“Now…one of the most difficult duties that any President of the United States faces is committing our young men and women to combat operations. We place our bright, young citizens in harm’s way to protect our nation…and sadly, all too often many of them die or return home severely injured or traumatized. In recent years, we have taken steps to limit the presence of our troops on the battlefields, on the seas, and in the skies above through the use of drones. But drones, by themselves, are not enough to win a war.”
“Defensive operations have already been conducted along our borders for some time now. Based on the intelligence data we have just received…we must now shift to a massive, aggressive, offensive strategy…and take the fight to the enemy! We must eradicate the enemies’ capability to attack the U.S., wherever and whenever possible”
McPheron looked directly into the camera in front of her. “In the slim hope that we might prevent further and heightened conflict, I am sending this message to President Sherrill Carrington and to Caliph Suleyman. It is now 8:13 p.m. Mountain Time. You have until 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time the day after tomorrow to cease your attacks upon the United States of America and begin to withdraw your forces from our borders. I further call upon the Caliph to agree to withdraw his forces from the North American continent and for President Carrington to have her National Security Forces stand down and take no further aggression against the U.S. If I do not hear from either party within the aforementioned time period, then the United States has no choice but to consider a state of total war exists between the U.S. and the PSSA and IGC Alliance.” She paused once more to let that sink in.
“Citizens of the United States of America, I call upon you to prepare for what could be a rough time ahead. Know that my Administration will do everything in its power to protect you and yours and to end any combat operations as soon as possible in order to return your loved ones home to you! May God bless each and every one of you! And God bless the United States of America!” The media director signaled a quick fade to black then announced, “And…we’re out! Well done, Madame President! Well done!”
McPheron smiled a humorless smile. “Something I picked up in the old Air Force, Josh! The ABCs of a briefing: accuracy, brevity, and clarity! I pray, quite fervently, that the Caliph and that bitch, Carrington, realize I meant every word of what I said!”
Marie Kasigo, the president’s chief of staff, stepped over to the president’s desk. “Ma’am do you need anything for your back? Should I call your doctor?” McPheron wasn’t surprised that Kasigo had detected her slight shift in her chair. Kasigo was a very observant person, who was very concerned about the president’s health, safety, and well-being!
“I’m okay, Marie,” said McPheron gently. Then she said softly, “But I could use my cane about now.” Kasigo nodded, stepped over to the spot where she’d been standing earlier, and returned promptly with President McPheron’s cane. “What’s the word on our trip to San Angelo?”
“Ma’am, we depart Buckley at 2300 hours!” Kasigo reported. “The advance units are deploying at this time and will be waiting for us at Dyess AFB in Abilene, Texas.”
“Thank you, Marie! I’m going to the Residence to lay down for a bit. I’ll be back shortly!” McPheron shook hands and spoke with several White House staffers and Secret Service personnel on her way to the elevator. By the time she reached the elevator, the doors to the car opened to reveal her husband, Daniel, standing inside.
“Helluva speech, Katherine!” Daniel McPheron, a professor of military history and highly successful author of several books on various wars and campaigns, stepped out of the elevator and gave his wife a kiss. Then he gently took her free arm to help her into the elevator. “Bet you’ve got Carrington and Suleyman and their lieutenants working themselves into a frenzy trying to figure out who our allies are!”
The elevator doors closed behind them and Katherine wrapped her arms around her husband. He knew that she was confident with her decision to go on the offensive, but he also knew his wife was troubled about the potential loss of life…on both sides. “Come on, Honey! Where’s ‘Killer Kate’, the fearless USAF fighter pilot I married?” Daniel asked her.
Katherine McPheron smiled up at Daniel. “You always know the right thing to say, you silver-tongued devil!” Daniel kissed her again, then helped her from the elevator as it reached the Residence and the doors opened. He guided her to her favorite chair in the living room and helped her settle into the chair. At Katherine’s request, he went to their small kitchen, poured a glass of water, and returned to the living room where his wife waited with one of her pain pills.
“Thank you, dear,” said Katherine as she accepted the glass. She put the pill in her mouth and washed it down with a sip of water. “I think I’d just like to close my eyes for a few minutes, Daniel.” She pressed a button on her chair’s control panel. The back of the chair began to recline while the leg and foot rest rose. A moment later, she found the perfect position and, for now at least, her back stopped hurting.
“Of course, Honey!” Daniel said. He pulled a light afghan from the back of the couch and draped it gently over her legs and torso. As he left the room, he dimmed the room lights. Daniel McPheron knew that his wife was capable of falling asleep quickly and getting recharged from short naps. He pressed a control on his watch, activating a countdown timer he’d long ago set for 15 minutes!
Around the world, President McPheron’s speech was discussed wherever people heard it. No one questioned her decision or her resolve. But everyone wondered…”who are the allies she mentioned?”
**********
Katherine McPheron woke up when Daniel gently kissed her on the lips. “Awaken, Sleeping Beauty!” Daniel said cheerfully.
“Flatterer!” she responded with a smile. She stretched slowly, allowing her husband to remove the afghan, fold it, and put it back on the couch. McPheron pressed a button on her recliner’s control panel and the chair began to sit up slowly. She pressed another button and the chair rose slightly higher and tilted forward slightly to help her get out of it.
McPheron smiled when she stood up. Between the medication and the quick nap, she felt much better. While the pain in her lower back never truly went away, it was greatly reduced! She slipped the crook of her cane over her left forearm and walked rather spryly towards the elevator.
Daniel smiled at his wife. “You know, when your doctor told you to take that came with your wherever you went, he meant for you to use it, not carry it!”
Katherine grinned back, reached up, and patted her husband’s cheek. “Yep! I remember the look on his face as I walked out of his office that day with the cane on my arm. He came out into the hallway and said, ‘Katherine, that is NOT what I meant and you know it!’ One of those priceless moments in life!” The McPherons chuckled at the memory.
Daniel McPheron walked with his wife to the elevator. When they stopped at the elevator doors, their Secret Service detail turned their heads slightly to give them a little “privacy”. The McPherons kissed and then held hands until the elevator opened.
“I’ll have our go bags packed and will meet you in the garage! Don’t be late, Madame President,” the First Husband said to his Commander-in-Chief. Katherine smiled at him and winked as the doors closed between them.
Chief of Staff Kasigo was waiting for McPheron as the elevator doors opened. She noticed the president was once again carrying her cane, not using it. “You look like you’re feeling much better, Madame President!” she told McPheron.
“Indeed, I am!” replied McPheron as they walked toward the New Oval Office. “So what have you got lined up for me this evening?” Kasigo told her that SecDef and the Joint Chiefs were standing by for a quick conference call and then it would be time to leave for Air Force One.
**********
The People's Palace, 11:51 p.m. (EST)
The District (formerly Washington, D.C.)
Abdul Aziz Mohammed Al Zahrani sat quietly on a couch in the Presidenti
al Living Room, watching President Sherrill Carrington carry on in a most un-presidential manner. Praise Allah, he thought, my days with this cow are growing shorter! Carrington was cursing a blue streak, railing against McPheron, the United States, and everything in between. Al Zahrani had found the best course to take when Carrington was like this was to ignore her; eventually she would wind down and, exhausted, be even more pliable to his charms than before. He peered at a clock on the wall in front of him. Ah, a few more minutes and I’ll suggest we retire to her boudoir. Then her rants will turn to more enjoyable moans of pleasure!
Carrington stopped ranting suddenly and turned to face Al Zahrani. “What are we going to do about that bitch’s threat? What?”
Al Zahrani rose from the couch and walked over to Carrington. He took her hands in his and kissed them both. “Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Our plans are too far along and our patience with the continued existence of the so-called ‘United States of America’ is at an end. We can launch a massive assault at any time. Her deadline is of no consequence!”
Carrington nodded then stepped over to a desk in one corner of the room. She picked up the receiver of a red telephone and order the operator to connect her with the head of her National Security Forces. When the man answered, she said, “This is President Carrington! I am ordering you to begin Operation Desert Wind! Yes, yes…put him on!” She passed the phone to Al Zahrani, who would need to talk with his IGC agent working within the NSF.
Al Zahrani, speaking in Arabic, ordered the man to begin Operation Desert Wind, adding that Phase Two of that operation be accomplished by 6:00 a.m. The IGC agent acknowledged his orders and hung up.
Taking Carrington’s right hand, Al Zahrani began to walk towards her bedroom. “And now, my dear, we may retire; knowing that our warriors will begin the final destruction of our enemies!”
Chapter 15
The People's Palace, 5:51 a.m. (EST)
The District (formerly Washington, D.C.)
Al Zahrani lay on the Presidential Bed, spooning with Sherrill Carrington. He slid his right hand down her abdomen to a point between her legs. It was his intent to awake and arouse her at the same time. It worked! She rolled over and covered his mouth with hers; all the while using her left hand to gently stroke him. When he was ready for her, Carrington rolled on top of her lover and settled into position.
For several minutes, both were lost in pleasure. Carrington’s eyes were closed as she rode Al Zahrani and she did not see his left hand reach towards the nightstand beside the bed. His hand came back with the antique silver mirror firmly in its grasp and slid it under the pillows beneath his head. Al Zahrani’s right hand left Carrington’s hip and slid under the pillows to grasp the mirror, while his left hand tightened around the mirror’s handle.
Al Zahrani’s hands deftly twisted in opposite directions and the handle separated from the mirror. Carrington, her mind clouded by lust and pleasure remained unaware of Al Zahrani’s odd movements. The Arab shifted the handle into his right hand and brought his left hand to Carrington’s back. He slid that hand upward, his fingertips brushing along her spine and adding to her pleasure. The fingers of his left hand felt her hair as it cascaded down her back. He gripped her hair and pulled…gently at first, as if in play; then harder!
As Carrington squealed with pain, Al Zahrani brought his right hand up from under the pillows. Carrington chose that moment to open her eyes slightly and she saw a flash of light glint off of the silver blade! Before she could react, Al Zahrani expertly slid the blade across her throat! Blood sprayed from her carotid arteries and jugular veins and gushed down onto the Arab who merely laughed at Carrington’s dying gasps!
A moment later, Al Zahrani pulled her body to one side, allowing it to roll from the bed to the floor. The Arab used the clean end of a sheet to wipe some of the blood from his face and hands. He stepped over to a table across the room, picked up his cell phone, and pressed a single button on its face. When the person on the other end of the call answered, Al Zahrani said simply, “Now!” and hung up.
He made his way into the master bathroom and turned on the shower. Even if the shower had been left off, he wouldn’t have heard a sound from beyond the doors to the Presidential Bedroom. Had he heard them, he would have recognized the sounds of men being stabbed.
**********
January 18th, 0630 hours (CST)
Prime Base
Northeast of San Angelo, TX
Dr. Julia Franks had personally welcomed President McPheron to Prime Base around 0500 hours that morning. After introductions were made, Dr. Franks confirmed that the possibility existed for imminent contact with Transition Base, Project Foothold’s secure site located…elsewhere. The doctor then gave the president and her husband a quick tour of Prime Base and its facilities.
In the command center, a series of garbled reports came in reporting massive attacks on all sides of the secret base. Prime Base’s security personnel quickly moved President McPheron, her husband, and their Secret Service detail to a secure bunker from which the president could remain in contact with the government back in Denver!
“Damn it, Kate! This is precisely why we told you not to go down there!” Vice President Malcolm Thayer was shouting at his friend and Commander-in-Chief over the secure phone line from Denver. “We’re trying to get a flight of A-20 Thunderbolt IIIs into the field there at Prime Base to extract you. At the moment, however, they’re all tied up. We have enemy aircraft incursions along all of our borders; everything from fighters and bombers to heavy transports. The Aerospace Force and our air defense systems have repelled most of them but we’re getting reports of some enemy aircraft penetrating our air space. So hunker down and we’ll get you out of there as soon as we can!”
President Katherine McPheron hung up the phone and tried to convince her husband that it was time he joined their son at the secure location. Daniel McPheron flatly refused. If she stayed, he stayed! It was an argument that wouldn’t last for very long.
**********
January 18th
North American Continent
The massive attacks extended all along the Northeastern, Western, and Southern borders of the United States. Strangely, no attacks were made along the border between Canada and the United States. But the American defenders along that border remained on the alert just the same.
Thousands of aircraft were launched from Washington, California, Mexico, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and ships offshore! Large numbers of fighter aircraft escorted bombers and cargo aircraft as they breached U.S. airspace. The IGC and their PSSA puppet allies launched ground and missile attacks, as well. Missiles were launched from ground and ship-based launching systems and streaked at high speed toward their targets. Tanks and armored personnel carriers advanced on and fired at U.S. border defenses.
The U.S. Aerospace Force, Navy, and Marine Corp air defense squadrons responded to the air attack with great effect, still some enemy bombers and cargo aircraft breached the borders heading for their targets with the U.S. Prepositioned anti-aircraft and anti-missile batteries fired their missiles at the incoming enemy forces. On the ground, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, as well as Guard, Reserve, and state defense agencies fought heroically to stem the tide of invaders.
The sheer numbers of warriors, aircraft, tanks, and other war materiel the IGC had brought into the PSSA threatened to overwhelm the U.S. military and state defense forces. Then another threat appeared…long dormant sleeper agents deep under cover within the United States launched numerous terror attacks within U.S. cities. By the end of the first day, the IGC attacks had caused major damage to cities in every state in the Union!
Troops that were desperately needed along the borders to halt the enemy advances were also needed within the interior of the country. But, the creation of state-level defense agencies paid off! And where those agencies found themselves stretched tight, the resolve of the American people rose to the occasion. Many of the sleeper agents began their attacks
only to discover very quickly that armed and pissed off Americans won’t tolerate such activities!
The IGC and the PSSA thought the citizens of the United States were weak and ill prepared. They couldn’t have been more wrong!
Chapter 16
January 23rd, 1008 hours (MST)
ASGuard HQ, Verde Valley
Colonel Marcus Roman and his father, General Titus Roman, sat next to each other in the briefing room. Ken Halsted was presenting the latest intelligence update from the federal government in Denver.
“A Special Forces unit and a Nuclear Regulatory Commission team were able to get within a mile of the base northeast of San Angelo, Texas,” said Halsted. A 3D map of the region was projected before the assembled ASGuard personnel. A red dot on the map showed the location in question. Suddenly, the image zoomed in and was replaced by a satellite image of the site itself. “Based on the satellite data and the information the site team gathered, the base has been totally destroyed! At this time, it unknown if this was the result of enemy action or, perhaps, a self-destruct mechanism. We may never know what destroyed the base, but we do know that all contact with anyone within the base is lost. President McPheron was visiting the installation at the time of its destruction. Vice-President Thayer was sworn in yesterday as our new Commander-in-Chief.”
The Arizona State Guard Trilogy Page 55