“The Silent Warriors.”
“Yes, Mr. President. I can’t do my job as your advisor unless you bring me up to speed.”
President Sterling studied Stacy like an overbearing father disapproving of his daughter. The look quickly faded and he didn’t speak for almost a minute. “How well do you know Howard Beck?”
Stacy was a master at the craft of deception, her vacant poker face rivaling that of the best card shark. She was not, however, prepared for this particular question; those working in tandem with the president knew Howard Beck’s name was taboo. Stacy cleared her throat. “Sir?”
“I know Beck was close to Malcolm Powers. I’m simply asking if you had occasion to get to know the man.”
“Yes, I got to know Howard quite well during both of Malcolm’s campaigns.”
“I figured as much. I always knew Malcolm didn’t like me. The party paired us up and wouldn’t have it any other way. I spent both campaigns far, far away from the president. I think Malcolm sent me out to the sticks out of spite. Said he wanted me to reach the common man in all corners of the country. I never complained. When he made it to the White House, I was never at his side. I simply bided my time and waited for his eight years to be up so I could sit in the big chair. Of course, things changed and here we are.”
“Mr. President, why are you asking me about Howard Beck?”
“I trust you, Stacy. I trust you more than any of the regional governors. I’m asking you about Howard Beck because I want to know how deep your friendship goes. If we go to war with the PSA, will you be comfortable helping me take down an old friend?”
“Mr. President, you are the legitimate ruler of this nation from coast to coast. Howard Beck is a traitor; it’s just that simple. We need to make this nation whole again, whatever the cost.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, my dear. I’m going to share with you two very important things that will help us dethrone that crazy old man.”
Stacy’s mind raced ahead, skimming her mental calendar for the first available ten minute time slot in which to share the forthcoming information with Howard…soon. “I’m all ears, Mr. President.”
“Are you familiar with General Richard Dupree?”
“The commanding general of the PSA’s military?”
“Yes. I have enough leverage to make him my puppet.”
“How so?”
“I have his daughter.”
This is not good. Howard has to know this immediately. Stacy played along, and looked impressed. “Very good, Mr. President! Well done! What’s the second thing?”
“I’ve located Beck Castle. It’s only a matter of time before we’re inside.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Who in the hell is General Dupree, and what does the UAE need with his daughter?” Benjamin Black was sitting in his office in the Walt Disney World complex. His second in command, Jessica Bradley, had just returned from her scouting mission near Miami.
Jessica had never heard the name either. “Maybe a disgraced UAE general, someone Sterling wants to torture. Maybe he’s gone rogue or something.”
“I thought that, too, but it doesn’t seem to fit. If he was UAE, we’d have heard about him from the officers we’ve turned. He has to be with the PSA.”
“So you just let that bastard Rutherford take an innocent girl? Without any fight? Just like that?”
“Don’t start that shit with me! You weren’t here! They had hundreds of soldiers armed to the teeth, ready to slaughter all of us! I didn’t have a choice!”
“Okay, okay, jeez. Calm down. I get it. Just pisses me off that they would kidnap an innocent girl like that.”
“We can talk about the girl in a minute. Tell me more about what you found.”
“The warehouse is a goldmine filled with pallets of non-perishable food. We have to make it a priority; it could feed all of us through the winter. I left one of my guys behind to keep an eye on it. As long as it remains untouched, he’s just gonna sit there and do nothing. If the UAE finds it, he’s gonna high-tail it back here and let us know. He has one of our long range radios and can call us when he’s about thirty miles out.”
One of Ben’s first tasks when renovating his community had been to construct a lookout post one hundred seventy-five feet atop what once was Cinderella’s Castle. The height advantage gave them an impressive range of communication.
Jessica continued. “What do we do if the UAE finds it?”
“We send out a strike team and take it from them.”
“Hell yeah, boss!”
“For now, all we can do is wait for them to clear out of Miami. I don’t think they’re gonna send out scouting parties. How far away is the warehouse from their current position?”
“About twenty miles.”
“Good.” Ben had more pressing concerns than the food distribution warehouse. “What is the UAE doing down in Miami?”
“Something huge. They have a two-square-mile perimeter completely blocked off. They’ve got so many soldiers there they could almost stand shoulder to shoulder around the perimeter.”
“What’s inside it?”
“That’s where it gets weird - nothing strategic, no military installations. The only thing that could be considered remotely important is a small airport.”
“Huh. That is weird. If they’re having some big meeting, you’d think Miami International would be the better choice. Hmmmm. Small airport, tight security. What else is in there?”
“A residential area, a high school, a cemetery, and a couple strip malls.”
“Wait. A cemetery?
“Yeah, a big one.”
“I bet that’s it. It sounds like someone died, and they’re securing it for a funeral. At first I thought Sterling might be coming to Miami, but he alone doesn’t warrant that much security. If Sterling was meeting all the regional governors in one place…”
“They would lock the place down tighter than Area 51,” Jessica added.
“That has to be it.”
Jessica was excited, but reserved. “So what difference does it make to us? We can’t do anything but send our condolences.”
“I don’t know. We might not be able to do anything, but maybe we can find someone who can.”
“Who?”
“That’s where the little girl comes in.”
“General Dupree?”
“Yeah. How many generals do you think the PSA has? The guy’s gotta be important.”
“Well, let’s just hop on our jet and fly to the PSA. I’m sure we won’t get shot down.”
“You brought back a jet from Miami, smartass?”
“No.”
“Then shut up. We need to put our heads together and come up with something. There’s gotta be a way to get word to the PSA. They could wipe those fuckers out and put an end to all this bullshit. Do we have any contacts that could get the word out?”
“Colonel Sanderson out of Fort Polk, maybe? I dunno.”
“He might be able to get word to someone in Denver.”
“Let’s get to work.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The polite man was waiting patiently for a meeting. The attack he’d orchestrated on behalf of his employer had gone off without a hitch, and it was time to brief him on the next phase of the plan. His competition, The Silent Warriors, while effective at spreading terror, were amateurs compared to him. If he were a prideful man, he would announce to the world that he alone was responsible for one of the most horrific terror attacks in recent history. Instead, he had no choice but to let The Silent Warriors take credit for his work; his employer would have it no other way. If there was even a faint whiff of doubt – if a single question arose as to The Silent Warriors’ involvement in the destruction at Fort McClellan - the polite man had no doubt he’d be quietly relocated… to an unmarked grave. Silenced.