Harper shook her head. “Pardon the pun, but the sky’s the limit. If we are correct in our assumptions regarding the U.S. Embassy, the terrorist organization responsible for this has vast resources and capabilities. They could choose any of these methods of dissemination, or all of them.”
Gunner succinctly laid out their priority. “Then, as you guys at DARPA like to say, we have to focus on left of boom.” In military terms, left of boom refers to the moments before an explosion or attack, a period of time when their focus was to avert a crisis, not react to it.
“Okay, let’s talk about left of boom,” said Ghost.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The Den
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
“The problem with left of boom is we have no confirmed suspects other than the ghosts of Nazis past,” lamented Cam.
Jackal sat up in her chair and rested her arms on the table as she made eye contact with all the attendees. “Okay, it’s my turn, and I hope you understand, Harper and Kwon, I’m not some conspiratorial nutjob. I firmly believe we need to focus on this Odessa theory. That the Nazis escaped Germany in order to create a revitalized Reich.”
“You know I respect you, but I have to question if that’s even possible,” countered Bear. “I mean, they’re all dead.”
“True, but their offspring live on,” Jackal explained her position. “Think about the first attack on the World Trade Center. It took place in 1993. Those Islamic terrorists were not deterred and showed patience as they planned for a second attempt in 2001. We know how that turned out.”
“But nearly eighty years later?” questioned Bear.
“Hatred doesn’t die with its leader,” Gunner said matter-of-factly. His words had a profound effect on the room as everyone pause to consider their meaning.
“Perhaps they were waiting for the right opportunity to show themselves,” added Ghost. “A rebirth, so to speak. Rising from the ashes to strike out at their enemies. America. Maybe England and France.”
“Exactly,” said Gunner. “Besides the usual Middle Eastern terror suspects, a group like Odessa, if they are truly organized and funded, would have motive to attack Western interests.”
“Are you thinking revenge?” asked Cam.
“Sure,” Gunner said with a shrug.
“Or that might be another angle,” Harper interjected. “Consider this for a moment. The Nazis rose to power in Germany, in part, because of demographic upheavals following the Spanish flu of 1918 through 1920.
“Europe was looking to recover from World War I and it gets socked in the mouth with influenza, the originally designated H1N1. Germany was especially hard hit with large death tolls, profound economic dislocations, and political uncertainty.
“This combination resulted in a shock to the system, so to speak. It all came during a time when Germany was experiencing a rise in nationalist political movements that sought to reverse a move toward international economic and political linkages.”
“Globalism,” interjected Jackal.
“Exactly. After the Spanish flu burned itself out, the national socialist party began to form under the influence of Hitler. In fact, years later when elections were held in 1933, the dislocation of the German populace to less-effected parts of Europe due to the Spanish flu, coupled with the many deaths, had a strong relationship to the number of votes Hitler’s party received. As a result, he became chancellor, and the rest is history.”
“The pandemic brought about regime change to bolster the socialist movement,” commented Gunner. “It almost happened here.”
“Right,” said Harper. “I’m suggesting that it doesn’t necessarily take a pandemic to cause upheaval in a nation’s political system. It can also happen through the use of terrorism. Based upon Jackal’s calculations, Odessa, or whoever is in control of the sarin, has the ability to attack America in a variety of ways. Not only could they potentially kill millions, but they could destroy confidence in our critical infrastructure, law enforcement, and government institutions.”
“The whole country could sink into economic and societal collapse,” said Gunner.
Ghost summed it up. “One of the goals of terrorism is to destroy the public’s sense of security in places familiar or otherwise perceived as safe. When they feel unsafe, they look to government to protect them. If government fails, then the system loses the confidence of the people and you have upheaval.”
“You see?” asked Jackal rhetorically. “This is why it all makes sense. Look at my ER. I’ve connected the dots. There have always been strong ties to Nazi Germany in all aspects of the United States government. Operation Paperclip, the secretive program carried out by Army CIC, brought thousands of scientists, engineers, and technicians from the Reich into America. Literally thousands!
“It doesn’t stop there. Large parts of Wall Street and our financial sector have been controlled by families who once supported the Nazis, including the Rockefellers. Heck, ancestors of the Bush family remained on the boards of directors of Nazi shell corporations even after they were exposed.” Jackal was passionate as she spoke, her fiery Italian heritage leading the charge as she continued.
“When the war ended, Washington reached across the Atlantic like a greedy child wanting the fries off a sibling’s plate. They pulled as many fries out of Germany as their paws could hold, the consequences be damned. The result was a stronghold of former Nazi sympathizers in this country who got a pass because of their technological skills. Just because they got new jobs paid by different employers didn’t mean they’d abandoned their old ideologies. They just kept them hidden from view.”
Kwon studied Jackal and nodded his head in respect. “You believe Odessa is real and they are out there plotting as we speak.”
“Abso-damn-lutely.”
Ghost set his hands on the table and clasped them together. “Every terrorist organization needs funding. The attack on the U.S. Embassy was planned and executed with remarkable speed. That can only be accomplished by a group with extraordinary resources, both in terms of personnel and monetarily.”
“Which takes us back to the original task,” added Gunner.
“Follow the money,” he and Jackal said in unison,
