by Jaz Primo
“We have a single image from a traffic camera located at an intersection five miles away from the senator’s home,” Lee said while standing before a large, wall-mounted video screen. “This is the driver of the black van reported near the crime scene as he proceeded through a red light. You can see the driver’s face relatively clearly via the front-facing camera.”
The guy had young but rugged features.
“Any tag information, Lee?” Wainright asked.
“No, sir. Due to the damaged rear-facing camera, the image was too granulated to process,” Lee replied.
“What about an ID on the driver?” Sanders asked.
“We’re running it through the federal database now, sir,” Lee replied.
Wainright went to the phone on his desk. “I’d better call Tevin. It’s not much, but it’s something.”
Ten minutes later, the FBI system had a match.
Tevin teleconferenced into the meeting.
“His name is Sam Welder, but he goes by the nickname Thrasher,” said Lee. “He’s a former Marine who specialized in recon. In recent years, he’s a known mercenary, mostly operating in parts of Europe and the Middle East. To the best of our knowledge, he’s never been associated with activities that ran counter to U.S. interests.”
“Does that mean he’s worked for the government before?” I asked.
Lee looked at Wainright, who nodded.
“Welder doesn’t hold any current classified access,” she replied. “However, some information in his case file is level five confidential and I didn’t have the required access to view everything.”
“Tevin?” Wainright asked.
“I’m on it,” he replied. “Keep talking.”
“His last known location was Odense, Denmark, where he has cohabitated for the past three years with a woman named Allis Rianka,” Lee continued.
“Sounds cozy,” I said. “I’d like to visit Denmark.”
Sanders flicked the edge of my ear with the tip of her fingernail. “Shush.”
“Ouch,” I said, reaching up to rub at my ear.
“Does he have any local contacts?” Wainright asked. “Any ties to Senator Conway?”
“His file doesn’t indicate any,” Lee replied. “However, his record reflects that he’s as a lifetime member in good standing with the National Rifleman’s Association. He was also a dues-paying member of the Republican National Committee for a ten-year period, where he contributed hundreds of dollars to various conservative candidates. However, his membership expired more than four years ago.”
“Well, that hardly makes him an RNC lackey,” Tevin said. “And a high percentage of military members and veterans are NRA members.”
“I’m an NRA member,” I said.
Sanders gave me a hard look.
“We’re attempting to locate the black van, though the longer it takes, the larger the search area grows,” Lee said.
“I’ll have our techs run face pattern recognition,” Tevin said. “However, it’ll take some time, especially as the perimeter widens.”
“I’ll alert all law enforcement outlets, including Homeland Security and points of entry or exit,” Wainright said. “Without more to go on, we’ll have to list him as a person of interest.”
“That’s it?” I asked.
“That’s about all any of us can do for now,” Sanders said. “We can’t say for certain that he’s actually tied to the kidnapping, though he’s the best lead we have at the moment.”
“Are you kidding?” I asked. “A merc residing in Europe shows up out of the blue near a kidnapping scene and we’re not sure he’s our guy? Why the hell else would he be around here? House-hunting?”
“Bringer, this is just how—” Sanders began.
A single loud knock sounded on Wainright’s office door before Agent Templeton entered the room.
“What?” Wainright asked.
“Oh, shit,” Tevin said.
I saw the shocked expression on Tevin’s face via Wainright’s computer screen.
My attention diverted to Agent Templeton.
“Sir, the DoD just passed along a high-priority national-security-level message to all agencies,” Templeton said. “The Air Force has lost an EMP device!”
Chapter 21
Lost an EMP device?
Yeah, that’s definitely oh-shit-worthy.
“Aw, Christ,” Wainright said, rubbing his forehead with the palm of one hand. “What next?”
“How in the hell did the Air Force manage to lose track of an EMP device?” Sanders demanded.
“Device, nothing,” I said. “That’s a weapon. Hey, didn’t Conway pick a bad day to get kidnapped? He just got trumped by an EMP.”
Sanders shriveled her nose and frowned in that cute way that she always does when she’s pissed with me.
I could probably stand to keep my sarcastic comments to myself more often.
Nah, they were too good not to share.
Meanwhile, the office transitioned from high gear to near-pandemonium.
“Call in everybody and begin round-the-clock schedules,” Wainright said to someone over the phone. “Coordinate with DoD and Homeland Security, and get me a line to the Director asap.”
“So, then, what’s protocol for something like this?” I asked Sanders.
She just stared back at me. “I’m really not talking to you right now.”
Instead, she picked up her smartphone. “Denton, did you hear about the EMP device?”
“Sir, I think you should get our team prepared to mobilize,” she said.
I only half-listened to Sanders’ phone call. I realized then that I didn’t have anyone even remotely useful to call. Instead, my thoughts gravitated to my parents, my sister, and her kids.
Everything that I knew about an EMP explosion could be summed up in just a few sentences. I recalled a briefing about it from my army days.
It isn’t the explosion that causes harm to humans, unless they happen to be holding something electronic, in which case they might receive a powerful electrical-type shock. It is the chaos caused by losing electronics within the affected area.
I recalled that an EMP was most helpful when used as a precursor to an invading force. I could easily imagine what something like an EMP blast could do to disable a large city.
Like Washington, D.C., for example?
Then another prospect resonated within me.
Invading force?
“Aw, crap,” I said. “I’d better load up on sports drinks.”
* * *
Sanders and I hadn’t even checked into a hotel when we arrived in D.C. Once we did, it wasn’t until around midnight that we finally made it into our rooms, and that was only long enough for a shower, a quick nap, and a change of clothes.
I managed to sleep only because of my sheer exhaustion. An abrupt knock at my hotel room door roused me back to consciousness.
“Bringer?” Sanders called out.
I groaned and glanced at my watch.
It wasn’t even five in the morning yet.
As soon as I opened the door, she winced.
“Wow, you look even worse than I did this morning,” she said. “And it’s not every day a girl gets greeted at the door by a guy wearing underwear. Be still my beating heart.”
“Shut up,” I said as she squeezed past me to enter my room.
That’s when I noticed two large designer coffee cups in her hand. She proffered one, which I eagerly accepted.
After one swig, I moaned with no small degree of satisfaction. Fresh-brewed coffee was just what the doctor ordered.
“Yeah, you’re welcome,” she said. “Syringe of funny-fluid?”
“Funny-fluid?” I asked while pointing to the small refrigerator nearby. Fortunately, I still had one dose remaining.
“I can’t remember what Maria calls that crap we’re filling you with,” she said, setting her coffee cup aside. “I only know that it helps you.”
She retrieved my las
t syringe and, following a quick rub of my shoulder, she unceremoniously stuck me.
“This is all you have?” she asked.
“Yeah, I need to remember to call Maria and have her overnight some to me,” I said.
“Remember, nothing,” she chastised. “Do it now. We need to keep you fully juiced and ready for when things finally go down.”
She seemed to have gone into full drill sergeant mode. Still, she made a good point. I should have thought of that already.
“Will do,” I said. “Thanks.”
She spared me a brief sympathetic look before returning to her coffee.
“Hurry up and shave,” she said. “We need to get back to Wainright’s office asap.”
“Any new leads?” I asked as I walked into the bathroom and picked up my can of shaving cream.
“Nothing major yet,” she replied. “But Tevin says they got another facial recognition hit on Thrasher at a gas station on the south side of Woodbridge, Virginia. So far, he’s heading south, but it’s anyone’s best guess as to where he’s ultimately going.”
I made short work with my razor as I listened.
“Thrasher,” I said. “Sounds like the moniker for a bad-ass comic book villain.”
“Bad-ass is a keen description of him, given his resume,” she said. “It reads like something out of a John le Carré novel.”
“Enough about him for a minute,” I said. “What about the missing EMP?”
“Still nothing on that,” she replied. “But we’re supposed to attend an update briefing with Tevin and Wainright as soon as we get to the office.”
“Hm,” I said, carefully shaving my neck.
“As I started to say, I read a little more about Thrasher before falling asleep last night,” she said.
“Aw, I was hoping you were thinking of me,” I teased.
“Keep dreaming, Bringer,” she said. “Sam Welder ended up with the nickname Thrasher while still in the Marines, where he had an exemplary record. Since then, he became somewhat of the mercenary’s mercenary. He’s even done contract wet work for the Israeli Mossad.”
“Okay, so I’m impressed,” I said. “I’ve definitely got to meet this guy.”
“Same here,” she agreed. “I’m convinced he’s our perp for Conway’s abduction. The two questions in my mind are: one, why Conway, and two, who hired him?”
“Forgive me for saying this, but Conway seems like small potatoes compared to the EMP issue,” I said.
“On the surface, maybe,” she said. “But what if they’re connected?”
I hadn’t considered that.
“How? Why?” I asked.
“I haven’t worked that out yet, but I’m keeping an open mind,” she replied.
“So, you think that maybe Conway’s abduction was a distraction while somebody snatched the EMP?” I asked.
“I see the caffeine is finally starting to take effect,” she said. “However, it wouldn’t make sense to wait until the nation’s law enforcement agencies are mobilized before choosing to steal an EMP device. That would be the poorest of timing, in my opinion.”
I frowned as I walked over to my suitcase and pulled out a fresh pair of jeans and a shirt. “Yeah, there’s that. I guess I need more caffeine.”
“What we both need more of is sleep,” she said, turning away as I pulled on my jeans. “But that’s not going to happen anytime soon.”
Oh, how I wished she was mistaken about that.
At the FBI offices, Wainright and Tevin started the briefing as soon as we stepped foot into the conference room.
“Okay, people, here’s where things stand,” Wainright began.
Some of what he said Sanders had already told me back at the hotel.
“Deputy Director Tevin’s NSA resources have been invaluable. We’re mobilizing federal, state, and local resources to canvas the area each time we receive a new hit on Thrasher’s location,” Wainright said. “Unfortunately, nothing new has turned up in the past few hours. Tevin, would you please bring everyone up to speed on the latest regarding the EMP device?”
“Certainly,” Tevin said. “The Air Force has just shared video from the storage area where the device was housed.”
A nearby wall-mounted screen displayed video of a dimly lit bay area where a couple dozen cylindrical nodules, which appeared to be man-sized or larger, were lined up in rows and tethered to individual, raised platforms.
“This video was taken from a sealed underground storage facility maintained by the Air Force in an undisclosed location somewhere in South Dakota,” Tevin said.
The video was devoid of people until a lone figure of medium height wearing a camouflage military uniform walked into the frame. Any further distinctive features were subdued by the low light conditions.
For a brief moment, the figure’s face was vaguely visible as he turned toward the camera.
“The perpetrator is male, but that’s about all we know at this time,” Tevin continued.
“Perpetrator? The cameras didn’t pick up any of his accomplices?” Sanders asked.
“Nope, just him,” Tevin replied. “And this is the only feed that anyone unauthorized showed up on.”
“Let me get this straight. One guy managed to walk off with an EMP that size?” I asked.
“Bringer, watch closely,” Tevin said. “Here’s where things get even more interesting.”
The man walked up to one of the devices and reached his arms around it, as if hugging it to his body.
Then both he and the device disappeared.
Sharp intakes of breath sounded throughout the room, including some muttered curses.
“Unbelievable,” Sanders said.
“We did manage to enhance the portion of the video once he faced the camera,” Tevin said. “Here’s a close-up.”
“That’s the bastard!” I yelled.
“You recognize him, Bringer?” Tevin asked.
“Damned straight I do! That’s the guy who disappeared right before my eyes, along with that group of terrorists in Cardiff,” I said.
Chapter 22
“So, that appears to confirm we’re dealing with terrorists, but part of what group?” asked Agent Sanchez.
“Our best guess is Continuance Corporation,” replied Tevin.
“Isn’t that the organization with all of the rogue telekinetics?” asked Agent Templeton. “Aren’t they the ones responsible for the Wallace Building bombing and the attack on our FBI regional office in Nevis Corners?”
“Yes, that’s our belief at this time,” Tevin replied.
“As to the identity of the perp in the video, is there anything in our databases about him?” Sanders asked.
“Nothing so far in the FBI or state databases,” Wainright said. “Tevin?”
“Unfortunately, nothing in the NSA system, either,” Tevin replied. “However, we’ve forwarded the image to Interpol and I’m hoping they have something— anything—that gives us some clue about him.”
Whoever he was, what I wouldn’t give to have another crack at the guy.
“So, the military won’t even tell us where the weapon was stolen from?” I asked.
“Notice the other devices in the storage area?” Tevin asked. “The military’s not keen on giving up that location right now, though I believe the remaining inventory is actively being moved to another secure location.”
“That type of heist sort of changes the definition of secure location, doesn’t it?” I asked.
Sanders nudged my knee with hers beneath the conference table.
Wainright gave me a long look. “In the meantime,” he said. “We’re putting together three rapid response tactical teams to mobilize at a moment’s notice. Tevin and I will coordinate together from here in the command center. We will both act in equal command capacity, as needed. Sanders and Bringer, you’re heading up one of the three teams.”
“Finally, something to do,” I said.
“Any questions?” Tevin asked.
&
nbsp; “Yes, sir,” an agent who had teleconferenced in asked. “Given our suspects, isn’t a likely target the upcoming Freedom Party PEP rally? As such, shouldn’t it be cancelled or rescheduled?”
Wainright and Tevin exchanged slight nods.
“He actually said pep rally,” I whispered to Sanders.
“Grow up, Bringer,” she admonished.
“Yes, it’s a likely target, and I agree with your recommendation,” Wainright replied. “In light of Bringer’s recognition of the suspect, Tevin and I will convey your idea to our superiors.”
“Anything else?” Wainright asked, casting a frown in my direction.
“Sir,” asked Templeton. “Which of the key searches are the tactical teams to be assigned to, EMP or Senator Conway?”
“Either,” Tevin replied. “We’re covering both, though we’ll directly collaborate with the military when engaging in any EMP-related responses.”
“That’s all for now,” Wainright said. “Let’s get back to it.”
“Sanders, you want to hang around the command center while I work with our team to prepare?” I asked.
“Sure,” she replied. “Maybe they’ll even let you pick out some of their toys to play with.”
“Ah, you know me too well,” I said.
“Just save a few of the good ones for me, too,” she said with a quick wink.
Sanders followed Tevin and Wainright as they left the room, headed for the command center. Everyone else trailed after them.
Better Sanders than me.
I was only too happy to have something functional to occupy my thoughts and hands. Tactical team matters felt more familiar to me, reminiscent of my time operating with an army fire team.
I hated to admit it, but Sanders was far better suited to the intelligence gathering process than I was.
Suddenly, she reappeared at the conference room doorway.
“And call Maria about your special refill,” she said.
“Oh, yeah, thanks,” I said. “Check in with me later, okay?”
Then she was gone again, and I listened as her footsteps rapidly faded down the hall.
I couldn’t help but smile.
* * *
