John was patient. John was pragmatic. While he searched for help, he also maneuvered. Years passed, then decades. He attended trade school, served an apprenticeship, and eventually developed a high degree of skill as a metal worker and welder. He earned a good living.
But he never forgave. And he never forgot.
Finally, an opportunity arose for him to infiltrate the enemy. Willing to leave his hometown for this chance, he accepted a job as a Plant Engineering and Systems Repair Specialist at the Prairie River Nuclear Power Plant near Red Wing, Minnesota.
Initially, John was very excited about his new job. He had assumed that his employment with the utility would surely present chances for revenge. But he soon discovered that even his status as a nuclear insider did not afford him the opportunity he sought. The facility’s design included too many backup systems, obstacles, countermeasures. For John by himself, assaulting the plant was still impossible. He needed to reach out farther, beyond his comfort zone. He still had to find a co-conspirator to lend him aid.
Then he suffered a devastating setback. Although at the time of the TMI incident John had appeared to suffer no serious radiation effects, he now learned that radiation damage can be subtle and sometimes slow to make itself apparent. At the age of forty-one, with his lust for revenge as great as ever and still unrequited, John was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma.
He underwent radiation treatments and then chemotherapy. After twelve long months of treatment, his cancer was cured. The doctors declared it to be in remission.
But despite his apparent victory over the cancer, John knew his time to take retribution might be running out. He desperately needed to take action soon. The nuclear bastards had to pay!
Then one day, seemingly out of the blue, he had received a telephone call. By the man’s accent, John would have guessed the caller to be English, or possibly Australian. Although no one mentioned the organization by name, when the group the caller actually represented became clear, John was taken aback. He had always considered Al Qaeda the enemy. But in this case, his interests and theirs aligned perfectly.
What was the saying he had heard during the Gulf War? "The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" After some consideration, John decided he didn’t care if they were Al Qaeda, Nazis or Martians, so long as they would help him achieve his goal.
Al Qaeda had done its research on John before making contact. They knew his family background at TMI. They knew he wanted action, not passive protest. They assured him they had a plan — a plan that would devastate the nuclear industry. When he indicated an interest, they acted swiftly.
Within days after the initial call, John received a package at his home near Red Wing, Minnesota containing $250,000.00 U.S. in cash, together with instructions that he should acquire a specific, secluded, rundown farmstead in Ottawa County. The farm would be used as a safe house and bomb production facility.
John felt energized by his new collaboration. There was renewed hope for retribution.
He bought the farm property for less than $150,000.00 using a commercial money order he had purchased in St. Paul, and titled the land in his name. The rest of the money he put aside for future use. The organization instructed him to take care of the farm, such as it was, and said they would contact him when their plan was ready for implementation.
That was all about a year ago now. It had seemed an eternity to John. To make matters worse, his cancer had returned. He feared that he wouldn’t survive to see the plan through to completion.
To be so close and not to finish? The thought was unbearable!
But recently, John had received another message from Al Qaeda. Plans for the attack were moving forward. The date had been set. The final act was only months away. Maybe he would yet survive to avenge his family’s suffering.
The communication directed John to build a laboratory on the farm property. The initial lab construction plans called for a simple concrete block building, containing only lab tables and basic equipment.
It would be an easy project for a man with his construction and mechanical background. And when it came to beginning the actual construction, it got even easier. He could use the concrete block milk house already present on the farm as a foundation. He didn’t need to start from scratch.
He immediately began work in earnest.
From time to time John’s ongoing cancer battle slowed his progress. But his determination for revenge countered the ever-present ache in his gut, and he pressed on.
When he wasn’t at his regular job, he was at the farm, building the lab. He was making good progress, too. So he was a bit disappointed when, about two months after beginning construction, he’d received another communication from Al Qaeda.
The demands for the lab had become significantly more complicated. He could still use most of the construction he had already completed, thank god. But he would need to obtain additional construction materials, build two more structures to complement the lab, and obtain substantially increased quantities of certain specific lab equipment and supplies.
The changes definitely made the project more challenging. But after the initial letdown, he decided he was up to the assignment. He would have to be.
There were no explanations for the design changes. None were necessary. As long as he was actually progressing toward a conclusion, any approach suited him fine. In his book, the ends amply justified the means.
CHAPTER 10
Farris knew that John Sigler was supposed to be the head of this group and in charge of operational logistics. Farris prayed John would have the intellect and sense that Urland and Brenda seemed to lack. And hopefully, John would be able to get Farris the materials he needed to perform effectively in the lab. Now that he was free to fight the Great Satan, he had embraced the role and was eager to begin.
When John stepped into the farmhouse kitchen early Wednesday morning, looking more or less like a normal human being, Farris was relieved. Brief introductions were made.
John had been advised of Farris’s arrival and knew of his talents as a chemist. The council had also informed John of the change in chemical processing, and that Farris would bring with him both the necessary laboratory apparatus, and the technical expertise, to make the potassium bomb a success.
John had plans for the day all laid out. Farris would begin to set up the lab in the concrete block building. He would inventory the current lab equipment and provide John with a list of any additional items that were needed. If Farris wanted it, John would get it — one way or another.
John also had an assignment for Urland and Brenda. They were going to steal a fertilizer truck filled with potash and drive it back to the farm. John had given careful thought to the whole truck stealing procedure. He knew he needed to explain their duties as simply as possible, so as not to confuse Urland and Brenda. And they were easily confused.
Hopper cars of potash arrived at the Red Wing train terminals daily, mostly from the vast potash mines of Saskatchewan. Urland and Brenda were to select a fertilizer truck after it had filled up with potash for delivery to some small town elevator operation. Then they would follow the truck to a remote location (of which there were many) and relieve the driver of his vehicle.
John explained all of these details, and more, to the Umbers. They seemed to comprehend. This was not unlike some of their operations back home… though after stealing a truck, they usually would burn it.