The Fate Of Nations: F.I.R.E. Team Alpha: Book One (12 page)

              Carter continued. “The primary target is in a city deep inside enemy held territory where the enemy has total control of the airspace. The target nation is an authoritarian police state where the populace is under almost constant surveillance. This means that the teams can’t be inserted all at once without being detected. The insertions would have to be staggered of a period of at least a week and spread out geographically using varied insertion techniques.”

              Carter paused for breath. “Then, each team would have to live in enemy territory while remaining undetected for days and launch a coordinated attack on a heavily secured facility with only minimum communication among them. To do that, they would have to have the support of the indigenous underground resistance cells mentioned the target folder. Dealing with the underground opens up all kinds of security problems since they would have been operating in a police state for years. They are almost certain to have been infiltrated by enemy secret police, at least some degree.”

              “The teams hitting the bunker will have similar insertion problems,” Carter continued. “They will have to insert at different locations and times and have to survive in mountainous terrain until they could launch their assault. Also there is no way to do a stealth insertion within fifty kilometers of the bunker and the few roads leading the target facility are too heavily patrolled to use; so, even if they commandeer vehicles, they wouldn’t be able use them. This means they’ll have to cover that fifty kilometers on foot while remaining undetected and still launch a coordinated attack.”  

              Carter drew a breath. “Even if the insertion is a success and the teams assigned to the primary target have remained undetected, they have to assault a heavily fortified complex in the heart of a hostile city. According to the target folder, there are nine military bases within forty miles of the target and the city is policed by ten thousand armed police officers. The teams would have to fight their way into the target and destroy it; alerting every enemy trooper for miles around to their location in the process. After that, they’ll have to break out of the target compound and fight their way through, hundreds maybe even thousands of enemy troops that are responding to the attack.”

              “If we manage all of that,” Carter went on, “we will either have to be extracted by aircraft or try to get; to the coast for pick up by submarine. Any unit used in that extraction would also be subject to extreme risk.”

              “The teams hitting the secondary target could be extracted by air after the bunker is destroyed. But those aircraft would also have to fly hundreds of miles through contested airspace over mountainous terrain. Those aircraft would also experience extreme hazard.” 

              The two men met each other’s gaze. Carter’s face was solemn and unflinching. “You really think it would be that bad?” Hicks asked after a moment.

              Carter’s expression did not change. “I wouldn’t bullshit you, Sir.”

              “But you think that the targets can be destroyed?” Hicks asked again.

              Carter’s face remained impassive. “Yes Sir; in many ways the actual assaults on the targets will be the easiest phase of the operation. It would likely be during the extraction when things get bloody. We will have stirred up one big-assed bee’s nest and those bees will come after us like we’re bathed in honey.”

              “The teams may be paranormals but, when it comes down to it, we would still be just thirty-two people fighting a whole damn city. The teams hitting the mountain bunker would be sixteen people all alone hundreds of miles behind enemy lines.”

              Hicks let out a long breath. “O.K. let’s go through the file page by page and you can show me exactly how you came to those conclusions.”

              “Sir, I have really good idea about what the real world targets represented in the file are,” Carter said.

              “I’m sure you do,” Hicks replied. “We’ll just keep things theoretical for now, though.”

              Carter raised a finger. “One more thing, Sir; if the targets are what I think they are; then destroying them won’t do any good unless the destruction is followed up a massive offensive; something like the invasion of Europe in 1944.”

              Hicks’ lips curved into a wicked smile. “Let’s get started on breaking down your planning.”

                [][][]

              The spring air was damp with the promise of an impending storm sweeping in over Lake
Erie
. The Ohio country side, although still scared from bombing and chemical attacks, was beginning to recover. Fort Reagan, the headquarters of the Paranormal Army Corps, was located on the shore of the lake and surrounded by the city of Port Clinton. The fort, once a base for the Ohio National Guard known as Camp Perry, had been expanded during the war and the city and the fort now functioned in symbiosis.

              Carter could smell the grass and trees of the country side that surrounded Port Clinton. He found that he enjoyed breathing in the scent of growing things more since his para-gene had been activated his and senses had been expanded; even when the grassy scent was diluted with the smell of jet fuel and the birdsongs were all but drowned out by the ruble of engines. He was on American soil and it was green and alive.

              Hicks stood beside Carter as they watched the team deplane. “Welcome home Team Alpha,” the general said. “You’ve got the day off, but please don’t leave the base; you’re on standby.”

              Hicks moved toward a staff car that had arrived as the group deplaned. “Doug, get yourself settled in and then meet me in my office in two hours.”

              The staff car’s driver opened the door for Hicks and a woman in a P.A.C. uniform emerged. Carter was about to speak but was stopped in mid-syllable when he saw the female officer. When he had recovered from the surprise he managed a single word. “Monica,” he said finally.

              Hicks grinned. “Did I forget to tell you that the Major would be waiting for you, Colonel?” he said suppressing a laugh.

              Carter turned to Hicks. “Your wife put you up to this little deception, didn’t she, Sir.”

              Hicks nodded. “It was Mary’s idea,” he said. “She’s wanted to be here to see your face, but she had twenty kids to look after at the base daycare.”

              “That sounds like Mamma Hicks,” Carter said. “Her orphans come first.”

              Carter fought the urge to run to his wife. She was in a new, well-tailored uniform and wore carefully applied makeup. The bangs of her short-cropped hair were moving slightly with the breeze and her extraordinary green eyes seemed to be actively luminous. She had taken pains to be attractive for her husband. After he had taken a few steps, she ran into his arms. Their embraced lasted for several seconds.

              “Good God, it’s good to see you,” Carter said, touching her cheek.

              Winters leaned into his touch. “I know. I’ve been waiting here for you for three days. I was going to call you on radio the second you were in range, but Mary wouldn’t let me. She said the surprise would be worth the wait.”

              Carter’s grin broadened. “The wishes of a general’s wife are as good as orders from the general himself.”

              Hicks had come to stand beside the couple. “Damn right,” he said. “This general’s wife has ordered the two of you to report for dinner tonight at nineteen hundred.”

              “We’ll be there, Sir,” Carter said.

              “See you both in two hours,” the general said as he ducked into the staff car.

              Carter turned to Williams as the general departed. A truck had arrived to transport the team and they began loading their equipment into it. “Get everyone settled and makes sure our gear gets off of the plane and to our billets. Once the gear is accounted for, the team can stand down.” 

              Williams nodded. “Very well," he said, moving toward winters. “It’s good to see you Monica.”

              Monica kissed Williams on the cheek. “Nice to see you too; all of you,” she said, turning to face Team Alpha.

              Nagura stepped passed Williams and took Winters in a sisterly hug. “You are looking well,” Nagura said.
              Monica stepped back, sill holding both of Nagura’s hands. “You like you’ve just spent weeks in a cramped submarine and hours on a plane," she said, chuckling. “It’s great to see you again my friend.” She patted Carter’s arm. “Have you been keeping an eye on this man of mine for me?”

              Nagura blushed and looked away. Winters took her friend lightly by the shoulders. “Okesa, what’s the matter? I was only joking," she said.

              Nagura forced herself to meet Monica eyes. “There is nothing wrong.” 

              Monica was about to press the matter, but McNamara came to Nagura’s rescue. “How is the rest of your bunch, Major?” McNamara asked, taking attention away from Nagura.

              “Alive and well,” Winters replied.

              “Good,” the sergeant said. “We’ll have to get the teams together for a drink; or ten, or twelve.”

              “All of the teams are here,” Winters told him. “Team Alpha was the last to arrive.”

              McNamara’s face became more serious. “They called everyone back from Alaska and Panama?”

              Winters nodded. “All six teams,” she said.

              Carter put up a hand to stop that line of conversation. “We’ll get orders soon enough," he said. “Enjoy your down-time for now.”

              “Right,” McNamara agreed. “Everybody hop in,” he added as he climbed into the waiting truck.

              Carter drew Winters back to his side. “I think we’ll walk,”

he said smiling at her.

              “Very well,” Williams said.

              The couple watched the truck drive away.” They seem to be in good spirits," Monica observed, as they walked arm-in-arm.

              “Mac is good at keeping up moral. Besides we’re back at our home base,” Carter explained.

              Winters agreed. “All of us are back home. Something big is brewing.”

              Carter pulled her slightly closer. “Like I told the team, we’ll get orders soon enough.”

              “How are you?” he asked her.

              She stopped in mid stride and hugged him. “Good,” she said. “God, it’s been over six months since we’ve been together. I missed you so much.”

              He touched her face again; seeing the beginnings of tears in her eyes. “I missed you too, more than you can imagine.”

              He kissed her. The kiss lasted for several seconds. When, reluctantly, they parted her eyes glistened with tears. “We’ve got some time together now; let’s focus on that,” Carter advised.

              They resumed their walk as group of twenty soldiers passed by them in a loose formation. They were obviously exhausted as they lumbered by under the weight of sixty pounds of packs, weapons, and equipment. They were soaked from head to toe and covered with sand-encrusted mud. Their eyes were dull from lack of sleep. Instructors circled around them like angry birds of prey; screaming orders and criticism.

              Carter regarded the group and smiled. “I see they they’re running the FIRE team selection and assessment course. This bunch will be the first recruits specifically selected and trained to be FIRE team operators instead of being drawn from other services.”

              “It started last week. There were over a hundred candidates then. Now there are just those twenty. They went from a twenty-mile forced march, with full equipment, in the Wayne National Forest this morning, and then right into water survival training in the lake in the afternoon. They’ve been going for twenty-nine hours straight on two hours of sleep; four hours of that time was in the water.”

              “And they’ll be back in the forest tonight for a land navigation exercise,” Carter added. “I helped design the selection course. By the end of the week, we’ll be down to about ten candidates.”

              “I know,” Monica agreed. “It reminds me of the Combat Controller course. By the end of that nightmare I was begging God to end my misery.”

              Carter chuckled. “It was the same when I went through selection for the Combat Applications Group. That course made hell seem like paradise. The idea is to push candidates to the breaking point and find out which ones don’t break,” Carter said.

              “But they all have the para-gene. Why make them run the selection course before it’s activated?” Monica asked.

              “Because it’s harder to physically break an activated paranormal than it is a normal human,” Carter said. “Besides, it’s nearly impossible to establish uniform performance standards for paranormals because our physical and mental abilities vary too much from individual to individual. We would have to come up with tests for each individual,” Carter explained. “But,” he continued, “If you evaluate them before their gene is activated, you can have a pretty reliable baseline of what they can be expected to endure and achieve.”