by A J Newman
“That will make it much easier to sell. Let’s put a team together and make this happen.”
They shook hands, poured some bourbon and had several stiff drinks.
“John, between friends, did all of what they say actually happen on "The Trip?” Hollywood wants to make a movie about you. Well, what’s left of Hollywood wants to make the movie.”
“Dick, every last word is true except for the part where I single handedly killed the thirty Cabras at the airport on the last day. I only killed five or six.”
“Did you shoot one in the leg to get him to talk?”
“Yep. They were going to kill our families if we didn’t get our info back. I’d shoot him again.”
John and Dick agreed to another meeting in Mobile in 30 days to discuss the treaty and left the rest of the meetings to the military. President Hayden threw a large party for his guests on their last day in California and they prepared to go home the next day.
John was sound asleep when his Satellite phone rang.
“John, Gus here, sorry to wake you, we are alerting the PSA also. You need to get in a bomb shelter right now. The USA is attacking with missiles and bombs. We will stop most of them, but a few might get through.”
“Thanks for the heads up; keep me informed.”
They were all ushered to a bomb shelter below the courtyard along with the president of the USA and his family.
“Mr. President, my Secretary of Defense called and told me that the attack was underway and he was confident that our team could destroy all but a few of the inbound cruise missiles and aircraft. Sorry, he couldn’t guarantee to get them all.”
The shelter was over a hundred feet underground with 20 feet of re-enforced concrete on top. It was silent for an hour then the room trembled twice and then it was silent again.
John spoke up, “Dick, let’s add a bunch of antimissile batteries to that deal.”
“Thanks, I pray to God that was a bare field that took those hits.”
No sooner than the words were out of his mouth than the room shook violently and lights fell from the ceiling. The room shook for over a minute.
“Dick that was a nuke. It was several miles from here, I would guess we stopped it and it exploded it in the ocean.”
“What makes you sure it didn’t hit its target?”
“We are still alive. They broke the non-nuclear agreement to try to get both of us with one bomb. The Admiral and Gus will unleash hell on them. No nukes, but everything we have.”
The lights went out and the battery backups came on. Beth held on to John and prayed for their safety.
A door opened and a soldier said, “Mr. President, it’s safe to come back to the surface. We had two cruise missiles hit the Capitol building and the big explosion was a nuke about 40 miles northwest of us in the Pacific. The ISA boys kicked ass tonight. We have been in contact with the ISA throughout the attack.”
They walked up the stairs to the surface and saw that most of the Capitol building was on fire and in ruins.
“Son, how many people were lost?”
“Mr. President, it’s too soon to know, but we estimate over twenty here and two-three hundred in the city. A plane loaded with bombs was shot down and the pilot tried to take out the city instead of letting the plane fall into the ocean.”
Gus, George and the Admiral were on the phone when John answered.
Gus filled John in over the satellite phone, “We shot down all of the planes and all but two of the missiles. We sunk over 20 ships here and at Seattle. These were mostly troop-carrying vessels with approximately 10,000 UN troops. The Admiral and I want your approval to launch a major attack on the USA and UN.”
“Yes, try to avoid cities, but hit the military bases and UN command responsible for this attack. You are free to use nukes outside the country as needed for UN military bases. If I am out of touch, George will take command per protocol. George, do what it takes to make them think long and hard before they fuck with us again.”
George asked John for a private conversation and said, “You need to get back here ASAP. The USA knows that you are there and we can’t protect you in California. They took out your plane in the hanger. We have helicopters coming from San Diego Naval Base to take you back there so we can get you on a military flight back to Mobile. We will have planes escort you back to safety.”
“Thanks George. I know that you don’t want to hear this, but situations like this are where our planning and training bear fruit. Take charge until I get back and don’t be afraid to make decisions. Gus and the Admiral are the best and give great guidance. Good luck.”
✼✼✼✼✼✼
✼
Chapter 19
Lost
Wyoming
February, 2022
The helicopters arrived and landed on the lawn in front of the Capitol and John and his group were quickly loaded and on their way to the Naval base. John’s four additional ISA guards were loaded on another helicopter. They were halfway to the base when John was told that the helicopter with his additional guards had to land due to engine problems.
After landing safely, they spent the next few hours waiting on their plane being prepared for the flight. They were placed in a private room and fed the best breakfast any had had in years.
“Hey team, while we have some privacy, check your weapons and Bug Out bags. Let’s be ready if the shit hits the fan. We lost four of our own guards and I want us to be extra vigilant.”
Steve caught John off to the side and asked, “Do you know about a specific threat or just being cautious?”
“I want us on high alert until we get back to Mobile. The USA knows that we are in California. That means they have spies in the ISA or PSA. If they have spies, they could have Spec Ops. We could be shot at by anyone. Trust no one and be prepared. Losing those guards to an engine failure during a potential attack is too big a coincidence.”
John met with the others and gave them the same warning.
“Imelda and Janet, you two should have weapons ready and be active guards for the rest of the trip. They are adding four guards to replace ours, but watch them closely. I know we are all on the same team, but having bombs dropped on me tends to make me a bit paranoid.”
They all laughed and Imelda said, “Boss, we will give our lives to protect you.”
“Protect me and save your lives is a much better outcome. I don’t want Jim coming after my ass.”
***
“Yes sir, the plane was destroyed and the guards were delayed. Do I need to report any of this to my USA contact?”
“No! Just leave the paper trail and recorded conversations with the USA contact and get the hell out of there as soon as Harris’ plane takes off.”
“Will do.”
***
It was after midnight when they boarded the turboprop plane and Steve noted that the plane was a duplicate of the one that brought them to California.
He looked out the window as he sat down and said, “Damn, the government must have bought a bunch of these. There is another taxiing to the runway ahead of us. It must be hard to keep all of them separate.”
The pilot was welcoming them aboard when he heard Steve and answered, “Hello, I’m Captain Rogers. I overheard your comment on the planes and all military and larger civilian planes have a unique radio signature that identifies them. The flight controllers actually have the tail numbers of each plane appear on the radar screen for the plane’s position.”
“Well that plane must be carrying some one important because two F-18s took off just behind it. Oh well I’m going to rest my eyes a bit while these capable guards watch over us.”
“Mr. President, I also want you to meet Sargent Newman. He is in charge of your security during the flight. He and his three men will stay out of the way unless needed.”
“Thanks Captain, how soon will we leave?”
“In just about ten minutes. Enjoy your flight.”
The plane took of
f 15 minutes later and slowly turned northeast over the next thirty minutes. John and Steve dosed while Beth chatted with Imelda and Janet who were on watch. Joe and Steve would take over in three hours.
Sargent Newman said, “Now all y’all can take a nap. My men and I will watch over things while you sleep.”
John replied, “Thanks, but we always post our own guards along with the usual ISA guards. One just can’t be too careful.”
“Not a problem. Just trying to be helpful.
The plane continued to head northeast.
Janet woke Steve and Joe up after three hours and prepared to take a nap before landing in Mobile.
Joe and Steve rubbed the sleep out of their eyes and accepted a cup of coffee from the flight attendant. They chatted with Imelda and Janet for a minute and then settled down to their guard jobs. Joe looked out the window and was concerned that they were flying very low and just skimming across the tops of some very high mountains.
He caught Steve’s attention and whispered, “Steve, have you flown from lower California to Mobile before?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever cross mountains like this?”
Steve looked out the window and said, “No and I never flew this low before. Something is wrong. Look at the moon. We’re heading northeast. And I don’t see our chase planes either.”
“Shit Steve, I should have noticed that the F-18s aren’t with us.”
Joe shook John’s shoulder just as a rifle butt hit him above the left ear. John woke up to see four M-4s pointed at him and his team.
***
“Gus, sorry to wake you up, but John didn’t check in on his last scheduled checkpoint. I called the pilot and he said that the president and his team were sleeping and did not want to be disturbed.”
“We both know John well enough to know that is a crock of shit. Something is wrong. Get the pilot on the radio and tell him that the Secretary of Defense wants to talk with John.”
"Will do.”
Gus’ aide made the call and got the same answer.
Gus called Bob and got him on the second ring, “Bob, we may have a situation concerning John’s plane.”
“Gus, we were already concerned. What have you noticed?”
“John didn’t check in and the pilot says that John’s team is asleep and does not want to be disturbed.”
“Joe also didn’t check in and we got the same results. I just ordered the pilot to comply and get John on the phone and the radio went dead. The plane also turned due south and headed towards the gulf just east of Brownsville. We think the plane has been hijacked. The two escort F-18s radioed back that they can see the two pilots, but neither will answer their calls. The F-18s also say that the cabin is dark so they can’t determine the state of the passengers. We are scrambling jets to intercept.”
“Damn, Bob, I just can’t imagine that anyone could overpower John and nine of his people.”
“John only has himself and five of his people. His four ISA body guards had engine trouble and were replaced in San Diego.”
Gus thought for a minute and said, “Oh shit.”
***
“Joshua, I have good news. We have Harris, his wife and four of his people and are on the way to Louisville as planned. The decoy plane will have an accident at any minute and they will think he is dead. I will keep you posted.”
“Thanks Bo. Great news and thanks for developing and implementing this bold and daring mission. You will be rewarded. Has the evidence implicating the USA been put in place?”
“Yes, and we also used communication equipment that will be traced back to them.”
“Thanks.”
***
John watched as the four guards took their satellite phones and weapons. They even knew to search his team’s Bug Out bags. One guard took a rifle butt to the satellite phones and quickly put them out of commission.
“Who is in charge of this mutiny?”
“Shut up and only talk when spoken to,” replied Sargent Newman.
The co-pilot walked into the passenger cabin and said, “Mr. President, you and your team are the prisoners of the USA and are heading to a detention center for interrogation.”
“Do you really think our F-18s will allow you to head into the USA?”
“Mr. President, I don’t see any F-18s. Do you see them? It appears that we lost them when we left San Diego. Just calm down and take a nap. We will touch down in a few hours. We are taking a northern route to avoid your airspace.”
John tried to talk with Steve, but had a rifle barrel stuck in his face and told to shut up.
Beth said, “John, calm down and don’t get us shot. They have all of the weapons. Come here and keep me warm.”
She pulled her blanket over John and snuggled up against him and a minute later, she placed her .380 on his lap. John remembered that Beth had a thigh holster and the thugs had not searched her or Janet since they were still in formal dresses. He hoped that Janet was ready when he needed her. He guessed that they had just crossed over the Rockies and were north of Denver. He knew that he had to stop them and retake the plane before they got into USA airspace. He waited until he caught Janet’s eye and winked at her and looked at the guards.
She winked back and said, “Look boys, I have to pee.”
“Get up slowly and go to the toilet. If you try anything, we will shoot you. We only have to get Harris to his destination. The rest of you are expendable.”
Janet got up and slowly headed to the toilet. She caught Joe’s eye and mouthed get ready. She went into the toilet, pulled her .380 from her thigh holster and took a deep breath. She opened the door just enough to see where the guards were, opened the door and shot the two with rifles in the ready position. John heard the shots and shot one guard from under the blanket and the other as he raised his pistol. The last one got off a wild burst of bullets that went from one side of the cabin to the other. Imelda was hit in the right leg above the knee and John was hit in the left shoulder. Two of the bullets took out windows and they cracked and blew out into the dark. The right side engine exploded and sent shrapnel into the back of the cabin making fist size holes in the cabin wall. It flamed briefly and fell from the plane. The decompression automatically lowered the oxygen masks as the plane shook and went into a shallow dive. The pilot was trying to regain control when Steve and Joe scrambled to the cockpit to take the plane back.
The copilot opened the cockpit door with a pistol in his hand and saw them rushing towards him. He fired two shots before Joe and Steve could react. They both shot several times and Joe killed him with a shot to his chest. One of the copilot’s bullets struck Joe on the left side of his chest and he fell to the floor. Steve rushed in to the cabin and found the pilot slumped over in his seat, dead from a gunshot to his head. The plane was still in a shallow dive and had several warning gauges flashing red and one beeping.
“John, come up here now!”
Beth yelled to make herself heard over the loud noise from the broken window, “John's been shot in the shoulder and we’re just now stopping the bleeding.”
“Just tell the pilot to head for Mobile or he’s a dead man.”
“John, it’s too late for that; the SOB is already dead. We’re on autopilot and both pilots are dead. Several gauges are flashing red and several were destroyed retaking the plane. I think that you are the pilot now! Have you ever flown one of these before?”
“No, but how hard can it be?
The plane lurched and went into a steep dive.
“Oh shit.”
“Beth, let me up so I can take a look at the cockpit.”
Beth and Steve helped John to the cockpit while Joe pulled the pilot out of his seat. John sat down and pulled back hard on the controls, which reduced the angle of the dive, but did not bring the plane back to level. John tried adjusting the flaps and they were responding erratically. He looked straight ahead and saw the sun peaking just above the horizon. The plane was just clearing a mount
ain range as John surveyed their situation. They cleared the mountain by only a few hundred feet and lost altitude quickly.
He scanned the instruments and said, “We have lost most of our fuel and will be going down soon. I need to keep the plane in the air for about twenty minutes so we have enough light to land. Steve, get in the co-pilot’s seat and help me look for a road or field long enough to land this bird. The rest of you need to get in your seats, buckle up, and place something soft around your heads. Put your head between your legs when I tell you to.”
The plane did not cooperate and continued to drop. John turned the landing lights on and tried to lower the landing gear to no avail. He pulled the levers several times and nothing happened. He thought, “Just as well. The wheels would probably hit something and destroy the plane. We’ll make a belly landing.”
John grabbed the mic and started giving a distress call, “Mayday, mayday we are….”
The radio had been destroyed by a stray bullet.
“John, over there. I think that is a highway!”
John glanced in that direction and said, “Steve, great job. I’m turning towards it. I think we can make it.”
Just as John was able to see the highway clearly he saw the telephone poles every so often on both sides. He knew that they didn’t have much choice and hope that the wings would break cleanly off.
“Lower your heads; we’re landing!”
John lined up with the highway and saw several small bridges over creeks at the last minute.
“Oh fuck, brace yourselves.”
He quickly turned the plane, aimed it alongside of the highway and brought it down. The plane bounced hard back into the air about 20 feet and hit hard again. The noise was deafening as the plane skittered on the rocky ground. It hit a shallow ditch and the left wing dug in and broke off which opened a large hole in the side of the plane. The plane finally stopped when it crashed into a dry creek bed.