by David Hearne
Kat didn’t say anything. She just sat there frozen in confusion. She was sure she knew what this meant, but she could not talk to Lyndsey about it.
“Mom, are you there?”
“Yes sweetie I am, but what you just said, took my breath away.”
“Mom, you are not going to cry again are you?”
“No Lyndsey, I’m not. But, I do want you to be more careful of what you do and who you talk to. You know a lot of people don’t like me, like you do, and I don’t want some crazy to take their dislike of me, out on you. I am going to get a couple handsome guys to hang out with you to make sure no one hurts my baby, okay?”
“You mean guards, mom?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. But they will be cool and fun to be with and that is the end of this discussion.”
“Mom, I am fine. I don’t need guards.”
“Like I said ‘End of discussion.’ And under the current situation I have to by law.”
“Mom!”
“Lyndsey, tell your dad to call me as soon as you see him.”
Katherine could see Frank looking inquisitively at her, and she knew she had to cut the conversation short.
“Lyndsey, I love you. Please don’t make this hard. It is for your best interest, and they might be fun. I’ll talk to you soon. Be good.”
Katherine heard a grumbled “Love you too mom!” as she hung up.
The next few days passed without incident and then about eleven days later Katherine and Frank Payne were on their way back to Houston from Galveston, Texas. They had gone there to see firsthand about the proposed wind power project. It was another announced event that was going to be a question and answer session with contractors, officials and the citizens of Galveston, TX.
The event was successful and very informative. As Frank and Katherine sat in her car parked on the Galveston Ferry, she called Danny Lantrip, to congratulate him on the Sundancer’s win of the Dell-Winston Solar Car Challenge. She had been following the race and was elated to read that they had won it once again. She wished she could have been there to see Cody Spenser, Mandy Davis, Matt, Sherrie and the rest of the crew at Cocoa Beach Florida receive their trophy, but she was coming to realize that politics can be very dirty and dangerous.
Before Lantrip could even answer the call, a swarm of police converged on a vehicle that was parked near hers. The driver, an individual with Middle Eastern features looked stunned as the wall of police surged toward him. The police were yelling at him in English and in Arabic to raise his arms, but he did not comply, and suddenly he was on the ground wiggling about like a beached fish. He had just been hit with fifty thousand volts from a taser. Agents were on him immediately cuffing his flaying hands behind him. Senator Laforge found herself surrounded also and was quickly led off of the ferry.
“What is going on?” Senator Laforge asked.
“Possible explosives in his car.” The agent replied.
Senator Laforge felt a coldness embrace her, but she was use to this type of fear, and she quickly controlled it. The ferry now was swarming with agents, and they quickly removed all of the passengers from it.
Four hours later she sat in the Galveston Police Station watching a monitor in front of her that displayed a dark haired young man sitting alone at a table in the interrogation room. An officer in a rumpled suit moved into camera view and positioned himself in a chair directly across from the shackled suspect. Frank Payne gestured at the monitor and in a whispery voice, informed Katherine that the interrogating officer was Detective Green. The sound of rustling papers could be heard over the monitor as Detective Green nonchalantly thumbed through the contents of a bulging folder. The young man didn’t bother to look up as his interrogator flicked on a tape recorder. Detective Green scowled hard at the man shackled to the chair and cleared his throat, but no greetings were exchanged. Finally, Detective Green opens with, “Abu Mujahed, that is your name correct?”
Abu replied, “Yes!”
Detective Green continued, “I got a big problem. I got fifteen or so witnesses to the incident, but the accounts don’t all line up. So what say I add your account to the pile?”
“OK!” Abu said.
Looking down at the file, Detective Green asked, “Yesterday, were you on the Galveston-Bolivar Ferry at about 3:15 P.M?
Abu weakly, “Yes.”
What were you doing there?
Abu was still not looking at Detective Green, “I was returning home from Galveston.”
“What was in your trunk and in the boxes in the back seat?” Abu did not immediately reply.
Detective Green waited for about 30 seconds and then said, “Let me help you. It was a few hundred pounds of explosives.”
Abu smugly replied. “The car was not mine. I didn’t know anything about explosives in it.”
“Whose car was it?
Abu did not reply.
“Did you steal it?”
Abu sat silent. Detective Green looked down at his notes and said. “Abu, I bet this will come as a surprise to you, but a woman reported that car stolen ten days ago. Just before it was stolen, she had gotten the oil changed. When they change oil, those Jiffy Lube people record the current mileage on the car. So we know that someone had this car for ten days and only drove about 30 miles. And coincidently, the nice lady and the people at Jiffy Lube claim they didn’t notice 450 pounds of explosives in her car that morning.”
Abu crossed his arms in front of him, but did not say anything.
Detective Green continued. “Abu, we know all about you. You fought with the Taliban in Afghanistan. You went to school in Pakistan. You held the position of Chief of the Talibs in your hometown in Afghanistan. You use to go around and whip and beat women that you felt were breaking the Taliban’s Islamic laws.”
Abu glared at Detective Green, “I did the work of Allah. I made sure women followed the rules of Islam and loved Allah and stayed obedient to their father and husband. I was a policeman just like you.”
The reply seemed to confuse Detective Green for a moment. “Abu, I do not go about hanging girls because I catch them dancing.”
Abu leaned over the table and glared, “You are right Detective, and that is why your country is full of whores and men who have no respect for women. You know nothing about our customs and how we respect and protect our women. Those women I punished violated Islamic laws and deserved Allah’s punishment. I was admired and loved by my people as a devout Muslim. Who admires you?”
Abu’s caustic question hung in the air.
Senator Laforge followed the interrogation intently on the monitor. She wondered if this man had really tried to kill her or was it a mere coincidence that she was on the ferry he had planned to blow up. As she watched the proceedings on the monitor, she flipped through a dossier containing background material on the suspect. Some of it was startling. There was a photograph of seven very young women hanging in some kind of warehouse. Abu posed for the camera near one woman who looked like her spinal cord had been severed and the weight of her body had grotesquely elongated her neck. In the background a group of Taliban soldiers were visible, but appeared disinterested in the hanging.
The photograph was attached to a transcript from a previous interrogation of Abu. It read like a page from a horror novel.
Agent Collings: What are you doing in this picture?
Abu: We are hanging the condemned.
Agent Collings: What was their crime?
Abu: They violated Islamic laws.
Agent Collings: What did they do?
Abu: They violated Islamic laws and the decree of the Taliban.
Agent Collings: What specific crimes?
Abu: They were repeatedly caught listening and dancing to western music. They were viewed by three Taliban mullahs who testified against them. They disgraced their families with their action and were uncontrollable.
Agent Collings: How old were they?
Abu: I do not remember?
Agent Collings: Were
they fifty years old or more like fifteen years old?
Abu: They were fourteen or fifteen, but they had violated Islamic laws and disrespected the village clerics.
Agent Collings: Did you enjoy punishing them?
Abu: Yes, they violated Islamic laws, and I felt very special that Allah had chosen me to carry out His will. One of my proudest moments was when I succeeded in hanging those seven whores even while the Americans were bombing our village. I found pleasure in doing Allah’s bidding watching the condemn strangle in their noose, surrendering their life to Allah. I was one of Allah’s chosen and my obedience to His will was my duty. You are an unbeliever and cannot understand.
Agent Collings: How long did it take to hang seven girls?
Abu: I had soldiers that helped me carry out the sentences. Taliban Soldiers would place a rope noose around their neck and another soldier would tighten it and lift her to the top of a barrel. After I gave the order to kick the barrels out from under them, the girls would take a minute to maybe five minutes before they accepted Allah’s will and hung quietly.
Agent Collings: Abu, you must have been very important in your village. How many offenders of Allah did you hang?
Abu: I am not sure. Maybe 80 or 90. I don’t remember.
Senator Laforge turned back to the picture and stared at the image of the seven young girls hanging. The thought of their suffering made Katherine’s neck muscles bulge wire tight and her face turn scarlet with anger and disgust. The smiling Abu posing proudly beneath them taunted her even more.
Senator Laforge returned her gaze to the monitor and Detective Green’s interrogation of Abu. She had never seen this individual before, but now felt that it was not a coincidence that she happened to be on the same ferry that he was attempting to blow up.
Detective Green had recovered from Abu’s personal insults and was pressing him about his feeling on women in general.
“Who is the lady you live with when you are in Florida?” Detective Green asks.
Abu sat quiet at first and then replied, “You already know who she is. Why do you ask such dumb questions? She is a dumb American woman who just needs a man.”
“So there is really nothing between you?”
“She has learned obedience from me, and I have taught her much about the Koran. But she is a dumb woman. She takes care of my house and I feed and clothe her.”
“Do you know Detective Green what Ali, Mohammed’s cousin and fourth Caliph said about women?”
Detective Green displayed great interest on his face and replied, “No”
“He was a great leader of Islam, and he is quoted as saying, ‘The entire woman is evil and what is worse is that it is a necessary evil! ... You should never ask a woman her advice because her advice is worthless. Hide them so that they cannot see other men! ... Do not spend too much time in their company for they will lead you to your downfall! ... Men, never ever obey your women. Never let them advise you on any matter concerning your daily life ... They have three qualities worthy of an unbeliever: they complain of being oppressed when in fact it is they who oppress; they take solemn oaths and at the same time lie; they make a show of refusing the advances of men when in fact, they long for them ardently. Let us implore God’s help to escape their sorcery.’”
“Do you agree with Ali?” Abu questioned smugly.
Detective Green exclaimed. “I am impressed that you have memorized his words so thoroughly. You must have been a very good student of Islam.”
For the first time, Abu’s face beamed. “I studied in Pakistan and in Afghanistan. I am a very devout Muslim.”
Detective Green asked, “With your excellent memory, it should be easy to remember who helped you with all those explosives for the car. Was it the lady you lived with in Florida?”
Abu just sat there and did not reply.
“You are right about what Ali said about women. They cannot be trusted. Your girlfriend is talking all about your plans to agents in Florida. She claims you had plans to kill a few non-believers in Florida also. She told them you were going to use sarin gas in aerosol dispensers to kill visitors at the amusement park. When was that going to happen?”
Abu sat impassive.
Detective Green continued, “Your girlfriend, Lisa, said she had undergone a double mastectomy, and you had bought her some new silicone prosthesis to wear when you two go out in public or for special occasions. That was loving of you!
Abu did not respond.
“We checked those prosthesis you bought Lisa. They were very interesting.”
Detective Green looked at Abu questionably.
Abu looked away from Detective Green and shifted in his seat.
Then Abu just closed his eyes and lowered his head as if he was dozing.
Green slapped his hand down on the table and said, “Instead of silicone, they were filled with Sarin gas. That is pretty slick!”
Abu didn’t jump, or respond at all, he just sat there with his eyes closed.
“What guard would ever ask a woman to see her breast prosthesis? That is really class! You could get into anywhere with those.” Detective Green paused again, but Abu did not respond.
“Good thing they didn’t leak or goodbye girlfriend. I think you should know that Lisa is a little angry with you now. I think she feels used.”
“Fuck you and fuck her. She is fucking American shit like you.” Abu spat out.
Abu’s plan to use sarin gas shocked Senator Laforge. She was well aware of what sarin gas could do and remembered the terror she felt when she thought she was going to be exposed to it in Iraq. Part of her fear was the fact that it is so difficult to detect. It is odorless and colorless, yet deadly if inhaled or absorbed through the eyes or skin. An amount equivalent to the size of a grain of sand could kill a child. It can kill within minutes of exposure. A horrible death of drooling, double vision, vomiting, troubled breathing, and finally asphyxiation. She clearly understood why Sarin Gas was one of the terrorist’s preferred weapons – feared, undetectable, deadly and relatively cheap to manufacture. It is a clear liquid that can easily be disguised as a bottle of water and carried in plain view of security. An antidote is available, but death usually occurs before it can be administered.
Senator Laforge cringed at the thought of how horrible a sarin attack on an amusement park would be. It would affect the country in much the same way as the 9/11 attacks. The number of casualties would be less, but the psychological effect would be just as dramatic. The visitors would be lulled into feeling secure and would never expect anything wrong until it was too late. Senator Laforge thought of the mad melee that would follow in the crowds at the park once they were aware that they were being attacked by sarin nerve gas. Some would die from suffocation, and many more from being crushed at the turnstiles as the panicked park goers rushed to leave the area. Others would be crippled or badly injured in the stampede. The carnage would spill out onto the roads as panic-stricken drivers trying to escape the park littered the roads with their abandoned wrecked cars and the dead. It would be a devastating attack.
* * * *
While Katherine thumbed through the files on Abu, two FBI agents came over to her. The two introduced themselves as Special Agent Nelson and Plouffe. With a congenial smile, Special Agent Nelson said, “Sorry about the interruptions in your plans today. We are grateful that it worked out as well as it did. Mr. Mujahed is one little terrorist that we have been following for months. Guys like him crave a big name for themselves, which makes them attempt to create tremendous devastation.”
“Well I do commend you for your quick control of the situation.” Katherine replied.
“Senator Laforge, if you would honor us with your presence, we would love to chat more with you on these subjects. I think you will find it very interesting. We can take you and Mr. Payne back to your car, which is waiting for you at the ferry parking lot. What do you say?”
Senator Laforge replaced Abu’s files back into the folder and handed them
to Agent Nelson. “I think we would like that, and you have piqued my interest.”
Once in the Agent’s car, Plouffe turned his head back to face Katherine in the back seat. He said, “Senator, we were going to meet with you soon to go over terrorist operations, but this incident moved the timetable up a bit. So if you do not mind we would like to give you a run down now of some of the actions and activities that we are monitoring.”
“Yes, after this event, I am certainly interested in knowing how wide spread these types of activity really are.” Katherine responded.
“Well Senator, I guess we will start with some facts you probably already know like al-Qa’eda’s “modus operandi is to have multiple attack plans in the works simultaneously and to have cells in place to conduct them. These terrorist operations could be launched by al-Qa’eda cells already in place in major cities in America, Europe or the Middle East.” Plouffe took a sip of a diet soda.
Special Agent Nelson interjected, “Small towns and buildings may be just as attractive targets to a terrorist as larger ones. For example, if the point is to make people lose confidence in their water supply, you can create terror in a smaller water system just as effectively as in a big one. The point is not necessarily to kill large numbers of people, but to frighten, panic and create distrust in the government. Just two weeks ago we stopped an attack on the Los Angeles water system. An operative going by the name of Khalid rented a dilapidated house in South Central Los Angeles and had lived there for over a year waiting for his call to action. He is from one of the numerous terrorist cells operating in LA. His function was to attack the water supply in the Watts district of LA. He had attached a feeder pipe to his water line in his house and pressurized it with a pump. The feeder pipe contained ricin, a deadly poison; he would pump into the water line. Others sharing this waterline would then be exposed to the poison. The Watts area of LA was selected because the water lines in many of the houses are exposed and easy to access to alter them for this purpose. More importantly al-Qa’eda hoped to create racial strife leading to riots that would kill more people and paralyze the city with problems. They had hoped they could escalate this situation into something like the 1965 riots that lasted 6 days and left 34 dead and thousands injured.”
