by Ira Tabankin
The other reporters make a note of her last question; they too think the President is up to something. The ABC reporter whispers to his friend from CBS, “I smell a rat. No one sends fighters to escort aid planes unless they’re not real aid planes. Do you think the South will stop his aid flight?”
“Do you think he’s starting another Civil War?”
“I think he’s already started one. I won’t be able to report it though. If I tried, I’d be fired.”
“Me too. Let’s see what happens next. Have you heard the rumors of a reporter in the South posting images of the cave in? He’s claiming he has proof it was an attack. There are many people saying the North attacked the President’s farm trying to take him out, it was really an assassination attempt, one that failed. If that’s the truth, Tolson will strike back; it could get very messy, very quickly. A Civil War with today’s weapons could get bloody very quickly.”
“Oh shit. That makes sense, I think you might be right, he’s trying to kill Tolson before another Civil War starts. I think the President is making a huge mistake. If he did attack Tolson, there’s no way the South will forgive him. I don’t think this one is going to end as well as the previous Civil War. Do you think he’s been lying to us about everything?”
“I’m beginning to think he’s hiding something very important from us. Something we’re all going to pay for.”
“I think I’m going to find that Southern reporter and see if I can learn from him what he saw. I’ll have to do it on my own time, if the network catches us surfing a Confederate site I’ll be fired.”
“Be careful.”
“Thanks, I will. If you don’t see or hear from me in a day or two, you’ll know he got me, look for me in the deepest, darkest hole you can find. If I think they may be on to me, I’m going to take my family and move south.”
Chapter 2
Admiral Jefferson looks at an email marked URGENT from Jay’s office,
“The farm was attacked; please contact General Arthur for details. We’re requesting some Marines to expand the security area. We could also use all of the medical assistance you can spare.” Admiral Jefferson picks up the 1MC,
“Captain, I want the Marines ready to leave to provide support as soon as we’re in range of the President’s farm. I want some God damn air cover over the farm ASAP, he’s been attacked, I don’t have any other details yet. When am I going to see a carrier? Set a course for the Task Force which get into a position to help them. Place the Task Force at General Quarters.”
“Sir, the first repaired carrier, George Washington, is undergoing tests, she has only two screws so her top speed will be reduced. As you know, she can’t fit through the Canal; she’s going to have to travel around the tip of South America to get here. It could take her three weeks. I’ve contacted the fighter base in Fort Worth, Texas, and the bases in the Carolinas, both are sending fighters. The Commanding General of Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, wants to know if you want the B1 bombers armed for a strike?”
“Tell him to arm them with smart bombs, but hold them on the base until we get orders from the President. Speaking of which, does anyone know the status of the President? I haven’t been able to reach him. We need to know he’s okay. He’s our Commander in Chief.”
“Sir, what happens if he didn’t survive?”
“Then, his next in line will assume command.”
“Even if he’s a mob boss?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we reach it. I need the details of the attack, who was behind it, I need to know who struck them and the numbers of wounded and dead.”
“Yes, sir.”
Fifteen minutes later, “Admiral, we have General Arthur for you. He’s on the secure phone.”
“Put him on.”
The radio line is filled with static, “Admiral, are you there?”
“General, yes, can you tell me what happened? Is the President alive? Do we need to plan for a strike?”
“Admiral, the good news is he’s alive and well. There was a cave-in at a construction site, we were responding to their call for help when we got attacked by two aerial dropped SDBs.” (small diameter bombs). The bad news is, his wife and many others were injured.”
“Did you see the plane that dropped them?”
“No, we’re assuming it was a drone.”
“Logical. What can I do?”
“We need transport and medical help. My surgeon was killed in the bombing, the President has two doctors, one was pretty badly wounded, he’s still working on people, he can’t go on for long unless he gets help. We could use any assistance you can spare. And some air cover or anti-air missiles to keep their planes and drones off our backs.”
“General, did you catch the President’s news conference?”
“No, what did he say?”
“He’s sending ten C130s with fighter escort to the President’s farm for what he called assistance. We both know it’s an invasion force.”
“Shit! Can you stop them?”
“I’ve already ordered F16s and 15s to take up position over your location. They should arrive within eight mikes. I’ve got my Marine transports moving at 25 knots to the coast. I’m planning on sending the Marines in their heavy lift birds accompanied with a refueling plane I’m borrowing from the Air Force. Can you help locate some C17s which we can transfer the Marines to after they cross the coast? It would speed up the assistance we can provide.”
“Sounds good. I suggest you stay on the Missouri, you’re safer there than here. I’ll find some transport planes to get your Marines here.”
“Agreed. Let’s plan on getting your transport planes and my Marines together at Mobile, Alabama.”
“WILCO, the planes will be there by the time the Marines are, over and out.”
Admiral Jefferson slams his fist into his left hand. Damn that man. He tried to decapitate us; the C130s are bringing an invasion force. I hope our fighters will stop them. We’ll bury our dead and tend to our wounded. Then, we’ll settle the score with him. He didn’t break us, he made us stronger. I think I know our President well enough to know, he’s going to bide his time and then smack the North so hard it knocks them over.
Picking up the IMC again, a very frustrated Admiral says,
“Captain, declare a two-hundred-mile exclusion zone around the task force, if any Northern ships, submarines or planes are sighted, warn them away, if they break the exclusion zone, you are weapons free to take them out.”
“Sir, are we at a state of war with the North?”
“Assume for now we are.”
“Yes, sir.”
“GENERAL QUARTERS, GENERAL QUARTERS, SET CONDITION ONE, THIS IS NOT A DRILL, REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL. ALL HANDS MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS.”
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The leader of a flight of F16s coming from Fort Worth, Texas calls Admiral Jefferson,
“Admiral, Bandit flight leader of a flight of twelve lawn darts, we’ll be over the farm in three minutes. An AWACS out of Tinker Air Force Base has contact with a flight flying towards the President’s farm from the north, ten heavies flying at 350 knots escorted by six fast fliers. We think the escorts are F35s. Requesting orders and ROE.” (rules of engagement)
“Bandit flight leader, Admiral Jefferson. Your orders are to intercept and turn back the flight from the North. You are weapons green. I repeat you are weapons free. I hope your presence is enough to turn them around. If not, don’t screw with them. They’ve already crossed into our airspace. They tried to decapitate us by trying to take out our President. There is a flight of twelve Eagles headed in your direction from South Carolina; these are friendly, call sign Reaper flight. I’ve send a tanker from Dyess to make sure you have full tanks.”
“Roger, intercept and take down if required northern flight. Weapons green Reapers, friendlies. Texaco’s are on the way from the east.”
Calling the other members of his flight,
“Bandit flight, bandit leader, our orders are
to remove those assholes from our airspace. We’re getting help from some Eagles, let’s clean this up before they arrive. A Texaco is on the way so let’s go to burners to catch the blue bellies. Weapons are green, repeat, weapons are green. Let’s go kick some Yankees in the ass. Over and out.”
“Bandit, XO, boys you heard the man, let’s tell our friends they’re not welcome here. On the count of three, light the burners, lock up the intruders. Three, two, one, fire control radar on and locked.”
Radar warning alarms scream in the cockpits of the C130s carrying the North’s invasion force. They quickly react by trying to turn and jinx to get away from any incoming missiles. Each Northern C130 begins dumping flares and stringing out radar decoys to draw anti-air missiles away from them. Their escorting fighters, F35s, zoom ahead of the cargo planes; they accelerate to Mach 1.2 trying to intercept the Confederate F16s before they can reach the cargo planes loaded with paratroopers. The F16s smile realizing their attackers are F35s. They know the F35 can’t turn inside an F16. Each plane in the Bandit flight fires two AIM 120D missiles at the advancing fighters whose radar warns them of the incoming missiles. They drop flares and radar countermeasures trying to avoid the incoming missiles. The F35s hope their stealth covering will defeat the incoming missiles. The AMRAAM AIM 120D fired from the F16s is the most advanced air-to-air missile in the US inventory. It has its own internal active radar combined with an IR sensor which guides the missiles to their target. The F35s can’t out turn the missiles fired at short range. The missiles ignore the countermeasures, they strike five of the fighters, the remaining one quickly turns around to get out of Dodge leaving the C130s unguarded. The leader of the C130, realizing they’re exposed and unguarded, orders their flight to turn around and get out of Confederate airspace as quickly as possible.
“Bandit leader to Admiral Jefferson, splash five fighters, repeat splash five fighters, C130s turning around, they are hightailing it out of our airspace as fast as possible. What are your orders?”
“Bandit leader, job well done. Have two fly CAP over the President’s farm until relieved, I want two to fly escort for the AWACS, the rest of you escort our friends out of our airspace. If they turn South, splash them.”
“Yes, sir.” Replied the smiling Bandit leader.
“Bandit flight, I assume you heard the Admiral, three and four fly CAP, you are weapons free, splash anything that doesn’t have the bars and stripes on their tail. Two and five drive the assholes out of our airspace.”
“Yes, sir, with pleasure.”
@@@@@
The Northern President in Washington D.C. is storming around the Oval Office, screaming at his Secretary of Defense,
“What do you mean we missed him? How the hell did we miss the SOB? I thought you had positive proof he was in the target area before we fired. Damn it, he will counter attack us.”
“Sir, we may have made a mistake. Based on the body recognition software, we thought he was there. We’ll have to have a discussion with the contractor who wrote the code. They may need to tune it a bit.”
“A bit? I think more than a bit. I don’t think there’s any question he wasn’t there when we bombed them. How long do you think it’s going to be before he holds a press conference announcing we killed his people and tried to kill him?”
“Sir, your press conference was masterful; our press bought your story. They’re not going to report anything other than what you said. No one is going to believe any claims made by a rebel. The media loves you.”
“Prepare a statement to respond to any statement the Confederacy makes. They may try to blame us for their cave-in.”
“Sir, of course. I’ll get in touch with the Press Secretary, we’ll form a focus group to test the potential statements.”
The President takes the elevator to the living quarters. Thinking, I may have to threaten the asshole in Nashville with torturing his kids. Holding them hasn’t slowed him down. I wanted to see the look on his face when our troops dropped onto his farm. I wanted to show him in chains to the press as an example of what happens to rebels. I wanted to make an example of him so my people see me as their fearless leader.
None of the Northern President’s staff has seen the internet posts from the Southern reporter on Jay’s farm, while most of the Northern citizens have seen them. The President’s staff is swamped with people asking questions about the Southern site. They are swamped with hundreds of thousands of questions asking if the posts are true, did the North bomb the Southern President’s farm? Why did the North try to kill the Southern President? As the Northern President’s staff begins to get up to speed, the South posts gun site recordings from the Bandit flight, showing them downing five of the North’s one-hundred-million dollar F35s. The F16s easily took down the North’s most expensive trouble plagued fighter. Many in the North quietly wonder if maybe there was some truth to the many rumors saying the F35 is a dog. Short ranged, with a small payload, and not as maneuverable as the F16 and F15 in dogfighting it was supposed to replace.
@@@@@
Frank’s DHS senior executive ID card enables him to enter Mount Weather without a second look. He nods to everyone he passes. Wearing a one-thousand-dollar suit makes him look the part of a professional government executive. Remembering the map of the facility he studied on his flight, he locates a small men’s room hidden from most of the internal security cameras. Ensuring he’s alone, he locks himself in a stall where he replaces his suit with an Army medical doctor’s uniform. The uniform holds the rank of two dark stars, making his rank a Major General, one of the highest ranks in the Army Medical Corps. He folds his suit, replacing the uniform he had folded in the briefcase. His last act is to change the ID card around his neck. He pulls a medical file folder out of his case which he holds in his left hand. He smiles at everyone he passes walking towards the VIP level where he’s been told Jay’s family is being held. He looks and acts the part; anyone glancing at his ID will see it’s one of the special senior level military medical IDs. The armed guards snap to attention seeing the two dark stars on the center of his uniform shirt. When they also see his bright red bordered ID hanging around his neck and his bright red wristband identifying him as authorized to be in the VIP wing. They snap a salute to the Major General.
Frank ignores the guards as if they don’t exist, which is the norm for a senior level officer in the new Army of the North. A guard blocks his way when he reaches the door where Sammi and Lacy are being held,
The guard snaps, “General, I’m sorry, but authorization is required for entry to this area.”
“Sergeant, here’s my ID card. The President personally asked me to check on our guests, he asked me to send him a report by 15:00. He wants to make sure he can report to their father they’re in excellent health. I’m supposed to take some images and send my report and pictures to their father to prove their alive and unharmed.”
“Sir, yes, sir. Your pass is accepted; it says you’re authorized for entrance. They’re just inside. Would you like us to come in with you?”
“No, I’m a medical doctor, I’ll be fine. If I need you, I’ll let you know. While I’m inside, please don’t allow anyone else entry. I don’t want my examination to be disturbed.”
“Yes, sir.”
“When I finish my report, can you assist me sending the file to their father? I’m not very good with computers and attaching large files. In additional I don’t know where the secure computers are located in this facility.”
“Sir, we’d be happy to assist you, just let us know when you’re ready.”
“Thank you Sergeant.”
Opening the door, Frank sees Sammi jump up to stand in-between him and Linda. Frank makes a sign with his right hand signaling he’s here from her father. She blinks twice to confirm her understanding. She doesn’t smile so she doesn’t tip off those watching on the cameras she knows are watching her.
Frank looks at the camera mounted in the room’s ceiling corner saying, “I’m Maj
or General, James Brown, US Army medical corps. I hold Presidential authorization, Zebra, two, three, one Alpha. Please turn off your camera so I can examine the two female patients.”
A voice is heard from the rooms ceiling speakers,
“Yes, sir. The cameras are now off. Please let us know when you’re finished so we can turn them on.”
“Thank you, I will.”
He motions Sammi to him. Frank whispers,
“I’m here to break you and Linda out. I’m going to take you home. Your father and Tony sent me. Your father told me to tell you blue as you can be.”
“Orange you glad you’re here?”
“Confirmed, I’m sorry about that, but your father told me to use the word code to confirm you were okay.”
