Table of Contents
Standing Before Hell’s Gate
Author’s Foreword
Cast of Characters
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by William Alan Webb
Standing Before Hell’s Gate
The Showdown Trilogy Book 1
The Last Brigade, Book 4
William Alan Webb
Dingbat Publishing
Humble, Texas
STANDING BEFORE HELL’S GATE
Copyright © 2019 by William Alan Webb
Published by Dingbat Publishing
Humble, Texas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written consent, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. No part of this e-book can be reproduced or sold by any person or business without the express permission of the publisher.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are entirely the produce of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to persons living or dead, actual locations, events, or organizations is coincidental.
The Devil looked down with a snarl and a frown
As I stood before Hell’s gate;
“Where have you been, my wayward friend?
You’re very, very late.”
“Now fall to your knees and worship me,
“Give the Devil his due;
“Belief in me will set you free,
“Denial will bring your doom.”
Oscar O’Connor, from “Standing Before Hell’s Gate”
Author’s Foreword
If you’re reading this, then chances are good you’ve read the three and a half previous books in The Last Brigade series, and maybe the independent story The Hairy Man, which means I am grateful to you in the extreme. You’ve helped make a lifelong dream come true, to write books that people enjoy reading.
If you’re reading this foreword well after the book’s publication date, my subsequent apology may seem odd. See, the previous volume in the series, Standing At The Edge, came out in January of 2018, well over a year before Standing Before Hell’s Gate. For the readers who finished book 3 and have been patiently waiting for book 4, I’m very sorry to have made you wait so long. During 2018 I finished writing Jurassic Jail, which I started in 1988 and which has a special place in my heart, and then spent the rest of the year finishing a non-fiction book on World War Two entitled Killing Hitler’s Reich: The Battle for Austria 1945. Since it clocked in at nearly 300,000 words, it took a bit of work to finish. It is the definitive work on a heretofore unreported chapter of that horrible conflagration.
I also finished some shorter stories, notably The Hairy Man, A Story From the World of the Last Brigade and The River of Walking Spirits for an anthology coming out later in 2019, which stars the Snowtiger sisters’ great-great-great-grandmother. All told, I wrote about half a million words in 2018, which I hope to double in years to come. If that sounds like a lot, it’s only 3,000 words a day… not so many, really.
Anyway, back to my original point. I remain grateful to all of my readers and want this series to be as much yours as mine, so please join my Facebook groups and give me feedback for what you’d like to see in future books. Much of what is in this book comes directly from suggestions by readers. The two groups are:
facebook.com/WorldsofWilliamAlanWebb/ or
facebook.com/keepyouupallnightbooks/
and my website thelastbrigade.com
Lastly, the scope of the series has reached a point where the cast of characters is growing quite large. I’m aware of this, but it’s the nature of the beast. Trust me that I only introduce new named characters with the greatest reluctance; I really am not trying to overwhelm you. I’ll keep the count as low as I can, I promise, but as George R.R. Martin says of his books, they’re a complex story and complex stories are complex.
Enough already. Let’s go blow something up.
#
A note on tech in this book
These books contain references to a lot of military hardware and none of it is made up. In some cases, I have taken existing technology, such as hovercraft, and imagined it as it will be. The same was true of the AH-72 Comanche gunship, which at the end of the day is just a beefed-up AH-64 Apache. It doesn’t exist, but it could, and the same is true of the tech in this book.
You might be tempted to see something and think it pushes the bounds of willing-suspension-of-disbelief, but if that’s you, then remember, DARPA is working on some pretty amazing stuff. We’re getting into an era of smart decals, after all, so as an author I’m going to use that kind of thing for my own purposes, which is to say, for making mayhem.
#
Cast of Characters
The Angriff family
Nicholas Trajanus Angriff — General of the Army. Nick the A to those who fear him. Idolizes George Patton’s tactical genius and persona, but not as fussy as Patton about personal appearance and decorum. Like another hero of his, Winston Churchill, An
griff is sometimes accused of courting danger. As a three-star general, he led tactical missions more suited to a captain or lieutenant, usually against direct orders not to do so. His career survived because of his popularity with his men and the public, and his record of success.
Janine Marie Jackson Angriff — Nick’s wife, a victim in the Lake Tahoe ‘incident.’
Lieutenant Morgan Mary Randall, nee Angriff — Oldest of Nick’s two daughters. Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, executive officer First Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Tank Battalion. Call sign Bulldozer One One Two. Married to Captain Joe Randall. Nicknamed Tank Girl.
Cynthia June Angriff — Nick’s youngest daughter, caught in the same attack as her mother.
Nicholas Trajanus Bauer (Angriff), Jr. –– The real name of Green Ghost.
Nicole ‘Nikki’ Teresa Bauer (Angriff) –– Real name of Nipple.
The Americans
Lt. General Norman Vincent Fleming — Executive officer of the 7th Cavalry, also the Brigade S-3, Operations. Norm is Nick Angriff’s best friend, dating back to their days in OCS. Both men enlisted and worked their way through the ranks, an almost impossible feat. Fleming is the man Angriff trusts above all others.
Major General Dennis Tompkins — Survivor of The Collapse who did not go cold, but instead lived fifty years in post-Collapse America, leading his team of five survivors.
Captain Joseph Daniel Randall — The best helicopter pilot in the brigade. Married to Morgan Randall. Call sign Ripsaw Real.
Lieutenant George ‘Bunny’ Carlos — Joe Randall’s best friend and co-pilot.
Sergeant Lara Snowtiger — Marine sniper, a full-blooded Choctaw. Snowtiger embraced her heritage and is versed in Choctaw lore. She is considered as good as any sniper in the 7th Cavalry, including Zo Piccaldi.
Sergeant Major of the Army John Charles Schiller — Trusted subordinate who runs the day-to-day routine for Angriff’s headquarters. Angriff often asks Schiller for advice.
Colonel William Emerson Schiller — Brother of Sergeant J.C. Schiller, he is the brigade’s S-4, Supply Officer, and is considered a savant at supply chain organization and utilization.
Lt. Colonel Roger ‘Rip’ Kordibowski — Battalion S-2, Intelligence Officer.
Colonel Fitzhugh Howarth Claringdon — Former executive officer of the tank battalion. Imprisoned for the assassination attempt on General Angriff.
Lt. Colonel Astrid Naidoo — Temporary S-9, Civil-Military Cooperation.
Colonel Khin ‘Chain’ Saw — Brigade S-1, Personnel.
Sergeant Howard Wilson Dupree — Communications specialist and computer whiz.
Sergeant Frances ‘Frame’ Rossi — Crew chief for Tank Girl.
Major Alexis Iskold — Deputy S-3 and Norm Fleming’s right hand.
Major Edward Wincommer — Commanding officer of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, 7th Cavalry Brigade.
Major Samuel Ball — CO of the 1st Airborne Battalion.
Colonel Robert Young –– CO of 1st Mechanized Infantry Regiment.
Major Dieter Strootman –– Executive officer of 1st Mechanized Infantry Regiment.
Captain Martin Sully –– Commanding Officer of Dog Company, 1st Marine Recon Battalion, First Marines.
Lieutenant Onni Hakala –– Sully’s executive officer and commanding officer of 1st Platoon, Dog Company.
Captain April Jones –– Commander of Echo Company, 1st Marine Recon Battalion, First Marines.
Captain Ted Wang — Replacement pilot for Tank Girl.
Lieutenant Pra Sakoya — Captain Wang’s co-pilot.
The crew of Joe’s Junk
Staff Sergeant Joe ‘Toy’ Ootoi — Gunner and boyfriend of Nikki Bauer.
Task Force Zombie, a/k/a ‘The Nameless’
Green Ghost — Nick Angriff’s only son. Longtime subordinate of Angriff’s and currently his S-5, Security.
Vapor — Original member of TF Zombie. Wise-cracking member of the team. He and Green Ghost have known each other since childhood.
One-Eye — Original member of TF Zombie. Nickname refers to his personality.
Wingnut — Original member of TF Zombie. Taciturn, a specialist at explosives and chemicals.
Glide — Replacement addition to TF Zombie, Glide is an ultra-dangerous computer specialist. She is gorgeous, and an 8th degree Krav Maga.
Nipple — Green Ghost’s twin sister. Most think she is psychotic, but like her brother, her reflexes are off the chart.
Razor — Replacement addition, the newest member of the team.
Frosty — A veteran member who started out in Third Squad and transferred to First Squad after the Congo operation.
Zeus –– Original member of TF Zombie.
Claw — Former commander of Second Squad, Task Force Zombie, and an original member.
Other Americans
General Thomas Francis Steeple — Disgraced and imprisoned founder and driving force behind Operations Overtime and Comeback.
Colonel Amunet Mwangi — Norm Fleming’s first cousin and formerly second in command of Operation Comeback. She was Tom Steeple’s closest advisor and confidant.
Norris McComb — Construction foreman at Overtime Prime.
Creech Air Force Base
General Jamal Kando — Base commander.
The Scrapers
Junker Jane — Jane scrapes Northern California, Nevada, Utah, and into the Pacific Northwest.
Jingle Bob — Bob scrapes the area north of Idaho Jack and east of Junker Jane.
Nuff — Nuff isn’t actually a scraper himself, but his father was. Now he lives alone in a small shack in the desert.
Kodiak ‘Kody’ Kate — Built like a bear, Kody scrapes parts of California and Nevada.
Shangri-La
Johnny Rainwater –– Elected leader of Shangri-La.
Abigail Deak –– Leader of the Jemez Pueblos and Johnny Rainwater’s de facto deputy leader.
Mohammad Qadim — Muslim member of Shangri-La who infiltrated the Sevens as a spy.
Billy Two Trees –– Young scout from Shangri-La.
Operation Evolution
Györgi Rosos — Billionaire who used his money to undermine capitalist republics around the world, in addition to financing part of Operations Overtime and Comeback, as well as his own independent operation. He believes in communist totalitarianism and greatly admires the North Korean Kim family dynasty.
Györgi Rosos, Jr. — Sometimes derisively called ketto (an Americanized version of the Hungarian word kettő, meaning two) by the rank and file at Evolution, the eldest son and namesake of Rosos Sr. is a naturally affable man who is constantly vying with his younger brother for their father’s affection.
Károly Rosos — Only their father matches the younger Rosos’ ruthlessness and ambition.
Adder –– Former member of Task Force Zombie. As dangerous as Green Ghost but ruthless and cares only for himself.
The Sevens
Nabi Husam Allah — The Caliph of the Caliphate of the Seven Prayers of the New Prophet, self-proclaimed prophet of Allah. In truth, he is Larry Armstrong, a criminal conman. His adherents are fanatically loyal.
Abdul-Qudoos Fadil el Mofty — Emir of New Khorasan. His original name is Richard Lee Armstrong, brother of the Caliph, Larry Armstrong. He bears the title of Superior Imam, second only to the Caliph himself, who is the Supreme Imam. These titles were created by the Armstrong brothers to elevate them above all imams in Islam. He is also second in command of The Sword of the New Prophet, the military arm of the Caliphate.
Sati Bashara — Senior Aga and oldest nephew of Emir Abdul-Qudoos Fadil el Mofty, appointed head of the province of New Khorasan, a region of the larger Caliphate of the Seven Prayers of the New Prophet, encompassing parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and old Mexico. He is the second most powerful lieutenant in New Khorasan.
General Ahmednur Hussein Muhdin –– Primary military commander of the Caliphate’s Sword of the Prophet.
General Tracy Gollins — Daughte
r of Abdul-Qudoos Fadil el Mofty and commanding officer of the Mecca Regiment in The Sword of the New Prophet.
The Apaches
Govind — Chief of the Western Apache.
Gosheven — The middle of the three brothers.
Ma Kelly’s
Dave Weiner –– Proprietor of the trading post known as Ma Kelly’s.
Hoover Dam
Lulu, aka Dr. Louise Repperton –– Head of Hoover Dam.
The Chinese
Generalissimo Zhang Wei –– Commander of all Chinese forces in California.
Captain Chen Yi –– Chinese liaison officer to 1st Mechanized Infantry Regiment.
Captain Xiao Ki — Chinese intelligence officer also attached to 1st Mechanized Infantry Regiment.
Groom Lake Air Force Facility (Area 51)
Major Jonathan Cane — De facto commander of the remnant garrison of Groom Lake Air Force facility.
Winfrey Butler ‘Bondo’ Cane — Brother of Jonathan Cane and his deputy at Groom Lake.
Prologue
In the eyes of god, an infidel is not considered fully human until they accept the New Prophet as the true voice of Allah. Until then they are as the beasts.
From The Revelations of Nabi Husam Allah, Chapter 6, Verses 11–12
The Blue Hole of Santa Rosa, New Mexico
1347 hours, April 21, ten months after initiation of Operation Overtime
The midday sun warmed the dripping wet limbs of Abdul Qudoos Fadil el Mofty, Emir of New Khorasan. At word of the arrival of the Caliph, Nabi Husam Allah, el Mofty climbed out of the refreshing sixty-two degree waters of the Blue Hole and shook himself like a wet lion. A slave handed him a thick cotton towel. It had once taken half an hour for his thick hair to dry, but those days were long gone. Aside from just turning gray, his once-black locks had thinned considerably in the past decade.
His nephew, Sati Bashara, followed him out of the water, and paused to examine the young woman nailed to an X-shaped cross fifty feet to the west. El Mofty noticed him staring and followed his line of sight. The woman’s rolling head meant she still lived, even if they couldn’t see her face.
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