by M. Z. Kelly
The man backed away from the workbench and mopped his brow. “It will all happen as you want, providing my daughter is safe.”
“She’ll be released at noon, as long as you do what’s expected.”
The man shook his head. “I want to talk to her.”
“There’s no time. You need to finish the job.”
Kendra’s father folded his arms. “No. I won’t continue until I talk to Kendra.”
Caine exhaled, a vein pulsing in his forehead. He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. After a brief conversation with someone, he handed the phone to Kendra’s father. Lindsay listened as the man broke down, telling his daughter that he loved her.
Caine snatched the phone away from him and said, “Get back to work.”
While Kendra’s father worked, Caine came over to her. Lindsay shrank back from him as he sat next to her and said, “It won’t be long now.”
She refused to look at him but asked the question that had consumed her thoughts. “What happens after...?” She sighed. “After the bomb goes off.”
“We leave, providing your sister keeps her part of the bargain.”
She finally looked at the monster who held her captive. “I know my sister. She’s not going to help you.”
Caine’s dark eyes fixed on her. “Really?”
She nodded, not breaking eye contact with him.
“That would be a very unfortunate circumstance for you. I do hope you’re wrong.”
The next hour seemed to drag by, as Kendra’s father continued his preparations. It was just before noon when he said to Caine, “We’re ready. Everything is a go.”
Caine walked over to the workbench. “You’re sure?”
A nod. “I suggest we move quickly. The timer is set.”
Lindsay watched as the two men lifted the device from the workbench, putting it into a cart.
“What about the guidance system?” Caine asked him.
“It’s automatic. Once it’s launched, it will fly directly over the capitol building.”
Lindsay watched as Caine rolled the cart to the stairway. Before leaving, he turned back to her and said, “I’ll be back shortly.” He chuckled. “Be sure you don’t go anywhere.”
In that moment when Caine and Kendra’s father had moved the bomb into the cart, Lindsay realized exactly what was going to happen. A nuclear device was going to kill the president and everyone at the inauguration.
And it was being delivered by a drone.
FORTY-SIX
When Caine’s call to me ended, I stood in stunned silence for a full minute, reliving the terrorist’s words.
This is a dialogue. The Capitol will be vaporized. I want safe passage.
I loved my sister and would do almost anything for her, but this was a life and death situation involving thousands of people. I called Joe over and told him about the call.
“What do you think he meant by ‘safe passage?’”
“All I can figure is that after the blast he’s going to contact me and ask for help getting out of the city.”
“And Lindsay?”
I sighed. “I think her life is in the balance. If I don’t cooperate, he’ll kill her.”
We’ll see about that. Let’s tell Waters what’s happening and take things from there.”
After Waters and Logan responded to our location, I filled them in. Waters checked his watch. “We’ve got less than ten minutes before the inauguration begins. I’ve made arrangements for us to watch from a distance, using special monitors. Let’s just pray that Caine is bluffing.”
As we drove the two blocks to the temporary command post, Logan gave us his thoughts. “Caine isn’t someone who bluffs. We need to prepare for the worst.”
“What do you think he meant by ‘safe passage?’” I asked.
“The city will be in complete chaos after the blast, he’s probably hoping that will work to his advantage. Maybe he’s going to call and ask you for a way around the roadblocks.”
I sighed. “He’s got to know I can’t do that.”
Logan levelled his blue eyes on me. “He’s betting on love over duty.” He lowered his voice. “I’m sorry. It’s a hell of a position to be in.”
When Joe and I arrived at the portable command center with Waters and Logan, we saw that it was filled with TV monitors and specialized equipment. We realized that the center was in direct contact with field agents posted around the city. We watched as the TV stations showed president-elect Tatum and his wife leaving the morning’s church services at St. John’s Episcopal Church and make their way to the Capitol. The reporters estimated that the crowd on the Washington Mall at close to a hundred thousand people, even with the threats to the city. They showed interviews of some of the attendees saying that a democracy operates freely and in the open, and that they wouldn’t be intimidated by terrorist threats. The former president greeted Tatum and his wife, before the president-elect made his way to the platform to be sworn in. I held my breath and said a prayer, for both those in attendance and my sister.
The crowd stood and grew quiet as Tatum moved forward and the Chief Justice of the United States asked him to raise his right hand. The president-elect had just stated his name, when there was a disruption in the proceedings. He and the Chief Justice looked toward the sky, along with those in attendance.
Joe was the first to say what was happening. “It’s a drone. It’s flying directly over the capitol building.”
The crowd also became aware that something was wrong. There was shouting, and a roar rose up from the spectators, stopping the proceedings. Seconds later, the crowd all moved back at once, beginning a mass stampede for the exits.
The drone moved lower, hovering over the capitol building, and heading toward the inauguration platform. We heard a swooshing sound, followed by a sudden blast as the drone exploded in mid-air above the Capitol.
I was in a state of shock, trying to process what was happening. All I know for sure was one thing: Nathan Caine had made good on his promise.
FORTY-SEVEN
“What the fuck just happened?” Caine screamed at Ted Hollister.
The men were back in the underground bunker where Lindsay was being held. They had a TV monitor on the workbench and had been watching the inauguration proceedings. Lindsay couldn’t see exactly what had happened, but she knew from Caine’s reaction something had gone wrong.
“I’m not sure how they did it, but our drone was just shot down,” Hollister said. “It looks like some kind of high energy burst was used.”
Caine moved closer to Hollister, grabbing him by his shirt. “But the bomb didn’t explode. Why is that?”
The scientist broke into a sweat, his voice pitching higher. “I don’t know. Something must have gone wrong with the timing mechanism when it was shot down.”
“Bullshit! You sabotaged it, didn’t you?”
Hollister began to cry. “There were thousands of people there. I couldn’t...”
Caine pulled out a gun and brought it up to the crying man’s head, silencing him. “You just killed yourself and your daughter.” He fired a single round, instantly killing the scientist.
Lindsay shrank back as Caine vented his frustration by smashing the TV monitor and pushing the equipment off the workstation. She held her breath, as the terrorist came over to her.
“I suppose you saw what happened,” Caine said.
Lindsay nodded, but kept quiet. She watched as the terrorist drew in a couple heavy breaths, trying to compose himself.
“You asked me before why you were taken,” Caine finally said. He brought out his phone. “Now you’re going to find out. Call your sister.”
“What...? What do you want me to say?” Lindsay asked, trembling as she took the phone.
“Tell her she has one chance to save your life.”
FORTY-EIGHT
“Why didn’t the bomb go off?” I asked Stan Waters.
Despite the drone not detonating its nuclear cargo, the rep
orters were saying dozens of people had been trampled in the panic. The president-elect had been rushed to a secure location, where, we were told, the swearing-in process had been completed.
Waters finished up his phone call. “The military tracked the drone from a location about two miles from the Capitol and took it down with their Athena ground-based laser system. I have the point of origin. Let’s move.”
As we scrambled to a car, Joe repeated my question. “Why the hell didn’t the thing explode?”
Logan answered. “It had to be some kind of malfunction. The laser wouldn’t be able to stop a nuclear detonation.”
Whatever the reason, I was grateful that the bomb hadn’t detonated. My thoughts were about Lindsay as we pulled up in front of a warehouse building.
“The drone took off from the roof of this building,” Waters said. “Let’s check it out and set up a perimeter.”
We were joined by both the military and FBI SWAT teams as we checked the roof and then made our way into the basement of the building. After checking the basement, we realized there was a hidden passageway that led to a lower level bunker.
Even before the teams pried open the door to the bunker, we knew that’s where the bomb had been assembled. NEST teams had detected low-level radiation after making their way down to the lower level of the structure.
“One down,” Logan said, as we checked the underground bunker.
Waters came over. “It’s Ted Hollister. Apparently, Caine wasn’t happy with his work.”
“Maybe he prevented the detonation,” Joe suggested.
“Maybe.”
We took a couple minutes to look through the room, but found nothing that gave us any idea about Caine’s whereabouts.
Logan asked the question that was probably on everyone’s mind. “How the hell did our teams miss this?”
Waters gave us his best guess. “It looks like the room has been lined with lead, maybe other materials. The question now is, where is Caine?”
My pulse quickened as my phone rang. I went back up the stairway with Joe as I answered it. My anxiety spiked higher when I heard Lindsay’s voice.
“We’re on top of One Franklin Square, Kate. Our helicopter will be lifting off in two minutes. Caine wants your guarantee it won’t be shot down.”
Stan Waters had come upstairs and listened in on the phone call that I’d put on speaker. I mouthed the words What do I say?
Waters’ voice was a whisper. “Tell her we agree. They can lift off.”
I did as he said, then said to Lindsay. “Are you okay?”
My sister’s voice was weak as she answered. “For now. I love you, Kate.”
I returned the sentiment, my eyes filling with tears as the line went dead.
“What happens now?” I asked Waters.
Waters was already on his phone. The orders he gave, to whomever he’d called, struck at the center of my being, filling me with despair. “They’re in a chopper, lifting off from One Franklin Square. Shoot it down. NOW!”
FORTY-NINE
“Is there anything we can do besides shooting the damn thing down?” Joe asked, seeing my obvious distress, after Stan Waters ended his call.
“Sorry.” Waters looked at me. “This is a lethal force situation. We can’t risk Caine escaping.”
We all piled into a car and made our way across the city. Maybe it was Caine’s way of sending us another message. We learned that One Franklin Square housed the Washington Post. The building was about two miles from the Capitol. We took side streets, trying to avoid the congested crowds trying to leave the city. Along the way, Waters updated us on events at the inauguration.
“We have word there were dozens of casualties and several injuries in the rush to leave the Mall. The President is safe and has been sworn in.”
“Whoop-de-doo,” Logan said. “Great way to start your term: mass casualties, the city under siege, a terrorist trying to make a getaway.”
While he spoke, I hit redial on my phone, praying I could get Lindsay back on the line. Caine had been using burner phones to contact me. His phone rang but went unanswered.
“Anything?” Joe asked me.
I shook my head. “He’s probably already tossed the phone.”
We were passing Lafayette Square when we saw a streak of light and an explosion a few blocks ahead of us. My spirits sank as I saw a helicopter on the horizon, spinning wildly out of control. It went down and exploded in a nearby parking lot.
“There can’t be any survivors,” I said to Joe, slumping against his shoulder.
“Let’s not give up hope until we know for sure.”
We pulled to the curb about a block up from the smoking wreckage. The fire department was on the scene shortly after we arrived and worked on putting out the flames. The fire was so intense that it was impossible to get anywhere near the burning chopper.
Logan came over to me. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” His blue eyes held on the smoking ruins. “I feel like I personally failed your sister.”
I brushed the tears from my eyes. “It’s not your fault.”
The truth was I felt like everything that had happened was my fault. Lindsay had been in witness protection because she’d tried to help me by stopping the Swarm once before. We had failed her, and I personally felt like I should have found another way to deal with Caine and keep her safe.
Waters had gone over and talked to the firemen and a couple of his staff. He then came back over to me, Joe, and Logan.
“I guess I have some good news,” he said.
“What’s going on?” Joe demanded.
“There’s only one body in the chopper. It looks like a younger male, but we’ll have to wait until the forensic people get here and examine everything.”
“What about my sister and Caine?” I said.
He looked at the burning wreckage. “I don’t know.”
I walked away, trying to make sense of things when my phone rang. As I answered it, I didn’t recognize the number.
“Thanks for the help,” I heard Nathan Caine say.
“Where is my sister?”
A laugh. “She’s right next to me. Maybe you want to say hello.”
“Lindsay?” I called out, desperate to hear her voice.
“I’m here,” I heard her say. “We’re on the road...”
The line went dead. I called out to her several times but didn’t get a response. I sighed and put my phone away as Joe came over to me.
“What is it?”
“Caine,” I said, looking over at the smoking pile of metal. “This was a diversion. He’s headed out of the city. And he’s got Lindsay.”
FIFTY
“It turns out the drone Caine used was an LRS-B,” Stan Waters told Joe, Logan, and me the next day. “It’s a military Combat Aerial Vehicle, specially designed to carry explosives.”
“How would Caine get his hands on something like that?” Joe asked. His arm was still in a sling, but he said his pain was better, something I wasn’t entirely convinced of.
“We’re looking into it, but, so far, we can’t tie the drone to anyone in the military. We did get word that the timer on the nuclear device was set to recycle before it counted down to zero. It looks like Hollister purposely disabled it.”
“What about his daughter?” I asked. “Any word?”
He nodded slowly. “A girl’s body was found on the side of a road near Laurel, Maryland. We don’t have positive confirmation yet, but we think it could be her.”
I felt empty inside, just thinking about what Ted Hollister had done. He had saved thousands of lives, but it had cost him his life and probably that of his daughter.
“Somebody in the military has to be dirty,” Logan said, going back to the drone used in the attempted attack on the city. “It’s just a matter of time until we find a link to Caine.”
“Where do you think Caine went?” I asked, still feeling depressed over yesterday’s events.
“Underground,
” Joe said. “It’s where snakes go to hide.”
“I can’t disagree,” Waters said. “He’s no doubt gone to ground and is regrouping. I think there’s probably others who are helping him.”
“The big rat is the new leader of the Swarm,” Logan said. “He’s probably also got thousands of followers at his disposal.”
“Do you think he’ll try to detonate another bomb?” I asked.
Waters answered. “Doubtful. The experts don’t think he has any more plutonium, so he’ll have to go to Plan B.”
“What’s that?”
He shrugged. “Time will tell.”
“And the guy who was in the helicopter?” Joe asked. “Do we have an ID on the body?”
“Not yet. It could be a member of the Swarm, or even someone Caine set up to take the fall that had no connection to him.”
Waters looked at us. “We’ve got some mop-up here, but, unless we catch a lucky break, you’ll probably be released to go back to your regular duties.” He looked at me. “I want you to stay in touch, let me know if you hear anything, even rumors, about your sister’s whereabouts.”
I nodded. “You’ll be my first call.”
After Waters went over to talk to one of his subordinates, Joe asked Logan about his plans.
“Back to Rocky Point. I need to make sure Fred’s staying out of trouble, and Carlito finished the work he promised.” He smiled. “There’s also a certain señorita who wants to discuss world affairs.”
Joe looked at me. “Affairs, huh?” He said to Logan. “Stay in touch. Maybe we can throw a line in the water one of these days.”
Logan nodded. “I can personally vouch for the benefits of retirement.”
After Logan said goodbye to us, Joe and I took a walk. We stopped at a small park near the FBI building and took a seat on a bench. After some small talk, the topic went back to his retirement. “How soon do you think you’ll pull the plug?” I asked.
He rubbed his arm through the sling. “I made a promise to you to find Lindsay. I plan to honor that, then...” He smiled. “We’ll see how the timing works out. There’s still that offer pending for you to come spend some time at my place.”
