'That's an understatement, ' Steve said. 'But I haven't told them anything other than it's going to be big.'
'It's going to be like the Turner Diaries coming true, ' Curt chortled.
He was referring to his favorite novel, one widely circulated among the violent far right. In it the protagonist, Turner, started a general rebellion by bombing the FBI Headquarters in Washington, D. C.
Curt was feeling euphoric over his luck in having a weapon of mass destruction dropped into his lap.
Now he finally had the power to strike back appropriately and dramatically at the government. Those Zionist bastards in Washington were going to learn the hard way that they shouldn't make war on their own citizens with the FBI and the a.T.F a la Ruby Ridge and Waco, nor should they conspire to take away people's cherished rights such as the right to bear arms, nor should they have backed abortion, gay rights, or affirmative action, or tolerated miscegenation. On top of all that was the illegality of the IRS and support for the United Nations. The list was almost endless.
Curt shook his head when he thought how far the government had wandered from its constitutional mandate. It deserved what was coming. Of course there were going to be civilian casualties. But that couldn't be avoided. After all, there had even been civilian casualties in the American Revolution. Like the 'shot heard around the world, ' Operation Wolverine was going to be momentous, and if it succeeded in ushering in the new 'Fifth Era' the way the Battle of Bunker Hill augered the birth of a new government, he realized he would probably be considered a kind of modern-day George Washington. It was all almost too heady to contemplate.
'A general revolt could start before we reach the West Coast, ' Steve said. 'All the militias are waiting for some sign to start coordinated action. Even if only half the people Yuri expects die with Operation Wolverine, this could be it.'
'I was just thinking along the same lines, ' Curt said. A self-satisfied smile spread across his face as he imagined how he'd be lionized on the far right's Internet bulletin boards.
'If there is a general uprising, ' Steve continued, 'I think we should hole up in Michigan. From what I've learned the militias there are the most organized. It would be the safest place.'
'How have you planned for us to get out of the city? ' Curt asked.
'By a PATH train from the World Trade Center, ' Steve explained. 'As soon as we get back to the station after we've planted the stuff we quit. We walk into the captain's office and say sayonara.'
'He's going to blow his top, ' Curt said. He'd not heard about this part of the plan and hadn't given it much thought.
'It can't be helped, ' Steve said. 'We have to get out of the city, particularly after Yuri does his laydown, which he says he's going to do at the same time we do ours. I don't feel as confident as he does that it's just going to blow over the Upper East Side.'
'That's a good point, ' Curt said. 'But why don't we just disappear?
Why say anything to anybody? '
'Because that would cause too much attention, ' Steve explained. 'They'd be looking for us right away, maybe even worried we'd been the victims of foul play. Yuri says that using a bio-weapon gives a two-to five-day delay until all hell breaks loose. I want us to be far away by then.'
'I guess you're right, ' Curt conceded.
'We'll tell the captain we've had it with the bureaucracy and the lack of discipline. That won't be a l
We've both been complaining how the department has been deteriorating.'
'What if the captain says he's not going to accept our resignations? '
'What is he going to do?'
' Steve asked. 'Put us in leg irons? '
'I guess not, ' Curt said. He still felt uncomfortable about having to face an irate captain. 'But maybe we should give this part some more thought.'
'Fine by me, ' Steve said. 'As long as we're on a PATH train to New Jersey ASAP, I don't really care what we tell anybody. I'm confident of our getaway.
I've got an old pickup truck over there in a garage near the first stop. That's going to take us to the first safe house, in Pennsylvania. There I've arranged for another vehicle. In fact, we'll be using a different vehicle after each stop.'
'I like that, ' Curt said.
Curt turned into the Duane Street firehouse and pulled the car to the side so it didn't block any of the gleaming red fire trucks. He and Steve locked eyes for a moment and gave each other a thumbsup.
'Operation Wolverine is on track, ' Curt said.
'Armageddon here we come, ' Steve said.
As the two men alighted from the vehicle, Bob King, one of the latest recruits, looked up from polishing engine #7. 'Hey, Lieutenant! ' he called.
Curt gazed over at the rookie and raised his eyebrows.
'There was a cabbie in here a little while ago asking for you, ' Bob yelled. 'He was a short, squat guy with an accent that sounded Russian.' Curt glanced at Steve. Steve stared back, aghast.
Obviously he didn't like this news any better than Curt did. There'd been an understanding that Yuri was never supposed to come to the fire station. Their contact had been limited to phone calls and meetings at the White Pride bar.
'What did he want? ' Curt asked hoarsely. He had to clear his throat.
With an operation of this magnitude, slipups were unacceptable.
'He wants you to call him, ' Bob said. 'He seemed disappointed you weren't here.'
'What did you do to him? ' another firefighter called out from behind the truck. 'Forget to tip him? '
Laughter erupted from a group of four firemen playing cards near the juncture of the firehouse and the sidewalk. The overhead doors were open to the October afternoon.
'Did he leave his name or phone number? ' Curt asked.
'Nope, ' Bob said. 'He just said to have you call him. I thought you'd know who he was.'
'I haven't the slightest idea, ' Curt said.
'Well, maybe he'll be back, ' Bob said.
Curt motioned for Steve to follow him. They climbed the stairs to the living quarters. Curt pushed into the men's room. Once inside, he checked the stalls and the shower to make sure they were alone.
'I don't like this, ' Curt spat in a forced whisper. 'What the hell did he come here for? '
'I told you the guy was a kook, ' Steve said.
Curt paced back and forth like a caged animal. He had his mildly prognathous jaw clamped shut. He couldn't believe Yuri could have been so stupid.
'I'm worried the guy is a kind of a loose cannon, ' Steve said. 'I think we have to have a talk with him.
At the same time, I'd like to see some proof that he hasn't been taking us for a ride.' Curt nodded as he paced, then stopped. 'All right, ' he said. 'After work we'll go by his house in Brighton Beach. We'll talk some sense into him about security. Then we'll demand to see his lab and demand some proof he's doing what he says he's doing.'
'Do you know his address? ' Steve asked.
'Fifteen Oceanview Lane, ' Curt said.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 18
12:30 P. M. 'Knock, knock, ' a voice called.
Both Jack and Chet looked up from their desks to see Agnes Finn, the head of the microbiology lab, standing in the doorway.
'I feel like this is deja ZJU, ' Agnes said. 'Unfortunately it's a kind of vu I don't like.' She had a tentative smile on her usually dour face.
Her statement was the closest Jack had ever heard her come to humor.
She was clutching a piece of paper in her hand.
Jack knew instantly what deja vu she was referring to. Three years previously, when he'd made the shocking diagnosis of plague in a curious infectious case, she'd made it a point to bring the confirming results personally.
