The Night Gods II- Chapter XV: The Boogeyman
Artwork by @marty-art on Steemit... With many thanks!
Hassan Imad, the duly elected of the Republic of Oran a small but oil-rich nation was in a state of complete shock to see his face plastered all over American television...not only as the largest contributor to, but the actual leader of a terrorist organization reputed to rival Al Qaeda both in scope and barbarity. The reason given for his being suddenly catapulted onto the geopolitical stage was the assassination of the American Ambassador to a neighboring country... the culprit- the Islamic Fundamentalist Front (IFF) a terrorist organization of which he was supposed to be the leader. According to American news sources, the organization was alleged to have its headquarters and training bases in Oran, Imad's country.
These sources, news outlets claimed, released the information under the strictest anonymity, citing national security. According to these same sources, the terrorists came from a training facility within the borders of Oran and had entered a friendly Mid-East country and assassinated the US Ambassador and his security detail. Although no one had claimed responsibility, the source revealed that there was satellite surveillance showing armed individuals from the IFF outside the American Embassy. As of yet, nothing was known about the status of others inside the American compound... the worst was feared.
President Denning addressed the nation on nationwide TV "My fellow Americans; this cowardly attack upon the American Ambassador and his entourage was an act of war and will not be tolerated. It is not only a personal affront to my Peace at any Cost policy but was an attack on all Americans, both at home and abroad. If Oran wants war, they will soon realize that they've picked the wrong nation... It was a critical mistake to test America's resolve in this brutal and cowardly fashion."
In Oran, Imad called a meeting of his advisors to ascertain is any knew of the attack- they were as shocked and surprised as he was, An emergency session of Parliament was called and Imad sent word through diplomatic channels, but it fell on deaf ears. War was inevitable... it promised to be a short one, Oran barely had a standing army. Seeing that a diplomatic solution was out of the question, it was time for Imad to address his people and prepare them for the onslaught that was to come.
Denning called a meeting with Secretary of Defense, Robert "Duke" Wade. Wade was a former Air Force general and member of the Joint Chiefs. Always a proponent of the nuclear option, he had earned the nickname "Duke Nukem." Denning had hand selected Wade for his hawkish attitude.
"Mr. President, you called for me," Wade said coming into the Oval Office.
"Duke," Denning replied amiably, "I guess you've seen the news."
"I have Mr. President... an outrage. I knew the Ambassador- he was a good man."
"He was," Denning replied firmly. "Duke, I meant every word I said. It was a declaration of war as far as I'm concerned."
"How certain are you it was Imad, Sir?" Wade asked.
"The NSA provided Satellite photos of the facilities inside Oran," Denning said sincerely. It's not that big a country- the likelihood of Imad not being aware is negligible. He has to be behind it."
"What about Congress, Mr. President," Wade asked, "Will they get on board?"
Denning laughed: "We have the War Powers Act, Duke. The last president that asked Congress was FDR."
"How do you want to proceed, Sir?" Wade asked eagerly.
"Air strikes first," Denning said, "followed by a ground assault. What do you think, Mr. Secretary?"
"What if they surrender? They don't have much of a military... it shouldn't take much more than the arr assault." Wade said.
"I want a mop-up operation. I'm not stopping until that bastard Imad is gone- this is personal," Denning said emphatically. "Can I count on you to make the announcement Duke? I don't want to use Sean, he's such a pussy... it just won't sound right coming from him."
"Of course, Mr. President, it would be my honor," Wade responded happily. This was the moment he had waited for all of his life... this was going to be his triumph.
Meanwhile halfway around the world, the very frightened people of Oran prepared for the worst. It looked like there wouldn't be a last minute reprieve... the attache had left the country and the American State Department ignored all attempted communications from the small country. It appeared like Denning would have his war and the diversion it brought.
Back in the States, rumors about Denning's involvement in the deaths of his wife and a campaign volunteer were beginning to circulate. Passed off as "fake news" and conspiracy theory by the mainstream news outlets, the rumors were beginning to surface nonetheless. Denning knew the best way to divert attention from personal issues is a crisis... the American people have always been loath to turn on a leader in time of war. The buzzer on Denning's intercom rang- it was his personal secretary.
"Yes," he answered.
"Mr. President, Secretary Minnick is here."
Shit, Denning thought... Minnick was the Secretary of State and had not been informed of Denning's plans. "Send him in please," he said.
"Mr. President," Minnick began," what on earth is going on in Oran?"
"What do you mean Ralph?" Denning asked playing coy.
"My people are saying all diplomatic ties to Oran have been severed on your orders, Sir."
"Yes Ralph," Denning told the surprised man. "Our intel says that they were behind the assassination of the Ambassador and his entourage."
"Are you sure, Sir?" Minnick asked perplexed. "My people say it's bullshit... that their President is vehemently denying any involvement whatsoever. In fact, he's been trying desperately to contact us."
"What do you expect?" Denning sneered. "That bastard is a radical fundamentalist... they lie- it's right there in their holy book... taqiyya or something like that. he's the one behind the attack alright and he's going to pay."
"Shouldn't we at least try a diplomatic solution first, Sir?" Minnick asked.
"I've got a diplomatic solution... I'll bomb those fucking camel jockeys back into the stone age," Denning said enthusiastically.
"Shouldn't we at least open diplomatic channels, just for appearances?' Minnick asked. "Do you really think this wise?"
"Look Ralph," Denning said conspiratorially, "You're Lockhart's guy so I'll be straight with you... I figure you're on board anyway. I didn't have time to contact you- somebody is starting to spread shit about the death of my wife and that Womack cunt."
"I've heard rumors," Minnick said.
"Yeah," said Denning. "And that's not all. That prick Imad has signed a 10 year exclusive deal to sell his oil to the Chinese AND he's agreed to let them build a pipeline. Do you have any idea what that will do to us?"
"Are you sure the Chinese won't get involved in the conflict?" Minnick looked concerned.
"Nah," Denning assured him. "They have too much to lose in a pissing match with us. They'll rattle their sabers a little bit, but in the long run they're better off with us than some cheesedick sand nigger."
"Mr. President," Minnick said, "there's something else. Something potentially damaging... Lewis, the Attache. Imad escorted him to the airport personally and got him safely out of Oran. he knows there's no connection between Imad and the attacks."
"You let me handle Lewis, Ralph," Denning said with a smile. "Everything's under control- you don't worry about a thing."
"If you don't mind my asking, Sir, who was behind the attacks," Minnick asked, "CIA?"
"Now Ralph, you know the CIA doesn't do that sort of thing," Denning laughed. "That's what private corporate armies are for... you know about Blackwater, DynCorp and the rest. They have to eat too. It's all just business now Ralph... just business."
" Forgive me for sounding naive, but what do you mean business? Blackwater, I understand- they're a paid private army... but DynCorp is just a service company- how do they fit in?"
"Ralph, sometimes I think you were born yesterday," Denning smiled. "You're in this up to your eyeballs too, so you ought to know how all this works... All those dead bodies going to waste. DynCorp parts them out... big money in organ harvesting Ralph, big money."
Minnick shook his head. "Things have certainly changed. Well I've got to be going, Sir. Thank you- I just wanted to make certain we were on the same page and to inform you about Lewis."
"Ok Ralph." Denning stood and they shook hands. "You really need to study your predecessors- Hillary Clinton in particular. That bitch knew how to play both ends to the middle... that cunt and her husband made money faster than the Treasury could print it. You need to start a foundation Ralph," Denning winked. "And don't worry about Lewis... you just leave him to me."
"Ok, Mr. President," Minnick left shuddering at the thought of Hillary Clinton... he could never imagine himself emulating that level of corruption or evil.
The next morning when he turned on the morning news Minnick learned about the murder during the night of C. Raymond Lewis, Diplomatic Attache to Oran. His body had been gruesomely mutilated and Allahu Akbar written in blood on the walls. Although there were no definitive clues, the report said, the IFF was suspected. The public outcry was overwhelming... support for Denning's war was growing at a feverish pace.
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-prologue
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-let-the-games-begin
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-melissa
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-iii-melissa-s-revenge
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-chapter-iv-a-tearful-farewell
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-v-the-king-maker
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-vi-initiation
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-vii-a-night-at-the-opera-part-1
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-chapter-vii-a-night-at-the-opera-part-2
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-viii-meeting
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-ix-the-speech
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-x-stonewalled-part-1
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-x-stonewalled-part-2
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xi-on-the-carpet
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xii-blood-on-the-moon
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xii-newcomers
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xiii-inauguration
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xiv-the-weakest-link-part-1
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xiv-the-weakest-link-part-2
GIF by @papa-pepper
@richq11 whelp, now I will have to spend the rest of the afternoon catching up on all all of the segments...great stuff!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it... I'm trying to do a political horror story (I know that's redundant) By the way... are you a chef?
chef /SHef/ - noun - 1. a professional cook, typically the chief cook in a restaurant or hotel.
Sometimes I cook real food, sometimes food for thought. Though not classically trained, I do not mess around with my food. lol
Oh, I am classically trained, that's why I asked.
That is awesome! It is on my goals to 1) become independently wealthy, 2) go through formal cooking education.
I am one of those guys that is pretty good at recreating greatness, though I hope to be able to have the foundation of knowledge to be the original source.
If you don't mind me asking... how old are you?
Sec of Defense Duke is a bit soft i suppose......
No... he's one of those "Kill 'em all" kind of guy!
Really? i was expecting him to endorse an attack on the guy from ornan..
He is... I don't know what you mean by soft. This guy's as hard as nails!
Yep, it's becoming a true political horror. Horror squared.. :)
It's getting there... I like the way it's going. Honestly, when I sit down to write a chapter I only have a vague idea what might happen. I just wind the characters up and let them go.
That's funny.. I was going to ask you a question about your writing process, but then didn't because I had to check on the kids. And you answered anyway :D
I write everything with pen and paper also... Then I edit when I type it in. I tried writing on computer, which works fine for nonfiction, but when I started writing dialogue, it just seems to flow better on paper.
Thanks for that, sounds quite laborious :)
But it's the end product that matters!
That is true, thanks for a little insight in your writing process, much appreciated! :)
When I read the title and I see the word "Boogeyman" I said to myself "wow, great title of this chapter", but I have to say that all the chapter is great!!!! Thanks so much to give us another piece of good reading, dear friend!
Aha... you did find it... I started at the bottom of my comments and worked my way up... Thank you so much my dear Silvia. Little Silvia the squirrel surprised me yesterday. It was raining when I went out to feed the dog, she was waiting on the veranda (The piazza, we used to call it in the neighborhood)
a good and complete article on all matters of hasan imad and alqaida,, and over all security issues good work
Thanks... it was a tough one to write!
gr8t story ..
the president would have declared a war on an innocent man if there wasn't proof..
He did declare war on an innocent man... just to cover up his own misdeeds
Finally caught up on the Night Gods postings.
I'm liking it more and more.
Thank you... So am I. It's a lot of fun to write.