“What else do you need to know?” Hawk asked. “If Alex says it’s solid, you can bank on that.”
“We need to verify that’s where the weapon is, preferably by some high-ranking officer in Al Hasib.”
“What about the highest ranking officer?” Blunt asked.
“Karif Fazil?” Fortner asked. “If we can kill two birds with one stone here, I’d tell you to do just about anything. Fazil’s head would be a nice trophy, not to mention it’d help Noah Young’s chances at winning the presidency.”
“That seems rather ambitious,” Hawk said. “I’m not sure we’d be able to pull that off so quickly, especially given the time crunch we’re facing. Supposing Alex is right, as soon as this weapon goes live in the Strait of Hormuz, things are going to get ugly. And our degree of difficulty increases significantly.”
“Look, I get what you’re saying, Hawk,” Fortner began, “but as troubling as an incident as this could become, venturing into Iran’s domain to eliminate a threat that they might be welcoming for various political reasons will put our country in a difficult predicament. Besides, this potential threat by Al Hasib is wreaking havoc with the financial market, not about killing people.”
“That shouldn’t detract from the urgency in this case,” Hawk said. “We don’t know what Al Hasib could be planning next. This could just be the first domino to fall in their plans.”
“Plans we can only speculate about,” Colton chimed in.
“Enough, Tom,” Blunt said. “We know you’re just hoping this whole thing blows over because you’re going to get raked over the coals if it comes out that your faulty security measures allowed this to happen.”
“So, what? The general is still right. We need to verify before we storm in there and ruffle a bunch of feathers in the Middle East. Isn’t that the whole reason this team exists?”
“It is,” Hawk said. “We’re supposed to be doing things behind the scenes to avoid any big international incidents. It’s why time is of the essence if we’re going to keep this situation from ever escalating to that point.”
“I think we can do both,” Alex said.
“Get verification and prevent this from happening?” Hawk asked. “You know something I don’t?”
Alex winked at Hawk. “Of course I do. How do you feel about a trip to Cuba?”
“Guantanamo Bay?” Fortner asked. “Do you know what kind of hoops I’d have to jump through to grant you access there?”
“I’m sure you can handle it,” she said.
“And what exactly is the type of information you expect to get out of a bunch of incarcerated terrorists who’ve been there for months, if not years?” Hawk asked.
“This won’t be about the kind of information we can get,” she said. “It’s going to be about the kind of information we can give.”
Hawk studied her closely but remained quiet.
“Let’s get out of here,” Alex said to Blunt. “Hawk and I have a plane to catch.”
CHAPTER 3
NOAH YOUNG CRACKED HIS KNUCKLES as he hovered over a report strewn across his desk. He could feel the sweat begin to bead on his forehead. Ever since President Michaels’s shocking death at Camp David a week ago, Young’s life had been a blur. He took center stage in the nation just two days ago, speaking at Michaels’s funeral. Young had struggled to find meaningful and honest words about his predecessor, but he cobbled together a eulogy that was sufficiently comforting and heart warming while remaining truthful. Yet the fourty-eight hours that separated the funeral and the present felt like a lifetime ago.
While Michaels’s funeral arrangements were being organized, there was a more pressing matter to the country: How to handle the election. The opposing party vehemently opposed a lengthy delay. Their candidate, James Peterson, had ginned up their voter base and was leading by a substantial margin in the polls. Michaels’s popularity had waned, but there was still strong public support for Young.
As a former war hero, Young possessed credentials that would force Peterson to answer questions which would’ve remained buried had Michaels been the opponent. Young flew fighter jets and served in the first Gulf War, while Peterson—Young’s elder by a couple decades—used his father’s senate connections to earn a draft deferment, not once but three times. Young passed bills that empowered the middle class, while Peterson amassed a fortune through his tech company. Nevertheless, Peterson utilized slick messaging and a prolific speaking schedule to hammer home his simple slogan: A New Era is Dawning.
Critics and foes alike mocked Peterson for his catchphrase, but it didn’t seem to matter to the masses. In a country where the word restless could describe the constant state of most voters, Peterson seized on this and further agitated citizens who considered themselves most likely to go to the polls. Peterson ditched conventional thinking in attempting to appeal to undecided voters as the election drew nigh, instead opting for a closing campaign that spoke to the concerns of the people who would be casting ballots. And Peterson was winning big.
Young agreed on the spot when his party’s leadership asked that he run. Despite Young not being the strongest possible candidate, every political expert acknowledged he would be the only person strong enough to halt Peterson’s momentum before the election. But it wouldn’t be an easy task in such a short amount of time.
The term “constitutional crisis” was used ad nauseam as news analysts discussed how Congress would handle the impending election. Would the election be rescheduled? If so, for how long? Or were there no provisions for a case such as a major party’s nominee sudden death in the short weeks before the first Tuesday in November? The questions bandied about were answered quickly amidst a bitter partisan debate in Congress. The compromise came in the form of a law allowing for a one-month delay in order to maintain the dates for the electoral college voting and the subsequent inauguration in January.
But flipping through the preliminary polling reports, Young couldn’t deny he needed help.
