by T. R. Harris
“That would help. Thanks.”
Tiffany reentered the room and made a beeline for her drink. She, too, downed it in a single gulp.
“Okay, that’s done, and they’re relieved. But they really want me to get the exclusive from you, Xander. It might help to set things straight. I could use Billy’s phone to record a quick interview.”
“You’re kidding, aren’t you?” Xander said, flabbergasted.
“That’s a good idea, Zan,” Billy said. “Get everyone out looking for Jonas instead of you.”
“And why would they believe me? And what if Jonas has an alibi? I’d look like an idiot.”
“Right now you look like a terrorist,” Tiffany said. “Let’s at least tell our side of the story. I’ll back you up.”
Xander looked into the three pairs of anxious eyes staring back at him—even Maria was waiting for his reply. “What the hell?” he said finally. “What could it hurt?”
Chapter 16
“Our powerful friends have used their considerable technological prowess to record a cellphone conversation that just came into the Fox News station in Los Angeles,” said Abdul-Shahid Almasi to Jonas Lemon through the computer link. “They should have a trace on the phone very soon. The phone is active once again.”
“Probably in San Diego, right?”
“Preliminary … yes.”
“He has a lot of friends there. I’d check out Jeremy Fenton, Karen Pardo, Billy Jenkins, Curt Tharp, and Hugh Barden.”
“And who are they?”
“They’re his old teammates, a bunch of drone nerds from the old days. If he’s looking for someone with influence and resources, I’d put my money on Jenkins.”
“I know the name. He is a drone manufacturer. I believe even I have used some of his units.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty big-time with the government these days, owns one of the few companies authorized to weaponize UAVs.”
“Can he be a threat to us?”
Lemon laughed. “Only if he lives! I assume when you take out Moore, there can also be some fortuitous collateral damage? But don’t you think it a bit risky to bring in the Russians at this point?”
“They already have extensive surveillance taking place across America. Besides, if our operation is carried to fruition, they will have very little to worry about from your country as far as reprisals go.” Almasi’s image smiled—something that was rare in his case. “As will we all, Mr. Lemon.”
Jonas looked at his watch. He had a side dial set for California time. “It’s nine at night in San Diego and the start of a new day here in the Emirates. Hopefully your people can have this wrapped up pretty soon. I would really like to celebrate Moore’s death at dinner tonight.”
“And the codes? Are you prepared for immediate delivery upon confirmation?”
“All set to go. Just bring me the head of Xander Moore.”
Jonas saw a look of confusion cloud Almasi’s face. “A figure of speech,” Jonas quickly explained. “Simple video confirmation will suffice.”
********
Colleen Hoover was asleep at seven in the evening of Tuesday, December 12, the day after the attack on the Rapid Defense Center. This was unusual for her. She was one of those rare individuals who get by on four hours of sleep, an attribute that came in handy during her thirty years as a stock and commodities broker. Operating from the West Coast, she’d usually be at her desk by two a.m., preparing for the coming day on Wall Street. These days, living in the same time zone as New York, even though she was no longer active in the markets, she still maintained her habit of rising early to greet the new day.
As secretary of the treasury, Hoover oversaw the largest economy to ever have existed on the planet, even if most of her job these days entailed heading off one disaster after another. With the financial markets as fickle as they were, even an unsubstantiated rumor or the slightest movement in an unexpected manner would send them roiling. As the PR face of the US economy, she was tasked with downplaying every negative story, while smiling confidently when the occasional good news came out.
After Friday’s attack on the Dolphin Mall, followed by the total massacre at the RDC, there wasn’t a lot of smiling going on, even for the cameras. She had been up all Monday night with her advisors and in conference calls with the president and his people, fielding impossible-to-answer hypotheticals about the impact of the attacks on the economy. Her frantic schedule continued well into Tuesday morning as report after report came in regarding escalating terrorist attacks sweeping the nation. About four in the afternoon she fell back on the couch in her office just to rest her eyes, and it was the buzzing of her office intercom that woke her three hours later.
Colleen stumbled to her desk and pressed the button. “Hoover here. What is it?”
“Sorry to disturb you, ma’am, but the Chinese Finance Minister is demanding to speak with you.” Her secretary—actually one of two she had to keep up with her frantic pace—sounded tired and upset.
“He demands to speak with me?”
“He said he’s been trying to reach Mr. Monroe at the White House, but has been unable to get through.”
Colleen looked at the clock on the wall. “Shit—it’s seven o’clock!”
“Yes, ma’am, I would have wakened you if something truly important happened. It’s just hard to tell these days.”
“That’s all right, Tabby. Thanks. I imagine Minister Koa is fit to be tied. He’s probably been up all night trying to get hold of someone over here.”
“What should I tell him?”
“Put him through, Tabby. It’s really me he wants to talk with more than Monroe.”
“Yes, ma’am. Here he comes.”
“Minister Jing Koa, I can’t say I’m surprised to hear from you,” Colleen said.
“Madam Secretary, I apologize for the tone of my call, yet you must realize China is very concerned about the recent events taking place within your country, and it appears no one is willing to speak with us regarding this crisis. Even though your markets closed early, the rest of the world has continued to trade—at least for now.”
Hoover pressed a button on the remote control on her desk and a large TV on the opposite wall came to life, already tuned to Fox Business Channel. The scrolling banner at the bottom said it all.
“Is this correct, Jing? A three hundred point drop in the Nikki and over a thousand in the Shanghai Composite?”
“Yes it’s true, and this is only the beginning. As a warning, we are planning on closing our markets within the hour to keep the decline from growing worse, but that will only send a bad message to traders and shareholders. Without some good news to calm the panic, when we do reopen it will be so much worse. Please tell me you have some good news?”
“I have to be honest with you, Jing. I fell asleep for a couple of hours, so I’m not up on the very latest. Throughout the night and all Tuesday our time, we have been working on projections, and they’re not good. I don’t know how else to phrase it.”
“Not good can mean a lot, Madam Secretary. What we need to know is whether or not the United States has further capacity to stop these attacks and to get your people back in the stores? The global consensus is that you do not.”
“What do you want me to say, Mr. Minister? You can see the reports of the latest attacks as well as I can. You can also see the video showing empty malls. And this afternoon, the FedEx hub in Nashville was hit by no fewer than a hundred drones, grounding their entire fleet. Smaller, less effective attacks hit Amazon, Walmart, and Jet distribution centers. There’s been a wholesale exodus of workers from these sites, and I’d be surprised if anyone shows up for work tomorrow, anywhere.”
“It would appear these latest attacks are aimed solely at stopping commerce within your country. That speaks to a more sinister motive rather than simple terrorism.”
“This is both physical and economic terrorism, Jing. But you’re right. I said as much to the president earlier today. It appears
the motive behind the attacks is to ruin our economy.”
“And what happens to the economy of China if America’s collapses? That is what everyone is worried about over here, and elsewhere.”
“Again, Jing, I don’t know what to say. Our priority at this time is to secure our nation and our financial markets and commerce.”
“I realize that, and you must understand that your goal is shared equally by the Chinese government.”
Hoover’s wry smile was conveyed in her tone of voice. “Our two governments have been inexorably entwined for decades now, at least financially.”
“Your debt to my nation now exceeds six trillion dollars, Madam Secretary, so I would agree our interests are mutual. The debt service alone, although less than ten percent of our domestic GNP, is both a vital, as well as a symbolic, part of our economy. And now there are people around the world—and here as well—who see America defaulting on your obligations in light of these attacks. Are they wrong?”
Colleen Hoover hesitated before answering. This had been a hot topic throughout the day, with many of the politicians and non-financial types saying screw everyone else, we have our own problems to deal with now. Worrying about what impact our actions would have on foreign entities wasn’t a priority.
Hoover knew—better than most—that America did have to worry what others would think and how they would react. With America temporarily handicapped, it would be up to the rest of the world to help find solutions and pick up the slack. The United States was going to need a lot of money to repair the damage caused on just the first day of the crisis—let alone for the duration—and that money would have to come from someplace other than the homeland.
“The thing about economics, Mr. Minister, is that so much of it is out in the open for all to see. Without a prosperous holiday shopping season, the United States will truly suffer economically. This is so much worse than a periodic slowdown due to a weak economy. This is profound, and it will have a ripple effect across all sectors. But to answer your complex question: number one, I don’t know if we have the capacity to fight off these and future attacks. That’s for others in the government to determine. Number two, as far as the US economy and our obligations are concerned, we discussed this at length, and it was decided that we will not allow valuable financial assets to leave the country, either by the government or by individuals and corporations, not when we need that money to keep the nation from spiraling completely out of control. We have to put on a good show, Jing, and that will cost a lot of money.”
“And our payments … are you saying they are in jeopardy?”
“Unfortunately, that is exactly what I’m saying.”
“You would forego your payments to us?”
“Unless things change drastically within the next few days, the United State of America will not have a Christmas, and with seventy percent of our economy based on consumer commerce, it doesn’t take a financial genius to see the writing on the wall.”
“Then what are we to do? A default will spell the complete meltdown of our economy as well.”
“Then I suggest that you get across to your bosses that what happens to America also happens to China. It’s as simple as that. An attack on us is also an attack on you. Having said that, don’t you think it’s about time your incredibly large and powerful country began exerting influence over some of your more questionable affiliations? I would start with North Korea and Iran. The attacks on my country affect you in kind. Only by stopping the terrorists can we—and I do mean we—persuade Americans to start shopping again.” Colleen’s frustration had grown by the minute, and now she let it all out.
“It’s time for Chinese leadership to make a decision. Are you going to continue to assist and protect regimes that sponsor terrorism, or are you going to be against them? Considering how interdependent the world’s economies have become, there is no way a superpower like yours can continue to ride the fence. If you want to save your economy, Mr. Minister, you will have to help America save ours.”
There was silence on the line for almost an entire minute. “Are you still there, Jing?” Colleen asked.
“Yes, I am here. I will convey your thoughts and concerns to my government. They will not be happy.”
“I’m sorry about that, Mr. Minister, but who is happy after the tragic events that have taken place in my country? None of us are happy, but we will do what we have to do to survive. Will China follow suit?”
“I will make a point of requesting that China reconsider some of our political … accommodations. You know I have always questioned the financial wisdom of my government’s affiliations with certain groups and nations. However, that is politics, and I do not play politics. I am an economist, just as you, Madam Secretary. We have no time or tolerance for the games our leaders play, especially when such can affect our economic wellbeing. In light of the seriousness of the current situation, I am sure that my superiors will at least consider following the path that you—and I to a less-vocal degree—now advocate, especially after I relate the content of this conversation.”
“I sincerely hope so, Jing. It’s going to take all the civilized nations in the world to head off this disaster. There can be no middle ground, no vacillation and no ambiguity. Now I will let you go. We both have a lot of work to do in a very short time.”
********
“They say they’ll look into it,” Billy Jenkins told Xander once he had spoken with his contacts in D.C. “But without any evidence they’re not lifting the all-points-bulletin that’s out on you, at least not officially. It might be better if you turn yourself into the Feds. At least then you’d have a significant layer of protection around you. You know you’re innocent, and once they start looking into Jonas, it shouldn’t be too hard to put two and two together.”
“You could be right, but not until I see just how much trouble I’m really in. Knowing that bastard, there may be an airtight case against me, no matter what I say.”
“Okay, I’m ready,” Tiffany said. She had taken a few sheets of paper and jotted down a series of questions for her interview, while Billy provided a small tripod with a cellphone holder for a steady camera shot. After the interview, it would only take seconds to email the raw footage to her station.
In typical interview fashion, two chairs were placed at a slight angle to each other. Xander sat in one as Tiffany sat in the other. She had borrowed a soft blue blouse from Maria’s closet to replace the flannel shirt she had been wearing, and then spent twenty minutes in the bathroom preparing her hair and makeup—also from Maria’s supply. It was a little past seven when all was ready.
With a nod from Tiffany, Billy pressed the record button on the phone.
“This is Tiffany Collins with an exclusive Fox News report shedding additional light on the terrorist attacks that took place yesterday afternoon in Las Vegas and elsewhere. With me is Xander Moore, the senior drone pilot for the Rapid Defense Center, and we’re coming to you tonight from a secret location, which must remain secret, not only for the protection of Mr. Moore, but for my safety as well.
“For the record, I was at the Rapid Defense Center yesterday conducting an interview with Mr. Moore when the attack took place, so I make this report as an active eyewitness to the tragedy that took place there.
“First off, I would like to make a personal statement regarding the misinformation circulating in the media regarding Mr. Moore’s involvement with the terrorists. I firmly believe all the accusations are false. In fact, I go so far to say the information has been planted to make him appear guilty. I was present when he discovered that his home had been destroyed, a tragic event that some reports say he did himself. It simply did not happen that way. In addition, I want to say here and now that I have never been mistreated or held against my will by Mr. Moore. Also, I was personally involved in a very serious attempt made on Mr. Moore’s life that took place this morning at my cabin in Idyllwild, California, and not by agents of the United States as has been repo
rted, but rather by men working for the terrorists behind these horrific acts of violence.
“I make these statements as fact, since I was there and witnessed them with my own eyes.
“Now let me turn to Xander Moore. As I mentioned, he is the senior drone pilot at the Rapid Defense Center, and he comes to us with a unique and expert perspective on the events taking place across the country. Thank you, Mr. Moore, for agreeing to this interview. I know the identity of RDC personnel is normally a closely held secret, stemming from the belief that you could become targets for many of the terrorist groups operating around the world. That belief is undeniable now, as we witnessed the wholesale assassinations of literally hundreds of your colleagues, along with their families. This must be particularly hard on you at this time.”
“Thank you, Tiffany, but I also have to say to your viewers that you were right there in the thick of things, not only at the RDC, but also during the gunfight at your cabin. Frankly, it’s a miracle we’re both still alive.”
“I will—when the time is right—be expanding my report to include more of my personal experiences, but for now let’s focus on the RDC attack. You believe you know the motive for the attack, as well as the mastermind behind it.”
Xander looked to the phone/camera and then back to Tiffany, not knowing which to focus on. He caught a slight nod from the reporter and so he settled on her. “It’s pretty obvious now that the motive behind all the attacks taking place is to prevent people from shopping and spending money during the Christmas season. The terrorists behind this want to see the collapse of the American economy. They knew that with the RDC still operating, most of their attacks would have very little impact, so they took out the Center first. Now we’re seeing a full-scale assault being made to bring the economy to a standstill.”