by J C Ryan
Nasser shook his head. “I’m not telling you anything. You can kill me. Go ahead do it.”
Dylan picked Nasser’s stronger flashlight up from the table, took a step back, and inspected Nasser’s face carefully. “Dr. Daiyan Nasser, Director of the Institute.” How lucky can one get?
Nasser groaned.
“Nasser, I would love to hang around, have a coffee, and chat about the work you do here at the Institute, but unfortunately, I’ve got a flight to catch.”
Nasser bent over in his chair, gasping with pain as the blood seeped through his fingers.
Dylan nodded at one of his men, “close the door.” When the door was shut, Dylan took a roll of duct tape out of his side pocket, wrapped it around Nasser’s mouth and head a few times, and then grabbed him by his wounded shoulder and started squeezing.
Nasser screamed and squirmed, but the sound was muffled.
“Now listen carefully, Nasser, I’m going to ask a few questions, and you’ll answer quickly. I’m really in a hurry, so if you don’t answer, I’m going to start shooting, left foot, then the right foot, then the left knee - you get the picture?”
Nasser looked up and raised the middle finger of his left hand to Dylan.
Dylan pulled the trigger, and Nasser’s left foot jolted from the impact of the bullet. He screamed again.
“Do I shoot again or do you answer my questions?”
Nasser shook his head.
“Tell you what. I am going to spare your right foot and go for the left knee.” Dylan pointed the gun to Nasser’s knee.
Nasser’s left hand came up as a sign to stop. He said a few muffled words.
“You want to talk to me?” Dylan asked. “Nod your head if I understand you correctly.”
Nasser started nodding passionately.
“Good.” Dylan took his dagger out and cut the duct tape from Nasser’s mouth. “Now, where are Dr. Devereux, and her son?”
“On the – ah – on – the -” Nasser stuttered.
“You’re wasting my time. I think its best I shoot you in the head and look for them myself.” He raised the gun to Nasser’s head.
“Fourth floor room 407.” Nasser gasped.
“One man at the door, one man inside here, the rest come with me when Loki is ready,” Dylan said to the two men with him.
They nodded; one of them went to the door and told the three waiting outside what to do. The remaining man with Dylan took a roll of duct tape out wrapped it around Nasser’s mouth and head and tied his feet and arms to the chair with cable ties.
Dylan walked to the bookcase, played the beam of the flashlight over it, saw the little wheels at the bottom and pushed the bookcase to the side revealing the doors to the lift and the stairs behind it.
To the day of his death, Nasser would wonder who these men were and how they knew about that concealed door.
Dylan spoke into his throat mic. “Loki, Keeva, can you read me? Over.”
“Keeva, Loki, loud and clear. What’s your situation? Over.”
“Loki, Keeva, all secured. What’s yours? Over.”
“Keeva, Loki. Same. Ready when you are. Over.”
“Loki, Keeva, got the big fish, had a quick chat, Charlie wants to go to room 407 fourth floor. Repeat, room 407 fourth floor. Over.”
‘Charlie’ was Carter’s codename for the mission.
“Keeva, Loki, confirm 407 fourth floor. Over.”
“Loki, Keeva, down in a minute. Out.”
Sean and Dylan looked at their watches at almost the same time. They had 11 minutes left.
Chapter 60 -
Freydis! I repeat Freydis!
The four occupants of the small conference room in the White House were silent; it was as if they were taking turns to breathe as their eyes fixed on the screens in front of them. They all looked at the clock on the wall, 11 minutes left; when they heard Dylan’s voice, they all leaned forward.
“Loki, Keeva, got the big fish, had a quick chat, Charlie wants to go to room 407 fourth floor. Repeat, room 407 fourth floor. Over.”
They could not hear Sean’s reply, but they knew what Dylan’s message meant.
“Loki, Keeva, roger, down in a minute. Out.”
The President whispered, “By God, they’re going to get her and her son and make it out of there.”
General Crawford and Bill Griffin nodded quietly.
Irene took a sip of water, cleared her dry throat, closed her eyes, and prayed in silence. Please God let it be so.
The images on the screen became fractured and then disappeared; the audio broke up, The President looked to the others with concern.
General Crawford raised his finger slightly, “Don’t worry, Dylan and his men have gone down the stairs; we won’t hear them again until they come out above ground.”
The President let out a sigh of relief, but still found it nerve wrecking to lose contact with the soldiers.
The capturing of Daiyan Nasser was a big windfall, which they had not bargained on. They knew all about him and knew he would be a great asset if they could get to him, but the chances of finding Nasser on the premises after midnight were so remote they didn’t give it much thought. They didn’t even know that the room on the floor plans with the entry to the stairs, which accessed the underground facility, was actually Nasser’s office. Nevertheless, Dylan was a seasoned clandestine operative and knew that things did not always go as planned, and knew how to adapt and adjust rapidly. He immediately knew what a big catch it was when he recognized Nasser’s face in the beam of the flashlight.
The Intel gathered from the Ground Penetrating Radar, body heat detection cameras, and the electrical structure showed that all doors leading to sleeping quarters on the underground floors were closed and automatically locked at 10:00 pm. The doors leading to offices and workspaces were always locked; entry and exit were always by swipe card only.
When the power was cut off, all the doors below ground remained locked, assuring that, unlike the levels above ground, no people were in the hallways.
When Dylan and his team had secured the six floors above ground, they would join Sean and his men below. Four men were assigned to each of the three floors where the sleeping quarters were - levels four, five, and six. Two two-man teams on each floor would work their way through the sleeping quarters from opposite directions, interrogating occupants, to find out where the American woman and her son were held.
However now that they knew where Mackenzie and Liam were, the men only had to keep a lookout for unwelcome visitors.
The alarm system went down with the power, but the problem was everyone above ground had cell phones and was calling out for information; there was nothing the extraction team could do about it. The helicopters would be on their way back to the Institute soon, and the Saudi Police would probably be closing in already.
“We’ve got 10 minutes,” Sean said to Dylan when they met on the fourth floor. “Carter and I will go to 407, and I’ll let you know as soon as we’re in. Have two of your guys ready to come and help if need be.”
“Roger. You and Carter get moving I’ll take care of the rest.
Dylan turned to the three men with him. “Jay, you and Kevin go down, one each to levels five and six. James, you stay with me.”
Carter and Sean were already at the door of 407; Sean placed the silenced explosive device on the lock, stepped away, pushed his back against the wall and flipped the switch on the remote control in his hand.
***
Mackenzie was tossing in her sleep. Nothing helped her relax; her dreams were tangled messes of long corridors and overhead neon lights that cast cold white light against far-reaching black shadows.
“Liu?” she called out in her sleep, “Liu, I can’t see you.”
Something woke her from her restless sleep; an unusual noise perhaps? Something or someone was moving in the next room. “Liam? Is that you?”
A shadow detached from the walls, “I’m here, Mackie.” But the sha
dow grew longer and longer as it stretched out into the corridor.
The door is open, she realized. “Liu? Seema? Who’s there?”
Mackenzie felt stifled, unable to breathe, and realized the shadows were closing in on her. One of them leaned over her, and she screamed when she saw a faint light.
Sliding out of bed she tried to switch on the bed light, but all remained black, just as black as her dream, but one of the shadows was real, she positioned herself between it and Beth.
“Go away! Get out of here!” She shouted.
“Shhh! Mackie, it’s me.”
Terror struck into the depths of her being, “Don’t call me Mackie; I don’t know you. Get out!”
A flashlight suddenly lit the tiny room; the figure was not just a shadow, and it spoke to her, “Mackie, it’s me, Carter.”
“Carter!” Mackenzie’s eyes flashed fire in the dim light. “Where in hell have you been? Damn you!” She yelled and burst into tears, her body shaking wildly. “You’re not dead? This isn’t – a – dream?” she whispered through her tears.
Carter moved rapidly across the intervening space and gathered her in his arms. He had been preparing for this moment for months, weeks, days, hours, and all of a sudden he had no words.
Carter held her tight, “Shhh, I’m alive; I’ve come to get you and Liam.”
“Oh God Carter, I don’t believe it, you’re - you can’t -”
“Oh Mackie, my Mackie, I never gave up.”
He held her close until a voice said, “Dad?”
“Liam! Oh my, God, you’ve grown so tall.” He held out his arm and gathered him in with Mackenzie.
Sean stepped forward from the door. They were wasting precious seconds. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Wait,” Mackenzie ran back to her bed and gathered up a bundle.
“What’s this?”
She handed Beth to Carter, “Beth. Beth this is your Daddy I’ve been telling you about.”
Carter was struck numb as he stared down at the tiny form. “Good Lord!”
“Come on Carter, move it, we’re running out of time.” James urged.
Carter grabbed a blanket off the bed with one hand; Beth tucked securely in his other arm and gave the blanket to Mackenzie to wrap around herself. He gave one more quick look at the tiny face in his arms. “Beth,” he muttered.
“Sean, get Liam!” Carter said.
Sean picked Liam up and ran out the door, turned left and headed for the stairs, followed closely by Carter, Mackenzie, and James.
Sean and Dylan spoke into their throat mics to their teams. “Start evacuation. Repeat start evacuation.”
The confirmation came in from the team members.
When they reached the door to the stairs, Mackenzie shouted, “Wait! Have you got Liu?”
“Who’s Liu?” Carter asked.
“Dr. Liu Cheun, the Chinese language specialist, you know her. She was abducted and brought here as well.”
Sean stepped forward, “Do you know where they’re keeping her?”
“Yes, she’s on floor 5 in room 510.”
“Are there any others here that you know of?”
“I don’t know; there could be -”
“Got that Sean,” Dylan said. “Chinese woman, Dr. Cheun, 5th floor room 510.” Dylan and his team had the shortest distance to cover to the assembly point on the roof. “You keep going I’ll take care of it.”
They both looked at their watches, 4 minutes.
“Roger.” Sean looked at Carter and Mackenzie, “Let’s go.” He didn’t wait for them to acknowledge, he turned and started running up the stairs with Liam in his arms.
“Jim, you go up to the ground floor,” Dylan said to James.
James nodded and turned for the stairs.
Dylan spoke into his throat mic contacting Jay on the fifth floor. “Jay, Keeva, I’m on my way down. Go to room 510; get the door open. Chinese woman to evac. Over”
“Keeva, Jay, roger, on my way to 510.”
When they reached the entry to the tunnel on the first floor below ground, Mackenzie looked back and stopped. She panicked and shouted “Carter will they get Liu? Please tell me they will get her. We can’t leave her here.”
Sean stopped, moved Liam over to his left shoulder, grabbed Mackenzie’s shoulder with his right hand, staring firmly into her eyes, “Mackenzie, we will get her out, you have my word, now please we must go.”
They all started running again. In the tunnel in front of them, about 30 paces ahead two men were making sure the way ahead was clear; behind them were two more covering their rear.
Flying down the stairs to level five, Dylan wondered, are there others here we know nothing about? Hell, if there are how are we going to airlift them? Maybe call in another chopper?
He shouldered the door leading from the stairs to the level five hallway and sprinted to room 510. He arrived just in time to see the silent flash of the explosion on the door lock; he shoved the door open.
In the glow of the flashlight, he discerned a form in the bed against the left wall. Moving quietly, he put a hand on a shoulder whispering, “it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you; I’m here to help.”
He felt the body stir and turn, a Chinese woman frowned as she opened her eyes, no panic, “Who are you?”
“I’m an American soldier, here to get you out of this place.” He knelt down beside her keeping his hand on her shoulder. “The rest of my team already have Dr. Devereux and her son. We are going to airlift you to a safe place and then to the United States.
“I - I - don’t - believe it. How - how -?”” She started crying.
Dylan took her hand and pulled her out of bed and close to him. “It’s ok. Don’t worry; it’s all over, and you’re safe. Now, quick, throw on some clothes.”
She nodded, immediately understanding she stepped back from him; pulling off the black nightgown, revealing she was naked. With unselfconscious haste, she reached for underwear and dropped the black jilbab she had been wearing for so many months over her head.
Dylan turned his head away, slightly dazed by her speed and lack of self-consciousness; he put it down to shock on her part, but what he’d seen was beautiful - something he would not forget.
Without looking back, he said, “Please, hurry, we have to run.”
A few seconds later she stood next to him.
Suddenly he leaned over and gave her a hug. “Let’s get you out of here.”
He shouldered the Hackler and Koch UMP45 assault rifle bent down and lifted Liu’s light body into his arms and started running.
Jay followed close behind, covering the rear.
***
The eyes of the occupants of the Situation Room in the White House flared wide when the video screens and sound started coming alive after an agonizing seven minutes of silence while Dylan and Sean went off the air.
They heard Sean’s voice first. “Team, Loki, Echo one in two minutes. Move out. I repeat Echo one in two. Move out.”
They were on the ground level of the parking garage. There were four flights of stairs to climb to reach the empty parking space on the roof. The sounds of sirens on approaching police vehicles were clearly heard.
In the ISRD building 300 yards away, the staff had been congregating in the passages again; they were going to be in the way when the team had to run down the hallway to the staircase.
When Andre saw the people gathering in the hallway, he didn’t hesitate, he tugged a flashbang out of the pouch on his side, moved into the hallway, and shouted in Arabic, “Bomb!” He pulled the pin and tossed the flashbang down the corridor and to the men in the room behind him he shouted, “Ears!”
Dylan with Liu in his arms arrived in Nasser’s office just in time to see the reflection of the blinding flash through the open door and heard the explosion. The light and deafening sound of the flashbang would have disorientated the people.
Dylan didn’t slow down he kept on running down the hall to the door leading
to the stairs, that would take them to the roof. He, Liu and John were followed by Andre and Kevin. James and Jay were ahead of them weaving their way through the sounds of screaming staff, some sitting, and some lying on the floor, all of them deaf, blind, and dazed.
When Dylan reached the stairs, Liu shouted in his ear. “Put me down! I can run!”
Dylan did so saying, “Go up, all the way to the top. Just follow the men in front of you.” He slowed down a bit, pushed the button on his throat mic and spoke, “Team, Keeva, Echo two in one minute. I repeat Echo two in one.” He looked up; Liu was four steps ahead of him, catching up to James and Jay.
The President, General Crawford, Bill Griffin, and Irene O’Connell had one, no actually two burning questions; was everyone okay? Did they get Mackenzie and Liam? But they were remote spectators; they had to wait - more anguish.
The voice of one of the CIA undercover agents in the guardhouse at the front gate came over on Sean and Dylan’s earpieces.
“Loki, Keeva, Foxtrot one, do you read. Over?”
Sean replied. “Foxtrot one, Loki, loud and clear over.”
Dylan replied. “Foxtrot one, Keeva, loud and clear over.”
“Loki, Keeva, Foxtrot one, unfriendlies half a mile away. Clearing out now. Over.”
“Foxtrot one, Loki, confirmed. Clear out now. Out”
Foxtrot one and two, the CIA undercover agents, sprinted out of the guardhouse to the back of the building and a pedestrian gate. They cut the chain with bolt cutters and by the time they’d run across the street towards the buildings behind the ISRD, the first black and white double cab police vehicle had crashed through the main gate. Ten more followed, all with whining sirens and flashing lights.
James and Jay were on the roof and ran to the perimeter, taking defensive positions overlooking the front of the building. They could hear the choppers approaching. Looking down from the wall they saw the police cars arriving, men with guns drawn, jumping out, and taking up position behind their vehicles waiting for the command to rush the building.
Jay spoke into his throat mic to the chopper pilot.
“Echo two, Jay, can you read me? Over.”