Heroes Proved Mass market paperback - 2013

CHAPTER ONE



DUTY CALLS

NARNIA FARM

1776 RIVER ROAD

BLUEMONT, VA

SATURDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2032

0634 HOURS, LOCAL

When the call came in from the CSG Ops Center, Major General Peter Newman, USMC (Ret.), was nearing the end of his morning ritualâÈ'twenty minutes on a NordicTrack elliptical exercise machine, twenty minutes of calisthenics and weights, and twenty more minutes on the elliptical. For a few seconds he listened to Don GabbardâÈçs verbal report over his PIDâÈçs wireless earpieceâÈ'then coasted the machine to a halt, dismounted, and walked across the room to a wall-mounted plastic panel displaying a digital photo of the Newman family assembled in front of a Christmas tree. The general touched the picture with his right index finger. Instantly the family photo disappeared, replaced by the live image of his former ops chief.

In the CSG Ops Center, Gabbard could now see and hear his former commander, the high-def sound and image transmitted by tiny visual and acoustic sensors invisibly embedded in the flat plastic panel. Perspiration was running down the generalâÈçs face.

âÈêThank you for the heads-up, Don,âÈë said the general in his sweat-soaked T-shirt when Gabbard finished. âÈêI can access Dr. CohenâÈçs file here. Keep me posted on whatâÈçs happening in Houston.âÈë

âÈêAye, aye, sir,âÈë Gabbard replied. He then asked, âÈêIs there anyone else you want me to notify?âÈë

âÈêNot now,âÈë Newman answered. âÈêKeep an ear on the Gateway link and send me the feed right away if they find Dr. Cohen, ID the perpetrators, or if anything else happens somewhere else in the world on this awful anniversary. I will talk to James about this and one of us will get back to you once we see where this is going. Thank you, Don.âÈë With that he pointed his PID at the screen and it instantly reverted to the family Christmas scene.

Newman walked to the door of the little gym, waved a hand at a wall-mounted sensor to shut off the lights, and tapped the miniature screen on his PID to lock the door as he strode toward the main house. The sun had already crested the Blue Ridge and the late summer day was becoming warm and humid. He stopped at the gate as the two Dobermans came trotting up to meet him. When they caught his scentâÈ'or recognized him by sight, he could never tell whichâÈ'both dogs just turned and ambled back to the house.

As he reached the porch steps, he again used the PID to unlock the back door, then said to the device, âÈêCall James.âÈë In the invisible earpiece the general heard the ringtone twice and then a younger version of his own voice: âÈêGood morning, Dad. Why arenâÈçt you working out?âÈë

âÈêGood morning to you, James,âÈë the general responded. âÈêIf it makes you feel any better, I just finished. What are you doing for breakfast?âÈë

âÈêMmm, breakfast . . .âÈë came the muffled response. In the background there were several thumps and then squeals. âÈêIf it makes any differenceâÈëâÈ'thumpâÈ'âÈêI just got back from a runâÈëâÈ'thumpâÈ'âÈêand I am in the midst of a pillow fight with two boys who donâÈçt want to get up and face the dayâÈëâÈ'thump. âÈêThey are saying something about it being Saturday and they need to sleep in.âÈë Thump.

Despite the gravity of the news he had just received from Don Gabbard, the old general couldnâÈçt help but smile as he listened to the mayhem occurring a mile up the mountain to the east. After a moment he said, âÈêI donâÈçt want to spoil the fun, but after you finish pummeling your pups and take a shower, come on down to the house and have a bowl of cereal with me. Something has come up.âÈë

âÈêI may have to bring some lounge hounds with me,âÈë came the answerâÈ'and another thump. âÈêIs seven fifteen soon enough?âÈë

âÈêSure. Bring âÈçem along. WeâÈçll put âÈçem on a punishment detail, cutting hay with dull scissors and mucking out every stall on the farm with dinner forks.âÈë

* * * *

Peter Newman and his wife, Rachel, simply called it âÈêthe farm.âÈë But their children, James and Elizabeth, began calling it âÈêNarniaâÈë when they were still youngâÈ'after they read C. S. LewisâÈçs Chronicles of Narnia. Every bedroom had a wardrobe. There was a lamppostâÈ'plenty of furry animalsâÈ'even a stone lion. The Narnia name stuck.

Tucked into a fold of the Blue Ridge Mountains and bounded by the Shenandoah River to the west, the Appalachian Trail to the east, and hardwood forests north and south, the farm had been in RachelâÈçs family for generations. The original house, a log cabin, was built in the early 1790s by a veteran of the Revolutionary War.

When her mother died in the spring of 2002 and then her father later that same year, Rachel inherited all her parentsâÈç property: Narnia, another farm near Charlottesville, and two âÈêvacationâÈë housesâÈ'one on Boot Key in Florida and another at Pawleys Island, South Carolina.

In 2008, after Peter was promoted to major general and assigned to the Marine Corps Combat Training Command at Quantico, Virginia, Rachel sold the places in Florida and Charlottesville. Her timing was impeccable. Just months after the sales closed, the real estate bubble burst and the American economy began a precipitous decline.

By the time the Great Recession hit hard, Rachel had renovated the old house at Narnia, turning it into a comfortable home for her family. She built a stable, where she kept four horses and boarded four more, started raising organic beef for sale in local markets, and planted a twelve-acre organic vegetable garden. Until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of âÈênonregistered food products,âÈë she was well on her way to keeping her vow of âÈêmaking this place pay for itself.âÈë

At Pawleys, Rachel invested much of her remaining inheritance to convert the beachfront cottage where she spent so many childhood summers into a year-round home on the north end of the barrier island. The children named it âÈêCair Paravel,âÈë another of C. S. LewisâÈçs mythical places. Rachel said at the time she hoped Peter would retire from the Marines and they could live out their years in quiet contentment between Narnia in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Cair Paravel on the Atlantic Ocean. She got half her wish.

In May 2011, the Marines tried to make Peter Newman the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and PlansâÈ'and give him his third star. He was duly nominated for lieutenant general but the Senate Armed Services Committee refused to confirm the appointment. The Secretary of the Navy called him to give him the news. On 7 June 2011, at the age of fifty-fiveâÈ'exactly thirty-three years after he accepted his commission as a second lieutenant of Marines at the U.S. Naval Academy in AnnapolisâÈ'Major General Peter Newman, USMC, âÈêentered the retired lists.âÈë

For nearly two years he puttered about between Pawleys Island and the farm, pretending to write his memoirs, painting shutters, fishing in âÈêthe creekâÈë behind Cair Paravel, bird hunting in the Carolina low countryâÈ'and occasionally heading out into the Gulf Stream for some âÈêdeepwaterâÈë game fish. At Narnia he planted and harvested crops, pruned the fruit trees, took cows to livestock sales, cut miles of oak fence boards and locust posts on their sawmill, and built run-in sheds for the horses using poplar boards from trees harvested and milled on the farm. He hunted the west slopes of the Blue Ridge, fished the Shenandoah, drove James and Elizabeth to sporting eventsâÈ'and drove Rachel crazy inspecting for âÈêdust bunniesâÈë under the furniture.

Friends urged him to run for political office. He turned them down, saying, âÈêNo thanks. I remember what happened to Oliver North when he tried that.âÈë

Then, on the morning of 2 April 2013, an unusually damp, cold Tuesday, just minutes after Rachel told him, âÈêPeter, you are going to drive me crazy if you donâÈçt get on with something other than hanging around here!âÈë he received a call from Henry Hodson, a federal judge in Richmond, Virginia.

In the 1990s, the Newmans and the Hodsons were neighbors in Falls Church, Virginia. Then, Henry was an up-and-coming assistant U.S. attorney and Peter was a major in the Marines. In the years since, Hodson went on to head the U.S. Marshals Service, then to an appointment on the federal bench while Newman conducted âÈêspecial operationsâÈë in the Corps. They had a lot in common, stayed in touch, and occasionally hunted together. Both men were members of the National Rifle Association, until the organization was banned as an âÈêillegal extremist entityâÈë for advocating that American citizens violate the United Nations Treaties on Small Arms and Arms Trade by refusing to register privately owned firearms.

âÈêPeter,âÈë the judge said when Newman answered the phone, âÈêI have a deal for you.âÈë

âÈêOh, whatâÈçs that, your honor? Is this a belated April FoolâÈçs joke? Can I cop a plea for a lighter sentence?âÈë

âÈêThis is no joke,âÈë Hodson answered. âÈêAs you probably know,âÈë the judge continued, âÈêin order to comply with the UN Convention on Small Arms Control and the International Arms Trade Treaty, Congress, in its infinite wisdom, has made it illegal for U.S. corporations to do any business outside the U.S. that involves the use of firearms.âÈë

âÈêHow is that a âÈædealâÈç for me?âÈë

âÈêIâÈçm getting to that,âÈë Hodson said affably. âÈêAnd General, just in case no one has ever told you before, patience is not your strong suit. ThatâÈçs why youâÈçre such a lousy turkey hunter.âÈë

Peter smiled and replied, âÈêOkay, your honor, IâÈçm listening.âÈë

Hodson continued, âÈêIâÈçve just been handed the Chapter Eleven bankruptcy cases for three of the private security companies put out of business by the new lawâÈ'âÈë

âÈêI thought bankruptcies were handled by some administrative court. How come you have this kind of case? Did âÈæHang âÈçem High HenryâÈç get booted off the bench for cruelty to convicted felons?âÈë

âÈêVery funny, General,âÈë said Hodson. âÈêYou are correct. Bankruptcies are normally handled by the U.S. Bankruptcy CourtâÈ'right here in this same building. But there have been so many of them the last few years that all the judges in this circuit are taking them now. And besides, these three are special cases and I need to appoint someone as U.S. trustee who knows what he or she is doing.âÈë

âÈêAnd you want me to . . .âÈë

Hodson finished the sentence: âÈêGet off your big generalâÈçs butt, come down to Richmond, and get sworn in as the U.S. trustee for three of the biggest private armies on the planet. And do it before their heavily armed employees march on Washington.âÈë

âÈêI see,âÈë replied Newman. âÈêHow long do I have to think about this?âÈë

Suddenly completely serious, Hodson answered, âÈêPeter, IâÈçm imposing on our friendshipâÈ'but I need your help with this one. Can you come to Richmond this afternoon?âÈë

* * * *

Three hours after hanging up the phone, Major General Peter Newman, USMC (Ret.), was in the chambers of Senior Judge Henry Hodson on East Main Street in Richmond, Virginia. Two days later, the retired Marine was appointed as U.S. trustee for the three security companies.

On Wednesday, 1 May, after twenty-seven days and nights of furious work, and countless meetings with the security companiesâÈç owners, creditors, clients, lawyers, employees, and accountants, Newman filed a consolidated disclosure of assets and liabilities and presented his reorganization plan. It called for merging the three companies into a single entity, incorporated as Centurion Solutions Group.

Judge Hodson approved the plan with one caveat: the owners, clients, and creditors had to agree to have the retired Marine oversee compliance with the reorganization for the next twelve months. Newman and the other parties all agreed, but the arrangement didnâÈçt last that long.

At a regularly scheduled meeting of the court-appointed CreditorsâÈç Committee on Monday, 2 December 2013, the owners and creditors of the former companies unanimously nominated Newman to take over full-time management of the new, consolidated corporation. He talked it over, first with Rachel and then with Judge Hodson. Both urged Peter to take the job. Two weeks later Peter Newman became the chairman and chief executive officer of Centurion Solutions Group, Inc.

By 2018, the year James Newman graduated from the Naval Academy, CSG had contracts to provide a menu of telecommunications, logistics, security, intelligence, and âÈêquick responseâÈë support for seven U.S. government departments and agencies and fifteen American corporations operating in the United States and overseas. The company also operated Centurion Aviation, a highly profitable, worldwide âÈêair taxiâÈë service that quietly advertised âÈêterror-free flights to where you want to go.âÈë CSG even had its own medical staff, disaster relief operations, and a âÈêcounterpiracy serviceâÈë for international shipping.

Though the global economy was still sputtering in the midst of the Great Recession, CSG was quietly flourishing. Despite new laws forbidding American citizens or the foreign employees/contractors of U.S.-owned companies from carrying or using firearms overseas, CSGâÈçs âÈêsecurity and protective servicesâÈë continued to grow and prosper.

How Peter Newman managed to pull this off was a constant source of frustration to the media. Press reports and left-leaning MESH bloggers repeatedly referred to him as a âÈêmercenaryâÈë and called CSG employees and contractors âÈêhired guns.âÈë Centurion Aviation was routinely castigated for âÈêprofilingâÈë their passengers instead of subjecting them to U.S.-government-approved, FAA-certified âÈêbiometric validation,âÈë full-body scans, and pat-down searches.

During a rare interview in 2022, the general was asked, âÈêHow can your CSG company manage to defy the laws of economic gravity without breaking other laws?âÈë

Newman attributed the companyâÈçs success to âÈêbeing blessed with the ability to discern what needs to be done, then finding the right people to do it faster, better, and at lower cost than anyone else.âÈë

What Newman didnâÈçt say was that he personally ensured that all CSG employeesâÈ'including those running Centurion AviationâÈ'were former military, CIA, FBI, Secret Service, or DEA personnel with top secret clearances. By the time James left the Marines in 2026 and joined CSG as chief operations officer, the company had grown to nearly 2,500 full-time employees, along with nearly 6,000 contract personnel, and was billing more than $2.9 billion a year.

* * * *

James and two of his four boys arrived for breakfast at the stroke of seven fifteen. They raced down the hill from their house on mountain bikes and came charging up the back porch, past the two bewildered Dobermans.

âÈêHalt! Who goes there?âÈë shouted Peter Newman as they burst into the kitchen, out of breath.

The twelve-year-old replied first: âÈêLance Corporal Seth Newman, reporting as ordered, sir!âÈë

Then, from the boy two and a half years younger and a foot shorter, âÈêPrivate First Class Joshua Newman, reporting as ordered, sir!âÈë

âÈêVery well. Advance and be recognized,âÈë replied the old general with a smile and a wink at James, standing behind them at the doorway. Then, after hugging them all, he said, âÈêWhoâÈçs ready for chow?âÈë

As they scrambled for their seats, Rachel came down the stairs and said, âÈêNot so fast! ArenâÈçt the troops going to wash their hands first?âÈë

While the boys went to the kitchen sink to do their duty, Rachel poured fresh-squeezed orange juice into glasses and set five places at the old oak table she bought years before at a foreclosure auction. When they took their seats, they joined hands around the table and bowed their heads while Peter said a quick thanksgiving for the food, a habit from his days at âÈêCanoe UâÈëâÈ'when midshipmen were still allowed to pray on government property.

From a glass jar on the table, Rachel spooned into their bowls healthy portions of her homemade granolaâÈ'produced from oats, wheat, corn, and honey from the farmâÈ'and covered the cereal with fresh Narnia strawberries. As the boys added cold milk from a stoneware pitcher, Peter poured cups of steaming hot coffee for the three adults.

During their meal, they chatted about the pains of âÈênever-ending homeschool homeworkâÈë and the pleasures of a lazy Saturday. When they finished, Peter said, âÈêYou know, I saw some really big bass in the pond below the barn. Why donâÈçt you guys grab your fishing poles and see what you can do about catching us some dinner.âÈë

Both boys were ready to go in an instantâÈ'but only after asking âÈêNan,âÈë their name for their grandmother, âÈêMay we please be excused?âÈë

Rachel looked at the clock on the wall, shook her head, and said, âÈêFifteen minutes, elapsed time; pretty quick breakfast.âÈë But then she smiled and said, âÈêCertainly, gentlemen.âÈë And in a flash they were gone.

As the boys bounded off the porch, James turned to his father and said, âÈêWhen you called, you said something had come up.âÈë

Peter asked, âÈêHave you seen the news this morning?âÈë

âÈêOnly what has come over this, from our Ops Center,âÈë James responded, holding up his PID. âÈêItâÈçs a lot more accurate than the media reports.âÈë He continued, âÈêIâÈçve already checked. All CSG sites and personnel have been alerted. We donâÈçt have any active PSDs in Houston. Why did the Ops Center contact you about Dr. Cohen? HeâÈçs not one of our protectees.âÈë

The old general sighed and said, looking at his son, âÈêMarty Cohen was my roommate at the Academy. If it werenâÈçt for himâÈ'âÈë

âÈêYeah, I know, Dad,âÈë interrupted James. âÈêI grew up on the stories about how you and Mack Caperton, your other roommate, wouldnâÈçt have passed physics or thermodynamics . . . might not have gotten through the Boat School . . . and how Marty Cohen was number one in your class and how he dragged you guys on his back all the way to graduation . . .âÈë

âÈêWell, he did,âÈë Peter responded quietly.

The son grimaced at the father. âÈêDad, are you forgetting I went there, too? I know all about how Marty Cohen went on to four stars as a nuclear submariner. But you were in the top third of your class. So was Mack Caperton. You became a major general in the Marines. Caperton went on to become a SEAL and a U.S. senator. Cut yourself some slack . . .âÈë

âÈêJames!âÈë said Rachel, who had stopped picking up the breakfast detritus. âÈêYour father and Marty Cohen are friends. Julia Cohen and I are friends. Marty is missing! I was on the phone with Julia just before coming down to breakfast. He was in Houston during the attack. HeâÈçs now missing. She is beside herself . . .âÈë

Her eyes welled up with tears and she sat down beside her husband. Peter put his arm around her, turned to his son, and said, âÈêJames, I know we all had other plans for the rest of the weekend and next week, but I need your help with this.âÈë

The son was silent for a long moment, looking at his parents. Then he leaned forward and said quietly, âÈêOkay, Dad. I think I know a little bit about what a person will do for a friend. IâÈçll get on this right away. When Seth and Josh come back from fishing, tell them IâÈçve gone up to the office.âÈë

James rose, patted his father on the shoulder, went outside, got on his bike, and pedaled the half mile up the hill to the CSG office. Eight hours later, he was on his way to Dulles Airport for a scheduled commercial flight to Chicago and on to Calgary. He couldnâÈçt take a company plane. Centurion Aviation was barred from using Canadian airports because it profiled passengers in violation of Canadian human rights laws.

TREATY ROOM, WHITE HOUSE RESIDENCE

1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE

WASHINGTON, DC

SATURDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2032

0800 HOURS, LOCAL

Ulysses S. Grant used this room on the east side of the White House second-story residence for cabinet meetings. President William McKinley employed the space for a ceremonial signing of the peace treaty ending the Spanish-American War. Since then it has been called simply the Treaty Room.

From the roomâÈçs full-length windows, the view across the Truman Balcony takes in the Ellipse and the Washington Monument. Most modern presidents have used the room as a study and for small, private, off-the-record meetings.

During the tenure of Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, the Treaty Room was one of the few places inside the eighteen-acre White House complex where conversations were not monitored and recorded. The present occupant of the White House insisted on the same requirement. As the chief executive exploded in anger, General John Smith, the National Security Advisor, reflected on the wisdom of that decision.

âÈêThis is outrageous! A terror attack, fifty-one days before my reelection!âÈë the president shouted, interrupting the briefing Smith and White House Chief of Staff Muneer Murad had come to deliver. âÈêWe had a deal! How the hell can he do this . . .âÈë

âÈêMadam President,âÈë Murad interrupted. He was one of the few in her inner circle who dared do so. Before she could cut him off, the chief of staff pressed on: âÈêAs General Smith just said, we donâÈçt know who did this. But what we do know is that it is too dangerous for you to go to Houston tomorrow and we need to cancel your attendance at the Pentagon 9-11 Memorial ceremony an hour and forty-five minutes from now. We also need time to take a careful look at your upcoming campaign appearancesâÈ'âÈë

âÈêNo!âÈë she said emphatically. âÈêI will not, I repeat not, be taken off the campaign trail by this. Now, you listen to me, both of you. I didnâÈçt get to be the first woman president just to be driven out of office when IâÈçm on the verge of being reelected. Use the Secret Service, the military, whatever you need, and make sure I can keep my campaign schedule.âÈë

âÈêBut . . .âÈë Murad tried to interrupt again.

âÈêShut up,âÈë she snarled at her chief of staff. He complied.

Then, turning to her National Security Advisor, she continued, âÈêJohn, you and M&M work out a statement I can insert into my remarks at the Pentagon. Since you just told me you donâÈçt know who did thisâÈ'blame it on âÈæAnarks.âÈç This will give us a good reason to crack down on these crazies who breed like rabbits and wonâÈçt play by the new rules. Have the FBI go out and arrest a bunch of them. If the Attorney General squawks, tell him his job is on the line.âÈë Both men nodded, sensing their jobs were as well.

âÈêNow,âÈë she continued, âÈêis there anyone out there who is going to contradict us if we say the attack in Houston is the work of Anarks?âÈë

âÈêWell,âÈë Smith began. âÈêEven though no group has claimed credit yet, it is possible, I would say likely, that someone will. Though one or two of the perpetrators appear to be Hispanic, we wonâÈçt have any DNA tracking data from recovered remains for at least a few more hours. But you have to understand, the attacks in Houston have all the telltale fingerprints of an Islamic Jihad attack or one of its affiliates. There were at least three suicide bombers we know of, perhaps moreâÈ'âÈë

âÈêStop,âÈë the president ordered. âÈêFirst, for years I have been telling everyone my dear departed husbandâÈçs âÈæFramework for PeaceâÈç and my Mideast Peace Treaty solved the problem of radical Islamic terrorism. WeâÈçve staked my reelection on the success of all the measures we have taken to make it a fact. IâÈçve told the voters that PERT technology has stopped illegal aliens and terrorists from getting into this country. They believe me. WeâÈçre not going to confuse people now with some new revelation. If some group makes such a claim, deny it.âÈë

Smith nodded, but said nothing.

âÈêSecond,âÈë she continued, âÈêour âÈæRevitalize AmericaâÈç and âÈæBetter Deal for AllâÈç economic plans are just about to pay off in getting unemployment below ten percent with good-paying government jobs. If people think weâÈçre vulnerable again to Islamic terror attacks, or if the price of oil goes sky-high again, it will all go down the drain. Who would be able to contradict the idea that this is the work of a domestic, right-wing extremist, Anark fringe group?âÈë

The general was silent for a beat and then said, âÈêI would guess that most foreign governments and their intelligence services will follow our lead. Certainly, your cabinet officers will. Of course, we canâÈçt control pirate broadcasts out of reach of the Communications Fairness Division of the FCC. And I suppose there is always the possibility of a leak from one of our contractors who do most of our domestic and foreign intelligence collection.âÈë

âÈêOkay,âÈë the president said, âÈêletâÈçs stop talking about this. I have to get ready to leave for the Pentagon.âÈë She paused for a moment and then addressed both men: âÈêPut out the word that the attack in Houston appears to be an Anark operation, with ties to Mexican drug cartels and Jewish fanatics upset about our Mideast Peace Treaty. AnyoneâÈ'contractor, broadcaster, MESH blogger, and whether itâÈçs an individual or a groupâÈ'who disputes that is subject to arrest under the Spreading Fear Statute and our anti-extremism hate-speech laws. This Supreme Court has upheld them both. ThatâÈçs how we shut down the NRA. Now go.âÈë

As the two men headed for the door, MuradâÈçs stomach was churning. He despised the âÈêM&MâÈë nickname she inflicted upon him. And though he tried very hard to never let it show, his Arab heritage seethed at taking orders from a woman. As they exited, they both had PIDs in their hands, summoning deputies to meet them in their respective West Wing offices.

Just as they reached the top of the stairs to head down to the ground floor, the president stepped out of the Treaty Room into the Center Hall and said, âÈêM&M, thereâÈçs one more thing.âÈë

They both stopped and Murad replied, âÈêYes?âÈë

âÈêWhen I return from the Pentagon,âÈë she said, looking directly at her chief of staff, âÈêI want you to get your friend the Caliph on the secure line. If he has broken the pledge he made to me about no terror attacks until after the election, there is going to be hell to pay.âÈë

Murad simply nodded and turned to go down the stairs.

ThatâÈçs when Smith noticed the Secret Service agent posted beside the entry to the Treaty Room. She was wearing a dark blue two-piece pantsuit and standing immobile with her hands clasped âÈêfig leafâÈë style. Their eyes met for an instant. There was no hint in her expression that she had even heard what the president just said.

That was, after all, her duty. That is why itâÈçs called the âÈêSecret Service.âÈë But as Smith walked toward his office, the retired general made a note in his PID to find out her name.