THE WARNING A Novel of America in the Last Days (The End of America Series Book 2) (32 page)

Landover
Hills, Maryland

        
As a bedroom suburb of the nation’s capital Landover Hills enjoyed
significantly higher income per capita than the national average. Home values
had not declined during the economic downturn, due to the federal government’s
role as the country’s best employer. When Abdul Azim Mahaz and his team were
scouting the DC area for their preferred location they noticed the upscale
nature of the Landover area, but that was not the reason they selected it. The
final decision to select Landover was approved by Tehran because of its
proximity to U.S. 50. The highway, also known as the John Hanson Highway, was a
direct shot from Landover to the Mall in downtown Washington, D.C. The highway
was a major feeder route into D.C. for federal employees, but it was not part
of the federal interstate highway system. Iranian intelligence had concluded
that US 50 would allow agents in the U.S. to travel without being stopped at
interstate traffic control booths The last thing Tehran wanted was a thorough
search of their cargo vans. It was a risk they couldn’t take.

        
Abdul Azim Mahaz’s last name meant ‘place of war’ which
Tehran felt was quite appropriate for his assignment in America. He proudly
signed his name on the lease for the large home with a three car garage,
located at the end of a cul-de sac and only five minutes from U.S. 50. Abdul
and Naveen quietly moved into the home. Naveen was introduced to their
neighbors as Abdul’s wife, though actually she was an Iranian intelligence
agent. Landover was populated by large numbers of foreign nationals, so the
appearance of Abdul and his wife raised no eyebrows. Abdul and Naveen smiled at
their neighbors when they saw them, but avoided any extensive conduct. After
they had been in residence several weeks they received a cell phone call
alerting them to the arrival at their home before dawn of three cargo vans. The
garage doors were all solid wood, with no windows, so once the vans had been
parked in the garage, they were not visible to the neighbors. The solid white
non-descript vans arrived one hour apart.

        
A week later two men moved into Abdul and Naveen’s Maryland
home. Neighbors were told that the men were Naveen’s younger brothers who
wanted to immigrate to America and were working on their masters’ degrees at
American University. They would occasionally leave the Landover home, as if they
were heading to class, when in reality they were making purchases of materials
needed for their work on the vans. The first project in which they engaged was
to apply graphics to the vans to identify them as commercial vehicles for a
carpet store in Falls Church, a house repair and remodeling service in Front
Royal, Virginia and an automobile glass replacement store in Richmond. The vans
were next outfitted with large wooden cabinets which would appear to any casual
observer as consistent with the business needs of the owners. Built into the
middle of each cabinet system was a large cabinet lined with two inches of
lead. The lead-lined cabinets were to be hidden behind by rolls of carpet, tool
boxes and racks of auto glass.

        
Once finished, Abdul and the two Iranian agents took the
vans out on a test drive. They drove directly down U.S. 50 into Washington,
D.C., encountering no DHS traffic control booths. They followed the highway
markers showing U. S. and the number 50 on a federal shaped crest. By following
the signs they were able to drive directly down New York Avenue and to the
federal Mall. Abdul clicked his cell phone when the three vans reached the area
of the Mall equidistant between the Capitol and the White House. The other two
agents clicked their phones back. Abdul smiled broadly as he turned the
steering wheel to head his carpet service truck back to Landover. This will be
so easy, he thought. The infidels, he thought, will have no idea how it even
happened and then it will be too late, in any case.

        
Once Abdul notified his U.S. contact with Tehran that the
vans were outfitted and drive-tested, three deliveries were made to Abdul and
Naveen’s home. All were made in the middle of the night. Each required six
persons to carry the metal wrapped boxes into the home. The delivered boxes
were carefully installed in the lead lined cabinets in the vans. Before coming
to America, Abdul and his fellow agents had been carefully trained in Tehran by
Iran’s top scientists, educating them on the intricacies of the care, transport
and detonation of nuclear devices.

Situation
Room – White House West Wing

Washington,
DC

               
The
President was still dressed in his G’town sweat shirt and jeans. The same
people were in the Situation Room. The clock showed that it was now 8 AM in DC,
five hours after the President’s first visit to the crisis control room in the
West Wing. The room was first requested by President Jack Kennedy after the
abortive Bay of Pigs incident because he wanted the ability to manage a crisis
with enhanced communication and intelligence facilities. Though the President’s
attitude when he entered the Situation Room appeared to have improved somewhat
with increased sleep, he was still nursing his grande Starbucks. He slouched
into his seat at the head of the table glaring at his top military and
intelligence advisors with obvious skepticism. He said, “The colonel tells me
that you’ve got some evidence that my friend Vladimir may be playing games.
Spill it. What’s he doing now?”

        
The NSA analyst tasked with presenting the current situation
cleared his throat and said, “Mr. President, you asked not to be disturbed
until and unless the Russian and Iranian troops crossed the border with Syria
into Israel. That occurred, sir approximately thirty five minutes ago, sir, as
screens one and four clearly show. The Israeli border has now been
breached
, by at least a mile along a
broad front. Under international law….”

        
“I didn’t come down here for lectures on international
law….I used to teach law….
remember
? I
still think this is part of a training exercise….never mind.
Get me
Vladimir
. On the red line of course.”

        
The Colonel whose head the President had figuratively
chopped off at 3 AM waited until the President had completely finished his
statement then said, “Mr. President, the Israeli PM is on the secure line. He’s
demanding that he speak with you, sir. May I connect him while we reach the
Russian President? He’s called
every hour
since 2 AM. OK, Sir?”

        
“He’s
demanding
that he speak with me?
Really
? Tell
him to go….uh, that….I’m busy, right now. Do you have Vladimir on the line
yet?”

        
“No, Mr. President, we’re being told that the Russian
President is not available, sir.”

        
“Huh….Not available? What
the heck
does that mean? You think he’s still mad about losing his
troops at Fort Carson? He’s the head of state….he
has
to be available,
right
?”

        
The Colonel bit his tongue to avoid bringing up the
Presidents’ absence during the slaying of a US Ambassador. “Yes, sir, he
is
the head of state, but his office is
telling us that the President is out of town. They describe his absence as a
much needed vacation. We pressed, as firmly as we could, diplomatically, for a
contact number and we were told that he’s out hunting in the Russian wilderness
and unavailable to be reached. It’s all
very
strange
, sir. The NSA is always able to contact
any
head of state, usually within a matter of minutes.”

        
The President said nothing. He looked at General Houston,
expecting the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to explode with invective. But the
General said nothing. No one in the room said anything. The President chewed on
a yellow pencil until he bit off the eraser, which he spit across the table.
The President’s scowl suddenly turned into a beaming grin, as he said, “
Great
….Don’t you see, gentlemen….
this
is what I’ve been telling you. I
know that his not taking my call has nothing to do with the death of those
Russian paratroopers at Fort Carson. Vladimir fully accepted my apology over
that little problem….I’m sure. If this little movement of the Russian and
Iranian troops was anything except a military exercise Vladimir would be right
there….in command….at the Kremlin.
No way
Vladimir would leave Moscow during
an
invasion
of Israel or any other nation. He’s not in Moscow because these
troops are just
playing war games
,
racing around in the desert, or whatever the terrain is there northeast of
Israel. What a relief! I knew this was
totally
blown out of reality. General Houston, you can lower your blood pressure.
Everything’s fine.
Just
as I said.”

        
General Houston thought he might jump across the table and
slap his Commander in Chief silly until he perceived reality. Recognizing that
he couldn’t do that, he tightly gripped both arms of his Situation Room leather
chair, leaned forward and said, using a purposely low tone and a slow cadence
to his words, “Mister President. There….is….an….equally compelling, uh,
explanation. If Russia and Iran, and it now looks like there may be Libyan
troops involved, have….decided….
to….invade….Israel
,
then the Russian President’s refusal to speak with you is
fully
understandable. He would obviously be….”

        
The President would have none of it. He slammed his palm
down hard on the polished table and shouted at the General, “
You still don’t get it
. I wasn’t
brain-washed by serving in the military, so
I
get it
. Why do I have to be the
only
one
who figures out what our friends in the Middle East are doing? They
don’t want to invade Israel. They’re only
scaring
the PM
, maybe hoping they can get some more land….like….uh…. under a second
treaty, you know, like….”

        
Admiral Smitherman cut off the President’s rambling, “May I
suggest sir that sovereign nations don’t cross other sovereign nations’ borders
to scare them
. They cross borders to
invade, to kill and to
conquer
.”

        
The President scowled at the Admiral, snapping back, “
Killing
? You can’t show me
one
killing,
not one
death. These troops are only….well, don’t take it from
me….look up at the screen on the right….they’re not even two miles into Israel.
Like I said….military exercises
only
….Just
war games.”

        
“Mister President, sir,” the Colonel said, “The Israeli PM
is calling again.
Will
you take his
call,
sir
?”

        
“I need a break, gentlemen. I didn’t get any breakfast yet.
I’m famished. Colonel, tell the PM that I’ll call him back in a few minutes,
alright?”

        
“I am authorized to tell the PM that you
will
call him back,
sir
?”

        
“
What
did I just
say? Of
course
I will. I just need
some food first.”

Situation
Room – White House West Wing

Washington,
DC

               
It
was now just past 9 AM in DC. It was 3 PM in Israel. The President had taken
his usual breakfast of two hard boiled eggs, six strips of extra crispy bacon
and two everything bagels, covered in butter and rhubarb jam. His Starbucks
coffee brought in by the Secret Service from across the street completed his
morning routine. He slowly left the living quarters and walked leisurely down
the hall from the elevator to the West Wing Situation Room. As he entered, the
NSA Colonel said, “Good morning, Mister President, the Israeli PM is on the
red….”

        
“Oh,
really
? What
a
surprise
. Who calls me
more
, huh? I said I would call him, so,
just tell hi….”

        
General Houston stood when the President appeared, along
with the others in the room, but he was the only one who remained standing. The
General knew that what he was about to do was a career ender, but he also knew
that if he didn’t force the President to take the PM’s call that the
consequences for both countries could be catastrophic. He looked straight at
his Commander in Chief who had just slouched down with his Presidential leg
cocked up on the conference room table. The General said with firm resolve in
his voice, “Mister President with all due respect,
you must talk
with the Prime Minister of Israel. Israel is our
primary ally in the Middle East. It’s being invaded. We have a military defense
agreement with Israel signed by President Carter. History will not understand
why you
refused
to….”

        
“Fine, General,
fine
,”
the President said showing by his demeaning tone of voice that he was beyond
angry. “So much for civilian control of the military, right, General?....You
may
take your seat
, sir. You’ve
made
your point….Colonel, connect me
with the PM.”

        
Israel’s Prime Minister was pacing his office on Kaplan
Street in Jerusalem when his staff told him that the President, after seven
hours of attempts, was finally on the secure red line. The PM snatched up the
red phone, trying to calm himself at this yet further affront from the leader
of Israel’s primary ally on the globe. The PM had finally decided that the
President of the United States didn’t
like
him
and also had no regard for the
State
of Israel
.

        
“Mister President. Thank you, sir, for….finally….taking my
call. You know, of course, that Russia and Iran and we know now Libya and
others are
invading
Israel and….”

        
“Look, Bebe….
Spare me
the intelligence report. We get your feeds.
I’m
fully briefed
. You folks are way over-reacting to these military exercises.
Vladimir wouldn’t leave Moscow if he was
actually
invad….”

        
“
Mister President
.
Stop….I have foreign troops. Tens of thousands of them, now….let me look….four
point three miles storming into our sovereign land. This is nothing short of
war
. Are you….
seriously
….telling me you
still
believe
their ludicrous cover story….that this invasion of my country is
just a joint military training exercise
?
Seriously
?”

        
“Bebe….Calm down,
alright
?....Let
me get this right,” the President said, looking over at General Houston, “I
still think you’re
wrong,
but if
you’re
right
, are you making an
official
request on me? On the United
States?”

        
“Well, in fact,
I am
….
We are
….Mister President. I am
officially
calling on the United States
of America to come to the
immediate
defense
….the military defense….of Israel under the Camp David accords and
the agreement between our respective nations signed on March 26, 1979 signed by
our then PM, Menachem Begin, and your predecessor, President Carter. We are
demanding that
…,”

        
“Enough, Bebe, I am
well
aware
of the agreement. Though President Sadat didn’t sign the side
agreement to which you are referring, the Camp David Accords led to the
assassination of Sadat, as I recall.”

        
“Mister President, the military defense agreement between
our two countries was
no
side
agreement. It’s a binding treaty between our countries. The agreement provides
that the U.S. will
‘consider on an urgent
basis
…strengthening the United States presence in the area…to put
an end
to the violation’. Those are the
words, Mister President, in the agreement I’m calling on you to
keep your word
and send us U.S. military
assistance,
now
, to put
an end
to the violation we are watching
every minute,
a land invasion of Israel
.”

        
First, Bebe, it wasn’t
my
word, it was
Carter
who signed it
.
Second, I don’t appreciate your
tone
and your lecturing me. And, lastly,
I could drive
a truck
through that
language. ‘
Consider
on an urgent
basis?’ OK, I’m considering….and it’s
urgent
.
Satisfied
? Bebe, I’ve told you this
before, but you keep forgetting. One hundred and fifty million Muslims, your
neighbors, are
watching
everything
the U.S. does. If we jump in your little regional conflict we could
elevate
it to a serious threat to peace
in the Middle East, and we don’t want to….”

        
“
Little regional
conflict
? Israel is being invaded by at least
three countries,
including
Russia
.
Doesn’t that bother you
in the least
?
You said once that you
had Israel’s back
.
It looks now like what you really meant was that you would
stab us in the back
.”

        
“
Really
, Bebe? Is
that what you’re going to go
blast
to
the media? We haven’t decided what to do, yet,
alright
? This conversation’s
not
going anywhere. We’ve got work to do.
Once
we decide what to do we’ll let you know. Colonel, this call’s over.
Disconnect.”