At this point, Daniel burst into tears. Now all of the kids were crying. While Marcia consoled the kids, J.R.’s wife walked over and hugged Daniel. Alexis said, “Daniel, look at me. You miss him too, don’t you?”
Daniel nodded. “So much that it hurts.”
Alexis held Daniel’s hand when she told him, “J.R.’s father is a politician and businessman. J.R. never was. He was an American soldier. No, he was America’s soldier and he gave the greatest sacrifice for her. He would want you to be strong, for me and the kids.” She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
Marcia whispered to Alexis, “Thanks, he needed that.”
Minutes later, Daniel was okay. He and Colonel Werner walked toward the parking area as the show was over.
“Daniel, you will be happy to know that the Navy honored the fallen, including J.R., with a ceremonious burial at sea in the Atlantic Ocean. J.R.’s ceremonial flag and urn were presented to the commanding officer of the battle group. The flag were then flown here. They presented them to Alexis yesterday.”
Daniel sadly replied, “That was very nice.”
Colonel Werner saw Daniel’s spirits dropping again. He gave Daniel good news. “The ceremony happened aboard the newest Zumwalt Class destroyer in the fleet, the USS John Russell.”
Daniel stopped abruptly in his tracks. He yelled, “J.R. has an aircraft carrier named after him?”
“No Daniel, a destroyer. Aircraft carriers are named after generals and presidents.”
Daniel laughed. “I think Captain Russell would have settled for a destroyer.” He added, “I wish I could have been there.”
“Son, you do understand that for certain reasons of national security the decision was made by the Admiral Chief of Naval Operations to keep the military ceremony closed.”
Daniel smiled, nodded in approval, and asked, “Tell me how you felt to be there on J.R.’s ship?”
Colonel Werner perked up. “Standing on the island that is the John Russell was quite an experience. The John Russell looks almost like an Aztec pyramid with sharp angles and sleek surfaces. Like something out of science fiction. I have a picture on my cell-phone. Take a look.” Colonel Werner showed Daniel a picture of the USS John Russell.
“Wow.”
“You will get a chance real soon to tour the John Russell. She is due into Georgia ports in 30 days. There’s more good news. I received a personal call from the Army Chief of Staff and I have been promoted to Brigadier General. I was also told that the Chief of Naval Operations has mandated that all new veterans’ hospitals and veterans' outpatient facilities being built around the United States be named after many of the sailors that gave their lives.”
Daniel shook the colonel’s hand and said, “Well deserved.”
Colonel Werner motioned to his driver that he would be there in a second. “Son, you need to know that we are committed to finding the Genesis Hives. All of them. I may call on you in the future. Meanwhile, I will contact the FBI on Jeff’s behalf. I don’t know what I can do. He is an enemy of the state.”
Daniel looked puzzled but nodded and responded, “Sure, let me know how I can help. In life when we make choices, we must beware of the possible consequences of those choices. My mother taught Jeff and I both the importance of this.”
Colonel Werner smiled and got in the car. He reached his hand through the window and shook Daniel’s hand again. “Thanks for being a patriot. I am honored to have served with you. We honor J.R.’s memory by completing the mission.”
Colonel Werner waved good-bye to everyone as his driver drove off towards Fort Stewart.
Several months passed. Daniel was in his garage piddling around as he often did on Saturdays when he was off. Suddenly he heard a truck pull up in his driveway. It was his friend Todd, who was now a tugboat captain for the newly named Lighthouse Tugboat Company. Daniel was instrumental in getting him promoted through his contacts in the Navy. The government had seized Emergence Tugboat Company and renamed it. Todd and the other captains owned their own tugboats now, compliments of the U.S. government.
Todd got out of the truck. Looking at Todd’s nicely pressed jeans and shirt, Daniel asked, “So where are you going this fine Saturday afternoon?”
Todd answered, “Same place you're going; go get dressed.”
Daniel waved his hand. “No, no! Last time someone said that to me, I was gone for days.”
Todd replied, “Relax, Daniel. We are going down to the port. There’s something I want you to see.”
Daniel and Todd headed to the Georgia Port Ocean Terminal. They headed for the deep water berthing where the big ships came in. Daniel was no stranger here but what amazed him was that Todd headed to ‘Berth 9’ which was due to open to accommodate the larger ships coming through the Panama Canal’s new locks.
“Is Berth 9 open already, Todd?”
“Well…sort of.”
“Todd, this is great. Thanks pal. I wanted to be one of the first to see the new ships. I must have missed the bulletin on ship traffic since I've been off since Thursday. I heard that Berth 9 and Berth 10 will handle large capacity container ships more than 1,312 feet in length and 192 feet wide. Todd, that means we may need to double the crews as this is about the size of four soccer fields. I think these ships are carrying more than 20,000 or more twenty-foot shipping containers.”
Todd was quiet as they approached Berth 9. As their line of vision cleared, they had full view of the Atlantic Ocean gateway that had been widened and deepened to accommodate the new generation of deep ocean vessels.
Daniel’s eyes widened in amazement. “This has to be the largest container ship in the world. She is beautiful!” Daniel thought but dare not say, she is taller and bigger than Fireship Savannah.
Todd punched Daniel jokingly. “I knew you would want to see this. Look at the name.”
Daniel jumped out of the truck. His eyes teared up as he fell to his knees in awe looking at the name of the ship in huge letters. Daniel Llessurj. The last name was pronounced like pressure with an 'L.'
Daniel felt a gentle hand lifting him up. It was familiar. It was Marcia, his wife.
“You knew about this?” As the tears started to fall.
“Yes. I wanted to tell you but I did not want to spoil this moment for you.”
Daniel’s head tilted back looking up as far as he could. “Is this real?” he whispered. “Am I dreaming?”
Todd gave Daniel a friendly slap on the shoulder. “Surprise! Do you know how hard it was to keep this a secret? Come on, get in the truck. We’ve got a party to go to!”
“What about Marcia?”
“Go ahead. I will be right behind you.”
Daniel then heard, “Hi, daddy.” He looked off to the distance and saw Marcia’s car packed with kids; Tony, Carla, and what seemed the whole neighborhood. As they got back in the truck, Daniel looked at Todd in bewilderment. “Todd, what party?”
Todd started the truck and looked at Daniel with a devilish smile. “You will see.” They took off and moments later Todd stopped at a section of the berth where they saw a festive bandstand. As they approached the huge open area, Daniel felt the cool ocean breeze hit his face as he lowered the window in the truck. The band played Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World. He could see and hear a crowd of what had to be over 1,000 fellow workers applauding him as he approached. As Daniel got out of the truck, he was met with a thunderous applause. His wife ran up and hugged him. He saw the kids, his mother, and his mother in-law and father in-law seated waiting for him.
The governors of Georgia and South Carolina met him and shook his hand. Then they took a picture with him. The governor spoke, cautiously about Genesis’ activities and intent. “Daniel was asked by the NSA and CIA to join a covert operation. He represented the citizens of Georgia and America brilliantly.”
Everyone stood and gave Daniel another round of appreciation. The riverboat captains, both from Savannah and Charleston, came up and shook Daniel’s hand. The pres
idents of the International Longshoremen’s Associations, both local and national, stood by his side. The president of the local association hugged him and said, “You are the best of us, all of us. You served us and you made us proud. I salute you, Daniel.”
Next, the captain of The Daniel Lessurj and all 22 crew members stood and saluted Daniel. A very well dressed executive appeared and shook Daniel’s hand. “Hi Daniel, I am Mr. Fabron, owner of Llessurj Shipping Lines.”
Mr. Fabron spoke to the crowd. “We want to thank you, Daniel. The world’s ship builders and the companies that supply them salute you. We honor you today out of sincere respect and admiration. When the news about Daniel’s role in stopping terrorists from bringing harm to Savannah and Charleston traveled to the shipping companies, we wanted to show our appreciation. Llessurj Ship Builders, the owners of the newest and largest container ships in the world, decided without hesitation that the flagship of the container ship fleet should bear Daniel’s name. She carries more than 20,000 containers with room to spare. Her engines have more horsepower than 2,300 trucks with V-8 engines. This ship is capable of producing enough power for a town of 56,000 people.”
Mr. Fabron bragged, “She cost us two hundred and forty-five million dollars, but what Daniel did for us, for you, your families, and America cannot be measured in dollars and cents. Daniel, we thank you again.”
The audience applauded and Daniel cried out, “My friend Captain John Russell is the true hero. I am only a citizen who loves America so much that I would defend her anyway I can. My dear friend J.R. did the same and it cost him his life.”
Mr. Fabron hugged him and comforted him. “You are our hero. You are one of us. The American military have honored JR in their way. He had a Naval Destroyer named after him. We the brotherhood, gave you the largest container ship in the world. How about that?”
The crowd laughed sadly as they felt Daniel’s sadness for the loss of his friend.
Mr. Fabron winked at Daniel. “By the way, I have arranged for financial support and paid for college educations for Captain Russell’s children. His father did not approve, but we insisted. Oh by the way, this is for your family.” Mr. Fabron handed Daniel an envelope. “This is for your mother’s care and this will guarantee your children’s college education.”
Daniel whispered out loud, “Is this real?”
Mr. Fabron laughed as only a French gentleman could. “Young man, I assure you that it is.”
Daniel, with tears streaming down his eyes, delivered a heartfelt message to the crowd of family, friends and co-workers. “We are called longshoremen because in the early days’ no one knew when a ship was going to come in to a port. When it did, ship owners would hire men to unload the ship by walking along the coastline or pier, calling out, ‘men along the shore.’ Thus, the term longshoreman was coined. It is the essence of who we are. Our job is no longer just loading and unloading a ship’s cargo. We are part of first watch now. We watch for terrorists along the shores of America. The International Longshoremen’s Association with more than 65,000 longshoremen in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, must be diligent in watching for red flags that someone or some organization wants to put our families, our friends, and our country in harm’s way. I am an American and I am on watch.”
Daniel got a standing applause and, with almost perfect timing, they heard jets overhead. It was JR’s F-18 squadron. They roared overhead in formation. Daniel looked up and yelled, “JR, you are the true hero! I shall miss you always old friend. Please let us observe a minute of silence for my friend and America’s warrior, Captain John Russell.”
Afterwards, the activities included a low country broil as only people from Savannah and Charleston could do. It was truly a good day for Daniel. As the sun set, Daniel opened the passenger door and stepped up to get into Todd’s high-riding pick-up. He looked back on the huge container ship that bore his name and whispered, “I wish J.R. were here to see this.”
Todd patted his on the shoulder and said, “I am a man bound by faith Daniel. You know this and that is why I truly believe that he is here.”
Daniel nodded and said, “Yes. Yes. I too believe.”
Suddenly they heard the roar of the Daniel Llessurj’s departing horn. It sounded like a hail from a huge spacecraft. Four hails were heard as this signaled the tugboats that the Daniel Llessurj was ready to head out into the deep ocean.
Todd reached into his glove compartment and handed Daniel the binoculars, and backlit by the sunset in the dark blue sky and the silhouette of the ship Daniel saw two figures at the bow. It was the harbor captain and the ship’s captain waving goodbye as the Daniel Llessurj, now under the power of tugboats, glided away from the berth through the gateway, headed out to the open sea.
Daniel took his cellphone out and dialed his son’s.
“Dad, we're right behind you. Do you see what I see?”
“Yes son, once the Daniel Llessurj slips through the gateway, they will exit the river and head into the ocean as she engages her huge engine, steaming under her awesome power out into the Atlantic Ocean.”
“Daddy, I am so proud of you and Uncle J.R. I really miss him.”
“He will always be with us as long as we remember him. See you at the house.”
Daniel pressed the off button on his cellphone. He looked through the binoculars at the Daniel Llessurj as she slipped through the gateway and thought, We were so close to Armageddon. But for now…we are safe.
Chapter Thirty — Hive
The Supreme Commander was in the inclined elevator headed down deep. The inclined lift gave a monumental view into the fascinating labyrinth of underground passages beneath the ancient caves in Cherrapunji. She was at the hive. She exited on floor 40D and entered a train of twenty-five-seat cars loaded with commanders headed for live fire exercises. She boarded her private car; it was a five-minute ride to the body washing or Ghusl sector. This was the area reserved for fallen commanders.
As she entered the area, the Supreme Commander looked on as the bodies of the Genesis operatives were being prepared for burial. They were workers aboard the oil tankers that escorted Fireship Savannah towards her targets along the southern end of the eastern seaboard in the United States. They were captured and tortured at a CIA black site. Then their bodies were dumped in a public place known to be frequented by suspected Genesis allies and operatives. The idea was to put Genesis on notice that the game was on.
As the Supreme Commander looked out at the washing station, she saw the assigned commanders carefully washing a body with soap and water as High Commander Mustafa provided the presence of leadership.
As they performed Takfeen, the Supreme Commander was pleased with the care and attention the soldiers were giving the fallen commanders. They meticulously shrouded the bodies with Kafan, which consisted of three pieces of cloth: a loin cloth, a shirt or tunic, and a full cover wrap.
The Supreme Commander whispered to herself, “They must pay for what they have done to our sons and daughters.”
When she entered the washing station, she saw multiple urns. They made her intensely angry.
“Where were they found?” asked the Supreme Commander.
“In a bed and breakfast in the Old Town of Vilnius, Lithuania,” said High Commander Mustafa.
“How did you find them?”
“Supreme Commander, have you forgotten? We embed genetic tracers in all our field commanders. They intentionally left one body untouched, so we could track the cremated bodies.”
“Is that what I think it is? Those bastards.”
“Yes my lord, those urns carry the bodies of some of our commanders that were cremated by our enemies. The two bodies over there were embalmed. This constitutes torture of the highest degree; they desecrated the bodies of devout Muslims.”
The Supreme Commander smiled grimly and asked, “Have you heard from Commander Jameela? Has she checked in?”
“My Lord, the fifth urn from the right contains your daughter�
��s remains.”
The Supreme Commander stared, dazed, at the urn. She fell to her knees and prayed, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un. Verily we belong to Allah, and truly to Him shall we return.” Tears followed as she cried, “This degree of torture is unheard of. Do these men have any honor?”
Commander Mustafa bent over and gently lifted her up. He grimaced as he vowed, “They will when we get done with them.”
The Supreme Commander regained her posture and returned to her quarters’ office, said Isha, which is the nighttime daily prayer and the fifth of the five daily prayers then retired to a night of restless sleep.
The morning seemed to take forever, but it did come. The Supreme Commander rose and prepared for her meeting with the supreme council.
After breakfast, she headed quickly to the meeting as she needed answers, and someone had better have them. The high commanders were seated in the very comfortable high-tech conference room. The Supreme Commander began the meeting.
“As you may recall, Genesis’ vessels were dark as they crossed the ocean toward the United States. The captains of the deployed container ships and oil tankers had strict orders, under the penalty of death to them and their families. We lost the initiative. We lost men and women. I want a recall of all field commanders and their assets to this hive in two days.”
All you could hear was a thunderous, “Yes, my lord.”
“The question I ask now is, did the Americans and their allies discover the real initiative? That could only happen if our Apophis Tablets were comprised.”
“I will answer that, my lord.” It was High Commander Mustafa who spoke up. “Our scientists seem to think that all Apophis Tablets were cremated in the nuclear heat except the ones in Roble, Kyle, Jameela, and Jeff’s possessions.”
Accelerant- Sixth Extinction Page 31
