Accelerant- Sixth Extinction

by James Morris Robinson

  Nigel wiped his face with a clean handkerchief. He firmly pressed Roble’s freshly cut leg as Roble squirmed with pain, “In a few minutes your limbs will return to body temperature and you will bleed out. We will leave the door open and the dogs will eat your well-fed body. So tell us what we need to know. We need the operational plans for the event and everything you ever knew and forgot about the Genesis organization.”

  “Screw you,” cried Roble.

  “You are far too nice to him, Nigel,” said Adriana. She stabbed the knife into Roble’s right hand. Adriana yelled, “Where are the detonators?”

  Roble screamed. It was an agonizing and piercing inhuman sound. Nigel folded his arms and quietly gave Secretary Bird a piece of advice. “It’s a simple matter really. Tell us everything and we will make sure Adriana sews your ankle and foot back on. Now don’t look at me like that, I am not a doctor; she is.”

  Chapter Eighteen — Operation Oglethorpe

  It was nearly 0900 hours. J.R. and Daniel knew the drill. They heard a quiet knock on both doors. Daniel and JR both stepped out into the hall. One of the three military escorts handed them head masks and off they went.

  Well, this ride took a little longer, thought J.R.

  The escorts took off their head masks.

  Daniel said, “This is amazing. This looks almost like an executive office complex.”

  I have got to move over to Army, thought J.R.

  Once inside they were escorted to what seemed like a higher floor. As they entered a very high-tech conference room, they spotted Captain Parrish at what looked like a breakfast table.

  “It all looks good Captain Parrish. Good morning.”

  “Good morning, Daniel. The scrambled eggs and honey toast are particularly delicious. I feel like I haven't eaten in days.”

  Daniel and J.R. grabbed breakfast and coffee and joined Captain Parrish at the wide conference table. As they were enjoying breakfast and a few precious serene moments, the MPs brought Jeff in. He was clean-shaven and looked fresh in his blue shirt-and-trousers military prison uniform. He joined them for breakfast once the handcuffs were taken off.

  J.R. asked, “Captain Parrish, what is this building? This is so not like the Army.”

  Sara explained, “J.R., you are in one of the NSA’s spy network buildings located around the United States. Operationally, we are connected to the NSA Utah Data Center cloud. Here we have access to data collected by the NSA’s eavesdropping satellites, overseas listening posts, and secret monitoring rooms in telecom facilities throughout the U.S. We have access to NSA’s code breakers, data-miners, counter-terrorism specialists, and others working at its Fort Meade headquarters and the Utah Data Center.”

  Suddenly they heard a voice say, “This is why you need to review your national security clearance agreement again.”

  Colonel Werner walked over to the touch-screen conference table and swiped the NSCA icon. “Here is the agreement. Review it and I will be back in ten minutes.”

  A while later, the colonel returned. J.R. poured him a cup of coffee and asked, “Are you gonna eat breakfast, colonel?”

  “Breakfast you say? Son, I never went to bed. Okay, let’s review the mission objectives. Thanks to Jeff, we have a lead on Roble. We now have an international manhunt underway. Interpol, Sudan, and the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency, South Africa's National Defense Force Intelligence Division and Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence are involved. British intelligence was thankful for the information. MI6 was on the ground in Djibouti in a matter of hours.”

  Daniel said, “Colonel, no wonder you haven't slept. You’ve been busy.”

  “Yes, I have Daniel. But it was Captain Parrish who burnt the early morning oil on this. What kept me up all night was a question no one asked but which could give the terrorists a keen advantage.”

  Captain Parrish a was yawning and stopped abruptly. “What question, Colonel?

  “What about the sleeper?”

  J.R. put his cup down. He put his hand on his head. “Colonel, you are so right. This is too easy.” J.R. turned to Daniel and explained, “Terrorist groups implement mission fail-safe strategies if things go horribly bad. One of the strategies is to plant a sleeper. The sleeper is activated to carry out a specific task. In this case, it is simply turning a tablet on, entering and validating codes at a specific point or time. Our sleeper is in the country. They may have been here for years. It is not Roble, believe me. He is too hot for that. Our sleeper has been here and has gone to sleep, maybe for years. Jeff doesn't know who he or she is and may not have even known they exist.”

  Jeff affirmed, “I think J.R. is spot on.”

  JR asked Jeff, “Help me out here pal. What's your best guess on this?”

  “I am not your pal J.R. But I would almost bet my career that the sleeper is among the 20,000 informal Hawala remittance businesses working out of twenty-four-hour convenience stores, restaurants, and small shops here in the United States. I would venture to say here in Savannah or Charleston.”

  J.R. said, “I would have to agree with Jeff.”

  Daniel looked at Jeff in stunned amazement.

  Captain Parrish turned to Jeff, “Then where are the Apophis Tablets with Apophis? You know, the tablets with the activation codes.”

  Daniel stared at Jeff. “You know, don’t you little brother? Tell us, Jeff. Let’s fix this. Help us help you.”

  Jeff's head hung low as if in heavy shame. He gave them the locations. “The Apophis Tablets are in Bernadette and Daniel’s house, in the ceiling of the guest room.”

  Daniel, totally surprised and disappointed, said, “Remind me not to let you stay at my house again.”

  Jeff looked away saddened.

  Harry walked in. Jeff cringed. “Relax Jeff, I come in peace. Colonel, I wanted to confirm that Jeff is correct. Over the past several hours, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, South Carolina law enforcement, and the Savannah and Charleston Police Departments, under the direction of Homeland defense, searched all current and known past addresses of Kyle, Jeff, and Jameela. In Jameela’s case, this involved Interpol and special help from our partners at British intelligence. We found an Apophis Tablet at Kyle’s girlfriend’s home and she has been released from custody. However, Bernadette is under protection until we eliminate this threat.”

  Harry turned to Daniel. “We were very careful in your case. We sent two female officers from the Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division on Parris Island. We did not want to arouse curiosity among the neighbors so they went out in plain clothes. Your wife was given limited information. We told her that J.R. was bringing back a special guest from Washington, D.C., for the Fourth of July celebration weekend in Savannah. Your home will be the host, and we needed to clear it for security purposes. We then searched the premises. We did find Jeff’s Apophis Tablet in the ceiling of the guest room.”

  Daniel was humble in his reply. “Thank you so much for not getting my family involved, especially our momma. I guess they'll know soon enough.”

  Harry also assured Daniel that his family, mother, and Daniel’s in-laws were under twenty-four-hour surveillance at this point. Suddenly a voice was heard over the conference room speakers. “Incoming satellite communication from the defense department. Presidential priority, please stand by.”

  Colonel Werner swiped an interactive panel on the touch-screen. The video screen collaboration wall and all display panels showed the presidential seal of the United States. The images that appeared represented the leadership and intelligence communities of the United States simultaneously sharing streaming images across several topics.

  The Secretary of Defense spoke. “Commanders, as of right now, Operation Oglethorpe has commenced. We have less than a month to execute Operation Oglethorpe. We must eliminate Genesis’ impending threat to the American Homeland. This will be the largest and perhaps the deadliest sea-hunt known to man. Brigadier General James Edward Oglethorpe defended the colony of Georgia
against domestic and foreign enemies. Today the United States Navy, Air Force, Army, and its allies must once again defend Georgia and South Carolina. And defend them we will. The United States Air Force has been directed to put the First Combat Camera Squadron out of Charleston in the air to acquire still and motion imagery of all ships headed for the eastern seaboard as well as all coasts of the United States. Their imagery will give us the real lens for operational analysis during this threat. It is my hope that the highly skilled professional men and women of the First Combat Camera Squadron will give us the eyes we need to catch these bastards before they enter the kill-zone. Army and navy geologists and oceanographers have been consulted, and they advised us to immediately throw an embargo perimeter of 500-mile radius around the three coasts of the United States. This 500-mile-wide shield is an attempt to control the impact and minimize the blast radius of the modified B53s.”

  J.R. asked, “Sir, what about the Canadians? They could be impacted.”

  “Great question, Captain. We are not selfish. Our dear friends to the north have been alerted. The Canadians are kept up to date as data and events develop. The President and the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with combatant commanders for missions and forces assigned to their commands in our armed services, have put all aircraft carriers on alert and they have been recalled to patrol all our coasts. Deployment of strike groups is underway.”

  J.R. tapped Daniel on the shoulder and pointed to the multiple screens around the room. He wanted Daniel to see the real-time images of the United States Navy strike groups answering the call under new orders.

  The Defense Secretary continued his briefing. “The United States Navy has nine operational carrier strike groups. Four have been deployed to protect the coast of the United States. One of the strike groups is escorting the container ship and super oil tanker the U.S. Navy seized to the North Arctic Sea, to the rims of the continents. Included in the strike groups are guided missile cruisers, which are multi-mission surface combatants. They are equipped with tomahawks for long-range strike capability. Also, guided missile destroyers will answer the call. They are multi-mission surface combatants, used primarily for anti-air warfare. Answering the call will also be an attack submarine with each carrier strike group, in a direct support role seeking out and destroying hostile surface ships and submarines. They are under my orders to troll for one reason only, to seek and destroy anything that does not answer all stops as the ships stream toward the North Arctic Ocean.”

  The United States Fleet Commander now appeared on the screen. “Ladies and gentleman, inside the 500-mile perimeter, our navy reconnaissance, and patrol boats are on duty. Outside the 500-mile perimeter, the carriers carrying the largest, heaviest, and most heavily armed aircraft will patrol Savannah and Charleston. The carriers can provide surveillance with Navy drones that have a range of 932 miles and endurance of more than twenty-eight hours. They will fly and observe in and outside the 500-mile perimeter. If they spot the vessels, they can fly low and take pictures at 500 feet minimum to a maximum altitude of 16,000 feet. Kings Bay, Georgia, which is the east coast home to the Trident nuclear-powered submarines and home to the Atlantic fleet's ballistic and guided missile submarines, will provide two lone wolves, which will disappear into the Atlantic Ocean, purposely staying hidden as they protect the Georgia and South Carolina deep sea entrances. They are specifically designed for extended deterrent patrols, stealth, and the precise delivery of nuclear warheads. The captains of these submarines will deal with Genesis' vessels on their terms if they appear. We have also deployed two fast-attack guided missile submarines along the coasts hunting for enemy submarines or any underwater vessels that might be carrying a nuclear payload. The President has also ordered the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort to conduct anti-air warfare and surveillance operations over Charleston and Savannah. The citizens will not be notified until we have something to report. These aircraft operations are mostly out over the ocean so we should go undetected for now. The best of the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard fighter inventory, the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and F-22 Raptor will defend the west coast until further notice. NORAD’s National Capital Region in the Washington, D.C. area, which is protected by the NCR Integrated Air Defense System consisting of a system of radars, cameras, visual warning systems, alert aircraft, and Army air defense artillery assets, will provide additional cover for New York and New Jersey.”

  The Fleet Commander ended by complimenting the men and women that had just been put in harm’s way. “I am talking to the best trained, highest skilled armed forces on Earth. I simply ask God to allow you to execute your mission and return safely to your families. Genesis has awakened the dragon. No one threatens the United States of America. No one.”

  The Secretary of Defense completed the briefing in a serious tone. “Ladies and gentleman. It is daybreak on the east coast. The former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had this to say right after September 11, 2001. She said, ‘We’ve been a country that’s been fortunate to be protected by two oceans, to not have serious attacks on our territory for most of our history. And we were unfortunately reminded in a very devastating way of our vulnerability.’ It seems that terrorists are now using our oceans against us. I speak for the president, the armed forces, and the intelligence community when I say that Genesis has underestimated our resolve and our vigilance to protect freedom for America and the world. I say that Genesis has underestimated our air, land, and water power. On this day, we take the fight to them. We will find them and destroy them.”

  After a ten-minute break, the group started debriefing again. Captain Parrish and the colonel felt that Jeff knew more. The idea was to keep him talking. Daniel hoped they could save him and bring his brother back.

  Colonel Werner and Daniel were standing, having a side conversation. “Daniel, I contacted your boss at the Longshoremen's Hall. We gave him a call-of-duty story that you are part of a sting to catch some criminals. By the way, he and I served in Vietnam together. He said he is proud of you.”

  Once seated, Daniel hugged Jeff. “So tell me about Jameela. Who was she?”

  Jeff told everyone what he knew. As Jeff talked, he realized that Kyle and Jameela were handling him.

  Daniel now asked, “Tell me how you met Kyle.”

  “Kyle was recruited the same time I was. We were paired up to disarm a real bomb. The idea was that if you can disarm one without one blowing yourself up, then you could make a bomb. We did quite well and we were assigned to the same system in the southern part of the United States.”

  Daniel interrupted, “It’s Savannah and Charleston, Jeff, for Christ's sake. You're speaking like you're from somewhere else.” Daniel looked at J.R. in amazement as he remembered what J.R. had told him in the truck about the mind-altering programs.

  Jeff apologized. “I am so sorry.”

  Captain Parrish grabbed his hand again and said in a soft calm voice, “It's okay. It is okay; what you are experiencing is what we call role and identity conflict. Please continue with how your relationship with Kyle grew.”

  Jeff reflected, “Well we knew each other for over two years. We were best buddies. We talked almost every day.”

  Captain Parrish opened the folder titled “Confidential Naval Intelligence” and began to read to Jeff.

  “Kyle Connolly, born to Jamison and Mary Beth Connolly in Dartmouth, New Hampshire.” Captain Parrish pulled out a duplicate birth certificate and placed it on the table, followed by a picture of Kyle growing up and playing baseball.

  “Kyle’s father, a common laborer on a fishing boat, died of an occupational accident. Kyle’s mother, Mary Beth, moved to California a year later. She raised Kyle in a small apartment in Maywood, a small city in southeast Los Angeles County. Kyle was not experiencing success in regular high school so his mother had him placed in the Maywood Academy where he found his niche and did well in radio production and information technology.”

  Jeff, J.R., and Daniel looke
d stunned. Daniel asked, “Why was Kyle posing as a son of a government contractor from Massachusetts?”

  Captain Parrish speculated, “Who knows? My guess is it was part of the allure, his cover.”

  J.R. took a stab at it. “So Genesis recruited him from the ghettos of Los Angeles and he thought that he could handle his assets, like Jeff, better if they thought he was a rich kid gone badass.”

  Jeff shook his head in dismay and yelled, “No, no, no, Kyle, how could you?!”

  Captain Parrish put her hand on Jeff’s chin and looked at him. “He was your handler. Now just admit it. Cowboy up and let’s move on.” Captain Parrish walked toward the door. “I need a potty break. Too much coffee. Let’s take a break.”

  Daniel looked at J.R. and shook his head. “This is killing me.”

  J.R. reached out to shake Jeff’s hand. Jeff hesitated until J.R. said, “Today, I see a man with regrets. Today, I see a man trying his best to make things right. I, for one, thank you for that.”

  Jeff smiled and shook hands with J.R.

  Chapter Nineteen — Hellburners

  Colonel Werner felt that a 15-minute break was long enough. As soon as the MPs got Jeff seated, they began again. Pleasingly, Colonel Werner reported, “Based on information that Jeff gave us, Roble was found transacting business in a warehouse near the container port of Djibouti. Interpol reports that Roble’s travel documents revealed that he was to leave the next day for the Djibouti International Airport to fly to London. Our allies are interrogating Roble at an undisclosed location out of the country as we did with the Widowmaker. They also arrested over three dozen pirates and confiscated plans that blow the cover on the pirate’s mole in Britain. Since Djibouti is eight hours ahead of us, we were asleep as our partners at British Intelligence and Interpol executed their part of Operation Oglethorpe successfully. More information will be forthcoming.”