Scripture
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. . .
1st Corinthians 16:13
A Gathering Storm:
He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”
The storm is gathering. Know the signs.
Dedication
To the readers of the Courage Under Fire series. Thank you, dear readers, for coming with me on this amazing journey. As the Courage Under Fire series continues, the next direction will take the members of Strike Force one step closer to the Rapture.
Cast of Characters
STRIKE FORCE CORE TEAM:
Sidney Bennett – Sidney is the alias of Piper Morgan, a former CIA agent, who was accused of treason at Legion’s instigation. Sidney was forced on the run for nearly two years before Kaid found her in Anana Harbor, Alaska.
Samson – Sidney’s St. Bernard who has been at her side since she found him abandoned in Alaska.
Kaid Bennett - Formerly Reed Deckin – Worked for the CIA until he located Sidney in Alaska and was preparing to bring her in when Legion attacked, and both were forced to go underground to survive.
James Cooper – Formerly Teddy Harper – A Navy SEAL who had discovered Legion’s deadly attempt many years earlier. James was living off the grid in Anana Harbor, Alaska, when Kaid arrived. James helped Kaid and Sidney escape Legion’s men. Because of his involvement with them, James was forced to go underground as well.
Ben Parker – An Army Ranger who worked undercover with Legion until his cover was blown. Ben is married to Jennifer.
Cole Hernandez – Former Director of the CIA who helped create Strike Force along with Victor Douglas to combat the coming terrorist attacks by Legion. Cole is married to Eva Abram and has a daughter named Sadie.
Victor Douglas – Former president of the United States who was accused of being a traitor by members of Legion, which included his own vice president. Victor is engaged to his former secret service agent, Kinsley Allison.
THE NEW MEMBERS OF STRIKE FORCE:
Eva Abram – Former Mossad agent and Cole’s wife
Sadie – Cole’s and Eva’s daughter
Moshe and Athalia Edelman – Eva’s friends who cared for Sadie
Michael Hurt – Former Army Ranger. He and his Ranger friends come to the aide of Strike Force members in Iowa.
Aiden Hamilton - Part of Michael’s team
Cameron Bolton - Part of Michael’s team
Sebastian Hofstetter – friends with Michael. He and his men rescued President Lancaster and his wife.
Gabriel Unger – Part of Sebastian’s team
Logan Caine – Part of Sebastian’s team
Doctor Liam Payne – Treated the president and First Lady.
THE REST OF STRIKE FORCE:
Will Grayson – Married to Lizzy Grayson
Tegan Fletcher – Forced to help Legion briefly because they threatened his brother, Andrew
Peter Lowe
Brooks Zachary
Abby Temple
Kinsley Allison - Engaged to Victor Douglas
Jennifer Parker – Wife of Ben Parker
Jordyn Adams – A computer whiz along with Garrett Craig
Garrett Craig
Lincoln Miller - A pilot for Strike Force along with Deacon Turner
Deacon Turner
Emily Pearson – Former NSA
Doctor Hannah Olivero - Brookes Zachary’s sister and the one who saved Kinsley’s life in Washington D.C.
Badih and Isaad - Part of Strike Force team in Afghanistan
Tom Newman - A police officer who helped Victor get out of D.C. Tom is married to Patricia.
Bob McNamara - Tom’s friend who built a fortress compound outside of D.C.
Seth Lancaster - President of the US. Seth is married to Susan.
Combat Medic Josh McCray
First Lieutenant Henry Justice
First Lieutenant Woody Elliott – Wood, Henry, and Josh were stationed at the Grand Forks Air Force Base.
FBI Director Nick Doyle
Joe Allison – An FBI agent and Kinsley’s brother.
LEGION’S CORE TEAM MEMBERS:
Martin Collins – A former CIA Agent who faked his death. Collins was believed to be the true leader of Legion until now.
Ahmad Hassanzai - A distant relative of the Afghan royal family, he worked for the Afghani ambassador in Washington D.C.
CIA Deputy Director Jake Evans – Murdered by Collins because he allowed Ben Parker from Strike Force to infiltrate Legion.
Vice President David Kincaid - Married to Marissa Kincaid.
Kent Foster - Principal deputy to the secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs. Foster was murdered by Martin Collins because Collins believed he betrayed him.
Howard Duncan – Former Director of NSA. Howard is married to Wynona Duncan.
Ezekiel (Zeke) Hardeman – Collins’ former CIA director who helped Collins cover up his wife’s death among other crimes.
THE NEW THREAT:
Walton Kirkpatrick – US ambassador to Afghanistan and the true leader behind Legion. Married to Mamie, Kirkpatrick is a powerful man who wields a lot of power and hides his true purpose behind the kindly exterior of a humble man trying to unite the world in peace.
Daniel Pamphili – Mystery man who rises to prominence at Kirkpatrick’s bidding.
Chapter One
“The sooner we arrive at camp and get everyone settled the better.” Former CIA Director Cole Hernandez spoke to the woman riding at his side. His wife. His head still spun from the events of the past few days. He’d been reunited with his wife. Discovered he had a child. And had witnessed what he and the team believed was the foretold Biblical attack on Israel by a Russian-led coalition.
Having flown halfway across the world, they were now traversing the rugged terrain of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho because Cole’s gut warned him it was only a matter of time before Walton Kirkpatrick came after them. Once more Strike Force had a bounty on its head, and this time the threat was far more alarming.
Cole glanced down at his daughter, Sadie, who hadn’t spoken a word since they’d mounted the horses that would take them up to the camp. The five-year-old trembled in his arms. “You’re safe, Sadie. Everything is going to be okay. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.” The tiniest of nods could be felt against his chest. The love he felt for the child he hadn’t known existed was unexplainable, but he loved Sadie with all his heart, and he’d die before he’d let Kirkpatrick and his people harm her.
The team had arrived in Idaho after a harrowing trip from Afghanistan where they’d almost been ambushed before their plane lifted off. They’d made it all the way across the country when they were shot down and forced to make the remaining journey by helicopter.