“Agreed,” said Leroux, a pit forming in his stomach. “And we also know they’re perfectly willing to kill the women as well.”
44
Crawford Residence
Forest Hills, Washington, DC
“Anything buried in the video?”
Jeff shook his head. “Nothing I’ve been able to find yet. Whoever did this was extremely careful, which is why I don’t think it’s North Korean.”
“Why?” asked Clarence.
“Because they wouldn’t care if you knew where it came from or how they produced it. The video admits to it, so if you want to take credit, why bother hiding the proof?”
Vic’s head bobbed in the chat window. “Makes sense. But hiding the transmission’s origin would be understandable since you don’t want your agents outside the country to be tracked.”
“True,” replied Clarence, “but hell, they could have set things up to transmit from anywhere in the world, or a thousand places in the world. They just program it to monitor a site and they pull the video down when it goes live then transmit it.”
Jeff’s eyes widened as he leaned back on his stool. “Dude, I think you figured it out!”
“I’m sure I did, I’m that good.” Clarence’s eyes narrowed. “What did I figure out?”
“We need to find the original site, the original source of the video.”
“Oh yeah, exactly. I’m brilliant.”
“If we find that, then we might just find out where this whole thing originated.”
“Okay, so we’ve established I’m brilliant. Now how are we going to find where they uploaded the original video to?”
“We just need to find one of the source computers and gain access. It might still have the software installed that pulled the video. If it does, we’ll be able to get the IP address and go from there!”
Vic spun in his chair, a bit of a Doppler Effect occurring. “Dude, that’s going to be nearly impossible if they’ve been spoofing things.”
Clarence shook his head. “No, dude, not impossible, you’re forgetting I’m brilliant. But it is going to take time.”
Jeff frowned. “And time is the one thing Nancy doesn’t have.” He leaned forward, his fingers hovering over his keyboard. “Let’s get to work.”
45
CIA Safe House
Seoul, Republic of Korea
“Dylan, I’ve got some news on the Chinese President’s wife.”
Kane sipped his bottled water, the ice-cold beverage immediately helping chill his insides. He had started to feel a little queasy about half an hour ago and if the back of his hand on his forehead was any indication, he was running a temperature.
Just what I need. The flu!
He held the bottle against his forehead. “Nice lady. She was happy to cooperate and was actually a little pissed at not being given the opportunity. Has she been evac’d yet?”
“Umm, that’s why I’m calling.”
Kane stopped rolling the bottle over his forehead, the hesitation in Leroux’s voice suggesting something was wrong. “What is it? Is she okay?”
“It appears that drones took out her plane on takeoff.”
Kane bolted upright on the couch. “What!”
“Initial reports are that dozens of drones, perhaps over a hundred, were directed into all four engines. One caught fire and lit the fuel.”
Kane already knew the answer, yet had to ask. “Survivors?”
“None.”
“And we’re sure she was on board?”
“Yes.”
“My God! I guess now we know why she wasn’t just left behind when they switched vehicles.”
“Yeah. She was just a pawn. She was always going to die.”
Kane sighed, closing his eyes, picturing the earnest woman, eager to help the others in any way she could. She had told him about the orders not to leave the country.
I should have taken her.
He shook his head. He couldn’t blame himself. His mission had been to interrogate her at all costs, not save her life. And who could have predicted this? Drones taking down an airliner? Everyone in the security business knew it was technically possible. If bird strikes could take out a plane, drones certainly could. And with scares occurring around the world, it was just a matter of time before tragedy struck.
Like today.
“Does this give us anything?” He opened his eyes, leaning forward. “They could have left anyone, but they left her. Why her? Who hates the Chinese right now?”
“Everyone? No one? Most of the bad guys like them.”
Kane agreed. “Russia didn’t attend. Could they be involved?”
“They’re friendly with China now.”
“Right, another bad guy. What’s the thinking at Langley?”
“Everything is on the table now. We’re ruling out no one.”
Kane squeezed the bottle in frustration, the plastic crackling loudly. “We need to find out who the hell is behind this! Do we even know if there are any actual human beings involved in this damned thing?”
“Just the phone call to the President.”
Kane growled in frustration. “Christ, for all we know that was that Watson machine from Jeopardy.” He took a deep breath. “How can I help?”
“We need you to find the source of the drones. The South Koreans believe they came in on a shipping container yesterday. They’ve traced the ship to Yantai, China, but we need to know where the shipment actually originated.”
“Okay, send me everything you’ve got. I know someone who’s perfect for the job.”
46
Unknown Location
Republic of Korea
“What’s that?”
Nancy looked about, at what, she didn’t know, the back of the box van featureless save the camera, speaker, and two drones sitting on the floor near the door. “I think we’re inside a building?” It was a question rather than a statement, the changed sound of the engine the only evidence she had.
They came to a halt and she felt the Italian woman grab her hand, squeezing it tight. The drones suddenly activated, rising several feet.
“Miss Starling, please open the rear door and exit the vehicle. Follow the directions on the ground.”
Nancy quickly inhaled then rose. The drones moved out of her way and she bent over, twisting the handle near the floor. She yanked and the door rose with a clatter, revealing what appeared to be another warehouse, this one rather well lit, skylights flooding the structure with the midday sun.
And then there were the drones.
Dozens of them hovering within sight. She took a final glance at the others then hopped down. Arrows on the floor marked a path to her right. She followed them, her eyes glued to each arrow, terrified to leave the path, unsure of how forgiving the drones would be should she stumble. She glanced up as she approached a wall, perhaps ten feet high, it far short of the ceiling towering overhead. She noticed a door, the arrows leading to it, a standard knob its only feature.
What do I do?
Her choice seemed clear.
She turned it, pushing open the door.
And gasped.
Behind the door was a room that could be mistaken for a large loft living room. Half a dozen couches surrounded an oversized glass table, and as she stepped further inside, she noticed several fridges and freezers along one wall. A series of tables held a substantial supply of water bottles and dried goods, as well as a couple of microwaves. To the right were two portable toilets.
Everything a dozen hostages would need to take care of themselves.
She frowned.
For the long term.
When will this be over?
47
Embassy of the United States Seoul
32 Sejongno Street, Seoul, Republic of Korea
“Do you think they know I’m still in Seoul?”
Starling sat back as the teleconference with the other world leaders ended, the only person he trusted at the moment, the only man
who knew the truth, Red, standing outside of camera shot.
“If they do, they’re certainly not letting on. Everyone used secure comms, so we can’t even say for certain if they are where they say they are.”
Starling chuckled. “Good point.” He sighed. “I met Mrs. Cheng several times. Very nice lady. Very formal, very reserved, as you’d expect, but Melanie said when the cameras were off and they were alone, she was a delight. Good sense of humor and surprisingly well-versed in Western culture.” He stared at a photo his staff had brought to the office of his once happy—and complete—family. He felt his eyes begin to burn. “Is this a message?”
“Sir?”
“Killing her, was this a message to me that if I don’t cooperate, more will die?”
“I think she was always meant to die, sir.”
“How can we be certain?”
“We wondered why they didn’t just leave her with the bus, and now we know. She had to be found. If they left her in the warehouse, we might never have. Leave her on the side of the road, she can be found and evacuated.”
Starling nodded, the explanation making sense. “But how would they know that they’d evacuate her?”
“Standard protocol for the Chinese. There was a threat in Indonesia last year and President Cheng had his wife evacuated immediately while he stayed behind to finish his business. Whoever is behind this knew that he’d do the same this time.”
Starling shook his head. “Whoever he is, he’s a madman, and like an idiot, I spewed the corporate line. We don’t negotiate with terrorists.”
“Sir, I don’t think they ever expected you to cooperate immediately. There’s no way they’d just hang up and not call back. They’ve planned way too hard for this, invested too many resources, to let negotiations break down so quickly.”
“So it is a message.”
“Yes, sir, I think it is, and it’s one that was always meant to be delivered. They knew you’d resist whatever they were going to demand of you.”
Starling frowned, leaning back in his chair. “I guess the question now is what to do about it.”
“We delay as long as we can. The more time we can buy, the more time we have to find your daughter and the others.”
Starling waved a hand at the monitors showing troop movements. “I don’t think the world has much more time. There’s so much firepower steaming and flying into this region, we’re turning what was already a powder keg into a damned explosives factory or some metaphor a hell of a lot better than that!” He threw up his hands in frustration. “This is ridiculous! Why don’t they call? If we don’t hear back soon, I’ll have to inform the other leaders what’s going on so they can stand down their forces.”
“We still have time, sir.”
“Yes, but how much? Look what just happened in the Kuril Islands between the Russians and Japanese. All it takes is one shot, and this city will never be the same. The world may never be the same.”
“We have to believe that if these people are environmentalists, they wouldn’t want that.”
Starling shook his head. “I’m having my doubts as to whether or not they are what they say they are.” He sighed. “Hell, I’m having my doubts as to whether or not they is actually a they at all. For all we know it is a damned fourteen-year-old boy in his mom’s basement in Texas.” He glanced at the screens, the Seventh Fleet getting close. “Order our ships to slow down, that might buy us some time.”
“We can’t, sir. It could be interpreted by the hostage takers as a violation of their terms.”
He closed his eyes, nodding slowly. The operator was right. And Starling wasn’t thinking straight. The jetlag combined with the long hours of meetings had left him ill-prepared for this situation.
And he was making mistakes.
Mistakes that could cost him the last thing he loved in this world.
He looked at Red. “They’re forcing me into an impossible choice. War or my daughter’s life.”
Red agreed. “That might be why they haven’t called back yet.”
“Why? They want war?”
“Perhaps. More likely, they want to build the tensions with North Korea to the point where you can’t refuse any of their demands. My prediction is that when they call back, they’ll want their demands, whatever they are, met completely and quickly, and you’ll be inclined to agree so you can stand down our forces and de-escalate the situation.”
Starling nodded, thankful someone was thinking straight. “Let’s hope that whatever their demands are, they’re ones I can actually agree to.” He stared out the window at the city of millions, their lives in so many hands other than their own, oblivious to how close they could be to annihilation.
Please call back!
48
Operations Center 1
CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia
“Sir, we’ve identified the weapon.”
Leroux turned to Tong. “What is it?”
“It’s a Riker WX .40 caliber pistol.”
Leroux’s eyes narrowed. “Never heard of it.”
Tong motioned toward the displays, images of the weapon appearing. It looked to be a standard semiautomatic handgun, though the grip seemed slightly different. “Not surprising. It was a prototype weapon under development by Riker Defensive Systems. The Secret Service was the potential initial buyer. The grip can read the user’s palm print, which isn’t anything new, but this one also had the ability to be remotely deactivated in the event an agent went rogue like when President Bridges was assassinated. With this design, the thinking was that a signal could be sent to disable a single weapon or all of them in an emergency situation.”
A burst of air erupted from Child’s station. “Christ, I can see problems with that!”
Tong agreed. “Apparently the Secret Service thought so too. They were about to take delivery on several thousand of them when it was discovered the test results had been faked. Apparently the electronic triggers were hackable so the entire program was put on the backburner.”
“Huh. Electronic trigger? I guess that’s why they’re being used on the drones.” Leroux stepped toward the screen, side-by-side photos displayed of the prototype weapon, along with the weapon taken from one of the drones. There was no doubt they were the identical gun. “So the backburner is apparently drones in South Korea.”
“Yeah, but that’s not the only place they showed up.”
Leroux turned to Tong. “Where else?”
“The Ukraine.”
“What?”
“Apparently hundreds of them started showing up on the black market. Riker’s headquarters were raided and they found the records showing the destruction of the prototypes were actually faked. The President issued an order terminating all contracts with Riker. It bankrupted them.”
Leroux eased into his seat, still staring at the weapon. “How many are we dealing with?”
“The initial production run was two thousand weapons.”
“Huh.” He looked at the others, a slight smile breaking out. “Is anyone else smelling what I’m smelling?”
Child spun in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. “You mean motive?”
“Yup.”
49
Gangnam District
Seoul, Republic of Korea
“Do we know if he’s in there?”
Kim nodded. “We’ve got a single heat signature on the top floor. It looks like we might get lucky.”
Niner wasn’t so sure. If this person was involved, the level of sophistication shown so far suggested they might not be going up against just one enemy. Certainly a single human, but how many drones might be protecting him?
Yet he wasn’t in charge. This was a South Korean operation, Kim was the lead, and they seemed eager to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, even if it meant taking risks with only a team of four.
“Perhaps we should wait for backup. I can call in some of my guys.”
She shook her head. “No time. And it�
�s not necessary. He’s just one man. We can handle it.”
“Then at least let us join you.”
She eyed him for a moment. “Very well.” She quickly strode away as the last of the other residents of the three-story apartment building evacuated.
Niner shook his head, appreciating her departure. “Man, I’d fight her on this if she wasn’t so damned hot.”
“Huh? You think she’s hot?”
Niner stared at Jimmy. “What, you don’t?”
“Well, yeah, of course I do, but I thought you were gay.”
Niner’s head dropped, his eyes staring up in shock at his best friend. “What! What the hell made you think that?”
Jimmy shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe the fact you’re always slappin’ and grabbin’ asses, commenting on everyone’s Johnson, and telling Atlas how sexy he is.”
Niner stared at his friend in horror. “Does everyone think this?”
Another shrug. “Probably.”
“Jesus! I think I’m going to have to have a serious discussion with you painfully misinformed bastards when we get back.”
Jimmy grinned. “Atlas will just say you’re in denial.”
“Un-huh. Well, I like the ladies, not the laddies.” He dropped his voice, giving his best Seinfeld impression. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
“Huh, I always pictured you as more of a Kramer.”
Niner frowned. “And I pictured you as more of an Elaine.”
“See, there’s that whole gender identity confusion again.”
“Oy! I can’t win.”
“Now you’re Jewish?”
“How many Korean Jews do you know?”
“None until right now.”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
Jimmy grinned. “Immensely.”
“So that whole thinking I was gay thing was just a joke?”
Jimmy shook his head. “Oh no, we all think you’re gay, but I don’t think anyone believes you’re Jewish.”
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