"Coloma Six" answered Fredricks into the microphone on his jacket epaulet.
"Navaho on Channel Six."
"Roger Control" he replied. After glancing once more at the view from the roof of Kaiser Hospital, he climbed down the ladder and walked the short distance to the elevator. Reaching the ground floor he hurriedly walked out through the backup emergency room doors and into the side door of the loaner Santa Clara Police van. He scratched at the uncomfortable Santa Clara Police uniform. It had been purchased for him blind and was a little tight in the crotch.
The Delta Commander punched the channel six on the SPACOM radio, pressed the scramble button, then spoke two words,
"Coloma Six"
"Standby" was the only response. Then after a short wait,
"Gemstone to Coloma Six. Message in three parts. Navaho reports seven lazy ladies enroute to your house. Crystal Palace is now holding three aces. No tobacco on the road."
"Roger, Gemstone. Standby" he replied, and reset the frequency on the radio. Then he looked up the codes for Crystal Palace, or SAC in his daily code book, dialed in the 32 bit command authority cypher, and clicked the microphone button. The red "coded" light lit up.
"Navaho, Coloma" he now said.
"Copy Coloma, Standby" and Fredricks waited again for the people on the other end of the Satellite linkup to put General Jamison on the line.
"Coloma, Navaho. We have a problem. Tour guides reports some cattle have slipped through their fence. Their estimate is that before they closed the gate at least five or more head snuck through. Suggest you re-think your plans for your vacation."
Fredricks, understood that there were more than just a few terrorists in the area, and that there was even more evidence now that the strike was indeed intended for a holiday target. Five head meant at least 500 hundred estimated terrorists in country at this time. Since tour guides were the INS, he knew the flakey southern border of the U.S. had cost them dearly. Why didn't the government realize the foolishness of having such loose borders. It was bad enough to have drugs and illegal aliens crossing the U.S. borders, but here again was evidence that the Mexican border was a roadway for terrorists into the our country. Fredricks shook his head, once more wondering why the current situation hadn't occurred before now.
"Guess we've just been lucky" he said outloud, but the Delta man in police uniform had earphones on and thus no one heard him growl.