“Okay, that’s done, and they’re relieved. But they really want me to get the exclusive from you, Xander. It might help to set things straight. I could use Billy’s phone to record a quick interview.”
“You’re kidding, aren’t you?” Xander said, flabbergasted.
“That’s a good idea, Zan,” Billy said. “Get everyone out looking for Jonas instead of you.”
“And why would they believe me? And what if Jonas has an alibi? I’d look like an idiot.”
“Right now you look like a terrorist,” Tiffany said. “Let’s at least tell our side of the story. I’ll back you up.”
Xander looked into the three pairs of anxious eyes staring back at him — even Maria was waiting for his reply. “What the hell?” he said finally. “What could it hurt?”
Chapter 16
“Our powerful friends have used their considerable technological prowess to record a cellphone conversation that just came into the Fox News station in Los Angeles,” said Abdul-Shahid Almasi to Jonas Lemon through the computer link. “They should have a trace on the phone very soon. The phone is active once again.”
“Probably in San Diego, right?”
“Preliminary… yes.”
“He has a lot of friends there. I’d check out Jeremy Fenton, Karen Pardo, Billy Jenkins, Curt Tharp, and Hugh Barden.”
“And who are they?”
“They’re his old teammates, a bunch of drone nerds from the old days. If he’s looking for someone with influence and resources, I’d put my money on Jenkins.”
“I know the name. He is a drone manufacturer. I believe even I have used some of his units.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty big-time with the government these days, owns one of the few companies authorized to weaponize UAVs.”
“Can he be a threat to us?”
Lemon laughed. “Only if he lives! I assume when you take out Moore, there can also be some fortuitous collateral damage? But don’t you think it a bit risky to bring in the Russians at this point?”
“They already have extensive surveillance taking place across America. Besides, if our operation is carried to fruition, they will have very little to worry about from your country as far as reprisals go.” Almasi’s image smiled — something that was rare in his case. “As will we all, Mr. Lemon.”
Jonas looked at his watch. He had a side dial set for California time. “It’s nine at night in San Diego and the start of a new day here in the Emirates. Hopefully your people can have this wrapped up pretty soon. I would really like to celebrate Moore’s death at dinner tonight.”
“And the codes? Are you prepared for immediate delivery upon confirmation?”
“All set to go. Just bring me the head of Xander Moore.”
Jonas saw a look of confusion cloud Almasi’s face. “A figure of speech,” Jonas quickly explained. “Simple video confirmation will suffice.”
Colleen Hoover was asleep at seven in the evening of Tuesday, December 12, the day after the attack on the Rapid Defense Center. This was unusual for her. She was one of those rare individuals who get by on four hours of sleep, an attribute that came in handy during her thirty years as a stock and commodities broker. Operating from the West Coast, she’d usually be at her desk by two a.m., preparing for the coming day on Wall Street. These days, living in the same time zone as New York, even though she was no longer active in the markets, she still maintained her habit of rising early to greet the new day.
As secretary of the treasury, Hoover oversaw the largest economy to ever have existed on the planet, even if most of her job these days entailed heading off one disaster after another. With the financial markets as fickle as they were, even an unsubstantiated rumor or the slightest movement in an unexpected manner would send them roiling. As the PR face of the US economy, she was tasked with downplaying every negative story, while smiling confidently when the occasional good news came out.
After Friday’s attack on the Dolphin Mall, followed by the total massacre at the RDC, there wasn’t a lot of smiling going on, even for the cameras. She had been up all Monday night with her advisors and in conference calls with the president and his people, fielding impossible-to-answer hypotheticals about the impact of the attacks on the economy. Her frantic schedule continued well into Tuesday morning as report after report came in regarding escalating terrorist attacks sweeping the nation. About four in the afternoon she fell back on the couch in her office just to rest her eyes, and it was the buzzing of her office intercom that woke her three hours later.
Colleen stumbled to her desk and pressed the button. “Hoover here. What is it?”
“Sorry to disturb you, ma’am, but the Chinese Finance Minister is demanding to speak with you.” Her secretary — actually one of two she had to keep up with her frantic pace — sounded tired and upset.
“He demands to speak with me?”
“He said he’s been trying to reach Mr. Monroe at the White House, but has been unable to get through.”
Colleen looked at the clock on the wall. “Shit — it’s seven o’clock!”
“Yes, ma’am, I would have wakened you if something truly important happened. It’s just hard to tell these days.”
“That’s all right, Tabby. Thanks. I imagine Minister Koa is fit to be tied. He’s probably been up all night trying to get hold of someone over here.”
“What should I tell him?”
“Put him through, Tabby. It’s really me he wants to talk with more than Monroe.”
“Yes, ma’am. Here he comes.”
“Minister Jing Koa, I can’t say I’m surprised to hear from you,” Colleen said.
“Madam Secretary, I apologize for the tone of my call, yet you must realize China is very concerned about the recent events taking place within your country, and it appears no one is willing to speak with us regarding this crisis. Even though your markets closed early, the rest of the world has continued to trade — at least for now.”
Hoover pressed a button on the remote control on her desk and a large TV on the opposite wall came to life, already tuned to Fox Business Channel. The scrolling banner at the bottom said it all.
“Is this correct, Jing? A three hundred point drop in the Nikki and over a thousand in the Shanghai Composite?”
“Yes it’s true, and this is only the beginning. As a warning, we are planning on closing our markets within the hour to keep the decline from growing worse, but that will only send a bad message to traders and shareholders. Without some good news to calm the panic, when we do reopen it will be so much worse. Please tell me you have some good news?”
“I have to be honest with you, Jing. I fell asleep for a couple of hours, so I’m not up on the very latest. Throughout the night and all Tuesday our time, we have been working on projections, and they’re not good. I don’t know how else to phrase it.”
“Not good can mean a lot, Madam Secretary. What we need to know is whether or not the United States has further capacity to stop these attacks and to get your people back in the stores? The global consensus is that you do not.”
“What do you want me to say, Mr. Minister? You can see the reports of the latest attacks as well as I can. You can also see the video showing empty malls. And this afternoon, the FedEx hub in Nashville was hit by no fewer than a hundred drones, grounding their entire fleet. Smaller, less effective attacks hit Amazon, Walmart, and Jet distribution centers. There’s been a wholesale exodus of workers from these sites, and I’d be surprised if anyone shows up for work tomorrow, anywhere.”
“It would appear these latest attacks are aimed solely at stopping commerce within your country. That speaks to a more sinister motive rather than simple terrorism.”