The man who was instrumental in designing the Independence was called in to consult on the capabilities and design modifications for this mission. The General working with him learned that the vision for this vessel had come to him in a dream, in which his dream told him the vessel was going to be needed to save the country. At that point, the General knew that providence had awakened.
Not only had the vehicles on the ship been swapped out for local transport trucks with reinforced suspension to carry the gold, the Independence was also equipped with autonomous air, surface and underwater vehicles. These capabilities allowed Special Forces teams to launch by air, land and on and under the sea.
* * *
It took a few hours but Krieger, Briggs and Mauricio joined the combined special forces team in position overlooking their final target, with daylight a few short hours away.
This area of the Swiss Alps boasted eight of the highest mountains in the range. Dramatic hillside landscapes gave way to sheer walls of limestone cliffs which jettisoned skyward. Their makeup and the topography made this area of the world the ideal terrain to drill caverns and conceal their entrances.
What had started as a necessity after World War II, Switzerland now had countless mountain bunkers. In fact, Switzerland had once disclosed to its people that they had enough bunker space for every Swiss citizen. What many people didn’t know was that countless fake rocks would move or split in half to open up, revealing tunnels or missile defenses. One such rock was to the right of the tunnel openings Krieger was eyeing through large binoculars.
The US had had a few troops stationed here during the previous administration. But they’d been pulled out right after George’s unexpected win in the election. It was The Shadow who had let the president in on the dirty secret of why.
This particular Air Force Base held over twenty aircraft in the main cavern. Just beyond the main door was an S shaped tunnel, making it almost impossible to blow the hermetically sealed second door from the outside without a significant blast that could be felt and heard for a hundred miles. That was something Krieger didn’t want.
The facility was CBRN protected (Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear) with concrete reinforced steel and other advanced military compounds and, as long as those doors were closed, they were almost impenetrable. Inside the caverns, there was a crane system on rails, capable of lifting and transporting planes deep inside the mountain.
Krieger had another idea for that crane system on rails.
This particular cavern was fully equipped with its own power generating system and was complete with personnel quarters, food and water storage, a full mess hall, a command and communication center and several briefing rooms. In short, it was self-sustainable for months.
Looking through his binoculars, he was focused on the door that intelligence indicated led to the cavern containing the gold the Federal Reserve had melted down and re-branded as their own.
Chapter 58
The Commander of SEAL team Bravo had taken the call. Part of the Quick Reaction Force (QRF), their storied history included being the team that had captured the hostages in Ramadi. They were the most experienced Special Forces urban combat group. Their order from Krieger was clear: go back into the teeth of the globalists’ city and find the man who was responsible for the information that had led to the mission to save the country.
“Commander, tell your team he was a snake eater,” Krieger had added.
With reverence, the Commander responded, “Affirmative, sir.”
Krieger added the term ‘snake eater’ to let the commander know that this man was once a member of the Special Forces… one of their own. Krieger had relayed enough information to the commander so the team would understand the man they had to save was responsible for the series of missions that were currently underway.
* * *
Brooks was in a tight spot. He had made it out of the building just before the city had exploded with activity from all directions. Now he was scanning the area, seeking cover in alleyways. He kept moving.
He was alone in a city that was hunting anyone they could vent their anger on. Local and military law enforcement would never be told the truth. They would be told they were hunting a killer, and they’d be fed a variety of fictional stories. The Shadow understood that if he was captured, he’d never see the light of day again.
He moved quickly. Police sirens were everywhere. Helicopters were flying low towards the New World Order headquarters, still only a block away. He instinctively wanted to put space between himself and the center of all the activity. They’d be blocking off the area soon. When they did, he needed to be on the other side of the quarantined area.
Business people were walking with a purpose. Tourists sauntered about. Brooks slipped down a narrower street. He unbuttoned his suit jacket and tie. He folded the tie and put it in his jacket pocket. Authorities would obviously be watching cameras for anyone out of place. In this expensive suit, he’d be someone they’d take a second look at.
In the busy thoroughfare ahead, he saw several police and a military vehicle speeding in the opposite direction. He knew he had to keep moving. The fastest way to put distance between himself and the location was also the riskiest. As the last vehicle passed, he stepped out of the shadows. He turned left and cut across the street. He matched the pace of others on the sidewalk. He used a unique landmark in the distance to keep his bearings.
Most people were gawking at the speeding vehicles. Brooks kept his head down. By the time he made it to the end of the block, he had a feeling he was being followed. His training had taught him to notice unique movements in groups of people. The flow of pedestrians had a natural rhythm. He looked around.
He kept his pace casual but deliberate, moving by slower pedestrians when he could. When he passed a group of business women, he positioned himself in front of the taller one and quickly glanced at a window across the street. He looked for potential tails in the reflection. Everyone looked preoccupied, except there was one abstracted head he couldn’t see.
Refocusing forward, he checked both sides of the street. He didn’t see anyone closing in on him from up ahead. It was then that his instinct told him to pick up his pace.
A minute later, through the reflection in a window, he caught a glimpse of a head. Someone was closing the distance on him. Brooks reached into his pocket with his right hand and undid the cap on another pen Sasha had made for him.
Hand to hand combat with a trained assailant wasn’t practical at his age. If it came to that, his only chance would be for him to get the first strike in.
Another several seconds passed before Brooks saw the man’s head again. The man kept his head down but, based on his shoulders being above the rest of the crowd, this man was definitely out of place and still closing the distance.
Brooks kept pace with the other people. He worked his way another block. His phone pinged as a text came through. He reached into his pocket.
It read, “Turn right at the corner.”
Brooks had to decide. The encrypted message left no identifiable number. There was no way of telling who this was. But only three people had this number. He put the cell phone back in his pocket and freed his hands.
He turned right at the corner.
Ping came the sound from his phone again. With his left hand, he reached in his pocket. It read, “pick up pace and cut diagonally across the street NOW.”
The capital letters sent a sense of urgency surging through his body. Brooks glanced both ways and bounded across the street.
Suddenly, he saw a large man cutting diagonally across the street. The man had cut half of the distance between them.
Brooks gripped the pen tight. He may only get one shot at this. This guy was formidable.
Brooks moved towards the left side of the sidewalk. He wanted to put the man on his right side, giving himself th
e best chance. He needed every advantage he could get.
Just then he noticed a large man coming right at him on the sidewalk.
If the person texting him was friendly, where the hell was he now, or had he set him up?
Brooks could feel his senses heighten. This guy was getting close, coming towards him and positioning himself to walk about a foot or two off his right shoulder. It was a perfect place to make a move from his blind side as they passed. The man looked past Brooks then down at the sidewalk.
Brooks calculated every step. He changed the length of his gait so his feet could be in the optimal position when the man attacked.
But the man passed Brooks, just about four feet away. He never made a move.
Suddenly, he heard the distinct sound of a military silencer. It was almost drowned out by a sudden blast of music. Brooks jolted instinctively.
Brooks glanced at the window to his left. He kept walking, waiting to feel something he hadn’t felt in years: the sensation of being shot.
With his feet still underneath him, he caught a glimpse of the large man who had just passed. The large figure was hugging another man. Brooks watched as the large man set the other man down around the corner of a building.
His phone dinged. “Turn left.”
As Brooks turned left. A glimpse over his shoulder was all it took for him to realize that the man being leaned against the building was dead. That meant the man now walking towards him wasn’t after him, he had been sent to take out the assailant coming in behind him. Brooks had help.
It also meant he’d been spotted. Most likely by the cameras on street corners. He needed to get out of there — now.
The large man that passed wasted no time catching up to Brooks.
“Sir, we need to get you back to the base,” he said.
Brooks kept his eyes forward. As they walked in unison, he said, “Nice work back there.”
The large SEAL shrugged. “You must have some very powerful friends.”
Brooks didn’t answer.
The SEAL added, “Whatever it was that you did, we appreciate it.”
The SEAL knew he’d struck a chord when Brooks responded, “Thank you. There’s a lot that needs to happen to save the republic. I just did my part.”
“Take a left at this corner.”
In a few yards, they both turned left. Brooks was happy to put more ground behind him and the N.W.O. headquarters.
“Do you have overwatch?” Brooks asked.
“Affirmative.”
“How’s it looking?”
“Not good. They’re everywhere and they’re closing in. We’re going to have to get you out of here fast.”
Brooks kept pace with the big man. “How do you expect to do that?”
“We’re going to cut across the street and turn down that alley.”
They kept a pedestrian pace as they walked across the street. Just before entering the alley, Brooks looked both ways to ensure they weren’t being followed. Part way down the alley, the SEAL stepped into a small alcove to his right and stopped in front of a brown metal door. They were obscured from view. A harness descended from the rooftop.
The large SEAL helped Brooks strap in and shook Brook’s whole body as he checked the connection of the clasps.
“This will take you up to one of our overwatch stations,” the SEAL said. “They’ll fly you out… This is where we say goodbye.”
The SEAL signaled. Brooks was immediately lifted to the rooftop where another SEAL greeted him. The man, rather gruffly, began putting additional apparatus on Brooks. The SEAL had just finished latching additional straps to the vest when he looked with concern over Brooks’s shoulder. After clasping the last latch, he smacked the vest and pulled a ripcord. A balloon unleashed.
Brooks looked up to see a stealth helicopter coming in low. A word was coming out of his mouth when air was forced out of his lungs as he was lifted in the air. He gasped for a breath.
Brooks was reeled into the helicopter.
“Sir,” a woman said. “We have orders to get you to the airport where a jet is waiting. We need to get you out of this harness and into a flight suit.”
Brooks knew who had pulled this together, and he was grateful.
“Affirmative,” Brooks said, “things were getting a little heated down there.”
“It was Sordid,” she said. “He was the one calling the shots back at the headquarters. We picked up his frequency and sent a team after him, but we’re spread thin and he had plenty of help.”
That verified for Brooks that Sordid was the one who wanted the vice president killed.
Brooks knew better than to ask her about their mission, though his questioning eyes were enough for her to add, “He just took off in his plane with two fully loaded escorts.” She shook her head. “He’ll live to fight another day.”
Brooks scowled and looked out the window.
Chapter 59
The President, Madison and Hemmele landed at Area 51., This was where they were going to conduct their part of the operation from. With little fanfare, the president stood momentarily at the top of the stairs and looked over some of the Marines and the advanced security detail who were already positioned.
Area 51 is part of the Nellis Military Operations Area. Over twenty by twenty-five miles, this massive area is one of the most secure places on the planet.
As everyone deplaned and several Special Forces contingencies took their positions, Dr. Hemmele greeted a friend, Dr. Hina Owen.
Hemmele turned and introduced Dr. Owen to the president.
The president said, “Dr. Owen, why don’t you ride with us?”
She was delighted at the offer and her, Hemmele, the president and Madison climbed in.
Owen could detect something was afoot and, as soon as the presidential Limo turned left, she asked, “Roy, where are we going? The facilities are the other way.”
It was now time to let her in on what they were doing there. Hemmele looked at her and said, “We’re not going to the main facilities. We’re going to the GD.”
Owens’s eyes bulged and her mouth hung open.
* * *
Mauricio looked at Krieger and said, “affirmative sir.” This confirmed everyone was in position. Briggs was on the other side of the base with a Chief Petty Officer, while Master Sergeant Tasker and his special operations team had worked their way into the compound.
Simultaneously, Mauricio and Krieger checked the time. It was shift change. At this normal level of security, men and women came casually in and out through the tunnel as they had for decades. Security was there, though since none of these installations had ever had any attempted infiltration, overall security was relatively lax.
The entire platoon was working by their mechanical watches now. They had already placed their communications equipment in the protective shields embedded in their backpacks.
Mauricio and Krieger remained glued to their watches as they counted down to the appointed time. Their eyes met, and Mauricio hit the switch. The small EMP burst went off.
Mauricio had been trained by Dr. Roy Hemmele himself. He had learned as much as he possibly could from the master. Ever since Krieger had captured the EMP equipment from the terrorists, Hemmele had spent tireless days and nights redesigning the apparatus for this mission. He had tested it, but how much of it would penetrate the caverns was undetermined.
Hemmele was confident, however, that the effect behind them would be less than what they experienced on the radar chart, but by what degree, again Hemmele couldn’t test in his small laboratory. Without time to take it to a secure location, he could only give Mauricio an estimate.
As soon as Mauricio actuated the burst, the peaceful military base was besieged by Krieger’s men from all sides.
The Marines and the 2nd battalion came from the west.
The team leads all pulled their communications devices from their backpacks. Mauricio, Briggs and Krieger did the same.
Relief was an emotion Krieger rarely felt. But that’s exactly what he felt the moment when, after his device came to life and he said, “testing,” he saw Mauricio smile and heard him say through his earpiece, “they’re working.” Hemmele had allowed them to capitalize on the element of surprise.
Mauricio gave the order to let the drones fly. The roof opened on a parked semi about a mile away. It was specially insulated from the EMP burst by Hemmele’s team. Mauricio held his breath until the first group flew out the top of the open roof of the truck. He had each unmanned drone pre-programmed with their desired location.
When they were free and clear, three much larger drones took off from another truck. These three each had one marine in them.
Krieger charged ahead with one platoon towards the main opening of the cavern that housed the gold. Brigg secured the other tunnel entrance.
The battle to take back the stolen gold was exploding.
* * *
“Move out,” Krieger bellowed to the driver. The first full truck pulled out. Gold was coming out of the tunnels quickly. Krieger turned to observe the team loading the helicopter and spoke through his earpiece to the Sr. Chief Petty Officer. “How much longer?”
“One more and she’s full,” the man responded. The next helicopter had landed. “Keep them coming.”
As Krieger stood surveying the activity, Briggs walked up and said, “The other tunnel is secure sir. We’re right on schedule.”
“How’s it going inside?” Krieger asked. He was talking about the extraction team in charge of getting the gold out of the tunnel. The team had infiltrated the main tunnel with the vaults and had used the rail system to transport the gold out of the tunnel. Krieger watched as multiple trucks, helicopters and the C4 planes were loaded simultaneously.
Return of Our Country Page 29