“I’m open to any and all suggestions. Anybody?”
“Frankly,” Stafford said. “I don’t see how we have any other options.”
“Well,” Honi added. “We have no idea where the satellite control center is, assuming it’s even on the planet.”
“Okay,” Ken said. “But shouldn’t we enlist the help of other countries? I mean everyone is at risk here. Seven billion people are going to die if we fail.”
“Contact only people you personally know and trust,” Jake said. “And only if they don’t show up on the database we’re constructing. Can we agree on that?”
The other three agreed. The more members of the Phoenix Organization they could identify in other countries the better their chances of capturing them.
“Brett, can you check the phone contacts at the Chinese Embassy in D.C.? I need to know who there is involved,” Ken said.
“Checking. One burner phone, GPS tagged at the embassy.”
Tracy pulled up the office layout of the embassy. “GPS coordinates puts the phone in the ambassador’s office.”
“Okay,” Ken replied. “That explains how the Chinese ambassador and his assistant knew the two Chinese businessmen with the gold bearer bonds weren’t where they were supposed to be. They must have assumed something happened at the customs check. That’s when they sent the assistant ambassador in to spring them. I’ve got to talk to a friend of mine at the embassy.”
“Isn’t that risky?” Honi asked.
“Maybe. But we have to start somewhere. Opinions?”
“How long have you known this guy?” Jake asked.
“I’ve worked with him on counterfeiting cases for the last ten years. I trust him.”
“I think we should go with it,” Jake said. “Honi?”
“I’m inclined to approve. Bob?”
“I’ve worked with a few Russians and Brits I trust. I think we should go forward with it.”
Stafford checked with Brett on his Russian and British contacts.
“Not in the database,” Brett reported.
“Okay,” Jake said. “Let’s go.”
“Brett,” Ken said. “I need you to create an encrypted file for me and put it on a thumb drive.”
Ken approached the main gate at the Chinese Embassy. He recognized the guard who walked over to the closed gate. Ken reached forward and held on to one of the square rods of the gate, a slip of what he held showing from under his hand. The guard reached up and placed his hand just under Ken’s hand, covering what Ken was holding.
“If possible, would you let Han Chen know I stopped by?”
The guard scoffed. Ken removed his hand, leaving the hundred dollar bill in the grip of the guard, who cleanly swiped it into his other hand.
“Stupid foreigners,” the guard said in Chinese as he walked away. Ken strode quickly to the right, circled around two blocks, down four more blocks and sat down in the back stall at a small café. He ordered his usual mocha latte and waited. Twenty minutes later Han Chen sat down in the opposite seat.
“You’re aware of the demand for your country to surrender to a new world system?” Ken asked quietly.
“I’ve heard rumors.”
“The solar storm was a warning. Next one, in fifteen days wipes out everything.”
Chen looked startled, but recovered quickly.
“I suspect the eight eternal families are heavily involved,” Ken said.
“You said you suspect? What about evidence?”
Ken pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and slid it across to Chen. “Encryption key for a file at our usual dead drop location.”
“What’s in the file?”
“An organizational chart composed of cell phone numbers, GPS locations, times and connections.”
“And what do you need in return?” Chen asked.
“Names connected to those cell phones.”
Chen slowly looked around the café. “You know how dangerous this is if it involves the eternal families? They are connected to a world-wide network of extremely wealthy and powerful families who control all of the intelligence services around the world, including mine, your CIA and the Mossad.”
“And in fifteen days they will kill everybody on the planet except for a precious few who work for them. What do you think the odds are that you are on their list to be saved?”
Chen scoffed.
“You can expect everyone on this list to run 12 hours before the Event. Time and date is listed in the file. We will be arresting everyone on the list when they start to run. You should coordinate your people with that.”
“As dangerous as this list is, I don’t see any reason not to move at the same time,” Chen replied.
“Only people you trust with your life. If they find out we’re on to them, everybody dies.”
“Understood.” Chen stood up and left.
Ken finished his mocha latte and drove back to the NSA building.
Ken showed his visitor ID at the NSA front gate and again at the lobby door security post.
“Wait here,” the security guard said and then walked over to a phone, picked it up, spoke a few words, hung up and returned.
“Is there a problem?” Ken asked.
“No, sir,” the guard answered.
Sebastian Pettigrew emerged from the back of the lobby swinging an ID card on a lanyard. Pettigrew handed Ken a new ID card and took his old one.
“You are now an unofficial NSA agent,” Pettigrew said. “The same ID will also work at the FBI and all military bases as well as your own office.”
“Wow. How did that happen?”
“Word from above.”
“Word from above?” Ken questioned.
“Way above,” Pettigrew said with a smile.
“I see. What about my escort?”
“You know where it is. They’re waiting for you.”
Pettigrew turned and walked away.
Ken walked over to the elevator bank and pressed the down button. The door opened and he stepped in and the door closed. He waited. Nothing happened. Then he remembered that Honi had swiped her card over the sensor, so he passed the new card near the same place.
“Name?” the voice said.
“Ahh,” Ken said slowly. “Ken Bartholomew.”
“Voice print confirmed. Level?”
“B6.”
The elevator moved down and opened at level B6. Ken stepped out cautiously and looked around. Everything looked normal; confusing, but normal. He slowly walked over to area 4.
“Ahh, you’re back,” Honi said.
Ken glanced at Stafford’s ID card hanging on the lanyard. It was the same as his, with a big letter Z in the black square.
“What’s the Z for?” Ken asked.
“You now have a security clearance for everything,” Stafford said. “We all do.”
“Compliments from above?”
“Way above.”
“So I’ve heard,” Ken said, looking down at his new ID card.
CHAPTER 16
Peter Steinmetz sat patiently in the situation room in the middle of the night listening to the new plan.
“The earth’s magnetic field will not be strong enough to protect us from the next solar storm,” the President said. “I’ve consulted with our top scientists and this is what we’re going to do.”
“What about the other countries?” the Vice President asked. “Isn’t this a worldwide threat? Shouldn’t they also be involved?”
“They are,” the President replied. “The only countries that can actually help are those with active space programs and immediate launch capability. That narrows our partners down to Russia, China and the European Space Agency.”
“I’ve been getting severe heat from the international community,” the Secretary of State said. “They all want to know exactly how we are addressing this emergency. No one wants to surrender to these maniacs.”