Jeff reached over and grabbed Kyle’s shoulder. “Where is the runway? I do not see the runway. All I see is the forest canopy. It looks like we are about 300 feet above the forest floor.”
“How can you tell?”
“Look at the broad leaves on those trees. You can see eagles flying, so that is the top of the canopy. If the pilot flies into that, he will hit the primary canopy layer, which forms a roof over the two remaining layers. We would never make it to the under-story layer or the forest floor, as this is the thickest part. So thick that snakes, toucans, and tree frogs live there.”
The flight tower radioed the pilot, “GSC989, you are cleared to descend to 6000 feet; take a 90-degree vector east.”
Kyle was really curious now, “What is the understory, Jeff?”
“This is the part of the forest canopy where little sunshine reaches, so the plants have to grow larger leaves to reach the sunlight. You will see plants as tall as 12 to 13 feet. But the under-story space is not completely filled with leaves and plants. A jaguar blending in with the foliage may wait high on a branch to drop onto the back of passing prey. Bats, birds, and insects can frequently fly more freely over longer distances in this expanse than they can in the canopy above. Oh yeah, and lots of bugs and insects. Big ones.”
“Wow.”
“I am not done yet. We still have not reached the forest floor dude.”
The flight tower radioed the pilot with additional directions. “GSC989, descend to 900 and maintain heading.”
Jeff was getting really concerned. “If the pilot can cut through the dense under-story and somehow makes it through, he will encounter the forest floor before he crashes. Hardly any sun reaches the forest floor. It's dark down there.”
Kyle had faith that the seasoned pilots were in control and knew what they were doing. He tried to calm Jeff with small talk. “The Horn of Africa is capable of biblical scale famines, yet holds beauty beyond anything else mankind has ever seen. The countries that make up the Horn of Africa are Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia. The Horn is named so because it juts out like the horn of a rhinoceros.”
Jeff lashed out. “The hell with the history lesson, bro'. We have flown non-stop from China. We are hauling a payload of 52 tons and we have clocked an average speed of 560 miles an hour and flown about 7,310 miles to Africa.”
“Jeff…I have no idea what that means.”
“Hate to break it to you bro, but we are riding on fumes. We are going to crash.”
Suddenly in their handsets, they heard the flight tower tell the pilot, “GSC989, you may descend and vector 60 degrees to the runway, extended center-line, then vector 20 degrees to align with the runway, and then maintain speed to three degrees on glide-slope which will take you to the runway edge. Welcome!”
Kyle and Jeff looked out the window of the oversized air transport and saw the top of the canopy suddenly open up.
“See Jeff, I told you so.”
“How in the world do they do that?”
The flight tower radioed the pilot, “GSC989, you are cleared to land.”
The ‘Beluga’ descended through the under-story. They could see plants as tall as 12 to 13 feet and jaguars and other animals in the distant trees as the cargo ship approached the beautiful 11,000-foot runway.
“Praise be to God.”
Jeff yelled. “Dude…this is awesome!”
Once on the ground, Jeff, Kyle, and the other soldiers began unloading supplies, food and medical equipment for this famine-stricken area. Midday, Jeff, and Kyle enjoyed a chilled chai iced tea while they ate a lunch that consisted of specially prepared canned meat and bread that limited the chance of illness or infestation from local sources.
Jeff looked around. He found comfort in knowing that they were looked at as heroes, not terrorists.
“Kyle, I love the way Genesis takes care of the under-served and neglected populations in these countries.”
A soldier walked up to them. He was older, seasoned, and had a Mediterranean look. As he handed each of them bottled water, the soldier said, “There is a strict code of behavior commanders practice in towns Genesis has occupied. When Genesis enters a town, the commanders remind the soldiers of their directives. The first is to do nothing to damage the land and crops or spoil the houses and belongings of the people. They help if they can. The second directive is, don’t insist on buying or borrowing what the people are not willing to sell or lend. Honesty and integrity are operative words. The third directive is, don’t make people believe that Genesis field commanders or operatives hold them in contempt. The last and most important is to help them in their daily work and lives. That is the Genesis directive.”
“Yeah, it is also a great clandestine cover for our ops,” replied Kyle.
The soldier grumbled and walked away. “Bit-tawfiq.”
“Kyle, what did he say?”
“Good luck.”
“Good luck to you, too, soldier.”
They made it to camp by sunset, tired and ready for showers and a good night's sleep. Morning did come quickly and after prayer and breakfast, they reported in for training. As the elevator descended to the fifth floor, Kyle made an observation. “This floor is marked the fifth floor but we are at least 15 stories below ground.”
“Kyle, how could you possibly know this?”
“Look around. There are no air vents, no fans blowing in this hellish place, and it is freezing in here. Thank God for small miracles.”
Jeff just shook his head in amazement. They entered the football field sized classroom and were surprised to be greeted by an old familiar face. When Jameela walked to the front of the room, Jeff winked at Kyle and smiled. The training class for guerilla tactics began. To their surprise, Jameela was an expert in the tactics of Sun Tzu.
Jameela brought the large class to attention with a commanding voice. “Commanders. Listen closely, as some of you may go head to head with our enemies, and the only way you will live is to employ your strength to exploit the weaknesses of the enemy. So listen up. If you have not read Sun Tzu’s book The Art of War before walking through this door…leave now.”
There was dead silence. Seven soldiers humbly got up and headed for the door. Jameela began. “Sun Tzu was a brilliant Chinese military strategist who lived over 2,000 years ago. Sun Tzu taught his followers that warfare involves employing one’s strengths to exploit the weaknesses of the enemy. The North Vietnamese also deployed Sun Tzu's strategies with great efficiency.
Jeff asked a question. “I thought the United States won that war?”
Jameela scratched her chin. “Well yes and no.”
Suddenly, Jeff and Kyle heard another familiar voice. “I think I can answer that.”
In walked the seasoned looking soldier they saw the day before. He was the operating field commander of this camp. Jameela yielded the floor to her superior officer.
“We can learn from our enemies. Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz, a Prussian general and military theorist who stressed the moral and political aspects of war, said that the political object is the goal, war is the means of reaching it, and the means can never be considered in isolation from their purposes. The U.S. and South Vietnamese governments wanted to keep the South Vietnamese government from falling to the communists. The ultimate goal was to contain communism. This goal was not achieved, as the South Vietnamese government fell to an invasion from communist North Vietnam...The North Vietnamese government wanted to outlast U.S. patience and willingness to suffer casualties so that the United States would eventually withdraw, and the North Vietnamese could conquer South Vietnam. These goals were achieved. The North Vietnamese deployed Sun Tzu's strategies to achieve its victories. Jameela will explain how.”
Jameela pressed a button on her console and interactive display panels with images of the Vietnam War appeared. “In December 1965, Ho Chi Minh and the North Vietnamese leadership ordered a change in the way the war in the south was to be fought. The Vietcong would avoi
d direct battles with the Americans unless the odds were clearly in their favor. There would be more hit-and-run attacks and ambushes. The Vietcong were devout disciples of Sun Tzu. They believed that the highest priority was to create safe base areas and secure sanctuaries for times when the war might go badly. Hiding their headquarters and training areas had always been a high priority for the Vietcong. Now, with American spotter planes everywhere, it was more vital than ever to protect them. In remote swamps or forests, there were few problems, but nearer the capital of Vietnam, it was much more difficult. The answer was to build enormous systems of underground tunnels that were not just for travel or shelter. They were fighting bases capable of providing continuous support for troops. Even if a village was in enemy hands, the Vietcong beneath were still able to conduct offensive operations. In Vietnam, there were complexes big and small scattered across the country. Each villager contributed by digging three feet of tunnel a day. There was even a standard handbook specifying how tunnels were to be built. The biggest tunnel systems were in the Iron Triangle and the Cu Chi District, only twenty miles from Saigon. The rest of the week, you will contribute to the equivalent of the Iron Triangle. You will dig four feet of tunnel to complete your training. You are dismissed.”
Jeff and Kyle were in the last group to leave the football field size classroom when Jameela motioned for them to follow her. Jameela lead them down a flight of stairs. They caught the elevator two flights down. They exited and approached a door. Jameela motioned for them to stop and she submitted to a retina scan. The door opened to what looked like a high-tech ops center. She motioned for them to have a seat. Jeff suspiciously looked around. He spotted signal dampeners in place.
“Are you boys sporting cell phones or any other electronic devices?”
They both responded, “Absolutely not.”
Jameela handed each of them a sealed box.
“As promised you are being issued a Tablet deploying Apophis technology. Communication and nuclear codes are wired to your retinas and other biometrics.”
A woman in military uniform appeared. They knew she was from GenCom. Jameela walked away saying, “She will have you up and running in a couple hours.”
Over the next two hours, the GenCom scientist worked with Jeff and Kyle. They were surprised at how user-friendly Apophis was.
Jeff commented. “This is so intuitive. It almost knows what we want to do.”
Exactly two hours later, they sat in what looked like a simulator that would make Adler Planetarium Space Theater look like the Majestic Theater in the 1930s. In this huge space theater, Kyle and Jeff were given their first lesson in sending a signal to the stars.
The GenCom scientist swiped a touchscreen. “June of 1993, the last of satellites for the global positioning system was placed into orbit, completing a satellite network capable of providing position data for anyone, anywhere on Earth. The system is called NAVSTAR by the world's governments. NAVSTAR is short for Navigation System using Timing And Ranging. NAVSTAR provides latitude, longitude, altitude, direction of travel, velocity, and time of day for anyone, anywhere, day or night, in any weather. Ships, planes, trains, trucks, cars, and even people on foot can know their precise positions in latitude, longitude, and altitude. NAVSTAR transmits time-location and celestial almanac data on two very high frequencies. 575.42 MHz for civilians and 1227.60 MHz and higher for military services.
“NAVSTAR is comprised of 24 satellites flying in six rings of four satellites each. There are often more than 24 operational satellites, as new ones are launched to replace older satellites. The orbital altitude is such that the satellites repeat the same track and configuration over any given point approximately every 24 hours.”
Kyle was as excited as a little boy going to his first movie. “I can almost touch each satellite.”
Jameela now appeared on the huge screen. Jeff noticed the expression on Kyle’s face. He was really enamored with her.
“Your training is done for today. It is late. You have a tunnel to dig tomorrow.”
“One last thing,” warned Jameela. “Apophis is able to use this technology and hop a ride to send signals, instructions, and codes to the Fireships anywhere on the globe. The secret is Apophis' stealth capabilities. It takes cryptography and steganography to a level where ciphers are useless. You must remember that Genesis Command tracks all Apophis Tablets issued. If you fail to execute your mission, then by default, Genesis Command will. If you fail by rescission or dereliction, we kill everyone you know, starting with your parents, siblings, children, and anyone else you could possibly care about.”
Chapter Ten — Perfect Storm
Fall arrived in Charleston, South Carolina. Jameela arrived yesterday. She loved lodging at the Palmer House. Locally known as the Pink Palace, it was one of the most famous houses in Charleston. The house was furnished and decorated with antiques dating back 200 years. It also had an awesome view of the Charleston Harbor, an inlet where the Cooper and Ashley Rivers came together to form the Atlantic Ocean.
It was early morning. The trees were vibrant with gold and red foliage competing with the late-blooming flowers. Soon winter would arrive and the camellias would give Charleston vivid colors while the azaleas rested for the winter. I love this American city, Jameela thought.
Jameela took a walk just to gather her thoughts for the upcoming meeting with Jeff and Kyle. They were en route from Savannah and expected there in several hours.
The boys had been on the road awhile. Jeff had the wheel, and Kyle dozed off about an hour and a half ago.
“Kyle wake up. Kyle!”
“What?”
“Wake up. Did you not sleep last night?”
“Did you?”
“Ok, smartass, look at the GPS on your phone. How far are we from Charleston?”
“Jeff, did I not tell you to rent a car with GPS.”
“I forgot okay. How far out are we?”
“Dude, just use your GPS navigation app and voice navigation so I can sleep.”
“Kyle, I am gonna shoot you in the head…”
“Ok already. We are about an hour from Charleston. Stop your whining.”
“Kyle, there is a Sunoco Gas Station up ahead in Jacksonboro…let stop. I got to take a leak.”
“Strange…I was thinking the same. Good heads think alike.”
Jeff burst out in laughter. “Kyle...you are hopeless.”
Kyle punched Jeff. “What…what did I say.”
As they pulled up to the gas station in this small unincorporated community of about 478 people, they noticed a pickup truck located near the restroom. As Kyle got out, he heard a muffled scream. He looked at Jeff.
Jeff nodded, yeah…I heard it.
Jeff reached into the glove compartment and grabbed his revolver. He quickly put the silencer on it. They both ran to the truck. Jeff stood back with his gun pointed at the back door while Kyle opened the door.
The sight was repulsive. Two drunken middle age unshaven men were raping a teenage girl. The men, one white…the other black appeared startled. They looked at each other and laughed.
The white guy whispered, “No worries…we are willing to share this Mexican bitch.”
Jeff calmly said, “Move away from her.”
The black guy jump Jeff and Kyle punched him in the temple and knocked him into the hot dry dirt. The white guy...Jeff unloaded two rounds into his penis and hit him with the butt of the gun. He slipped into unconsciousness in the rear seat as the little girl look on in shock.
Jeff put his finger over her mouth. “Shh…you are safe now. I will not let these monsters hurt you any further.”
Kyle snatched the gun out of Jeff's hand. He shot the black guy in the head…kill shot. Kyle walks over the unconsciousness white guy who was bleeding to death and shot him twice in the head.
Meanwhile, Jeff walks up to the side of the store and cautiously looked through the window. He saw a lady and her daughter. The girls were reading and the mother was sto
cking the drink machine.
“Kyle, it is safe for her to go inside. We need to roll bro. We need to leave now.”
Jeff opened his wallet, He had about $500. He gave this to the frightened child. “Keep this and remember this word…‘Genesis.’ We will fix this world. I promise you.”
She hugged both and ran inside.
Jeff and Kyle quickly jumped in and pulled the rental car around to the back of the store, so no one could see them. Jeff jumped out again and bent the rear license plate upward, so no one could read it.
Once back on the highway, Kyle reached over and grabbed Jeff’s shoulder.
“You alright Bro.”
“No I am not goddamnit, she was a baby Kyle. Those goddamn bastards.”
Kyle smiled, “The world is broken, Jeff. We will fix it. Just as you promised her.”
About twenty miles later, Jeff pulled over on the road’s shoulder.
Kyle seemed puzzled, “Why the hell you stop for?”
“Kyle get out and fix that license plate before we get pulled over by a cop.”
“Roger that.”
As they approached Charleston, Kyle confessed, “I am looking forward to seeing Jameela. She really is drop-dead gorgeous with that Mediterranean look.”
Jeff yelled at Kyle, “She is from Persia, you idiot. She's Iranian. You can tell from her beautiful, thick, shiny, jet-black hair, and her beautifully shaped almond eyes. Her lips aren't thin, not thick either. They are shapely and beautiful.
“Well, is she Persian or Iranian?”
“Kyle, the name Iran has only been in use natively in the country since 1935, before which the country was widely known as Persia. Both Persia and Iran are used interchangeably in cultural contexts.”
“Just having fun with your little bro. Why do you get so sensitive when I mention the operating field commander?”
“Kyle, you are thinking of Field Commander Jameela in a way that is forbidden…stop it. You will get both of us killed. It is rumored that Jameela is the youngest sibling of the Supreme Commander of Genesis. No one will attempt to confirm this, as this knowledge could mean death. If this is true, we must not incur her wrath.”
Accelerant- Sixth Extinction Page 9
