by Kurt Winans
“As you wish number two.”
After having another few sips of his coffee, Samuel took three twenty dollar bills from his wallet and placed them in the center of the table before adding, “I appreciate you all coming on such short notice to this out of the way place. Now please allow me to take care of breakfast today gentlemen, and have something hearty before you all get back to work.”
“Thanks number two. And since you brought it up, why did you choose this place?”
“There are lots of customers who come through one of these restaurants every day, and as long as you don’t drastically over or under tip the waitress, no one will remember our group as anything other than a set of normal customers.”
“I understand number two, and don’t worry, we will be forgettable.”
“Good, and please also keep this in mind. It’s the opinion of number one that really matters with regard to your job performance. Although you may never know the identity of that person, I strongly suggest that you succeed with your newly given task.”
“Yes number two, we understand.”
Then as he stood from the table to depart, Samuel replied, “Good. Now I need to get over to College Station. I have to plant another seed of potential profit with the university administration.”
Greeting her boss as he entered the oval office, the President’s personal secretary said, “Good morning sir, did you sleep well?”
“Yes I did thank you. How are you feeling today Mrs. Dawson?”
“Very well sir, thank you. Before we go over your schedule for the day, I have just received a phone call from the office of the Commandant at the Naval Academy.”
While glancing at the files that had been laid upon his desk, President Jordan Harwell inquired, “Yes, and what does she and Annapolis want from me this morning?”
“It seems they are extending an invitation to you sir.”
“Well that’s nice I suppose, but what for?”
“Yes sir. They are asking you to attend a football game.”
Now looking toward his secretary of many years, the President asked, “A football game?”
“Yes sir.”
President Harwell understood that the woman currently serving as the commandant of the Naval Academy, who had extended said invitation, was never what one would classify as a sports enthusiast. With that knowledge he sarcastically questioned, “A football game? The Admiral does know that March twelfth is actually in the heart of basketball season doesn’t she?”
“Yes sir, I’m sure that she does. Well perhaps not the basketball aspect, but she’s assuredly familiar with the current date. I think that the Admiral probably just wanted to beat the others to it.”
As Christopher Westin entered the oval from his own office, he heard his boss ask Mrs. Dawson, “Beat the others to it? I’m afraid that I don’t know what you are talking about. Could you please elaborate for me?”
“Yes sir. It’s concerning the celebration planned at each of the service academies this coming fall. They have all agreed to host a football game with a simultaneous kickoff on the Saturday following Veterans day in mid-November, and I’m sure that each of them will invite you to attend as the Commander and Chief.”
Turning to his old friend and current White House Chief of Staff, the President asked, “Did you know about this Chris?”
“Yes sir. Apparently the academies arrived at the decision a few days ago. I just heard about their collective agreement last evening, and I was planning on bringing the matter to your attention today. I agree with the assessment of Mrs. Dawson. Each of the commandants will probably want you to attend their game, and by calling so early this morning, the Admiral has just proven that she believes the same.”
“Yes, so it would appear.”
“Unfortunately you can only choose one of the academies, and that will most probably upset each of the other two.”
After a few seconds of silent thought, the President responded, “Well that’s true, but there could be an easy way to eliminate the problem.”
“What’s that sir?”
“If I do receive an invitation from all three, I will simply decline all of them. I can send the representative of each military branch from the Joint Chiefs in my place.”
“Decline them sir? But the event is scheduled for a few days after Veterans Day. As the Commander and Chief of all military forces, you should make a public appearance on that day.”
“I agree whole heartedly Chris, but I have a better idea as to where that public appearance should be. I will need Mrs. Dawson to check on something first to see if it’s possible, and if so, then we will move forward.”
Stepping closer to her boss, Patricia Dawson asked, “What can I do to help sir?”
“Please look up the football schedule of my alma mater for the upcoming season, and if they are hosting a game on that Saturday, then that is where I will make a public appearance.”
Staring at a six by eight foot map of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia that had just been laid out before them on the office table, Samuel Tillman said to the group of six surrounding it, “Alright everyone. That was good work on the other eastern site, but now that we have finalized our intended plans there, we must turn our attention to the Maryland location. Before we begin though, it should be noted that we don’t have an inside source who could provide us with additional up to the last minute intelligence reports. Also of concern is that the intended target is on a separate piece of land from the main body. For those reasons, I personally believe that the Maryland site could be more challenging for us than the New York location with regard to the necessary logistics.”
Directly across the table from Samuel, one of his six most trusted members of the organization said, “I agree with your assessment number two.”
“Thank you. Now the good news is that the Maryland location will be easier to figure out than the Colorado location. That unfortunately will be a nightmare for us to plan, so we will put that off until we have these logistics ironed out.”
Another of those who were surrounding the table then asked, “With regard to Maryland, do you have specific thoughts on how we should proceed, or are you open to suggestion?”
“As with our discussions regarding either of the other two sites, this is an open forum.”
“Since that is the case, I would like to propose an escape route to the east.”
After a quick glance back toward the map, Samuel replied, “That is certainly one possibility, but please tell me why they should go east?”
“Well number two, I believe that they could obtain total surprise by doing so. With limited highway or road options to the east, no one would expect our team to travel in that direction.”
Looking around the table at each of the other five, Samuel asked, “Does anyone have a thought in reply to this suggestion?”
Pointing with his finger at a specific spot on the map, the man immediately to Samuel’s left replied, “With all respect to our friend, I don’t believe that would be our best option. After escaping from the attack zone, our team would need to access highway-50 and travel eastward for roughly eight or nine miles before coming to a toll plaza for the bridge crossing over the Chesapeake Bay. That could present several problems, which could lead to the capture of both the ground and air personnel.”
The man who had suggested the idea of an eastward escape route had taken no personal offence to the rebuttal, but he did ask, “Could you elaborate on the potential problems that you see?”
Looking across at the man, he replied, “Well first off the bridge could have had a recent accident or heavy weekend traffic heading toward eastern Maryland or Delaware. If so, then that could hinder the escape efforts of our personnel. For that matter, there could be a long line of cars at the toll plaza itself, or if the authorities have acted more quickly than we anticipate, the bridge could be closed due to the recent attack. If either of those scenarios were to transpire, then our team would be gridlocked in the traff
ic with no hope of escape.”
Having listened closely, Samuel intervened by stating, “You make a valid argument, as that bridge is an obvious choke point. Let’s assume however that our team does make it across the Chesapeake via the highway-50 bridge, how do you see things unfolding from there?”
“Well number two, it could get worse for them. Unless we set up a plan to evacuate our personnel from some remote location via either the water or air, they would be stuck on a rather large peninsula. There are very limited options for passenger ferries, and some of those would be closed for the winter by mid-November. The only bridge option other than what they had just traversed would be the one heading south toward Norfolk Virginia at the mouth of the Chesapeake. It’s roughly one-hundred ninety miles from Annapolis through Salisbury Maryland and on to Kiptopeke Virginia at the north entrance point, with the three bridge spans and two tunnels of the structure measuring another twenty. That’s a long way to travel on the peninsula toward a lengthy bridge escape route from it during what we must envision as being a high alert situation initiated by the federal government. I feel that as a result of the attack, a bridge of such strategic importance near the largest Navy base on the eastern seaboard will most assuredly be closely monitored. It could even be closed to automobile traffic by the time that our team arrives. If so, then that would leave only one viable route off of the peninsula by vehicle as backtracking to a position near Wilmington Delaware would be required. Unfortunately that option is well north of where they would have initially come across from Annapolis, so precious hours could be spent while attempting to reach it.”
Samuel had listened closely to the breakdown of the challenges that the escaping ground forces could possibly encounter, and had made up his mind because of them. Then while staring with pleasure at his well-prepared friend and planner who had just enlightened the group, he stated, “It’s obvious that you have put some advance thought into this scenario.”
“Yes number two I have. Our friend is correct, as there would be an element of surprise. Unfortunately that surprise would probably not work in our favor. Therefore the way I see it, a planned escape to the east would be a mistake on our part.”
Once again looking around the table for input, Samuel asked, “Can we all agree, based on the information provided by our friend, that we should pursue a course of action other than an escape route to the east?”
A collective mummer of voices could be heard, and the positive nodding of heads from every member of the group could be seen. Then the man who had proposed the idea said, “I agree as well. We should look into other alternatives.”
Samuel nodded and said, “Alright, let’s see what options are available to the west.”
As Samuel and his group of attack planners were completing a three day session of tussling about over the best way to approach the challenges of their eastern targets, a group of six recruits flew into the training facility via a twin engine propeller aircraft to be greeted with a rather rough and abrupt landing. They followed the initial twelve recruited jumpers who had come in via bus two weeks earlier to begin work on various aspects of the training facility, and the added manpower was welcomed with open arms. Having arrived ten days after it was learned by number two that all three targets could indeed be attempted, the initial twelve had roughed out a partial airstrip and raised a portion of the tent village. Like those men, the newest group of recruits would be housed in tents and become fully immersed in the camping lifestyle. That would also apply for the twenty-four more that had yet to be secured as recruits, as the intent was to toughen each man up mentally while they also became more physically fit. This was planned with a belief that as the dusty confines of the temporary canvas village became increasingly crowded; there would be added motivation to complete construction of the more modern facilities.
As the plane bounced roughly while also slowing quickly on the short landing strip, one of the recruits said aloud, “I guess the first order of business will be to complete the runway.”
His recruiter, who had been a participant in the clandestine meeting with Samuel at the Conroe Waffle House, replied to the entire group, “Sorry about the rough landing, and you are absolutely correct. We have to lengthen the runway another several hundred feet, while simultaneously smoothing out what has already, and will be, carved out of the landscape. Unfortunately when we get a spring rainstorm coming through as was the case yesterday; it can wash away part of what has been built. Once we address the runway issues, we will construct a hangar facility to house the planes and corresponding equipment. That facility will also contain a few large rooms that will house several bunks for sleeping, and a small dining area. The final aspect of construction will be the easiest to complete, as we will clear and outline a landing zone for the jumps with painted rocks that can be easily recognizable from a few thousand feet above. Of course every aspect of what I have mentioned will become simpler for us as our numbers continue to grow.”
Another recruit asked, “What will we be using to accomplish all of that?”
“We have a dozer that was used to cut the path for the dirt road in from the highway. That bus over there literally came in the day after the final portion of that road was cut with the first twelve members of your teams, along with the tools and supplies they would need for setting up the tent village. Then the dozer was used to carve out what runway currently exists, and we will continue to have it roll back and forth to compact and smooth out the surface as we clear more brush. That’s where all of you come in. You will be assisting the others, as the shrubs and rocks in the area that will become the extended runway will mostly be removed by hand.”
After a nod of understanding, another recruit said eagerly, “All right, it sounds like we have a plan in place. Let’s stow our gear and get to work.”
A week later, on the day after Easter Sunday, another batch of six recruits arrived to a much smoother landing. As the plane came to a stop more than one hundred yards from the tent village, it was impossible for those within to ignore the flatbed truck carrying a load of trusses and stacks of lumber parked close by. With the runway nearing completion, materials had been sent in so that work could begin on the hanger facility. At least for the present moment the schedule had been maintained per the hopes of Mason and number two, so the intended cover of a skydiving school would soon be operational.
Seated next to his son Mason, Samuel looked out the window of the Tillman family jet as the plane began final approach. This day, April fifteenth, was his least favorite day of the year, as the federal government mandated tax day continued to search for ways to take a bite out of his hard earned fortune. He and Victoria had been crafty with their finances throughout the years, and with help from some well-educated tax specialists, the federal intrusion had become less of a burden in recent years. Still, the day itself burned at his insides for how the government had required so much of the people, while providing so little tangible evidence of their proper stewardship of the funds that had been garnished from a huge collective of citizens. That perceived mismanagement, accurate or not, was one of several reasons that Samuel, along with many dedicated others, were embarking upon their current quest.
Gazing upon the city that was hemmed by both mountainous terrain and the flat regions through which the Rio Grande River flowed, Samuel realized that several years had passed since his last visit to the El Paso area. In honesty, he couldn’t recall why he had last been to the western tip of his birth state, but the intent of his return was to serve multiple purposes. There was a planned face to face meeting with his old friend number thirty one so that future logistics and any intelligence that he and his team had gathered with regard to Fort Bliss could be discussed. That meeting, and subsequent conversations, would take precedence over all other things. Although the massive military base that stretched far into neighboring New Mexico was not significant throughout the early phases of the overall plan, its location would be of strategic importance during the later stag
es. Samuel and Mason would spend a few days in the area with number thirty one as their guide, and in so doing, learn all that they could about the region for future reference. When confident in the completion of that task, they would visit the land that Mason had purchased for the training facility on behalf of the family in early February.
Feeling a slight bump as their Gulfstream G280 jet touched down, Samuel turned to his son and said, “So you have flown out this way on a few occasions during the past couple of months to meet with number thirty one and visit the training facility. What are your impressions of him and his abilities?”
“You have introduced me to hundreds of people throughout my life dad, and some have been less than genuine, but number thirty one isn’t like that. During my limited exposure to him, he appears to be a good man with solid decision making skills and a conviction toward our ultimate goal.”
“I’m glad to hear that Mason, because you may be working with him for some time. I have known number thirty one for many years, and I was glad that he was willing to take on the responsibility of being the lead in the El Paso area. If we succeed with all our hopes, then this area of Texas will become extremely important in the future. Our cause will need good people out here, and what you learn from him could be beneficial for that future.”
After coming to a stop on the tarmac, the flight attendant opened the door and unfolded the exit stairs. With Mason leading the way, she smiled with a wink and while placing her hand on his arm said, “Have a good time in El Paso Mason.”
With a return smile and tone of voice as he moved past her that went well beyond that of a normal courtesy, he replied, “Thank you. I hope you enjoy your time here as well.”
Only a few strides behind, Samuel had noticed the flirtation. But he reserved all comment until he and his son were down the stairs and well clear of the aircraft. What he had seen suddenly made him uneasy about Mason visiting the area via the family jet with such frequency. Then while using a subtlety of body language that could not have been detected by their flight attendant from behind at any distance, Samuel said, “Mason, I want you to continue walking at the pace that I set and keep looking straight ahead as I say this. Do you understand?”
