by Bobby Akart
The FISA warrant, obtained under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, revealed coordinated phone calls between the people on the FBI’s targeted watch list and the religious leaders of the mosques. The activity allowed the unmasking of the names with local ties and the Denver Field Office was now on high alert.
The debate among the agents related to possible targets, timing, and the need to warn the public. Colorado’s Homeland Security Department listed nearly thirteen hundred sites statewide as potential terrorist targets. When the list was leaked to the media, something that infuriated Special Agent in Charge Sanders, local politicians decried the location list as grossly inflated. Even law enforcement officials criticized the list as requiring them to foster their assets to an abundance of unusual or out-of-place locations.
The national media had a field day with the list as well. A petting zoo as well as an annual mule day parade was included. For the most part, however, the list included cultural sites, places related to governmental functions, banking, and utilities. Local law enforcement didn’t have sufficient personnel to cover all of the locations, so it was up to the FBI to monitor the unsub’s activities to ascertain a more credible, specific threat.
Matters were complicated by the media’s feeding frenzy over yesterday’s press conference in which the White House press secretary was accused of fumbling questions related to the spread of the plague bacteria to the United States.
On the heels of that reporting, a crisis arose at the New York Quarantine Station located at JFK International. The airport alone handled fourteen million international passengers annually. They closely monitored inbound passengers for signs of infectious disease as well as medically screening migrants who would reside permanently in the United States. Newcomers were also checked for infectious tuberculosis and other communicable diseases.
An inbound flight from Charles de Gaulle in Paris contained two passengers, both American citizens of Turkish descent, who were experiencing high fevers, coughing, and mucus drainage from their noses. On most days, they’d pass through customs without issue. After the news reports leading the morning about the plague outbreaks, the couple and all three hundred sixty-four passengers on board the Boeing 777-300ER were quarantined.
This overwhelmed the CDC Quarantine Station. Officials immediately contacted local public health facilities stationed at the airport to lend assistance, but they didn’t have the requisite biosafety gear to deal with potential plague patients.
After three hours of being held in a series of holding areas designed for sixty people, the passengers demanded to leave. Airport security was wary of having contact with the passengers, so when there was a rush for the exits, the stampeding herd couldn’t be stopped.
The entire melee was captured on video by New York’s WNBC, who happened to have a film crew at the airport for a story about Olympic visitors. The news clip was shown on all the cable news outlets within an hour.
The nation was preoccupied with Pandemic Pandemonium. Hunter was preoccupied with getting ready. Taylor had to leave the office early to attend a bail hearing for a suspected terrorist, so Hunter was left on his own for the afternoon. While the analysts monitored phone calls and Internet traffic for information about the unsubs, Hunter slipped out and went straight to Sam’s Club.
*****
Mac had already texted she’d be working late in the lab with Dr. Gene. They were going to focus their efforts on a vaccine first, since there were no known cures for either pneumonic plague or NDM-1.
Hunter’s mind had been consumed with how to survive a pandemic. Naturally, he fell back on his Delta Force training to begin his preparations. Adequate shelter was the first thing to consider. Under extreme weather circumstances, and Colorado certainly was capable of serving up that, a person could only survive three hours before they died of exposure. There was an Academy Sports location off the Interstate on the way to Breckenridge. Hunter planned on filling this need on his next run to Quandary Peak tomorrow.
Likewise, his training had taught him that the human body can only survive three days without water. Dehydration was a real problem in third world countries. Americans were dependent on the public utilities continuing to supply clean water to their homes. Hunter hadn’t broached this subject with Mac, so he was unsure if the plague bacteria could be used to contaminate the water supply.
He’d need a semitruck to load enough bottled water to survive a long-term pandemic. He vowed to get water purification supplies at Academy Sports to purify the water from Blue Lakes. He’d address the issue of how to store the purified water later. Purchasing three-to-five gallon buckets at Home Depot was his initial thought.
Hunter had seen starvation during his tours in the Middle East. After three weeks without proper nutrition, the body begins to break down. A starving human being begins to experience fatigue, dizziness, and seizures. As their body was deprived of nutrients, their organs would fail, resulting in immediate death.
Starting with an adequate food supply was high on Hunter’s list. During the two prior visits to Quandary Peak, Hunter realized that the side of a mountain at ten thousand feet above sea level might protect them from contact with plague-infected people, but it was a horrible place to grow crops for long-term sustainability. They could hunt, as deer and goats seemed abundant, but the other parts of the food pyramid would suffer.
He was determined to stock as much as he could and also purchase the books of the legendary outdoorsman, Euell Gibbons. His parents used to poke fun at the man for talking about pine tree parts, but in a survival situation, his advice might save their lives.
Hunter entered Sam’s Club and grabbed a flatbed cart. He planned on filling it and probably another with food, because they were going to survive.
Chapter 35
Day Forty-One
Homeland Security Quarantine Facility
Las Cruces
“Okay, Alicia. We’ll be counting you down in five—four—three …” The producer held up his fingers as he began the countdown for Fox News reporter Alicia Acuna to go live from Las Cruces, New Mexico. She was hustled down from the network’s Denver bureau when news broke about a Homeland Security roundup of migrants who’d been held in a local detention facility until recently.
“As we’ve been reporting this morning,” began Jon Scott, Fox News anchor, regarding the breaking news alert. “In a series of unprecedented raids upon the local Hispanic community in the small border town of Las Cruces, New Mexico, the Department of Homeland Security has taken into custody hundreds of former detainees of the ICE detention facility there. Our Alicia Acuna is on the scene with a report. Alicia, what can you tell us?”
Acuna stood in front of a Customs and Border Patrol facility, which had been retrofitted with a chain-link fence and razor wire. A second chain-link fence had been installed about ten feet further out from the facility. The perimeter of the complex was patrolled by heavily armed guards, who appeared in the camera’s field of view as Acuna spoke.
“Yes, Jon. Well, I can only describe the scene here as straight out of a post-apocalyptic novel. Information began to leak that Homeland Security started to retrofit this CBP complex late yesterday afternoon with additional fencing, concertina wire, and armed guards. Inside these large white tent structures behind me, we’re told that an advanced medical quarantine apparatus has been established.”
Scott interrupted her. “Do you believe this facility is related to the recent plague outbreaks?”
Acuna continued. “Inside the fence, you will see five large tents. Now, let me repeat. This entire complex was constructed by the DHS within a matter of hours. Crews moved in quickly to assemble the tent structures while the 1AD Sustainment Brigade from nearby Fort Bliss installed the fencing.”
Acuna turned and pointed over her right shoulder. “The first tent you see to my right is near an intake area, where a steady stream of vans and Humvees have been entering overnight. The occupants are taken through a triage process and
then assigned to the next level of scrutiny. The three largest tents are divided into a low-probability ward, a high-probability ward, and then finally an infected ward. The last tent over my left shoulder represents the morgue.”
“The military is involved, so Homeland Security certainly means business here,” said Scott.
“Yes, undoubtedly,” said Acuna; then she pointed to two tent structures outside the perimeter fencing. “These large tents are set up for a dressing room on entry and an undressing room upon exit. Health care personnel have been observed coming and going through those guarded doors all morning.”
“Alicia, I see a third tent labeled patient exit, as well. There seems to be quite a crowd there.”
Acuna pressed her earpiece into her ear as shouts could be heard from the patient exit tent. “Yes, Jon. After this location became known to the news media, families and loved ones began gathering around that tent, awaiting their loved ones’ release. In the time I’ve been here, the crowd has doubled in size and is now becoming more boisterous. Shortly before I came on the air with you, additional National Guardsmen arrived on the scene to assist with controlling the unruly crowd.”
“Alicia, do you have an estimate as to how many people have been detained and therefore are under scrutiny?” asked Scott.
Acuna nodded as the noise of the crowd grew louder. She, in turn, raised her voice to be heard by the audience. “I’m told that the sweeping raids were preplanned and very efficient. The detainees were held at a local facility, as you know, and had court dates set months from now. They had not expected to be picked up by ICE or DHS for any reason. To answer your question, the estimates range from three to five hundred patients have been admitted to this quarantine facility.”
Scott asked a final question. “How many have been released thus far?”
“None, Jon. Nobody has been released.”
Chapter 36
Day Forty-One
The Primate Panorama Exhibit
Denver Zoo
Mac joined Dr. Matta on a trip into Denver to investigate the death of a capuchin monkey at the Denver Zoo. He’d learned of the situation through his wife, who was a curator at the nearby Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
“What else do you know about the situation?” asked Mac. She was scrolling through a lengthy email sent to her from Janie. Hospitals around the country were being overwhelmed with patients experiencing flu-like symptoms. Director Spielman expected initial test results from public health departments as the day progressed, indicating whether these cases were plague related. Janie suspected they were.
“The monkey was found last night in the Primate Panorama, a seven-acre habitat for all of the zoo’s apes and monkeys,” replied Dr. Matta. “It’s an incredible exhibit, which includes a world-renowned one-acre sanctuary designed for the gorillas and orangutans.”
“How long has the monkey been dead?” asked Mac.
“Best estimates are two days. It’s an extensive habitat, and the zookeeper responsible for the area has gone missing.”
“How do you know it’s plague related?”
Dr. Matta approached the exit off Interstate 25 and drove past the center of Denver’s entertainment universe, which included Coors Field, the Pepsi Center, Sports Authority Field, and the Downtown Aquarium. This area would be bustling with activity as baseball, football, and soccer fans converged on this part of Denver this weekend.
“We’ll be meeting with Dr. Kenny Baker, the zoo veterinarian. There were smaller animals found dead in the vicinity of the museum where my wife works. This raised a red flag for Dr. Baker, who called in the state epidemiologists.”
Dr. Matta entered the Denver Zoo complex from Steele Street and quickly located the veterinarian offices by following the trail of local media outlets covering the story. With reporting of the plague being the predominant news story nationwide, the Denver press used this opportunity to bring the plague outbreak close to home, giving it a local interest flavor.
Mac was wearing a pair of round-rimmed, dark sunglasses for the ride into the city. She elected to keep them on until she was past the press vehicles. Mac doubted the local media would recognize her from her Washington testimony, but she didn’t want to become part of the story in Denver. Besides, it might raise the curiosity of Baggett and Morse in the White House.
A receptionist led Mac and Dr. Matta through a series of corridors and back outside to an area of isolated primates in cages. Dr. Baker was reviewing a chart provided to him by an intern. The receptionist introduced Mac and Dr. Matta and left them alone.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” started the fifty-six-year-old veterinarian. “I have to say that under most circumstances, plague is common in Colorado this time of year although we usually see it in rural parts of the state. I’ll hear reports from Wildlife and Fisheries that an entire prairie dog colony died off, for example.”
“Dr. Baker, what first led you to suspect plague was the cause of death?” asked Mac.
“We received notification from the groundskeeper at the museum that they’d found over a dozen squirrels and several rabbits dead. We received a similar report from the City Park down the street. We see it every year in wild rodents, but it’s uncommon for the plague to be circulating in tree squirrels in urban neighborhoods, especially metro Denver.”
“Do you have a theory as to what caused the spread?” asked Dr. Matta.
“I do. I instructed the director of the Primate Panorama to be aware of a possible plague situation. He assigned one of the zookeepers to begin monitoring the primates for signs of lethargy and illness.” Dr. Baker stopped and led the group away from the prying ears of the interns. They walked around to the rear of the temporary primate holding cages, where they were alone.
Dr. Baker continued. “The young woman who was assigned the task is missing. According to reports, she’d called out sick twice in the days leading up to the discovery of the capuchin. After she discovered the primate last night, she left for home and cannot be located.”
“What are you saying?” asked Mac.
“I realize the chances of a human contracting the plague from an animal are minimal. However, it is entirely possible the capuchin monkey caught the plague from the zookeeper.” Dr. Baker paused again and looked around nervously. “Listen, I follow the news carefully. In fact, Dr. Hagan, I recognized you the moment you removed your sunglasses. I believe this to be a classic case of reverse zoonosis.”
Mac fully understood the concept. While she was at Northwestern, a case of reverse zoonosis occurred at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, where a nine-year-old chimpanzee died of respiratory disease contracted by human contact. The exact method of transmission was not determined, but the ill zookeeper was identified. In that case, it was an influenza virus that caused the death of the chimp.
“Has the state epidemiologist sent the samples to the CDC in Atlanta for further testing?” asked Mac.
Dr. Baker nodded.
“Also, have you notified the authorities of the importance of locating the missing zookeeper? She’s likely to be a carrier of the plague.”
“Actually, the zookeeper is a young woman named Malala Hussain. We have contacted the Denver PD and they are alerting local hospitals to be on the lookout for her. She’s such a nice, good-hearted person. Her experience with primates in her native country of Gabon was a valuable resource to the zoo’s exhibit.”
Dr. Baker’s phone rang and he stepped away to answer it.
“Mac, I’m going to try to get samples for our own use,” said Dr. Matta. “I’ve brought the necessary equipment for handling and transportation in the back of the Suburban.”
“I think we can compare the strains and get an answer as fast as the CDC can,” said Mac.
Dr. Baker returned to them, holding his phone in the air. “That was the police. They found Malala Hussain at Denver Health. She’s still alive, but barely.”
Back home again, thought Mac.
Chapter
37
Day Forty-One
FBI Field Office
Denver
“Okay, people. We’ve got our working theory and it’s time to get our assets in place.”
Special Agent in Charge Sanders had gathered his agents in the large conference room located on the first floor of the Denver Field Office for the morning briefing. He’d just received updated data from the NSA and Homeland Security and they were able to confirm the possible targets of a terrorist attack in Denver.
The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management had their two highest-ranking agents at the meeting to assist. The Denver Police Department’s counterterrorism unit was also in attendance.
“Tomorrow, we have the perfect storm of events descending upon our fair city as a result of some horrendous planning, if I might add. The Broncos have a preseason game tomorrow afternoon, followed by a Rockies game in the evening. The day after, in addition to another Rockies game, there’s a World Cup qualifying match between the U.S. and Brazil. Denver will be crawling with attendees and visitors, who ordinarily travel into the city to shop.”
Agent Sanders stepped aside to allow the representative of Colorado’s Homeland Security to speak. “As you know, we’ve been tracking a suspicious vehicle from Las Vegas toward Denver. Early this morning, we caught a break when the vehicle ran a red light at the intersection of East Evans and Colorado Boulevard. The traffic cam captured images of the driver’s and front seat passenger’s faces. Washington is running them through facial recognition software now.”
“I know that intersection,” added Agent Taylor. “That’s just a few blocks from the Denver Islamic Society, arguably the busiest mosque in the city.”