President Mitchell’s eyes swiveled to Harry.
“Never going to happen,” said Harry and Bob at once.
“Already done,” said the President, checking his computer screen as he spoke. “It’s amazing what you can get done during a crisis. Both the House and Senate have just confirmed Vice President Hammond. And the Armed Services Committee has just ratified Secretary of Defense Carson.”
“That’s bullshit!” said Harry, standing up in frustration. Holding office was something he had successfully avoided for over thirty years.
President Mitchell turned on the TV screen and the news channel banner displayed the breaking news of the appointments.
Carson sat down and gulped the rest of his Scotch. He had to hand it to the President, it was a masterful move. Carson was an outsider who knew far too much. Placing him in one of the highest offices in the land had just secured Carson’s secrecy beyond all doubt. The ultimate political player had just been outplayed and if you were going to be outplayed, it should be by the man you work for.
“Thank you, Mr. President,” said Carson reluctantly but with great admiration.
“Mr. President, Mr. Vice President,” he said as he exited the room.
Walking away from the President’s study, Harry was met by four men he recognized very well.
“Mr. Secretary,” said Jack Miller, head of Bob Hammond’s security detail.
“Hello, Jack,” said Harry, as he walked past him.
“Mr. Secretary,” Miller said again before Harry realized that Jack now headed up his security detail.
“Ah shit!” he said, resigning himself. “Come on then, I need to go back to the NCTC.”
Chapter 67
Carson was met by cheers of congratulations as he walked back into the NCTC. A much happier Turner than the one he had left was waiting for him.
“I suppose you’ll be moving over to the Pentagon?” asked Turner happily.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” said Carson mischievously. “But no, I think this is still the single largest threat to our nation, so I’m staying right here.”
“Oh… o-of c-course,” Turner stammered, surprised by the answer.
“Don’t worry, Paul. I’m not going to take over your investigation,” said Carson reassuringly.
Turner’s eyebrows rose slightly and he bit his tongue.
“What?” asked Carson, agitated. He had just inherited, against his will, one of the largest offices and workloads in the country.
“Nothing,” said Turner, turning to leave.
“You sure?” asked Carson, knowing exactly what was wrong. It had never been Turner’s investigation since he had joined the team.
“Yes and once again, congratulations,” said Turner.
Carson couldn’t help but feel sorry for Turner. Turner’s big chance had come, only to be sidelined by him. The problem was that Turner could not be privy to everything that was underway. Very few people could. One of those very few commanded an airbase 2,500 miles away and it was someone with whom Carson needed to talk to urgently.
“Could you shut the door please?” asked Carson, as Turner exited the room.
Carson lifted the receiver and dialed Colonel Travers at Creech Air Force Base.
“Ian, it’s Harry,” said Carson when the Colonel answered the phone.
“Mr. Secretary, my congratulations, sir,” replied Ian Travers formally.
“Just Harry, thanks, Ian,” said Carson, already fed up with the formality of the new role. Life was so much simpler when there was only your name on the door and no title. Ian’s silence told Carson that his protestations over being called Mr. Secretary were pointless. These were highly disciplined military men who believed wholeheartedly in the chain of command, a chain in which Carson had just taken the number two spot.
“How are things progressing?” he asked.
“Good to go,” replied Colonel Travers.
Carson had first met Colonel Travers eighteen months earlier. He had been conducting a review into the use of drones overseas and their effectiveness. Huge numbers of innocent casualties were being claimed by various insurgency groups but Carson found that ninety percent of the claims were either totally false or had been self-inflicted to put pressure on America. In short, the unmanned aerial vehicle program was a resounding success and saved many American lives.
Fascinated by the possibilities of the program, he had posed a challenge to Colonel Travers. The E3 Sentry AWAC aircraft were one of the key elements of the air force. However, as their mission was simply to fly over a designated air space and stay aloft as long as possible while the technicians looked at computer screens, would it not be possible to automate them, thus allowing the aircraft to remain on station without worrying about the crew tiring? He similarly argued that aerial tanking was also an area that could be considered in the same way. Once in position, the plane required little more than to remain steady, with no real skill being required of either pilot.
Colonel Travers had risen to the task and had, within a matter of months, created two test planes. One E3 Sentry modeled on a Boeing 707, which had four engines and one K46A tanker, based on the soon to be deployed Boeing 767 version of the tanker. The E3 was entirely automated and required no crew or technicians aboard. All communications and equipment could be controlled from the ground, anywhere in the world, as effectively as they could be onboard. Updating the four engines to more modern versions, the plane could happily cruise on just two engines at any time, allowing it to burn fuel far more economically and efficiently. It also allowed the E3 Sentry to stay aloft with almost continual in-air refueling.
There were hundreds of tankers and thirty-two E3s in the Air Force that could benefit from the upgrade. Those, however, were just the tip of the iceberg as far as Carson was concerned of what Colonel Travers and his unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab team could deliver.
“How many have you got ready?” asked Carson.
“Twenty.”
“And controllers?”
Carson was referring to USAF Combat Controllers, some of the most highly trained Special Forces soldiers in the US military. Their motto, ‘First There’, said it all. They were invariably amongst the first US troops on the ground and would pave the way for a larger force. Multi disciplined, they were skilled fighters, air traffic controllers and communications specialists.
“More than enough,” replied Travers confidently.
“Excellent. Get them prepped and ready. I want them in Europe and the Middle East in the next couple of days.”
“Yes, Mr. Secretary, sir,” replied Travers. Carson would have sworn he heard a salute as well.
Carson still had some concerns, though not related to the unmanned vehicles. Those, he felt sure, would perform admirably. The controllers were about to be thrust into a role none of them had signed up for. Trained for the most dangerous missions imaginable, nobody could ever predict how some men would react in certain situations and it was that fallibility that could threaten the success of the mission. Computer-controlled vehicles, as had been proven many times, did exactly what they were told, every time.
Chapter 68
Frankie tried to grab some much needed sleep. She and Reid had worked around the clock to track down every possible card that Nick may have purchased. A second hit had proven her theory even further — a card had purchased a ferry ticket from Marseille to Algiers. At the time, they knew that Nick was in Marseille and that the ferry’s arrival coincided with the timing of Nick being in Algiers.
He had done exactly what he didn’t do; Nick had slipped up. He hadn’t connected the cards with the cash and he was now just a purchase away from being tracked down.