by Alan Ross
Chapter 28
D-Day
Darren rubbed his tired eyes and tried to focus on the clock in the lower corner of his laptop’s screen. It was six fifty and he’d been going all night, looking for information and hoping that Jack would update the website with additional information. Neither had happened but he’d still been unable to sleep. He called Monica to wish her a good morning and told her he’d caught a few hours of sleep in his office.
“Like hell you did, you’ve been up all night.”
“How do you do that? You’re right, I haven’t slept and I look like shit.”
“Any progress?”
“Nothing major, waiting for Jack, hopefully he’ll come through for us. Otherwise this group is just smoke and may show up anywhere. The panic level is down since the news came out that it appears the outbreak was isolated to Korea but there is a tension on the Hill that I haven’t seen in my time here, probably about what it was after 9/11.”
“Is it safe for me to go in the office or should I stay home today?”
“Can you work from home? I would feel better knowing you weren’t out until we’ve got this thing cracked.”
“Ok, wasn’t looking forward to getting ready anyway. When are you coming by me?”
“Not sure, I’m going to be stuck in the city until something breaks. Miss you and love you lots.”
“You too Darren, please try and get some sleep and stay safe.”
“I will, talk to you later.” He went in search of coffee and found that people were coming in to the office, some of them hadn’t heard yet, which was amazing to him. There was a briefing by Tony Flores, the director of Darren’s section of Homeland Security, who dispelled all of the rumors and myths going around and brought everyone up to date. It was quite boring for Darren to watch and he dozed off for most of it. When the briefing was done he went back to digging, fresh coffee and donut in hand, he needed all the caffeine and sugar he could get. He was called into James’ office, where his boss and Tony Flores were talking.
“Darren, I want to thank you for all that you’ve been able to provide so far and I have some information I couldn’t share out there because we don’t know if anyone inside our agencies are involved in this plot. There is a small group of us from the CIA, NSA, CDC, FBI and Homeland who are sharing information that is very delicate. We have word from the CDC that there is a smallpox project in that agency right now but they haven’t made the link to the current breakout. The CDC is sending a team to the city with the hope that they can start administering a vaccine to the government, we will need stability in the event of an outbreak. We’re not sure where we’ll be setup but all of the major agencies will be there to get the vaccine and to assist with getting the government vaccinated. Please let us know if you learn anything new.”
Darren agreed and went to check his mail and the website. Jack has been busy and there is a lot of new information. Darren wants to raise the alarm but takes the time to slowly go through the rhetoric and the information on the site, everything coming together in a hurry. He is chilled by the plan and the messages on the site. He sent a link to the site across to James and Tony, printed a copy in case something happened to the site or network and then ran down the hall to James’ office. “I’ve got it, they’re going to administer the virus inside the vaccine somehow. The people bringing the vaccine today are responsible.”
James and Tony reviewed the information and checked out the website for themselves, angered at the words and wondering how the hell this had happened right under their noses. “Who the hell is this Jack? Are you sure he’s on the up an up? What if this is a major diversion and the real attack is happening somewhere else?” Tony rifled questions at Jack like an interrogator.
“It’s what my gut is telling me sir. This is someone who has somehow stumbled upon this plot but can’t come forward. I am willing to bet my career on this information.”
“You may be betting more than your career here, this may be the lives of millions of Americans at stake.” Flores shot back. “What do you think James?”
“I’m going with Darren on this one, let’s break up this vaccination party and take these bastards down hard.” They worked on the plan of attack and how they’d approach the situation, immediately dispatching a team to Cleveland and the address that had been provided for the production facility, even though all indication was they were working on a real vaccine there. There was an immediate need to contain any live smallpox samples that were still in the wild and to destroy them as soon as possible. The main thrust would be at the vaccination point in D.C., where they’d meet the terrorists head on and try to take them alive in order to get any additional information. Darren was asked to lead up the tactical team and take the terrorists down.
Steve woke up early and took a walk from the hotel down to the National Mall, thinking about all that had happened since the first time he walked the same stretch of earth prior to the fateful meeting with Robert. He thought about that trip that he and Claire would never take, wondering just the same what surprise she had in mind. The morning was warm, leftover dew on the grass tracking the progress of the lanky chemist as he walked toward the Washington monument. He strolled past the obelisk and continued toward the World War two monument, hoping that he could gaze into the waterfall and calm his mind before the inevitable occurred today.
The monument was nearly empty, a couple of joggers making the rounds and a few stray early morning walkers. Steve was able to find a quiet spot and think about his life and all that had been since he joined the military. He thought about his brother, dead in the prison back near Cleveland and how his whole family line was going to vanish, there were no other living Pfisters in his line. Trying to concentrate, he could feel the power calling him from beyond the grove of trees in the distance. The wall was beckoning and Steve had to heed the calling. He started walking but didn’t even get to the reflecting pool when his cell phone rang, Robert on the other end. “Where are you Pfister?”
“Taking a walk Robert, I thought we were meeting at eight.”
“Meeting has been pushed up to seven thirty, same place. Make sure you’re there.” The bird man hung up before Steve could respond. He walked faster, thinking there would be enough time to see the wall again before going to the meeting. Almost out of breath, he saw the sun reflecting off the granite and viewed the wall in a completely different way than he had at night. It was more powerful this time, as he went to the book and found the names of his fallen friends. They were the reason for this mission and he would get strength from them now, when he needed it most. In his mind, he was back in time, young and naïve, headed for Southeast Asia after boot camp. The visit had cemented his desire to complete the mission, trying to make up for some of the misery the government has put on him and so many other veterans. He noticed the hour and walked double time back to the hotel, arriving just as the meeting was starting. There were a hell of a lot of people in the room and Steve felt himself go into ostrich mode, burying himself into the woodwork, though that didn’t last long.
Introductions were made and there were representatives from the CDC, NSA, Homeland Security, CIA, FBI and the joint chiefs. This was a very high powered meeting in terms of attendees and they were strictly business. Robert gave them some background on why they’d started the program, Steve’s invention and how they’d been working over the past few months in case of something like what had happened in Korea. The CDC representative reluctantly said that they’d been partnering but there had been no field trials. The formulation of the vaccine in the bioresorbable spheres appeared to be an accurate representation as well as a prudent delivery mechanism.
“How long does it take until the vaccine is fully active in the body?” One of the feebs at the table asked Robert.
“Less than a week, the body needs time to recover. There are flu-like symptoms that get better as the time progresses.” There were a few additional questions about the side effects, and then Steve s
howed them on the board how the spheres work and told them about the concept of bioresorbable. Heads were nodding around the table, everyone impressed by the invention and timeliness of the availability.
The next hour was spent planning the day, getting the site set up and then an orderly fashion to get government employees the vaccine. The President was out of the country so they would start with the cabinet and then move to the Senate and House, which would take most of the day today. The next few days would focus on additional key government employees and military leaders. There were also requests flooding in from around the country to get state and key big city governments vaccinated as soon as possible. The CDC would take responsibility for transportation and vaccination of the non-D.C. recipients. Robert mentioned that there was adequate supply to make sure there was coverage for all the major governments around the country, including second and third tier cities. They needed to insure rapid vaccination in case there was an attack being planned. The team assigned leads from each organization to liaise with one another and put together the site and logistics for the vaccination. The Cause team were all assigned to this part of the project since it was the most urgent and would start today. They would likely peel off and support other activities after today.
Agreement was made to spend the next couple of hours pulling together the logistics and then reconvening for a working lunch, after which they’d start the vaccination process. The team broke up, the core team heading for the Capitol and the balance dispersing to their various agencies to provide updates and determine the vaccination order once the key government members had been inoculated.
The Homeland Security representative came back and gave Tony Flores an update on what was happening, Tony thanking him for the information and telling him he’d get him a list in the afternoon. He immediately called James and Darren to his office as soon as the agent left and told them to hurry it up.
“It’s coming together Darren. There was just a meeting held between multiple agencies and the developer of some new vaccine invention. They are planning to start vaccinating government officials after lunch, off the tunnels between the White House and Capitol Hill. They’re going to bring everything they have, ostensibly so the CDC can take over management of all the vaccines going forward. Now I’m going to ask you again, is this a vaccine or is this the virus?”
“Again, I don’t know with certainty but I believe the information we have warrants the use of force to curtail any vaccination using the material in the hands of this group of individuals.”
“What if this is a smokescreen for something else? What if there is an attack that is going to happen concurrently using another delivery method like the Coke one? Passing the virus in the bubbles caused by carbonation was quite ingenious, what if they got the virus into the air systems of government buildings?”
“Why this diversion then? What do they gain by this? This is the perfect opportunity to execute what is written on that website, the surgical removal of the core of the United States government.”
“If that site is real, if this Jack has caught lightning in a bottle, if if if. I’m not sure we have enough intel to make this move.”
“We don’t have much to lose here, Director. If we make a mistake all we’ve done is taken the vaccine offline until we can test these little spheres and see what they really contain. It can’t take the CDC more than a day or two to do disassemble them and see what’s inside.”
“It’s easy for you to say, it’s not your ass on the line here.” The older man thought for a good minute, eyes closed like he was praying. “Ok, let’s do this, I think the risk is worth the reward. Darren, take our tactical team, all of them. I don’t want any mistakes.” They worked out a plan, needing to isolate the material from the terrorists and making sure none of them got to their phones to alert the people at the production facility. Tony called back the agent who had been at the morning meeting and briefed him on what his role was, essentially to separate the group from the material. Darren was instructed to take them alive if possible, they would like to get answers and it would help to have several of them to interrogate.
The tactical team was assembled thirty minutes prior to the start of the meeting, hiding out around the block from a pair of tunnel entrances that would trap the terrorists. There were questions about whether or not they were at risk for exposure but Darren told them to just stay away from any syringes and they should be ok. As a precaution they all took respirators to wear into the takedown, which made the rough crew look even more menacing.
Robert and Steve thought they were on the precipice of something truly revolutionary as they waited for the government officials to finish eating. They had transferred the entire contents of the Suburbans to the CDC, who were now responsible for the safe keeping. The bird man was nervous with the material no longer in their possession but knew there was no other option. Mickey and Robert were making small talk, never having been to the tunnels between the Capitol and the White House and wondering if the President was going to come home early to get his vaccination. Steve sat off to the side, quietly contemplating his fate. He thought about calling Claire but knew that he’d have a chance once the vaccinations were under way. The rest of the team showed up about ten minutes early and had the infected vaccines with them.
“Before we get started, we’d each like to get vaccinated.” The FBI rep said, stepping forward to the table for an injection. The first CDC doctor asked Steve to come over to give them final instructions.
“Shake up the bottle a bit to make sure the spheres are dispersed in the liquid fairly evenly. Then draw it up and give the injection intramuscularly, any large muscle will work. We used the arm when we had ours, remember that there will be side effects for the next few days and maybe up to a week.” The doctor nodded and so did the FBI agent, who was the first recipient. Robert stood off to the side and nudged Mickey a little bit, knowing that the revolution had begun.
There were only a couple of minutes to go and the room was feeling the calm before the storm. Over five hundred people were expected to come through the door the rest of the day. As it got to the top of the hour, a man came through the door with a Homeland Security badge on.
“Our first customer is here.” The CDC doctor said to Darren, who was looking around the room.
Darren whistled and before anyone could blink there were ten agents blanketing the room with automatic weapons, resembling aliens in appearance. “Everyone stay put, nobody move a muscle. This is a takedown, step away from the tables and get up against the wall.
“There’s obviously some kind of mix up here, we’re working on something top secret, you should think twice before interrupting this operation.” The FBI agent said, growling through clenched teeth.
Robert was panicking, this was not supposed to happen. There was no way he could be taken alive, didn’t want to face the consequences. He reached for his phone to alert the others and was caught across the jaw by an automatic weapon, knocking the phone from his hand. Mickey reached for his gun to defend Robert and was shot, now chaos was taking over as people were screaming. Darren called for calm and quiet and it took about one minute for everyone to listen to him. “We have information that this material isn’t a vaccine but actually live smallpox in those little spheres. We’re not positive but there’s no way we can take that chance folks.”
A CIA agent stared at Darren, green around the gills. “I just took the vaccine, most of us did. Are we going to die?”
Darren was working on a response when he noticed the man with the broken jaw reaching in his coat again, a gun coming out aimed directly at him. The man’s black eyes were filled with more hate than Darren had ever seen for the second before his head exploded from the tactical team member’s shot. Darren pulled his gun and put it to the remaining man’s head until they had him cuffed. Someone needed to be alive to talk and this geek was as good as any, didn’t look like the violent type anyway. He called back to the office and told them
there had been two casualties and several people had been inoculated with the suspected smallpox. Instructions were given to isolate those who had been given an injection and to take the prisoner to the White House, where a special interrogation room had been set up.
It happened so fast that Steve could hardly tell what happened, at least until Robert’s head exploded and there was a gun in his face. He was cuffed and they were leading him out of the room when he stopped. “I will help, we can save the ones who took the injections. They aren’t contagious either.”
Darren looked at the dejected man, who was tall, lanky and old. “You must be the chemist, let’s go talk.” He was happy that they had the man behind the spheres, it would help them get to the bottom of things faster. As the tactical team escorted him to interrogation, Darren called the office to report in, even though he was repeating some of what was told earlier. “Two out of the three terrorists are dead and it appears that about ten people received injections before we interceded. There was no communication back to the project site and we’re taking one survivor to custody. He appears to be cooperative and has provided details about the vaccines, it seems we might be able to save those who were injected.”
“Great work Darren, looks like your source was accurate after all. Thanks for believing in your gut.”
“Thank you sir.” Darren walked with Steve, who hung his head low, not saying anything else on the walk over. Inside the interrogation room Steve was asked about the contents of all the live smallpox and he confirmed that it was all in the spheres with them, with the exception of the batch that was sent to Korea, which was all used in the bottling plant attack. He told them how the spheres worked, the CDC representatives recording the information and transmitting it real-time to their lab in D.C., where they would investigate whatever the chemist revealed. They talked about the project site and Steve was open about all of the exit points, the lack of neighbors, and approximately how many people they’d find at the site and where they’d be working. Darren drew up a brief schematic that the chemist validated and it was sent to the team on the ground in Independence Ohio.
An hour later word came that the Ohio site was contained and all prisoners had been taken alive, no casualties. The CDC was in route to Ohio to validate the lack of smallpox at the site, which was quarantined.
Steve cried as he talked about their plan to take the government down, why they were doing it and all of the steps along the way. He couldn’t believe it when Darren told him that Robert had never served in the military, must have been using it to recruit volunteers for his project. “Turns out he was a very sick, twisted man who just wanted to make a mark on history.” Steve was in shock, wishing that he’d also been shot in that room, wishing he’d never invented the spheres or met the evil little bird man. He was locked in a special cell somewhere in the city and put on suicide watch. There were no phone calls, no way to let Claire know that he was ok. He wondered how she’d view the news when it came out.
By late afternoon they knew the composition of the spheres and validated what the chemist had told them. They gave vaccines to the ones who’d been injected and isolated them until they were certain that they didn’t get infected. It was going to be a long month for those folks. There were no signs of smallpox in Ohio and that site was completely locked down so it posed no threat. Darren couldn’t believe how close they’d come to destroying the bulk of the United States government.
Chapter 29
Wrap Up and a Hint
There were two dead bodies, nine prisoners and ten people in medical isolation; no way this would be completely buried from the media. The American public wanted answers about smallpox and needed assurance that the threat was gone. The first stories broke the next morning, with ‘unnamed sources’ talking about the terrorist plot and takedown. It was front page news all over the country and Bill heard about it first thing in the morning, before he had a chance to log on to his computer.
“They were working nearby, in the prison.” Rich James said.
“So close, hope none of that stuff got out around here.”
Bill listened intently, finding out that they were busted in D.C. and also here in Ohio, with nine in custody that would likely receive the death penalty for the terror they’d caused. “It could have been so much worse, I hope they keep that stuff locked up tight.” Bill added to the conversation.
“I’m sure they will, from what I heard on the radio this morning it was a real close call and a few people had received injections that might have infected them if not caught in time. The plan was to wipe out the entire government and give citizens the real vaccine to cause a new revolution.”
Bill left the kitchen and checked the news sites, learning all that was discussed and more. They were not releasing the name of the chemist who’d been captured, apparently the technical brains behind the method of attack. Bill knew who it was and wondered how the man was doing. He knew what it felt like to kill and to pay the price for the crime. There was a certain amount of pride knowing that he’d had a role in bringing down the plot and he wished that he could call Darren Ward and introduce himself. To him it was retribution for some of the things he’d done and all the pain he’d caused others. He thought about parole, wondered if that was something he would ever really pursue. It was time to get back to work, there was plenty he needed to do for the prison, time to leave the detective work to the professionals.
Steve Pfister sat in isolation in his cell, wondering if the world knew what he’d done. An attorney had come by who would represent him but the evidence was so great that the only real hope was for life in prison.
“I’m going to plead guilty.” Steve told him.
“That’s your choice but you do have options.”
“Tell them I’m guilty and I waive my right to a jury trial.” The attorney seemed to understand and asked if Steve wanted him to talk to his wife.
“Please tell her what I’ve done and that I don’t expect her to come to the trial. Most of all tell her I love her and I’m sorry.”
The attorney agreed and left the visitors room, Steve taken back to his cell, which reminded him of all he fought to escape in Vietnam. There was no way he was going to spend the rest of his life here, would kill himself if the government let him live. He was completely numb, especially with the knowledge that he’d been used by Robert.
Before moving back to work there was one more thing Bill wanted to do. He opened his anonymous remailer program and put Darren’s address in. He thanked him for believing in him and for taking down the terrorists before a tragedy occurred. Bill toyed with the idea of giving him his identity, thinking that Darren might keep it quiet if he asked him to but decided he couldn’t do that. “If I ever get out, I’ll look you up” was the last line of the email and he signed it J.T. (Jack of all Trades). He was smiling as he sent it, knowing that it would drive Darren crazy thinking about it.
###