Jackie was the first to find her voice. "Another phase of the jihad has begun," she said bitterly. "There's going to be hell to pay again, and I mean hell to pay."
"You're right," Scott said. He heard the sound of an approaching helicopter. "Hartwell's back."
When the national security adviser walked in, Zachary and Molly were putting the finishing touches on a buffet-style breakfast. Hartwell looked emotionally drained. He thanked Molly and Zachary and they left the room. The threesome quietly filled their plates and sat down in the breakfast nook adjacent to the kitchen.
No one spoke while Hartwell spread his napkin across his lap and reached for the coffee urn. He poured coffee to the brim of his cup. "The Berlin Wall has fallen, the Cold War is over, Saddam is history, and now we've entered another phase of the war on terrorism." Hartwell's eyes were full of contempt. "The eradication of the barbarians on this planet--every damn last one of them."
He explained the known details of the QM2 disaster to Jackie and Scott, followed by news of the tragedy aboard USS Truman.
Stunned by the magnitude of the two disasters, Jackie and Scott stopped eating and listened.
"And there's more." Hartwell leaned back in his chair. "Zheng Yen-Tsung was not your bomber in Texas. The Fort Worth policeman, who, by the way, is reported to be in good condition, told the FBI the driver of the car looked Middle Eastern. He only saw the man for a brief moment, but he remembers him having dark, deep-set eyes. Definitely not Oriental."
"Farkas," Jackie said. "Khaliq Farkas."
Hartwell nodded. "That would be my first guess."
"Ditto," Scott said. "Farkas is one of Shayhidi's most experienced thugs. He'll be in the middle of the action."
"That's how we see it." Hartwell reached for the briefing folder he brought from the White House. "We believe he's been in hiding outside the United States and had orders to eliminate the two of you before their next reign of terror began."
Scott glanced out the bay window. "Well, they had to start without our dead bodies." He caught Hartwell's attention. "What does the president plan to do?"
Prost took a sip of coffee. "As you saw after the attacks on New York City and Washington, assured response is the paradigm in our deterrent posture. We don't know where a lot of the terrorist leaders are, which embarrasses me a great deal, but Shayhidi occasionally surfaces in various places around the world. We're just never fast enough to snatch him before he disappears again, but I'm convinced we'll get him now."
"Echelon Two?" Jackie asked.
"Perhaps. He has social and business dealings all over the planet. He spends most of his time taking care of legitimate enterprises: shipping, banking, oil trading, charities, and other interests. He meets with the senior leaders in his terrorist organization, including Farkas, three or four times a year and then goes back to running his legitimate businesses."
Hartwell paused as if he were savoring the bouquet of a vintage Bordeaux. "We've created a large dent in Shayhidi's armor. For the past month, we've been able to track his new plane sixty-eight percent of the time."
"I don't understand," Jackie said.
"We bugged it," Hartwell admitted.
"That's great, terrific." Scott gave Hartwell a thumbs-up gesture. "The Bug Man?"
"Yes. We had some help from the Agency while the plane was undergoing an interior completion at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg."
Scott allowed a brief smile, remembering shared beers and great ideas with the legendary CIA agent known as the Bug Man.
"He managed to install listening devices in the plane's cabin. The cockpit, where we really wanted access, was tightly sealed and unreachable in the amount of time he had."
Scott had a question. "Shayhidi never showed up to inspect the work while the plane was there?"
"Not once, but we were waiting. His pilots and the four guards who watched over the plane twenty-four hours a day were the only people we encountered."
Hartwell paused a moment when Molly walked in to refill their coffee urn. He thanked her and waited until she left the room. "Between Echelon Two and the listening devices, we've been able to keep fairly close tabs on Shayhidi, but not all the time. On many occasions, from what we've been able to cobble, Shayhidi gets off the plane at a given location and the pilots fly it to another airport. It's a cloak-and-dagger thing, and Shayhidi plays the game extremely well."
A momentary look of satisfaction crossed Hartwell's face. "At any rate, Mr. Saeed Shayhidi's daily or nightly routine is about to be inextricably altered--shattered is a better word for what's in store for him."
Hartwell folded his napkin on the table. "The president has a wide menu of options at his disposal. SecDef, General Chalmers, and I believe--when exercised--they will have a profound effect on Shayhidi, as well as on other terrorists. I don't know which options President Macklin will decide to use, but keep an eye on the news for the next few days."
Unable to shake the image of Brett Shannon from his thoughts, Hartwell extracted a few sheets of paper from his folder. "On to our project in the northwest. Marines from Camp Pendleton, the First Special Forces Group from Fort Lewis, and national guard units are being deployed along selected areas of the U. S.-Canadian border."
"What about surveillance?" Scott asked.
"Were putting on a full-court press, everything we have available, including two innovations from black programs." Hartwell studied his briefing points. "Taking into account where the three terrorists were killed by the U. S. Border Patrol agent, we would like to have you start at that point and do a low-level airborne search for anything suspicious."
He unfolded a highly detailed Great Falls sectional aeronautical chart and placed it on the table.
"From what we know, FBI, and CIA, there is a pattern emerging. It runs from the west side of the Montana-Idaho border to Coeur dAlene, to Boise, and then to the Twin Falls area."
Jackie surveyed the chart. "Are those the areas where the suspicious people have been congregating?"
"Middle Eastern?" Scott asked.
"For the most part, but there are a lot of Islamic extremists who dont share the indigenous characteristics of the Middle East. WeVe also been observing Orientals, Caucasians, blacks, Ethiopians, and so on."
"What about the nukes?" Jackie asked.
"We believe the other six bombs came in the same way, but where they are now is anyone's guess." Hartwell handed each of them a thin bound folder. "You'll meet the FBI special agent in charge at Coeur d'Alene. He's been there for several months and will brief you, share what they have, before you start an aerial search with the helicopter." He looked at Jackie. "We have a LongRanger ready."
"Sounds good to me, one of my favorites." She glanced at the sectional chart. "Where's the helo located?"
"It'll be at Spokane International day after tomorrow. Your plane--I'm assuming you'll fly your plane to Spokane--will be guarded around the clock at the FBO, Spokane Airways."
"Thanks," Scott said. "Appreciate it."
Hartwell handed the sectional chart to Jackie. "You re on your own. If you find anything or need anything, let me know."
"Well do it," Jackie said, as she and Scott rose from their chairs.
They shook hands with all around, thanked Molly and Zachary for breakfast, and walked to their rental car. Scott slipped behind the wheel but made no effort to start the car.
"Are you okay?" Jackie asked.
'I'm fine." Scott turned the ignition key. "I'll feel a lot better when we get our hands on those nukes."
Chapter 8.
GULFSTREAM N957CA
Jackie flew the Gulfstream 100 from Baltimore to Dulles International, where they turned their new jet over to the linemen at Signature Flight Support.
After leaving the airport, they stopped by their office. Mary Beth Collins, their well-organized office manager, was so emotionally drained by the Queen Mary 2 disaster that Jackie and Scott insisted she take the rest of the day off.
With Mary Beth o
n her way home, Scott turned the sound up on the office television. He sorted through the snail mail while Jackie checked their e-mail. She paused and looked at Scott, her eyes reflecting her sadness. "The worlds lone superpower and New York City just got another bloody beating. The president better go after Shayhidi and destroy him at any cost." "You have my vote."
A Fox News flash caught their attention.
This just in from Reuters. A London-based Arab satellite television station has reported that, although no group has claimed credit, they have information that the terrorist attack on the Queen Mary 2 is the beginning of another major assault on the United States.
"What else can they do?" Jackie wondered. "Security is tight everywhere; everything is covered."
Scott looked up. "That's when terrorism is most dangerous: when you think you have a handle on the problem and find out you don't."
The frowning TV anchor continued.
Corroborating evidence of the terrorist campaign came from a correspondent for Reuters. Moh'd Qudamah said he and his cameraman were taken by helicopter across the Iranian border into southwestern Afghanistan, near Pakistan. There they were thoroughly searched and then briefed about the QM2 by an unknown spokesman.
The anchor was momentarily distracted by more breaking news from Reuters.
After the shocking disclosure, Mr. Qudamah and his cameraman were detained in Afghanistan until after the attack on the Queen Mary 2 commenced.
The anchorwoman slid a small stack of new information across her desk, as file footage of military ships suddenly filled the screen.
This just in to Fox News. Senior White House officials have confirmed that American armed forces have been put on high alert. Warships in Bahrain, headquarters of the U. S. Fifth Fleet, were ordered to sea.
In addition, two American amphibious vessels have left the Red Sea port of Aqaba, cutting short a major military exercise. Our Pentagon correspondent will have an update at the top of the hour. Please stay tuned to Fox News for more breaking news on the tragedy at sea.
Scott checked the phone recorder, making sure it was turned on. "I think it's time to call it a day."
Her eyes brightened. "Let's go fly the Great Lakes, ring ourselves out doing aerobatics." "Good idea."
"You can fly first," she said, disregarding the fact that the biplane used for aerobatics belonged to Scott.
A slow smile crossed his face. "You're spoiling me."
THE BOEING BUSINESS JET
While his plane taxied to the runway at Madrid's Barajas International Airport, Saeed Shayhidi sat in his wide white leather chair at the head of the conference table. The meeting with the prime minister had gone well, and the new shipping contract was expected to be lucrative.
Shayhidi left money on the table, but the prime minister always treated him like royalty. This was important to Shayhidi; most of his close business contacts knew how to exploit that flaw in his negotiating skills.
It had sometimes taken Shayhidi months to negotiate a profitable deal, but recently things seemed to be happening on a daily basis. Business was booming for the shipping magnate. He attributed much of the success to his new business jet. It was a material statement that underscored Shayhidi's status in the world of global business interests.
Powerful people he had known for years seemed to be more respectful now that he owned a $57-million jet. No question about it, things were looking up for Shayhidi and his businesses. The money was flowing faster than he could spend it.
Shayhidi had a satisfying smile on his face, but his happiness was not related to business, the renewed contract, or his jetliner. The Queen Mary 2 mission had been an unqualified success even though the "death ship" had been prevented from steaming into New York City at full speed. The billionaire was anxiously looking forward to the next steps in his jihad on America.
When the BBJ lined up on the runway and began its takeoff roll, the CIA agent tracking the airplane contacted the Global Response Center, located on the sixth floor of CIA headquarters. A special team of analysts had been waiting for the priority event to begin. Working with the FBI, the information was sent to their Strategic Information and Operations Center.
The Madrid-based agent had confirmed the instrument flight plan earlier that morning. Now the time of takeoff had been verified.
Shayhidi was going to Tripoli for a meeting expected to last at least two hours. The information was immediately sent to the White House and given to President Macklin.
After the big jet lifted off the runway, a recently hired male flight attendant approached Shayhidi. "May I take your order, sir?"
"V-Eight juice, cashews, and warmed marshmallows," Shayhidi demanded in a condescending voice.
A pained look formed on the mans face. "I'm sorry, Mr. Shayhidi, but we dont have any marshmallows."
"What do you mean, you're sorry?" Shayhidi's eyes squinted. "You imbecile, make sure you have them in the future. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir." The man's voice quivered. "What?"
"Yes, sir, you made yourself clear."
"I can't hear you"
"You made yourself clear, sir!"
"Then get on with it. Don't just stand there looking like an idiot." Shayhidi waved his hand lazily as if he were shooing a fly. The humiliated attendant turned and retreated to the galley He was back with the juice and cashews in less than a minute.
His aides at the conference table, and the stunning Brazilian model accompanying Shayhidi, would eat and drink exacdy what he ordered. That was standard operating procedure for everyone in Shayhidi's upper echelon. While the three senior managers worked on the presentation to be given to the Libyan oil officials, the tall woman with the pouting lips watched a movie about beauty queens. Rachel Portinari was blessed with an incredibly beautiful face and a perfect figure, but she would never be mistaken for a member of the intelligentsia.
Finishing the juice, Shayhidi walked to his executive desk in the office just forward of his stateroom. He signed the papers neatly stacked in the basket and then jotted down a few ideas he wanted to convey to Khaliq Farkas. Using his latest inspiration, Shayhidi sent Farkas a coded e-mail, the first since Farkas reentered the United States.
Echelon Two intercepted Shayhidi's message. The NSA analysts were disappointed to see the indecipherable gibberish. However, they were able to confirm that the destination server placed Farkas in the Idaho-Utah area. They would have to regroup and again work overtime to outmaneuver the wily Shayhidi.
When his plane began descending near Libya, Shayhidi sent an uncoded message to his home office in Geneva. He then took a hot shower and changed into a fresh suit for the important meeting in Tripoli. If things worked in his favor, he planned to celebrate wildly with his trophy girlfriend on the way back to Geneva.
U. S. AIR FORCE GLOBAL HAWK
Northrop Grummans high-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle became the first such UAV to cross the Pacific Ocean successfully. The surveillance craft flew from Edwards Air Force Base in California to a military base outside Adelaide, Australia, a distance of 8,550 statute miles. Global Hawk traversed the Pacific in approximately twenty-two hours. Preprogrammed by ground-station personnel for the long flight across the ocean, the UAV was constantly monitored but not controlled, even when it encountered severe turbulence and unpredictable weather.
With a wingspan of 116 feet, the single-engine reconnaissance UAV has a range of over 16,500 statute miles at altitudes up to 65,000 feet. Dispatched with a maximum takeoff weight of 25,600 pounds, the autonomously controlled aerial platform can remain airborne for forty-two hours. Equipped with infrared capability and optical cameras, a synthetic aperture radar, and a four-foot satellite dish, Global Hawk can provide responsive data from anywhere in the world, day or night, regardless of the weather conditions.
When the UAV is employed as a surrogate surveillance satellite, a controller can redirect the vehicle anywhere in the world without having to wait for the next orbit to chan
ge course. Global Hawks can carry out their missions in more than one theater of operations while a single controller oversees the entire operation.
Because the UAV operates at a significantly lower altitude than a spy satellite, its sensors produce higher-resolution images with less distortion. The downside to using the UAV is the constant worry about colliding with commercial or military aircraft while ascending or descending. Upgraded models would address the problem of collision avoidance.
Based in the United Arab Emirates, one of the stealthy Global Hawks was loitering high over Tripoli, Libya. Situated along the southern coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, Tripoli is Libya's capital, largest city, chief seaport, and a haven for terrorists of all stripes.
Operating at 63,000 feet and flying much slower than its cruise speed of 454 miles per hour, the Global Hawk detected Shayhidi's BBJ. When the corporate jet entered Libyan airspace, the undetected UAV monitored radio calls between the pilots and the controllers. After the Boeing Business Jet landed in Tripoli and parked on the ramp, Global Hawk sent near-real-time intelligence imagery to President Macklin via worldwide satellite communications links. The integrated sensor suite in the UAV provided the commander in chief and his decision makers unparalleled reconnaissance data.
THE BOEINC BUSINESS JET
Normally, Saeed Shayhidi preferred holding meetings in the safety of his plane, but diplomatic precedence, formality, and etiquette had to be followed for each occasion. Over the years, Shayhidi had compiled a thick instruction manual that included rules and regulations, necessary customs, and dress codes for most of the countries in the world.
For each host, president, sovereign, monarch, emperor, chieftain, prime minister, or crowned head, certain strict guidelines had to be followed to the letter. Today, a pair of identical limousines would take Shayhidi and his managers to the meeting site, while a third limo would cater to the dark-haired beauty from Brasilia. Rachel Portinari would go sightseeing and shopping during the stopover. While the jet was being refueled for Shayhidis flight to Geneva, he approached the first limousine in line. His underlings walked to the second limo.
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