protected by trees and bushes. There were hundreds of Military Men all around the house, which was freighting to Assad. The limo proceeded along the circular drive way and stopped at the entrance where Assad was escorted into the house and into an office. The house was nice but not a palace as he had expected.
“Have a seat Sir, the Great Leader will be with you shortly,” it was spoken in perfect English.
Ten minutes later Din sung Chow came down the stairs, bowing to Assad. “Greetings please follow me into my office.” They were escorted by six heavily armed men.
It was a thirty minute meeting and after being thoroughly searched the goon squad was excused. Din sung Chow spent the time telling Assad his goods would be delivered in one week, at the latest. He would have his secretary text him as to time and date. The money would have to be transferred into a Swiss account in his personal name. The name, transit code and account number would be part of the text. The account was for the purchase of heavy equipment in Sudan, or so the paper work would indicate and the account was under the name Wong Equipment. There were very few questions asked in Switzerland. There was no paper work between the two, only a shake of hands, Din sung Chow was not worried, no money no merchandise.
Din sung Chow left the room instructing his Secretary to make certain Assad got to the airport and all his papers were in order.
Assad didn’t question just shook his head in agreed.
The journey from Korea to London and then to JFK in Washington seemed like an eternity and Assad felt every second of the many hours in the air, he felt he had aged twenty years over the last few days. There was an apartment waiting in the lower part of Baltimore but he was not going to be there long, he in need of a few hours’ sleep.
The trip had been a success and he had gotten all he asked. The weapons would be here in two to five days. His followers would be here in one or two days.
The next day he went to a small motel just out of town. He checked in and then went to room, number six. It was not the nicest room Assad had spent time in but certainly wasn’t the worst. His hovel in Iran was little more than a dirt hut in no man’s land.
The queen size bed came across on the Mayflower and the room was musty. The luxuries included a nineteen inch television, a night stand with a reading lamp and one draw. Inside the drawer was a bible. He couldn’t bring himself to touch it; the infidel’s odor was on it or he would have destroyed the Hebrew germs.
He looked at the devils tool, television. He was not so concerned as to not walk over and turn it on after all Allah would forgive him since he had to keep up with world events and what better way than the enemy’s own tools?
Assad had reserved the other five rooms, which would have two or three members of his group in each room. In total there were ten and these were the chosen of his leader and Allah.
Assad used Google maps to lay out the prospective target cities, which were more detailed than any other maps he could. It gave location and distance of building and size of each structure. Streets were laid out with distances measured and logged by Assad and printed off. It was amazing you could Google facts about anything in the world or history. The four points of attack were highlighted in black, a reference to the angel of death. He would have to pick his top three choices, the one’s that would carry the biggest bang for the buck. He could do nothing now but wait for the men to arrive and the arms to be shipped. Everything would depend on the weapons of death’s arrival. Until then he was going to catch up on some well-deserved rest.
Chapter 5
Braydon was lost in the upheaval of his mind. Here, in Heaven knew where, his family dead and he was lost. The unknown pain dulled his senses. Spending two days alone in this hell hole only multiplied the desire to go and straighten out his life. His prison was tolerable but unacceptable. Probing the cell, he was planning his escape from an inescapable vault, but that didn’t inhibit him from planning.
The big man walked into his room, or cell, and beckoned for Braydon to set in the only chair in the apartment. “First let me say, this whole thing is a convoluted cesspool filled with puzzle pieces which we can’t put together, yet. There were three other attacks besides your parents, one and two took down two power towers in the grid going to LA. The city is completely disabled and people are going nuts. Second, which appears to be related to the others, a house in Baker California was blown to bits and the explosives have the same foot prints as did the one on your parents’ home and the same with the power towers. We have no idea what is going on or who is behind this but we will. You will not be involved in this investigation at all. The FBI and Home Land Security are handling it.”
He looked Butch squarely in the eyes, “It’s time for you to know what is going on and where the pieces fit in the puzzle of your life, or should I say your future life. I am offering you the possibility to join us! You will not get all the details now if you decide to. National Interest, you understand, but a bit by bit narration as the parts are instilled. Do you understand? We are a specific group of people trained and set aside for special details for the US Special Operations Command. Do you know what UGESTAPOOCOM is?” Braydon shook his head. “This is a group formed under the DOD (Department of Defense) in 1987 and with the authorization of the President and Secretary of Defense to make certain of the readiness of all Special Forces. My name is Captain Millard the Captain is honorary since I am no long in the service. My given name is Jacob. We’re a clandestine operation funded by the Army Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security and coordinate with the DOD. In other words, we don’t exist. Our acronym is AIHS. There are 11 of us in AIHS and you would make 12, all retired from the Rangers, Marines and special ops, and you can only be single and retired because we were asked to take many chances. This group would be the end of a family, the strain would be to much. Only the best of the best qualify. Two of our members are under 25 the others, like me, are really old, 25 to 40 years of age, oldies but goodies.”
Astounded by the lead off comments, Braydon was blown back into his chair. He had not expected this, after all, his life was his to live not for others to determine or that’s what it used to be but what direction his future would be was not his any longer, and it didn’t set well with him. His expression of surprise and rock hard feeling about the big man were telling by his expression.
“I can tell by your expression this is more than shocking, its life changing. Of course we can’t force you into the next step but it is for your safety and future. Your decision will be final and there will be no turning around, your future will be cast and the decision will be clouds of unknown until you decide and pass the tests, then it will be explained. For now your decision will be the abyss of lack of understanding and knowledge. Now I’ll give you all of two hours to decide. If you decide against this you will be provide new identity and a future in some other part of the US.” With that he turned and was gone.
Braydon’s brain was a cloud of dust swirling in the desert. How could he make a decision on anything without information, it was inconceivable they would as anyone to do that.
He thought about his parents and that he precipitated their deaths. Sorrowful feelings brought him to thinking that crying may be good for him, but he forced the tears from seeping from the edge of his eyes. His parents had made him what he was. They were the biggest part of him and now they were gone.
Hours past as months and finally the big man came back.
Braydon looked up at Jacob with new understanding and said to the big man, “When I grow up I would like to be just like you.” He was trying to bring some humor to the situation.