists who were quickly assigned to the Gray House investigation. Here is my ID card.”

              “Commander, thank you. Sir, I wasn’t aware the Gray House gas explosion was classified as a crime scene. Our CSS (Crime Scene Specialist) told me he thought this was a natural gas explosion. With the power fluctuations, he thought it was something with the gas flow. We’re keeping people way so they don’t rob the place before we can collect all of the classified papers. As you can see, we have hundreds of people picking up papers and debris. We’re assuming all of the papers are classified State Secure.”

              “Captain, do you realize that if this was an assassination attempt, your people are walking all over my crime scene? There’s no way we’re going to be able to figure out if the perpetrators left any DNA behind with all that your people are leaving. I’m ordering you to cease all recovery operations and pull your people back 500 meters. I demand you do this NOW, or I’ll arrest you and all of your people. Captain what's your decision?”

              “Commander, I’m sorry. I’m very sorry. I didn’t realize it might be classified as a crime scene. No one told me that you were being sent to take over the investigation.”

              “Captain, I understand. My team and I are here now. Please withdraw your people at once. I need a clean area to review. I also want a list of everyone who had entry into the Gray House this evening, make it for the previous two weeks. I would also like to know President Bloomberg’s schedule for the previous two weeks and where he is now and will be for the next five days.”

              “Commander, I don’t have any of that information. I’m not from the Presidential Protection Detail. I’m from area security. Commander, I swear I didn’t know this might have been an assassination attempt. Sir, please don’t file a report on my team and I.”

              “Captain, I’m sure everything is a little confused tonight. I’ll overlook your breach of protocol if you remove yourself and your team within the next three minutes.”

              “Yes sir. TEAM, ATTENTION. STOP what you’re doing right now. I want everyone to drop everything you’re holding. I want you to pause, stand up and return to the assembly area. We are turning over the scene to Commander Grover and his Crime Scene Specialist team.”

              A voice is heard from the far end of the debris field, “Shit, now they tell us. I bet we’re going to spend two days sitting in the box answering questions, like what did we touch and when did we touch it.”

              The Captain yells, “Shut up or the Commander will arrest you. I want everyone moving right now.”

              Grover’s team is working hard at not breaking into smiles and laugh at the DepLIES agents falling over themselves trying to back out of the debris field that used to be the Gray House. Grover asks, “Captain, when do I get the information I asked for?”

              “Commander, I’ve texted headquarters for it. I should hear back any moment.”

              “Captain, tell me where is the President?”

              “Commander, he was injured in the blast, I wasn’t informed where he was taken.”

              “If you had to guess, where would you guess?”

              “Commander, my guess would be the executive wing at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Do you need its location?”

              “Captain, even we, in what you call the wilds of the North West, know about CS. Do you take me for a fool?”

              “Commander, no, no sir. I didn’t mean to imply anything.”

              “When was he taken to CS?”

              “Sir, I really don’t know the actual time. I was ordered here about two hours ago.”

              Looking around the debris field Grover says, “I see your people are now out of the area, can you confirm this?”

              “Yes sir, I confirm my people have left the area inside the debris field.”

              “Captain, I hereby take responsibility for the remains of the Gray house do you want me to initial your tablet?”

              “Commander, I’m bringing up form 10364RES-Td37-XZ4TP. If you would initial in the box, I and my team will be gone.”

              “Capitan, remember to leave everything your men were picking up so we can check it for DNA.” Lowering his voice, Grover whispers, “Captain, if our DNA review should happen to reflect one or more of your men had breached protocol or is using banned substances would it help you if I contacted you before I submitted the final report?”

              “You would do that?”

              “We field agents have to stick together.”

              Whispering, “Thank you Commander, anything you might ever need from Area Control, you tag me, here’s my ID number.”

              “Have a good evening Captain.”

              Grover’s second in command walks over to him asking, “What was all that about?”

              “See all of the black plastic bags with the red stripes on them? They’re full of classified documents. We need to
take
them to our lab so we can study them, we have to ensure there was no internal plot against the beloved President.”

              The captain walking away from Grover hears the exchange and smiles knowing the Commander will get to the bottom of the explosion. He can’t wait to grill his local CSS.

              Grover thinks to himself,
Damn it, he survived. We might as well collect everything here and then develop a plan to take him out in the hospital. I’ll tell home-base we need certified IDs as doctors or hospital workers with security clearance so we can get close to him.

             
While Colonel Grover stood lost in his thoughts his captain approached him saying, “Colonel?”

              Grover whispers, “Make sure you use my LSA rank here.”

              “Yes Commander, we have an intelligence gold mine, we’ve left hundreds of the small yellow and red numbered signs CSS usually leaves behind, we’ve taped the area as a crime scene. No one in the LSA will cross the tape.”

              “Good work. We have to get new IDs and find our target at Cedars. First we have to log onto the DepLIES network so we can see what his condition is. This is the first blemish on my record. I’ve never left anyone alive before.”

              “Commander, there’s always a first time, even lady luck finds a way to take the target’s side once in a while.”

              “Not with my targets. Let’s go. I want to finish this assignment as quickly as possible.”

              “Yes sir.”

              “Take the collected paperwork to the safe house, scan every document, we’ll send it to headquarters. After you send the files, use a small amount of WP to burn the contents of the bags, leave nothing behind. When you’re finished, take your team and get out of Dodge.”

              “Yes sir.”

@@@@@

              Jason and Sharon are overjoyed that the electric power has been restored. Scott is watching the evening news program with his parents while Sissy is playing in her room with a friend. Jason whispers, “This is very bad. The Gray House blew up. I bet the USA war mongers attacked our seat of Government.”

              Scott looks at his father, “Dad that’s an act of war. Shouldn’t we respond in kind?”

              “Son, if we continue to escalate or match each attack with an equal or greater attack, we’ll slide down the slippery slope into a major war that will destroy our country. We’ll lose everything we’ve worked so hard for.”

              “But Dad, they tried to kill our President, they turned off our electrical power which most likely caused some deaths, they turned off our internet. They attacked us. Even if what they say about us attacking them first, it wasn’t us the people of the LSA; it must have been a confused government employee, the USA responded way over equal. They tried to hurt us, look at what they’ve just done, they tried to kill our President. I think we need to raise an army and take the war to them. I think we need to bring pain to their people.”

              “Son, wars don’t solve issues.”

              Sharon nods her head saying, “Honey, they do solve issues. War is just the next step in politics. I know you’re a peacenik, you don’t believe war should ever be used, I don’t agree. I think there are times war is the only choice.”

              “Sharon, your line of reasoning would place Scott’s life in jeopardy. If we went to war, the country would have to raise an army, most likely through a draft. Such a draft would scoop up young men and women between 16 and 40, by the time the war is over Scott will be drafted, we could lose our son to a war with the USA. We could lose our home and everything we worked for. Is it all worth going to war?”

              “Honey, should we roll over and tell the USA to just do us again?”

              “Mom! That’s gross talk.”