by Unknown
After some more talking, the meeting broke up. Jeffers walked to his stateroom and closed the door. He took off the medals and placed them back in their boxes. They were just trappings to be pulled out on special occasions. As he turned around he saw himself in the mirror. The face looking back at him looked older. There were a couple of scars still healing, but it was still the same eyes, nose and mouth from before. In his mind, he didn’t want any special recognition. He just wanted to be a naval officer like all the rest. Jeffers hoped things would not change.
After putting everything away, Jeffers heard flight quarters sounded. He grabbed his helmet and jacket and went aft. He wasn’t really needed, but it was a part of being the First Lieutenant. When he got there, Hustvedt said goodbye and re-boarded the Osprey. The engines came to life and the aircraft lifted into the clear afternoon sky.
Jeffers turned to see Boats Patnaude staring at him. He walked up to him. “You look like you need to talk,” he said.
“No, Boats, I’ll be okay.”
“Bullshit. Don’t forget I been around for a while. This bothered you, didn’t it?” he asked.
“A little.”
Patnaude smiled. “That’s because you’re a good man, Commander. You don’t want to be better than anyone else and you don’t seek glory. And you know what? That makes you one of them top one percenters,” he said. “I’ve seen too many people just go for the glory. They usually end up being a pain in the ass. So don’t change, Rod. Just keep doing your job. I’d rather have ten people like you to work with than a thousand of the others,” he said. “Come on.”
Patnaude led him back forward to the Deck Office across from the post office. They sat and talked for a couple of hours. Along the way, Jeffers began to feel better about things. He even shared the loss of his friend. Boats shared a few sea stories of his own. By dinner Jeffers felt exhausted. This time he accepted the congratulations and the support around the wardroom table. He was one of them and they were happy to be around him.
After dinner, Jeffers checked on a few things and made sure the eight o’clock reports were ready, then went to his stateroom. He took off his uniform and crawled in between the sheets. Cracking open a book, he read for a while till he was interrupted as the Captain came on the 1MC.
“This is the captain. Tomorrow morning we are going into Sevastopol harbor to take General Richardson in to discuss their surrender. We’ll be going in alone, but the Wisconsin and North Carolina will be just outside the harbor just in case. Guys, I won’t make this sound pretty. We don’t know what they might do when we get in there. We know their fleet is basically gone, but they can still shoot at us. The plan is to go in and launch my gig with the general aboard, then wait. If they start shooting at us, we can shoot back, but not till then. So it’s going to be a little tense for a while. I don’t know about you, but I am definitely going to say my prayers tonight. For all the Catholics, maybe ask our Father Danner for a little help. I know he’s up there looking out for us and a little extra help wouldn’t hurt. So get some good sleep tonight, and while you’re at it, thank God for the redheads.” The 1MC clicked off.
Jeffers was sorry he had missed Father Danner. It seemed as if everyone he met had something good to say about the man. Even Patnaude shared a few of the hair-raising escapades involving Danner. He sounded like a lot of fun. Jeffers put the book down and turned out the light. Just before going to sleep, he said a little prayer of his own.
Krakow
It had been a late night. Upon arrival at the hospital, both men had been rushed to surgery. Mr. Kursov had been lucky. The bullet had lodged in the muscle near his shoulder. After only a few minutes the bullet was out and he was bandaged up and made ready to go home. Bugayev was a different matter. After two pints of whole blood, with the doctors pouring over his arm, the decision was made that there was no use in trying to save it. A flap of skin was pulled over and sewn to the other side. They were hampered slightly when a squad of police entered the recovery room and handcuffed and shackled Bugayev to his hospital bed. They took the arm, with a pistol still in its hand, and wrapped it up.
Erich Bolin looked down on the still unconscious man. “You won’t get away from me this time,” he said. He turned to the others. “No one leaves this room. I want eyes on him twenty four hours a day. If he tries anything, you are to further restrain him. Gag him if you must, but no one gets to him and he sees no one except the medical staff,” Bolin ordered. He had already seen the Kursov family and the American soldier. Those statements alone would get Bugayev a life sentence. He had other ideas on that.
After getting his father into the Humvee, the Kursov’s, Polski and Ricks made their way back home. The family was waiting. Mrs. Kursov was particularly happy to see her husband alive and well. She had spent several hours cleaning the blood off the floor and now the house was once again spotless.
Freda had rushed to Petyr’s side, but she could see something had changed in Petyr. He had become introverted and didn’t smile much when he returned. Ricks saw it too and pulled her aside.
“Freda, Petyr is going to be a little different for a while. He nearly killed a man tonight and that does things to a good man. He needs to understand it was something that had to be done. But most of all, he needs to know you still care about him. So just be patient with him tonight. He’ll come around,” Ricks told her.
Freda nodded. In a few minutes, she led him to the bedroom and helped him get undressed. Remembering how he had helped her when her mother died, Freda simply pulled him to her side and held him.
Driving in the Humvee toward Berlin, Petyr didn’t say much, and Ricks let him be with his own thoughts. After three hours into the drive, Petyr turned to Ricks. “Why didn’t you come in with me?” he asked.
Ricks grinned. “Because you didn’t need my help. I could see what you were going to do, and frankly, I didn’t want to be around you while you were swinging that axe. You didn’t notice, but I moved around to swing from the other side of you missed,” he said.
“I’ve never done anything like that before,” Petyr said.
“A man can do a lot of things when he is protecting his family. That’s what you were doing. That was even what your father was doing when he jumped in front of that guy. He could probably see it in his eye when he was going to pull the trigger and he knew who would get hit. Your father did it for you and for Freda,” Ricks said.
Petyr thought about that for a minute. His father really was trying to protect the family, even if it meant getting killed himself. The idea made him feel warm all over. Ricks saw the slight smile cross Petyr’s face. The kid will be alright, he thought.
The White House
The days were taking their toll on O’Bannon. It seemed as if there was always too much going on needing his personal attention. So when his Chief of Staff, Jim Butler, came in with a pale look on his face, O’Bannon cringed. “Okay, I can tell something’s wrong,” he grunted.
“Sir, Bob Kelso of CNN is on line two. I would have sent him over to the Press Secretary, but this is too deep even for me,” Butler said.
A curious look came over O’Bannon’s face as he reached over and picked up the line. “Good afternoon, Mr. Kelso. What can I do for you?” he asked.
“Good afternoon, Mister President. Something has come up with several of us and we need to talk to you about it,” Kelso began.
“Glad to help. What do you need?”
“Sir, we are getting information concerning former CIA director Harmon and some sort of investigation. In particular, it has something to do with something called Eyeball,” Kelso said.
O’Bannon’s eyes shot wide. He looked up at Butler who nodded in response. O’Bannon’s worse fears were coming true and he wasn’t sure of how to deal with it.
“You still there?” came the voice on the line.
“I am, Bob, you just stunned me, that’s all. Can you tell me what you know?”
“Well, sir, we are getting information leaked
to us that Harmon was fired over this system and that you have directed the FBI in probing several senators and congressmen who recommended him. It makes it sound like a vendetta of some sort. Personally it sounds a little fishy, but as of now, I have it along with the Washington Post, CBS, NBC, ABC and the AP. Because of the way it is coming across, this news might be a little beyond our agreement, especially when you were named. We have gotten together and decided to call you first,” Kelso said.
O’Bannon thought for a moment. “Bob, I am going to be frank with you. There is an investigation, but not through my office. I asked the FBI to check into something Harmon did while in office and they did so, uncovering enough that the Attorney General appointed a special prosecutor. I have nothing to do with what the prosecutor is doing and don’t know anything more of the matter. What I do know is that it is touching on one of the most secret efforts the United States has ever achieved. Quite frankly it scares me that word about this program may have gotten out.”
“Is it based out of the CIA?”
“Yes, but being used by the Department of Defense.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Mister President, this is putting us in a difficult position,” Kelso said.
“Think about it from my perspective. This is something we never talk about. At the same time, I gave you a promise to answer your questions. I want you to trust me and this even makes me feel insecure. Can you answer one question for me?” asked the President.
“Sure.”
“I know you can’t give your sources, but are they from a government agency like the CIA or Defense, or even my staff for that matter?”
Kelso thought a second. “Mister President, our sources are not from any of those agencies. I’m not sure I would go any further than that,” Kelso said.
The President let out a sigh. “Well, at least it’s not coming from the people I’m working with. Let me think a second,” O’Bannon said as he placed the receiver on his chest. Butler stared at the man and could tell he was grinding through some options. The President put the receiver to his ear again. “Bob, how many media outlets are involved at this time?”
“Only the ones I mentioned, Mister President, although there could be more at any time. We’ve kept this to ourselves so far,” said Kelso.
“I tell you what. Can you all come to the White House tomorrow by 9 am? I would like to give you a little something that may help you understand my concerns,” said the President.
“Yes, sir, but I hope it’s not just another explanation.”
“No, but I thought you might like to see what it’s all about,” the President said.
USS Iowa
The morning dawned clear with a calm sea. During the night a message had come through saying the Mayor of Sevastopol would meet with Allied representatives aboard the ship when it arrived. Nothing was mentioned of the military commanders. As the sun came up, Iowa separated from the two other battleships and made her way toward the harbor entrance. The southern tip of the Crimea was heavily populated. Yalta, on the other end of the peninsula, had already fallen. Odessa, Ukraine, had been taken the week before. Now Sevastopol was surrounded.
Iowa sailed slowly past an old abandoned and recently shelled runway on the tip of land going in toward Sevastopol. The crew could see the remnants of an old early warning radar station beside it. Turning northeast, they passed more abandoned military areas, some sprouting old antennas and gun emplacements. The beaches looked rocky and uninviting. Aboard the ship all eyes scanned the shore looking for missile or gun emplacements that might open fire on the ship, but none were seen.
Iowa soon saw her destination. The mouth of the harbor had a concrete breakwater with a quarter of a mile opening. There was a small lighthouse on one end. What concerned them most was the old fortress guarding the harbor. Painted white, it had multiple openings in the side, but no one could see what was inside it.
Rhodes turned to Jeffers conning the ship. “I sure hope those prayers to Father Danner did some good,” he said. Entering the harbor, Iowa made her way just inside and then stopped. They would not anchor. That would give them time to get back underway quickly.
Most of the harbor was surrounded by high rise housing and shoreline establishments. Marinas sprouted along the shore along with shipping terminals and tourist attractions. On the right side was a huge monument with two soldiers, one holding up a rifle. They began to notice that along the shoreline, people were already coming out to watch.
The Pentagon
The motorcade drove to the north entrance where the Secret Service and Pentagon security forces had everything set up. The media got out of two black Suburbans, were met by General Black and some staff members and ushered into the Pentagon. They stopped in a small conference room and asked to sit. One minute later the President came in. He went to the head of the table.
“Gentlemen, thank you for meeting with me today. Bob, I appreciate you getting this set up,” the President said. “Gentlemen, Bob told me about your concerns and they are my concerns as well. I have a feeling what you have been getting is politically motivated. So I decided to do something that is grossly irregular. I am going to show you what this is all about. When the war started, this system had just been placed online. Mr. Harmon failed to act on the early warning this system provides which could have saved countless lives. That is why I asked the FBI to investigate. But now you need to know why this can never be revealed to anyone. Never. This agreement I have with you on media coverage works both ways. I am now showing this to you and only you so that you fully understand why I must ask you not to let this get out. I feel once you see this you will agree with me that it is something too vital to our national interests. Do you agree that this is a fair request?” he asked.
The men around the room nodded. “We agree,” said Kelso.
The President smiled. “Okay then, but prepare yourselves. You will not believe your eyes.”
The door opened and the men were led down the corridor to an outer office full of security. They were then led into a darkened room. In the center of the room on a huge table was Eyeball.
“Oh my God,” exclaimed Brad Freeman from CBS. “Is this what I think it is?”
“Yes it is,” said Roger Hammond as he stepped in from another door. “This is Poland, Belarus, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine and points west. This image is from one of the cameras. The computers alert us to any and all movements of troops, planes, equipment, supplies or anything else going on in Europe. From there, we can move in for more graphic detail,” Hammond said as he motioned to a technician. The three dimensional image zoomed into one of the battle areas where the true value of Eyeball could be seen. The men watched as planes flew into and out of the area, saw tanks advancing along with ground troops and even some sort of flying bugs in advance of the Allies engaging enemy troops.
“Are you telling us this is real time?” asked one man.
“We are maybe about a second behind. It takes time for the light to get to the satellite and then back down to us,” said Hammond.
“I never thought something like this was possible,” said another man.
Hammond chuckled. “Neither did I,” he said. “And that’s why I flew all the way here to give this brief myself. You don’t know this, but when this war started the Russians had six to one of everything we and the Allies had. When they asked me to take the job, I told them that in order to have any chance, we needed to use every bit of the technology we possessed to even the playing field. This,” he said spreading his hands over the table, “is the biggest piece of that technology. It has allowed us to see every move the Russians have made from the battlefield to the supply lines. It allows us to stop them before they get things started and to hit them where they are the weakest. They have no idea we are watching. Several of you have gotten a little miffed because we have not been sharing our casualty numbers. Part of that is because of this and because no one would believe us. I will now share those numbers with y
ou. To date, the Allies have lost 10,560 troops killed and another 16,010 wounded. Most of those losses were at the start of the war. But because of this, we know that the Russians have lost two million some odd killed and another eight hundred ninety thousand wounded.”
Several of the men gasped at the numbers. “How could it be so high?” asked Kelso.
“I’ll show you,” said Hammond. He looked at the operator. “Take it to the front so they can see the drones.”
The image zoomed in further and the men could see the drone units going across the landscape. In several instances, troops in front of them simply fell over dead as they passed by. Allied assault troops followed the drones in and continued, unhindered, on their way. “Eyeball is linked to our Link 16 system and everyone on the ground can see where the bad guys are. We coordinate things all the way to the ground level. Of course, the troops and fliers have no idea where the Link is getting its information, but they know it is accurate,” said Hammond. With a motion, the operator moved the image back to a broader area.
“This is why I am asking that no one ever know about what you are seeing here. If it got out, our enemy might find a way to counter it or to down our satellites. It would mean our casualties might climb almost as high as the Russians’. I want to get our people home and safe. This is helping me do that,” Hammond said.
Hammond stopped talking and let the men see the marvel in front of them, then said, “Take it to Sevastopol.”