The briefs the flight attendant handed out gave them little new information. They were to be consultants to the US government in a Red Cell. According to the document, Red Cells were used by the CIA to “think outside the box about a full range of relevant analytic issues.” Whatever that meant. Each consultant was to provide the team with insights and critical knowledge from their individual area of expertise. When the group finished reading, they had more questions than answers. The second half of the flight was once again used for sleeping.
Unlike the first plane, the shades on this plane’s windows were sealed shut. Security protocol, the flight attendant had told them. It wasn’t until they landed and opened the doors that they saw natural light again. It was late afternoon at their destination. David wondered how many time zones they had passed through. The door to the jet opened and revealed bright blue skies and an inrush of thick, tropical air.
The group’s tired eyes were wide as they looked around at their landing spot. There was ocean everywhere. It reminded David of one of those old World War Two island air bases built in the middle of the Pacific. It was tiny, as islands go — or air bases, for that matter. They could only see about half of the island before it curved around into the sea. The runway looked like it barely fit, surrounded by dark black sandy beaches and turquoise waters on three sides. On the other side of the runway was a set of four concrete structures that were separated from tropical rainforest by a tall barbed-wire fence. The dense green vegetation rose higher and higher up along a towering jungle-covered mountain.
Today was arrival day for several groups of consultants. Another jet taxied back out to the runway. It looked identical to the aircraft they had come in on. David watched that jet’s group of passengers carrying their bags up the sandy path to the buildings. The flight attendant directed his group to do the same.
David and his new companions grabbed their things and followed suit. When they reached the buildings, they were shown to their quarters by an Air Force Major in his summer blues.
“Name?” he asked as David approached.
“David Manning.”
“Manning. Yup. Room 214. Up the stairs. Here’s your key. Throw your stuff in your room. Please meet at the Classroom in one hour. It’s the big building up on the hill with the large glass windows that overlook the runway.”
“Got it. Thanks.” David wanted to ask the Major a million questions, but the others were checking in and he decided to wait. It sounded like they were to get an in-brief in another hour.
An hour later, David sat admiring the swaying palms and clear blue sea through the panoramic windows of the large amphitheater-style classroom. He had showered and shaved using items from the duffel bag Tom had provided. It felt good, but he was still exhausted from the trip.
He thought about his wife and daughters. Lindsay was probably in tears. God, he hoped she would forgive him for this. If this was all really happening, he didn’t see how he had a choice. David wondered why he kept thinking like that. As if this might not be real. Was it the magnitude of a war with China? Or was it something else that caused him to feel uncomfortable?
The setting sun created a painting of bright oranges and deep purples over the water. However, none of them knew exactly which body of water it was. David thought it had to be the South Pacific based on the time of flight and climate. But if that was true, why take them here, so far away?
The room was filled with curious men and women from a variety of places. Some wore power suits. Some had crew cuts and wore military fatigues. Still others had on skinny jeans with fitted tees. David gathered from several informal introductions that their backgrounds were as diverse as their looks suggested. There were computer programmers and scientists, engineers and psychologists, military officers and policy analysts. All were well educated and incredibly bright. David counted twenty of them in all. Like Henry and Bill, each had been told that their purpose there had something to do with a very important national security project. But that was all they had been told before flying to the island. It seemed that Tom was the one recruiter who had spilled the beans. David’s friends from his plane had already started to spread the word that this was about China, creating quite a bit of excitement.
The chatter hushed as a tall and very attractive Asian woman walked to the center of the classroom’s lowered stage. She wore black slacks and a sleeveless silk shirt. She looked out at the members of the audience and they looked back at her, silenced.
She said, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Red Cell. There are two reasons that you are here. First, to piece together what we collectively know about a planned Chinese attack on the United States.”
The statement drew a mix of shock and disbelief. A few shouted questions, but the woman held out her hands for silence.
She continued, “I know this is hard for most of you to believe. But I assure you it is real. I ask that you hold all of your questions until the end. I believe I will cover a lot of them right now, and we will be providing a lot of amplifying details into the night. But I say again, we have reason to believe that China is planning to attack the United States in some type of large-scale military operation within the next twelve to eighteen months.”
Shouts erupted from the room and, again, the woman held out her palms until people quieted down. David found her calm and confidence remarkable. “We’ll answer all questions in due time. The second reason you are all here is to actually develop plans for China to attack the United States. I know this sounds ludicrous at first, but hear me out. That is the main objective of a Red Cell. Because we don’t know exactly what the enemy will do, we want to be prepared for what they could do. Over the next three weeks, you will have no communication with the outside world. You will work from early in the morning until late at night. And it will be crucially important work.”
She walked off the stage as she spoke. She stepped up the tiered levels of the classroom, careful to make eye contact with everyone in the room.
“We want you to collaborate and innovate. Do what you do best — find solutions to challenging problems. Each of you has been chosen because you are one of the top minds in your field. This is a highly selective program. You each have been handpicked for a certain relevant skill set. You should be proud of the service that you will perform for your country, although it will not be something that you can ever put on a resume.”
David watched as she marched back down the stairs and stood on the lower stage. She had perfect posture, tanned skin, and great muscle tone. She was very tall. He figured she must be five foot eleven. And she spoke with a captivating charisma that made it hard to take his eyes off her.
“Many of you had top secret clearances with our government or the military prior to arriving. Those of you who did not have been rushed an interim clearance. Normally that can take a year or more. But this was an exceptional case… and we’ve done our homework. Everyone has been quickly but fully vetted. When I’m done here, you will all file in to the next room to sign some admin papers, including a nondisclosure agreement. Nothing that goes on here will ever be made public. These sessions are classified at the highest level.”
She stood completely still. Every pause seemed to signify the importance of what she was saying.
“Secrecy is not our only priority. We want the work here to be of the very best quality. It must be. You have authority from the highest levels of our government to share any and all knowledge gained from your prior work experience in order to ensure that we take every possible consideration into account on this project. You will all be free to discuss anything with each other, regardless of classification level, to achieve our ultimate goal of protecting the United States.”