After fifteen minutes, the firing stopped and the disguised SWAT teams disappeared. It was only then the survivors realized the amount of death and destruction that had been rendered upon them.
While law enforcement attempted to respond to the second horrific location, Farshid and his men drove away in three cars. They would continue back to Minnesota to make more attack plans.
Ali, would be proud, thought Farshid.
53
Ketchikan, Alaska
2016
Rachel and Riley want to check out the lodge. Stryker admonished them not to get too close. Both understood the risks and set out through the forest. They found that without the GPS the task might be a challenge. They moved slowly, stopping to take in the sounds around them. Rachel was a trained stealth operator and Riley a willing student. The women were a mile from the lodge and slowed to a crawl.
Rachel saw him first hiding behind a fallen tree watching. From her vantage point, he appeared to be a large man wearing tactical gear, holding an AK-47. She would have walked into him but for her night vision. He might also have night vision but not using it. She motioned Riley to slowly backtrack their trail and both would move one hundred yards to the other side of the lodge to find the other watcher. She felt there had to be more than one. Probably two to cover the front. Both women moved slowly when Riley tensed and pointed at her nose. Rachel got it immediately, someone close by was smoking. Riley grasped her arm and pointed up. There he was in a tree fifty feet away, watching the front of the lodge. They retreated back to where it was safe then back to the river.
Stryker and Sparks were glad to see them especially since they had done good work finding the watchers. Pete commented he could take one of the watchers with his cross bow, which was one of his tier one operator specialties.
“Ok, but how quiet Pete?” asked Stryker.
“It will be a throat shot. The only noise will be when he falls. The man on the log I would probably just slit his throat,” Pete said.
“Sounds like something Rachel would do,” Stryker remarked and smiled.
“All right, we do it this way. Pete takes the guy in the tree while at the same time Rachel takes the guy on the log.”
“Will that work?” asked Stryker.
Rachel and Pete nodded, ready to go. Stryker told everyone to again check their weapons and gear and get ready to travel. They did a quick comms check and indicated all was good. The plan remained the same, they would use flash/bangs as they entered the lodge. Stryker made one change in that he was going to climb the small hill overlooking the lodge and provide over watch. He would take an LMT 308 MWS with a suppressor. The 7.62x51 cartridge might make a difference if shooting through windows and walls was needed. He also suspected there was another watcher in the rear. They were ready.
The team adjusted their night vision gear and followed Rachel and Riley into the forest. When they were one hundred yards from the lodge, Rachel went right toward the man on the ground. Pete followed Riley to the guy in the tree. He was impressed with the young FBI agent for she was a natural at the stealth game. When they were close, Riley pointed up toward the tree. She waited as Pete stalked his prey. Riley never saw nor heard the bolt strike the Russian’s throat. He did not even fall from the tree. She waited and felt a hand on her shoulder. Pete was scary good.
Rachel found the other Russian still on the log. She moved like a cat slowly behind him, reaching for his mouth as her knife sliced through his thick neck like butter. He fell clutching his throat, pumping blood between his fingers as Rachel wiped her knife on his shirt.
With the two watchers down, Stryker gathered the team then he headed to find a perch on the hill. He would call them when he was in place.
Ten minutes later Stryker checked in and said he detected eight men inside the lodge and found a third watcher in a tree in the back. His FLIR Thermal Night Vision scope revealed the men inside were moving and had weapons. They probably could not reach the outside watchers and had gone on full alert. He relayed the information to his team.
The Alpha team began moving forward within seventy-five yards and stopped. Stryker reported some of the men inside had left the lodge through a back door and were taking up positions on both sides of the house. Stryker told them he had good targets on his side but they needed to concentrate fire on the left side. He advised he would take the third watcher, which would start the fight.
Stryker found the watcher in his scope and squeezed the trigger. The suppressed 308 175 grain round hit the Russian center mass and knocked him from the tree.
Stryker next located three men on his side of the lodge and fired. Each shot found its mark as bad guys dropped where they stood. As soon as the firing began the Russians inside the house started firing out of windows, spraying the forest. The Russians on the left side were good, using aimed fire from cover. They fired, hitting Pete as he dove over a log. The wound was minor, just pissing him off. He shouldered his Steyr Aug and fired a full auto mag of forty-two rounds, keeping the bad guys’ heads down while Sparks and Riley flanked them. Rachel belly crawled to a point where she shot one of the Russians in the head with her suppressed Tavor SAR Bullpup. He was only ten feet away.
Pete inserted a new magazine and continued pouring covering fire from his Aug into the Russian positions.
Riley ran into two Russians while flanking their position. She fired, aiming for the head of a Russian that was in the process of shooting Sparks. She missed his head but hit him center mass, killing him. She fired her M-4 again at another Russian and hit near his feet. Somehow, her scope was shooting low so she held high and continued firing. Sparks hit one of three Russians running to the back door. He walked to the wounded man and shot him in the head.
The last two Russians ran back into the house as Sparks tossed a flash/bang through a window. Stryker, hearing the flash/bang, started down the hill to the lodge. He told Pete to put another flash/bang through the front. As fast as the second flash/bang exploded Stryker, followed by Pete, went through the front door, masks on. The Russians fired wildly and retreated to the back of the lodge. Stryker and Pete poured full auto rounds into the room, waiting for the smoke from the explosions to clear.
The firing stopped and Stryker popped up his night vision and found a light switch. The lodge was shot all to hell. The Russians were all dead but some must have gone to the basement. Sparks pointed down, indicating the basement stairs. Stryker told everyone on comms he was going to toss another flash/bang before they went down into the basement. He waited five seconds and away went the flash/bang. The team advanced down the stairs with Stryker leading followed by Riley, Rachel and Pete. Ryan remained upstairs to protect their rear.
The smoke was thick and they saw no Russians. Stryker told them to stay sharp and spread out. The basement was large and the Russians were probably thinking of an ambush.
Stryker told Sparks to go around the basement on the outside and shoot out the basement windows to clear the air. Sparks got busy and the team could hear him firing. Soon the draft from the stairwell through the basement cleared and the Russians fired. The fighting was brief as the Russians surrendered, out of ammunition. Two of them were badly wounded and would die. The other two were none other than Igor Propov and Steven Petloki.
“I’m greatly disappointed in both you men. Especially you, Steven. It seems we discovered you lied to us about Cruz and Ali. We now know Ali is not leaving Tampico by cargo ship but on a yacht owned by Antras and rented by your company. Igor, we gave you a chance to come clean about the attack that killed the Mossad Director’s granddaughter. You lied, knowing the Iranians were still your partners and you met with Alex Antras in Davos. Antras is the funding source for Ali. I have nothing else to say,” said Stryker.
Before they could speak, Rachel shot Igor between the eyes while in the same second Riley shot Steven Petloki. Riley did not cry or blink, just walked away with Rachel following.
By the time they finished cleaning the house and maki
ng things look normal the sun started to brighten the eastern sky. Time to move out, the Cessna 406 would be on its way to extract them. They arrived at the river camp, shed their tactical gear and weapons, and once again became fishermen. Sparks assured them a second plane would arrive and acquire the weapons and gear. The op was done, now they needed to see if they could be a part of catching Ali.
54
Corpus Christi, Texas
2016
The Alpha team went directly to the Ketchikan airport and boarded the waiting Alpha jet. They were airborne and headed to Corpus Christi to meet up with Herb’s crew. Sparks assured them the cleaners would clean their rooms and take care of all potential evidence. The operation was now one for the history books.
After reaching altitude, Stryker caught the satellite news and the others drew around him to hear and see what was happening. It was reported two targets in Atlanta were attacked simultaneously. The Midtown Promenade Mall and Theater complex and the International News Association headquarters in downtown Atlanta. The dead and wounded were expected to be at or near two thousand. There were multiple bombs, truck bombs, and suicide bombs used. Many of the suspects escaped and their locations were unknown. The press was calling for resignations of the FBI Director and Homeland Security Director. The President was in lockdown with his security advisors. Pictures of the wounded, especially the children, were heartbreaking. The election of a Democrat for the White House looked slim at this time. The people wanted blood and in this case, it would be the party in power that took the political hit. For the past eight years the warnings had been ignored and now the chickens had come home to roost.
_____
While the others remained glued to the television news, Sparks called his contact he used to leak information. The information would destroy many bureaucrats and their bosses. It was like feeding sharks with live meat. Because the contact had done business with Ryan many times before, he would not wait for a second source. He would go for the throat.
Two hours later while watching a news conference a reporter stated, based on reliable sources, the FBI had the name of the terrorist responsible. He accused the FBI of failing to follow the lead while advancing a false narrative pushed by the White House.
The only response was that the FBI was looking into all possibilities. The reporter asked if the name Ali Shirazi might jog their memories. The agent handling the press conference was without words and the press conference was cancelled.
Shortly thereafter, Sparks received a call from the Director of the CIA. As usual, the Director got right to the point.
“You watching this shit Ryan?”
“Yes sir, it does not look good for the FBI or Homeland,” he replied.
“I’m not worried about those two incompetents, just tell me none of this gets on us,” he said.
“Oh, Director, it’s going to get all over us but in a very good way,” said Sparks.
“So we are involved?”
“Up to our eyeballs. My job is to protect this country and keep you in the dark for your best interests. You need to trust me for the next forty-eight hours. I think you will be pleased and I am warning you now I want more budget,” laughed Sparks.
“Well, if what you say comes to pass, you can count on it,” said the Director and he clicked off the call.
Sparks returned to the front of the aircraft where all were still glued to the television. He sat down and asked what he missed.
“The FBI just had a press conference that got cancelled in midstream. A reporter fed them the name Ali Shirazi and accused them of covering up the truth. The alphabet agencies are going ape shit and the media, having lost so many of their own, are going to boil them. I felt sorry for the press agent. He was virtually forced off the stage. Hey Sparks, you wouldn’t happen to know how they got Ali’s name would you?” asked Stryker.
“I have no idea,” he replied with a grin.
The pilots interrupted the conversation, letting all aboard know to prepare for landing. The Alpha jet touched down on schedule and taxied to Atlantic Aviation. On the tarmac at Atlantic waited two Bell 206 long rangers. The team met both pilots, who were employees of Alpha, then transferred their gear and climbed on board. Each pilot explained the trip to meet with Herb’s boat would take about three hours. The good news was the boat was not far offshore but more north of their position. Everyone put on earphones as the engines spooled up.
Ali, your justice is coming, thought Rachel.
55
Gulf of Mexico
2016
The helicopters versus flying in private jets was no comparison. Each had their respective utility. The pilots reported they were getting close but all you could see from horizon to horizon was ocean. Evidently, the pilots saw more than the passengers did for they began dropping altitude. Of course, Sparks was riding up front in the lead bird and already had the boat in sight.
Soon the helicopters began to circle and for the first time everyone saw the boat and landing pad. The first bird settled toward the boat as the second bird circled. The landing was spot on and the passengers and gear were unloaded. The first bird then pulled up to circle and wait for the second bird, which landed and unloaded. The pilot of the second bird bid his passengers goodbye and pulled into the sky, both moving out together.
Greetings were exchanged on the pad then everyone grabbed gear and went below decks. Most everyone had been on the boat so they knew their way around. Each found an empty cabin and stowed their gear. Rachel and Riley got rid of the hideous fishermen outfits, putting on shorts and tank tops. The men stayed dressed as fishermen because they didn’t care. While Rachel and Riley went to the bridge to see Sara, the guys found seats on the rear fantail to get updated and have a beer.
Stryker told Herb, Paul and Dirk about the attack and killing of Igor and Petloki. They confirmed Ali was planning on escaping using the yacht. Petloki had sold them out and had Antras send the boat. They also confirmed Antras was behind the financing of Ali. The problem would be finding proof. They all were aware of the attacks in the United States and the civilian uprising against the administration. Sparks mentioned his talk with the CIA Director but nothing about the leaks to the reporter.
Herb reported they had not been followed from Alpha and that the facility was shut down tight. The Alpha Tier One team was on site and all was quiet. All agreed, with the Russians and Igor missing, nothing was likely to happen. Herb and Stryker reported both of their jets either had returned or were in the process of returning to the Alpha hangar in Washington, DC to await orders. Sparks gave them the battle plan to capture Ali. First, he made them aware their boat was much larger than the one picking up Ali. The speed difference was a factor but with the attack helicopter, it did not matter. The idea was to stop the other boat without sinking it or killing Ali. Sparks planned to be the second pilot with the Israeli to make sure he could tweak the attack.
Sparks served in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the “Night Stalkers”. Their missions were highly classified and dangerous. He was recruited by the CIA after leaving Special Operations to form an off the books black operation. He knew Stryker from the past and together formed a partnership with similar factions of the Mossad. Together with Herb Miller, the owner of the largest defense contractor in the world made them a worthy enemy.
“Have our people verified Ali arriving at the yacht?” asked Sparks.
“They viewed him coming on board six hours ago. The yacht pulled out of the slip immediately. We have it marked, Sara and Orson are plotting intercept points. We think they will stay away from the U.S. coastline but until they get closer, we will stay where we are for the present. Twenty-four hours will make a big difference. By this time tomorrow we will be headed for them,” said Herb.
“I would suggest everyone turn in early for tomorrow will be a really busy day,” said Stryker.
The guys split up and all started to walk away. Stryker called to Sparks to wait up, he needed
to discuss something with him.
“Since we left Alaska, I have been needing to speak to you about Riley. She killed people without remorse as if she was reading a book. I remember my first time and I wasn’t like that at all. It took me years of combat to be how I am. Some say I’m a stone-cold killer and I believe it to be true. I kill and feel nothing, but Riley, what gives?” asked Stryker.
“Jake, between us only and no one else,” said Sparks. “Riley is a stone-cold killer. She became so when she was eighteen years old. She was a freshman at the university and lived with another girl in an apartment off campus. One night, she awakened to the screams from her roommate. She ran to her bedroom to find two men attacking and raping her. She tried to fight them off but they were too strong, grabbed her, took her to her bedroom and threw her onto the bed. One of the men ripped off her clothing while the other went to check on the roommate. Riley reached under her headboard and came out with a snub-nosed .38 I had given her for protection. She killed her attacker then went to the other bedroom and blew away the second guy. Riley lives in her own hell, having been too late to save her roommate and then being too late to save her best friend Ann. Rachel senses things in Riley and may even know details, which makes her want a kid sister even more. They are very much alike, but don’t be fooled, they are no doubt killers. You, Sara and Dirk aren’t the only members of the club. If we want to get technical, all of our Tier One Operators which make up Alpha are card carrying members,” said Sparks.
“You’re not part of the club?” asked Stryker.
“No, I just blow things to hell from the air,” replied Sparks.
“Ok, whatever, and I’ll keep our talk just between us,” said Jake.
Deadly Resonse (The Jake Stryker Series Book 1) Page 18