The Krakow Klub

by Philip C. Elrod

  John looked at Jim Slater, who had been silent throughout the whole event and said, “We still have a lot of work to do, and we need to do it fast. We’ve lost too much time already, and that could prove to be very costly.”

  Jim turned to Wilkinson, “Mr. President, we’ve got to put this into high gear and get on with your broadcast.”

  He nodded his head in agreement and then spoke to Gordon, “I want my wife to remain here. You’re going to guard her with your life. Dr. Allen will take care of anything that she might need medically.”

  He continued, “Get Madelyn here right now. We’ve got a rebellion to quell!”

  “Yes, Mr. President,” snapped Gordon, then raised his radio, “Gordon, here. Dancer is back in the Oval Office. Secure the White House and inform the military to stand down. We are secure here.”

  Madelyn Carson, Wilkinson’s trusted secretary who had served him for years, had been waiting just outside the office. She was, as always, the ultimate professional. She stood tall with her shoulders squared, and she briskly went about the business of organizing the telecast. The only indications of her stress were the damp little pathways where tears had coursed down her cheeks after she heard the news that Wilkinson was alive.

  Madelyn told the president, “Give me fifteen minutes, and I will have everything all set.”

  The president, again wearing his dark blue windbreaker and khaki outfit, sat at the HMS Resolute desk and gently ran his fingers across the surface respectfully.

  “Madelyn, you’re in charge of advising the media that the blackout is over. From now on, they will have complete and unlimited access to everything that’s going on. Then, just drop the little bomb that I’m alive and I’ll be making an address within the next few minutes. That should get their undivided attention.”

  John stepped forward and shook Gordon’s hand, “Gordon, I’ve already spoken with Lucas about some of this. The Krakow Klub has managed to get their associates into high ranking military roles. I’m also sure that the commander in charge of securing Washington, DC, is with the organization. Right now, we don’t know who we can trust, so I’m going to place a protective shield around the White House immediately.”

  Gordon was confused. “Sir, please explain. I have no knowledge of this Krakow Klub and certainly don’t know anything about protective shields.”

  “I don’t have time to explain the shield to you in detail. To put it simply, it uses a gravitational field to protect the White House from any attack. The technology came from that spaceship that visited our solar system recently. Everyone here will be safe from harm.”

  He continued, “As for the Krakow Klub, that’s the name of the organization behind the coup. The group has been working on this for many years. They have the muscle and the funds to accomplish their goal. They’re extremely dangerous and will stop at nothing. I’ll fill you in on the details later. Right now, no one will be allowed to enter or leave the grounds without the express permission of the president.

  “I suspect that there may be personnel working here who are in the pay of the organization. Be on the alert. Report anything suspicious to me immediately.

  “The most important thing that I can tell you, right now, is that the president is under my protection, and no harm will come to him. You can relax and use your resources to secure the White House.”

  John checked in with Maxxine for an update on the situation at Scott Key. Maxxine reported, “The commander of CSF635, Captain Popovich, has been relieved of command and a replacement is on the way to the carrier at present. The military jet carrying the new commander will land in approximately twenty minutes.

  “The bad part of that news is that the new commander is on my list of military officers controlled by the Krakow Klub. I can take out the jet before they arrive if that would help. Or, I could extract the pilot and then destroy the plane. An alternate solution would be to extract the new commander and transport him to the space station and into custody. Your wish is my command.”

  “Don’t do anything at the moment. I think that you’re enjoying the extraction process. Your new toy is quite valuable, but I think that it would be best to handle this through normal channels if at all possible.”

  John walked over to the desk and spoke to the president in a whisper, “Sir, we have a problem, and we need to talk about it right now.”

  He outlined the situation on the carrier as briefly as possible and then asked if there might be a way to countermand an order from the Atlantic Fleet commander.

  The President paused for only a short time before replying, “I know the Atlantic Fleet commander personally. I was a member of the Senate panel that approved his promotion to admiral. His name is Hugh Morningstar. I believe him to be a loyal American. What order has he given that must be countermanded?”

  The president immediately spoke to Madelyn, “Please get me Admiral Morningstar on a secure line as quickly as possible.”

  While they waited, John explained the situation with CSF635 in more detail. He explained to the president that any order for an all attack on his island would result in the destruction of CSF635 and probably all its eight thousand personnel.

  It was a long and agonizing five minutes before Admiral Morningstar was on the phone with the president.

  “Hello, Admiral Morningstar this is Henry Wilkinson, and I know that you thought I was dead. Obviously I am not. Now listen, Hugh, we have an urgent situation that you must take care of immediately, and I mean immediately!”

  A stunned Admiral Morningstar stared at the phone. He wondered if this was some joke. That voice sounded like Henry Wilkinson, but he had to know for sure. Strange things had been going on recently. Could this be a trick of some kind?

  Then he remembered his Senate confirmation hearing and a particularly personal question that had been asked by the then Senator Wilkinson. “Mr. President, please understand my position. I must know it is really you. Do you remember that personal question you asked me at my confirmation hearing?”

  “Hell yes, Hugh, and I still think that an admiral in the United States Navy should not have flunked algebra his first year at the academy!”

  “Mr. President, I am at your service.”

  “Good. You recently issued orders to replace the commander of CSF635. Countermand that order at once and take the officer that was to replace him into custody. I don’t have time to explain, but there has been a coup attempt, and that officer may be a part of it. Admiral Morningstar, this is urgent! I order you get it done now!”

  ****

  The Super Hornet had the carrier in sight, and the pilot radioed, “Navy Tango Charlie Four–Niner-One on final for landing.”

  The reply was totally unexpected. “Four–Niner-One, abort landing. You are ordered to proceed to Key West Naval Air Station and land there.”

  The Hornet pilot immediately broke off his approach and pushed his throttle forward as he made a sweeping turn away from the carrier.

  Captain Dwayne Everman was aboard the F-18 on his way to take command of the carrier after Popovich’s failed mission. He heard the radio transmission between the carrier and the pilot and was alarmed.

  “Turn this damned aircraft around and get us onto final approach. I’m going to order them to allow us to land.”

  Then Everman radioed the carrier, “This is Captain Dwayne Everman, the new commander of CSF635. I order you to allow us to land immediately.”

  The F-18, now almost realigned on the glide slope to land on the carrier, heard the response. “Navy Tango Charlie Four–Niner-One, this is Captain Frederick Popovich. My command has been restored, and you are not to land. That is an order! Proceed to Key West Naval Air Station as ordered.”

  Once again, the Hornet began a sweeping turn away from the carrier and increased his throttle setting accordingly.

  Captain Everman, now in a cold fury, ordered the pilot to land again and threatened to have him court-martialed if he refused to obey.

  The pilot, a highl
y decorated flier, calmly prepared to make the final approach to the carrier for a third time.

  “Navy Tango Charlie Four–Niner-One declaring an emergency. We must land at once.”

  Popovich, who was watching from his command position on the carrier’s bridge, ordered the landing space be blocked with ground power generation equipment. There was just no way that he was going to allow Everman to land on his ship.

  “Four–Niner-One, this is Captain Popovich. You are not to land. If you have an emergency and must ditch at sea, we will recover you. Otherwise, you are to proceed to Key West Naval Air Station as ordered.”

  Again, the pilot turned his jet away from the carrier. Speaking into the intercom, he said, “Sir, attempting to land will kill us both. We have been ordered to return to Key West, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

  The Hornet aligned with the radio beacon at the Naval Air Station and pushed his throttle forward. It would take them only minutes to cover the 50 miles, so he immediately radioed, “Key West Approach, Navy Tango Charlie Four–Niner-One, Five Zero Southwest, inbound for landing.”

  Roger, “Four–Niner-One, expect runway two one, winds 1-9-0 at 12, contact tower upon entering final approach.”

  “Four–Niner-One, Roger runway two one.”

  Captain Everman, already in a rage, was even more upset when he saw the military police vehicles waiting for the plane as it taxied off the runway. Something had obviously gone very wrong.

  Captain Popovich settled back in his chair and pondered his future. He knew that there would be good days and bad days for a career naval officer. He just never expected days like this one. And it was still not over. It was almost three hours before lunch time.

  Admiral Hugh Morningstar’s order like the previous one had been terse:

  “Captain Popovich is to reassume command of CSF635 immediately.

  “Divert incoming F-18, Navy Tango Charlie 491, carrying Captain Dwayne Everman to Key West Naval Air Station.”

  Hugh Morningstar, RADM.”

  Captain Popovich was still holding the communication in his hand when he was advised that Admiral Morningstar was on the radio for him.

  He took the radio mike and replied, “Popovich.”

  “Poppy you won’t believe what has been going on in Washington!”

  ****

  Lt. Colonel Smith, the commanding officer of the Stryker Battalion assigned to Washington, DC, was in a state of combined panic and confusion. Reports of the incident at the White House were hard to believe. Four Stryker armored vehicles and more than fifty troops, all gone in a few seconds. Impossible! But, the replacements that he had ordered rushed to the scene had confirmed the carnage. They had once again encircled the White House and were about to storm the grounds when the Secret Service had informed them that it was secure, and the military should stand down upon the president’s direct order.

  Smith was hesitant and indecisive. What had appeared to have been a prestigious command that would have garnered him national attention was turning into a fiasco, and he had no idea how to deal with it.

  Fortunately, his indecision probably saved a great many lives, perhaps including his own.

  ****

  President Henry Wilkinson took a deep breath, a small sip of water and prepared for the most important speech of his career.

  There would be no teleprompter to guide him.

  There would be no makeup artist to make him look younger.

  There would be no hairdresser to give him that perfectly groomed appearance.

  He was to be completely on his own. Just him and that camera. He suddenly felt invigorated and strong. He would speak from his heart, and speak to the hearts of all Americans. This had to be his finest hour. Untold numbers of lives depended on what he accomplished in the next few minutes. He took a deep breath and noted that the red light had come on; he was now live on TV.

  “My fellow Americans. I address you today with both joy and a heavy heart. You saw that horrible crash that reportedly ended my life. That crash was part of a well-orchestrated plan by an organization that you’ve never heard of until today, the Krakow Klub. This secret cabal has declared war on this nation and everything it represents.

  “Their plan has been developed and honed to near perfection over many years. Billions of dollars have been invested to assure its success. This treacherous group has used those billions to infiltrate both our military and our civilian government. Their tactics are based on bribery, blackmail, threats, and money. Huge sums of money have been spent over many years. The degree of success they achieved is frightening.

  “A few days ago, I was forced to appoint Carla Montrose as my vice president. I refuse to call her President Montrose because she was never the legal president. She was involved in the planning of that horrible inferno intended to assassinate me. Her plan was foiled by a remarkable individual possessing enormous powers. I will introduce him a bit later.

  “Carla Montrose’s occupation of the Oval Office was critical to the success of the Krakow Klub’s plan. I confess to you that, in a moment of cowardice and weakness, I willingly complied with their orders and named her to be vice president by executive order. That decision could have sealed my fate, as it did the fate of two innocent EMTs and the driver who were in the ambulance with me.

  “The very next day, less than twenty-four hours after I appointed Montrose to be my vice president, I began to have severe chest pains, and my heart rhythm was very abnormal. They placed me in that ambulance, and our motorcade headed toward Bethesda. I was not supposed to survive that ride. A van full of highly explosive materials was to see to that.

  “It grieves me to report that my own White House physician, Dr. Wesley Newton, was also part of the bold conspiracy. He administered a powerful drug that induced symptoms of a massive heart attack.

  “I now know that Newton had drugged me and controlled my life for many years. He diagnosed me with a serious heart condition when my heart was completely healthy. To treat this so called condition, he prescribed a medication that affected my brain. This mind altering drug made me susceptible to orders that originated with the Krakow Klub. During that time, I confess that I was unwittingly serving them and not the people of our country. And, for that, I will always have regrets.

  “Now, let’s move on to the terrorist attacks that happened in the aftermath of that fiery ambulance scenario. These attacks were not the work of some jihadist group. They were planned and executed by the Krakow Klub. Public fear and chaos were essential to their plan, and they used the dreadful situation to set the stage for a military takeover.

  “Once their minion, Montrose, was in the White House, they were ready to declare martial law. And she did just that. Following her orders, the entire government would have soon been controlled by the military and freedom, as we know it, would have been lost, probably forever.

  “These people have a single goal: World domination! They came very close to being successful, but I am here to assure you that it will not happen. A group of fanatics and anarchists will not fell the United States of America. We will destroy them. They will not be allowed to defeat us. They will not take away our freedoms. Have faith; there are powers available to us that will lead us to victory!

  “There will be much more information to come later, but for the moment, time is of the essence.

  “As commander-in-chief, I have sent orders to all members of the joint chiefs of staff, and at this moment confirm those orders. All United States military units are to stand down from whatever orders they have received in the last forty-eight hours. Those orders did not come from me, your legitimate president. All orders by that traitor, Carla Montrose, are immediately null and void. All military personnel are ordered to return to their home bases at once. I am aware that some military commanders are under the control of the Krakow Klub. Be aware that I have a list of those involved, and all of them will soon be relieved of command and placed in custody.”

  Wilkinson stood an
d motioned for John Scott and Jim Slater to join him. He introduced them and briefly explained their roles in saving his life and in securing the White House. He did not go into details about the congressional approval that gave John twenty-five years of authority in the government. He did announce that he would name Dr. Jim Slater as his chief policy Aadvisor, whose primary job would be to help in restoring the government.

  He ended the brief speech by standing behind the desk and speaking in a strong voice, “There is much to do immediately. And there will be much more to do in the coming days, weeks and months. But I will rise to the challenges and with the help these two gentlemen,” pointing to John and Jim, “and with the support of every loyal American, we will restore our precious freedom. And we will then use the full force of the law to punish those conspirators who would destroy us.

  “God bless America and all that we stand for.”

  The press went berserk. In a matter of minutes, the news wires all over the world were lit up with the news of what had been happening in Washington, DC.

  ****

  The order to stand down and return to base brought great relief to the military and the public in general. All military officers who had been arrested because they were loyal to the government were released, and many of them were reinstated immediately into their previous command position.

  Maxxine provided her list of conspirators to the president, and massive numbers of arrests of military associated with the Krakow Klub started happening all over the country.

  General Lew McGowan chose to take his life rather than face court-martial. He left a detailed confession describing his association with the Krakow Klub. The document detailed his actions and the actions of his many associates aligned with the organization. He included a long list of officers he knew to be a part of the conspiracy. His confession drove the final nail into the coffin of a large number of his conspirators.