“This is starting to terrify me.” MayAnn pushed her fingers through her hair. “Of course we don’t have proof this battalion or company is part of Cerberus. It could be just a handful of men?”
“There were six vehicles in the convoy returning to D.C. We can assume at least two to three men per vehicle, perhaps more. So perhaps fifteen or twenty personnel directly involved, plus others at the base, to falsify records, provide alibis, etc. It taints the entire company. Assume the worst, and then, when it happens, be glad you were realistic.”
~~~
The Chairman was apoplectic. He was on a video conference call, responding to the internal report that a critical Cerberus military unit had been involved in a major rogue operation. Worse, the 145th was now on its way to Afghanistan sooner than planned, where it would be unavailable for at least six months.
“How could this happen?” he shouted his question. “Who was involved?”
“Sir, we are trying to determine that, at the moment. Colonel Buchanan is the CO of the new battalion. If you recall, we censured him earlier this year. We suspect he authorized the attack. Unfortunately he was not one of the casualties. We assume our general used his influence to arrange for orders for the deployment to Afghanistan.” Jones by default was wearing the mantle of spokesman; Davis and Dr. White were very quiet.
“Damn it all. I’m catching the next flight. I’ll be in D.C. late tonight—we’ll meet first thing tomorrow morning. We must get to the bottom of this before we have rogue operations everywhere. I want confirmation we have all of our people under control. Understand?”
“Yes, sir. We’ll have a full report for you, and an action plan.”
The Chairman disconnected without further comment. Jones addressed his two fellow executives. “Thanks for the hot seat. I agree with the Chairman. How the hell could this happen without anyone being aware?”
Dr. White shrugged her shoulders, her expression bland. Davis also remained silent.
Jones said, “A sudden deployment like this requires involvement at Secretary of the Army level or higher.”
“They were scheduled to deploy next month, weren’t they?” asked Dr. White.
Jones continued. “Of course—General Jamieson. He used his influence to have this battalion established as a way to combine our MP resources. I remember he said it would enable better control and coordination. He has influence with SECDEF, SECARMY and CENTCOM. Dr. White, you’re a friend of Jamieson?”
“Why, yes. However—”
“Well, we need to check with him. Do you know where he is? If so, please let Davis know. Davis, can you arrange for Jamieson to meet with us this afternoon, so we can explore his involvement in this debacle?”
“I’ll try. No guarantees with that gentleman,” said Davis.
The meeting broke up without further discussion. Dr. White immediately headed to the elevators; she had an urgent meeting arranged elsewhere, she advised her two companions. Davis seemed to be very thoughtful, and had wandered off to his office, presumably to make contact with Jamieson. Jones sensed a reluctance in his associates to explore the disaster in Boston; this feeling would increase as the day progressed.
~~~
MayAnn had grown very silent as she worked through the encrypted files she had extracted from Gilmore’s computer that Maeve’s team had decrypted for her. She looked at Schmidt each time she raised her head. He was absorbed in his own research and had not noticed. At last she had to speak.
“I need to contact Oliver,” she said. “I think he should come to Boston.”
“What? Sorry, I was deep into this. Oliver? Are you sure?”
“Yes. Probability is 100 percent, Gilmore is a member of Cerberus. Oliver will want to implement a team clean-up.”
***
Chapter 14
Oliver Stewart arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on Wednesday morning. He had traveled on the earliest flight he could arrange. Oliver, in his mid-fifties, was just under six feet tall with a slightly overweight build. He was losing hair on the very top of his head; it was a sign of stress, he claimed. He was traveling light and had only carry-on luggage: his briefcase and laptop, plus a change of clothes in case he needed to stay overnight. He quickly disembarked and the ride to Center Plaza was fast; his driver knew the quickest route and his path was cleared by the SUV’s siren.
He settled into the meeting room and looked at MayAnn and Schmidt in turn, and said, “I think it’s dangerous to let you two work together. You’ve lost Midway again, and now you’re telling me we have some rogue military super-soldiers on the loose. What the hell is going on?”
Schmidt said, “Establishing Cerberus’s existence and identifying its members has been my number one priority, authorized by the President. We provided you with the video of its senior executives meeting on board a yacht. I believe Cerberus is responsible for killing the CIA agents at Cherry Hill, their people extracted Midway from the safe house earlier this year, and of course it was responsible for deleting records from FBI computer files. ”
Oliver reserved his reactions. He had his own thoughts regarding Cerberus. However, he did not have an opportunity to dismiss Schmidt’s claim as the ad hoc presentation continued. His head swung from speaker to speaker.
MayAnn said, “Oliver, we have evidence, including files in Gilmore’s computer—he’s a member of Cerberus.”
“Plus the raid on Kelly’s apartment was carried out by an MP unit, which we suspect is also part of Cerberus. The raiders kidnapped Midway. The unit is now on its way to Afghanistan. Finally—”
“The people who rescued Gilmore from Bergman—and who killed Bergman—we suspect, were also Cerberus.”
“Stop, please. You two could kill a man, just trying to keep up. Now let me summarize what I’ve heard. You say Gilmore is part of this mystery organization which calls itself Cerberus. A Cerberus team killed Bergman, thus freeing Gilmore. Another Cerberus team attacked you on Friday evening, and this team belongs to an Army unit—MPs—since unexpectedly deployed to distant places. Midway’s current absence is Cerberus-related. The Cherry Hill murders were carried out by these people. Finally, they were responsible for deleting records from our computers. Correct?”
Schmidt and MayAnn nodded. They did not speak. Oliver looked around the conference room. “This is far worse than I expected. Has this room been swept? Are we secure?”
“Yes,” replied MayAnn.
Oliver looked at Schmidt. “How much evidence do you have?”
“Enough to convince myself and MayAnn.”
“Have you informed anyone?”
“I’ve advised the President of my suspicions. However, I haven’t yet communicated the most recent details. I plan on heading to D.C., once this meeting is over, to report.”
“We’ll be on the same flight, the three of us. Tell me more about the super-soldier theory.”
Schmidt took the lead. “We’ve been monitoring Gilmore’s condition very closely. His medical reports indicate he’s recovering at a very rapid pace, way faster than typical for the extent and severity of the injuries he suffered. Cerberus’s interest in Midway and their treatment of his growing pains increases the probability they are familiar with customized or tailored DNA. Their utilization of military resources adds further weight. We don’t have proof, yet.”
MayAnn said, “We sent DNA samples taken from the suspects we arrested on Saturday—some were involved in Gilmore’s rescue—to Quantico for testing, and I suspect someone is influencing the results.”
“Stop, again, please stop. Remind me to separate you both if ever I need to interrogate you. How do we overcome this laboratory obfuscation?”
Schmidt said, “Arrange a blind double analysis by two external laboratories in addition to another assessment by your people.”
“So we can’t trust our own?”
MayAnn and Schmidt replied in perfect unison. “No.”
While Oliver was absorbing all this information, MayAnn t
urned to Schmidt.
“Should we mention the Chinese link?” she asked.
“Probably not—he’s got a lot on his plate, at the moment.”
Oliver looked from one to the other. “Are you trying to make this into an international incident?”
“Or a terrorist one,” confirmed Schmidt. “Yes, there is a possible Chinese link. We told you a sniper killed our contact in Tortola and fled in a speedboat? Well, the Navy stopped his escape. They recovered two bodies, either Chinese or Chinese-Singaporean. There was a Chinese research and survey vessel waiting some ten miles along the heading taken by the speedboat. Oh, and one of the dead men was known to us.”
Oliver frowned. He felt his brain was starting to seize up. “Why do you connect these two Chinese to this so-called Cerberus?”
“The sniper killed the man who had data to sell, after which Schmidt managed to retrieve his thumb drive. You’ve seen the video that was on the drive.” She did not mention the list of politicians, Oliver was not supposed to know about those names. “We think the Chinese are interested in Cerberus, or in some of its activities,” said MayAnn.
“We’re using images from that video file and my team is trying to identify the management team,” said Schmidt.
“Very well. The three of us are headed back to D.C., as soon as we can arrange a flight. You’ll both accompany me, first to meet with Director Fisher, and second, to meet with a whole range of people, from the President down. MayAnn, you’re now tasked with investigating this Cerberus, so you’ll hand over all other duties. I’ll have someone here by this evening to replace you. Schmidt, I’m sure you’ll keep this—Cerberus organization—at the top of your action list, and I’m afraid it just got added to ours, as well.”
MayAnn said, “I’ll arrange additional DNA samples from Gilmore and from the suspects we arrested. Then I’ll authorize further tests using Quantico and two external laboratories. We can get a detailed update on Gilmore’s rate of recovery. Oh, and I’ll give you a copy of the files we found on Gilmore’s computer.”
“I’ll provide you with copies of the Navy action report and the DHS details on the dead men.”
Oliver’s frown increased as he began to understand the weight of data to absorb.
Schmidt recognized the symptom and said, “Yes, I know, it’s called data overload.”
***
Chapter 15
“Bad news, I’m afraid,” said Davis, taking a seat at the conference table opposite his fellow executive. They were back in their New York office and Jones had been waiting for his report. “Our most popular general is in transit to Afghanistan. He’s apparently gone there to assess the safety of a CID investigative team. From what I can gather, the Bagram Provost Marshal reportedly is extremely worried about the safety of his people and our missing 145th MP Battalion is tasked with protecting the team that is investigating a major banking fraud. I’ve heard amounts mentioned from ten million to one billion dollars, basically a truckload of paper money the US provided to AKB, the Afghan Kabul Bank. Apparently, it’s all disappeared, with traces of involvement all the way to the top, in Kabul.”
“This is real or imagined?” asked Jones.
“I’ve been unable to get a sensible answer to that question. My sources either don’t have the need to know, or are simply guessing.”
Jones said, “So one of our senior military resources has taken his company—or I should say our company—to Afghanistan, to investigate a possibly spurious fraud, and we don’t have any control over him or over our people? The Chairman will be livid.”
“What about our good doctor? What does she think of all this?”
“For all I know, she might be on her way to Bagram with her friend.” At last Jones’s concern surfaced. “I suspect she may have some knowledge of General Jamieson that she’s not sharing with us.”
“We’ll have to change our control structure. Damn. Perhaps, if we have a plan to resolve this and to stop it happening in future, we can anticipate the explosion that will follow when the Chairman gets the news?”
Jones looked thoughtful. “It’s very simple—stop enlisting our people in the military. He won’t like that. A substantial portion of our revenue stream is from government contract work, and our best resources are those trained by, and with experience of, the US military. So the challenge, of course, is how to maintain or increase our revenue if we eliminate our best training model. What we need is some way to permanently tie our people to Cerberus.”
“That might be the answer. Can our researchers provide us with short-term DNA modifications that have to be renewed every year? Perhaps, although not necessarily, with fatal consequences if they fail some kind of loyalty test? Dr. White could help us explore that, if she were here.”
“Get one of the PAs to contact her. While we’re waiting, let’s put together some thoughts for the Chairman.” Jones was relieved that he had an action plan. The forthcoming meeting with the Chairman was going to be fraught.
It was the same meeting room. The key difference was the Chairman’s presence and unmistakable aura of control. He sat at the top of the long meeting table; one of his PAs had placed a silver coffee pot and cup in front of him and he was enjoying his first coffee of the morning. Jones was ready. He had prepared his presentation with input from Davis. Dr. White was still nowhere to be seen or heard, despite numerous phone calls by the Chairman’s three senior PAs.
Jones began. “Sir, we have temporarily lost control of one of our Army units—Alpha Company, 145th MP Battalion. The company was deployed to Afghanistan ahead of time at very short notice. We suspect General Jamieson arranged the authorization. As far as we can determine, Jamieson either accompanied or followed them. The published reason for the early deployment is a supposed urgent need to protect a CID team investigating a major loss of funds from AKB, a large bank in Kabul. However, we strongly suspect the company was sent to Afghanistan to avoid any FBI investigation arising from that raid in Boston.”
The Chairman interrupted. “Where’s Dr. White? Why isn’t she here, with you two?”
“Sir, we’ve no idea. She’s disappeared off the face of the earth. She isn’t answering her cell phone, and we’ve been unable to trace her,” said Jones.
“This bloody lack of discipline at senior executive level certainly doesn’t help discipline at lower levels. Do you think she—”
Jones did not often interrupt the Chairman. “Sir, we know Dr. White and General Jamieson are friends. We’ve no idea whether their relationship is any deeper. Because of the surrounding issues, I have a red team investigating this with extreme urgency.”
“Good. Continue.” He sipped his coffee.
“Sir, we believe our current circumstances have revealed a flaw in our structure. For example, we have a possible rogue unit under the command of Colonel Buchanan. We don’t understand the general’s involvement or the colonel’s motivation. We should consider elimination of both men, to guarantee recovery of the unit. However, it could be an irretrievable situation—removing the general and the battalion’s CO may not guarantee our success. Perhaps we should send someone to visit with the general, to see if an accommodation is possible. There are significant difficulties to overcome.”
“I agree with your assessment. I need to think about the recovery process. Go on.”
Jones continued. “Sir, in the future we need to reconsider our utilization of military training for our people, unless we know we can retain significant control over both our young, and more mature DNA-modified people. After discussion with Davis, we recommend the laboratory should design a supplementary DNA modification that requires renewal perhaps every year. Failure to renew would attract an automatic biological penalty—either reversal of DNA updates or creation of a negative, debilitating, or fatal condition in the individual.”
“Interesting. You agree, Davis?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Jones, issue an order to the laboratory to initiate research and r
ecommendation of a suitable alteration. If they’re successful, we’ll be able to continue utilizing military training and service to get the right experience for our people. Now let’s discuss the absent general some more. What’s the status of the unit deployment? Did everyone from the Alpha Company go to Bagram?”
~~~
The meeting with the President had been rapidly organized and was kept private apart from inclusion of selected Cabinet Members. They were using an adjunct office situated next to the Cabinet Room. Schmidt and MayAnn accompanied Oliver and FBI Director Fisher, while the President had included his Chief of Staff, the Secretary of Defense, the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Advisor, the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security. Each of those attendees was accompanied by an assistant and the President had two of his personal staff in attendance. Members of the Cabinet sat around the oval table, smaller than the table in the main meeting room, while their support staff sat in chairs lining the walls. The President sat midway down the table. The FBI team and Schmidt sat opposite the President.
Schmidt took the lead after Director Fisher completed introductions. “Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen. Sir, we’ve been aware for almost a year that there’s a clandestine organization interfering in our military, and in legal enforcement activities. This organization’s called Cerberus.” He described the suspected activities of Cerberus and concluded. “The CO of the 145th MP Battalion is definitely a Cerberus resource and we suspect also that General Jamieson is involved with Cerberus. Special Agent Gilmore, from the FBI Boston office, who was recently kidnapped and tortured, was rescued by a Cerberus team and is a Cerberus resource. This organization has penetrated the Army, the FBI, and possibly other military or law enforcement organizations in our government. I’m afraid the list could be extensive. We don’t know—yet—how far this penetration extends.”
There was deathly silence for almost a minute. At last the President said, “Schmidt, your investigations appear to have progressed rapidly in the last week or so. What evidence do you have to support these claims?”
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