A live helicopter shot zoomed in on bodies lying in the Ferry Building Plaza. A bomb had detonated under the restaurant at the end of the Ferry Building Pier. The restaurant was gone. The pier was mostly gone. Under the restaurant a reinforced concrete shaft had fed air into the BART tunnel running below the bay. It was gone. Where it had been, the waters of the Bay churned in a seething whirlpool, pouring into a black hole.
The networks were pooling shots. Injured and frightened people wandered aimlessly about. CBS switched to an interview with a panicked mother sitting outside what was left of the Ferry Building, clutching her child and sobbing.
CNN was running a banner saying the country was under terrorist attack. Fox had a right wing talking head sounding off. Behind him was a background shot of the Twin Towers burning.
Chapter Forty-Nine
"My God." It was Hansen, the National Security Advisor.
"Mister President." General Holden spoke from the end of the table. "I recommend we go to DEFCON 3. We don't know who's behind this. This may be a set up for a larger attack."
"Mister President, may I interrupt?" It was Lodge. "Before we take further action I believe we should hear from Director Harker."
Here it comes, Harker thought. Lodge was anticipating political fallout and diverting thoughts of an intelligence blunder away from CIA and over to her.
"Director?"
Everyone looked at her. She forced herself to keep her hands resting quietly on the table before her. A memory surfaced of her father, sitting in his big wingback chair in the den.
"Never let them see what you're really thinking."
Her father reached for a glass of bourbon on the side table by his big, green chair.
"When it's important, when the chips are down, you've got to conceal your thoughts and control your feelings. It's like poker; you can't let the other fellow know what you're up to"
Her father often seemed to confuse her with the son he'd never had.
"Yes, Daddy"
"Stand up for what you believe in. Don't lie, but you don't always have to say everything that's on your mind. You're smart and you're going to go far. It's certain there will be times in your life when you have to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em."
She decided to reveal the Tibetan operation, before Lodge sandbagged her. It was time to hold 'em.
Lodge was watching to see how she would handle it. To hell with him.
"Yes, Mister President. Ten days ago we discovered a ranking officer of Chinese Military Intelligence was responsible for the murder of William Connor, the noted investment banker. This officer reports directly to General Yang Siyu, head of Chinese MI.
"Large sums of money were taken from Connor's accounts and transferred to the control of General Yang. That money was again transferred to accounts here in America controlled by the Chinese Triads.
"General Yang heads a group in China called the White Jade Society, composed of senior military and government officials. Analysis of intelligence indicates that this group is plotting a coup to install General Yang as the new leader of China. His man met several times with leaders of the Triads. I believe Yang is using the American Triads to create a diversion here while he seizes power in China."
Rice interrupted her.
"Director, you believe a coup is underway in China and that these terrorist events are related to it?"
"Yes, Mister President."
"That is a very broad supposition."
"Yes, sir. May I continue?"
"Go ahead."
"Thank you, sir. William Connor was murdered for money, but also for an old book in his possession. General Yang went to great lengths to obtain this book, which Connor had hidden. An attempt was made here in Washington to kidnap Connor's niece in an effort to learn where it was. Five Chinese agents were killed by one of my team during that attempt."
There was a murmur around the table. She had their attention.
"We retrieved the book. Again, Chinese agents attempted to intervene. Two were killed, as well as a California police officer. We asked ourselves why this text was so important to General Yang. Translation revealed clues to the location of a deposit of high grade uranium ore somewhere in modern China.
"We believed Yang wanted to find that deposit to enhance China's nuclear weapons program. The book pointed to a specific location in the Tibet Autonomous Region where directions to the deposit could be found.
"The translation of the book was stolen by one of Yang's agents. That agent is in custody, as is another, deep cover agent we discovered embedded in the FBI. That informer contacted Yang's man and expressed concern about a possible attack here today."
All eyes turned to Westbrooke. He gave Elizabeth a hard look. I have made an enemy there, she thought.
"Based on our analysis, I ordered a team into the field. We needed to know if a uranium deposit exists, since this would impact China's nuclear programs. We needed more intelligence to inform us about Yang and his plans. The only way to get it was to go to the source revealed in the book."
"You sent a team into Tibet."
"Yes, Mister President."
"How were they inserted?"
"B-1B and high altitude jump."
"Armed?"
"Yes, sir."
"And?"
"The team reached their objective and confirmed the existence of a previously unknown high grade uranium deposit, located in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region."
"Any complications?"
"There was a confrontation with Chinese military personnel as the team prepared to leave. More than thirty Chinese were killed. The team was then safely extracted to India. They are arriving at Andrews as we speak."
The table was silent, all eyes on Elizabeth and the President.
The President looked at Holden. "Were you aware of this operation, General?"
"No, sir."
"How about you, Wendell?"
"We were informed of the operation after it had been executed."
"Not aware, then. General Hood, you knew the details of this mission?"
"I did, sir. The data was solid. We had to know if the ore deposit existed."
Rice turned to Elizabeth. "Why was I not informed, Director?" He was getting angry.
"Sir, the decision was not taken lightly. I felt deniability was a factor, as we were going into Chinese sovereign territory. Therefore you were not informed. It was my intention to brief you as soon as our information was complete.
"I want to point out, sir, that I alerted Homeland Security to a potential terrorist threat. I also attempted to inform State regarding a possible coup in China, but was rebuffed."
"Who was contacted at State?"
"The Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs. She was quite adamant there was no possibility of a takeover in China, or even an attempt at one."
Rice turned to his Chief of Staff.
"Set up a meeting with State for tomorrow, and have him bring the Assistant Secretary with him."
"Yes, sir."
"General Holden and Director Lodge. Focus your intelligence gathering resources on China. Look for indications a coup may be underway. General Holden, to address your request, I am ordering you to go to DEFCON 3. Director Westbrooke. Find out who is responsible for these terrorist acts. I want them identified. I want that now."
"Yes, Mister President."
"Joseph, stay at Elevated nationwide and go to Imminent on the West Coast. Follow our existing scenarios for terrorist attack. They should be adequate or we've all wasted a lot of time since nine eleven."
"Yes, Mister President."
The presidential aide came in and whispered in the President's ear. Rice nodded and a uniformed army Colonel came into the room. He went to General Holden, said something in a low voice and remained standing behind him.
Holden said, "Mister President, our satellites show unusual military movements in and near Beijing, in the central provinces and off the coast of the Chinese ma
inland."
"What kind of movements, General?"
"I can bring them up on the monitors, sir."
Holden went to the computer banks and spoke to a technician. In seconds the pictures of chaos in the Bay Area were replaced with a series of live satellite photos. It was full day in China. The images were clear. General Holden stood by the monitors and indicated one of the feeds.
"This is China's principle ICBM base, located in Luoyang, in the Eastern Central region. It's manned by the 80304 Unit of the Second Artillery Corps. We estimate they have 15 DF-5 and 25 DF-31 ICBM's targeted on the US and Europe. Average yield is around 3 to 5 kilotons per missile. The DF-5s are in silos. The DF-31s are on mobile launchers. They keep them in tunnels."
He indicated part of the picture. "Notice the movement of equipment outside the base. This is heavy troop transport and tank movement. The vehicles have blocked access to the facility and appear to be making a flanking or circling maneuver."
"Who commands that base?"
"General Lu Cheng, sir. He is known to be a xenophobic hard liner."
Elizabeth sat up straighter in her chair. Lu Cheng was a member of the White Jade Society.
"Have the silos been activated?" Rice asked.
"Not as of this moment, sir. We'll know if they do."
Holden turned his attention to another live shot, this time of a large city.
"This is Beijing. Again, you see extensive movement of tanks and troops. They're moving into Tiananmen Square and along all main arteries."
He signaled the Colonel and the image changed again.
"This is Hainan Island, off the Southern Coast. The Chinese have constructed a state of the art underground submarine base here, at Sanya. It is home to their most advanced nuclear ballistic submarine, the Type 0-94. Those subs carry twelve JL-2 missiles with two point five megaton warheads. Perhaps by coincidence, their top naval officer, Admiral Zhang Lian, arrived in Sanya yesterday."
Admiral Zhang was another member of White Jade.
"You can see a lot of activity, here, right where the pens are located, and two of their subs. It looks to me like they're readying for sea. Tanks and troop transports are moving toward the base. They're cutting off access to the rest of the island."
"What is your interpretation, General?"
"Sir, this appears to be an effort to isolate the missile and sub bases by troops. In Beijing, I'd say forces are securing the city. But it's not possible to say who is controlling those forces."
The room watched as four J-11 fighters, Chinese variants of the Russian SU-27 SK, passed over the submarine base.
Lodge spoke up. "Mister President, if Director Harker's assessment is correct, we could be looking at a coup in progress. This may be an effort by the current government to stop it, or those troops may be under command of the conspirators."
"Sir, those bases are controlled by members of Yang's White Jade Society." Harker wanted to make sure Rice knew. "General Lu is particularly dangerous, in my opinion. He could start a war with those missiles."
"Mister President," Holden said, "It's possible this is the beginning of a confrontation with the Chinese. I now recommend we escalate to DEFCON2. Sir, you should remove yourself to the secure bunker."
"General. Under no circumstances am I leaving the White House at this time. The last thing the country needs is a President who runs for cover when something happens." Rice raised his hand to stop further protest. "That's final, General."
"Yes, sir."
"What offensive naval assets do we have near China?"
"The Ronald Reagan and her accompanying AEGIS class escorts are two hundred and fifty miles off North Korea. There are two of our Ohio class boomers in the general area, the George Washington Carver and the Tennessee."
"General, order those ships to assume DEFCON2, but we will not raise the national level just yet. We have not gone to DEFCON2 since the Cuban crisis. I am not convinced we should do so now. We will wait. If those silos go hot I will reconsider. In the meantime, institute DEFCON3 for the rest of our forces."
"Yes, sir."
"We have to deal with these attacks in California. You all have something to do. Get going on it. General, monitor the situation in China and bring me your analysis in one hour. Call a meeting of the Joint Chiefs here for that time.
"I want no mention of this supposed group claiming responsibility. Until I have considered the implications of Director Harker's actions and until we have better intelligence from China I don't want anything made public. This meeting is concluded. Everyone make sure you are immediately available if I need you. Director Harker, Kevin, remain here."
Rice stood and the room emptied. When all had gone, Rice sat down again.
"Director, you may have started a fire over there, and I'm going to have to put it out. You'd better be right in your analysis. Now tell me the rest of it."
"Mister President?"
"Director, don't bullshit an old bullshitter. Your brief was to the point, but it's clear you are leaving something out. I want to know what it is."
"Sir, I felt the rest of it, as you put it, was irrelevant to the events on the coast."
"I'll be the judge of that."
"Yes, sir."
Harker told him what had been left out.
Rice turned to his Chief of Staff.
"Kevin, you are to forget what Director Harker just told us. Am I clear? None of this must get out."
"Yes, sir."
"Have the Director's team brought to me. I want to hear about this action in Tibet from them."
"Sir, Langley would be better for debriefing…"
"No. I'll see them tomorrow morning. Make room on my schedule."
"Yes, sir."
"Director Harker. Where is your team now?"
"They were due at Andrews an hour ago, sir. They were to be met and taken out of sight."
"Get them here in the morning. Coordinate with Kevin."
"Yes, Mister President."
"One more thing."
"Sir?"
"If word of what you have just told me ever becomes public it will create widespread difficulties. Make sure it does not."
"Yes, Mister President."
"We're done for now. There will be a meeting tomorrow with State. I want to hear State's assessment and I want you there as well. Kevin will let you know when. Now I have to prepare a statement to the nation. The American people will expect it."
Rice rose and was gone, escorted by his secret service agents, before Harker could say anything else. Not that there was anything else to say.
Hogan said, "Dead emperors?"
"Yes."
"Your people killed thirty Chinese?"
"They didn't have much choice."
"What was left behind? Anything pointing to us?"
"We were careful to use equipment that cannot be directly traced to the US. The vehicle had Pakistani markings. Supplies were non-specific to us. The Chinese will certainly figure it out but they will have a tough time proving it. I think we're in the clear there."
"You'd better hope so, Director. They're going to be pissed. For all our sakes I hope it turns out to be worth it. Let's set up the meeting with your people."
Harker called Stephanie and gave her instructions. Now it was up to the President.
Chapter Fifty
Stephanie met the team at Andrews and drove them back to the Project.
Carter felt like a sack of cement. Jet lag was on him like a wrecking crew on a Vegas casino. Pain killers had his back down to a dull ache. Ronnie came hobbling out of the bathroom. No showers for him. He had bandages around his damaged ribs, cracked by the Chinese rounds. His leg wound was tightly wrapped.
"Coffee, guys," Stephanie said. They each took a cup.
Steph's cell went off.
"Yes, Director." She listened. "They're fine. All right, I'll tell them."
She hung up. "Guess what?"
"What? Let me guess. We're getting on a plane agai
n."
"No, Nick. The President wants to see all of you."
"The President? You're kidding."
"He's sending a car for you tomorrow morning."
"I know the President." Selena sipped her coffee. "He's a good man."
"How do you know him?" Nick said.
"He and my uncle were friends. We had dinner with him at the White House about six months ago."
"What's he like?"
"Straight forward. He has no patience with people who dodge the issues. He hides his thoughts well when he wants to, and he's not someone you want to cross. I'd say he's a genius when it comes to politics. He takes his job seriously. It determines everything he does."
"Why do you think he wants to see us?"
"I imagine he wants a first hand account."
"The Director said to turn on the TV." Stephanie set the coffee pot down.
"Why would she say that?" Nick reached over and turned it on.
"Holy shit," said Ronnie. "Isn't that San Francisco? The Bay Bridge in the background?"
"That's the Ferry Building. But what happened to the pier and the Plaza?" Selena's voice was strained.
"Turn up the sound."
In a few minutes they had the picture. The death toll was rising. Public services were compromised. Hospitals all over the Bay Area were overwhelmed.
Homeland Security had gone to Imminent in the West. People were ordered to remain in their homes. All public transportation was under military control. All government facilities were shut down or under heavy guard. In San Francisco the BART tunnels were flooded all along the Embarcadero and across the Bay to Oakland. Power was still out over most of California and the West.
The President was scheduled to address the nation in the morning.
"Yang," Carter said.
"Has to be," said Ronnie. "It's too much of a coincidence."
"I wonder what's happening in China? Yang must be making his move."
"I hope they shoot that son of a bitch." Ronnie said.
"They will, unless he shoots them first."
"You think he'll use those missiles?"
White Jade (The PROJECT) Page 19