by Chase Austin
Mike and his wife were here to attend the wedding of their dear friend’s son. The place held a special place in their hearts. This was the same venue where they had their own daughter’s wedding a few months ago. The gentle music and the hubbub of the guests were occasionally broken up by the sounds of what people perceived as the clamor of some construction going on in the hotel.
No one paid any heed when two young boys appeared outside the glass door. They both smiled looking at the carefree guests, enjoying the wine and soft music. Then, two guns were leveled against the glass door and they pressed the trigger. The glass door shattered with a loud noise. The first few bullets pierced through a couple dancing near the door, throwing their lifeless bodies onto the carpeted floor. The two militants didn’t stop there. Moving further into the room, they shot at anything that moved. The room echoed with the sounds of smashed cutlery, broken glass, flying wood, and the screams of hundreds of guests. A few people at the far end of the corner took out their cell phones. They needed to let someone know about their situation.
“Hello everyone,” one of the militants spoke loudly to the still breathing people in the room. “So, how is everyone doing today?”
Chapter 32
Onyx Hotel, The Marina, Houston
Eight officers from the Houston Police Department (HPD) were near the Marina when they received the call on their radio. They were told of gunshots at the Onyx in Marina. When they reached the hotel, the gunshots had silenced but they could see the dead bodies outside the hotel. After much deliberation, the team decided to enter the building through the entrance at Sage Road from the loading dock ‘L’.
Without knowing the building’s blueprint, it was impossible to navigate through the corridors. The hotel’s security manager eventually stepped in to help them navigate the hotel. But that was not the only problem. Initial reports had indicated the presence of two young shooters and the team had planned the infiltration keeping this number in mind. Armed with the semi-automatic SIG Sauer P226 DAO service weapons, the team’s aim was to take control of the hotel, but what they didn’t know was that these were not just some street thugs or gang members.
They realized this truth as soon as they reached the hotel’s reception lobby.
Shahrukh had known what would happen, and he had placed two of the boys in search of any moving target from that direction. So when the officers arrived, a barrage of fire came their way. The officers fired in return, but the semi-automatic guns weren’t enough to counter the two heavily-loaded Kalashnikovs. Eight against two and still the stakes were heavily skewed in favor of the two militants. The fire was strong and there was no way these ill-equipped officers would be able to overcome it. The best thing was to withdraw the attack for the time being.
The retreat was swift and sudden. The eight officers made sure they provided sustained cover fire before the terrorists could gauge and understand their strategy.
What they didn’t know was that this failed attack had suddenly given the terrorist an impetus to fast track their plan.
Chapter 33
Onyx Hotel, The Marina, Houston
Barring the two gunmen manning the first floor, the rest of them had started to comb each floor for hostages. Their instructions were clear – Capture as many hostages as possible, kill those who fail to comply.
Shahrukh had chosen Onyx’s tenth floor’s ballroom as their operations base for the next few hours.
Tactically, they were fortifying their position while the various agencies scrambled outside to prepare for a response to this massacre. Over a hundred Houston police department officers, many of them armed with the latest weapons, and tens of Cruisers, converged at the Marina but none of them entered the premises.
They were waiting for the Marines or the SWAT teams to act, but the eight terrorists were not going to wait. They knew what they had to do. Three of the militants landed at the top two floors of the hotel with bottles of liquor from the Lobby Bar. Kicking open every suite, they drenched the walls, floors, drapes, and carpets with alcohol and set them alight. This was because Shahrukh knew that the Americans would try to enter the hotel and the most effective way to prevent them was from the top. The burning top floors would not only diminish that possibility, but the erupting flames would also strongly announce to the world that only a handful of people could bring the most powerful nation to its knees.
The whole of America saw the red flames flaring up at the top of the building. This and the twelve simultaneous blasts sent the TV and Internet into a tizzy. Every channel was ablaze with live images of destruction in every city. Every reporter with a mic and a camera started to propagate every plausible theory with extreme confidence without discerning how it would affect their audience’s psyche. Several news reports started to flood the Internet that the White House itself was under attack. In the blind race of getting the biggest ‘breaking news’, these media avenues broke every journalism rule ever written.
The fog of war had enveloped everyone. Extreme panic had set across cities. From all across the country, false alarms were reported from multiple establishments, crowded locations and every place that anyone ever thought could be bombed. Panic-stricken citizens started to call 911 about anyone and everyone they suspected to be a terrorist in their vicinity. No one – neither the people nor the administration – knew what was real and what wasn’t. In a matter of hours, it started to seem as if thousands of terrorists had taken over the whole of America.
The siege of America had begun: an audacious operation planned with military precision and ruthlessly executed in the heart of the USA.
Chapter 34
Yasin was watching everything on the TV screen, clapping and shouting. At the Taliban mission control rooms especially set up near the Durand Line (Afghan-Pakistan Border) and at the secluded location in Texas, twenty Taliban handlers, were also at work. They were wearing headsets and speaking English, Urdu, and Punjabi into the Internet telephone connections on eight laptops to motivate and direct the eight shooters at the Onyx. The rest of the shooters didn’t have mobile phones, but for Onyx, Yasin had other plans. Each one of the eight shooters were provided with burner cells with only incoming call facility.
The control rooms had TV sets tuned to various American news channels and every social media channel, where Americans flocked regularly, to monitor the narrative and if required, then steer it in the direction they wanted. The other aspect was to get the latest updates and know how the American forces were being mobilized.
The information communication revolution had transformed the world. It was now, in an unprecedented way, helping the transborder terrorist masterminds exercise military-style command and control for the duration of the attack.
Part 3
Chapter 35
Oval Office, Whitehouse, 5 hours since the attack
President Hancock was pacing back and forth in the Oval Office. Samuel Baker, his Chief of Staff, was the only one accompanying him, and at the moment Baker was gazing at his boss with anticipation. Even after ninety minutes of intense discussions in the Situation room, Hancock wasn’t sure what steps to take next.
The information that the terrorists were Americans and not from the usual suspect countries had made the situation trickier. He had already asked the FBI Director to start interrogating the families of the identified terrorists as discreetly as possible. He knew that sooner or later this would come out in the media and his decision and actions would be scrutinized from all angles. He was on a slippery slope, and with him was his legacy.
That’s why he needed someone like a Peter Jackson at such crunch moments. Peter was an expert in getting the best out of even the worst situations and this was one of those. But Peter had quit a few hours ago. Hancock didn’t want to call him to reconsider his decision. That would make him look weak. The US President could never look weak. Peter could be the Einstein of political maneuvers, but it was Hancock who was the President of the United States, based on his own merits
and hard work. And he would bend for no one. If Peter wanted to go, then he didn’t deserve to be in the White House, and that was that.
Baker, unaware of the contradicting thoughts going through the mind of his boss, was in his own world. For now, he was just glad that Helms had not revealed their conversation on the phone, but he had to talk to him and if necessary, apologize, to douse the impending fire. But he didn’t want to do it in person. Why would he waste his time to travel to Maryland? Even if he had to cede his ground, he would do it on his own terms. The best way was to do it on the phone, quick and easy but not now.
Chapter 36
Helms knew he wasn’t going to be a part of the Situation Room meeting anymore. After listening to his thoughts, Hancock asked him to log out of the meeting in the politest way possible. Helms was just disappointed that Hancock’s personal agenda trumped national security in his case.
The downside of this was that he had no idea what was happening in the Situation Room, what decisions were being taken, and that made him jittery. On the other hand, he was constantly getting bombarded with intel on the terrorists’ movement in the three cities. He knew that the same intel was also routed to the Situation Room, but he couldn’t fathom why there was a delay in arriving at critical decisions. The more Hancock waited, the worse the attacks were getting. The number of lives they could have saved were reducing fast due to the Government’s lack of action. Philadelphia was under control but what about Manhattan and Houston? Especially Houston, since it was now turning into a massive hostage situation.
Finally, he called Mattis. As soon as the call was picked up, he asked, “What’s happening?”
“The President has taken a ten-minute recess.”
“Recess!” Helms couldn’t hold back his surprise.
“He needs to think this through. There are Americans involved on both sides.”
“Yeah, but one side is killing the other so whether American or not, we should act now. We act when a lone shooter goes berserk on a school. How is that shooter any less American than these terrorists?”
“This is different, Bill. You are not getting it.”
“Then explain to me, Patrick. I want to know what I am not getting, and you all are.” Helms’ bottled anger was now visible through his words.
“I’ve to call you back. The President is here.” Mattis disconnected the call, leaving Helms again in the dark.
Chapter 37
Oval Office, Whitehouse
“What’s the latest situation?” The first question from Hancock was in the air as soon as he entered the room.
“Philadelphia is under control. The SWAT team has taken over the market. Six terrorists are dead, and one has been captured alive. He is severely injured and unconscious. A team of doctors is working hard to resuscitate him. The reports are that a man named Stan Lang helped contain the attacks but unfortunately, we couldn’t save him,” Mattis responded.
“I need everything on him, and keep me posted on that terrorist’s situation. We just cannot afford to lose him,” Hancock ordered. “What about the other cities?”
“Manhattan and Houston are now turning into a hostage situation. In Manhattan, the terrorists have taken over a hospital and an estimated fifteen hundred plus hospital staff and patients are in the building.”
“Which hospital?”
“Bellevue Hospital Center.”
Hancock’s face displayed shock on hearing the name. It was the same hospital where his children were born.
“A SWAT team is stationed outside the hospital ready to engage and waiting for orders.”
“How many men?” Hancock asked.
“From our side, twenty men against seven to eight terrorists. More reinforcements are on their way to the hospital.”
“What about Houston?”
“Houston is worse. The terrorists have taken over the Onyx building. More than four hundred guests and hotel staff are expected to be in the building. A team of eight local police officers initially tried to enter the premises but the terrorists thwarted their efforts. They have also started a fire on the hotel’s top two floors and the rooftop. We are trying to douse the fire using helicopters, but the birds cannot go near the building for the fear of getting shot at. We are awaiting orders from you on the next steps.”
Hancock heard all this silently and then spoke, “General Shelton, what can we do?”
General David Shelton looked at his four aides, one each from the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, and the Marines. He then spoke with caution. “Sir, we should not make any decision in haste.”
General Shelton knew what he was talking about. The Mogadishu incident had forced the American forces to refine their strategies. In Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993, nineteen Army Rangers and Delta Force operators were killed in a daytime raid that had spun disastrously out of control. The conclusion to this failure was: never operate during daylight if you don’t have to, and if you’re not sure what you’re up against, don’t go in without close air support, or armor, or both. In this case, they had no idea what they were up against, so General Shelton didn’t want to add another layer of complexity by conducting the raid in broad daylight. They had to wait for the night. But there was only one problem. Hancock wasn’t onboard with this plan. Worried about the negative press and a resurgent opposition, he had to look decisive, and not only in the Situation Room but also outside.
“General Shelton, we cannot wait till night. We have to act now.”
“I’m asking you to wait while we try to gather intel about the terrorist. We are also awaiting reports from the Philadelphia attack so that we’ll have more clarity. If we go now, we expect heavy casualties from our side too. It can also backfire if the terrorists start using hostages as a shield.”
“General, we are constantly hearing gunshots from the buildings so our people are already in danger, dying. Don’t you think the more we delay the more we are giving these terrorists a free hand? We have to proceed with the mission now.”
General Shelton looked at others but none of them came forward in his support. After a long pause of deliberation, he shook his head in negation. Despite the President’s insistence, he could not endanger the lives of the hostages and his men.
“General, are you saying you won’t do it?”
“Not before we get more relevant intel.”
“General, you know what this means for your career?”
“I understand, sir.”
Hancock looked desperately at others, but none of them appeared inclined to interrupt to take anyone’s side. They knew that a four-star general was no pushover.
Hancock had to take action now to show his strength. As the President, he could’ve overridden General Shelton, but that scenario had more downside than up.
However, he could obviously mobilize the local police teams, and he did that without waiting. He looked back at General Shelton one last time and started instructing everyone else in the room.
Hancock looked straight at others who didn’t dare deny him what he wanted. “Let the SWAT team know that they are authorized to proceed as they see fit. Start with Philadelphia. If the operation is successful, then we will replicate it in Houston. Can we see the operation on the screen here?”
“Yes, Mr. President,” Mattis responded.
“Do it.”
Yes, sir.”
“Try engaging the terrorists in the Onyx using dialogue. What’s the status of their families?”
“Some of them have been already contacted. Multiple teams are now en-route to the various cities to meet the rest. The identification of the rest of the terrorists is still a work in progress.”
“Did we get any updates on the terrorists hiding in Onyx and Bellevue?”
“Not yet.”
“Keep at it.”
“We are, sir.”
“What about the press? Have we issued any statement yet?”
“No, sir.” Baker responded this time.
“Work with Sandra
and show me a statement for the press in thirty minutes.”
“Yes, sir.” Baker nodded and rushed out of the room.
Chapter 38
Jessica was in her one-room apartment in Todd Mission watching the deadly attack unfolding on the television when a number flashed on the cell that she used when not in active duty for Task Force 77. Being a part of the Team Vesuvius, one of TF-77’s support teams, she was accustomed to leading a dual life. This call was nothing out of ordinary.
Vesuvius’ job was to support TF-77’s assets in their missions. These teams were typically comprised of three to four members — made available to field operatives depending on the mission’s complexity.
