“No, I got it. What are we doing again?”
“That’s the tail number from the plane we saw in Songea. It left with a shipment of missiles just like the ones we nabbed in Dar es Salaam. We need you and Fitz to find out where that plane went. Get the location, and call me back.”
“So you want us to find an airplane that flew out of Songea to somewhere in the world? That doesn’t narrow it down at all.”
He ignored her sarcasm. “Listen, just tell Fitz what to do. He should be able to hack into one of the systems in the area. From what I understand, their security isn’t all that. Once he’s in, he should be able to sift through and find the one we’re looking for.”
“And what if he can’t?”
“Well then, the world is going to be in a lot of trouble. If what we know about those weapons is correct, a lot of people could die.”
Emily paused for a second. She hesitated to say anything, but Sean needed to know. “Sean, we had the warheads from the missiles analyzed. They’re armed with a potent nerve gas called X38. Each warhead has the capability to kill anything within ten city blocks. And that’s just in the first thirty seconds. Inside of two minutes, anyone within fifteen blocks will be dead.”
Sean’s eyebrows furrowed. “Where in the world did these guys get something like that?”
“We don’t know. When we were told they had some kind of bioweapons, we figured it was the usuaclass="underline" anthrax, some kind of viral substance, but we had no idea it was anything like this. They could wipe out more than 50 percent of New York if those missiles were detonated over the city.”
Another thought occurred to him. “Except we don’t know what the target is. It might be New York. But that would be too obvious. And no one would dare try to hit that place again, not after September 11.”
“Why? Because of increased security?”
He shook his head. “No. Like I always say, don’t do the same gag twice. You do the next gag. Criminals and terrorists think the same way. How many times do you rob a bank?”
“Once?”
“Right. Not because you can’t. But because you’ve already done it. New York isn’t the target.”
Emily sighed. “Then where?”
“I don’t know.” Sean scratched his head. “But I have a feeling if we can track down that plane, we will find out. Get Fitz on it, and call me back.”
“Okay. Will do.”
Sean ended the call looked over at his friend. “They’re in Nairobi.”
Tommy nodded. “What are we going to do if they can’t find the plane?”
It was a question Sean had already considered. “Planes can’t just disappear anymore. Not easily, anyway. They have transponders. Radar and satellites track them. And then there is information that has to be filled out on the ground; flight plans have to be filed.”
Tommy recalled the shanty-like airport in Songea. “Not to burst your bubble, but I’m not sure that airport we saw really does a bang-up job at keeping records of such things.”
Sean snorted. “Good point. But the other stuff is trackable. Even in this part of the world. Fitz will find it.”
“And then what are you going to do? Go after the missiles?”
Sean noted the way his friend had worded the sentence. It insinuated Tommy wasn’t going to come with him. He understood. Tommy had already done more than enough to help out, especially considering he wasn’t a government agent. It wouldn’t be fair to ask him to come along on a mission that was likely going to be extremely dangerous.
“That’s my job, Schultzie. It’s what I do.”
Tommy shook his head. “Like I said before, the offer still stands. If you ever get tired of dodging bullets, give me a call. I could use someone like you in a security capacity.”
“I appreciate it.”
“You know where to find me,” Tommy cocked his head to the side and winked.
The two pulled into the camp and found it just as they left it. A few of the site workers were milling around a campfire between some of the tents and buildings. When they got out of the truck, Tommy made his way over to them. He let everyone know he was okay and that he’d had to take care of some logistical stuff in the city that had to be done immediately. Everyone seemed to accept the explanation without fuss.
Sean went inside the building where all his things were and took a quick shower. The sun had dipped below the horizon by the time he got out. Twilight quickly gave way to darkness. He checked his phone to make sure Emily hadn’t called while he was cleaning up, but there was nothing.
He pulled on a clean T-shirt and had one leg through a new pair of pants when the phone started ringing. “Of course,” he said.
Sean bounced on one foot in an attempt to hurry the process of pulling the other leg through the pants and nearly fell over onto his back. He wavered for a second before steadying his balance. Leaving the button and zipper undone, he grabbed the phone and answered.
“Go.”
“Is that how you always answer the phone?”
“Do you want me to go back to calling you Emily?”
“Fine. We got a fix on the plane. It landed at a small airport along the border with Mozambique. We made a few calls. There’s a SEAL team en route right now to intercept.”
“That was fast.” From call to call, it had taken just over an hour for Fitz and Emily to figure out where the plane had gone. “I’m impressed.”
“There was a Navy ship in the Indian Ocean, just off the coast of Mozambique. We were lucky. The SEALs should be there within the next hour. If there’s anything on that plane, they’ll find it and take out anyone who gets in their way.”
Finally, things were turning their way. With another shipment of weapons lost, whoever was behind all this would likely rear their ugly head. And when that happened, Sean wanted to be there to knock the head back down. Permanently.
“Good work, Agent Starks. Please tell Fitz I said the same to him.”
“Will do. So what’s next for you? Finally coming home? Or is there some other trouble you’re looking to find?”
Sean’s lips creased. “I think I’ve had my fill. And I could use some home cooking. The food out here isn’t great.”
“Tell me about it. Nairobi isn’t much better.”
“Tell the director I’ll report in day after tomorrow to debrief.”
“Sounds good, Agent Wyatt.” She paused for a moment and then said, “Oh, and Sean… good job on this one. You saved a lot of people’s lives. That X38 is extremely dangerous. Seriously, if you and your friend hadn’t done what you did, there would be major consequences.”
Sean nearly blushed. Not from the compliment, but from her calling him by his first name. “Thanks. Get some sleep. You’ve earned it.”
He hung up the phone and plugged it into the wall charger. Outside the little bedroom window he watched the flames dancing from the fire, licking the air with multicolored orange tongues. Tommy was sitting by the fire pit, talking to one of his workers. From the looks of it, he was getting the lowdown on the day’s activities. He slapped the guy on the back and laughed at something the man said. It was a hard life, being on dig site after dig site. The days could be long and hot. The work, grueling. But in the end, they loved it.
Tommy’s invitation dug away at the back of Sean’s mind. He shook it off and collapsed onto the bed, disregarding the fact that he was fully clothed. It didn’t matter.
Exhaustion was taking over, and he was willing to let it. He needed some rest. As he closed his eyes, Sean’s consciousness drifted into visions of golden statues and caves with strange writing on the walls.
26
Sean awoke in the darkness to the sound of his satellite phone ringing furiously on the nightstand. He snapped out of bed and grabbed it.