“And you went, just to see if you could. And what happens if you alter their future? That could change ours too. Fritz, you have to stop this. It's bad enough that the president wants to use it.”
“Speaking of the president, I think last night's mission was successful, just because there is no news.” While they continued to talk about the previous night's raids, Fritz began to fidget. He took out his phone.
* * *
THE PRESIDENT had spent much of the day monitoring the Middle East. He received regular and continuing updates from his National Security Advisor, press secretary, and secretary of defense, the last of whom told him that their Narian assets had confirmed that the nuclear sites would never again be usable. He had also spoken to the Israeli prime minister four times. The first call went to warn the Israelis that the U.S. had picked up chatter about an impending retaliatory attack. Most recently, the prime minister had reported the capture of the settlement in the Golan Heights. About five-hundred settlers had been herded together in the community house. One of the settlers still had a cell phone and when possible, had sent messages. “I spoke to the Eledorian ambassador a little while ago. He is denying involvement,” the president told the prime minister.
“He's lying. We identified their planes and our recon flights have pictures of the ground troops.”
“He told me the airbase in Sooksamad had been raided and planes were stolen. We're trying to verify that with satellite images. Do you know how many troops they have at the community house?” asked the president.
“We've been told that only ten are inside, but they have AK-47s and grenades. We don't know about outside. Probably quite a few. We can see them checking the houses and setting up a perimeter. They know we're on the way.”
“How close are your troops?”
“About two hours in force.”
“I have an idea. Can you email me a floor plan of the community house?”
“Mr. President, I can send it right away, but tell me what you're thinking.”
“I'll get back to you soon.”
* * *
THE MAN HAD JUST returned from a news briefing on the Narian blackout. Listening, saying nothing, he sat in the back, gathering information that he knew to be incorrect. His desk phone rang, as if it knew he had returned. “What?” He listened. “Keep them on the outskirts. We're paying enough to keep them unidentified. I have a bad feeling about what's going to happen. There's something in play, but I can only speculate right now. I'll know more later.” He hung up, took off his suit jacket, draped it over a chair, and looked out the window. “Good start,” he said to himself.
* * *
WITH HIS PHONE in front of him, Fritz debated making the call. The late summer sun had followed the fast-moving storm, shooting beams through the backyard trees and streaming through the bay window. Ready to dial, he raised his hand to block the sun.
“I was just going to call you, Mr. President,” said Fritz. Linda and Ashley listened, watching Fritz.
“Fritz, simply put, there's fallout from our mission. I need your help.”
“What is it?”
“Rescuing Israeli hostages from the Eledorians.”
“We were just talking about that,” said Fritz, pointing to his laptop for Linda and Ashley's benefit. “What's the plan?” The president filled him in on what he had learned.
“Mr. President, how can we get our group in unnoticed? It's still daylight, football practice is still going, and other teams are still around, too.”
“Can we use classrooms as holding tanks until dark? I'm thinking we bring in an orchestra, plain clothes, to practice in your auditorium. The troops will have instrument cases with equipment, clothing, and weapons.”
“Like the gangsters during Prohibition. Machine guns in violin cases. What about the kids?”
“Do they go into the hallways after practice?”
“Yeah, to their lockers.”
“How late do practices run on a normal day?”
“Five, five thirty at the latest. So not much longer. Do we have the time? It's about ten thirty now over there.”
“I don't know, Fritz. It depends on whether the Eledorians plan to stay and fight or kill the hostages and retreat. And when.”
“What happens if the Israelis attack?”
“Don't know that either. That's why we have to move quickly.”
“We can be at school in ten minutes. How many troops are you going to send in?” asked Fritz.
“I talked to the secretary of defense. He's thinking thirty. With backups, a total of fifty to sixty, including medics.”
The last word sent a shockwave into Fritz's stomach, his brain fully engaged. Only the night before, he had witnessed the results of a skirmish. Unlike the stealthy entry to Naria, this mission intended to attack and repel enemy soldiers, to rescue innocents. No practice runs, only battle. From the start, alarms blared in his consciousness. He wiped his warm forehead.
“Have you spoken to George?”
“No. Some things I avoid for as long as possible.”
“Chicken. I'll call him. He'll be upset, but I'll tell him it's an emergency. You can talk to him later.”
“I'll call Colonel Mitchell and the major. She's still at the airport facility. They'll be there in a half hour.”
“Make it forty-five minutes, Mr. President. I'll tell George we need to end practice quickly.” Fritz imagined a sunlit parking lot and students being picked up after practice. “Can you have James get Jim Shaw?”
“Fritz, could you come here and take James back?”
“Mr. President, I need Tony here to do any of this. We had a thunderstorm earlier, but I don't want to count on the weather.”
“He stayed in New Jersey, just in case. He's with the colonel.”
“I'll call George now and get everything moving,” said Fritz. “Are you going to be in your office?”
“Call my cell. You have the number. Good luck.”
With another long night coming, Ashley asked Linda if she wanted to stay home. She finished her notes, pushed back from the table and stood. “No.” Through the window, they could see two squirrels in the yard poking around for buried prizes. Fritz told George what had happened. He didn't give him a chance to complain.
As they walked to the car, Ashley said, “Why don't you send everyone back to Israel rather than their staying here?”
Fritz stopped midstride, as if he had hit the brakes too hard. “That's a great idea. I'll call the president from school. He'll need to decide. This is going to blow the cover off the portal.”
At ten to five, they climbed from Fritz's tan SUV and went to his classroom. Within minutes, George and Lois arrived, George's complexion already pink in motion and rising.
“What's going on?” Lois asked.
Ashley said, “Lois, we're going to have to stop meeting like this.”
She said, “If I didn't know better, I'd think you were deranged. The two of you really found a great mess to get yourselves into. George can't say no.”
Before George could get up a head of steam at Ashley, Fritz said, “George, we need to clear the kids out. The teams should be done about now. Can you and Lois go to the boys and girls locker rooms and hurry them out? If you need to, tell them we need an empty building for a visiting orchestra. Ash, stay here.”
Lois said, “If this weren't so serious, I think I'd laugh at that.”
While Lois and George cleared the locker rooms, Fritz called the president. He relayed Ashley's suggestion to send the hostages back to Israel through the portal, but he needed a map to wherever they would send them. “Mr. President, Linda has her laptop, but we didn't bring a printer.”
“I'll send it via the major. I'll tell her to wait for it. In the meantime, Fritz, you'll have to run things from your end.”
“Mr. President, Ash and Linda can get the printer. And the school has printers, of course. Should've thought of that. I could attach my laptop to one of those, but I didn't bring a cord. T
he major can start out.”
“OK. I'll talk to you shortly. I'll call the prime minister.” Ashley and Linda were already headed out the door.
“You need my car keys.” Fritz took off the desk key and tossed the rest to Ashley.
Fritz emptied his desktop, put the key in the lock, and grabbed a piece of paper to write notes. He envisioned the arrival of the fake orchestra, which rooms to use, where to put the hostages as they came through, how to get them back to Israel. This is getting out of hand. Then Paris flashed in front of him, real enough to touch. He refocused on the night ahead. Running his hands through his hair, he tried to think of what else needed doing. Clean up. He knew George.
First the McAllisters returned. Then Linda and Ashley came back.
Officer Shaw came in from outside. “Hi, Mr. Russell. Mr. Williams called and said to come here right away. What's up?”
“Hi, Jim. Another exercise. We'll need to keep the grounds clear and the curious away. Can you do that?”
“Sure. I'm a tough guy. Can you tell me what's really going on?”
“I can't, Jim, but I expect James will tell you when he thinks it's appropriate. No offense, but it's need-to-know. Especially, Jim, we need to clear the kids away from here quickly. There's an orchestra on the way.”
Jim gave Fritz a queer look, an “are-you-nuts?” look.
“You'll see.”
Chapter 14
Five school buses and five black Suburbans turned into the parking lot. The first Suburban stopped at the entrance by the end of Fritz's corridor, and out stepped Tony Almeida in a black suit. Tony didn't come in; he checked the partly full parking lot. He signaled to two men, also in black suits, who opened the rear hatch and removed a generator. Seeing this, Fritz and Ashley ran to open the doors. The hatch slammed shut, the Suburban moved into the lot, and Tony repeated the sequence for each car. The men deposited their burdens in Fritz's classroom, and walked down the hall to Ashley's room. Looking more closely, Fritz recognized some as the previous night's team leaders.
Tony greeted Fritz and then signaled the buses. One by one, they pulled up, squeaked to a halt and discharged their passengers. In suits and wearing ties, each carried an instrument case. As the sun peaked through the trees, Colonel Mitchell stepped off the bus. “Mr. Russell, long time, no see. Certainly much sooner than I expected.”
“Colonel,” said Fritz, shaking his hand. “Where do you want everyone?”
“The classrooms. No one in the halls until we're ready to go. Is the building cleared?”
“I think so, but I'll have George check again.”
Returning to the others, Fritz related the colonel's directive, and George began another check, this time with Ashley. Linda and Lois directed the “musicians” to classrooms. From the last bus, a young woman struggled to maneuver her cello down the narrow passage, her black cocktail dress revealing slim, muscular legs. Her auburn hair, flowing gracefully with each step, shimmered in the sinking sun.
The major.
She really is beautiful. He ran to help her.
“Hi, Fritz,” she said.
“You're going in again?”
“Not unless I have to. Tonight I am the conductor.”
“Well, you certainly look better with an instrument than war paint,” he said. “How's your back?”
She placed her cello on the floor. “The docs put a few more stitches in this morning, and they gave me a couple of units of blood, too. It does hurt.”
“Need a hand with that?”
“If you would. It's tugging on the stitches. It wouldn't do to bleed through this dress. It's my only one for Washington cocktail parties and special events.”
“What's in here?” he asked, testing the weight of the cello case.
“Kevlar, guns, grenades, and camo. Everything a girl needs to play Mozart.”
“Where did you get the instruments?”
“From a local grade school that no longer offers music classes. Budget cuts.” When the buses finally emptied, Tony joined them. They were ready to go.
Ashley came tearing around the corner at the other end of the hall. “Clear the halls. Kids coming,” His attempted whisper sounded like a frog shouting.
Fritz said, “Let's move into a room. We can get organized when the kids are gone.”
“We should close the blinds and turn off the lights, too.”
Fritz rushed to the other rooms to give instructions. It's a good thing we're bunched. Within minutes, a straggling student entered a hallway, empty except for Fritz and Ashley. “Hi, Mr. R. Hi, Mr. Gilbert. What's going on?”
Fritz said, “Paul, between us, okay?” The wet-haired boy nodded. “It's a surprise. We have an orchestra here practicing for a concert later in the fall. Please don't say anything.”
“Sure, Mr. R.” Still sweating even after a shower, Paul banged his locker closed and headed out the door. This secret comes with a guarantee. Paul wasn't likely to be interested in any orchestra.
Ash said, “You're getting to be a pretty good liar, you know.”
“I'm not sure that's something I want on my resume.”
“It's come in handy these past few months. Maybe you should go into politics.” Ashley smirked, then asked, “Where's Jane?”
Fritz didn't answer. “Is Paul the only one coming here?”
“I don't know. George covered the upstairs.”
“He's not back. Ash, go and find him. Walk around again, and make sure they're all gone. Please. We can't start until we're clear.”
“Got it.” He jogged down the hall and around the corner.
Fritz walked into Ashley's classroom, where Linda and Lois were talking to the major and colonel. He glanced around the room at the troops, who were still dressed in their civvies. The sound of walking and talking grew louder, then quieted. George hurried the students out the door. A minute later, both George and Ashley came in. “All gone. Give them a minute to be off school grounds,” said George. Ashley spotted the major, and when she saw him, both faces gleamed.
“Hi,” she said.
“Are you doing this again?” Ashley asked.
“Not unless I have to. I may need to go to the spot in Israel we'll be bringing the hostages to when we get them free. But we need to get started.” She told her team to get ready and the colonel went to get the rest of the men set up. “Mr. Russell, do you have the maps?” she asked.
“I have the floor plan for the community center, but not the map of Israel for the drop off point after it's over. I'll call the president.” The civilians left the room and the soldiers dressed for the evening's event.
It took four rings before Ms. Evans answered. “Sorry, Mr. Russell. He's on a call. Hold please.”
“Fritz, I'll call you right back,” the president said.
“He said he'd call back. He sounds frazzled,” he told the others.
“The Israelis,” the major said. Moments later, the president returned the call.
“Mr. President, do you have the map for Israel?” Fritz asked.
“It's on the way now, Fritz. The prime minister wants to know what we're going to do. It's hard to tell the leader of a country to be happy for the help but to mind his own business. It never ceases to surprise me that diplomats have ways of saying that without making people openly furious. I'll bet they're swearing at me in Hebrew.” The president's chuckled.
“Thanks. I've got to go set up. Do you want to speak to anyone?”
“Let me talk to the colonel.” Fritz handed him the phone and left for his classroom. Tony waited in the hall, generators running.
“Are we ready?” Tony asked.
“Almost. The colonel is talking to the president now. Are you set?”
“I just called the planes. Are the guys dressed?”
“They're dressing now. I'll set the map for the community house first. Come take a look. I'm not sure where they should go in.” While they were looking at the floor plan, the major and colonel walked in. The major
's smile had been replaced by a squared jaw.
“The president said the Eledorians are spread around the room with the hostages,” the colonel said. “This is going to be hard. We'll be looking down from a balcony, but we need to surprise them. We don't want to shoot the captives.”
“Can the Israelis create a diversion?” asked Fritz.
“Won't help inside. The president said they're trying to surround the village, but the prime minister said that if they attack, they think the Eledorians will kill the settlers and retreat. So we have to move fast. And first.” Two obvious entry points stood out. The major asked if they could enter both places at once.
“I never tried that.” Left, right, center blinked through his memory. “Maybe. But, I'd be experimenting. I don't think now is a good time to be wrong. I think we should use separate maps, like last night. I'll print another copy. Hang on.” He rushed across the hall and came back with another floor plan. “You'll have a delay once the first team is in. About thirty seconds. So the first group needs to be silent. They need a signal.”
“They have radios with earphones. We should be okay,” the colonel said.
“Tony, call the planes,” said the major.
“Already done.” He flashed a thumb.
Just as they had the night before, the soldiers lined up in the hallway, ready to go. George walked into Fritz's room and asked if he should take the men to the bathroom.
“Oh, damn,” the major said. “I forgot. Yes, Mr. McAllister, please, but hurry. I'll tell them.” She followed George to the hall and told her teams to hit the head but be quick. “We're out of time, guys. Two minutes.”
It took more than two minutes. Twenty of the forty-six had gone with George.
While they waited for George to return, Ashley whispered, “You look nice.”
“Thanks. When this is over, why don't you take me for a drink?”
“Love to. Make it quick and we'll have more time.” She patted his arm.
“You know how this works,” the colonel told them. “Two insertions at opposite ends of the community house. You'll be on the second floor, shooting down. Team one, take out the Eledorians on your right. Team two, on your right. Coordinate the first shots. Get the settlers upstairs to the team two entrance and get them out. We have to be very quiet. But be prepared for more Eledorian troops to come in—guard the entrances. We don't know where the rest of them are. Questions?”
Quantum Touch (Book 2): Sand Storm Page 14