I request second Compass Call airborne under my tactical control, over.”
Brodie responded, “Roger that, out.”
Peter wanted to be sure he could have as much real time Intel, including corresponding directional traces from two air platforms in case the target transmitter began to move.
He climbed through the office rubble to the conference room where Sam and the Washington people had been working. It took several minutes to find the remnants of the outer ring of offices among the clutter and injured. Some people were badly injured and others were dead.
A sense of personal loss and dread flowed through him as he looked for Rachael. He found her on the floor of the former conference room, with people attending to her. They had wiped blood from her face. Her legs were raised, and based on her sallow complexion, she was in deep shock. He felt an emotional twinge. Her eyes were alternately open and dilated, then closed. They had nothing for pain, so her body was reacting, forcing her toward unconsciousness.
Peter knelt beside her and put his face about two feet from hers. He felt weak and stroked her hair, something he’d done whenever his comrades were severely injured. Tears welled in his eyes. He wanted to comfort her. His voice faltered when he said, “Rachael, can you hear me?”
She responded momentarily to his voice, but wasn’t cognizant of his presence. “Rachael, it’s Peter, can you hear me? I know you’re hurt, but I need some information.”
Her eyes opened momentarily and her head turned slightly toward him. She had more strength than he imagined which she should have been conserving. “Peter?...wha...happen’d.”
Her eyes closed again but her head remained pointed toward him. “Rachael, there was an explosion. You’re hurt and need to hang in there while the medics get here.” He only hoped that there were enough Medevac helicopters and hospitals. She needed luck to live.
He repeated in a soft voice, “Rachael, it’s Peter, I need to talk to you.”
Her head wobbled back then forward, and she licked her lips. Her eyes opened with dilated pupils.
“Rachael, I need to know who to call at DOD to coordinate your intel? Please Rachael, honey, we’re going catch these guys, but I need to know who you communicate with.”
After a few moments, her head turned away slightly, then towards him. In a muted voice she said, “Jim Coates, he’s in code...” Before she completed her sentence she was unconscious again and Peter left her alone. He had enough information.
Back at the radio, he called Springfield and asked headquarters to contact Coates, who was working in the intelligence (G2) directorate. He requested tactical control over NSA assets currently employed for ELINT purposes in the area.
After the call, Peter found Luke and Angela in reasonable shape with cuts bandaged. He asked them what combat gear the FBI had in the building. Luke said nothing, but signaled to follow him up the emergency stairwell to where their “armory” was located. Personnel on the fifth floor were in equally bad shape as the people three floors below. The area had been densely populated with people jammed in small cubicles, so the floor was covered in debris. Luke and Angela could only wonder where their spaces had gone. Luke led through the broken partitions and furnishings toward the west end of the floor where a concrete vault occupied the entire end of the floor. The door was locked and it took a few minutes to locate someone with the combination. Inside, the emergency light gave minimal illumination.
Peter made a quick inspection of the equipment available. They had everything from personal communications gear to Kevlar helmets. There was also an assortment of weapons and ammunition. Most of their hearing had returned. “Okay, I assume you both want to apprehend these guys, so let’s all get dressed.”
Returning to the second floor, they were wearing black BDUs, body armor, and communications sets. Luke and Angela were armed with handguns. Peter would use the military weapons he’d requested. He called headquarters asking for an update.
HQ responded, “Colonel Shields, wait one for the DO. Shields? This is Brodie, over.”
“This is Shields, over.”
Brodie transmitted, “Colonel, all assets are arranged. One Little Bird is en route your position to transport you to the staging area west of the city. ETA is less than ten minutes. Big Eye two is airborne with ETA your position in about twenty, over.”
“Excellent General. Request status of troops and weaps available for assault, over.”
Brodie responded, “Peter, your weaps are aboard the transport, we have twelve volunteers, mostly Rangers and all veterans en route to the staging area, some have been filling other MOS’ in the Guard, but all have combat experience, you have tactical command, over.”
“Roger sir. Out.”
He looked at Luke and Angela, “Okay, let’s go to the roof. As this goes down, you two represent the civil law authority with arrest power, if there’s anyone alive to arrest.”
Angela was nervous, “Peter, we’re not trained for this. The FBI investigates crimes by analyzing accounting and legal data. We’re not usually involved with weapons.”
“Look, you’re what we have, and you’re going on this mission. I won’t let you get too close, but you need to be on site.”
Luke’s ego felt bruised by Angela’s comments, but he agreed with her. “Peter, we’ll do what’s required to get these guys.”
”Good, let’s move!”
The roof was above the eleventh floor. The air was clearing as he searched the horizon for the helicopter. His radio was set to Guard Channel for general communications. They found the largest open area on the roof and Peter made a call, “Little Bird aircraft en route federal building, do you copy?”
Response, “Identify, over.”
“This is Shields, over.”
“Roger Striker One, we have your location computed, but smoke is making it hard to see. Can you blow red smoke? Over.”
”Negative on smoke, can you see a tall broadcast antenna surrounded by low buildings? Over.”
From the aircraft, “Roger we have the antenna in sight, over.”
Peter said, “The pickup point is due north of the antenna, about three hundred meters. We’re the tall building, over.”
“Got it, stand by for pickup, out.”
In twenty seconds the helicopter was descending through the haze toward them. Peter moved them away as the Little Bird settled on the roof. The pilot kept the rotor turning, maintaining positive lift in case the roof wasn’t designed for such weight.
They jumped aboard the helicopter and the gunner instructed them where to sit. The MH-6JD Little Bird is equipped for target acquisition and light attack operations. It is a modified version of Boeing/McDonnell Douglas Helicopter’s MD-530MG airframe, with all of the interior comforts removed. Both sides of the aircraft had sliding doors removed. The ‘seats’ consist of canvas sling benches with quick-release seat belts. The Little Bird helicopter cruises at 128 miles per hour for three hundred miles. On-board equipment includes thermal imaging system, low-light vision, laser rangefinder/designator, and an optical bore sight system. These systems enable it to operate day and night, and allow target acquisition and engagement at standoff ranges in any weather conditions. It has an accurate navigation system to locate precise locations. This aircraft had most of its equipment removed for personnel capacity and endurance with armed troops aboard. Minutes after takeoff, they reached the staging area in an old shopping mall located in Naperville.
The Farmhouse
Razzaq had his engineer test all of the arming and detonation circuits in the vehicles in the barn. Everything was working. Returning to the farmhouse, he joined his men in a final prayer and offered his personnel blessing, wishing he could join them. Each had a box of personal belongings or letters that Razzaq assured would get to their loved ones. They were assigned to the remaining five marked vehicles in two man teams with personal weapons if police approached them. The only thing they needed to acc
omplish was to report when they get the cars to the targets.
The city was gridlocked and traffic was almost stationary, and the streets were packed with people. Several hours would be needed for the cars to get into position; so timing was a problem. The cars exited the barn at five-minute intervals, taking slightly different routes.
When the last car departed, Razzaq walked out to the barn. Two plain white cars remained inside. One of these he and the engineer would drive away in a few hours to use as a mobile control point. After detonation, he would kill the Engineer, and drive to New York for flight back to Europe, then Palestine.
He approached the engineer with open arms and they embraced. They spoke of the greatest victory for Islam since the end of the Crusades. “We shall see the Satan driven back into the bowels of the earth---Inshallah!
Razzaq walked back to the farmhouse in the dark, contemplating the exact words he would communicate in his next message to his superiors. Despite a calm exterior, he was excited for the massive victory he was leading. Songs would be written about him. He would be treated as a king throughout the Muslim world. The night was beautiful and clear and he stopped to breath deeply, not aware of the man walking behind him, step for step, since leaving the barn. When his senses alerted him, he began to turn, expecting to see the engineer. Instead, he saw the shadow of two men, one with a large