WAR (6 page)

              “Good evening Mary, things in LA are dark and cold. Could you spare a few kilowatts?”

              Laughing, Mary responds, “Wolf, maybe your President Bloomberg should have thought about the repercussions before he sent agents across the border with evil intent. He intentionally picked on children, harmless, innocents who he used as pawns. You should know we don’t take such actions lying down. You should be happy that’s all President Rand did. I understand that not all of the LSA is without power. Isn’t it true that your hospitals, senior homes, and pharmacies still have power? As does your Gray House so your government can function. See, we’re not totally heartless. We made your people’s lives a little more difficult; we could have done much worse. In fact tonight’s ‘instapoll’ says 72%, wait, the number is trending upwards, it’s now 76%, think cutting off your power wasn’t enough.”

              Wolf responds, “Mary, first of all, speaking for all of the innocent families in the LSA, we’re asking the USA to show the mercy and love you’re known for and turn our power back on.”

              “Wolf, if the LSA government hadn’t attacked our children, none of this would have happened. In fact, had your people not attacked us, you might still be hosting the hit television program, ‘The Smiths and Jones’. By the way, I really enjoyed the program. Have you spoken with Sean lately?”

              “Mary, thank you for your kind words. Let’s try to stay on the key issue. I’ll give you someone, somewhere made a terrible mistake by using innocent children to make a point. Mind you, none were killed, none were made ill for very long, and while unpleasant, do you think President Rand’s reaction was on par with the mistake that was made by someone in the LSA? As to Sean, I placed a call to him tonight. I’m looking forward to his comments on the situation.”

              “Wolf, we both know the only mistake made was thinking you could get away with it. Second the entire idea of extraordinary response is to deter others from thinking about trying the same thing. Other countries and organizations will see what we did and decide not to test us.”

              “Mary, how do we solve this? Millions are suffering in the LSA because of your actions.”

              “Maybe President Bloomberg should come clean and announce to his people what he did and resign or offer to compensate the families for their pain and suffering. Maybe if he did, President Rand would reconsider and turn your power back on.”

              “Mary, why should President Bloomberg resign? He didn’t pour the chemicals into the children’s mouths. He never set foot on USA soil. I fail to see why you single him out for your wrath, and at the same time your country takes out your vengeance against millions of innocents.”

              “Wolf, we both know, the world knows, that nothing happens in the LSA without President Bloomberg personally signing off on it.”

              “Mary, I assume you have proof of his involvement? If not then, you and every other news reporter in the USA should cease blaming our President. If you don’t have proof, there’s a chance President Bloomberg will file suit against President Rand and the entire USA at the World Court, how would you like that?”

              “Wolf, haven’t you tried suing one of our Presidents at the World Court before?”

              “Mary, the LSA wasn’t even founded when President Brownstone was sued. Hence, it wasn’t us. I’m here to tell the USA families that their brothers and sisters, the peace-loving families in the LSA, are suffering. Even our production of baby food and diapers has been closed down due to a lack of power. We’re all suffering; the USA’s attack is causing us enormous levels of pain and suffering. Our families are suffering on a physical and mental state. I ask you to think about the Smith family you got to know so well, do you want Sissy and her puppy to go to bed cold and hungry every night? Does the USA want Sissy and Scott to be able to finish school this year? Do you want these and millions of other families to suffer like this? I’m asking you, the loving families in the USA, to call upon your President to stop the blackout before we are forced to respond in a violent manner.”

              Mary’s face becomes very serious; even the lighting at the studio dims a little, she asks, “Wolf, did you just threaten the United States of America on international television? I’m sure you know the penalties for threatening us. I pray that the US Strategic Command isn’t warming up a missile with your name on it right now. Wolf, per USA rules, I’m going to have to cut off your microphone. We don’t allow terrorists to use our media to threaten us. Wolf, goodbye and good luck to you, may God have mercy on you. “

“Ladies and gentlemen, you just heard it here on the Wolf News Network. Wolf Bracken, representing the LSA, just threatened the USA. What do you think about that? Log onto our site and vote in our ‘instapoll’ and let us know your thoughts. We’ll publish the ‘instapoll’ results every fifteen minutes.”

              At the Jones’ home Leon turns to his father, “Dad, are we going to nuke Mr. Wolf? I liked him. I’ll miss him if he dies.”

              “Leon, what he just did was very bad. He knows our laws. He went on national television and made a threat against the country. In doing so, he became a terrorist. You know from school; we don’t allow anyone to use our media, airwaves or the internet to make threats against us. We once did, no more. If he’s the reason LA gets destroyed, their deaths will be on his head. He knew better than to say what he did. I like him too. However, there’s no way we can allow anyone to use our own media to threaten us. I had hope when I heard he was going to be on the tonight’s program that a solution was going to be announced. I had faith they would learn from the blackout that they can’t fight us. All they had to do, was officially apologize and work towards a settlement with the families. Now I’m afraid we’re going to have the civil war President Brownstone tried so hard to avoid. The damn progressives just can’t seem to accept the simple fact of taking responsibility for their actions.”

              “Dad, we learned in civics class that part of being a good person is to accept our faults and always accept responsibility for our actions. Whatever we did, we should stand up and accept the responsibility for our words, our actions and our writings. We learned that we have as much freedom as we want until we infringe on someone else’s freedom. Don’t they realize this in the LSA?”

              “Leon, I guess they don’t.”

              “Dad, how can they fight us? They don’t have an army. What are they going to do, meet our updated Abrams M1A6 tanks that have rail guns, with stun sticks? That’s going to be a hell of a short war. Their stun sticks won’t affect our troops in their new armor. Man, that armor is cool. Two Marine’s came to school to show us their armor and new rifles. I watched them shoot their armor with battle rifles; nothing penetrated the armor. They have a LSA stun stick; one touched the stun stick to the other who was wearing his armor, he never felt a thing. Man, don’t they realize they’re going to get their asses kicked?”

              “Leon, they have allies who have armies, Russia’s is the second largest standing army in the world. China’s is the largest.”

              “Dad, numbers are good; however, technology can beat numbers.”

              “Leon, always remember that quantity has a quality of its own. Technology isn’t always the answer. Numbers have a tendency to overcome technology when a large enough number is applied. I don’t want to see a war. However, if Bloomberg is going to continue to bullshit the world, we should invade at least LA to teach him a lesson.”

              “Dad, would the Russians risk total destruction by siding with the LSA? We discussed in school that President Rand selected a low-level response. He was hoping they would accept the fact they were outclassed, he hoped they’d realize they can’t fight us. He was hoping the blackout would force them to apologize, and everything would return to how it was.”

              “Leon, don’t BS your old man. I know you’re hoping everything gets settled so the program can continue. You miss your fame from the program. What happened, your FB page start losing followers and friends? Girls stop asking you out?”

              “Dad, it’s not that, it’s just…”

              Before the two of them can continue their discussion, the television says, “We apologize for interrupting your current program. President Rand will address the nation tomorrow at 9:00AM. All schools and all industries will be delayed for two hours so that everyone can hear what the President has to say. The White House interactive page and ‘instapoll’ will be open and active during the President’s speech.”

              Carol says, “I wonder what he’s going to say. It’s very unusual for the federal government to force everyone to delay their opening so they can hear what he is going to say. I wonder if he’s going to make an official declaration of war. I think the last official declaration of war was in World War II.”

              Beth asks, “Mommy, if we go to war, are you and daddy going to leave us? My friend’s daddy had to leave her and get ready to fight, he’s in the Marines.”

              “Beth, your friend’s father is in the military. He had to go because it’s his job to protect all of us. He risks his life for us. It’s why he gets paid so much.”

              Leon responds, “Mom, is that why their house is much bigger than ours, and he drives a sports car?”

              Carol responds, “When you put your life on the line for the country shouldn’t you be rewarded for the sacrifice? Shouldn’t you get paid very well? Shouldn’t your family know they can afford the best of everything because their loved one is away and may die? When I was young, we paid our military peanuts. Many needed food stamps to live and feed their families. Presidents Brownstone and Cruise pushed through new laws, ensuring our military not only gets the best of everything, they get paid more than 20 times what they used to get, and their health care is the best we can offer. President Cruise disbanded the VA and set up a new program where our military can go to any doctor, any hospital, and the government picks up the costs. I feel better knowing our military can concentrate on their jobs without having to worry if their families have enough to eat.”

              Leon asks, “Mom, won’t a war be good for your company?”

              “Yes, but I don’t want to see a war. Wars settle issues; however it’s always harder to manage the peace that follows the war than it is to manage the war.”

              Beth says, “Mom, I’m scared. Are we going to die? Is Mr. Wolf going to hurt us?”

              “Honey, it’s going to be OK, don’t worry about anything. Everything is going to be fine. Even if there is a war, it’s going to be a very short one. I feel sorry for the Smiths and families like them who did nothing wrong but are now going to be caught up in a war.”

              “Mommy, I’m going to take Holly out for a walk.”

              “Beth, it’s too late for you to take her by yourself, I’ll go with you.”

              “’K, mom, let’s go.”

Chapter 4

While the Russians are bribing the USA border guards, Colonel Grover and his team are flying west on a C18A. The C18A is a top secret airplane that the Russians, as well as most other countries, don’t know exists. The C18A has a range of 6,500 miles, it can be midair refueled and fly for 36 hours. The C18A carries two complete crews with a crew rest cabin where the off duty crew can sleep on long duration flights. Grover’s team is also sleeping trying to get as much rest as possible on the flight. The C18A is as quiet as the DARPA scientists could make it. Its exhaust is channeled through mufflers that quiet it to 70dB which is the same sound level as one would hear standing fifty feet from a freeway. The C18A is silent to those on the ground when it’s flying higher than 5,000 feet. Its engines have water injected into their exhausts to cool them, so it doesn’t leave contrails; the engine exhausts are also shielded from ground or air based IR searches. The body of the C18A is covered in newly developed Radar Absorbent Material (RAM). The shape of the plane and the RAM coverings generate a radar return smaller than a robin. Anyone using a ground, ship or air-based radar won’t recognize there’s a large transport airplane in the sky approaching them. The C18A’s electronics also mask its speed; instead of the receiving radar reading the planes true airspeed of 600 knots, their return displays 8 knots confirming they are a bird. In case an enemy fighter does try to attack the C18A, it carries four radar/IR jamming decoys that are towed behind and below the C18A, these attract incoming air to air missiles. The C18A is the first airplane that carries a rear firing laser designed to blind approaching fighter pilots and missile sensors. The C18A was designed to be the stealthiest and safest military transport/insert airplane in the world to deploy troops and their equipment in hostile territory. Colonel Grover is awakened when his communication watch beeps at him, he responds, “Yes?”

“Colonel, pilot here, we’re 50 miles from your drop zone.”

“Thanks, I’ll get my team ready.”

“Everyone up, we’re 50 miles from our drop, let’s get ready, everyone up, turn around and check the man behind and in front of you. Is everyone ready?”

Every one responds, “Yes sir!”

“Remember, our orders are to stay hidden and not attack any civilians unless we’re attacked. From this moment, we’re peace loving citizens of the LSA. Keep all of your weapons hidden. I’ll jump first.”