Madness (5 page)

Latovsky smiled. “Cross through Azerbaijan and move on Tabriz. Tehran won’t know where to turn.”

Sakharov’s aide handed him a paper.

“President Latovsky,” Sakharov continued as the aide left. “I’ve received a report of a massive earthquake inside
Iran near Gorban. We would have been there by this time tomorrow. The quake measured a 7.4. The good news is we haven’t advanced that far yet. The bad news is that moving men and equipment west along the Caspian Sea will be far more difficult.”

Latovsky drummed his fingers on his armchair.
First, the Iranians enter the battle too soon—now an earthquake. Of course, the region was prone to quakes and aftershocks. The roads weren’t the best under normal conditions. Regardless, a plan is a plan. “Make our plan work, Pavel. The earthquake is a minor inconvenience.”

“I doubt we’ll run into much military opposition, but there will be nomads and refugees.”

“Push against Tabriz. Azerbaijan will fall as quickly as Turkmenistan.”

“I should think Granda
yatollah al-Sistani would be ready to sue for peace,” Sakharov said.

“And I wondered why we haven’t encountered Iranian short-range missiles.”

“Maybe the last Israeli attack on Tehran’s missile defenses crippled them.”

“Within three days, we will be crippling the Israelis.” Latovsky held in a sneer. These
hornets, the Iranians and Israelis, needed their nests sprayed. An attack on them was too long coming in his opinion. Political and religious problems abounded in the Middle East due to Dark Age thinking.  He was about to vault them into the Twenty-First Century.

Peacock stepped forward to shake Sir Jarvis Franks’ hand, as the interrogation of the prisoner in Monroe’s assassination attempt got underway. A funny fellow, Franks, Pendleton had mentioned him as being a powerful man—good in a pinch. Wait. Pendleton had mentioned? She sucked in a breath of air. A series of visuals rolled like a movie through her mind as Franks shook her hand.

“Good to see you again, Laverna,” Franks whispered.

“Yes, good to see you,” she answered, trying to recall any past conversation they might have had.

She took her place at
a table in the interrogation room inside MI6. Across from her sat the assassin she’d subdued during the attempt on Monroe’s life. However, a past memory played in her mind of watching the presidential election in a mansion in Bethesda. Arthur was describing Franks and giggling as he did. She couldn’t recapture her emotions, but she knew she was having fun back then.

Somewhere inside
I love Arthur Pendleton. Kolb will not win.

After an hour of interrogation that went nowhere
, Peacock remembered another incident from her past and asked, “Did you know a man named Thomas Reed?”

The
suspect winced, but said nothing.

“That
’s an interesting question, Ms. Smythe,” Franks said, and cocked his head toward her.

“
Thomas Reed is a rogue agent,” she continued. “I went on an operation once where the same bomb configuration was used. Reed had a part in that.”

“Answer her question,” Franks said.

Loomis, who stood in back by the door observing, put his cell to his ear. Strange, Peacock thought.

“I don’t know anyone named
Thomas Reed,” the suspect answered.

“One more time,” Franks said. “Who do you work for?”

“My only interest is keeping the world green,” he said.

“Well
, you’re bloody nuts thinking you can keep the world green this way.” Franks gave out a little huff. “What terrorist group are you a member of?”

“
Who are the real terrorists? The U.S. and China produce ninety percent of the world’s pollution.”

“I’m not buying this,” Peacock said. “The bomb was sophisticated.
This man was part of a professionally executed plan. You can’t convince me a group of tree huggers pulled this off.”

Loomis clicked off his cell. “B.B.C. just announced a group calling itself
Sanctuary
claimed responsibility for the attack.”

Polaris spoke inside Peacock’s head. “Ursa thinks Sanctuary is a myth. He’s ordering you home. Trust no one.”

Polaris had intervened for the third time in as many days.
Trust no one
meant, not Franks, not Loomis, not Sherman, only herself. A sudden anger rose up in her. She couldn’t understand why she was angry, but the emotion fit somehow. Maybe Doctor Kolb’s team was playing in her head again.

Loomis called out, “Sherman is ordering us back to Washington.”

“And tomorrow’s my day off,” Peacock said. “Tell Sherman I’ll report in and then take off. I need the rest.”

“We’ll keep Sherman updated,”
Franks said and exhaled deeply.

He knows something he’s not telling.

Peacock and Loomis left and headed out to Heathrow and a presidential jet to fly back to Washington.

There’s never a day off, she thought.
She’d be reporting to a meeting with Ursa once she went off duty at the White House.

#

Polaris grabbed the buzzer and signaled Kolb.

“What?”
Kolb grunted.

“Peacock’s off program.”

“What!” Kolb hurried over to Polaris and watched the monitor. “Something angered her. That’s not supposed to happen. She’s supposed to cycle down and not even notice.”

“She just took control of herself.
She doesn’t realize that’s what happened.”

“We’re supposed to control the emotions, not her. Adjust her. Shock her. Do something.”

“Wait,” Polaris said, lifting his hand. “She’s back in balance.”

Kolb swung atop the desk where Polaris sat. “Don’t page me next time. If this happens again, shock her back instantly. That’s an order.”

#

Day 1016
in Hercules

“This way, Madam
.” A large Herculean male escorted Peacock out of Ursa’s office. They walked down the hallway and into the main Herculean meeting room. “In here.”

Peacock stared into the face of Ursa, who posed with a kindly look she didn’t trust. He’d allowed that bitch Kolb to turn her into a mental and emotional wreck.

Her closest companions from her time in Hercules rose as one to greet her. Magnus, her trainer, whose ribs she’d bruised in their last encounter, gave her a hug. Felicia Lange, her closest friend in Hercules waved at her from across the table. Ursa’s technical assistant, Carna Esposito said in a monotone, “Good to see you again.”

Carna never showed emotion
. Maybe she had none. Peacock could relate.

Peacock’s heart rate
felt slightly elevated, most probably by an electronically induced increase in adrenalin to keep her sharp.

“How are you feeling?” Ursa asked.

“I’m doing what I’m programmed to do. Why don’t you ask Kolb?”

She didn’t say the words sarcastically. She stated the fact.

“Kolb’s worried about your programming,” Ursa said. “Should I be worried as well?”

Peacock smirked. “Don’t ask me. Worrying isn’t in my nature, with or without the thing in my brain. Do you have a change of assignment for me?”

“First, we need to brief you.”

“First, I want to see my son. Can you make that happen?”

Ursa cracked his hairy knuckles. “You’re upset with me. Are you off program?”

“
No. I remember, although vaguely, your promise to let me keep my son for a week and visit him occasionally with Pendleton present.” She stared at him. “You broke your promise.”

“I told you. I proposed that plan. I was overruled.”

A shock exploded in her head, like a finger of electricity that knocked the fight out of her. She refused to show the pain.

I must have been off program.
Kolb will not win.

“Magnus,” Ursa said, “Bring Peacock up-to-date.”

“Do you remember disposing of Lytle?” Magnus asked.

“Yes
clearly. I killed him on the shore after he rammed my car and almost murdered my husband.”

“Good. Do you remember our assault on Thomas Reed’s house?”

“Yes. The same explosive Reed booby-trapped his doors with was used by the group that attacked Monroe’s limousine in London.”

“Right, obviously Reed’s work,” Magnus said, and took hold of an envelope Carna handed him. “Lytle carried the location of Reed’s new hideout on his body. We need your help to finish the job we started.”

Peacock grinned. She hungered for revenge and a chance to kill her enemies. Attacking, killing, and escaping victorious were the core talents of her training. Still, she felt conflicted by her duties for the president.

“How many bosses do I have?” She turned to Ursa. “Who has the final say?”

“I do.”

She swung around to see President Monroe standing inside the doorway behind her. No security people were present
, except Herculeans.

“I’m at your service
, Mister President.”

“Thank you for capturing one of the assassins.” Monroe limped slightly as he stepped across the floor and into a chair. “Everyone sit down.”

He motioned Peacock into a chair facing him. “Ursa, do all present have top-secret clearance?”

“Yes Sir, Mr. President.”

“All right then. Where do I begin? Arthur Pendleton loosed Serge Latovsky’s troops against the Iranians. My sources say a second strike by Russia is imminent on Iran’s western borders.” He bowed his head. “The United Nations voted to remain neutral. Only the United States and China’s veto power in the Security Council kept them from sending military support. The Muslim world is fighting against itself in the streets of its major cities. Israel asks Russia what its intentions are and gets no response.”

Peacock observed the others who paled at Monroe’s words. She understood the seriousness of the situation, but not their emotions over it.
Decisions and then action, she understood.

“Friends . . .” Monroe choked as tears flowed down his face. “The fact is the United States is unable to respond. We used to be the guardian of freedom. But our currency is on the verge of total collapse.”

Several old memories flashed through Peacock’s head. Her husband’s belief in saving the world by ending war and religious feuding equaled what was happening now. She recalled a conversation with Polaris before Kolb ripped her head apart.

“Did you ever rebel?” she’d asked Polaris. “Did you ever question what we’re doing?”

“Yes and yes.”

“And?”

“And, it does no good,” Polaris had said. “If you’re looking for a black or white world, there is no such thing, only win or lose.”

Monroe’s voice startled her back to reality. “Pendleton called me an hour ago. He gave me an ultimatum. I cede him my powers as Commander-in-Chief over our military
, or he’ll bankrupt us.” Monroe shrugged. “I concede to his demands and he elevates me back to power. I’m to speak to members of Congress tomorrow in closed session—no media. I have no choice but to say ‘No’ to Pendleton and preserve our freedom. But Congress may disagree.”

Consequences—Peacock weighed them. Monroe was her boss today. Whatever he ordered, she was obligated to do. A warrior train
s for death in battle—or winning in personal combat—even if her side loses the war. Her duty was to obey Monroe. She would do her duty.

“There is another attack on my life planned. We know this from Lytle’s notes. Peacock, I’m giving you a twenty-four hour leave of absence from my security team. Ursa, deliver her safely to Reed’s location and bring her home.”

Peacock nodded. “So I’m to kill everyone on Reed’s property and bring home any documents in the hopes of finding out about the next assassination plot.”

“Precisely.”
Monroe stood. “I don’t know if I’ll live out the week, but I’ll fight for America’s freedom to my last breath. Ursa, Peacock, my friends, destroy my enemies and the enemies of this country.”

Peacock stepped in front of him as he turned to leave.
“I asked to see my son. If I return alive, will you honor my request?”

“Absolutely.”

#

Back in her living quarters near the White House, Peacock turned on the shower to clean the grime of the day off her
and blacked out. Sometime later, her mind jarred back to consciousness. How long had she stood letting the water run down her body? Images of a man struggling with her in some past battle floated in the air around her. She swung her arms as she had then, striking her enemy, killing again, and feeling the pleasure of it. Inside her head, pain and pleasure mixed, then she managed to shut off the shower, slide down to the floor, and lose consciousness again.

Grandayatollah al-Sistani finished his evening prayers. He had made plans to relocate into southwestern Iran. He’d execute those plans tomorrow. As devastating as the earthquakes northeast of Tehran were, the Russian dogs still waged all-out war. What countries could Iran rely on? China voted against the Iranian Nuclear Program. His conversations with their leaders indicated Chinese neutrality would prevail unless attacked.

He had thought of a strike on Israel, but he couldn’t afford their retaliating with Russia bearing down on him.
North Korea would help if Israel was the target, but North Korea could not strike Israel with any accuracy. Moreover, North Korea feared Russia. Would they come to the aid of the Iranians? He dialed General Jafarzadeh. “If we concentrate our attack on the Russians while they are still near Turkmenistan, what result would we have?”

“Short term, we’d hurt them badly,” Jafarzadeh said. “Long term, they’d hit Tehran and other major cities with air strikes and missile attacks. Their movements say we’ve been their target all along.”

“Can our long range missiles reach Volgograd?”

“Yes.”

“I give you permission to order missile strikes against Russian troops along the Caspian Sea and the people of the city of Volgograd.” He paused, moistened his lips, and prayed silently. Then he said, “I will go on national radio and issue a plea for every Iranian to defend their homeland by whatever means possible. Attack and defend every inch of Iranian soil.”

“Allah Akbar.”

“Allah Akbar.”

#

Pendleton turned up the sound with his remote as he and Milton Rogers ate dinner in Roger’s suite at the Widder Hotel. Pictures from Russian television showed the chaos in Volgograd. Over a hundred Scud missiles had hit the area around the city in the past hour.

“They’re fighting the battle of Stalingrad all over again,” Rogers bemoaned, “Only a Twenty-First Century version of it, Scud missiles and all.” 

Pendleton sipped his tea in relative comfort. “I warned Latovsky over a year ago not to push the timetable. ‘It would be foolish to strike without my support,’ I said. ‘And of course, the support of a United Nation led by Britain and the E.U. Jump too soon and you might find yourself in a war you don’t want to have.’”

“I think he’s found that to be the case,” Rogers said. “When do you plan on firing the American space-based systems?”

“Not until I receive an answer from Monroe.” Pendleton dipped a piece of bread in an olive oil and garlic mix. “The American people are terrified and fearful of an economic collapse. Los Angeles, Chicago, and now New York have extensive looting going on. In a matter of days, Congress will be pleading with him to accept my offer.”

“And if his answer is no?”

“Well, there’s an answer for that as well.”

#

Peacock packed her gear for her trek to kill Thomas Reed. She recalled every detail of her last encounter with the man. From the faces of her team members to the terrain surrounding the house, her mind reacted as though she was there. She visualized her son and holding him in her arms. Pain exploded deep inside her brain.

How she endured
and defused the pain, she couldn’t explain. In her mind, thoughts traveled wildly bringing images from pleasure centers and from serene scenes to lustful encounters. Her emotions numbed the shocks and she recovered.

I can control Kolb’s attacks. She will not win.

#

Thomas Reed shut off the security system surrounding his communications equipment and slid underneath its platform. He replaced a key component. He hated repairs. He wasn’t a technician and worried about making mistakes. His new home north of A-199 near Haddington duplicated the old one in Lasswade right down to the bedspread. Sadly, he destroyed that home to keep Hercules from obtaining valuable equipment. Most unfortunately, he’d forgotten the diagrams in the damn file cabinet, and Hercules found out about the plans to shoot down Monroe’s helicopter.

Repairs finished
, he phoned Alan Loomis. “Pendleton said, if Monroe doesn’t accept his proposal, kill him.”

“Things worldwide are ripping along. Are you sure he wants
me to wait on Monroe?”

“That’s what he said. Apparently he’s given Monroe until tomorrow night to respond.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“And that is?”

“Did you know Pendleton’s wife is my partner?”

“What!”

“Another agent was assigned at the same time I was assigned. Her name is Laverna Smythe. I remembered Van Meer mentioned the name of Pendleton’s wife. To be sure, I looked her up. She’s Pendleton’s wife or she’s a damn good imposter.”

“Let me call you back.”

Reed stumbled to a chair and dialed Pendleton.

“I’m having dinner, Thomas
,” Pendleton said. “This better be urgent.”

“Our agent on Monroe’s team tells me that your wife
is his partner. Is it true?”

The long silence caused Reed’s hands to tremble. The world as he knew it was collapsing around him. Being on Pendleton’s bad side now
could become a death sentence.

“You will keep my wife’s position secret. Tell Loomis if one hair on her head is harmed he’ll answer to me for it.”

Reed gulped, but spoke his mind. “With all due respect Sir, Loomis is our answer to the Monroe problem. If your wife interferes, what shall I tell him to do?”

He heard Pendleton excuse himself and leave wherever he was. “Two missed assassination attempts, accusing my wife of betrayal, and now asking me what Loomis should do. Protect her.
Tell him to say, ‘Lovey, Arthur says, ‘Kill Kolb and let me do my job.’ Let me be very specific. Loomis is not to harm her.”

“
I’m sorry. I’m loyal to you, whether you fired me or not. I say what must be said.”

The click of Pendleton disconnecting the call startled him, and he remembered how his former boss had murder
ed Throgmorton. A sickening pall fell upon him. He relayed the message to Loomis.

“Roger that,” Loomis said. “
But explain to me how I should manage this without her killing me. Handling her is messy and damned near impossible as it is. The woman is one tough cookie.”

Reed
didn’t answer. He slumped down in his chair. All the money he’d made, the killings he’d authorized and carried out, and the cause he thought was right, now crushed him against the reality of the moment. The sound of his chair rattling on the tile floor played on his nerves. He was a dead man one way or the other. Either Pendleton would send Van Meer to kill him, or Pendleton’s wife would. His time on this earth was at an end.

Pendleton was about to take over the world
, and Reed wouldn’t be needed once that happened.

God help us all.