Target Omega

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

Olivia Perry expected the call from Garin to come through any second. A few minutes earlier, Carl had informed her that Garin would be contacting her. Carl then guided her to a room in the basement of Dwyer’s mansion that appeared to be a replica of Houston Control. She was seated in the captain’s chair in the center of the room, Carl standing a few feet to her left, when there was a buzzing sound. He pointed to the console in the right armrest. She pressed the flashing button and heard Garin’s voice.

“Carl and the boys taking good care of you?”

“Couldn’t be better,” Olivia replied. It troubled her to admit that she enjoyed hearing his voice.

“I’ll get right to it. We have a serious problem. I need you to relay what I’m about to tell you to James Brandt. Immediately.”

“That may be a problem, Michael. As we speak he’s on his way to the White House. I’m not sure how long he’ll be there. All I know is that he’ll be in the Situation Room and I’m supposed to meet him in the OEOB afterward to debrief. So I’m unlikely to be able to reach him for a while,” Olivia said.

“What’s going on?”

Olivia detected the concern in Garin’s voice. “I’m not authorized to reveal the details. Let’s just say that I wouldn’t be surprised if recent activities of the Russians are discussed.”

“Olivia,” Garin said, urgency now in his voice. “I understand your constraints and don’t want to put you in a tough spot, but we have an extraordinary situation here. This call is secure. The meeting in the Situation Room may have direct bearing on what I need you to relay to Brandt.”

“Michael, I’m sorry. I very much want to tell you. But you know the drill. I can’t say anything.”

Garin sensed Olivia’s distress. There was no time to argue the point. Brandt needed to know about the EMP strike right now.

“Okay. Olivia, you must communicate what I’m about to tell you to Brandt as soon as we get off the call. I don’t care if he’s in the Situation Room, laundry room, or the men’s room. You get a message to him no matter what it takes.”

“Go ahead. I might be able to reach him before he enters the room.”

“First, there may be a worm in certain DOD computers that causes them to give false reads. Tell Brandt we should probably focus on satellite feeds, radar, missile trajectories, and missile launches. Bottom line: We should be concerned about our ability to detect incoming missiles.”

Olivia motioned to Carl to get her some writing materials. He retrieved a pen and pad of paper from a drawer under a bank of monitors and handed them to Olivia, who began taking notes.

“Second,” Garin continued, “my unit was penetrated by a Russian agent by the name of Taras Bor. He was behind the killings. Remember my theory that the elimination of my team might somehow be related to what I saw on the laptop in that tunnel in Pakistan? The missile defense, EMP guys? Well, that brings me to point three.”

Olivia was taking notes rapidly, recording Garin’s statements almost verbatim. “Keep going, Michael.”

“An Israeli agent whom I’ve known for years left me a voice mail a short time ago stating that the US is going to be the target of an EMP strike.”

Garin heard a quick, pronounced intake of breath on the other end of the call.

“How reliable is this information, Michael?”

“As reliable as any intelligence can be. Nothing’s ever concrete. I know you don’t want to go to the national security advisor with this kind of information on a hunch. But the Israeli agent is extremely good — given to understatement, not hyperbole. In fact, tell Brandt that the agent is Ari Singer. Mossad will vouch for how reliable he is — maybe was.”

“When is this going to happen and who’s behind it?”

“Don’t know when. We have no choice but to assume it’s imminent. It very well may not be, but we can’t take the chance. As to who’s behind it, that’s the mystery. You know the litany: The Iranians may want to, but can’t, and the Russians—”

“I know, I know.”

“Both of their fingerprints are all over this. I guess we can’t rule out anyone who’s got the capability — North Korea, maybe even a terrorist group.”

Olivia struggled to resist telling Garin that what prompted the meeting in the Situation Room was the detection of a phalanx of Russian nuclear submarines arrayed along the Eastern Seaboard. Garin was right, however, that the Russians wouldn’t strike the United States.

“What else should I tell Jim?” Olivia asked.

“Make sure someone gets security around Manchester, Bauer, and Dellinger. If the US is going to be hit by an EMP attack, the top experts on it may be subject to an assassination attempt. The president needs to know this. Get in touch with Brandt.”

“Michael, I just heard Dellinger’s dead. Heart attack. FBI suspects it was induced somehow.”

“Go.” Garin terminated the call.

Olivia disconnected and punched in the number for the White House.