Rogue Forces

“Bastard,” Gardner breathed as he hung up the phone. “Who does he think he’s talking to?” He paused, fulminating with red-hot intensity, then nearly shouted, “And what the hell was that about a stealth bomber flying over Turkey with a damned radiation weapon? What was that about?”

“There’s only one outfit that flies a reconnaissance aircraft like Hirsiz described: Scion Aviation International,” Secretary of Defense Miller Turner said.

“You mean…McLanahan’s outfit?” Gardner asked incredulously. “He brought radiation weapons into Iraq?”

“I don’t know anything about radiation weapons. He certainly wasn’t authorized to bring any offensive weapons into Iraq or anywhere else,” Turner said. “But if anyone’s got high-tech weapons like that, it’s McLanahan.”

“I’ve had it with him—pull him out, and do it today.” Gardner jabbed a finger at his secretary of defense like a dagger. “Get his ass out of Iraq and bring him stateside now. I want his contracts canceled and all funds due him and his company frozen until I have Justice investigate him and his activities.” Turner nodded and picked up a phone. “Maybe we’ll get more cooperation from the Turks if we start investigating McLanahan.”

“McLanahan briefed me on what happened, Mr. President,” Vice President Phoenix said from Allied Air Base Nahla. “The Turks were jamming the hell out of the base—they shut down all communications and sensor datalinks. McLanahan used a defensive laser on board his unmanned reconnaissance plane to…”

“A defensive laser? What in hell is that? He shot the Turkish jet with a laser…?”

“Only to get the Turkish jet to shut off the jamming,” Phoenix said. “He didn’t know he was going to kill the pilot. The Turks ended up shooting the recon plane down.”

“Serves him right,” the president said. “He should’ve known the laser would’ve hurt the pilot; he tested the thing, didn’t he? He’s still responsible for the pilot’s death. I want him brought in and indicted.”

“If he hadn’t shut that jamming down, I could’ve flown right into the middle of the Turkish attack,” Phoenix said. “He acted responsibly against an unknown attack in a theater of combat, doing exactly what he was contracted to do.”

“He wasn’t contracted to kill people, Ken,” the president said. “No Americans have the responsibility to kill anyone in Iraq, let alone an ally. We’re supposed to be there to assist and train, not shoot lasers at people. McLanahan did what he always does: he uses whatever forces he commands to solve the problem, no matter what happens or who he kills or injures doing it. If you want to testify on his behalf, Ken, be my guest, but he will answer for what he did.” Phoenix had no response. “Miller, how soon can you get McLanahan stateside?”

“Depending on what the Turks do, I can send a plane up from Baghdad and get him tonight.”

“Do it.”

Turner nodded.

“Mr. President, Colonel Wilhelm here at Nahla is keeping all of his forces inside the base,” Vice President Phoenix said. “There is a company-size force of Turks outside the base here, but everyone is keeping a low profile. We’ve even given the Turks food and water.”

“That just shows me that the Turks don’t want a fight, unless you’re a card-carrying member of the PKK,” the president said. “What is the Iraqi army doing? Keeping a low profile too, I hope?”

“Very low, Mr. President—in fact, they evacuated the base and are nowhere to be found.”

“What?”

“They simply got up and walked off the base,” Phoenix said. “Everyone is gone, and they destroyed whatever they couldn’t carry.”

“Why? Why in the world would they do that?” the president thundered. “Why in hell are we over there helping them when they cut and run at the first sign of trouble?”

“Mr. President, I’d like to go to Baghdad and speak with the Iraqi president and prime minister,” Vice President Phoenix said. “I want to find out what’s going on.”

“Jesus, Ken, haven’t you had enough action for a while?”

“I guess not, Mr. President,” Phoenix said, smiling. “Besides, I like flying in that tilt-rotor contraption. The Marines don’t fly slow and leisurely unless they really have to.”

“If you’re serious about going, Ken, get together with the Army commander out there and your Secret Service detail and figure out the safest way to get you to Baghdad,” the president said. “I don’t like having you in the middle of an invasion, but having you right there in-country might help things along. I don’t trust the Turks as far as I can throw them, so we’ll rely on our own guys to get you safely to the capital. I just hope the Iraqis aren’t flaking out on us, too, or it could get ugly out there. Keep me posted, and be careful.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”