Wild fire

“I know. That was stupid. I’m sorry.”

“And you should never, ever pretend you’re drowning.”

“I know that was unforgivable. I’m sorry.”

“You’re a total jerk.”

“I know. Wa

She laughed.

So we drove along the lonely highway, holding hands and listening to some Co

We got back to the B amp;B, and the stupid key didn’t seem to work, and I almost kicked the door down, but Kate got it unlocked, and we charged up the stairs like two teenagers who’d just discovered sex an hour ago.

Bottom line, the hot shower was better than the cold bay, and Kate, true to her word, made the wait worth it.

PART VI

America, with the collaboration of the Jews, is the leader of corruption and the breakdown of values, whether moral, ideological, political, or economic corruption. It disseminates abomination and licentiousness among people by way of the cheap media.

– Suleiman Abu Ghaith

Spokesman for Osama bin Laden

CHAPTER TWELVE

The members of the Executive Board and Harry Muller remained silent as Bain Madox gathered his thoughts. Then, Madox began, “First, we need to establish a time frame for Project Green. Suitcase nukes”-he motioned toward the upright suitcase-“need periodic maintenance to ensure detonation and maximum design yield. It’s all very complex, having to do with the plutonium core, but the good news is that I have a nuclear physicist in my employ who has been performing this function. The gentleman’s name is Mikhail, a Russian working in America. I’ve contacted him, and he will be here sometime tomorrow. By tomorrow night, if there are no problems, the devices will be hot.”

Scott Landsdale inquired, “Does Mikhail know anything about Project Green? Or Wild Fire?”

“Of course not,” Malox replied. He thinks these devices are to be planted in cities in the Middle East, which makes sense to him and is all he needs to know.”

“Where is he now?”

“He lives on the East Coast and works for an American university. That’s all you need to know. He understands that this is urgent.” Madox smiled and said, “For fifty thousand dollars a visit, I think he’ll get here as soon as possible.”

“And you trust this guy?” Landsdale asked.

“Not at all. But I offered him a million dollars if and when the nukes detonate. Prorated, of course, based on how many detonate and the approximate yield.” He added, “Mikhail has good incentive.”

Landsdale asked, “And when they go off in American cities-rather than Middle Eastern cities-how will Mikhail react to that?”

“I have no idea. And does it matter?”

“What happens to Mikhail after the detonations?”

Madox commented, “You ask a lot of questions, Scott.”

“I’m very security conscious. I have this unsettling thought of Mikhail having one vodka too many and telling someone that his part-time job is maintaining nuclear devices at the Custer Hill Club.”

“I don’t intend for that to happen.”

“Does that mean you’re taking care of Mikhail?”

Madox glanced at the other three Board members, then said to Landsdale, “Don’t worry about it.”

Harry Muller listened to a gentlemen’s discussion of murdering a witness. If Mikhail, who only knew a piece of this, was going to get whacked, then he, Harry Muller, didn’t stand much of a chance, though he knew his chances had been around zero anyway.

Madox continued, “Obviously, this is all on a fast track since Detective Muller’s una

Paul Du

“The time, Paul, is now. I believe-from recent information-there are people in the government who are begi

Du

Madox thought about that, then said, “Monday, Columbus Day, might be a day that Islamic terrorists would decide to detonate nuclear bombs in American cities.”

Paul Du

Scott Landsdale said, “I have a company picnic and softball game on Monday.”

Madox laughed. “Well, then, we have to postpone the nuclear attack on America.” He turned to Edward Wolffer. “Maybe we need some information on JEEP to help us make this decision.”

Wolffer nodded and replied, “You probably all know a few details about JEEP-the Joint Emergency Evacuation Plan. During the Cold War, the plan called for the president and a select group of military and political leaders to be taken as quickly as possible-by vehicle or helicopter-to either Andrews or National Airport, whichever is closer to where the president happens to be.” He continued, “At the designated airport is an E-4B jet aircraft ready for takeoff at a moment’s notice. This aircraft is called the National Emergency Airborne Command Post-NEACP-known by its code word of Kneecap, sometimes referred to as the Doomsday Plane.”

Wolffer glanced around the room and continued, “The president, of course, would have the nuclear football with him, and he could launch a retaliatory attack from the airborne command post. But there is a post-9/11 variation of JEEP and Kneecap, which goes into effect when the attack on America is not from intercontinental ballistic missiles. If it’s determined that the attack was initiated by terrorists, then it’s assumed that we don’t have the ten or fifteen minutes’ warning that an inbound ICBM would give us, and that a hidden nuke could be detonated in Washington at any second. Therefore, the response is different-the president needs to get on the Marine helicopter on the White House lawn as soon as possible, and he’ll be flown by helicopter to a secure location, far away from Washington, which, of course, is a potential terrorist target.”

Madox said, “Well, we know it’s not one of the cities on our target list for obvious reasons of national survival.” He smiled and added, “Not to mention that you gentlemen will all be there at zero hour. You can all look like heroes by staying at your posts during the panic and confusion that will follow the nuclear detonations. You three men-Ed, Paul, and Scott-will need to influence events.”