He reaches in and takes out a smaller, but still pretty big, square container made of thick clear plastic. Inside it are two gas canisters, each about eighteen inches long. The nozzles are sticking out through holes at the top with wires leading from them to another square affixed to the back of the container.
Jonas flips it around and turns to show us. “This is the interface. We’ll link this up to the main airflow unit that leads to the West Wing. Once it’s in place, we’ll be able to remotely release the gas in these,” he points to the canisters, “which will then flow through the AC and out through the vents.”
He glances over his shoulder at the original box again.
“Yeah… the remote is in there, along with masks for us all.” He turns the plastic box in his hands once more, then looks at me. “This is top of the line stuff, Adrian. I’m impressed.”
I shrug. “When you get out of here, thank my friend at GlobaTech — this is their tech.”
Oscar points to the black sport bag resting behind the box. “We’ve got plenty of hardware in there…” He glances at me. “Less a couple dozen, or so, bullets. There’s not much in there for non-lethal attacks, I’ll be honest, but I’m pretty sure I threw in a flashbang or two, which might come in handy.”
“We’re not going to get in there with any weapons,” I say. “We’ll never get them through security. We’ll need to relieve some people of their firearms once we’re inside and they’re out cold from the gas. Jonas, put the dispersal unit in the sport bag. Empty the guns into the box.”
He nods. “On it.”
I look at Ruby, who smiles and nods silently back at me.
“Okay, guys and girls, this is it. We’ve got the plan, we’ve got the equipment… Once we’re inside, we’ll head for the maintenance area so Jonas can do his thing. Once it’s in place, we mask up and I’ll set it off. Unless they’re shooting at you, assume anyone outside the Oval Office you come into contact with is innocent. They should be out from the gas, but if it misses them, put them down and leave them with nothing more than a headache. Clear?”
The three of them murmur their understanding.
I look at Oscar. “You’re driving, so you’re the one who’s got to sweet-talk our way through security. Our details are in the system, so they’re expecting us. No need to act suspicious — there’s nothing out of the ordinary in what we’re doing, okay? If they ask, we’re there to run a preliminary assessment of their internal security. We’ll be checking server rooms and maintenance access points. It’s protocol, so they shouldn’t think twice about it.”
“I have a question,” says Ruby. “We’ll be passing through… what — two, three checkpoints?”
“Two, I think.”
“Okay. They’ll do the mirror under the vehicle thing, shine a light in the cab… the usual, right? What happens when they inevitably look in the back? The weapons and gas bomb might prompt some questions, y’know?”
I smile. “Good point. Well made.” I move to the back of the van and lean inside. I reach up, unhook the coveralls from the railing, and pass them behind me. “Someone grab these a sec…”
I feel them taken from my hand and lean back inside. The paneled sides of the van are made from the same plywood as the floor. There’s also a casing over the wheel arches. I pull each side down in turn, guiding the panel so it’s resting flat on the floor. Both sides slot together to form a false surface that is raised enough to conceal everything underneath perfectly.
I look back at the group. “Voilà! There are two pull-down seats attached to the back of the main seat in the cab. Ruby and I will be on them, out of the way, seeing as we’re the most recognizable of us all. The makeup and disguises look great, but I don’t want to risk any added visibility if it can be avoided. Someone opens the rear doors, all they’ll see are two people and an empty floor, save for a tool kit.”
Ruby shakes her head and laughs to herself. “Y’know, this is actually starting to sound like a brilliant plan… Be careful, Adrian, you have a reputation to think of.”
I roll my eyes. “Well, don’t tell anyone I actually know what I’m doing, alright?”
I look at Jonas, who is holding the coveralls. “Hand them out, would you? We best get this party started… ”
Everyone gets their uniform — Ruby’s using the back of the van, while Oscar and Jonas simply step into their coveralls outside.
I pace away absently, taking in the evening noise and bustle of a city living on the edge. A world away — and getting closer with each hour that passes — there’s a war raging, masterminded by a maniacal ass-hat sitting less than a mile from me right now in a fancy chair, in the most powerful office in the land. And at the risk of sounding melodramatic, only I can stop him. I’m one of the few who have knowledge of what’s really happening, and, along with the three people behind me, I’m the only one not currently being scrutinized by a global audience.
I turn and watch my colleagues getting ready. I know twenty million dollars is a pretty good incentive, but under the circumstances even the most morally ambiguous among us would think twice about doing what we’re about to, even for all that money. No — these guys might not admit it, but I think they’re motivated now by a sense of duty, not a large payday. You can tell just by how they act and how passionate they are.
I’ve been very lucky to find this team. A little unlucky that it’s two intended members short, but shit happens. Mostly to me…
“Your turn,” says Ruby, climbing out of the back.
The three of them are standing in a line wearing their matching gray coveralls. They look like the Ghostbusters! I smile to myself, walk back over to them, and take my uniform from Jonas as he holds it out for me. I climb in the back and quickly change. A couple of minutes later, I step out and stand with the rest of them. I look at each one in turn. They stare back at me with determined expressions on their faces.
They’re ready.
Even Oscar, bless him.
“What?” I ask. “Are you waiting for some big motivational speech now or something? Well, you’re not getting one. You don’t need reminding what’s at stake here. You know what we need to do. You heard me on the phone to that sorry sonofabitch — it’s the size of the fight in the dog that matters. And right now, between the four of us, I can guaran-fucking-tee we’ve got more fight than North Korea’s entire army. We stay smart and do our job. If we see tomorrow, chances are it’ll be a slightly better world than it was today. So let’s go.”
Jonas and Oscar nod to me, then walk away and climb inside the cab of the van. I hold the rear door open for Ruby. She climbs inside and I follow her, pulling it shut behind me.
We sit in our makeshift seats. A moment later the engine starts and we drive off.
Next to me, she nudges my arm. “Y’know, considering we weren’t getting one, that was a pretty kick-ass motivational speech.”
I remain silent. I stare ahead with a small smile on my face focusing on what comes next.
30
Pennsylvania Avenue is busy. Despite only having to travel a few blocks, we’ve been traveling nearly twenty minutes and we’re still not there yet. I glance over my shoulder, between the headrests of the front seats, into the cab, and out through the windshield. There’s nothing but crowded sidewalks and nose-to-tail traffic ahead of us.
We crawl forward slowly. After another few minutes, Oscar’s finally able to turn left and pull into the first security checkpoint, to the right of the north lawn. There’s a guard hut on either side of the driveway, and large automatic metal gates block the path. I hear Oscar buzz his window down. I can’t see how many guards there are. Ruby and I exchange a tense glance.