Chapter 86

At 0400 we were in the mess in line, today with better food that was more appealing and a dozen chefs working to keep up. They must have used Google because eggs, sausage, bacon, and stacks of pancakes were coming off the griddle.

The grumblings from the French OPS drivers only increased as they saw the food we were getting. They walked past the pastries and asked if they could get in line with my men.

‘‘Sure, you are working with us for the next day or so,’’ I said.

Andy, Louis and I fell in line behind them.

‘‘Aren’t you worried that all this food is going to make the men lazy and slow?’’ Louis asked.

‘‘In full gear in today’s heat and the adrenalin rush plus the 14 hour day they will put in, they will burn three thousand calories or more,’’ I said. ‘‘Just wait until you see what they eat for dinner.’’

At 0600 all the men were in the conference room and the details of the raids began for everyone.

Louis passed out the routes to the French drivers. Then the video was played of the tactics the cell had and were using against the police attempts to make arrests and restore French law. Those tactics involved blocking the roads then crowds rushing the police in an organized fashion.

Then I explained everything we knew about the cell and the plans for mass attacks against all Europe in three days with suicide bombers, vest explosives and shootouts with automatic weapons. I emphasized the importance that this had to be a successful mission.

The drivers were told they were to not to stop and let nothing get in way of getting their vehicle to the assigned position. They were to push blocking automobiles out of the way and run over anyone trying to block the way. Collateral damage today would be nothing compared to the mass casualties we were expecting if we failed.

‘‘I know these are difficult orders to follow and if you cannot follow these orders, you need to stand and asked to be replaced. Our hope is that the size of the force and speed at which it will be moving will surprise and confuse them and these blocking tactics will be minor. I will allow you ten minutes to discuss the issue,’’ I said.

Ten minutes later I asked if anyone wanted to leave. No one stood up.

‘‘OK, final instructions, pick up a face mask from the box. They are to prevent your identity from being plastered on the net, prevent facial scans and being photographed. French drivers, pick up a JBG security vest to identify you as part of the raid. Friendly fire incidents are un-acceptable for any reason of stupidity.”

‘‘Everyone is to pick up a couple black hoods with the draw string and flex cuffs - all prisoners are to be hooded and cuffed. No, the draw string is not to choke them with though I know you would like to.”

‘‘There are two video news units imbedded - one in each battalion - they have strict instructions not to film your faces, the faces of anyone captured or of any dead. They have been instructed they are to stop filming when directed to do so by an officer. See to it they follow those instructions in a nice way. They have worked with us before,’’ I said.

I passed out the pictures to the majors and captains of the four terrorist leaders, ‘‘Look at these faces - we believe they are the leaders. I want these four people alive for advanced interrogation at Fort Smith.”

‘‘Let’s gear up the works, full body armor. Red battalion 1 - you know who you are - we have the last 14 armored vehicles. Each of you are to get six thirty round clips, do not ride with one in the chamber.”

We headed back to the barracks to gear up. I pulled my duffle bag off the storage rack. As I opened it, I instantly became mad.

My helmet had five stars on it. My shirt I was to wear had five stars on the upper arm sown permanently to the Velcro rank line. On the right front were five stars over my name ‘General Jones’. Andy had made me a freaking primary target.

With the helmet and shirt in hand I started towards Andy, this was his doing! No wonder I had not seen the gear until now, it was already packed for me in the duffle bag.

He put his hands up and started backing up. ‘‘Wait a minute, I was following instructions. Your mates told me to have five stars put on your gear. They said the big boss at the top always had five stars and that was you,’’ Andy said.

‘‘And I suppose you didn’t argue with them?’’ I said.

‘‘I was outnumbered and the tone said it was not a debate,’’ Andy replied.

‘‘I have three stars on mine for snipers to home in on so don’t feel too bad about it,’’ Andy added.

‘‘What happened to four stars?’’ I asked.

‘‘I have no comment, you will have to take that up with them. I refuse to incriminate myself,’’ Andy said.

‘‘OK, I get the picture, double wet noodle treatment when I get home,’’ I said.

I pulled on the light vest, shirt, pants and boots then the military grade body armor with five stars painted on it and a Red horizontal patch.

I went over the instructions with Melinda and Hanna and the camera men one more time. I gave them a general idea for a news breaking story as soon as we the stopped at the sites and the operation began.

I received a text from Max Grover, he and Toby Nash were at the Bagnolet Air Force base in my G5. I wanted it there to spirit away any important prisoners before the French lawyers and courts could get involved.

At 0830 Andy with Blue battalion 1 was the first to pull out with the twenty four armored reinforced personnel carriers and the two hundred and five men. Louis was ordering the various intersections closed to allow us to make a fast approach to the training center and mosque.

The drivers sped through the intersections. We turned off at the mosque and Andy’s group continued on to the training center a block away.

The first four vehicles turned to block the east and south streets that bordered the mosque, the next four north and west streets. Once stopped the men exited the vehicles and some faced the mosque and others the opposing streets.

The next five vehicles crashed through the gate onto the court yard, the men crashing through the doors. I was in the last vehicle and the last group to enter the building. Ziva, Farah, Abra, Sanaz - the four former Mossad - and Jack Winslow were with me, with Melinda and Nick Cote following.

I heard a muffled explosion in the distance and gunfire.

The men that went in ahead of us were separating into smaller groups checking rooms. Abra and Sanaz had just started into a side room when a door flew open from a room straight ahead, then six Arab men ran out firing.