by JC Ryan
As Nguyen finished, Hayden sat back in thoughtful silence for a moment. “Do you know what happened to the other cabinet members?”
“Unfortunately, they got cold feet and tried to run away. They were captured by that rebel group who is organizing the march. That group still has them. I expect they will meet with the same fate as I did.”
“How in the hell did they know about the cabinet members running away?” Hayden demanded.
“Your Chief of Staff, Rod Barrett, is the man who has been leaking information from this office,” Nguyen whispered.
Hayden’s blood pressure skyrocketed, and as Nguyen vanished from the room, he opened the top left drawer of his desk and took out his gun.
It was time for the meeting and as the Secret Service agents arrived, he yelled at them to find Barrett immediately and bring him in. With a sense of satisfaction, he cocked the gun and laid it on the desk before him; he was going to shoot Barrett the moment he walked through the door. But Barrett couldn’t be found anywhere.
***
His new military officers arrived only moments behind the Secret Service agents and Hayden got right down to business with them. Keeping his meeting with the deceased Nguyen to himself, he outlined what needed to happen just as Nguyen told him.
Hayden appeared calm, cool and collected as he delivered his instructions to his advisors, but he had a wild look in his eyes. They were used to his ravings but this calm, cool and collected business simply scared the daylights out of them.
They didn’t exactly agree with his plans but didn’t dare to disagree—Hayden’s wild eyes and seeing the POTUS with a sidearm ready at hand was reason enough for them to shut up and listen.
The people gathered at Raven Rock and the Rabbit Hole sighed in relief when the meeting ended and Hayden’s plan, as suggested by Nguyen, was unanimously accepted without any changes.
Chapter 84- Operation Winnow
Eric and a few of his Tectus team members moved slowly through the milling and growing crowd at West Potomac Park. The spyders and nearly invisible ear phones and mics he and his team wore, allowed everyone back at the Ops Center at the Rabbit Hole to see what was happening and the entire team to communicate inconspicuously with one another.
The Ops Center had the video screens and secured satellite connections to the mirror phones and all of Roy’s toys; they could monitor and respond to situations and needs in real time as they arose and communicate directly and instantly with all key people.
“Sam, don’t be misled by the calmness of the crowd, I can feel the tension, you can cut it with a knife.” Eric reported nervously, “it isn’t going to last.”
Eric checked his watch. Jack and Dennis, and their teams would be moving into position in the tunnels, readying themselves to approach and enter the White House from opposite sides.
The corners of his mouth twitched in a brief smile as he thought of Daniel and the fight he’d put up to be part of the invading party. He had to admire the man; he wasn’t the type of leader who would lead from the back.
Making a bet with himself that the two Secret Service agents wouldn’t be able to keep Daniel hidden in the tunnel until called for, he continued to move slowly and easily toward the front of the crowd.
Sam’s voice came through his earpiece with a status update for everyone. “Alright people, standby, this show is about to get on the road.
“Hayden had his surveillance drones launched a few minutes ago; they’re now overhead at the park, monitoring the crowd. Roy, are your drones ready?”
“Already on site about three-hundred feet above Hayden’s. Telemetry indicates approximately half a million people in attendance,” Roy responded.
“Standing by to jam Hayden’s drone’s signals and get them out of there,” Raj added.
“Very good,” Sam replied. “According to our little spyfly and spyder friends, Hayden and his advisors have secured themselves in the Situation Room to watch. Most of the armed guards are still inside the White House.”
At 7:30 Eric interrupted, “Scout One to base. The march has begun,” he reported as the front of the crowd moved down the street with banners and weapons, shouting slogans.
“Away with Hayden! End martial law! Hayden be gone! Hayden lied to us! We are starving! Feed us! No more promises! We want food!” were just a few of the expressions Eric could see and hear.
“We see them,” Sam replied. “Alright everyone, here we go. We have time before they head for the White House, but stand ready and be prepared to move at a moment’s notice.”
“Kingpin, Sandman, Knight One … you’re a go to enter the tunnels. Proceed to you designated holding areas and stand by.” The call sign Kingpin was allocated to Jack, Sandman was Dennis, and Knight One was Daniel.
With the assistance of Mouse, Kerinski, and Elize—the young girl who helped Laurie and Daniel escape from the White House when Hayden took over, the team had put together a detailed map of the White House and its tunnels. They knew every room, hallway, closet, and corner better than Hayden or any of his Secret Service agents.
At Sam’s order, the teams began to move out. In the basement of the Blair House, Mouse—designated the call sign ‘Kingpin Two’ opened the door to the tunnel and motioned for Jack and the team to follow. They moved quietly through the tunnel to the base of the stairs outside the secret entrance to the basement office on the North-West corner of the West Wing where they would wait.
At the same time, ‘Sandman Two,’ Kerinski, was leading Dennis and his team through a nearly invisible opening in the side of the storm drain they were in. “It’s so dark in that alcove, no wonder no one’s ever found this,” Dennis whispered.
“Yes, it’s part of the old drainage system from the White House,” Kerinski replied.
Daniel paced quietly in the basement of the Blair House under the watchful eyes of his two Secret Service agents.
He hated the idea of not being with one of the teams. He stopped before the door to the tunnel and glared at it, then turned to glower at his agents before resuming his path across the basement and back.
Their job was to protect him, with their lives if necessary, and they had made it clear to him that they would do whatever it took to keep him safe—even from himself. “Just following orders, sir,” they told Daniel.
Elize, who had accompanied them and agreed to stay with Daniel, smiled internally at his frustration but gave him a sympathetic look the next time their eyes met.
***
Sam turned to his team in the Ops Center. “Let’s have a report from everyone, starting with the Situation Room.”
One by one the people designated to monitor each area reported.
“Hayden and his advisors are watching the march from the situation room through the video feed from his drones. Two guards are outside the door to the room. Four other guards are moving about the area of the West Wing basement.”
“We have a dozen guards waiting in the Oval Office, another dozen in the Cabinet Room, and four moving about the main floor of the West Wing. Two additional guards are stationed at the parking lot exit door.”
“Sub-basement and Mezzanine levels are clear.”
“I counted about one hundred guards in various locations on the ground level of the main house.”
“There’s about hundred and fifty scattered around the first floor.”
“Add about fifty on the second floor with a half dozen out on the balcony.”
“And another fifty on the third floor; plus, a dozen divided between the Promenade and the roof.”
“The second floor of the East Wing is clear, and there are about twenty-five guards on the ground floor. Everything below is sealed up. Hayden was furious when he couldn’t get in to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center and had the maintenance staff board up all access points to below.”
***
Hayden and his advisers watched the river of people moving toward the Washington Monument.
“There sure are
a lot of them aren’t there?” Hayden chuckled. “I really ruffled a bunch of feathers, didn’t I?”
His advisors looked at him without speaking. His laughing unnerved them. How could he be laughing at a moment like this? Making a mockery of starving people—his countrymen, famished because of his obsession with power rather than care for his people.
Finally, one of them found his tongue and spoke carefully so as not to infuriate the temperamental president, “that’s quite a lynch mob alright,” he said in as neutral a tone as he could manage.
Hayden laughed hysterically. “Yep! I’ve created quite an army of enemies!” he said, slapping the advisor next to him on the shoulder nearly sending him sprawling on the floor. “But, I’ve said from the outset, I’m not here to win a popularity contest, I’m here to restore our country.”
Nobody spoke.
“Look at their weapons!” Hayden laughed while pointing at the screen. “Pitchforks, clubs, shovels, and knives! They think they’re going to overpower me with those. Ha! The only things missing are knights on horses with swords and lances.” He laughed almost hysterically.
As the marchers gathered around the Washington Monument and the speeches began, Hayden’s advisors’ anxiety grew with each new speaker, for they were powerful orators. Each one seemed to have a gift for touching the people’s emotional core, stirring them deeply, passionately.
The shouting and chanting intensified, growing toward a fevered pitch as the speeches progressed.
Hayden noticed the anxiety of his advisors and laughed. “Quit worrying; I’ll order protection for you, keep you safe from the pitchforks!”
He called the head of the security detail on the roof. “Get a dozen snipers up there and tell them if they see anyone at the monument with a gun, they are to take those individuals out before the march to the White House begins.”
Turning back to his advisors with glee he said, “See? That easy, nothing to worry about.”
***
The speeches became more seditious and inflammatory, driving the crowd into a frenzy. The people were screaming, shouting and chanting slogans, balling their fists and shouting threats and profanities in the direction of the White House.
Sam and the others at the Rabbit Hole watched in alarm as the speakers fanned the emotional flames of the burning crowd.
Eric moved carefully along the outskirts of the degenerate mob. Thank God, there are no firearms in sight. At least one good thing came from Brideaux’s merciless actions to disarm the people across the world.
He looked again at the assortment of weapons carried by the protesters: knives, machetes, axes, shovels, pitchforks, clubs, baseball bats, some crossbows, and even Molotov Cocktails he thought, spotting the glass bottles with wicks in the end and knowing they were filled, not with refreshment but with gas and motor oil … the poor man’s grenade. Deadly, all of them, but useless against Hayden’s men armed with automatic weapons and armored vehicles. They were literally taking knives to a gunfight.
Please, Lord. Let them not get close to the White House; he prayed quietly.
Noticing that the last speaker was taking the improvised stage, Eric contacted Sam. “Scout One to base.”
“Base, go Scout One.”
“This is the last speech; then they are going to move. This crowd is irrepressible as you can probably see.”
“Acknowledged; ordering phase two of Operation Winnow.”
***
Before Sam finished giving the order, Raj’s fingers hit the keyboard, immediately jamming the signals of Hayden’s drones, took control of them and steered them away from the scene at the monument.
Within seconds the video feed to the situation room in the White House blurred, became snowy, and blanked out altogether.
Everyone looked at Hayden expecting a violent outburst.
Much to their surprise, instead of throwing a tantrum, he was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. It was happening exactly as Nguyen said it would.
“Ok, that’s the signal; they’re now going to storm the White House,” he spoke gleefully. “Let the dogs out,” he ordered, referring to the several hundred heavily armed guards he had waiting all over the White House.
“Make sure they all understand that they have to let the crowd come to within two-hundred yards before they open fire. They must mow them down without mercy—this shit ends tonight—this is the day we teach the people of America discipline and respect for the law. Shoot to kill!
“And when those people turn and run, don’t stop firing—they must shoot and keep on shooting until they run out of ammo. Then we’ll send in the armored vehicles and chase them down.
“I will not be happy, and I won’t rest until we have killed at least five thousand of those renegades, the more, the better—this needs to send a message to everyone in this country.
“Are my orders understood?” Hayden growled.
“But, Sir!” one of the military officers rose to his feet, “that’s mass murder of innocent civilians!” he objected.
Hayden drew his gun and pointed it to the officer. “What did you say?”
“I said, it’s mass murder of civilians, sir,” the officer whispered, as he slowly sat down.
“Are you refusing to execute my orders?”
“No… sir, but… I…” was as far as he got before Hayden interrupted him.
“Good.” Hayden looked around at the others and asked, “anyone else want to question my orders?”
The other officers shook their heads in disgusted silence and left the room to instruct their men.
***
Sam and the people in the Ops Center heard every word and it filled them with nausea—this man was an animal—they all knew it already—nevertheless, it was shocking to hear it again.
Sam thumbed the button on the mic and gave his orders – “Eagle One, he addressed Roy, get those heat rays up and make sure no one gets over that line—turn the heat up if you have to. I’d rather we treat a few burn wounds than bullet wounds or have to bury dead people.”
“Badger, base; activate the mosquitos,” he ordered, knowing Raj would release the first batch of etorphine mosquitos, and every guard at every station inside the White House would feel a brief sting before blacking out.
“Kingpin, Sandman, you are a go,” he directed Jack and Dennis. “Remember, no shooting unless your life is in danger. If we a can get this done without bloodshed it will strengthen Knight One’s position.
“And remember we are recording everything on video so that we can show the public afterward. Be careful and be gentle.”
In the sub-basement on the Southeast side of the White House, Dennis carefully opened the hidden door and stepped into a storage room. His team of six followed quietly behind him, and they made their way to the hallway.
Although already assured by the team at the Rabbit Hole that the area was clear, Dennis checked the hallway before leading his team into it.
They exited the storage room to the left, and proceeded down the hall several yards before turning to their right and ascending a narrow set of stairs.
As they reached the ground floor, the staircase widened, and they paused to check that the way was clear. Dennis noted several guards laying on the floor or slumped in chairs. Well done team!
He nodded to his team to quickly put zip ties on the guards and remove their weapons before continuing the climb to the roof.
The staircase to the third floor narrowed again and they exited into an empty hallway, stepping over a sleeping guard who was immediately zip tied and relieved of his firearm. They entered a North bedroom and one by one climbed through the window, spreading out according to plan. Three moved along the Promenade and three prepared to follow Dennis, who was unpacking a rope ladder, onto the roof.
“Sandman to Badger,” Dennis called Raj, “we’re in place.”
“Roger Sandman, standby,” Raj replied, indicating that he was activating the next batch of etorphine mosquitos to take out the guards
and snipers on the roof.
Two drones that were circling the White House would release their loads on those guards outside on the White House grounds as soon as the roof was secured.
Dennis watched as the guard nearest him sank to his knees and fell over on his side. “That’s it, let’s move!” he whispered and moved up onto the roof with his team following and spreading out to their designated stations. Again, they quickly zip tied their targets and removed their firearms before they moved to the roof perimeters to see what was happening below.
***
The site that greeted them momentarily froze them in their tracks.
The crowd was enraged beyond sanity. Some of them broke ranks and ran toward the White House followed by others. The frontrunners advanced about one hundred or so yards and suddenly stopped in their tracks.
They’re obviously feeling the effects of the heat rays. Dennis surmised.
When they stopped, and tried to turn back they were knocked to the ground by those behind them—the swarm had become a stampede!
“Eagle One!” Sam called Roy, “Move the heat rays back, closer to the crowd. We need to stop them from moving, or they’re going to trample each other to death!”
“Roger base! Moving rays now,” Roy responded steering the drones towards the masses, strafing the wild, stampeding crowd with the invisible microwaves.
People began screaming from the pain of the burning sensation, quickly abandoning the attack on the White House, and turning away from whatever was burning their skin.
As the people started to turn away, Roy and his team maneuvered the drones and the heat rays to segment the crowd into smaller groups and make channels of escape while still blocking them from the White House.
From his vantage point on the roof and the help of Roy’s drones circling the White House, Dennis directed his men on the ground to the remaining guards who were not hit by the first wave of mosquitoes.
Some of them quickly became aware something weird was happening when they lost radio contact with their buddies and commanders. They panicked and tried to retreat which brought them out in the open where the mosquitoes got them.