While his two men completed the installation of the new dry valve and slowly opened the water supply to the fire-suppression system, Wagner checked in with his team. Everyone had finished their part of the mission and were making their way out of the building. The two men in the utility room had finished bypassing the control panel so the individual thermostats would control the HVAC units. He instructed the DATS installers to contact him once they were at their trucks so they could provide him the locations of the thermostats. It took seven minutes for the rest of the team to exit the building while Wagner stood watch over the two men in the basement.
Azizov joined Wagner in the hallway. “All done, sir. We’re ready to pull out.”
Wagner turned to the other man and instructed him to leave. “Azizov, there are two thermostats to be set, and then we have to make one final adjustment in the utility room. I need you to change the one on the upper level, and I will handle the main level. Then we’ll meet up by the air handlers to finish the job.”
“Sir, something has changed, yes?” he asked.
“The control panel was defective, and we didn’t have time to obtain a backup. We can manually set the system in motion and still have three minutes to exit the building.”
Azizov scowled. “That will be a very tight timeframe.”
“That’s why I chose you to help. You have impressed me. I can trust you to perform as required.”
Azizov still appeared skeptical, but he nodded his understanding. “Where do I go?”
Wagner gave the young man directions to the second floor and the location of the wall-mounted thermostat. He instructed Azizov to set them to sixty-five degrees and to waste no time joining him in the utility room near the back of the building on the first floor.
The three men made their way out of the basement and split up in their separate directions. Wagner quickly set the main level thermostat and surreptitiously slipped into the utility room. Once inside, he scanned the space for a weapon other than the screwdriver he held in his pocket. Azizov was younger and more agile than the bulky Wagner. He didn’t have time to struggle with the Turkish operative, as the sarin would be dispersed through the ductwork within minutes.
On a series of plastic shelves set against one wall was a red steel toolbox. Wagner opened it and lifted out the tray in hopes of finding a claw hammer, a tool he’d used as a weapon before. He found something that would work just as well.
He heard footsteps approaching the door. He gripped his weapon and moved quickly behind the door to get into position. As he readied himself, he used his right thumb to adjust the rotating nut just below the slot of the pipe wrench’s jaw. As the door slowly opened, the jaws separated farther, creating a sharp, U-shaped opening.
Wagner didn’t hesitate. The moment Azizov’s skull was in view, he swung his arm back and struck the man in the back of the head with the open jaws of the pipe wrench. The top jaw embedded in the operative’s skull and stuck. Azizov, stunned and in agony, dropped to his knees.
Wagner kicked the young man in the back, knocking him forward until he landed face-first on the concrete. The maniacal German stomped on the man’s back with his right boot. Wagner then snatched the wrench out of the cracked skull and struck Azizov as hard as he could in the temple. The brain matter on the floor was a clear indication of the young man’s death.
Wagner closed his eyes momentarily and exhaled as he gathered himself. His red coveralls were covered with crimson blood splatter, but he had no time to change. He moved quickly out of the utility room and headed for the service area to exit the building. As instructed, two of the vans had already left the embassy compound, and the third was awaiting him with the motor running.
He jumped into the passenger seat and ordered the driver to go. Then he made calls using an encrypted cell phone. His first call was to the sniper team.
“Open fire. Repeat. Fire!”
The report of the rifle echoed down the streets surrounding the embassy. The reaction was immediate. Pedestrians and those awaiting access to the embassy either fell to the ground or ran for their lives. As predicted, the iron gates began to close as security personnel ran in all directions across the compound.
Wagner checked his watch. It had been just over four minutes since the thermostats had been set. At this point, the sarin-filled DATS devices would be triggered, and the deadly nerve agent would be seeping into the lungs of the one hundred thirteen embassy employees and support staff.
He checked his watch again. It had been sixty seconds since the snipers opened fire on the building, enough time for the lockdown mechanisms to take place. He made his next call to the cyber squad in Berlin.
“Initiate fire-suppression system. HVAC is not necessary. Fire suppression only. Now!”
As his driver sped away toward their escape vehicle, Wagner leaned his back against the headrest as he visualized the chaos and carnage inside the embassy. There was no need to stick around to see the fruits of his labor. Within days, the media would obtain photos of the dead and plaster them on internet forums and websites for the world to see. After all, virtually everything could be found on the internet.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Home of Professor von Zwick
Northern Germany near the Baltic Sea
“By my count, we’re still missing a couple of wounded, at least,” said Cam as she tore a strip of sheet from von Zwick’s bed to wrap a fresh bandage around her forearm wound. Gunner and Bear gently laid the man’s body on the floor and covered it with the bed’s comforter.
“Yeah. I want to find his documents, but
