Imminent Threat

by Jeff Gunhus

  “You are wicked, aren’t you?” Anna said. “Truly wicked.”

  Jordi giggled like a child. Scott enjoyed the way she’d effortlessly gained the large man’s affection. Damn, she was good.

  “Jordi,” Hawthorn said. “What did you mean we wouldn’t know he’s wearing a mask?”

  “Come on, I’ll show you,” he said.

  He turned and walked back out of the room the way he’d come in. As they followed, Scott noticed a palatable sense of relief in the room. Jordi was a bull in whatever shop he wandered into; apparently the headquarters for Alpha Team was no exception.

  They followed him back through a long hallway, then entered Jordi’s den. A long room with a computer workspace at one end and what looked like a mad scientist’s lab at the other.

  Jordi pulled up a chair that looked like a captain’s chair in a science-fiction movie and rolled in front of a bank of computer screens. His rather thick fingers danced nimbly over the keyboard as the screens lit up. A series of faces appeared sequentially on the screen, each time covered with small green dots connected by geometric lines.

  “Facial recognition, like everything else, is just math,” Jordi said. “These geometric shapes are processed by advanced algorithms in a deep learning protocol.”

  “English, please,” Scott said.

  “The system learns over time, getting better, needing less information to formulate a match,” he said. “Scott, walk across the room there.”

  Scott did so, noticing a camera set up in the corner of the room. He appeared on the screen, a green square framing his face and the dots and lines moving as he walked.

  “Good,” Jordi said. “Now come back.”

  Scott obliged. “Now, to fool the system you could use a prosthetic mask. Not a bad option. There are some really great fakes out there designed just for this purpose. There’s a guy in Europe who sells them at cost just because he hates the idea of the police state watching everyone all the time.” An image on his screen of a man in a hoodie popped up. It took Scott a few seconds to recognize the man was wearing a mask. It was good enough to fool a casual observer but wouldn’t hold up to any kind of scrutiny. Jordi handed Scott a pair of glasses. The frames were heavy and thick. When he put them on, he saw the glass was clear.

  “Go on, give us another walk,” Jordi said, laying his fake British accent on thick.

  Scott did so. On the screen, his face was blurred out in a white circle of light.

  “Whoa, what’s that?” he asked.

  “The glasses are transmitting, right?” Anna asked.

  “Look at the big brain on Anna,” Jordi said. “Yes, a broad-spectrum output designed to confuse any camera.”

  “But what good would that do?” Hawthorn asked. “Anyone with white light overriding the system just gets flagged for intercept.”

  Jordi picked up another set of glasses and handed them to Scott. “Last time, I promise.”

  Scott put on the glasses and walked across the floor. From where he was, he could see that there were no bright lights on the computer screen this time. It looked like there was no difference, except that Hawthorn and Anna leaned closer to the screen, audibly gasping at what they saw.

  “What is it?” Scott said.

  He walked back and looked at the frozen image on the screen. It was his body, but Jordi’s face.

  “Now there’s a handsome devil,” Jordi said.

  Scott took off the glasses and looked at them closely. “How does it work?”

  “Same idea,” Jordi said. “Except instead of the light trying to wipe out the camera sensors, it’s forming its own invisible hologram that hovers over the actual face.”

  “Like wearing a mask except no one else sees it,” Hawthorn said.

  “What makes you think Scarvan has this technology?” Anna said. “He’s been on Mount Athos for twenty years. I imagine he barely knows how to search on Google.”

  “Mara’s report from Paris was that Scarvan had help,” Scott pointed out. “The surveillance team was taken out by someone else as Scarvan rode up on the boat in the Seine.”

  “If it’s Omega helping him,” Jordi said, pointing to his lab at the other end of the room, “then I imagine he had access to everything here and more. Well, except some of my newest things, which are probably more advanced.”

  Scott grinned, always amused by Jordi’s fathomless ego in his work. He wasn’t sure if it was charming because of the fake accent, or because it was typically true.

  “The point is, whether it’s this particular piece of tech or not, our facial recognition system is Swiss cheese,” Jordi said. “Holes all over it.”

  “Let’s brief Dreslan on this,” Hawthorn said. “Better yet, get Rick Hallsey over here. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and open to ideas. Let’s get him on board first. Any idea where he’s at?”

  Scott checked his watch. Just after three p.m. “I have a pretty good idea. I’ll call him.”

  Anna arched an eyebrow and he caught the look.

  “What?” he said.

  She didn’t say anything, but her stare was unrelenting. Scott threw up his hands. “All right, I’ll call in fifteen minutes,” he said. “They’re young and haven’t seen each other for a while. It’d be a miracle if it took that long.”

  CHAPTER 46

  Mara’s first instinct at the door was to strike. That first split second of facing down a gun was the best opportunity to change the dynamics of the situation. But against an adversary like the one she faced, it was high risk. Likely deadly.

  Like a professional baseball player with a third of a second to decide whether to swing at a pitch or not, Mara did a series of nearly instant calculations.

  Asset was no normal assailant.

  If he meant to kill her, he could have performed a long-range sniper shot. No need for the close quarters and the cloak-and-dagger of intercepting her here.

  And if Rick was still alive inside, then she needed to get the lay of the land before deciding how to proceed.

  All of this happened with the electric speed of instinct. And she held herself in check.

  Asset gave her a short nod as if he knew exactly the calculus that had occurred in her mind. He stepped back and invited her in.

  “How’s your leg?” she murmured as she walked past him. The last time they’d met, she’d stabbed him in the leg with a knife stuck through her own hand.

  If the comment got any kind of rise out of him, he didn’t show it.

  Mara breathed a sigh of relief as the short foyer opened to a suite. Rick sat, bound and gagged, on a chair in the center of the room. He stared at her with longing eyes. His entire body language an apology for not preventing all of this from happening.

  “All right, asshole,” Mara said, turning to Asset. “You have my attention. What do you want?”

  “Let’s start with your weapons,” he said, indicating toward the bed.

  She appreciated the professional courtesy of the man not spelling out exactly how she should do it. They both knew how to disarm in a way that wasn’t perceived as a possible threat. As she removed her Glock and tossed it on the bed, she noticed for the first time some of the things Rick had prepared for her.

  Champagne on ice. Chocolate-covered strawberries. Fresh roses in a vase.

  All a little cliché. All of it perfect.

  Asset seemed to notice the same thing. “Looks like I interrupted your fun.”

  “Not too late to leave,” Mara said. “That would probably be best for all of us.”

  Asset checked his watch. Mara wondered if he was expecting additional help, or just timing how long before he needed to hit his egress plan.

  “You’re hunting Jacobslav Scarvan,” Asset said. “I know how to catch him.”

  Mara felt her heart beat faster. She tried not to give away any tells. “What do you know about Scarvan?”

  “I know his plan is aggressive. Very aggressive,” Asset said. “People I work for believe it is
too much. They want it stopped.”

  Mara thought through the implications. This might be a breakthrough. Or a trap. “These people you say want it stopped. You mean Omega?”

  Asset smiled thinly. “Never heard that name. What is it? One of your American conspiracy theories?”

  “Funny, you were working for Omega last time we met,” Mara said, circling the room to make her way over to Rick. “Or did you forget?”

  A dark cloud passed over Asset’s face. Mara imagined many men had seen that look as one of the last things they’d seen in their lives. She was fascinated to see the man raise two fingers to his neck, as if checking a corpse for a pulse. He held it there for five seconds of silence. When he removed it, the cloud had passed.

  “I remember well,” Asset said. “I’ve been looking forward to reminiscing with both you and your father at some point. Unfortunately, this other matter gets in the way of that right now. You need my help if you want to stop Scarvan.”

  “And we’re just going to trust you?” Mara asked.

  Asset pointed toward Rick. “If she removes your gag, are you going to behave?”

  Rick glared at him as if trying to drive a projectile through the man’s eye socket through sheer force of will alone.

  Mara put a hand on Rick’s shoulder. “He’ll be fine,” she said. “Won’t you?”

  He nodded. She looked to Asset, who indicated for her to proceed. She pulled the gag from Rick’s mouth and he inhaled sharply once it was out.

  Rick fixed Asset with another death stare. “You’re an asshole.”

  Asset looked to Mara as if in protest. See what I mean?

  “Let’s leave the who and why alone for now,” Mara said. “How can you help us stop Scarvan?”

  “I know his plan for the United Nations building. I can tell you exactly what’s going to happen. My employers just need a couple of assurances.”

  “Your assurance is that I’m going to come find you when all this is over,” Rick said.

  Asset turned to Mara and waited. Her curiosity was piqued. “What assurances?”

  “They would prefer that you kill Scarvan but understand your odd Western ideas about due process. If you capture him instead, he must never learn that we provided any assistance.”

  “So, if he gets away, he doesn’t come looking for you,” Mara said. “That’s fine.”

  “Secondly, my employer wants any mention of assistance left out of any report filed, confidential or otherwise. The press and media obviously cannot know.”

  “Okay,” Mara said. “What’s his plan?”

  “Third assurance,” Asset said. “You can share the information I give you, but you can’t reveal your source. Not to anyone.” He pointed first to Rick. “Not Mitch Dreslan.” Then he turned to Mara. “Not Jim Hawthorn. Not your father. No one.”

  “This is ridiculous,” Rick said. “You want our help in stopping him? Then just tell us.”

  “I could stop Scarvan if I wanted,” Asset said. “He’s an old man. Wouldn’t be hard. But my employer wants zero culpability.”

  “Sounds to me like your employer thinks you’ll miss and then Scarvan will come after him,” Mara said. “How does that make you feel?”

  The dark cloud reappeared, and Mara thought she might have pushed the man too far. It was all good intel, though. Knowing Asset’s ego could get the best of him so easily might come in useful at some point.

  “Do I have your assurances?” Asset asked.

  “What’s the recourse?” Rick asked. “Suppose we violate one of these assurances?”

  “Then my employer has tasked me with killing your president as a penalty,” Asset said. “I will take my time. It could be weeks. Perhaps months. But with my skill, I will accomplish my task. I think you know this is not a boast.”

  She put her hand on Rick’s shoulder, anticipating he would lash out at the comment. But he didn’t. Perhaps he sensed the same authority and certainty in Asset’s voice as she did. When she looked down, they made eye contact. He shook his head and mouthed the word no.

  Mara turned to Asset. “I accept the conditions. Now talk.”

  Asset indicated to Rick. “I need to hear it from him, too.”

  Rick hesitated, but with a look from Mara, he nodded.

  “It’s a bomb,” Asset said. “Already inside.”

  Mara felt the world tip sideways as she heard the words. “How strong is it?”

  “Powerful. But it’s also dirty,” Asset said. “Using polonium.”

  “A dirty bomb going off in the middle of New York City?” Rick said. “Jesus.”

  Asset nodded. “The blast will be powerful enough to kill everyone in the General Assembly. Any who survive by some miracle will likely die later from radiation poisoning. I think you’ve recently seen what that looks like.”

  Mara caught the implication that Asset had watched her and her father in Seville. All without their knowing. She wondered whether Scarvan had been there as well.

  Rick spoke first. “The UN is filled with radioactive sniffers. They would have turned up a bomb on site.”

  “Not if it was stored properly,” Mara said. “A heavy lead box would block all the gamma radiation. That’s what the detection systems are all keyed on. Where is the bomb stored? How does Scarvan plan to detonate?”

  Asset strolled to the window. Outside was a perfect view of the National Mall, the Washington Monument framed as if on a tourist’s postcard. He was clearly enjoying having his audience’s full attention.

  “When I was growing up, I was trained to despise America by men who had good reason to hate her. Still, even those men spoke of George Washington with respect. Not a great general, but a leader who held his army together through sheer will. Americans think it was because of his charisma, and I’m sure it was part of that. But he also shot deserters and used the lash to secure order. This is the lesson America has forgotten. Principles require the use of power to enforce them. Otherwise . . . chaos.”

  “How about we debate American history over coffee some other time?” Mara said. “The bomb. Where is it hidden?”

  Asset continued to stare out the window. “I don’t know for certain. I know what it was transported in, but where it is now is unknown.”

  “Lot of help you are, then,” Rick said. “Don’t you think we were already going to tear the building apart to secure it?”

  “I doubt you’ll find it,” Asset said. “It will be made to look like a container. A suitcase. A planter. Part of a desk. Who knows?”

  Mara tried to suppress her rising impatience. “Can we cut the dance and get to what you really have to help us?”

  Asset turned from the window, a look of professional appreciation on his face. “The detonator is wireless, set to a cell phone but with a specific long-wave radio frequency as a backup in case cell reception is blocked in the room. Designed to circumvent your jamming devices.” He pulled out a piece of paper and placed it on the bed. “This is the frequency. If you block that frequency, you block the ability to detonate the device.”

  “We want Scarvan,” Rick said. “Otherwise he’s still the same threat.”

  Asset pulled a set of handcuffs from his back pocket and tossed them to Mara. “Wrist to wrist will be fine. The key is on the bed here. I just need a small head start when we part ways.”

  Mara knew there was no negotiation here. Both she and Rick were getting out of this alive, which was more than she could have ever hoped for when Asset had first opened the door. She handcuffed herself to one of Rick’s wrists tied behind the chair. She considered faking the connection, but she knew Asset was too good for that, so she did it correctly.

  “You didn’t answer about Scarvan,” Mara said. “Sounds like your employers want him out of the field. Help us get him.”

  “I’ll know more the day of the event.” Asset tossed a phone on the bed. “I’ll reach you on this. Most importantly, don’t let them cancel the event. If they do, Scarvan may not ask for my employer’s
help next time and we won’t be able to assist you.”

  He walked over to have Mara show him that the cuffs were properly engaged. Satisfied, he walked to the door. Before he reached the hallway, he said, “We still have unfinished business, you and I. This doesn’t change that.”

  “Look forward to seeing you again,” Mara replied. “Train up a bit so it’s more fun.”

  Asset’s expression didn’t darken this time. Instead, he smiled. And if Mara didn’t know better, she would have thought he actually found the comment funny. He let her have the last word and left the room.

  Rick leaned back. “I’m so sorry I put you in this position. He was already in the room when I got here. I don’t know––”

  She shut him up by kissing him hard on the mouth. After, she used her free hand to untie the rope around his legs tying him to the chair.

  “How about we hobble over to the bed together and get that key. I don’t mind the handcuffs, but this isn’t how I’d use them.”

  “Agreed,” Rick said, awkwardly standing with the chair still attached to himself once the rope loosened. “Then we need to discuss how we proceed from here. Who we tell about this? Who we don’t?”

  Mara tugged on the cuffs, causing Rick to lose his balance and thump back down to the floor, hitting the chair hard with his ass.

  “We can’t tell anyone,” she said. “This guy is the real thing. That was no idle threat.”

  “What do you think I do for a living?” Rick said. “Guard the president against pie-throwing environmentalists? We have threats like this guy every day.”

  “Not like this guy,” Mara said. “Besides, we can act on the information without revealing the source.”

  “You think Dreslan will accept that?”

  “We’ll say the intel came from Alpha Team. Blame me for not giving up the source. We never mention this interaction. Even if asked directly about it.” Mara leaned in. “But we need you to push Dreslan. He’s dragging his feet on this, and I’m not sure why.”

  Rick nodded. “All right. We’ll do it your way.”