by Andrew Watts
“Of course. Where to?”
He looked at David. “Home.”
Chapter 19
Langley, Virginia
Chase sat with his brother in a corner office at the CIA Headquarters. A balding man in his upper fifties entered and closed the door behind him. He sat behind the cherry desk and looked at the Manning brothers. A gold nameplate on the desk said Assistant Director, Clandestine Operations.
“Gentlemen, thank you for meeting with me. I realize that you’ve had quite a few debriefings over the past few weeks, and that likely won’t end soon.”
David said, “We understand.”
“I was a close friend of Elliot Jackson. He was a damn fine man, and one of the best spies I knew.”
The brothers didn’t respond.
“You’re likely wondering why you’re here. Or maybe you’ve been to see so many people by now that you don’t really care. Chase, Elliot told me about you as he was updating me on the Abu Musa operation. You should know that he thought very highly of you and the work you did under him.”
“That’s good to hear, sir. Thank you.”
“And if Elliot thought highly of you and trusted you as he did, then that’s good enough for me. I think this nation owes you two boys something. I think it owes you gratitude and praise. And instead, you’re getting second-guessed by a bunch of politicians. I abhor this Washington nonsense. But I didn’t get to be in this seat by not learning to play the game.”
Chase turned to look at his brother and then back at the Assistant Director. He now understood why they were here. This man was going to give them the biggest gift anyone in the CIA could provide: information.
“Since the Blackout occurred, it’s been hard to get good intelligence. Emails and instant messaging have been spotty at best. Texts and phone calls can’t be trusted, because after our satellites were hit, we have been forced to route them through compromised networks.”
He threw up his hands. “Frankly, we’ve been spoiled. We got used to getting information at the snap of a finger. And now, the fog of war had descended upon us. So let’s look at the events of the past few weeks from the perspective of the Washington decision makers. Here’s what they saw: One of our US Navy destroyers in the Gulf sinks one of their patrol craft when the two vessels inexplicably start firing at each other. The jury is still out on what really happened. Then a rogue CIA agent and an ex-CIA agent participate in the murder of an Iranian politician and his wife on Iranian soil. Iran believes that it was a US-Israeli operation. Iran attacks US military assets near Dubai and in the Persian Gulf. Right around this time, the Blackout Attack occurs.”
David nearly leapt out of his seat. “But that’s not what happened. We’ve been telling everyone from the members of the Senate Intelligence Committee to the White House Chief of Staff to the Pentagon: Cheng Jinshan and Lena Chou and God knows how many other Chinese military and intelligence operatives staged this attack. Iran could never pull all of that off. It was China. And for God’s sake, Henry Glickstein and I were kidnapped by the Chinese. We were taken to—”
Chase grabbed his shoulder. “David, it’s alright. I suspect that you may be preaching to the converted.” He looked across the desk.
The Assistant Director for clandestine operations nodded back at Chase. He looked at David. “Son, I just want you to try and understand what they have seen, so you can better understand the decisions they are making. You aren’t going to like all of them. But I don’t want you doing anything self-destructive to change it. Please, listen to me speak, and then I’ll let you ask questions. Trust me, I am one of the few people in a position of power inside the Beltway that believes everything you have said.”
David crossed his arms. “I just don’t understand why that is. Why doesn’t everyone believe us? We have Lisa Parker, or Lena Chou, on video in Iran. Hell, there are still people missing. I’ve given names, and those missing persons are verifiable. These are Americans we’re talking about. They’re still probably on that island in the South Pacific. Are we just going to leave them there? I mean—”
The Assistant Director held up his hand. “Think about it this way. Let’s say that Pearl Harbor or September eleventh just happened. Every bit of evidence points to a specific culprit. Then you’ve got two guys that come along and say that it’s all a conspiracy. That September eleventh was really the Russians, and they just made it look like it was Al Qaeda. But meanwhile, ninety-nine percent of the news coverage is of Osama bin Laden. Troops and planes are being sent to Afghanistan. The world gets its message from the news cycle. Now fast forward to today. The news cycle has told us that Iran is now public enemy number one. Iran is the reason that no one can get on Facebook for the past three weeks. Iran is the reason that the stock market has crashed. Iran has killed thousands of US sailors with a cruise missile attack. And you know what? There is good evidence that they really did that. Our military air defense commanders picked up Iranian surface-to-surface radar signatures just before the attacks. David, I’m sorry. But you and Henry Glickstein are just two tiny voices in a choir of TV media that is in wartime coverage mode. To be honest, you should be happy that they’ve dropped the idea that you and Henry sold secrets to Iran.”
David said, “They never had any evidence of that. It was just part of Lena’s attempt to get us locked down long enough to recapture us.”
Chase said, “Sir, I’m guessing that you’ve got something you want to share with us?”
The man nodded. “I thought you should know that you have a cadre of believers in your story. A few of us have seen enough truth in your story that we want to take some precautions. Yes, I want to share a few things. Can I have both of your word that it won’t leave this office?”
The two men answered yes.
“A week ago, we sent an Air Force reconnaissance plane over the area where your Red Cell island is likely to be.”
David leaned forward in his chair. This was the first positive action that the US government had admitted to. “What did it find?”
“It found a very full Chinese military base. There were two dozen helicopters and another dozen light-attack fighters. Heat signatures indicated over two thousand personnel on the small island. And what’s more, our imagery experts from the National Reconnaissance Office believe you to be correct—there is, in fact, a submarine pen built into the coastal mountain.”
“Any sign of the Americans?”
“No. But without getting personnel or some very small drones ashore, that would be hard to detect.”
“So…what, then?”
“That’s one of the things I wanted to let you know, David. I know you have been very vocal about this. And it has come to my attention that you even want to go to the press, if you don’t see results soon.”
David’s face flushed. Chase felt bad for him, but he needed to hear this.
The Assistant Director said, “Please do not do that. If you do, you will not only hurt yourself, but you will risk reducing the effectiveness of an active operation to locate and rescue those other missing American personnel. Is that clear?”
David nodded. Chase was relieved.
“Now, I can’t provide any more information on that specific operation. And I shouldn’t mention this either, but again…I feel you two gentlemen deserve to know. There are those in Washington that are taking your warning about the Red Cell very seriously. This goes back to what Chase and Elliot were originally working on with Jinshan’s Abu Musa operation. We feel that we have a strong case showing that Jinshan, if not more in the Chinese government, was involved in an attempt to take down the US dollar. The US State Department has made formal complaints against Jinshan’s bitcoin tampering. China has politely acknowledged this, and told us that he will be reprimanded. But as you both know, Jinshan is a powerful man there, and fills many roles. With our intelligence communications network hampered, it is hard for us to ascertain what Jinshan’s real status is. But I believe the Chinese threat to be real. And so do
many good men in the military and intelligence community here. There are people that want to heed your warnings.”
David said, “Then why are we sending three carrier battle groups to the Persian Gulf? Why is the news saying that our military buildup in the Middle East is larger than Desert Storm? It looks very much like we’re preparing for an all-out war with Iran. You understand what that means, right? We’re playing right into Jinshan’s plans.”
He nodded. “I appreciate how you feel. But the Iranian threat is real. And the Chinese threat may just be the plans of a lone wolf—Jinshan.”
“A lone wolf that can deploy his military and order attacks on the United States? This wasn’t just one man.”
“There aren’t enough of us yet that believe Jinshan was really responsible…that Chinese assets were really responsible…for those attacks.”
“So they think Iran has the ability to launch this cyberattack that still has our Internet down? You know better.”
“Yes, I do. But fighting the bureaucracy of Washington is a delicate task. I can’t call them a bunch of idiots and change their minds. I need to give them solid proof. Trust me, I’m trying, David. My friends in the Pentagon and Congress have assured me that Washington and Beijing are having very high-level talks on a regular basis now.”
“About what?”
“About keeping the peace. The Chinese ambassador was summoned to the White House about this, did you know that?”
“Well, I would goddamn hope so. They have eighteen Americans hostage. What did they say to that?”
He looked uncomfortable.
“You didn’t ask the Chinese about the Americans being held prisoner on the island?”
He shook his head.
Chase said, “Why not?”
The Assistant Director sighed. “Because we don’t have enough agreement on that issue.”
“Unbelievable. That’s what this all comes down to. They don’t believe me or Henry. Unbelievable.”
“The president and the secretary of state don’t want us to broach that subject until we have concrete proof. They appreciate the warning of a possible Chinese war plan, but they feel that since a warning has been given, even if the Chinese were planning to attack the United States, they would be crazy to do so after we already know about it. And since there are no Chinese military assets storming across the Pacific, it appears that you have accomplished your mission anyway. Look, David, I wanted to speak with you men to let you know that I do believe you. We are working on ways to prove that those men and women in the Red Cell are or were on that island. And once we get that proof, we’ll work to free them. But understand that I agree with the Washington leadership that China no longer has plans to attack. You brought us the warning and the information in time. You have saved us, David.”
Chapter 20
Chase sipped from his bottle of Sam Adams lager. He wore a woolen sweater and jeans and sat comfortably in a wicker chair on his brother’s patio. David sat in the chair next to him, feeding his baby girl from a bottle. The two men watched David’s three-year-old play fetch with the Jack Russell terrier in the backyard. Lindsay, David’s wife, was making a spaghetti dinner inside in the kitchen. Every so often she would look through the window at them, smiling at David.
Lindsay was still worried about someone coming after them. Chase didn’t think that was likely. Not at this stage. David had already spilled the beans on everything he knew about Lena and the Red Cell. Chase had done the same. They were no longer a threat to Jinshan’s plan. Besides, there were two armed FBI agents standing watch in an unmarked car down the street.
Chase took another swig of beer. It was almost December and the air had a chill to it. He said to his brother, “Have you heard anything from Dad?”
David said, “No. You think we will?”
“Probably not much. He’ll be busy as hell again with the Ford strike group. Just the way he likes it. We’ll hear from him when he’s back in port, I guess.”
“I just worry about where they’re sending him is all.”
Chase said, “He’ll be fine. The Ford is just doing training exercises off of Norfolk. He won’t be in the Pacific…”
David nodded and shut his mouth. The two brothers were both glad for that.
The United States was a different place since they had arrived home. It reminded Chase of the way things were in the months after 9/11. People were nicer, but more afraid. There was a sense that something big was on the horizon. A sense that the world had changed, and was changing still.
The Blackout, as it was being called, had created chaos in more ways than one. The US Internet, for all intents and purposes, was a shell of what it once was. In the first few days of the Blackout, nothing worked. People would just get error messages on every webpage they went to. Air travel was grounded. Store shelves dwindled down to scraps. The stock market, down for the first day, plummeted enough that trading had to be stopped on the second day. Three weeks after the attack, things were getting better—but major damage had been done.
When David and Henry had given their testimony, they had informed the many government agencies that would listen of the Red Cell plans, which called for simultaneous attacks on US communications, utilities, and defense networks.
This had not occurred, however. Either the plans had changed, or they’d been disrupted. A cyberweapon had taken down GPS networks and data centers. The US-based Internet had been greatly harmed, but the damage was being repaired. The US government was taking David and Henry’s word seriously, but their reaction was slow. And not everyone believed their allegation that China as a country would attack the United States. It was a large pill to swallow. Many of the government executives really thought that it was Iran who had attacked the US, that the cyberattack was their doing. David and Henry explained that this was part of the plans. That it was a staged war—a ploy.
The skeptical politicians and government executives balked. Cruise missiles had destroyed several American military assets in the Persian Gulf, and inflicted catastrophic damage to the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman while it was docked in Dubai. US military air defense crews in the region had picked up Iranian missile radars just before the attack. This was clear evidence that it was Iran who had launched the attacks.
Chase thought the answer was obvious, and consistent with David’s statement. Every step of this plan had been a deception. Whether Jinshan had acted with the authority of the Chinese government or not, he had succeeded in sending the US into an economic recession, and perhaps worse. The value of the dollar had collapsed. Despite the cries of foul play from the US, the Iranian-UAE bitcoin-backed currency was being adopted by more nations as a substitute for the ailing dollar.
Many American politicians were hesitant to outright accuse China of an act of war. After the Persian Gulf Attacks, American military assets were immediately moved to reinforce the Middle East. Shortly after, the network blackout had set military communications back to the World War II era. When David and Henry’s story finally convinced enough of the American national security circuit to be wary of China, they saw the risk of leaving the Pacific theater underdefended. With the military communications networks in disarray, however, correcting that error was proving to be a slow process.
Several units in training and maintenance cycles were being made ready for deployment. This included the newest American carrier, the Ford, commanded by Admiral Arthur Louis Manning IV. While the Ford was technically not yet ready for deployment, hordes of contract maintenance personnel were working around the clock to finish what needed to be done.
The decision had been made to confront China through diplomatic channels. China officially denied any and all of the accusations. They refused to grant US investigators access to Cheng Jinshan. And they claimed to have no knowledge of any person by the name of Lena Chou.
Henry Glickstein opened up the slider door and came out on the porch with a beer in his hand. “You got a bottle opener?”
Li
ndsay called from the kitchen. “There’s one next to the sink.” She had instantly liked Glickstein, finding him quite funny.
The FBI had suggested that both David and Henry go to a safe house for a few weeks until they were sure that no one was coming after them. David had insisted on remaining at his home with his family. Glickstein was staying at the safe house with a rental car. Lindsay invited him over for dinner frequently.
Through the sliding glass door, Chase glanced at the TV screen inside. He couldn’t hear it, but he saw the ticker tape of the news on the bottom of the screen. It was all about the effects of the network blackout. Some people hadn’t been able to work in three weeks because their jobs were so dependent on the Internet. Smartphones were much less smart, so people were forced into the ancient practice of social interaction. TV and radio had seen record audiences.
The economic impact of it all scared Chase a little, but David’s stories of the Red Cell invasion plans scared him more. It had been weeks since the blackout attacks, though. David and Henry had gotten word to the authorities. Aside from the cyberattack and the purported Iranian missile attacks in the Gulf, there had been no other evidence that the Red Cell war plans were being executed.
Chase held up his bottle and David and Henry clinked theirs together. “Cheers. To saving the country. Good job, you two…”
*****
Victoria Manning stood on the flight deck of the USS Farragut, watching the sun set over the Eastern Pacific. Several of her enlisted men climbed on top of the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, turning wrenches and checking oil levels.
“Hey, ma’am, you got a minute?”
“Sure, Plug, what’s up?” Plug was her maintenance officer. A twenty-nine-year-old from Michigan who loved college football, flying, and beer. He was also pissed off that their ship wasn’t being sent to Middle East like just about every other US Navy ship.
“Just wondering if you heard any rumors about when we might turn this ship to the west and cross the pond.”