The American Truth (The American Truth - September 11th Attacks)

by Nick Shelton

Later, as he ate a sandwich he’d brought to work, he took out the pamphlet the professor had given him and started visiting the websites it referenced. In the span of his lunch hour, he traveled through a myriad of websites covering the hidden truths behind 9/11. He discovered that the 9/11 conspiracy theories went beyond the discrepancies concerning the Pentagon. There was even more questionable evidence concerning the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings.

  As he wrote the government report concerning 9/11 that afternoon, Nathan was hesitant in including the details of the official 9/11 story. Now that he had seen things from a different perspective, he had a hard time trying to clear these thoughts from his mind.

  Later that evening, after everyone had left the OSP sector, Nathan again accessed the Internet to do some research about 9/11. He wanted to know more, and he wanted to know the truth.

  Chapter 8

  The Pentagon September 12, 2006 9:12 p.m.

  Nathan walked back to his car after his second consecutive 12-hour workday. Even though he nearly spent the entire day on the computer, he was eager to go home and get on the Internet. At the same time, he scoffed at himself for his fascination with what he had always considered “outrageous conspiracy theories.”

  He continued walking, so engrossed in his thoughts that he failed to sense a person crouching in a small patch of shadows. As he walked past the shadows, the hooded figure quickly reached out and grabbed Nathan by his shoulders. Nathan gasped as his upper body was jerked back. Instinctively, he broke free of the stranger’s grip and pushed the figure away from him. His eyes immediately scanned the assailant’s body for any sign of a gun, knife, or other weapon.

  The hooded figure quickly stepped back into shadows, staying a good distance back from Nathan. “Relax, I don’t want your wallet. I just need to know your motives.”

  Nathan held his hands in tight fists, instinctively posed and ready to defend himself. “Motives? What are you talking about?”

  “You visited several objectionable websites from your office--sites that debase government authority. Who gave you the orders to visit these sites?”

  “I’m a writer. I do research,” he said, trying to shown no sign of alarm. “And what have you concluded?” the assailant asked, sounding somewhat irritated.

  “I don’t know. I was just curious.”

  The unknown figure inched forward and handed Nathan a

  folded piece of paper. “If you want to know the truth, meet me at this time tomorrow night at this location. Come alone.” The figure walked off, disappearing into the darkness.

  Nathan stood motionless. Had he just met a friend or foe?

  Chapter 9

  The Pentagon September 1, 2006 8:40 p.m.

  Nathan looked at the address on the paper: 1227 Ridgeway Ave. He had already checked Google Maps, and it had nothing listed at this location.

  What have I gotten myself into? Could this unknown figure be U.S. Intelligence, questioning if I’m anti-government? What if this person actually knows secret information about 9/11? But who’d know what websites I visited except for top Pentagon authorities?

  For over an hour, Nathan wondered what he should do. Finally, he looked down at his father’s knife on his desk. Its inscription read: “Truth, Honor, and Justice.”

  Truth , he whispered to himself, thinking of what his father would do in the situation.

  Without hesitation, Nathan grabbed the slip of paper with the address and walked out with the knife tucked securely in his pocket.

  His search brought him to a part of town that he was unfamiliar with. As he approached a dark alley in front of him, his mind raced with apprehension and doubt. I can’t believe I’m doing this.

  Nathan paused briefly to let his eyes adjust to the dark. The only source of light in the alley came from a small hotel on the corner. Nathan tried to keep quiet, but his footsteps echoed throughout the desolate passage. His sweaty palm had a deathgrip around the knife in his pocket.

  He eventually came across a metal door to a large brick building. Just enough light from the hotel escaped down the alley for Nathan to see 1227 written on the outside. Nathan took a deep breath and reached for the door knob. He pulled slowly

  -the screeching sound of rusty hinges echoed throughout the narrow alley. His heart raced, knowing that his entrance was anything but secret.

  Darkness filled the room when the door closed behind him. Nathan extended his arm but was unable to see his hand.

  “Hello?”

  “Mr. Alexander, I’m glad you’ve come,” said the same voice from the night before.

  Nathan could sense the presence of the figure to his right but was unable to get a look at him. “Who are you?”

  “Someone who has spent the last five years hiding because of what I know about 9/11.”

  “And who do you think I am?” Nathan demanded.

  “I know you’re the son of a distinguished Navy SEAL who also has spent time in the Navy. You worked in the Communications Department at the Pentagon handling public relations until you were relocated a few years back. You also had a wife who was murdered on 9/11.”

  Nathan’s attention snapped to a new level upon hearing the mentioning of his wife. “How do you know this? Are you with the government?”

  “I’ve never been involved with the U.S. government. And how I’m able to get my information is irrelevant at this time.” The figure took a step closer to Nathan. “Before we proceed, I need to know if you will help me.”

  “I don’t even know who you are or what you want, yet you want me to commit to helping you?”

  “Need proof that you can trust me? That’s reasonable enough.” The figure moved toward Nathan in a non-threatening manner and extended a piece of paper. “Here...”

  “What’s this?”

  “Open your cell phone and read it yourself.”

  Nathan opened his cell phone and used its light to view the paper. He immediately recognized the first line. “Where did you get this?”

  “Let’s just say I’m good at retrieving information from computers.”

  “But this is from an email account nobody’s used in years.”

  “That’s right--not since your wife died. In fact, that’s the last email she sent. As you’ll read--she, too, had questions about the truth.”

  “And she knew you? She sent this to you?”

  “I never had the honor of meeting your wife, and she certainly didn’t intend that email for me. But this proves that she had questions about events that were going on shortly before her death. I’m offering you a chance to pick up where she was forced to leave off.”

  The hooded figure gave Nathan a moment to absorb the information. “Why didn’t she tell me?” he finally asked.

  “Would you have listened? A lot of people are too naive to accept the fact that their own government is involved in corrupt activities. But she also knew she’d be endangering your life by entrusting you with this information.”

  Nathan’s body tensed. “What do you want from me?”

  “I’ve come upon a critical point in my research. I’ve almost got all I need to expose the truth behind the September 11th attacks. But I need several pieces of evidence that I don’t have access to--evidence only someone within the Pentagon could get.”

  “You want me to steal classified government information?” asked Nathan, shocked at the audacity of this stranger.

  “I will not lie to you, Mr. Alexander. You will be risking your life. But what you’ll find could dramatically change the future. And, even to a small degree, avenge your wife’s untimely death.”

  Nathan thought for several seconds. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Before we discuss this, it’s important that you know the proper security measures that will prevent you from being caught. Take this piece of paper.” Nathan felt the man slide another piece of paper into his palm. “It has access information to a secure email address. We will use this as our predominant form of communicat
ion.”

  “What’s so special about this email address?”

  “It‘s completely untraceable. The U.S. government has access to every email that is sent. A filter catches key words like ‘bombs,’ ‘terrorist attack,’ or ‘9/11 conspiracy’ and sends red flags to U.S. intelligence forces. Even if one of our communications is flagged, no one could ever trace it back to your computer.”

  “So I could write emails from the Pentagon, and they could never trace it back to me?”

  “Exactly. Tomorrow I’ll send you instructions on what I need via email.” The figure backed toward the corner. “That’s all I needed from you tonight. I hope you’ll go home now and consider helping me in this pursuit.”

  Nathan turned to the door, but was stopped by the figure’s voice. “And another thing, Mr. Alexander. I suggest you don’t look at any websites concerning the 9/11 Truth Movement while you’re at work. You’ll be safe viewing them from your home, but there’s always a set of eyes watching you at the Pentagon.”

  The American Truth 2

  Nathan sat down at his desk and unfolded the piece of paper.

  Chapter 10

  The Pentagon September 14, 2006 7:0 a.m.

  Nathan sat down at his desk and unfolded the piece of paper.

  This is your email access. Shred this as soon as you have read and memorized it. Address: www.boc.ix

  Username: T.Ruth

  Password: 911Truth

  Nathan opened his Internet browser and entered the unusual web address. He looked over his computer to make sure no one was coming his way. Now that he was in the OSP, he had his own office. However, with an open door policy, his superiors were constantly stepping in.

  The website looked like a typical email login page. He entered his username and eight-digit password. He pressed Enter and saw he had one email in his mailbox:

  Subject: 1st Assignment From: DL@boc.ix

  To: T.Ruth@boc.ix

  Date: 9/13/06

  T.Ruth, I am grateful you have decided to pursue this endeavor with me. I hope we will remain focused on uncovering the truth.

  Your first assignment:

  I need the complete list of passengers for Flight 11 that flew into the North WTC Tower. Specifically, I want the 19 names that appear on the official flight manifest – not the names from the government’s list of passengers that has been previously released.

  As you know, you can only access this information from a computer in the Communications Dept. Since you used to work at this dept, I’m sure you can find a way to access their network and look for the transcripts that date back to September 11th and 12th of 2001.

  If you’re successful in finding this information, please report back to me tonight – same time and place.

  Sincerely, D L

  Nathan leaned back in his chair and considered the risk involved. He hit the reply button and typed the following:

  This would require me to hack into government information. If I get caught, I’d not only be fired, but I’d have to serve jail time. I just don’t know if I can trust you.

  As soon as he finished typing his reply, he got an idea for an easy way to get this information. His plan was relatively safe, but the consequences were enormous.

  For the next several hours, he debated what he should do. He kept telling himself that the stories that countered the official 9/11 report were nonsense. Can I really risk my future on what could be a hoax?

  Nathan then thought about what the figure said about his wife. Something in him told him that he needed to get to the bottom of this. One look into his desktop’s picture of their family portrait convinced him it was worth the risk.

  Just before noon, Nathan walked through the Pentagon’s maze of hallways and sectors to the Communications Department. He knocked on Robert’s office door.

  “Hey, Nathan. I was just about to go to the cafeteria to see if you were there.”

  “I’m actually going to skip lunch today. I really need to finish those reports about the 9/11 anniversaries.”

  “The ones that were due Friday?”

  “Yeah, it’s a long story, but I didn’t get them done in time. Anyway, I need access to some of the 9/11 documents. Since I’m in hot waters with Lt. Col. Webber, could I get them off your computer, instead of having to ask him for them?”

  “Sure, go ahead. You want me to bring you back anything from the cafeteria?”

  “Yeah, some fruit or anything healthy would be great.”

  As soon as Robert left, Nathan scampered back to Robert’s computer. He moved the mouse before the password-protection screen appeared. All Pentagon computers had a three-minute delay--if the computer sat idle for longer than three minutes, a screen appeared which prevented anyone else from logging on to it.

  Nathan accessed the Communication Department’s Intranet network. He searched through the September 11th documents. Despite his hurried efforts, he was unable to quickly find what he was looking for.

  Finally, he found a document with a list taken from the official flight manifest. He scrolled down the screen, looking for the Middle Eastern names. However, he did not find any. He went back to the top and tried looking again, this time scrolling down slower. But as he did so, Robert came walking through the door, holding an apple in his hand.

  “Still looking through the stuff?”

  Nathan instinctively closed all the screens on the computer. “I was just finishing up. I think I got what I need.” As a researcher and journalist, Nathan tried not to make a habit of lying. However, his work with communicating government information had taught that sometimes it was necessary to leave out certain details.

  Nathan walked out of the office disappointed at not finding what he was looking for.

  That night at his home, Nathan researched more about Flight 11. From his personal computer, he was able to find pictures and biographies of all the passengers on the flight. However, he was unable to find the official flight manifest.

  The American Truth 29 Nathan walked down the dark alleyway. This time he was smart enough to bring a flashlight. Before entering, he examined the building from the outside. It was an old brick building that was undoubtedly an abandoned warehouse.

  He entered the door and pointed his flashlight in all directions, exploring the darkness surrounding him.

  “Are you there?” he asked.

  From his left, the figure swooped in and yanked the flashlight from Nathan’s hands. He turned it off and moved a good distance away. “I’d like to keep my identity unknown until I can trust you.”

  “Trust me? I’m the one who’s risking my life and career for someone I don’t even know.”

  “Did you do homework like I asked?”

  “I got into the Communication Department’s network, and was even able to pull up a document that had a list of names from the flight manifest--but I never found the nineteen hijackers’ names. I found several websites that had the pictures and information of all the passengers on the flight, but not the official American Airlines list from that day.”

  “So you read about the Flight 11 passengers on the list?”

  “All 92 of them.”

  The figure took a few steps to the corner. He flipped a switch and several lights illuminated the corner of the abandoned warehouse.

  Nathan stared into the face of this man. He thought he was seeing a ghost.

  0 Nick Shelton

  The American Truth 1

  Chapter 11

  1227 Ridgeway Ave.

  September 14, 2006

  9:11 p.m.

  Nathan studied the man’s face. “You’re--you’re one of the guys from the list. Lewin--the one who was shot by one of the hijackers.”

  A hint of a smile widened across the man’s ruddy face. “That’s right. Daniel Lewin.” He extended his hand. “My death is another lie in the 9/11 story.”

  “Your picture and bio were at the top of the list,” Nathan shook Lewin’s hand energetically. “The website said you were
the first victim of the 9/11 attacks. You were shot before the hijackers took over the cockpit.”

  hijackers took over the cockpit.”

  year-old Lewin, lowering the hood of his sweatshirt. “If you remember the official report correctly, the hijackers took over the plane with box cutters and knives. They never had guns.” “But how did you survive?”

  “I wasn’t on the plane. I boarded it, but as I was taking my seat, an inside source called and ordered me to get off the plane. I was able to quietly exit before they closed the door to the terminal.”

  “The inside source--the website said you were a part of the Israeli special forces. Secret Markal, if I’m not mistaken.”

  “That’s Sayeret Matkal,” said Daniel in a polished Israeli accent. “And yes, I was a part of that organization.”

  “I didn’t read much about it, but it’s like a group of secret agents, right?”

  “A group of Israeli James Bonds, if you will. But it’s not like members of Sayeret Markal are constantly on top-secret missions for the Israeli government. We have normal roles in society. We’re just expected to help Israel in times of crisis or terrorism.”

  Nathan looked down, trying to think back to the website. “You’re a mathematician, right? That co-founded an Internet company?”

  “Yes, a multibillion-dollar corporation to be exact.”

  “Multi-billion?”

  “Akamai was providing web solutions to the top organizations in the world-- including the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and other Department of Defense branches at the Pentagon.”

  Nathan was astonished. “Akamai builds websites for the DoD?”

  “No, Akamai doesn’t build websites. We improve the performance of current websites and networks. What do you know about Internet caching?”

  “Not much.”

  “Basically, when you visit a website, your computer retrieves all that information from another computer--for example, the Pentagon’s mainframe. But instead of having to retrieve information from the Pentagon’s server every time you access a DoD website, the information is compressed and saved in a specific folder, or ‘cache,’ so your computer doesn’t have to download everything again. You following so far?”