Stone Undercover

by Bob Blanton

  “Elizabeth, we’re getting an invitation to the party, do you want to go?”

  “Really,” Mrs. Stevenson said. “How did you arrange that?”

  “You remember Mr. Joelson from the State Department?”

  “You called him about a party invitation!” Mrs. Stevenson scolded.

  “Mom, don’t worry about it. Do you want to go?” Emily said.

  “No, if you’re out for the evening, I’ll go to the spa.”

  “Just two,” Matthew said. “They’ll be waiting at the door… Thank you so much… I owe him now… I understand… Thanks again… Goodbye.”

  “Matt!”

  “Mom, I’m the one who talked him into it,” Emily said. “Besides, what are connections for if you can’t use them.”

  “I think you could save the favor for something more important,” Mrs. Stevenson said. “And now you’ll need a dress and Matt will need a tuxedo.”

  “I definitely need a new dress,” Emily said. “We’re right next to 5th Avenue, so it shouldn’t be hard to find. Matt, do you want to come with us to rent a tuxedo?”

  “I saw a shop right by the apartment,” Matthew replied. “I’ll go take care of that now while you and your mom go shopping.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  After taking care of the tuxedo rental, Matthew spent the afternoon doing recon on the temple. He discovered that there were two security guards posted on each of the two roofs adjacent to the Sackler wing. One entrance to the wing was blocked and the entrance to the temple from inside the Met had metal detectors that each guest would have to pass through. The Islamic Art galleries were adjacent to the Sackler wing. The guest would be able to peruse the exhibit during the party.

  There were security cameras that covered the entire temple and the Met entrance. They were connected to a temporary command center in a cordoned-off area behind the temple. Matthew examined all the spaces in the temple; there was nothing that looked suspicious.

  He went to his laptop to do more research on sarin, noting the key elements:

  Slow evaporation at room temperature. (Matthew thought: That means it won’t be sufficient to just have it in the room. Symptoms would appear before it became fatal.)

  The gas is heavier than air so it sinks low and doesn’t dissipate until it breaks down.

  It is absorbed through the skin causing severe irritation.

  Sarin eventually invades the nervous system disrupting muscle activity resulting in asphyxiation.

  Sarin itself has a short shelf life, so it is usually handled as two separate components, which also make it safer to handle. 1: Isopropyl Alcohol; 2: Methylphosphonyl Difluoride.

  Usually disposal of Methylphosphonyl Difluoride is done by first mixing it with water to break it down into a less dangerous acid. After that normal disposal methods could be used.

  A dose of Atropine would offset the effects of sarin for about thirty minutes. After that a second dose is needed, continuing with additional doses every thirty minutes until the body had processed all the sarin it had absorbed.

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “Did you find a dress?”

  “Of course,” Emily said. “Wait until you see it.”

  “Where’s your mom?”

  “She’s setting up her spa appointments. She’ll be up in a minute. What have you been up to?”

  “Researching sarin; doing recon on the temple.”

  “And?”

  “I don’t see anything suspicious. Great security, no funny looking canisters lying around.”

  “Maybe we’re wrong.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “You’d better get ready for dinner, Mom will be up soon.”

  The Event

  Matthew and Emily relaxed as their limousine pulled into line with the many others lined up to deposit their charges at the entrance to the Met. When it was their turn, Matthew and Emily exited the limousine and made their way to the reception desk in the Met lobby. They had to present their IDs to the security guard. These security guards were armed and looked much more like Army Rangers than security guards. There were four guards, two men and two women, who were dealing with the guests as quickly as possible. They were working fast to get the guests inside the Met for the second security pass where it was cooler.

  “Ah, Mr. Brandt,” the security guard said. “I see we have your invitation here at the desk.”

  “Yes,” Matthew replied, as he put his ID back into his wallet and the wallet inside the pocket of his jacket.

  “Here you go, in case you want to keep it as a souvenir,” the guard handed Matthew the invitation. “Cellphones need to go in a bag here; you’ll be able to pick them up when you leave. Unless it’s critical, we prefer that you turn them off.”

  “Of course,” Matthew said handing his over, “I should have just left this at home.”

  Emily was following the same procedure, patiently following directions.

  “Okay, is there any reason you cannot pass through the body scanner?” asked the security guard.

  “No, that’s okay with me,” Matthew replied, and Emily nodded her agreement.

  “Thanks, the metal detector first, then the scanner if you please.”

  Matthew and Emily both made it through the metal detector without setting it off and then lined up at the body scanner.

  “Really serious security,” Emily said to Matthew. “Just like at the airport.”

  The next woman through the metal detector set it off. She was escorted into a screened area by one of the security guards. “Underwire bra,” Emily whispered to Matthew. “Gets you every time.”

  Matthew chuckled. “Our turn,” he motioned for Emily to go first through the scanner.

  Emily went through without a hitch, gathered her purse, and waited for Matthew.

  “Sir,” the security guard motioned Matthew to step aside as he walked out of the scanner.

  “Yes?” Matthew answered.

  “You have a dense mass about here,” the security guard pointed to the center of her chest just below the collarbone.

  “Oh yes, my amulet,” Matthew said. “It’s stone.”

  “May I examine it?”

  “Of course,” Matthew opened his shirt collar and removed the stone. Handing it to the guard he said, “It’s never been an issue at the airport.”

  “We hold ourselves to a higher standard,” the security guard said. She examined the stone for a minute then handed it back to Matthew. “Sorry for the inconvenience.”

  “Not a problem.”

  Matthew put the stone back around his neck and tucked it into his shirt. Emily helped him fix his bowtie and collar. Then Matthew took Emily by the arm and walked her to the last checkpoint. “You are free to roam around this entry hall; there are restrooms near the entrance to the temple. You’ll have to pass through this metal detector to enter the temple,” the security guard said.

  Matthew nodded, as he took in the extra level of security. “There is a second set of restrooms at the back of the temple,” the security guard continued. “You’ll be able to access those without having to exit the security perimeter. Have a nice evening.”

  “I’m not sure how anyone would get something in here to attack the prince,” Matthew whispered to Emily.

  “I know, the security is really tight. I’m just glad it was quick. I thought my makeup might melt while we were outside. I’m just now drying off that little sheen of perspiration that built up.”

  “Well, the museum has to control the humidity to protect the artwork. They have to keep it at fifty percent. So even though it’s humid outside, they have to add moisture back into the … air as … they cool it.”

  “What?”

  “The A/C and the humidifier,” Matthew said. “That’s how they can introduce sarin into the temple. I bet it has its own unit.”

  “How does that make a difference?”

  “As I was saying, they have to control humidity and temperature. There are huge units on the r
oof that manage the air for each of the main sections. Each has to have a humidifier attached to prevent the air from getting too dry when it’s heated or cooled. It would be possible to introduce sarin into the humidifier, and then have it spread into the room all at one time through the air ducts.”

  “But they’ve been guarding this place all week. How would anyone get by and mess around with the air conditioning?” asked Emily.

  “Six weeks ago, Sayid asked if everything was in place. His contact said yes, that the maintenance went smoothly. Then Sayid asked about the gas and the guy said it hadn’t been a problem. He said, all is ready.”

  “So they did everything six weeks ago, before the security was locked down.”

  “Right. That was just a few weeks after the Met and the Saudis reached an agreement on the exchange.”

  “So if it’s here, then it’s been here for six weeks.”

  “Yes. In a way that’s good, it means that it’s likely not sarin yet. They would need to keep it in the bi-chemical form so it didn’t degrade. If that’s true, then I might be able to disarm it. Let’s go find a quiet corner so I can go look again,” Matthew said. “It has to be somewhere that has a light.”

  They found a spot at the end of one of the sealed-off hallways. Matthew leaned against the wall as though he and Emily were having a nice chat and he opened his portal. After a few minutes, he straightened up.

  “So?”

  “It looks like there is a canister hooked into the water supply for the humidifier. I don’t see any trigger mechanism, but there must be one. It’s well hidden behind some sheet metal in the unit. Everything looks professionally installed.”

  “So what are you going to do? Can’t we just alert Caruthers?”

  “I’ve already told her that I think this might be the target. But as soon as the terrorists see any unusual activity, they’ll activate the sarin. They might not get the prince, but think of all the other people here.”

  “We should have time,” Emily said. “The prince isn’t here. He probably won’t show up until just before the ceremony, that’s two hours from now.”

  “Let’s go inside and check it out while I think about options,” Matthew said.

  Matthew followed Emily through the second metal detector and into the temple proper. There were cocktail tables spread around the floor; a string quartet was set up in one corner with the opposite corner containing a bar. Waiters were working their way around the floor with trays of champagne and others with trays of hors d'oeuvres. There were docents strategically placed around the temple to answer any questions about the exhibit.

  “Wow what an nice place for a party,” Emily said. “With all this glass and skylights, this place must be amazing during the day.”

  “It’s not too bad at night,” Matthew said. “A very open plan. And a pretty snazzy crowd.”

  “Yes, I actually feel underdressed,” Emily said.

  “What?”

  “Just look at these women. They look like they’re dressed for the Oscars. And the jewels.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry,” Matthew said. He looked at the gorgeous blue evening gown Emily was wearing. “You’re beautiful instead of gaudy like some of these women. I think some of them need a back brace to hold up those necklaces.”

  Emily laughed. “Some of them look kind of gross.”

  “Anyway, back to business,” Matthew said, as he switched to thinking about what the terrorists must have planned.

  They wandered around the room for awhile. Matthew used his portal to re-examine all the nooks and crannies for anything that might look out of place, while thinking about how he could disarm the sarin.

  “I think I know how to take care of the sarin,” Matthew said. “I’ll have to go up on the roof so I can really see what’s going on, but it should be straightforward.”

  “Then let’s go,” Emily said.

  “Let’s go? I don’t think you’re dressed to be going up on the roof.”

  “You might need help. And I’m sure I can manage even in heels and an evening gown. Remember Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did but she did it in heels and backwards.”

  Matthew laughed, “We’re not talking about dancing. At least not yet.”

  “I’m coming, don’t argue,” Emily hissed at Matthew. “No…” she added as he started to say something else.

  “Okay. First we have to get to the roof. I have a path mapped out. Let’s go back into the entry hall.”

  As they walked past the security guard at the temple entrance, Matthew spied a stack of the dark blue tablecloths that were used to adorn the cocktail tables. He grabbed one of the larger cloths that were being used to curtain off the sections of the room.

  “What’s that for?”

  “To hide behind,” Matthew replied.

  “What?”

  “There are security guards on the roof. We don’t want to be too visible.”

  “Oh,” Emily said, wondering what she had gotten herself into.

  She followed Matthew down to the end of the hallway they had used before. At the end they came to the set of locked doors.

  “As best as I can tell, these are not alarmed. They just lead into the service hall, so there’s no real reason to alarm them.”

  “Okay, so we just slip through them. I assume you won’t have any problem unlocking them.”

  “Unlocking them won’t be a problem, but we can’t just slip through them. Too much surveillance,” Matthew said. “I think they might notice we disappeared down this hallway and come looking for us.”

  “So what do we do?”

  “Here, let’s leave this tablecloth on the door. Then I’ll unlock it… There we go. Now let’s go back to the main lobby and wait until we can slip down the hall without being noticed.”

  “I thought you said there were too many cameras and too much surveillance.”

  “I did, but I have a new trick.”

  “Oh, pray tell.”

  “I can open the portal, make both ends vertical and about seven feet in diameter. Then leave about two feet between them. If we slip into that space we’re invisible, any camera will see the other side of the portal which is just two feet further down the hallway.”

  “Very clever,” Emily said. “How did you figure that out?”

  “Doing a magic trick for the girls. Jessie loves magic.”

  “Okay, so how do we slip behind it without being noticed?”

  “We just need a big crowd to cross in front of the hallway.”

  Emily and Matthew loitered in the entry hall close to the hallway. After about ten minutes, a large group of guests started to make their way to the temple entrance. Matthew and Emily fell in on the side of them and followed them toward the temple and hallway. Matthew brought his portal up as they approached the hallway. He and Emily slipped behind the portal as they passed the hallway.

  “Perfect, now we just go down the hall and through the door. Then I’ll collapse the portal and we’re free.”

  Once they were past the door, Matthew gently closed it grabbing the tablecloth as he did. He and Emily looked around the back-stage area. “See, there is a catwalk up there. We can get to a door to the roof from it.”

  “Where are the stairs?”

  “Why take the stairs when you can take the elevator,” Matthew said. “But first I need a flashlight. There’s a maintenance closet up here that I found during my recon. It has one in it.”

  They walked over to the closet, and Matthew grabbed the flashlight. Then he invited Emily to stand close. “Okay we’re going to use your elevator trick.” Matthew opened his end of the portal under them and the other on one of the elevators in a nearby office building. The building was mostly vacant at this time of night, so the elevator wasn’t in use. Matthew pressed the button for a floor two stories up.

  “This feels weird,” Emily said, as they slowly rose in the air.

  Matthew made a few adjustments to their height until the st
ep onto the catwalk was easy. “After you,” he said to Emily.

  They walked down the catwalk to a hallway. Then down that hallway to another door. “Now this one will be tricky,” Matthew said. “It’s alarmed, and we can’t let any light escape or the security guys on the roof might notice.”

  “How do you take care of the alarm?”

  “It’s not too sophisticated. It’s a contact sensor, so I just put the portal between them, so when I open the door, the one end moves with the door under its sensor, the other stays with the doorframe and with its sensor, so it looks like they’re still in contact.”

  “And the light?”

  “That’s why we have the tablecloth,” Matthew said, as he unfolded it. “I need you to slip out the door while I hold the tablecloth up to shield the light. Then when you’re outside, I need you to slide it around the door so it’s covering the door from the outside. Then I can come out and close the door.”

  “See, I knew you would need me.”

  “Yes, but first can you take off the jewelry so it doesn’t reflect any light while we’re on the roof?”

  Emily removed her earrings and necklace and put them in her bag, followed by her bracelet. Then she and Matthew finessed their way through the door, following Matthew’s plan.

  “Now can you cover your hair with the tablecloth, while we walk over to the unit?”

  “Why? Oh blond, huh?”

  “Yes.”

  Emily put the tablecloth over her head like a shawl and followed Matthew along the roof. They stopped in front of a large bank of equipment. “This is the humidifier,” Matthew said. “The canister is secreted at the top of this unit. I need to get it open so I can see what’s going on.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Just use the tablecloth to shield me. I found a machine shop over in Brooklyn that I can use to open things up.”