Patterson said, “Sir, the fighter wing in Aviano will be in support. If the UAVs fail, they will be prepared to strike the base using a mixture of conventional bombs, such as bunker buster bombs, and incendiary munitions that will, hopefully, destroy the installation and the anthrax.”
Grant nodded his concurrence.
“Sir, what about the Albanians; when do you plan to inform their president?” asked the Secretary of State.
“Not until the UAVs are about to enter their airspace and not a minute before,” replied Kempt. “We can’t afford for any of this to get out until we’re ready to strike.”
Kempt stood, immediately followed by everyone else in the room. “Okay folks, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done in a few short hours. I won’t keep you from it.” With that, he and Vice President Grant left the room.
Patterson and Hook instantly relayed the necessary orders for the strike to their people. In the back of the room, Leonard’s military aide, Colonel Harriman, waited quietly for the right moment to leave his boss’ side. He had the most important phone call in his life to make.
39
“That’s not going to work,” Sam said to Mitchell as he twisted the slender piece of a plastic fork that had come with their supper meal inside their cell’s lock.
With a loud snap, Mitchell’s utensil broke in his hand.
“I told you. The lock is far-too-well-built to be picked by a plastic fork.”
Frustrated, Mitchell turned around and looked over at his friends. Jen was dozing on one of the beds while Yuri, Sam, and Cardinal sat at the table staring at him.
“I had to try something,” said Mitchell. “If we don’t get out of here in the next few hours, we’re as dead as everyone else.”
“Mister Mitchell, what did you mean by that?” asked an unseen person.
Turning around, Mitchell saw Owen Houston walk in front of the iron bars of the cell.
Mitchell could see the fatigue and confusion in Owen’s blue eyes.
“I’m surprised that your uncle let you out of the briefing room,” said Mitchell. “I take it all of the other members of the creepy billionaires’ club are still there under guard.”
Owen shook his head. “I’m family. I’m free to go where I please. In fact, my uncle asked me to come down here and see if you had made up your mind about joining him.”
“You know the answer to that,” replied Mitchell firmly.
“Yeah, I guess I do.”
“Owen, I’m surprised that he bothered to send you to see us at all. You do realize that he’s never going to be held accountable for what he is about to do. If he hasn’t already, your uncle is going to leave an electronic breadcrumb trail straight to your doorstep. If you survive the coming holocaust, you’re the person who’s going to take the fall for the death of billions.”
Owen’s face blanched. He looked like he was going to be sick.
“You know I’m right, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t,” stammered Owen.
“If you don’t believe me, find a computer and access your company’s financial records. If they’re the same as they were the day before you left home, then I’m wrong; however, if they’re not, you’ll know that I’m telling the truth.”
“And if you are telling the truth, then what?”
Mitchell stepped forward until he was nearly at the bars. Looking deep into Owen’s eyes, he said, “Then you figure a way to get us the hell out of here. We’ve only got a few hours left to stop your uncle. I’m not sure how he’s going to do it, but he plans to kill everyone here and escape with the virus.”
Owen stood there, hesitating.
“Do it!” snapped Mitchell.
Shaken, Owen staggered back, turned on his heel, and hurried out of the room.
Cardinal said, “Jesus, Ryan, I thought the poor bugger was going to pee himself when you raised your voice to him.”
“He needed a good swift kick in the pants to get moving. You can see it in his eyes; he’s clearly conflicted. He doesn’t want to believe his uncle is capable of cold-hearted murder and betrayal.”
Sam said, “Can we trust him?”
“Do we have a choice?” replied Mitchell.
“If he does come back, then what?” asked Yuri.
“Then we pray that Nate is nearby and has hatched a plan to get us out of here,” said Mitchell. “I, for one, don’t want to be here when the clock runs down. Whatever Houston has planned, I’m sure it’s going to be a horrible way to go.”
Several floors above, David Houston sat at his desk sipping a cup of coffee. It was a mix of his favorite Hawaiian and Colombian beans. He glanced over at the clock on the wall and saw that he had three hours left before he put his plan in motion. A lifetime of work came down to these fleeting few moments in time.
There was a knock at his door.
“Come in,” said Houston.
McMasters entered the room. “Sir, our contact in Washington has confirmed that a strike on the base is imminent.”
“How soon?”
“He anticipates that we have two hours before the UAVs leave their base in Bulgaria. After that it’ll be another hour before they’re in a position to launch their missiles.”
Houston smiled. The information leaked to the CIA by one of his people had triggered the anticipated response from the U.S. government, down to the minute. “Very well then, have the anthrax loaded up in the trucks. Nothing of value is to be left behind.”
“What about Mitchell and his people?” asked McMasters.
“Regrettably, I doubt that he’ll ever see things our way,” replied Houston. “When you’re done loading the trucks, you can kill them.”
McMasters grinned and turned to leave, when a phone on Houston’s desk rang.
Houston answered the call. A sour look crept across his face. After setting the phone down, he looked up at McMasters. “That was the control room. It would appear that someone has been busy reviewing my financial records. Please send some men to find Owen and have him brought to me. Unharmed,” stressed Houston.
“Yes, sir,” said McMasters as he left the room.
Houston reached into a pocket and pulled out a small tin of mints. He popped one in his mouth and stared over at the clock. Although it pained him, he had always planned for Owen’s body to be found a few days from now, hanging from a rope in a hotel room, in order to deflect the blame onto someone else. A suicide note in his handwriting would tell the world how he had unleashed a horrible disease, and then had been unable to live with the consequences of his actions. Houston, however, changed his mind and decided that Owen would now be found on a dirt road outside of the base having blown his brains out. Either way, the blame would fall squarely on his nephew’s shoulders. Owen’s children would become his new heirs.
His legacy would live on.
40
Grace raised a hand and slowly got down on one knee. Bringing up her pistol hand, she took aim down the narrow trail. A moment later, a young wild boar came trotting down the path. With a snort, the boar looked up at Grace, turned around, and ran back the way it came.
“I guess you don’t smell all that attractive to the little fellow,” whispered Jackson.
“I’d rather not tangle with a boar. Their tusks can be very sharp.”
Jackson looked down the darkened path. “How much farther?”
“Not far,” replied Grace. “Perhaps two hundred meters.”
Through the trees, Jackson could see the tall metal tower they were aiming for. Occasionally, a searchlight would shine into the forest, forcing them to take cover. To Jackson, it looked like a World War Two prisoner-of-war camp with all of the barbed-wire fences, towers and searchlights.