THE IRON SHIELD

Chapter XXVI

XXVI

In the last eight months, Jones was busy. He had done terrible things after freezing Eckhart. Phoenix was at a loss and literally did nothing. There was nothing they could do. If they acted, it would only result in their loss and Jones' win. The world knew of the Knights, but did not think of them when Jones did his terrible plans because he was declared a hero.

A week after freezing Eckhart, Jones poisoned the waters of the capitals marked on the control room map in Peru. Cobra venom was lethal and anyone who drank the water would die. By the time people figured out that the water was killing them. Jones waited long enough to release the vaccine that would make people immune to the cobra venom. If they were to be bit by a cobra, they would not die. They would be immune. Thousands were killed by his plan, but millions or actually billions saw him as their hero for helping them in a desperate time.

People all over the United States assured Jones he should run for President. Although it was late in the race, he was allowed to enter. His fame and respect as a successful businessman gave him the lead in the race. Although Frazier still held office, there was nothing he could do. If Phoenix acted, Jones would target them and they would exist no longer. Phoenix was also at a loss because they had lost their most valuable soldier. John Eckhart.

Eckhart's family tried to cope with Eckhart's frozen state. Although they had been kidnapped before for several months, this did not make any difference. Eckhart, a loving husband and father was frozen in a case as a trophy for an insane man. Only he was not frozen anymore. He lived again promising revenge upon Jones. His family did not know that. The Knights tried to come up with a plan as well as the four heads to take down Jones with a significant smaller forces and intelligence. The fight against Jones seemed to a David versus Goliath scenario. Although David defeated Goliath, Phoenix had to figure out how to defeat their giant adversary.

In November, when the vote for the President was cast, Jones won the presidency. He would not take office until January, however, but it meant that once he took office, how would take down Phoenix. Jones would be the superpower of the world. He would, perhaps, be the legacy former President Ford discussed about. Making the United States the most powerful empires in the world. He would make the United States of America the most powerful empire in history. The only thing that stood in his way was time and Phoenix. What he did not know yet, was that Eckhart walked again.

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Frazier sat in his office still thinking as he had for the past eight months. Hope seemed to be a lost word for Phoenix. The other three heads thought as much as Frazier had. Stress seemed to be their faces now. It could be seen so much that it plain as day. They did not know what to do. What made the stress not seem as bad was the amount of naps that the four men took each day. It helped relieve the stress.

The third carrier had been completed months beforehand. The fourth had begun construction a few weeks prior. The number of carriers Jones had at his disposal was unknown. It could be beyond ten for all they knew. It had taken this long for someone to come up with a name for the carries instead of calling them carries. Shorrock named them battle carriers. It fit for two of the three things the ship was not including the submarine. Shorrock later came up with battle sub-carrier. It fit all three parts and was not too hard to say, but sounded like something a ten year old would come up with on a piece of paper he drew on his desk in his room. Nevertheless, it fit and it was the name for their ships. The last covert mission Phoenix sent to the secret hangar at Alcatraz, there were eight battle sub-carriers with a ninth beginning construction.