CHAPTER 6: THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH AND A SECOND RESCUE

April 5, 2008

Oval Office, White House

Washington D.C.

This morning was a solemn morning. President David Bowers was given the rundown on what happened about the rescue operation three days ago. Bowers was angry at the fact that a carefully-coordinated mission went down literally in a hail of gunfire. Eighty-five of the commandos were dead, and only five of them remained mortally wounded, but a chance of full recovery. Two helicopters crashed, and who knows how many hostages were killed. This mission would go down in history as a failed hostage-rescue, with ninety-five percent of the rescue team dead. This was the worst thing that happened to America since 9/11, and the Iranian Embassy Crisis in 1979. Today, Bowers would have to make a speech to the American public who watched the whole crisis in horror through the lens of war correspondents and cameramen who were only a hundred yards from the embassy. He would make the speech directly from the Oval Office in the White House. Bowers would give the details of the mission, how it was planned, and possibly why it failed. He would also talk about a second rescue mission.

The camera was in front of him had a small red light on the top of the hardware. It blinked from red to green, indicating he was on the air.

"Good morning America. I am giving this speech to you all patriots because of the issue that's been gnawing at us for three days now. On March 29, 2008, a massive group of Libyan protestors crowded in front of the U.S. embassy in Tripoli. U.S. Marines stationed there were given the order to keep them a considerable distance away from the embassy, to avoid injuries or deaths. Six hours later, Marines reported that protestors armed with assault rifles fired at Marines, and killed seven. The Marines were then extracted from the embassy. Some time between the gunfire, and the extraction, Islamic terrorists posing as the protestors infiltrated the embassy, and were able to gather three hundred employees, and military men and women. Then, more Islamic terrorists infiltrated the embassy, and nearly one hundred terrorists held the three hundred hostages. Fully armed and dangerous, they sent us threats, that they would kill the hostages unless we release a Sudanese militant who had been jailed by our FBI two weeks ago. We refused. It is American policy not to negotiate with terrorists. In early April, we, the United States Secret Service, Central Intelligence Agency, and covert units of the National Security Agency planned a full-scale rescue operation to get the hostages safely out of the embassy, and capture or kill the hostage-takers. The planning went smoothly, and on April 2, Operation Damnation was launched as a staging mission to prepare the air units, and special operation forces of Libya, United States, and United Kingdom. On the afternoon of April 3, the mission was launched. Operation Death Bowl. Three special operation helicopters, and two marine helicopters were sent into Tripoli. Enemy anti-craft missiles downed two helicopters. Pilots of the first downed helicopter survived. The troops onboard the first marine helicopter were killed. Troops in the second marine helicopter were killed, and never fired a shot. I am here to tell you, America, that we are in the planning of a second hostage rescue. This mission will go well. I promise that with my hand on the Holy Bible. This mission will go well, and the hostages will be rescued. And the perpetrators will be killed or captured. Thank you."

The speech was over, and David Bowers stood up to speak with one of the members of his administration. "Sir, we have the NSA on the line." the man said.

"Who is it?"

"It's Irving Lambert. Director of Third Echelon. He says he has a man ready to infiltrate the embassy, and get the hostages out."

"One man?"

"Yes, sir."

"God bless him."