Odessa Reborn: A Terrorism Thriller (Gunner Fox Book 4) Read online

  In a time of desperation, America turned to Gunner and his fellow operatives, Major Cameron “Cam” Mills and Lieutenant Barrett “Bear” King. Major Mills, a childhood friend and the person who introduced Gunner to Heather, has always been by his side. She attended special forces training with Bear and the duo offered the perfect complement to Gunner’s advanced training, special skills, and vast knowledge obtained during his college years when he received his degree in the earth sciences.

  During the asteroid mission, Gunner, Cam and Bear become reacquainted with Colonel Gregory Smith, Gunner’s mentor while he went through SERE – Air Force Special Warfare training at the AFSOC facility in the Florida panhandle. Col. Smith left the Air Force to join DARPA, the secretive government agency falling under the Department of Defense budget. He was always referred to by his DOD codename: Ghost.

  After the success of the asteroid mission, Ghost was instructed to build a team around Gunner Fox. He brought on FBI Special Agent Theodora “Teddy” Cuccinelli because of her expert computer skills. Her abilities to access virtually any server or computer system earned her the moniker—Jackal. She acts as the eyes and ears for Gunner, Cam, and Bear when they are on a mission.

  Ghost was tasked with naming this new team and he chose Gray Fox. In the early eighties, a new special operations force was created under the purview of the Joint Special Operations Command of the U.S. Army. Known as Intelligence Support Activity, or simply, The Activity, their role was to gather intelligence prior to special operations and to deploy assets to handle covert, off-the-books missions.

  Over many decades, The Activity deployed specialized units into a variety of ops under codenames including Gray Fox. During the War in Afghanistan, Gray Fox fought alongside Delta Force in the mountains against the Taliban. Their unit spearheaded the search for Saddam Hussein and his family during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The Gray Fox unit was mothballed for nearly twenty years until it was revived by Ghost to be led by Gunner Fox.

  Gunner, Cam, and Bear would stand in front of a speeding train for one another. When called to duty, the repeat the secretive motto of The Activity, they’d reply—send me. They have each other’s six and are committed to their team’s motto:

  Day by day.

  Minute by minute.

  Ride or die.

  We stick together.

  Real-World News Excerpts

  REVEALED JFK DOCUMENTS SHOW CIA HEARD RUMOR THAT ADOLF HITLER ESCAPED TO SOUTH AMERICA

  ~ CBS News, November 1, 2017

  The CIA was aware of and interested in rumors that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler escaped Germany at the end of the World War II and fled to South America, documents released this week by the U.S. foreign intelligence agency show.

  It’s considered fact that Hitler took his own life in a bunker in April 1945 as Allied forces closed in, but a CIA operative identified only by the moniker CIMELODY-3 reported back to Washington in 1955 that a trusted contact had informed him Hitler was alive and well, living among other Nazi expatriates.

  On 29 September 1955, a grainy, black and white photo was shown to CIMELODY-3 for purposes of getting his reaction to the possible veracity of this photo. The photo undoubtedly shows a man who resembles the leader of Germany's Third Reich.

  THE NAZI ORIGINS OF DEADLY NERVE GASES

  ~ Chemical & Engineering News, October 17, 2016

  Among chemical weapons, nerve gases are arguably the most nefarious. Trace amounts can wreak long-term havoc on a victim’s nervous system, and high doses can cause painful deaths, typically by asphyxiation.

  Nerve agents have been used by armies and terrorists alike. They were dispatched on the battlefield of the Iran-Iraq War, during the Tokyo subway attack of 1995, and more recently on demonstrators in Syria. Despite their infamy, these chemical weapons have a curious history unknown to many people.

  Eighty years ago, just before World War II began, nerve agents were invented in Nazi Germany. During the Third Reich, German scientists developed bombs capable of deploying the chemical weapons on the Allies, and the Nazi armed forces secretly stockpiled nerve gas munitions.

  From the start of WWII, some in the military were raring to dispatch their nerve weapons “on a very large scale against the enemy hinterland by air strikes.”

  But Hitler demurred. Why did Hitler veto their use?

  Some historians point to the fact that Hitler had been a victim of chemical weapons—probably mustard gas—during WWI. As a result of this experience, Hitler believed using poison gas on the battlefield was unethical, an incredibly inconsistent position given his directive to use Zyklon B and other poisonous gases to kill millions of concentration camp prisoners.

  U-BOAT RUMORED TO HAVE HELPED NAZIS ESCAPE TO ARGENTINA IS DISCOVERED

  ~ UK Independent, April 19, 2018

  A German submarine linked to rumors that Adolf Hitler survived and escaped to Argentina in a U-boat has been discovered – lying wrecked at the bottom of the North Sea between Denmark and Norway.

  Submarine U-3523 had been one of a new generation of type XXI U-boats that were able to run more silently and stay submerged for longer than any of their predecessors, with a range that would have allowed them to sail non-stop from Europe to South America.

  As such it would have been perfect escape vessel for Nazi gold, high-ranking officials or even Hitler himself as the Reich collapsed at the end of the Second World War.

  But researchers pointed out that nobody knows if this was the U-boat’s destination, and nobody knows if the U-boat had valuables or passengers, especially Hitler, aboard in addition to the 58 crew, all of whom perished at 123 meters depth.

  The final telegram sent by the submarine, on 5 May 1945, made no mention of Nazi treasure or officials, so it is unconfirmed whether skipper Willi Müller and his crew were carrying Nazi passengers instead of just trying to escape themselves. Further, researchers say this particular vessel may have been a decoy as the day before, German forces in Denmark, Northwest Germany and the Netherlands had surrendered. Therefore, the U-boat was not on a war patrol.

  And as for Adolf Hitler, the U-boat appears to have left port five days after 1 May 1945, when German radio announced the Fuhrer’s death.

  NEW GLOBAL ANALYSIS FINDS WATER-RELATED TERRORISM IS ON THE RISE

  ~ New Security Beat, May 8, 2018

  Attacking water is not a new terror tactic. Three decades ago, in the midst of Peru’s economic crisis and failed agrarian reforms, the leftist group Shining Path destroyed precious water infrastructure, along with bridges and electrical systems. More recently, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took control of the Tabqa (2013) and Mosul (2014) dams, spurring fears the dams would fail and disrupt water flows and hydropower generation.

  While water-related terrorism is not new, it is on the rise, increasing 263 percent from 1970 to 2016, according to our analysis. The highest concentration of incidents—68 percent—occurred in the post-9/11 era.

  THE POTENTIAL RISE OF SARIN MANUFACTURING AMONG NON-STATE ACTORS

  ~ American Security Project, June 5, 2013

  There are growing signs that non-state actors might be beginning to manufacture sarin weapons as opposed to trying to acquire them from pre-existing stocks. In the last week there have been two separate reports of al-Qaeda linked groups being captured with sarin. In Syria, the terrorist group al-Nusrah Front was captured with five pounds of sarin.

  Most troubling is that the manufacture of sarin involves simply mixing two chemicals with relatively little skill required. Deployment methods are wide and varied.

  Epigraph

  “The best political weapon is the weapon of terror. Cruelty commands respect. Men may hate us. But we don't ask for their love. Only for their fear.”

  ~ Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer-SS, Germany, early 1940s

  Evil triumphs only when good men do nothing.

  ~ Edmund Burke, Eighteenth century Irish philosopher

  “Never make a chemist mad at you.”r />
  ~ James Dalton Bell, bioterrorist

  All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.

  ~ Voltaire, Eighteenth century French philosopher

  Hatred doesn’t die with its leader.

  ~ Author Bobby Akart

  Für meine Mutter. Ich liebe dich!

  

  Das folgende beruht auf wahren begebenheiten

  The following is based on a true story.

  The Oath

  The following oath was repeated by millions leading up to World War II. Most of them meant it. Many did not.

  Ich schwöre bei Gott diesen heiligen Eid,

  daß ich dem Führer des Deutschen Reiches und Volkes

  Adolf Hitler, dem Oberbefehlshaber der Wehrmacht,

  unbedingten Gehorsam leisten und als tapferer Soldat bereit sein will,

  jederzeit für diesen Eid mein Leben einzusetzen.

  I swear to God this holy oath

  that I shall render unconditional obedience

  to the Leader of the German Reich and people,

  Adolf Hitler, supreme commander of the armed forces,

  and that as a brave soldier I shall at all times be prepared

  to give my life for this oath.

  Prologue

  Late June 1944

  La Roche-Guyon, France

  Field Headquarters of Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel

  Excerpt from a letter to Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler

  General Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s cold stare mirrored the bleak view of the battlefield that lay before him. He’d been handpicked a year prior by der Führer, Adolf Hitler, to lead the German Army’s defenses of the French coastline. Known as the Atlantic Wall, these defenses began at the border with Spain in Southern France and stretched the entirety of Western Europe to the top of Norway.

  Rommel was nicknamed the Desert Fox for his early successes in leading his 7th Panzer Division during the 1940 invasion of France. His leadership of combined German and Italian forces in the Third Reich’s North Africa campaign earned him the reputation as one of the most capable tank commanders in history.

  He was also an ardent student of war and a master strategist who enjoyed the gamesmanship that played out on the battlefield. His book, Infantry Attacks, had been a staple of every military tactician’s library, including General George S. Patton, the American equivalent of the Desert Fox.

  General Patton, who first came head-to-head with Rommel in North Africa, used the famed field marshal’s tactics against him, eventually driving the Germans out of the desert. As the last of the German tanks departed for Italy, Patton famously shouted, “Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!”

  Rommel’s retreat in 1943 did not deter Hitler from appointing him to the important task of defending the Atlantic Wall from an Allied invasion. For reasons outside of Rommel’s control, D-Day was a disaster for the Germans.

  As early as 1942, Hitler knew a large-scale Allied invasion of France could turn the tide of the war in Europe, hence the implementation of the Atlantic Wall. But thanks to the brilliant deception campaign by the Allied intelligence apparatus as well as Hitler’s own misguided micromanagement of the war, June 6, 1944, became the turning point Nazi strategists had feared.

  Abandoned German Tiger tanks were strewn about the battlefield in various stages of destruction. Smoke and fire billowed out of their turrets. Tank commanders and infantrymen lay dead around what were considered the vastly superior King Tigers. Weighing seventy tons, the monstrous German machines dwarfed their predecessors, the undersized Sherman tanks. Had the strained German manufacturing facilities had more time to produce the King Tigers, the result at Normandy might have been different.

  Yet there Rommel stood alone, stinging rain pelting his face and drenching his uniform. The wind whipped the ragged flag of the 21st Panzer Division. Two battle-weary soldiers stood guard nearby at the entrance to his field headquarters, remaining stoic in the drenching rain and emotionless in the face of defeat. They imperceptibly shuffled from one foot to another in an effort to keep their feet somewhat dry. Their fingers wiggled in their rain-soaked gloves as they gripped their carbines. Neither of them wanted to be there. They just wanted to go home.

  Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was no different. He entered his quarters and removed his wet outer clothing. He lit the kerosene lanterns placed throughout the space. A dim orangish light filled the room, revealing his spartan furnishings. He did not require wood-paneled walls, exquisite stolen works of art, and Persian carpets to exude his stature as a commander.

  Rommel was a soldier’s soldier. He was not an elitist general of the Reich who demanded respect coupled with an appropriate level of pomp and circumstance befitting their positions. He’d earned his respect on the field of battle, and appearances were unimportant to him.

  He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His face had become ashen, and he felt his weary legs begin to buckle. He brushed past the Nazi flag next to his desk. The red flag with the black swastika on a white disc was a mandatory fixture in any commander’s field office. That, plus the obligatory portrait of der Führer standing proud in a light brown jacket, left hand on hip and wearing a red swastika-emblazoned armband. Hitler’s toothbrush mustache had been adopted by him during his World War I service in the Bavarian Infantry Division. New gas masks had been produced, and his previously full Bavarian mustache had prevented a tight fit.

  Rommel rolled his eyes at the portrait as he eased himself into his chair and unlocked his desk drawer. First, he reached for his diary. Later known as The Rommel Papers, his writings and diaries of war, discovered by British intelligence officers, were later published in 1953.

  He poured himself a brandy, a rare occurrence, and took a long sip. After a long sigh, he began to write in his journal.

  Most battles are quickly forgotten, but not by me. I have studied the history of the Americans at war. Many of their epic accomplishments have changed the course of their nation, and the world.

  George Washington’s defeat of the British army at Yorktown in 1781 allowed the Americans’ experiment in democracy to survive. Moreover, it served to inspire oppressed people everywhere.

  Even in ancient days, hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, our Lord, the small armies and navies of Greece defeated the huge invading forces of the Persian Empire at Salamis and Marathon. Through their bravado, the Greeks not only saved themselves, but their own fledgling democracy together with their cultural history of art, literature, and architecture.

  These are the reasons to do battle with our fellow man. These are the reasons a mighty nation like Germany must fight to win. However, I now know the course of the war has turned. We are no longer the aggressor, but rather, the hunted.

  We are outmanned. We are outgunned. And most importantly, we have lost our will to fight. I firmly believe historians will view the Allied invasion on the beaches of Normandy as the first of many decisive blows leading to the end of the Reich.

  Unless …

  Rommel slowly closed his leather diary, showing obvious signs of wear from his many entries, and wrapped the leather string around it until it was tied with a neat bowknot. With a sigh, he placed it back into his drawer and locked it.

  He allowed himself another brandy to steel his nerves. He closed his eyes and asked himself if his next action would lead to his death by firing squad. For a minute, he fumbled with his pen and ran his fingers across his stationery.

  You must face reality, he thought to himself. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when his intuition had become truth, but he knew the war was lost. Perhaps it was the Normandy invasion. Or it was Hitler’s overreach as he attempted to fight the war on too many fronts. Maybe it was the brilliant deception employed by General Patton in drawing valuable tank resources away from the Atlantic Wall.

  Regardless, he could taste defeat in the air. He could smell it on his officers and soldiers alike.
He could see it in their eyes and deep in their souls. The evidence was there for him to reach his own conclusions despite der Führer’s grandiose plans for victory.

  Rommel smirked as he thought of Hitler’s chief propagandist, Joseph Goebbels. He was no soldier. He was a liar. An expert liar, but a liar nonetheless. Goebbels could trumpet the Wehrmacht successes from the mountaintop, but any soldier who could read a map saw that each of these so-called victories brought the Allied forces closer to heart of the Reich—Berlin.

  He shook his head and stared at the block ceiling of the subterranean structure. A chill came over his body as the overwhelming damp earth scent of quick-drying cement pervaded his nostrils.

  He muttered aloud, “Such a waste. Years of struggle and effort. Those arrogant fools who have der Führer’s ear thought the Reich would survive a thousand years or more. It is not possible. All great empires collapse eventually. There have been no exceptions in the history of mankind. I know this. We are witnessing the collapse of the Third Reich.”

  Rommel set his jaw. He was ready. He gripped his pen until his dusty knuckles turned white, and began writing.

  The letter was addressed to Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler. He began with a status of the battles being fought in France. He was quick to lay the blame for their losses on the superior Allied air power. Himmler, in a conversation with Rommel many months ago, had acknowledged this weakness in the Atlantic Wall.