Jet disembarked two stops later and switched to the return line, scanning the sparse crowd for any familiar faces from the outbound trip. Thankfully, she didn’t see any. She glanced at the time and saw that she still had forty minutes to go before her rendezvous with Alan. She hoped that he would be able to get rid of the car with no complications. Then again, he was a big boy and a seasoned operative, so she wasn’t worried.
When she arrived at the hotel she went to the bar, but it had closed an hour earlier. Not wanting to sit in the lobby drawing attention, she asked about internet access and was directed to the business center, open twenty-four hours. Inside she rented time on a computer and scanned the news in Uruguay, then switched to global headlines.
Fifteen minutes later two strong hands landed on her shoulders from behind her and began kneading the bunched muscles.
“I figured I would know where to find you,” Alan said with a playful tone.
“You need to see this, Alan. Now.” Jet’s voice was strangely flat. She turned to face him and he looked into her eyes, and when he saw her expression he moved around her to the screen.
“What is it?”
Jet pointed at the news page and then clicked on a video window.
A figure cloaked in a black headdress addressed the camera in heavily accented English. Below the video was a description describing him as Saif al-Diin, the “Sword of the Faith,” leader of the Righteous Light. Alan motioned to Jet for headphones. She wordlessly handed them to him, and he slipped them on and listened to the statement, then watched the footage of a man slowly dying in an anonymous cell.
When the clip finally ended five minutes later, the blood had drained from Alan’s face. Jet scrolled down and clicked on a headline, and they read it with dread, each word slamming home with the force of a blow.
Terrorist Group Threatens Deadly Biological Attack, Warns U.S. and Israel of Coming Armageddon.
Chapter 23
Jet and Alan played the video two more times and then skimmed the commentary. The early consensus was that the footage was genuine and that the promise of attacks wasn’t an empty one. Worried news anchors questioned whatever experts the networks had been able to round up, and one, from the American Center for Disease Control, was especially dour in his outlook:
“We’ve always known there was the chance that hostile interests would launch a bio-attack. We saw a premonition of the kind of panic it could cause after the World Trade Center disaster, when the anthrax scare hit. People were driving into Mexico to buy ciproflaxin, ordering it from Canada, demanding prescriptions or samples from their doctors. And that was a disease for which there is a treatment. Imagine the effect of a wider-spread attack with a virulent agent like that the video footage purports to show. We are talking every epidemiologist’s worst nightmare, and a public health crisis, not to mention an emergency of the most devastating sort. And not just for the U.S.; this will be a world-wide panic, for good reason. Terrorists, once they’ve let that genie out of the bottle, will see the effect and have a new weapon of choice. All we can do at this point is to be prepared for anything.”
The threat level in the United States had been raised to red, signaling the highest possible state of alert. What that meant in practical terms was questionable, but even only a few hours into the crisis the world’s most powerful nation was dancing.
CNN featured a different spin, focusing on the domestic disturbances already being seen in many cities. An earnest-looking blonde with sensible hair read from the teleprompter with Shakespearean sincerity:
“Well, Frank, what I can tell you is that many ordinary people aren’t taking this lying down. Reports are coming in from all over the country of runs on grocery and gun stores. Apparently the prevailing belief is that it will be best to be armed to the teeth and stocked up on staples. We’ve seen similar patterns in past crises, but nothing like this in only a few hours. The Righteous Light video is causing a sensation, and the YouTube version already has eighty million views, causing problems with the company’s server capacity. And that’s not counting all the news outlets with their own feeds.”
Jet went to another American news site and viewed a report from two well-fed anchormen with shockingly bad haircuts and sincerity suits, airing man-on-the-street interviews calling for the U.S. to do something, now:
“Damn it. We should nuke the damned Iranians and whatnot. Nuke the whole lot of ’em. Bastards hate us because of our freedom and our way of life. I say blow ’em back to the Stone Age and let Jesus sort ’em out,” a beefy red-faced man assured the camera, his baseball cap on backwards as he offered his counsel on international diplomacy.
One of the anchors pointed out that the hazmat suit in the video had been identified as being of Iranian manufacture, causing concerns that Iran was behind the threatened attack, possibly in retaliation for sanctions against their nuclear program.
“Dick, no disrespect, but nobody except the U.S. has ever claimed that Iran was enriching uranium above the twenty-percent level for medical purposes. And multiple agencies have responded to American claims by pointing out that exactly zero of the intelligence that the United States has provided turned out to be true, or even helpful in identifying Iran as pursuing nukes. And Iran itself has claimed multiple times that it is not working on weapons, and all inspections have indicated that nothing in their programs is geared towards nukes.”
“That’s so typically liberal, Howard. I say we can’t afford to take the chance. Of course they’re going to claim that they’re innocent. But what if they’re lying? Then we have nuclear chaos in the region.”
“Dick. Please. The U.S. used that logic to invade Iraq. And it turns out the intel was one hundred percent wrong. I guess the question is, what right does the U.S. have to invade sovereign nations and attack them when they’re innocent of the claims used to justify the attacks in the first place? Doesn’t that set a disturbing precedent?”
“Someone has to man up and keep the peace, Howard. Like it or not, we’re the peacekeepers.”
“Sounds good, but how is going to war on false pretenses and overthrowing governments we supported for decades ‘keeping the peace’? Look, I’m no dove, but even I have to question the government’s motives. Our rhetoric doesn’t match our actions. For example, in 2006, Bush stated that a pre-emptive nuclear strike was on the table against Iran. That violates international law, where the U.S. and all other nuclear states agreed that a nuclear country cannot threaten a non-nuke country with nuclear war. Does anyone besides me see how messed up that is?”
“I think you’re mis-stating what happened, Howard. But anyway, we need to cut to another man-in-the-street segment, this time from New Orleans.” The first suited man couldn’t terminate the other’s reasoning quickly enough.
Alan and Jet continued skimming the news, and then Jet yawned, checking the time.
“We need to get going. Which brings us to the question of what happened, and how we’re going to proceed from here,” she said.
He rubbed his face, fatigue creeping into his expression, and then sat back. “I think we need to get a few hours of sleep. And I need to contact the director about the bio-weapons threat. This changes everything. I thought this was going to be a drawn-out process, where we’d have more time to figure out what they were up to. Now we don’t have to. They’ve told us. Obviously, that means they’re close enough to their implementation date to feel confident that they can’t be stopped. So I need to focus on that while you get some shut-eye. Once I’ve spoken with him, we can discuss Grigenko.”
“Before we get ready for sleepy-time, I think we need to talk about how Grigenko knew I was coming for him. I can’t think of a lot of ways that could have happened that don’t involve the director leaking it to him,” Jet spat.
“What? Are you nuts? We’re talking about the head of the Mossad. Why the hell would he work with a Russian arms dealer, who might be even now providing our enemies with doomsday weapons?” Alan sounded outraged,
and had to struggle to keep his voice even.
“Then what’s your theory? David always said there had to be a mole. Maybe he got the wrong man.”
Alan sat, thinking, then shook his head. “Impossible. This is a man above reproach, who has devoted his life to the cause. It’s preposterous.”
“Look, Alan, I’m as patriotic as anyone. But what’s the alternative explanation? He would have had the ability to access the bank records. And he’s the only one who knows that you’re in Russia. If that’s the case, then we’re screwed, and it’s possible he’s been feeding him information. Maybe not Grigenko – maybe to the KGB, and someone there is leaking to him.”
“I can’t believe it. I just can’t.”
“Then what’s your explanation?”
Alan rose and paced to the door of the business center while Jet logged out and paid the listless attendant a king’s ransom for her time. “Maybe there’s a leak in his office – a confidant who has been compromised? There’s no way he’s working with Grigenko. But obviously, I haven’t thought it completely through.”
“Well, take your time. But in the interim, how much detail does he have? Just in the one-in-a-million chance that I’m right?”
Alan considered the question.
“He just knew that I was in Moscow, and...and yesterday I told him that I would probably be done with my project here by tomorrow.” Even as he said the words he realized the ramifications. “Which would imply, if he suspected anything about hitting Grigenko...that it would be today or tonight.”
She stepped through the business center door and waited for him to follow, stopping in the lobby as he trailed behind her. “You know what I hate? I hate when I have to assume that all the obvious signs are just coincidences. Know what I mean?”
“I’ll take that under consideration. But for now, I need to focus on the end of the world as we know it.”
“One more question. Does he know what operational ID you’re using for Russia?”
He thought about it. “He could find out. Look at who we’re talking about here.”
“Alan, don’t take this the wrong way, but I think I’ll be staying somewhere else tonight than at your hotel, then. Call me paranoid. It goes with being chased by gunmen through the sewers of Moscow.”
“Then where are you going to sleep?”
“I’ll figure something out. It’ll be light in a few more hours. Maybe I’ll just wander the city seeing if I can entice some muggers to take me on – just to keep in practice.”
Even though he was getting tired, the adrenaline surge from the car chase and the terrorism revelation having faded, he managed a smile. “You are so the last chick on the planet I would want to mug.”
She gave him a dark look. “What’s wrong with me? Although I like being called a chick. That makes me feel like a teen again. God help me.”
“Well, I can’t see any attempt going well for the mugger. Let’s just leave it at that.”
“I suppose that depends on who’s mugging me. For you, I might not fight that hard...”
He took her hand. “I know this didn’t go the way you wanted. And I’m sorry. I’ll bear in mind your concerns about the director and won’t treat them lightly. One way or another, you can depend on me to see this through. I won’t leave you in the lurch. I promise. And not just because I gave my word to my brother.” He seemed to run out of words, his voice choking slightly at the end. Jet stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips softly against his, then pulled away, holding him at arm’s length, inspecting him.
“You didn’t have to say that. But I’m glad you did,” she said, a slight tremor in her tone.
“So am I.” He sighed. “We’ve got a lot to figure out after this is over, don’t we?”
She looked off into the distance, out the glass doors at the other end of the lobby. “I’ve been taking it one day at a time lately, Alan. Don’t think too much. Things will take care of themselves.”
“One way or another.”
“I’ll be okay. Go back to the lap of luxury at the Cosmos while I dig through dumpsters for food on the harsh Moscow streets. You have work to do,” she teased, turning him around and then marching them both towards the lobby entrance. “Be careful at the hotel. I wouldn’t rule out an attack.”
“I know. I’m going to change hotels – just go in and grab my stuff and get out. Look for me at the Hilton. Different name.” He closed his eyes, trying to remember what passports he had brought with him. “Roberto Guglioni. Italian.”
“Roberto Guglioni. Got it. I’ll check in tomorrow. Now get out of here and do what you need to do.”
They walked out onto the sidewalk and he turned to her one final time.
“Take care of yourself.”
She debated kissing him again, and then gave in to the impulse. This time the kiss was more serious. When they disengaged, her heart was racing.
“You too.”
And then she whirled and was gone, fading into the gloom in the direction of the Bolshoi Theater. Alan’s gaze followed her until the night enveloped her slight form and claimed it for its own.
Chapter 24
“Is this a secure line?” Alan asked.
“What do you think?” Samuel Hershod, the director of the Mossad, barked sarcastically, as was his style.
“I’m calling from a payphone, so my end should be good, sir.”
“Nice to hear. Now what the hell are you doing about this Righteous Light threat? I thought you were on top of things, and you’re in Russia, while the biggest danger to hit from the Middle East in my lifetime goes live. Forgive me if I sound worried that you might be going about this the wrong way.”
“I’m getting information as we speak. But I have to confess the timing took me by surprise.”
“That’s just great. Pumps me full of confidence. Now explain to me why I shouldn’t have twenty of our top people working on this right now?”
“Maybe you should. But keep me out of it. I’ll deal with the operational side, just like if the team were still together. That seemed to be the most effective approach for years, didn’t it?”
“Then that’s what I’ll do.”
“Look, we need every edge we can get on this. The fact that I’m not on anyone’s radar is a big win. A lot of deniability if we need to take drastic action, which my sense is, we will. But you’ll need to do something official, so by all means convene a task force and put everyone in the Mossad on it. Can’t hurt. Just make sure I have access to all the latest reports through the servers.”
“Care to tell me what you are doing in Russia? I am the head of the agency, and all.”
“You don’t want to know. I have a line on the characters who may be supplying the biological agent to the terrorists. So it’s related. A wannabe arms dealer. Russian mob.”
“If he’s selling terrorists germ warfare ordnance I’d say he’s more than a wannabe, wouldn’t you?”
“But we don’t know for sure it’s him. I haven’t been able to make any firm connection. I know the terrorists were meeting with someone they thought was a Russian, but that’s all I got before my asset went dark. I thought I’d follow up on it while nothing was happening in Yemen.”
“I think it’s safe to say something’s happening now. Do you think they’re still somewhere in Yemen?”
“That’s a tough one. This al-Diin tends to move around more than the average crazy cleric. But my plan is to find out. I’m on the first plane out of here.”
Alan heard the director sigh and then groan over the line. “Rain. This is as big as it gets. Don’t let us down,” he said simply.
“I know.”
“If this gets deployed in Israel, it would be devastating. It would embolden all our enemies. Weaken our perceived standing and defenses. It cannot be allowed to happen. Whatever the cost. Am I clear?”
“You are. But I’m not sure Israel is the target. The U.S. is much more vulnerable. Their security is a joke compared to ours, and it
’s a huge place. If I was looking for maximum impact, I’d hit the Americans.”
“That’s what I believe as well, but we’re still going to be viewed as the root cause. These bastards have set us up. You can already hear the outcry. ‘Why is Israel being protected by the Americans? Let them stand or fall alone.’ No matter what happens, this will be damaging – I’ve already gotten a demand to meet with the top brass. It’s a diplomatic crisis of epic proportions. But if they release this bio-agent... Expect that to multiply a hundredfold.”
“I can only imagine. What’s your take on the Iran speculation?”
“Their President just issued a statement indicating that they in no way support any terrorist group, which we know is a lie, and that they have no connection to this one in particular. They sound almost as worried as we do. He went out of his way to say that nothing that’s claimed or threatened is in any way related to his country.”
“Which he would have to say no matter what. Do you believe him?”
“One thing he said rang true: that he hadn’t even heard of this group until a few months ago when they made their first demands. Same here. And you would think we’re about as plugged-in on this as anyone. They appeared out of nowhere.”
“Does that remind you of any other groups, sir?” Alan pushed.
“I’m not going to go down that road, young man. We’re all aware of the doubts around Al-Qaeda. That’s not helpful to this discussion.”
The chill was palpable.
“Whatever the origins of this group, you’re chartered with stopping them. You’ve got the latest photographs we have of al-Diin from your surveillance, which puts you far ahead of anyone else. Find him and stop him. Leave the deep thinking to me. That’s why I get to wear the cheap suit and sit in the corner office. Figuratively speaking.”
Jet 03: Vengeance Page 15