The Yellowstone Brief

by Larry LaVoie

David turned to Trick. “My colleague and I have been debating whether it is even possible to determine how much time we have. There’s certainly every indication that nothing’s going to stop the upward flow of magma, as was indicated by the quake we had just as this meeting was getting underway. Quite honestly, we may not have a day. We just don’t know how this thing will play out. My advice is put everything on hyperspeed. If there was ever a need to get something done ASAP, this is it.”

  The Chief Engineer responded with an explanation of the task ahead. “We’ve determined that a minimum of ten tunneling machines will be needed to sufficiently relieve the magma pressure. It will take us several days to get the machines in place. Once that’s accomplished, we will need another week to tunnel. The problem is, we don’t have ten machines available. With the loss of the one in Mexico we are only able to commission three NPTMs. Conventional tunneling machines are out of the question. It would take three months to set up one of those behemoths. Will three be enough?”

  “I don’t mean to be flippant, Mr. Evers, but you just said you needed ten. My guess would have been thirty to drain a magma pool of the size of Mallard Lake Dome. Three machines at best would be like drilling a small hole in a dam and expecting the lake level to drop.”

  Trick stood up and addressed the room. “I think it only fair to let Colonel Mathews and Mr. Evers know that, all we need to do is keep the pressure from building. If three tunnels will do that, then we can save Yellowstone. How large are these machines?”

  Evers put a picture on the screen. “This is our latest model. It can drill a 90-foot diameter hole at 2 miles per hour. I wish I had thirty of them, but this is what we have. I appreciate the task is to relieve the pressure, not drain the entire magma chamber.”

  Colonel Mathews approached the podium and stood by Evers. Evers stepped aside allowing the colonel to take his place at the microphone. “This information is highly sensitive, and I ask for you to keep it classified until otherwise directed. There are those out there who would like to see this mission fail. If that’s all, I want my crew out front at 0600 hours, fed and ready to go. Get a good night’s sleep. Thank you and good luck, this nation is depending on you.”

  “You can cut the tension in here with a knife,” Trick said, getting up to walk out. Another earthquake shook the room. “I’ll never get used to these earthquakes.” He grabbed his jacket off a hook near the door and looked out at the park. The shadows of the pine trees stretched across the parking area and what sky he could see was ablaze with high pink clouds. A cold breeze ruffled his hair and he quickly put on his jacket. Turning back to David, he said, “Do you think I’ll ever see the Tanya again?”

  It wasn’t a question David was prepared for. He couldn’t remember ever seeing Trick this serious. He put his arm around Trick’s shoulder. “You’ll see her again. Let’s get this done.”

  Chapter 25

  August 24th, Outside Cody, Wyoming

  After breakfast, Heather lowered herself onto the couch in the motorhome and watched Josh pour Jack Daniel’s into two glasses. She had had a terrible nights sleep. Every time she rolled over on her back, the tracking device bit into her, like a scorpion, at least that was what her dream was. She had thought about digging the thing out with a knife, but there were no sharp objects she could get her hands on. She would probably bleed to death, if she could get to it, anyway. She reached to see if she could really get at it if she had a knife.

  Josh saw she was uncomfortable and set one of the glasses on the table in front of her. He sat down across from her. “I’m sorry I had to do that to you. When you see what we’re going to do, you’ll understand.”

  Heather rubbed the bump in her shoulder and looked at her fingers. A trace of blood told her the wound was still seeping through the gauze bandage, although the pain had subsided to no more than an annoying itch. “What can be so important that you assault people and place tracking devices in them?”

  Josh lifted his glass. “Drink up. This is a celebration. You wanted to know what is going on and now you’re going to get the whole story.” He took a sip of whiskey. “Before we left Washington I told you Andy was organizing a demonstration out here. I couldn’t leave you back in Washington when I found out what he was up to. He’s got something really big planned for Yellowstone. You and I had to be out here for it to work.”

  Heather pretended to sip the drink in front of her. She wasn’t about to consume any alcohol when she was clearly in danger. Besides it was early morning. For all she knew the drink was drugged. After the tracking device, she didn’t trust anything he or Andy did. “Honestly, what could he be doing out here in the middle of nowhere? It looks like you’ve amassed an army of protesters, but protesting Yellowstone Park isn’t even going to make the evening news, if that’s what you’re after.”

  Joshua grinned. “The protesters are a diversion for the real action Andy has planned. While they are raising hell at the park entrance, Andy will be doing his thing. Believe me, it’ll make the national networks and the papers as well.”

  “I can’t imagine what he could do that is that important.” Heather was fishing for more information, but it was becoming clear that Josh wasn’t sharing as much as he knew. In the back of her mind, she was trying to formulate a plan of how she was going to escape and let Matt Renfro know where she was. With a GPS tracking device in her shoulder, it wasn’t going to be easy.

  “You haven’t touched your drink,” Josh said, after taking a gulp of his. “No need to be sore. You’ll know what’s going on soon enough.” He finished his drink and stood up. “You can’t imagine how happy I am you’re now a part of us. Put on a jacket. You’ll need it.”

  “We’re going someplace?”

  “We are. You’ll need the computer; we have a money transfer to make.”

  Heather’s mind was racing. She had never seen Josh like this. He was ordering her around, like she was his property. If he is siding with Andy, that is bad for me, and worse for Josh. How could she have been so stupid to think Josh was being used by Andy? Right now it looks like the two are thick as thieves. If Josh is willing to bankroll Andy, then something big is an understatement. Maybe I will finally get a trace on where the chemical weapons are coming from. She picked up the laptop and a jacket and went out the door in front of Josh. If we are going to transfer funds, we’ll need to get to civilization.

  “We’ll take the Escalade,” Josh said, pointing to the large, black SUV kicking up a cloud of dust as it came toward them. It stopped about 10 feet in front of them.

  “How did you know they were coming?” Heather asked.

  Josh pointed to his watch. “Andy doesn’t like to be late.” He walked up to the vehicle and opened the back door for Heather. “Come on, we’ve got some traveling to do before sundown.”

  Heather climbed in and slid across the black leather bench seat. She didn’t recognize the driver, but saw Andy was riding shotgun.

  Josh slid in beside her. He tapped the seat back where Andy was sitting. “Everything all right?”

  “They’re waiting at an abandoned visitors’ wayside outside of Casper.”

  “Casper? I thought they were going to deliver it to us in Cody.”

  “They got spooked. Too many State Troopers on the road. They got stopped for going under the speed limit. The cop thought they were smuggling drugs and wanted to search the vehicle.” Andy motioned for the driver to go. “I didn’t get the whole story, but I think they had to eliminate the threat.”

  Josh leaned forward and whispered, “They didn’t kill a cop?”

  Andy didn’t answer. Heather heard the question and glanced over at Josh. She was getting in deeper by the minute and couldn’t do anything about it.

  “Heather’s got the bank info,” Josh raised his voice and looked over at Heather. “The transfer will just about tap us out.”

  “What good is money, if you don’t use it for good purpose?” Andy asked, turning and smiling.

  “Just sayi
ng,” Josh said. “There are going to be a lot of pissed off protesters when they don’t get their pay.”

  “Let the infidels be pissed off in their graves. Allah willing, they won’t need money where they’re going.” This was the first time the driver had spoken. His accent was heavy.

  It was the first time Heather had heard a reference to Allah. She fidgeted in her seat. Was Andy a full-fledged Jihadist? The last time she had checked the funds there was over $9 million in the bank accounts. What could use up that much money in a few days? It has to be the chemical weapons.

  Josh reached for his briefcase and opened it. He got out several small rectangular film badges about 2” square. He handed one to Heather. “Put this on. It will measure radiation exposure.” He pinned one on himself and handed one to Andy.

  Oh, my God, Heather thought. They are picking up a nuclear bomb!

  *****

  August 24th, J. Edgar Hoover Building, Washington, D.C.

  The three men in the office, Agents Green, Walton, and their boss Rex Thorn were staring at the phone. Thorne was more red-faced than normal and his cheeks matched the thinning reddish locks on his head. He was visibly angry.

  After a long silence Green stared at the floor and spoke up. “I understand why she hasn’t called in,” he said. “I told her I’d get a burner to her before she got out of town.” He hesitated for a minute. “Actually, I said I would get one to her at Macy’s, but she never showed. I figured she would pick up one on her own. She must have had someone with her. ”

  “You clearly underestimated the threat!” Rex ran a hand through his hair. “She isn’t experienced enough to deal with terrorists on her own.” He paced the floor nervously. “Why didn’t you say something earlier!”

  Walton spoke up, trying to ease the tension in the room. “The plane landed in Cody, Wyoming two days ago. We also picked up a shooting of a State Trooper outside Casper. Not sure if there’s a connection.” Walton was reading from reports on his smart phone. “Matt Renfro is in Yellowstone. That’s where this thing is expected to go down. We’ve got the National Guard alerted and every hazmat suit in Wyoming headed to the park.” He glanced at Green. “I can’t believe you let her get out of Washington without a means of communication.”

  “I’m going to contact Matt Renfro. You two better hope he can find her, or you’ll be back on the street warming park benches!” Rex shook his head and picked up the phone.

  *****

  August 25th, On the road to Casper, Wyoming

  “How long is this going to take?” Joshua asked.

  Andy handed him a map.

  Joshua opened it and Heather leaned next to him. She used her finger to trace the road from Cody to Casper. “Looks like we have a long drive ahead of us.”

  “You’re kidding me? This is going to take hours.” Joshua folded up the map and handed it back to Andy.

  Heather got on her laptop. “Three and a half, if you think you can cover 214 miles that fast.”

  Andy tapped the driver on the shoulder. “Step on it. We need to get back to the camp by dark.”

  Heather stayed on the computer. If she could forward the map to the FBI without being detected they may be able to intercept them.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Joshua said. “You don’t use my computer on the internet without my permission.”

  Heather closed the computer. “I was just trying to help.”

  “Give me that,” he said, jerking it out of her hands. He opened it and looked at the screen. The screen saver came up. He closed the laptop and handed it back to her. “When we get to Casper, I need you to transfer funds from the Cayman Island account. Until then this computer stays closed.”

  “You asked a question. I was...”

  “You know better. Don’t do it again.”

  They drove for two hours. Heather was sitting there, wondering if they were going to drive straight through. On the computer map, she had seen a small town. They should be approaching it soon. “Thermopolis is just down the road. Can we make a rest stop? I’m about to burst.”

  “I could use a break,” the driver said, glancing over at Andy.

  “Only five minutes. We need to make it quick,” Andy said.

  Heather clutched the computer on her lap. Maybe she would get another chance to use the computer when she was in the restroom.

  It took another 10 minutes to reach the junction of Thermopolis, a small town with a population of about 3,000.

  “Let me keep this,” Joshua said, grabbing the computer from Heather. “I wouldn’t want it to get into the wrong hands.”

  “Wrong hands? I can keep it just as safe as you,” Heather protested, hanging onto it.

  He jerked it from her. “Just the same, I’m sure you would feel terrible if it was lost. I’ll keep it until you need it.” He grinned at her.

  *****

  August 25th, Yellowstone Park

  At Park Headquarters, Henry Evans knocked on Nathan Langford’s door. “I thought you might like to be updated on the progress at the tunneling operation.”

  “Come in Henry. What have you got for me? Colonel Mathews told me the last of the evacuation was complete and I would have to leave tomorrow morning.”

  “It’s just a precaution. You know they selected the tunnel location on the Idaho side of the park. They have a volcanologist from Oregon working with the Army. He seems to be pretty knowledgeable. With any luck they will complete the operation and you can open the park after the 4th.”

  “That soon? I’ll tell my wife not to get too comfortable at her mother’s. I’m taking her to Cody to catch a plane in the morning. I’ve been invited back to Washington for a department briefing, until this blows over. No pun intended. Are you staying?”

  “Clayton asked for me to stick close to David Wayne and help him any way I can. I thought I’d hang out in my office and continue monitoring the geysers for any unusual activity.”

  “Good. Maybe we can have a drink when things quiet down.” Langford had no intention of having a drink with Henry, but it seemed like a good way to dismiss him, for now. He was still fuming over the loss of his park authority to Colonel Mathews.

  “That would be nice,” Henry said. “Have a nice trip.”

  *****

  August 25th, Southern Wyoming

  “I think this is where we turn off,” Andy said pointing to a side road.

  Heather saw a weathered sign with an arrow pointing down a gravel road, Hell’s Half Acre. I hope it doesn’t live up to its name.

  They turned off the highway. “This is the place,” Andy said. “Park behind the sign.”

  The driver pulled behind the sign that served as the interpretive center for the geologic anomaly.

  They got out of the SUV and looked around. Heather stopped to read the information on the sign. She was interrupted by Andy calling out.

  “The lock on the gate has been cut. I think we need to go through it.”

  They got back into the vehicle and continued through the gate down a gravel road that led into a craggy canyon.

  “This place is appropriately named,” Heather said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” The terrain was extremely rugged, looking like a miniature Grand Canyon, but much rougher with jagged rock outcroppings that looked like they were formed in a violent geologic event in eons past.

  “Let’s get this over with,” Joshua said. “This place gives me the creeps.”

  They turned a corner and saw a white van. Two men with automatic weapons immediately got out of the van and stepped in front of the SUV with weapons raised.

  “What the hell’s going on?” Joshua asked as the driver slammed on the brakes. The SUV stopped in a cloud of dust and flying gravel.

  “They just want to make sure we are not the Feds,” Andy said. “I will fix this.” He got out the moment the Escalade stopped and raised his hands in the air in a motion of surrender.

  “Who are those guys?” Heather asked. “They look like they
mean business.”

  “I have no idea. Andy has made all the contacts. Get ready to transfer $6 million.”

  Heather clamped her jaw to avoid asking the question she already knew the answer to.

  So, this is the price of a nuclear bomb.

  Andy spoke with one of the gunmen for a moment, came back to the SUV, and retrieved a metal suitcase from the back.

  “What’s that he’s getting?” Heather asked Joshua.

  “It’s a Geiger counter. He wants to verify they are delivering the real thing.”

  “Which is?”

  Josh was peering out the tinted window, trying to follow the activity outside. “I might as well tell you. You probably guessed by now anyway. It’s a miniature nuclear bomb. It was made for delivery by drones.”

  Heather tried to keep her voice calm. “Where does one get such a device?”

  “Iran, I’m told. It was smuggled from an arsenal in Kerman through Pakistan.”

  There was a rap on the driver side window of the SUV. The driver rolled down his window. The gunman pointed his weapon at the driver. “Abdul says you will now drive the van.”

  Heather noticed the gunman’s accent was heavy Middle Eastern. Their driver got out and the gunman got behind the wheel and started the SUV.

  “What the hell’s going on,” Joshua demanded, grabbing the gunman’s shoulder.

  The gunman turned off the SUV, got out, and opened the back door. He grabbed Joshua by the arm at gunpoint, dragging him from the vehicle. Joshua was screaming, as the gunman forced him to the ground and placed the AK-74 muzzle against his forehead. Heather watched in horror.

  “Andy, do something,” Heather screamed.

  Andy yelled something in Farsi to the gunman. The gunman moved his weapon and jerked Joshua to his feet. He shoved him back into the SUV. Andy came over and addressed Joshua. “Don’t touch these guys. They’d just as soon shoot you as look at you, understand?”

  “You want to tell me what’s going on?” Joshua asked.

  “They are taking us to the bomb. You need to be quiet and cooperate.”