No Man Left Behind: A Jake Patrick Adventure Novel

By David P. McMullan

When top diplomats from the United States and South Africa, along with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, find themselves fighting for their lives in the Jungles of the Congo, the inherent dangers from the inhabitants pale to the real danger that awaits them.

While on a diplomatic mission to South Africa, their plane is shot down over the Congo by radical terrorists determined to use this act of brutality to propel them to prominence. When the rocket fails to destroy the plane in the air, the terrorists must reach the survivors before they can be rescued and finish the job.

Only under such adverse conditions can one truly know what he or she is capable of doing when faced with just two choices: survive or perish.

No Man Left Behind is the third adventure novel in the successful Jake Patrick series. After the critically acclaimed successes of Behind The Curtain and State of Mind, the author has chosen to take Jake’s team away from the United States and place them in unfamiliar surroundings where danger comes in many forms, all of which have deadly consequences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665534451

David P. McMullan

David P. McMullan is the author of the successful non fiction book Common Sense: Does it Still Exists in America? When first released 2012, the book received nationwide attention for its unique approach to the role Common Sense plays in our daily lives and how little it was being used by government leaders and political operatives. He has also written critically acclaimed adventure novels that follow his lead character, Jake Patrick, on numerous challenges facing his anti-terror team. David lives in Florida with his wife Patricia and he enjoys both the weather and the fabulous golf courses that keeps him busy when he’s not working on his latest book.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Monday, November 22, 3:00PM (Central Africa Time)

Somewhere over The Democratic Republic of the Congo

A S THE LEAR JET CONTINUES on its last leg toward the South African City of Johannesburg, the crew and passengers are finally taken a much needed break from discussing their present diplomatic crisis that has the lives of two Ambassadors in the cross hairs of terrorists.

Once again, BAHRUN has decided to take matters into their own hands, looking to barter for the release of fifteen BAHRUN loyalists from prison in Johannesburg. Having kidnapped the US Ambassador to South Africa, John Driebe, as well as the South African Ambassador to the United Nations, Joan Marriott, they seem to be holding all the cards at the moment.

BAHRUN’S act of terrorism has placed South Africa and the United States on notice and made them unwilling partners in their plan to get the United Nations to be in charge of the negotiations for the release of the hostages.

Their request for a face to face negotiation, demanding that the Secretary-General of the United Nations serve as the mediator, has led to this day and the negotiation team that is presently high above the African continent, just hours away from touchdown.

Among those on board is the South African Ambassador to the United States, Juliet Berry, a close friend and confidante of Ambassador Joan Marriott, one of the two hostages. The two remaining members of the negotiating team are Paul Vincent, the Chief Diplomatic Envoy for the US State Department and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Frederick Lange, whose presence was demanded by BAHRUN and a non-negotiable tenet of the proceedings.

Being a small entourage, they needed to keep this particular mission top secret. The international media would have a field day if they knew that Frederick Lange was leading the negotiation team. BAHRUN was well aware of this and demanded complete secrecy in order to keep the spotlight off of them for the time being.

Negotiations are hard enough in private much less on the world stage.

On board, along with the diplomatic team, is a US Army Ranger assigned as added security, and a carefully selected combat Navy pilot who possesses the necessary skills to deal with any unforeseen circumstances that may arise.

Staff Sgt. Daniel O’Reilly is an Army Ranger who has served his country for more than twenty years and has been on numerous missions, most of which were conducted in secrecy. He presently serves as an instructor but was called upon by the Pentagon to be the person to protect this special envoy to its destination and back home again.

The State Department wanted a trained fighter who can anticipate trouble and handle it, if necessary. Being a pilot as well, Staff Sgt. O’Reilly will serve as co-pilot, helping them to reduce personnel, cutting down on the number of people with knowledge of the mission and its directive.

Captain Chris Draeger, a decorated Navy pilot that has served his country well for the past decade, was assigned to fly the team to their destination. While no one expects any trouble, having a trained fighter pilot in command of the jet was just another step in taking no chances when the lives of these world respected diplomats are on the line.

There is one added member of the diplomat team that appears, on the surface, to be a bit of a surprise. Tricia Highland from the New Jersey Special Projects Task Force on terrorism is along for the ride because of a particular turn of events that make her a key part of the negotiating team.

Before joining the New Jersey Special Projects Task Force, Tricia was part of the United Nations communications department who interacted with a number of diplomats from the Middle East, primarily because she spoke fluent Arabic. It was her job to keep these egotistical diplomats from going off the rails and try to provide a much needed buffer between the people of New York, home to the United Nations, and these privileged middle easterners who thought they could do just about anything they wanted to in the name of diplomatic immunity.

Having a former military background, Tricia found this line of work torture on many levels and decided that she needed a change of scenery, which worked quite well for Jake Patrick and the NJ Special Projects Task Force, who could use her physical skills, linguistic diversity and military background to better advantage. Jake was more than willing to bring her into the fold as the new anti-terror unit was being formed.

While working at the United Nations, Tricia was in close contact with another member of the communication’s team, Rashid Kapur, originally from Oman. They interacted often and became friends. A few years after Tricia Highland left to work for the task force, Rashid decided to leave as well, returning to Oman and eventually becoming radicalized by BAHRUN.

That brings us to the present day where Rashid is holding the two Diplomats hostage in Johannesburg, preparing to negotiate for their release.

Because of Tricia’s communication skills and personal knowledge of the one in charge, she was asked to accompany the diplomats on this mission to try and secure their release with as little conflict as possible.

As the plane passes over the Congo, the exhausted passengers decide to get a little shuteye before having to deal with the mission at hand. Being less than three hours away from their estimated touchdown, this may be the last chance they have to get any rest.

BAHRUN’S insistence on complete confidentiality to avoid the backlash that would occur when global opinion and outrage over this blatant act of terrorism reaches the masses, is out of character for the terror group. No one knows for sure why such a request was made but that was secondary to the mission at hand, which is getting the hostages released safely.

Both countries, along with the United Nations, agreed to BAHRUN’S demands in order to protect the hostages for as long as possible. No one doubts the lack of respect for human life that BAHRUN has shown throughout the world, including their own.

Tricia, having worked at the United Nations, has her doubts just how secret anything can be in that environment. UN diplomats conduct their business based on information and leverage and the more they know and control, the more powerful they become.

While she may trust her government and the government of South Africa to play by the rules, the UN is another matter. Having the Secretary-General here on this mission guarantees too many UN representatives have been brought into the fold. Its possible that secrecy could be one of the casualties in the process. Tricia tries not to overthink the situation as she attempts a little shuteye before landing.

As she takes one last look out the window at the clear blue sunny and cloudless sky, she sees a bright streak of light heading toward her, just a split second before the rocket clips their left wing, sending the plane on a downward path toward the jungles of the Congo.

Monday, November 22, 9:15AM (Eastern Standard Time)

Special Projects Task Force Office, Morristown, NJ

The New Jersey Special Projects Task Force is in the middle of it’s weekly team meeting before they begin their day trying to make New Jersey a better and safer place to live.

Heading the meeting is their director, Jake Patrick, who is a former Navy Seal and has been in charge of this task force since its inception. While he tries to maintain a low profile for himself and his team, a number of recent terror attacks has placed the team directly in the spotlight, resulting in a heightened level of notoriety that has made their job more difficult.

It’s been a little over a year since their team, in concert with the New York City Anti-Terror team, lead by Madeline Hampton, successfully disrupted multiple suicide bombing threats saving hundreds, if not thousands, of people in the process.

Unfortunately, they were not able to save everyone as two successful bombings did occur before they managed to kill those responsible and prevent at least two more tragedies from occurring.

The team consists of a small number of patriots with exceptional skills and a level of drive and determination that few possess.

Ava Matthews, Jake’s second in command, is a former Newark detective that made a name for herself a few years back during a particular difficult assignment and won the respect of the entire team in the process. Since joining the team she has been an invaluable member whose instincts and commitment have known no boundaries.

Kent Baldauf, a former Navy Seal who served in combat on Jake’s team overseas, is one of the newer members of the team. After having tried his hand at private security, he eagerly joined the task force less than two years ago and has made a name for himself on a number of occasions. Kent is a trained sniper and close combat specialist that can be comfortable in any setting, including working in the shadows, if necessary.

Gary Ceepo is a former Army Ranger that also joined the team around the same time that Kent Baldauf signed on, a little less than two years ago. Gary is also a trained combat fighter and marksman in his own right but, more importantly, possesses a much needed communication skill that has allowed Jake’s team to do their work away from the press while Gary provides the necessary cover with the media.

The final member of the team is Tricia Highland, a combat trained marine that also possesses a linguistic skill that has her speaking multiple languages and dialects, including Arabic, which in this present era of mid-eastern terrorism, can be most valuable.

Tricia is the only team member that has been at Jake’s side since the inception of the task force. She is presently on assignment with the United Nations on a confidential mission that is only known to a select few, which does not include the task force. All Jake and his team know is that Tricia was needed to serve her country in a confidential capacity for the next few days, her whereabouts unknown.

Jake: It’s important that we all maintain our focus. While we have been fortunate this past year in avoiding any major terror assaults on our state, we all know that this lull can end at any time.

Kent: I agree. BAHRUN has already begun re-constructing their network and are showing signs of increasing their activity worldwide. It’s only a matter of time before they decide to try their hand at creating havoc, once again, right here in America.

BAHRUN is an emerging terror organization that decided that they were strong and powerful enough to take on the USA over the past few years. Their over reach approach to terror ultimately ended with their failure to accomplish their objectives and the destruction of their hierarchy, leading to their decline in global influence over the past year.

Recently they have begun to restore their global footprint by organizing a few high profile attacks on a small scale that have been moderately successful. Their recent failure in South Africa, thanks to the efforts of Commander Berry J.

Versfeld, the head of the ACSRT (African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism), the South African version of Homeland Security, lead to the capture of fifteen of their more experienced loyalist, including a few well respected leaders.

Gary: The overall chatter seems to favor a gradual uptick in rhetoric from most of the active terror groups after the lull that occurred recently when the Covid-19 pandemic affected just about every country on the planet.

Ava: After the tragedy of the pandemic, it’s hard to find a silver lining but the drop in terror activities did occur during the height of the virus impact.

Jake: We have no way of predicting the future. Being one man short for the time being, let’s just keep our heads down and do all of the things that make us successful at our jobs. We must assume that our enemies are just looking for an opportunity to take another shot at us and the United States. On that front, have we all been able to handle Tricia’s projects in her absence?

Ava: It’s all under control.

Kent: Do we have any more information on what Tricia is up to? I find it a little surprising that we were not given more details as to why she was drafted by the State Department and the United Nations to participate in their secretive mission that seems to be totally off the books.

Jake: I’m afraid that we are still in the dark. Governor James offered me no details as to why she was selected. In fact, my instincts tell me that he may not know any more than we do, which is nothing.

Gary: According to our briefing, she is expected to be back here within the next 5-7 days. It will be interesting to see if, upon her return, we know more than we do now. The curiosity factor will be on overdrive if her mission has to remain a mystery after the fact.

Jake: We, of all people, should understand the needs for secrecy on occasion. Whether she can tell us or not is irrelevant as long as she returns and we get back to full strength.

While the meeting continues, Jake’s assistant knocks on the conference door.

Jake: Jeanine, can this wait until we are finished with the meeting?

Jeanine: I’m afraid not Jake. The governor is on the phone and he needs to speak to you immediately.

Jake: Okay, put the call into the conference room and I’ll take it in here.

Jeanine: You need to take this privately in your office, Jake.

As the team looks on, Jake leaves the conference room with everyone wondering why the need for such privacy. No one suspects that this call is good news. It never works out that way.

Being one man down, the team hopes the news does not mean another major attack is on the horizon. The one thing every member of the team is fully aware of is that the bad guys never follow a predictable schedule.

CHAPTER TWO

Monday, November 22, 9:22AM (Eastern Standard Time)

Task Force Office, Morristown, NJ

J AKE COULD SENSE THAT SOMETHING was wrong as he headed to his office to take the Governor’s call. If this was team business, the governor would have allowed him to take the call in the conference room. He knows that Jake shares everything with his team and keeps no secrets from the members of the task force.

As Jake enters the office, he quickly picks up the phone and responds: Governor.

Governor David James is the person responsible for organizing the Task Force in the first place. The tremendous uptick in terror threats and worldwide terror related atrocities required that he try and prevent as many of these attacks as possible rather than react to them after the fact.

With 25 states setting up their own anti-terror teams, New Jersey became the 26th to do so and one of the busiest due to their proximity to New York City, the largest and most targeted city in the country for terror activities.

To date, after five years on the job, Jake’s team has successfully prevented more than fifty terror plots from seeing the light of day, including two major attempts by BAHRUN that could have cost the lives of hundreds, if not thousands.

Thanks to his team’s efforts on behalf of the country and it’s highly publicized successes, the President presented both Jake and his NYC counterpart, Madeline Hampton, with the Congressional Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest non-military honor.

Governor: Jake, this is a difficult call to make but there’s no other way for me to do this than to just say it out loud. Tricia Highland is missing and her safety is in doubt at the moment.

Jake: I’m going to need a lot more than that, Governor.

Governor: As you know, she was on a secret mission for both the State Department and the United Nations. While flying to her final destination, her plane was shot down and the authorities lost contact with the plane somewhere over the Democratic Republic of the Congo less than an hour ago. We know the plane was forced down but the rest is unclear. The fact that the pilot was able to issue a mayday tells us the plane was not completely destroyed in the air but that’s as much as we know right now.

Jake: Governor, when you first approached me about letting Tricia take on this assignment, you told me that it was a diplomatic one and that she would be back at the office in no time. I accepted the fact that very few people were brought into the fold in order to prevent any publicity from jeopardizing the mission. Obviously, this was more than a normal diplomatic mission and I hope that we can stop this little dance of confidentiality and you can tell me what is really going on.

Governor: Jake, I’m trying to get the necessary clearance from the State Department in order to fill you in but so far they have been less than enthusiastic about letting me do so.

Jake: I’m afraid that is not acceptable. I’m responsible for her being on this mission and if there is anything I can do to find her and bring her home, I’m going to do it. If it requires my resignation, you have it. I still have plenty of military contacts as well as diplomatic associates that I can call that might be able to fill me in. It’s your call, governor.

Governor: What makes you think that you can do anything right now? We have all of our government resources trying to pinpoint the plane’s location and you and your team are back here in New Jersey, a world away from the Congo. Why not let our government people do their job?

Jake: I suggest you make whatever calls are necessary to get us the clearance required and get back to me. I’m going to bring my team up to date and if I do not have your cooperation within the next hour, my resignation will be ready for you to pick up and I will do what I have to do to make this right. I will await your call.

With that said, Jake hangs up the phone and heads off to the conference room to brief his team. Hopefully he can proceed with the country’s blessing but make no mistake, he will not wait for other’s to do what is necessary. There is only one person he can count on to do everything possible and that person is Jake himself.

Monday, November 22, 3:10PM (Central Africa Time)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

As the plane heads down toward the jungle, the passengers are in disbelief and trying to maintain control. Tricia can see the ground fast approaching and she knows that there is no way for the plane to land without crashing.

She can hear Chris Draeger frantically calling out the mayday broadcast to anyone that can tag on to their signal and he appears to be trying to overpower the right jet engine to compensate for the lost left engine that is no longer attached to the plane.

The plane is listing severely to the left and the stabilizers do not appear to be working. Sgt. O’Reilly, who was in the rear cabin at the time of the attack, is trying unsuccessfully to make his way to the cockpit. Aware that they are minutes, if not seconds away from reaching the jungle, Tricia decides to try and get everyone prepared as best she can.

Tricia: I need all of you to try and make sure that you are buckled in as best you can and lean forward for impact. We are going to hit the jungle with a great deal of force and flying debris might turn into projectiles right above you. Hold on everyone.

The pilot, Chris Draeger is looking for any spot among the trees that might provide a better landing place. The jungle is dense and hitting one of the large trees head-on would be a death sentence for everyone on board. As the altitude continues to drop, he spots a small opening in the jungle that appears to be just north of a small lake or pond.

Using every ounce of strength in his body, he manages to turn the plane toward the opening just as the bottom hull of the plane begins to scrap the tops of the trees. If the plane fails to make it across the lake before hitting the water the resulting impact might crush the plane immediately or force the nose to dig into the water and flip the plane upside down, if not tearing it to pieces.

Pulling harder on the stick than he thought humanly possible, the plane manages to right itself in a glider position as the water appears below the plane. He tries to hold the angle as best he can as the plane manages to reach the other side of the lake and strikes the ground with a great deal of force.

The jungle surface is rough and the plane is immediately pulled hard to the right, favoring the only remaining engine, pushing the plane into the trees ahead. As the plane make contact with the tree line, the two wings are completely severed from the plane and the remaining fuselage is sent further into the jungle like a gigantic luge sled that has jumped free of the track.

Tricia can feel the hard impact as she sees the wing being severed from the fuselage. As she tries to keep her head down, she can feel the sun and the heat of the jungle coming in on her. The roof of the plane is split wide open as if they were inside an egg that was beginning to crack. If the lower part of the plane cracks as well, the plane will split into two pieces, exposing everyone inside to certain death at the speed they are traveling.

As she holds on for dear life, she is knocked unconscious by a broken window pane and no longer hears the screams and cries coming from her fellow passengers. The remaining portion of the plane finally comes to a stop with nothing but silence coming from the nearly disintegrated main cabin. Even the birds and jungle creatures in the surrounding area are silent and unmoving as this new metal creature invades their domain.

Monday, November 22, 9:30AM (Eastern Standard Time)

Task Force Office, Morristown, NJ

As Jake enters the conference room, all eyes are on him. No one makes a sound as they study his face for any clue as to what might have transpired. It doesn’t take long for Jake to speak.

Jake: "The plane Tricia Highland was on has gone down over the Democratic Republic of the Congo a few minutes ago. By all accounts, the pilot was able to get off a MAYDAY message before communication went silent. We do not know if the plane crashed or was able to make an emergency landing, but knowing the topography of the area, it’s most likely a crash landing of some sort."

Ava: What was she doing over the Congo?

Kent: Was the plane shot down or was it a mechanical problem?

Jake: I have no answers for you. My instinct tells me that the plane was abruptly interfered with by an outside source since the pilot had no time to communicate any apparent problem with the operation of the plane. Any mechanical problem would have given him a chance to send a more detailed distress signal.

Gary: Looks like this was a lot more than a diplomatic mission. If they were fired upon, then the mission was either a lot more dangerous that we were told or a lot less clandestine.

Ava: There’s got to be something we can do?

Jake: I’m going to find a way to get to her as quickly as possible. I have contacts in the military that should be able to arrange for transportation to the region. If I can help in any way, I have to be close enough to make a difference.

Gary: What the hell was her mission anyway? The need for secrecy appears to be a moot point right now.

Jake: I told the governor that he needed to secure the necessary approvals for my involvement or else I was going to resign. I have never left anyone behind before and I’m not going to start now. I’m waiting just a short time for his return call before making my own arrangements.

Ava: You’re not going alone. Tricia is part of our team and I’m going as well.

Jake: I cannot allow any of you to risk your careers. It’s my responsibility as the head of the team and my career that is on the line.

Gary: If we are a team than we work as a team. Count me in.

Kent looks over at Jake with a look of determination that Jake recognizes from their days in Iraq. He will not be left behind either. If this team is to survive as a team, the governor is going to have to come through with the necessary approvals or the New Jersey Special Projects Task Force will be no more.

Monday, November 22, 3:30PM (Central Africa Time)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tricia begins to come to as she feels her arms and legs being pulled from her body, or so it seems. She can smell smoke and she can feel the heat of a fire somewhere near her as she tries to regain her senses.

As Tricia begins to focus, she sees Sgt. O’Reilly and Paul Vincent carrying her as far away from the fire as possible. They both look like their lives depend on making it away from the plane as quickly as they can.

As Tricia realizes they are both running with her in tow as fast as they can, a large explosion goes off that send all three of them flying away from the blast, landing in the shrubs. For the first time she is aware how much her head hurts and she can see a fair amount of blood covering her left arm and shoulder area. As things begin to come into focus, her arm begins to ache and she realizes that there is an open wound in the center of her forearm.

All three of them look on in horror as the fireball created by the explosion brightens up the sky and creates a blast of heat that has everyone feeling as if they have entered a working furnace.

The heat quickly dissipates but the fire remains and threatens the surrounding jungle area with the possibility of starting a deadly fire that could claim thousands of animals and any unfortunate humans that may lie in its path.

As Tricia attempts to rise on her own two feet, she finds it difficult to do but not impossible. Once standing, she sees the remaining members of the diplomatic party sheltered under a large tree about fifty yards from her present position.

It looks like their pilot, Chris Draeger, has suffered both a major facial gash that is crudely wrapped with someone’s shirt to try and stop the bleeding. His leg looks like it may have been broken as well.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Frederick Lange, appears to be sitting up and in relatively good condition. Next to him is the South African Ambassador to the United States, Juliet Berry, who appears, based on the lack of focus in her facial expression, to be in shock.

As Tricia tries to move her feet, she feels herself falling but is caught from the rear by Sgt. O’Reilly and led toward the others away from the wreckage. While it appears that everyone has survived the crash, things are about to get a lot more difficult. Tricia knows this was not an accident. Someone shot them out of the sky and that someone is not very far away from their location, most likely making their way toward them to finish the job.

Monday, November 22, 9:48AM (Eastern Standard Time)

Task Force Office, Morristown, NJ

Jake did not wait for the governor’s call to begin arranging for transportation to the region. He does not expect the State Department to agree to share info with the team in the middle of a crisis, so why wait before hearing the obvious.

As he organizes his notes waiting for some return calls, his phone rings and the ID indicates that Governor David James is on the line.

Jake: Thanks for getting right back to me Governor. I’m sorry for my disrespectful demeanor before but I only know one way to respond to a crisis like this and I took out my frustration on the one person who does not deserve to be on the receiving end of it. You have always done everything you could to help my team and support us, no matter the pressure you may get from Washington. I’m sure you did the best you could and I’ll take it from here.

Governor: Are you assuming that I was unable to get Washington to cooperate on this?

Jake: Are you saying that they agreed to let us get involved? I was so sure they would turn you down that I have already started to look into things on my end.

Governor: Actually Jake, I was not able to get any person of authority to even return my call right now. It appears that the diplomatic ramifications of losing the Secretary-General of the United Nations on that same flight was more than any one person can handle.

Jake: I can’t believe that Fred Lange was on that plane. That’s a prize that just about every terror group on the globe would love to have in their sites. His pro-western stance on terrorism and his lack of tolerance for political stunts that had become a mainstay at the United Nations in recent years, makes him enemy #1 to the radical elements around the world.

Governor: Now you better understand the need for secrecy regarding this mission.

Jake: My resignation letter is already typed and on my desk. I made sure that you had no choice in the matter and that you tried to talk me out of committing career suicide. Unfortunately, governor, I was not able to talk any of my team into staying back. That’s the last thing I wanted to happen but I should have anticipated that my team would not allow themselves to remain on the sidelines. I’m so sorry that everything has blown up this badly for you.

Governor: I did not say that I wasn’t going to help you. I decided almost immediately after our phone call to support you and your team. I had no doubt that your team would not let you do this alone. I’ve arranged for a national guard transport plane to take you and your team to Johannesburg, South Africa in four hours, leaving out of McGuire Air Force Base. Johannesburg is about 15 hours away and six hours ahead of us, which makes it about 4:00 PM there right now. The flight, including one refueling stop, should get you there around Noon tomorrow, South African Time.

Jake: Governor, you are taking too big a risk. You have a whole state to answer for and I cannot let you put your career in jeopardy.

Governor: That is not your call. I expect to get the necessary State Department approvals for your mission but we cannot wait to allow these diplomats time to think it over. As you have said on occasion, sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.

Governor: I will begin by filling you in on all of the details of this mission. The more you know, the better your chance of understanding exactly what you are up against.

Jake takes out a note pad and puts his phone on speaker to free his hands. He is aware that his team needs to bring all of their talents to bear if they hope to bring Tricia and the rest of the diplomatic team home safely. Jake prays quietly to himself, hoping that Tricia is still alive and capable of protecting herself and the rest of the survivors from any immediate danger.

If she can keep everyone alive long enough, then Jake and the team might be able to get to them in time.

CHAPTER THREE

Monday, November