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part 1 of the story
The Heist of the Century

J. Ross Archer

     Colonel Bert Bennette, US Army, was an unusually young and inexperienced officer to be commanding the oldest Honest John Surface to Surface Missile nuclear warhead storage facility in eastern Turkey. However, he was the fair-haired First in his West Point Class. Much was expected of him, and he knew it—his metal was about to be tested.
    (Security of the facility from outside the security fence to the compound perimeter was the responsibility of the Turkish Army, who occupied the 40-acre compound with a battalion-sized artillery unit. The American contingent is a twenty-five- man reaction force. Colonel Bennette’s Turkish commander counterpart is Colonel Ahmed Turkoy, and the two men had become close personal friends.)
    “Bert, sit down because you will not want to stand when you hear what I have to say,” said Ahmed excitedly.
    “Ahmed, what in the world has you wound so tight?”
    “I think—no, I’m sure—there is an extremely high probability that an attempt will be made to steal a warhead from this facility. This information comes from one of my trusted soldiers, Bert, and I believe him.”
    “OK, Ahmed, you have my undivided attention. So, take me through it from the beginning. Don’t leave out any detail.” Bert stood, and a flow of adrenalin caused a ringing in his ears, and he felt a little light-headed.
    “Can anyone overhear us, Bert? Hey, are you all right? You look pale?”
    “No. There’s no one in the office now; we’re alone, and I’m good.”
    “Sergeant Abduce oversees the sentry post on the backside of the perimeter, and, as you know, the edge of our property drops sharply down 100 feet to the beach and the old tunnel entrance. Last night, he overheard two men talking at the tunnel entrance, and they said it used to run under the number four storage building where it ended. Question one, what would two men be doing down there if the tunnel had been destroyed years earlier? Question two, why would they be discussing a warhead theft? Question three, how would they know of the tunnel ending under building number four? Question five, what in the hell are we going to do?” Ahmed wilted into a nearby chair in mild shock.
    “I’m sorry, Ahmed, my brain has been made privy to something that is unbelievably awful—I know you are real and what you said is realÉgive me a minute, Ahmed. OK, I’m among the living again. But wasn’t that entrance to the tunnel sealed when this facility was built, by order of your commanding officer?”
    “Yes, that’s correct, but I think that flaw was swept under the proverbial carpet because the commanding general wanted to look good by completing this building ahead of schedule. Ahmed’s color had returned. So the general faked the destruction of the old tunnel complex, thinking no one would notice. So, what do you think we should do, Bert? We have to do something—now!
    “Well, for starters, we have to let the brass know of a potential nuclear incident and try to hold them at bay until you and I look into the situation to make sure there is, in fact, a threat. We don’t need to send up a nuclear threat flag until we know the extent of any threat. Do you agree?”
    “Yes, I agree. And I also agree that we at least notify our respective Three-Stars. But shouldn’t we talk to our respective Three-Star at the same time? I can imagine the fallout if one were to get the news before the other,” said Ahmed. Ahmed hurried out of the building, his old self again with that remark being said.
    The possibility of a nuclear theft is about as big-time as it gets; Ahmed and I are at the center of any upcoming action or other fallout. He slumped into his chair, mumbling something about his career flying out the window.
    Bert stared at the telephone, waiting for the “right” time to place his call. This brief pause in activity gave Bert time for the magnanimity of this situation to sink in—with everything else, he would have to orchestrate. Then, he lifted the receiver of the secure phone with a shaking hand and sweaty brow; he placed his priority call.
    “General Wainright, this is Bert Bennette, Commander of the Erzurum Nuclear Storage Facility. I have some bad news, Sir. My counterpart and I have critical information reported by a trusted Turkish soldier, and you need to hear it—now, Sir.”
    “Alright, bring your counterpart with you unless he’s already upstairs with his boss.”

xxx

    “I’ll be there in 15 minutes, Sir, depending on traffic. I’ll try to arrange for Colonel Ahmed to come with me.”
    My ears are ringing with the rise in blood pressure caused by Ahmed’s news. I’ve got to calm down, thought Bert.

xxx

    Bert and Ahmed were in General Wainright’s office at 1600 hours, and General Fieeb, General Wainright’s counterpart, was also present. Bert and Ahmed briefed the generals on what they knew about the alleged incident. Both Ahmed and Bert were hyper-excited about how the generals would react to the possibility of an actual nuclear incident
     “There’s one more thing, General. Since Colonel Turkoy and I are the on-the-scene commanders, please give us 48 hours to investigate the situation before you unleash the minions. Will you arrange that with your command, General?”
    “That’s against my better judgment, Bennette, but I’ll see what I can do.” Do you agree, General Fieeb?”
    “Yes, I agree, but let us not waste more time. As we shall soon see, if there has been a nuclear incident, we cannot waste one minute informing Southern Command.
    “Bennette, you and Turkoy get cracking and hear this well; you will report to General Fieeb and me via secure phone at least four times a day. We don’t want to get the world involved until we are certain there is a threat. I agree to give you time before I raise the nuclear incident flag because I must be sure before acting. Now get the hell out of my office—the clock is ticking.”
    Both men were quiet while walking to their sedans. They were both preoccupied with knowing that a hundred possibilities existed that could defeat their efforts. Then, finally, Ahmed broke the silence.
    “My office is being renovated; may we use your office as a temporary headquarters, Bert?”
    “Of course. We both have the weight of the world on our shoulders, Ahmed, and we must remain calm, deliberate, and thoughtful because many lives could be lost if we make a mistake. So, remember, calm, deliberate, and mentally sharp all the time.” Bert knew his remark was intended for himself as well as Ahmed.
    “Yes! Let’s get to it, said Ahmed. I feel a fright in my stomach; Bert, what if we find more trouble than the warhead is worth?”

xxx

    At that moment, Bert’s Sergeant Major Atkins burst into the office. His face was ashen with panic and hard breathing.
    “Sir, we’re missing a 15-megaton warhead from building number 4,” he said.
    “Damnit, my worst fear has become a reality,” said Bert.
    “My sedan is still waiting outside; let’s go,” said Ahmed.
    Building 4 was only half a mile away, and as the sedan skidded to a stop, Bert and Ahmed were half out of the sedan. The Reaction Force stood in a loose formation around the entrance to building 4. The Reaction Force commander had the only key to the heavy building door, and he was waiting for Colonel Bennette’s arrival before taking further action.
    “OK, Sergeant, tell it from the beginning, and leave nothing out.”
    As they entered the building, the Sergeant gave them a thorough description of what happened. Bert and Ahmed asked no questions until the Sergeant stopped talking when the group reached a large hole in the floor next to a row of Honest John warheads, 15-megaton rating each. The perpetrators had taken the warhead closest to the hole in the floor.
    “When did you learn of this, Sergeant?”
    “At the last posting of the guard, about twenty minutes ago. The guard was dead as he lay now. There was no sign of a struggle—just Sergeant Hill lying in a pool of his blood.”
    “That fits with another solution to your hollow leg problem, Sir.”
    Another piece of the puzzle is about to fall, and we had better move in a hurry.
     “Bert, we need to begin where they began, at the tunnel entrance on the beach.” Bert could tell this incident had gotten to him—he was soaked in a nervous sweat.
    “OK, let’s go—after I pee.” All this excitement makes my bladder super active.

xxx

    “Well. I’ll be damned, Ahmed, they reopened the tunnel, making the shaft wide enough to accommodate someone pulling a sled, and they didn’t bother to erase the sled tracks. Instead, they must have dug quietly, mindful of the guard post above the old entrance. Noise from the nearby surf would have been adequate to mask the sound of light digging, Do you agree, Ahmed?”
    “How did this go undetected?” Bert asked the guard relief commander.
    “Bert! Look where those sled tracks lead—to the ocean where they stop. They put the warhead on a boat! So now we’re getting somewhere piecing this puzzle together.” Ahmed felt as excited as a kid at Christmas; Bert and Gene remained at the castle until late noonas thed sun was beginning to reposition itself
    “I’ll call General Wainright to let him know what we have found; now he’ll know where to focus his force structure.”
    Bert pointed his satellite phone skyward and dialed the General’s secure number. General Wainright answered at once. “What’s going on, Bert? The joint Command Headquarters is breathing down my neck—I can’t hold them off much longer. Now, what is the actual situation?” Bert noticed a low growl in the General’s voice; he was uptight too, thought Bert.
    Bert explained what they had learned and suggested the General put Naval assets first in the Order of Battle.
    “Thanks, Bert, but now I know exactly how to put together our overall Order of Battle. Your report will also get Admiral Dempsey off my back. As soon as you and Ahmed tie up loose ends there, I want you and Ahmed at my headquarters; I’ve already cleared that with Ahmed’s boss, who will also be co-located with me. Now get busy.”

xxx

    “Ahmed, we have to figure out a way to get more information about how they intend to handle that warhead, what type of boat they’re using to transport, and how they plan to service the warhead for actual use?”
    “I agree, but who is General Dempsey?”
    “Ahmed, I can’t believe you didn’t know the Theater Commander’s name, but that’s not important; let’s get busy. Let’s start by finding someone who might have seen the boat near the beach entrance to that tunnel. Then, if we can find out the type of boat transporting the warhead, we can start a search for the boat’s location.”
    “Would not that be our Three-Stars decision? But I guess who does not make a difference if the boat is found. So, I’ll start an area canvas with all the troops not on guard duty, including your troops, Bert, to find someone who might have seen that boat. And let’s find out if General Wainright is sending naval forces to the area in question to wait and see.”

xxx

    Within an hour, Ahmed’s canvas team found someone who had seen a boat sailing near the tunnel entrance, and he got close enough to identify the type and name of the boat. The man was a fisherman who fished that area; he knows boats, so his information is reliable. The boat is a Benito 45-foot double spar cruiser, easily sailed by three people, popular with vacation sailors in the British Virgin Islands. This was a significant breakthrough.
    “Ahmed, this is precisely the type of information we needed. How long will it take your team to get a return message to you containing the details of the boat, such as the name of the renter, sailing plan, and any other information of value to us?”
    “The reply to our inquiry just this minute arrived. The renter’s name is Peter Hammel, a German national with a German post office box number probably phony. He rented the boat for two weeks, paid in Euros, and filed a phony sailing plan,” said Ahmed.”
    “Ahmed, our best bet is to concentrate the search in this general area; how far do you think he could have sailed from here after the heist yesterday?”
    “My guess would be about 240 nautical miles at most.”
    “OK. I’ll alert General Wainright and tell him what we’ve learned, and I’m also going to recommend that we be invited to the Flag Ship; I think our local knowledge would be of value. What do you think?”
    “Absolutely. I’ll arrange for a standby helicopter—awaiting the General’s approval.”
    The General’s reply came in five minutes, which surprised both Ahmed and Bert— “Request approved.”

xxx

    The helicopter landed on the flagship an hour later, and the two colonels were escorted to the bridge to report to Generals Wainright and Fieeb.
    “Thank you for including us, General; I believe we will be of value to this operation, Sir.”
    “Why else would I have approved your request, Bert? I had already ordered a message sent to you. Now, here is what I’ve done so far, and we’ll talk about what happens after that plan either fails or succeeds. First, I’ve concentrated an air search as outlined here. The General pointed to an area roughly twenty nautical miles from the beach where the heist happened to three hundred miles east and northeast.”
    “Parden my interruption, Sir, but did you consider putting out a call to all vessels in the general search area? The Turkish Navy could handle that, and they might find a vessel around that could have spotted a Benito.”
    “Good thinking, Colonel, and I’ll consider doing that if all else fails. But I want you two to speak up when you have something to offer to this operation. I suggest we retire to the officer’s mess for some sustenance and diversionary conversation. We all have been so focused on this incident that our ability to think objectively might be compromised unless we take a break. Follow me.”

xxx

    “I suppose you both know that I took a chance placing so much reliance on junior offers in a major incident with unspeakable consequences, but do you know why I chose to do so? I’ll tell you why. First, you both started your careers graduating first in class from top-notch military academies; second, you both have performed outstandingly better than your contemporaries; and third, you are so calm and clear thinking under immense pressure. But do not feel too flattered because you have chosen to commit yourself to the trial of your lives. Do you understand what I have said?”
    “Yes, Sir,” we said in unison.
    “Then let us enjoy a good meal, good wine, and good man talk. The war will wait.
    Bert pulled Ahmed aside and said: “I thought the General’s behavior back there was extraordinary—even strange. Moreover, it sounded an alarm in me because this was not the behavior of a seasoned soldier that this General had proven to be many times over, and his reputation is well known and respected by his peers. I think the General has flipped out, Ahmed—lost touch with reality. One more problem we will be forced to address.”
    “General, would you excuse us, there’s something I want to talk to Ahmed about, and it would bore you?”
    “Yes, of course. Go where you want, do what you wish to do. It matters not.”

xxx

    Alone on the walkway to the bridge, the men stopped for a chat.
    “Something is mentally wrong with that man, Bert, what the hell are we going to do?”
    “We will have to rely on your General, I guess, and try to think for General Wainright and make him believe our decisions are his. You have a better suggestion?” I feel as though life is slowly being sucked from my body, thought Bert.
    “No, you’re right, and I’m going to talk with General Fieeb now. Are you coming with me?”
    “Yeah, but we can’t waste any more time because the boat might be spotted at any moment. So, I’m going to ask the deputy commander, Admiral Philips. to join us.”

xxx

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