“Yes! Let’s talk about something useful.”
“Sir?” Carl volunteered.
Buster gave him a “What now?” look.
“I assigned one of our people to his team to help with security. So, we have another operative inside his team.”
Buster stopped frowning.
Davidson looked at Carl and said quietly, “A protector?”
Carl nodded. “Tim Smith.”
Buster said, “Is this operative capable of taking the Prophet out?”
Davidson nodded, as Carl said, “More than capable.”
Buster said, “Finally, some good news.” He turned to Bishara, signaling her to continue.
Bishara said, “As you know, the plan is to send in a C-17 with an arctic-trained SEAL team and an AC-130 gunship.”
Davidson added, “The last report said there are over a dozen people down there, mostly PhDs and engineers.”
Bishara continued, “The SEALs will also have a nuclear expert with them to shut down the reactors.”
Buster interrupted. “I want overkill on this Op. I believe there are other players tied to the Prophet who intend to sweep in and take the weapon, probably kidnap the technical people. We’re not taking chances. I’d like to have fighters overhead just in case.”
Davidson said, “Sir, we’re using the AC-130 because it has the range.” A CIA favorite, he didn’t need General Glosson to explain the 130’s capability. “They carry 25-millimeter Gatling guns that can fire almost a hundred half-pound, high-explosive rounds a second.”
Buster smiled.
Glosson added, “The land-based fighters don’t have the range, but we have an aircraft carrier battle group, the USS Reagan, on a port-call in Australia. They can deploy and be in striking range within a couple days. Her battle group also has a good-sized marine contingent that can be inserted by V-22 Ospreys, if needed.”
Buster chewed loudly. “Yeah, there you go.”
Davidson knew that Buster loved aircraft carriers, or more accurately, the ability to direct them.
Glosson continued, “The only way any bad guys can get in or out of there is by air. We can requisition an Air Force AWACS. With its radar, if it flies, we’ll know.”
Buster said, “Good. Do that! We’ll want continuous coverage. After they finish testing the Blaster in Los Alamos, the Prophet could head down any time.”
Carl cleared his throat. “Sir, the Blaster’s on its way to the South Pole right now.”
All eyes turned toward him.
Buster said, “What?”
He looked at his watch. “It should be arriving shortly.”
Davidson said very clearly and slowly, “Carl, are you sure?”
“Yes sir, they were behind schedule. I think they made a last-minute decision to skip the Los Alamos test and do the first live test-firing at the pole.”
Buster pounded the table. “Damn it, I was right! He used the fear of a meteor shower to push up the schedule. When it doesn’t show up, he’ll be uncovered as a fraud. That means he’s got to make his move soon.” He gave Davidson an ‘I told you so’ look.
Davidson frowned. “This changes things.” He turned to Glosson. “We need to put the C-130 and SEAL team on four-hour alert. Let’s get the AWACS in theater now. Call U.S. Pacific Command. Tell him we need to pull the carrier battle group out of Australia and send them South. If Admiral Rea needs Presidential authorization, tell him it’s on its way.”
Glosson said, “Done.”
He turned back to Buster. Shaking his head, he said, “I had hoped we’d know who was behind the Prophet by now.” He paused. “But if the Blaster’s down there, it could be fired,” he glanced at Buster, “or taken, any time. I think we need to pick up the Prophet sooner than planned.”
Buster nodded vigorously. “Absolutely, we need to slam this door shut now!”
Davidson looked around the room and said, “Let’s figure out how to take the Prophet without giving him a chance to warn anyone.” He turned to Carl. “Where’s our protector operative?”
Carl said, “I’ll confirm it, but I think he’s at the pole now.”
Davidson nodded. “So is our mole. They’ll be our insurance policy in case the Prophet somehow gets word to the pole base before we pick him up.”
Turning to Lafferty, he said, “How fast can you put together a plan to capture the Prophet?”
Lafferty said, “That depends on whether we have to arrest all the participants at the same time. Remember, we’re talking Elton Musk, Dr. Sheri Lopez and one of NASA’s leading scientists. We’ll need a couple of days to coordinate that.”
Buster scowled. “No, we can’t wait, I want him now. The others can wait.”
Lafferty said, “We’ll still need to get the warrants and coordinate the operation with local law enforcement. We can probably pull it together tonight and have him in custody early tomorrow morning. That’s the best time to grab a suspect anyway.”
Davidson asked, “When?”
“Let’s do 5:00 am, St. Louis time.”
Buster looked a little disappointed. “If that’s the best we can do.” He paused. “Where’s my Tomahawk shooter?”
Glosson said, “USS Truxton is off the coast of Chili.” She looked at her watch. “She can be in launch range in about 24 hours.”
Buster said, “Excellent.”
After the meeting, Carl caught Davidson. “Brian, I understand the Director’s frustration, and you know I’m as skeptical as they come, but something doesn’t add up.”
“Yeah, there’s a puzzle piece missing, but it’s hard to argue with the fact that no agency’s claimed him.”
Carl sighed. “I know.” He added with a half-smile, “Aiding and abetting an international terrorist probably isn’t going to look good on my next evaluation.”
Davidson gave him a smile. “Get in line.”
Carl added, “By the way, I didn’t want to say this in front of the Director, but the protector is actually being funded—”
Davidson finished, “By the Prophet?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Davidson shook his head. “So, the CIA’s not only protecting the Prophet, we’re on his payroll.” He laughed. “It’ll be a shame if we have to kill him before I get to meet him.”
39
RENDEZVOUS
Meadows answered the phone. “Hey Chandra, how’s it going down there?”
“We’re freezing our butts off, but the installation is going well.” She paused. “The reason I called is that I’ve been talking to my colleague at the Keck Observatory. Joe ... they didn’t find anything at the coordinates Josh gave us.”
Meadows sighed. “It’s supposed to be a low albedo comet. Could it still be too dark to see?”
“This close?” She paused. “It can’t be outgassing and it’d have to have a reflectivity of a fraction of a percent.”
“Is that possible?”
There was another pause. “Yeah, the IRAS-Araki-Alcock comet was probably that dark.” She paused again. “It’s close enough now that it should have a decent IR signature.”
Meadows knew she was thinking out loud and waited.
She continued, “We really need an infrared space telescope, but we might be able to pick it up on the Chilean VISTA or the infrared scopes on Mauna Kea. I’ll make some calls.”
“Let me know what you find out.”
“Joe ... no disrespect to Josh, but....”
Finally, Meadows said, “Yeah, I know.” After hanging up, Meadows drummed his fingers on his desk for several seconds and then picked up his phone and dialed. “Sheri? It’s Joe. Need to talk with you and Smith as soon as possible.”
Josh arrived back at his apartment to find Elizabeth on his laptop. He was both angry and happy to see her.
She barely looked up, as she said, “Love what you did with the place, particularly, the use of flyswatters as decorative accents.” As she spoke, she held up a handwritten note. “Your Internet’s been compr
omised and your place may be bugged.”
He nodded as he picked up one of the flyswatters. “Yeah, it’s a dump and I have a mosquito infestation.” Listening carefully, he identified and successfully swatted another one. Then, turning to her, said, “Elizabeth, I thought I told you—”
She interrupted him as she stood up. “Give me a hug and tell me how beautiful I am.”
He shook his head, walked over and hugged her. Looking down into her face, he kissed her and said, “You are incredibly beautiful, inside and out.”
“See, that wasn’t so hard.” She stepped back and became all business, “So....”
“Let’s go for a walk.” They grabbed jackets and went outside to the small park nearby. Not well lit, it was usually empty at night. Josh knew being outside wasn’t a guarantee they couldn’t be overheard — technology was such that few places were impervious to eavesdropping — but it would make it more difficult.
Walking with his arm around her shoulders, he was able to talk very quietly and tell her about the comet fragment.
She listened intently and became excited. “That’s great news. In a few days, the whole world will be more open to the possibility of a comet.”
Josh shook his head, “Sometimes, I wish I could see the world the way you do.”
She looked into his eyes. “You can.”
It was almost midnight. Lafferty took an FBI jet from Dulles to St. Louis. With the sensitivity of the case, the Director of the FBI had asked him to oversee it personally. He had to admit, he enjoyed being in the field again.
His phone rang. It was his on-scene commander. Lafferty said, “How’s it going, Nate?”
“Good, sir, we’ve got the plan in place. We’ll cordon off several blocks around the apartment and shut down his Internet and cell phone just before moving in. The state and local police will lock down the outside perimeter, and we’ll have a helicopter overhead just in case. The Godfather wouldn’t get more assets.”
“I know this is overkill, but this guy did hijack the entire military industrial complex. How’s the surveillance going?”
Nate said, “Not that impressed with the CIA’s Wraith technology. First two devices died within a few hours, and just lost the feed from the third one we sent in.”
Frowning, Lafferty asked, “Do we still have full coverage?”
“Yes sir. Nothing like good old fashion bugs. We’ve got full audio inside and cameras all over the apartment complex with an agent covering every exit. He left the Boeing Phantom Works an hour ago and drove home. The only unusual event was that his girlfriend arrived a couple hours earlier.”
“Edvardsen?” He pulled her file out of his folder as Nate continued, “Yes sir. They went out for a short walk in the local park and just returned to the apartment.”
Looking at her picture, he smiled slightly. “Well, she should certainly keep him occupied.” His smile turned to a frown. “But if things don’t go smoothly, she could be used as a hostage.”
“We’ll have a SWAT team in place. If he tries to use her as a shield, we should be able to take him out quickly.”
“Thanks, Nate. I’m going to catch a catnap on the flight and be there in a few hours. Call me if anything develops.”
Setting his phone down, he glanced back at the file picture of Edvardsen. He toasted Fuze with his cup of coffee. “Enjoy ... it’ll be your last.”
After they returned to his apartment, Josh watched Elizabeth disappear into the bathroom with her small travel bag. It was late, but he needed to check a couple reports on the computer. His guilt was gone, his body healed, and there were no parents in sight. He felt like a teenager waiting for his first kiss. She finally came out, but she wasn’t wearing her usual negligee with the short silk bathrobe. Instead, she wore a pair of long flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. He sighed. He didn’t have to be Dr. Ruth to know she was dressing for sleep, not play.
As he watched her spread a blanket on the sofa, he thought she could make a burlap bag look sexy. Lost in his teenage fantasy, he realized he was being un-chivalrous. Standing up, he said, “Thanks for fixing this up for me. You’re sleeping in my bedroom.”
She frowned.
He said, “I often sleep on the sofa. Since I have to work late tonight, it works out well.” He hadn’t planned on working late.
She looked up at him and said, “I really don’t mind.”
“What type of cad would allow a beautiful woman to sleep on his sofa?” He added, “I’ll change the sheets in the bedroom.” He didn’t want her sleeping out there simply because he knew he didn’t have the discipline to watch her sleep.
She said a little abruptly, “Don’t worry about the sheets. I’ll take care of it.”
After she went to bed, Josh worked on the computer for another hour and then tried to sleep. He just laid there and stared at the ceiling.
After midnight, he slid into a nebulous intersection of consciousness and dreams. He was partly aware of his surroundings, but his body felt like it was made of lead. The room closed in on him. The apartment, the city, the world, seemed to pulse in and out with his heartbeat, getting smaller and tighter with each beat. Then his perspective suddenly changed. He seemed to be outside himself, watching his body on the sofa. There were faint ‘threads’ radiating out from him in all directions, each tied to an action. Do this ... and that happens. Do that ... and this happens. Similar to his experience with Kelly at the restaurant, it was fascinating and terrifying, like seeing the future ... or in this case, many futures. He realized he’d seen these threads in his dreams before and had unconsciously used them to drive his strategy and actions. He even saw situations where acting prudently created the wrong path. What he sensed — actually felt — were forces closing in on him.
He followed a thread that appeared to move him in the correct direction. His choices caused it to branch like a movie that had different endings. The further in the future it went, the more the threads overlapped. Like multiple TV channels interfering with each other, the correct path was harder and harder to distinguish. What he could see clearly was that staying where he was would result in failure. No, worse than that, staying would lead to death and destruction. He saw buildings and people on fire ... but not from the comet and not a year from now. He couldn’t tell why or when, but it was soon, very soon. Even the paths that seemed to lead to a successful firing of the Blaster had an ominous similarity. Like the credits at the end of a movie, they all faded to black. He guessed what that meant. Regardless, he knew what he had to do.
He came fully awake.
First, he contacted the brilliant young engineer, Greg Langlois. Good at improvising under pressure, he was certain he’d need that ability soon. It was 12:30 in the morning. He used the app that Smith loaded on his smart phone to encrypt the text he sent.
Langlois answered immediately, saying he was up, gaming.
Josh texted, “Problem. Pushing schedule up. Need your help. Can you leave for pole ASAP?”
“Yes”
“Be at flight ops in 1 hour?”
“K”
“Pack warm. Don’t tell anyone.”
Josh dressed quickly. He wrote and rewrote Elizabeth a note and tiptoed into the bedroom. With the futures he’d seen, he knew this would be the last time he’d see her. Unlike Kelly, at least he could tell her how he felt, how much he appreciated her and apologize. If they succeeded, but he didn’t survive, he hoped she wouldn’t hate him. If he failed, he knew she wouldn’t hate him for long. He slipped the tiny note under her hand. Leaning over, he kissed her gently on the lips, etching her face into his memory. He softly said, “I love you.” She smiled in her sleep as he left.
Using his memory of the future, he moved quickly. He turned the TV on and the living room lights off. The flickering of a late night movie dimly illuminated the apartment. He smiled as he realized it was Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
He dressed in black cargo pants, topsiders, a dark blue shirt and a black baseball cap
. Scooping up his laptop, he threw it in his small bag and went to the front door. He grabbed the door handle and froze.
He closed his eyes for a moment ... then let go of the handle. He set the bag down. He sensed a rhythm. Silently, he walked to the sliding glass door that opened onto the tiny balcony. He inched it open. Glancing outside, he quickly slid through and closed it. He kept his body pressed against the wall next to the door. There were no buildings across the street from which to observe his apartment. With his excellent night vision, he looked down and scanned the dark parking lot. Looking closer, he noticed a van seemed to have a very slight red glow emanating from the side and part of the roof. He realized, with amazement, he was actually seeing a heat signature. He’d heard there were people who had the ability to see very slightly into the infrared spectrum. Once again, he thanked Jesse for his genetically enhanced body. Without a doubt, inside that van sat his unnamed observers. Unfortunately, they probably had low-light and infrared cameras and could see as well or better than he could. He needed to move fast. He took a deep breath and climbed onto the balcony’s metal handrail where it met the wall.
The agent was glad they were finally going to arrest this guy. He was tired of sitting in the van all night. He had two giant monitors with nine separate camera video feeds, and just like cable TV, there was nothing on. His partner sat next to him with headphones, monitoring the audio feed and playing solitaire on his phone. Even though they were both relieved every few hours, it got old continuously watching static video feeds. He started his zillionth scan of his low-level-light cameras. Following a set pattern, he began with the closest to the furthest camera from the subject. To the irritation of his partner, he always ran through them like a checklist. “Wraith feed still dead, hall cameras one and two clear, elevator clear, lobby clear ...”
Stretching, Josh was just able to get his fingers over the bottom edge of the balcony above. Doing a quick pull-up, he peeked over the balcony deck. Through the sliding glass door, he could see the upstairs apartment was dark. As he started to pull himself up, the rotting deck board under his left hand gave way. The end of the one-by-six broke off cleanly and fell. His body swung like a pendulum, hanging from the slipping fingertips of his right hand. Trying to hang on, he looked down. The piece of broken board hit the asphalt below.
Impact (Fuzed Trilogy Book 1) Page 25
