by T C Miller
His partner assumed a prone position and began firing. Bart took cover behind a boulder and pulled an M67 grenade from his vest. Hope this still works.
“Frag out!”
Nora and Carl took cover as Bart pulled the pin and threw it as far as he could. It landed 40 feet from the attacker and barely within casualty-inducing range. The down-slope of the paved road, however, gave him an advantage. The older grenade had a smooth round surface and wobbled along like a handball. Momentum carried it less than five feet from the enemy combatant.
The attacker saw the grenade and hesitated. He couldn’t decide if he should get up and run or cover his head. Indecision cost him his life when the grenade detonated as he stared at it through spread fingers.
The explosion caused his fellow mercenaries to pause. Bart led his team in a duck-and-cover action toward the intersection, firing short bursts as they went. Two more attackers were put out of commission and the invading force stopped any forward progress to take cover.
Cheyenne Mountain defenders also took advantage of the opportunity to advance. Another attacker went down, leaving only a handful in front of the semis blocking the road.
The invading force was now pinned down by fire from two directions. A short, stocky man shouted, “I give up,” as he threw his weapon to the ground and stepped out from behind a tree.
Two steps forward, with hands on top of his head was as far as he got. A single shot rang out as one of his comrades placed a round in the back of the deserter’s head. His lifeless body fell face-first to the pavement.
The attacker who killed him stared at Bart with pure malevolence.
Bart noted the look of hatred and wondered why it seemed to be directed solely at him. He ducked behind a roadside boulder and came up with a startling memory. Can’t be.
He poked his head out long enough to see the attacker retreat beyond a curve in the road. The grinding of a starter meant his foe had fled the other way in a truck or other heavy vehicle.
Had Bart seen the reincarnation of Jack Morgan? The corrupt DEA agent had presumably died in the crash of a helicopter into Seawind Bay almost a month ago. His body was never recovered and searchers assumed it either washed out to sea or was eaten by sharks.
The face Bart saw bore a strong resemblance to the disgraced agent who sold his services to the highest bidder. Evidence collected later revealed overseas accounts containing millions of dollars with no legitimate source. Still, if it was Morgan, why would he attack Cheyenne Mountain? Bart returned to dealing with the remaining intruders. Capturing one of them alive might provide answers.
Jake’s team traded fire with the invaders huddled behind the semis until the last one laid down his weapon. He waited until he was sure there was no more opposition before leading his small team in picking their way among rocks and trees to the road. Two attackers were alive, but badly wounded.
“What should we do with them?” Joanna asked.
“S’ppose a bullet to the head’d be out of order, right?” Jake answered with a wry smile.
“Well, you know how it is...Geneva Convention and all...”
“I know...combat humor. Search them for weapons and stop the bleeding as best we can. We’ll head down the road then and see if we can help the colonel. Although, come to think of it, haven’t heard any fire lately.”
“Think they got’em all?”
“Hopefully.”
Bart greeted Jake’s team and led everybody down the paved surface toward the entry portal of the mountain. The defenders had worked their way out and were checking on the gate shack.
A staff sergeant wearing a Security Police badge leveled his rifle at the ragtag group of armed people approaching the gate.
“Halt...Identify yourselves,” he yelled at the Black Star Ops Group.
“Lieutenant Colonel Bart Winfield, United States Air Force.”
“How do I know that?...You’re in civilian clothes.”
“Good point, son...How you wanna do this?
“Lay your ID on the ground and back away ten feet.”
“That really necessary, son?”
“Just like shooting you will be if you don’t comply...And don’t call me son again...My daddy died in ‘nam.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“Ancient history...Now, do as I say.”
Bart took the laminated pass out of his pocket and carefully laid it on the ground. He motioned for the rest of the team to follow his lead and back away.
The staff sergeant moved forward with his weapon at the ready and checked Bart’s ID.
“Sorry, Colonel...Can’t be too careful...especially after the only attack on Cheyenne Mountain I’ve ever heard of.”
He lowered his weapon. “Don’t know what we would have done without your help...Low on ammo and the team from Peterson is still ten minutes out...Choppers can’t fly with this cloud cover. Where’d you come from, anyway?”
“Inside the mountain, Sergeant Bantam...A long story.”
Bantam nodded and continued down the road toward the visitor’s parking lot.
Bart led the Black Star Ops Group through the familiar arch and into the initial reception area. The scene was one of controlled chaos. A variety of tasks were being accomplished with military precision in an environment that was anything but normal.
A small medical contingent tended to the wounded while a Civil Engineering crew labored to free the mangled step van from the outer blast door.
A Security Police major standing near Entry Control was supervising the initial investigation of the attack while directing the reconstitution of security. He glanced up when he saw the BSOG team and motioned them over to him.
“You the new tenants in the back?”
“Sure are...Bart Winfield, and this is my staff.”
“Pleased to meet you...Jim Foltz...Something tells me you have some idea of what happened here.”
“Why would that be?”
“Your offices were the only ones that were compromised. Attackers went straight to the back of the complex without bothering anybody else...Care to explain that?”
“Not really...Maybe they were gonna start at the back and work their way to the front...You know, take out the other offices as they went.”
Foltz considered that for a second before he replied, “Shaky, but I’m too busy to debate it. I’ll need statements from you and your team...”
“Afraid that’ll have to wait till my headquarters clears it,” Bart answered with a slight smile. Which they never will.
“Like I said, busy...We’ve taken a real beating.”
“Anythin’ I can do to help?” Bart asked the question in a casual way, with the knowledge that a hard-charging Security Police leader would more than likely decline the offer.
“Not that I can think of. Everything’s pretty much under control. By the way, thanks for the help outside...Been told you and your people saved the day with that counterattack.”
“Nothin’ y’all wouldn’t have done for us...Just bein’ neighborly...By the way, I was impressed with the staff sergeant out front who challenged us in a real professional manner...Banner...no, Bantam...Staff Sergeant Bantam.”
“Who?” The major looked confused.
“That’s what his name tag said...”
“Don’t have a Bantam, or anything like it.”
Bart turned to his team. “Everybody back outside...Find that joker.”
The BSOG reassembled a half-hour later to the side of the entry portal. “Sorry, Boss,” Jake said. “Searched behind every rock and tree for a quarter-mile...Turned up squat.”
““Witnesses say a squadron patrol car left right after we talked with Bantam, or whatever his real name is. Smooth operator, no doubt about it. Checked surveillance video and spotted him earlier at the back of the intruder’s step-van holdin’ up one of the entry point guards while another guy stabbed him to death.”
“Looked like a real cop to me.”
“That he did.
Nothing more to be done about it...Need to get back to our area to assess the damage...We’ll deal with the impostor later.
Jack Morgan greeted Bantam with a bear-hug. “Can’t believe you made it out of the mountain...Where’s the rest of your team?”
“Stripped off the painter’s coveralls and evacuated with people from inside. We’ll meet up later at the lodge.”
“How’d you get out?”
“Used the uniform and a little bluffing to get past some colonel in street clothes.”
“Colonel, huh?...Tall guy with brown hair...Southern accent?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
“Sounds like Winfield.”
“Yeah, that’s it...You know him?”
“Might say that.”
“No matter...It’s over now.”
“Almost,” Morgan replied as he drew his suppressed pistol and pumped three rounds into Bantam’s chest. “Except for the part where trailing you could lead to me...”
The disgraced, former DEA agent, pumped two more rounds into the lifeless body as he walked away.
ABOARD EAGLE ONE
PETERSON AFB, CO
“Can’t tell you how sorry I was to hear ‘bout the Director,” Bart said to John Banner, who sat at the dark walnut desk in the office of the Director.
“Thanks, Bart...None of the old cliches seem to fit...Yet, they all do. He was a legend...Been a shock for the whole agency...Expected him to live forever, or at least not go out the way he did.”
“The nature of this business...Never know when or where you’ll buy the farm.”
“And using another old cliché...Life goes on...I read your reports and have a pretty good picture of what happened. Analysts are poring over the details to come up with an overall assessment of how and why.”
“Any leads on Morgan?”
“None...Disappeared into thin air. Nothing showing up on credit cards or hotels...Not dumb enough to use his real name or any of his known aliases.”
“Takes a lot of nerve to attack an installation like Cheyenne Mountain, Joh...By the way, what should I call you, John, or Director?”
“In private, I like John...Otherwise, Director. You know, tradition, and all that.”
“Right. Gut says he was just one element...Watched surveillance video and we’re not talkin’ about a ragtag bunch of mercs thrown together at the last minute...Core group worked together way too smooth for that.”
“Hard to argue...But what would motivate them to pull off such a stunt, knowing the chances for success were so slim?”
“Back in Tupelo we’d ask why somebody’d hunt an area hadn’t seen any deer in years...Answer was, critters felt safe there and even if you only found one, you got it without competition.”
“Slow down, there, Bart...Have to spell that one out for me.”
“Let me draw a diagram in the dirt...Bad guys knew there’d be a minimal force on Sunday that’d be lulled into a false sense of security...threw a lot of firepower at them in the hope of overwhelmin’ them after the initial assault...Figured we’d be relatively unprotected at the back of the complex. Didn’t know ‘bout the ventilation shaft, ‘cause the Director...er, Harold and I decided to keep it hush-hush.”
“Good move...Think they were specifically after you?”
“Would explain a lot...May be gettin’ too close to them and wanted to throw us off the trail...Put us out of business for a while.”
“Hang on a sec,” Banner said as he shuffled through printouts. “Looking at incoming damage reports...appears the antenna array on top of the mountain was also targeted...Knocked out all satellite and microwave relay capabilities...”
“Which is why I’m using the setup in the bus...Smooth move on your part, havin’ it installed.”
“Also compromised most electronic alarms in the mountain. Hold on a sec....Justin just brought in a Level 7 Top Secret message from DOD...Seems the intruders poisoned the water supply in the reservoirs...Mountain will have to draw from the Colorado Springs water supply until they can drain and restock them...Severely limits use of the complex for quite a while.”
Bart added, “And destruction of the ventilator shaft entrance means we lost our operations center till repairs are made...So, what’s the plan?”
“Thinking...Any ideas?”
“Matter of fact...Eagle One is fully self-contained and, thanks to you, has everything we need to communicate.”
“I can’t take all the credit for that...The Director was the one who said to spare no expense outfitting the bus for you.”
“Man sure had his share of foresight. Next question is where to park it...Need some place secure and accessible to the rest of the team.”
“Buckley Air National Guard Base has a secure flight line and would take you away from the Cheyenne Mountain area...”
“Too obvious...How ‘bout FE Warren? Gives us access to I-80 and I-25 and has the advantage of topnotch security and isolation.”
“Sure does...I’ll make a few calls...get back to you.”
“Thanks, John, and good luck in the new position.”
“Got a feeling I’ll need all I can get.”
CONSORTIUM HEADQUARTERS
“I’m afraid I have bad news, Commissioner,” the trouble shooter spoke into the phone. “I flew into Denver as you ordered and drove a rented car to the Golden Eagle Guest Ranch.”
“What did you find?”
“The lodge building was destroyed by fire day before yesterday.”
“Are there reports of victims?”
“Yes, the lodge manager, the housekeeper and an unidentified male.”
Undoubtedly, Mister Chopper. “What are emergency response personnel saying?”
“A fire in the kitchen that went unreported for quite some time, due to the remote location. The roof eventually collapsed, which is making identification of the bodies difficult.”
“Do these authorities have any theories on the cause of the fire?”
“They are speculating the fire started in the kitchen during the production of methamphetamines...Initial testing of residue disclosed a large amount of illicit drugs.”
“Find out everything you can about this alleged drug connection.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Commissioner disconnected and called Gunter Wilhem next.
“Yes, Commissioner, what can I do for you?”
“Have you heard rumors about illicit activity at the Golden Eagle Guest Ranch?”
“No, sir...But I have been here less than a month and I’m still assessing the staff. They may not trust me enough to share confidences. What sort of activity?”
“I have little detail, other than the drug trade may be involved.”
“Drugs? No, I have heard no such talk, but will make some inquiries...”
“Nothing overt...I simply wanted you to be aware, since you are the closest facility.”
“Would you like me to send one of the security staff there to investigate?”
“That will not be necessary...I have another operative looking into the matter. Inform me immediately if any of our clients appear at your location.”
“Anyone in particular?”
“One...a former DEA agent who uses a variety of aliases...Five feet eleven inches with reddish hair and a deep scar on the right side of his neck. I will send you dossiers by courier of people who may be with him. Do not consider them to be loyal to us until we can further investigate the events at the Lodge, as well as a failed mission they were conducting.”
“Cheyenne Mountain?”
“You have heard, already?”
“I have contacts in law enforcement who told me of the attack.”
“It is reassuring that you are remaining active, even in your isolation.”
“I assume you will move me once this operation is stable, so it is important that I stay up to date.”
“Very true...I am reminded why I chose you for a leadership role. I have another call coming in.
..Call tomorrow with a progress report.”
The Commissioner pressed a button to take his next call.
Gunter sat still for awhile and contemplated his next move. He needed to contact someone within the agency to inform them of a possible connection between the attack on the mountain and the Golden Eagle Guest Lodge fire. Hawkins wasn’t answering his calls. Maybe it was time for him to call the Director.
There was also the issue of the unexplained absence of Rick Eichner. Could he be involved? He took a satellite phone out of a locked drawer in his desk and headed toward the elevator.
* * * *
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY
Alert Pad
Facility on USAF bases where aircraft are kept for immediate response missions.
ABG
Air Base Group
APB
All Points Bulletin.
APU
Auxillary Power Unit-Electrical generator that supplies power when the aircraft engines are not running.
BDUs
Battle Dress Uniform-Sometimes referred to as fatigues. In 1988, they were the Woodland Camoflage Pattern, which consists of varying shades of green and black in a random pattern for concealment in forests.
BlackStar System
Anti-terrorist destructive device carried on all US aircraft and vessels that carry nuclear weapons.
BSOG
BlackStar Operations Group - Special investigative section within the NSA.
BUFF
Big Ugly Freakin’ Fellow-Nickname for B-52
Consortium
Clandestine Intelligence Organization comprised of managers and operatives, mostly from former Soviet-Bloc countries.
Commissioner-
Leader of the Commission that manages the Consortium.
ICBM
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
IMA
Individual Mobilization Augmentee, Air Force Reserve Program for one day-a-month service with active duty units.
NSA National Security Agency - Conducts electronic surveillance programs and cryptologic support for US government agencies.
