Graves and Gupta had already started packing up their electronics mess when he reached the dining room. Munoz and Melendez sat across from each other at the kitchen table, a small teleconference device between them.
“He’s here,” said Munoz.
“About time,” Sanderson’s voice came over the phone’s speaker. “We thought you had fallen back asleep.”
“I’m not sticking around, if that’s what you’re going to suggest.”
“You’re not gonna get very far alone with an unconscious woman,” said Sanderson.
“You must be reading my mind,” said Daniel. “I’ll have my good friends drop me off at the jet park terminal. They have sleeper couches in private rooms for the privileged class.”
“The team doesn’t have time for that kind of detour. They need to be in the Washington, D.C., area as quickly as that van can deliver them, or Karl Berg dies. Along with any hope of getting to the bottom of these kidnappings.”
“You know where Berg is being held?” Daniel asked.
“Not yet.”
“We both know how this works. Unless you know something I don’t, Karl Berg is gone.”
“It’s my job to know more than you, Daniel,” said Sanderson. “More than you think I know. We have a window of opportunity to find Berg.”
“And that window will be closed by the time we drive from here to D.C.”
“Actually, if the team left within the next fifteen minutes and drove straight through the night, you could arrive two hours before the window opens. With traffic, it will be a lot tighter.”
“Or we might not make it. We’re obviously not talking about an assault window,” said Daniel.
“Yes and no. You might not believe what I’m about to tell you, but I’ve been assured that it’s true. Karl Berg had a transmitter implanted in his leg a few months ago.”
“He had a GPS tracker implanted in his leg?” said Daniel. “That’s like the size of a cell phone.”
“They have smaller versions, but that’s not what he used,” said Sanderson. “The device implanted in his leg is cutting-edge industrial espionage technology. It transmits a virus that specifically targets Wi-Fi receptors, co-opting the Wi-Fi enabled phone or computer. The applications for this kind of device are limitless, but Berg chose one function. Location flagging. The virus will continuously update and upload the infected devices’ locations to a website accessible by our team.”
“What if they’re underground or in a remote location?” said Munoz.
“I’m told it doesn’t matter. It’ll send undetectable calls. Geo-locate by known IP addresses. Daisy-chain with other wireless devices. Like everything, I’m sure this thing has its limitations, but if he’s anywhere within a twenty-mile radius of D.C., odds are good that we’re going to locate him. Then it’s a matter of doing what we do best.”
“Just us?” said Munoz.
“No. I’m gathering a small flock for this one. You’ll have Daly, Mazurov, Foley, and Sayar, plus Darryl Jackson. He’s ex-military, but not an operator. Jackson is the one that brought this to my attention, and he’s good friends with Berg. You treat him like one of the family.”
Timothy Graves joined the conversation. “General, it’s Graves. Tell me a little more about this window. Why can’t I log into the website now and find him? Your operatives are excellent, but the F.B.I’s Hostage Rescue Team isn’t shabby, and they could probably kick in some doors in a few hours instead of half a day.”
“I asked the same question, but Berg has thought this through,” said Sanderson. “He set a fourteen-hour delay for a couple of reasons. First, he figured they would move him around a few times if they intended to interrogate him, so he wanted the signal to activate at his final location.”
“Fourteen hours?” said Melendez. “Break out the SCUBA gear. He’ll be at the bottom of Chesapeake by then.”
“Possible. The other reason is related to battery life.”
“That shouldn’t be an issue if a device is hijacked,” said Graves. “Unless…”
“You’ve probably figured it out. If this is a state-sponsored operation, the attackers will likely possess devices with automated virus scan capability and shifting encryption protocols. There’s a distinct possibility the devices will repeatedly purge the infection, requiring the transmitter to regularly reengage the device. We’re talking a small transmitter, with limited battery power. Berg wanted a rescue team in place and ready to go when it started transmitting.”
“Then we’re burning precious time,” said Munoz. “We can hash this out on the road.”
“I’ll put you in touch with Jackson once you’re mobile,” said Sanderson.
“And I’ll send you a postcard from the Pacific,” said Daniel.
An uncomfortable pause ensued, broken by Sanderson.
“You’re gonna turn your back on Karl Berg?”
“My number one priority is taking care of Jessica,” he said, pausing for what he knew would be a controversial statement. “And I don’t owe Karl anything.”
“I wonder what Jessica might say?”
“Well, considering the last thing she saw was her mother murdered right in front of her, I’m willing to bet she’d like to get on a plane and get the fuck out of here. Karl Berg will be the least of her priorities.”
“Daniel, you can’t run from this.”
“That sounds like a line from a shitty movie,” said Daniel.
“You know it’s true. One attack I can write off, though Srecko Hadzic’s stunt is a damn hard sell as a self-orchestrated incident. Now Berg is snatched off the street in front of a popular Georgetown restaurant? Trust me. This is just the beginning unless we drive a stake through this thing’s heart right now.”
“Then why are we still talking about this?” said a tired female voice, turning all of their heads toward the dining room entrance.
Jessica stood with one of her arms draped over Timothy Graves’s shoulder. Graves held her steady as she trudged on unsteady legs toward one of the empty chairs. Daniel rushed over and helped her into the seat.
“How are you, Jess?” he asked, looking into her barely focused eyes.
“I feel like throwing up,” she said, catapulting Melendez into action.
He placed the kitchen trash bin next to her in time to catch whatever she still had in her stomach from dinner. Jessica heaved a few more times, then sat up and took several deep breaths. Daniel knelt behind the chair, holding her tightly. Her body trembled in his grip.
“I think you should lie back down,” he whispered in her ear. “I can have us on a direct private flight in a few hours.”
“We’re not leaving until this is finished,” she said in a low voice. “Russians? Is that who we’re dealing with?”
“Jessica, I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear your voice,” said Sanderson. “And yes, evidence strongly suggests the Russians are behind this.”
“Evidence?” said Daniel. “You don’t even have circumstantial evidence! More like a theory.”
“It’s a moot point. Neither attack is an isolated incident, and we have an opportunity to identify the source. Unless you can revive Srecko Hadzic from the dead and reconstruct the circumstances surrounding his escape.”