POTUS's comment left me speechless. "We have to consider the Knights of the White Camelia had a part in this sub's disappearance and we need to take every precaution possible to protect the imps that are returning to Fort Connor.

 

The Pentagon War Room has been activated and you will have the full resources of the United States Military. Asking to "read in" Luke, Yuuto and Tokugawa, they may have prototypes in development that can assist us in defending Fort Connor.

 

Turning to SecDef, can you please have an emergency order of MREs packed into a supply plane. If the imps end up being locked in their bunker for 4-6 months, they'll be needing something to eat and I'll be needing a large supply of Pa Vance's moonshine to help me survive.

 

Advising OPS I wanted an immediate secure conference with Luke, Yuuto and Tokugawa. As this was normal business hours Luke and Tokugawa were immediately available and it took a good 10 minutes for Yuuto to find a location where he had a secure connection.

 

First talking to Yuuto I apologized for interrupting his retirement, but Fort Connor is facing the prospect of total destruction and no one knows this base better than you.

 

Gentlemen: Israel has lost a nuclear submarine and the fear is it is headed directly to the waters off of Fort Connor. Any items you have in production or any prototypes that might help us would be greatly appreciated. Fort Connor has survived many threats because of the great minds I see before me. This may be the threat that destroys Fort Connor.

 

Luke asked for an hour for Yuuto and Tokugawa to meet with our administrative team and see how we can be of assistance. Just get Fort Connor on a "war footing" and be prepared for a worse case scenario.

 

Asking OPS to immediately have our administrative team and sergeants report to our conference room they were all in shock at the news I shared with them.

 

Have the supply sergeant move all the MREs into the imps bunker and we will have a supply plane arriving shortly packed with all the MREs it can hold. Move them to the imps bunker and post them with signage they aren't to be touched. I'll deal with the imps and their comments. The imps bunker was designed to survive a nuclear blast but if it happens, we still need to feed them till it is safe for them to leave it.

 

Doc commented after the meeting had finished he would send over a large container of Iodine tablets... one a day for everyone if we actually survive a nuclear attack. He'd put in an emergency order for additional supplies and make me aware when they arrive.

 

Luke Worthington on video com for the General... Luke assured me every asset of Worthington Industries was working 24/7 to support Alpha Zulu and Fort Connor. You should shortly receive a new Predator Drone Prototype which can stay airborne for weeks. We are modifying a new experimental hunter torpedo which when dropped from the drone goes active and hunts for a sub to kill. The drone will hold eight torpedoes and we are just finishing modification of the attachment and release mechanism.

 

In addition, by tomorrow you will have some new shoulder fired anti-missile tech which are simply aim, shoot and forget. They have greater range than what you currently have but they have never been tested so make certain your men also have our existing missile launcher available just in case these fail.

 

Yuuto knows the structure of Fort Connor even better than the Army Corp of Engineers which built it. Yuuto feels the imp bunker would survive a direct hit but you'd be quarantined in it for 3-4 months. The men outside of any hardened building would immediately perish from a nuclear blast. Make certain you have men protected so they can repel any hostiles that attempt to penetrate Fort Connor after the nuclear attack has stopped.

 

As for Connor... Yuuto doesn't know if he will be operational and survive a nuclear blast. This was never considered in his design specs. We all at Worthington Industries will be putting in 18+ hour days to support you. Just don't shoot down any of our supply planes, PLEASE and Thank you.

 

When the first supply plane arrived from Worthington Industries with our new Predator Drone, I was shocked to see Yuuto walk down the loading ramp. "What in the hell are you doing here?" POTUS will have my ass and my stars if I let you stay. Yuuto only commented he can do his work much faster directly on our servers than attempting to do it remotely. "And Luke and your son approved of this?" Our precious senior imp only smiled and commented: "What they don't know won't kill me"!

 

As I assigned two Alpha Zulu experienced soldiers to "protect this little imp with your lives"... he scurried off to our servers to do his thing. I trusted that little imp and he had saved our collective asses more than once in his life. If this costs me my stars, SO BE IT! There isn't anything I wouldn't do to protect Fort Connor, our Alpha Zulu soldiers and our precious imps.

 

A harried Luke was on my com barely in control as he admitted they had lost Yuuto. POTUS was having a melt down and he was ready to put out a 50 state alert for that little imp.

 

"Take a deep breath and relax. Yuuto stowed away on the first supply plane you sent us. He knew you and POTUS would never approve so he circumvented your authority. He wants to do something with our servers, and it was faster to do it on site. I'll get him out of her as soon as he tells me he is done. None of us know what is going through that mind of his but he has always come through for us. We need to trust him that this is the right decision."

 

"Thanks for the new Predator and the homing torpedoes. Let's hope we don't need to use them. Keep the new tech coming. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

OPS was on my com advising me I had a secure video com waiting from the Prime Minister of Israel. Now how is our little Uri throwing his weight around today.

 

Uri's terrorized face quickly appeared on my big screen and I greeted my old friend commented this isn't the way I wanted to meet with him again. "General, I'll make this perfectly clear. If our submarine enters the restricted waters around Fort Connor you are to do everything possible to destroy it. The non-nuclear payloads can do a vast amount of damage and if the four nuclear tipped missiles were ever use, we would be facing World War Three."

 

I cannot believe the entire crew of our submarine deserted and went rogue. I can only assume they are working with a gun to their head. We all took an oath to serve and protect our country and the buck stops on my desk. DON'T TAKE ANY CHANCES... if you can save our men it would be wonderful but protect Fort Connor and your precious imps. You have my authority to blow that sub out of the water.

 

(I couldn't fathom what it took for Uri to tell me to destroy his sub. Later I would learn that both Uri's and David's sons were officers on that submarine. We were making history. This is the first time Israel admitted it had submarines with nuclear armaments.)

 

SecDef advised he would have a battle group sailing out of Norfolk within the hour with full anti-submarine capabilities. I advised him Luke had just delivered a new Predator Drone equipped with new prototype homing torpedoes. He also has some new shoulder mounted anti missile tech which will be airborne yet today. And, get with POTUS and tell him to cool down. Yuuto is safe at Fort Connor and if we have to face a rogue submarine he'll be doing it from the inside of the imps bunker. Right now, he is attempting to harden our defenses against a nuclear attack. I will protect that imp with my life.

 

Yuuto always worked best under pressure and I never want to see the day come when he isn't available to us. Yes, his son has a fantastic mind and in 15-20 years he may be as great an asset as his father but right now he lacks experience. Bringing up Yuuto on my com I asked how much heart medicine he brought with him. He had enough on hand for two weeks. I immediately asked Doc to place an emergency order for six months of the medicine and store it in the imps bunker along with the Iodine tablets. If I have to lock up Yuuto in the imps bunker due to a nuclear attack I wanted to make certain he had his heart meds. If that imp is to die, I want it to be in the arms of his partner and lover, not mine.

 

The entire military of the United States went into high gear as POTUS increased the security level to DefCon1. Until proven otherwise, we were at war with a rogue nuclear submarine. Sonar buoys were dropped outside of our restricted area so we could have as much notice as possible if any hostile submarine was headed our way. Our underwater sensors ringed our restrictive waters but if a sub fires a missile that close to Fort Connor, we would have less than 60 seconds to respond.

 

The Navy Sub hunting planes located an "unknown" sub roughly 1,000 miles outside of United States territorial waters. At least we had some warning and it would be tracked by every asset we had until it could be determined if it was a friend or foe. Our new Predator Drone circled it as the Navy kept us well advised as to its location. I gave the order if one of their missile compartment hatches opened our new torpedoes were to be immediately launched.

 

Every piece of armament we had at Fort Connor was fully operational and loaded with the maximum amount of firepower it could contain. We had men with shoulder missile launchers ringing the base with instructions to bring down any missile that is headed our way. Hopefully, the Navy or our drone operators can give us a few additional minutes of warning.

 

I no more than got the words out of my mouth and one of the missile hatches on the sub opened and a missile was launched. Fort Connor was now under attack by a nuclear missile. Our drone launched all eight torpedoes immediately. We felt sorry for any Israeli sailors on the submarine as we felt assured the sub had been taken over by hostiles and this wasn't an act of war by Israel.

 

We watched the view from our drone's camera as multiple explosions rocked our rogue submarine. We were surprised when the sub did an emergency "blow" and surfaced like a mighty sperm whale doing a side breach out of the ocean. The sub's hatches opened and the men of the sub exited to abandon "ship" and into life rafts. The Navy rescued the sailors as the sub sank to the depth of the ocean. As deep as the water was in this location I doubted if current technology could recover it.

 

I was sad when I learned David's son was executed along with the Captain of the sub when they refused to give up their nuclear launch keys. Uri's son led the revolt in the confusion of the missile launch and saved the lives of the remaining crew members. In total, seven brave Israeli sailors died in this act of terrorism.

 

We had approximately 3-4 minutes before the missile launched by the sub would be descending upon Fort Connor. Every asset opened up on it the minute it was in range. The Israeli had done some fantastic tweaking of their missile technology and we would be giving them high praise if it wasn't for the fact their missile was descending upon Fort Connor.

 

As I ordered the blast door of the imp's bunker locked into security mode at least all of our imps would survive. We all felt the explosion rock Fort Connor and I hoped we hadn't lost too many men in this attack. Fort Connor was never designed to survive a nuclear attack by anyone.

 

When OPS advised there was no nuclear fallout, the missile had been destroyed before it reached Fort Connor. Asking who did it, OPS only commented I'd have to see the video feed and make that determination myself. OK, I knew POTUS and Luke would be demanding answers so I made a quick trip to OPS and asked Yuuto to show me what had happened.

 

The little imp knew he was safe in the hardened OPS bunker but even he couldn't believe what his eyes watched. Hovering high over Fort Connor was the "Angel with the Flaming Sword". Aiming its sword at the missile, the missile vanished from our eyes in a massive explosion. The Angel vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

 

I may end up in a secure psych ward but I have no choice but to tell POTUS and Luke the truth. Fortunately, this was all captured on the live feed from the Navy Fighter Jets who were trying to bring down the missile. POTUS and SecDef had this incident classified "Code Word Top Secret" and anyone who spoke of it would be tried for treason.

 

There was only one explanation for us being saved AGAIN by the Angel with the Flaming Sword... Johann! Only Uri, the Pope and POTUS knew the full story and they weren't sharing it with anyone. I'm just glad I have two very special people on my side... Yuuto and Johann.

 

Our Arch Bishop Emmanuel quickly gave a Mass of Thanksgiving for God providing us with the protection from this terrorist attack. We prayed for the brave Israeli sailors who gave their lives attempting to protect us. I knew the devastation which now existed in the life of David Leib. He can be so proud of his son, but it is still a traumatic moment in the life of any father when he loses a son.

 

Luke was immediately on my com wanting to know what happened. I explained to Luke that only POTUS knows and he isn't sharing. Fort Connor missed the bullet, and I will be attending the Mass today and getting down on my knees and giving thanks.

 

POTUS on video com for our two Generals... OK, now how is he going to ruin our lives. Generals, thank you for not asking for more information but to say we "missed the bullet" would be an understatement. Israel lost seven brave sailors and you two need to dust off your ambassador uniforms and head for Andrews. Your diplomatic passports will be in your plane and you'll be my representatives for the funeral for these brave sailors. Besides, if you haven't been read in, David Leib's son was one of the sailors killed.

 

When you meet with David, please give him my condolences and my heartfelt thanks for having a son with such integrity as to sacrificing himself for the United States. Assure him we have no intention of attempting to raise the submarine and attempting to borrow any Israeli technology. We will have the area declared a "War Grave". No one will be allowed to intrude on the final resting place of these brave sailors.

 

It was a quiet and somber flight to Israel and our Alpha Zulu soldiers knew we couldn't read them in on all the facts of what had happened today. They were alive and Fort Connor would live to "fight" another day. Our imps were safe and that was the commitment of all of us who dedicated our lives to Fort Connor and protecting our precious imps.

 

POTUS really challenged the establishment of Washington. When I boarded Alpha Zulu Actual there was a framed presentation certificate and the Medal of Honor in recognition of the sacrifice made by David's son. It can never replace him in any of our hearts but at least the family will know how much we as a nation appreciate and recognize his ultimate sacrifice.

 

We opted to be billeted at the United States Embassy not wanting to intrude into the life of the Leibs at this traumatic moment. The Jewish funeral service was eloquent and went flawlessly. Seven hand carved headstones were erected in a beautifully landscaped portion of Mt. Herzl.

 

On behalf of the United States, we laid a wreath of Red Roses. We placed the wreath at the center of the memorial, stood back a few paces and smartly saluted the brave sailors who made this ultimate sacrifice. As the two highest ranking officers in the United States Military, it did impress the citizens of Israel and the families of the sailors. Not only was this a professional obligation assigned by POTUS it truly was recognition from our hearts for saving Fort Connor and our imps.

 

After the funeral, David and Uri Leib asked for a moment of our time. Sharing with us they couldn't read us in totally on Johann Emmanuel but to say he is one special person would be an understatement. You and all of Alpha Zulu owe him your lives. Handing us a presentation case we opened it to see the President's Medal (Israel). Please present it to Arch Bishop Emmanuel with our highest compliments. POTUS will authorize his wearing it with his Alpha Zulu uniform.

 

GREAT! Now I have to deal with an ultra conservative Arch Bishop who hates any public recognition. Damn, do these stars get heavy on my shoulders at times.

 

Thanking the Leibs for their hospitality we headed to the airport, got settled into our Flying Billboard for the long trip back to the United States.

 

Bringing POTUS up on our Video com as we flew back to the states... I informed him life would be so much easier if you didn't keep secrets from me. The State of Israel and the Israel Defense Force has awarded Arch Bishop Emmanuel the President's Medal (Israel). You need to authorize him wearing it with his Alpha Zulu uniform. Frankly, it would be best if you flew into Fort Connor and present it to him in front of our men. Whoever does it, we are going to have a very upset Chaplain.

 

POTUS only smiled and told me he'd be there for our Friday night feast of Prime Rib of Buffalo. If he had to take this "bullet" he was at least going to do it on a full stomach. All of us broke out in raunchy laughter. See you Friday for Retreat and dinner. DISCONNECT.

 

Finally, we were "wheels down" at Andrews and we decided to crash for the night at the Worthington B&B. T&T are always "night owls" so knocking at their door at Midnight didn't bother them in the least. Advising them our trip to Israel went better than expected and if you are available you might want to drag Luke & John along with yourselves for our Friday night Buffalo feast. POTUS will be presenting the Israeli President Medal to Arch Bishop Emmanuel and frankly I don't want to be around for a while till our Arch Bishop cools off.

 

We were all shocked when Arch Bishop Emmanuel graciously accepted the award and wore it with such pride. There has to be a fantastic story if we could only get read in on this former imp.

 

POTUS had no more than left Fort Connor and OPS announced we have a mass of drones headed our way. ETA 10-12 minutes. We went to tactical alert and every combat shotgun was loaded and the soldier had a bandolier loaded with extra ammo. The imps were locked down in their bunker and we knew no drone could carry a heavy enough charge to penetrate the imp's bunker.

 

Our men were in danger and I again advised them to down these drones as far away from anyone as possible. Between our drones and our stationary mini guns Yuuto had reprogramed many were destroyed before they reached Fort Connor... we were lucky and only minor injuries were sustained by our men. We were policing drone parts and unexploded munition for over a week. We constantly reminded the imps if they found a downed drone or any munition one was carrying... stay FAR, FAR, FAR AWAY! Notify OPS so we can remove it from Fort Connor.

 

We were still at war with the Knights of the White Camelia and we should have guessed they were alive and well in Texas. It seemed like every subversive organization can trace its roots to Texas. We should have let Mexico keep the damn state. The prevailing attitude of Texas citizens may not be that of terrorists, but they do little to combat the growth of these subversive organizations.

 

POTUS couldn't believe the amount of money CyberCom had gleaned from accounts of the Knights of the White Camelia held in banks around the world. When the rogue order of the Knights Templar left the organization it took a mass of money with it. The Knights of the White Camelia was given the money when we eliminated the rogue "knights" and they definitely were using it to procure military grade weapons. I can't even start to believe what it must have cost to have insurgents steal an Israeli Nuclear Submarine. A hell of a lot of money and huge balls between their legs.

 

The Knights of the White Camelia were not going quietly into this good night. They would harass us till the last one was eliminated.

 

We in the military were shocked when it came time for the political parties to nominate their candidates for the next election where we would be getting a new president. The Republican nominees were adamant about increasing social programs and funding them by transferring money allocated to the military. The Democrats wanted to increase social programs by taxing the elite 4% of the wealthiest corporate moguls in our country. It was a "bloody fight" right up to the final ballot was cast election night. The Republicans won by a slim margin and we needed to be prepared for whatever decisions would now impact Alpha Zulu.

 

Military appropriations were slashed by Congress and the Pentagon was forced to make cuts it felt would endanger our country. Layoffs in the tech community was unprecedented. At least a large number of our imps returned home and could now share quality time with their parents.

 

Luke was livid when he Video conference with me and advised me Robert and Allen Harriman had been abducted and POTUS refused to allow the military to intervene. It was an FBI operation and no interference would be allowed.

 

The FBI tactical team didn't have Alpha Zulu resources and training. The rescue attempt was a massacre and a large number of the FBI Tactical Team were killed. Both of the Harriman's were wounded and would have a heart to heart with POTUS upon release from the hospital. The Harrimans advised POTUS they would use every ounce of influence they had to support a Democratic candidate for President regardless of who they choose. And, we'll put our wallet where are mouths are. Your ego cost lives and that can't be tolerated.

 

The Pentagon cut all funding to Alpha Zulu and Fort Connor. Luke still owned the island and the majority of buildings and equipment on it. The five major military suppliers agreed to continue funding Alpha Zulu on a limited basis and the Harriman Corporation would underwrite the balance of the cost. Alpha Zulu and Fort Connor would continue to exist.

 

The fate of Alpha Zulu was a hotly contested and a much debated item during the Presidential campaign. The Republicans insisted the military was over funded and the Democrats insisted the military needed additional funds to fight domestic terrorism. An increase in social programs can be provided by taxing the wealthiest of America.

 

Finally, after four years the Democrats won the Presidency and retained the majority in both houses of Congress. Yes, our Military and Alpha Zulu could now recover from four years of fiscal cutbacks.

 

Now we have to start to rebuild Alpha Zulu and I am so glad our HR Dream Team was exempt from mandatory retirement. They would be working a lot of overtime, but I knew their commitment to Alpha Zulu and Fort Connor.

 

The military has to be apolitical but funding the military is about as political as it comes. We retained our key staff because all of us simply told the Pentagon if they transferred us or them we would retire amass and explain that to the American Public. POTUS was having enough problem getting his social programs through a democratic congress with the scandal of his handling of Alpha Zulu which was now the premier military program... a mass retirement of Alpha Zulu Officers wouldn't help his political career.

 

I couldn't believe the damage that could be done in only four years of mismanagement of federal programs and especially the military. It isn't just money the President is playing around with it is the lives and the blood of American Soldiers and Sailors.

 

It will take years to rebuilt the Alpha Zulu program after four years of Republican politics decimating it. If it wasn't for my pride in this organization, I would go inactive and leave this mess to the next poor soul who agrees to wear six stars on his shoulder.

 

Yes, these six stars come with a great amount of pride and dedication but also are a heavy burden at times. It is time for some intense stress management and a heart to heart discussion with my partner if we really want to stay in the Army.

 

Luke and John invited us Generals to Camp Phoenix for a relaxing weekend. They were candid, even with the increase in cost of us underwriting the operation of Alpha Zulu it is far cheaper than having individual security details for each of our Brain Trust imps. I won't even bore you with the amount of money the top Military Suppliers are pledging to the Democratic Presidential Candidate but just know there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

I can only personally thank you for staying on Active Duty Status through all of this confusion. It will change in January of next year and I project an overwhelming defeat of Republican candidates running for local, state and federal office. The citizens of America know well the value of Alpha Zulu, the sacrifices made by the men and officers and the value it is to our great country. The best thing any Republican candidate can do is to attack Alpha Zulu during a debate... it will just assure the end of his or her political career.

 

Start making a list of what changes and upgrades you want at Fort Connor. Come January a very loyal Congress will be fulfilling all the wishes of Alpha Zulu and saying thanks for all you have done.

 

And as for your retirement... if and when you decide to go on inactive status T&T aren't getting any younger and both John and I would consider it a personal favor if you would move into the Penthouse with them. They love you two as much as they love us. If anyone or anything ever threatened you, T&T would "Turn lose the dogs of war"!

 

This isn't a request it just is an offer so you know you'll always have a roof over your heads and besides... where else can you find a bomb proof residence, a five star chef, plenty of 20 year old single malt scotch, 100 year old brandy and a more than ample supply of legal moonshine. And, don't forget a security system that takes no hostiles captive.

 

OK Luke, what strings come with the offer? What help do you need? We weren't born yesterday, and this isn't our first rodeo!

 

During the recent confusion as to the status of Fort Connor and Alpha Zulu the son of one of our Regional Vice Presidents of Worthington Industries was kidnapped. He wasn't gang raped and/or fisted but he definitely was sexually abused. He was a former imp at Fort Connor before POTUS started playing budget games. This poor imp cries himself to sleep every night begging his father to allow him to return to Fort Connor. Can you find it in your heart to help this young man? (Like how could we say NO!)

 

Blackmailers and kidnappers will always be around in our society when they think they can make an easy buck. They could care less about the mental trauma the imp they kidnap has because of the events they have forced upon his life. If I was ever asked to sit on a jury during a rape case I'd have to recuse myself. I'd sentence them to 15 minutes naked with our War Dogs at Fort Connor. I doubt if at the end of the 15 minutes he would have the equipment to ever threaten another young man or woman ever again.

 

I'll never understand the different societies we have on this earth. A nation can sentence a young and innocent teenager for having a sexual relations with another young boy and give him 100 strokes of a can on his bare bum... but it is cruel and unreasonable punishment to let a sexual predator have fifteen minutes as a play toy for our war dogs. Something needs to change.

 

Perhaps we need to bring back being drawn and quartered or public castration for sexual abuse cases. I know there would be a long list of Alpha Zulu soldiers who would volunteer gratis to carry out the sentence of the court. Child molesters don't deserve to breath the same air as the imps and the rest of us.

 

I can only imagine the lack of male empathy of a child molester in Saudi Arabia who ends up being publicly castrated. By the time his brain registers he is no longer a man his head has been removed from his shoulders. One thing for certain, he'll never molest another young boy or girl ever again.

 

Fortunately, before I got too carried away on my soapbox talking about child molesters, Luke's com went off and OPS announced it is the Vatican for you. As the big screen in Luke's study lowered the smiling face of our good friend, the former chaplain at Fort Connor and now the Bishop of Rome appeared before us.

 

The pontiff thanked us for taking his call and he had a big favor to ask of the Worthingtons. A friend of his family back in the United States had been kidnapped off of the street and then gang raped for a few days until the police found him and rescued him. The young man has faced multiple surgeries and still is the loving boy we all knew. In his victim impact statement at the sentencing of his attackers he asked the court to have mercy on them as they need counseling more than prison time. The court thanked him for his comment and only sentenced the attackers to 20 years behind bars. Other than being a prison bitch for some Alpha Male, they got off with a light sentence. They could have been sentenced to life in prison which was the recommendation of the jury.

 

This young man needs help and I know between Doc, Arch Bishop Emmanuel and the men and imps of Alpha Zulu he couldn't find better people to help him through this trauma.

 

Telling his Holiness he had us at the kidnap and rape... where do we find this imp so we can help him. "Well, I was a little presumptuous, T&T have been in the air since sunrise and they should have the imp at Camp Phoenix by time for your evening meal." Whatever I can do to help, you only need ask. Blessing us, the video feed was discontinued.

 

In less than an hour Alpha Zulu had two new traumatized sexually abused imps. All of us would commit to helping any imp in need. Besides... Doc and the Chaplain had life too easy of late.

 

I turned to Luke and asked how to say no to the Pontiff of the Catholic Church? Luke's only reply was: ONE DOESN'T!