Accelerant- Sixth Extinction

by James Morris Robinson

  Kyle and Jeff bowed humbly and, in unison, said, “Yes and we are at your command, my lord.”

  Suddenly, the white room door slid open. In walked a stunningly beautiful Persian woman.

  The High Commander motioned for her to be seated. “Welcome Commander Jameela.”

  Jameela was a biochemist with a Bachelors of Science in Engineering Physics and a Masters of Science in Nuclear Engineering. In Arabic, Jameela literally meant 'beautiful.'

  Kyle thought she is as beautiful as her name.

  The High Commander noticed how taken aback they were with Jameela’s beauty. “Eyes on the mission boys . . . she is not the mission. Jameela is your operational commander.”

  “Pay attention, soldiers!” Jameela snapped. “We are here today because we have had our eyes on you for some time, both of you. You have been chosen to lead the next mission in America. Today, you are promoted to Field Commanders. The Supreme Commander and all High Commanders send their congratulations and blessings.”

  High Commander Mustafa gave both of them a congratulatory handshake. “I leave you both in Jameela's hands. Men…I can’t stress to you enough that she has my full confidence. Understood?”

  Jeff and Kyle stood and bowed. “Yes my lord.”

  The High Commander waved as he exited. “As-salamu alaikum.”

  Kyle, Jameela, and Jeff said, in unison, “Wa alaikum as-salaam,”

  Jameela continued the briefing. “This mission will be a game changer. Genesis has blessed both of you with the most covert of missions. Genesis has gone dark according to the operational plan.

  Jameela had a serene look on her face when she said, “The key to immortality is to live a life worth remembering. Both of you are God’s warriors. You are living a life worth living and you will die as martyrs.”

  Jeff hoped that the fear he was feeling didn't show in his eyes. Jameela walked over to the screens in the room. With a touch, the screens displayed three of the largest shipyards in China. “Over the last two years, Genesis has secured leases from three of the largest shipbuilding conglomerates in China for six of their largest containerized ships. Not just space, but the entire ships, under the wrapper that we are moving equipment and supplies from India to America. Our ships, all of them, are on mission. Their loads are nuclear, concealed among tons of commercial goods. Each ship will be carrying the equivalent of a one million-plus megaton bomb. The ones that appear on the screens are about the size of school buses. They are very cleverly hidden. Once the leviathans reach the United States, two will enter the port for unloading by the longshoremen in Savannah, Georgia, and two will enter the port for unloading by the longshoremen in the port of Charleston, South Carolina.”

  Jameela nodded at Kyle. “We will have our people in crews in both places. By the way, even though the ports are approximately 108 miles apart, they are timed to reach the ports at the same time on the same day.”

  Jeff asked, “What about the other two ships?”

  “Oh, they will travel on and park out at Tybee Island. They will park just far enough from Savannah to be in international waters. The gambling boats do this all the time.”

  “How in the hell do you know this stuff?” asked Kyle.

  Jameela informed Kyle, “The device Jeff dropped in international waters off Tybee Island several months ago was a beacon for Apophis Navigation Systems.”

  Kyle punched Jeff on the shoulder.

  Jameela smiled. “So, Jeff can keep a secret.”

  Kyle was curious, so he asked, “What exactly is Apophis Navigation Systems?”

  Jameela swiped an icon titled Emergence and Savannah Harbor appeared. “Emergence Tug and Towing Company tugboats pull cargo ships into the Savannah and Charleston harbors. Genesis owns this tugboat company. This strategy enables us to move the ships at the speeds and directions we want to. Kyle, you will be placed in Port Charleston to handle navigation and influence navigational decisions.”

  “Understood. I am at your command.”

  Jameela looked at the both of them and silence prevailed. She spoke in a tone that was deadly serious. “This operation has been dark for years. We are taking it deeper with the two of you. By the time you have an opportunity to use your Apophis Tablets to activate the nuclear devices, we may have lost many vessels. The vessel or vessels you see would be likened to the salmon that made it upstream.”

  Kyle nervously asked, “Why would we have lost vessels?”

  Jameela answered in a very stern voice, “Because we may incur the wrath of several nations’ navies before we are done. In your American football, the goal is to block defensive tacklers to protect and make way for the ball-carrier. The ships run offense and the end game is for one to deliver its nuclear load.”

  There was dead silence in the room for what seemed like an eternity. Jameela caught a deep breath. “Several months from now, both of you will travel with several new operatives to an undisclosed location in northern Africa for guerilla tactics training. At that time, you will be issued Apophis Tablets.”

  Kyle interrupted, “You mean Apple iPads?, right?”

  Jameela had an annoyed look, “Kyle, if I meant iPads I would have said iPads. You interrupt me one more time and I will shoot you myself!”

  “Alright already!” Kyle snickered.

  Jeff scolded Kyle. “I think she is serious, bro. Be quiet, okay?”

  Jameela smiled at Jeff. “The both of you I’m sure are curious as to who or what is Apophis Navigation Systems. For the next few moments, I want you to listen, not talk.” Jameela touched an icon on the screen and the name Apophis appeared along with an overly threatening image of a giant serpent devouring earth.

  “Apophis Tablets were designed to communicate codes to create nuclear storms. These Tablets carry cutting-edge artificial intelligence that the Genesis scientists have named Apophis. From deep in Egyptian mythology, Apophis is a demon serpent of darkness. Apophis is the serpentine manifestation of earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, and other chaos. Apophis will enable us to create tsunamis that will be far more powerful than the one that hit the Indian Ocean in 2004 that traveled over 500 miles an hour, and killed over 230,000 people and injured a half million more.”

  Now a soft computer voice took over with a more detailed lesson for Kyle and Jeff.

  “Apophis is the energy of the Genesis Tablets…but much more. The scientist who created them nicknamed them Apophis Tablets because they are at least four generations ahead of the current smart tablet technology. The mobile operating system is proprietary to Genesis. Our Apophis Tablets have the progressive mobile, satellite communication services and Intrusion Detection Systems capacities that rival those of the NSA. These systems deploy countermeasures that will deflect any privacy attacks by governments or their agencies. Apophis utilizes algorithms that can detect and extract text from any image, including photos, maps, and videos. Apophis’s technology drills deep to exploit programming flaws in satellite systems and at the same time keep anti-virus and anti-worm prevention programs busy with, let’s just say, distractors. Apophis technology can hide text in any shape, form, language, or location in high-definition color. This allows Genesis to hide high-value targets online in photos and maps. Apophis Tablets enables us to read through many languages, and through thousands of documents in seconds. Apophis Tablets can also scan and read written notes from the distance of the radius of a football field.

  Jameela looked at both. She saw astonishment and nervousness in their eyes, but she continued.

  “In Cyber camp, you were made aware of the United States Air Force and Navy black-ops projects, which include satellite systems that secretly patrol space for enemy nations’ vessels. Well, Apophis enabled Genesis to hop signal rides undetected. Apophis literally rides the wings of the demons when doing this. Government cyber-cops cannot find us. When we are dark, no light in the world can find us. Apophis’s biometric voice verification systems will ensure that you have singular control for triggering the nuclear event. Kyl
e and Jeff…you are the detonators. You will be our eyes and ears on the ground, and it will be you who will be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice if needed. Your skills and faith will guide you. You will be given details and your Apophis Tablets in a matter of months.”

  Jeff sat back and took a very deep breath. Jeff thought about his brother, his family, and their mother, who lived in Savannah. He thought about the people who invited him to their table in a crowded restaurant on River Street on Saint Patrick’s Day. They were Irish-Americans and he enjoyed a meal with them. When the meal was done, Jeff thanked them for the hospitality. Now in his mind, all he saw was the little old Irish lady that hugged him and said, “May God hold you in the palm of his hand.”

  Jeff looked at Kyle. He looked at Jameela and asked, “Why…why are we doing this?

  Kyle whispered to Jeff, “Shut up…now.”

  “I won’t shut up. I need to know. I am committed and I am ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. I am a warrior, but I need to know, why so many innocents?” Jeff looked directly at Jameela. “I just need to know why.”

  Suddenly the white room door slid open again. In walked High Commander Roble, Genesis’ Director of Intelligence. He thanked Jeff and Kyle for their leadership and courage on missions over the past several years. The Director of Intelligence quickly addressed Jeff’s question. “Your question is welcomed, timely, and appreciated. We need to make a statement concerning how America and the United Kingdom financed the uprisings and assassinations of several Muslim leaders in an attempt to break the back of Islam. One leader was killed in front of his son like an animal. They refused him a warrior’s funeral. You ask, why do we do this? Our actions send a message to NATO, the UK, and the United States military. Today, we are taking the fight to them!”

  Roble pointed to the streaming news media images on interactive screens. “The CIA and MI6 also financed the uprisings in other Middle Eastern and African countries. We know that the Israelis led the assassinations with resources provided by the CIA and MI6.”

  Kyle needed confirmation of the Director of Intelligence’s last statement. “Okay, I understand this, but you keep saying MI6. It is MI5, right?”

  Roble laughed, “No, son! It is MI6.” Roble looked at Jameela. “Who’s been training our boys? Have they been having too much fun here in China? The Security Service, MI5, is the British intelligence agency working to protect the UK’s internal national security against threats such as terrorism and espionage. Now MI6 is the true secret intelligence service. These are the spies of Britain’s foreign intelligence. This stuff is what your American James Bond movies are made of. The service is based at Vauxhall Cross in London. I worked for both services at one time or another. But enough with the spy talk!”

  The Director of Intelligence swiped a flashing icon. The map of the United States appeared. He tapped South Carolina. “We also need to make a statement regarding how the West has detained and treated our young men and women held and tortured at Parris Island, South Carolina.”

  Kyle again had that puzzled look and said, “You mean Gitmo, right?”

  “No! Parris Island.”

  Jeff interrupted, “Kyle is right; your intelligence is wrong. It is Gitmo. I know, I have a cousin who works there.”

  “No! It is Parris Island. The terrorist attacks that occurred in the United States on September 11, 2001, resulted in activation of Gitmo’s Camp X-Ray as a temporary location for detention operations.”

  Jeff looked at Kyle for approval. “It is Gitmo, not Parris Island. There is nothing like that at Parris Island…is there?

  The Director of Intelligence looked at them with a quirky smile on his face. “Commanders, it is Parris Island.” The Director of Intelligence swiped the touchscreen again. He drilled down to Beaufort, South Carolina, and then Parris Island. “Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island is located within Port Royal, South Carolina. Parris Island is about forty-one miles from Savannah, Georgia, to the south and seventy-six miles from Charleston, South Carolina, to the north. This recruitment depot trains about 17,000 recruits a year. What Americans do not know is that these facilities house industrial strength marine intelligence operations. Hidden in plain sight, they conduct aggressive interrogations of high-level targets and high-value assets. This prison camp is guarded by America’s best-trained soldiers. This facility and their resources have cost us untold assets and lives.”

  The Director of Intelligence swiped the interactive screen and a map of Port Royal Sound appeared. In a vengeful tone of voice, he said, “Ideally, we want to ram two leviathan Fireships right into Port Royal Sound, which is a waterway that lies between Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Beaufort. The nuclear heat would incinerate everything for a radius of 300 miles. We can’t get that close without detection. So we get within 50 or 60 miles and on that day, in the name of Allah, we take the fight to them!”

  The Director of Intelligence swiped the touch screen again and new images appeared.

  “We also will take out Hunter Army Airfield and Fort Stewart Army Post. Hunter Army Airfield is 10.6 miles from Savannah and Fort Stewart is 52.1 miles southwest of Savannah…well within the 300-mile blast radius. Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield are the homes of the 3rd Infantry Division. Together, they are the United States Army’s premier power projection platform on the Atlantic coast. It is the largest, most effective, and efficient armor training installation east of the Mississippi. Hunter Army Airfield is home to the army’s longest runway on the east coast and the Truscott Air Deployment Terminal. Together, these assets are capable of deploying units such as the heavy, armored forces of the 3rd Infantry Division or the elite light fighters of the First Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. Tank, field artillery, helicopter gunnery, and small arms ranges operate simultaneously throughout the year with little time lost to bad weather. Our intelligence tells us that Fort Stewart’s population is about 11,205 people: 1,849 households, and 1,791 families. Hunter Army Airfield has a population of about 4,319 soldiers and 722 civilian employees.”

  Jeff jumped out of his seat, “Why? They are nothing to us. They deploy, they escort, they train, nothing else.”

  Jameela shouted at Jeff, “Stand down commander! Stand down now.”

  The Director of Intelligence motioned for Jameela to stay seated.

  The Director of Intelligence looked at Jeff. “Stand down, soldier.”

  Jeff apologized. “It is just that my brother and his family are there in Savannah.”

  Jameela added, “The Supreme Commander made it a point to remind all leaders that Genesis seeks to inspire non-Muslims to accept our way of life, not intimidate them. We seek more of a political and economic solution rather than one which requires fire. If we are tested, I assure you, we can deliver nuclear heat of biblical proportions to any location on this planet. But we prefer political and economic methods.”

  The Director of Intelligence walked over and sat by Jeff. He patted Jeff on his knee. “Let me tell you a story. In late 1943, Camp Stewart assumed a new responsibility as one of many holding areas designated in this country for German and Italian prisoners of war who had fallen into Allied hands during fighting in North Africa. The German and Italian prisoners were held in two separate POW facilities on post, and they were used as a labor force for base operations, construction projects, and for area farming. Fort Stewart also houses industrial strength army intelligence operations including interrogation resources for high-level targets and high-value assets. The Dog Chow camp, code for a POW camp, was reactivated after the September 11, 2001 attacks on America. We know that prisoners are flown in from Gitmo all the time. America’s best-trained army soldiers, called 'dogface soldiers,' guard this location. Many of our boys are there and they are used as manual laborers between severe and inhumane interrogations. They will also die as martyrs for Allah.”

  Jameela spoke. “Jeff…look at me. Soldier, that is an order.”

  Jeff looked at her with his large brown eyes.

  Jam
eela quieted his fear, “Do know this, if you are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice, all you may see is a flash. You will not feel, hear, or see anything again on this level of existence. The only thing you must fear is the fear of dying. For what you do on that day will be known for eternity.”

  The Director of Intelligence shouted, “Allah akbar!”

  Jeff smiled at the Director, “God is great. Yes, he is!”

  Jameela looked at her clock. “You know your mission gentlemen. We are done here.”

  Chapter Nine — Tunnels and Satellites

  It took Jeff and Kyle several months to settle into their new jobs at the shipyards in China. They did not know why, yet. They were among the elite of radicalized commanders for Genesis. This meant that they followed orders well. During this time, they were required to complete their commando training so they traveled with other commanders to the Horn of Africa for combat and reconnaissance training.

  “Jeff, this big bird is beginning to feel a lot like home.”

  “You know Kyle…you are so right. We have spent a lot of time on this A300 Super Transporter lately.”

  “Yeah, feels like we are getting ready to descend.”

  Jeff and Kyle were wearing the same headsets as the flight crew under their command.

  The flight tower radioed the pilot, “GSC989, you are cleared to begin your descent from your cruising altitude of 43,000 feet to 11,000 feet and maintain for 15 miles.”