The Krakow Klub

by Philip C. Elrod

  She continued, “Their knowledge is still probably quite limited. I would guess that she knows that John is the person in contact with the space ship. Also, by now, they have probably pressured someone from the White House meeting to talk. If so, then they know about the interstellar transporter and possibly about Maxx. I doubt that they know about me as yet.”

  John thought for a minute, “This doesn’t look good. What else have you learned about the Krakow Klub?”

  Maxxine filled the screen with a giant image of Erik Stoellar. “This is Erik Stoellar, also known as, Number One. He is a billionaire many times over and a political zealot of the first magnitude. He is ruthless in business and will likely be even more so in politics. He was the primary founder of the Krakow Klub and has been the de facto leader since its inception.

  “The financial resources of the Krakow Klub are enormous. All twelve members are extremely rich. Their current annual budget is more than two billion dollars, and they already control several small countries. Their power base can be summed up as money, politics, blackmail, and extortion. They are quite formidable opponents.

  “The military might of the United States, compared to any other single nation, is, at this time, the overwhelmingly superior force. If the organization gains complete control over the military, they could easily defeat any earthly opponent and, therefore, be well on their way to world domination.

  “Our best strategy would be to foil the plot to take over and use the military. That is the most important step in their strategy. If you can prevent that from happening, then you can succeed. If not, I’ll sell you some cheap tickets to Mylea.”

  John answered, “On that bright note, let’s call it a day. I’m exhausted. Tomorrow will be a long day for us. Jim and I need to relax and recharge our batteries for the task ahead. We’ll resume our conference tomorrow at 8:00 AM sharp.

  “And last, but not least,” John concluded, “Maxxine, handle any little things as you see fit during the night, but if something really big happens, you are to wake me.”

  “Yes, sir. Have a good night’s rest.”

  ****

  The first military attack on Scott Key was ordered. The attack was to begin early Wednesday morning.

  The squad of Special Forces, the transport helicopter crew, and the two F-16 fighter pilots assigned to the operation all met in the briefing room at Key West Naval Air Station. The meeting started promptly at 0700 hours.

  General McGowan, via CCTV, briefed the group. “Good morning, gentlemen. For those of you who don’t know me, I am General Lew McGowan of ARRCOM. The mission you are about to embark upon is top secret and vital to our national security. As you all know by now, our country has been under attack by terrorist groups, who are as yet unidentified. They have been able to assassinate the president and have staged numerous other attacks on our government.

  “Today, you are to perform a recon mission on a small island fifty miles or so from Key West. This island is named Scott Key, and you have been given the precise coordinates. It has been reliably reported that this island may be the headquarters of the group responsible for the terrorist strikes. Therefore, it is vital that we secure it at once and arrest all personnel there. All persons on the island will be flown to the Key West NAS immediately for interrogation.

  “A portion of the landing party will be assigned to guard the island pending further orders.

  “Two F-16s will be overhead during the entire operation and will be available for air support if needed. They are there to protect you and are armed with air-to-surface missiles. However, the missiles are only to be used in the event that you are attacked.

  “In this mission, surprise is essential. You are to proceed on the assumption that anyone on the island will be armed and dangerous. However, capturing alive as many of them as possible should be your priority.

  “Once you have secured the island and have the personnel in custody, you are to contact me immediately for any additional orders.

  “I am confident that you will perform your duties with skill and to the best of your abilities. You have all received special training for just such a situation.

  “Thank you, and Godspeed.”

  Within a few minutes, the roar of jet engines could be heard, and the large transport helicopter lifted off, followed in short order by the two F-16s.

  The helicopter would be in the area of Scott Key in little more than twenty minutes. The F-16s would already be there, high overhead.

  ****

  The weather throughout southern Florida and the Keys was forecast to be mostly clear with scattered clouds and a light wind from the west. There should be no problems with visibility, but that was of no importance as the invading forces were well equipped to handle any adverse weather conditions that they might encounter.

  The first hint of trouble came from the pilot of the lead F-16. He noted a dense cloud cover surrounding the island that descended all the way down to water level.

  The troop helicopter was advised of the situation as it approached from the direction of Key West. Soon, it began to encounter heavy turbulence and to lose power in one of its jet engines. He made every effort to continue but was forced to turn back. Almost immediately after making the turn away from the island, the turbulence abated, and the second engine returned to full power.

  The helicopter made two additional attempts to approach the island, each one with the same results.

  Finally, the helicopter pilot hovered at about five miles out and radioed for orders. He was told to stand by until the F-16s could reconnoiter the area. The lead F-16 immediately went into an attack dive and roared, jets screaming, into the cloud bank. His wing mounted cameras, infrared equipped, would record everything on the ground.

  He should have reappeared in a few seconds. He didn’t.

  The second pilot and the NAS made repeated attempts at contact but received no response.

  The second F-16 was now ordered to fly into the cloud bank. The troops on board the transport helicopter watched in shock as the same thing happened to the second jet. He disappeared into the cloud and did not reappear. There was no further communication from either jet. It was as if they had vanished from Earth.

  The helicopter pilot was ordered to return to base immediately for debriefing. Needless to say, he was more than grateful that he hadn’t been ordered to fly into that mysterious cloud himself.

  After a quick debriefing of the pilot and his men, the report was relayed to McGowan by the acting base commander. Two planes had disappeared, and the mission had been aborted.

  General McGowan immediately contacted Stoellar, and it wasn’t a pleasant call to make. Stoellar was beyond furious. He berated the commander, the Navy, the Special Forces unit, the helicopter pilot, and everyone else that he could think of at the time.

  Truth, be known, Erik Stoellar was frightened. He had not been frightened in a very long time. And he did not like the feeling. He was genuinely terrified that his carefully laid plans might be unraveling before his eyes.

  ****

  Back on Scott Key, Mister T was also not happy. He had orders from John that no one was allowed on the island. But he also had standing orders not to take a single life of a military person unless it was necessary.

  Mister T faced a major dilemma. An F-16 fighter was diving directly into the protective cloud bank. The second would surely follow. What could he do to prevent the jets from flying over the island without destroying the planes and killing the pilots? He had no time to evaluate his options and no time to contact Maxxine or John.

  He acted immediately and ordered a remote monitoring the island to bring the jet to a complete halt as soon as it entered the cloud bank. A sudden stop at such a speed would have normally killed the pilot, but Mister T deftly controlled the situation with a gravity field. Then, he shut off the engine and used the gravity field to place the plane on the island. The plane was gently deposited on a fairway of John’s new golf course.

  As a fi
nal thought, he placed another gravity shield on the plane’s canopy to prevent the pilot from exiting the fighter jet.

  The second jet had then approached the island, and Mister T followed the same procedure. He sighed with relief. He had succeeded in neutralizing the threat without harming the planes or the pilots. As a last thought, not wanting to terrify the pilots, he beamed in hypnotic signals through their headsets making them drift off into a relaxed sleep.

  Now, he had to figure out what to do with his captured men and planes. He had to talk to the boss. But first, he would check on Julia and Sylvia and inform them of the events that had unfolded.

  The ladies were having breakfast and talking quietly out on the veranda. They waved at Mister T, who gave a robotic sigh of relief. They suspected nothing.

  He calculated that John would want them informed of the morning’s events and gave them an abbreviated report of the attempts at reconnaissance. Both were angry and expressed their frustration at not being involved in the protection of the island. Right then and there, he decided to give them the job of watching the monitors in John’s office for any further intrusions.

  He would also teach them how to use the communication system that connected John with Mister T and Maxxine. The two were most enthusiastic about having an important role to play. He was impressed by their fearlessness and courage and decided that human females must be a very strong force indeed.

  Mister T contacted John immediately and outlined the startling events. He described how he had secured the two fighters and their pilots and then noted that the large helicopter was probably transporting troops with the intention of occupying the island.

  John interrupted, “What do you mean by ‘secured’ the planes and their pilots?” John's voice had a definite edge to it.

  “It was quite simple. I just had the remote shut off the engines. Then I landed them on the golf course. The pilots are sleeping peacefully inside their canopies. The helicopter has returned to Key West. By the way, don’t worry about the golf green. Not a single blade of that new grass was injured.”

  Both men were shocked at the size and scope of the military action at Scott Key. John thought for several minutes before conferring with Maxxine. Maxxine suggested that Mister T allow the pilots to remain asleep while he reversed the process that he had used to land the planes.

  John told Mister T, “Take the jets up to high altitude and place the planes to a location twenty miles from Scott Key. Then use their radios to broadcast the signal for them to awaken and take control of their planes. While you’re at it, include a subliminal message that the island is off-limits to the military, and any further attempts to take over Scott Key may result in our use of lethal force. They will remember the message at debriefing but will not know who sent it.”

  “Message received loud and clear. Over and out!” Mister T was beginning to enjoy his new duties. He had been learning American military history. He particularly liked George Washington and Stonewall Jackson. He also admired George Patton but felt that much of Patton’s military tactics had been learned from Stonewall Jackson’s remarkable campaign in the Shenandoah Valley.

  Julia and Sylvia insisted on checking out the jets sitting peacefully on the golf course.

  As they neared the third fairway, Mister T used his internal computer program to initiate Maxxine’s orders. Within seconds, the two planes were being lifted from the ground. They rose rapidly straight up until the naked eye could hardly see them. The F-16 jets were motionless and silent in the air until Mister T’s final command to send the subliminal messages and to wake the pilots. After a few seconds, the F-16’s engines roared to life, and the planes suddenly began to move rapidly in the direction of Key West.

  Inside the planes, the two pilots suddenly realized that they were far away from the island and the cloud bank. Neither could remember anything that had happened but both had a very strong feeling that they were very, very lucky to be headed home in one piece.

  ****

  Back at the space station, John and Jim had spent the previous evening discussing the events in Washington, DC, and tossing around ideas about how to deal with Stoellar and the Krakow Klub.

  Jim Slater wanted to take the entire organization into custody and put an end to the rebellion.

  John, usually the emotional one, calmly explained that they needed to move deliberately and secure the military first. He urged caution and careful planning to eliminate this most dangerous of enemies. He explained his position by saying, “We must find a way to cut off the head of the snake. Open warfare with the military could result in an enormous loss of life.”

  The following morning, John found out about the military attack on Scott Key. Mister T had handled it very well, and he congratulated him on a job well done.

  Jim had been alarmed, and John had to assure him that no harm had been done to the island or anyone on it.

  Even while assuring Jim that all was well, John was becoming worried. The Krakow Klub knew where they were and would surely come at them again.

  ****

  John and Jim went back to the control room at 8:00 AM. They continued to search for an answer that would allow them to save the government with a minimum loss of human lives. There seemed to be no good answer. Every scenario had its set of risks.

  John remained calm throughout, saying, “Remember how Maxxine saved President Wilkinson from certain death? We still have him, and he is still the lawful president of the United States. He is not a candidate for the Mensa society, nor is he the most honest person in the world, but, I think that we can use him. He now owes us his life, and it’s time to pay up. As the lawful commander-in-chief of the military, he can order it to stand down from attacking us. But, we have to get him back into the White House before that can happen.”

  Jim wasn’t at all comfortable with having Wilkinson back in the White House. He argued, “The man was a poor choice for the job, and he certainly is obligated to the Krakow Klub.”

  John’s answer was, “What do we have to lose at this stage of the game? If we can get him to cooperate with us, he could be a real asset. And remember, the Krakow Klub tried to assassinate him, and I can conclusively prove that to him.”

  John smiled slyly, “You’re correct in your assessment of President Wilkinson, but I think that I can arrange to change the situation. I’ve got more than one trick up my sleeve.”

  He continued, “As matters stand right now, the government is already under the control of the Krakow Klub. We have the resources to take them down, but we must do so carefully. Our actions could bring on a major revolution. We can’t just have Wilkinson walk into the White House and announce that he’s back from the dead. It probably wouldn’t be true for very long. They would not hesitate to kill him for sure this time.

  “Any overt action on our part could end in disaster. With Montrose in charge and the military at her command, we’ll be forced to use our wits to get Wilkinson back into the White House safely. We’ll have to catch them off guard; otherwise, there could be a great deal of blood spilled, and you know how I feel about that.”

  He pounded his fist on the control room desk. “I do not intend to cause the wholesale deaths of innocent American soldiers. Not even for a just cause!

  “Those barbarians wouldn’t hesitate to gun down their troops if they suspected we were aware of their plot. I just need a little more time to work things out.”

  He continued, “Another adage, my friend, ‘Haste makes waste.’”

  ****

  After their morning conference with Maxxine, the two men took a lunch break. John was preoccupied and lost in thought for the entire time. Jim was wise enough not to disturb him.

  Suddenly, his face brightened, and he smiled at Jim. Then, he outlined the plan that he had just devised. As he finished, Jim sat in stunned silence for a few seconds.

  “You expect me to run the show? That’s insane. I don’t have the background or experience. Besides, almost everyone in Washington,
DC, is a lawyer, which I certainly am not!”

  John soothed, “Jim, that’s why you are qualified! We don’t need any more lawyers in government! You have the three most important attributes of a great leader. You are honest. You are intelligent enough to know that you don’t know everything. Your loyalty to your country is without question.

  “It’s been a long time since we had anyone in the White House who possessed those three traits. You are the right man, at the right time, and at the right place. Trust me.

  “You also have one something that no one else in the world has. You are the only person that I will entrust with my powers and the authorization to use them.

  “There you have it, my friend. There is no option for defeating the Krakow Klub except through our direct intervention. And you have to take the lead when we take the government back.”

  Rising, John, said, “So the first thing that we do is talk with President Wilkinson. Maxxine says that he has healed sufficiently from his minor burns.”

  Jim said, in a startled voice, “He’s here?”

  “Of course he’s here. Where else could Maxxine safely stash a dead president until it was time for his resurrection? But, of course, he has no idea of where ‘here’ is. He thinks that he is in a hospital somewhere, probably Bethesda. He has been heavily sedated and has been recovering from both the inferno of that ambulance crash and the overt attempt to kill him by Dr. Newton.

  “So let me do most of the talking until I can bring him up to speed on what has happened and where he is at the moment.”

  Even though it was a relatively short distance to the president’s room, they took one of the little shuttles.

  The president’s quarters had been outfitted to resemble a VIP suite at Bethesda. Wilkinson appeared to be sleeping peacefully. He had been kept in a twilight state with intravenous sedatives until today.

  John and Jim pulled two chairs to the bedside and sat down. Almost immediately, a small robot entered the room with a syringe in its hand. The robot cleaned the IV injection port with an alcohol swab and then injected the contents of the syringe into the port.