A wall of televisions bathed the room in a greenish/blue glow. The President leaned forward staring intently at televisions as the mission progressed. Two large screens showed the green infrared satellite view of the compound with five red dots moving toward the targets, four stationary dots. Five televisions along the bottom of the larger screens displayed a video feed from each member of the Navy seal team as they maneuvered through the compound. The audio was intermittent, whispers and muffled gunfire.
As the seals advanced they dispatched the resistance with minimal trouble. After ten minutes the seal team stood outside the door to the last room containing four heat signatures. A teargas grenade was readied. The leader of the seal team reached up and tapped his camera. One by one the seal team cameras stopped transmitting. The Captain was the last to turn his off. The audio stopped and the room became silent.
The President turned to the admiral, “What is going on?”
The admiral looked the President in the eye, “Sir, we don’t want to have any video or audio in case there is a problem. It is for your family’s protection.”
The President stared ahead silently for a moment, then nodded.
“Sir, are we a go?” asked the Admiral.
“Yes,” stated the President.
The green screen showed the five seals move into the room. Two of the four red dots in the room moved but fell quickly and began to fade from the screen. The seals surrounded and grabbed the other two people in the room and carried them out. The speakers in the room cracked to life, “Targets acquired.”
The signal on the screen twitched and dropped out for a second before coming back. One of the technicians turned to face the President, “Sir, the satellite is almost out of range. We will lose signal in one minute.”
The President nodded.
As the troops were about to reach the helicopter the screen twitched and went dead. After 5 minutes of silence the radio cracked to life. “We are airborne, will need medical assistance when we land.”
The President looked over at the admiral. The admiral signaled to the radio operator who flicked a switch.
“This is the President. Who is injured?” asked the President.
The line was silence for a couple of seconds, and then the captain spoke, “Sir, it’s your son, he was shot in the back by the terrorists. He may not survive.”
The President buried his head in his hands, “Do what you can.”
“Yes sir.” The radio went silent.
The President awoke and sat up, his forehead wet with sweat. He took a deep breath. The room was dark and quiet. It was only a dream, everything is fine. He stood up, stretched, and picked up the phone to call his wife in Israel. The operator came on the line, “Yes Mr. President, what do you need?”
There was a knock on the door.
The Chief of Staff and the National Security Advisor entered the bedroom.
“Sir, there is a problem in Israel.”
The President dropped the phone.
Copyright © 2012 J. Power
All rights reserved.
The Part Time Writer 