The training camp consisted of a handful of tents huddled beside an obstacle course. It was rough, but the man in charge was used to primitive conditions. He had fought the Americans in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. His goal at the camp was to toughen up the recruits so that they could fight in any circumstance. Towards that end, he ruled the camp with a brutal hand.
There were four men walking around with guns cradled in their hands. They had orders to protect the training camp and keep the recruits in line. Three dozen men were lined up to perform their morning exercises. They would go through a grueling fitness program prior to hand-to-hand combat training.
Mike watched them perform jumping jacks over the live feed from a predator drone circling overhead. He looked over at Jim and said, "We're going to watch this engagement today. The Marines are trying out the proxy-soldiers."
"Ah, I've been wondering when we'd see that," Jim said.
On the screen, two proxy-soldiers were crawling towards the training camp. Their motions looked a little jerky. When the figures stood, Mike said, "They are going in."
The two proxy-soldiers charged into the camp with guns blazing. The first man to fall was the one in charge of the camp. He never knew what hit him. The men who were exercising immediately fell under the assault. Even as the guards were riddled with bullets, one of them managed to turn and fire at the proxy-solders. His effort had no effect on the proxy-soldiers. The entire engagement had lasted less than four seconds. Staring at the screen, it took Jim almost that long to process what had happened. In an awed voice, he said, "It is over already."
"That didn't take long," Mike said with a frown.
After reviewing the recordings of all communication activities taken during the attack, Jim said, "They didn't have a chance to get out word about the engagement."
The two proxy-soldiers went through the camp pulling the tents down making sure that Mike's team hadn't miscounted the number of terrorists at the camp. The majority of tents had contained simple blankets folded on the bare ground. One of the tents had a couple of laptops. Mike said, "Send in someone to pick up the laptops."
While Charlie talked to someone over his headset, Jim said, "Those proxy-soldiers looked like they did okay."
"It wasn't much of a test," Mike said staring at the scene. The guards had been taken by surprise and the rest of the men were unarmed. He wondered what would happen when there was a real engagement against an enemy that was ready for them. The proxy- soldiers hadn't looked very graceful. He added, "Let's see what happens when they go into an area full of IEDs."
As if on cue, Shirley said, "I'm switching the display over to the second attack site."
The screen at the front of the room changed. This camp was a far different place than the previous one. There were mockups of jets on the ground, a couple of buses, and a fake building. There were close to a hundred men wandering around the camp. These were hard looking men who had been through basic training camps like the proxy-soldiers had just destroyed. Everyone was armed.
Looking over at Shirley, Mike asked, "What kind of training are they getting here?"
"This is a second level training camp where they are learning basic tactical skills. One group is currently practicing hijacking airplanes," Shirley answered.
"What is with the buses and the fake building?" Mike asked.
"The buses appear to be a standard training exercise at this site. Everyone learns how to drive the bus. I suspect that they are planning on filling buses with explosives and driving them up to an embassy or military base," Shirley answered. There had been several cases of that having happened in the past three years.
"The fake building?"
"That's a mockup of a school. We think it is patterned after a school in Germany, but we're not sure. I don't think it really matters. They are practicing how to take control of a building. We won't know more about what they might be planning until we get real people there," Shirley answered.
This engagement lasted a little longer than the first one, but it had the same result. All of the people at the camp were dead and the proxy-soldiers were going around clearing out all of the areas. Mike watched the action and said, "There isn't too much for us to do here except watch."
Shirley nodded her head in agreement and said, "We told them what to expect when they got there. Our job ended the moment they attacked."
Shrugging his shoulders, Mike felt somewhat dissatisfied. He knew that it was important work, but compared to hunting down the terrorists it wasn't all that fulfilling. Trying to force a little enthusiasm into his voice, he said, "Great job people."
Mike and Cathy were relaxing in the bathing pond. Although the presence of Kim in the house tended to make both of them feel a little inhibited, neither of them was wearing a swimming suit. Cathy looked over at Mike and said, "Your reaction to the fighting wasn't all that convincing."
"I know," Mike said with a frown. Shaking his head, he said, "I don't enjoy what we are doing. It is too much like assassination. I recognize the necessity of using every advantage that we have, but I don't have to like it."
"I understand that," Cathy said. She thought about the dangers that the terrorists represented. If the terrorists had been successful in taking over the Philippine Government the entire Asian Pacific area would be dominated by governments overtly hostile to the United States.
"I'd rather be hunting down the men who've already attacked us," Mike said. There was an edge of anger in his voice.
"You're good at that," Cathy said stretching a leg across the bathing pond. Her foot found his crotch and she stroked his cock a little.
"You're good at that," Mike said with a groan. He immediately forgot what they had been talking about.
Mike looked up from his monitor with a smile on his face. He said, "I found him."
"Who?" Jim asked.
"Jamal bin Laden," Mike answered. This was another of the sons of Osama who had been leading efforts to overthrow the west. This particular son had been operating in the Far East and had been instrumental in organizing many major operations that had killed thousands of Americans.
"Where is he?" Jim asked.
"Manila," Mike answered uploading the information to the Naval Fleet parked within striking distance of Manila. He put the feed on the screen at the front of the room and said, "Take over for me Jim."
Jim was ready for the change of control. He was particularly good at following an individual through a crowd. As the mini-drone followed the man, software was running to check and double- check his identity. Jim dropped an experimental tag from the mini- drone and was pleased to see that it got attached to Jamal. The tag would allow him to follow Jamal through buildings and underground passages.
Mike was busy on the phone making arrangements for the Air Force to take out Jamal. This was a very big catch and his death would significantly impact the effectiveness of the terrorists across the entire Asian front. He watched the screen at the front of the room. Jamal entered a building and disappeared from view. The tag was broadcasting his position.
Ten long tense minutes passed before there was the streak of a missile hitting the area from which the tag was broadcasting. Even as the dust was settling, Mike said, "Watch the area and make sure that he didn't get away."
The activity in the area of the explosion was frantic. Jim recognized other terrorists running into the area to dig out Jamal. Smiling, he said, "There are his bodyguards."
"We need to get more sensors into the area," Mike said lifting the phone. They had found a major nest and he hoped that they'd be able to take it out.
Jim shook his head and said, "The Predator Drone is about out of fuel. We're going to lose our feed soon."
"Damn," Mike swore. The situation got even worse. Philippine police arrived and the terrorists split up and headed a dozen different directions. Shaking his head, he said, "Maybe we'll get them the next time."
Bob was mowing the front yard when Mike pulled into his driveway. Getting out of the car, Mike watched Bob make another circuit across the yard. Bob noticed Mike and let go of the handle of his mower. It died even as Bob started to walk across the yard toward Mike. Bob called out, "Hello, Mike."
"Hello, Bob. How are things going?" Mike asked. He hadn't seen Bob in a couple of weeks.
Wearing a great big smile on his face, Bob answered, "Ellen and I are going to take a vacation."
"That's great," Mike said.
"We're really looking forward to it. We haven't taken one since 2009," Bob said.
Thinking that Bob wasn't the only who hadn't taken a vacation since 2009, Mike asked, "Where are you going?"
"We're flying to Las Vegas."
The answer surprised Mike. He remembered when Bob had come over to ask him if it was safe to go into crowded locations. It struck him as significant that Bob hadn't asked him about traveling at all. Nodding his head, Mike said, "I think you'll have a good time. They are really going all out to attract tourists in Vegas. I've heard that it was like the old days when a visitor was treated like a king."
"Yes, I've heard the same thing," Bob said with a grin.
"I wish you luck at the tables," Mike said.
"There for a while I thought that we'd never do anything like that again. Flying was out of the question. It seemed like every week a plane was getting blown up. Even if we drove, tourist locations were too dangerous to visit. I'm surprised that some of them even survived," Bob said. A number of amusement parks had closed down after suicide bombers had struck them a couple of times. The house that the mouse built in Los Angeles had been one of the early victims.
"Some of them still might not survive," Mike said. Even though business was starting to improve many of the tourist locations had very high overheads. It was a race against time to see if they would last long enough to return to profitability before they were foreclosed.
The slightly negative comment by Mike worried Bob. He asked, "You don't think we're making a mistake, do you?"
"No. I've got to say that President Archer was successful in eliminating terrorism inside the country. There are still a few nutcases out there, but they aren't organized or equipped," Mike answered.
"Good. That's what we thought," Bob said. He looked down at the grass for a second and then said, "There for a while, I thought that America was a goner. I don't think that way anymore. I've got a feeling that by the time President Archer has finished with the terrorists overseas that an American will be able to walk naked down the street in Tehran and no one would say a word."
"I've got a feeling that you're right," Mike said wondering if there would even be a Tehran left by the time the war was over.
Bob pointed down the street at one of the neighbors. The man was out mowing the lawn and taking care of the yard. His wife was outside taking care of the garden. The woman was topless. Bob said, "I don't get it. She's walking around topless and no one is saying anything about it."
Mike looked over at the young couple for a few seconds. The woman was very attractive. Pursing his lips, he said, "I've heard that a lot of young women are doing that. I even ran into an older woman in the grocery store who removed her shirt and left the store topless. They are thumbing their noses at the Islamic radicals."
"I'm not sure what I think about that. In a way I understand it. We really came close to losing the war against the terrorists. I've got a feeling that my wife would have had to wear a Burka. I'd rather have her walk around naked in protest than have to live like that," Bob said.
"I doubt she would have had to wear a Burka. She'd have probably been a slave," Mike said thinking to himself that it would have been highly unlikely that a woman her age would have been allowed to live.
"We'd have been slaves?" Bob asked.
Mike shook his head and said, "You'd have been dead."
Bob thought about what Mike had said. A few years ago he would have argued that no one practiced slavery, but he'd watched what had happened in Africa. Now he believed that the Muslim conquerors would have made slaves of them. Shaking his head, he said, "You're probably right."
"You know, I'm really pleased that you and Ellen are going on vacation," Mike said wanting to get the topic to a more pleasant subject.
"Why?" Bob asked puzzled that Mike would be pleased.
"It convinces me that America is returning to normal," Mike said.
The funeral for Jamal bin Laden had turned into a huge affair. Thousands of people had flown into the Philippines to attend it as a statement of solidarity against the Americans. The American press was notably absent since several reporters had been murdered the previous day. It was a common belief among the extremists that the American reporters were actually agents of Homeland Security.
There were still live broadcasts from the funeral. The Arab press was there in full force. The broadcasts were praising Jamal bin Laden as a martyr who had killed thousands of the evil Americans in defense of innocent Muslims around the world.
The Philippine government did nothing as a huge crowd gathered to bury Jamal bin Laden. The American government had asked that it not allow a public funeral, but the Philippine government had rejected the request. The President of the Philippines had said that they wouldn't interfere in a religious ceremony of such a high level and popular figure. The President of the United States was not happy about that response.
A live feed from Predator Drones was piped into an Internet Café and was being watched by Mike. The funeral was not what he would consider a peaceful assembly of mourners. More than two thirds of the people were wearing masks to hide their identities. The green of Hezbollah was in evidence as were the colors of other terrorist groups. AK-47s were abundant with just about everyone there waving one in the air.
On separate screens were broadcasts from news channels. They didn't even need to play camera tricks to show just how large a crowd had gathered. Looking at the scene, Mike asked, "How many people are there in the crowd?"
"The software has placed the crowd at twenty-three thousand," Jim answered after glancing down at his computer.
"That's a lot of terrorists all gathered in one place," Mike said. He could make out the insignias of a half dozen major terrorist organizations. Some of the men were raising posters of the leader of their particular group. He had seen some of the flight manifests and knew that some of the highest ranking members of the Muslim Brotherhood were in attendance.
Nodding his head in agreement, Jim said, "Not for very much longer."
There was the flash of a MOAB going off over the area in which funeral was being held on the feed from the Predator Drone. The broadcast from the Arabian news services cut off suddenly when the wave of destruction hit the cameras. There was just the barest hint in the final second of the broadcast of what had happened. Mike shook his head and said, "That's it."
"Yes, sir," Jim said watching the mushroom cloud boil up over the area on the feed from the Predator Drone. He knew that the Islamic press would report that it had been an atomic bomb rather than a MOAB, but the President was ready for that charge. It had been made every time they had used a MOAB in taking out terrorists.
Shaking his head, Mike said, "We're never going to know who was there."
"I captured the faces of all of the men who were unmasked from all of the video being broadcast," Jim said.
"Run the face recognition programs against the images," Mike said. There wasn't anything standing within four hundred yards of the targeted site. There were a few terrorists who had been on the fringes that were still moving, but they had serious burns over their bodies. He sighed and said, "That was one hell of a funeral."
"The world is not going to react favorably to what we did," Jim said.
Sanjay, Mike, and Tim were fishing. It was a very hot August afternoon and the fish weren't biting. Sanjay said, "As a result of events in the Philippines, China is under a lot of pressure to intervene on behalf of the terrorists."
Mike knew that Sanjay wouldn't mention anything unless it was serious. He asked, "What's going on?"
"Since the radicals have taken over the countries of OPEC, they've been controlling who gets oil. They are blackmailing China to help them," Sanjay said. Ever since he had learned that China had killed his friend in exchange for oil, he had watched the Chinese like a hawk.
"What do you think is going to happen?" Tim asked. He knew that the Chinese had been a partner in the attack on Homeland Security locations that had resulted in Sanjay's broken leg.
"China is going to declare America a rogue state and declare war on us," Sanjay answered with a worried expression on his face. China was a giant country and he wasn't sure that the United States could win a war against it. It had a billion more people than the United States and that would be a significant advantage if it came to a conventional war. It was a nuclear power and had the ability to drop missiles just about anywhere on the North American continent.
Worried, Tim asked, "What are the chances of it going nuclear?"
"Very good," Sanjay answered. He had read some reports that had filtered through the high energy weapons programs in China that resources were being diverted for National Security reasons. One of the labs that was in a nuclear facility had been closed so that they could increase production in the nuclear facility. There had been several major tests of missile systems over the past year.
"Shit," Tim said shaking his head at the answer.
Accepting that it would come to war, Mike asked, "When?"
"According to the political types, they'll declare war within seventy two hours. I have no idea how long they will wait before they'll launch," Sanjay answered setting down his fishing pole. He said, "I know that we are prepared for an attack, but I don't know how the President is going to respond."
Mike cast out and slowly reeled his line in while thinking about it. He sighed and asked, "Should I talk to him?"
"Yes," Sanjay answered.
Nodding his head, Tim said, "It's about time to get back to Washington."
"I guess we can swing by the White House on the way home," Mike said.
Sanjay laughed and asked, "Do you think they'll let us anywhere near the White House while we're towing a boat?"
President Archer greeted the three men with handshakes as they entered the Oval Office. Going back to his desk, he looked at the three men in his office. It was obvious that they had been fishing. When he had heard that a truck pulling a boat had showed up at the driveway of the White House, he had laughed. When he had learned that it was Mike Bowman asking to see him, he had cleared his schedule.
Looking at the grim faces, he wondered why they were there. He said, "This is the first time you've ever asked to see me, Mike. You must be pretty worried about something to do that."
"I am," Mike replied.
"Are you upset about the funeral?" Tony asked. He knew that a lot of people had viewed that as a sacrilege, but he believed that a gathering of so many of the enemy represented an opportunity that would ultimately save more lives.
"Not at all. I thought it was rather fitting," Mike answered.
After glancing at Mike, Tim said, "We're concerned about your reaction to the Chinese."
"What? Have they done something that I don't know about?" Tony asked surprised at the topic.
"You know what is going to happen," Mike said.
Tony sighed and said, "You're talking about the declaration of war that they'll issue and the coming attack, aren't you?"
"Yes," Sanjay said with a wobble of his head.
President Archer looked at Sanjay for a minute. He didn't trust foreigners in positions where they had access to information critical to National Security. Frowning, he asked, "Who are you?"
In a very soft voice, Mike answered, "He's a valued member of the Intelligence 100."
Tony's head swiveled to stare at Mike. The Intelligence 100 was legendary. It was rumored that it was the group that had managed to save the entire intelligence community. Seeing that all three of them were nodding their heads, he realized that three members were sitting in his office. Clearing his throat, he said, "I thought that it had been disbanded."
Mike gave the President a grim smile knowing that what he was about to say would be interpreted as a threat. He said, "Operations have been suspended for now, but it can be reconstituted under special circumstances."
Tim said, "From what I understand, the leadership still meets once a month to assess the situation."
"Oh," Tony said. He had always suspected that there was a bit more to Mike than his official record suggested.
"What are you going to do when the Chinese start tossing nukes in our direction?" Mike asked bluntly.
"It depends on how successful our missile defense system is in stopping the missiles. If it takes out all of the missiles, I'll ask for the extradition of the Chinese Premiere to stand trial here for attempted mass murder of American citizens. If it takes out all but one or two, we'll use conventional weapons to reduce the Chinese government to rubble. If we get clobbered, the entire world will burn. I'll retaliate with nukes in China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela," Tony answered naming the countries that were involved in the upcoming actions. He knew that the situation would very quickly escalate.
Shocked at the level of destruction the President was describing, Sanjay asked, "Isn't that a little extreme?"
"If the west coast disappears under a nuclear attack, everything that is America will disappear if we don't respond with excessive force. Maybe the survivors will be able to reconstitute the country. If we don't respond, then everyone will be praying to Allah," Tony answered.
Based on his discussions with the Admiral, Mike knew that the missile defense system was very good. Nodding his head, he asked, "Have you warned the Chinese?"
"Yes, but they are under tremendous pressure to act. If they don't, odds are good that their government won't be standing two months from now," Tony answered wondering why he was justifying his actions to Mike.
Sanjay bobbled his head and said, "Mike. That is a very accurate assessment of what is going on in China. If they get their oil supply cut off, their country will grind to a halt in three weeks. Although they started a national stockpile like we have, they've almost depleted it over the past two years. The Communist Party will fall within a few weeks of that. A few months later, I would expect the State Government to fall."
Mike rose from his chair and looked President Archer in the eye. In a very quiet voice, he said, "After my wife was murdered, my father told me that my job was to eliminate the terrorist threat. He also told me not to let my hate harden my heart. I've been working towards that end. I suggest that you not let your hate harden your heart."
President Archer was fully aware that Mike had single-handedly located well over a hundred terrorists hiding in different parts of the country. He was gaining a reputation as a hunter of terrorists. Late night calls to Police Chiefs produced raids that netted the worst of the worst. He wanted Mike to know that he was doing his part as well. He said, "Every night I go to bed thinking about how they murdered my wife in that mall. There's only one thing that I want. I want to reach a point where every American can live their life without fear that someone is going to murder them when they go to the store, walk down their street, or sleep in their bed. I'm not going to let the terrorists win."
"Don't destroy America in the process. Remember that the best of intentions often lead to the greatest evil," Mike said.
"I'm not going to destroy the basic principles on which this country is based."
"Good," Mike said. He knew that there were many people in America who believed that President Archer had already destroyed the basic principles of the country. Of course, there were some who felt that the basic principles as practiced in the past had been a sham. He added, "See that you don't go down in history as the man who destroyed America."
President Archer smiled at Mike thinking that the man was able to say things to him that anyone else would get fired for saying. He recognized that he needed Mike to keep him in line. He said, "When Roman conquerors were honored in a triumphal procession, a slave stood behind the hero holding a Laurel Crown over his head. The slave also whispered a warning that glory is fleeting. I think that we all need a reminder that we are fallible. I thank you for your warning."
Mike pulled into his driveway tired from a long day at work. As he put his car into park, he glanced over at Bob's house. Bob and Ellen were working in the yard. Bob was trimming the bushes that grew around the front of the house. Ellen was washing the windows using a power washer. The only thing odd about the scene was that Ellen was topless. He wondered if they had enjoyed their vacation.
Lazlo Zalzac