Surrept (8 page)

Dana, moist with her own desires, runs her mouth up his stomach and over his chest lightly biting his nipple as she continues to his neck, then his lips. She kisses him deeply as she grabs his hair and pulling, slides herself over his torso, pressing herself to his face as her hips writhe.

He grips her ass and pulls her against his mouth as Dana locks her strong thighs to his head she releases a torrent of moans. She begins to buck like never before as David tastes her pleasure, she loosens her grip and falls beside him trying to catch her breath as her breasts rise and fall.

David lies there watching her as she breathes and finds himself above her looking into her blue eyes on fire. "What was that about?"

She reaches for him, looking up as she spreads her beautiful wings and pulls her man into all of her love for him like never before. They wrestle as one until the sun rises.

***

That morning the sun was shining as big white clouds filled the blue Denver sky. Washington Park was full of people starting their Sunday, walking their dogs, and taking in the fresh mountain air.

Adriana Pucci jogs briskly through the park, dodging the dogs and slower runners. She speeds by a bicyclist dressed in black runner's leggings, white Reeboks, and a gray Channel sweatshirt completed by a black and grey ball cap.

She adjusts her ear buds and checks her ponytail as she runs, every men's and women's attention is hers as she sprints with incredible ease through the city park surrounded by one of Denver's most historical neighborhoods. She looks confident, firm, and strong as she jets along the pathway and passes each human obstacle with ease in her long strides.

Adriana cuts across the parking area and comes to the street looking both ways as she crosses and heads down the sidewalk and stops at a coffee shop café. The patio is filled with patrons taking in the day outside under the umbrellas.

She removes her ear buds as she enters the cafe and heads for the coffee counter where a body-pierced barista greets her.

Adriana smiles at the barista. "An orange juice and a five shot espresso, no whip."

The barista gives the heated runner her orange juice and retreats to prepare her coffee. Adriana downs the orange juice and throws the bottle in the trash as the server returns with her espresso.

"That will be five thirty-seven, please."

Adriana fishes for some cash out of her hat and hands the girl a ten. "The change is for you guys." The girl smiles and thanks her as Adriana walks with her steaming brew to the patio and takes a seat among the morning crowd.

Several men take notice of her as she places her ear buds and scrolls for NPR radio. Adriana ignores their attention and looks across the street to the park, sipping at her cup. The familiar voice in her ear finishes their piece and the news comes on with a terrorist alert. The White House press secretary recites the press release with an urgent tone.

Adriana listens to the broadcast expressionlessly as she sips her steaming brew.

Chapter Seven

That morning across the country at the Department of Homeland Security building, Homeland Security Director Karen Satriano leaves her office and heads into the executive briefing room. She walks knowing this meeting is crucial to her career and she must gain the trust and confidence of all of those attending today. She knows her career could be determined based on the success or failure of this operation.

She enters the briefing room where three men are seated; they are silent as she enters.

There are four large monitors at the edge of the room. One is an interactive world map displaying conflicts and operations abroad, and another is an interactive U.S. map displaying all border activity with all land, air, and sea operations presently underway in real time. The third is the Al Qaeda and Jihad web sites translated into English highlighting the recent posts.

Present at the table is the director of the National Security Agency Jack Hayward, and the Central Intelligence Agency Chief Intelligence Officer, Leonard (Leo) Matz.

Also present is the assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Kevin Anderson, the nation's second-in-command top cop.

Karen Satriano knows that normally the interagency politics of this group would be thick with the hoarding of information, and cooperation would be limited and somewhat adverse and competitive.

She begins with a strong voice. "Gentleman, thanks for coming on short notice. I appreciate your time and we will make this as short and concise as possible."

She passes a file marked
"Top Secret"
to each man.

"For the record, this meeting is being monitored and the results of that monitoring shall be classified and considered top secret status. This meeting is a result of a directive issued by the president of the United States."

"The purpose of this meeting is to prepare a presidential briefing to assess all and any intelligence by the various intelligence agencies that are represented by the officials present here today. We are gathered here regarding what has been determined as an imminent threat and clear and present danger to the national and international security of the United States and/or its allies."

"These threats by various known and possibly unknown terrorist groups are believed to have ties and/or alliances with the terrorist organization known as Al Qaeda. From this point forward, this cooperative effort shall be called and only referred to as 'Operation Pot Luck,' as set forth by directive of the president of the United States to ensure all agencies cooperation in this matter."

She looks around the table. "As you well know, each agency has received the same presidential directive. Copies of which are included in each participant's file submitted here today by the Department of Homeland Security and again are considered top secret. Let the record show that present at this meeting is Leonard (Leo) Matz, the acting chief intelligence officer of the Central Intelligence Agency; the director of the National Security Agency, Jack Hayward; and the assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kevin Anderson. Gentleman, the president has appointed me to oversee this cooperative effort known as 'Operation Pot luck.'"

"We are here by the request of the commander in chief to cut through the mire of red tape and/or policies that may slow or hinder this operation in any manner as set forth by presidential directive for interagency cooperation. It is my job to report directly to the president the progress and findings of this group every twelve hours and the cooperative efforts therein. Our mission is to prevent an attack on any and/or all U.S territories. To prevent our enemies in achieving their goals or, God forbid, another 9/11 or worse. Let us start with Leo. What does the CIA have on this?"

Leo looks at her to show his respect.

"As we know, this site and two others are controlled by the second in command under Bin Laden, Jab Allah Haddad, who was under Al Hazwhri prior to the Drone strike two months ago in Waziristan. Our Intel said he was present when that strike occurred, but we then received reports of sightings shortly thereafter from credible sources on the ground and satellite photos received twenty-nine days ago.

"On the twenty-second of April at twenty-two hundred hours we received chatter regarding 'The Children of Najiyullah'. We had never heard this term and immediately began an Intel focus through all of our operatives abroad, and a database review that yielded nothing more than a theological reference and in its translation was a definition which means, 'The children of Noah.' We have since April twenty-second heard nothing at all until this web posting." Leo points to the monitor. "And we have picked up an increase of activity that would be considered off the charts by all Intel comparisons surpassing the like activity prior to 9/11."

Leo Matz looks at Kevin Anderson and Jack Hayward as if he hopes they have more to add than he does. "We have nothing at all on this group or code or whatever it is; we do feel however, that something big is planned to occur and according to this post we have just nineteen days until the event is scheduled to happen. In addition, the satellite recon surveillance and ground intelligence have revealed that there is an organized falling back by the Taliban in all regions of their activity. This is including most all of the known insurgency operations. General Caruthers was quick to take credit for this fallback until a briefing held at the White House approximately twenty-three hours ago. We have notified the Secretary of Defense that we feel an attack event is imminent, and the Pentagon has notified all military branches as well as a Coast Guard territorial full alert. As we know, the security shield for the continental boundaries has been increased threefold—land, sea and air. We have every available resource working around the clock to decipher and identify this threat. I'm sorry to say that is all we have." Leo tosses a pencil he was holding on the table, obviously frustrated.

Karen Satriano looks at Leo Matz. "The President has already been briefed as to your findings that you have just shared with us?"

He looks at his watch, "Just over sixteen hours ago."

The Homeland Security head knew nothing of the CIA briefing to the president.

"How about the NSA, Jack, what do you have on this?"

The NSA chief answers.

"We also first heard of this April twenty-second attack, but ten hours earlier at eleven-thirty hours, we intercepted the communication via satellite phone communications. Shortly thereafter we intercepted in excess of thirty-one hundred cell and satellite phone communications spanning twenty-one countries with these signature phrases. There has also been an initial increase in internet traffic worldwide in excess of the high hundreds of thousands since this date regarding the original communiqué. We expect that number to go into the million marks as it spreads like a grass roots campaign."

Jack looks at each member of the room to make sure they are attentive to his next comment, "This event was like an eruption or flood of communiqués, as if it were a newscast or alert that had been long awaited. The alarming factor was that the majority of the conversations and/or messages were all less than two minutes in duration or less. The common denominator was that the phrases were only communicated. And then the responses came. Just of gratuitous phrases and religious praise followed nothing else. In addition, there were no other comments or information whatsoever in any case that we have documented since, just silence. The conclusion by our analysts is that all of these parties worldwide were aware and waiting for this communiqué."

He said, "We arrive at this conclusion because there was no known elaboration at all of the intercepted calls and internet traffic whatsoever. This we believe is demonstrative of a discipline and obedience regarding one piece of subject matter, which is unprecedented in NSA history. We have reviewed them all several times; there is nothing at all to give us a hint or any insight of any kind, to help give us some insight as to what it means."

He went on, "We have initiated ground surveillance and satellite reconnaissance on over forty-three hundred geographic locations and over six thousand individuals, which we feel are hot targets domestically and abroad." Jack nods at Leo and Kevin. "We have made a request of Langley and the Bureau for assistance in addition to our own teams now being assembled for immediate response to any request made by the administration."

Jack Hayward looks around the room wondering if his interrogations counterparts are feeling the magnitude of his commentary. "The odd thing that makes this so very significant is that there has been no known chatter whatsoever since that date, and approximately seven hours into the next day, it vaporized, and chatter ceased all together, which is also unprecedented. We are presently coordinating with the DIA gathering data results from the targeted locations and principles for possible detainment and interrogation of those apprehended for questioning, or any other options that the president may deem necessary. I think we all know that this is sensitive territory and those operations are in progress as we speak."

Jack glances at Leo and Kevin Anderson and then down at the table. They pick up on what he is implying, as does Karen Satriano."

Jack continues to wrap up his contribution. "I have submitted these findings to the White House and prepared a complete report for each agency here today; just tell me how you want it and what you need." He throws in his CYA disclaimer. "I need this to be clear and part of the record. It was the NSA view and position, that this is an event where threat is inevitable and it has surpassed all threat evaluation intelligence gathered in the past, including the pre 9/11 event; we considered this our top priority."

Karen Satriano is impressed with the NSA director's forthrightness and candor.

"Well, now that's what I'm talking about, some meat and potatoes for the pot luck, not bean casserole."

"Thank you, Jack, for being so candid, and I am sure we are all looking forward to the outcome of those operations. What did you say this joint operation is entitled?"

Jack glances at Leo. "I didn't say Karen. It is called, Operation Silent Snatch."

She knew that if she had not been appointed by presidential directive to host this collaboration, that he would not have shared that information with her. "Kevin, what does the Bureau have to share?"

Kevin Anderson wonders exactly what Leo and Jack have cooked up in their Operation Silent Snatch. He begins his standard approved dissertation.