“It doesn’t matter,” interjected Wagner. “It’s not likely we’ll use this method again. Now, tell me about the primary deployment device.”
“We are still assembling it, but rest assured it will be ready. The dry-pipe valve required some retrofitting by our welder, but it is coming along nicely.”
“I don’t want any delays!” said Wagner forcefully. He was feeling the time pressure.
“We will not delay you, Herr Wagner,” Kaspar said sarcastically. “We are not playing with toys here. The devices must be airtight, or your team will die before they enter the building.”
Wagner sighed but didn’t apologize for his outburst. In fact, he’d never apologized to anyone in his life. He’d sooner die than admit a mistake.
“In my mind, the primary deployment mechanism operates separately from the secondary devices you’ve shown me. They both back up each other, but should do the job if initiated independently. Have we achieved this goal?”
“Yes. The primary device assigned to the embassy’s fire-suppression system is sufficient to wash everyone in the building with sarin. Likewise, the temperature-triggered DATS sensors will flood the breathable air with sarin. Operating in concert, the two methods will thoroughly coat anyone in the building both internally and externally.”
Wagner managed a smile and muttered, “Sehr gut.” Very good.
Chapter Eighteen
Odessa Science Facility
Greater Caucasus Mountains
Gabala, Azerbaijan
Over the next few hours, the members of Wagner’s team who were involved in the embassy attack made their way into Einstein for a final briefing. There were several others whose physical presence was not required but who performed critical functions nonetheless. He was anxious to bring in his new recruits to attend one of his briefings along with the men and women he’d worked beside for years. If there was synergy between the operatives to his satisfaction, he’d use them around the world as the mission dictated.
“This will be our last opportunity to discuss the overall mission as a group. This team needs to know there are others involved and that the ease with which you are able to perform your duties is owed to them. I believe in a team effort. We are all professionals, and preplanning will ensure our success.
“There is a new wrinkle. I will be joining you tomorrow to implement the plan. My presence on the ground during this operation should reiterate the importance of what we will be accomplishing. Now, enough of the pep talk. Let us walk through the mechanics.”
Wagner stepped to the front of the conference room to a whiteboard. He grabbed a marker and wrote the word cyber at the far-left corner of the board.
“Our people have already found a vulnerability in the embassy’s fire-suppression system. They are ready, on my orders, to disable the fire alarm and create a two-hour gap in which the central alarm interface is inactive. This should be more than enough time to deploy our primary device.” He paused as he wrote the words dry-pipe valve on the whiteboard.
“This will be the most time-consuming part of the operation. Through our team’s online research, we have obtained a copy of the permit issued by the local municipality to MARZ, LLC, a fire-suppression contractor in Baku. In 2008, Marz installed a dry-pipe sprinkler system that provides piping and automatic sprinklers to every room in the building.
“Essentially, the water supply, whether from the municipality or through a fire department connection, connects to a gate valve to control the flow of water. It then travels through a dry-pipe valve, which is the key to system activation. A properly functioning dry-pipe valve prevents the water supply from entering the pressurized network of pipes until it’s needed.
“We have obtained a replacement valve and retrofitted it to include a water-soluble bladder inside. When the sprinkler system is triggered, the water supply will flow across this bladder, immediately dissolving it. The water will then mix with the sarin nerve agent and be distributed throughout the facility.
“It is vitally important that the team responsible for this task notify me as soon as your work is complete. I expect the ventilation team to be finished before you. Therefore, once this is in place, our cyber professionals will set things in motion. Are we clear?”
Wagner studied the three-man team responsible for the work on the sprinkler system. They had the most difficult task, so he planned on spending time with them to make sure they didn’t fail. The fire-suppression equipment was located in the basement of the embassy, but the main air handlers were located in a utility room on the ground floor. The repairmen had no reason to be in the basement other than to check the furnace. That should be expected, but not for the time needed to swap out the dry valves.
He turned back to the whiteboard. On the right side, he wrote the letters HVAC, the internationally recognized acronym for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems.
“Your task is far easier but requires more interaction with agency personnel. Let’s cover the high points of your task, and then we’ll discuss how to deal with curious or chatty employees.”
On the whiteboard, he wrote the acronym DATS. “We have six of these devices to be inserted into specific sections of ductwork in the embassy. You have photographs of them in your handout materials, and the fabricated work order will have the locations where they are to be inserted.
“We were unable to find the actual schematics for the HVAC system, but we believe we’ve reproduced them to the best of our ability given the time allowed.”
Wagner was glad this aspect of the mission didn’t
