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15 February
0005 Local Time
“My fellow Americans, tonight we have seen an unspeakable and heinous evil not seen since that fateful Tuesday morning in September over a decade ago. It is with a heavy heart and firm resolve that I come to you this evening at such a late hour,” Vice President Kerry Johnson said in front of a backdrop of senators and representatives from both parties.
“As many of you may have seen on live television just an hour ago, our government has been threatened by extremists who seek to vilify American exceptionalism. It is important to note that while these men claim to represent Islam, they do not. They are part of a tiny fraction of radical extremists throughout the world. Islam is a religion of peace – not violent murders or genocide as these men suggest.”
“Yeah, right! Kill all those fuckers!” Kruger’s prisoner yelled at the TV. They were sitting in the tiny processing area of the county jail, waiting to get their traffic stop prisoner booked so they could get back on the road. Kruger intended to clock out and get to work as soon as they were finished.
“You wouldn’t last ten minutes with one of these guys, bub,” Kruger said before elbowing the man. “Now shut up and listen.”
“Just a few minutes ago, under the powers of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment and a unanimous vote by the President’s Cabinet, the Speaker of the House, and the Senate Majority Leader, I was sworn in as President due to the recent incapacitation of our President.
“I do not take this obligation lightly. It is a temporary measure to ensure continuity of leadership until we can safely get the President and her staff back from the hands of these terrorists. But in the meantime, I will ensure the safety and security of each and every citizen of the United States at home or abroad.
“As my first act, I have instructed the Department of Defense and Homeland Security officials to raise the threat level domestically and at our embassies and U.S. installations abroad to the highest level. The group responsible for the President’s kidnapping alluded to other devices and I will not take that threat lightly.
“Federal, state, and local law enforcement are all working together to ensure that an attack on American soil does not happen. But they need your help. It is imperative that calm prevail. Report any suspicious activity and be vigilant, but do not panic. We will not let these terrorists take away our freedom or way of life.
“In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to secure the safe return of President Clifton. We are exploring every option, including diplomatic and military actions. We have been in close contact with the Chinese government as they have been facing The Islamic State of Uyghur for quite a while. They, as well as our allies, have pledged all available resources in facing this threat. Every option is being explored and vetted at this time.
“Although we are a war-weary nation, the American people are strong and resilient. We will not succumb to the threats of radicals. We will persevere and stand down this threat while preserving the integrity of the American way of life. Thank you for standing with me. May God be with the victims of today’s brutal attacks, and with their families. May God be with our President and keep her safe through these trying times. And may God Bless America. Thank you.”
“I didn’t vote for no lady President, but this guy is good,” Kruger’s suspect chimed in as the newly sworn in President disappeared from the screen and a news analyst began dissecting Johnson’s speech. “Them terrorists did us a favor.”
Kruger glared at the man, causing him to cease his commentary. A few minutes later, Corporal Edmunds returned to the processing waiting area and announced that they were ready for him. Kruger escorted the large, burly man into the secure area and went through the processing litany.
When they were finished, Kruger and Corporal Edmunds returned to the Tahoe. Edmunds typed up the preliminary report as Kruger helped fill in forgotten or blurry details from the altercation.
“All done,” Edmunds said. “Any questions on this process?”
“No, sir.”
“Good,” Edmunds replied as he put the car in gear. “Not bad, rook. Not bad at all.”
“Can you drop me off at the station?” Kruger asked. “Something personal came up and I’m going to need to take care of it.”
“The phone call?” Edmunds asked.
Kruger nodded. “I may have to take leave for a few days.”
“That may be hard to approve if this thing with the President really raises the threat level like they said,” Edmunds replied.
“I understand,” Kruger said coolly. “But I’m not asking.”
“You won’t get an evaluation report if you don’t finish your shift tonight,” Edmunds warned. “You can be removed from the FTO program and moved to a non-enforcement position.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Kruger replied. “Thanks for the concern.”
Edmunds dropped Kruger off at the sheriff’s office substation where he clocked in. After several more warnings from Edmonds, Kruger thanked him for the instructional evening and clocked out. He was an hour short of the coveted eight-hour block, but at the moment, it didn’t matter. He needed answers on the situation at Midway and a plan of action.
Kruger knew that the operators that could be tasked to launch a rescue mission were more than capable of executing the mission successfully. What he doubted was the willpower of those in the upper echelon to do what was necessary. Since Project Archangel had been disbanded over six months earlier, he had lost faith in the government’s leadership.
As Kruger found his truck in the empty parking lot, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Julio Meeks’s direct number at the State Department. After two rings, Meeks picked up.
“Meeks, unsecured line,” Meeks answered sharply.
“Coolio, it’s Kruger, what did you find out?”
“Hold on a second,” Meeks replied. There was a shuffling noise at the other end of the phone before Meeks returned. “Sorry, just had to make sure the room was clear.”
“No one else knows, right?” Kruger asked.
“Nope, not about the watch or the Chinese.”
“The Chinese?” Kruger asked as he headed down the lone country road.
“Yeah, we’ve had another SARSAT locator go off, this time with encrypted transmissions. PRC-112G just like the one we used,” Meeks replied in a hushed tone. “The Pacific Command guys have made contact with one of the escort pilots that was downed.”
“What does that have to do with the Chinese?”
“Remember when Spectre went down in Syria?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, Ironman had me look into the messages he was receiving. I traced them to the Chinese embassy in Tripoli. They were using some pretty high-level proxies, but we were relatively certain the commands were coming from the embassy based on the footprint,” Meeks explained.
“So? Didn’t that radio have a problem with keys? Anyone could have done it.”
“You’re right, but they made a very unique digital footprint when they sent the commands, and I think we’re seeing it again here,” Meeks said.
“What kind of digital footprint?”
“Each message that gets routed through the satellite has a unique identifier tag and encryption code. The keys are synced to the GPS time before being rerouted to the ground-based stations and decrypted at the SARSAT terminal. Anyway, the servers use a—”
“You lost me, speak English,” Kruger interrupted.
“Right. Basically, the messages travel a very specific digital route and leave a footprint. I found artifacts within the data stream very similar to what we saw with the Syria incident. I did some digging on the IP addresses, and I think this proxy mask is the same as the one before. It’s been rerouted through servers in Pyongyang and Beijing.”
“The North Koreans are involved?”
“I don’t know if they’re involved, but the messages are traveling through there,” Meeks explained. “Anyway, I compared the messages before and after, and it appears they’re being intercepted and changed. What the receiver is getting is a modified version of what is actually being sent.”
“Like what?”
“Like just now,” Meeks said as he pulled up the message on his screen. “What the pilot sent said that he had located hostages and was continuing recon, but what the SARSAT server received was that he had found the President’s location and confirmed multiple ISIL fighters.”
“So, they’re trying to change the ground picture and enforce the narrative.”
“Not just that,” Meeks said. “But they also changed the message he received back. What PACOM guys sent was a message telling him to find a hole-up location and check-in every thirty minutes, but what he received was a message telling him to continue recon and check-in thirty minutes later with his location.”
“Ok, keep this to yourself. I’m headed to Tampa. How much longer are you going to be at your desk?”
“Probably until this is over,” Meeks said. “Can you believe they’re selling Rip-It energy drinks here now? This stuff is crack.”
“Stay out of trouble and call me if you find out anything new,” Kruger replied. “Thanks, Coolio. Good job.”
“You got it, boss.”
Kruger hung up and found his next contact on his phone. He hit dial and waited. A female voice picked up on the third ring.
“Hello,” she answered groggily.
“Jenny, it’s Kruger.”
“Do you know what time it is?” Jenny snapped. “I need my beauty rest.”
“Sorry. Listen, are you still flying corporate?”
“Yeah, I have a trip tomorrow.”
“I have a proposition for you instead,” Kruger replied. “Just like the old days.”
“I’m listening,” the former Project Archangel pilot replied with great interest.