Operation Red Dragon and the Unthinkable

Spetsnaz

Vice President Michael Kern had been on a public speaking tour across the US, rallying support for the war and encouraging the American people. Kern had known Henry Stein for nearly twenty years before they ran for public office together. Kern had been a partner at a law firm that worked with President Stein’s corporation as it evolved and grew over the years. Henry had made most of his money in real estate and urban development, turning blighted neighborhoods into family friendly locations with lots of parks and green spaces. He had also become quite adept at investing, and started a private equity (PE) company that was separate from his real estate business. As one business grew, so too did the other, until Stein’s PE company reached $4.8 Billion in holdings. He timed the market right during the economic collapse in the 2020s, and while everyone was selling their stocks off, his PE company went on a buying spree, and so did his real estate company. When the economy did turn around, he had netted his investors a whopping 428 % return in two years.

President Stein had picked Kern to be his VP because he wanted someone with a business law background. One of the first priorities and responsibilities given to VP Kern was to streamline the government rules and regulations governing the economy. Over-regulation had stifled economic growth and made it harder for businesses to remain profitable; it was a jobs killer that needed to be corrected. Kern was a charismatic man, an exceptional public speaker, and had an ability to connect with people, even in a large crowd. With the war moving into its fifth month, the President wanted his VP out among the people, growing the Freedom Party’s reputation and cultivating a positive environment despite the war and the high casualties.

VP Kern had been making a televised speech at the newly expanded Boeing aircraft plant in Kansas City, KA. Boeing had added 4,600 new high paying manufacturing jobs to the city, and had plans to double that number by the end of the following year. With the horrific aircraft losses occurring in the Middle East and Europe, the demand for F22s, JF35s, and the entire suite of fighter and bomber drones was enormous. Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman could not handle the demand either; both companies had begun expanding their own manufacturing capabilities. This particular Boeing plant was going to be responsible for producing the latest Boeing fighter drones. The government had recognized that drones were faster and cheaper to produce, so they had placed an order for 16,000 units to be delivered as soon as possible.

While VP Kern was making his televised speech, a team of eight Spetsnaz soldiers began to set their ambush site for the VPs motorcade. The VP was traveling with the Secretary of Transportation, so being able to kill them both was a bonus. The night before the motorcade was to travel this particular route to the airport, one of the Spetsnaz members had attached several blocks of C4 plastic explosives to the manhole covers along the VPs route. The explosion would destroy the lead vehicle and blow a hole in the road, making it impossible to pass. Then a second detonation 50 yards behind the first would occur, completely trapping the motorcade.

Once the motorcade was trapped, the plan was for several members to engage the vehicles with RPG7s and two heavy machine guns. If all went according to plan, the attack should take no longer than three to five minutes, tops. This particular Spetsnaz team had been designated to conduct political assassinations. They had already managed to kill a US Senator and one Supreme Court Judge. They were nearly captured during their last mission and had barely escaped. They spent the last five weeks laying low at a country farm in Missouri, until their handler contacted them and gave them the details for the VPs trip to the Boeing plant. They had exactly three days to move to the target location, identify how they would attack Kern and figure out how they were going to get away.

It was a tough assignment — one they were not sure they would survive. Then again, the opportunity to assassinate the Vice President was too big of an opportunity to not take the chance. That was after all, the height of their glory and their legacy, to hit the most influential target possible. After surveying the routes to and from the airport, they determined that the Secret Service would most likely use the frontage road along the interstate on their way to the airport; the interstate had had one lane closed for construction. Too many dangers could be hidden in a construction site for the Secret Service to take a chance driving along it, they would opt for the frontage road.

This smaller parallel route was flanked with some small industrial buildings and a forest preserve on the opposite side. This window provided them with the best position from which to launch an attack, hopefully allowing them to escape via the heavily wooded area. With the attack mapped out, now they just had to wait.

“That was a great speech Mr. Vice President,” said one of his aides as he took the VP’s jacket from him before entering the SUV for the airport.

“Thank you, Richard. I sometimes wonder if my speeches get repetitive,” said the Vice President as he ducked his head and entered the limousine. “Is the plane ready to go?” Kern asked the security detail in the vehicle with him.

“Yes, Mr. Vice President. We should be at the Lockheed plant by 4pm; we are still on schedule,” replied one of the Secret Service agents. The convoy then left the Boeing plant and began to head towards the airport. The procession headed down a frontage road, just off of the highway that ran along a densely wooded area. The Secret Service wanted to avoid the construction along the interstate.

As VP Kern was looking at his notes for the next speech, he began to change a few things around. Suddenly, he heard a loud explosion and the vehicle abruptly stopped, causing him to scratch over his notes. Looking up, he saw the lead vehicle in their motorcade was on fire and there was a huge hole in the center of the road. Less than a second later, a second explosion happened, this time behind them. Just as the vehicle started to accelerate for the sidewalk in front of a small industrial building, they began to take heavy machine gun fire. At first, the bullets did not penetrate the vehicle, but within seconds that soon changed; the engine and the front seat section of the vehicle were riddled with bullets. One of the agents quickly opened the side door of the vehicle and pushed the VP out of the vehicle to the sidewalk. Seconds later, the Secretary of Transportation’s body was barraged with bullets, killing him instantly.

Several whooshing sounds could be heard as RPG rockets flew into several of the support vehicles in the motorcade, causing them to explode and killing the occupants. More machine gun fire could be heard from several of the Secret Service agents, intermixed with what sounded like two heavy machine guns and several assault rifles. The VP tried to stand, following one of the agents to the door of a building near them and was hit by several rounds to the chest and legs. He quickly fell in a heap and to the eyes of the Spetsnaz team, appeared dead. Just as quickly as the fire fight had started, it ended. The team quickly abandoned their weapons as they disappeared into the woods that they had been hiding in and made a run for their getaway vehicle.

Fortunately, the VP had been wearing a bullet proof vest under his suit. The vest stopped the rounds; the VP had collapsed from the sheer concussion of the rounds hitting him and the pain of the two bullets that tore through his right leg. One of the shots had nicked an artery; he lost a lot of blood before the Secret Service agent nearby was able to tie a tourniquet, saving his life. Kern was quickly flown to a local area hospital where he was treated for his injuries. After a week in the ICU, another week at a stepdown unit, and a month at a rehabilitation facility learning how to walk again, he would make an almost complete recovery. However, he would always have to use a cane from here on out.

Despite a massive police canvassing of the area, the Spetsnaz team that carried out the attack was not found. The attack on the VPs motorcade reinforced the threat the various Spetsnaz teams posed and the need for their immediate capture. Unlike the Islamic Republic, the Russians targeted only military and government officials, not the general public.