Chapter 14: Damage

ATC Tower, St Athan

Thompson locked out of St Athans air traffic control tower as the blazing remains of two blocks of houses, it had been 5 hours since the rogue Airwolf, which technically wasn't supposed to exist had crashed onto the houses and still the fire wasn't out. Hawk and Dominic were investigating, trying to find out how NID had managed to get Airwolf's blueprints, but at this time, it didn't look promising. He moved around to look at the east gate, no longer burning, but severely damaged. The whole gate area would likely have to be rebuilt. He signed, even at this distance he could see the number of body bags being moved into ambulances. Too many body bags, too many dead. He moved again to look at the railway lines where the biggest battle between the SAS, Royal Welsh regiment and the NID operatives had occurred. The lines were gone, shredded by the claymores and grenades both sides had used. The bushes and trees which had once lined the perimeter were now burning, sending sparks and ash floating into the early morning air. He road beyond was still closed, and would be for sometime, blocked by a large crater created by a rogue 12'' rocket, and all over RSS/RAF St Athan, wrecked helicopters and Rapier Sam batteries burned, surrounded by the body bags of the fallen.

The base itself was largely undamaged, the NID's helicopters and harriers too concerned with their own survival to attack anything that wasn't attacking them, and the NID's ground forces had not managed to breach the perimeter. Several buildings within the base burned, set alight by a crashing aircraft, or a rogue missile, but all the critical buildings, the hangers, the ATC tower were undamaged.

Thompson sighed again, and turned to his waiting assistant.

"Get me the Prime Minister"

White House

President Ordover was not having a good day. He liked his sleep, liked it very much thank you, and didn't like it when his sleep was disturbed. He liked it even less when he was woken up to be informed that a major ally had just come under heavy and totally unexpected attack. His day was about to get much worse.

"Mr President, the British Prime Minister is online 1 for you, sir"

"Thanks" Ordover reached over and picked the phone up, hitting the button for line 1 as he did so.

"Prime Minister, I was just woken up and told about the attack on RAF St Athan" always one to remind others of any indebtedness he added "glad those two Hornets were there to help, anything else we can do?"

"You can tell me what the hell kind if tin-pot government you are running over there!"

Ordover winced as he held the phone away from his ear. He got the distinct impression the Prime Minister was not happy.

"I don't know what you mean Prime Minister"

"The Harriers, Blackhawk's and Light-attack Helicopters used in the attack against RAF St Athan were all owned by your armed forces!"

Ordover got another distinct impression, this one involving worst day of his existence, and no second term.

"Well I shall certainly investigate that claim, but I don't see why our military would attack St Athan, I certainly ordered no such thing"

"It gets better"

'It gets better?' Ordover thought, 'how the hell can it get better?'

"The attack was authorised by the NID, an intelligence department of your government, and yes we can confirm that"

"One moment" the president turned from the phone and glared at the secret service agent in the corner, a convenient target, "I want all department heads and the joint chief's right here, within 20 minutes. I don't give a damm what they're doing or who they are doing it with, get them!"

"Prime Minister, I can assure you we will get to the bottom of this. No-one has authority to order a major attack on an allied government by themselves not even me. If the NID truly are responsible for the attack then they are rogue, and we will take them down, whatever the cost"