Book 2 of the MATT MORETTI-HAN LI SERIES

The Abductions – DIALOGUE & PLACES

Forbidden City

Beijing’s traffic was horrendous, particularly in the area around the Forbidden City, which is at the foot of Tiananmen Square.

Palace of Heavenly Purity

Han Li explained that President Liu was spending the night in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, while President Ballinger would be in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, both of which she pointed out to Moretti. She told him that these palaces, formerly used by emperors of China, had not been occupied for more than a century.

Palace of Earthly Tranquility

Han Li explained that President Liu was spending the night in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, while President Ballinger would be in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, both of which she pointed out to Moretti. She told him that these palaces, formerly used by emperors of China, had not been occupied for more than a century.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation

The Hall of Mental Cultivation, where Moretti and Han Li spend the night, was both the residence and the office of eight Chinese emperors from the Qing dynasty.

St. Regis Beijing

While that was happening, the passengers and crew disembarked and made their way to one of two buses going to the St. Regis Hotel, near the American embassy on the east side of the city.

Raven Rock Mountain Complex – Site R

Raven Rock Mountain Complex – Site R, is an underground nuclear bunker with thirty-eight communications systems, and it also serves as the alternate Pentagon. A tunnel is said to connect Raven Rock to the Pentagon, via the National Security Agency in Fort Meade – a distance of 97.5 miles. A tunnel is also said to connect Site R and Camp David.

VH-60N White Hawk

The VH-60N White Hawk is used for transport to Camp David and has a landing pad not far from Aspen Lodge.

National Security Agency – NSA

A tunnel is said to connect Raven Rock to the Pentagon, via the National Security Agency in Fort Meade—a distance of 97.5 mile.

Camp David

Aspen Lodge @ Camp David

The Suburban pulled in front of Aspen Lodge, Camp David’s presidential residence, a single-story wooden structure containing three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and five fireplaces. The lodge sat in the center of a three acre clearing at the top of a hill and presented a commanding view of the area.

Vestas V90 wind turbine

The nine giant Vestas V90 wind turbines stretched for a mile along the top of the hill. The base of each tower weighed 152 tons, soared 262 feet into the air, and was anchored 30 feet into the ground with more than 1,000 tons of concrete and steel rebar.

Air Force One

Air Force One is the air traffic control sign of any Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. Currently, the president uses a Boeing 747-200B, referred to in military parlance as a VC-25A aircraft.

Ohio Class submarines

As the B-52s dropped their payloads, the missile launch officers on board two Ohio Class submarines, the Florida and the Ohio, turned their keys in unison, each beginning the process of sending twenty-five of their 154 Tomahawk missiles to their targets.

B-52

The United States Air Force, which would launch the bulk of the firepower for this assault, sent ten B-52H Stratofortress bombers to take out its targets.

KC-10 Extender

When the last of the missiles had dropped free of the giant bombers, each of the aircraft made a standard rate turn of fifteen degrees to starboard and set course for the seven KC-10 Extender aerial refueling tankers that were awaiting their arrival.

H-6K Chinese bomber

At the same time, China dropped a total of 120 CJ-10K cruise missiles, each with a maximum range of 1,200 miles, from twenty H-6K bombers that were scattered throughout the African continent.

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter

The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in Awalmir Afridi’s nightmare were based on the Stealth Black Hawks used in the Osama bin Laden raid.

Z-8 Chinese helicopter

Once the airspace was clear, two Z-10s, China’s premier attack helicopter, and two Z-8 transports, each capable of carrying up to twenty-seven troops, approached. Three of the aircraft set down not far from the tower, while a Z-8 landed on the helicopter pad behind the nacelle.

Z-9B Chinese helicopter

The Harbin Z-9B appeared on the horizon just as dawn was breaking.

Z-10 Chinese helicopter

Once the airspace was clear, two Z-10s, China’s premier attack helicopter, and two Z-8 transports, each capable of carrying up to twenty-seven troops, approached. Three of the aircraft set down not far from the tower, while a Z-8 landed on the helicopter pad behind the nacelle.

Air Force AGM-86C and -86D cruise missiles

Nine of the ten aircraft carried a combination of AGM-86C and -86D model air-to-ground cruise missiles.

Navy Tomahawk cruise missile

As the B-52s dropped their payloads, the missile launch officers on board two Ohio Class submarines, the Florida and the Ohio, turned their keys in unison, each beginning the process of sending twenty-five of their 154 Tomahawk missiles to their targets.

CJ-10K Chinese cruise missiles

At the same time, China dropped a total of 120 CJ-10K cruise missiles, each with a maximum range of 1,200 miles, from twenty H-6K bombers that were scattered throughout the African continent.