The Enemy Within

by Kurt Winans

  The entire event had been witnessed and photographed with extreme detail from the repositioned satellite, while the four drones which had been sent in prior to the arrival of the crowd provided additional photographic evidence and voice recordings. Those secretive drones had risen during the church service from a plain unmarked van which was driven in from southwest Louisiana the previous night. Now located in an unused high school parking lot several miles away, and with the aid of downlink imagery from the satellite, the covert team of the Secretary of Defense that sat inside the van had expertly landed four drones on branches of oak trees near the gravesite.

  True to their word when contacted by number twenty-three, high ranking members of both the organization and the Texas government structure were in attendance for the service and burial. President Marcus Stoddard, Vice President Denise Walker, the Madam Speaker from the House of Representatives, and Ambassador Pearson were but a few of the many within a sea of mourning black to be photographed and recorded.

  At the conclusion of the service, a Texas flag was draped over the casket before it was lowered into the ground. Savanah then lay at rest only a few feet away from her uncle Chance, and the crowd began a slow shuffle down the wide footpath toward the mansion.

  Within that few moments of subdued commotion, the dragonfly sized drones lifted off from their secretive perches and followed the crowd at a safe high altitude. Then Ashley expressed to Kyle that she wanted to stay behind for a few minutes, and Victoria offered to sit with her until she was ready to head for the reception.

  For several minutes the two Tillman women who had lost a child at far too young of an age sat alone before Ashley asked, “Do you think my sweet Savanah will rest peacefully?”

  Without hesitation Victoria replied, “Of course she will, and don’t worry, my boy Chance will watch over her.”

  Per the instructions of two weeks prior, the Joint Chiefs of Staff gathered within the White House just before noon on Friday the twenty-first of April and descended toward the situation room. As they did so, none of them had any idea that Agent Bishop would be providing additional intelligence concerning the organization while he once again took the lead on the briefing.

  After the President motioned for Heath to begin, it became apparent that there was indeed undeniable proof behind the conspiracy belief. Agent Bishop explained that during the celebration of life gathering within and around the mansion for the youngest Tillman grandchild, much had been inadvertently revealed. While two of the dragonfly drones had been guided to a safe location on the roof of the mansion near the outside patio area, the other two were positioned in trees on the opposite side of the pool from the residence. Voice recordings from all four, as well as the live motion feed from the various angles which they provided, were compared to what had been previously obtained from the phone taps of number twenty-three.

  From those sources which matched voice with picture, the database of known figures within the United States government and military, along with those that existed from the former state of Texas, were accessed. That led to a speedy identification of two individuals, who only days before had been introduced into the cast of players as numbers seventeen and nineteen. Each of their photographs matched those of professional websites, and their respective biographical data was found within.

  Number seventeen was Charlene Edwards, a woman who had been serving her second term as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas when the terrorist attacks occurred. She had also been the one who a month later announced to the Speaker that Texas would separate from their parent nation, with her proclamation being delivered just a moment after Senator Pearson had done the same at the opposite end of the Capitol Complex. As for number nineteen, he was identified as Braden Donahue who also was a former member of that same legislative body. Although that information may not have been vital, it did confirm exactly who two more operatives within the organization were. In addition, Heath had learned that the latter of the two was expressing an interest in obtaining a seat on the Texas Supreme Court.

  After stating that he would get back to exactly why the ambition of number nineteen was relevant, Heath asked that the technician prepare some examples of voice recordings which were obtained during the reception following the burial. Then before beginning the playback, Heath explained that each of the dragonfly drones had been focused on a specific region of the patio and pool area. As a result, it became easier for the technicians to filter out certain conversations from the ambient noise.

  The first recording was a conversation between two women who jointly stated that neither of them had been to the Tillman mansion since the grand New Year’s Eve party to usher in the birth of the republic. One continued by saying that she was sorry they didn’t have an opportunity to speak that night, but she was spending much of her time with the man who had lost the lower portion of his left arm due to an injury suffered during the attack upon Annapolis. The second replied that she completely understood her reasoning, as she was the one who had done her best to save the arm from infection during their escape and return to the Dallas area from Maryland. She then added a hope that the man was doing well with his adjustment to the prosthetic replacement, and wondered aloud if she would ever see him again. As their conversation continued, the first stated that while in another of the getaway cars from Annapolis, she had been the one who cared for and soothed the man who would become the lone mortality among the attacking force. Her next remark was that of relief that although the man had given his life for Texas and the organization, at least he had survived the ordeal back to Texas soil before drawing his final breath.

  A second conversation took place between two men, who like the women; casually spoke of their participation within the scheme of treachery. They revealed that they had not seen each other since being successfully smuggled back over the border from Mexico into Texas, and what a harrowing ten days that had been. One relished over his participation in the attack upon Falcon Stadium at the Air Force Academy with great pride, and that the escape via helicopter to Canon City and subsequent transfer to the small jet planes was easier than he had expected. In response the other confirmed those factors, while adding that the next phase of their continued escape to the south via one of the twin jets had been exhilarating. He remembered with fondness what it felt like to be flown low and fast over the length of New Mexico, the adrenaline rush of eluding the American fighter jets to the west of El Paso, and the relief in landing safely south of Chihuahua.

  Heath halted the playback for a moment, as he knew that both of those recorded interactions would probably be enough to convince everyone in the room of undeniable proof that the organization from Texas was responsible for the terrorist attacks. With a quick glance toward all those present, Heath realized that they had reached the same conclusion. Nevertheless, he stated that he would playback one more recording which would erase all doubt while also adding to the long list of crimes which Samuel Tillman and his organization were guilty of. That recorded conversation took place between Samuel and a woman named Courtney. She was the wife of the second Tillman son Mason, and what they discussed throughout the transcript was most disturbing.

  There would be absolutely no way for Heath or anyone else to know that Samuel had chosen a different spot than normal for a business conversation with Ashley, but it had been done so out of respect for Savanah. Utilizing his favorite bench, which still had the additional chairs for family members behind it, would not have been proper in the current setting. That was fortunate for the sake of recording their conversation, as he and Ashley had moved away from the throng of guests to a location where one of the dragonfly drones could hear them clearly.

  As the recording of their conversation was played, the first voice heard was that of Samuel asking, “So how are you holding up Courtney?”

  “Oh I’m fine I suppose, but things will be different around here without Savanah.”

  “Indeed, but we must continue to press
on for the good of the family. And of course that goes for the organization and our republic as well.”

  “That’s true. And even though it’s under difficult circumstances, it’s good to see many of the people that are here with us today.”

  “Yes, and I’m glad to see that so many of our operatives and their underlings could make it. A majority of them have done noble work for the organization in the past, with minimal or no public recognition for their effort and loyalty. Then there are others who have benefited from becoming prominent public figures within the political structure of our republic. It’s unfortunate that you have fit into the former category of anonymity, but I will personally never forget all that you have done for me or the organization.”

  “Thank you Samuel. That’s nice to hear.”

  “You’re welcome Courtney. Now do you see that man speaking with Victoria?”

  “Yes, that’s Braden Donahue isn’t it?”

  “That’s him, number nineteen. Did you know that we have been grooming him for a seat on our supreme court?”

  After a momentary pause for a reason which was not picked up by any of the dragonfly cameras, Courtney asked, “And you are telling me this because?”

  “Well there are currently four of the nine judges on the court who have similar vision to that of our organization, and Mr. Donahue over there is attempting to gain the seat of one of the five who does not.”

  “Alright, so what does that have to do with me?”

  “Well we would obviously like him to win that seat, but the first election to rotate three seats on the court won’t occur until the fall of 2030. The organization needs to obtain a majority position on the court, and our agenda does not call for a delay of more than two years to see that through. That’s where you could come into the equation.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Now don’t think about this too much until after Beau graduates from the Air Force Academy next month, but your services could be needed at some point beyond that.”

  Another momentary pause in the conversation occurred before Courtney asked, “To what end Samuel? Are we talking about another sanction?”

  “Well that might be the ultimate need number thirty-seven, but we won’t know that until after we attempt to force one of the dissenting judges to step down of his or her own freewill.”

  “And how would you accomplish having one of them step down number two?”

  Heath stopped the playback for a moment, and pointed out in case it was overlooked that each had switched from a first name basis to that of using their numbered designations. Then he added that as a result, the identity of another in the list of operatives, number thirty-seven, was now known.

  When the recorded conversation was resumed, Samuel stated, “It’s unknown at this time. We haven’t been able to produce significant dirt on any of the five which would make them vulnerable to suggestion.”

  “Alright, so then assuming that a sanction is necessary, would you like it to be clean and neat, or more public to send a message?”

  “Well your creativity in fulfilling the sanction on Domonique a year ago at Lake Tahoe was splendid, and it did have the benefit of eliminating others so as not to put the focus of an investigation on a single victim. However I think this mission, if it comes to pass, would be better if handled with less flare. The results of your work last April became national news for a short time, and it helped to bring on an unwanted investigation by Agent Bishop.”

  “I understand number two. But you squashed that investigation with relative ease, so no harm done.”

  “You are very good at what you do number thirty-seven, but you are incorrect in this instance. While it’s true that I was able to contain and eliminate that investigation of Agent Bishop, a sanction on his life was required in order to do so. I gave that order willingly, but we unfortunately lost an operative in the process of completing that sanction. Therefore it would be callus and unfair of you to claim that no harm was done.”

  After a more extended pause then the others, Courtney replied, “Your point is taken number two, and I apologize for my last statement. You know that I didn’t intend to disrespect our fallen operative.”

  “Yes, I know that.”

  “So then based on what we have discussed, you’re looking for something that’s more in line with the Colorado sanction of the night before the attack.”

  “Yes. I think that would be more appropriate, as the way you eliminated that target in his dwelling was quiet and without fanfare. There was barely any investigation into his death, let alone any level of notoriety on the national news.”

  “Alright, so what would be the timeline if this sanction were to be ordered?”

  “It can certainly wait for perhaps four months if we are unable to find other means. So like I said before, you shouldn’t be too concerned with any of your preparation work until after Beau graduates next month.”

  With that Heath turned off the recording and turned his attention toward the President and the Joint Chiefs. He had provided absolute and undeniable proof to them that some of those who had gathered at the Tillman estate five days earlier had willingly participated in either the attacks of both Annapolis and Colorado Springs, or they had been part of the team which provided the means for the attackers to escape. Although there hadn’t been any mention of the attack upon West Point in the voice recordings, there was obvious guilt by way of association as the master plan had been carried out at all three sites simultaneously. As a result, each of those individuals who spoke of their part in it, and the organization as a whole, were guilty of despicable acts of aggression against the United States.

  Adding to the body of proof was that there was now a connection with the organization and the nearly liquefied planes which had been found south of Chihuahua Mexico, and that at least some of the people who had been onboard the twin jets survived. In also learning that at least two men had been smuggled back into Texas from Mexico ten days after the attacks, the passengers never intended to be on a flight to Brazil and subsequently Syria. That further solidified, at least in this particular instance, the innocence of Syria.

  As yet another component to the proof, there was the ordered sanctions on the air traffic controller from Centennial Airport in southern Denver and a woman by the name of Domonique. That was out and out murder, and in the case of the latter, three others had also been killed as a measure of precautionary misdirection.

  While keeping his feelings of sorrow with regard to Domonique unknown, Heath also hid his mounting rage. Everything that Kristen had claimed with regard to the organization was true, but she had never informed him that Samuel Tillman had ordered the sanction upon his own or others’ lives. Now there was a recorded verbal confirmation of that fact, and Heath knew from both the name and voice of Courtney that he had met her once before.

  In understanding that he had some latitude at the moment, Heath took advantage of the opportunity to provide one last piece of evidence.

  Looking at the President, he said, “Sir, do you remember when I pointed out the tiny code of numbers and letters which are present on the back of all Texas currency?”

  “Yes Heath I do.”

  To that Heath clicked the remote so that a large image of a bill he possessed would appear on one of the view screens. Then with a laser pointer he identified the region where the code was located before clicking the remote again so that an enlarged image would appear on the adjacent screen.

  Turning back to face the President and the others he said, “Well sir, this is that code. We had surmised in the past that the 2M represented the two midshipmen from Texas who died during the attack at Annapolis Maryland, while the 1N was for the single cadet from Texas that was killed at West Point New York.”

  “Yes Heath, I remember that discussion. The M represented Maryland as opposed to the name of the academy, and the N stood for New York.”

  “Yes sir. And we theorized that the 1O at the end of the code could be e
ither the number ten, to which we had no recognizable definition, or a one and a capital O. Now I believe that based on the first voice recording we heard, it has been confirmed by those two women that a single operative was lost as a result of the attack upon Annapolis. While that would fit with the pattern in the remainder of the code, it would also suggest that none of those from the organization were lost at either Colorado Springs or West Point.”

  While nodding his head positively, the President replied, “I recall that you voiced an opinion of that potentially being a capital O several months ago when you first brought the code to my attention. Although perhaps well-founded, at the time it was mere speculation. But based on the excellent work of you and our covert team, I now agree with your initial assessment that it signifies the loss of a single operative.”

  “Thank you Mr. President.”

  A moment of quiet contemplation followed while the President looked at each member of the Joint Chiefs individually. Jordan Harwell understood the unfortunate reality that he, along with all of them, had been fooled by the cleverly devised ruse of Samuel Tillman and the organization. That intricate plan, at least up to the present moment, had worked to perfection, and he hoped that each of the senior military men understood the ramifications of its temporary success. Perhaps individual self-reflection by each man would help them to arrive at full comprehension over time, but the President could not afford such a luxury. He realized that a new question confronted him which centered on what could be done to rectify the situation. Although that question would contain answers of varying degrees, he realized that he must start at the beginning.

  Leaning forward in his chair, President Harwell stated, “Well gentlemen, it has now become quite obvious that we possess the pieces of defining evidence which were needed as irrefutable proof. Therefore we must move forward in the further development of a plan to retaliate. Now this subject as in the past must remain within this room for the time being, but I want to proceed with whatever plan you devise in a matter of weeks as opposed to months. Is that clearly understood?”