Gunner picked up on her response. “Do you mean that only some of the research departments are held accountable?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How are the others funded?” he asked.
Jackal responded, “Woods Hole has an annual operating budget in excess of two hundred million dollars. They have environmentalist foundations and private donors throwing money at them.”
Gunner ran his fingers through his hair and glanced at Cam. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Follow the money?” she replied rhetorically.
Gunner nodded. “Yeah. Most times, there’s a financial interest of some kind pulling the strings. Forget about the contents of the canisters for a moment, although we are pretty much aware of its destructive capability. There’s clearly a black market for weapons of mass destruction in any form, including chemical and biological.”
Ghost stepped forward. “Are you suggesting Woods Hole is profiting from the sale of this stuff?”
“Not necessarily,” replied Gunner. “Or at least the institution itself is not. However, the person who tipped off this salvage operation may be. Consider how sophisticated they were. We were on the scene pretty quick. Before we arrived at the wreckage, they cleaned out the entire hull of these canisters and hauled them back to their ship before offloading the cargo into two airplanes prepared to fly in stealth mode to points unknown. That takes more than quick planning. I’m suggesting these guys were ready for this already.”
“Okay,” began Ghost. “I can see where you’re going. But how do the benefactors of Woods Hole come into this?”
“It’s a long shot, but we’ve got nothing else to go on at this point,” Gunner explained. “What if someone at Woods Hole knew this U-boat was missing and that it held the canisters in its cargo hold?”
“You follow the money,” Cam repeated her thought from earlier. “Let’s research the financial records of the people at Woods Hole who were first made aware of the situation. Tap into their phone records, bank accounts, everything.”
“I can do that,” said Jackal.
“Also, call me crazy,” said Gunner. “But look into their benefactors. If I were searching for sunken treasure consisting of chemical weapons, I’d consider using an above-reproach source for cover. I’d keep a guy on the inside to notify me when something is found.”
“This is a long list, Gunner,” said Jackal.
Gunner grimaced. “I know, and I recognize you guys don’t need to run off on a wild-goose chase. Do it your way, but I have a suggestion. Don’t start with the more recent donors. Start with the oldest.”
“Why’s that?” asked Ghost.
“This U-boat left with its Nazi crew sometime in forty-four to forty-five, most likely. Obviously, it never made it to its destination. It’s possible someone has been looking for its cargo for a long time.”
Chapter Seven
The Den
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
The team finished their briefing, and Ghost had dismissed Gunner. He was about to leave the Den to join Cam and Bear, who awaited him to have lunch, when Jackal stopped him. “Gunner, can I talk to you for a minute before you take off?”
Gunner noticed the serious look on her face. He lowered his voice as he spoke. “Hey, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” she replied. “This will just take a moment, but we need to talk in private.”
Gunner stuck his head out the door. “Hey, guys, I need a few minutes. Where do you wanna go?”
“Mission BBQ,” replied Bear. Mission BBQ had opened its doors for business on September 11, 2011, ten years following the attack on America by Islamic terrorists. The patriot-themed restaurant was a favorite of soldiers and first responders in the area. The restaurant’s motto was Proudly Serving Those Who Serve.
“I’ll meet you there,” said Gunner as he followed Jackal into a small conference room located inside the Den. After he closed the door behind them, he asked, “What’s up?”
“Colonel Robinson’s chickens are coming home to roost,” she replied.
U.S. Army Colonel Maxwell Robinson was the Department of Defense’s appointed liaison between NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian Space Agency, during joint missions related to the International Space Station.
He had been on duty at NASA’s Mission Control in Houston when a mysterious communication blackout occurred between the ISS and Houston for a period of nine hours. When the communication uplink was restored, the Russian commander of the space station informed Houston that a tragic accident took the life of a rookie astronaut, Heather Fox, Gunner’s wife.
The official account was that space debris had dislodged one of the ISS antennas. Heather was unexpectedly called upon to join two Russian cosmonauts on her first spacewalk to deal with the damage. While she was assisting the Russians outside the ISS, NASA was told her tethered lifeline had been dislodged accidentally, and she was therefore unable to return to the space station.
The tragic loss of Heather Fox was mourned by NASA, America, and especially Gunner, who remained bitter for years. He was angry that she was sent on the spacewalk to begin with. Then the lack of transparency on the part of the Russians and NASA frustrated him as he demanded answers.
It wasn’t until he was aboard the Starhopper en route to a planned diversion of Asteroid IM86 that he not only learned the truth about what happened to his wife that day, but that the Russian cosmonauts responsible for her death were on board the spaceship with him.
In the process of defending himself in a fight for his life, he exacted his revenge on the Russians and learned that Colonel Robinson had been duplicitous in the coverup. He had a score to settle with Robinson, but Gunner understood revenge was a dish best served cold.
After his mission into space, Gunner had discussed Robinson’s involvement with Jackal, who vowed to use all of her resources to help bring the deceitful colonel to justice. Gunner had placed his need for revenge out of his mind, opting instead to hold onto the fond memories of his times together with Heather. Now Jackal had an update for
