Chapter 29
Rising Tide
Previously on "28 Seconds: Walk in Hell" –
"60 seconds" Tony said as he watched Cole connect the detonators. Once they were in place, the men quickly retreated to a safe distance.
Back on the Port Charles, Sam got ready to fire. "Fire 1" she ordered. "Fire 2". With the torpedoes in the water, the Chief of the Boat, Master Chief Robert "Bobby" Dougherty started the stop watch. "Impact in 30 seconds" he said.
"Then by the power vested in me by the State of South Carolina, I now pronounce you Husband & Wife"
"Impact in 7…6..." the Chief counted down.
Meanwhile, in the tunnel, Tony did the same. "5…4…3…2…1"
And now, the continuation of "28 Seconds: Walk in Hell"-
The charges blew, blowing a massive hole in the floor of the palace. "Ok, let's move" Tony yelled as he flipped out his suppressed Mac-10.
At the same time, the 2 Mk-48 Torpedoes slammed into the side of the Al-Fazik, sending up a massive fireball as the crude oil storage tanks went up too. "Ok, surface the boat, deploy the SEALs" ordered Lieutenant Commander Samantha "Sam" Clark, the Port Charles' skipper.
0030 hours local time, 18 March 2003, Dasman Palace, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Tony and his men quickly climbed up through the hole in the floor. All of them were dressed in black wetsuits and their faces were blacked out. Along with their weapons, each of them wore night vision goggles, as the explosion had also cut the power to the entire palace complex. All of them quickly climbed up the rubble and opened fire on the unsuspecting guards. They quickly took cover as more guards rushed down the staircase from the 2nd floor. Tony and Malachi quickly dispatched them with a hail of bullets. "Fan out, secure the floor" Tony ordered.
Meanwhile, the SEALs were launched merely a minute after the Port Charles surfaced. Lieutenant Westbourne quickly had his men in the in boats and in the water.
Back inside the palace, Tony and his men quickly got to work. "Ironman, Phantom, get to work on the charges. Blue Star, Sky Train, secure a path to the sea" he ordered. "Razor, on my six" he yelled as he and Zander rushed up the central staircase to the 2nd floor. They were greeted by a group of guards which Tony quickly cut down. He ejected the spent clip and inserted a new one. Tony then found the communications room, and quickly dispatched the radio operator before exiting the room, tossing a grenade before shutting the door.
"Movie Buff, this is Blue Star, we have the Ace of Hearts in custody" said Malachi over the radio.
"Copy that" Tony replied. With Ali Hussein in custody, it was time to go after his father/grandfather (No one is really sure), Saddam Hussein. Tony and Zander made their way down the hall to the master bedroom and kicked in the door, but found the room empty. Tony and Zander quickly tore the room apart, looking for any sign of Saddam being there, but they couldn't find any. They were just about to leave when a bullet came crashing through one of the windows, missing Zander's head by mere inches. "Sniper, hit the deck" Tony yelled as he dove for cover. "Everyone stay the fuck down, we got a sniper in an adjacent building.
"Movie Buff, this Echo 6-niner, we are inbound, over" Nathan checked in.
"Watch yourselves Echo 6-9, we have a sniper on the upper floor of the building directly west of the main building"
"Copy that, we'll interdict" Nathan replied as another round came crashing through the window.
"No time, the son of a bitch has a bead on us" Tony yelled. "Blue Star!" he called out.
"I'm one it" Malachi replied.
Back on the 1st floor, Malachi grabbed his Mac-10 and rushed for the nearest door. The space between the 2 builds couldn't have been more than 20 or 30 feet, but Malachi knew that was still enough time for the sniper to get a shot off. Malachi waited for another shot to ring out. A few seconds later, one did. Mal caught sight of the flash, he opened fire on the target window. He emptied his clip and darted across the street. Once he was safely on the other side he quickly reloaded. Malachi took a deep breath and let it out before slowing making his way towards the stairs. This building was tiny when compared to the main building next to it. Slowly and as quietly as he could, Malachi moved towards the staircase. He had no doubt that the sniper was wise to him, and would probably be waiting for him. Not willing to chance it, Malachi grabbed a grenade and pulled out the pin with his teeth. He then tossed it up and over the side of the wall that separated the stairs from the 2nd floor. a few seconds later, the grenade exploded, and Malachi rushed in. "Fuck" he growled when he found the 2nd floor completely deserted. The shooter had ditched his sniper rifle, an old Soviet-made Dragonov SVD, and was long gone. "Movie Buff, shooter is in the wind" he said over his radio.
"Copy that, Blue" Tony replied. "Ace of Spades lost in the shuffle, no joy" he added.
"I have a feeling he was never here to begin with" Malachi said.
"I'm inclined to agree with you" Tony said. "Echo 6-9, what's your ETA?" he asked.
"We are pulling up now" Nathan replied.
"Copy that" Tony said. "Ok, Razor and Sky Train have the package, the rest of you, finish up" he ordered. As the boats carrying Nathan and his men pulled up to the docks.
"Ok, let's move!" Lieutenant Westbourne yelled as he and his men rushed forward, all armed with MP-5 submachine guns. "Ensign, establish a perimeter, and secure the prisoner" Nathan ordered.
"Yes Sir" Ensign Brody Lovett replied. Nathan rushed forward as Three and Zander dragged the prisoner towards the boat.
"Three, where's your old man?" Nathan yelled, his face concealed by the fireball from the tanker behind him.
"I'm up here" Tony smiled from the balcony. "We got trouble, there's a column of trucks, loaded up with shooters headed this way" he spotted.
"Then the get the hell down here and let's blow this popsicle stand" Nathan said.
"What do you want me to do, jump?" Tony smiled. Then he noticed a wire that had been strung from the balcony to an adjacent building. Tony quickly pulled out his knife and cut the cable free, and then proceeded to swing to the ground like Tarzan. "All callsigns, this is Movie Buff, looks like we're gonna have some company, all callsigns, fall back, mission accomplished, let's go home" Tony ordered.
"Movie Buff, this is Phantom, charges set, ready blow on your signal" Cole said as he fell back as well. At the same time, Chester emerged from the back of the building, carrying with him 2 RPGs.
"Ready for a little surprise party, Top?" Tony asked. For years, Tony had been called "Top" by his men, but now that Chester was a 1st Sergeant, he was trying to transition the nickname more towards him.
"You're still Top in my book" Chester said as he tossed him one of the RPGs as the lead trucks of the column crashed through the front gate. Tony and Chester both fired, taking out the 2 trucks and blocking the gate in the process.
"Alright, let's move" Tony yelled as he and Chester ran for the last boat. They sprinted along the dock as Iraqi Republican Guard Special Forces rushed over the walls towards the main building. "Blow it" Tony ordered. Cole mashed the detonator and the building exploded, before collapsing in on itself. "Ok, Nathan get us outta here, time to go home" Tony smiled. The boats quickly rushed back to the Port Charles. The Boats were simple rafts with her easily deflated and sunk. With his men and the SEALs aboard, Tony climbed down the hatch, sealing it behind him.
Sam was on the CONN, waiting for the signal. Once all hatches were sealed, she gave the order. "Crash dive!" she ordered. The alarm sound as the submarine began to drop below the surface. "All ahead flank, come to course 176, make depth 45 feet" Sam ordered.
"All ahead flank, come to course 176, depth 4-5 feet aye" Lieutenant Danville, the XO, echoed.
"Let's go home" Tony smiled.
1815 hours, 17 March 2003, White House Situation Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"Ten Hut" General Clark yelled as everyone snapped to attention as The President stepped in, followed closely by Meg, his Chief of Staff, and Heather Wilson, his new National Security Advisor.
"Have a seat guys" the President said. He had a fairly good idea of what the Joint Chiefs were going to tell him, at least, he hoped he did. "So what's up?" he asked.
"Mr. President, approximately 45 minutes ago there were 2 large explosions at the Port of Kuwait" said Tomas Delgado, Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. "One of them, was an oil-tanker, the Al-Fazik, and the other occurred about 10 minutes later, at the nearby Dasman Palace. The Building was completely destroyed" he said.
"Ok, so what happened?" Meg asked.
"Tracers indicate that one of our subs, the Port Charles (SSN-792), was in the vicinity at the time of both explosions, although there's no record of the Lieutenant Commander Clark, she's the PCs' skipper, being ordered on any type of mission in the area" said Admiral James Sandecker, the Chief of Naval Operations. The President let loose a small smile.
"Wes, has Lieutenant Colonel DiNozzo reported in?" he asked.
"Not yet Sir, but we expect to hear from him shortly" General Clark replied from the far end of the table.
"Notify me when he does" The President said as he stood up. "Tomas, move a couple of satellites into position and get me a clearer picture of what the hell is going on down there" he said as he walked out, Meg and Heather following close behind. "Meg, has Heather filled you in on what's going on?" the President asked as they walked up the stairs.
"Yes Sir" Meg nodded.
"DiNozzo should be calling in soon" Heather added.
"Well, when he does, I'm sure that Wes will come and find us" the President said. "For now, back to the Corn Beef" he said with a smile.
0430 hours local time, 18 March 2003, USS Remembrance (CVN-63), Task Force 63, Persian Gulf.
With the buildup for Operation Iraqi Freedom nearly complete, the CNO had decided to promote Rear Admiral Samuel Carsten to Vice Admiral and place him in command of TF-63, which comprised of 3-Dakota Class Battleships: the USS New Hampshire (BB-70) and USS Dakota (BB-73) and USS Montana (BB-67), and 4 Supercarriers: the USS Remembrance (CVN-63), USS Enterprise (CVN-65), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) & USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). Along with the other smaller support ships, it was the largest Naval task force assembled since World War II. And it was all under the command of Vice Admiral Samuel "Seal" Carsten.
Admiral Carsten was leaning on the railing along "Vulture's Row" when his aide, Commander Padraig Michaels, came up. The Admiral had always kept odd hours, and those hours had gotten stranger since he was transferred to the Persian Gulf.
"Admiral Sir" said Commander Michaels in his thick Irish accent. "Sir, we have a Helo inbound carrying precious cargo" he said.
"At this hour?" the Admiral asked.
"Yes Sir" Michaels nodded.
"Does Captain Grady know anything about this?"
"No Sir, the birdie is under JSOC's command"
"Does anyone know what the hell is going on?"
"Yes Sir, Commander Slaughter is waiting for you on the flight deck" he replied. Commander Ethan Slaughter was the Commanding Officer of SEAL Team 2, which made him Nathan's CO as well.
"Of course he is" the Admiral said. Commander Slaughter had quite the reputation for pushing the envelope, bending the rules to suit his fit. The Admiral flicked away his cigarette and taped his ring against the railing. But it wasn't his Academy ring, it was his Unit ring from Vietnam, the same one worn by Tony's father Sonny. "Let's go" he said. The Admiral made his way down to the flight deck, and sure enough, Commander Slaughter was waiting for him. "Ethan" he said as he returned the Commander's salute. "So you wanna tell me what all of this is about?" he asked.
"I would if I could Sir" Slaughter replied. "I received a phone call yesterday from General Clark himself. He ordered me to send Lieutenant Westbourne and his SEAL Platoon to RV with the USS Port Charles on a small island off the coast" he said as a Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion touched down on the next to the center island. The back ramp lowered and the SEALs, led by Lieutenant Westbourne exited the chopper, dragging a hooded man with them.
"Lieutenant Nathan Westbourne, reporting as ordered" Nathan said as he saluted. Admiral Carsten and Commander Slaughter were quick to return it.
"So tell us, Lieutenant, what gifts have you brought us?" the Admiral asked.
"I'm just the postman, Sir" Nathan said as he yanked the hood off. "Ali Hussein, Military Governor of Iraqi-occupied Kuwait" he smiled. "General Clark sent word to have this asshole transferred stateside ASAP" he said.
"If not you, then who caught him?" Slaughter asked.
2315 hours, 17 March 2003, Executive Residence, White House, Washington D.C.
The President was sitting in the in what was officially termed "The West Sitting Hall". It was basically 2 couches opposite each other on either side of a hallway, with 2 more arm chairs next to them, in front of a large window that over looked the grounds.
The President was sitting on 1 of the couches, with his feet up on the coffee table, going over some reports, when he checked his watch. He placed down the report and looked over at his daughter, Jennifer, or "Gigi" as she liked to be called, who was one the other couch, reading a book. "Gigi, its after 2300, bedtime" he said.
"Ok" she said without complaining. She closed her book, placed it on the table, and walked over to give her father a goodnight kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight Dad" she said before walking to her room, crossing paths with General Clark as she did. "Goodnight General" she nodded.
"Ms. Obama" Wes nodded.
"What's up Wes?" The President asked.
"DiNozzo" he replied as the tossed over a satellite phone. The President pressed talk.
"Eagle 1" The President answered.
"Mission Accomplished, Ace of Hearts in custody" said Tony's voice.
"And the Ace of Spades?" the President asked.
"Lost in the shuffle" Tony said. "From what I saw, I don't think he was ever there" he said.
"You think it was a ruse?"
"It was in the movie"
"Then why would he leave his son there?"
"I honestly have no idea" Tony replied after a long pause.
"So what do we do now?"
"We're redeploying. We'll figure out what's next before we step off" he said.
"Keep me posted" the President ordered.
0630 hours local time, 18 March 2003, Conning Tower, USS Port Charles (SSN-792), Persian Gulf.
"Will do Sir" Tony said as he hung up and slipped the sat phone into his pocket. He let out a sigh a he leaned on the railing atop the Conning Tower. It was just after 0630 and the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. If it were any other morning, Tony would love to relax and enjoy the sunrise. However, with his country less than 48 hours away from moving into Kuwait, he had far more important things on his mind than the sunrise. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a cigar. He lit up and snapped the lighter shut as the hatch opened behind him. He turned and saw Lieutenant Commander Clark climbing up through the hatch. Tony blew out a puff of smoke and Sam slammed the hatch behind her.
"Don't you know those things'll kill ya" she said as she walked over and leaned on the railing next to him.
"I'll tell ya what" Tony said as he pulled the cigar from his mouth. "If it ends up being these things that kill me, then I'll have lived a hell of a long longer than I was supposed to" he said.
"So where am I dropping you off?" she asked.
"Khafji" he replied.
"Saudi Arabia?"
"Is there another Khafji somewhere I don't know about?"
"Were you there, the 1st time around?"
"Kuwait?" he asked, to which she nodded. "Yeah, it was there for it all" he said.
"Baghdad?"
"Yeah, during the 1st night of the bombings, it wasn't until March that I finally went home" he said. "Why?"
"Where you at 73 Eastings?" she asked.
"No" Tony said. "My Team was tasked mostly with forward recon, and SCUD Hunting" he said.
"Just wondering" she said.
"Sam, you have been in the Navy for 4 years, with 4 years at Annapolis before that" he said. "I'd think by now that you'd understand why your dad wasn't around a lot when you were a kid" he said. "Hell, I missed a lot of my kid's birthdays, and Christmases, including the Liat's 1st 15" he added.
"No, I get why my dad was away all the time. It's just that ever since I started at Annapolis, all I ever heard was how my father was a big war hero. I mean, I've heard some of the stories from his days in Nam, but not Iraq. 73 Easting, Norfolk and the Medina Ridge" she said.
"Combined, they are the 2nd largest tank battle in history, 2nd only to the battle of Kursk in 1943" he said. "Thousands of tanks slamming into each other" he said.
"With my dad leading the charge" Sam said.
"Your father is great man" Tony said. "I've known your dad ever since Sonny and Olivia adopted me all those years ago. He's like an Uncle to me" she said. "He's done some amazing things is his career, but none that he's more proud of than you and Nik, I'll tell ya that much" Tony smiled. "Hell, you've built up quite the impressive record yourself. You're easily one of the youngest Lieutenant Commanders in Navy history, you're the 1st woman to serve in the silent service & the 1st female sub skipper. You're a Sub Ace, and one more kill should put you over 300,000 tons" he said.
"Growing up, I was always stuck under my brother's shadow. No matter where I was, it was always Nikolas this, Nikolas that" she said. "When he became a SEAL, that was all my mother ever talked about" she said. "Even after I got my Navy Cross and got made skipper, it was still 'Nikolas is a SEAL, Nikolas is a SEAL'" she complained.
"Yeah well, maybe you should ask your daddy how he feels about it all" Tony said. "I bet he and your momma have different answers" Tony smiled.
0915 hours local time, 18 March 2003, XVIII Airborne Corps Field Headquarters, Khafji, Saudi Arabia.
The XVIII or 18th Airborne Corps, was an umbrella of sorts, in command of some of the various Units that had now been deployed to Iraq. Under the Command of Lieutenant General Paul Douglas, the XVIII would be the lower pincer of the coming invasion, tasked with the liberation of the Kuwaiti Coastline and Kuwait City itself. Under the Command of the XVIII were multiple units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment and 101st Airborne Division.
Following Todd Manning's promotion to Major General, the new CO of the 75th was Colonel Scott Van Damm, West Point Class of 1981. Van Damm was a experienced Ranger, having been in nearly every conflict the Rangers were sent to since Grenada back in '83. All in all, Van Damm was a good soldier, a fine officer, and well deserving of his most recent promotion… unless you asked Tony. During DiNozzo's brief stint with 75th from 1989-1990, when he served as a Chalk/Platoon Leader, then Captain Van Damm was his Company Commander. During Operation Just Cause, the US Invasion of Panama, Van Damm had made some disparaging about Tony's best friend, then 2nd Lieutenant Liz McCain, leading to a fist fight between DiNozzo and Van Damm that had to be broken up by Delta Force NCO, Sergeant Major Hank Voight. After seeing how Tony had handled himself, Voight made Tony the proverbial "offer you can't refuse", trying to recruit Tony into the Unit. Initially, Tony would decline. While DiNozzo managed to skate by and avoid assault charges, he knew that Van Damm would eventually get his revenge. That was when Tony decided to take Voight up on his offer, and Tony officially joined the Unit in 1990.
Now, it was 13 years later, and time had doen nothing to lessen the divide between them. Also, despite Tony's meteoric rise to Lieutenant Colonel in the mid-90s, Van Damm still out ranked him.
The other Unit under the 18th's umbrella was the 101st Airborne Division, more commonly known these days as the 101st Air Assault. As one of the most famous and highly decorated Units in the US Military, the 101st was usually at the forefront of the assault. Most recently, the "Screaming Eagles" had been deployed during the early phases of Invasion of Afghanistan and before that they had let the fight to liberate Montreal during Operation Frozen Fury. However, for Tony, the 101st had recently become more personal. His little brother, Dante, or rather, Private 1st Class Dante Falconeri, was now a member of 101st. During the upcoming assault, Dante's Battalion would be responsible for securing Kuwait International Airport.
"El foldo" said Major Allen James "AJ" Quartermaine as he tossed his cards away. Back when Colonel Manning was in command of the 75th, AJ had served as Executive Officer. However, under the new regime, he had been demoted back down to Commander of the 1st Battalion. In a way, he was kind of happy. The demotion would mean that he could be in the field more with his men, and there would be far less paper work.
"Same" said 1st Lieutenant Tilden Hagan, a veteran of the US Invasion of Liberia and the son of Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC). Despite his inside track, the young Lieutenant Hagan had opted for a field assignment rather than a cushy office job. "Hey Major, an idea on when the ball gets rolling?" Tilden asked.
"I know as much as you do Til" AJ replied.
"Yeah, but I'm not married to the US Ambassador to the CDS" he replied.
"Drop it Til" AJ said as a Huey flew overhead, kicking up the sand and dust. "Ah, what the hell!" Allen complained as he gathered us his money before it blew away. The Huey touched down not too far away from them. The group of officers watched as 6 men got off the Huey, each of them dressed in black.
"Hey Major, I know that guy" 2nd Lieutenant Hagan spoke up. "He's…"
"Stow it, Hagan" AJ said. Unlike the young LT, Major Quartermaine had some idea as to the extent of job of Tony and his men. "Alright guys, game over, clear out" AJ ordered as he stood up. AJ stood up and walked out from under the camo netting as Tony walked over. "Colonel" AJ nodded.
"AJ" Tony replied.
"Last I heard you were stateside, helping the brass plan out this whole thing" AJ said.
"I was" Tony said as took a seat. "And if you wanna believe it or not, it was my 8-year old who came up with the Op name" he said. "So, I looks like when your battalion as well as that battalion from the 101st take Kuwait International, me and the boys'll be going with ya" Tony smiled.
"As glad to have the help" AJ nodded.
"I don't kmow if you heard, but Morrell is being transferred out here to as CDS Coalition Commander" Tony said.
"Yeah, Lizzie mentioned it" he said.
"20 bucks says the 1st thing out of his mouth is a Patton quote" Tony joked.
"It usually is" AJ said.
"Hey, do you know where by brother's outfit is bivouacked?" Tony asked.
"West side of town I think" AJ replied.
"Thank's Allen" Tony said. "Alright shit heads" Tony turned to his men. "Grab a shower, some chow and some shuteye" he said. "Y'all got" he paused to check his watch. "36 hours" he said. "Be back here by 1800 hours tomorrow night" he said.
1045 hours local time, 18 March 2003, Camp Carter- 101st Airborne Field Headquarters, Khafji, Saudi Arabia.
Private 1st Class Dante Falconeri was laying on his bunk, trying to get some rest, when he heard the tent flag open. "Hey, shut it will ya" he complained as he rolled over to avoid the sunlight. He was sure it was just one of his tent mates, trying to bug him.
"Quit crying little brother" Tony said, now cleaned up and dressed in camo fatigues as he took a seat on the edge of the bunk, lighting up a cigarette. Dante sat up and smiled.
"I'd heard a rumor you guys were in town" Dante said.
"Yeah well, I heard a rumor that Jennifer Aniston wanted to date me" Tony said sarcastically. "Don't believe everything you hear, especially when it involves me" he added.
"So what are you doing here?" Dante asked.
"I will be leading the assault on Kuwait International" Tony said as he blew out a puff of smoke.
"No shit" Dante said as he reached into his older brother's breast pocket and pulled out the pack of smokes, pulling one out.
"Since when do you smoke" Tony said as he offered him a lit.
"Just don't tell Mom, ok" Dante said as he took his 1st puff.
"Come on" Tony said as he smacked Dante's leg, let's go for a walk.
"Alright" Dante said as he pulled on his desert camo patrol cap, which match his fatigues, and grabbed his M-16"
A few minutes later they were walking along the beach. "So why the hell did you enlist, I thought you had your heart set on the NYPD?" Tony asked his little brother.
"Same reason you did, to serve my country" Dante replied. "Unless, of course, you count Kate's version, in which you joined up as part of some secret plot to cheat on her" he joked.
"It's another way around, as evidently I joined up as part of a secret plot for Kate to cheat on me" Tony said as he flicked away his cigarette before lighting another one. "So, you wanna serve your country?" he smiled as he snapped his lighter shut.
"Like I said, just like you and dad" Dante nodded.
"Rick served his country too" Tony said.
"Rick was a speechwriter" Dante said.
"For George H.W. Bush" Tony said. "You know, the 41st President of the United States"
'I know who he is" Dante said.
"Look, Dante, at 0300 hours local tomorrow, we're going in" Tony said. "I have been leading men into battle since 1989, and I've lost men, dozens, hundreds" Tony said. "The hardest thing I've had to do is write letters to parents" he said. "When we go in, tomorrow, you keep your fucking head down" Tony said.
"Look, Tony, I got it. I am a trained United States Army soldier…"
"Who's never been in combat" Tony cut him off.
"Tony…"
"Just promise me you'll keep your head down" Tony said.
"Fine" Dante said.
0800 hours, 18 March 2003, Oval Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"Rex" the President yelled as he quickly scribbled something down on a pad of paper.
"Yes, Mr. President" Rex said asked he stepped into the Oval Office.
"Can you get your Grandfather on the phone?" he asked.
"Of course" Rex said.
"Can you get him here for a meeting tomorrow night, say 1800 hours?" he asked.
"Probably" Rex said.
"Good, after that, see if you can find anyone from the Tiger Team that developed Operation Desert Storm 13 years ago" he said.
"I can get Baker, Gates, and Bush" Rex said.
"You can get George H.W. Bush?"
"Yes Sir" Rex nodded.
"How?"
"My Uncle Rick" Rex said.
"I thought that he was out of professional politics"
"He can still get people on the phone, and after 2000, H.W. owes him 1" Rex said.
"Do it" the President ordered.
0830 hours, 18 March 2003, Rick Castle's Loft, Manhattan, New York City, New York.
Richard "Rick" Castle was sipping his morning coffee and ready his copy of the New York Times when his phone rang. "Castle" he answered.
"Hey Uncle Rick, it's Rex"
"Hey kid, what's up?" Rick asked.
"The President needs you to do him a favor"
"Rex, you can tell your boss that I left Professional Politics 2 years ago, and I have no plans on going"
"The President needs you to make some calls on his behalf"
"Who would I be calling?"
"George H.W. Bush, James Baker and Robert Gates" Rex said.
"And why am I placing calls to the 41st President of the United States, the former Secretary of State and former Director of the C.I.A?"
"Because you used to work for them, and after 2000, H.W. owes you 1" Rex said.
"Why doesn't the President just make these calls himself?" Rick asked.
"Because in less than 36 hours we're launching one of the largest ground invasions in US History"
"I'll make the calls" Rick said. "I'll get back to you" he said before hanging up.
1600 hours local time, 18 March 2003, Mossad Headquarters, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
"Liat, where are the latest reports from people in Damascus?" AJ, or rather his alias Captain Marcus Sharon yelled as he stepped outside his office.
"I don't know" Liat said as she looked up from her work.
"Where the hell is everybody?" AJ asked.
"I don't know" Liat said. "Whenever Malachi isn't around not much gets done" she said.
"Malachi has been gone for months" AJ said.
"I know" Liat said.
"I hate this job" AJ complained.
"You wanna go back to my place and do it?" Liat asked.
"Well that was abrupt" AJ said. "I'll drive"
The Next Day- 2030 hours local time, 19 March 2003, XVIII Airborne Corps Field Headquarters, Khafji, Saudi Arabia.
Tony nad his men were checking their weapons when Zander came running over. "He's here" was all he said.
"Alright, let's go over and see what the "Lightning Count" has to say. Tony said. The man in question was Lieutenant General Irving W. Morrell, who, due to his being a descendent of German-Catholic Aristocracy, had been nicknamed the "Lightning Count" by the New York Times. Now, Morrell was a West Point Graduate and a brilliant General. That being said, he also had a tendency to imitate George Patton, including quoting his speeches nearly verbatim. Tony found that it was no different as he and his men walked over to the stage that had been erected for General Morrell to address his troops. Hanging behind it was a large American flag. "Oh go God"
"Hey Dad, this looks familiar" Three spoke up.
"You mean like the opening scene from "Patton"? (MGM 1970).
"Oh shit" Three realized.
"TEN HUT" someone yelled as "To the Colors" began to play over the loudspeaker. Out of reflex and shear repetition, Tony and his men snapped to attention as Lieutenant General Morrell stepped up onto the stage. Morrell saluted as "To the Colors" finished playing.
"20 says he goes verbatim" Tony whispered.
"You're on Malachi whispered.
"At ease" Morrell yelled out.
"Now, I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.
Men, all this stuff you've heard about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse dung. Americans, traditionally, love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle.
When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, the big league ball players, the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. Now, I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war. Because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.
Now, an army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of crap. The bilious bastards who wrote that stuff about individuality for the Saturday Evening Post don't know anything more about real battle than they do about fornicating.
Now, we have the finest food and equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world. You know, by God, I actually pity those poor bastards we're going up against. By God, I do. We're not just going to shoot the bastards. We're going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Iraqi bastards by the bushel.
Now, some of you boys, I know, are wondering whether or not you'll chicken-out under fire. Don't worry about it. I can assure you that you will all do your duty. The Iraqis are the enemy. Wade into them. Spill their blood. Shoot them in the belly. When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do.
Now there's another thing I want you to remember. I don't want to get any messages saying that we are holding our position. We're not holding anything. Let the enemy do that. We are advancing constantly and we're not interested in holding onto anything - except the enemy. We're going to hold onto him by the nose, and we're gonna kick him in the ass. We're gonna kick the hell out of him all the time, and we're gonna go through him like crap through a goose!
Now, there's one thing that you men will be able to say when you get back home, and you may thank God for it. Thirty years from now when you're sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee, and he asks you, "What did you do in the war in Iraq?" - you won't have to say, "Well, I shoveled shit in Louisiana."
Alright now you sons-of-bitches, you know how I feel.
Oh, I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle anytime, anywhere.
That's all"
1800 hours, 19 March 2003, White House, Washington D.C.
Richard "Rick" Alexander Corinthos was born on April 1st, 1969 to Sonny & Olivia Corinthos. At the time, he was their only child, but that would later change when they adopted Tony in 1982. Unlike his elder son Tony, Sonny had never planned nor wanted Rick to follow in his footsteps in either the Armed Forces or Organized Crime. As such, when Rick showed an interest and skill in writing, Sonny had encouraged Rick to pursue it. And so, as luck would have it, Rick's 1st book was published while he was a Junior in High School under his Nome de Guerre, "Richard Castle". Rick and his high school sweetheart Kyra Blaine, graduated from Northport High School in June of 1986, right around the time that Rudy Giuliani, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was attempting to build a RICO case against Sonny and his New York Caporégime, Robert Armen. Believing that Rick wouldn't be safe if he kept the Corinthos name, Rick legally changed his name from Richard Alexander Corinthos to his writing name, Richard Edgar Castle. The ruse was successful, as in college, Rick would go on to win numerous accolades in both Football and Basketball, including the Gold Medal in men's basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea with no one the wiser that Rick Castle was really Richard Corinthos. Following their graduation from Ohio State University in May of 1990, Rick & Kyra, now engaged, decided that even though it wouldn't be in the Military, there wanted to serve their country. With the help of Sonny's friend Senator John McCain (R-AZ), both Rick and Kyra got jobs working within the Administration of President George H.W. Bush, Rick as a Deputy Speechwriter, and Kyra as Press Secretary to 1st Lady Barbara Bush. Rick would later go on to serve as Senior Speechwriter on the Bush/Quayle 92 Re-Election Campaign. After the Defeat to Bill Clinton & Al Gore that November, Rick would go on to serve as Deputy Communications Director for the final 3 months of the Bush Administrations. After Bush left office, Rick and Kyra, who married in 1991, moved back to New York, where Rick got a job as Communications Director to New York Governor Mario Cuomo (D). After Cuomo was defeated for re-election in 1994, Rick left Albany in 1995 and moved to New York City with his wife and infant daughter, Alexis. During this time, Rick continued to write and became a bestselling author, trying to put his past failing in politics behind him. However, he later redeemed himself in 1998 when he successfully managed the campaign of Congressman Charles "Chuck" Schumer (D) who challenged and successfully defeated incumbent Senator Al D'Amato (R) in the 1998 New York Senate Race. In 1999, he served as a consultant for Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi Ronnie Musgrove as he ascended to the Governorship of Mississippi.
After Mississippi, Rick fielded numerous offers from 3 sitting Governors (Jeanne Shaheen (D) of New Hampshire, Howard Dean (D) of Vermont and Frank O'Bannon (D) of Indiana) and several sitting Senators (Connie Mack III (R) of Florida, Zell Miller (D) of Georgia, Spencer Abraham (R) of Michigan, Conrad Burns (D) of Montana, John Ashcroft (R) of Missouri, Bob Kerrey (D) of Nebraska, Kent Conrad (D) of North Dakota, Lincoln Chafee (R) of Rhode Island, and Chuck Robb (D) of Virginia.
Rick had finally decided of Senator Ted Kennedy's re-election campaign, when he received a call from his old boss, President H.W. Bush. The President asked Rick to serve as Campaign Manager for his son, Governor of Texas George W. Bush's (R) Presidential Campaign. Despite his misgivings about some of the Governor's political positions, especially on foreign policy, Rick agreed and became Campaign Manager for George W. Bush's Presidential Campaign. The 2000 Campaign was one for closest and one of the most vicious in American history, with both sides launching an all-out negative ad war. And in the end, it came down to the United States Supreme Court deciding the election. After the election, Rick had such a bad taste in his mouth that he decided to leave politics behind and would instead resume his writing career as well as become a fulltime father to Alexis. That all would change on September, 11th, 2001.
Kyra was onboard United Airlines Flight 93 out of Newark, bound for San Francisco when the plane was hijacked by terrorists who planned to use the plane as a weapon against either the United States Capital Building or the White House. Kyra was among the passengers that revolted against the hijackers, forcing the plane to crash into a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. There were no survivors.
With his wife dead and Alexis motherless, Rick began devoting more and more time to his family. However, it was after the attempted murders of both his father, Sonny, and Nephew, Three, that Rick decided to join the family business, becoming the New York Caporégime for the Corinthos Crime Family.
It was just after 1800 hours when Rick, along with his father, Sonny, who himself was a former White House Chief of Staff, arrived at the White House. While both men knew what the meeting they had been summoned for was about, neither of them knew exactly what role they would be taking in it. After being cleared through security, Sonny and Rick were escorted to Mural Room, where the found former President George H.W. Bush, and former Secretary of State James. Baker. The 4 men shook hands and made small talk before Rex stepped in and ushered them into the Oval Office. As the 4 men entered, The President stood up and shook hands with each of them. "Gentlemen" the President spoke as he checked his watch. It was 1815 hours. "It precisely 2 hours and 45 minutes coordinated Air and Missile Strikes will begin across Iraq and Iraqi-occupied Kuwait" he said. "4 hours and 45 minutes, the ground invasion will begin" he added. "Mr. Castle, or Corinthos, or whatever the hell name you go by these days…"
"Castle, Sir, Richard Castle" Rick spoke up.
"Fine" the President retorted. "My Communications and Speechwriting Staff are waiting in the Roosevelt Room, if you could please…"
"I'll handle it, Mr. President" Rick said confidently. "When do you go on?"
"3 hours" the President said.
"Mr. President, do you think it's wise to broadcast our intentions to the world?" former Secretary Baker spoke up.
"Secretary Baker, we've built of a coalition of over 1,000,000 men in Saudi Arabia in the past few months, not to mention the raid on the Al-Zahedi POW Camp. We've already made our intentions clear. And I'm pretty sure when bombs starting falling in his backyard, Saddam'll get the idea" the President said.
1 hour later- Roosevelt Room.
"No, no, no" Rick yelled as he slammed his fist on the desk. "We are upon the precipice of history. This has to be done now, and it has to be done right or our grandchildren's grandchildren will be paying for it" he said.
"We going to war, I think that speaks for itself" Will McAvoy, the White Communications Director, yelled back.
"12 years ago we fucked this up beyond all recognition, and now we're here, again" Rick said. "We have to do it right this time, and it all starts with the President addressing the nation. He needs to be the strong leader, the calm voice of reason amongst the chaos that will ensue in the days to come" Rick said. "Half the world, hell, half this country thinks we're invading Iraq for its oil, which by the way, we don't even get oil from Iraq" he added. "We have to get our message out: that we are going to liberate not only Kuwait, but Iraq itself" he said.
"And the women, don't forget them" Gabby Giffords, the Deputy Communications Director, spoke up.
"That's good" Rick said as he point to Gabby while writing on the whiteboard. "Ok" he said as he stood back, it think I got it" he said.
2128 hours, 19 March 2003, Oval Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"What's the latest?" the President asked General Clark.
"Our planes are in the air and over their targets" Wes replied. "So far, everything is one schedule"
"Casualties?" the President asked as he took a seat behind his desk.
"3 B-52 Stratofortesses were lost over Baghdad, where were seeing the largest concentration of ack-ack batteries" he said.
"What about fighter defenses?"
"Our Hornet Attack Squadrons are engaging them, but the Iraqis are flying all the latest French shit, so it's not going to be easy" Wes said.
"Keep me apprised" the President ordered.
"Yes Sir" Wes said as he stepped out.
"90 Seconds, Mr. President" said the camera guy.
"My speech" he called out, holding out his hands.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Rick said as he rushed in. "Would someone please get this in the teleprompter" he yelled.
"Gimme it" yelled Stephanie McMahon, the White Press Secretary, and at the moment, the only one in the room other than Rex would could type. Also, she was a lot faster. Stephanie quickly began typing.
"30 seconds" said the camera guy. "15 seconds" he said.
"Done" Stephanie said.
"5…4…3…2…1"
Good Evening, my fellow Americans, at this hour, American and Compact of Democratic State coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to liberate not only the people of Kuwait, but the people of Iraq, to remove and disarm, by force, Saddam Hussein, the Ba'ath Party & and the Iraqi Republican Guard, as well as to defend the world from grave danger.
On my orders, CDS coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war, as well as degrade Iraq's defense, telecommunications and command of control abilities. These are opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign. More than a dozen countries are giving crucial support - from the use of naval and air bases, to help with intelligence and logistics, to the deployment of combat units. Every nation in this coalition has chosen to bear the duty and share the honor of serving in our common defense.
To all the men and women of the United States Armed Forces now in the Middle East, the peace of a troubled world and the hopes of an oppressed people now depend on you. That trust is well placed. The enemies you confront will come to know your skill and bravery. The people you liberate will witness the honorable and decent spirit of the American military. In this conflict, America faces an enemy who has no regard for conventions of war or rules of morality. Saddam Hussein has placed Iraqi troops and equipment in civilian areas, attempting to use innocent men, women and children as shields for his own military - a final atrocity against his people and the people of Kuwait.
I want Americans and all the world to know that coalition forces will make every effort to spare innocent civilians from harm. A campaign on the harsh terrain of a nation as large as California could be longer and more difficult than some predict. And helping Iraqis achieve a united, stable and free country will require our sustained commitment.
We come to Iraq with respect for its citizens, for their great civilization and for the religious faiths they practice. We have no ambition in Iraq, except to remove a threat and restore control of that country to its own people.
I know that the families of our military are praying that all those who serve will return safely and soon. Millions of Americans are praying with you for the safety of your loved ones and for the protection of the innocent. For your sacrifice, you have the gratitude and respect of the American people. And you can know that our forces will be coming home as soon as their work is done.
Our nation enters this conflict reluctantly - yet, our purpose is sure. The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder and mass atrocity. We will meet that threat now, with our Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines, so that we do not have to meet it later with armies of Firefighters and Police and EMTs, and doctors and nurses on the streets of our cities.
Now that conflict has come, the only way to limit its duration is to apply decisive force. I have ordered the Coalition Commander, Lieutenant General Irving W. Morrell, to use all at his disposal, to liberate these oppressed peoples, and to do so with all possible speed. Upon the shores of tyranny, we have crashed a human wave. And I assure you, this will not be a campaign of half measures, and we will accept no outcome but victory.
My fellow citizens, the dangers to our country and the world will be overcome. We will pass through this time of peril and carry on the work of peace. We will defend our freedom. We will bring freedom to others and we will prevail.
May God bless our country and all who defend her. Thank You.
PLEASE REVIEW!
A/N- Just got a new job with crazy hours, so between that and school, I'm sorry to say that updates would be as often, but I promise all my loyal readers that I have not and will not give up on this story.
(Rex's Voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Walk in Hell"
"Only the dead have the end of war"- Plato. With a new war, and a new mission, Tony, Allen and their men will put it all on the line, while back home, their women deal with worrisome premonitions. Dante looks to prove himself in battle, and Tony just tries to bring him and his men home alive. Finally, one of them proves willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.
28 Seconds: Walk in Hell. Don't miss it.
