Odessa’s cyber team in Berlin was second to none. Consisting of Germans, Iranians, Russians, and North Koreans, the personnel were some of the best in the world at cyber warfare.
First, they found a Freedom of Information Act disclosure from two years prior when the previous administration took office. The president had ordered a financial review of all U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. Several American news outlets had made the FOIA request in order to look for wasteful spending by Washington.
Odessa’s cyber squad found the accounting for the Baku facility, which revealed an annually renewable contract with Euroclima Kombi Servis, one of the largest HVAC contractors in Azerbaijan. Wagner immediately set about to duplicate the uniforms and work trucks of Euroclima so his team could use them as cover. Next, he instructed the cyber squad to intercept the embassy’s facility manager’s phone call to Euroclima’s offices. A repair crew would be dispatched, only they’d consist solely of Odessa operatives.
The next matter to be addressed was the HVAC system’s schematics. In order to have sufficient DATS devices filled with sarin to blanket the facility, the location of the ductwork needed to be determined without reviewing the system in advance.
Once again, the team of cyber experts did their homework. The floor plan was obtained from a published inspection report in 2015 by the Office of Inspector General. It had been marked sensitive, but not classified. The document provided significant detail to the operatives on manpower levels, facility management, and most importantly, with a little additional research, a floor plan.
Wagner sent the floor plan to an HVAC contractor in Berlin owned by Knight Gruppe known as Systemair GmbH. The company’s technicians developed a schematic of how a new HVAC system would be installed, including ductwork. With this information, they were able to identify the key locations within the system to install and deploy the sarin delivery devices. The devices were set to release the nerve agent when the air temperature reached sixty-eight degrees.
The temperature was an important aspect of the operation, so Wagner had the cyber team determine when the original system may have been installed. The last work permit issued by the Baku building officials related to HVAC was 2001. The technicians at Systemair advised Wagner that the air handlers were most likely connected to an older Honeywell EMM3U zone board designed to deliver warm or cool air to the parts of the building that needed it the most.
This older zone board would be replaced by a new True Zone panel, which would require programing by the central office of Euroclima. Instead, it would be programmed by Odessa’s cyber squad. On command, the cyber team would activate the system and monitor the temperatures. Wagner’s operatives would forewarn the embassy personnel that the cold air was necessary, temporarily, to ensure the system’s functionality. In reality, it was designed to trigger the DATS devices to release the sarin.
Once the air temp hit sixty-eight degrees, then the fire-suppression system would be triggered. The result would be a thorough coating of all embassy personnel, inside and out, with the deadly sarin nerve agent.
“After we’ve cleared the building and removed ourselves from the area surrounding the embassy, I will set things in motion. As a final coup de grâce, I have a sniper atop the Amrah Bank building to fire several shots at the embassy entrance.
“Again, on my orders, the cyber team will issue an immediate lockdown of the embassy and close all methods of ingress or egress to the building. Because of the embassy’s location in proximity to the Middle East, following the attacks on the U.S. Embassy facilities in Benghazi, Libya, extraordinary protection protocols were put into place to protect personnel in the event of an attack. We will take advantage of this.
“The occupants will be unable to exit. If they attempt to flee to the rooftop via the fire escapes, they will be soaked with the chemical agents spewing from the sprinklers overhead.”
Wagner’s cell phone had been buzzing in his pocket for the last minute. However, he didn’t want to interrupt the briefing, so he ignored the call. Now that he’d outlined the mission for his operatives, he was prepared to take questions, but he decided to see who was incessantly trying to reach him.
He studied the display. It was Odessa’s call center in Berlin. He furrowed his brow as he wondered why they would be attempting to reach him so urgently. He hoped there hadn’t been a change in his mission.
“Yes,” he answered.
“Sir, an urgent matter for the Beast.”
The Beast was Wagner’s code name when being contacted via upper-level channels of Odessa. It was a name he’d adopted since he’d left the employment of the KSK. His grandfather, Gustav Wagner, had been an Austrian member of the SS who acted as deputy commander of the extermination camp in German-occupied Poland. Gustav Wagner’s penchant for brutality had earned him the moniker the Beast. His grandson proudly adopted it.
“Yes. I’m listening.” Wagner slipped out of the room and walked to the end of the hallway where he could be alone.
“Von Zwick? Are you certain?”
He listened to the response. “Yes. Um-hmm. Yes.”
Wagner rubbed his temple as he considered the information given to him on the line. “Brandt provided this information personally?”
He listened again before issuing his orders.
“Dispatch two teams. Track, follow, and assassinate von Zwick. I want photos to confirm the kill.”
He listened as the caller confirmed his orders.
“Yes, of course. Kill the Americans. No witnesses. Macht schnell!” Hurry up!
Chapter Nineteen
Bundesautobahn 24
Northern Germany
“I feel the need for speed!” shouted Bear as he pressed his sizable foot on the gas pedal of the BMW M5. The powerful motor forced the Bimmer sedan forward as it entered the autobahn, easily reaching a hundred miles per hour in seconds.
The clicking of Cam’s seatbelt in the back seat could be heard
