by Rafael Hines
General Palmer added, “Let’s all take a seat and start over.” Looking over with contempt at Meecham he turned back to speak to John.
“John, you understand why you’re here. I hope we can count on you to help out.”
“Absolutely, sir. I just want to make sure my family’s okay.”
“Understood.”
The large mahogany door with a hand-carved emblem of Homeland Security opened silently and the twins brought in Felix, still wearing handcuffs.
“What is this? Is he being charged with a crime?” John asked.
“Not by us,” Captain Ryan said.
“Then why is he still cuffed?”
“Deputy Meecham’s orders,” replied Agent Matthews nervously.
“He’s a convicted murderer and he assaulted a cop today. He should be in jail and definitely not in this room with us,” Meecham said.
“That cop mistook me for a terrorist. Not his fault, but he almost blew me away. Felix saved my life. Is the department pressing charges here Captain?”
“No we’re not. The officer involved corroborates what you just said. He made a poor assessment of the situation and accidentally discharged his weapon. Take those cuffs off him,” Ryan said.
Agent Matthews waited until his boss, Meecham, nodded reluctantly and then released Felix. Felix rubbed his wrists to get the circulation back then walked over to John and gave him a warm embrace.
“Glad you’re okay.”
“You too.”
Just then Tony Kolter, Director of the National Security Agency, entered the room with his deputy. He was five-ten and two hundred-fifty pounds, with pock marked cheeks and a nose that had been broken several times. A former wrestler and Army Ranger, even at sixty-five he was still a bull of a man. A bull that didn’t take any bullshit.
“Where are we?” he asked simply.
“Just getting started,” Terry Hall said.
“Then let’s get going. The president is waiting for my call and I want to hear this young man’s story first,” Kolter said.
“What can you tell us about the events in the park today John?” asked Agent Hall.
“Well, after I proposed to my girlfriend and asked my cousin here to be my best man, me and Felix walked over to the Blue Water Grill to have a lobster lunch to celebrate. We finished eating at 2PM and I walked around the market while he went into a store. After about ten minutes of strolling around the northwest side of the farmer’s market I got a bad feeling.”
“You got a feeling?” Meecham said sarcastically.
“Shut your mouth and don’t interrupt him again,” General Palmer said venomously. Palmer knew he’d just made a new and powerful enemy, but he wasn’t about to sit back and see a man like John get abused.
“Continue your report Sergeant.”
“Thank you, sir. I thought I was imagining things, but after doing a quick recon of the area I spotted the two terrorists in the middle of the crowd.”
“What gave them away?”
“At first glance, the fact that they were both wearing matching black jackets, which was odd for such a hot day. Also, they were clearly Muslim and they were standing still in the middle of a moving crowd in the center of the market. My gut told me these guys were wrong. So, I moved in closer from their blind side and when I got within five or six feet I heard the primary bomber reciting his death prayer in Dari. Dari or Farsi is the dominant language of Afghanistan. From his accent I could tell he was from the Eastern part of the country and Dari wasn’t his first language. He probably grew up speaking Pashto or one of the local tribal dialects in the frontier region.”
John paused and looked over at several aides franticly taking notes. “Am I going too fast?”
“No John, you’re doing great. Your report is being recorded and transcribed. Please continue,” Terry Hall said.
“I then observed what I will again call the primary bomber holding a thumb depressed detonator in his left hand. There were hundreds of people: women and children everywhere. There was no doubt about his intentions. He was going to blow himself up and it would’ve been a blood bath. I knew I had to act fast, so I moved I moved in from behind them and engaged the second subject, killing him with a knife blow to the back of the neck.”
“Why him first and not the bomber?” Terry asked.
“Well, the bomber had his head down in prayer. Terrorist two was security and he was there to shoot anyone who tried to interfere. I didn’t mention that I observed a bag at his feet with the butt of an automatic rifle sticking out of it. I knew if I went after the bomber first, the second terrorist would engage me to try and pry the thumb button free, and boom, game over.”
This was the first accounting of the day’s events for Felix and he was awestruck listening to what happened.
“I then neutralized the bomber utilizing the same knife blow to the back of his neck. In his case, as I struck him I had to grab his hand and keep the pressure on the release button. I managed to do that and diffuse the devise,” John said nonchalantly, as if this was something people do every day.
“What happened next John?”
“There were people standing around watching and taking pictures. I knew the attack wasn’t over. They wouldn’t waste their time with just a single two man team. I removed the AK-47 from their bag and after firing four warning shots to get the crowd moving I was fired upon by a third terrorist from across the street at 16th and Union Square West. I returned fire and hit him once on the left side of his torso below the chest. I believe he’s hurt, but not critically wounded assuming he finds treatment. I also believe he was the leader of the operation.”
“Why?” General Palmer asked.
“Sir, he was only carrying a pistol. Nine mil. I’m pretty sure it was a Berretta from the gun’s profile. If he was a primary operator he would’ve been packing more firepower.” He paused. “From his position it was the perfect place to observe and coordinate the mission without being trapped on a rooftop. I didn’t see radios on any of them so I don’t think he was in direct contact with the two teams of bombers, but my gut tells me he was in charge. Just one soldier’s opinion, sir.”
“I see.”
“Then there’s the fact that I kinda met him two days ago.”
There was stunned silence from everyone in the room. Even Director Kolter had a physical reaction to this piece of news. His back stiffened and he placed both palms carefully down on the table.
“What! You know this guy?” Meecham screeched.
“Don’t know him, but we crossed paths. We were both arrested on Thursday night,” John said nodding towards Felix, “and the guy I shot was in our holding cell. I was in my dress uniform on my way to my homecoming party when we got locked up. My uni really set this guy off. He spit at me.”
“Hold up. You can’t be serious. That long-nosed dude I knocked out is the same guy you shot today? No way,” Felix said.
“Crazy, but yeah, same guy.”
“Spooky.”
“And then some,” John added.
“You’re saying you assaulted this man, Mr. Valdez?” Meecham asked.
“Damn right I did. “That son of a bitch spit at John.. Felt his beak break on impact, and lights out, baby.”
“You two morons don’t even realize that you probably caused this attack by your actions in the jail.”
Felix jumped up from his chair. “Morons!? Who are you anyway? You’re talking about my cousin? My cousin who’s got more medals than any soldier since World War II? The guy who saved hundreds of lives today, maybe thousands? Hey pal, whoever you are, go fuck yourself.”
“Valdez, you are about to find out what a mistake it is to curse at the Director of Homeland Security,” Meecham said.
“You just promote yourself, Meecham?” John asked. “It was Deputy Director a few minutes ago.”
“I misspoke. I…”
John ignored his fumbling and looked at Tony Kolter. “Sir, there’s no way this operation wasn’t
planned months in advance. This wasn’t some pissed off loner. It was a well planned, coordinated group attack.”
“I agree.” Kolter had had enough. “Meecham, take a hike. When I brief the president I’m recommending he fire your ass for impeding this investigation.”
Meecham balled his fists at his sides and his whole body shook in anger. He regained his composure and stared long and hard at John and Felix and then menacingly pointed a thin index finger at each of them before storming out of the room.
Captain Ryan had already picked up the phone and gave terse commands.
“Get me names and photos of every person we had at Central Booking on Thursday night. And I need them ten minutes ago!”
Kolter turned to John and Felix. “Sorry about that. Meecham’s an asshole. He thinks he’s the second coming of J. Edgar Hoover. I hear he even has his own team of private investigators collecting dirt on people so he can coerce them to do his bidding. He’s one of those evil little pricks that gets real pleasure out of creating problems, but don’t worry, you won’t see him again.”
“That’s what my cousin said about the guy who spit at him in jail. Just like that terrorist I think we’re definitely going to be seeing and hearing from Meecham again,” Felix said thoughtfully.
“Bank on it,” John said.
Tony Kolter had his hands behind his head, staring up at the recessed track lights as he digested everything John had reported.
“As Napoleon once said, ‘give me a man who’s lucky.’” Turning to John he said, “Well Sergeant, you’ve had quite the homecoming. You saved a whole bunch of lives today, son. Thank you for your service and your decisive action.”
“What happened after we left the scene?” John asked.
“You were right about everything you warned us about,” Captain Ryan said. “We found a flower truck a hundred feet from where we were standing packed with enough C4, TNT, and gasoline to take out three city blocks. The bag with weapons was booby trapped too. It was designed to blow when someone picked it up.”
Felix reflexively grabbed John’s arm and squeezed hard. “Shit, you saved my ass, primo,” he said and exhaled deeply.
“How many casualties from the bomb that went off?” John asked.
“Good news, at least in the context of what might have been if you hadn’t been there. The second team blew themselves up when the park had been mostly cleared by your warning shots. We have just over twenty injured. Three are serious, but they’re all expected to pull through. Most of the others are just cuts from flying debris. No fatalities. The two terrorists did not survive the blast of course and they blew the head off the statue of Gandhi. You saved us all John.”
General Palmer stood up walked over to him. “Sergeant, you saved thousands of lives today. Job well done.” He snapped to attention and saluted formally.
All John could say was, “Thank you sir,” while standing and returning the salute.
The Q & A session lasted another hour. They both identified Amir Rashid from his mug shot. His picture was sent out city, state and nation wide and forwarded to Interpol.
Kolter had stepped out to brief the president. When he came back he said, “The president will be contacting you both personally. Can we count on your assistance if anything else comes up?”
“Absolutely,” they replied in unison.
“Now, is there anything we can do for you? You can reach me on this number day or night,” he said handing them each his card.
“Two things,” John said.
“Name them.”
“One, our names stay out of the paper. I know this is big news, but I want us to stay anonymous. I don’t want CNN and Oprah calling us for interviews.”
“Done.”
“Two, this guy Amir Rashid or whatever his real name is has seen us both. He obviously has resources and plenty of firepower at his disposal.”
“Agreed. So?”
“I want concealed weapons permits for both of us. Felix is as good a shot as I am, and I don’t want to get arrested again if we have to protect ourselves.”
Kolter looked at John for several seconds before answering.
“I’m a no bullshit guy. We know who your uncle is and what he does.” Turning to Felix he said, “Felix, I don’t think you’re a drug dealer, but you do have a felony murder conviction.” He paused for another long moment and then said to Ryan, “Make it happen. Give ‘em both permits and hardware before they leave the building. You two be careful and stay close in case we need you,” said Kolter over his shoulder as he walked out.
“Give me a few minutes to get you outfitted,” Ryan said.
Palmer was one of the few generals outside of an active war zone that insisted on carrying a side arm. He unclipped his holster from his belt and handed it to John. Colonel Masters, the aide at his elbow did likewise and handed his piece to Felix. It was the ultimate act of respect. For a soldier at any rank his weapon is part of him, constantly cared for and kept ready for the day it’s called upon to save his life. Both pistols were 9mm Glock 19’s.
“I don’t want you boys having anything less than the best if you get into another firefight,” Palmer said.
“I’m honored, sir.” John said.
“Me too. It’s an honor,” Felix said.
Palmer stepped in closer and put his hand on John’s shoulder. “Son, I know you’ve had a long hard day, but I have some bad news.”
“Sir?”
“Major Burke and four Team Razor sergeants were killed yesterday.”
John doubled over involuntarily as if someone had just punched him in the stomach.
“Oh no, not Tommy,” he whispered. A tear rolled out of his right eye and traveled down the jagged scar. “Who else besides the major?”
“The Team was ambushed east of Khost. Sergeants Collins and Jacobs were killed by the IED that got Major Burke. Riley and Lugo were shot and killed. Ilchuck and Waters were shot and wounded, but they’re not critical.”
“The shack at the base of the mountain?”
“That’s right,” Palmer said.
John fell into a chair upon hearing the names of so many friends. He put his head in his hands and closed his eyes for a moment, letting the reality sink in.
“Their families have already been notified in case you want to make any… well, I’m very sorry Sergeant. I know you’ve had a rough day and this just made it a whole lot rougher, but I thought you should hear it from me here and now.”
Felix moved closer, gently putting his hand on John’s shoulder as the general and his men said their goodbyes and the meeting adjourned.
Captain Ryan was still there and it was clear there was something serious on his mind.
“John, I’m really sorry about your friends. I know this is a really bad time, but I want you guys to listen carefully. You both need to watch your backs, and I’m not talking about terrorists now. Felix, you were right about Meecham. The man has a lot of power, a shit load of money, and he uses them both to destroy people. I hear he’s border line psychotic, but he’s got pull in Washington and you two just cursed him out and more than likely got him fired. He’s coming after you for sure and it probably won’t be straight on. He’ll find some way to back shoot you. I’ll protect you if I can, but I’m just a city cop and he carries a bigger gun. Thought you both should know.”
“Thanks Captain,” they both said.
“Call me Jimmy, and thanks for not jamming my guys. That was stand up. Now, let’s get you your permits and a ride home.”
When they walked out of the building they were surprised to see their drivers were none other than Louis and Martin. Louis and Martin were Officers Louis Johnson, Jr. and Martin Sullivan. The left side of Louie’s face was already purple and swollen from where Felix hit him. His jaw was probably broken and he needed to get X-rays, but he waited on the hospital until he could speak to the cousins directly.
“Look, I made a big mistake and I’m here to apologize,” he said through grit
ted teeth. “I’m sorry for shooting at you.” He turned to Felix. “And no hard feelings about the jaw. I box and you pack one hell of a punch. You saved your cousin’s life and saved me from being the fuckup that would’ve killed a hero.”
It was Martin’s turn. “I’m sorry too. I saw Louie on the ground and you had his gun so I thought… you know… I just… point is, that kick was way out of line. I’m really sorry, and understand if you want to file a complaint or even hit me back.”
“We’re cool,” Felix said. “I probably would have done the same or worse if I thought someone had wasted my cousin here. I knocked out your partner and you cracked my rib. Let’s call it square,” he said offering his hand.
They shook hands all around, compared pain levels and discussed the best ways to reduce swelling.
“Here’s both our cell numbers. You guys need anything, I mean anything at all, just pick up the phone,” Martin said.
They were driving home in an unmarked car when he finally called Maria at 11PM.
“Hi honey.”
“Ohhh baby, where are you?” Maria asked.
“On my way to you.”
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“No baby I’m fine.”
“Thank God. We’ve been watching the pictures of you all night. You’re amazing. I’m just glad you’re not hurt and you saved all those people.”
“Pictures? What pictures?”
“Pictures, video of you in the park. It’s on CNN, YouTube. You’re on every news channel Johnny. They don’t have your name so they’re calling you the Unknown American Hero and the Hero of Union Square. I recognized you right away. You look so fuckin’ hot shooting that terrorist. I can’t believe those bastards came at us again. Thank God you were there to stop it.”
Not good, he thought. He hoped they would never get his name. Celebrity status was something he definitely did not want, especially after his uncle had just warned him about staying out of the news.
New York Times
Special Sunday Edition
Terror Cowards Stopped By Unknown Hero!
The first terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11 was thwarted by an unknown hero (pictured below) in Union Square Park yesterday. This Citizen Superman single handedly killed two terrorist suicide bombers before they could blow themselves up in the middle of the crowded farmer’s market. He then confiscated one of their weapons and shot and wounded the terrorist leader known as Amir Rashid who is now a fugitive (pictured right). Rashid, the name is believed to be an alias, was actually arrested on Thursday night in downtown Manhattan for driving without a license and running a red light. He was released on Friday morning only to lead this cowardly, bungled attack the next day.