schedule, provided of course nothing else goes wrong.”
The general reached over and picked up his computer board. He typed in his personal code and opened a modem link to California and started typing. A few minutes later, he turned to his colleagues and said, “Gentlemen, I have sent Senator Forthright and Colonel Duncan authorization to start our strike plan after they have cleared up this problem, provided we have no serious leaks. But in case the media or some small-time police agency gets involved, I have instructed them to move in a subteam and escort those involved to their base camp. They will make them comfortable until phase 1 is complete. Is everyone in agreement?”
No one moved for a few minutes, one by one, after much thought, all agreed it would be the best thing to do.
“Gentlemen, we have much to do. We are getting close, and the country will need each and every one of us. So let’s go on back and make sure everything is ready to go. Count down will start soon. Keep your computer links and smartphones on line. Should any one of them fail, you must call for a backup unit. We have them ready and preprogrammed. You know the number. Remember, freedom must be earned.”
The members of the board silently got up and left the conference room. The top men in government from both parties, military generals from all services, and members of the president’s own cabinet returned to their lives, with a true belief they would be saving the country and restoring democracy. In most of their minds, they knew from the lowest levels of government to the highest, they were manipulating the people and taking advantage of both the government and big business. America needs big business and most of all she needs the little guys too. They’re what made America what it is.
America’s ability to let the small entrepreneur create and grow was something that had been lost. The yoke of outrageous medical costs put on the neck of small business to control them was bankrupting the people at an alarming rate. The hospitals were reeling in excessive wealth with the high cost of service. Most doctors lined up patients like cattle, moving from room to room, seeing, diagnosing within three or four minutes, and not being able to remember a patient’s name without the aid of a patient’s file. It boiled down to no money, no cure. If you needed government help, you had to lose everything for Medicaid to work.
Drug costs had skyrocketed in this country, but in others, the costs were way below the American market, and they came from the same factories. Congress had changed bankruptcy laws in favor of the banks and credit card companies. It had become a joke. Congress had established a fee on all e-mail delivered to computers that went directly to the Postal Service, a fee that was unearned, fees that paid them for their inefficiencies. That too riled the new American public.
Yes, this government was in need of a complete overhaul. These were just a few of the problems the committee was concerned with—maybe not big to some, but they were the ones with which the population was concerned, health, jobs, homes, decent drug costs, nourishing food to eat, and a safe country to live in without fear of a child being kidnapped or assaulted and having teachers they could trust and a moral society for all to believe in. They all wanted to go back to decency. God knows what a mess it’s in now.
Chapter 7
Kidnapped
Lafayette, California
Diana Richmond had just left Carol at the local Ford dealership and had started home when a light-colored van pulled in behind her and followed her. She pulled into a supermarket to pick up a few things for her mother and was getting out of the car when the van pulled up beside her. As she moved to the back of the car, the van driver got out and moved in behind her when she turned toward the market entrance. The back doors of the van opened, and another man stepped out, grabbed Diana, and pulled her to the open van doors. The first man grabbed her, and between them, they pulled her into the van, hands clamped over her mouth to stifle any cries. They slammed the van doors; a waiting woman inside reached over, and before Diana could move, she thrust a needle into her arm. Dianna slid silently into unconsciousness. No one had seen a thing, and in less than several seconds, it was over. The van backed out of its parking place and drove away.
The two men were in the front of the van while the women remained in the back with Diana. They drove up the freeway and headed east toward Walnut Creek and then went south toward San Ramon. Several miles down the road, the driver turned down onto a back road and went several miles. He turned left into a secluded pasture, pulled up under an old oak tree, turned off his engine, and waited. Both men and the women remained silent, each to their own thoughts. Suddenly from the radio, a load and sharp voice spoke, “Alpha One, this is Apple Jack 4. Over.”
Maps reached over, picked up the mic, and replied, “Alpha One. Over.”
“Alpha One, we are two minutes from touchdown. Do you have the assigned cargo? Over.”
“Roger,” Maps replied. “The cargo is ready to be loaded. Your turnaround time shouldn’t take more than three at the most. Over.”
“I have you in sight, Alpha One. Over.”
The sound of a chopper slowly became louder as it descended and touched down. Maps and Stew picked up Diana and carried her to the helicopter. The woman opened the side door and they laid Diana down and strapped her in, and the woman entered and sat beside her. The bird slowly lifted up off the ground and departed.
Apple Jack 4 was airborne—their destination, a small airport fifteen minutes from its pickup point where a Falcon executive jet was waiting for them.
Stew and Maps went back to the van. Stew picked up the cellular phone and punched in a number. The phone rang only once.
“Northern Control,” came the answer.
“The cargo’s airborne. Alert Duncan. Out,” Stew responded. He turned the phone off and they headed south toward home.
The bird was airborne a short time when the pilot radioed ahead, “We’re coming in. ETA, twelve minutes. Is the Falcon ready for transfer? Over.”
“Roger. Everything is ready. Over,” he replied.
Colonel Duncan and Senator Forthright had just sat down to discuss the update they had received from the Council Command Center when the call came through. Colonel Duncan picked up the phone and listened, hung it up, and spoke to the senator. “They have the girl and are on their way. Should be here in a couple of hours. Maybe now we can find out where our elusive friends are and what they are up to.”
The senator nodded in approval. Both then returned to the message received from the council.
Chapter 8
Fate
Cal sat silently looking out the windshield when he spoke, “Tork, why don’t we rent a couple of motorcycles? Might be easier to move around on dirt bikes.”
Tork thought for a moment and then answered Cal. “The ground around here is very sandy and loose, and there’s a lot of hard rocky stuff as well. A good four-wheel might come in handy if we have to cut across country, and we wouldn’t have any room for our equipment. Besides, we’ll have water and food if we have to hide in the desert. I think maybe we should stay with the Jeep.”
“That sign we just passed, Tork, it looks like the same one I saw the other night. Yeah, I’m almost positive. No, damn it. I am positive. That’s where we turn when we come back. It’s the one that will take us to that new road I told you about.”
Tork
