The medic could not contain his optimism. “Your husband will be fine as long as we take him straight to a hospital when we come ashore.”
“Sir, that is the route we are taking; it will place us at the closest possible distance to a hospital. I have triaged all the injured and will take them directly to the hospital.”
“He’s amazing.” The medic grinned at Elizabeth.
“Yes! Yes, he is.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
President Simon Sterling was in a bullet-proof limousine trying desperately to get out of Florida. His plan was to drive to Fort McClellan, Alabama, and take a jet back to Howard Beck’s former mansion outside of Denver.
His lead security agent was in the backseat. “Mr. President, we have a secure location at which to stage you until McClellan can get reinforcements to us. We travel too far north and your safety will be in jeopardy. I want us off the road ASAP.”
“Where? Wait, is McClellan in any kind of shape since the attack?”
“It will take longer than I like, but McClellan can have reinforcements here. We just have to be patient. We’ll be waiting at Benjamin Black’s compound at Walt Disney World. He’s an ally of the UAE. We have a small contingent of soldiers there that will secure the site until reinforcements can come for us.”
“Thank you, Mr. Watts. You’ve done your job well. How long until we get to this…what was his name?”
“Benjamin Black.”
“Yes, how long until we get to Mr. Black’s compound?”
“Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we will be there in under two hours.”
“Thank you. I’m sure Stacy will be comfortable in the trunk.”
Jessica Bradley had the luxury of driving a Mustang at break-neck speed across the Florida wasteland. She also didn’t have the burden of a convoy. She beat the president back to WDW by a full hour. She had already briefed Benjamin, and they’d formulated a plan on how to proceed.
Twenty-four UAE soldiers were stationed in the parking lot of Walt Disney World awaiting the president’s arrival. Minutes after Ben and Jessica decided to roll out the red carpet for President Simon Sterling, twelve very attractive, flirtatious young females were sent out to distract the soldiers. While they were preoccupied, Ben’s people shot or stabbed all of them to death. With the soldiers dispatched, their uniforms were stripped off and their bodies hidden from view. Within thirty minutes of the president’s arrival, all the soldiers had been replaced by Ben’s people.
“Mr. President, we will be arriving shortly. Our people are all in place, and Mr. Black will be there to meet you personally.”
“Excellent, Mr.Watts. I look forward to meeting a true patriot.”
When Benjamin Black set up the community at Walt Disney World, the very first priority was external security. They had to be able to defend their walls from outside aggressors. The parking lot leading to the front gate was barricaded with an intricate maze of obstacles and roadblocks. Anyone attempting to gain access to the park had to navigate three armed checkpoints before they could even approach the main gate, which had two armed guards of its own, including one in a thirty-foot-high tower constructed by Ben’s people. Any vehicle not cleared for entry at the first checkpoint was held up while the guards radioed their counterparts at the other two checkpoints and the main gate. In the past, raiders had attempted to storm the Black compound to pillage what Ben’s people had fought so valiantly to procure. No one had ever breached the complex. An alarm would be sounded at the first checkpoint and a standby platoon residing just inside the front gate deployed to deter the threat.
Standard protocol was to allow the UAE to proceed unmolested all the way to the front gate. When President Sterling’s motorcade approached, the same protocol was observed. As the armored limousine and its three support SUVs raced past the first checkpoint, the guard at the front gate radioed ahead to announce their arrival.
“Okay, listen up, people. We have about three minutes before they get here. No one in uniform is to approach the president’s security detail. Avoid making eye contact with them. If they want to speak to a soldier, Hayden Smith is the one to approach since we put him in Captain Brown’s uniform. Hayden was an officer in the Air Force, so he can pull it off. I will separate the president from his detail as quickly as possible. When I shoot his lead security agent, that will be the signal to open fire on the rest of the detail. Is everyone clear?”
A sea of heads bobbed in unison.
“Good. Let’s not screw this up. We’ve got a lot riding on this, and we have precious little time before reinforcements get here from Fort McClellan.”
A minute later, the president’s motorcade approached the front gate and screeched to a halt. A smart-looking man scanned the crowd before him as he quickly approached Ben.
“Mr. Black?”
“Yes, I’m Benjamin Black.”
“Okay, bring out the Suit.” The president’s call sign reflected his predilection for fine clothing. Simon thought it a fitting title and didn’t object.
The passengers disembarked from the SUVs and surrounded the president’s door. Out came the president of the Unified American Empire. Benjamin was shocked to discover how short the man was; he couldn’t have been more than five-foot four. Ben was also surprised to see the president wearing a mismatched military uniform.
“Mr. Black, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for playing host during this desperate hour. I hope you will forgive my attire; my security detail chose to toss me in a church baptistery to protect me from the blast. My favorite suit was ruined and, well, here we are. This monstrosity is an embarrassment,” he said, in obvious distress over his highly unsuitable dress.
“I understand, Mr. President. We’re honored to have you in our humble community.”
“You are modest, Mr. Black. What you’ve done here is remarkable.”
“Please, Mr. President, call me Ben.”
“Ben it is. Are you in charge of security for this community, or should my lead agent make arrangements with one of your subordinates?”
Ben motioned for Jessica Bradley to step forward. “Mr. President, this is my second-in-command, Jessica Bradley. She will see to any security concerns your team may have.”
“Miss Bradley, it’s a pleasure to meet you. This is Agent Watts. He’ll have some security details to discuss with you.”
Ben and Jessica exchanged a subtle glance; the plan had just changed. Jessica would have to kill the lead agent. This worked out perfectly. Ben could grab the president and throw him to the ground to ensure he wasn’t killed during the crossfire.
As Ben led the president toward the front gate, Jessica and the lead agent headed in the opposite direction. Jessica shook Agent Watts’ hand, preventing him from drawing his weapon. With a pistol on both hips, Jessica quickly drew with her left hand and shot Agent Watts in the nose, his brains exploding out the back of his head. She bear-hugged the corpse and dropped to her knee, using the body for protection as she began to fire at the other agents. To her delight, she only had to kill one agent before the “soldiers” opened fire and gunned down the entire security detail.
Benjamin Black helped the awe struck tyrant to his feet. “Mr. President, you are now a prisoner of the Pacific States of America.”
“You’ll never make it out of here alive. My people are coming from McClellan and will squash you like a bug. You’ll hang for this. I’ll put the noose around your neck myself.”