In a terrifying twist to the story, one of the bombs was armed and its timer set to detonate three hours after the SEALs secured the yacht. The weapon was transferred to an Air Force helicopter and dropped into the ocean off the continental shelf about 400 miles southwest of New York City.
Helicopter Lost
The story also includes a tragedy. The Air Force helicopter that carried nuclear bomb expert, Professor Molly MacDevitt, fell from the sky, apparently having been caught in the nuclear blast, even though the detonation occurred hundreds of feet below the ocean surface. According to an Air Force spokesman, Professor MacDevitt insisted that the helicopter wait until the last moments before releasing its deadly cargo in order to place the explosion as far from land as possible. The names of the other crewmembers of the helicopter have yet to be released, pending notification of next of kin. Professor MacDevitt is survived by her parents and two daughters.
The Civilian Deputies
The operation was assisted by a group of four civilians who were deputized as CIA agents. They called themselves The Thanksgiving Gang. For security reasons, their names have not been disclosed, nor have the names of the SEALs been made public.
How a nuclear attack on the United States could have come so close to fruition is a question that will linger into the months ahead, as a Congressional commission is sure to be empanelled. What could have been the largest disaster in American history came close to succeeding.
Chapter 80 - Bennie Weinberg here
Bennie Weinberg here.
It’s November 27, 2015, the day after Thanksgiving. Buster, as we all expected, wanted to exercise, as he put it, “an abundance of caution,” so we all remained on duty throughout the holiday even though operation Tango Delta 2 was a success.
I’m here at my mom and dad’s house in New Jersey along with, get this, my fiancée, the beautiful and brilliant Professor Maggie Cohen. I proposed to Maggie the day after the Andiamo operation. I wanted to wait until I was sure we’d all be alive for the foreseeable future. I’m not a terribly emotional guy, well at least not outwardly. But when Maggie accepted I thought I’d pass out for joy.
I’m supposed to feel happy, and well, I am happy. But, like detective Colombo used to say every week on TV, “Something’s bothering me.”
What a wonderful Thanksgiving, if a day late. We, meaning the Thanksgiving Gang and our circle of helpers, put our two cents in and prevented an unimaginable disaster. I’ve had good friends all my life, but never like these people. My good buddy Jack Thurber, Mr. Time Magnet himself, is reunited with his wife Captain Ashley Patterson. Janice Monahan, multitalented, beautiful, and tough as nails, is engaged to a wonderful guy, Admiral Frank Thompson. They expect to marry as soon as Janice’s divorce decree becomes final. Joe Monahan, Janice’s estranged husband, who we thought was a terrorist maggot a few short weeks ago, did a turnaround that spun our heads. We couldn’t have done it without his help. I’ve heard a rumor that his sentence will be commuted. I hope the rumor’s true. Wally Burton, a star New York Times reporter, put in everything he could for his country, and for us. Buster, the amazing and enigmatic CIA agent is on a well-deserved vacation. CIA Director Bill Carlini is rumored to be a possible pick as a vice-presidential candidate in the next election. A great guy, a calm leader, and a fine American. And then, of course, there’s Maggie and me. It’s not like I fell in love after a brief fling. I’ve known Maggie for over 25 years. I don’t think I ever stopped loving her. And soon she’ll be my bride, and I couldn’t be happier with the thought.
But, something’s bothering me.
Grandpa Abraham Weinberg was my favorite grownup when I was a kid. A Rabbi, he was never short on giving advice, but he did it in a way that made you feel better, not scolded. I think I was about 10 years old when Grandpa Abe sat me down for a talk.
“Bennie,” Grandpa Abe said, “one of the reasons God put the Jews on earth was to do His worrying for Him. That’s one of our jobs, Ben, to worry. I don’t mean you should feel bad or unhappy, you just have to worry. It helps keep the world safe.”
So, ever the obedient grandson, I’m worried.
Our country came within a filament of a disaster. Okay, we stopped it, but it was close. There are so many “what if’s” that Grandpa Abe’s advice will never get old, at least not for me. So okay, Grandpa Abe, Bennie’s listening to you. I’m worried. Why?
Maggie provided the answer. While I sat in the den with my folks, Maggie was in the kitchen, listening to the radio and putting together some appetizers. She came running, not walking fast – running. Without saying a word, she grabbed the remote off the coffee table and clicked it at the TV.
“For those viewers who have just joined us, this is Shepard Smith reporting. Fox News has just learned that a nuclear suitcase bomb has been discovered in a van near the Parliament Building in London. Apparently the weapon has not yet been armed, and no timing device has been set. This news comes just days after a terrorist plot to set off nuclear bombs in five American cities was thwarted. Details are still coming in. We turn now to our affiliate in London...”
Bennie’s listening, Grandpa.
THE END
Welcome to The Gang!
The book you’ve just read, A Time of Fear, is Book Three of The Time Magnet Series.
The Gray Ship, Book One of the series, is a tale about an African American woman Navy Captain who, along with her nuclear guided missile cruiser, finds herself and her crew transported through time from 2013 to 1861, just before the start of the Civil War. “wildly entertaining, but also profoundly moving.” Kirkus Reviews
The Thanksgiving Gang, Book Two of the series, finds Jack Thurber once again travelling through time, but this time into the future, where he learns that both he and his wife were killed in a terrorist attack. Jack has to go back to the past, to save his wife, as well as himself. “It’s always nice to find a new voice in fiction and to enjoy creativity at its best.”
You can find The Gray Ship and The Thanksgiving Gang on Kindle and paperback on amazon.com
I hope you enjoyed A Time of Fear. Please consider giving it a review on amazon.com.
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About the Author
I’m the author of The Gray Ship (Coddington Press 2013), book one of The Time Magnet series. It’s a story of time travel, romance, and a nuclear warship that finds itself in the Civil War. The Thanksgiving Gang is the sequel, and A Time of Fear is Book Three in the series.
I have also published five nonfiction books: Justice in America: How it Works—How it Fails. (Coddington Press, 2011); The APT Principle — The Business Plan That You Carry in Your Head. (Coddington Press, 2012); Boating Basics, the Boattalk Book of Boating Tips( Coddington Press, 2013); How to Create More Time (Coddington Press, 2014). I’m a lawyer and a veteran of the United States Navy. I live in Long Island, New York with my wife Lynda.
A Time of Fear: Book Three of The Time Magnet Series Page 18