by DiMirra
The initial rapid fireball expansion severely compressed all surrounding air, producing a gigantic blast wave. It expanded toward its maximum diameter as the fireball cooled. Its temperature dropped to the point where it no longer emitted significant radiation. Upward movement of the blast and the fireball's cooling created the dynamic formation of a mushroom cloud.
. . .
Ten seconds after the President's last utterance, the building shook for a second, as though a large earthquake had struck, and in another second, the heat burned and melted everything in its path. Then everything disintegrated as the shock wave swept away the entire building. Then followed an eerie silence. With transmission suddenly cut, screens 7 and 8 went blank.
Everyone in the room looked at me with questioning faces. I suspected Jack knew what had transpired.
"Ali, what's your read on this?"
"Baba, give me a minute please?"
Ali was back in less than a minute with a solemn face.
"All communications and transmission facilities are down in Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland. The only thing that could cause this would be a an electromagnetic pulse event of serious magnitude -- a nuclear detonation."
To say a hush fell over the room does not do it justice. Only background noises were heard. A grandfather clock chiming in the hallway. The noises an ancient house makes in evening. The crackling fire in the hearth mingled with our own heartbeats.
Ali broke the silence. He said, "Father, I have a lot to do in the next few hours. I will leave the screens up and the analysts will type in event information.
"Operation Globemaster just entered Tehran airspace. The pilot is wearing a head camera. I direct your attention to screen number one."
And with that, he left the room to resume his duties.
Everyone's attention focused on me.
We could all clearly see the panoramic view of a large city from an airplane cockpit.
"Ok, this is clearly one of our ops. In case you don't know it, Iran has seven nuclear devices in the 100 Kiloton range."
From looks on all of the faces I surmised that they knew or suspected this was true.
"Four of the devices left Iran some weeks ago. We've been tracking three on which we had information since that time. We sank a freighter in the Gulf of Aden that carried a device headed toward Israel. We gave information to the NSA on a device headed to the US. The Director assured me this afternoon -- Jack was there -- that they had taken aggressive action and neutralized the threat. Obviously they did not, which brings me to the third device.
"This one was headed to Israel by an overland route. We gave target coordinates in Turkey to the NSA thirty-six hours ago and they did nothing. One can only surmise they intended the weapon to be delivered. Upon learning this, we launched an op and secured that weapon ourselves."
I continued, "What you are witnessing now on screen number one is what I call 'poetic justice.' Tehran is about to be bombed back into the Stone Age with one of their very own weapons, the one they launched against Israel that we recovered. Ali gave the director of Mossad a link to this channel."
We all watched as the pilot looked at his instrument panel. We could clearly see he was in the glide path at 3,000 feet with the expanse of Tehran spread out before him. Then the screen suddenly went blank.
We had an hour before the Gold works raid, so I asked Mario to make something to hold us over. Within minutes, the cart arrived with crème brulees and Windsor torts, followed by steaming pots of coffee. There was also a Ming Dynasty porcelain teapot full of green tea, a gift from the Premier of China.
Screen 7 came to life with a shot from the Blue Ridge mountains, 45 miles West of DC. In the cold, clear night air, the mushroom cloud hovering over DC was still visible. The night vision camera's green display was a deeply sobering sight for which nobody in the room had words.
Chapter 24
Mt. Weather, Virginia: 22:20, January 20th
Six hours before the nuclear detonation, we moved our DC personnel to an auxiliary compound on Mt. Weather that had its own power source. Paradoxically, this was only a mile from the Congressional bunker, built for this very purpose. It sat empty except for the Secretary of the Interior, the Designated Survivor.
I said to Robert, "One weapon is still unaccounted for. I also have an itch in the back of my brain that says the Ebola variant virus is about to make its debut in America. I have these recurring thoughts or visions that thousands of infected people are streaming across the border into the US."
"Johnny, what makes you think that?" Robert asked.
"Because if I were intent on destroying America, that's what I would do next.
"I think the same pressures and forces that destroyed Europe are now at work in the US. I expect the country to spiral out of control for some months. It will be an exceedingly dangerous place.
"Please visit the Estancia in Argentina, where Helen is, for a week or so, while we try to sort all this out. We'll be able to inject you back into the system at some point, perhaps in a high-level leadership role. What do you say?"
"When can I leave?"
"Just after the raid. I'll send Etsa with you."
Screens 12 and 13, focused on the Gold Works, started to show some activity. It was time for the shift change. The action would become fast and furious shortly. We would dispense more justice that night than the Colombian government had accomplished in 30 years.
I studied Sun Tzu until I could recite him by rote because my teacher was Don Francisco, who graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy. I thought the most important section was his liberal use of spies -- one good spy is worth an entire army. I had that spy in cousin Guzman.
Ali showed up on Screen 2, looking refreshed and ready for what was ahead for him that night and early the following morning.
He said, "Baba, I've been in regular contact with the CDC (Center for Disease Control) concerning this Ebola crisis. They have maybe a half-dozen cases on the US border, unconfirmed. Four are in Phoenix with two in Laredo. It's 'the wild west' on the border right now with the invasion.
"A touch of good news on the invasion front for our American friends -- the Commanding General at Camp Pendleton is a Marine. He has taken it upon himself to secure the Border States. He legally assumes the rank of Field Marshall, a Five Star General, in the absence of higher authority after the bombing of DC. This granted him plenipotentiary powers to do whatever is necessary to govern and protect the state."
I said, "Ali, I sense some testosterone at work here."
Ali replied, "Back to the Ebola outbreak. I have spoken with my counterpart in Moscow. I advised him how grave the situation is on his southern front. He says they are mobilizing a Rapid Deployment Force to strategic locations there. They will deploy 250,000 soldiers along that border within ten days. Further, they've called up 500,000 reservists to report within 10 days. The General did not tell me this, but they are also moving Air Force units and tactical nukes into that theater."
"Hold on, Ali. I think things are heating up at the Gold Works."
Uwishun was on site. He stuck his head in front of the camera and winked at me. He had already identified the infiltrators and the new hires. It was organized much like entering a prison, when one group of ten enters an enclosed area and is identified, then they exit toward the facility.
On this night, the first ten through the door were Escalante's men. This group came in the entrance door, which closed as the workers prepared to show their ID's and go about their jobs.
The room was solid, 25 feet long and 15 feet wide, with heavy, locked steel doors on both ends. In the middle, there was a security window on the left wall, much like you would see at any bank. There was no ceiling. A series of metal catwalks hung above the room at about 12 feet. This night, the catwalk was lined with eight of our men carrying Russian-made 7.62mm AK-47s, with silencers.
These were all hard men -- murderers, kidnappers, torturers, rapists and pedophiles. They had chose
n this life through their actions. Courts in Latin America are notoriously lenient and corrupt, which is a very bad combination. If we turned them over to authorities, they'd all be free again in ten to twenty years.
Our job was not to judge them. Tonight, our job was to arrange their meeting with their Creator for His judgment. One of our men on the catwalk gave a low whistle. All the workers turned in unison and looked up. We opened fire. It was all over in that room within five seconds.
There was a trail the other eight gunmen would have to take to surprise the roving patrols. Uwishun was waiting with our forces just off to the side -- six men low on the ground to the left with Jivaroson and Guaranison in the trees on the right side.
Ali broke in for a moment. "Father, here is the first good video of the Iran strike. It appears that the Ayatollah and most of the government went down. First estimate on casualties is 800,000.
"The Republican Guard in Bandar Abbas is rallying troops for an attack on the Emirates, whom they believe are complicit.
"We're going to need some help in fending off this Emirates attack. I spoke with General Hamilton, who's now in charge of the Marine Corps. He put me touch with Admiral Aronson, whom I believe you have met. I think Admiral Aronson has assumed control of the Navy. I told General Hamilton, in no uncertain terms, that the DC nuke was Pakistani but delivered by the Republican Guard in a purloined airplane. His highness has the confessions.
"It would be immensely helpful if you would speak to Admiral Aronson immediately because all this is happening in real time. I know he has the Sea Wolf in-theater. That's all we need. Ten tactical nukes will stop this attack in its tracks. We will paint targets or transmit coordinates -- whatever he needs."
"Ok Ali," I said, "Will do so within the hour. Were busy with the Gold Works raid at the moment."
"By the way Father, I posted the interception of the Sudanese yacht on screen 16. I'll get back when I have more."
"Masha'allah, (Whatever Allah wills) Ali. "
It was one of those exceedingly hot and humid nights, so uncomfortable that the insects were not singing. It was deathly quiet. Uwishun and Jivaroson wore helmet camera gear. We would have a clear view of the guerillas stalking down the path.
The six guerilla boats were three miles south of the Gold Works and idling toward the docks. They passed our hidden patrol's inflatables that were stationed in a small clear-water creek that emptied into the Rio Vaupes. We had two more inflatables a mile to the north as a backup. Guzman would not be using that route.
Our ground forces opened fire as the guerillas drew even with Uwishun's position. They went down like bowling pins, dead on the spot. Their rear guard turned and started to flee when he saw the gun flashes.
Jivaroson let out a growl and grunted as he leapt from his tree, landing squarely on the leader's back, driving him to the ground. His radio sounded a call from Escalante. Jivaroson motioned for the leader to answer.
Escalante spoke through the radio -- "Lopez, todo en orden (Is everything in order)?"
Lopez replied, "Si Jefe, ven pa'ca (Yes boss, come ahead.)"
Jivaroson immediately plunged his canines into Lopez's left jugular vein, opening it up. He dropped Lopez to bleed out on the trail.
Then I took some time to set the stage for the Iran situation on behalf of Ali. I placed a sat phone call to Admiral Aronson.
"Hi Johnny, how did you get this number?" he answered my call.
I said, "Admiral Aronson, first and foremost, we're in the intelligence business. We have everyone's number.
I continued, "Difficult times call for difficult decisions and men of courage and action."
"Johnny, please call me Dan. How can I help you?"
"Great, Dan. Here's what we know in a nutshell. It was a 'missing' Pakistani nuke, either stolen or purchased by the Republican Guard. It was put to use, at their direction, through a team of dissatisfied Princes in Saudi who were bent on leading the new Caliphate. They have been caught, they confessed. I had a man there. So I am satisfied, and they have been executed.
"I've just sent you a video of a meeting with the NSA Director and SecNav wherein I warned them about the imminent attack on the fleets, three days ago. The information was obviously disregarded.
"We intercepted that nuke that just hit Tehran, in Turkey, as it was making its way to Israel. We informed the NSA Director and she took no action. So we intervened and 'returned it to sender.'
You may also know that we ferreted out the Tareq and gave the coordinates to your predecessor. I understand you lost two boats in the engagement. So sorry about that.
"I'm looking at a really big picture here. What I see is the need for decisive action, particularly in areas where we have a commonality of interests.
"There are two areas that need our attention now. The first and most immediate is the Republican Guard in Bandar Abbas. They are massing for an attack against the Emirates, who leased us the aircraft. They should not pay a penalty because they have been friends to both of us.
"Ali Alfarsi is my son, in case you did not know. He informs me that the Sea Wolf is still in the theater. We need a strike with ten tactical nuclear Tomahawks on six predetermined targets, which will effectively neutralize them.
"Dan, the stakes are high. If you don't take action, the US will essentially lose its influence in the region. My backup plan is to seek help from China, which will cement their roll in the region as the new power."
"Now just a minute, Johnny. This sounds like blackmail."
"I suppose you could look at it that way, Dan. I would prefer you view it otherwise -- as me preferring to come to you first. At any rate, things are breaking fast in that region. I can only give you an hour for your decision. It's your call.
"'Ham' has taken control of the Corps and is doing what's necessary. Also, Ham has a division of Marines stuck in unfriendly territory outside Kabul. If you'll provide ships off Pakistan, I'll clear the way to bring them out. The alternative is through China, who will agree to safe passage."
"How do you know they will agree?"
"They need our help with their Ebola epidemic."
"Ebola epidemic?"
"Yes. Out of control. Twenty million casualties and rising by the hour. Dan, I know you don't know me well, please ask around – at Langley, with the Brits, the French, Hell even the Russians. We know what is going on. We do what we say we'll do."
With that, I signed off the call.
Our boys at the Gold Works launched a Raven for continued live coverage. Uwishun and crew rounded up the Toyota pickups and made a mad dash for the docks, shooting off a red flare as they left.
Escalante, El Asesino, was a cautious and superstitious man. For these reasons he had survived so long. He signaled the lead boat in the flotilla forward to the dock area, while he held back, making sure that things were going as planned. He had tried to radio his man again but we had started jamming the area. All he heard was static.
Our boats closed in from behind at a steady pace. They were setting up for a blocking maneuver. Three Blackhawks took off from the base with Seal Teams, headed to the Escalante encampment in eastern Ecuador.
Escalante gave the signal to his boat pilot to cut the engines. She glided aimlessly and then went dead in the water. Watching the feed from the Raven, our boats trailing Escalante also cut their motors and were gliding forward. The jungle was calm, a breeze picked up and the insects began to sing again. Somewhere, a Howler monkey was disturbed and let out a roar, immediately answered by a dozen others.
Chapter 25
The Day After: January 21st
Our chopper was rotating blades on the helipad as Cristina and I bade Robert farewell and Godspeed. Jack would head back to the airfield with him to check on the continuing operation. We hadn't a moment alone since I arrived. We stood in the rotor wash and kissed that kiss that made my knees weak and my body throb as if possessed.
It was one AM and we were ready for each other. I swept her off her feet an
d carried her into the music room, which was nearest. It had been only four days that felt like four years. The tension, the not knowing, the sorrow, were all swept away by her convulsing body, tears of joy and sobs of ecstasy.
I awakened Mario at 3 AM. He grumbled, and I told him "We need some espressos, two farmers' omelets with the works, home fries and fresh squeezed orange juice." I asked him to join us in my study for an early breakfast. He was an interesting man and a fabulous chef. He had trained in Paris and worked the finest restaurants in New York. In the end, he missed the country life in Colombia.
We watched the Raven feed from the Gold Works, picking up with Escalante's launch floating without power. The optics were so good that I could actually identify him. We could tell, by his body language, he didn't like the situation. He signaled the pilot to turn around and they sped down the Vaupes toward our waiting inflatables. My troops became aware of the maneuver and set up to the inside of a bend to force his boat wide, into a tree fall on the opposite, shallow side. Exactly what I would have done.
The order was to take him alive, if possible. The inflatables opened up with their mini-guns ranging 20 yards in front of his bow. Escalante was in the bow and saw the tree fall ahead. This man was no dummy. He recognized instantly what was about to happen. He dove off the starboard side, away from our fire, into the shallow water, just seconds before the launch hit the tree fall at 40 mph and went airborne.
It was dark and our troops searched for 15 minutes -- lots of dead bodies but no Escalante. Using the Raven and the tree fall as a point of entry, the hunt was on. He was on my land without aid, and alone. We would look for him and we would find him.
I received a text from Uwishun to say he inserted Jivaroson and Guaranison at the point of entry into the jungle for a hot pursuit. This would be a long, long night for Escalante.
The Sudanese yacht interdiction was cued up. I hit play. A pair of Ravens shot it from a distance at some altitude. We had several views. You could actually see the Apache raining fire down on the port side in one video while the Defender opened up with the Bofors 40s on the starboard side, starting with the wheelhouse. In six minutes, down she went. That man aboard was one of the most atrocious sub-human beings on the planet, and directly responsible for death and suffering on a colossal scale. Good riddance.