Fletcher was located at the end of an aisle within a seemingly endless maze of twenty-foot high stacks of wooden crates. Each crate was marked with a series of letters and numbers preceded by a swastika. Close to his position, a map marked out the locations of various stored items. As Fletcher was relaying the information to Bronot by walkie-talkie, he spotted a soldier apparently on guard duty about two hundred yards away. Smelling an opportunity, Fletcher felt that this soldier could potentially be a valuable source of intelligence.
The guard, an SS private, was a perfect example of the results of Dr. Josef Schreiber’s Aryan Breeding Program. He was approximately eighteen years old, well over six feet tall, and had a squarish muscular build that made him appear as if he was shaped out of block of granite. The light blond hair and blue eyes framing his unnaturally white skin made him look to Fletcher like a visiting alien who had not yet become accustomed to life on Earth.
Fletcher quickly determined the guard’s route. He waited for him behind a pile of crates marked “blankets.” As the guard approached the crates, Fletcher sprang from his position, blocking the path of the startled soldier. The two were separated by less than a yard. The guard’s reflexes reacted instantly and he raised his rifle, but it was too late. Fletcher unleashed a flawless Hapkido heel stomp on to his knee. The German superman crumbled to the ground, just like any ordinary soldier.
Fletcher thrusted at the soldier with the Death Pin, driving it deep into his chest. He then pressed a button at the base of the long needle releasing four microhooks from the tip. The soldier winced in agony as Fletcher twisted the needle, locking the hooks into the pericardial tissue surrounding his heart. The pain was so great that the soldier immediately emptied his bowels. Fletcher had stuffed a piece of cloth in the guard’s mouth, so all that could be heard was muffled screams.
Fletcher addressed the guard in slow, methodical German. “I know this is very painful. I can absolutely guarantee that in the next few moments, you will experience ten times the agony. I am offering you an alternative. If you answer my questions fully, the pain will stop. If not, you have only yourself to blame.”
The German soldier looked down and saw his own blood oozing from the wound onto Fletcher’s hand. The excruciating pain, combined with the fear of what could come next, was too much for anyone to bear. At this point, death would be a welcome alternative.
The soldier nodded his head. Fletcher removed the gag from his mouth, while at the same time partially retracting the microhooks, drastically lowering the level of inflicted pain to allow the guard to respond coherently. Fletcher held the walkie-talkie next to the soldier’s mouth so that their conversation would immediately be transmitted to his team and then relayed to the Pentagon and HaKirya.
“Where is the Broder Laboratory?” Fletcher demanded.
“In the far corner of the North Clover.” The guard coughed out the words. He was somewhat relieved that his pain was now at least bearable.
“How many soldiers are guarding the lab?”
“At least one hundred and fifty SS and another fifty Gestapo.”
“What kinds of defenses protect it?”
“Two machine gun nests and three cannon platforms. The door itself is made of fortified steel.” Then he added, “Even if you get past the guards, the doors can only be opened from inside the laboratory.”
“Where is the location of the elevator that is used to go up to the surface?”
“In the center of the SS base in South Clover.”
“How many soldiers are on the base today?”
“About six hundred.”
“How many are guarding the Reich Temple?”
“Five hundred, including two hundred Gestapo.”
“Why so many?”
“There is a special ceremony today. The Reich Gott is going to destroy the Jewish State during the service.”
Fletcher was now convinced that the transmitter was located within the Reich Temple.
“How many people will attend the ceremony?”
“Everyone except on-duty soldiers. About twenty-five thousand people.”
“Where is the electricity produced for the Project?”
“In the West Clover, near the entrance.”
“How many guards?”
“At least fifty, with another hundred guards nearby in Hell watching the Jews.”
Fletcher looked at the dying Aryan and decided to end his suffering. He pressed a second button on the base of the needle, releasing concentrated Russel’s viper venom and killing the soldier almost instantly. Then he released the microhooks and wiped clean the Death Pin on the dead soldier’s shirt.
Fletcher returned to the drilling hole entrance. There Bronot was busy activating a field telephone. He grabbed the phone, which was connected via the CH-46 Sea Knight’s radio scrambler to the USS Arlington, a former light aircraft carrier which had been converted into a communications ship. The ship had direct linkups with the United States and Israel by way of the U.S. Navy Fleet Satellite Communication System.
Within seconds, the War Rooms in both the Pentagon and HaKirya were bombarding Fletcher with a flurry of questions. After much discussion, an operations model was selected. General Smith relayed the information to the President in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center below the White House. When he was finished, the President gave his final approval.
Now it was the President’s turn. Gathering his thoughts, he asked an aide to activate the Washington-Moscow Direct Communications Link. Though it was widely assumed that a “red phone” connected the leaders of the two superpowers, oral communication had been considered too risky to be used to prevent nuclear conflict, lest there be a miscommunication. Rather, a teletype machine was employed for this type of diplomacy when needed. If the President was unable to convince the leader of the Soviet Union of the viability of his operation, a nuclear war could potentially break out between the United States and the Soviet Union. Then it would not be a matter of survival, but merely a choice of how one preferred to die, by radioactivity or biological agent.
26
The presidential aide contacted the Pentagon, where the teletype equipment was located, to open the special communications line with the Soviet Union. At the same time, the United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union contacted the Soviet Foreign Ministry to notify the Kremlin that the President of the United States had an urgent communication for the Soviet Premier.
The messages were sent in each leader’s own language, with translations performed in the Pentagon and the Kremlin. Multiple U.S. Intelsat and Soviet Moiniya satellites transmitted the encrypted messages for redundancy and confirmation purposes.
“Mr. Secretary,” the President wrote, “I must inform you of a situation of the utmost urgency.”
“Is this related to your naval movements off the Libyan coast?” wrote the General Secretary of the Communist Party, leader of the Soviet Union.
“Yes. Recently my country received a letter threatening the destruction of the United States as well as the rest of the world.”
“We also received such a letter.”
“Our intelligence services have tracked the source to an underground base in Libya. They have confirmed that the threat is real. The conspirators have a biological weapon capable of destroying all of mankind. Our scientists have determined that the only safe way of stopping the implementation of the threat is with a nuclear explosion.
“We are currently carrying out a military operation to place a small nuclear device in position to destroy this threat. The base is well guarded, so we are forced to use a substantial military force to accomplish this. If all goes well, the nuclear explosion should take place around noon. The location is far from any populated area, so we do not expect any civilian casualties. I want to make it perfectly clear that as soon as our mission is accomplished, we will immediately withdraw from Libyan soil.”
The President began to perspire. He knew that if the Secretary didn’t believe him,
it could precipitate a nuclear conflagration. The President was under a great deal of pressure. First and foremost in his mind, he felt the future of the United States on his shoulders. Many American soldiers might be also killed in the military assault on the base. He was also feeling the weight of his having approved a nuclear explosion which would kill tens of thousands of people living in Project Valhalla.
The leader of the Soviet Union was experiencing a similar dilemma. He too feared a nuclear holocaust. The Secretary wanted to inquire further regarding the nature of the biological weapon and the conspirators, but he didn’t want to show weakness. Why hadn’t the KGB investigated this threat? The report he received regarding the letter had dismissed it as a prank. He thought to himself, “If we survive until the morning, heads will roll in my so-called intelligence service. They have proven themselves again to be a gaggle of incompetent fools.”
Finally, the Secretary answered. “I’m well aware of the situation. We were also planning a similar military operation. However, when I received the report that the United States was moving into position, I ordered my military to stand down. If you fail, we are ready to act.”
The President sighed with enormous relief. He thought to himself, “Like hell you knew, you sly old dog!”
Then the President responded, “There is only one problem. The Libyans have no connection with the threat; however, the base is located on their territory. My advisors have warned me that trying to deal with the Libyan government in an official capacity would hamper our mission and increase the risk unnecessarily. However, our action may be interpreted as an infringement on Libyan sovereignty.
“We are hoping that your country could persuade the Libyans not to interfere with our operation. If the Libyans get involved, we will have no alternative but to protect our men and their mission.”
The Secretary was under no delusions about his ability to control the madman in charge of Libya. Although the Soviet Union and Libya were officially allied in the struggle against capitalist imperialism, they had virtually no influence over the lunatic who ran his country with an iron fist.
“I believe it is too late to work through diplomatic channels. Your country will have to make the best of the situation,” the Secretary wrote. “We will of course be monitoring your operation closely. It would be most regrettable if your country deviates in any manner from what we have discussed. Also, if it becomes public that the United States is conducting military operations on Libyan soil, you can anticipate my country’s official condemnation.”
“Again, you have my personal assurance. What we have discussed is the absolute extent of this operation,” the President replied.
The Secretary was convinced that the President of the United States had been truthful, despite the frigid relationship between the two countries. He concluded, “As you Americans say, good luck.”
“Thank you, Mr. Secretary.” the President answered, knowing they would need more than just luck to prevent a catastrophe of epic proportions.
27
With the fear of nuclear confrontation with the Soviet Union out of the way, the president turned to his Advisor on Military Affairs, General George Smith.
“OK, Georgie boy, it’s all clear. The big bad bear is in the bag!” the President joked.
“That’s just great,” replied General Smith. “I can honestly say I was sweating bullets. I’ll inform the Chief of Staff that we have the green light.”
“Now, just make it work, please!”
Smith made a few calls and the machinery in the Pentagon began churning. Within minutes, the command center in the USS Arlington was coordinating hundreds of real-time photos sent by Fletcher and incorporating the information into charts and models of the cavern complex. Officers were even holding mock sand table battles to simulate different potential scenarios.
The staff in the command center radioed their orders to the three Iwo Jima-class helicopter assault ships: Inchon, New Orleans and Tripoli. Each was carrying a marine battalion. The marines were to be transported to Valhalla by way of CH-53 Sea Stallion heavy transport helicopters. To protect the mission, two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, Nimitz and Enterprise, along with two Forrestal-class supercarriers, Saratoga and Independence, made up the armada. Together they contained over three hundred of the most advanced fighting aircraft available, including F-14 Tomcats, F-15 Eagles, and nine Grumman EA-6B electronic warfare aircraft.
The crews and soldiers aboard the CH-53 Sea Stallions waited impatiently for the signal to take off. On the Inchon, forty commandos of the Black Berets were also waiting for the go-ahead. They were charged with the awesome responsibility of planting the portable nuclear device at the target site. The bomb was being held by one of the Black Berets in a large, specially designed backpack.
A few days earlier, two United States transport submarines, the USS Grayback and the USS Growler, had been sent to Israel. The submarines came to a stop about ten miles off the coast of the port city of Ashdod. There, they released underwater landing crafts which resembled submersible motorboats. These mini submarines made their way to the Port of Ashdod where Israeli frogmen boarded. These elite commandos were considered to be the best trained fighters in Israel, comparable to American Navy Seals. From there, the underwater transport crafts returned to the submarines, which rendezvoused with the task force off the coast of Libya. The Israeli commandos boarded the Inchon, and, within a few hours, they were sitting in helicopters also waiting for the green light.
Once the President’s order was received, scores of helicopters with fighter jet escorts took to the sky. First to approach the Libyan radar umbrella were the EA-6B electronic warfare aircraft. These planes were tasked with rendering the Libyan radar useless. Assisting these aircraft were F-14s carrying AGM-45 Shrike radar-bursting missiles and loads of electronic countermeasure packages.
The Libyan soldiers manning their radar scopes saw thousands of unidentified flying objects. They were not sure if they were experiencing a mass invasion or the radar equipment was again malfunctioning. As per protocol, the General in charge of coastal defense ordered Libyan Air Command to send up aircraft to investigate. A squadron of Soviet-made MiG 25 Foxbats were given the task.
Fleet Radar immediately picked up the Libyan response and relayed the information to the Arlington. As the Commander on the Arlington was not authorized to make any decisions concerning Libyan intervention, he passed the information on to the Pentagon. Confusion broke out in the War Room. The President took notice of the chaos as watched it unfold on the screen of his video link-up from the Presidential Emergency Operations Center.
He asked, “George, what’s going on?”
“The Libyans sent up some fighters. Some of the boys in Air Force Intelligence believe they’re Foxbats. They look damn worried. The Arlington is waiting for orders on how to respond,” General Smith said sullenly.
“Can’t anyone make a decision?” The President shouted, exasperated. “Those helicopters are carrying our boys; our top priority is to protect them! We can’t let the Libyans get close enough to see them! Am I perfectly clear?”
“Yes, Sir,” General Smith replied. “I’ll see to it immediately.”
General Smith passed on the President’s directive to the Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who relayed the order to the Commander of Operation Nemesis on the Arlington to stop the Libyans. Seven F-15 Eagles were scrambled from the aircraft carriers along with five F-14A Tomcats with orders to take out the Foxbats.
Each of the U.S. pilots proudly wore a patch on their sleeve with the image of a jet fighter and the words, “United States Navy Fighter Weapons School.” That meant that they were graduates of the elite “top gun” program at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. As a final test, the pilots had simulated air sorties against course instructors utilizing the most advanced Soviet air tactics.
Within minutes of the initial order from the Arlington, an epic battle of tactics and technology ensued. Compu
ters on the U.S. jet fighters determined optimum firing conditions at Mach speeds. The Tomcats launched their AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles while at the same time the F-15s from the Nimitz fired their AIM-7 Sparrows. The battle was over in less than thirty seconds, a total success with all Foxbats downed. Upon hearing the results, cheers went up in command centers at both HaKirya and the Pentagon. American technology and excellent pilot training had been the decisive factors.
When they reached ten miles inland, the air convoy of helicopters and their fighter jet escorts split up. Twenty helicopters and a squadron of Tomcats continued heading southwest while the bulk of helicopters and fighters turned southeast towards the coordinates of Project Valhalla.
The first group of choppers landed twelve miles northeast of the project, at the site of an abandoned World War II-era Italian airfield. As the spy satellites had indicated, the airstrip was in excellent condition. The runway was too short for larger planes, but it was just long enough for the needs of Operation Nemesis. Marines secured the perimeter of the airfield while engineering crews made quick repairs of any large cracks in the runway.
One hour later, several Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport airplanes from Morón Air Base in Southern Spain landed on the short airstrip. One of the planes was a mobile hospital. They were escorted by F-16 fighters equipped with supplemental fuel tanks.
At the Valhalla site, the main body of the air convoy had already landed. The soldiers were in the process of unloading tons of equipment. Hundreds of U.S. Marines were fanning out to secure the area.
Out of one of the Sea Stallions emerged a top-secret unit of twenty men. They were called “the Edge” by the few privileged to know of their existence. This was the most advanced unit that would be entering Valhalla, equipped with unusual “space age” technology. The Edge consisted a squadron of Air Force commandos wearing movement-enhancing rocket boosters and armed with automated laser firing systems. Each soldier had a helmet-based microcomputer with optical sensors that controlled laser weapons mounted on their shoulders able to fire at up to three targets simultaneously. The strategists of Operation Nemesis were depending on the Edge to help overcome the many defense fortifications and manpower advantages of the Aryans. They were the first group to be lowered into the complex.
Agent of Vengeance Page 20
