by E L Russell
“So,” Granger said, “what happens in January that might include the President and at least one conservative congressman from South Carolina?”
Steve held his head. “Oh my god. The President’s State of the Union Address.”
Meret slid her copy of the photo of Congressman Whipple’s office from her folder and tapped it. “I’m afraid we’re beginning to see this scene of elected officials and key people, including the President, repeated throughout the Capitol. I believe the evidence is strong and will soon become evident the Genecaust we are expecting will take place in Washington this coming January during the President’s State of the Union speech Address.
64
Opportunity
October, Washington - Katya makes a run -Escape detected
Something in the night filled her head with an unexpected sound. “Katya's moving.”
Sound asleep in her Hotel Jackson apartment, Meret never heard the cell phone ring.
The speaker squawked again. “She’s in a taxi headed toward the airport.”
Granger jumped out of bed, stood next to her and joined the three-way call using his phone. “This is Hawking. Report.” He extended a hand to help Meret her to her feet. She walked toward the balcony adding her phone to the conference call.
The voice on the call spoke to both of them. “Agent John Metz here. Katya’s booked on a flight to HKG.”
Meret said in a low voice, “Hong Kong International.”
Agent Metz continued, “We have no observation or record of a booking. Someone must have done it for her.”
Is the SuperFly still on her?” Garret asked
Agent Metz said, “The battery is recharging and is sticking with the target autonomously maintaining maximum power undetected.”
He glanced toward Meret near the balcony. She gave him a thumbs-up.
Granger spoke to the agent. “We'll inform the Director, and my field team will continue monitoring monitor your phone. We’ll all keep an open line. Good hunting, John.”
Granger dressed. “This may be it.”
She removed their go bags from the closet and said, “Do you think she’ll monitor the attack on the Capitol from Hong Kong?”
“I’m guessing she planned to be as far away as possible.” He checked his Glock.
Meret said, “The bitch isn’t going to make it.” Dropping the go-bags she checked her Glock and added, “Hit the microwaves will you? I put coffee and bagels in last night.”
“On it,” he said. “So you knew we would get a call, is that what you’re saying?”
She laughed and checked her Glock. “No, I’m just a compulsive A-plus personality, remember?”
“Right. So I’ll wager you already have Katya’s litter box team standing by? They’re ready for her?”
“Bet you ass. Katya’s new home is open for business.” She slid the cream cheese across the counter. “Putt his in the bag with the bagels and coffee.”
“Damn, I hate waiting for the ride.” Granger went to stand on the balcony. “Any leftover blueberry pie?”
“In the fridge. Let’s get down and wait by the pickup area.”
Both phones vibrated.
Meret hit her button first. “What do you have?”
“Agent John Metz. Subject purchased a one-way ticket on a China Airlines flight to Moscow from Hong Kong International Airport. Flight time eighteen hours thirty-five minutes.
Meret remembered the flight. “That can’t be a direct flight from Hong Cong to Russia, yes?”
“No ma'am, she has a five-hour layover in Dubai before another flight of eight hours on Air Emirates to Moscow's Domodedovo International.”
“How much time before the departure from Hong Kong?” Granger asked.
“Two hours.”
Granger looked at Meret and spoke to Agent Metz. “Get an undercover team on that plane. I don't care what it costs. We have a twenty-five-hour window before she boards a plane from Dubai for Moscow. Have them call me when they're on. I want to brief them about this change of plan. Tell them to do nothing until I speak with them. No contact with Katya of any kind. They are to remain totally dark until ordered otherwise. Copy?”
“Copy.”
“Good work, Metz.”
Granger ended his connection and noticed Meret pacing around the car park her arms folded, and head bowed. Now and then her hand, held to her chest by the other, would gesture as though conducting an orchestra. She stopped several times to pull her chin and tap the end of her nose. He had observed this behavior before and knew his position required waiting in the wings until she got off the stage. After five or six laps, she paused, smiled slightly to no one, and began tapping on her cell screen.
“Poppy, start packing. As we speak,” she looked at him, “Granger’s booking a company jet that will take you and Zhen to Dubai.
Zhen jumped on the call.
“Zhen? Good. Listen. The two of you have seventeen hours to get to Dubai. A China Air flight lands there about twenty hours from now with Katya. She’s scheduled for a five-hour layover before an Emirates Air flight takes her to Moscow. We cannot allow her to board that flight, but taking her by public force is not an option. Understand?”
Zhen reflected, “So Poppy and I have some lab work to do on our fifteen-hour flight to Dubai.”
Meret laughed. “It's tough to get ahead of you guys. Yeah, both of you will need to work, and if anyone else is required to help complete the task I'm about to give you, call Granger, and he'll set it up.”
Granger nodded. “A car will pick you up within 30 minutes.”
Poppy’s portion of the conference screen shifted to her ceiling. “On speaker, I hear you, can you still hear me, Meret? I’m packing my kit.”
“When you land in Dubai, you will need to infect Katya with that double dose we discussed. Let's neuter the bitch by injecting Katya with the no-speak virus we designed for her confinement. She’ll be easier to transport and interrogate without her claws. This operation must be covert so use the lager BeetleBot for the injections.” She waved a pointed finger at Granger to get his attention. “Granger's working with INTERPOL for a team of medics to remove her body from the airport in hazmat gear. We’re hoping the second dose generates enough Ebola symptoms to clear a path for us through the airport.”
Seeing him making calls on his phone, she continued with Poppy and Zhen. “Once you infect her, how soon until she shows the Ebola symptoms?” Hearing voices in the background, she waited.
Poppy?”
“Sorry, had to check with Zhen. He says the initial symptoms are immediate and include the inability to speak along with panic inducing paralyzing pain. The Ebola symptoms will begin within three hours. You know, a nice raging headache, bleeding from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Poor thing.” She didn’t sound the least bit sympathetic.
“Good. By then,” Meret glanced at Granger for confirmation, “our teams will be there to meet her. I believe the presence of HAZMAT gear in the airport and her bleeding will likely clear wide path by both civilian and official barriers. Thanks, Poppy, Zhen. Be safe.”
They weren’t in the clear yet. Not by a long shot. The biggie was once they had her in custody they needed to get Katya to talk and the bitch would be one tough nut to crack. Hell. They needed to know the details of her damn plan and they needed the damn date. Meret ran her fingers through her hair and pulled, as if to release a clue. They had to nail this down before the whole government went up in smoke. Or down with poison. Then there were still the oligarchs to deal with, Dr. Subash to find, and the hackers to flip or shut down. For now it was her stomach doing flips into knots, her head ached, and she couldn’t catch her breath.
65
The Best Laid Schemes
October, Dubai - a trap is planned
A pilot’s welcome droned in the background , “ . . . and our flying time to Dubai will be fifteen hours and thirty-five minutes.”
Glad to be underway, Poppy waited for the pilot
to complete her welcome aboard speech before opening her pad and entering her password. Zhen sat diagonally opposite her and ignored her while he carefully aligned folders by the large oval window.
“We made good time getting to the airport. I’d say were at least forty-five minutes ahead of schedule.”
“Umm” was his only response while he cleaned his glasses, his pad screen, and the handles of his fat leather attaché in the seat next to him. Only then did he glance over his shoulder and comment. “We’re the only passengers. Do you think word got out we are carrying a virus?”
Poppy removed her soft bush canvas hat and tossed it onto her white kit bag next to her and ran her fingers through her mop of sun-kissed brown curly hair. “Maybe,” she said with a grin. “It’s nice having it all to ourselves.” She pulled off her walk about shirt.
Poppy stretched and worked off her favorite red denim shirt. She tossed it to join her hat and snorted. Her half of their four seats and a table began to look like a college dorm. Dr. Zhen Jianjun’s side, on the other hand, could pass for a lawyer’s office.
She watched him line up his pens, bots, calculator and a small black rectangular box about the size of a bar of soap. Pulling up the long sleeves of her white turtleneck shirt, she rubbed her hands together. “Zhen, I barely had time to find me hat. How is it you managed to change into a suit?”
He grinned as though modeling a new set of caps. “It and the starched white lab coat were in my closet. You know, the place we keep our clothes?”
While her prefer was to continue teasing him, she shifted to the business at hand. “I’ve been reviewing in my head what all needs to be done to modify the Socotra virus. I'm not comfortable with Meret's request to do it. It's too risky.” Then why didn’t she say so?
He nodded. “I agree. It’s far too dangerous, I’ll tell you what else gives me concern. The side effects of the ‘no-speak' virus.”
Poppy sat back in her seat and folded her arms. “That virus has been in the field for several years. I’m comfortable using it. If Katya is restrained and covered properly, a simple facemask on us and a spit bag on her will prevent contagion to others.” She leaned forward and opened her palms. “Will the side effects be sufficient to induce enough fear in the airport authorities to let our fake HAZMAT team take her away?”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Zhen poked the table with one finger. “Here’s what we know. When injected, Katya will immediately lose her ability to speak. The virus is a neural toxin that interferes with voice box functionally but will not obstruct her breathing. It should last twenty-four hours.”
“What will be the other side effects?”
They stopped taking as the flight attendant placed a tray of coffee, tea, and scones on their shared table. Zhen meticulously positioned his cup and snack on his side of the table. “Katya will experience convulsions, sweating, and most importantly, panic.”
Poppy picked up her cell phone. “I’ll advise Meret of our recommendations. Anything to add?” She touched Meret’s icon.
Stirring his tea, he shrugged. “Katya could die.”
* * *
Poppy felt the vibration before her cell rang. She and Zhen had shared their thoughts and Meret wanted to discuss it with Granger before she made her decision. “That didn’t take long. What’s the plan?”
“Poppy, I think your concerns are valid. Go with the single virus. That should work just fine. No Socotra virus. Here’s Granger. He wants to talk to you.”
“Hey Poppy. We've completed the tactical part of the operation, and there are some special things you and Zhen can do to help us.”
She sighed. “Right-o. Let’s hear them.” Granger sounded tired, and no wonder. He and Meret had been at it for days. “What's on the table?”
Granger said, “We managed to get a team of two Agents on Katya’s flight from Hong Kong to Dubai. They were able to get seats in the First Class cabin and have her under surveillance. Poppy and Zhen are on a company plane from Langley to Dubai that’s should arrive moments before Katya’s flight.”
She stretched his arms and cracked her neck. “They're sure it's Katya?”
“Yeah, we gave them photos of her leaving the hair dresser as a pixy-cut blonde. Same as the one you and Zhen have. Give me an update on what you and Zhen concluded about using the two viruses.”
“You heard Meret. We are using the no-speak virus only.”
Granger said, “And you’re good with that?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Have you two discussed a plan of attack?”
“Discussed it, tweaked it, reviewed it, and are ready to go. Zhen decided it would be best if I position my bot on the outside portion of the fuselage over the exit door while he plants his on the ramp between the plane and the check in counter with a clear view of the exiting passengers. I'll launch the first bot based on his identification of the target. He'll be in good backup position if anything goes wrong with my bot. What will you have the agents do?”
Granger said, “One will take a spot just outside the ramp to the check in counter, and one will move in close behind Katya in the First Class exit queue. Both are carrying stun guns. Don't ask how we made that happen.”
Poppy’s voice lowered. “When will you be joining us?”
“Meret and I are on our way to catch a company jet from D.C.to Dubai? Fairchild will be going with us. We should be inside the airport in time for the rest of the team’s arrival. You will be part of an INTERPOL unit pretending to be a HAZMET team. I've provided them with your photos, and one of them will be meeting your flight with more details of their part of the operation. It took some diplomacy, but Director Davies has many connections in Europe, so INTERPOL has agreed to their part in Katya's capture and have helped us smooth out any heat from local authorities.”
Poppy nodded. “The threat of biological warfare can do that. You seem to have every contingency covered, Granger.”
He flashed a smile. “After all, what could go wrong?”
66
Gang Aft A-Gley
October, Dubai International Airport - what could go wrong?
Meret's catnap on the company jet to Katya’s stopover in Dubai was interrupted by Steve’s rant into his cell phone.
“What the hell do you mean the plane arrived twenty-five minutes early? We need every minute of the original layover time.” His eyes caught hers in the next row. “Hold on.” He gestured for her to join the call. While she tapped her phone, she glanced at Granger, deep asleep next to her and decided not to wake him. An hour earlier, with his consent, she sedated him so he could get at least six hours of much-needed sleep. They would have several more hours to plan before they touched down in Dubai.
The image of Director Davies appeared on her cell within seconds of her joining Steve’s call and an instant later, one of the agents aboard the plane flying from Hong Cong with Katya also appeared.
“Director, we need to delay Katya’s flight, Steve said. The coordination of her takedown with our teams and INTERPOL falls to pieces if she gets a chance to deplane and mingle with other airport passengers.”
Davies reached for something off screen and nodded, “I'll make some calls and get back to you right a way.”
Meret ended her portion of the call and waited for Fairchild to do the same and join her in the next row. He sat and opposite the sleeping Granger and squelched a snort of laughter. “Got any of what you gave Granger for me?”
She spoke with a strong whisper, “Sorry. Someone needs to be awake when Davies calls.” She raised a dubious eyebrow. “What are the chances? That he cans do anything to delay her arrival, I mean.”
He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palms and laid his neck back over the top of his chair to stretch. “Well, he had some luck with airport authorities. If he can get them to give the pilot a reason to circle three or four times we should be okay. I wish the team on board with Katya had something to incapacitate her. That would solve our solve this problem for us
.”
Meret grinned at him. “Wouldn’t s level of hell if the authorities discovered we were traveling with several ounces of explosives in our bots?”
Their phones rang, and Director Davies appeared in a three-way conference call. “We're good. When I contacted INTERPOL to ask for more time, I discovered they understood that this was no drill and said they would delay deplaning until our part of the HAZMAT team was in place. His eyes slid toward her image on his cell. “That'll be you and Zhen, Meret.” Glancing at Steve, he said, “you contact your men on the plane and tell them to get as close to Katya as possible in the arrival queue. If necessary, they need to be in a position to physically take her down if the injections from your SuperFly misfire. Meret, you and Zhen will still take her out with the original drugs.”
* * *
Six hours later, Granger woke and ate a hearty breakfast. Within an hour of touchdown, Steve checked his team on Katya’s flight after confirming INTERPOL’s selected rendezvous with Meret and Zhen, who by then, be in their HAZMAT suits for the deadly cosplay.
Steve rubbed his chin and tapped his foot like someone abusing speed. “This is the worst part. Can’t do a damn thing until we get in place except think of what could go wrong. Shit.”