Face of the Earth

by Doug Raber

  The message came in after five o’clock on Friday, so Cummings figured it could wait until Monday. Unless it was something important. In that case, the plumber would surely call Parsons at home.

  * * *

  Chapter 28

  Sarah and Jake

  First there were just 20 sick people—all in Oklahoma. Two weeks later, there were thousands, spread across many states. Three months after that, 1 million people in 25 states were dead. Those were the results of ‘Dark Winter,’ a government-sponsored exercise conducted last summer, in which researchers simulated a smallpox attack on Oklahoma City.

  —New York Times, 2001‡

  Day 31: Skyhawk

  “Let’s move out. I want to be airborne before sunset.” Alvin waved Sarah and Jake to the door, turned off the light, and followed them outside.

  “I was wondering, Alvin. Do we need to go through a security check? Because Jake sort of lost his wallet, and …”

  “Don’t have to do that here. They’ve been pushing for new rules, but my plane is way under the limit. It only weighs 2,300 pounds, even with the fuel tanks full.” With that explanation, he pointed at a dilapidated panel truck that was idling at the side of the building. “Jimmy will give us a ride over to the plane.”

  No further introductions nor explanations were offered, and Jimmy drove them to a single-engine aircraft on the tarmac near the runway. Alvin directed his passengers into the small plane’s cramped seating. “If you two aren’t friends yet, you will be by the time we get to where we’re going. The cabin’s only 42 inches wide.” Sarah and Jake watched the truck drive off as Alvin closed the hatch and started the engine.

  Alvin turned and offered each of his passengers a set of headphones. “Nothing fancy. They’re just to cover your ears and make it quieter. We’ll make it to our first stop in Wakeeney, Kansas, by about 9:00 p.m. That’s Central time.”

  Alvin pulled the plane onto the runway after a short radio exchange with somebody. Without further communication, they were airborne. The distant mountains were majestic, and they looked huge. Alvin had said the plane could fly above the mountains, but Sarah hoped he would go around them instead. She looked at Jake and tried to smile, but his response looked more like a grimace. She reached over and held his hand, then put her head on his shoulder. She was asleep before the plane had reached its cruising altitude, and Jake nodded off shortly afterward.

  Alvin flew north of the Colorado-New Mexico line, hugging the southern edge of the San Juan Mountains. Staying below the rugged peaks to their north minimized their radar visibility, and Alvin didn’t want to fly above 10,000 feet without oxygen supplies. About 100 miles to the east of Farmington, he turned the plane briefly to the southeast and then east again, to skirt the last of the big mountains. An hour and a half later, all the mountains were behind them, and Alvin dropped the plane even lower as they began crossing the Great Plains. There was no unexpected radio traffic and no weather to worry them. It was an easy flight.

  Sarah and Jake awoke as the plane was making its approach into the Trego-Wakeeney Airport. They could see the runway lights, and they watched as the ground came closer and closer until, finally, the plane touched down gently and settled in after only one light bounce. Alvin taxied to the far end of the runway and opened the plane’s single door. He climbed out and motioned for Jake and Sarah to follow.

  “See those lights? That’s Interstate 70. Walk around the truck stop over there, and head up the road under the interstate. There’s a McDonald’s on the far side. A couple hundred yards past the entrance ramp. I’ll be there in 15 minutes. Order me one of those hamburgers with the special sauce. And some French fries. Super-size.”

  They watched as Alvin climbed back into the plane and taxied back down the runway toward the airport buildings. “I’m not sure what he’s doing, Jake. But Raymond told us to trust him, so let’s go.”

  As they walked through the darkness, Jake said, “I feel like we’re fugitives.”

  “We are.”

  They were already eating when Alvin walked in. “Friend gave me a ride. You get that burger?”

  Jake stood as Alvin sat on the opposite side of the booth. “The kid behind the counter over there said he’d keep it warm for you. Do you want something to drink with it?”

  “Coke would be good. Regular, not diet. Don’t forget the fries.”

  Alvin remained silent until Jake returned. He nodded his thanks and began to eat. When he was half finished, he started to talk between occasional bites of food. He reached into his pocket and pushed a motel key across the table to Jake. “Right there across the street. One room for the two of you. Didn’t want to give them too much information. I’ve got the room across the hall.”

  Pulling a map from his pocket, he unfolded it on the table. “Here’s how far we’ve come. This is a small town with a small airport. Anybody starts asking about this flight after we leave, folks here saw me come in alone. I said I was meeting two passengers here in Wakeeney and taking them back East. Tomorrow morning, I’ll file a flight plan for Salem, Illinois. That’s here. That leg will be a little over four hours, so make sure you’re ready to go at 7 a.m. The motel has free breakfast, and you might want to bring a candy bar or something on the plane in case you get hungry. But don’t drink too much, understand? No restroom.”

  Sarah and Jake both nodded, and Sarah asked, “What about the last leg?”

  “That’s here. I’ll file a flight plan once we’re in Salem. No point in saying too much too soon. From Salem, Illinois, to Leesburg, Virginia.”

  “Wait a second—”

  “Hold your horses, Jake. I know what we said. ‘Petersburg, West Virginia.’ And that’s where I’ll take you. But if somebody’s looking for you as hard as you’re hoping they’re not … Well, we don’t want to give them advance warning. I figure that nobody has made any connection so far between you two and my plane. They will, though. Maybe sometime in the morning, but by the time they find out we’ve gone to Salem, we should already have left there. So anybody wanting to welcome us would be waiting in Leesburg, just sitting there and thinking about how smart they are. They’ll have to wait a long time, though. When we get over West Virginia, I’ll call in and ask to divert to Petersburg. Tell them I’m running low on fuel. Nobody argues with that.”

  Jake smiled. “It seems like you’ve thought of everything, Alvin. I understand why Raymond told us to trust you.”

  “And for me to trust you. Trust is good, but pretty soon you’ll need to give me that money.”

  “Oh, God!” Sarah reached for her backpack. “I’m so sorry. I forgot all about it.”

  “No. Not here. Too many eyes. In the morning. Right now, let’s get some sleep.”

  They walked across the street and past the lobby to their rooms at the Best Western. Most of their gear was still on the plane.

  “I don’t have any clean clothes, Jake. And I’m too tired to shower now anyway. I just want to go to sleep.”

  “My watch has an alarm on it, Sarah. I’ll set it for six.”

  * * *

  Day 32: Cross Country Run

  Alerted by the beeping sound, Sarah realized that the military truck was backing up directly toward her hiding place in the ditch at the side of the runway. She tried to jump to the other side of the ditch, but her foot was wedged between two rocks. She couldn’t move. When she screamed for the truck to stop, no sound came from her mouth. Three more feet, and the rear wheels would crush her.

  The gentle touch of a hand on her shoulder was followed by a voice from somewhere distant. “Sarah, it’s six o’clock. Time to get up.” Jake silenced the alarm on his watch.

  “Huh? The truck! Oh … Jake, it was … Shit, I guess I was dreaming. Give me a minute. Where are we?”

  “We’re in Kansas. You need to get up and get dressed now so we can be ready to leave with Alvin in an hour. Do you want to shower first?”

  “You go. I need to try to wake up.”

  They were e
ating cold cereal in the breakfast room at the hotel at 6:15, and there was no sign of Alvin. “He’s probably getting ready for the next leg. Jake, do you have any idea for what to do once we reach West Virginia?”

  “Alvin said we’ll have two five-hour flights plus refueling, so we won’t reach Petersburg until 6:00 p.m. By the time we get to my uncle’s place it’s likely to be closer to 7:00. No, wait. There’s another time-zone change. It might be closer to eight o’clock.”

  “We need to get to D.C.”

  “Not today. By the time we got there from West Virginia it would be way too late to do anything. We should stay overnight with my aunt and uncle. And I’m sure we can borrow their pickup truck. They mostly use their car these days.”

  “Here’s another idea. I saw on the map that Petersburg isn’t that far from the place my folks bought north of Romney several years ago. They’re in Florida, so it’s empty. If you can borrow the truck, it wouldn’t be much more than an hour. We need privacy to make plans, and we could be ready to start in the morning. That would be Sunday, right? Today’s Saturday, I think. At least, I’m pretty sure it was Friday morning when we left Farmington.”

  “Yeah, today’s Saturday. And that’s a good idea. We can try to reach someone on Sunday. I just don’t know who. We need to think more about that.”

  “You know your uncle well enough to just drop in on him this way?”

  “He’s my mom’s brother, and we’ve always been close. He’ll help us. I’ll call him when we reach Petersburg.”

  After finishing their breakfast, Jake and Sarah were waiting in their room with the hallway door ajar, when Alvin arrived. “I paid for the rooms. You can just leave your key card on the table. A friend at the airport lent me his truck. We can drive right to the plane.”

  “But it’s still dark,” Sarah said.

  Alvin shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We’re in the western part of the Central zone. Sunrise here won’t be until almost eight. But the runway lights are on here from dusk to dawn, so we’re good to go.”

  Sarah and Jake clambered back into the plane, while Alvin spoke with someone to the side of the runway area. Sarah found the cash-filled envelope in her backpack. It contained $5,000, half of the original bundle of $100 bills that her father had left for her. She counted them once more to be sure.

  “You’re freaking me out, Sarah. Where’d you get all that cash?”

  “My dad left it for me. I’ll explain tonight when we have time to talk. It’s another reason for going to my parent’s place in West Virginia. I didn’t take all of the cash he left for me.”

  Alvin climbed in, and Sarah leaned forward to give him the envelope. As he settled into his seat, he looked inside and looked at several of the bills. “Unmarked and not in sequence. Don’t know what’s going on, but I’m sure glad Raymond said I could trust you. Let’s get buckled in. We’re ready to go here.”

  Sarah spent much of the flight reading two newspapers from the motel—USA Today and Western Kansas World. She caught up on the news around the world and learned more than she wanted to know about current events in Wakeeney, Kansas. Jake didn’t relax. He was angry but didn’t want to say anything in front of Alvin. The flight seemed to take forever, but it was only about noon, still central time, when they reached Salem, Illinois.

  Alvin took them in for a smooth landing and continued in the same direction until he turned into the service area at the north end of the runway. As he switched off the engine, he turned to his passengers and announced, “No secrets here. I put both of you on my documentation. John and Mary Smith. Talk to folks if you want. We’ll take off in a half hour.” As he climbed out of the cockpit, he indicated a building about across the tarmac.

  A man in coveralls greeted them and pointed to the restroom. Several minutes later, he walked over and handed them a paper sack from a fast-food restaurant. “Alvin radioed ahead and asked us to pick up some lunch for you folks. We’re always glad to help out.” And after a pause, he added, “Uh, I do need you to pay for it, though. They stapled the receipt on the side of the bag.”

  Sarah had left her small pack in the plane, but Jake quickly removed some cash from his wallet. “Thanks for getting this. We really appreciate the help.”

  “Glad to be of assistance. That’s why we’re here. Not too many folks come through this way. To Salem-Leckrone Airport. So it’s nice to have someone fly in. Someone to talk to, you know? Where’d you folks fly in from? Been on vacation?”

  Before Jake could say anything, Sarah responded, “We’ve just been off on a long weekend, trying to get away from it all.” And then, with a slightly embarrassed tilt of her head, “Somewhere that his wife wouldn’t find out about it.” As the man started to turn and walk away, Sarah leaned up and kissed Jake. Glancing over his shoulder, the man walked away, no longer interested in chatting.

  Jake turned a shade of scarlet, but he didn’t say anything until they were walking back to the plane. “Goddamn it Sarah, what was that about? Why did just you do that in front of him? My wife?! And you still haven’t said where you got all that money.”

  “He was asking too many questions, so I figured it was a way to make him feel a little uncomfortable. And it worked. He didn’t want any more of that conversation. Try to chill, Jake. I’ll tell you everything later.”

  Alvin was waiting for them by the plane. “Got a couple of bottles of water for us here, and I see you got the food. The burgers may be a little cold, but they’ll get us through to our next stop. We can eat them in flight.”

  “Can you do that?” asked Sarah. “I mean can you drive this thing, steer or whatever, while you’re eating?”

  “Oh, that’s not a problem. I’ll just set her on autopilot after we’ve reached our cruising altitude. This plane can just about fly itself the whole rest of the way. If it looks like I’ve fallen asleep, just give me a knock on the shoulder.”

  Alvin’s comment didn’t make the flight any shorter, but it guaranteed that neither Sarah nor Jake would fall asleep.

  * * *

  Chapter 29

  Intelligence

  The provisions include the use of “roving wiretaps,” which allow the government to keep tabs on suspects who switch cell phones or other means of communication. This provision makes sense in an age of disposable communications devices, and it extends to terror investigations a power used for years by federal authorities investigating organized crime.

  —Tampa Tribune editorial, 2011‡

  Day 32: Long Distance

  Parsons’ phone was ringing, and he picked up the receiver. It was Harvey Atkinson from NSA. It was 7:30 on Saturday morning.

  “We have something that will be of interest to you, Parsons. I called late yesterday, but I missed you. Whatever you people are up to over there is pretty freakin’ wild stuff. I don’t want to talk about it over the phone, so bring up your secure e-mail account. I sent a file. It’s called ‘paranoid,’ and it’s encrypted.”

  Moments later, Parsons had brought up the message and entered his encryption key. Text filled his screen:

  Caller: Sue, it’s Sarah.

  Recipient: It’s about time you called. We were beginning to get worried about you. I hope you’ve enjoyed your biking, but there’s work to be done here. Newspapers don’t run by themselves.

  Caller: Sue, just let me talk for a bit. This will be hard for you to believe, but what I’m going to tell you is the absolute truth. I haven’t been biking. I’ve been working on a story—a big one. There’s been an outbreak of smallpox in Farmington, New Mexico. The entire thing has been covered up, and all communications in and out of the area are blocked. It’s being treated as a terrorist attack, but I have evidence that it isn’t. I need to get you that evidence, but I can’t do it yet.

  Recipient: Sarah, have you been drinking? Where are you?

  Caller: This is real, Sue. It isn’t a joke, and I haven’t lost my mind. I’m going to need your help.

  Recipient: Sarah, we can’t do
something like this over the phone. Just come into the office, and we’ll sit down and discuss everything. If you really have the makings of a story, we’ll go from there.

  Caller: This is the real deal, and I will tell you everything. But I can’t come in now, not yet. I know it sounds paranoid, but there are people trying to stop me. I’m scared. And I’m running. But it’s too important to let it go. Give me another day. Maybe two. If I’m right, this will do for us what Watergate did 40 years ago. I’m going to need your support on this, Sue. We’ll get pressure from the government, probably from the Defense Department. Or maybe one of the security agencies. And we’ll probably need legal help. But I’m right on this. I’ve got to go. I’ll be in touch.

  “Holy shit! I’ve got to get this over to Zaborsky.” Parsons spoke aloud, but there was nobody else in the office to hear him. He clicked the print icon on his computer and waited a few seconds for his laser printer to spit out the message. To be on the safe side, he grabbed his inkpad and stamp, marking the document SECRET. He reached for an opaque envelope and his briefcase, and then he noticed that a second page had printed. He was about to toss it in the scrap bin, thinking it was just useless header information from Atkinson at NSA. Then he noticed the additional text.

  Time of call: Friday, Dec. 6, 17:30 EST

  Call origination: Cortez, NM

  cell phone—tower location 37 18’ 43”N 108 37’ 27”W

  Call recipient: Washington, DC (Washington Post, Susan Parkinson)

  Call originator: prepaid cell phone, registered to Sarah Wallingford