It's time for a sample chapter from the upcoming work, "Target Berlin" Book three in the Gateway series.
CHAPTER 2
THOR
SALZBURG MOUNTAINS
“Professor,
report.”
“It works. The
test produced satisfactory results. The weapon system carved out a perfect
circle for two kilometers with no residue or debris. The engines were brought
up to eighty percent with excellent results. We did detect some minor
turbulence in the convertor cycle. The plutonium and uranium reactors showed no
signs of instability. The amount of heat the plutonium generated was higher
than anticipated, but with modifications I will bring all systems to one
hundred percent.”
“How long will
that take?”
“Two weeks,
maximum. We understand most of the properties from the salvaged ship, but are
still uncovering its mysterious. I do not want to damage any of the material.”
“Understood.
When will it be ready for a test flight?”
“We can perform
a test flight at any time, but I would feel more comfortable if both reactors
are able to operate at maximum efficiency.”
“A wise choice,
professor. Let me know when you’re ready.”
“Jawohl, Mein
Führer!”
10 DOWNING STREET
“Prime
Minister, the members of Parliament are awaiting your comments. You can delay
no longer. I understand the gravity of the situation with our staunch U.S.
partners, but we too have uncovered our own enemies. I’m glad Winston isn’t
alive to see what he warned us would happen if we lost our way.”
“Minister,
I too am pleased he’s dead. His words were true, but the country, though
victorious, paid a terrible price with the victory. While other countries
prospered and became gloated with the fruits of the victor, we fell deeper into
economic ruin. We sold off or lost the majority of our overseas holdings. We
became less than a stepchild at the table begging for scraps. Our proud nation
was thrown to the cold and told to fend for ourselves. If we wouldn’t have
thwarted the Luftwaffe in 1940, D-Day or any other combined allied offensive
would have never appeared on the planning table. That aside, as the Labor Party
did in 1945, it is now our time to clean house. I will address the House this afternoon.
Make sure the Yard and Bobbi’s have been placed on notice. We don’t want any
weasels sneaking off during the address.”
“Yes,
Prime Minister, I’ll see to it.”
White house, press room
Interim
Speaker of the House, Lori Newton stepped up to the podium. “Settle down
people.” She took a shallow breath. “Settle down. All of your questions will be
answered once the President finishes his address.”
Before
she could say another word, the reporters crashed her with questions. “What
happened to Clark?” “Who’s running the country?” “Did Taylor know of the plot?”
“What are your qualifications to be Speaker?” “Is this another political ploy
for a power play?” “Why are their armed guards in the room?” She never wavered
with the assault. The one question she heard loud and clear was, “What are your
qualifications to be Speaker of the House?” It was simple math when one broke
it down. Despite being a junior representative, she was one of the few left
standing. But it was more than that. She… “I’ll answer that question.” She
looked to her left as the crowd calmed down. “Because I trust her. Unlike many
of you in this room, she shoots from the hip and doesn’t muddy the water with
the boring, lofty rhetoric we’ve become too accustomed to hearing.”
Lori
didn’t think twice as he entered the room. “Ladies and Gentlemen, The President
of the United States.”
“Thank
you, Speaker Newton.” He glanced about the room as reporters and cameras
pointed lenses and microphones his way. It was the first press conference where
he felt each device was a weapon preparing to bring him down. He approached the
podium flanked by two Marines.
“I
have a brief statement to make and then I’ll answer any and all questions.
First, the Pentagon and Washington Monument were not struck by a meteorite.
They were destroyed by a magnetic resonance weapon that was installed in the
lower basements of the Pentagon. The weapon was designed by Professor’s Leonoid
Skorzenzy and Gerhardt Blücher. Its sole purpose was to eliminate the current
government and replace it with a Fourth Reich. The accidents in Kansas, Black
Water Falls and Atlantic City were not accidents. They were targets of the
rogue group. Senator Washburn did not die of a heart attack or stroke. He was
summarily shot for treason against the United States.” Sounds of gasps rippled
through the report’s pool. “All of the missing members from Congress and the
Pentagon who perished in the blast were found to be sympathizers with the coup.
I have heard from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It is my
understanding that they too have identified a group of sympathizers. He will be
addressing the issue tomorrow. I, and Vice-President Powell, are running the
government to the best of our abilities. We have been in touch with all the
governors of each state and are working on having new elections for the vacant
seats. Any man or woman wanting to run for public office will endure a grueling
interrogation before being allowed to fill out an application.
In
regards to the question concerning the current Speaker of the House, Miss Lori
Newman, I appointed her because I trust her and she’s a personal friend with
unquestionable qualifications and references.” He stepped back, taking a drink
of water.
“Why are there armed guards in the room?
Because over a dozen of you have been identified as collaborators with the
defunct organization. Major McMillan, do the honors.”
“Yes,
sir. When I call your name, you will
stand up: McKelly, Ransford, Simmons, Daily, Wallace, Reuter, Allison, Sloan,
Fernandez and Rodriguez.” No one stood up. The Major moved from behind the
podium and approach the pool. “People, we know who you are. You can stand up
and face your judgment peacefully, or we will use force.” One by one the
accused stood up, all but one. Consuelo Rodriguez wasn’t going to go quietly.
She leaned down, rummaging in her purse; removed a .38 caliber pistol, stood up
and raised the pistol towards the President. She died instantly from the
bullet, one of the Marines fired. It entered her skull, imploding it. Those
standing near her were showered with brain, bone and blood.
Taylor
never wavered. He took his place back at the podium. “You nine have been found
guilty of crimes against the United States Government. You have been sentenced
to death. Major, escort them out. The room exploded with cat calls and cries of
injustice. Two M-16’s silenced the crowd as the soldiers fired a volley into
the ceiling. “Major, escort them out, now!”
“Yes,
sir.”
He
looked back at the shaken assembly. “Are there any questions?” He paused as no
hands or calls came his way. “Before you ask an irrelevant question, think real
hard about the consequences. Play time is over. The days of political posturing
vaporized two weeks ago at the Pentagon. It’s time to turn the country back
over to the people and let them know they will no longer be the silent
minority. They will be the vocal majority. The new government will work for the
people and not their own self serving interests. The days of special interests
groups, influencing Congress, are over. No longer will Congress pass useless
legislation that provides the façade they are working. It will become an honor
and a job. When you come to Washington, you will roll up your sleeves and
prepare to work for the common good of the country and not the individual. For
too long, five-hundred and fifty-four men and women have decided the fate of
over three hundred million. We are going to put the law back in the courts and
eliminate judges would believe they are above the law. Supreme Court Justices
will not be life-long appointments. They will be replaced at age sixty-five. No
exceptions. Military contracts will no longer become a black hole. When a
project is put out for bid, it will be built for the agreed amount, not a penny
more. The days of wasteful spending are done. Employees of the government are
no longer immune from being fired or replaced. It’s time to run the country
like a business. It is time for full accountability on all fronts.” He stepped
back, watching the shocked crowd scribble frantic notes on their pads. He took
another drink. “Are there any questions of importance and relevance to what
I’ve said?” A lone hand shot up.
“Yes.”
“Don
Johnson, with the Washington Post. Are we to understand the United States is
now a police state?” Taylor reached into his coat pocket, removing a piece of
paper. His eyes scanned the names. “No, Mr. Johnson. We are bringing law and
order back to our country.”
“And
how will you do that? Can we expect storm troopers to visit us in the wee hours
of the morning and be whisked off to the FEMA camps?”
“Mr.
Johnson, you failed to add sir, to the end of your question. Before I answer, I
have a question for you. As a student at Harvard, is it not true you were a
member of The Freedom Fighters for All, a group known to sympathize with
Anti-Semitic activities? Is it not true you took part in rallies to evict Jews
from the campus? Is it not also true that you not only attend underground KKK
meetings but are a card carrying member?”
“I
believe you’re avoiding my question, SIR.” Johnson fired back.
“NO,
SIR! I’m addressing the question. How your name didn’t make the list I do not
know. But the people who just died were ardent members of the aforementioned
organizations. Would you like to join them?” Johnson down.
“Any
other questions?”
“Mr.
President, Steve Rawlings, Tulsa Tribune. When will the elections take place?”
“As
I stated earlier, we are talking to the governors of each state concerning the
process.”
“Mr.
President, Ian McClarry, Boston Globe. What will happen to our colleagues who
were just arrested?”
“They
will be shot today for treason.”
“Mr.
President, Ruth Truman, Connecticut Chronicle. With the demise of the majority
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who’s running the military?”
“Admiral
Kinkaid and his staff are handling those duties. In the coming weeks, there
will be more appointees after a thorough background check is performed on each
candidate.”
“Mr.
President, Aaron Walden, Austin News. Has the threat been completely
neutralized or are there other members not accounted for?”
He
took a long drink of water, than bowed his head. His tone became somber.
“Mr.
Walden, I wish I could answer that question. I pray to God Almighty that that
is the case.” then paused. “People, it has been a trying two weeks and there is
much more work to do in the coming months. I’m tired and need some rest. We
will call another press conference in a week or two. Thank you for coming.” It
was the first time in the history of Presidential Press Conferences, where as
he exited, the pool didn’t pepper him with more questions. They stood in
silence as he left the room.
Salzburg mountains
Professor
Helmut Goebbels II watched over the crew as they extracted another piece of
metal from the ship. Despite his best efforts he was never able to ascertain
the origin of the foreign material. It was impervious to every test he
conducted: heat, cold, explosives and lasers could not penetrate the molecular
structure. What they did discover, despite its dense properties, it was the
most malleable material he’d encountered. It was easily manipulated and
fabricated. When welded, it only required a light touch from the technician. He
was fascinated how it could adapt to the desired shape, yet when handled
incorrectly it took on characteristics of intelligence by lashing out and
injuring or killing the workers. He no longer cared what universe or planet the
machine came from, his only concern was using its technology to build the most
devastating weapon on Earth, and that, he’d achieved. The piece was successfully
removed from the host.
“Take
it to the plutonium reactor. We need to increase the shield depth.”
“Jawohl,
Herr Professor.”
He
watched the crew ascend into his masterpiece. His leader wanted a machine
unlike any other. He wanted a power which would bring the world to its knees to
finish the plans their forefathers started so many decades ago. Thor was the
answer. The ship was three times the size of its forerunner, the GO-229. What a
shame it didn’t come on line earlier. The RAF and Eight Air Force would have
been cleansed from the skies, sparing many cities from all but total
annihilation during the air campaigns of the 1940’s. The thought sickened him.
His teachers drilled into his head the consequences of failure with the
pictures and film of the Hamburg Firestorm and the desolate moonscape of
Cologne. His anger boiled. Yes, they could have stopped the Americans and
British, but what about the Russians? Their air force proved futile during the
Red advance over his beloved Fatherland. The mass rapes and senseless killings
of his countrymen fueled his fire. Striking Moscow first would be a fitting
retribution. His thoughts of revenge were rudely interrupted from his comm.
headset
“Professor,
we have a problem with the fitting. Could you please join us?”
“Yes,
I’ll be right there.” He smiled as he walked into his creation, thinking of the
retributions to befall their enemies.
Make sure you're prepared for the continuing adventures of Larry Jr. Judith, Muki and Abdul by reading the first two!
