Noble's Quest

by Sally Fernandez

  Max continued to eye Noble’s facial expressions on her tablet as he briefed her on the outcome of the interrogation. It was obvious Simon’s storied mendacity had a negative effect on his mood. She reminded, “And, now, you have him locked in a six by twelve foot cell.” She then attempted to accentuate the positive in an attempt to redirect Noble’s lament. “We may never know his ultimate mission—but the game is over!”

  Noble recognized Max’s effort to placate him. He decisively moved back on point. “Did you uncover anything from the flash drive or the other material relevant to the encampment?”

  Max rightly discerned that he wasn’t up for any lengthy discussion. Just the facts ma’am, she mused, but now it was her turn to unload. “My further analysis of the files on the flash drive presented some disturbing possibilities.”

  Her words, disturbing possibilities, caught Noble’s attention. His facial muscles immediately began to tighten. “Go on,” he urged.

  “I reviewed all of the documents and photos we obtained from the flash drive repeatedly. Remember, there were also certain documents on the flash drive we couldn’t identify at the time?”

  “Yes, and?”

  “Simon had used military grade encryption for those files, but I was finally able to unencrypt them. The files contain the file extension sdr. They’re from proprietary software called SmartDraw that is used for compiling and creating maps, organization charts, and a myriad of other applications. Those files included organizational charts and schematic drawings of electrical grids. I still need time to sort out the grids. I haven’t been able to identify their location. I don’t even know if they’re in the U.S.”

  “That could be the vital link. Stay on it Max.”

  “Noble, there’s something else on the organization charts.” She paused briefly. “The charts are for government organizations—ours, and Europe’s western countries, including the U.K.”

  Noble interrupted. “You’re forgetting that, from the photos and other documents on the flash drive, we already deciphered that he is going after an unknown head of state. With the possibility that we’re dealing with a mole, Enzo is already vetting those people in the line of succession for each of the threatened leaders on the premise that their head of state is a potential target. And, I’ve already vetted the vice president and the majority leader of the house. They’re solid—nothing’s hiding in their closets.”

  Max’s instincts were usually spot-on, and Noble detected she had damning evidence. “So, what’s so peculiar about these charts that we didn’t already conclude?”

  “The only marking on the chart for the executive branch of the U.S. Government was a red circle around the box indicating President Post. Around each box for the heads of state on the charts of France, Germany, and Great Britain were identical circles. This naturally fits snugly into your theory that Simon is going to target one of them.”

  “So, what are the disturbing possibilities?” Noble prodded, sensing things were about to metabolize.

  “There are additional charts displaying the hierarchy of each government, stemming from the head of state!” she said excitedly. “Noble, attached to the chart for the U.S. Government, deep in the stack of pages, is the chart for the Department of Energy.” She halted, to collect her thoughts. And just before Noble was about to urge her to move it along, she took a deep breath and called out, “The box for the Office of the Secretary of Energy is also circled in red!”

  “What? That doesn’t compute.”

  “Wait. There’s more.” She was dismayed. “Additionally, there was a chart for the Department of Homeland Security, but the box for the secretary was not circled. However, there was a connecting line drawn in red from the Homeland Security organization box to the Federal Emergency Management Agency box.”

  “FEMA—is that box circled?” Noble was thoroughly confused.

  Noting his reaction, she responded uneasily, “Not on that particular chart, but on the chart specific to FEMA. The box for the administrator of the agency is also circled in red.”

  “Did you find anything similar on the subsequent pages for each of the European countries?” Noble questioned with anticipation.

  “No, only the heads of state for the three countries where the bogus assassinations occurred were circled.”

  “I’m afraid to ask,” Noble grunted, “anything else?”

  Still reeling from all of the horrible possibilities that could explain the findings, Max wasn’t sure whether she had saved the worst for last. She proceeded to describe that, an hour before she discovered the charts, the forensic team delivered yet another suspicious package they had unearthed from the indoctrination center.

  Max watched Noble’s face carefully as she expounded, “It contained twenty-five various guides on preparedness.”

  “Preparedness?”

  “You know, those used for natural disasters. Many of those guides were published by FEMA.”

  “I want you to start working on something else.”

  “What’s up?” Max was more baffled than curious at the abrupt shift.

  “Send me the files for the charts and grids when we hang up. Then, I want you to conduct an argumentation exercise, as we’ve done with past cases, to ensure we haven’t strayed off course along the way. We must take into account every possible theory.”

  Max again interrupted, “I don’t understand. The charts and grids are disturbing, but all the evidence still points to Simon’s plan to assassinate a world leader. What we don’t know is which leader or—God forbid—how many leaders, and in what order. Noble, your theory appears to be sound.”

  “Assume it’s not. What other possible theories could there be?”

  “That he’s not planning to assassinate a world leader,” she submitted somberly.

  “Okay, make that theory number two.”

  “Another one,” he pressed.

  “He’s not going after a head of state, but someone else,” she concurred, starting to see where he was heading.

  “That’s theory number three. Another,” he persisted.

  “Noble! Okay, he’s not going after a person at all, but he’s going after something tangible.”

  “Max, you have just come up with three theories, other than mine, and they’re all plausible.”

  “Aren’t you forgetting that we’ve frozen his bank accounts, exposed his encampment, and have his recruits in custody? Whatever plan he had, you thwarted!” she underscored, driving home the point that the game was over.

  “And, what if he’s not working alone?” Noble cried out.

  “All evidence points to the fact he is, but I get it. The only way to be sure is to check out all possible theories.” Max succumbed. “I’ll comb through the evidence, apply it to each theory, and look for any fallacies.”

  “Thank you,” he responded with tempered frustration. “Also, I want you to get me a copy of the latest pentagon briefings with the status of the Middle East situation.”

  “The Middle East? Why?”

  “Please, Max, just get it.”

  “Okay, but Noble, there’s still one troubling aspect of this case. Simon’s capture—it was much easier than I expected.”

  “Not at all. I believe Simon planned his escape with great precision. He just made a fatal error.”

  “Yeah, he completely underestimated you.”

  “No, he completely underestimated you.”

  Max was obviously confused. “I don’t get it.”

  “I know how Simon thinks. He would assume, after almost killing you in the explosion, that I would insist on being the one to reenter the encampment. But, you persuaded me otherwise. I’m convinced his intent was to lure me into the site. That explains why he never changed the security access. It was for the sole purpose of trapping me inside—finally ending the cat and mouse game.

  “Perhaps, but I would have sent in troops immediately to unseal the entrances.”

  There was a noticeable pause, but Max waited f
or Noble to respond.

  “There’s something I didn’t tell you.” He hesitated.

  “Yes, keep going.”

  “While reviewing Simon’s programming code in the command center I deciphered code that would have set off a series of explosions, blowing up all of the tunnels. He would have detonated them remotely after he escaped.” He blurted out in a single breath.

  “You son-of…”

  “Wait. Max. By following my instructions, you disarmed his code and saved many lives. It was a close call, but here we are.”

  “That’s not very comforting.”

  “Later, Max.” Noble quickly shut down his xPhad, giving Max time to cool off.

  31

  THE VISITOR

  The darkened room, with a row of lights dangling from above, was the same room from which Noble had departed an hour earlier. Curiously, Simon had just been returned to that room and was placed in the same chair he had sat in before. The guard had just finished securing his handcuffs to the rungs on the chair’s armrests.

  “Why am I back here?” Simon protested.

  “You have a visitor.”

  Simon was puzzled as to why Noble would return so soon after their first encounter. He wants to torment me with another round of inane questions. “Not interested,” he barked to the guard. Doesn’t he know when to quit.

  “She’s quite attractive. You might want to reconsider.” The guard flashed a wink.

  Simon’s expression swiftly changed, and he beamed. “By all means, do send her in. Anything is an improvement over you.”

  “You have ten minutes,” warned the guard as he closed the door behind her.

  She walked slowly across the room, sensing Simon was ogling her from head to toe, as if he were mentally undressing her. Unperturbed, she sat down in the chair across from him and stared at him intently, letting the silence hang for a short time.

  “Are they treating you well?” she inquired with her back to the video camera.

  “They haven’t tortured me physically—yet. But, if that’s what you have in mind, I’m all yours.” Simon reacted with a leering smile, also aware of the camera.

  Maintaining her cool composure, she probed, “Has anyone interviewed you?”

  “Director Bishop just left, after six hours of enjoyable repartee,” he complained sarcastically.

  “He was supposed to have waited until we arrived.”

  Simon noticed she seemed quite annoyed, and wisecracked, “Bad Noble.”

  “I’ll deal with him. Have the guards been difficult?”

  “The guards, they fit the usual mold. Mostly they just escort me to and fro from this hellhole to my other personal hellhole. I guess I should feel relieved that’s all they do. As for my little session with Noble, he refused to let them remove the handcuffs when they graciously offered. Do you think you might have some sway?”

  She denied his request with silence.

  Simon watched as she lifted her large handbag off her right shoulder and leaned over to place it on the floor next to her leg. As she returned upright, Simon felt a hand brush his ankle from under the table.

  Feeling a slight rush, Simon ignored the contact and continued with small talk, fully aware of the camera.

  “I can’t stay, but I’ll be back in the morning with the others. We’ll be monitoring the rest of the interrogation. You understand that we will be transferring you to Gitmo the day after tomorrow.”

  “Yes, I got it.” A hint of a smile returned.

  All of a sudden, she pulled back as she felt a leg rub against hers. She quickly sprang up from her chair. “I have to go,” she said nervously, then yelled, “Guard!” She grabbed her handbag and headed for the door. Turning her head ever so slightly, she caught Simon’s eye.

  “Tomorrow,” he mouthed.

  32

  ACING THE ENVOYS

  Noble sorted through the organization charts and grids Max had forwarded to him, but he wasn’t able to find any pattern shedding light on their unanswered questions. Most troubling, though, was the organization chart for FEMA with the red circle around the box for the administrator. Again, he was mystified by the absence of a connection. Exhausted and frustrated, he glanced at the clock on the nightstand: 11:39 p.m.

  He grabbed his xPhad, opened the tablet, and dialed Max.

  “I’m missing a vital piece of the puzzle, and Simon knows it. We have to think like a terrorist. What decision-making process is he using? What is his underlying psyche?” What is his overall goal—his motive?

  “Noble, slow down, you’re starting to rattle me.”

  “Set up your webcam.”

  Max moved aside the stack of manuals she was still rifling through for clues and opened her xPhad. Baffled by his questions, she eyed Noble on the tablet screen for a brief second. Then, on impulse, she suggested, “Why not reiterate that you are smarter than he is?”

  Noble looked back at Max. Intuitively, he sensed the direction she was about to take. “You think I need to prove—to him—that I really am smarter? Yes, I believe it could be the coup de grace.”

  “Exactly! His ego won’t be able to cope with it. He needs to be in control full-time. The only way for Simon to feed his ego is for him to convince himself that he’s been outsmarting you all along. And, the only way he can is to leak some vague clues on what he’s planned next in an effort to prove his superiority.”

  “Or, at least slip up and reveal one of the missing pieces. He has no idea of the information we already have on him,” Noble added, buying into her logic. “Max, you’re absolutely correct, but I won’t be the one convincing him. You will—tomorrow. Besides, you’re more deceptive than I am.” He smiled faintly.

  “Noble, are you clinically insane? I know nothing about this guy other than what you’ve told me and what I’ve read in his dossier. And, that he’s a Scorpio or, rather, a scorpion in real life.”

  “If my recollection is accurate, many believe that people born under the sign of Scorpio possess extraordinary genius. And, while they have many positive traits, they are reserved and secretive. Some are even capable of unmistakable evil traits of character.”

  “Are you trying to unnerve me?”

  “Just be wary. Simon prides himself on manipulating others and, he especially believes women are easy marks.” Noble winked. “I know you, Max. No one can put anything over on you. Being bested by a female is more than he can bear.”

  For the first time in a while, a huge grin appeared on Noble’s face.

  Max took notice of his jocular demeanor, but sensed it had nothing to do with his last comment. “What are you thinking about?”

  “Remember the allegory about the scorpion and the turtle? When I asked Simon what possessed him to carry out such an involved plot, requiring years of his life, he calmly answered, ‘It’s just my character.’” Noble paused, and then posed, “Perhaps, it’s all about proving his superior intellect to the world. That obsession may be his downfall.”

  “Perhaps it’s that simple. Maybe that’s the answer to his motives.”

  “It still doesn’t get us any closer to his end game,” Noble groused, leaving his sense of humor behind.

  “And, it doesn’t make me feel any better about taking this guy on tomorrow. For the record, I still think you’re out of your mind,” Max protested.

  As for her protestations, Noble suspected she was moments away from relenting.

  “Okay, what’s the storyline?” She leaned back and crossed her arms, readying herself. “This should be interesting.”

  Noble detected her tentativeness, and took a moment to pause.

  Max knew he was conjuring up a doozy of a narrative.

  “Here goes.” Noble sprang into action. His renewed enthusiasm was obvious.

  Max listened carefully as she took notes and watched the animation on her tablet.

  “First, convince Simon that I was in Florence with Hamilton during the sting operation, and that it was my plan to lure him there. Te
ll him that while he was staking out Hamilton and Enzo, I had him under surveillance. In fact, tell him I stayed at the Hotel Galileo in room 1509, next to his room, and across from the Banca Nazionale. Assure him Professoressa Ducale was working with us. That she was the one who informed us that he would be entering the Vasari Corridor and where she was to leave the satchel of money.”

  “Noble, I don’t think that will be enough to persuade Simon that you’ve outfoxed him.”

  “Hold on. You have to make him believe that I planned to let him escape in Florence. That I knew after having siphoned off most of his funds that he’d need to replenish his war chest. He knows I am more than capable of following the money trail. You must persuade him that I knew his ultimate plan would have to be completed while Baari was still in office—something he already confessed—and that is why, through our efforts, Baari was forced to resign. Convince Simon that I knew my actions would force him to escalate his timetable, causing him to make mistakes.”

  “Shall I cite the loss of the flash drive?”

  “Exactly. He thinks I’m convinced he lost the drive intentionally to lure me into the encampment. You’ll have to disabuse him of that notion, and that we have proof it was accidental.”

  Max still wasn’t sure it would be convincing enough. She thought they needed to throw some other piece of evidence at him. “Should I let him know what I uncovered in the boxes?”

  “Let’s see how far you can run with the fictitious pieces of the story. Let’s see if he takes the bait.”

  “Suppose I come up empty-handed and we don’t know any more than we know now?” she asked with some skepticism.

  “Then, we’ll have to resort to luring him with words such as electrical power grids and FEMA to see if we have glommed onto a missing piece of the puzzle. These could be the more potent areas, and they just might induce a reaction.”

  “It sounds risky to me. What if Simon challenges me, especially with regard to the grids and the charts? We’re not even sure what they mean.”

  “Don’t allow him. Simon has always been blatant about his view that women are intellectually inferior. I’m relying on the fact that he’ll let down his guard if he believes you’re vulnerable. Trust me. He’ll relent—if you convince him he trumped me.” Tempering his overconfidence, Noble affirmed, “Max, you’ll have to be more conniving than him. He’ll have doubts about my actual role, but remind him of my one vulnerability, the one he’ll never be able to exploit.”