There was a muted sense of tension in the room. While Morris was quite inexperienced, she wasn’t regarded as a pushover. Richard doubted anybody in the room had seen her react this icily to their advice. Though she’d been in office for nearly a year and Richard had hardly been overwhelmed by her competence, this was the first time she’d seemed panicked. Richard knew there was opportunity for whoever could explain the attacks and provide a path forward to stopping them.
Clarke was visibly shaken by the President’s bluntness. “I can’t answer that. We have some footage, but it gives us nothing. We do know they kidnapped a computer scientist – Daryush Daneshgahi – and then swapped vehicles a number of times and disappeared.”
Hayley Penbroke, the Director of National Intelligence, cleared her throat. “While I can’t speculate on the who, the why is clear. Daneshgahi is a genius.”
Clarke scoffed and turned towards Penbroke. “I doubt he grew up with running water. He can’t be worth all that effort, surely?”
Penbroke glared at him, then turned back to the President. “We smuggled him out of Iran and gave him a full scholarship at MIT. He can pop the hardest encryption like it’s bubble wrap. We keep a pretty close eye on him and he’s never given us reason to doubt him. He’s a good kid, really. Whoever has him is now a huge threat.”
Morris frowned. “In practical terms?”
Penbroke didn’t hesitate. “Any computer system is vulnerable. The Stock Exchange. Power grids. Air transportation safety systems. You name it, he can crack it.”
General Mike Cooper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, raised his hand and interrupted. “Nuclear launch codes?”
“No, not those, General.” Penbroke crossed her arms. “Pretty much everything else is in play though. This is more dangerous than some missing ammonium nitrate.”
“Okay.” Morris placed her hands flat on the table. “While everyone keeps trying to figure out who’s behind all of this, what’re our options? We can’t just sit and wait.”
Cooper spoke. “Madam President, give the word and we can have troops on the street in every major city in the country within twelve hours. We can also increase the cover at major infrastructure. I can’t guarantee that these measures will stop the attacks, but they will make the bastards think twice.”
“No.” Morris’s voice was sharp. “I don't want the army on Sixth Avenue. If there’s one thing that’ll panic people more than attacks across the country, it’s a visible army presence. Besides, there’s no possible way we have enough troops to cover everywhere that needs it. Deploying the military just gives these bastards a victory.”
Richard gave a small smile. He’d underestimated the depth of the President’s dissatisfaction with the other arms of the Federal Government. While she’d no choice but to rely on her advisors, she clearly wasn’t putting much faith in them getting results. He couldn’t blame her. The attacks had rocked America and her advisors weren’t coping. They were overwhelmed and predictable, offering nothing that would work, nothing that would influence the situation or America.
It was time for him speak. “Madam President, if I may?”
Morris gave a small nod. “Go ahead, Richard. That’s why you’re here.”
He leaned forward. “While I agree with the desire for additional security, and concede that combat troops may be needed if this continues, there’s another option. FEMA can use the State Guard to provide more security at key facilities. It’s a middle ground – more protection, but without tanks on street corners.”
Morris’s face was expressionless. She seemed to consider his words for a few moments before she held her hands out. “Thoughts?”
Richard looked around. His plan earned a few nods and a lot of silence. Only Cooper seemed opposed, sitting with his arms folded. Most importantly, nobody raised any objections. Truth be told, they were all out of answers and probably happy for someone else to take the heat for a while. That suited Richard just fine. He was banking on the fact that he’d been in his job for a long time, while many of the people at the table had clocked less than a year in theirs. Rolling up the Foundation for a New America had taken a scythe through the upper ranks of government and the end of the Kurzon administration had removed more still. Richard had kept his head down and his hands clean, and was now considered a trusted broker by many, including Morris. He decided to press his luck.
“At the same time I can ramp up the support that FEMA is providing. All it will take to get this up and running quickly is a budget allocation.” Richard sat back in his chair and looked at Morris. “That will take me to the limit of what FEMA is able to do, at least without the declaration of a state of emergency.”
Morris sighed, removed her glasses and closed her eyes. While he knew she was a strong believer in civil liberties and loathed any discussion of the state taking more of a role in daily life – like deploying troops into cities – she also must know that doing nothing was not an option. Personally, Richard thought the choice was obvious – cut down on freedoms, ramp up surveillance, saturate the streets with assets and it just might be possible to win this thing. He could understand her hesitation, however. This was one of the largest decisions of her young administration so far and she was clearly fighting an internal struggle over it. She massaged her temples, looking every bit as old as her fifty-eight years. Finally, she opened her eyes again and ran a hand through her greying hair.
“Richard, make it happen. Dial it up as high as you can go without that declaration. Get the State Guard protecting our most important facilities and increase the relief FEMA is providing across the country.” She exhaled heavily. “But I want FEMA talking to the rest of the administration. Protect us and help our people.”
“Not a problem, Madam President.” Richard nodded and sat back with a small smile. He’d won the hand, but in Washington things could go backward as quickly as they went forward. He knew when to gamble and when to take his winnings. He’d been trying for months to get FEMA dialed in to the main game as a legitimate player rather than just a mop-up agency at the call of others. He’d succeeded, now he kept quiet.
Morris stared down the table at the rest of the council. “Let me make this clear, ladies and gentlemen. While Richard beefs up our defense, I want the rest of you on offense. We have the most elaborate national security apparatus on the planet. I’d like to see some of it put to use. Find these bastards.”
***
The sound of the rotors slicing through the air was One’s constant companion. Her team sat in silence as they edged closer to their target. The briefing, walk through and gear check had all been done on the ground and each member of the team knew their role, except for Daneshgahi. The Iranian computer scientist sat in his seat with his head downcast, with Two and Three seated on either side of him captive. It was all quite relaxed.
One looked down at her watch: 2159 hours. Right on time, the helicopter started to descend. She waved her hand at the rest of the team and held up one finger. The other five members of the team gave a thumbs-up in return. With thirty seconds to go, she lowered her night-vision goggles over her eyes and stood. The others joined her, Two and Three hauling Daneshgahi to his feet. The second her watch ticked over to 2200 hours, the helicopter touched down with a light thud.
She slid the door open and jumped the short distance from the helicopter to the ground. She took a deep breath. The cool evening air was both a shock and a thrill. It was her first time in Nevada and her first visit to the Hoover Dam. Once her team had finished disembarking she slid the door shut, raised her carbine and started to move along the causeway. Once they were clear of the helicopter it lifted off again, to take up station overhead and act as their eyes in the sky.
“This is Big Bird.” The team was about halfway between the landing zone and their target when the helicopter reported in. “Three armed sighted targets ahead of you.”
“Confirmed.” One crouched and the rest of the team did the same. She kept her eyes peeled, but couldn’t see the thr
eat. “Move up.”
She moved forward slowly with the others, leaving Three and Five to guard Daneshgahi. Losing the Iranian was not an option. Though she couldn’t see any targets yet, they must be near the concrete structure that housed the entrance to the control room. Whoever was guarding the dam had hastily constructed some basic cover and fortifications. A boom broke the silence of the night – some sort of rifle.
“Three targets visible.” Six’s voice came over the network. He was slightly ahead of her.
“Get rid of them.” One crouched and raised her carbine, but she didn’t have a clear shot.
More shots roared from the other end of the causeway. Their foes weren’t very good, shooting from extreme range and with no real accuracy. It was possible they didn’t have night-vision gear and were shooting in hope, but she couldn’t bank on that. She started to move forward, but was forced to drop low again when more fierce gunfire erupted. She heard a grunt in her earpiece.
“I’m hit.” Six sounded like he was in pain. “My hand. Not too bad though.”
She cursed under her breath. “Confirmed.”
She heard a whoosh as Four – the squad’s grenadier – fired the underslung grenade launcher on his carbine. A large explosion lit up the night and One heard a roar as the grenade struck home. Hardly stealthy, but effective. Flames licked at the cover that dam security was using and one of the guards staggered forward. She raised her carbine and fired a burst at the exposed guard. He dropped.
She hadn’t expected much resistance and it was over and done with now. When nobody reported further hostiles, she started forward. “Move up.”
They reached the large steel door that separated them from the command center, paying little attention to the three bodies scattered among the crates they’d used as cover. She knocked on the door and whistled softly to herself. The door was too thick to blow up and its electronics had recently been upgraded to make it independent from any network. Luckily her employer had provided the answer.
“Three, Five, move up with Daneshgahi.” She turned to Four. “Do it.”
Four nodded. He let his weapon hang by its strap and dug into a pocket on his combat vest. One smiled as he held the electronic access card to the reader until it beeped, flashed green and unlocked the door with a clunk. She’d half expected the card to fail, foiling their entire operation, but it turned out her employer could be trusted. Some dam employee somewhere would soon be very rich.
Four swung the heavy door open with a grunt and led the way inside with Two. One waited as Three and Five moved up with the scientist and followed the lead pair inside. She waited a few moments until she was satisfied things outside were under control, then followed with her carbine raised. She left the wounded Six on guard outside. He was hurt, but could hold their rear if any trouble came along.
They moved quickly through the corridor, alert for any threats. In a few moments they reached the expansive control room, which had a bank of computer terminals, large monitors and status boards on the walls. The capacity and flow of the Hoover Dam were managed from here, along with the key safety systems and contact with the outside world. One lowered her carbine as the team checked for any threats.
Five examined the terminals. “The systems are in lockdown.”
Two’s spoke up from across the room. “I’ve got a pair of civilians.”
One walked to where Two was standing over a pair of workers, cowering under a terminal. She crouched. “You have five seconds to override the lockdown.”
“Please, just leave us alone.” A young woman shrank back further. “We just look after the systems in the evenings. I don’t know how to do very much.”
One stood, raised her carbine and fired a single silenced round into the woman’s skull. A spray of blood escaped from the woman’s head and she slumped to the ground as the shell casing pinged off the floor tiles. One believed her – she was just a console operator, unable to help the team out of their predicament. She turned to the older man, whom she had a hunch knew more than his dead companion. She pointed at him.
The man nodded and One stepped back as he crawled out from under the terminal. Without speaking, he took his seat and started to type. He was shaking like a leaf in the wind as a password command box appeared on the screen. One held her carbine to the back of his head as he typed the command in slowly, then hit Enter. The password box disappeared and the screen flashed red with a warning that an alarm had been triggered.
“How disappointing.” She sighed and pulled the trigger.
As his body dropped to the floor, One let her carbine fall to her side. A quick glance at the terminals told her all she needed to know. The facility control room had now gone from being locked to completely inert – even if a member of staff wanted to unlock the systems, they’d be unable to. She hated heroes. With a sigh, she approached Daneshgahi and lifted his chin with her index finger.
“I can deal with the override, so long as you have the equipment I asked for.” His voice had a tremor and his eyes kept flicking to the dead man. “Just promise I’ll live.”
She smiled and held out a small kit bag that had been on her combat vest. “You deliver on your promise and I’ll deliver on mine.”
He nodded frantically and snatched the bag from her hand. One was alert but curious as he opened it, drew out a small device and plugged it into a USB port. Daneshgahi’s hands danced across the keyboard, command prompts and lines of code flashing on the screen at dizzying speed. She didn’t understand it, but she didn’t have to. Her employer had assured her that Daneshgahi had the skills to do what was needed.
After less than a minute, he stepped back from the terminal and smiled at her. “The lockdown is no longer in effect. The control panel is back to normal.”
One looked at Three, who nodded as he held a carbine to Daneshgahi’s side and whispered into his ear. Daneshgahi’s eyes went wide and a deep look of worry crossed his furrowed brow. Finally, Daneshgahi looked down at the console, hit a few keys, turned to her and nodded. She stepped up to the terminal, where a box on the screen was asking for confirmation of the command.
“Everyone ready?” She looked at her team and saw nods in return. She hit the Enter key. Klaxons started to wail and lights flashed red. “It’s time to go.”
Daneshgahi looked as if he’d burst into tears at any moment. “I’ve done what you wanted. Please, I want to go home.”
She ignored Daneshgahi and spoke into her headset. “Big Bird, we need extraction. Two minutes.”
“Confirmed.” The helicopter pilot’s voice was calm. “No sign of further hostiles, but there’s some radio noise coming out of Nellis Air Force Base. Suggest you hustle.”
She jerked her head toward the door. Daneshgahi started to move and she followed him and the other four members of her team toward the main door and out into the cool night air. She looked over the side of the dam, and though she couldn’t see the water in the darkness, she could hear it. As they waited for their ride, Daneshgahi moved a few steps closer to her, a look of frightened conviction on his face.
Four raised his carbine. “Back off, buddy.”
The Iranian didn’t buckle as he ignored Four and addressed One. “I gave you access. I’ve done what you wanted. I want to go back to Boston. You promised.”
She smiled at Daneshgahi and nodded once. Without a second’s delay, Three and Five grabbed him from behind. As they manhandled him closer to the edge, One followed. His eyes were frantic and kept flicking back and forth amongst the team as he fought to free himself from their grasp. She casually drew her pistol and placed it against his skull. His eyes widened as she pressed down with some force.
Daneshgahi became a dead weight in the arms of her men as he started to wail. “Please, I gave you what you wanted. You can’t. You promised.”
“You’ve been a great help, for whatever that’s worth.” She squeezed the trigger.
CHAPTER 2
With unprecedented flooding across severa
l states following the attack on the Hoover Dam, FEMA has mobilized to assist cities, towns and rural areas in need of support. Until this support can reach affected locations, citizens are reminded to beware of areas that are flooded, to secure their home but be cautious of electricity around water, to avoid driving and conserve food.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
News Release
Jack looked out over the serene water contained by the Hoover Dam as he sipped his coffee. He found it difficult to comprehend the devastation it had caused just a day earlier. Though the dam wall was physically intact, the terrorists had opened a pair of spillways, freeing an enormous amount of water. Half-a-dozen large towns downstream had been flooded and thousands were missing, presumed dead.
Jack ran a hand through his hair and resumed his walk along the causeway. “They did a job on this place.”
“It was surgical.” Josefa frowned. “If they can pull an attack like this off, there’s really not a safe location in the entire country.”
Jack shrugged but said nothing as they neared the operations center. There was a score of maintenance staff on the causeway, repairing damage caused by the gunfight. Though they could do little to help the towns flooded and lives ruined downstream, they were doing a fair job of hosing away the blood. Milling around, far less busy, were some Nevada state troopers, police and some security contractors.
Josefa snorted. “Upping the security seems a bit pointless.”
Jack laughed. “Like waiting until after the shot clock has expired before shooting.”
They had already passed through a security cordon at the entrance to the dam, but there was another checkpoint near the entrance to the operations center. Jack was glad that, at times like this, he had friends in high places. Given he’d very publicly assisted US authorities to foil the Foundation for a New America, he was able to access areas that would be denied to others. It was time to make use of it.
He gave his widest smile and held up his press pass as he approached the two guards standing outside the operations center. “Hey, guys.”
State of Emergency: Jack Emery 2 Page 2