Then gunshots rang out. He drew his firearm and raced toward the gate. Chaos ensued within the compound as frightened people collided with FBI agents, who ran toward the source of the gunfire, weapons drawn, searching for the gunman.
Gunner arrived after several of the agents did, and he immediately holstered his weapon. Cam and Bear came racing up to him from the rear.
“Did you get one of them?” she immediately asked.
“No, not me,” he replied. He craned his neck to get a better look. “I don’t know what happened. That’s a kid lying on the street.”
“I’ll find out,” said Bear, who shoved his way through the investigators until he reached the gate. A minute later, he returned with a report.
“So?” asked Cam.
Bear sighed as he explained, “Idiots. Their military is out of control. This kid was selling pretzels and pastries on the street. One of these trigger-happy dumbasses thought he had a gun in his hand. Three shots to the chest. Incompetent fools.”
Gunner turned back toward the park and looked for the man in the ball cap. He hadn’t gotten a good enough look at him to identify any facial features. His reaction was based purely on instinct, so he debated whether it was worth chasing after the man.
So he let it go.
Wagner messaged his team and instructed them to meet him back at Tesla Park. He’d seen his target face-to-face. He had been ready to draw his weapon and take the shot even though there were people and chain-link fencing preventing a clear shot.
Then came the distraction. Unlike his adversary, he never took his eyes off the target. Eyes on the prize, he’d always said. However, in the split second he had to think about it, his brain, like a high-speed microcomputer, analyzed the ramifications of his shooting the American.
Even if he was successful, any operator worth his salt would tie the shooting to the failed hit in Germany. Then it was easy enough to tie both of those to the embassy attack. Why else would all the parties be in the same proximity?
Wagner had pulled back to protect the overall mission. There was no need to compromise the bigger picture for the sake of taking out the American operatives who’d been chasing their tails around Europe. He was proud of his decision to walk away, and he mentally patted himself on the back as he arrived at the monument honoring Tesla.
The present is theirs. The future is mine, right, Nikola?
Part III
We do not fear the unknown.
We fear what we think about the unknown.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The Den
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
“Welcome back,” said Ghost with a smile as Gunner was the first to arrive for what portended to be a daylong briefing complete with guests. “Did you get some sleep?”
Gunner nodded and gave his mentor a thumbs-up. “Truthfully, I crashed seconds after takeoff from Camp Bondsteel.” Camp Bondsteel was one of the largest U.S.-built military bases in Europe. Occupied by U.S. forces in addition to those from five Eastern European nations, the nearly thousand-acre base in Kosovo served as the headquarters for the multinational task force designed to keep the Russians in check.
“We have lots to discuss, and by the end of the day, I’ll be ready to brief the president.”
“Jackal told me we’ll be gathering in the large conference room. That means outsiders, right?”
Ghost motioned for Gunner to take a seat. As he did, Cam and Bear arrived together. After exchanging greetings with the head of Gray Fox, they settled into their chairs to learn what the day had in store for them.
“As I was about to explain, I have to brief the president, his chief of staff, and the national security team tomorrow at oh eight hundred. Just like us, they’re gonna be looking for any connection between the discovered U-boat and what happened at the embassy.
“Of course, as is always the case, the White House is going to expect me to whip out the crystal ball and tell them what’s supposed to happen next.”
“Politicians have no clue,” mumbled Cam.
“That’s true, but presidents, regardless of background, aren’t very receptive to I don’t knows or I’ll get back to yous.”
“Who’s coming in today?” asked Gunner.
Ghost leaned forward in his chair and slid three briefing booklets to his team. “Jackal has prepared these outlines for you. The materials were too voluminous to provide you hard copies of everything, so you’ll need to access the server through your secured portals. The information on the server will be supplemented by materials brought to us first by Professor Kala Bale from William & Mary. Later, we’ll be briefed by Dr. Harper Randolph and Dr. Li Kwon from DARPA.”
“A full day,” commented Cam.
“Yes,” agreed Ghost. “I’m very anxious to hear from our resources. Professor Bale plans on providing credible background on the U-boat, and Dr. Randolph has identified our chemical agent.”
“So you know?” asked Cam.
“It’s been confirmed as sarin,” Ghost replied. “It has some interesting traits that she’ll explain when they arrive just after lunch. In the meantime, let’s head to the conference room so we can bring each other up to speed. As you’ll see, Jackal has practically moved in there. I’ve had to force her to leave the building to go home. One night, security notified me she went to her car, watched me drive away, and then returned right back into the building. How can I dress her down for that?”
Bear laughed. “Just don’t let her operate any heavy machinery.”
“Or go to the weapons range,” added Cam.
Ghost nodded in agreement and then shrugged. “I’ll say this for Jackal. Her mind is as sharp as a tack, and she’s got a really good handle on what appears to be a hell of an international network. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Ghost led the trio through the operations center, down a
