The Planner

by Robert Smith

  “You have the passenger details?” asked Bates.

  “I think so. Are more coming through?” asked Nigel.

  Planner interrupted by pointedly looking at his watch, “Ok, thanks. Good luck with the plot details. Sorry, I’ve another appointment. Thanks for your time.”

  Bates was surprised when Planner stood up, shook Nigel’s hand and left the room. Bates did the same but at the door, Bates paused and asked Nigel, “So how is this movie story ever going to be discovered? Written notes found in the wreckage? Cockpit voice data recorder?”

  “Voice recorder?71 Right. Good one. Must do that. No, the story will be relayed by passengers”, said Nigel. “It’ll be an Orson Wells World-of-the-Worlds-type production. Different viewpoints from people crouching in the isles, in the loos, using their cell phones72.” Nigel used a phone call gesture.

  Bates nodded and smiled and continued out the door.

  * * * *

  Bates and Planner grabbed their Pastrami, Rye and Pickle sandwiches in the canteen and returned back to Planner’s private office.

  “So Hollywood? Unimpressed?” said Bates.

  “You could say that,” said Planner.

  “I was saying that,” said Bates, taking his first bite.

  Planner finished chewing and said, “I think we have a disaster on our hands.”

  Bates swallowed, “Yes. That’s the idea.”

  “We’re developing a byzantine, gothic horror… soap opera of a disaster! It’s not going to be believed,” grumbled Planner and bit into his sandwich again.

  “We can scrap the whole Passenger Revolt storyline,” suggested Bates.

  “No,” said Planner. “No-one will ever hear about it, just let sleeping dogs lie on that. I guess it’s the Carrot and Stick operation that’s bugged me.”

  Planner outlined the earlier discussion he had had, particularly, with Jenny. They decided she was one of the “Psychologists” that had been frequently referenced.

  “I’ve just had this vision of Stick Men73,” continued Planner. “Going around bumping off journalists and other do-gooders, by the score, since the back-story just isn’t that strong and just so implausible; it’s going to look so obvious.”

  “Well, I presume you’ve seen the computer models, the ones modelling public reaction to BE2?” said Bates.

  “The Change Readiness Models74?” said Planner with a laugh. “Changing the political atmosphere? It’s all done with a modicum of science, some statistics, a Cray computer and a lot of wishful thinking,” he said dismissively. “If the storyline is not believed, by say N percent of the population, then with just a few tweaks to the parameters of the model, you’ll get a completely different outcome. In reality, if the story isn’t believed, the only atmosphere that this event will create… is revolution. There could be riots in the streets.”

  “I don’t think that is going to happen. That’s very pessimistic: I thought you were a radiator not a drain?75 You’ve said yourself that we don’t have investigative journalists anymore. We’ll be framing the rhetoric.76”

  “Maybe. Maybe not,” mused Planner. “It’s not just journalists anymore. There’s academics, scientists… Have you ever looked in any history books lately?”

  “People don’t read history books! They watch television,” mocked Bates.

  “What about the History channel?” said Planner.

  “Only shows world war two,” said Bates sarcastically.

  Chapter Nine: Las Vegas

  Planner and Bates walked to Operation Las Vegas Office. As for other offices, nothing on the outside revealed what was inside. Just as they were about to go inside, following on from their previous conversation, Bates added another information channel, “And the internet. Don’t forget the internet!”

  Planner’s eyes widen with realisation; the internet formed an uncontrolled medium of information dispersal especially compared to newspapers, television and radio where partisan gatekeepers “managed” the news. Planner had not kept with changes in technology; he had toyed with the internet at home over slow dial up lines but the internet was not available at Langley or other CIA offices due to the threat of hacking by foreign intelligence services.

  Before Planner thought through the issue, he was being introduced to a stream of new people, all smartly dressed men that headed up the Las Vegas Team. They were code named, Paris, Venice, Sinatra, Casino and Cowboy.

  Planner’s mind wandered while Sinatra set up a powerpoint presentation on the construction of the World Trade Center Towers, thinking about the internet and whether that had been factored into the information dispersal parameters of the Change Management Readiness model. So when Sinatra, a good looking, man in his late forties started talking about the towers’ deconstruction, it startled Planner.

  Sinatra was saying, “…Dual redundant, fibre optic and wireless controlled detonators attached to the core columns installed during the elevator upgrade77…” when Planner interrupted.

  “Can I just stop you there, a moment!” Planner said, attempting to reconstruct the discussion from his distracted short-term memory. “Let me get this straight… we’re planning to blow up the whole of the world trade center?”

  Paris replied with a slight French accent, “Naturally. It is the quickest way to clear the site and start regeneration.”

  Casino added directly, “The management are in a hurry.”

  “For the insurance to pay out, there must be complete destruction,” said Venice with an Italian lilt.

  “Insurance? Really!” Bates said unconvinced.

  “Two billion dollars78,” Venice explained with understatement. “Some people consider that to be a lot of money.”

  “Don’t you think that blowing up the towers might look a bit… odd?” Planner mused.

  “No, no, no. This isn’t just any old Las Vegas Hotel destruction; it has been carefully thought out,” Sinatra explained.

  “…By experts,” noted Paris.

  Sinatra continued smoothly, “We have 3D computer models of how it would look. Advanced models. We can show you… how the aircraft would destroy key columns, the inferno, collapse initiation, everything. Run the video.7980”

  A few minutes later, Sinatra ran rough computer model projections of aircraft flying into towers cutting columns and the building collapsing. Sinatra then pointed to a schematic of the North Tower. “When we finally bring the tower down, the floors will be weakened by cutter charges all activated by computer and signalled to cell-phone detonators. Then the top floor will fall. Starting from close to the point of impact. Then the rest of the building will be blown out, straight down. It’ll look like a hammer knocking a nail, all the way to the ground.” Sinatra replayed the video showing the top section falling through the floors.

  When the lights came back on, Planner asked, “And both towers will do this?”

  “Yes, both towers,” replied Venice. “And the towers fall on the smaller buildings. We need WTC 3, 4, 5 and 6, all destroyed. There is a lot of value there that needs to be lost or destroyed.”

  “What needs to be destroyed?” asked Bates

  “The Eldorado Task Force for a start!” said Venice.

  “And they are?” Bates asked again.

  “Their offices are in Building 6. They monitor international bank transfers. We have a lot of money to move, starting September 12th. It would be inconvenient to have it traced,” explained Venice with a sigh. “Now I know what you’re thinking… Collateral Damage. We’re on the case.”

  “Go on,” said Planner.

  “The towers will stand for one hour,” said Venice. “In which time the majority of the occupants, unfortunately not all, will be able to escape. It has to be just one hour, our fire simulations indicate that the fires will be burning out soon after that, even with the sprinkler system disarmed.”

  “So how many people work in the World Trade Center?” said Planner pursing his lips.

  “Fifty thousand,” said Vencie, adding quickly,
“but… we expect less than 5 % casualties.”

  “So how many is that?” asked Planner.

  “Two and half thousand. The same number as Pearl Harbor,” said Venice.

  Bates whistled in disbelief.

  Casino added, “That’s an estimate, obviously. And much lower than the estimate for 1993, with the FBI’s failed attempt on the towers.81”

  “So is that with or without the advanced warning of the attack?” said Planner.

  “We could not find a satisfactory scenario”, said Casino slowly and deliberately, “working with the COG, that would support the warning and pre-evacuation of the World Trade Center complex.”

  Sinatra nodded, “We have promised the politicians a catalysing event with real er… motivational value; a critical mass…”

  Paris shrugged, “The psychologists say we need a New Pearl Harbor8283. To trigger an unforgettable memory, flashbulb memory, as it is known. More than just an air crash. There’s an air crash every month84.”

  Planner almost said something but thought better of it. Bates took up the questioning. “I suspect that… the Emergency Services… may be over-represented in that figure,” pondered Bates.

  Casino said bluntly, “The building will be shaking for an hour. People will be expecting the building to fall. We’ll radio the emergency crew to pull out.”

  “What about flashes? Bangs?” Planner mused. “Explosives are rather different from a natural collapse. Wouldn’t that cause a lot of… er… questions? It’s bound to be caught on camera.”

  Cowboy shifted forward in his seat, smiled broadly and said in western-style accent, “Caught on camera. Yes, exactly that’s what we’re planning. But that’s a good point you’re making. Very good. This is my area of concern and I can assure you, we have the very best people working on the tower collapses.” Cowboy transfixed Planner with his gaze, “Let me ask you something. What do you know about nanotechnology?”

  “Nothing,” said Planner rather taken aback, “Er… well… it’s like micro technology, maybe, but smaller?”

  “Yeah, probably,” said Cowboy smugly. “But no. It’s all about molecular scale materials being able to build up complex structures thinner than paint…”

  Planner involuntarily made a move to look at his watch.

  Cowboy noted and responded, “I realise we’re all short on time. I’ll make it quick. Let’s just say we have developed munitions that are more powerful than anything we had, even 5 years ago, using nanotechnology85. It’s works in the same way as thermite, ultra-hot demolition material used for years to slice through steel bridges. But updated for the 21st century. It’s called nanothermite and not commercially available anywhere. Only available to the military and rocket scientists. And it doesn’t flash, it doesn’t go bang. Just a swish. And burns up completely leaving no evidence behind.”

  “Nothing behind?” said Bates in disbelief.

  “There’s always tags, or some sort of chemical trace, to be found,” noted Planner.

  “Why, yes. Yes, it does,” said Cowboy with a smile. “I’m just saying in comparison to traditional RDX explosive or even traditional thermite. Nanothermite explosive residue just breaks down into iron and aluminium dust. There would be nano-scopic traces of catalysing chemicals, if you were looking hard for it. And I mean, real hard.86”

  “And if you were looking real hard?” pressed Planner.

  Paris interrupted, “This is why we are not using US-made nano-materials. We are using explosives from France. It would be as good as untraceable.”

  “France?” asked Bates amazed.

  “Yes, the French,” said Paris with some Gallic pride, “through their space programme, the Arianne Five, have become the world leaders in nano-material technology since nano-materials are also used for solid rocket propellants.”

  “So the material can be traced back to the French? Won’t that be a bit awkward? Diplomatically?” asked Planner.

  Venice made a balancing gesture, “This is part of Operation Stage C. We appreciate that each nano-material is unique and can be traced back to its factory of origin, so we will be destroying the factory.”

  “What? Isn’t that even worse? Diplomatically!” spluttered Bates.

  Paris shrugged. “Already covered. And in any case, they needed a new fabrication plant… it had constrained capacity. The site is shared with a fertiliser company, the explosion will look like it originated there and will be blamed on the Middle East.87”

  Cowboy added, “The point I’d like to make is… that we have considered Stage C and Stage C has affected our methods. We are leaving no stone unturned.”

  Casino also added, “And we have contingency plans, as you’d expect for any Psychological Operation.”

  Sinatra tapped on the white board, “I can show you the scripts of the TV newscasts we’re proposing both for BE2 and the documentary follow-ups. We have the drafts of the academic papers just here. We’re very serious about selling the story.”

  “I don’t doubt the effort you’ve expended. I just think the objectives are… dubious.”

  Casino had repressed some irritation in his voice, “A good point and while we could spend some time assuring you the objectives are worthy, we’re not here to discuss that aspect, ok? Just overlaps and clashes. Now… have we briefed you sufficiently, Mr Planner?”

  Planner leant back and considered his response. “I need to analyse the timelines… and get back to you. I may have further questions.” Planner paused and Las Vegas team sat back, almost as-one with self satisfaction, waiting for a further response.

  After what seemed like a long span, but was in fact, only a few seconds, Planner asked “Who’s organising the demolitions itself? Can I talk to whoever it is?”

  Cowboy said, “Of course. That would be Mr Digger; a very diligent man. I’ll get him to call you.”

  “That’ll be great. Thanks,” said Planner.

  “When you can, please send the documentary and news scripts over to me,” added Bates.

  “No problem,” beamed Sinatra.

  * * * *

  Planner and Bates were in the Hotel Bar discussing baseball; Bates was a Yankees fan and Planner preferred the Red Sox. They both agreed that the schedules that year was unbalanced, and the two teams were playing each other far too many times.

  Planner received a text message from Katherine, it read “Sorry can’t make tonight either. Next week, perhaps?”

  The conversation went quiet and Bates noting Planner’s grimace, decided to raise the subject of the previous meeting. “You appear to be remarkably quiet about the Las Vegas meeting. There’s a lot of issues there. Yet you seemed to be in such a rebellious mood beforehand too.”

  “Hmm, I don’t really want to think about it,” sighed Planner. “Another case where they are not exactly Keeping It Simple. They were prepared for us. Too prepared. It seems they were expecting some push-back. Very slick. Did you notice how quickly they mentioned their top level cover in their pitch. I think we were being managed.”

  “You may be right,” said Bates.

  “Fucking dirty job we have. I’m not up to talking about it at the moment,” Planner finished his drink and glanced at the TV on the bar.

  “Ok” said Bates.

  “Anyway I have a phone call to make,” said Planner and rose from his seat.

  “Planner, before you go,” said Bates gently, “I was thinking. It might be best, for the team, if we continue to include within the schedule, the advanced warning plan.” Bates was referring to the advanced warning of the attack on the twin towers discussed within the team to reduce collateral damage.

  “But do something different on the day?” queried Planner.

  “No, I’ll have the warning call directed to one of our own guys,” suggested Bates.

  “A fake call to a fake recipient?” said Planner with half a smile.

  “Well if you have a better idea,” shrugged Bates. “If we change the plan the team will find out soon enou
gh. It may dampen morale.”

  “You’ll sort that out?” asked Planner.

  “Sure.”

  “Ok. Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow,” said Planner and left.

  * * * *

  Inside his hotel room, Planner inserted a new Sim-Card into his cell phone and dialled a number.

  “It’s Robert.”

  “Ah, Robert. I hear you’ve been having some productive meetings,” said the Lodge Master smoothly.

  Planner wondered how he knew that. “I’ve reviewed all the operations except one,” said Planner. “Planning is well advanced in each one I’ve reviewed, although I feel that collectively there may be an issue.”

  “Hmm. This is more of your Loose Ends, Robert?”

  “I feel we are pushing into new territory in the complexity of the story we are weaving. We may be pushing various credibility barriers. It might generate resistance and discontent.”

  “I understand, Robert,” soothed the Lodge Master. “We have identified a range of scenarios for the aftermath and have contingency plans for each. Take, for example, your point about the story not being believed leading to a backlash, a revolution even. Who do we really have to persuade? Everybody? No, that’s not going to happen. You know, and I know, that many people will see through the magic trick we have arranged. No, the only people we have to persuade are the Police and the Military and they get their opinions from the papers and TV and we control those channels.”

  “Indeed, Most Worshipful Master, but information is not controlled solely by these channels anymore,” said Planner humbly.

  “We’ve never relied just on the Press. I presume you appreciate our COINTELPRO88 will ensure that we seed opposition groups with our men. To tackle the inevitable Conspiracy Theories,” he chuckled, “that will arise, we will flood channels with obviously our opinions and outlandish fake stories.”

  “Disinformation89?” suggest Planner.

  “Indeed. If they reject our version of events then we’ll say that aliens did it.”