The War Planners Series

by Andrew Watts

  “Mind if I join you?” David asked.

  “Sure, sure.” Bill was in midchew. He took a gulp from his cup and said, “Helluva day, huh?”

  Bill ran his hand through his thick fluorescent-white hair. He dressed in a collared shirt that was tucked into a pair of light blue jeans. Black sneakers completed the outfit. David thought that he looked like he could have been a grandpa.

  “Where are you from again, Bill?” David asked.

  “West Texas. But I’ve lived in Nevada for the past few years. And honestly, before that I was Air Force so I’ve lived all over. Yourself?”

  “Virginia. Right outside DC. I’m a Navy brat myself.”

  “I’ve been there. Nice area. Lousy traffic.”

  David nodded as he finished a bite of the overcooked roast. “Yup.”

  A few moments passed. Small talk didn’t seem to be either man’s forte.

  Finally Bill spoke. “This all just makes you re-evaluate your life, you know?”

  David spoke through chews. “Yeah. The end of the world will do that.”

  “I’m not saying I regret anything. My wife always says to our kids that regrets ain’t worth fussing over. Because there’s better things ahead than behind.”

  “Sounds like a smart lady. Wonder how she ended up with you?”

  “Hah. Yeah.” Bill looked sad at her mention.

  David said, “I hope my family is alright. My dad, sister, and brother are all active duty Navy. I would imagine their jobs just got a lot more dangerous.”

  Bill raised his eyebrows and took a drink. “I’m sure they’ll be okay. With any luck, we’ll come out of this all right. I remember the Bay of Pigs when I was a little kid. It seemed like the world was about to end then, too. We used to practice getting under our desks at school in case the Russians nuked us. Imagine that. And that all blew over. Hopefully this will too.” While his words were meant to comfort, he didn’t sound like he believed them.

  “My mother passed a year ago. Heart failure.” David didn’t know why he said it. It just came out.

  “I’m so sorry,” said Bill.

  “Thanks. It hit us pretty hard. So after my mother died, my father, sister, and brother were all home together for a short while. It was the first time I’d seen Chase in two years. Crazy. He was always deploying with the SEALs.”

  “He was a SEAL? Impressive.”

  “Oh yes. Everyone’s always impressed with Chase. So he came home, took a month off from his work, and we got to hang out a bunch. Now, I’ve never been the athlete that my brother and sister were. But the day after Chase flew in for the funeral, he asked me to go on a run with him. He goes on these super-long runs. We drove down to DC and ran around the Theodore Roosevelt Island and finished on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. Very scenic. Very long run. I hadn’t run more than two miles since I graduated Annapolis. My mother used to love taking long walks around that area. She always said that her kids got her athletic genes. Heart disease. Unbelievable. It’s a cruel, ironic world if you ask me. Anyway, my brother insists that I go with him on this run. We go for five miles along the trail and I swear that something changed inside me. It was therapeutic. It sounds funny, but that run was like a way to say goodbye to my mother. Maybe she was with us? Well, I’ve been running almost every day since. I actually did my first triathlon two months ago and I’m training for another. I got a taste of a runner’s high that day and I keep going back for more.”

  “That’s sounds like a healthy hobby. What’s the problem?”

  “You talked about all this China stuff making you re-evaluate your life. My mom’s death did it for me. Part of my conclusion was that I needed to reconnect with my family more. I missed my brother and sister. I have been doing pretty well keeping up with them through email more. I have even flown down to Jacksonville to hang out with my sister. My dad is almost impossible to get time with. He might as well be the president the way the Navy treats him. Still, with all of this talk of war, I’m just worried. I don’t want to lose any of them…” David’s voice trailed off.

  Bill put his hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “David, better things are coming. I’ll pray for it. You mark it down, and I’ll pray for it.”

  The entrance door opened and Natesh walked in. He waved at the two men and received polite acknowledgments in return. A moment later he plopped down like a sandbag across the table.

  “You look pretty beat, young man,” said Bill.

  Natesh raised his eyebrows and said, “My friend…you cannot imagine. I’m exhausted. This project is quite intense.” He drank his plastic cup of ice water until the cubes slid down to his mouth. He bit an ice cube and began crunching it in his teeth.

  Bill asked, “What did you all think of the last part of the meeting today?”

  Natesh said, “You mean Lena’s revelation? It was compelling. What did you think?”

  David said, “I was pretty shocked. I work on classified technology for a living. I’ve seen a lot of real cutting-edge stuff. If they have ARES, that’s bad news.”

  “It sure is,” Bill agreed. “There’s that silver bullet we were talking about all day.”

  David nodded. “Imagine our ships, our troops in combat, and our aircraft without any navigation or smart weapons. A great deal of our communication…arguably the most important parts, would be wiped out. We would be back to Vietnam-era technology. And the thing is, our military is pretty reliant on the tech that we have. I mean, when was the last time you wrote a letter? Has your cursive handwriting gotten any worse since you were in grade school? No need to practice with email, right? The same will go for war fighting. No need to practice using a compass all the time if you have got GPS. And if the other guys are practicing, advantage them.”

  Natesh said, “Or worse, if the Chinese retain their technology. I believe they just launched their own GPS system. I’m sure it would be quite possible to crash our satellites and leave theirs intact.”

  David looked at each of them. That little voice in his head was talking to him again. Something just didn’t sit right about all of this. Natesh and Bill both seemed like good trustworthy men. He wanted to ask them if they believed everything that they had heard over the past twenty-four hours. Instead, he just kept silent.

  Natesh said, “Lena and the Major will be taking us through some more of the Chinese military capabilities and limitations this evening. We should probably leave in another few minutes.”

  “Sure thing. Don’t want to be late for the CIA lady,” said David.

  Bill said, “So…Lena said we could go to her if we had any issues, right?”

  Natesh said, “Yes, that’s what she said. She said she can get us anything that we need while we are here.”

  Bill’s voice sounded pained, like he was trying to figure out what to do. “That’s my issue. Look, I just don’t know if I can afford to be here.”

  David was pretty sure that he was referring to his wife’s illness.

  Natesh said, “I’m…I’m not really sure what to say. I know this is probably obvious the way you’re feeling. But, I assume you’re worried about your wife?”

  Bill let out a deep sigh. “Yep. I realize this is important. But I got a lot of important things on my plate right about now. Before the world goes to hell, I would rather spend that time with my wife. No offense to you fine gentlemen.”

  David ate the last bite of his green beans and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He thought about the position Bill was in and where they were in the world. The guy needed to get off this island.

  Natesh said, “Why don’t you go talk to Lena tonight after our end-of-day meeting is over? Let her know what you’re thinking so she can hear you out. She seems like a reasonable woman. I wouldn’t be surprised if she let you just fly back home. Perhaps you can just sign a paper. We’re volunteers, right?”

  David thought about his own kidnapping less than forty-eight hours ago and wondered if they were volunteers or not. If Bill’s wi
fe was dying, he had to get home.

  David said, “I agree. Go talk to her.”

  A flash of lightning out the cafeteria window caught their attention. A few moments later, they heard the distant rumble of thunder fill the sky.

  Bill said, “Maybe I will. Maybe she can help me out. Yeah, you’re probably right.” He smiled.

  It was after 11 p.m. when Lena and Bill walked back from the Classroom to the Communications building. The group meeting educating everyone on Chinese military and defense capabilities went for almost three hours. When the meeting ended, people were happy to get back to the barracks.. Raindrops began to fall as the outskirts of a thundercloud grazed the island.

  Bill had approached Lena immediately after the night meeting in the classroom. She was very understanding and suggested they go sit down and discuss it further. Bill had a good feeling. Women were just better that way. They understood the importance of family. Maybe that was because they bore children. Bill remembered one of his macho-man, hard-ass commanding officers back in the Air Force who had denied his leave chit during Desert Shield. That had forced Bill to miss the birth of his second child. That guy was a jerk. But Lena seemed much more understanding.

  They reached the Comms building, and Lena went to type her code into the digital keypad next to the door. She looked over at Bill and then typed with her body positioned so that he couldn’t see. The keypad beeped and there was a click as the door unlocked. She opened it and they went into a room that reminded Bill of an airport control tower. He could hear the rain start coming down in sheets just as they entered. Bill wiped away the rainwater from his hair as he looked over the room. There were several TV screens, all of them off. Three black swivel chairs were placed in front of computer monitors. There was a second door on the far wall that looked like it connected to the rest of the structure. It too had a digital keypad.

  Lena motioned for Bill to sit. He took one of the swivel chairs and looked around the room. He wondered where she slept. Must have been behind that door. The computers looked new. When had they built this place? The technology to open and close these doors was pretty sophisticated. Bill saw Lena sit down across from him and cross her legs. She looked relaxed. She really was a nice woman.

  Bill told her what was on his mind. He told her about his wife’s cancer and her history of it. They had a few neighbors that could look after her, but it wasn’t the physical stuff that he was worried about. Bill poured his heart out before he even knew that he had. All of this talk of war and strategy and China had distracted him plenty good, but the thoughts of his wife came tumbling back and they were wrapped in emotion. He hoped the display would be enough.

  Lena listened. She was an intense woman, Bill noticed. The kind that leaned forward in her chair at all times. Like she had to be ready to pounce. It was awful funny seeing a woman sit like that. Reminded him of a fighter pilot or something.

  When he was done talking he felt embarrassed but was glad to get it off his chest. Bill let Lena know that he felt an obligation to help out, but had a bigger responsibility back home. Lena seemed like she got it. Family had to come first. She said all the right things when he was done, smiling. She understood. He saw that in her eyes. Now she would tell him what he needed to hear.

  Bill said, “I mean…Lena, I understand how important this all is. But there must be some other person that can take my place. Maybe someone else at my office. My director will be able to help with that, just like he helped get me here. I presume you already know him, since he sent me here.”

  She was sitting close to him, leaning in and following every word like she really cared.

  Lena said, “Bill, of course. Whatever you need. When would you like to leave?”

  He let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank you. Thank you so much. I hate to be a burden. I’d be happy to participate. Maybe I could help out remotely? Through the Internet? I just…I need to get back to her.”

  Lena nodded and gave the warmest of smiles. She reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “Anything at all. We can arrange for a plane first thing in the morning if you like?”

  “Oh, thank you so much. I…it’s just. I feel bad even asking. But I don’t want to waste any time. And I don’t know how much we’ve got…me and my wife.”

  “Actually, Bill, it’s funny you phrase it like that.”

  Bill frowned. “Come again? I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

  Lena’s demeanor changed. Her smile was a little less warm. Her eyes a bit less glowing. “How much time have we got, Bill?”

  Bill shook his head. “What do you mean?”

  “Bill, do you have something else you would like to share with me?”

  Bill paused. He looked at her and frowned.

  “Bill. Come now. Remember, I worked with your boss to get you here. I already have a good idea of what everyone knows. But we brought you here to confirm. I expected to hear you speak up today when they brought up the countdown.”

  Bill let out a deep breath and looked at the floor. How could she know this? His manager didn’t even know everything.

  He said, “I didn’t want to bring it up. I wasn’t sure if it was exactly what we were talking about.”

  “You found a countdown embedded in satellites that you use to connect to Air Force drones halfway around the world. A countdown that was put there by a foreign entity. And you weren’t sure if it was relevant? I’m sure that you’ve been quite absorbed by what’s going on at home. But please…what do you know about the countdown?”

  Bill looked at her. If he had told everyone what he knew, he never would have gotten out of there. It was a hell of a selfish thing to do, keeping something like that to himself. But he had to see his wife. If the world really was coming to an end that soon…

  “Six months,” he finally said.

  She didn’t blink. She even looked like she already knew. Which was impossible. His manager, the one who had sent him there, only knew that they had found a sequenced countdown. But as far as he knew, Bill was still working out the code.

  “We found the code in one of our satellites a week ago. One that we use to relay GPS data to Predator drones. Then we checked a few other satellites. It was in all of them. Whoever put it there knew what they were doing. But we thought it was just a computer virus. Until today I had no idea what it could be for. Honest. You’re right, though. We were pretty sure that some foreign agency did it. We knew it was a countdown. At first, we thought the countdown was just going to keep resetting like you guys were talking about earlier. But then when my boss was gone, I figured out the timing. It was coded, but I ran it through a decryption program. Then I did the math. Six months. If this is the same cyberweapon that David was talking about, that’s how long we have until this war starts. And that’s why I have to get back to my wife. I need to be with her, Lena.”

  Lena said, “What did the others here say about this when you told them?”

  “Who? What others?”

  “The other consultants here on the island. What did they say about this?”

  Bill was embarrassed. He said quietly, “I haven’t told anyone else. Hell, my boss doesn’t even know all of that. I was going to let him know about the timing next week. He was out for a few days when I figured it out. Then Burns, my director, contacted me about this project. But he didn’t know yet either. Come to think of it, how did you—”

  Bill never saw it coming.

  Lena twisted her torso around, drove her arm forward, and snapped the bottom of her palm into Bill’s solar plexus with an impossibly strong force. A shot of agonizing pain and a rapid loss of the ability to breathe left Bill crumpled on the floor.

  Bill tried to gasp for breath but his stomach muscles were cramped too badly. He vaguely understood that Lena was twisting his large body so that he lay flat on his back, the concrete floor cold on his neck.

  He started to wheeze and she slammed her open palm into his nose, the back of his head beating against the hard stone. Then c
ame a momentary flash of black and white stars and a ringing in his ears. Bill’s vision was a blur of dark computer screens and concrete flooring. The rain poured down loud on the roof. A clap of thunder sounded outside.

  Lena was rolling him and tying his hands and feet with something tight. He just needed a minute to rest. She had to stop. His head hurt so much. Bill didn’t understand what was going on. Lena seemed like a sweet girl. She had smiled and listened to his story. He didn’t understand why she hit him. Bill felt a trickle of blood rolling down the back of his head, where it had hit the concrete. The cut must have been bad.

  Lena stood over him and hissed, “Are you familiar with the blood choke? Your Marines call it that. I just adore the label.”

  She pressed one foot into his chest, eyeing him like he was a prize deer she had just bagged. Her eyes were filled with a terrifying eagerness.

  Bill lay on the ground, weak and not comprehending what was happening. He tried to get up but his head hurt, and Lena easily pressed his chest back down to the floor. His energy was gone and his head ached. Her hands crept over his neck. Bill instinctively tried to protect himself, but his hands and legs were tied up.

  He watched as she crouched down over him, moving with the grace of a true predator. Her face got close enough that he could feel her breath. He couldn’t understand what was happening. The look in her eyes terrified him. Why was she doing this?

  Lena whispered, “It’s alright. Just relax. Shhhh. Here’s what will happen. I’m going to squeeze your carotid arteries and stop the blood flow to your brain. It’s an extremely efficient technique. Much faster than cutting off the oxygen supply via your windpipe. You’ll then go unconscious, and I’ll have to decide what to do with you. I may kill you. I am not quite ready to make that call. I need to think on it. But with any luck, you’ll wake up good as new under close supervision. Now, it’s time to sleep.”