by Judith Lucci
Jeff Bodine stood and said, "Dr. Charmaine, I'm Jeff Bodine, FBI SAC and I am in charge of counter terrorism and ground operations here in New Orleans for the next few days. Do you consider this biological threat to be a weapon of mass destruction?"
Yvette didn't hesitate. "Absolutely. Yes, Mr. Bridges, it certainly could be a WMD. The potential is there. We’ve admitted 15 cases in less than eight hours and that number could double or triple in the next eight to 12 hours. We don't know the source, although I am sure you know that one of the victims was a political aide staying at the Hotel Burgundy and another casualty was in food service at the Hotel Burgundy. Based on the fact that many of the guests at the Hotel Burgundy are either members of the United States government or their assistants, we cannot rule out biological terrorism as a weapon of mass destruction."
"And when will you identify the virus?" This question came from a very irate Mayor Devries.
Alex wanted to close her eyes and mentally escape each time she heard the Mayor's whiny, nasal voice. She looked over at Jack and their eyes met. Alex knew exactly what was on the Commander's mind and how much he wanted to hurt Devries.
Yvette answered him directly with composure in her voice. "As soon as we can, Mr. Mayor. We have the best minds at the CDC working on it. As I have tried to explain, this virus is not one that we can identify from known viruses so we are going to need to run more tests and take more time. The virus is not acting like anything we know or anything we have currently identified. It is an arduous and difficult process."
Robert intervened, “Dr. Charmaine, could you let us know how you are testing for the virus?”
Alex knew Robert was highlighting the integrity of the work of Yvette and the CDC crew. She gave him a grateful smile.
“Of course, Dr. Bonnet. In addition to the routine, classical techniques for virus isolation such as cell tissue cultures and examination by electron microscopy, we are also using serologic testing, histopathologic and IHC assays, PCR; and sequences as well as metagenomics. Metagenomics allows for the isolation of microorganisms without the need to isolate and culture pathogens, thus saving us a great deal of time. Trust me, the best scientific knowledge in the world is being employed here by the CDC in an effort to identify and isolate this virus or viruses.”
“Thank you, Dr. Charmaine. We appreciate you and your team’s work on this.” Robert gave Yvette a warm smile.
The Mayor sighed heavily, shrugged his shoulders, turned to his aide and whispered loudly.
Alex could hear the word 'incompetent' on her side of the table. She thought she was going to have to restrain Jack. She could feel the anger rolling from his enormous body. She couldn't blame him for his intense dislike for Mayor Devries. Devries was an idiot. How in the world did he become Mayor of New Orleans? Of course she knew how. It was because he was an idiot and could be bought and sold to the highest corrupt bidder. Boy, she missed Virginia politics. They were a little scandalous sometimes, but nothing like this. She'd be glad when this meeting was over. She refocused her attention on Agent Stoner.
Stoner stood and stared down at the Mayor until Devries turned his head. "Are there any other questions for Dr. Charmaine.” Stoner continued to stare at the Mayor, his eyes smoldering. It was as if he dared Devries to open his mouth. Devries didn't and Stoner continued, "We need to move on. Commissioner Ted Scott, NOPD, please come forward.”
Alex had to admire Jack's boss. He was a tall man, heavy set, with a broad, deeply-lined face, dark hair and a square jaw. He looked like the proverbial all-American jock. Commissioner Scott was highly regarded in the city. Under his tenure as Police Commissioner, he had decreased police corruption and cleaned up the murder and assault statistics in New Orleans and most of City Hall loved him except for the notable dislike of the Mayor. Scott didn't buckle for him. Alex imagined that Ted handled Devries better than Jack, who actually didn't handle him at all. He simply ignored and avoided him in typical Jack Francoise avoidance style. She shook her head as she thought about Jack's antics and the hundreds of people over the years who had tried to bully him into submission. Nothing had worked. Jack was Jack and if he liked and respected you, things would always be OK. If he didn't, well, you'd best watch out. He was not an enemy to be ignored. Hence his nickname, “Get back Jack”.
As Commissioner Scott shook hands with Stoner, Alex continued to inspect the group around the conference table. Standing guard at the door was a young NOPD officer of Middle Eastern descent. He was standing at attention, his hands behind him, but Alex believed he was intently listening to everything. She noticed his eyes flicker from one speaker to another. As Ted began to speak, she dismissed the young man from her mind.
"The Secret Service has asked me to update you on the murder of a young Congressman this morning in the French Quarter. He has been identified as Congressman Ben Blankenship of Arizona. He was last seen alive at Café Du Monde around mid-morning reading a newspaper and drinking coffee. He was found dead in the Quarter around noon. No witnesses remember him being approached at the café or seeing him leave. His death occurred in the same manner as that of Senator Beau LaMont of Louisiana and Hunter Hayes, an employee of the Democratic Party. Both were murdered in the Quarter several months ago."
FBI Agent Jeff Bridges asked, "Commissioner Scott, can you be more specific? I don't think all my agents, particularly the agents from out of state, know about the deaths of LaMont and the other gentleman."
"Yes, of course." Commissioner Scott pivoted toward and addressed the group of FBI agents in the far corner and said, "All three men had their throats slit from end to end, and there was no blood at either of the crime scenes."
"Huh, no blood? How can that be? Can you be more specific, sir?" The question came from an incredulous, young agent in the back of the room.
"Yes, of course. The victims died from exsanguination. It is still questionable, but we believe, for the most part, that they were killed at another location and their bodies moved and posed in the French Quarter. We are not sure about that in Congressman's Blankenship's case yet. Forensics is working on it. There was minimal blood at the scene but we haven't established whether he was killed in the Quarter or not. He is currently being autopsied."
Ted noted the uncertainty on several of the men's faces. He continued, "We believe someone took their blood. We don't know why but there have been other recent murders that are similar."
Jeff Bodine broke in, "It is a serial killer, but we have to be certain the crimes are not politically motivated. We've lost three politicians here in New Orleans in the past two months and we expect several hundred more politicians in New Orleans shortly for Operation Fix America. The murderer is a terrorist, no question."
"Yeah," Jack muttered to anyone close by. "A terrorist playing a Vampire. What a pervert."
The Mayor gave Jack a wild-eyed look and then looked back down at his notes. He didn't know what he'd do if he had a vampire loose on the streets of the Crescent City. That wouldn't bode well at all. It would certainly hurt tourism, and the city was only now beginning to recover from Katrina.
Ignoring Jack, Ted continued, "We aren't absolutely sure the virus at the hospital and the murders of the politicians are related, but we cannot take any chances. It seems highly suspect that a biological threat broke today within hours of another political murder. We cannot overlook that. Personally, my opinion is that they are related but we still lack evidence to make that assumption official."
Stoner looked at Commission Scott and said, "Agreed. It could be more than a coincidence. We must stay diligent. What’s the NOPD plan?"
"We'll have triple patrols in the French Quarters 24/7 for the next few days and as long as we need to. We'll station extra patrols near the hotels where most of the politicians are staying. The patrols will be in uniform and civilian attire. We have installed more video cameras at busy traffic intersections and heavy tourist areas. We have our SWAT teams activated to work in conjunction with the federal teams. We'll also,
at Commander Francoise's suggestion, place several undercover cops in the local clubs where the Vampire-Wanna-Be crowd hangs out...specifically Howl, Shadow Gallery, and a few others." Scott’s report was to the point.
"Why do the clubs, Jack? Isn't it better to stick to the streets," John Houser, from the LA Criminal Division queried.
Jack shook his head and stood to reply. "No man, we need to watch the clubs. The last place Senator LaMont and the staffer had partied was a Vampire Club named Howl down on Decatur. They had a charge slip in their pocket that was time-date stamped several hours before their death. Some of the people who frequent these places actually believe they're vampires and it's rumored they drink blood. Most of them are harmless kids, but at any rate, it's worth the patrolling."
Alex could swear she saw a small smile on the face of the uniformed Middle-Eastern NOPD officer. It sent a little prickle up her spine. She made a mental note to mention it to Jack.
"OK," Stoner stood up. “Any other questions for the Commissioner or the Commander?"
The room remained silent. "Good. Special Agent Bodine, you're up," Stoner gestured toward the FBI agent.
Special-Agent-in-Charge Bodine's voice was clipped and his demeanor grave as he addressed the group of law enforcement officers and Louisiana state officials. "We're treating this as a terror threat, probably an extremist Muslim group with an additional domestic terror threat when we factor in the French Quarter murders. We've been hearing internet chatter about an ‘event’ in New Orleans for quite some time so we think this is it, that the time has come."
Alex could feel the fear creeping up her spine. Was the FBI suggesting a domestic and international threat? The thoughts of a dual attack chilled her to the bone.
Bodine continued, his voice clear and his manner restrained. "Based on the recent events in Boston we have reason to believe that the terrorists are part of the emerging Russian Red Jihad which has known terrorist cells in the US, mostly on the west coast and in the northeast. We believe this threat involves several sleeper cells in the New York area as well as cells in the south, one here in New Orleans as well several others in Alabama and Mississippi. We have evidence that the Soviets, now present day Russians, have a long history of cooperation with extremist groups against the west. Since the mission of Jihad is to destroy the western way of life this is not surprising. Militants from Chechnya and Russia's explosive North Caucasus region have attacked Moscow in the past but it turns out that now the insurgency has spread to neighboring provinces with Dagestan, located between Chechnya and the Caspian Sea, the epicenter of violence in that region. Islamic militants are launching daily attacks against police and authorities. The incident in Boston is the first known attack of Russian jihadists in the US. Muslim terrorists from Russia are not a new breed, just a newer emergent threat to the United States.”
Alex was confused and raised her hand, "Agent Bodine, are you suggesting the terror threat against New Orleans is the same group that attacked Boston in May?"
Bodine didn't pause, "Yes, Ms. Destephano. We believe they are part of the same group. That's exactly what we think. Internet chatter is suggesting this and we believe it. The threat is real and it is credible. The Boston Marathon bombers were Muslims from the Russian Caucasus. They have declared war against the United States as evidenced by the events in Boston and in Washington on 9/11. Most Americans don't acknowledge that our country is at war, but trust me - there are thousands of civil servants who spend every day and night keeping us safe. The Boston bombings marked the first time the Russian conflict had spawned a major terror attack in the US. There is no reason to believe they won't attack us again."
Stoner interrupted, "Agent Bodine is correct. The US receives numerous threats from Jihadist extremists every day, threats from the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas - not to mention terrorists groups most citizens have never heard of. The threats are against US citizens, our operations abroad, such as Benghazi and other Embassies, and business interests. Of course, that includes Washington, DC, the President, and members of Congress. We believe they are using the virus as a biological weapon of mass destruction. It is possible they plan to kill people who live in New Orleans as well as some of the most powerful leaders in America. Washington and Boston are great American cities. It is logical that New Orleans would also be on the terrorist hit list."
The room was so quiet it was deafening. The enormity of what was happening stunned Alex and she thought Robert felt it too. She looked at him for comfort, but despair etched his handsome face. She reached for his hand. He gave her a brief smile and squeezed her hand back. Yvette Charmaine looked as though she had just realized her second nightmare, and even Jack appeared a little subdued by the massive amount of information they'd been given.
Jack asked grimly, "What are the plans for the FBI and Secret Service offensive?"
Bodine answered quickly, "We'll have our FBI SWAT teams in place. They are specially trained to intervene in high-risk events such as this one. The New Orleans office has 48 trained SWAT officers, but due to the potential of the threat, we may dispatch other SWAT teams from neighboring states as well as our larger FBI SWAT teams."
Bodine paused to answer a question from Yvette. "Dr. Charmaine, do you have a question?"
"Yes, I do. What is a larger SWAT team, and will any teams be available at Crescent City Medical?"
Agent Bodine responded quickly, "The FBI has teams that are known as enhanced FBI SWAT. Those elite agents are trained to assist the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team if needed. These teams are available for worldwide deployment. They are highly trained and skilled and are not unlike Army Rangers, Special Ops or Seal Teams. We will determine in a matter of hours how many of these teams will come to New Orleans."
"What do these teams do that the NOPD cannot do," whined Mayor Devries. "Our police force is very capable. We handle huge crowds during Mardi Gras and we do just fine."
Jack turned and murmured to Alex and Robert, "Holy Shit. That man is an absolute idiot. Does he really think our SWAT teams here have the same skill set as the Spec Ops guys?"
Robert gave Jack a grim smile, shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
Agent Bodine stared at the Mayor as if he didn't hear him. In fact, he wished he hadn't heard him.
Alex decided she liked Agent Bodine. She admired his style. He had to be shocked by the Mayor's behavior but he hid it well.
"I'm sorry, Mayor. What do you mean," asked Bodine with a touch of irritation in his voice. "We will be coordinating with Commissioner Scott and Commander Francoise throughout this mission. We will use every resource you have to offer and we are appreciative of all your assets."
Devries turned to Commissioner Scott and said, "Commissioner, do you think we need all of this 'outside' help? I don't!"
Alex could barely contain herself. His nasal, droning voice was making her crazy. She wanted to rip out his carotid arteries.
Alex noted Ted Scott was embarrassed and his face was flushed. He was obviously dismayed at the Mayor's question. Jack had smoke coming out of his ears as he glared at the idiot, asshole Mayor. Alex could see the tension exploding from Jack's brain. How in the world could the Mayor be so stupid? He's a real dumb ass. How embarrassing for Ted, Jack and the other city leaders who must suffer through his leadership.
Carefully choosing his words, Commissioner Scott said, "Mayor, we absolutely need everything they have suggested. We are talking about biological warfare, weapons of mass destruction and a terror threat against the leaders in Congress and the President of the United States. We need all of the help we can get, and then some." Ted's voice was firm, adamant.
Now, shut the hell up, Mr. Mayor, Alex thought to herself. She'd had more than enough of him and his stupidity.
Agent Bodine nodded in agreement with Ted Scott and added, "Let me assure you, Mayor Devries, that our agents and SWAT teams are specially trained for situations such as this. They protect dignitaries, make high-risk arrests, conduct fugitive tra
cking, operate in WMD environments, and perform site surveys for high risk, high visibility events, and sniper operations. As I said earlier, we will coordinate with the NOPD, the Louisiana State Police, and the National Guard that I understand has been called out."
The Mayor nodded and stayed silent.
Alex could see Jack relax a bit. He was as tense as a loaded sling shot ready for release, but she could see his massive biceps contract and relax through his white shirt. She could only imagine the four letter words circling through his brain.
In closing Agent Bodine added, “In addition to our ground assets, we will also make wide use of video and camera surveillance. We will have analysts trained in recognizing behavior changes, cues, and these analysts will be continually analyzing multiple camera feeds. The feeds will be coordinating with the facial recognition software, person-specific identification and crowd flux congestion analysis technology. Hopefully, we have covered all bases.”
Alex was impressed. These guys were amazing. She felt the breeze as Robert's hand raised.
"Yes, Dr. Bonnet, what can we help you with?"
Robert's voice was firm and clear. "Crescent City Medical is following all of the CDC recommendations for viral containment. We are using positive pressure personnel suits with a segregated air supply and have incorporated all HAZMAT regulations. Will the FBI be assisting us in managing the biological, viral threat?"
Stoner responded, "Yes, we will. Both Secret Service and FBI agents are trained in the management and containment of biological threats. We will have a team placed at the medical center. They will coordinate with Commander Francoise who in turn will coordinate with you and Ms. Destephano and Dr. Charmaine. Anything else?”
Stuart Tansill, the Governor's aide, spoke up. "The Governor wants to know if you want him to come to New Orleans earlier than Saturday. He has plans with the President on Saturday evening after he addresses the delegation from Congress. He has offered all of Louisiana's resources to be at your disposal."
