by Ira Tabankin
“Mr. President, what if the North East States request permission to rejoin the union?”
“I’d have to seriously think about it and ask my advisors for their thought. If we took them back only for them to leave in the spring it would hurt this administration, it would hurt our country. I’m not sure I trust anyone in the LSA.”
“Sir, that’s a very serious statement to make.”
“Yes, I know, which is why I’m only talking to you here in the Oval Office where the only recordings are those I make.”
“Sir, I think we have a moral obligation to help those who used to be part of us.”
“Where does the obligation end? Are we supposed to feed everyone in the LSA? Are we supposed to come to their aid for anything?”
“Mr. President, I don’t honestly have that answer.”
“When you do, come back and talk to me. To be honest with you, I feel their suffering too. I don’t want to be accused by the LSA of invading their area, or breaking one of their crazy new rules.”
“Sir, we should do something for them.”
“What would you like me to do? Want to take the food reserves from our people to feed them? Should we ship them the fuel reserves we’ve spent millions in gold rebuilding and expanding? How many of our people should die so we can feed them?”
“Mr. President, it’s not like that. Sir, it's heart breaking watching those people freeze and starve.”
“Son, I know it is. I’m stuck trying to figure out if we should do something for them or not.”
“Mr. President, what does your heart say to you?”
“It tells me not to listen to it.”
“Sir, how about if we ask the Army and border patrol to leave some food and fuel behind on the border. When do they make their patrols? How about if some food falls out of C130s and C17s that happen to be flying over them?”
“I won’t stop you if those things happen, I also would rather not know about it in case the LSA asks me about it.”
“Sir, I understand deniability.”
@@@@@
My cell rings, “Hello, this is Brad.”
“Brad, Ron, can you talk?”
“Yeah, sure, what’s up?”
“Do you have any plans for tonight?”
“No, just catch up on some programs with Kathy, why?”
“How about joining me for some pancakes?”
“OK.”
At 7: 00 PM, Ron and I pull into the iHOP parking lot. There're five cars in the lot. The “OPEN” sign is turned off.
Joshua welcomes us to the restaurant, “Welcome; you’re just in time for dinner. We’re having true southern fried chicken tonight.”
Smiling, “It sounds better than pancakes for dinner, even if these are the best pancakes I’ve ever had,”
“Aaron, we have a potential problem which is why I’ve you to join us.”
I’m sure you remember everyone?”
Looking at them, I nod and say, “All, good to see you again.”
Joshua says, “Follow me” We go into the kitchen where Joshua opens a locked door, going to the basement where he says, “We can talk here.”
“What’s up, what’s with all of the cloak and dagger bullshit?”
“Brad, Ron, yes, it’s OK to use our real names here, the basement is shielded.”
“Joshua, what’s up, why did you want to see me?”
“We’ve been tipped off that the LSAs going to smuggle terrorists across the border to attack us inside our own borders. They’re also going to use social media to build huge flash mobs to overwhelm our malls and stores.”
“Why call me? Why not the police and the Army?”
“The Army does know; I called you and many like you because we need as many eyes on the situation as possible. We’ve been tipped off to the plan being run by the LSA. They’re sending regular people who were trained in Cuba and Venezuela into our communities who at the appointed time will attack our people in shopping malls and recreation parks. The police are also on the lookout. I know you live across the street from the mall, I want you to keep your eyes open.”
“For Christ’s sake Joshua, there are many different entrances to the mall, I can only see one, what makes you think they’ll enter using the one I can see?”
“Because we learned they were going to enter from the entrance across from Benihana.”
“You got me; that’s the entrance across from my home.”
“I still don’t know why you didn’t contact the police.”
“Hey, dummy, who drove you here?”
“Duh, Ron of course, so why reach out to me?”
“Cause the police force is still very small, we need all the help they can get, if you spot them, which will be easy to do, they’ll be coming in a bus, and you can contact the police minutes before anyone else.”
“And you couldn’t just call me to discuss this?”
“You know I don’t like unsecured phones.”
“Hell, Joshua, your best friend is the President. I thought you were on the list to be an ambassador or something.”
“I was offered any country I wanted. I’m too old and not politically correct enough to be an ambassador.”
“Bullshit, you would make a great ambassador, it’s about time we had someone who speaks the plain truth.”
“You go; I’m happy staying home and driving the President crazy.”
“Look, Brad, this flash mob thing can get out of control. If they hit a number of our malls and stores, they’ll destroy our people’s confidence that will ripple through our entire economy.”
“Joshua, I get it, but you could have called your BFF and had him take care of it, he is commander in chief you know.”
“Brad, ..”
“Joshua, you know I’ll do it. What do you want me to do when I see them?”
“Get word to the police.”
“OK, now where’s my chicken? I’m hungry.”
Laughing, Joshua leads me back to the restaurant.
Three nights later while I’m walking my pooch, I see a unmarked black bus entering the mall, it stops just inside the parking lot. 48 people leave the bus; they stretch their legs, and each pulls on purple a T-shirt. I thought it must be the flash mob. Before I can dial Ron, another bus arrives, it parks next to the first bus, another 48 people exit, and a few large crates are removed from the luggage compartment of the bus. The mob withdraws AK rifles from the cases.
I say out loud, “Crap, this isn’t another flash mob, this one is going to shoot up the mall.”
I dial Ron, “Buddy, they're here; they’re armed, there’s almost 100 of them, each armed with AKs, get here soonest.”
“Brad, help is on the way, get out of there.”
“Listen, buddy, they’re wearing purple T-shirts, I’m wearing a black one, I’m going to go home and get my AR, better hurry.”
“Brad, stay the hell out of the mall, you’ll end up getting caught in the crossfire.”
Running home, I yell to Kathy, “Honey, there’s an armed mob at the mall, I’m going to help stop them. “Grab one of my carbines and my vest loaded with eight 30 round magazines.”
“Brad doesn’t go; you’ll get shot.”
“I promise I won’t.”
When I arrive back at the mall, most of the armed mob has already entered the mall. Parking, I grab my AR. I hear police sirens in the distance, I can hear gunshots from inside of the mall. I see one of them guarding the door, I use my open car’s door for some protection, I hit one guard with my first shot. I get the second before he can respond. Entering the mall, I hear multiple gunshots. I see another purple T-shirt, I engage him from the rear, three down, about 97 to go.
Chapter 27
Nanny calls Acting President Reid, “Harold, no one here knows anything. The streets are waist deep in snow; there’s no food, people are eating the snow for water. I’ve spoken with the NYPD and Obsma’s security chief; none has any idea where he is or what happened to him. I
can’t get the power turned on; we need help. We need specialists and air drops of fuel, food and water. By the way do you have any ideas where President for life Obsma is?”
“Nanny, frankly I have no idea, and I don’t care if he never surfaces. I’ll see what we can do to find some people to drop into the City to help out. I’ll check how we can drop some food and fuel in too. Nanny, the city, is now in the fifth day without power, 15% of the city is on fire, and tens of thousands have died. We might lose over a million people if we don’t get the power back on soon. Someone has to know what happened and how to get it turned on. If you can’t do anything there, then come home.”
“Do you think we should contact Brownstone for help?”
“Don’t even think of that. Once he gets his people into the city, he’ll never leave.”
“How’s the plan to keep Brownstone’s forces on alert going?”
“We have fifty flash mobs hitting various malls today. “
“What about the protests in our cities?”
“Trust me, they won’t be a problem for long. Our allies will take care of them for us. We’ll have all the benefits of a large military without the costs associated with having one.”
“I’ve heard rumors that Russia is going to move against Germany, should we be concerned?”
“Why? The Germans deserve whatever they get. They sided with Brownstone, plus they tried to foreclose on their loans to France and Greece. They’re no friends of the common man.”
“Don’t forget women. We have to continue our push that Brownstone discriminates against women. We need to remind our women every day how lucky they are to be living in the LSA.
“Yes, you’re correct. I’m sorry Nanny.”
@@@@@
The initial planes from Cuba and Venezuela land at LAX and SFO at noon. The two airports have been closed for commercial flights to enable the troops to arrive, which they do every fifteen minutes. Large cargo planes disgorge tanks, armored personnel carriers, anti-air vehicles, and thousands of troops. By 8:00 PM PST, there are four thousand foreign troops in California.
Hidden on the roof of the Sheraton Hotel on Century Blvd across from the LX runways, two US Navy SEALs are watching, counting and recording the incoming planes.
“LT looks at the armor their wearing, something new; we haven’t seen this before. The APCs (armored personnel carriers) are also new; they are covered in a new type of armor too. Check out their helmets, they are also new. Even their rifles look different. I’d bet the Russians outfitted these guys with their newest systems.”
“Senior Chief, I see them, I don’t like it at all. Move to the other side of the roof, behind the air con units, send the info to the Captain. This is something he needs to know ASAP.”
“Aye, sir.”
The senior chief crawls to the other side of the hotel’s roof where he opens a small folding antenna dish. The signal locks onto an orbiting MilStat, the chief sends a burst communication with the images of the new equipment, the number of troops and the rate of landings and take-offs of the cargo planes to HQ, in less than a second the message has been sent. He crawls back to his LT. “Anything new?”
“”Yea, look at the people by the United hanger, what do you see?”
Taking the high-powered binoculars the chief looks at the hanger, he adjusts the binoculars a few times, shaking his head, he says, “Sir, they look like Spetsnaz.”
“That’s what I thought too, Reid never said anything about Russians.”
“Looks like they’re inspecting the hanger, since the planes that brought them are taking off as soon as they’re unloaded whey do they need hangers?”
“Chief, lookup, your 2:00, see the contrails? I think they’re Russian fighters. The LSA doesn’t have any fighters if they’re not Russians whose are they?”
“Crap. The Russians most likely bought their way into the LSA. We’re going to have a much tougher fight than we thought. I’d like to know what kind of fighters they are.”
“Me too, however, call this in right now, so our boys in San Diego aren’t surprised.”
“Got it.”
@@@@@
“Admiral, we have a recon report from LAX, there are over two thousand troops in LA and another one thousand at San Francisco. Here are some very interesting images, note the circled equipment, vehicles, armor and helmets we’ve never seen before.”
“It looks like they’re amassing a large enough force to take over the LSA and then move against us.”
“Admiral, a few of our intel pukes think they’re going to come after us first. Our people gamed out a few of their options; the number one answer is the LSA will use their new friends to take over San Diego, giving them all of the equipment and assets there. From there, the gamers say they’ll move to capture our strategic assets.”
“Get me the Mayor of San Diego and General Jackson at Pendleton, I think we’ll plan a little surprise for the LSAs guests.”
“Admiral, why the Mayor?”
“He needs to know what our gamers think; he needs all the time he has to prepare his people.”
“Aye, sir.”
@@@@@
President Obsma can’t remember who he is or what happened to him. He has no memory of anything except for the last couple of days. All he knows is he’s cold and hungry. He joined a group of thirty who live in an abandoned subway tunnel. It’s warmer and dryer in the tunnel. Someone rigged some candles to provide a little light inside the tunnel.
Turning to the woman who helped him Obsma asks, “Where are we?”
“We in an unused subway tunnel, it's warmer here than outside. We have a little food, if you’re hungry follow us.”
“What happened?”
“Don’t know, at midnight the lights went out, there were shots fired, everyone ran. We found you by a dumpster, someone or a gang had beat and left you. Do you remember your name?”
“I don’t remember much of anything. Everything is like a dream, I think I remember, but everything is cloudy, I can’t focus on any memory.”
“Don’t worry about it, you most likely got hit on the head, your memory will most likely return in a couple of days. We’ll be safe here. No one bothers us; no one cares about us. In warmer times, we go out asking for handouts and cash donations.”
“Thank you. Can I stay here for a while?”
“Yea, we take in all sorts of people who need help. We don’t have much, what we do have we share with everyone who’s needy. We all have something to eat every day. We’re warm down here and left alone. None of us steals from each other, anyone who does is kicked out. As long as you’re cool you can stay. I bet your cold without a coat. Come with me, we have some coats that were donated to us, let’s see if one fits you. After you get a coat and something to eat, we’ll find you a place to sleep.”
“What’s your name?”
“Janice, do you remember yours?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll call you Adam, is that OK with you?”
“Adam, I like it, yes, please call me Adam.”
@@@@@
The incoming flights continues landing every fifteen minutes at LAX and SFO, at midnight flights begin arriving at SeaTac airport to the south of Seattle. The landing troops quickly move to secure the giant Boeing facility just a short distance from SeaTac airport.
“Harold, how many troops did our new friends, say they were sending?”
“Nanny, I think they said something around 15,000, they kept saying we needed to have a strong enough force to keep Brownstone uneasy and also provide security for our people.”
“Isn’t 15,000 more than we need?”
“I never served in the military; I have to rely on those who know these things, if they say 15,000 is what we need, then I have to believe them.”
“If you say so. I don’t understand why they had to bring so many of those tanks with them. They’re going to add so much pollution.”
“Nanny, I’ll talk to them to see if
they can just park the tanks someplace and leave them.”
“Please tell them to leave the San Francisco area. My people are peaceful; loving people weapons scare my people; I don’t want to scare those who elected me to serve them.”