Schmitzer jumped in. “Confirmed, Mr. President. This is Captain Schmitzer — we confirmed this seconds ago. He has redirected all twenty-seven tankers on to a new course headed somewhere out into the Indian Ocean.”
“How could any one do that right under your noses?”
“We have no idea. I imagine we will figure it out shortly, but right now none of us have any idea how he did this.”
“OK it is real then?”
“Affirmative.”
“Put him on the line.”
Pause
“This is Admiral Mahdi.”
“This is the President of the United States. You have control of twenty-seven tankers. I am listening.”
“I have tourists from all over the world upon those ships. If anyone goes near those tankers they all die.”
“I understand. You want money I presume — a couple million per tanker….”
“I want $2 billion. You have three days to wire it to my accounts.”
“$2 billion? The price has gone up.”
“It is a bargain to pay that little and I leave it to you to figure it out. In the event that I do not have the money in three days, I want another half-billion per day.”
“I see… a late penalty. And when you have your money, what do we get in return?”
“You get your tankers and hostages back I disappear never to bother you again.”
“Well that seems fair enough. And what assurances do I have that you will keep your end?”
“I have a spotless record. Never have we reneged on a deal. Ask the tanker owners and they will tell you. Get the money anyway that you are able. Perhaps other countries will contribute as their citizens are hostages. I do not want any side deals with individual nations.”
“I see. That would get messy in any event.”
“You may designate one other person to deliver messages. I will not talk to anyone but you or your designee.”
“Anything else?”
“If no one is forthcoming within thirty days, I will destroy all the tankers and kill all the hostages. One more thing—”
“Yes.”
“All tankers coming through this area will be hijacked or destroyed until I get my money.”
“This is it then?”
“Yes. As you Americans say, ‘Have a nice day.’” He hung up.
“Get that siren off!”yelled Fegan. “We have the POTUS on line here.”
“Wait one minute, Mr. President. We must get that siren off.”
“Robinson is that you?” The siren stopped wailing.
“I heard most of it, Mr. President.” Robinson watched as Super Hornets and Lightning II’s jetted off the deck every thirty seconds. “Is there anything you want me to do?”
“You are in the thick of it Robinson. I’m appointing you as the designee unless we figure out someone else. You are there and I imagine you are best qualified to talk to him when we need it.”
“Thank you, Mr. President.”
“I’m calling a cabinet meeting immediately. Hold it — there are special reports breaking in on CBS, ABC, CNN—”
“We are breaking into our regular programming to bring you this special report.” Robinson could see it appearing on the monitors.
NBC’s Tom Kirkham announced, “We have unconfirmed reports that hostages have been taken in international waters on twenty-seven… no twenty-nine tankers — two more in the last several minutes. Hostages may very well be the tourists reported missing last week throughout Europe, although that is speculation. The President of the United States, we understand from a terrorist web site in the Middle East, was contacted moments ago and was given the terms to release the hostages which is reported by Al-Jazeera to be $2 billion American dollars within three days and that the hostages will be executed if demands are not met.” Kirkham placed his hand to his earpiece. “News is breaking as we speak—”
CNBC’s Michelle Curtis reported “… an unconfirmed report that an Iranian aircraft has been shot down by the terrorists from the super tanker TI Oceania and a message issued by the terrorists warns everyone to stay away as hostages from any approaching country will be executed.”
“My God! It is 9/11 all over again!” exclaimed Landenberger.
The line went dead.
Chapter Fourteen
Political terror; if there were such a thing, permeated the WHSR like an ethereal spirit.
Robinson listened in on the phone.
Bumgardner was as pale as a ghost. “This is a catastrophe — how in the world?”
Landenberger sensed the fear. I must calm the citizens and it begins in this room. His heart was beating wildly out of control. He took a deep breath. “We’ll worry about it later. We all need to get a grip on ourselves. Right now we must schedule a press conference.”
Whittman threw up his hands. “What would I say?”
“I will do it myself. The press will be here in minutes and I want something to calm our nation.” Images flashed across the plasma screens in the WHSR. Lines were already forming at gas stations and prices had doubled. Stock markets were dropping overseas. It would be a bloodbath in the morning.
Adelberg said, “The only thing that will calm our citizens is the Strategic Reserves. Unless you announce that you will release the Strategic Reserves there will be panic in the streets.”
“What is the CIA thinking on this?”
Deshano answered, “This is way out in left field. The whole pirate thing was never anything that gave us any concern. The navy boys are the ones that are supposed to keep an eye on this. The tanker owners never approached us and always made the payments. It was a low profile activity in a forgotten country that never grabbed the headlines. The navy boys are the ones to contact for background on all this. They would need to present some plans to get all this under control.”
“All right then. Let’s hear from the SecDef.”
Bumgardener spread out a Top Secret folder and pushed his bifocals up the bridge of his nose. He brought out his pocket watch and set the stop. “The Admiral Mahdi that contacted you is very likely the leader. He has been involved with nearly half of the pirating in that area. He operated out of Somalia, however his entire organization dropped off the map about a couple of weeks ago. We think the Russians scared them out.”
He wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and sipped water from a paper cup; then continued a staccato-like presentation. “Up until now he roamed the Indian Ocean in a speedboat and brought in around two million a year hijacking tankers for a group he calls the Somali Marines. I can tell you that he does keep his word and as he has never killed a hostage although he threatens it all the time. Within his organization there is murder and mayhem routinely going on and the body count is much like the Capone gang during prohibition. AK-47’s and RPG’s are their weapons of choice. We estimate somewhere around fifteen hundred members make up his organization.” He looked the president in the eye and nodded. “That’s it.” He placed the watch back in his pocket.
“Any weaknesses?”
“Good question. He is ambitious and hates the Iranians. He thinks like a mobster and can be ruthless when he wants. Power and money — that’s what drives him.”
Landenberger confessed, “I need to know everyone’s thoughts on whether we should pay this. I need your input and will decide based upon your thoughts on this. 2 billion is not an incomprehensible amount and certainly we could pay it without any problem. I want to know the political ramifications of this.”
The National Security Advisor, who sat on the right, offered the first opinion. “I’d pay it and pay it quickly and be done with it. The longer this goes on the more it becomes a media circus.”