Shayhidis lieutenants, like himself, were well educated, neat, and wholesome-looking. They were a diverse group of individuals representing many nationalities, dressed in expensive clothes from top-drawer designers in Europe and America. The men — and women — comported themselves as successful people. Polar opposites of the archetypical Middle Eastern terrorist, this coalition of operatives could easily pass for executives from multinational corporations. They were as skilled at acting as they were ruthless in carrying out their deadly attacks.
Saeed Shayhidi s approach to terrorism discarded the medieval mind-set that so many of his counterparts desperately clung to. Unlike other militant extremists, Shayhidi would never descend to carrying AK-47S around the desert or taking refuge in dismal caves. He laughed at the notion of roaming the bumpy strife-worn crossroads of Central Asia with an entourage of ragamuffins.
To the contrary, Shayhidi carefully crafted the persona of a non-religious no-nonsense business titan. In stark contrast to his fundamentalist colleagues, he almost always had a beautiful woman on his arm. He would often take five or six striking women on lavish European shopping sprees, staged for public consumption. European tabloids, concentrating on sensational news and gossip, always covered these excursions.
Shayhidi dined with royalty, played golf with heads of state, and entertained Hollywood's elite on his yacht. He sponsored private economic summits with the most powerful men and women in the world, none of whom suspected his involvement with terrorism.
He lived in the lap of luxury with unrestrained gratification. Always clean-shaven and impeccably attired, he maintained distinctively different penthouses in Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Sydney. Because he spent much of his time traveling, he leased spacious suites in some of the most prestigious hotels in the world. Suites and other services in his family-owned hotels were, of course, complimentary.
His meticulously constructed homes were stately in size and design. One of the imposing residences contained a narrow indoor river running through a rain forest, a bird sanctuary, and an extensive art gallery that showcased Pablo Picasso, Jean Dubuffet, and a variety of French beaux arts. The mansion had three indoor waterfalls, four guest suites with his-and-her bathrooms, two gourmet kitchens, and two Japanese arched bridges leading to a lagoonlike swimming pool surrounded by powdery white sand.
Shayhidi was instrumental in bringing the ruthless Khartoum-Moscow-Beijing coalition together to fully take advantage of Sudan's vast energy resources. With generous succor from Communist China and the Russian Federation, he intended to drive the United States and its vaunted military, the "Godless West," out of Muslim-dominated countries and out of the waters of the Persian Gulf. Beijing and Moscow were quite pleased to help, viewing this as an opportunity to keep the U. S. military off balance.
While Russia and China "fully cooperated" with the U. S.-led war on terrorism, they quietly funneled money and arms to augment Shayhidi's terrorist organization. The complex financial web, which included Middle Eastern and South American banks, front companies, charities, and underground brokers, provided hundreds of millions of dollars for his jihad against the United States.
Unlike many of his predecessors, Shayhidi and the experienced leaders of his terrorist cells would take no credit for the devastating attacks they were planning. The anonymous assaults in the contiguous United States were designed to leave the U. S. president, authorities at the CIA and the FBI, law enforcement professionals, and the Pentagon brass in a quandary.
Washington would be unable to assign responsibility for the violent and destructive attacks, thereby neutralizing or reducing any military retaliation or economic sanctions. The master plan, the Destiny Project, had been in the developmental stage for over six years.
Unfortunately, Operation Iraqi Freedom scrambled the time frame of Shayhidi's ambitious plan. Incensed by the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and what the regime change portended, Shayhidi had to confront the future. He was determined to destroy the Americans' ability to restructure the Middle East in the mold of Western democracy.
The United States had to be annihilated, reduced to utter ruin, with no political effect, no measurable military force, and no relevance in shaping the world order. Now, after many months of reorganizing his priorities, Shayhidi's highly detailed Destiny Project was ready for implementation.
On board his plane in Khartoum, Shayhidi would meet with his senior leaders to initiate a concerted effort to wreak havoc on the Americans and their military forces. To Shayhidi's way of thinking, the well-orchestrated attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the crashed jet in Pennsylvania, while a rousing success for the cause, stopped far short of achieving his ultimate objective: the total destruction of America.
Now, after training more homicidal recruits and energizing hundreds of sleepers in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, it was time to capitalize on their first perceived triumphant victory over America. Shayhidi and his followers fervently believed this was the opportune time to finish the job. Time to paralyze the United States and bring its people to their knees in total submission to Allah.
It was the intent of Shayhidi and his coterie of cell leaders to cause disruptions so severe and to generate such psychological terror throughout the United States that the vast majority of Americans would cower in fear. Shayhidi was brazenly confident the American people would then confront President Macklin and demand an immediate cessation of hostilities toward any Muslim country.
The flight to the East Coast was pleasant, and the jet touched down at Baltimore Washington International a few minutes before 3 P. M. local time. Clearing the runway, Scott taxied the airplane to Signature Flight Support. When the aircraft came to a halt, a customer service representative drove their Avis rental car to the cabin entrance.
Although the Gulfstream 100 had enough fuel for the short flight to Dulles International, N957GAS new home airport, Scott purchased 250 gallons of Jet A as a courtesy to the fixed base operator.
When Scott and Jackie arrived at the residence of Hartwell Prost, his butler of long standing answered the door. A trim distinguished-looking gentleman with impeccable manners, Zachary always had a genial smile to offer guests.
"Miss Sullivan, Mr. Dalton — what a pleasure to see you again."
"Its good to see you," Scott said, while Jackie extended her arms.
Zachary responded with a gentle embrace. "Please come in. Mr. Prost is on the veranda."
"How have you been?" Scott asked, as Zachary led them through the expansive foyer.
"Fve been splendid," he replied, without turning around. "Thank you for asking."
They followed Zachary to a roofed back porch extending half the length of the mansion. When Jackie and Scott stepped outside, they detected the distinctive whiff of mesquite smoke.
Hartwell was sitting in an Adirondack chair, sipping a beer and puffing on a Cuban cigar. Next to him was a wooden tub filled with assorted brands of beer buried in ten pounds of crushed ice. The brick four-by-eight-foot grill was loaded with an array of barbecue selections, including beef, chicken, ribs, and turkey. The mesquite smoke, mingled with their hosts favorite barbecue sauce, gave off a pleasing scent that whetted the appetite.