Chapter 30

The invasion of the radical enclave in San Diego went like clockwork. The area was sectioned into individual blocks using one of the new systems that had been developed specifically for urban engagements. Lasers were set up so that they were aimed down the street to a sensor. When the beam of light was broken, a small smart bomb ... called ‘the Wasp’ ... was launched at the item that broke the beam. Like the insect after which it was named, it would actually chase the target into a building if necessary. By configuring the lasers and Wasps appropriately, they could isolate each block from the surrounding blocks.

A broad spectrum electromagnetic noise generator was used to kill the ability of the terrorists to communicate information. The full spectrum noise took out cell phones, satellite phones, and walkie- talkies. Landline telephone services were killed to the area. Electric service to the area was cut from the main switch. The terrorists were left having to shout to each other across the street.

The Military went into the area dealing with one block at a time. They never allowed themselves to get caught in situations where they were subject to crossfire. They used the sensors that had been developed to locate armed individuals and then took them out using whatever means was necessary. The intelligence collected over the preceding months allowed them to destroy IEDs buried in the ground without putting the soldiers at risk. The soldiers were not in hurry and took their time. It took them three days to clear out twelve blocks.

Mike stayed in the office throughout the entire engagement taking short naps during lulls in the fighting. The rest of the staff took shifts so that they could assess the tactics employed by the terrorists and provide data to the military. It was an exercise that provided some significant insights into the terrorists. They were not mindless killers. Instead, they approached the engagement like professional highly trained soldiers.

At the beginning of the attack, a large number of individuals ran to prepared emplacements. In the process, they crossed streets in spite of the warnings that they would be specifically targeted. The Wasps could have devastated their forces, but the reaction time of the terrorists to the new form of attack was remarkably quick. They adjusted their positions and organized others to fill in the gaps of their defenses.

The leadership appeared to be distributed throughout the area. Mike watched as key individuals took command without ever exposing themselves to external view. The terrorists had no idea that sensors had entered the buildings and were watching their actions. More often than not, when a building was taken those same individuals tried to surrender while pretending that they were innocent Muslims caught up in events beyond their control. It was a ruse that didn’t work.

Mike forwarded the intelligence data to the front line soldiers about who the leaders were. None of the leaders managed to slip out of the net. They were allowed to surrender, but were shipped off to detainment facilities for interrogation and trial by a military tribunal. Justice was swift and fatal.

There were a few terrified individuals who did not participate in the defense, but hid in their apartments the entire time. Those individuals were detained in separate areas from the combatant prisoners and were told that they would be released once the area had been secured. Their apartments were searched and in a few cases incriminating information was found. Those who weren’t quite as innocent as they had appeared were transferred to a third facility for trial by a military tribunal. The rest were returned to their homes once the fighting ended.

It was in the middle of the third day of fighting when Mike said, “Their will has broken.”

The fighting on that particular block was still hot and furious. Jim was present at the time and asked, “Why do you say that?”

“Look at how they are behaving. Up until now they’ve been running from one place to another. Now they’re walking and dragging their feet. They aren’t giving congratulatory looks to each other when one of them has accomplished something significant. It’s the same way in the blocks where they are waiting,” Mike answered studying the body language of the terrorists.

Considering the amount of lead in the air, Jim said, “They’re still fighting pretty viciously.”

“That’s their training kicking in. They aren’t driven by their passion, but just getting by based on their training. They’ve stopped adapting to the situation,” Mike said. He watched one individual give a weak gesture to another that he was to go over to different area. The man walked off dragging his rifle butt on the ground. They hadn’t even been attacked yet.

“What do you make of this information?” Jim asked watching the screen. Now that Mike had pointed out what to look for, it was very obvious that the will of the terrorists had been broken.

Mike was quiet for a moment and then said, “Let’s turn the situation around. Suppose that our forces were divided and unable to support each other. We’ve watched one group after another fall to the enemy. At what point would our will be broken?”

“They’ve been fighting constantly for two and a half days. They are cutoff and surrounded by a superior force. They do not have reinforcements coming and they know it. When you think about, I’d say that their continued resistance is pretty impressive,” Jim answered.

“Their will is broken. They know they are defeated, and still they fight to the death. This is going to be a very long and bloody war,” Mike said watching the screen. When the first news broadcast of the battle aired on the cable news service, he said, “Let’s see what is happening in Los Angeles.”

Jim typed a few commands and the mini-drones they had circling over the radical enclave in Los Angeles came on the screen. Mike watched for a few minutes and then said, “They know what is going on and are getting ready to leave.”

“That wouldn’t be good,” Jim said.

“Time to isolate them,” Mike said picking up the telephone. He placed a call to the Los Angeles Office of Emergency Management and informed the DHS representative there about what they had observed happening. It took twenty minutes for the laser system to be set up. There was a mass rush to leave when the first announcement of the establishment of a death zone around the neighborhood was made, but the barrier was already active.

“I was hoping to have a day off,” Jim said looking a little depressed at the idea of having to keep up the grueling work load without break.

Laughing, Mike said, “Don’t worry. I’ve got a date tomorrow night and I intend to keep it.”

“Isn’t setting up the barrier a signal that operations should begin soon?” Jim asked.

“I’m going to recommend that we lock them in there for a week. Let’s see how long they last before they get seriously depressed. Maybe we can have them surrender,” Mike answered although he didn’t believe that there was much of a chance of them ever surrendering.

“They are testing the sewers,” Jim said.

“Double check the sensors down there,” Mike said.

Jim typed some commands and three dozen images appeared on the screen. A few men were in the sewer, but they weren’t moving. He said, “The barriers in the sewers are functional.”

“Okay. I guess we’ll have to monitor them until the large-scale operations are complete,” Mike said.

Shrugging his shoulders, Jim asked, “Why are we even bothering with this? We could take out each of those buildings with missiles and get them all in twenty minutes.”

Looking over at Jim, Mike considered his answer. Finally, he said, “I got the President to agree that we would spare loyal American citizens who are practicing Muslims and find themselves trapped in a war zone. They have a choice of hiding, joining the radicals, or doing their best to help us. So far none of them have chosen to help us, but one of these days that situation is going to change.”

The government of Mexico was in dire straits from the border closure. Individuals who had entered the country illegally were being returned to Mexico as fast as they were caught. Americans, tired of foreigners who didn’t respect American law, stopped hiring undocumented workers. The flow of money from America had turned into a trickle. The drug trade had come to a complete halt. Despite higher prices for oil, the Mexican treasury was getting pretty thread bare.

In what had to be the greatest political blunder of all time, the President of Mexico decided to take advantage of the fact that American forces were busy in San Diego. He dispatched two hundred troops across the border of the United States with orders to provide a corridor of protection for Mexicans wanting to work inside the country. An alert that such an order had been given was forwarded to border forces by Homeland Security.

The American reaction to a military force crossing its border was swift and fatal. Two Apache helicopters appeared from nowhere and killed the entire invading force of Mexican soldiers as well as the individuals they were guiding. The action lasted two minutes and wasn’t even viewed as a significant engagement by the American forces on the scene.

Despite having violated the American border, the President of Mexico was furious that his troops had been killed in such a casual fashion. He visited the Iranian Embassy and entered negotiations that would allow Iran to build a military base in Mexico. The conversation was recorded by one of the many cockroach sized sensors that roamed throughout the Iranian Embassy. Within hours, the status of Mexico was reclassified from non-cooperative to hostile. No one bothered to inform Mexico of the change.

It was two thirty Saturday morning when Mike stumbled into the house walking like a zombie. He couldn’t even recall the name of the Marine who had driven him home. He was dead tired, and could barely focus his eyes. Three days of watching the battle in San Diego had taken its toll on him. Ten or twenty minute naps every three or four hours did not constitute a healthy lifestyle.

Rather than taking the long walk to his bedroom, he collapsed in his comfort chair. Almost as soon as his bottom hit the seat, he was sound asleep. Having heard him enter the house, Kim came out of her room and looked at Mike. Shaking her head, she got a blanket and covered him.

It was four thirty Saturday afternoon when Kim shook him awake. After handing him a cup of coffee, she said, “Drink the coffee and then get in the bathing pond out back. You have a date tonight and it’s my job to get you ready for it.”

Feeling like he had cotton for brains, Mike took a sip of coffee and considered his options. He ran his hand over his chin feeling the ragged three day beard he had grown. His eyes felt like he had sand in them. He said, “Maybe I ought to cancel it.”

“No!” Kim said shaking her finger at him.

“Okay. It was just an idea,” Mike said waking up a little more.

“It was a bad idea,” Kim said.

“I’ll drink my coffee and get in the bathing pond. Can I at least stop by the bathroom on the way there?” Mike asked. His bladder was about to burst and he didn’t think it would be a good idea to let go in the bathing pond.