Welwood's voice was rich, developed in boarding schools and the Ivy League. "My desk received an electronic flag from the NSA referencing an unauthorized computer search that was conducted into the Department of Defense personnel database yesterday," Welwood said. "Normally, such a matter is no big deal. Some clerk checking something for a buddy. However, this one was a little different. This search triggered a flag instigated by our Agency."
Hancock had not taken a seat and was still standing, his posture indicating his impatience. "Why did you notify me?"
"A second, please, sir," Welwood said. He knew that information had to be presented in a certain order and he also knew Hancock's reputation. He had to impress Hancock the first time because there would be no second time. "The computer inquiry was a search for young women, military family members, who had disappeared in Germany over the past two years."
Hancock's face was an inscrutable mask. "And?"
"And," Welwood said, "the person making the inquiry was an army major named Mike Thorpe."
Hancock pulled out a leather chair and sat down, steepling his fingers together under his chin. "Mike Thorpe?"
Second hit, Welwood thought. "Yes. He's in the army reserves now, working an active duty tour for the Special Operations command at Fort Bragg."
"Why should that or this search interest me?" Hancock asked.
Welwood continued with the rehearsed presentation. "I checked on this Thorpe fellow. He was involved in both the Omega Missile incident and a covert operation off the coast of Lebanon involving nuclear materials."
Hancock leaned back in the seat and crossed his ankles. He was looking at Welwood with what might be described as mild interest. "So?"
Welwood knew Hancock's reputation too well to expect more than that on the surface.
"I checked the logs for the Lebanon operation. I believe it was called Operation Delilah. Something to do with keeping the balance of power in the Middle East by providing the Israelis with raw materials for nuclear weapons. An under-the-table deal that was an outgrowth of the original classified rider appended to the Camp David Accord. Updated when the Palestinians were given autonomy in the West Bank."
"According to what I could find, Operation Delilah was an operation run by Direct Action." Welwood was on thin ice now. He had guessed the objective of Delilah from the little information the computer had yielded and some discrete inquiries on his part from other personnel in the building.
"Seems our man Major Thorpe was working with a Special Operation Nuclear Emergency Search Team that picked up word of a transfer of fissionable material from Russia to an unknown group in southern Lebanon. Naturally it was assumed this transfer was to a terrorist organization. When he went in to check it out, turns out it was, shall we say, unsupported elements, giving material to Israeli forces. Sounds like it was a bloody mess."
For the first time, Hancock showed emotion. "A bloody mess? Three of my men were killed by Thorpe. Killed while doing their duty to our country."
"Well, Thorpe thought he was also—" Welwood cut off what he was going to say when he saw the flash in Hancock's eyes. "Subsequently," Welwood continued, "another aspect of the classified rider became, shall we say, active? I believe it was called the Samson option?"
Hancock's mask was back on. He crossed his legs at the ankles and leaned back in the chair. "Do you know what the Samson option was?"
Welwood nodded. "A nuclear weapon emplaced by the Israelis in a house in Washington, D.C. With one of their agents babysitting the bomb with a direct Sat-link back to Tel Aviv. One call from Tel Aviv and he would fire the bomb."
Hancock nodded. "You know the what. Do you know why that was allowed?"
"A contingency to the classified rider to the Camp David Accord subsequently acted out during the Gulf War to keep the Israelis from responding to the SCUD attacks out of Iraq."
"Balance of power," Hancock said. "Everything is power. And it has to be balanced or else extreme action is taken. That is why my office exists. To take direct action if a balance is threatened. To maintain the balance. Do you understand that?"
Welwood nodded. "Yes, sir. But the Omega Missile terrorist strike upset many balances," Welwood concluded with more confidence than he felt. He had never been in the field and although he tried to appear casual about it, talking about such operations made his stomach churn, especially talking with someone like Hancock.
Hancock tapped a finger on the tabletop. "What was the result of the Omega Missile incident?"
"The terrorists who took over Omega Missile used it to launch two nuclear strikes. One against the Pentagon, one against Tel Aviv. Both were stopped. But before they could be stopped, the Israelis gave the go-ahead to their man in Washington to implement the Samson option."
"The Man Who Waits," Hancock said.
"Excuse me?"
"That's what we called him. The Man Who Waits. He was locked in a basement with that bomb for a year — no way out. His only mission in life was to activate it. My section had a team who waited on him."
"Yes, sir, and they stopped him before he could complete activation."
"Continue with the results," Hancock prodded.
"The head of the CDA, your predecessor, was retired early."
"Fired," Hancock corrected.
"Fired. Operation Delilah was exposed along with the Red Flyer teams, which were Special Operations teams designed to covertly insert a nuclear weapon overseas. Such an insertion was designed not to be traced back to the United States. Sort of our own Samson option. The National Security Adviser, Mr. Hill, was fired and is currently under indictment on an array of charges including attempted murder."
Welwood turned a page in his folder. "I also found it most interesting that the CIA liaison to the Special Operations NEST at the time this happened was a female agent. An agent named Kim Gereg. Who also happens to now be my boss, chief of Operations. It appears initially her career was damaged by the incidents, but it turns out she was never informed of any of this."
"So she got promoted for being ignorant," Hancock said.
"It appears so, sir. Actually I would say she was promoted for not being involved."
Hancock nodded. "Very astute. The best damage control sometimes is ignorance."
"You should have been the next chief of Operations." Welwood threw his cards on the table.
"But I wasn't ignorant," Hancock replied.
"Yes, sir. And now Ms. Gereg has a shot at becoming the director." Welwood also knew that Hill had been Hancock's mentor.
"And I don't?" Hancock asked.
"To go from CDA to director would require a review before a congressional panel. Since Congress is not aware of CDA's existence, they would wonder what you've been doing. Not getting the C/O's job cost you that."
"You have a good grasp of the politics of our organization," Hancock said. "Back to the computer search?" he asked. "Why's Major Thorpe doing it?"
Welwood had spent some time on that one. "Apparently one of the young women who has disappeared in Germany is named Dublowski. Terri Dublowski. She disappeared two months ago. Thorpe must be checking on it for his friend, now Sergeant Major Dublowski assigned to Delta Force at Bragg."
"Why was that search flagged for our attention?" Hancock asked.
"I don't know."
"What in the search specifically was flagged?"
Welwood looked at the file in Hancock's hand, then met the CDA man's eyes. "I don't know."
"Then—" Hancock began, but Welwood cut him off, playing his cards aggressively now.
"I don't know, but you should, sir. The flag was under a code name. Rather strange one, if you ask me: Romulus? Someone a Star Trek fan? I looked in the directory. There was no propagator listed, so that means the code name was propagated either by Direct Action, your office, or by Operations, my office."