REVENGE: Shelter Book 6 (The Shelter)

by Ira Tabankin

  “I don't want to fight either one. Today, we can’t beat either the Confederacy or the Chinese. Combined, they can crush us. I don’t think they will attack us as long as we don’t attack them. Sir, as I said, we can’t breach the defenses around his complex.”

  “I don’t understand; what do you mean we can’t breach his defenses? Why can’t we nuke them?”

  “WHOA, you want to use nuclear weapons on American soil. Sir, I’m sorry, but I’ll refuse that order, as would our people.”

  “You’re refusing a direct Presidential order? Do you realize what this means?”

  “Yes, sir. I gladly tend my resignation. The legacy you so strongly yearn for will be in ruins if you take out a country's president.”

  @@@@@

  “Lacy, on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain today?”

  “Doctor, this morning I’d rate my pain at a four, what I’d consider bearable. My biggest problem isn’t the pain, it’s the itching. I have this insane itch under the cast which I can’t scratch. It’s driving me nuts. Isn’t there something you can give me?”

  “I’m sorry, itching is normal under casts. There’s nothing I can give you to stop it. I know this is going to sound meaningless, but the casts will come off in only a few more weeks.”

  “I may be insane in a few more weeks.”

  “Look, I’m not telling you this, but sometimes a knitting needle helps, it’s thin enough to get under the cast, you have to be careful you don’t cut or puncture your arm.”

  “Thanks, I know where to get one. Cheryl used to knit.”

  “Lacy, please don’t ask Fred for anything of hers, he’s barely holding it together as it is.”

  “Doc, I know, I wouldn’t dream of asking Fred, I have my own sources to get things done.”

  “I’m sure you do.”

  Lacy pauses, hearing,

  “Good morning sexy, I have fresh coffee for you.”

  Jay bends over hugging Lacy. He looks at Doctor Basco,

  “When can I bring her home? I think she’ll get more rest in our own bed, plus that’s my special bed if I get wounded, where will I lay?”

  “We were just discussing that; I believe you can take her home today.”

  Jay’s face lights up with a glowing smile,

  “Doc, you just made my day. I owe you one, ask me for anything I can do for you and it’s yours.”

  “Jay, all I ask is that neither one of you returns here as my patient.”

  “I think that’s a request we can easily grant you.”

  “I’ll trust her not to return here. You though? You’re an unfathomable problem, I don’t trust that you won’t return. I plan to have Wendy check her vitals and help her dress, then she’s all yours. I want to see her every day at 9:00.”

  “Agreed. I’m going to check in with my staff, then I’ll return to bring her home.”

  The word of Lacy’s release spreads through the President’s farm and offices. All are happy she’s going to be released. A smiling Jay enters the conference room to a room full of unhappy staff. He’s taken back by the looks on everyone’s face.

  “I’d ask who died, however, by the looks on everyone’s faces, whatever is wrong is much worse than someone dying. Who’s going to tell me what happened last night that no one woke me to tell me?”

  General Arthur snaps to attention saluting Jay.

  “Oh shit, now I know whatever it is, is really a crap sandwich. Out with it General, what’s going on?”

  “Sir, we have a source that has informed us the President is planning on attacking us, more specifically, you, before you and the Chinese Ambassador sign the treaty.”

  “Which means he’s got to hit us within the next couple of days. Do we have any indication of him moving troops or planes?”

  “No, and that’s what’s got us very worried.”

  Jay sits at the head of the table considering how the President will strike them. He has to hit me, us, within a couple of days, he has to make sure he gets me this time. He has to do it without starting a new Civil War, in a way he can claim was an accident so it looks like his hands are clean. If I was him, what would I do?

  “General, I know I’m going to sound crazy, but where is the nearest nuclear power plant?”

  “Jay, there are two plants outside Knoxville; Sequoyah, in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee and the Watts Bar plant near Spring City. Of course, there’s the Oak Ridge Facility, which is also outside of Knoxville. None are that close to us.”

  “What would happen if one or all of these plants blew up?”

  “The winds usually blow west to east, the radiation would be blown to the east, almost none would affect us. Why are you asking about nuclear plants?”

  “Look at the available data, he only has a little time left to hit us, he’ll want to make it look like an accident, nothing he can be blamed for, he wants his hands to seem clean. If it’s an accident, he’ll be able to send rescue planes, covering his invasion as a mercy flight. I think he’ll choose a WMD to make sure he gets me and contaminates this area so no one will do a detailed investigation. How can he create a massive industrial accident that takes me out and allows him to provide help? All he needs is to kill all of us while also bringing down our grid or communications net so our border and air defense troops will be confused. He only needs to confuse us a short time, then he wins.”

  “Shit, I think you’re right.”

  “Let me get my best people on it.”

  “Hurry, the clock is ticking down to zero, all of our lives depend on us figuring out what he’s going to do and coming up with a counter measure to stop him.”

  Before the group breaks up, Fred lifts his head from his tablet,

  “I found it!”

  Jay looking confused, asks,

  “Fred, you found what?”

  “There’s a nuclear plant almost due south of us. If he times it right, the radioactive cloud will cover us.”

  “Oh crap, us and what’s left of Nashville.”

  “Yup.”

  “General, I think you better get some people to that plant and while you’re at it, place troops around every nuclear plant.”

  “I’m on it.”

  Jay sits thinking, that SOB, I think he’d really blow a nuke plant to get me, he doesn’t care anything about the people he’d also be killing. He’s nothing but a criminal, I can’t wait till I visit him behind bars. Or pushing up flowers, where I can piss on his grave. If it’s not a nuke plant, what else would he try? He doesn’t have surface to surface missiles with enough range to hit us, plus radar would be able to track the missile, he couldn’t claim it was an accident unless he claims the troops who fired the missile did so on their own. I didn’t think even he would use a nuke, what does that leave him?

  Chapter 12

  Fred looks across the table at Jay, knowing Jay is deep in thought, he doesn’t want to disturb him. Jay looks up and smiles at Fred.

  “What are you looking at?”

  “You, what are you thinking?”

  “That I can’t wait to visit the SOB in the White House behind bars.”

  “Do you think he’ll let you take him alive?”

  “Oh yeah, he’s a coward, he won’t kill himself, he thinks as long as he’s alive he’ll have a chance to escape. I want to see him held in the worst jail we have. What do you need me to sign?”

  “How do you know I need you to sign something?”

  “Otherwise, you would have left with the others.”

  “How’s Lacy doing?”

  “She’s coming home this morning, as soon as I’m finished here, I’m going to bring her home to the castle. Why are you stalling, what’s up?”

  “If you’re fully committed to running for the office, you need a platform to run on, I thought I’d help you create one. That’s if you intend to go through with the crazy idea of having a series of town hall meetings.”

  “I do intend to go through with the town hall meetings, hell,
I may even bring myself to kiss a baby.”

  “Who are you and what have you done with Jay?”

  Laughing,

  “I’ve given a lot of thought to a platform, I made some notes, want to see them?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “I’ll send them to you. Now if you have nothing else, I’m going to bring Lacy home.”

  “Go, I’ll cover the office.”

  “Fred, I know you will. I’m sorry for your loss. Here I am happy as a kid on Christmas morning, and you lost your family. I’m sorry.”

  “There’s no need for you to be sorry. I’m very happy for you. Let me see your platform.”

  Clicking on his tablet, “It’s sent.”

  Jay leaves Fred alone in the conference room, Fred opens Jay’s email, which is a bullet list.

  Voter ID laws,

  Everyone needs a photo ID to vote.

  Welfare, people must work unless two state approved doctors certify they can’t work

  Veterans given post service housing allowance

  Veterans will be given benefits for life

  Most EPA rules to be overturned

  Treaty with China to tow icebergs to coast, turn into drinking water

  Tax breaks to create American middle-class jobs

  Change government purchasing process

  Government budgets should be reset to zero every year

  No government agency can make any rule without consent of Congress and President’s signature

  The only restriction on guns is education

  “armed society is a polite society.”

  No foreign aid

  No restrictions on stupid things, like light lightbulbs and toilets

  Make most drugs legal, syringes only sold at pharmacies

  All drugs taxed

  DUI laws expanded to cover drugs

  Use wrongly get arrested, go to jail, freedom of choice.

  Get government out of everyday life

  No import duty

  Government lottery,

  Winnings are tax-free

  Use with import duty to fund government

  Stupid pays

  Start fire, pay for cost to put it out

  Do damage, pay to repair it

  Hurt someone, pay their medical costs and lost wages

  Don’t have way to pay, lose assets, work it off

  Speedy trial,

  All within 90 days

  Can only be extended 60 days if both sides agree

  No BS legal defensives

  All evidence allowed if search warrant was issued

  Previous acts of perpetrator allowed

  Five-year review of all laws

  Term limits on all government jobs

  Keep the Huntsville, gold standard for our currency

  No abortion unless mother’s life at risk, can give up baby, many people want to adopt, we need to cut the process time and cost.

  Flat tax, single page or two-page, cuts everyone’s cost, or national sales tax, (like this method best, higher earners buy more, they pay more tax)

  Bring back the real history and civics to school, bring back art and gym, everyone takes gym, have to get kids in shape. Bring back trade shops/work with local contractors

  Fred stares at the outline thinking, where did he find the time to write this? Damn, he’s covered most of the points I was thinking. I’ll add immigration and drilling/fracking to his list. This is more than a platform, these are things the Confederacy should embrace and make part of our country. We can write much of this into our new constitution. Damn, if he can pull off this list, he’ll go down in history. What am I thinking, he’s going to go down in history anyway. I’ll start to add some meat to the outline. I think he’ll do very well on the campaign trail if the North doesn’t assassinate him first. I’ve got to talk with Colonel Black about expanding his protection detail into a real secret service.

  @@@@@

  Admiral Jefferson guides his battle group around Florida, his ships begin heading north up the Atlantic coast of Florida. He’s sitting outside the battle bridge of the Missouri enjoying the warm sun on his face when he hears his aide,

  “Admiral, you’re needed in CIC.”

  “I knew someone would find a way to spoil my afternoon. I’m coming.”

  He enters the dark CIC where all of the sensors display their data on a wall of large monitors. Admiral, one of the destroyers picked up what they think is a submarine.”

  “Son, there is no think it’s a submarine, if one of the destroyers thinks they’ve located a sub, the odds are good they’ve found one. Which destroyer?”

  “John Paul Jones.”

  “I should have figured it would be Paul. He always wants to take the point so his ship can find something to shoot at. Patch me to the JPJ’s bridge, I want to speak to Paul.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  “Captain, the Admiral is on line one.”

  “Admiral, John Paul Jones actual here.”

  “Paul, tell me about the submarine.”

  “Sir, we picked her up on passive, I sent our helio to check, she got a strong reading on the magnetometer. She’s 25,000 yards dead in front of us. I believe she’s lying in wait for us.”

  “I agree; did you get an ID on the boat?”

  “Sir, she’s an improved Los Angeles class boat, we don’t have enough information to determine which one.”

  “Commander, sink her.”

  “Admiral?”

  “Paul, our subs are all accounted for, if this boat wanted to change sides, she would have surfaced to contact us so we knew she wasn’t a threat. I don’t like her sitting in our path. I don’t want to risk anything. You are weapons free for anti-submarine attack.”

  “Yes, sir, my orders are to sink the submarine.”

  “Paul, I know what you’re thinking, she used to be our family. She’s not anymore, she’s most likely sitting there waiting to attack us.”

  “Admiral, I understand. I’ll sink her.”

  “Good shooting.”

  “Thank you sir.”

  The commander of the USS John Paul Jones, DDG 53 looks at his XO (executive officer),

  “XO, you heard the man, begin plotting a firing solution on the hostile submarine. Launch the helio with live weapons.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The Captain says,

  “Officer of the deck sound General Quarters, anti-submarine, make it no drill.”

  “Aye, sir. Set General Quarters, no drill.” He turns the alarm which makes an automated announcement through the ship.

  "General Quarters, General Quarters! All hands man your battle stations. The flow of traffic is up and forward on the starboard side, down and aft on the port. Set material condition Zebra One throughout the ship. This is not a drill." General Quarters, General Quarters!"

  The Officer of the Deck picks up the 1MC saying,

  “Crew of the John Paul Jones, General Quarters, this is NOT a drill. Arm ASROCS, helio is cleared to lift off. Our orders are to sink the submarine blocking our path.”

  The crew of the DDG 53 rushes to their battle stations, weapons systems are made ready to fire, sonar updates their track on the submarine. The Chief sonar operator reports to the bridge,

  “Captain, sonar, we are holding track on Sierra one, she’s submerged at one hundred fifty feet, just below the layer. She’s an improved Los Angeles class boat. She’s making eight knots, 22,000 yards directly ahead, bearing 000.”

  “Sonar, Captain, keep me updated, Weaps, warm up two ASROCS.”

  “Captain, Weaps, warm up to ASROCS, aye, sir. Captain, we’re in range, whenever you want to fire, we’re good down here.”

  “Weaps, Captain, thank you.”

  “Fire one.”

  “Fire one. One away.”

  The gray silo cover flips backward, bright yellow flames shoot vertically out of the silo as the rocket propelled torpedo rises from the silo. Dense gray smoke covers the front of the Destroyer. The ASROC
quickly lifts into the sky, as the second cover flips open and the second ASROC follows the first.

  “Captain, Weaps, both Mark 54’s have clearly separated from their boosters, each should land to either side of the boat.”