Acts of Sedition

by Dennis Stephan

  The door to one of the cars opened, and someone in a dark suit stepped out and looked around.

  Tony ducked into an alley to avoid being seen. He heard footsteps at first and then what seemed like someone running.

  Tony ran down one alley and then cut up another that led to a larger street. He peeked out and not seeing anyone; he darted across the street, into another alley and then onto yet another street.

  Again he paused to see if someone was chasing him. When it looked like the coast was clear, he turned and rushed to the intersection of Broad St. and Oregon Avenue, several blocks away.

  At first, he thought he was just being silly but why would someone in a suit be sitting in a car near his house. It sure looked like a stakeout. And why would someone chase him? Well, he did act suspiciously he guessed. Not many people run down alleys in the middle of the night.

  He was certain something was wrong though. He couldn’t just walk the streets of South Philly. People didn’t do that anymore, at least not during the night, without drawing unwanted attention.

  They hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but he and Angela had planned for the worst. They had thought originally about hiding out at a friend’s or relative’s house. It couldn’t be someone involved in what they were doing. That wouldn’t be safe. But they didn’t want to get anyone else in trouble. He was only a block away from one of his frat brothers who had an old piece of junk 2030 Subaru that he always left unlocked. You can use it he had told them. Sure it will be unlocked. Who would steal it, he rationalized? Tony found the car where he always parked it, and sure enough, the car had been left unlocked. He sat in the back seat and called Ange’s cell number. There was no answer so he disconnected after two rings.

  Maybe she’s over one of her friend’s houses. “Damn, I knew I should have gotten a list of all of her friends with their addresses and phone numbers.” He remembered a Janice something or other. Tony was so bad with names. If he was introduced to you one minute and you saw him two minutes later, he was likely to have already forgotten your name.

  He thought of one call he should make so he picked up his phone. After five rings someone picked up.

  “Hello?” He heard the voice of Joanne Shapiro on the other end.

  “Hi Joanne, it’s Tony DiPietro.”

  “Why are you calling me in the middle of the night? What’s wrong?”

  Expressing concern, Tony asked, “Is Angela with you?”

  “No Tony. I haven’t seen her. The last time I spoke to her was last Wednesday.”

  “Do you happen to know any of her friends, Joanne? She’s not at home, and I’m at a loss.”

  “Sorry, Tony. Outside of when we chat from time to time at meetings, we don’t socialize.”

  “I see. Well if she happens to call you….”

  “I’ll have her call you right away,” Joanne interrupted.

  He hung up the phone.

  Tony realized that Angela would have called him if she was staying with a friend. The only way she wouldn’t have called was if she was not able to call.

  He hopelessly wished that she’d pop out in the morning all rested and ready to revolt. Suddenly his phone rang. Thank God. It was Angela’s phone. “Hey Ange, where are you?”

  “This isn’t your wife”, replied a male voice.

  Shaken, he immediately hit the end button. He tossed the phone out of the car, jumped out, and stomped on it, breaking it into a hundred pieces. Luckily, he had his secure phone with him.

  “Crap they have her.” There was nothing he could do. With all of the pent up anger he felt, he would have liked to have been able to go for a run. But that was too risky. Realizing that it was 2 am he decided to get back in the car and try to grab a few hours of sleep.

  Chapter 65

  The pall of heat never broke in the city during the summer months but Tony tried to grab a few winks. It was a sweltering night and sitting in a car with no AC was torturous. Even so, he needed some rest. He dozed off and on and wished that he had been able to sleep more soundly and a little longer but the sunlight awakened him. He hoped that by the end of the day, he’d have Angela back and they’d be able to sleep like babies.

  It was still early, but he felt that it was time to get moving. He wished he had his overnight bag with at least a toothbrush in it. He did have some mints, though, and that would have to do.

  He got out of the car to breathe some fresh air, but there wasn’t any. He cautiously walked the few blocks back to the park at Broad St. and Oregon Avenue. There weren’t many places nearby where one could escape the city stench and feel a slight breeze, but this park was one of them. Even if there had been a breeze, the city dwellers who were daring enough to venture outdoors would have been treated to an olfactory aperitif of carbon monoxide, raw sewage, and steaming garbage; thanks to the city trash strike, now in its eighth day.

  He ducked into a McDonald’s to use their restroom to freshen up and grabbed a quick breakfast of Egg McMuffin and a cup of coffee.

  As he was leaving, his burner phone rang. He knew it was Joanne as she was the only person besides Angela and Josh who had his secure number equipped with the latest cell phone projection technology. He touched the connect image on his arm.

  Joanne said she purposely went to visit a friend who lived across the street from where he and Angela lived and was calling to let him know that her friend said that the police had been to his house several times over the past couple of days and that Angela had gone somewhere with them. She didn’t know if Angela came home or not but the neighbor said that there had been agents watching his house all night and that a few minutes earlier two unmarked cars with 4 FBI agents inside pulled up to the front of his house. They knocked on the door, but no one answered. Finding it open, they walked in. She said she heard someone calling his name. They finally left, but there was still one car parked just down the street.

  Tony was upset and worried about Angela, but there was nothing he could do now. He didn’t even mention the call he had received from Ange’s phone. He simply thanked Joanne for the info that confirmed what he already knew. He had hoped to see her at the start of the protest but now it was unlikely. He have to deal with this right afterward.

  Tony started walking toward 13th street. He figured when the time came; he would be less conspicuous walking north up 13th rather than the larger Broad Street.

  His palms were sweaty, and his heart was racing.

  Chapter 66

  Once he reached Snyder Avenue, Tony turned left and walked the one block west to Broad Street. It was almost 8 am. He was to lead a group of protesters who were meeting at the intersection of Broad Street and Snyder Avenue. The plan called for the roughly 200 people to walk north on Broad Street. He expected to encounter members of the Philly PD within a half hour of the start of their march, and he suspected that things might get a little out of hand. The Philly PD, while showing its softer side to tourists, was not exactly known for being hospitable to protesters; as evidenced by their abysmal record during the many civil rights demonstrations that had occurred over the years in North Philly.

  As he approached Snyder Avenue, Tony was overtaken with emotion. There were easily 1000 people in the intersection waiting for him. A small loudspeaker was set up, and a couple of the guys had voice amplification apps on their phones, which Tony was able to tap into.

  “Wow. I can’t believe this turnout. I’m psyched man. I have a few announcements but before that, I have to find my wife. Angela Marie, are you out there? Come on up here with me.” Of course, there was silence as no one stepped forward. Secretly he knew that she was being held and would not be there. And yet, calling out her name somehow made him feel close to her, like she was with him on this street.

  “Ok listen up. The plan is that we are going to walk up Broad Street toward City Hall. There are groups from the Northeast and North Philly walking South and two others walking east from Southwest and West Philly. The plan is to converge on City Hall to protest aga
inst our pro-Abbas Mayor and the president’s administration. Try to stay close together. We may engage some of Philly’s finest. Do not, I repeat, do not do anything to antagonize the local authorities. We’re merely exercising our first amendment rights in protesting. Is that clear?”

  Everyone was quiet and in the military fashion, he yelled “I said is that clear.” to which everyone yelled “yes.”

  “Similar marches are occurring today throughout the US, in every major city. We are not alone. Repeat after me “our voices will not be stilled.”

  The crowd screamed their approval and headed north chanting “our voices will not be stilled.”

  With the exception of their voices, which seemed to grow louder by the minute, this city of millions was eerily quiet. It was downright bizarre.

  Suddenly Tony realized that something was terribly wrong. It wasn’t just that the streets, except for his marchers, were eerily quiet. They should have encountered members of the Philly PD in riot gear by now. The police always patrolled near Broad and Snyder as it was a major intersection in South Philly but after 15 minutes he had not seen one cop.

  Tony tapped the general’s number on his arm.

  “Yes, Tony. How are things going in Philly?”

  “Something strange is happening, General.”

  The General was afraid that he’d be getting calls like this today.

  “What is it that you find strange Tony?”

  “Well Sir, first off when I came home last night, Angela was nowhere to be found. It was very late general, and she should have been home in bed. I tried to find her but I couldn’t. A neighbor said the police took her, but I hoped to see her this morning. She didn’t show up at 8 am as we had arranged. Then as we started marching up Broad Street, I realized that there were no Philly police officers out here at all. Not a one, sir. It’s very unusual.”

  Suddenly the noise of the crowd became overshadowed by loud engine roars. Tony looked around and then behind him.

  His jaw dropped when he saw that foreign attack helicopters, outfitted with 50 millimeter M250 chain guns, two 7.62 millimeter M134 mini-guns, FIM-132 Stinger missiles, and AGM-124 Hellfire anti-tank guided missiles, were strafing a wide area of the street. The images that Tony saw looked like they were straight out of a modern day war movie.

  “Oh shit. General, we’ve encountered tanks and military helicopters” was all that Tony could get out before the sounds of rapid gunfire and missile explosions deafened his ears.

  He started screaming at the top of his lungs for everyone to take cover but there was no way to escape this type of firepower. People were dying all around him as Tony ran up Broad Street. He pushed people out of the way and banged on doors to see if he could find refuge for his charges. Unlike the suburban malls that bristled with activity on holidays, most city businesses were closed for the holiday so Tony yelled to the protesters to start smashing windows so that they could seek refuge indoors.

  Unfortunately, the tanks were firing on those buildings as well, and mortar rounds were leveling buildings all around him.

  While barking more orders for people to disburse, Tony felt the fury of a 50 mm chain gun, not unlike the stings of hundreds of fire ants. He fell hard to the ground and lay motionless. He could see the clouds casting a shadow over the Broad and Reed street sign, and he felt a few drops of rain begin to fall. Ironically he felt only a little pain but could feel his life seeping out of the tiny holes in his midsection. Tony’s mind shifted to his new bride. He hoped that she’d be proud of him today. He said a short prayer for God to help her through what promised to be a difficult time ahead. With tears in his eyes, he whispered “I love you, Angela,” as the rain slowly washed away his blood toward a nearby sewer grate.

  Chapter 67

  “Makim, this is Saadi El-Mofty, are you in position?”

  “Yes my friend, what words do you have for me?”

  “The Capitol building has been on lockdown as was ordered by the president. An emergency joint session was called, but many of the members are not here as they were not planning on attending any meetings until tomorrow. Some house members are meeting privately in one of the conference rooms. Some of the Senators have been waiting patiently, but they’ve decided to have breakfast in the Senate Dining Room before meeting with Vice President Rashad, who is on his way and will be joining them. He won't be arriving through the usual entrance though so you'll have to come to the Independence Street entrance on the south side. Hurry, Makim.”

  Saadi El-Mofty was the Sergeant at Arms who, while required to be at the full joint session meetings, oftentimes attended the House and Senate sessions as well.

  He was to be off but, at Makim's request, he stayed in the city to ensure that he would be in the Capitol at 9 am in case he was needed.

  He did not know what was planned, and that is how Makim wanted it. In fact, his brother didn't know the entire plan. Makim was thinking outside the box on this one and expanded the plan after receiving a call from Saadi telling him about the members of Congress who were already inside for the planned briefing by the vice president.

  Saadi was Makim's best friend back in Syria. Like the Khalid brothers, he lost his parents during one of the Assad civil wars. Saadi was five years older than Makim though so he was able to live on his own. He was present when Makim suffered his tragedy. In fact, Saadi owned the blame, believing it was his fault that his friend lost his arm. Wanting to be a part of the uprising, Saadi had decided to plant a small IED beneath the car of Nizar Zaman, leader of Assad's Royal Guard. Makim was not supposed to be with his friend, but he was curious about what was going on and hoped that he might be of help. The original plan was for Saadi to blow up Zaman’s car while it was parked in front of the presidential palace in the west of the city on Mount Mezzeh. However, since the palace encompassed the entire plateau of Mount Mezzeh and was surrounded by a wall with watch towers, the plan was not practical. Instead, Saadi decided that he would wait for a time when Zaman was asked to travel to the Tishreen Palace, located in the Al Rabwah neighborhood of Damascus. A problem with that location was that it was now more of a tourist attraction, so the potential for loss of innocent life was great. Saadi realized that if he waited until the vehicle left to travel back to Mount Mezzeh via Beirut Rd, he could minimize the loss of life of innocent civilians.

  Makim watched through binoculars as Saadi dialed the phone number to detonate the bomb. The phone rang silent, as Saadi had planned, with the bomb not immediately exploding. The delay was by design, but Makim didn’t know that. The car turned right onto Tishreen Rd. Makim, positioned on Tishreen Rd, thought that there was a problem when the device failed to explode at the time he expected.

  Running at an angle to cut the distance between himself and their prey, he approached the car with his gun drawn; prepared to kill Nizar. When he was within several hundred yards of the car he tripped and fell to the ground. The bomb detonated totally destroying the car and several others nearby. The blast incinerated everyone in the car. Doctors said that it was a miracle that Makim had survived. His fall had saved his life but the explosion had ripped his left arm to shreds and caused burns over 30% of his body. Attempts by surgeons to save his arm were fruitless.

  Makim never blamed his friend, but they both knew that Saadi was at least partially to blame. He had placed a 5-minute delay on the detonator so that the car would be moving away from Damascus when the bomb went off. Sadly, he forgot to tell Makim about the delay and though he screamed for him to stop, Makim never heard his warning.

  When Makim called a few days ago to ask for help, how could Saadi say no?

  Chapter 68

  Makim, wearing khaki pants, loafers, and a golf shirt, looked like every other tourist. He arrived early at the Rayburn building just southwest of the Capitol to ensure that there would be no problems. Sitting in his car, he loaded his Heckler and Koch Tactical .45 Pistol and attached an AAC Ti-Rant .45 silencer. He stuffed the pistol in the rear waistband of his pant
s and left the car.

  This promised to be much easier than he first expected. During normal working hours, this building was a hub of activity as it was home to over 160 members of the House of Representatives. But members of the House rarely used their offices on holidays. Even if they had to be in DC for a session, they worked in teams within the Capitol building.

  Armed with a map of DC in his hands, and a map of the building in his pocket, Makim entered through the main entrance, the only one opened today. Generally, on weekends and holidays, all of the other doors to this building were locked, and there were just two guards posted at a desk near the front door. But with DC on high alert, there were five guards scheduled to work today. Besides the two at the main entrance, there was a guard stationed at pedestrian entrances on South Capitol Street, C Street, and First Street SW.

  “Can I help you?” asked one of the guards. Makim handed him a map of the area and, pretending to speak little English, asked the guard if he could mark the nearest Metro stop. As the guard started to write, Makim aimed his pistol and shot the guard in the forehead.

  The second guard, who at first paid little attention to what was happening, started to draw his weapon. He probably never heard the almost inaudible whip cracking noise. Yeah right, thought Makim. Two down. Makim loved his toys. He was not using the newest model of its type, but this piece was his favorite as it was truly stealthy. He joked to himself that, it was so quiet; he could barely hear the shot himself.

  After locking the front door, he proceeded to walk through the building and with ‘military like’ precision took out the three remaining security guards.