THE TOCABAGA CHRONICLES: (BOX SET - PART I - BOOKS #1-5)

by Thomas H. Ward

  “You will be on . . . THE FRONT LINE . . . but not really because our Bradley’s and Abrams will blow the enemy off the map as soon as they are in sight. I don’t see them getting within 200 yards of the front line. Anyone have any questions or comments?”

  Aamir starts to speak Arabic to Rahim, but Rahim tells him,”Aamir, speak English so everyone knows what is being said. If we are to move here then everyone will need to speak and learn better English. For us to speak in Arabic is not polite and could make problems.”

  Aamir replies,”I am very sorry and Rahim is correct. It is sometimes hard to express myself quickly in English but I will try. So our women and children can come in right away. Is that correct, Colonel Turner?”

  “Yes that is correct as soon as you bring them here.”

  “Then you want my men to live in tents until we are cleared and to fight al-Qaida when they come. My question is how long to clear us men.”

  “As I told you before possibly up to one month; we need DNA samples, pictures and finger prints.”

  “That is too long to be without our wives.”

  “You can see your wives and children anytime as they can go in and out of the Camp whenever they like. We will give you radios to contact your wives. They will bring your food, do your laundry, and so forth. If al-Qaida attacks us before your clearance and your men serve with honor then we will waive the waiting time.”

  Rahim said, “That sounds good to me Aamir. Jack’s wife and daughter will help watch our women and children. They can come out of the Camp and visit us all day.”

  After a very long pause, Aamir commented,”Okay, I agree with Rahim. We will do this.”

  I said,”Great but we have some questions to ask you both and some information to tell you. First of all, how do you know about al-Qaida, and who told you?”

  Aamir sat there for a minute or two and then replied,”My brother-in-law Abdul Aalee. He was here yesterday wearing the black hat and shirt. He knows all about al-Qaida for some reason. He is very smart and has many contacts.”

  “Why didn’t he come here today?”

  “Because Rahim came with me and there was no room in the car and he did not want to anyway.”

  “Well I don’t know how to tell you this but you have a spy among you, and it is Abdul Aalee. He is a member of al-Qaida. Here is his wanted picture for terrorist attacks in London and France, he has killed 70 people.”

  “I don’t know what to say he never told us he was in al-Qaida. We thought he just had some friends that he got information from.”

  Rahim said, “Shit, Abdul is al-Qaida. That is terrible, just terrible.”

  Colonel Turner said, “He is a key man in the al-Qaida organization here in the USA. He was using you to get to us here. If they control this area then they can obtain more guns, supplies, and have a good base to operate out of.”

  I asked Aamir, “Does he have any wife, kids, or any other close friends?”

  “No wife, no kids, but he does have two close friends in our group who he hangs around with all the time. They have wives but no kids yet. I always thought it was strange as he was not close to me or his sister, my wife. In addition he and his friends smoke at lot of pot everyday, which I do not like. So his friends may be members of al-Qaida also. His two friends are waiting at the car now; their names are Abdullah and Abdul Hakeem.”

  I asked, “Are they the same people that came here yesterday?”

  “No they did not come here yesterday.”

  Captain Sessions phoned Sergeant Cain to have the drone take new pictures of the people standing at the car waiting for Aamir to return. To check them would take about 1 to 10 hours.

  I asked, “Does anyone have any ideas, what we should do now?”

  Colonel Turner replied,”Yes, Aamir, how soon can you come back with your group and when do you think al-Qaida will attack?”

  “We can come back tomorrow by 10am. We need time to pack up our stuff. As far as when al-Qaida could attack I would guess within the next 2 to 5 days. I base this on what Abdul told me. He was pushing for us to move here in 3 days. Abdul thought he would be coming in the camp yesterday and he found out he could not; he was upset. He asked me many questions: how many people are here, what type of guns you have, and so forth.”

  I commented, “That is a key point Abdul Aalee and the other two men were trying to get into our camp and help al-Qaida from the inside by shooting us in the back or something during the battle. They are using Aamir and Rahim to get into our camp.”

  Turner replied, “Okay, Aamir and Rahim bring your group here by 10am. We will be waiting for you. When you arrive, we will arrest Abdul Aalee, Abdul Hakeem, and Abdullah on the spot. Abdul Aalee we know is a terrorist but the other two we will hold until a security check is done. When you return home act normal and do not reveal our trap. Hopefully these three men will return with your group to Camp Tocabaga.”

  “To arrest these guys is going to be tricky without anyone getting hurt. I suggest that Jack, Tommy, and Ron do it because if any of my Rangers get close to them it may cause a problem.”

  “Aamir and Rahim, is there any way to get all three of them to ride in one car?”

  Aamir replied,”Yes, they will want to do that and I will be the driver.”

  “Okay, fine. What is the color of the car?”

  “It is a dark blue Chevy.”

  Turner stressed, “Listen carefully, Aamir, you will be the first car to pull up. Jack you arrest Abdul Aalee, Ron gets Abdullah, and Tommy can arrest Abdul Hakeem. If there is any resistance use deadly force to protect yourself.

  “As soon as everyone is out of the car Jack will come over and shake your hand Aamir, so be standing next to Abdul Aalee when this happens. This is the signal. As soon as Jack lets go of your hand, Jack, Ron, and Tommy draw your weapons and tell them they are under arrest. Hold them at gun point until my men move in. My Rangers will read them their rights and don’t worry my Rangers will cover your backs.”

  “Does everyone agree with this plan?”

  I said,”How about a verbal signal be used instead so Tommy and Ron don’t have to watch my hand? What about this, after I shake your hand I will say welcome to Camp Tocabaga. As soon as I say Tocabaga we draw our weapons and Aamir gets out of the way fast because I think Abdul Aalee is going to fight to the death.”

  Turner replied,”Yes, a verbal signal is better . . . so after you shake hands you will say welcome to Camp Tocabaga. On the word Tocabaga you draw your weapons. Everyone got that?”

  Everyone replied, “Yes.”

  Rahim commented,”I think you will need to arrest their wives also as they cannot be trusted. They would kill for their husbands.”

  “You can point out their wives after we arrest the men. I think that concludes our meeting. Are there any questions or comments?”

  No one replied.

  Captain Sessions said,”Thank you Gentlemen for your kind help and support. We are all safer and better off working together to protect our American way of life.”

  Everyone shook hands and I took Aamir and Rahim back to the bridge. It was about 4pm.

  As usual Aamir said, “Peace be with you.”

  “Peace be with both of you and be careful my friends. I will see you at 10am.”

  I watched them all get in the old car and leave. I hoped that Aamir and Rahim would be careful because if al-Qaida finds out what is going on, they would kill them and their families.

  Then I had brainstorm idea. I radioed Captain Sessions and asked him to have a drone follow Abdul Aalee tonight as he may lead us to the al-Qaida headquarters. He may go there tonight to tell them he will be going to Tocabaga. It will be necessary for the drone to follow Aamir home first to find Abdul Aalee. Captain Sessions thought this was a good idea.

  MAY 12, 2025

  I received a phone call from Captain Sessions at 7am.

  “Jack, Abdullah and Abdul Hakeem are both wanted for terrorism attacks committed in Ohio. They robbed and killed
several people and beheaded two men, last year. So they are very dangerous people, it appears Aamir, and Rahim don’t know it.

  “More important news is we did follow Abdul Aalee last night and found out where the al-Qaida head quarters may be located. It is located an old Church on 54th Ave. South about five miles from here. He went there around midnight and stayed for about 2 hours. After we arrest them today we may do a raid on that location. We will need approval from General Harper. The Colonel is on the line with him right now.”

  Captain Sessions thank you for your good work. Now we know these three guys are all dirt bags and if we shoot them it will be justified. I will let Tommy and Ron know. I will see you at the bridge at around 9:30.”

  Tommy, Ron, and the whole family were sleeping at my house, considered the safe house due to the metal shutters I had installed years ago. We had some time so we ate some breakfast and I told everyone the news I received from Captain Sessions. This news made our job easier as now we knew the three guys were dirty terrorists and we wouldn’t mind killing them on the spot.

  I got another brainstorm idea. If that church is their headquarters then maybe they have hidden some gold, silver, or money there. They need funds, some kind of cash to pay for their travel, food, clothes, guns, or whatever they need. Of course most of what they need they steal and kill to obtain it. These guys have been robbing banks, people, and stores for a couple of years. But maybe, just maybe, there is a gold treasure to be found. I will tell Tommy and Ron about my idea later.

  At 9am we are at the bridge waiting for Aamir and his group to show up. This is a very dangerous situation. No one knows what is going to happen; no one knows what Abdul Aalee is going to do. I suspect that he will fight to the death like other extremists do rather than be taken prisoner.

  Captain Sessions showed up at 9:30 as promised. He advised us that he would have five Rangers covering the entire group, watching our backs when we arrest the terrorists. We reviewed the plan once again so everyone understood what to do and when. When Aamir arrives the three bad guys will be in his car. Once they all get out of the car Tommy, Ron, and I will approach them, I will shake Aamir’s hand, and when I let go of the hand shake I will say, “Welcome to Tocabaga.” As soon as I say "Tocabaga” we all draw our weapons and tell the terrorists not to move. Then the Rangers move in and take any weapons they may have, and lead them to the guard house located at the Fort.

  It sounds easy but a million things can go wrong. I am worried and I have told Tommy and Ron to shoot if anyone makes a slight move. You need to shoot first or you could be killed. The bad guys don’t care if they die because they believe a better life is waiting for them in never never land.

  I decided to change the key word to use as the signal to draw our weapons.

  I advised everyone I would say, “Hello friends, welcome to Tocabaga.” We draw our weapons on the word “Hello.” I changed this just in case Abdul Aalee found out our plan somehow from Aamir or Rahim.

  Tommy yelled, “Here they come!”

  Looking down the road I saw four cars coming, my hands started to sweat so I wiped them off on my pants. I told Ron and Tommy get ready, check your Glock, and make sure there is a round in the chamber. Stay close to me. Everyone in my family has a Glock 9mm hand gun.

  A Glock is without a doubt the best hand gun ever made. The barrels never wear out and they are very dependable. It will fire under water, you can throw it in the mud or run it over with a truck, and it still works every time. It is light weight and has a 15 to 17 round magazine capacity, which means you can fire a lot of bullets. I like the luger 9mm round because it is the most common hand gun ammunition. It is used by the military and police departments all over the United States.

  The cars pulled up to the bottom of the bridge and stopped. I turned around to check if the Rangers were in position. We walked up to the blue Chevy and Aamir got out and so did the Abdul Aalee and the other two bad guys. Tommy was on my right side. Ron was next to Tommy. Aamir walked around the car and stepped up to me to shake hands, while the three terrorists watched standing a little behind Aamir, to the right side of him.

  As Aamir was putting his hand out to shake mine, I looked at Abdul Aalee. I had a clear shot. Tommy had a clear shot at Abdul Hakeem, but Ron didn’t have a clear shot as Abdullah was standing almost behind Aamir. I saw out of the corner of my eye Ron move slightly to his left, maybe that move would give him a clear shot. It seemed as if time slowed down.

  Aamir’s hand was hanging in mid-air waiting for me to shake his hand. I raised my arm while looking at Abdul Aalee to see if he had a gun. I saw none. I glanced back to Aamir and our hands touched.

  I said, “Hello friends, welcome to Tocabaga.”

  As I said, “Hello” I quickly pulled my hand back and drew my Glock 17 pointing it directly at Abdul Aalee. I yelled,”Don’t anyone move you are under arrest. Raise your hands!”

  I didn’t look. I didn’t dare take my eyes off Abdul, but I could feel that Tommy and Ron had their targets covered. Aamir quickly moved out of the way, getting behind us.

  The look on Abdul’s face was one of anger. He slowly started to raise his hands but he suddenly reached behind his back to pull out a hand gun while he was screaming something in Arabic. That was all I needed to see and I shot him twice in the chest.

  I quickly glanced at the other two. They just stood there, not making a move, with their hands in the air. Looking back at Abdul laying on the ground he didn’t move, so I walked over to him, bending down to pick up his gun and check if he had a pulse.

  Suddenly I felt his hand grab my throat, his thumb was pressing directly below my Adam’s apple, and it was choking me. He had both hands on my neck. Our faces were close together; I could smell his stinking hot breath.

  I had no choice but to put my gun to his head and pull the trigger…BAM…blowing his brains out all over the road and spraying my face with warm red blood. The gun blast caused my ears to ring. I couldn’t hear for a few minutes.

  I ripped opened his shirt and he had on a bulletproof vest; my two shots to his chest only knocked him down stunning him. I was a stupid shit and should have done a triple tap, one bullet to the head and two in the chest.

  I took a deep breath trying to control my heart rate and calm down. My hands were shaking as I put my gun back into the holster and stood up in relief. My knees were shaking and I almost fell down, so I sat down on the side of the road.

  Four Rangers came up from behind us and frisked Abdullah and Abdul Hakeem, finding a gun on both of them. They put plastic ties on their wrists telling them you are under arrest for terrorist acts against the United States. Neither one said a word.

  Tommy came up to me and asked,”Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I just need to get my breath back. That guy choked the shit out of me. He was a strong little bastard.”

  “Here take this wet towel and wipe the blood off your face. I had you covered, Dad. I was just getting ready to shoot him in the head myself but you beat me to it.”

  “I know. Thanks, Tommy.”

  Two women ran up begging the Rangers not to take their husbands away. Aamir told the two women their husbands were members of al-Qaida and that Abdul Aalee was their leader. The women started to wail as their husbands were taken away. Speaking in Arabic, they told Aamir they had no idea that their husbands were in al-Qaida. Aamir believed them but I did not. The Rangers took them aside and had Captain Riley search them for weapons but none were found.

  I looked at the rest of the group and Rahim, they were standing there with their hands up.

  I yelled to Rahim,”It is okay, everyone put your hands down.”

  I waved for them to come closer.

  Captain Sessions came over to me and commented,”Jack, good job you did what you had to do. I saw the whole thing happen. It was a justified shooting.”

  I just gave him a knuckle bump, as I didn’t want to talk about it. I felt sick for some reason; maybe I needed a shot of whiskey
and a beer. Yes, that would take the edge off but there was still a lot of work to do helping our new friends get moved in.

  Captain Sessions asked Aamir, “Please bring your people together for a meeting to explain what is going to happen.”

  Aamir called everyone to the base of the bridge, a total of twenty people with six kids under the age of ten, six men and eight women. The first thing the Captain did was to ask everyone to hand in his or her cell phones.

  Since 2012, the NSA (National Security Agency) has been collecting phone and internet data. Your phone number is like your ID number; they can check every call you made and every call that you received over the years. So this is another way to do a background check.

  As Captain Sessions was talking, the Rangers were setting up two tents and a canopy on the small beach about 300 feet away. These were not normal tents as they had hard side walls and small generators to power air conditioning and provide electric power. These were the living quarters for the six men until their background checks were done. It looked like a campground and they even had a latrine installed.