Secret of the Oil: Prequel to the Donavan Chronicles

by Tom Haase

  “Sorry to bother you,” he said. He had the personal telephone number of all general officers serving in the Washington D.C. area and many, both American and foreign, in various positions around the world.

  “No problem, Admiral. I wish I had some news for you. Last I knew, the reinforcements had arrived in country to support the team already there and they should be in position by now. I was just going to call to get the latest. May I call you back in a few?”

  “Of course. I await your call.”

  Mary Jean called the center. From them she learned the team under Lieutenant Commander McDonald was at the location Captain Higgins had given them. There was no one at that location according to McDonald. Puzzled, she ordered them to patch her through to McDonald.

  “General we’re at the location Matt gave us last night and there’s no one here. No friendlies and no hostiles. The helicopter that delivered us has gone back to refuel and won’t return for an hour. I’ve tried to call Matt but there was no answer.”

  “Okay, you’re stuck there for at least an hour; I’ll get back to you as soon as I get more information.”

  Mary Jean hung up, picked up her personal satellite phone, and dialed Matt. The phone rang. He did not answer. Just as she was getting ready to push the end call button, she heard Matt’s voice.

  “Hello, General. I have tried to get through to the center for an hour but no luck. I must be in a dead spot or something.”

  “Give me a situation report,” Mary Jean commanded, not believing the dead spot story but pushing ahead. There was no time to go into reprimands.

  Matt provided her a quick version of what transpired after the terrorists left the house. He provided his location and that of the team members. “In summary, General, I had no choice but to follow the terrorists as they left this morning. We would have lost them if I had obeyed the order to stay there until reinforcements arrived. We currently have them in our sight and they have split their force. We will engage them as soon as we see an opportunity.”

  Mary Jean took her time now to think this through. She could order him to stop, but he was really in hot pursuit of the most dangerous group of people in the world at that moment. She had reinforcements in the area. Getting the two teams together would be desirable, but that might prove impossible.

  “Keep after them and don’t find any more dead spots. I mean it, Captain. I’ll call you back in fifteen minutes.” Mary Jean ended the call and dialed Admiral Kidd.

  “Admiral, I just talked to Captain Higgins and he has split his team to follow a group into the city and he and Sergeant Donavan are following two cars out into the desert south of Ras Tanura. The al-Hanbali gang left the place where they stopped last night before our teams could join up. The bravo team, the one that just arrived, is at the last overnight location of the terrorist, but it’s stuck there until the helicopter can return in less than an hour from now.” Mary Jean finished the report with some anxiety showing in her voice. There were so many unknowns and she was not on the scene.

  “Sounds like the young Captain has it well in hand,” the admiral said. “I think, however, he is going to need some help. I would estimate the terrorists are about ready to set off the bomb or bombs if we are to believe the report we decrypted. I need to get on the phone to a friend in Saudi and ask for a big favor. He will not ask questions. After it’s over, I’ll owe him one.”

  “May I ask what makes you think they’re ready to act?”

  “Those people have avoided the city like the plague. That is the target. The one in the desert, according to the CD, was to contaminate the oil reserves of the Kingdom. The leader is probably in the desert. It is the safest place as a weapon going off underground is an entirely different kettle of fish than one detonated on the surface. He probably has his men taking the bomb into the city to wherever he has selected for the best place to detonate it. The Russian must have given him advice and as a former nuclear weapons officer, I can tell you the best place is as high above ground as you can get it.” The admiral was reaching into his briefcase to pull out his list of contacts in the intelligence community around the world. He found what he was looking for. “Goodbye, Mary Jean. Please keep me posted in case the National Security Advisor wakes up with nothing to do but harass the director of the NSA.”

  Mary Jean called Matt. “I’ve been advised by Admiral Kidd that the terrorists must be getting ready to act. This is the first time they have ventured into the city and it would make a perfect target. The car that went into the city is most likely the one with the large kiloton weapon we learned about from the image you forwarded, and they’ll be looking to get it as high as possible. The other one is probably going to set off the underground device. You must act as soon as you can get into a position to engage. We are running out of time. Shoot first. Stop them, Matt,” the Brigadier said.

  “Yes, ma’am. My target is turning off the road to go cross-country. I’ll call you when it is over.” Matt closed the phone. He had his orders. He contacted Bridget and relayed what the general had said.

  “Great. At least we can get them now no matter what. My guys didn’t turn off when yours did. I’m still on the main road behind the Nissan. Will keep you posted on their actions,” Bridget said.

  After making the turn onto what was a rough sandy trail, he called Peter. “The general thinks they are going to the highest point they can get to in the city. Also, she says we have to act now: they are ready, in her opinion, to detonate the bombs.”

  “If that’s the case do you want us to take them right now?” asked Peter.

  “Wait until you can do it without an open street firefight. Our orders are to take whatever action necessary to neutralize them. Time has almost run out.” Matt returned to following the trail of the gray vehicle. He slowed to keep a greater distance between them as they were both producing a cloud of dust at the current speed. This was not even a secondary road and they had no idea how long the terrorists would lead them away from the city on this desert road that now quickly became a trail as it rose and fell with the sand dunes.

  Matt looked at his watch. He had no way of knowing that al-Hanbali’s schedule called for simultaneous detonations at exactly noon. The time was now 11:45 a.m.

  CHAPTER 35

  MADJID

  11:49 A.M. – NAJIB BUILDING IN RAS TANURA, SAUDI ARABIA

  Madjid, al-Hanbali’s second-in-command, got out of the vehicle and crossed the street, followed by the other three. They had a large black container with them. The four proceeded directly into the building near where they had parked. Two of them gave the appearance of limping or walking with stiff legs. They entered the front of the building through the sliding glass doors. Just inside, a stream of cool air blew down on them. This provided a barrier to keep the oppressive heat on the outside.

  Madjid proceeded in a straight line toward the two elevators that occupied the far wall. Arriving there, he moved between the two and pushed the up button. In a few seconds, the elevator door on his right opened. The four men and their cargo entered the lift. One pushed the button for the top floor, and the elevator started its ascent. While on the way up, the three pulled out the weapons they had concealed in their pants where they had strapped them to their legs.

  As the elevator approached the top floor, Madjid said, “Get ready, kill anyone who opposes you, and get the rest to one location in the office. After that, you”—he pointed to one—“guard the elevator, no one gets off the other one and keep this one open for our exit.”

  BING. The elevator arrived. The door opened.

  Directly in front of the doors a security guard sat behind a desk. He was reading the newspaper and took a few seconds to finish the paragraph. He started to lower the paper, to view these new arrivals to the company’s private floor.

  Mr. Yasir controlled the trading company where the guard sat. The owner bought, traded, and sold rare pieces of antiquity, jewelry, and sometimes, art. The company had only three employees. The guard sat at
the desk due to Mr. Yasir being a cousin who was repaying a favor because the guard occasionally gave Mr. Yasir a tip on where he might look for certain things. The guard’s father had a job at the Ministry of Antiquities and that sometimes paid off. At the present time, there were no valuables in the office, even though on occasion priceless pieces passed through the office.

  As the guard looked up at the men getting off the elevator, he placed the newspaper on the desk and prepared to greet the expected visitors. Looking at them, he stared with wide-eyed amazement at the three men pointing guns at his face and froze, seeming baffled. He started to react, slowly inching his right hand down for his gun. His arm had not moved more than two inches toward the holstered weapon when Madjid put the first bullet in his head from the silenced 9 mm. He put the second one into the man’s heart. He had learned to do this from his now departed friend Abdul, of blessed memory, who had died in the American bombing of a house in Baghdad.

  They rushed past the guard’s desk and into the main office area, which was cut off from viewing the elevator doors by a head-high partition. The first person on the other side of the flimsy barrier looked up in surprise, which turned to fear as soon as he saw the weapons.

  Madjid signaled for the secretary to raise his hands. The man complied. The other attacker went and rounded up two more hostages.

  “Bind them,” Madjid ordered one of his men. “You guard these.” He said to the other, “If any opens his mouth…”

  While one acted as a guard, the other two started to bind the hostages, while Madjid grabbed the container and entered the main office on the floor alone. As he opened the door, his eyes went immediately to the panoramic view of the city and of the harbor, displayed behind the man sitting at the desk. It was a magnificent view, highlighting the beauty of the city and the majesty of the ocean in the background. Large oil tankers dotted the placid water out to the limit of his vision.

  The man behind the desk looked up. He wore a blue Western-style business suit and didn’t show any surprise, but displayed a blank face. He did not make any move; he could see the weapon in the hand of the man stepping toward his desk. Al-Hanbali had called ahead to Mr. Yasir and told him to expect a visit from the son of his old friend, Ibrahim al-Hanbali. This man in front of him now was not Tewfik.

  “May I help you?” Mr. Yasir said.

  “Shut up and don’t move,” Madjid ordered.

  He put the gun away, picked up the container and moved further into the room. The case made a thud as he placed it onto the desktop.

  “This is the present from Mr. Al-Hanbali.” He again withdrew his weapon and signaled for the man to get up and to proceed before him out of the office. Madjid followed, keeping his weapon pointed at the center of Yasir’s back.

  Now, the terrorists had all the hostages on the floor in one place. They finished binding them, with duct tape holding both hands behind their backs and securing their ankles. Madjid looked around the partition to check on his guard. He was standing in front of the elevators with his weapon pointed at its doors and he had blocked open the door on the elevator they had used. Turning back, he surveyed the room with the hostages and deemed all in order. He reentered the main office.

  His watch indicated 11:56 a.m.

  CHAPTER 36

  BRAVO TEAM

  11:35 A.M. – OUTSIDE RAS TANURA

  Lieutenant Commander Glenwood McDonald paced, stomped, and shouted curses at the phone. He could not get through to the general. All the information he could get from center was that she somehow got through to Matt. Finally, he gave up and closed the phone.

  “Damn, I have to get to the city and intercept them. I’m not going to let those bastards slip through my fingers. I’m closing in and I’ll be in command of this operation on the ground. This is a once in a lifetime chance,” he was mumbling this.

  His gunnery sergeant approached and interrupted his train of thoughts. “Sir, the helicopter is returning early. They should be here in ten minutes.”

  “Thanks, gunny. Get the men ready to go.”

  McDonald again dialed the number for the center. He finally got through to the general. She gave him the latest information she had on Matt’s team.

  “I want you to proceed to join up with Matt as soon as he gets to a location. He’ll send you the information. There’s no use in trying to go while he’s traveling on the highway. As soon as he stops, he’ll call you with his location.”

  “In the meantime, I’ll get my men on the chopper and get airborne. We’ll get there quicker if we’re heading in the general direction rather than sitting here on a deserted hill. I’ll try to contact him before we lift off,” McDonald said.

  “Okay. Call me when you’re airborne.”

  Mary Jean picked up the satellite phone and dialed Matt. He answered on the first ring.

  “Where are you?”

  Matt gave her the GPS coordinates of his position. “General, I’m on the move right now, following the car that I believe the leader is using. I’ve no idea at present where we’re going. I’ll let you know when he stops.”

  Mary Jean called McDonald and warned him that Matt and the terrorists were on the move. She gave him a location and warned that was not Matt’s final position, but the position he had given her a few minutes ago while he was on the move.

  Glenwood decided to head for the area Matt had given and at least that way he would be in a position to reach Matt’s final position in less time than if he remained in his current location. He wondered if Matt was reporting accurately or just being devious enough to ensure that he kept sole command of the operation.

  * * * *

  At that exact moment, the car in front of Matt pulled to a stop beside an old abandoned derrick. Matt stopped his car and looked around. Then he backed up off the path, to take advantage of a rise in the sand dune on the left side of the road. This hid his car from view if the terrorists looked back.

  Grabbing his binoculars, Matt started to ascend the small hill to get a better look. He took his pistol, radio gear, and satellite phone, plus a canteen of water. At the top of the rise, he made sure that he did not break the skyline. He crawled the last few feet to the top and looked over.

  The two targets were taking a container out of their car and unpacking it near the old derrick. To be able to see it better, Matt decided to move closer. He knew that it would take a few minutes. He radioed Bridget.

  “What is your position?”

  “I followed the other vehicle. They’re now slowing down and turning off the road into a fueling station about two miles from where you turned off. There are a lot of people at this gas station. They are parking away from the building and appear to be getting ready to wait. I can’t see anything with all these people around.”

  “Okay. I think the action is going to be here. Get back here. I’m going to move in closer on these guys and see what they are doing. Maybe I can take them out.”

  “Wait for me if you can. ETA five,” concluded Bridget looking at the watch and seeing 11:52 a.m. She would be with him in five minutes or less. She had to be there to help him if he needed it. Perhaps she needed to be there for other reasons.

  Stop it, she told herself.

  Matt checked his weapon and then moved forward to observe the activity at a closer range. He did not have a sniper rifle with him. He would have to low crawl to the top of the dune and that meant he would have to get close enough to use his pistol. He wanted to see them up close and personal after all this time.

  He crawled carefully to within about fifty meters of the abandoned derrick. There was only one more dune between him and the two terrorists. He decided that if he could get over this hill he could get on their blind spot, providing him with an unobstructed view of what they were doing. He used binoculars for a few moments to observe the activity at the old well. One man was lowering cables into the derrick’s cavity. Matt assumed the load on the end of the cable was the atomic weapon. The other man was leading wires back from
the hole to a small shed next to their parked vehicle.

  Matt put his binoculars down and started to crawl over the crest of the hill. As he was doing this, he failed to see the one who had finished lowering the cables, had turned around and at that moment had picked up a reflection from his binoculars. As he rolled over the top of the hill, he heard the crack of a weapon. A bullet hit him on his right side. The bullet threw him back, and he rolled to the bottom of the hill. Damn, he didn’t know they could shoot that good.

  The pain raced through his chest. The bullet had knocked the wind out of his lungs, and he was lying still, facedown. He heard someone approaching; his brain was racing to make a decision on what to do, but his body told him not to move. He was trapped. The pain abated and his breath started to return. Careful not to move his head, he rotated his eyes.

  Footsteps approached. The man was trotting fast across the sand. He could certainly see Matt lying on the ground with his legs spread out and facedown. The shooter approached to within three feet of his prone body. It was 11:57 a.m. Three minutes until Tewfik al-Hanbali planned to detonate two atomic weapons.

  The terrorists raised the pistol and pointed it directly at Matt’s head.

  CHAPTER 37

  DOWNTOWN RAS TANURA

  29 OCTOBER – 11:47 A.M.

  In the center of the city, the ST-1 members trailed the terrorist vehicle. They had been circling a large grid of city blocks for some time.

  “Hey, man,” Lucien said, “you see how the captain and Bridget seem to be getting tight? I mean I’d like to get tight with her.”

  “You don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell,” Gary said. “I tried to move on her once and she scared the shit out of me. Said something about another guy took advantage of her and she’d kill the next person who tried. I reckon you could get real dead trying her on. I’m not shitting you. She took me on like a wild tiger. I left on the run.” He finished and pointed at the car they were trailing.