Coggins also agreed. “The public will go along with curbs on their freedoms if they understand we’ve been struck by a terrorist foreign power with a deadly disease and no known cure. They’ll also know that those limits on their freedom will only be temporary, and we’ll be better off down the road once we’ve made this change in leadership.”
“All part of the war on terror,” Mandy Ferguson, the former state department official, said. “They’ll quickly realize that and accept it once McHugh is out of office.”
Hollingsworth continued, “So we know what we’re in for. It won’t be easy but ultimately worth it. The cruise ship attack was just the first phase of the operation–enough to get the country’s attention. The next phase will convince them stronger leadership is indeed needed to steer us through this terrible crisis.” All nodded in agreement. “We won’t call it a coup but rather a necessary change in leadership–a new dawn.”
“Pulled off without the aid of the military,” former agent Terry Engel added.
“Right,” Hollingsworth said, “an important point. I met with two flag rank officers a week ago and again discussed their possible participation in the operation. They support us one hundred percent but feel it’s far better for them to stand off to the side, ready to step in only if necessary.”
“‘Necessary’ how?” Engel asked.
Hollingsworth thought for a moment. “In the event of broad and violent civil unrest, for example. But I also took it as a not so subtle message that if we’re not able to bring the presidential crisis under control in very short order, the military is ready to step in and take over.”
“That won’t be necessary,” former Secretary of the Navy Johnson said.
“I am asking for an oath from each of you that we will support any and all decisions made here today.” When he saw a collective nod from each of them, he continued. “Secretary Johnson has the floor.”
Johnson stood to address the Omega partners. “As Kent explained, the few military flag officers who know about our project want to remain on the sideline for now, as far as planning and execution are concerned. On the other hand, strictly on a top-secret, deny-everything basis, most flag-rank officers I’ve talked to, including some of the Joint Chiefs themselves, want McHugh out of office as badly as we do.”
“That’s right,” Wilkerson added. “They feel the policy makers in this administration are motivated first and foremost by political considerations and not national security.”
“Hell, most senior military leaders I’ve talked to are convinced McHugh won’t be satisfied until the Statue of Liberty is wearing a burqua.”
“Not to mention his late-night dalliances with foreign consul officials who represent an international embarrassment and serious security risk to us all,” Coggins said.
“Which is why we need a woman in the Oval Office,” Ferguson added, only half kidding. “Women focus on the task at hand; men focus on getting laid.”
“Can’t argue with you there,” Engel said, shaking his head. “My buds at the bureau have warned McHugh about it repeatedly, but he remains as reckless as ever.”
Johnson continued, “The officers I’ve talked to will never admit it publicly–it’d mean certain courts-martial if they did–but we’ve received tacit approval from enough of them they’ll be onboard once the change is made that we feel comfortable going forward.”
Melick said, “Although I’d argue there’s a large enough percentage of citizens upset enough about the direction of our country they’d welcome the military forcibly restoring to the people what we’ve granted to the politicians the past two decades.”
“You bet,” Hollingsworth said. “The president is aware of that possibility, too, which is why he’s demoting and transferring so many senior and flag rank officers to the boondocks. He wants them out of the way; they represent too much of a threat.”
Melick nodded. “Why else do it?”
“He’s scared shitless–guaranteed,” Johnson said. “I heard rumors McHugh embedded CIA operatives in the military just so he could figure out who he could trust and who he couldn’t.”
Wilkerson said, “Look, we’re doing the right thing. This is a coup with no military, no weapons or tanks, no rallies or speeches in the public square, and nobody thrown into jail–for the present anyway.”
“Right. Once Omega is in place, the military will play the same role as before, except it’ll be under a new president and new administration.”
“All agreed?” Hollingsworth asked, and they all nodded. “McHugh has made the Middle East this country’s next Viet Nam. He’s shown no spine in dealing with Russian and Iranian leaders; he’s making our country into a second-rate power with indecisive political, military and budgetary decisions; and he plans to gut the CIA and turn intelligence gathering over to his own handpicked people.”
“He needs to go,” Johnson snapped, “and it’s time to make it happen.”
“Which brings us to the question of who in the president’s cabinet or on his staff we can trust enough to make them part of a new administration.” Hollingsworth said, “It would be preferable if we had a certain level of continuity to make for a smooth transition.”
Johnson thought for a minute and began ticking off names: “Secretary of State Glass got her job on the recommendation of the vice president, so I’d say we can count on her. We can eliminate the president’s chief of staff, of course; Decker will want to keep his current chief of staff anyway. Secretaries of labor and education are solidly in our camp, and we’ll also want FBI Director Bledsoe to remain in place.”
“He can’t stand the president, to be sure,” former FBI agent Engel added. “I guarantee he’ll be onboard with a change.”
“The rest we’ll have to examine on a case-by-case basis and then run them by Decker as soon as possible after he takes office.”
Hollingsworth nodded. “Okay, let’s go over the operation one last time, as there’ve been some changes.” He scanned the solemn faces. “We are all here for three reasons: We have a vested interest in seeing McHugh out of office; we are intent on keeping nukes out of the hands of the mullahs; and we all have something to contribute to the operation.”
“And are anxious to do it,” Melick added.
Hollingsworth acknowledged their support and continued, “On July 13th, McHugh and a delegation accompanying him from House and Senate armed services subcommittees will land at Lihue. From there the president will take Marine One to the Barking Sands missile range to witness the launch of our newest version of the land-based Aegis anti-missile missile. Most of the others in his party, including the Israeli defense minister, will precede him in unmarked vehicles so they’ll be at the base when he arrives. Members of the Japanese military will be offshore participating in a joint exercise with the navy. They’ll be firing the target missile from one of their destroyers.”
“We can assume the Chinese will be nearby, too,” Johnston pointed out, “keeping a close watch on things.”
Hollingsworth added, “Seems that the whole balance of power has begun to shift in the Pacific with them crowing about their new, hypersonic, ‘carrier killer’ missile, so we’ll be watching them, as well.” He shook his head and continued. “After the launch and debrief, the entourage will likely move to the base mess hall for a photo op before they travel back to Lihue. There the president will meet with supporters at an event held at the Marriott at five and another at a cocktail party at the Harborview Resort at seven.”
“How can we be sure this is a reliable schedule?” ex-Secretary Johnson asked.
Engel glanced at Johnson, looking slightly annoyed. “We can’t; there are always variables. But we’ve gotten it straight from a source on the president’s staff, so we believe it’s as firm as it can be at this point.”
“And if the launch is scrubbed?”
“That would change the president’s plans, of course, but we should be able to stay with the operation nonetheless. If the launch should
get cancelled, he may or may not spend time on the base. If he does, we suspect he’ll participate in briefings by the operations people and depart Barking Sands in time to make the fundraiser later that afternoon. He definitely wants to do the Harborview Resort event in the evening.”
“So assuming the launch proceeds on schedule, the next phase of the operation will take place at the missile range?”
“Correct, with a backup plan just in case,” Hollingsworth said. “Potentially we’ve got two strikes planned. Our operative will be at the base ops center with the smallpox atomizer. We’re confident it’ll be hidden well enough the Secret Service won’t find it before the launch, or have reason to look for it afterward.”
“And if he’s exposed to the virus, are we reasonably certain the president will contract smallpox?”
“It’s widely known in the intelligence community the president has a seriously compromised immune system as a result of extensive cancer treatment. His chemo ended only six months ago, so it could be years before his immune system is back to normal. We assume, also, he wasn’t immunized for smallpox at the beginning of his term, as presidents usually are, and they may not do it now, even if they know he was exposed to the virus, for that reason.”
“And if they take that risk and immunize?” Ferguson asked.
“Odds are it wouldn’t be successful anyway. Both the strain on the cruise ship and the one we’re using at the missile range is one engineered in our own lab, unique enough that they won’t have a vaccine for it.”
“And our man won’t get it?”
“No, he’s been immunized for that specific strain.”
“Which is also why we decided to have our agent do it. He’ll be present for the launch, so we don’t have worry about an exit strategy. If we used someone else, even if we were able to get him on base, we’d have to worry about getting him off safely.”
Engel explained, “We considered having a boat rescue him on a remote part of the base. But after we’d studied photos of the launch and mess hall areas relative to the base boundaries, we concluded there weren’t enough strategic locations and escape routes to make it fail-proof. So we stuck with the original plan.”
“And the backup strike?” Melick asked.
“It’ll be implemented if the variola attack fails for some reason,” Engel said. “If the launch is scrubbed, for instance, and we didn’t have a backup, we’d be screwed. We’d miss our only chance to get him. That’s why we decided to have an additional plan in place for later that day on the other side of the island.”
“But aren’t we also doubling our chances of getting caught if we do that?’ Coggins asked.
“I don’t see any increased danger,” Hollingsworth answered dismissively. “No one besides us will know if the smallpox exposure doesn’t come off as planned. So we decided our backup plan would be a shooter outside the resort hotel.”
Engel explained, “We’ll try to blame it on Iran and Hamas, but a sniper shot is typically not their style. Things that go ‘boom’ are more like it, but there’s no way we’d want to use a truck bomb to accomplish that. So we’re sticking with the sniper idea. The man’s motivation is threefold: he hates the president; owes friends of ours in Vegas a favor; and we’re paying him well.”
“What are the arrangements?”
“Half the money up front; the rest if and when he completes the job.”
“Sounds okay,” Melick said, “as long as he’s not connected to us.”
“He won’t be; I’ve made sure of that. Think about it,” Hollingsworth said. “Whichever method we use, we get everything we want: McHugh is out of the way, oil prices go up, defense firms are humming, and our military is back to significant strength.”
“We’re onboard with all that,” Wilkerson said and smiled.
“Thank you,” Hollingsworth said. “As usual, we’ll maintain electronic silence until everything blows over. All communication will be in person or through trusted members of our organization until you hear from me.”
“What kind of security will the president have in Lihue?” Coggins asked.
“As far as we know, the Secret Service detail will handle the bulk of it, as always.” Hollingsworth said. “They’ve asked for only a cadre of Kauai police to provide security at the two hotels and lead the presidential motorcade back to the airport. Our friend in the police department has assured us most of his personnel will be away from both locations, covering either a union convention in Princeville or the airport in Lihue for the president’s departure.”
“As for the two men involved, what’s their escape?” Engel asked.
“The one at the base will simply walk away and depart the base sometime after the president departs. The one outside the resort hotel will take a car we’ve provided and head for the small craft marina at Nawiliwili. There we’ll have a thirty-foot boat with twin Mercury engines waiting to take him to Oahu.”
Audrey Ferguson asked where on Oahu he’d be going.
“Kaneohe. A boat with that kind of power should be able to cover the seventy-five miles of open water in under an hour and a half. Two men will be waiting on the other side to pull the boat up on a trailered rig and take him and the boat to a secure hiding place near the Marine Corps Air Station. He’ll hide out there for a few days and then head back to his home on the big island.”
“He’s reliable?” Engel asked.
Hollingsworth nodded and said, “The best. A former army special ops sniper who worked as an independent contractor for the CIA. Recommended by our union people on Oahu. Seems they have friends in Vegas who owe them a favor.”
“How certain are we he’ll be successful?” Wilkerson asked.
“Very. Even with limos and SUVs parked at the entrance, he should have a clear shot for a short period of time. Once it’s over and he’s on the boat to Kaneohe, we’ll have it made.”
23
Kauai, July 9th
After an early five-mile run, a long shower, and breakfast, Marchetti spent most of the morning in Vicki’s hospital room. Encouraged by progress reports from her doctors, they’d been discussing arrangements for her care once she was out of the hospital in a few days.
Tom had gone to the police station to see if Sergeant Kalani had any more developments in the Bradley Vaughn case. When they were finished, Tom and Marchetti each drove back to Princeville to meet Janine at the tiny Napali Café across the street from the hotel.
As they perused the menu, Marchetti asked Tom, “What’d you do with your cats while you’re gone?”
“My son in Arlington is taking care of them. Says they miss me.”
Marchetti grinned and said, “Big, burly Tom and his furry little critters. Sorry to break it to you, old buddy, but all cats care about is having their stomachs full and a warm place to sleep. They couldn’t care less whether you’re home or not.”
“Aw, that’s not–”
Marchetti shook his head. “You know I’m right. If dogs had opposable thumbs, they’d get up and fix you breakfast; if cats had opposable thumbs, they’d steal your car.”
Tom ignored the remark and returned to his coffee.
Marchetti then asked, “How’d it go with Sherlock this morning?”
“Kalani? Very well. He’s going to grease the skids for me on the Glock permit and gave me the name of a good gun shop on the island.”
“He ask about me?” “Marchetti said.
“Yeah, right. He still thinks you’re an arrogant SOB, but I assured him you’re like that with everyone. Told him you’ve been working on being more tactful.”
Marchetti dismissed the comment with a slight wave. “Tact is for people who aren’t witty enough to be sarcastic.”
He had to admit he’d taken an instant dislike to Kalani and what he felt was his overzealous, small-town cop attitude the night of the shooting. Tom felt Kalani was simply doing his job and Marchetti had misjudged him. Since Tom had been a detective himself, it undoubtedly helped the two of them hit
it off immediately. Marchetti, on the other hand, learned a long time ago that law enforcement officers don’t usually bond with lawyers–if ever. Plus, Marchetti wasn’t in the best frame of mind the night they met anyway, considering an assassin had just fired four shots at them with a high-powered rifle and almost killed Vicki. So perhaps he had misjudged him.
Janine walked through the door and sat down in time to catch the last part of their conversation. “Kalani’s in a tough position,” she explained. “An honest cop on a force led by a corrupt chief with ties to the Teamsters, organized crime, and drug traffickers. Doesn’t make for effective law enforcement or good morale.”
“So why doesn’t he blow the whistle on him?” Marchetti asked.
Janine chuckled. “On Kauai? Who’s he going to complain to, God?”
“The US Attorney’s office or FBI, for starters.”
“Possibly, but they’re on Oahu and don’t get over here much.”
Marchetti thought for a few moments. “So can we trust Kalani, or would that be a mistake?”
She stared off into space. “My gut says we should. He’s not going to put his career on the line for us, but he’s an honest guy, and he trusts Tom. I think we should run with that.”
Tom took a sip of water and added, “I’m confident he’ll help us out, with one provision.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
He paused to consider how she and Marchetti would take it. “That we agree to share everything with him.”
Marchetti looked up at the ceiling and laughed. “Right. And he’s going to share everything with us?”
Tom shrugged. “Probably not–he’s a cop–but it’s worth the risk.”
“What’s his relationship with Silva, can you tell?”
The Omega Covenant Page 14
