Alpha Threat

by Ron Smoak

  “Yes, sir, I love point,” grinned Hugo.

  “Ha!” said Dane, grinning back. “You know you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Hugo smiled even wider. “I guess I’m like an ol’ huntin’ dawg. If I’m not out front, I don’t want to go.”

  Lee and Nell joined the group on the front porch.

  “You guys ready?” asked Nell, taking Dane’s empty cup from his hand.

  “Yeah, we will be leaving within a few minutes,” answered Dane. His thoughts were of Dana and Randall. Here he was on this quiet morning ready to launch an assault on a military-like fortress deep in the Amazon where his baby sister and her husband were being held. Damn. What happened in the last few weeks to bring us to this, he thought.

  At the same time Dane was worried. He was worried his skills were not good enough to bring out his sister alive. Sure, he and Hugo were well trained once, but he inwardly wondered if they had lost their edge. Not only that, but they were going into this with Ben, who was even more out of tune, and Tim, who seemed to be ready and willing but unproven in Dane’s eyes. He hoped and prayed the four of them and several of Tecal’s men could pull this off. He hoped they still held the element of surprise although he doubted it.

  When they absconded with the two captives they probably caused enough of an issue at the Fortress to sharpen the Nazis’ resolve. Even though they learned a great deal from them, they still didn’t understand the actual size of the force they were up against. This could be a bloodbath or a trap.

  His thoughts turned to his parents. Far away in the state of Washington, they had no clue as to what was happening. Dane purposely made sure they didn’t know. It was several days since he’d talked to them. He knew they were worried enough about Dana and Randall. He didn’t want to add to that worry.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” said Hugo quietly, smiling at Dane.

  Dane smiled back and looked at his buddy Hugo and hoped he was not leading them all to doom.

  “I’ve seen that worried look before, old man,” said Hugo, looking whimsically out across the river. “We can do this. We will do this. We will go in, get Dana and Randall and get out, all according to plan. This I know.”

  Before Dane could answer, Tecal stepped up to the porch. “We go now?”

  Hugo jumped down to the ground. “Yes, sir, Tecal, we go now.”

  Dane realized this was Hugo’s way to take control of a worrisome moment. Hugo’s MO was when in doubt, jump in. What a great friend.

  Ben turned to Lee and gave her a peck on the cheek. “You hold down the fort, sweetheart. Remember, you guys are our backup. Monitor that radio 24/7. You never know when we may need you.”

  “Don’t worry about us,” said Lee. “Between me, Nell and the doctor, we can man the guns here. You all take care. God bless you all.”

  “Amen,” added Dr. Nance. “I’m not normally a very religious man, but in this case I will be saying prayers for you all. God go with you all.”

  “Thanks, Doctor,” said Dane. “We may very well need your prayers before this is over.”

  The men gathered around the supplies that Tecal and his men organized. Each hefted their burdens and grabbed their guns. They all set their individual comm sets and adjusted the tiny boom microphones and earpieces.

  A quick burst of static on the comm channel had everyone adjusting their volumes.

  “Test, test, test. Do you read?” asked Dane. Everyone waved a hand in acknowledgement.

  “That’s a rog. Reading you 5 by 5,” answered Hugo.

  After a minute or two of tests and adjustments, all was ready.

  “Okay, guys,” began Dane, “use your comm units sparingly and always on the private channel. We do not want these guys to tap into our communications. Also I want strict noise discipline. No talking unless it is absolutely necessary. And when you do talk, make it short and to the point.”

  Hugo, Tecal and two of his men started out across the road and down the trail. As they disappeared into the jungle, the three Americans crossed the road followed by three natives. Within a minute they too were swallowed up by the jungle. Lee, Nell and the doctor stood in front of the hut hoping this was not the last time they would see these brave men. Quiet tears welled up in Lee’s eyes. She knew this was dangerous, damn dangerous.

  After four hours of trekking through the jungle, Hugo stopped the group for a quick rest and a radio check with base. Dane wanted to make the reports to base camp very quick; no more than twenty seconds long. This prevented the Nazis from determining their location if they did pick up their transmissions. This operation was to be run as if they were at war.

  They rested for five minutes and were away again. Hugo knew the trail almost as well as the natives since this was a return trip. They continued for eight more hours through the hot, unforgiving jungle. There was no contact and Hugo didn’t see any signs of the Nazis. All was well.

  They continued long into the night. Dane and Hugo’s plan was to camp well outside the Fortress’ perimeter area. Dane figured the Nazis would be ready for them; but where? That was the ten million dollar question, the answer to which they all wanted to know.

  The group continued their journey. Another full day passed as they made steady progress toward the complex. Always vigilant, Hugo lead the group deeper and deeper into the jungle. With all of their experience, each man watched continuously for signs and sounds of clues to the Nazis’ presence.

  The next morning the group was on its way by dawn traveling swiftly through the early mists of the jungle. They stopped briefly to check in with base camp. Dane decided this was the last check-in until the mission was complete. He did not want to risk being detected.

  Hugo was now in full point man mode. Both Dane and Hugo felt confident the Nazis were expecting them. The Nazis would expand their perimeter far beyond their normal patrol areas. It was very late in the day and they were getting close to the Fortress’ location.

  Hugo stopped the group and everyone circled around Dane.

  “Okay. We are close. If I were them I would expand my perimeter. That includes where we are now. According to my calculations, we are about four and half to five hours from the area we first encountered these guys. So this is where we split up,” whispered Dane.

  All eyes were now on Dane. The sounds of the jungle resonated in their ears. Even then each man listened for any noise that might not be akin to the jungle, a noise that might reveal unwanted visitors in the jungle about them. They made their final checks and broke into two groups. Ben and Tim moved ahead directly toward the entrance that Hugo and Dane used before. The danger would be most intense in that area given they thought the Nazis expected them. Dane and Hugo, on the other hand, planned to move toward the helicopter landing area where they watched the black helicopter take off during their first visit. Ben’s job was to create a ruse that they were the main thrust of the action. With that distraction, Dane and Hugo hoped to find a way to slip into the complex through the heliport without being detected.

  As the two groups split up, each was acutely aware of their roles in the grand plan to rescue Dana and Randall. Everyone wanted to do their best, do their job and be a success. The sun rose higher in the sky burning off some of the early morning mist. All assumed danger lurked everywhere. With their senses as sharp as a razor’s edge, the two groups proceeded to their goals.

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  Sunday, July 17, 2011

  Fortress Alpha; 9:00 a.m.

  It was several days since the security breaches. Maas ordered increased surveillance and his men were on high alert. He wanted to make damned certain the incursions would not happen again. The jungle patrols were increased and extended further than normal. Maas expected the Americans to return. But there were no sightings since the two captives were taken. He reviewed the nightly reports from the check points. No mention of any unusual activity although one patrol reported several natives of the area on an apparent hunting trip on the far northeastern per
imeter of the complex far from the exterior hatch compromised earlier.

  Maas needed more information. Exactly who were the Americans? Why were they here? Were they looking for the American man and woman they had captured over a week ago? Damn, he thought to himself. If he only knew these answers they could better prepare for any more clandestine intrusions. There was only one way he knew to get the answers he needed, the old-fashioned way.

  Maas picked up the telephone on his desk. “Have the Americans taken back down to a holding cell below and wait for me there,” he told his guard on the line. “Place them both in one cell and do not harm them in any way. Do you understand?” Maas received the acknowledgement from his guard and placed the phone back in its cradle. He would put a stop to this game right now. After all, the life of the Fortress was at stake. And the Führer made it clear his life was at stake as well.

  Maas stood and left his office for the conference room just down the hall. Damn weekly meetings, he huffed to himself. Maybe this one would be short.

  Maas arrived with the other heads of the various departments in the Fortress. The Führer, as always, was late. It was one of her ways to show how important she was. Nothing could begin without her. Women… Maas loathed women.

  Within minutes the Führer entered flanked by her personal bodyguards and her secretary. Everyone in the room rose and saluted her arrival.

  “Be seated, please,” she said without any emotion. Everyone sat together as one. She looked over at her secretary and nodded an order to proceed.

  “Report on security,” the secretary ordered.

  Maas stood and relayed the information regarding increased surveillance and the continuation of a high alert status for the complex. He reviewed the highlights of the various reports for the week. He made no mention of the two captive Americans or the kidnapping of the cook and technician. The Führer looked at him with stern eyes and reluctantly nodded her acceptance without comment. She was infuriated he did not tell the group the entire story, but decided to deal with him later. Maas sat down relieved that the Führer did not take the opportunity to grill him further about the breaches and the missing personnel. He breathed a sigh of relief. But when he glanced over to the Führer, her eyes were still on him. She was not happy.

  “Report on gold production,” the stoic secretary ordered without changing her tone.

  The director of gold production, Dr. Stefan Scholz, stood and read three technical briefs pertaining to the transformation of lead into gold. The numbers were staggering. Over two tons of gold was produced that week alone in the four transmutation units on site. Several other department heads applauded the news. The Führer smiled openly. For the first time in many months production had returned to a “normal” mode. Previous issues surrounding the processes were solved after months of extensive research and work done by the technical and production teams. This was very good news as all four of the transmutation units were now online. Fifth and sixth units were now under construction with target production dates of mid-next year.

  “Our production personnel have done a great job in solving the previous issues that have plagued us. Now we can move steadily ahead toward our ultimate goals,” said the Führer as she clearly congratulated the production department. Dr. Scholz sat proudly with a smug look about his face as he took in the praise and looked about the room.

  “Report on energy production,” the stoic secretary ordered without looking up.

  A small, wiry man stood to give his report.

  “Our energy situation has also improved,” he said. “Now we can easily maintain the current production goals and support the long-term goals.” He nodded toward the Führer and continued. “Our use of technology to tap the geothermal volcanism of this region has afforded a near limitless source of energy.”

  The Nazis had good reason for their pride in their energy production. Their early trials sought to use some of the nuclear technology brought over from Germany after the war. However, after many attempts, the Nazi technicians abandoned the use of nuclear power due to its high cost both in nuclear materials and the cost of building and maintaining a usable reactor.

  Ten years ago the technicians discovered a small fissure beneath the Fortress enabling access to volcanic actions deep beneath the ground. They found a limitless source of heat which, once harnessed, would provide for the growing power needs of the Fortress. After a huge project to create a safe tap into the geothermal source, the Nazis finally perfected the process of producing steam by injecting water into a heat source. This in turn ran their power-generating equipment. The project also developed a way to multiply the effectiveness of the process by a factor of one hundred. Technicians hailed this process as a nuclear reactor without the radiation. This endless power production process enabled the Nazis to bring four gold transmutation units online. Two more units were planned. The Führer was pleased.

  “Report on finance,” the stoic secretary ordered, glancing to her right. Herrman Kunze rose.

  “I too have great news,” he began. “Our financial contacts throughout are strongly in position and have established numerous gold and financial accounts in banks across the globe. With our gold production becoming normal, thanks to Dr. Scholz, we are poised to set our plans into full motion. We intend to flood the market with gold over the next several years to artificially drive the price down. At the same time our subsidiaries will quietly begin a trickle of gold buying and position ourselves in the market to corner the entire gold market, thus making the Fourth Reich the owner of the vast majority of gold in the world. With that financial power we will topple governments, replacing them with our puppet heads to gain full control of the world.” Kunze smiled. “That is the short version, of course. We developed a very detailed plan which we have already embarked upon. The plan is flawless. The Fourth Reich will endure.” With that Kunze sat down to a room of applause.

  “This is all excellent news,” said the Führer, not masking her excitement in any way. “With this power breakthrough we will continue to grow our capabilities to produce gold. We will use the gold to cripple the world financial markets. We will step in at the appropriate time and seize the markets, controlling the world’s gold market and thus controlling the world.”

  Applause again filled the room. The Führer continued.

  “Your work has brought us to the brink of the demise of the financial and political norms we are all saddled with at this time. The world will no longer be controlled by the United States, the European Union, OPEC nations and the sheiks and power-hungry leaders who think they rule the world. We, the Nazis, will continue our rise to power and complete the creation of the Fourth Reich. We will rule the world!”

  Another rousing round of applause filled the room. A quick glance at her secretary by the Führer brought forth a loud rendition of Deutschland über Alles from hidden speakers around the room. The Führer smiled broadly as everyone in the room stood and sang along. She did her job well. She whipped the group into frenzy, instilling in them a feeling of invincibility. They all felt that this time they would rule the world. Not by war but by a much more powerful tool…Gold!

  As the anthem came to an end, the Führer nodded to her secretary and her entourage left the room. The remainder of the department heads turned to each other, congratulating themselves on a job well done. While Maas was all smiles and shaking hands outwardly, his thoughts were on the Americans.

  By now Maas was obsessed to know answers. He wanted to stand up in this meeting next week and report the most formidable threat to the Fortress and the movement was crushed. But first he must determine what to do about the American rescuers that he knew were coming. As long as they thought he had the two Americans, he knew others would come and seek their release. Maas was determined to kill them all.

  After the meeting Maas returned to his office. He checked for any reports that were placed since he was in that ridiculous meeting. There were none. He picked up the phone and called Oberleutnant Grübner. Gr�
�bner answered the phone on the first ring.

  “Yes, sir,” snapped Grübner, recognizing the extension number on the phone. Grübner was scared to death of Maas. He saw him operate for many years. One thing Grübner was very certain of, do not get on his bad side. Maas loved to simply place someone in a jail cell and leave them there until they died: no food, no water. Sure it took a while but Maas felt this was a good way to inflict the maximum amount of pain and suffering on his enemies. And one thing Maas surely loved was inflicting pain and suffering.

  “Any news from our patrols?” asked Maas without any niceties such as “good day”. His abruptness startled Grübner for a second. It was meant to startle him.

  “Ah, no, sir, we do not have any adverse reports from the patrols or the sensors. I am checking personally with the team leaders every thirty minutes. I also deployed several long-range patrols a full ten kilometers from our normal security perimeter especially in the areas from which the intruders came. Our security cloak is very well in place.”

  “That is very good for your sake, Grübner,” growled Maas. “Both the Führer and I are holding you personally responsible for our protection from these intruders. They will return, I guarantee you. And when they do, I expect you to handle them quickly, quietly and effectively. Do you understand, Oberleutnant?”

  “Absolutely, sir,” answered Grübner as he wiped a small rivulet of sweat from his brow. “I will handle it.”

  “See that you do,” snapped Maas as he hung up the phone. He sat back and looked at the large map on his wall. He stood, walked over to the map, reached down and picked up a red push pin placing it on the map at the site of the hatchway where the intruders had gained access. He stepped back and surveyed the land around the hatch. This area was close to several native trails that crossed through the area.