by Mark Lemke
CHAPTER 29
?
As I drove back to The Headlands, I was lost in thought.? I had many of the pieces already put together, and what I knew, I didn't like.? I knew the people involved were capable of murder-they'd already demonstrated that.? They apparently had money to spread around because they'd already corrupted at least one plant employee.? I knew Jansen was involved and I knew better than anybody what that meant.? He had the look of a mercenary.? A capable one, and no doubt very expensive, but hired help just the same.? When money was your only motivation, there was usually a line you wouldn't cross.? But I wasn't sure his employers felt that way, too.? That thought gave me pause.? I didn't know how far they'd go with this-more accurately, how far they'd make Jansen go with this-but I had a pretty good idea.
The threat itself didn't reveal too much about the plan though it gave me some insight into the people involved. It indicated a two-pronged approach by taking out the transmission lines and then the plant itself. ?And whoever they are, they wanted us to think they're al-Qaida.? It was a smoke screen, a diversion.? But because Jansen was involved, I knew it wasn't a Muslim terrorist cell. That left a group or a person with a grievance-or someone who stood to make a lot of money.? As I drove I tried to think of who would stand to gain from all this?? The point of terrorism was to instill fear.? I knew that from my years in Special Forces.? I saw it in many of the countries I'd been sent to.? The powerful ruled by fear.? They planted fear in those who opposed them, threatening either the victim or their families with a sure and horrible death if they didn't do as they were told.? That allowed them to control commerce, trade, communications, and even religion.? But the US was a nation of laws-and a lot of folks with guns.? There were no feudal lords in California who would benefit from this-although some might think they were.?
This left me with few possibilities.? One was to assume that this was a play by a rich and powerful coalition of Hollywood money and local pro-safety groups, organized to shut down nuclear power or just get headlines.? A lot of people who lived here had a belief that they were somehow different from folks in other parts of the country.? There was an entitlement mentality as though they were entitled to do it differently in The Republic of California.? These people had morals, skewed though they may be.? If these people were behind it, I could at least understand their motives, if not agree with them.?
The second possibility was much simpler and much more sinister.? Money.? Someone could be manipulating the electric industry for monetary gain.? Such people had no conscience.?? I didn't think the Hollywood types would stoop to murder, even as much as they didn't agree with nuclear power.? So that left the people who were in it for greed.? It made sense, if I applied the theory of Occam's razor, though it didn't get me any closer to discovering their identity.
The third possibility was the Old Man's theory of a foreign country that wanted parts to support its own burgeoning nuclear industry.? That was a scary thought.? A foreign country would have almost unlimited resources to pull this off, knowing it would be very hard to draw a line of culpability back to a responsible party.?
Regardless of who was specifically behind this, I was convinced that greed in one form or another was the driving force.? In some regards, that made it easier for me.? I learned in the military that an enemy who believed he was right made a determined and dangerous adversary.? So if the people behind this were in it simply for money, then I had a better than even chance to beat them.?
Driving up the highway with the window down, I reflected on how this job had changed from just consulting on the security readiness at The Headlands to figuring out who was behind this threat and stopping it, or at least helping the plant recover from it.? Of course the FBI no doubt thought they had a handle on it, as did the sheriff.? Typical, I thought to myself, of most government organizations.? They'd spend a great deal of their time up front setting up an integrated command system, bringing in mobile trucks and satellite receivers, tents for lunches and meetings, and portable toilets for the masses that were sure to follow.? And they'd only do that after something actually happened.? I, on the other hand, couldn't wait for all that, or for their permission to get involved.? Too many layers to work through.? I was used to working on my own or with a small team.? I frequently operated with limited information, short time lines, and usually in the world's most disagreeable environments.? Unfortunately, this situation certainly met most of those conditions.?
While I knew this kind of thing could happen in my line of work, I wasn't sure I was prepared to do this again.? I was still carrying a lot of baggage from previous missions.? And now I'd gotten the Old Man involved.? This kind of self-doubt wasn't good, and I knew in my heart of hearts it would have to go away.? I couldn't do what I needed to do otherwise.? Despite the early hour, I suddenly felt the need for a beer.? It was a good thing for me it was so early or I might have take the next exit and looked for an ice-cold one.
As the day heated up, so did I.? With the radio blaring because of the noise from the open window, my mind drifted back to Marti, which provided a nice distraction.? It'd been a long time since I'd looked at a woman with more than just a passing glance or a hormonal stare.? I'd known some women in the last few years, but I'd never found the time to get serious with one.? With Marti, though, I felt an attraction to her on another level, and I couldn't tell if that was disturbing or exciting me.? I wasn't looking for a relationship, but isn't that how it happens . . . when you least expect it??
I told myself I didn't want to be distracted right now, but I couldn't help feeling what I felt.? As the day went on, I found I enjoyed thinking about her, as the miles melted away.? I sensed there was something there that she felt, too, even though we'd only just met-and under bizarre circumstances, to be sure.? But I realized I had to compartmentalize my feelings, whatever they were, to be revisited later, if time and conditions permitted.? Still, I enjoyed the rush and the slight tightening in my chest that I felt as I raced northward toward whatever awaited me.
?