The Night Gods II- Chapter XVI: Wars And Rumors Of Wars

Artwork by @marty-art on Steemit... With many thanks!

[To everyone that enjoys these stories: I posted yesterday about being in excruciating pain and I sincerely hope that this chapter is up to your expectations. I know I'm no great writer, but I do take a lot of pride in the effort that I put forth in every chapter... I only hope I can continue to put them out with the same regularity- the pain has become nearly unbearable. This is my only means of support, so if you enjoy reading the story, PLEASE consider an upvote & resteem and I'll continue to try to get the chapters out on time. Thank You!]

At the insistence of his advisors, President Imad evacuated the presidential residence and moved to a safe house away from the capital. The air strikes had begun and according to American news outlets, they were overwhelmingly successful, targeting military installations and supporting industries. There were also claims of the IFF training centers throughout the small country being mostly taken out. The reality was that the bombings had decimated two hospitals, both clearly marked with red crosses on their roofs. Also hit in the capital city were several schools, the television and communications center, the buildings housing the seats of government and the presidential residence. Outside the city, the "training facilities" of the IFF included an oil refinery, several mosques and the construction facility for the Chinese pipeline.

President Denning, while addressing the nation, assured victory although the radical insurgents that had murdered the ambassador were dug in and it would likely be a long drawn out process that would take time to complete. He further assured the American people that many key military targets had been taken out by the air strikes. He said that the Orani radicals had evacuated hospitals and schools and were using them as shields for their bases of operation, as well as facilities for storing arms and ammunition. That would effectively counteract videos that had begun surfacing on Islamic television unmasking American atrocities... in other words- for the mainstream media, it was business as usual.

Ground troops had begun a mop-up operation killing anyone that protested. The Orani Army had been decimated during the air campaign and the ground troops, needing justification for being there, began focusing on civilians, beginning with males of military age. People were being rounded up indiscriminately and interrogated as to the whereabouts of President Imad. None knew, of course, anymore than any American citizen could pinpoint the whereabouts of their own president at any given time. In short, it was a slaughter- a near genocide, all to divert attention away from the American president's crimes.

The mainstream media outlets, of course, told a different story... the nightly news were full of gruesome images of the dead ambassador and his entire entourage as well as Attache Lewis. There were daily images of the successes of the American military. The satellite imagery of the "training facilities" in the desert had finally been released. There were also satellite photos of the successful air campaign- the destroyed hospitals neatly edited out... proving the old maxim that the first casualty of any war is the truth.

The alternative media, however, told a much different story. The narrative put forth from alternative sources told of a different war... a war on the truth- one in which Melissa Womack, Maureen Denning and perhaps Ambassador John Stillwell and his entourage were the victims- along with Attache C. Raymond Lewis.

At a small cable news outlet in greater Washington D.C., investigative journalist Bret Shoemaker was in danger of losing another job.

"Bret, you can't go on the air with this, they'll sue us out of existence... we're not talking about some mechanic in Virginia somewhere- Denning is the President of the United States," shouted station manager Leo Rosen.

"And, he's a murderer," Bret said emphatically. "Anyways, I'm not accusing anybody... I'm just asking the question. Besides, when I signed on here, I was given full autonomy."

"Look Bret, I'm not trying to tell you what to broadcast... I'm just asking you to consider the station. If we come out with this the ramifications will put us out of business- and it will come back on you personally. The powers that be will insist that we let you go... I don't want to do that, Bret- we all like you here. It was a big coup getting a journalist of your caliber here. Our ratings have tripled since you've been here. Please Bret, think about the station."

"I'll hold off for now Leo," Bret told the nervous man. "But, this story will come out and I'm going to be the guy that breaks it."

"I'm just asking that you wait until you have the evidence," Leo said. "Something we won't get sued over."

"This is already all over social media Leo... it's just a matter of time before somebody picks it up."

"Social media," Rosen said disdainfully, "nothing but conspiracy theories."

"Just because something's a conspiracy theory, Leo, doesn't mean there's no conspiracy," Bret smiled. "Besides, I have more evidence than you think."

"What do you mean?" Leo asked. "What kind of evidence?"

"I can't go into that right now," Bret said mysteriously. It was working... before ling he would have his boss on board, he had already nibbled at the bait. Leo was a newsman and Bret had piqued his curiosity. "lets just say I have a few sources I haven't told you about."

"Who is it?" Leo asked. "Someone in government?"

"Maybe," Bert winked. "Who said it was one person... it may be a small army."

Meanwhile in a Georgetown townhouse, a small army was hard at work.

"David," Dick said. "I need you to check something. See id our old pal Eddie Phillips has gone back to Boston yet. Check the busses, airlines, hell, check trains too."

"What's up?" David asked. "You still think he was behind Maureen Denning's death?"

"The pattern fits his M.O.... so does this Attache, Lewis." Dick told him.

"I thought that was that Islamic Front," David said perplexed.

"That's what somebody wants people to think," Dick said. "Allahu Akbar on the walls... give me a break. They don't do shit like that except in bad movies. If they had cut off his head, I might buy it... but he was gutted like a mackerel. This sounds a lot more like our buddy Eddie than Muslim fundamentalists."

"Hmmm," David was thinking. "You're right... it doesn't make sense- the IFF hasn't been around long enough to have followers in the United States."

"If there even is an IFF," Dick replied.

"What do you mean?" David asked.

"Ever hear of Smedley Butler?" Dick went on without waiting for an answer. "He wrote a book called War is a Racket. Think about it- this war is just a tad too convenient for Denning. Do you seriously believe Imad is a terrorist? His people love him... Oran has almost no poverty to speak of. Health care for the whole country is paid for out of oil revenues. Does that sound like the work of a terrorist to you? This isn't some dictator with palaces all over the place. Imad owns a modest home and lives in the presidential residence. He isn't trying to get rich at the people's expense... he just doesn't fit the radical profile."

"So you think this war is a scam?" David asked.

"They all are- that was Butler's point," Dick said. "If I had to bet, Imad's hiding out somewhere in the hinterland shaking in his boots."

"If I were him," David said, "I'd split the country."

"He isn't the type," Dick said. "He'll go down with the ship."

Imad's ship was sinking fast. As he hid in the countryside, American troops were closing in rapidly. It was only a question of time before he was discovered... and time was running out.

(For links to previous chapters- go to Chapter XV)

https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xv-the-boogeyman

GIF by @papa-pepper