Everything to Lose (30 page)

47

The
Pentagon
,
Arlington
County
,
Virginia

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General George Schumantle dusted some loose hairs and dandruff off the shoulders of his formal uniform while he waited in the secure conference room known as the Ice Cube. He looked at his watch and he looked again at the clock on the wall. When sealed the Ice Cube room ensures that discussions cannot be overheard by mechanical, electronic or any other means.

The
President, his White House Chief of Staff, Director CIA, Secretary of the Department of Defence, and the Secretary of the State Department entered the Ice Cube. The General looked confused as they took seats beside the President at the table in the centre of the room.

"Wait,"
the General called to his Aid as he prepared to close the door.

"Mr
President this briefing is for your ears only. I thought I made that clear when I requested this meeting," George said.

"George
you know I will seek advice. If my advisors are here now it will save me briefing them later. Less chance of any confusion."

"Mr
President you may decide to take advice or you may decide not. That will be a choice for you after this briefing, but not before. I am forbidden by strict protocol from revealing this matter to anyone other than the President. Please."

The
General extended his hand to indicate that the four advisors should leave and the President nodded toward the door to indicate he agreed. They were not pleased and fired some dagger looks at the General as they passed through the door.

The
General's Aid closed the door and sealed the cube-shaped room. It is a special obscured glass conference room suitable for twenty occupants that sits in the centre of a larger hall. It was now self contained, impervious to any kind of surveillance or observation. From the outside the white screens inside had a light blue tinge and were responsible for the name Ice Cube.

"Why
couldn't we meet in the White House Special Situations Room? Since the 2007 complete refurb it's totally secure. This room is well behind the times," the President said as he looked around the structure.

The
President's special situations room was equipped with state of the art ultra-secure communications whereas the Ice Cube had nothing but an old telephone handset, which wasn't even a phone it was only a two-way communication link.

"Mr
President I am following a fifty-five year old protocol that specifies this room for the communication of what I am about to tell you. My hands are tied."

"Protocols
change George. Maybe it's time you reviewed your systems."

"Yes
Mr President."

The
first topic of conversation among the President's advisors when they sat down in another room centred on whether the General was fit to remain in office rather than the blindingly obvious. They continued the discussions they had on their way to the Pentagon. They had surrendered their phones and PDA's at the desk outside the room so they were unable to contact anyone.

The
General's Aid sat at a desk beside a telephone handset awaiting a call from inside to open the door when the meeting was over. Inside the secure room the lighting dimmed slightly to indicate the room was secure.

"Okay
George you have my undivided attention. What's this all about?"

"Mr
President, great power comes with even greater responsibility. The Presidency shoulders immense responsibility for our country, but not all of it. Today I have to advise you that there is one level of responsibility above the Presidency."

"What
do you mean George?"

"Mr
President our democracy provides many benefits but also a few flaws. Especially now that we have twenty-four hour microscopic media scrutiny of very action and every reaction."

"What
flaws?"

"Real
secrets cannot be hidden in a democratic government. Secrets that must remain hidden forever are always at risk within the environs of a democracy."

"Sorry
George I don't follow."

"I'm
talking about absolute responsibility for a handful of secret matters that must never see the light of day. Exposure of any one of these matters would lead to world-changing events. A shift in the balance of power."

"Who
is responsible for protecting these matters?"

"To
guarantee their complete secrecy they are entrusted to one man in our country. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

"You."

"The Office of the Chairman so at this point in time Mr President, yes."

"Are
you saying all politicians including the President have been excluded from this level of responsibility?"

"As
have all military and all security services. Not even the Deputy Chairman of the JCS is aware. In a democratic government it is the only way to guarantee one hundred per cent complete secrecy of these particular matters."

"And,
God forbid George, what if you were to die suddenly?"

"There
is a sealed file with detailed instructions and protocols to cover that eventuality. That's how I received the protocols from the previous Chairman."

"He
didn't die."

"When
I took office I received the file and followed the protocols."

"Does
this mean all of the previous Chairs still alive know of these secret matters?"

"No
Mr President. We have a simple procedure for memory redaction that each Chair undergoes upon completion of a duty as Chairman."

"How
is that possible?"

"Memories
are like jigsaw puzzles. When brain neurons come together in a correct pattern you create a memory. The procedure disrupts the process and the pieces of a memory can't reform. Specific memory is redacted," George explained.

"How
do you manage this responsibility?"

"It
is quite simple there are a set of protocols to follow that keep things simple. I am implementing one of these protocols now by speaking to the President. These secret matters are designated POINT-K which means president only informed if needs to know."

"So
something has happened and now I need to know."

"Yes
Mr President. A situation has unfolded that could expose POINT-K4. If this were to occur then we would face a global change to our national security."

"Okay
George. What needs to be done to avert this disaster?"

"Mr
President I will require your personal intervention with the political leadership of a foreign power to head off exposure of POINT-K4. If that intervention is successful then you will decide what happens to the POINT-K4 matter. If your intervention is unsuccessful and this matter is exposed then you and the country will face unprecedented anger and hostility on a scale never before known."

"What
do you want me to do?"

"I've
organised a conference call with the British Prime Minister."

"God
help me. Dare I say go on?"

"Please
bear with me Mr President as I lay out the background to POINT-K4."

"Of
course George. Go on."

"On
May 10th 1941 Rudolph Hess the Nazi Deputy Leader flew a Messerschmitt 110 to central Scotland. He ran out of fuel because of zigzag manoeuvres to evade detection. He parachuted out and was caught on the ground by a farmer."

"I
recall the history George. He was captured and held by the British for the duration of the war. He said he was on a peace mission or something but there was no actual peace proposal on the table."

"Correct.
The British could have made great propaganda from the capture but instead kept him in strict isolation while they tried to discover his real mission."

"I
see."

"After
the war he was convicted at Nuremberg of conspiracy and sentenced to life in Spandau prison. He was known as prisoner number seven. His mission was still undiscovered so in a bizarre situation the four allied powers managed his imprisonment in rotation; France Britain, the US and the Soviets."

"I
recall the situation George. It certainly was bizarre."

"Other
prisoners convicted of more serious war crimes were eventually freed but Hess was kept in prison while each of the allies tried to discover his true mission."

"Wasn't
there something suspicious about his death?"

"He
died on our watch Mr President. He was ninety-four and very feeble. He hanged himself," George said unconvincingly.

"Really?
When he'd reached the ripe old age of ninety-four."

The
President smiled and threw a look of disbelief at the General. The General's deadpan expression stayed on his face.

"
I believe he was starting to babble on about his past."

"I'm
guessing we found out about his mission."

"I
won't go into details of how Mr President but yes we discovered his mission in the summer of 1957."

"And?"

"And nothing. It was shelved along with other war secrets."

"Then
what?"

"Then
the world flipped. If you've read the Presidential private papers for the early 60's you'll be aware of a succession of serious incidents starting with Cuba that completely changed everything for us. We faced an imperative need to safeguard our long-term future. So ..."

"I've
read President's notes on a few of these incidents. They were horrible situations even in those times. Terrifying times."

"Yes
they were Mr President. So an executive decision was made to ..."

"What?"

"To complete his mission."

"Do
you mean Rudolph Hess's mission?"

"Yes."

"Oh my God! George, are you serious?"

"Yes
Mr President I'm afraid so."

48

Fareham
,
Hampshire

The return trip from Prague seemed to take longer than the trip out but in terms of hours it was a little bit shorter. Bazzer and Seasy said goodbye to Zoe and Toni and a waiting car took them back to their base. Biffo volunteered to stay at the Central Military Hospital in Prague until Haggis was ready to travel home.

Zoe,
Toni and Gavin and six boxes of files were driven straight to the safe house in Gudge Heath Lane, Fareham. Alan Cairn and his driver Steve met Zoe and Toni at their car and Alan expressed his sympathy for what happened to Scott.

The Home Office forensic people had finished their work and were packing up their gear when Alan, Zoe and Toni went into the room. Gavin stayed in the car reading one of the files he had brought from Prague. Zoe told Alan Cairn that Gavin had to keep off his leg for a day or two.

Ivan
was killed with a headshot as he sat in the chair. Ivan's body had been pushed onto the floor and Scott was secured to the chair. Scott's body was beaten and four fingers of his right hand cut off. A large pool of blood had formed on the floor beside the chair as blood drained from his hand and Scott bled out.

Alan
said it looked like Scott wouldn't give up his laptop password. He said it seemed Scott's attackers knew about the backup fingerprint access module. When Scott wouldn't tell them which finger they cut them off one-by-one until they found the one that opened the back door into the operating system. Once inside it would still require a clever tech to crack the other layers of security in the laptop.

Toni
kneeled down beside Scott and placed her hand gently on his head.
I
hope
you
haven't
left
the
room
yet
Scott
.
I
want
you
to
see
me
.
I
want
you
to
see
this
she thought as she kissed the side of his head then on his upper lip.

"I'm
thinking Barscadden hired Vindanson to kill Gavin," Alan said to Zoe.

"Why
Barscadden?"

"I'm
seeing inside knowledge. Most of his WRATH people were ex Special Forces."

"I
eliminated WRATH at Ardwell Bay. If one or two did escape I don't see them breaking cover for this. They're out of the loop. They'll be in hiding for a few years."

"I
see," Alan said and realised she didn't buy his assessment.

"This
was well informed, well organised, I don't see Barscadden getting up to speed on this unless he still has someone operating high in the Government."

"Well
if not Barscadden. Who?"

"Someone
who knew the location of this safe house. Knew Scott was here. Knew I was on my way to get Shawlens but not the precise location. They came here to question Scott. They needed the information real fast to put Vindanson ahead of me."

"I
guess that's a lot even for Barscadden's piles of money," Alan said.

"Vindanson
was very cautious that's how he stayed alive and prospered in his business. He doesn't do revenge. Revenge is a two-way street, not his bag. He did his best work for government departments."

"Barscadden
had plenty of government contacts. Maybe he's still pulling the strings," Alan said.

"Barscadden
is a criminal. Vindanson wouldn't go near him. Money doesn't compensate an international arrest warrant. If he killed Scott. He'd never work again. He'd be on the run from our allies and us. He wouldn't risk his freedom because he doesn't have to. He gets plenty of good work."

"I
guess you know him better than I do."

"Vindanson
was a top professional bought for difficult jobs. Shawlens is a nobody in terms of a kill target. I'm sure this isn't about him."

"You
think there is another player out there?"

"When
Vindanson entered the HARC he said he didn't want a firefight in Prague. His client didn't want it. His client must be powerful enough for Vindanson not to worry about giving up his identity to me. He didn't need to hide his identity because he didn't kill Scott. There must be a government agency in play."

"When
the Bulgarians took Shawlens that put you into their picture," Alan said.

"They
got on my trail when I took Ivan. Killed Scott to find out we were on our way to Prague. They put Vindanson in ahead of me to clean out the house including Shawlens in case he knew something."

"Who
do you think the Bulgarian's were working with?"

"It
would need to be a major government agency. One Vindanson wouldn't hesitate to work for at a moment's notice."

"CIA?"

"Possibly or SVR. Shawlens said this Bulgarian work crept out of old soviet files on Nazi war research. Vindanson has worked for the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. The Russians are very publicity conscious right now. This might be there game and they want their research stuff back but I wouldn't rule out CIA. They have so many fingers."

"If
it's a foreign government then this is even more unacceptable," Alan said nodding toward Scott.

"They
were desperate to get in front," Zoe said more callously than she intended.

"Are
there any leads we can follow up?"

"Shawlens
has six boxes of files, three hard drives and four USB drives. Something in there might identify the government partner or owner behind this work. With respect sir I suggest you should get a team on it right away."

Jesus
you
are
fast
on
your
feet
Alan thought. He was sure that Barscadden had used his vast wealth and connections to organise an attack on Shawlens. Within a few minutes she had convinced him otherwise.

"Okay
Zoe I'll get that organised."

"Shawlens
says most of the science is in English but a lot of written material is in Bulgarian. He does have a file and one drive containing correspondence and contracts with Buzzwall and others."

"Enough
to put this backfire out?"

"Shawlens
thinks so. One of the boxes has photographs and DVD videos of trials and tests all of which were illegal. There is stuff on Jemard Edmond and another test subjects that will explain his death."

"I've
got arrest and search warrants ready for Buzzwall and his people."

"I'd
serve them sooner than later. When they hear about Prague they'll scatter."

"What's
this I'm hearing about Shawlens finding a human bomb?" Alan asked.

Zoe
smiled and laughed a little which helped release some tension.

"In
the factory Shawlens showed the Czech Special Forces a body that was stored under oil in a chest freezer. He warned them it was explosive. Either they didn't understand or didn't believe him so they pulled the body out of the freezer box. It started cooking on the floor." Zoe said dramatically.

"Not
what they were expecting."

"Shawlens
started shouting and they just laughed at him. He got a muscle biopsy tool and took a piece of muscle from the body. Sliced it in half on a table and POP! It burst into flames. They threw the body back into the freezer box and hailed Shawlens a hero."

"How
the hell does that work?" Alan asked.

"According
to Shawlens it was caused by phosphorus in the body. When exposed to air it ignites. Sort of like striking an old safety match."

"Incredible."

"Shawlens showed me pictures of Jemard Edmond lying on the ground before and after his combustion. I would never have believed it."

"Zoe,
are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Rolley."

"We found some of BRTKPharma's product 80PGen in his flat. Four vials were missing. He obviously used it."

"I
know sir. He'd just returned from beating his brother in a road race."

"It
means he self inflicted. Nothing you could have done to keep him safe. His loss from the team is not attributed to you."

"Thanks
sir."

"Did
Shawlens find anything on Oliver Mansole?"

"No
sir. The Bulgarians were looking for Mansole. Apparently he stole some of their 80PGen. Probably suffered the same fate as Edmond. His ashes will be in a pile somewhere."

"Well
this is a good result for the Lambeth Group. It justifies their role in policing these research people. If this backfire had gone public it would have cause serious damage to UK research. Congratulations Zoe you're country thanks you for outstanding service."

"Thank
you sir."

"Okay
I think we all head back to London for a full debrief. I'll send someone to pack up your flat," Alan said.

"I
don't mind packing sir. I'll take Shawlens and Toni with me. I'll see you back in London in a day or two."

"No
Zoe. I want you and your team to return to London now," Alan raised his voice.

Zoe
noticed a different tell on his face. He was holding something back. His voice resonated concern.

"I'd
prefer you to level with me sir. What's going on?" Zoe demanded.

Alan
Cairn nodded his head for Zoe to follow him. They left the room and went into another room. Steve started to follow but Alan waved him back.

"God
above Zoe. Am I that bloody transparent?"

"A
sixth sense sir. I can read tells. I can tell when you are not giving me the whole story."

"How?"

"When you're relaxed you have a habit of running your hand down your moustache and beard as if shaping it in place. When you're anxious you rub the forefinger of your left hand back and forward over the hair on your upper lip."

"I
see. Well remind me never to play poker with you."

"Noted."

"When Scott was discovered I sent teams to the three flats. They did a sweep of your flat and found five hidden cameras. Someone had your flat under surveillance."

"Who?"

"I don't know. We've taken the cameras and the WIFI equipment. We'll try to run down a supplier. We might get a lead on the buyer. They were installed by an expert so I'm not expecting prints or DNA."

"What
about Elaine or Rolley?"

"Nothing
found in their flats."

"Shit,
this changes everything."

"No
it doesn't. Walk away Zoe. Your job is done."

"Surveillance.
Either Shawlens is a person of interest or I am. I want to know who and I want to know why."

She
threw a look into his face that told him he had no right to hold this back. There was no compromise Alan could think of to change her mind. He knew that once she set her mind to run something down, it was best not to stand in her way.

"What
do you want to do?"

"Camp
out in the flat. Wait for them to show their hand. Bite it off."

"I'll
take Shawlens back to London?"

"No
sir. He's stays here with me."