by Nick Shelton
Eventually Nathan’s daughter Claire came in, interrupting their conversation.
“Claire, where have you been?” asked her father.
“I went to the mall with Christen and Mary to look for some new jeans. We’re going to a movie tonight. Is that okay?”
“Sure, just make sure to be back before midnight.”
Claire’s eyes turned to the slim man sitting in their kitchen.
“Claire, this is Daniel,” Daniel gave Nathan a stern look when he used his real name. “Daniel…Smith, he’s a buddy of mine from the Navy.”
Claire extended her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“He’s in town for a business conference. I told him he could stay with us while he’s here.” Nathan walked over to the pot of soup of the stove. “I have some soup left over, did you want a bowl?”
“No thanks, we ate at the mall,” she said as she made her way to her room.
“You two seem fairly close,” commented Daniel.
“We are. We’ve grown even closer this last year since my oldest moved to college. You have any kids?”
“Two sons.” Daniel looked down, thinking of past memories. “Not seeing them has been the hardest part of the last five years. I’ve wanted so desperately just to talk to them, but it’d be too risky to make contact. I hack into my wife’s computer and check her email account every night to see if she has uploaded any recent pictures.”
Nathan looked into Daniel’s downcast eyes. “Daniel, this may seem odd to ask you this, but you don’t seem… Jewish.”
Daniel smiled. “What did you expect? That I’d be wearing the Star of David on my sleeve?”
“No,” replied Nathan, laughing slightly. “But your accent, for example.”
“I was born here in America. I grew up in Denver before my parents decided to move back to Israel. I moved to Boston in ‘96 to get my PhD from MIT. I’ve been here since.”
“So, you’re an American citizen?”
“Yes. And even though I was heavily involved with the Israeli military, I’m still proud to consider myself an American.”
“The Isreali government let an American citizen join their secret Special Forces unit?”
“I have a dual-citizenship. And I was recruited to be in Sayeret Markal because of my computer skills--not to be a spy. Besides, do you know how many dual-citizens are in the U.S. government and military?”
“Come to think of it, I do remember several in the navy who were dual-citizens.”
“Speaking of being in the military,” said Daniel. “Why did you enlist in the Navy? No offense, but you’ve never struck me as the military type.”
“I’m not. That’s why I’ve being doing paperwork and media relations at the Pentagon for the last 20 years. I enlisted in the Navy because it was important to my father that I follow family tradition, but I only stayed in active service for a couple years.” Nathan pinched the small portion of fat around his midsection. “Sitting behind a desk on a daily basis has added 15 pounds worth of baggage that I didn’t have back then. I’ve tried to keep in shape, though. I run or lift weights nearly every day, but I can no longer run marathons like I used to.”
The rest of that weekend the two plotted how they were going to tell the world the truth. Nathan would use his contacts with the media, and Daniel would explain his documented research. Nathan even gave Daniel a lesson on how to conduct a press conference where he wouldn’t sound like a human encyclopedia.
“We’re going do this, Nathan. If you can help me get some more inside information from the Pentagon, everything will be complete.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to tell the world the truth.”
Daniel’s eyes gave Nathan one-hundred percent of their attention. “Do you mean that? What if you’re caught--would you tell them about me or my research?”
“No. I promise I’ll never rat you out.”
Daniel stood from his seat and used his hands to project his emotion. “I need more than a promise to never ‘rat me out.’ I need you committed to this, even if you’re life is on the line.”
Nathan stood eye-to-eye to meet Daniel. “My wife was murdered because she knew something about a government conspiracy. Nearly 3,000 individuals were murdered so PNAC could push their agenda. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed in war, even though no weapons of mass destruction have been found. I’m going to make sure that it stops here.”
Daniel patted him on his shoulder, “That’s all I needed to hear.”
Chapter 19
The Pentagon - OSP
September 18, 2006
10:22 a.m.
Nathan took a break from work to pull up his boc.ix account. He felt a little insecure about checking his emails from his office, despite the fact Daniel assured him that it could not be traced. He glanced out his office, making sure no one was coming his way.
In his mailbox, he saw a new email from Daniel. Subject: Key Contact
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: 9/18/06
T.Ruth, There’s a figure at the Pentagon you should meet. His name is Shawn K. Coleman. He worked in the White House during 9/11, but has been recently moved to the Office of Management & Budget in the Pentagon (stationed at 2B155).Normally, I wouldn’t recommend you talking to any other government employee about 9/11, but my sources tell me Coleman is very upset with the Bush Administration.
Also, I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be back in my usual position. I think it’s best if we keep separate.
Sincerely, D L
Nathan hit reply. Yes. It’s probably a good idea that we’re not together. I’d like to spend the next day or two studying more about what we’ve covered so far. We’re on the verge of bringing to light the biggest conspiracy in American history – I want to make sure I know my stuff for when I’m in front of the press.
I also had a question for you that we have not covered yet:
How is Osama bin Laden involved with 9/11?
Keep me posted, T.Ruth
Nathan called Shawn Coleman’s secretary and scheduled to meet him over lunch. Nathan used the excuse that his boss had ordered him to talk with him about a budget increase for the OSP.
The two met for lunch in the center of the Pentagon in an open courtyard. Green grass, late-blooming flowers, and comfortable benches filled this oasis from the office. Even after 20 years at the Pentagon, it was hard for Nathan to believe this tranquil plaza was surrounded by the thousands of tons of infrastructure that housed the center of war.
After grabbing a hot dog at The Ground Zero Café, the two talked about business and budget estimates. Nathan eventually changed subjects. “What do you think of the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories that saturate the Internet?”
“I don’t know. I’ve just tried to ignore them. President Bush told us to brush aside anything that could shift the blame in bringing justice to those who deserve it.”
“You’re not worried that there may be some truth in them?”
“I’m more worried about the Patriot Act,” said Shawn.
“What about it?”
“It basically gives the government dictatorship power by taking away our Constitutional rights,” said Shawn with an increased emotion in his voice. “But what really bothers me is that it was written before 9/11.”
“Before 9/11?”
“Think about it--there’s no way they could’ve put the Patriot Act together in 45 days.”
Nathan thought about the amount of work it’d take to put together a piece of legislation over 300 pages. His experience in writing government documents had taught him how much time and attention went into something of this nature. He knew it should’ve taken months to complete.
“It was not only written in 45 days,” continued Coleman. “But it was passed through both houses of Congress as well. Many congressmen admit that they didn’t even get a chance to read it.”
Nathan’s tempered flared when he realized what this me
ant. Congress did not even know they were giving away every American’s rights.
When Nathan got home from work, he opened his email to give Daniel a summary of his conversation with Shawn. In his mailbox, he saw he had two emails--one from an address he did not know. Certainly a secure email address will not receive spam. He opened Daniel’s email first to see if it explained why he got an email from another source.
Subject: Re:Re: Key Contact From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: 9/13/06
T.Ruth, Osama bin Laden? Good question.
He was not at all behind 9/11. Contrary to what is reported in the media, the U.S. actually has a good relationship with al-Qaeda. The U.S. has been secretly funding al-Qaeda operations for decades.
It is true that al-Qaeda is behind many of the world’s major terrorist attacks. The U.S. does not support these terrorist attacks, but by giving alQaeda money, al-Qaeda does not to attack the U.S. (“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you” philosophy).
Bin Laden and al-Qaeda were actually the perfect group to blame for 9/11. They were in the Middle East (makes PNAC happy by going to war there), plus they were Muslims who were already guilty of heinous crimes. Since the vast majority of Americans are Christians, having radical Muslims kill our innocent citizens was the ultimate act of hatred.
From movies and television, Americans have learned that there is always a “bad guy.” The U.S. government knows this psychological fact, and they made sure that the “bad guy” from 9/11 was the most heinous evil-villain that they could find. Osama bin Laden was the perfect character for the part. the Internet. Since it’s beginning, they’ve used it to gather the information they want. They not only know where Osama bin Laden is sending his Internet communications from, but they know when he lifts his fingers off the keyboard to pick his nose.
I first started looking into al-Qaeda when a media report said they planned their terrorists’ attacks over the Internet. Like most mainstream media reports, this was bullshit. There’s nothing on the Internet that the U.S. cannot track. If you thought I can pull off amazing stuff on the Net, this is nothing compared to what the MIT grads now at the Pentagon can do. The U.S. government (not Al Gore) invented
Sincerely, D L P.S. Check the FBI’s most wanted list. Osama bin Laden is on there, but the 9/11 attacks are not mentioned in the crimes he is charged with. Even the FBI does not have enough evidence to say bin Laden is to blame for 9/11.
Nathan glanced at the other email. He saw it was from government address. He reluctantly opened it. Subject: URGENT: From the Office of U.S. Intelligence
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: 9/13/06
YOUR LIFE IS IN JEOPARDY!!! The gentlemen who you have been meeting is not who he says he is.
I will wait until I can talk to you in person until I go into specifics. I purpose to meet at the Lincoln Memorial tonight at 9:00 p.m. It’s a public place that will be secure. I will be wearing dark clothing.
Regards,
Adam Eveland
An unsettling feeling started in his stomach, then ran throughout his body. His suspicion he first felt about this hooded figure may have been correct. Who is this Daniel? A government official who’s making sure I don’t know too much? Or a criminal who’s been misleading me from the start?
Nathan looked at the email address--one given only to federal employees. Nathan had many friends at the Pentagon, maybe one of them was looking out for him.
Chapter 20
Lincoln Memorial
September 18, 2006
9:00 p.m.
Nathan examined the back of a five-dollar bill in the dim light. Raising his eyes, he studied the real structure in front of him. He climbed the stairs to the massive Abraham Lincoln statute situated behind the white columns. Even though this popular tourist attraction was open to until midnight, only one young couple had come to view the statue on this chilly fall night.
Nervously, Nathan scanned the area. Chill bumps broke out on his skin, and they weren’t from the cold night’s air. He stepped into a well-lit portion of the marble building, hoping the brightness would calm his racing pulse.
He turned when he reached the light, again scanning the area Lincoln dominated. Slowly, a figure wearing dark clothing emerged from the edge of the statue, coming into view.
With his heart still beating rapidly, Nathan approached the small figure. “Adam?”
“Yes,” answered a female voice.
Nathan was taken off guard. He squinted into the dim light and saw long hair under a knit cap. “Sorry. I didn’t expect—”
“A woman? Does that make a difference?”
“No,” said Nathan, his body still tense. “I just want to know what’s going on.”
Adam began pacing slowly; Nathan followed by her side. “You’re being misled. The person you’ve been talking to is not who he says he is.”
“Who is he?”
“A known terrorist.”
Nathan shook his head in disbelief. He could not believe that he of all people had been misled by a total stranger. “It’s just that he looks so much like the man he claims to be.”
“And who is that?” asked Adam.
Nathan paused. He worried about telling her too much. Even if she was with the government, he did not want to incriminate himself for treachery. “He told me to call him DL. That he was an insider with information, and he’d like to keep it on the ‘Down Low.’”
She nodded her head. “He’s been known for using this alias.”
“Why did you want to meet me here?”
“I knew your wife--I work in the Department of Intelligence. I greatly respected her, and she greatly respected you.” Adam paused to look up at Lincoln. “We’re one step away from busting this guy. When we do, we’ll be forced to arrest you for being an accomplice. We could even find you guilty of treason.”
“I’ve done nothing!” objected Nathan. “I’ve only met with this so-called terrorist.”
“I know. It’s obvious from your record that you’re not a terrorist. That’s why I wanted to meet with you privately. You can prove your innocence by turning in this DL.” Adam handed Nathan a tiny dot that was the width of a pencil’s eraser. “GPS tracking device. Take it to your friend, and all charges against you will be dropped.”
Nathan studied the chip and contemplated taking it to the warehouse. Suddenly, he remembered his emotionally-charged speech from the night before in which he promised never to turn in Daniel. For this last week, have I been the mere pawn of a terrorist? But Daniel can’t be a terrorist--he’s never hinted of harm--he just wants the truth. But then again, he keeps mentioning how he needs top secret info from the Pentagon. Nathan took a moment to examine his setting--very easily accessible, an odd place to hold a private meeting. If Adam works at the Pentagon, why did she want to meet here instead of my office?
Nathan stepped in front of Adam to face her in the eyes. “You said you knew my wife--I’ve been having a lot of questions lately. Do you know what kind of meeting she was at during the attacks?”
Adam shook her head. “The only time I saw her that morning was in the break room getting a cup of coffee.”
Coffee? At that moment, Nathan knew something was not right. He looked closer into her eyes. “You saw her in the break room. Do you remember if she was carrying around that ugly orange coffee mug I gave to her before we got married.”
The woman’s eyes shifted up and to the left. “She had it with her every morning.”
Nathan’s eye shifted down. “Yeah, I wish I could’ve found it in the rubble.” Nathan lifted the GPS, bringing attention back to it. “I was planning to meet DL tomorrow evening at 9:00. You can make the bust then.”
“We’ll have a team prepared.”
“Is there anything else I need to know?”
“That’s all for now. Just remember to have that tracking device on you at all times.”
Nath
an turned to the stairs. When he felt that he was good distance away, he dropped the chip. However, Adam had a trained eye, and she was able to see the move even in the darkness.
“Wait. You…”
Nathan sprinted for the stairs.
“Stop right there!” Adam put her sleeve up to her mouth. “He dropped the chip. Peter, he’s headed your way.”
Nathan looked over his shoulder and saw Adam talking into a communication device. He ran as fast as he could, taking the stairs two steps at a time.
As soon as his feet hit the last step, he turned and ran toward the reflecting pool that extended in front of the Memorial. Suddenly, two gunshots broke the night’s silence. The bullets whistled by him, crashing into the cement a few feet from his ankles. Instinctively, Nathan veered away from the gunfire. He headed for the trees that surrounded the Memorial.
As he sprinted through the trees’ dark shadows, thoughts flew through Nathan’s mind. My car is too risky. Where can I go? He decided to head north toward the highway.
“Freeze!” yelled a male voice in the distance as Nathan emerged from the trees’ canopy.
Nathan again made a sharp change of direction. He had had no doubt this agent was the backup Adam had called for. Nathan feared the whole complex was surrounded by federal agents. This agent was only a hundred feet away and quickly approaching. He knew that there’d be no way to escape if there was any more of them.
Nathan’s feet hardly touched the ground. The Memorial lawn was neatly manicured like a golf course’s fairway, providing the perfect running surface. Never before had Nathan moved so fast; still, the federal agent was closing the gap. Nathan lost track of Adam, but she was back there somewhere.
Nathan stopped when he reached the four-lane road that circled the Memorial. Glancing back, the headlight of a car outlined the agent in pursuit. He was now less than 75 feet away. His gun pointed straight at Nathan.
Without hesitation, Nathan ran in front of the oncoming traffic, attempting to cross the busy street. Brakes screeched and horns blew, but Nathan miraculously got to the other side unscathed. Upon reaching the other side of the street, he quickly turned to see traffic impeding the male agent’s pursuit. Nathan tore off, trying to distance himself from the agents behind him.