Second Strike

CHAPTER 63

^{NORTHERN VIRGINIA,}

^{AUGUST 17, 1:12 P.M. EDT}

Local police arrived at the parking lot behind the woods in the rear of the dead man’s house almost contemporaneously with Congo Knox picking Garin up from the front. Knox had waited, as Garin requested, for a time before placing an anonymous call to alert the police of the dead bodies to give Garin time to surveil the entire house.

Knox drove toward Dwyer’s house, where Dwyer, Matt, Olivia, and additional DGT personnel were assembled.

“You look like hell,” Knox observed.

“Thanks.”

“Cut your arm?”

“Propane torch.”

“My mom told me to be careful around open flames.”

“I’ll try to remember that.”

“Why are you doing this, Mike?”

Garin looked sharply at Knox. “What do you mean, why am I doing this? Did you somehow forget the shootout in Dale City? Did you forget about the EMP? Forget Bor?”

“No, Mike. I mean why you? Why do you, as opposed to anyone and everyone else in our security apparatus, have to do this?”

“Because right now, who else is there? Besides you, Dan, Olivia, and Matt?”

“There’s no Omega anymore. But even if the nation’s security apparatus was involved, I bet you’d still be involved. So why you?”

“Why not? I’m an operator. I’m an American.”

“Okay, then, how?”

“You lost me, Congo.”

“You’re…” Knox searched for a word. “Inexorable. You keep coming, like some genetic freak—if there’s a gene for determination, that is. You act like you can’t die.”

Garin didn’t respond. I can’t, he thought. I’m already dead.

“So, did you get anything useful in there?”

“Maybe. How long until we get to Dwyer’s?”

“With the traffic, about twenty-five minutes.”

“I ran into four of Bor’s associates but got very little from them.”

“I assume they’re all room temperature now.” It was not a question.

“Whatever they’ve got planned, it’s going to happen soon and it’s going to ‘paralyze’ us. And it involves suicide bombers. At least in part. Supposedly, Bor’s not part of the main event. He’s part of a backup plan.”

“You don’t know who, how, where, what, etcetera?”

“I don’t know jack, except…” Garin pulled out the piece of paper. “I found what looks like a to-do list. I don’t know what it means, but part of it looks like times. Maybe for the suicide bombings.”

“The president wants to talk to you.”

“I take it Olivia talked to Brandt and Brandt talked to Marshall.”

“Yes. You’ve got the president’s attention now. What are you going to tell him?”

“What I just told you, Congo. That’s all I’ve got. And I’m going to emphasize the need for Omega and authority.”

“Think he’ll do it?”

“Marshall’s serious. He won’t hesitate if he thinks it’s necessary.”

“He’s also a politician.”

“He’s an American first.”

“One of only three in Washington who is.”

“It’s not that bad, Congo.”

“Worse.”

“Very cynical, Congo.”

“You think so? I was ordered to kill you, remember?”

“Point taken. And the person who gave that order is still out there. Do you think he or she acted alone?”

“Well, we know Julian Day was part of it.”

“Besides him.”

“Who knows, Mike? Regardless, it sure wasn’t some GS-14 at the Department of Agriculture. It had to have been a big-time heavyweight. Really big-time.” Knox paused while turning onto I-95. “What do you mean we’re going to be paralyzed?”

“It’s the word one of Bor’s guys used. Paralyzed. If I take it literally, it might refer to immobilizing our transportation capabilities. Maybe communications.”

“If you take it literally. But toward what end? Even if they could somehow immobilize our transportation or communications, how does that benefit the Russians? My guess is it’s a figure of speech, not literal.”

“That’s the problem. We’re guessing. We need more intel.”

Knox snorted. “Who’s going to give it to us?”

The pain in Garin’s arm continued to anger him.

“Bor.”