My new semester of classes has begun! Two daytime classes (American and World History classes), two night classes (one on World Geography, and the other on "Terrorism and Public Policy"), a Saturday morning class (Contemporary Fiction and Non-Fiction), tuition work-study job on campus, off-campus job with paycheck, self-defense classes, and rehearsals for a play. Crazy! Classes seem like they will be fairly interesting, and play rehearsals will be fun, but this schedule is UTTER MADNESS.

My "Terrorism and Public Policy" class is frightening but fascinating stuff. I think the minds of criminals and extremists are creepy and twisted, but so intriguing. (Class stuff also ties in wonderfully with this crazy plot of mine!) I guess that's not really surprising, since I'm a 24 addict and the daughter of a former police officer!

Thank you so much for being so patient, and a million apologies for how long it has taken me to get this chapter written and posted! Hope you enjoy.

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Chapter 21

The next morning, Chloe gathered all of the agents in the conference room for a briefing.

She settled into her chair at the head of the table and opened her laptop as the few straggling agents quickly found their seats.

William glanced up from the opposite end of the table. "I think it's obvious that we're facing a major problem. We've had two major terror attacks, both of them against schools."

"Not all schools have opened for the day," Renee spoke up, "but preliminary reports are showing that attendance is already down almost forty percent across the country. That means that nearly half of the parents in America are keeping their children home from school today." Murmurs rippled through the room. Renee nodded grimly. "Parents are terrified, and with good reason. At first, the shooting looked like an isolated incident. But this most recent attack? That's something new, and it was big. The terrorists are escalating."

William leaned forward in his chair. "We've had isolated incidents before. The difference is that they were carried out by angry students, not trained terrorists. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had a TEC-9 pistol, a shotgun, and faulty homemade explosives at Columbine High, and Cho Seung-Hui had two pistols at Virginia Tech. Instead of a student with a pistol and homemade explosives, the shooter this time was Mahmoud al-Qasim with an M4. And our situation on Thursday wasn't caused by angry students with handguns, or even a lone gunman with a high-powered rifle. It was carried out by thirteen highly trained religious extremists who were hell-bent on exacting revenge, causing destruction, and making an example, and they were armed with AK-47 rifles and perfectly functioning high-powered explosives."

"Ansar Inshallah's two most recent attacks have been against schools. Is this some new terrorist methodology; ignore the government targets and populated areas, and attack schools?" Jake Ziegler asked from his seat next to William.

Arlo looked up from his laptop screen. "We've had one shooting with an M4 rifle, and a large-scale attack where the hostiles posed as FBI agents. Those aren't conventional terror attacks. There's no telling what else these people have up their sleeves."

The wall-mounted monitor behind Chloe suddenly lit up with an image of bold black text against a stark white printed page. "Forensics teams found this on one of the hostiles," she said, the words directed at her keyboard. "Bits and pieces of it were in a word document on Mahmoud al-Qasim's computer. Looks like this is the final draft." The assembled agents read the message that glared at them from the screen:

"Ansar Inshallah is a movement that you yourself created. You tried to steal our souls with your cultural filth and corrupt and sickening behavior. Allah is handing down judgment and justice on the United States of America, this nation that has become a disgraceful blemish on the globe.

We fight for different reasons – for revenge for our loved ones, for the honor of Islam, for Allah – but we all fight, and we will not stop until your streets run red with blood.

No child of Satan is safe from the hand of Allah. No place is safe for you. We are everywhere. Wherever you are, Ansar Inshallah will be there too.

Allah's wrath will not end until America has been once again buried deep in the filth from which she rose.

Allahu akbar!"

TBC...