Noble's Quest

by Sally Fernandez

  28

  THE CAPTURE

  It was 0500 hours. Noble, Max, and the Colonel had arrived early at the command center eager to begin the mission. Shortly thereafter, Agent Burke appeared, followed moments later by Major Stanton.

  “Director, my men are standing by and ready to enter the tunnel,” the Major announced.

  “What about the National Guard troops?”

  “They are already stationed at each of the assumed exits around the perimeter of the encampment,” he assured. “Sir, when you are ready, I will drive you and Agent Burke to the Desert Mountain storage facility”

  The day before, all had agreed that Colonel Evans and Max would remain at the command center to oversee the operation on the large flat-screen monitor, as it was streaming from the Major’s video device attached to his helmet. Noble and Max had also arranged to use their secure IMAC’s to communicate directly with one another, on the off-chance they needed to convey classified information. Also, the IMAC’s video technology provided a sharper close-up shot on his tablet than on the large central monitor in the command center.

  Max, however, had another plan.

  “Sir, I should be the one going in with the Major,” she stated hesitatingly, prepared for Noble’s consternation.

  “Max, it’s already been decided. You’re staying behind this time. We need you to operate from the command center. I’m going in with the troops.”

  “Boss, I’m dispensable. You’re not,” she replied, more emphatically. Then, as though she was issuing an order, she remonstrated, “We need you here to direct the operation.”

  “Max!” Noble pushed back.

  The others in the room shifted their attention to the Director and his deputy, and then swiftly refocused on the map displayed on the monitor to review the operation.

  With an unusual display of affection, Max reached over and lightly brushed Noble’s hand. While her back was faced toward the other men, she made direct eye contact with him and whispered in a less officious tone, “I know this is an especially important time for you. There’s no question you are more valuable to the operation at the command center. You’ll have plenty of time with him later. If he’s down there, we’ll capture him—you’ll have your personal day in court.”

  Noble stepped aside with annoyance, which startled Max.

  Then, with obvious reluctance, he reached into his pocket and handed her the other IMAC. Grudgingly, he acknowledged to himself that Max was right. His place was in the command center. “Be careful,” he cautioned, and then turned to face the Major and ordered sternly, “Get everybody in position. Deputy Director Ford will be going in my place.”

  Without a hint of having won the battle, Max collected her gear and departed without missing a step to join Major Stanton and Agent Burke.

  The Colonel then turned on the speaker system, sat back, and waited for the Major to make radio and visual contact once he reached Desert Mountain.

  Meanwhile, Noble placed his IMAC around his right ear and synchronized it to his tablet. Then, he waited for Max.

  Twenty minutes later, the Colonel and Noble, clearly on edge, finally viewed the B Team, along with Max and Agent Burke on the large flat-screen monitor. They were now in two-way contact with the Special Forces team leader, Major Stanton.

  “B Team in position,” sounded the Major’s voice through the speakers.

  “You are coming through loud and clear,” the Colonel responded.

  Noble looked down at his tablet and was able to view the scene transmitted from Max’s IMAC. “Max, watch your step,” he spoke softly.

  “As the Major said, ‘Piece of cake boss,’” was the muffled retort that echoed through his earpiece, followed by, “Can you hear me, Director,” dismissing her personal comment.

  “Loud and clear,” Noble reacted affirmatively, and then said in a softer tone, “I can also see you checking out the Major.” As he looked up from the device, he eyed the Colonel’s grin.

  Max could feel her face flush as she quickly jerked her head to face the entrance to the tunnel.

  Noble now faced the large screen monitor and focused all his attention on the mission underway.

  For the next ten minutes, Noble and the Colonel watched as the Humvees transported the members of Operation NOMIS through the shadowy tunnel. After a few twists and turns, they finally approached a large steel door, similar to the one that secured the indoctrination center.

  Max, always prepared, had the prosthesis thumb ready to go again. Perhaps I will now have Simon under his own thumb, she mused. Following the established procedure, Max placed the thumb on the fingerprint pad and then entered the PIN number she had used before.

  Noble prayed that Simon had not changed the security access.

  Instantly, the door unlocked.

  Two of the Special Forces thrust open the door and entered the encampment, followed by the others. As the B Team proceeded with caution, neither Noble nor the Colonel could believe what they were seeing on the big screen—nor could the soldiers on the ground.

  “Unbelievable!” Max gasped.

  They had just entered an extensive underground city without a soul in sight. As Max looked straight ahead, Noble could view on his tablet a wide boulevard with buildings lined up and down both sides. Actually, they looked more like shops in a mall, absent windows filled with manikins and merchandise. The buildings appeared to be older, and better constructed—unlike the indoctrination center—which appeared to be an afterthought. In place of sidewalks were moveable walkways, and in the center of the boulevard were two sets of railway tracks.

  Noble continued to eye the scene from his tablet while the Colonel viewed the same scene on the large screen monitor. Seconds later, the Major, using his special issue infrared binoculars, reported that approximately five city blocks ahead on the tracks were two small train like vehicles stationed side by side. From the monitor in the command center, they were barely visible.

  Noble suddenly became acutely aware of the eerie silence that permeated the airwaves from both his IMAC and the speaker system. Only whispers were detected as the Major passed out his orders.

  The Major, leading the Alpha group, ordered, “Beta, take your men and clear all buildings on the left side of the street. Kappa, take the buildings on the right. Consider anyone you may come into contact with armed and dangerous—capture anything that moves.”

  Totally absorbed, Noble and the Colonel watched the soldiers as they began to spread out on each side of the boulevard. The Alpha group was also in clear sight. The four soldiers, along with Max and Agent Burke, were standing behind the Major, holding their position as they waited for the all clears. Their mission was to move toward the trains and render them inoperable. Each time, the Major heard “Beta all clear” or “Kappa all clear” he would lead his group and proceed past the next set of buildings, moving closer and closer toward the train cars.

  “Stand back,” the Major ordered sharply, startling both Max and Agent Burke, bringing them to a sudden halt. Up ahead, they could see the Beta group escort several men and women toward the center of the boulevard, each with their hands cuffed behind their backs.

  Previously, the Major had noticed an open courtyard between two structures. It was akin to a typical food court that one would find in a mall. He brusquely ordered Beta and Kappa to place all prisoners in the open space. He then ordered one soldier from each group to remain behind and stand guard.

  Back at the command center, Noble and the Colonel continued to focus on the screen, unable to anticipate what would happen next. Periodically, Noble glanced at his tablet to obtain a birds-eye view, which made him feel as though he were actually at the scene, offering himself some consolation.

  “Alpha, this is Kappa,” the group leader said in a voice quiet and low. “We just found four young guys in one building that appears to be a dormitory. They claimed to have been kidnapped. What do you want me to do with them?”

  “Cuff them. We’ll deal with
them later.”

  “Major, this is Director Bishop. Ask Kappa their names?”

  Without wavering, the Major complied and responded.

  As Noble had suspected, they were the missing cyclists. But, from the testimony of the two trekkers discovered in the indoctrination center, he knew they were also the latest terrorist recruits. “Isolate them from the other prisoners. We’ll interrogate them separately.”

  “Yes, sir!” the Major replied.

  Max listened to the conversation with great interest. She believed the cyclists would provide invaluable information that may not be volunteered by Simon—should he be captured.

  From the command center, Noble and the Colonel continued to hear the all-clears from the group leaders as they reported in and, on occasion, they could view more prisoners being escorted into the courtyard.

  The Alpha group continued to inch closer and closer toward the trains.

  “Major, what’s that?” Max called out, as she pointed to an object moving toward one of the cars.

  The Major, with the use of his field glasses, eyed a man jumping onto the car on the left track as it began to move away from them in the opposite direction.

  Max observed the same movement and, before the Major had the opportunity to respond, she blurted out, “He’s getting away. We have to get to the other car and go after him.”

  “The other buildings haven’t been cleared. We’ll have to wait,” the Major insisted.

  “By then, it may be too late,” Agent Burke argued, in Max’s defense.

  Having obtained the unexpected support, Max became more assertive than usual. “Agent Burke and I can move carefully, edging our way along the buildings until we reach the other car. Certainly, the two of us are qualified to take down one bad guy.”

  “Stand down,” the Major barked, annoyed at having his directive questioned.

  “Major.” Noble’s voice resonated in his earpiece and the Major sensed what was to follow. “Let them go. They know what they are doing.”

  “But, sir, with due respect…” the Major replied, stopping in mid-sentence, knowing it would be fruitless. After a moment’s pause, he conceded. “Yes, Director, but for their own safety, Alpha group will escort them.”

  “Roger that, Major.” Noble heard the Major’s voice issue the orders immediately.

  “Beta, Kappa, continue to clear the buildings. Alpha group will proceed directly to the car. Continue to report in as additional prisoners are captured.”

  “Beta to Alpha, roger.”

  “Kappa to Alpha, roger.”

  The Major looked at Max with a furrowed brow and then nodded to Agent Burke, as if to say, “Keep her in line.” One order was clear, “Stay close behind.”

  Following in lockstep with the Major and his soldiers, they managed to pass by several buildings without harm. And, within minutes, they had approached what they thought was a train. Actually, it was a single open-topped car on the opposite track and was positioned in the direction they had just traveled.

  “Major, can we reverse the direction?” Max asked urgently.

  Not waiting for an answer, they swiftly hopped into the six-passenger car. The Major had already begun to make the necessary adjustment and put the car into reverse gear. Instantly, they began to move toward the fleeing car. After rapidly passing several buildings, they entered another tunnel.

  Max, envisioning the complex from the WAASP photo, recollected they were heading toward the other facility identified earlier near the Jericho intersection. She felt exhilarated and sensed Noble was as well. They both determined that the person who had escaped on the earlier car must have been Simon. Otherwise, the other terrorists in the encampment would have most likely attempted the same escape. It appeared they were following Simon’s orders to stay out of sight, knowing a mass exodus would be impossible.

  Within minutes, Max spotted the car they had been pursuing just a few yards ahead in front of a building. The car appeared to be empty. “That’s the car we’ve been chasing,” she yelled.

  The Major noticed it as well, and had already slowed down their car to a crawling pace.

  He cautioned them to stand ready.

  “Go easy, and stay behind the soldiers,” whispered a voice, emanating from Max’s earpiece.

  “Yes, boss,” she mumbled.

  Agent Burke glanced at Max, having forgotten for the moment that Noble was in complete communication with her as he watched the events unfold.

  All of a sudden, the car jolted, and then came to a complete stop in front of a large cinderblock building with no windows. The only entry point was another large steel door. This time, however, there was no security pad, only a special keyed lock above the handle.

  Each of them slipped quietly out of the car.

  Max watched as the Major spoke to one of his soldiers, but she couldn’t hear his words. However, from the actions that followed, the soldier’s orders were clear.

  “Stand back,” the Major hollered. This time loud enough for everyone to hear.

  Max obliged, as she prepared herself for an ear-piercing blast.

  The soldier deftly wrapped the C4, a putty-like plastic explosive, around the lock, and then inserted a pencil detonator to ignite it. Much to her surprise, there was only a hissing sound, followed by a pop. Hastily, the soldier swung open the heavy door, allowing the Major to enter first. The rest of Alpha group, along with Max and Agent Burke, trailed closely behind. As they entered the long, dark corridor, the only illumination came from a white light streaming under a door at the far end of the hallway.

  Back at command headquarters, the large screen monitor and Noble’s tablet were completely black.

  “Max, what’s happening?” Noble shouted.

  Afraid to break the silence, Max murmured, “Shush.”

  Before Noble had the opportunity to counter, the scene on the monitor unexpectedly changed. The pitch-black screen transformed into a dimly lit room. While Noble and the Colonel scanned the room, spotting various pieces of computer equipment, Max quickly turned and looked straight ahead.

  The Major was facing the same direction.

  Everyone now viewed the same scene.

  Noble had an even clearer view from his device.

  The shadowy chamber was actually a control center for the complex. It was unoccupied, except for one man sitting at the far end of the room. His back was faced toward them, and he appeared to be typing frantically on a keyboard. To his right, was another monitor with a view of the door they had just blasted open. He had seen them coming.

  “Quick, stop him!” Max screamed.

  The Major snapped a look at her before swiftly passing the order to his soldiers. Instantly, they whipped into action and wrestled the figure to the floor.

  Max moved forward. Standing only a few feet behind the soldiers, she looked down at the man lying helplessly on the ground.

  Noble looked up from the scene on his tablet as his heart raced. On the large monitor was a face that appeared to be staring directly at him. It was the face of the notorious terrorist—it was the face of Simon Hall.

  “Noble, what is this?” Max blared into her IMAC.

  Noble, still fixated on the vision on the large screen, missed the fact that the view from Max’s IMAC was different. It faced the computer screen where Simon had been typing desperately. He refocused and peered down at the tablet. “Max, do not touch the Enter key. I repeat, do not touch the Enter key,” he called out in a steady voice.

  She froze, and then panic began to set in. As she attempted to slow down her pace, she pleaded, “What is this code? I’ve never seen it before.”

  “It’s COBOL. Deliberately, he is still using the antiquated language—the same programming language he used on the flash drive.” Noble was positive Simon was relying on the fact that most people would not be able to decipher the language, let alone write the code.

  “What is he trying to do?” Max tried to contain her nervousness.

  “
Tap the Page Up key—only once.” Noble waited, and then skimmed the code in a hurry. “Okay, again.”

  “Noble, please tell me what’s going on,” she pleaded.

  “Go ahead, Noble. Tell her what’s going on,” bellowed their newly captured prisoner.

  “Ignore him, Max. Now slowly scroll down.”

  “Noble, you’re really unnerving me.”

  “Okay, now hit the Enter key,” he said, evenly, attempting to calm her.

  Max took a deep breath and, although she trusted Noble with her life, she was a bit frightened.

  “Max, hit the key,” he repeated, maintaining his composure.

  She reached down and pressed the key marked Enter. Clearly exasperated, she cried, “There! Now will you tell me what that was all about?” Before Noble could respond, Max had taken off her IMAC and positioned it so she could stare him squarely in the eye.

  From his tablet, Noble could plainly see she was fuming. In a repentant tone, he stated, “al-Fadl was programming the security system to lock down the facility, attempting to trap everyone inside. Fortunately, he hadn’t yet compiled the program, so it could not be executed.”

  It was evident from the look on Max’s face that she had heard him through the earpiece. Then, as she slowly placed the IMAC back over her ear, Noble could hear her exclaim, “You son-of-a-bitch! I thought he was going to blow us all to smithereens.”

  Ignoring her momentary flare-up, he immediately refocused on the monitor. The Special Forces were in the process of pulling Simon to his feet, with his hands cuffed securely behind him. It sickened Noble as he watched Simon on the large monitor leer at Max with amusement.

  Noble took a deep breath. It was time to issue orders.

  “Major, I want you to transport the prisoner personally to the Utah State Penitentiary in Draper. I’ve arranged with the warden to have him placed in Supermax. He is to speak with no one.”