Nurse Rachel left the bar where several men were hitting on her and joined Riley in the restroom. All was set and Riley had the pill.
Riley returned to the table and whispered something in Branch’s ear as she dropped a small round pill into his drink. He stood and she set back down. They continued drinking and five minutes later Branch started choking and gasping. Riley screamed for help and a woman ran over to the table and helped Branch to the floor and began giving him CPR. Branch’s security came immediately and the woman identified herself as a nurse telling them to call 911 and send an ambulance. The ambulance arrived five minutes later and loaded Jason Branch for transport. He left with his security. Jake, Sparks and Riley were gone before the ambulance left the Grill. They picked Rachel up down the block and away from cameras.
“Well?” asked Riley.
“Yeah, I got great samples and Riley, you owe me big time,” said Rachel.
“How do you figure?” Riley replied.
“You didn’t have to kiss him,” she laughed.
Everyone laughed, then Riley revealed that when he asked her name she almost said Rachel. Rachel grabbed her and bear hugged her saying, “I would have had to hurt you.”
“Well then, I would have to sue you for bear hugging,” said Riley.
The operation went perfect except as they were leaving Jake spotted the tail. He made counter surveillance moves driving a circular route with double backs. The tail stayed with him so he called Dirk at the hangar.
“Dirk, we have a problem. When we finished the op at the Grill we picked up a tail I’ve not been able to shake.”
“Ok boss, I mean Jake, go past the turn to the hangar and down the back road from the airport. That road is dark and this time of night there won’t be traffic. Give me ten minutes to get into position and I will take them out.”
“Will do, and I will be on the satellite phone,” said Stryker.
Dirk picked up his rifle case and a dark sweatshirt and left the hangar. He found a spot three hundred yards from the road and readied his rifle. He barely got into position when he saw Jake’s SUV coming down the road. He called him on the phone and told him it would soon be over.
The tail was staying back and several minutes passed before the SUV came into sight. Dirk watched through his scope waiting for the perfect angle. He squeezed the trigger and sent a .338 Lapua Magnum into the engine block followed by another suppressed round into the right front tire. He called Jake and told him the tail was out of commission and he was returning to the hangar. Jake thanked him and asked if he could identify the occupants through his scope. Dirk told him there were two large men wearing suits.
Russian watchers, thought Stryker.
50
Washington, DC
2016
Orson advised Herb that based on new information from Pedro Cruz, Ali would be on his way to Mexico in ten days. In order to be in position in the Gulf of Mexico the Alpha team needed to leave tomorrow. Believing the teams were being watched, the Alpha jet had been moved and team members were beginning to leave separately and not as a group going to the plane. Their 242’ Dutch yacht had also been moved to St. Augustine to further confuse the watchers. Herb would be the last to leave after visiting with Stryker and Sparks. The last preparation was to have a Tier One Alpha team brought from the training facility to the main offices for protection. Stryker feared an attack while everyone was away on assignments. Orson was directed to shut down and lock the gates after the Alpha team arrived. They needed to be ready.
Herb told them that there were issues of whether Ali was using Pedro Cruz to set in place false information. Alpha’s operators determined a yacht had arrived several weeks prior with eight men on board, mostly Middle Eastern. Orson traced the boat to a leasing company owned by Alex Antras. Orson thought Ali intended to leave on the yacht instead of the cargo ship. The Alpha operators decided to mark the yacht just in case.
“If the Igor op goes on time, Sparks tells me he has made arrangements to fly you to us if we are still in play. I am heading out to meet our team in St. Augustine but you can reach me by satellite phones, so good hunting,” said Herb.
_____
“You still want to be in position early?” asked Sparks.
“Yeah, the plan hasn’t changed so I say we go in the morning and get Pete to join us. I have a bad feeling we may be setup,” said Stryker.
“Ok, I will call Pete and advise the pilots we go early tomorrow. All our gear is already aboard except for personal items,” said Sparks.
“Is Riley going with us?” asked Stryker.
“Yeah, she’s finished with the FBI and it seems Rachel has taken her under her wing so yes, she is coming,” said Sparks.
“Does she have gear?” asked Stryker.
“Yes, Rachel kitted her out. She is ready to go,” replied Sparks.
“How about training?” asked Stryker.
“Beside standard FBI she has HRT advanced weapons training and mixed martial arts,” replied Sparks.
“She may look helpless but don’t be fooled, she’s a shooter. And, remember she’s my niece.”
“I’m good, just checking. We take Pete and pick up Rachel and Riley at the embassy and go directly to the plane,” said Stryker.
_____
Jake, Ryan and Pete picked up Rachel and Riley and headed to the plane located at Signature FBO at Baltimore-Washington airport. Stryker located no following vehicles so they proceeded on time.
Once airborne, Stryker laid out the plan again as a refresher. He told them Orson did not have any updates. Rachel had her fake passport and Sparks provided Riley hers. Stryker, Pete and Sparks were covered. Paul would not be coming, replaced by Pete. He instead was needed on the boat with Herb’s team. Everyone dressed as fishermen wearing long billed caps and fishing vests. Once they arrived on the river, they planned to camp and act the part while two of them would hike to the lodge, measuring a path for the attack.
The Gulfstream landed the team at Craig, Alaska, some one hundred miles from Ketchikan. The Gulfstream then departed to standby in Seattle. A Cessna 406 would take them to Ketchikan where they had lodging until time to go to the river camp. Ketchikan was a perfect place to not be remembered. Just an abundance of fishermen doing what was the usual life.
Many of their supplies had been previously cached near their campsite. Lodging arrangements had been made by Sparks at the Cape Fox Lodge. The Lodge was a known hangout for serious fishermen. The plan was to keep an eye out for the Russians to arrive at the Ketchikan airport. Sparks had people watching. In the meantime, the team rested and prepared mentally for the attack. Rachel and Riley shared a room and Stryker, Sparks and Pete a larger unit. At first relaxing and sleeping was not a problem, all of them being tired from flying. The next two days of waiting were the hardest. They all wanted to be done with the op and go help Herb’s team. On the evening of the second day, the watchers confirmed the Russians had arrived and were being flown by float planes to the lodge. Igor and Petloki were with them.
The next morning near dawn, Spark’s Cessna 406 made its way to a strip of water on the river approximately three clicks from the lodge. The pilot, a seasoned Special Ops veteran, made a perfect landing and taxied to the shore. All passengers deplaned with Sparks and Stryker pushing off the plane. The 406 was gone in less than five minutes.
The team located supplies and equipment hidden two hundred yards downriver. They set up tents and made a fire just like any other fish camp. The difference was they would never use the camp.
They would move to attack about 4:00 a.m. then return to the river and meet the plane for their return to Ketchikan at dawn. All of their weapons, supplies and bodies would be hauled away by cleaners hired by Sparks. Orson confirmed the owners always remained in Ketchikan when the Russians used the lodge.
51
Atlanta, Georgia
2016
Final plans were made and weapons checked for the twin attacks scheduled for Friday in A
tlanta. Farshid visited with Ali, who made final payment into Farshid’s account offshore. Ali would leave tomorrow, one day before the Friday attacks. He told Farshid to escape with his men back to Minnesota and wait to hear from him to plan more attacks.
Ali left before noon on Thursday to meet a small twin-engine airplane at a remote airstrip sixty miles west of Atlanta. The airstrip was used by drug traffickers mostly at night and his ride was to pick him up at dark.
He had spoken with Pedro Cruz, who had promised him the plane would be on time so Ali parked his truck several miles from the airstrip and set a charge timed to blow it to pieces at midnight. If the plane did not arrive, he could always defuse the C-4. He then walked to the airstrip, keeping on the edge of the road should someone drive by. He arrived at the airstrip just as the sun was setting. Ali had no conscience or moral compass because he was a psychopath. He liked to kill people and to him religion played no part. He merely used it to provide him with targets. He did not care about Farshid’s men and did not plan to meet them in the future.
Ten minutes later while the airstrip was barely visible, he heard the plane. It banked hard over the field and landed on the grass runway. Slowly, it turned around and came back to where he waited. The plane turned again and stopped with the engines running. A side door lowered and Ali entered to find two men, both Mexican. They spoke English and told him to take a seat as the second man pulled up and latched the door. The plane started to gain speed and pulled up into the dark sky, headed to Mexico. The entire trip to Tampico would require several stops and take approximately two days with a smuggle stop in Monterrey. He would be across the Texas border before word of the Atlanta attacks became common knowledge. He was questioned about not bringing his two soldiers, but responded they had been needed in Atlanta.
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The Midtown Promenade Mall and Theater complex opened at 10:00 a.m. and by 5:00 p.m. shoppers and theater goers would be at their peak. Same was true with the International News headquarters located downtown and part of a business complex, including a hotel. Farshid ordered the mall attack to begin at 5:00 p.m. and the News headquarters at 5:30 p.m.
John Roberts and his two girls, Alice and Denise spent the afternoon shopping and attending a movie. They were leaving out the south entrance as three men pushing a cart with boxes were coming through the mall doors. John held the doors open for them and then he and his girls went to find their car in the parking lot. He drove away headed home in traffic. Upon arrival at home, his wife was hysterical, grabbing and hugging the girls. John was perplexed.
“What’s happened Rebecca?” he asked, as she pointed toward the TV.
John looked in horror as the first reports came in about the mall attacks. The news was reporting an undisclosed number of gunmen had entered the Midtown Mall and were executing people. The mall was locked down and the Atlanta Police, FBI, HRT and other law enforcement agencies were headed to the scene.
Once Farshid’s men entered the mall, they went to their previously planned locations. The two men sent to the theater walked inside and went from one location to the next, firing. Their AK-47’s took a deadly toll, the 7.62x39, 123 grain bullets riddling bodies. There was no escape.
Hearing gunfire in the theater hallway, retired Gunnery Sergeant Paul Swanson pulled his .45 caliber Sig and lowered himself down behind a row of seats. Soon two gunmen appeared, spraying the seated moviegoers with deadly fire. Paul stood as they made magazine changes and shot each of them center mass. The gunmen fell backwards and went down. Paul advanced only to find they were gone. Evidently, their vests stopped his handgun bullets and they retreated down the hallway. He heard shooting to his left and moved slowly along the wall. He looked behind him to find another civilian also moving toward the firing. She motioned to him to hold up so she could get to him. She identified herself as Sidney, an off duty cop. She was armed with a 9mm Sig and several magazines. Together they moved toward the shooters. Paul told her to aim for the legs, that they were wearing vests.
The two shooters moved into the hall to go to the next theater when they spotted Paul and Sidney. As their AK’s came up to engage, Paul and Sidney fired, striking both bad guys in the legs. Even though the men had been hit numerous times they laid down a barrage of fire, forcing Paul and Sidney to dive through an open door. They could hear the gunmen shuffling away looking for more targets. Paul and Sidney followed the blood trail, which lead back to the main ticket area where many people were huddled, afraid to move into the mall where other shooters were killing people. Suddenly, from Paul’s right the shooters appeared firing and limping. Once again, Paul’s big .45 knocked down one of the shooters while Sidney’s 9mm tore into the second shooter’s arm. Without warning, the shooters quit running and triggered their bomb belts. The explosions and damage was beyond belief. Paul and Sidney were alive but with significant injuries. They crawled out into the mall from the theater complex and hid behind a large planter. Sidney used her cell to get in touch with law enforcement outside. She had a hard time hearing and Paul had to help. Between them communication channels were established and other law enforcement became aware the shooters had AK’s, vests and bomb belts. SWAT was told the shooters in the theater complex were dead and that responders were needed quickly. SWAT would find them by locating their cell phones. Now they waited.
_____
Outside in the parking lots people ran screaming with children and older persons trying to keep from being trampled. That was before the media started arriving like vultures to capture images of terror to make ratings. Did they really care about the people hurt and lives shattered? Some maybe, but they would be in the minority. Instead of helping the terrified, the media wanted to interview them. Most refused, just wanting to flee to safety.
Law enforcement continued to arrive and a mobile command post was established. Quickly, the Feds took control, deploying SWAT teams and snipers. They used their active shooter protocols, which included entering and clearing the mall quickly. Now that they had eyes and ears inside, at least near the theater complex, they deployed SWAT and medical emergency personnel immediately. They also positioned local police to contain the media and move their news trucks out of the immediate area. What they did not realize was Farshid had changed his plan and left two of the six terrorists in the parking lot to blow up news trucks. Media trucks were everywhere on the rear of the north parking lot with their antenna dishes raised to the heavens. Farshid’s men were dressed as normal civilians appearing to get away from the mall and did not stand out as they approached the trucks.
_____
The SWAT leader kneeled down to speak with Paul and Sidney, wanting descriptions and last known locations of shooters. Paul and Sidney quickly explained they only dealt with two shooters, which were now deceased. The leader thanked them and moved on while Paul and Sidney waited for responders. Their injuries were not life threatening but hurt like hell. Sidney asked Paul where he learned to shoot and he told her he was a veteran. She smiled and told him she was going to purchase a .45 after seeing what the big caliber could do. She was impressed and believed the big gun might have saved her life. They lay hidden behind the planter while hearing gunfire on the first and second floors. The distinctive fire of AK-47’s were loud compared to the suppressed MP-5, 9mm rounds. The gunfire progressed, increasing and lapsing as the SWAT teams engaged the shooters. Then the lights went out. The SWAT commanders wanted to own the darkness while trying to find the bad guys. Each area they cleared was followed by emergency personnel to evacuate the wounded. The process was slow, for the mall had many shops and places to hide.
Outside and around the command center there was a buzz of activity with reporters being pushed back and some arrested. That all changed when the explosions occurred in the media parking area. Everyone turned and looked at the smoke as new groups of victims fled, running in all directions. The command post dispatched units to the parking lot. Once there, they reported two trucks destroyed and one on fire. The number of d
ead and wounded was unknown. The media was once again the story.
52
Atlanta, Georgia
2016
The news areas and broadcast stations were running at full speed, capturing the story of the moment. The mall and scenes of mayhem and murder flowed out to followers across the country. All of the major anchors had been called in to cover the events. Producers worked behind the scenes to keep up with the ever-changing updates. Pundits argued and debated those responsible for the attack. International News Association was running all out to bring the story.
Outside, people were coming and going at a fast pace. No one noticed the two vans that pulled up and the two men who unloaded several boxes and walked away. Two minutes later a security guard came out to check the vans when the men triggered the bombs. The blasts blew out glass eight floors up the side of the building and glass out of the hotel next door. The news desk and all news functions ceased. People dazed and wounded started finding their way out from the building and hotel as SWAT arrived. Fourteen fake SWAT members dismounted from their trucks. As the injured and survivors fled, the fake SWAT team shot them. Those trapped in the rubble were executed with bullets to their heads. Those begging for help received a bullet. No mercy existed for the media. They would all die except for those hiding on higher floors. After finishing their killing spree, the fake SWAT members went to the hotel. The killing continued, women and children did not matter. One survivor would later recall seeing twin five-year-old girls shot in front of her. The shooter laughed while pulling the trigger as a woman who survived the “death camps” in Germany watched. Blood was everywhere along with the screams for help. No one came.
Deadly Resonse (The Jake Stryker Series Book 1) Page 17