Starting from Scratch (31 page)

Mike asked, with some concern,
Casualties?

None for our side, Sir.

Excellent, Frank.

Things were moving along quickly and Mike felt enough
trust, in the Americans at Nellis, that he left with the three seal
teams for the Independence.

Soon they were conducting their first exercise
assault on a real Sauran transport. Mike insisted on joining them
and went in behind the team that was assaulting the engineering
section, which was led by Master Chief Aaron Kays. Apok would lead
the team going after the bridge and Chief Howard Stefanski was
assigned to the back up bridge.

At the end of the practice assault, they were in the
debriefing room, critiquing every aspect of the op.

Bambi commed Mike,
Urgent, sir. The Prime Minister
of Australia was just assassinated and it looks like an inside job.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand had an attempt on his life, but
his security people killed the man, also and insider.

Also, there is increased submarine activity in the
areas around Australia, New Zealand and very close to America’s
West coast. In the western Pacific, it’s the Chinese, but here,
it’s just one Russian sub and I don’t think the Americans know it
is there.

All right, Bambi, keep me informed.

That’s not the worst of it, sir. Bet, Charu and
Horace were on a short visit to see Las Vegas and relax for a day
or so. A team of Chinese agents grabbed them. I’ve tracked them to
a warehouse in Barstow, California. They’re about to be
interrogated. So far our guys have held up well. I’m having more
micro-drones constructed, but they won’t be ready for hours. What
would you like me to do?

He gave it a quick thought and told her,
Frank
Vollmar and Al Benson are in Mexico, handling security. Comm him
and provide every detail you can about the people who kidnapped our
people. Be sure and tell him I want as many prisoners as we can get
and to take care to get our people out alive. Take them all to
Mexico and have Jim Atteberry interrogate the Chinese. If you have
to, put a needle in their head, that’s OK by me; but I want
answers.

All of this happening at once is no coincidence.

Notify the Canadians and the President that we think
there will be an attempt on their lives at any minute.

I already did, sir.

Good girl. Send a med unit to the Whitehouse and
another one to Ottawa, just in case the attackers get lucky. If one
of the heads of state is only wounded, I want them to get the best
quality care that only we can provide.

Yes sir, I’m on it. Are you coming back down to
Earth?

No. That would take too long and what we’re doing up
here is just as important. Bambi, I don’t have to tell you how fond
I’ve grown of Bet Fulwiler. I want you to do whatever is necessary
to protect her.

Yes sir, I understand. Mike, I’m really sorry I let
you down. I should have been more on top of the situation. I just
got caught of guard.

Bambi, I’m not mad at you. This is a form of war and
it’s played for keeps. These guys are experts at doing the
unexpected. I think this combination of events was designed to slow
down our progress and I strongly suspect that the real brains
behind it are the Russians. It’s unusually bold for them to take
such overt moves. Usually they pull this sort of crap through a
surrogate. I suppose they made some sort of deal with the Chinese
and that gave them the courage to make a move now.

Even if I’m right about these two nations joining
forces, there has to be something greater going on here and we need
to know what it is.

I want you to start digging into Russian and Chinese
intelligence and see if we can figure out what their long term goal
is.

Yes sir, I’m on it.

Bambi told him,
I just commed everything to Cdr.
Vollmar and Al Benson. I’ve dispatched a small shuttle to Mexico.
His men will be ready to board, as soon as it lands, and then it’s
off to Barstow.

He told her,
I want Apok brought up to date on
this and have him listen in to the prep for rescuing our people.
The man has good instincts and he might be able to contribute ideas
to the effort.

That was it. He excused himself from the debrief and
went to his quarters, on the Independence, where he could think in
silence.

Mike had done what he could, under the circumstances.
He badly wished he could be there for the rescue but there just
wasn’t time for him to get there. His people had to be saved now,
before more drastic measures were brought to bear on them, to make
them tell what they knew.

Vollmar was a good man and his experience would give
the others with him confidence that they could get the job done.
Mike had to trust the people he had placed in positions of command
and give them room to make their own decisions to deal with
unforeseen situations. The ability to make those decisions
instantly was why he had selected Frank to lead the team.

He sat down in a chair, put his head in his hands and
prayed. “God, please keep my people safe and especially Bet. I know
it’s selfish of me, but I don’t want to have another woman taken
away from me. Please God. I’m doing the best that I can here and I
need your help. In your son’s name, I beg you to heed my
prayer.”

End of
book two

This story is copyright 2015 by Bruce George.
All rights reserved.

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