The Ajax Protocol

CHAPTER 59

A half hour later, Elizabeth's worst fears were confirmed.

"The President didn't know about Prometheus."

"That figures," Nick said. "Someone thought it was need to know and Rice wasn't on the list."

"That's not all. He got the Joint Chiefs on the line and told them what we thought. After they got over their surprise that anyone knew about Prometheus except them, they assured him it couldn't happen. Ten minutes later they called back. They can't access the satellite. Normal control procedures have been locked out. No one knows when that happened, or how. The satellite sends regular status reports and nothing indicated any change."

"Westlake," Nick said.

"It certainly looks like it."

"Now what, Director?" Ronnie said.

"We might be in better shape than we think," Elizabeth said. "I don't see how Westlake can access the satellite. He'd need to get on one of the bases where they have the right equipment. Everyone is looking for him. He'll never get close. You can't call that satellite up on a CB."

"Maybe not a CB, but he doesn't have to be on a military base," Selena said.

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth looked at her.

"All he needs is a powerful enough radio and the right frequency. If he's got a transmitter and an antenna hidden somewhere, he can reach the satellite when it's in the right position."

"If that's the case, we're screwed," Nick said. "We'll never find a hidden location in time."

Elizabeth's phone rang.

"Harker. Yes, Clarence."

She looked at them. Hood, she mouthed. She listened. "Thank you, Clarence. I'll keep you updated."

She set the phone down. "The FBI found Senator Martinez."

"He knows where Westlake is," Nick said. "Let's ask him."

"We can't. Martinez went home and shot himself."

"Uh, oh," Ronnie said.

"It gets worse. Martinez left a note. He said he didn't want to be part of what was coming."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

"That doesn't sound good," Ronnie said.

"We have to assume Westlake has gone over the edge," Elizabeth said, "and that he intends to launch those missiles."

"What are the targets?" Nick asked.

"Programmable. They could go anywhere."

"Can we knock down the satellite?" Selena asked. "Missiles? Some secret plane that can get up there? Anything?"

"No. Only a missile could reach it and Prometheus is programmed to defend itself against missile attack. The Pentagon says the missiles wouldn't get through."

"The Pentagon could be wrong, or maybe they don't want to blow up their billion dollar toy on our say so."

"Even if we could blow it up, those are hydrogen bombs up there," Elizabeth said. "They'll go off and they're loaded with plutonium. The explosion would poison the atmosphere for generations. It would create an EMP burst that would blanket half the globe and take out electrical power everywhere. The results would be catastrophic."

"Didn't anyone think about stuff like that before they put it up there?" Ronnie said.

"Apparently not."

Ronnie shook his head.

"Westlake would need a place to keep a transmitter," Nick said, "someplace no one would think of. Has anyone checked to see if he owns property somewhere, like a vacation home? Somewhere he could put up an antenna without attracting attention?"

"They did," Elizabeth said. "He doesn't own any property aside from his house. They searched that. They didn't find anything."

"Is he married?" Selena asked. "His wife might know something."

"He was married, but she died a few years ago," Elizabeth said.

"Another dead end," Ronnie said.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Come on, Ronnie."

"Maybe not," Selena said. "What was the wife's name?"