Secret of the Oil: Prequel to the Donavan Chronicles (23 page)

MATT HIGGINS

11:57 A.M. – DESERT – SAUDI ARABIA

The cell phone rang in Matt’s vest pocket. That distraction caused the terrorist to hesitate a second before putting an end to Matt’s life. In that moment Matt flipped over, grabbed the extended arm of the terrorist and pulled. The forward momentum of Matt’s lightening fast move plastered the would-be killer into the sand. He heard two shots from a weapon near his ear. His attacker didn’t move. The phone stopped ringing.

He looked up. The weapon was in Bridget’s hand and she had put two bullets into the man’s head. She had saved his life. She was something. He extended his hand and she grabbed it. Matt pulled himself up with her assistance and he enveloped her in a bear hug.

“Thank you,” he mumbles into her ear and then kissed her on the cheek. She pushed him back and smiled.

Matt suddenly bent over to regain his breath. The pain had not completely left him. He quickly examined himself. The binoculars in his chest pocket were crunched and broken apart. The bullet had actually impacted on the binoculars and had been deflected away from his body, knocking the breath out of him. The bruise caused by the impact may have cracked a rib, but he was alive.

“You’re welcome,” she said still holding his hand. His phone rang again as he again bent over gasping for air. Bridget reached into his pocket and extracted the instrument.

“Yes?” she said.

“Who is this?” queried the voice over the phone.

“Sergeant Donavan.”

“Where is Captain Higgins?”

“He has been shot, but he’s okay as the bullet only knocked the wind out of him. His binos saved him. Who is this?’

“Admiral Kidd. Can Matt talk? If so, put him on.”

She handed the phone to Matt. “It’s Admiral Kidd.”

“Hello, Admiral. We had the head raghead under observation, but I got too close and they fired on me. Lucky to be here. Anyway, Bridget killed the one and saved my life. The other one must think her shots was his buddy putting bullets in me and is now disposing of me. He is still at the derrick and appears to be hooking up the detonator.” Matt used Bridget’s binos to examine the area.

“You take care of that asshole right now. I have another operation going on to assist you, but you have to take him out now. I mean do it and do it immediatedly. I believe they’re ready to set off the bombs at this moment,” the admiral said and hung up. Matt closed the phone.

“We have to take this other one out now. Where are the ones you were watching?” Matt asked.

“Right where I left them, I suppose. They looked like they were settling in and going to wait on something.”

“You cover me and I’ll go in to get this guy. I can get close if I put on our friend here’s outer garment,” Matt pointed at the body, “He will be absorbed in his project and only give a glimpse to my approach. With any luck he won’t notice anything askew. I think it is worth a shot.”

“You hope. If he moves toward a weapon, I’ll kill him,” Bridget said, as she unslung her rifle.

After donning the dirty headdress and black windbreaker of the dead terrorist, Matt started toward al-Hanbali. The temperature had been rising rapidly as noon approached. A wind had also begun and blew particles of sand into the air.

Matt could see al-Hanbali connecting wires to an old type detonator-plunger. The man casually glanced towards him and then returned to the task of connecting the wires. It appeared that Matt’s approach had not raised an alarm. Matt was now within ten feet of the man. He sprinted directly to a position at the man's backside.

"Freeze, don't make a move," Matt shouted in Arabic.

The man stopped what he was doing and slowly stood up. He unhurriedly turned towards the voice without raising his hands. Matt was pointing a pistol directly at him and the man’s weapon was lying on the hood of the car a good twenty feet away. Matt realized the bastard had not expected anyone to come after him.

"You must be the American who has been dogging me since Beirut," al-Hanbali said with a smile.

"You've got that right. What in the hell are you doing here?" Matt demanded.

"You would never understand. You are a crusader, and I will slay you. If not me, then my brothers." The smile was gone and the hatred glistened in his eyes.

"Mighty big talk. But the talking is over, and you're coming with us." Matt pointed the weapon at him and then toward the car. “Get moving.” He would take him back to the Center and they would recover the bombs.

As he was speaking, the helicopter carrying McDonald and his team was approaching. The chopper approached a spot about three hundred feet away on a flat area in the sand.

Matt took a step towards Tewfik, keeping his weapon pointed directly at him. He then saw the man had a cell phone in his right hand. He raised it above his head and said, “Move and I detonate the atomic weapons.” Al-Hanbali flipped open the cell phone.

This ass, or a bastard just like him, had driven the plane into the Pentagon that September day and killed his wife. He knew the man had an atomic weapon and he intended to set it off. This jihadist was his personal enemy. It was time to carry out his orders.

Matt saw evil incarnate looking back at him as Al-Hanbali’s finger pushed a speed dial number.

Matt fired. The bullet entered the chest, turning the man to the left and pushing him backwards. Al-Hanbali seemed to struggle for one or two steps and then he lunged forward. As he fell, he shouted, "I have defeated you, crusader—your country will now die."

His body landed on the plunger.

The ground shook and moved in a wave motion under Matt's feet. Deep within the earth, the weapon had detonated. The explosion spread the enriched uranium into the oil well that contained a large portion of the Saudi reserves. The force of the explosion reached the surface in the form of a mighty rumble, sending a plume of dust shooting into the air. Then the earth opened up and cratered a giant cavern right where the chopper was landing.

The blades of the helicopter hit the sides of the cavern as it sank into the abyss created by the explosion. The sinking chopper became totally engulfed in the cavern and when the swirling blades hit the cavern’s side they wrenched the rotor head off the transmission. The explosion engulfed the helicopter in a brilliant yellow fireball.

It was 12:00 noon.

DOWNTOWN RAS TANURA – 11:59 A.M.

The three soldiers looked at the door that had just locked. Peter pointed towards it, and all three moved forward, spreading out before reaching it. They pointed their weapons at the lock and opened fire. Their first priority—to get to whoever might have the bomb on the other side of the door—motivated their actions.

The withering fire from the three automatic weapons shattered the door. Pieces of wood flew in all directions and a hole appeared in the center of the frame. They were able to kick the door open. Gary rushed into the room, pointing his weapon at what he thought was a target, and received two bullets into his head.

Peter was able to enter close behind him, his weapon raised. The man who had just killed Gary was diving behind a desk. Pointing his gun at the murderer, Peter opened fire with a three round burst. Two of the rounds split open the man’s chest. He flew backwards, landing behind Mr. Yasir’s desk. Lucien ran over to the terrorist and fired one round into his head.

They looked at their comrade lying on the floor, bleeding on the carpet, and knew there was nothing they could do to help him. They turned their attention to the bomb. It was in plain view, resting on top of the executive desk. Peter went to the desk and opened the case to see what was inside.

The first thing he saw was a mobile telephone. “Shit, there is a cell phone in that bomb and it is turned on…five bars on the screen,” Peter said.

"Lucien, I think this is it. Looks like it's hooked up to a telephone to be remotely detonated. I am going to cut the wires. It looks like there are only two wires. So, there’s no guessing on which wire to cut. You go out there and untie the hostages." Peter reached into the case and used his knife to cut the wires. His heart pounded in his ears. He saw his hands shake as the bomb’s wires parted under his knife. Peter sighed, relaxing; the bomb had not exploded. He never looked at his watch.

It was 12:01 p.m. One minute after al-Hanbali had pushed the speed dial number that should have detonated the weapon while the team was in the building, killing everyone within ten miles, destroying the port, and rendering other unthinkable injuries to people far away from ground zero.

Peter got on his radio and called Captain Higgins. After establishing contact, he reported, "Sir, we’ve neutralized the weapon. We have taken one casualty. All terrorists killed. We’ll release the hostages and will bring the weapon with us.”

“Who?” Matt asked.

“Gary,” Peter replied.

“Bring him and the weapon and get out of there right now. Meet at the airport as we arranged. Out.” Matt had spoken in a rapid cadence.

“Lucien, get Gary out of here and over to the elevator. I’ll finish releasing these people,” Peter said as he accomplished slicing the duct tape. He wanted to move fast. He didn’t want anyone remembering faces or details. He grabbed the container with the weapon and joined Lucien at the elevator. Lucien had Gary’s body in a firefighter’s carry over his shoulder and had already pushed the button for the elevator.

“There is no way to hide the wounds to Gary’s head. If anyone tries to get on the elevator, I’ll use my weapon to discourage them. When we’re on the ground floor, head for the front door. I’ll be behind you across the lobby and will jump in front to open the door. You get in the back of the car and I’ll help you get him in. I’ll drive. Push the button and let’s hope for the best,” Peter said.

They were lucky. The elevator went to the ground floor without stopping and they hurried out of the building. Once in the car, Peter headed for the airport.

“Goddammit, the bastard killed Gary. We were always late in getting to where these ragheads are every time. I want to kill someone for that,” Lucien shouted.

“Calm down, soldier. We got the weapon and we did our job. Gary is a casualty we couldn’t help. We’ll sort this out when we get home. Now focus on your job and don’t lose it,” Peter said. “We still have to get out of here without detection. So calm down.”

They arrived at the airport in thirty minutes, headed for the small executive aircraft parking area, and parked in the back of a lot with many SUVs, Mercedes and BMWs. Now, they had to wait.

Peter would never know that at exactly 12 o’clock, when he snipped the wires from somewhere out in the desert, Tewfik had pushed the speed dial on his telephone. The signal had been transmitted.

It was 12:44 p.m.

ADMIRAL KIDD

WASHINGTON – TEN MINUTES BEFORE NOON, SAUDI TIME

When the admiral replaced the receiver at the conclusion of his conversation with Matt, he decided he had to act. There was no time to waste. He looked up the number on his special list of contacts from around the world, selected the name of General al-Hassam, and wrote down the number. He picked up his satellite telephone and dialed.

"Hello, Rashid. It’s John Kidd. I don’t have time for pleasantries, my friend, and I need your immediate assistance.”

“Hello, John. What can I do for you?”

“I believe there’s a terrorist attack in progress in your area, which will be devastating to both of our countries. It involves the detonation of an atomic weapon on your soil. I can’t go into details at this time, but I need you to implement the plan Alpha Tango that we discussed at our last meeting. The target area is Ras Tanura."

"That’s for sure? How did you find out about it? No, no, I can tell from the urgency in your voice that I need to accomplish this as soon as possible. I’ll do this because of our friendship, but I do expect a complete and undistorted account from you afterwards. Will you hold or do you want me to call back?”

"I’ll wait, and you’ll get what you requested," the admiral said.

"OK, it will take me a minute. Damn, John, this is really serious," the general said.

While anxiously awaiting the confirmation of the implementation of the plan, Kidd thought about the last time that he and Rashid had discussed how the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could assist one another. The matters of electronic security and signals intelligence were the bread and butter of the National Security Agency. The Saudis had their equivalent of the NSA, and they were trying to develop technology to implement some of the newest methods of electronic eavesdropping and interception techniques. The admiral had been instrumental in working out an agreement with the Saudis that would help them achieve their goals and allow the United States to have an interest in what they were doing. Rashid was now head of the Saudi agency.

With the agreement concluded, the admiral had sent a highly secret module that would give the military the ability to shut down all cellular telephone operations within a specified area. Captain Higgins, on the recommendation of General Mary Jean Bergermeyer, had traveled to Saudi Arabia to deliver the technology. That capability was primarily to prevent spurious emissions from causing a detonation of explosives used in construction projects or mining operations. The second reason for employing this equipment was to prevent an enemy using cell phone operations to inform operatives of their orders or to detonate explosives by someone using a remote control device.

Admiral Kidd recalled the difficulty he had convincing his staff in the National Security Agency that the Saudis would need this type of equipment and that the U.S. should provide it. His primary argument was that there were American forces in Saudi Arabia that could benefit from this type of technology if it was ever needed. Besides, the technology they were providing to the Saudis was not the latest, but it was adequate to do the job that it was intended to do and nothing else. It would shut down all cell phone operations within a specific area.

The admiral had known the Saudi general for many years. They had attended the National War College in Washington, D.C. at the same time. While there, they had struck up a friendship that had lasted over the years. That relationship was instrumental in the two agencies signing mutual treaties of cooperation in the electronics signals area.

"Okay, admiral. The cell phone operations in that area are now off the air,” Rashid said. “How long do we have to keep this up, as it is the middle of the business day here? And we will start to get inquiries to which I do not wish to respond, if we can avoid doing so."

It was now 11:59 a.m.

"I know what I'm asking is very difficult to do in the middle of a business day. I do mean for a few minutes. No more than ten."

The call ended and he phoned Mary Jean. Her secretary answered and informed the admiral that she was on a tactical communication network with Lieutenant Commander McDonald, who was now approaching the site where Captain Higgins was supposed to be. She would return his call as soon as she got off the line.

He picked up the secure satellite phone and dialed the number for Captain Higgins. It was now 12:01 p.m.

Bridget answered the phone and the admiral asked for an update.

"Captain Higgins shot and killed al-Hanbali, but before the bastard died he was able to use his cell phone and punch a number, and then he fell on the plunger that detonated some type of underground atomic explosion. The helicopter that came in to give us support landed right on the spot just as the detonation occurred or at least where the ground gave way. It was destroyed in a fireball; there were no survivors."

“Make sure you turn off that cell phone that you found there. Have you heard from your other team members?" Kidd asked.

The radio on Bridget’s belt crackled alive with the voice of Peter O’Leary. She handed it to Matt. Bridget continued her conversation with the admiral, "Matt is talking to them right now. Wait one,” she said and listened to the report from Peter in the city.

Peter said, " Sir, we’ve neutralized the weapon. We have taken one casualty. All terrorists killed. We’ll release the hostages and will bring the weapon with us.”

“Who?” Matt asked.

“Gary,” Peter said.

“Bring him and the weapon and get out of there right now. Meet at the airport as we arranged. Out.” Matt handed the radio back to Bridget and took the phone from her.

“Admiral, our men secured the atomic weapon and are proceeding to the airport. We took one casualty," Matt reported. The admiral thanked Matt and rang off.

Before Matt could say anything, his satellite phone rang again. It was the general. He told her what had happened and that they planned on going after the last two terrorists that Bridget had left at the gas station. Then they would head for the airport to meet up with the team.

On the other side of Washington, the admiral immediately called General al-Hassam. “Your system worked. You can shut it down. I know that I personally, as well as the United States, owe you a great deal of gratitude for what you did on such short notice and with such efficiency. It will take a few days to sort this all out. When that is complete I would like to come over and explain everything.”

“It would be a real pleasure to see you again, John.”

“I also must tell you that we have had a helicopter crash just south of that city, and I would like you to get it guarded as strictly a military crash site and see that no civilians are allowed into the area. There was some type of an atomic explosion underground there. We need to get it cordoned off and maintain access control. If you can, let's take care of that first, then we will get you the tools to handle the situation from the fallout perspective. Our strike team will need to get out of your country ASAP.”

“Of course, John. I’ll ensure they do. Will they be leaving from Ras Tanura airport?”

“Yes,” Kidd said.

“Good, because I am near there right now. Is the Captain Higgins, who delivered the equipment, with them?”

“Yes. You have my personal number if you have any questions. Thank you," the admiral concluded and rang off.

Next, the admiral called the National Security Adviser, Kent Avery, “The situation had been resolved, but there was a detonation that did occur underground. It’s under control as the Saudi Military are calling it a military aircraft accident site and sealing off the area until we can get an evaluation team in there. We’ll get them there in a few hours to assist in the damage control and evaluation of the detonation. The atomic weapon recovered in the city of Ras Tanura is in the possession of United States forces. They’ll bring it back here.”

"Admiral, your butt might be saved this time, but I warn you never to cross me again," Avery said in a slow, measured response emphasizing the last words.

"Sir, I had no intention of ever crossing you.” The lips of the admiral curled up in a smile. “And I believe that we have accomplished our mission today." He closed the connection before there was any response from Avery.

Then he picked up the phone and called Mary Jean. "Your secretary told me that you were talking to Commander McDonald. In case you don’t know, he died in an aircraft accident near the site where Captain Higgins killed the head terrorist. The rest of Matt’s team has secured the atomic weapon and is approaching the airport. Do you have transportation waiting for them?"

"Yes, Captain Higgins has informed me of the events. I’m in contact with the Air Force on recovering the remains from the crash. That was the real tragedy in all of this. I've arranged for an Air Force aircraft to arrive at the international business private jet ramp to pick my team up and bring them directly to Andrews Air Force Base with their cargo. But how did you know the rest?" Mary Jane asked.

"I just got off the phone with Sergeant Donavan. She seems to have a good head and briefed me on the current situation, and it looks like we have a small nuclear detonation at the site. That's what destroyed the helicopter. We need to get a team in there ASAP to determine the damage. The other weapon didn’t detonate due to the quick response of the Saudi military by shutting down all cell phone operations in that area. Even though al-Hanbali did try to transmit the code to the atomic weapon using a cell phone, the call didn’t go through." The admiral felt very satisfied being able to inform Mary Jean of these details. The fact that his equipment had worked so well in this operation was a tribute to his imagination and foresight.

"Thank God, it’s over,” Mary Jean said. “I think that our man Higgins has done quite a remarkable job. Unfortunately, one bomb did detonate, but the one that would kill maybe thousands and destroy their oil export capability, for God knows how long, has been deactivated. Our oil supply is safe for now. We’ll get all of them out of there and bring them home as soon as possible."

"Let's make it so," the admiral said and rang off.

Mary Jean now started to make the phone calls to get the notification officer ready to go on the most difficult mission any young officer had to perform—notification of next of kin.