“I have an experiment pending.” Reiterated Leo simply.
“Oh?” Kelly said with a furrow in his brow. “You’ve been working round the clock to get to where we are. Now that we’ve got this thing under control, don’t you think you can take it easy for a bit?”
“Not yet. Something’s been bothering me - I need to run some tests.”
“Anything I need to know?” Kelly asked with a touch of concern.
The cryptic, ambiguous response did not serve to reassure the CT chief.
“I’m not sure.”
Abul found himself working more feverishly than ever before. It was not supposed to be like this, the scientist thought as he rubbed his eyes and reviewed the data once more. Information from the test blast had finally been accumulated and reviewed, and the findings were disturbing. Abul could ill afford to approach Ra’ed at this juncture, however; not until he had the puzzle of this strange and wondrous material completed would he brief his leader.
The explosive force had been as expected, the rumbling of the earth a modest 5.3 on the Richter scale, a relatively small device compared with what they now had assembled within the mountainous catacombs of their lair. It was the mysterious elevation of surface temperature that puzzled the scientist. The heat wave had spread life a wildfire for miles all around, a finding totally disproportionate to what was expected. And the radiation in the atmosphere was not insignificant either. Could that be it? The atmosphere, Abul said out loud as his eyes grew wide. Could it really be…?
The test blast had clearly not initiated such an atmospheric disruption, but the propagation of energy was disturbing. If a larger device had the capability of sustaining sequential release of neutrons from the atoms of oxygen all around them…? It was a scenario the scientist was loath to contemplate, but it was a matter of utmost importance. He must run the calculations at once.
Within minutes Abul had obtained the requisite results. It was most alarming. Sweat poured visibly from the Udeen scientist’s face as he rechecked the analysis. He immediately picked up the papers and ran to the command center.
“I must speak with Ra’ed at once!” He raved to the guard at the door. The information he bore about this new substance had to be delivered urgently. Ra’ed must know of the true nature of the weapon they now had in their possession, lest it destroy them all.
As Ra’ed and Faarooq contemplated their options, Aasim, the ever-loyal guard, entered the chamber.
“I told you I am not to be interrupted!” Ra’ed snapped. The Udeen leader had not recovered from the day’s failures. The capture of C.J. was little solace in the face of the looming United States military presence.
“Sayid, apologies. Abul insists on speaking with you. He says it is a matter of utmost urgency”
“Very well.” Ra’ed responded gruffly.
Abul was greeted with a curt “What is it?” as he entered the chamber. The Udeen scientist proceeded to disclose the findings to the brothers. He paused momentarily to gaze at the pair, attempting to read their reactions. But the awesome news was met with stoic glances that afforded no measure of their intentions.
“Abul, you are certain of this?” asked Ra’ed
“Yes”
“And you say the device we now have is of sufficient size”
“I believe so. All my calculations indicate” the scientist stopped in mid-sentence. He knew better than to give a convoluted response when one was not required.
“Yes, Sayid. It is sufficient to do what I have described”
Ra’ed and Faarooq looked at one another.
“Do the Americans know of this?” It was Faarooq who now spoke.
“I cannot say. It would be difficult to know this without the experimental data from the blast. But perhaps a theoretical estimate might be projected if the correct experiments were conducted.”
“Very well Abul. You may go”
“Sayid, Faarooq…” the scientist addressed both men individually now as he bowed gently towards each man while retreating. “You do not plan to…”
“Abul, you are dismissed” reiterated Ra’ed, indicating the question would go unanswered.
Circumstances had again changed. They now learned of the power they wielded, one that was truly unique in its destructive potential. But how were they to capitalize on this discovery?
“Brother, we must take advantage of this” Ra’ed began, “We must thwart the imminent American attack…But how?”
“I believe there is a way” responded Faarooq. “I must leave at once.”
Bill Kelly navigated the underground passageways in a vehicle not unlike an electric golf cart. The tunnels were far-reaching, and after a number of twists and turns, the CT chief found himself in a holding area under that most venerable of institutions of their great nation, the White House. Two assistants were there to greet him, and he was escorted to the oval office, where President Groves and several top officials awaited his arrival. Kelly rarely took the secret, underground route from Langely to the President’s residence, but on such notice there was no alternative given the vehicular congestion inside the beltway. As he approached the great doors leading into the chamber, Kelly glanced out the window. It was springtime, and the rose garden was in full bloom, making for a welcoming sight. Kelly couldn’t help but think of the view as a symbol of all they had preserved on this day, as the country extricated itself from the grip of a madman bent on killing their way of life.
The fate of his young CTG soldier still marred the moment for the counter-terror specialist, but did little to diminish the buoyant mood within the office of the executive. Groves had a relaxed, confident look on his face as Kelly was admitted into the oval office. A round of applause greeted his entrance.
“Bill, Welcome”, the 20th President to occupy the room in which they now gathered began. “I think I speak for all those here in thanking you for a job well done.”
Kelly acknowledged the compliment, and took the empty seat that awaited him.
“I had plenty of help, Mr. President.”
“I’m sure you did. Now, shall we begin.” Groves was looking at the newly arrived CT chief as he spoke, intimating Kelly was to begin with a briefing of the current state of affairs.
“As you all know, our RDS assets have all been upgraded to detect element 94. We’ve been able to pick up and defuse all three bombs on our soil without incident. All, incidentally, were confirmed to be dispersal weapons – dirty bombs.”
“Do we have our hands on the perpetrators?” asked Groves.
“We’ve taken three men into custody. They are being questioned by my people as we speak. A fourth was killed in union Station trying to flee. Our intelligence indicates that accounts for everyone directly involved in deploying these devices.”
“Excellent. General, how close are we to picking up Udeen’s base of operations? I want to put an end to this organization for good.” Understandably, The President was in a vengeful mood.
“Mr. President, the noose is growing tighter.” General Fitzpatrick answered. “We are waiting on confirmation of their location, and the appropriate assets are in position.”
“General, as soon as you think you’re ready, fire at will.”
“Sir, they still have a hostage – one of my men”, Kelly interjected. Groves shot him a concerned look, but it was clear this would have little impact on the conduct of the operation.
“Bill, what are you asking us to do?” American policy was unambiguous on this issue – there would be no negotiating with terrorists. Consequently, there was little Kelly could request of the nation’s leader regarding his captured operative. The life of a CIA operative was valued no differently than that of any other U.S. citizen or soldier. Moreover, one entered into the espionage service with the full knowledge of its attendant risks. Policy would not be altered based upon the life of one individual, particularly if it meant allowing such perpetrators to escape.
“I need some time.” Kelly asked of his command
er-in-chief.
“Bill, we can’t let these bastards get away”.
Help then came in the unlikely form of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“Sir, we can cordon off the area from the air. We have the capability for round-the-clock, all-weather reconnaissance, and can scan the terrain from above.” Kelly and Fitzpatrick momentarily shared a brief, understanding look, after which the General added “I think we can safely contain them for 24, perhaps 36 hours. With the munitions we have in the region, we can create a wide zone of destruction in minutes.”
“Fine. Bill, good luck getting your man. But I want that place leveled within a day” The President commanded, not able to look Kelly square in the face. He had an obligation to the country, to keep her safe no matter what the cost. Sayf Udeen was to be exterminated, and nothing could stop that now; or so the President thought.
Leo shook his head in disbelief, and repeated the calculation one last time. The result on the screen was unchanged. If a mere fentimole of element 94, a quantity so small as to be invisible to the naked eye, could elicit that quantity of energy in the oxygen chamber? His mind was having trouble digesting the astounding calculation before him.
Recovering his train of thought, the scientist continued to contemplate the ominous possibilities. Atmospheric concentrations of oxygen were on the order of 21%. What then would happen to the dominant nitrogen gases in the air? Would the traces of minor substances in the environment be enough of a buffer? The answers depended on the magnitude of the mass of element 94 necessary for a sustainable reaction, and of course whether or not Udeen had such quantities at their disposal, along with the necessary secondaries, man-made forms of hydrogen not so easily attained.
The scientist recalled the concerns voiced by Edward Teller, one of the great pioneers of nuclear physics, in the early days of the Manhattan Project. Teller was among the first to conceive of a fusion bomb, the most powerful type of reaction known to man. It was the early 1940s, and a fission bomb, subsqently known colloquially as the atom bomb, using enriched Uranium or Plutonium had yet to be developed, when Teller described the awesome theoretical energy release when two atoms of heavy hydrogen fused. The heat required for such a reaction was of an unearthly magnitude that only perhaps a fission bomb could ignite it. The new bomb, therefore, would consist of a two-stage process, with a fission reaction ultimately igniting a subsequent fusion reaction, causing a detonation of unimaginable proportion. Teller’s theoretical bomb was aptly coined “The Super” (and subsequently renamed the “hydrogen bomb”), the consequences of which the theoretician and physicist would subsequently relate to Robert Oppenheimer and the other Manhattan Project scientists. Specifically, Teller was concerned the thermonuclear “Super” might incite an uncontrollable ignition of hydrogen and/or Nitrogen in the earth’s oceans and atmosphere, respectively. Such speculation was quickly quelled when subsequent calculations revealed that even the immense temperatures achieved by such a reaction, on the order of hundreds of millions to a billion degrees Celsius, would not achieve such a catastrophic outcome. Although many substances other than Hydrogen could undergo fusion, the reaction, the scientists concluded, would not be self-propagating - the energy lost would inevitably exceed the energy produced, in the end resulting in a self-limiting detonation.
But those calculations did little to dispel such a possibility based upon what Koval now knew of the physical properties of matter and energy in relation to element 94. Oxygen, known to combine easily with the other elements, seemed to form a fusion product with 94 that if ignited, would propagate in a manner heretofore unheard of. Nevertheless, such a reaction was limited by the content of available 94, which did not explain the experimental observations Leo had produced.
After significant contemplation and experimentation, however, Leo thought he finally had the answer. In its wake, element 94, undergoing a fission reaction followed theoretically by a fusion reaction of tritium (very heavy hydrogen) and deuterium (heavy hydrogen), could in turn release a novel form of radiation capable of separating an atom of oxygen of odd atomic mass, analogous to enriched Uranium 235. Of course, the natural atomic weight of oxygen, like that of the vast majority of Uranium in its naturally occurring ore, was an even number. But as the 94-oxygen complex broke apart, atmospheric oxygen acquired an extra neutron, resulting in the release of a large quantity of the heavier isotope. This tertiary fission product would in turn release additional energy in the process. Would the additional heat generated be enough to trigger fusion among atoms of Nitrogen in the air around them? How many extra million electron volts were required to sustain such a reaction in perpetuity? Leo immediately ran the requisite analysis, confirming the theoretical fears first raised by Edward Teller those many decades earlier.
Leo Koval knew he had little choice. If he was wrong, then all the better, the scientist thought. But they could ill afford to gamble if his estimations were correct. If Udeen acquired the resources and know-how to build such a device, then…Leo could not complete the thought. All he knew was he had to inform Kelly of the possibilities, however theoretical and however small they might be.
A rap on the door to the executive suite could be heard, followed by the face of an assistant poking through the doorway.
“Excuse me sir. Mr. Kelly’s got a call.”
“Very well” motioned the President with a wave of his hand. Kelly got up and left the room.
“Hello” the CT chief said into the mouthpiece of a telephone located just outside the Oval Office.
“Hi Bill, its Leo. Sorry to bother you, but this is important”
“What is it?”
“About 94. There’s something you should know.” Leo proceeded to relate the grim details to his boss. “I ran some calculations, and I think there just might be a possibility for the reaction to be sustained in…” Leo paused to clear his throat ”…in the atmosphere.”
“What?” Kelly asked, puzzled and scared all at once.
“Remember how I mentioned how combustible this material is in an oxygenated environment – well I ran some experiments, and extrapolated these to a large-scale detonation. If enough of this stuff is concentrated, then the ensuing detonation might just spark, in theory at least, a sustainable chain reaction in the air.”
“What exactly are you telling me, Leo?”
“I’m telling you it can spread. Oxygen, it’s all around us, everywhere.”
The response remained unsuitably vague for the CIA chief. “How many megatons are we talking about?” That was a quantitative assessment Kelly could appreciate.
“Too many” Leo responded glumly.
“Leo, we have forces in the region. I’ll need to know exactly what destructive radius we are talking about.”
“Radius?There is NO radius.” Leo spoke intently, conveying the situation as bluntly as he knew how. “Radius is not a factor. We are talking about complete destruction, absolute destruction. If 94 ignites a chain reaction in the atmosphere, the planet will be destroyed. We’re talking about a potential global killer, Bill”
Bill Kelly took in a deep breath, unable to muster an immediate reply. After digesting the information, the CT chief recovered enough to focus on the essential issues, assuming the scientist was correct.
"Leo, do you think they realize this?" Kelly wasn’t sure which answer he hoped to hear. If Udeen did not know of the true consequences of their device, they might deploy such a bomb in retaliation or defense and unwittingly vaporize the planet. However, if Ra’ed was cognizant of such a power, then matters were far more complicated. Would this homicidal organization be willing to self-destruct the entire planet should their own viability be jeopardized?
"They must, Bill. Anyone who designed that test blast must have picked up on such ramifications by now. I’ll bet they know."
“How much material would be needed for such a bomb?”
“A hundred Kilos, more or less” Leo estimated. “Along with the hydrogen secondaries”
"Well let's hope they don’t have it. Because I have no idea how we can possibly stop someone with their finger on such a trigger. It's like our worst fuckin' nightmare…” Kelly stopped speaking in mid-thought as the futility of the situation quickly became apparent. Leo was the first to break the awkward pause over the secure line.
"Well you make sure we wake up from this nightmare, Bill." Leo knew that if anyone could manage the situation, it was the person with whom he was now speaking.
“I don’t know if I can, Leo. Tell me what to do? Really, how can a madman who can destroy us all with a push of a button be stopped? Even a lightning strike by the stealthiest of our own weapons might not prevent this…” Kelly stammered momentarily while searching for the appropriate word “…Armaggeddon. An incoming missile or bomb, even if we could pinpoint the exact target, would be picked up by radar or a visual warning.” Kelly was thinking out loud now, realizing there would be no simple solution to this new and perplexing dilemma.
“Well, I guess you’ve got to figure out how much 94 Udeen has weaponized, and in what configuaration.”
“Exactly.” Kelly agreed. The CT chief hung up the phone, shook his head in disbelief, and walked back towards the oval office where the crisis conference was ongoing.
The look on Kelly’s face brought about a hushed silence as he entered the Presidential suite. People take notice when the most important intelligence warrior of the past decade is urgently summoned from a Presidential briefing in progress.
“Bill, everything okay?” asked the national security advisor. Q was a long-time friend, and knew Kelly best.
“No”. Kelly proceeded to relate the horrors of what Koval had just discovered to those assembled.
“Good god. What do you propose we do?” The President, so confident just minutes earlier, asked the CT chief aghast.
“I…I’m not sure.” Kelly had not yet digested and processed the information enough to formulate a cohesive strategy.
Element 94 Page 31