WAR (23 page)

The drones send their information to the war room in the basement of the Pentagon and the war room inside Cheyenne Mountain. General Watson reviews the location of the Russian troops, “Damn it if we hit them we’ll end up with a lot of collateral damage. An air strike is out, by the time armor arrives they’ll most likely be among the refugees trying to get out of the city. We’re going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.”

General Leninkov tells his staff, “This is as good a time as any to start operations, there are thousands of people trying to exit the city, let’s round them up and take them to the soccer stadium. We’ll hold them as hostages.”

“General, it’s a baseball park, they don’t play soccer here. Sir, the park is next to their Navy Yard. Won’t their Navy Yard have a large security force?”

Laughing General Leninkov says, “No, they had a shooting there a few years ago, they had to call in the Washington, D.C., police. They only have a few security officers. We’ll start by taking over FedEx Park and their Navy Yard. It’ll make a good base of operations for our phase two. Kick off time will be in 20 minutes, at the top of the hour, have everyone assume their positions. Use our portable anti-air missiles to scan and take down any drones. I’m sure we’re being watched, I want the American’s blinded as soon as we kick off.”

“Yes sir.”

“Close the door, I have one more call to make before we launch the invasion.”

After the door closes General Leninkov selects the speed dial for General Chekov, who answers on the second ring, “Hello Arkady, how’s things in the East Coast?”

“Boris, I’m sitting on a powder keg, my forces are spread around their capital, I’m sure they’ve surrounded me, I’m sure there are drones sitting above me watching every move I make. I’m sure their military is waiting for their order to attack our rear. How goes your action in Vegas?”

“My troops and I are sitting in the world’s largest and most expensive hotels. Our hackers are working on breaking into their systems so we can send home billions of dollars to compensate us for the damage they’ve caused us. Did you hear they took out the central bunker under Moscow?”

“Yes I got a call from General Marshal Avdotya. My old friend, I don’t think either of us is going to see home again.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I don’t know yet. Can you arrange for a few hundred million of what you’re stealing to disappear and end up in an account we can share on some nice warm island?”

“I’ll think about it and call you back in an hour.”

@@@@@

Secretary of the Treasury, John Randolph, hangs up his phone with the Chairman of the Bank of the LSA. He shakes his head wondering if the story, he just heard, is true. He figures he better contact the President. He tells his aide, “Please get President Rand on the line, tell him I have something important we should discuss.”

“Yes sir.”

A few minutes later the aide knocks on the Secretary’s door, “Sir, the President said you can meet with him in thirty minutes. Since he’s in the bunker, you’re going to have to take the underground government train to his secure bunker.”

“Will do.”

Twenty minutes later Secretary Randolph is escorted into the White House bunker. President Rand looks up from reading secure emails saying, “John, what’s so important?”

“Mr. President, I had a very unusual phone call from a Mr. John Smithsone, Chairman of Bank of the LSA. He informed me that he was due to receive a payment of more than $500 billion in our currency from the LSA to pay off the LSA’s debt to the bank. He wants us to verify the funds.”

“John, where did Bloomberg get his hands on $500 billion?”

“Sir, he told me that Bloomberg told him he were planning on paying off all of the LSA’s loans in brand new USA currency.”

“Our new currency?”

“Yes. Mr. President, that’s the strange part, we know how much currency we’ve printed, we’re not missing any, nor is there over $500 billion unaccountable.”

“John, did he say how much in total Bloomberg was going to pay off?”

“Sir, he estimated the amount is over $3 trillion.”

President Brownstone and Cruise lifted their heads on hearing the number $3 trillion. Cruise says, “No way. I bet it’s counterfeit.”

Ted nods saying, “I agree, but how did Bloomberg pull it off?”

Paul says, “I’m guessing have had the LSA treasury figure out our formula and reproduce it.”

Ted asks, “Could they have done that with the hologram? I thought we went with the hologram because it wasn’t reproducible.”

Paul responds, “It is supposed to be. John is it possible for them to have reproduced our currency?”

“Sir, I’d say that 99.8% of the counterfeiters in the world would be stumped, but the LSA has the resources of their national mint, that mint used to be ours. If anyone could reproduce our new bills, it would have been our own mint.”

President Rand tells John, “Mr. Secretary, I want you to get some samples of the currency the Bank of the LSA claims is coming from Bloomberg. Let’s test it to find out if it’s real or not.”

“Yes sir, I’ll get right on it.”

After the Secretary of the Treasury leaves, Paul addresses Ted and Rod, “I didn’t see that one coming, did either of you?”

Both shake their heads no. Ted asks, “Let’s assume Bloomberg has counterfeited our new currency, how do we respond? I think we’re all agreed they selected Las Vegas as the target to hack into the casino’s accounts and steal their funds that would cause them and a few insurance companies to go bankrupt.”

Rod responds, “I think we should use our own assets to hack Bloomberg’s networks, starting with his personal net worth. He claims everyone in the LSA is equal, let’s make him equal with his people. We’ll strip him of his billions of assets. Let’s see how he likes to be broke and equal with his countrymen.”

Paul and Ted smile nodding their agreement. Paul says, “I like it, can the NSA handle it?”

“After Bloomberg took out their new facility I’m sure they will be overjoyed to have some revenge. I suggest we turn them loose on him. Strip him of all of his assets, smear his already bad name and make him personally pay.”

The three presidents laugh and nod in their agreement. The Director of the NSA smiles after hanging up the phone from hearing his new instructions from the President. He thinks to himself,
Let’s see how Mr. high and mighty likes it when his credit card is declined, and every aspect of his life is made public. If we don’t find what we want, it will be easy enough to construct the sordid details that will hurt him.

@@@@@

President Bloomberg relaxes at his favorite steakhouse in Beverly Hills; due to the lack of electrical power the restaurant is lit by candles and the steaks are grilled over an open flame BBQ. President Bloomberg decides he likes his steaks much better this way. He’s thinking of mandating that even after electrical power is restored some special restaurants will have to grill their steaks over an open flame. He sits back enjoying his wine and a cigar when he hears, “Hello Mr. President, I had a feeling I’d find you here.”

Looking up President Bloomberg sees John Smithsone standing over him with an extended right hand. “Hello John, it’s nice to see you, would you like to share some of this very nice wine?”

“Thank you, sir. If your security will permit it, I’d like to.”

“John, what brings you here this fine evening?”

“I knew you would be here; I want to speak with you off of the record.”

“What’s so important as you have to come over here to speak?”

“I called Secretary John Randolph to ask him to verify the currency you’re going to be paying the bank back with.”

“You did what?”

“Michael, I’m sure you would have done the same thing. We’re talking about $500 billion. I can’t afford to take any risks.”

“What did he tell you?”

“He’s asked me for samples of the currency.”

“How much does he want?”

“He asked for fifty million from different serial number batches. He also said to ask for batches from the three different holograms.”

Bloomberg nods saying, “No problem John, I’ll have it for you within 24 hours.”

“Thank you, Mr. President. I’ll see you in 24 hours.”  

As John exits the restaurant, Bloomberg uses his secure two-way government radio to call Michael Schulmer, the LSA Minister of the treasury, “Michael we seem to have a little problem. The USA has asked John for a sample of the currency. They want to verify fifty million, and it has to come from samples from the three different holograms. I wasn’t aware there was more than one hologram.”

“To be honest, neither was I. I’ll check and get back to you.”

Schulmer yells down to his chief of staff to find someone to take him to the mint. Driving in an old gasoline powered police car, he’s taken to the LSA mint where he runs into the director’s office that is empty. “Where is everyone?”

The Security guard says, “Mr. Minister, it’s 10:00 PM, with the electrical outage, no one works in the evenings any longer.”

“Where are the USA new currency samples?”

“Sir, I don’t know where they’re kept.”

“Find someone who does.”

Chapter 15

A small family owned Italian restaurant in New York City’s Little Italy district places a closed sign on the front door after the sixth and last person arrives. He hands his coat and hat to the owner who kisses the man on both cheeks. “Don Gardenzo welcome to my humble restaurant.” 

“Is the asshole here?”

“Yes sir, he arrived early, everyone else is here too. They are in the private dining room. I’ve prepared your favorite tonight.”

“Excellent my old friend, the wine?”

“Don, now you insult me. Your bottle is waiting for you at the head of the table.”

“Good, good. I’ll go in now, please knock twice before any of your staff enters the dining room.”

“Don, tonight the only staff is my own family. You know every one of them.”

“No one else is here?”

“Don, your people are in the kitchen, my wife is making them dinner. I gave everyone else the night off. I canceled all of the reservations saying we had a broken pipe.”

“Were any deliveries made today?”

“No Don, my wife and I personally shopped for everything. My oldest, your Godson, was here all day to ensure no one entered until we returned to begin preparing the meal. We cook everything over an open fire like in the old country.”

“My old friend, I can always count on you.”

Kissing the Don’s ring, Solly bends at the waist saying, “I owe everything I have to my Don. My life is yours to command.”

The Don pats Solly on the cheeks with appreciation and warm feelings. “Yes my trusted old friend. Coming here is like coming home.”

Don Gardenzo enters the private dining room, the other five Mob bosses jump to their feet in respect for the head of the New York crime families. The Don nods to the other family heads; he looks at the man standing behind the chair at the foot of the table. “You requested this meeting?”

“Thank you, Don, I bring you the best wishes from President Bloomberg.”

“Please don’t ruin my appetite, Solly is making us some very special veal this evening, I want to enjoy it. What is it you want from us?”

“We’d like to discuss engaging you to perform a task for the country.”

“Which country?”

“Why the one you live in, the LSA.”

“Why would we cross the street for you? Your everyone is equal bullshit has hurt our business. You have supported the NYPD in cracking down on our businesses. Why should we listen to anything you have to say?’

“Because in my briefcase is a deposit to cover your expenses for this meeting. I’ve brought one million for each of you.”

Don Franko laughs saying, “One million is nothing. I made more than that this morning. You can’t buy us with peanuts. We’re not circus animals that do tricks for you.”

“If I wanted tricks, I would have hired one of your girls.”

Don Ringo looks at the stranger saying, “If you disrespect us, you’ll never leave here alive, and no one will ever find your remains.”

Don Gardenzo claps his hands together to get everyone’s attention. “Let’s listen to what our guest has to say.”

All nod in their agreement. “What is this task you want us to perform for you?”

“President Bloomberg would like to hire you to do a certain pest removal job.”

“How large a pest?”

“The largest possible.”

The men in the room put their forks down while turning their heads to look at Don Gardenzo, who says, “We were engaged once before to solve a certain large pest problem. It was before you were born. It didn’t work out well for anyone involved. We must respectfully decline your kind offer.”

“Don, are you sure? The President has authorized me to offer up to fifty million each.”

“What good is fifty or one hundred million if none of us are alive to enjoy it? I can think of at least three pests your mentor would like removed, which one is it? The current, the middle or the oldest?”