The Code - Genesis - Book I (12 page)

Marsh takes an aside to
Alice
, “Will the switch be an issue?”

“Not at all, Sir,” Alice says, “I’ll make the arrangements right away.”

“Fine.  Daniels, you take
Philadelphia
.  Johnson, that leaves you with
New York
.”

Johnson, the loner and wild card of the group, chirps in, “Who better to protect the big apple?”  Natan rolls her eyes.

Marsh continues, “You will be allowed three-person units, not including yourself, which are pre-assigned and delineated in your paperwork.  Review it and get your teams assembled. 
Alice
will be handling your transportation and technical details.  Try not to bog her down.  All right, people…the ticks of time are deafening.  Let’s get to it.  We’re looking for a bomb-type mechanism.  Chemical or biological weaponry is a probability. If you can think of it, I’m sure they have too.  Don’t forget to include the local authorities for assistance, should you find something.  Now, let’s go show those bastards what the N.S.A. can do.”

The remaining sitting agents stand and maneuver about the room, bustling around

with haste and intensity.
             
             
             
             
             
             
             

Natan sits in the therapist’s office across from
Christine
. 
Christine
inquires, “What made you choose
Boston
?”

             
“A feeling,” Natan replies.

             
“Please continue,”
Christine
says.

Natan reflects.

Inside the Boston N.S.A. hub, Knight, Agent Emerson (Natan’s closest male

colleague from the academy and her few early assignments), and Agent Kalin sit around a table in an depot office.  Natan stands at the head of the table with a large map of
Boston
on the wall in the background.

Kalin drawls, “Nothin’ like looking for a needle in a haystack if you
ask me.  We have no good intel
to work with here.”

Natan tries to rally the troops. “Let’s keep positive and focus on the major areas.”  She maneuvers to the map, pointing to an area. “We’ve reviewed much of this part of the city.”  Natan enlists Emerson and Knight, “Any input, fellas?”

Knight responds, “It’s a crap shoot, like Kalin says.”

Emerson disagrees. “Not necessarily.  Let’s focus on the busiest of those areas we haven’t yet covered.”

Natan appears unsettled, standing with a preoccupied, glazed looked on her face. 

She rubs her forehead.

Emerson calls out, “Agent Natan.”  Natan does not respond as she is lost in thought.  Emerson tries again, louder this time, “Agent Natan.”

Natan is startled back to reality. “Yes.  What were you saying?”

Kalin interjects, “I say we start with the transit system.”

Natan has her bearings now and retorts, “Too obvious.”

             
Kalin argues, “You have a better idea with only eight hours left?”

Natan maneuvers to the map again. “I have a hunch.”  She points to an area on the map in the background. “Let’s start here.”   The agents realize that she’s pointing to
Fenway
Park
.

Kalin quips, “Who’d bomb the Red Sox?”

Emerson counters, “Johnson for one.”

Kalin leans in to Knight. “Fenway?  What were they
thinking putting her in a lead

position?”

Knight, Emerson, and Kalin stand outside Fenway stadium.  F.B.I., fire, and

police, including S.W.A.T., bomb squad personnel, and canine units all gather together in the background.  Natan stands off in the distance.

Knight looks at Kalin. “It’s kinda surprising that Agent Natan called out the

cavalry with so little to go on.”

Kalin responds, “Heads are gonna roll at the N.S.A. because of…her hunch.”

He taps Knight on the chest with the back of his hand.  “I can’t believe she authorized all of this with no valid proof a little more than an hour before the game is supposed to start.  I’m glad I’m not dealing with the pissed-off fans.  It’s okay though.  I’ll love to take her place as lead once this all blows up in her face…no pun intended.”

Emerson watches the betrayal. “Natan may be on to something.  I worked with her before.  She aces everything she does.  You should be proud to be a part of her team.”

Kalin chastises, “Got a little crush, Emerson?”

             
Emerson snickers at Kalin.

Kalin continues, “Proud to be on her team?  You mean proud to be passed over.  Everyone knows I’ve been here longer.  Damn quotas for women.  I should have been lead.”

             
Natan approaches.

Emerson motions to Natan. “Why don’t you express your doubts to her in person, Kalin.”

             
Natan acknowledges Emerson, Knight, and Kalin, nodding her head, “Agents,” as she walks by.

Kalin is silent.  Natan makes her way past the agents.

Emerson leans in to Kalin, tapping him on the chest. “Thought so.  If you can’t express your concerns directly to her, then I suggest you stow it.”

Kalin shoots Emerson a dirty look. 

Natan approaches an officer in the background.

“Agent Natan, are we doing a full sweep?” he asks.

“Absolutely,” she affirms.
             

The officer motions behind him with his hand to all of the personnel resources in front of the stadium. “I just hope all this is warranted.”

“Specified terrorist threats always warrant serious response,” Natan retorts.

The officer fumbles, “Well, uh…we’re gonna need to wait for more men if you want it done in the time frame you specified.”

Natan eyes her watch. “We can’t wait.  We’ve got less than six hours before the forty-eight hour window expires.  Use everyone and everything you’ve got on site now.”

The officer looks around. “Well, I’ve got three with me and two have dogs.”

“That’s a good start.”  Natan shouts to everyone around her, “Ladies and gentlemen…it’s time.  Let’s get in and get out as expeditiously as possible.  Don’t want to hold up the game if there isn’t any reason to.” 

People around her scurry to work.  Natan walks over to the agents.  Knight

approaches holding blueprints.  Natan follows up with him, “Agent Knight, any luck on locating the specs for the ventilation system?”

Knight waves the blueprints in front of her. “Right here…hot off the presses.  Why the ventilation system and not maintenance or electrical areas?” he asks.

Natan explains, “The Feds and city P.D. will sweep those areas.  My gut says ventilation, so that’s where we’re starting.” 

Kalin retorts, “You’ve got a pretty active gut today.  You sure it’s not just indigestion?”

Natan banters, “You should trust your instincts a little more, Kalin.”  She looks to Emerson for cohesion. “Emerson, you and Kalin search the lower levels.  Let’s do this.”  Natan pulls Kalin aside, “You can voice your concerns to Marsh later.   But beginning now, I don’t want to hear another word from you unless it’s yes,
you got that Agent Kalin?
”
 

Not waiting for a reply Natan walks away
leaving a stunned Kalin behind.  Natan catches up with Knight and the two head into the stadium.

A pissed Kalin fumes. 
Just follow those instincts right out of your job, lady.
             

Chapter Nineteen

Inside the vast stadium, Natan and Knight walk down a long circular hallway.

“Did I ever tell you that I’m not a big baseball fan?” Knight inquires.

“Who doesn’t love baseball??” Natan replies.

“There’s baseball people and then there’s football people.  I’m definitely a football man myself,” he says.

“Wanna focus there, Mr. Football?” Natan says. “Which way is the main ventilation system?”

“You must be a baseball woman,” Knight affirms.  Natan gives Knight a look encouraging him to focus.  “Right,” Knight continues as he looks at the blueprints and then his surroundings.  He points to his right. “It’s down this way.”  Natan follows Knight down a long hallway.  Knight continues, “It should be coming up.”

Outside among the stadium seats, several police officers and canines run through the stadium seating, allowing the dogs to sniff for explosives.

Inside the stadium, Natan and Knight continue searching as they arrive at a door labeled “Ventilation Access.”  Knight tests the knob.  The door is locked.  The agents draw their weapons as Natan gives a yes nod to Knight.  Knight kicks in the door and they enter.

Inside the ventilation room, Natan and Knight meander through large segments of air duct components and loud mechanical air flow mechanisms.  Knight continues as Natan stops, lowering her weapon.  She looks around again, then holsters the gun.  An object in the corner catches her eye.  Natan yells, “Agent Knight!”

“Yeah?” he calls.

“I think I found something.  Get the others on the radio, will ya?”

Knight holsters his weapon and grabs his radio, pushing the button. “Agents

Knight and Natan need backup in the ventilation room on level three of the complex.”

A filtered Emerson’s voice responds, “Copy that.  We’re on the way.”

Natan stands looking up at a corner of the ventilation segment.  She sees a

chemical bomb counting down. It’s at 62:22, as the seconds tick.  Natan motions for Agent Knight.  He walks up to Natan.  “What do ya got?  Did you find something?” he asks.

Natan motions to the bomb.  Knight replies, “Oh damn.”

Natan jokes, “Guess the people who left this must not be baseball fans either.”

Several F.B.I., N.S.A., police and fire officials gather in and around the room.  The bomb squad commander enters.  “Everyone out,” he says. “Clear the interior and exterior perimeters.  Take the exterior perimeter back as far as you can get it.”

Natan reinforces the order, “You heard the man.  Let’s move.”

Knight and others head out.  The Commander stays behind, dropping his

equipment on the floor below the bomb.

The commander addresses Natan, “That means you too, Agent.”

Natan asserts herself, “I’m required to remain on site.”

“Bomb squad personnel only,” he reiterates.

Natan looks at the bomb.  It reads 55:03, as the seconds tick. “Do you really

wanna spend time arguing with me?”
             
she asks.

             
“Just stay out of my way.”

Natan tosses her hand up, “I’m out.”

Natan stands clear, eyeballing the perimeter and the outer casing of the bomb.

The commander says, “This definitely contains a dispersing agent…probably chemical.  Whatever it is, if it blows, the wind will carry it several miles.”

“Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen, all right?”

“I’m working on it,” he says, frustrated.

Outside Fenway, Agent Knight is on the phone, walking away from the stadium perimeter as people in the area continue evacuating.  A crowd of fans builds on the far side of the parking lot behind a barricade.  Knight briefs Marsh, “Sir, we’ve located the target.”

Marsh’s filtered voice reverberates loudly through the phone, “Where?”

Knight informs the Chief, “We’ve located a bomb in the ventilation system at
Fenway
Park
.”

Marsh continues, “Jesus.  How’d you find that?”

“Agent Natan had a hunch, Sir.”

“Well, that’s a hell of a hunch, Agent Knight.”

“Yes, Sir…it is.”

“What’s the status?” Marsh asks.

“The bomb squad is on it as we speak,” Knight replies.

“Why didn’t Agent Natan call this in personally?”

Knight reveals, “Agent Natan stayed behind to assist, Sir.”

“How much time?” Marsh asks with concern.