Sean cast a sideways smirk at Emily in the seat next to him. He considered saying, “See? First name,” but thought better of it.
Director Forrest Stone had been with the agency for nearly thirty years. More and more, he talked about retirement. But something was holding him back.
Sean had a feeling it was being uncertain of who his successor might be. Being low man on the totem pole, Sean doubted it would be him. He’d not been there long enough to learn everything. But Emily would make a great director. She, too, however, had only been there a short while in comparison to Director Stone’s extensive experience.
“No problem, sir. What’s happening?”
Stone picked up a remote from his desk, stepped to the left, and pressed a button. The flatscreen on the wall behind him lit up and immediately displayed the southeastern quadrant of Africa. Tanzania was highlighted and a moment later zoomed in on a small city on the nation’s southwestern border with Zambia — a city called Mbeya.
“A warlord by the name of Baku Toli is causing trouble,” the director started. “At first he was just a minor irritation, hitting small villages here and there. But the problem has gotten worse.”
The screen zoomed to a satellite image of a compound on the outskirts of the city. “What we didn’t know is that he’s been abducting children to build his Tanzanian Liberation Army, if you can call it that. The kids are taken to this compound and brainwashed until they will do his bidding.”
Emily cut in. “With all due respect, Director, what has the Tanzanian government done about all this?”
“Right now they are in political flux. Their current leader is weak. And there’s a power struggle going on that could turn into a full-blown civil war.”
Sean frowned. “I thought they were one of the more stable countries in that region.”
The director nodded. “They are. Right now, this warlord’s activities are fairly localized. But the more he continues doing what he’s doing, the worse it will get.” He paused for a moment to take a drink of water from the bottle on his desk. When he began again, his tone lowered. “There’s something else you need to know.” His eyes went from Emily, to Sean, and back. “We have reason to believe this warlord, Toli, has been amassing a stockpile of biological weapons.”
Sean cast a concerned glance over at Emily and then back at the director. “Are you sure?”
Director Stone smirked and snorted a short laugh. “Son, ever since the debacle in Iraq, we always make sure. But we aren’t calling the United Nations on this one. They work too slow, always trying to do everything by the book. The president has asked that we go in and take down Toli before his momentum reaches a fever pitch.”
Emily still had questions. “I’m sorry, sir, but this sounds like a mission better suited for one of the special ops units.”
“Funny you should say that, Starks. A team was sent in four days ago. They failed to check back in, which means they’re either dead, captured, or lost. Since you could drop those guys off in the middle of the North Pole with nothing but a toothbrush and they’d still make it home, I think we can rule out the latter.”
Sean shifted in his seat. The thought of American soldiers being killed or captured was unsettling. “If they’re alive, sir, we’ll find them. Where would we start?”
“I like the enthusiasm, son.” Director Stone turned to the screen and pointed at one of the buildings. It didn’t look like much: tin roof, two stories, probably built out of cinderblocks. Based on the structures around it, Sean guessed maybe three thousand square feet. “This building is where we’ve seen the most activity. Our satellites have been monitoring it for the last few weeks. It’s where we sent the SEAL team. Our last contact with them was just before they went in.”
“So why not use another team to go in after them?” Emily asked.
“We thought about that,” Stone replied. “Unfortunately, doing so risks letting the Tanzanians know we’re running ops in their backyard. As far as we know, they are unaware of what has gone on so far. But the more people we send in, the bigger our footprint. If you get my drift.”
“Clearly.”
“So,” Sean said, “you need a smaller footprint.”
Stone nodded. “The Tanzanians have good relations with the United States. They’re an up and comer in that part of the world, and we want to continue to foster that growth. If we go in and start throwing our weight around like a bunch of bullies, however, that could change things. But we need to get our boys back, if possible. And moreover, we need to find out if they really do have bioweaponry, how much, and where it’s coming from.”
Emily raised an eyebrow. “You think someone’s bankrolling them? Middle East?”
“Starks, you’ve been in this game long enough to know that someone is always footing the bill. It’s clear there’s money going to Toli. So far, we have no idea where it’s coming from. Obviously, we look to the Middle East first since, historically, that’s where most of the money comes from. Right now, however, the few leads we had are coming up cold.”
Sean crossed one leg over his knee and folded his hands. “Go in, save a bunch of Navy SEALs, liberate a child army, and take out some weapons of mass destruction. Sounds like a good weekend to me.”
Stone set the remote down on his desk and eased into his chair. “Don’t be fooled, Sean. They may be kids, but many of them have been brainwashed to the point of no return. If you’re spotted, they will try to kill you. And you’re going to have to fight back.”
Sean’s eyebrows knit together. “The second someone starts shooting at me, the gloves come off.”
Stone cocked his head to the side for a second and then straightened up. “You say that now, son, but nothing in your training has prepared you for taking down a ten-year-old who’s shooting at you with a Kalashnikov.”
“Who will be running the show on this one?” Emily asked.
“Agent Fitzsimmons is coordinating your mission. He’ll accompany you to the drop point, fall back, and monitor your progress. He will also be your eyes and ears. We will keep surveillance as much as possible, but that has its limitations. I’m hoping that this drone program they keep talking about has some legs. Those satellite-controlled planes will give us a much better view of everything and for a sustained period of time. Until then, we’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way.” He tossed a file across the desk. It slid to a stop just before going over the edge. “Look through that, both of you. It has all the intel you need. You rendezvous with Fitz in twenty-four hours. So I suggest you get moving.”
Sean and Emily moved toward the door. They were about to open it when the director stopped them one last time. “By the way, your cover will be with a group of archaeologists. They’re in the region recovering some kind of ancient artifacts for the Tanzanians. The group is based out of Atlanta.”
“IAA?” Sean said. “What are the odds?”
“In all the tea joints in all the world. Yeah, I know you and the guy in charge of that little agency go way back. Just see to it he doesn’t meddle with your mission. We’re using them for a cover. Nothing else. Understood?”
Sean nodded. “Of course.” He opened the door and stepped out.
When the door closed, Emily shot Sean a look that needed no explanation. It was followed immediately by the question, “What was that last bit about?”
Sean ignored her for a second and started walking. She grabbed him by the shoulder and raised an eyebrow.
“The group of archaeologists he mentioned?”
She gave a nod that said hurry up with the explanation.
“My best friend runs that organization. And it’s a good bet he’ll be there.”
Emily frowned. “That’s not going to be a problem, is it?”