Interdiction - W.Addison Gast (great novels TXT) 📗

twice with the familiar ring and D J smiled as he acknowledged the call from his best friend, Abdul Matlin. Abdul had stuck amazingly well to the plan that he expressed to DJ now over almost five years prior. Abdul had obtained a scholarship to Georgetown University and then moved to the United States where he stayed in D J’s room at his parents new home. He was in the process of moving out now and was going to take post grad courses at Georgetown. D J had made a name for himself and his family by graduating from the point last year with an unheard of 3.7 GPA. That placed him at the number five position and made his father Brigadier Tomas Jacobs very proud.
“Did you get the van and the truck for this weekend buddy?” DJ asked his friend.
“Everything cool DJ. I have two buddies that are coming along to help us so long as there is enough beer to keep their attention.”
“Ok. I think you know Lester? He will be with me so this should be a short operation. I was over there last night and the place is pretty well aired out—no fresh paint odor.”
“Ok DJ, I’ll have the van and the truck here at the house and meet you here soon as you leave the point.” The two had rented a place in Georgetown away from the main village but close enough to be close to the nightlife. D J was doing post grad work at the point working with a research team from a contractor much respected in the military community as a very hi tech explosives supplier. He hung up the phone and returned to the classroom.
“Before I enter into the discussion of the product we call simply N12, We need to review the basics of explosives, explosive forces and how they work. I know this is basic to many of you but what you are going to learn here this afternoon is a very different principle of physics when it comes to ordnance” The representative started the class thinking with that statement.
“Explosives are substances that, through chemical reaction, rapidly and violently change to gas, accompanied by high temperatures, extreme shock and a loud noise. An explosion is the process of the substance transforming into the gaseous state. “
Explosives are classified as low or high according to the detonating velocity or speed at which this change takes place and other characteristics such as their shattering effect. In all chemical explosions, the changes that occur are the result of combustion or burning. The difference between a stick of dynamite and a burning log is the rate of combustion.
The velocity of instantaneous combustion has been measured for most explosives and is referred to as the detonation velocity of the explosive. Detonation velocities of high explosives range from 3,300 feet per second to over 29,000 FPS. To bring this speed down to our terms, -if we took a five-mile length of garden hose and filled it with a high explosive and then detonated one end of the hose, it would take only one second for the chemical reaction to reach the other end of the hose.
The representative instructor went on to discuss the effect of blast pressure waves and positive and negative phases of the explosion.
“We are going to take a field trip tomorrow over to the department of Homeland Security where we will continue this instruction and also witness a live demonstration of what N12 will do in comparison to the highest power explosives used presently, namely Simtex, RDX and C4.”
D J immediately cornered his captain after the class and requested permission to separate from the class tomorrow so that he could have morning breakfast with his dad at his office. He would then join the group and continue his class work. The Captain was almost anxious to let one of his students have breakfast with the Brigadier General.
This was ideal. DJ could have his dad’s aide pick him up at his barracks and he could stay with his parents that night and ride in to “work” with his dad in the morning. He would then return to the point with his group. Cool.
“We will have a guest at our breakfast table DJ that is anxious to meet you.” Said D J’s dad.
“Someone I know Dad?”
Laughingly the General replied; “Well, its someone you should get to know. The acquaintance may turn out to your advantage some day.. We’ll split eggs Benedict with Charlie Peterson-the director of Homeland security. Tomorrow at 0645”.
“Our uniform of the day for this trip tomorrow is BDU Camis. Considering this guest, should I wear my class a’s instead?” Asked D J.
“There will be others in the officers mess wearing BDUs DJ no problem. Remember, a lot of us never know when we will need to move to a tactical atmosphere in this job.”
The general’s driver slowed and stopped at the gate to Langley and presented the General’s and D J’s identification. “Brigadier General Tomas Jacobs and Lieutenant Westly Jacobs the ID cards read. The sentry looked in the back of the car at DJ and waved the vehicle to the next checkpoint. Here the General gave the guard a different ID and signed DJ in as his guest.
The officer’s mess was beautiful and opulent for a military and government dining facility. Their butts had no sooner hit the seat than a steward was at their side pouring coffee.
When Charlie Peterson joined D J and his father, it took only a few minutes of conversation between the three for DJ to feel relaxed around such horsepower in the U S Government. They chatted about the difference in living in base housing overseas and suburban Virginia, the football season and families. Director Peterson had just gotten into talking to DJ about his past four years and how proud his dad was that he had graduated twenty spots closer to the top than the General did when he attended the point. The steward came over to the General and whispered in his ear. He then turned and a young Captain approached the table. He handed a folder to the General which was opened and read while the Captain stood at ease a few steps back from the table.
“Thank you Captain, I’ll be along shortly. I think my driver just sat down to eat. Would you please let him know that I will need to leave in about ten minutes?”
“Yes General.” The Captain left the room to look for the General’s driver.
“Duty calls even at the breakfast table eh General?” smiled the Director.
“Well, we are a little short on language people so far and I have to find me a Pashtun to read some data that my guys are having trouble with.”
“Dad, what is it they need? Don’t tell me you forgot my friend Izat that I went to school with in Pakistan. He taught me a lot of Pashtu.”
The General asked; “What is a dunjar and what is a kasblanah D J you have any idea?”
D J smiled and took the piece of paper that was in the folder and wrote next to the word dunjar skateboard and then by the word kasblanah a paki internet chat room called In my back yard
“Looks like your people are talking to some young Pakistani kids on the net dad.” Was D J’s reply.
The Director was amazed. He had watched this entire situation unravel and come to a conclusion within minutes. It would still be a question if this young Lt. had not stepped in and volunteered his help.
“Tom, I think you had better take your son here with you when you go back to work. Seriously. I don’t know where he is supposed to be after breakfast but if there is any problems getting him lose to go to your area, give me a call.”
The General and D J left the dining area and headed to the DOCIS headquarters as the Director returned to his office in the white house.


Chapter 8

Training camp-thirty five k outside Mazar I Sharif

Haydar’s group now consisted of himself and seven other Mujahideen that had been together for the past three years. They all had received the same military training and in the past three months had entered into the “special” mission training that had come from the supreme leader as they were told.
This morning they were introduced to a new instructor that was tasked with getting the group briefed on communications and evasion of authorities. The eight young men were loaded into one large white van and headed for the city. The goat made the first comment in respect to their appearance “I hope we are not ambushed by the hill people on the way into town. Without our beards and dressed in the western shirts and pants, we look like American contractors.”
“Do not worry Goat. This van is known to all within our brotherhood and it will not be challenged. It is good however that you think of such things. You must always keep your guard up and think as the enemy would if you are to be successful in your mission.”
The new instructor was friendlier than any of the militants that had been in charge of them in the past. He was from California in the United States and had been with the Taliban for the past eight years. He went by the simple name of Raj. No code name or last name just Raj. He spoke English very well and was to be the person that they would, talk with from this day forward according to Raj.
“We are going to a very special location today to learn the basics of how we will communicate once you are in place away from here.” Raj detailed how members would use the internet and cell phones to communicate. It was very clever Haydar thought. The Americans and British would not suspect that the army of Osama would use teen age chat rooms for contact medium. The text messages could be sent on the cell phones and erased immediately possibly before anyone monitoring the channel could track the number
After about two hours after leaving the camp, the van entered the city. The driver stopped several times and they all left the van and were told to observe if anything or anyone appeared to be watching them. They were told to observe the locals and see if any looked out of place or were looking at the group suspiciously. The second time the van stopped and the students disembarked, Haydar noticed they were in a very depressed section of the city. The marketplace for the neighborhood had very little food and not many people milling around. Something caught the eye of Haydar. It was the beggar. He was on the corner when the van parked but now he was approaching the group of students asking for hand outs. He was not successful in getting any of the students to answer his begging so then he sat down by the back wheel of the van. Haydar moved over by Raj and motioned for him to come inside the shop they were standing next to. Raj entered the shop and looked at Haydar with a puzzled frown on his face.
“Why do you want to bring me in here away from the group Haydar?” He asked.
“The beggar. Look closely at him Raj.”
“He is harmless; he wants only to get some money for more opium .”
“No, he is listening to our conversations closely.”
“What makes you so suspicious about this person engineer?” Asked Raj, now more intent on Haydar’s answers.
“Look closely at him sir. He is a