Read Online Thunder in the East by Mack Maloney - Free Book Online
Authors: Mack Maloney
Tags: Suspense
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for a smooth landing on a long stretch of highway just 30 miles outside of Football City.
A ground service crew appeared out of the woods nearby and quickly directed O'Malley into a camouflaged aircraft shelter.
Twelve minutes later, O'Malley was sitting in the camp's mess tent with General Jones.
"What's the news in Circle-land today?" Jones asked him.
"The base was buzzing about the explosions during the night," O'Malley told him. "All of our guys get out OK?"
"Yes, as far as we know," Jones said. "They got a private officers' club and two piers according to the preliminary report."
"Well, it really shook up the people downtown," O'Malley said. "Air raids they can deal with. But putting bombs under their barstools makes them nervous.
They're already spreading the word that the explosions were accidents . . ."
"That's the sure sign of success when they start covering up," Jones said.
"What other kinds of bullshit stories are they dishing out?"
O'Malley washed down a mouthful of pancakes with a gulp of coffee. "Well, the lead mechanic who services my rig says he heard that a cocaine processing lab was in the back of the private club and that a tank of ether blew up."
"A clever cover story," Jones said, shaking his head in admiration. "Very feasible . . ." "Well, he did say he heard rumors that saboteurs blew up the dock works," O'Malley added quickly. "Hard to cover up the fact that two major loading piers simply went blooey"
"Well, I hope he decides to spread that rumor," Jones said, taking a gulp of his own coffee.
"I'm sure our message was delivered," O'Malley said, lighting an after meal butt. "Between this and our recon misinformation campaign, the Circle will soon be getting very jittery."
"They're still buying our phony photos . . ." Jones shook his head in amazement. "I really thought they'd be smarter than that."
"Me, too," O'Malley confessed. "But for them, the proof is in those photos.
They are convinced we're sitting here with almost two hundred thousand troops and plenty of equipment. They have no choice but to believe it. They have no other means of surveillance. And God forbid that they should get an original idea and send out a long range patrol..."
"Like any other commander charged with defense of his city would do," Jones said. "They certainly aren't acting like an army that's preparing for an all-out attack."
"Their military guys are worried," O'Malley said. "But old Viceroy Dick acts like he's on vacation. He thinks that just as long as he's holding our POWs, he's sitting pretty."
Jones shook his head once again. "And you know something?" he said. "The bastard is right."
O'Malley finished his meal and he and Jones were met by one of the Western Forces' photo experts. The man handed the pilot two rolls of still picture film and two rolls of movie film.
81
"What do we show them today?" O'Malley asked.
"More tanks, more SAMs," the photo man said. "We've got a bunch of old Sunoco trucks in there, too, to give the impression that we're bringing our fuel up to the front."
O'Malley had to smile at the simple brilliance of the deception. The Western Forces had a similar RF-4 Phantom recon jet-it, too, was converted for this operation from O'Malley's small Ace Wrecking Company fleet. The Westerners would load up their jet with film and fly it over any number of military staging sites-both active and abandoned-from Missouri back through the Badlands all the way back to the west coast. Whenever the topography was correct, they'd start the cameras whirring. This footage would then be mixed in with actual pictures of the Westerners' strength near Football City, thus creating an impression of a huge army, when less than two-thirds that number was actually in place.
"How much longer do you think they're going to fall for this?" Jones asked O'Malley. "I mean they're dumb, but we don't want to overplay our hand."
O'Malley thought for a moment. "I say give it one more session after this one," he
A ground service crew appeared out of the woods nearby and quickly directed O'Malley into a camouflaged aircraft shelter.
Twelve minutes later, O'Malley was sitting in the camp's mess tent with General Jones.
"What's the news in Circle-land today?" Jones asked him.
"The base was buzzing about the explosions during the night," O'Malley told him. "All of our guys get out OK?"
"Yes, as far as we know," Jones said. "They got a private officers' club and two piers according to the preliminary report."
"Well, it really shook up the people downtown," O'Malley said. "Air raids they can deal with. But putting bombs under their barstools makes them nervous.
They're already spreading the word that the explosions were accidents . . ."
"That's the sure sign of success when they start covering up," Jones said.
"What other kinds of bullshit stories are they dishing out?"
O'Malley washed down a mouthful of pancakes with a gulp of coffee. "Well, the lead mechanic who services my rig says he heard that a cocaine processing lab was in the back of the private club and that a tank of ether blew up."
"A clever cover story," Jones said, shaking his head in admiration. "Very feasible . . ." "Well, he did say he heard rumors that saboteurs blew up the dock works," O'Malley added quickly. "Hard to cover up the fact that two major loading piers simply went blooey"
"Well, I hope he decides to spread that rumor," Jones said, taking a gulp of his own coffee.
"I'm sure our message was delivered," O'Malley said, lighting an after meal butt. "Between this and our recon misinformation campaign, the Circle will soon be getting very jittery."
"They're still buying our phony photos . . ." Jones shook his head in amazement. "I really thought they'd be smarter than that."
"Me, too," O'Malley confessed. "But for them, the proof is in those photos.
They are convinced we're sitting here with almost two hundred thousand troops and plenty of equipment. They have no choice but to believe it. They have no other means of surveillance. And God forbid that they should get an original idea and send out a long range patrol..."
"Like any other commander charged with defense of his city would do," Jones said. "They certainly aren't acting like an army that's preparing for an all-out attack."
"Their military guys are worried," O'Malley said. "But old Viceroy Dick acts like he's on vacation. He thinks that just as long as he's holding our POWs, he's sitting pretty."
Jones shook his head once again. "And you know something?" he said. "The bastard is right."
O'Malley finished his meal and he and Jones were met by one of the Western Forces' photo experts. The man handed the pilot two rolls of still picture film and two rolls of movie film.
81
"What do we show them today?" O'Malley asked.
"More tanks, more SAMs," the photo man said. "We've got a bunch of old Sunoco trucks in there, too, to give the impression that we're bringing our fuel up to the front."
O'Malley had to smile at the simple brilliance of the deception. The Western Forces had a similar RF-4 Phantom recon jet-it, too, was converted for this operation from O'Malley's small Ace Wrecking Company fleet. The Westerners would load up their jet with film and fly it over any number of military staging sites-both active and abandoned-from Missouri back through the Badlands all the way back to the west coast. Whenever the topography was correct, they'd start the cameras whirring. This footage would then be mixed in with actual pictures of the Westerners' strength near Football City, thus creating an impression of a huge army, when less than two-thirds that number was actually in place.
"How much longer do you think they're going to fall for this?" Jones asked O'Malley. "I mean they're dumb, but we don't want to overplay our hand."
O'Malley thought for a moment. "I say give it one more session after this one," he
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