Black Flagged (The Black Flagged Technothriller Series)
Read Black Flagged (The Black Flagged Technothriller Series) Online
Authors: Steven Konkoly
BLACK
FLAGGED
A Novel by Steven Konkoly
Book One in the Black Flagged Series
Copyright Information
Copyright 2011 by Stribling Media. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author, except where permitted by law, or in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, contact
[email protected]
.
Features Index
About the author
Steven Konkoly graduated from the United States Naval Academy and served for eight years in various roles within the Navy and Marine Corps. He currently lives with his family in southern Maine.
He published his first novel,
The Jakarta Pandemic
, in 2010, followed by four novels in the
Black Flagged Series:
Black Flagged
(2011),
Black Flagged Redux
(2012),
Black Flagged Apex
(2012) and
Black Flagged Vektor
(2013). Steven recently (Dec 2013) released
The Perseid Collapse,
book one in an epic-post apocalyptic series featuring many of the same characters from
The Jakarta Pandemic
.
Excerpt from
The Jakarta Pandemic
Excerpt from
Black Flagged Redux
Please visit Steven's blog for updates and information regarding all of his works.
Acknowledgments
I now see that the acknowledgments will grow with each novel, which is a good thing. First, let me start out with the all of the readers that voiced support for my first novel,
The Jakarta Pandemic
. Your encouragement and interaction has been genuinely appreciated over the past year, and I encourage readers of
Black Flagged
to reach out with the same enthusiasm.
So, here we go…
To my wife, the first reader, who devoured the novel without taking a break. I figured this was a good sign, especially since this is not her typical genre. She actually beat me to the end and demanded that I finish the last few chapters. If you don't like the ending, you can blame her for rushing me.
To my writing group, who warmly welcomed me into their world and endured
Black Flagged'
s opening chapter violence way better than I expected. After reading several other submissions within the group, I thought I might need to tone down my material for our gatherings. I couldn't have been more mistaken. I've gained valuable insight about my own book and have been exposed to the talents of new writers in a wide spectrum of genres. Joe, thank you for introducing me to this group…and for your continuous critiques and suggestions throughout the process of writing both books.
To my pre-readers…most of whom volunteered, some of whom I didn't know before writing
The Jakarta Pandemic
. Bill, for the valuable guidance regarding the structure of the entire series, and for some spot on advice about Daniel Petrovich,
Black Flagged'
s main character; Trent, for once again going above and beyond the call of duty. I couldn't ask for more…a marked up manuscript and plot pacing suggestions for the book's big twist. As a D.C. resident, he also helped me to structure some of the local scenes. Joe H., who probably made my editor's life easier. Based on his straightforward critique of my last novel, and his frequent interaction among reviewers of
The Jakarta Pandemic
, I didn't hesitate to take him up on his offer to pre-read
Black Flagged
. His "right between the eyes" style of critique has been essential to the fine tuning of several aspects, and his ability to take in the bigger picture…while still catching typos and grammar errors is enviable. Finally, Bruce, for catching some really elusive typos and keeping the Portland references accurate.
To Felicia A. Sullivan, editor extraordinaire. I'll just thank you in advance for the professionalism you put into expertly editing
Black Flagged
, and the enthusiasm you'll bring to promoting it. I still can't thank you enough for the extra mile you walked for
The Jakarta Pandemic
. At some point, we'll collaborate within your favorite genre to create the ultimate post-apocalyptic novel. It'll rock the genre, I guarantee.
Finally, to Jeroen ten Berge, for knocking it out of the park with his cover design. He really captured the essence of
Black Flagged
with his bold vision.
Dedication
To my wife and children, who are my constant motivation, and graciously put up with the time and energy that I devote to writing.
Cast of Characters
Serbian Paramilitary
Srecko Hadzic
- Leader of the "Panthers," a quasi-organized crime network and Serbian ultra-nationalist paramilitary group serving Slobodan Milosevic's regime
Pavle Hadzic
- Hadzic's handicapped brother
Radovan Grahovac
- Hadzic's "right-hand" man and chief-of-security
Marko Resja (aka Daniel Petrovich)
- Midlevel soldier and undercover U.S. operative
Mirko Jovic
- Leader of "White Eagles," a rival paramilitary group
Goran Lujic
- "White Eagles" enforcer
FBI
Benjamin Shelby
-
Director
Executive Assistant Director Fred Carroll
- National Security Branch
Associate Director Sandra Delgado
- National Security Branch
Special Agent-in-Charge Ryan Sharpe
- Task Force HYRDA's investigative leader
Special Agent Frank Mendoza
- Sharpe's second in command
Special Agent Heather Olson
- Primary investigator, HYDRA murders
Special Agent Dana O'Reilly
- Lead data analyst, HYDRA
Special Agent Justin Edwards
- Lead investigator for Mohammed Ghani murder scene
Special Agent Keith Weber
- Communications section-head, HYDRA
Special Agent Gregory Carlisle
- Lead Interrogator, HYDRA murders
CIA
Audra Bauer
- Director, Counterterrorism Center, National Clandestine Service
Karl Berg
- Assistant director, Counterterrorism Center, National Clandestine Service
Randy Keller
- CIA liaison to Task Force HYDRA
Black Flag Operatives
Daniel Petrovich
- Former Black Flag operative
General Terrence Sanderson
- Created original Black Flag program
James Parker
- Sanderson's "right-hand" man
Colonel Richard Farrington
- Compartmentalized Information Section (CIS), Pentagon
Jeffrey Munoz
- Suspect in the shooting of Umar Salah
Others
Jessica Petrovich
- Daniel Petrovich's wife
Julio Mendez
- Janitorial custodian, Pentagon
Darryl Jackson
- Executive, Brown River Security Corporation
Jeremy Cummings
- Team leader, Brown River Security Corporation
Derren McKie
- National Security Agency employee and former Black Flag operative
BLACK FLAGGED – "Classification given to an agent or intelligence officer who is to be interrogated and summarily killed if apprehended."
BLACK OUT
April 8, 1999
2:35 p.m.
A few miles outside of Vizic, Serbia
Marko Resja peered cautiously over the top of the jagged stone wall, scanning the lodge's distant front porch with powerful binoculars. Through the driving downpour, he counted four men, which was a good thing. With the entire external security team in one place, he should have no trouble approaching unseen.
He lowered himself to the spongy, pine-needle-covered ground and leaned back against a sharp granite chunk that formed part of the estate's perimeter wall. Created by haphazardly dumping large uneven rocks around the lodge on all sides, the utilitarian border marked the divide between hastily cleared land and the impenetrable Fruska Gora National Forest.
Marko had arrived at the stone wall one hour earlier, hampered by the same relentless rainfall that had kept NATO aircraft at bay for more than a week. Concealed in the dense pine foliage behind the jagged barrier, he could hear the distant roar of high-altitude jets through the unremitting storm. He guessed the NATO pilots were testing Belgrade's air defense network from a safe distance, impatient for the weather to clear over the northern Balkan Peninsula.
He stared out into the wavering pine forest before turning his attention back to the lodge. The two-story, modern, stone and beam structure looked sturdy enough to withstand an artillery attack. A similarly constructed, one-story garage stood between him and the house, partially obscuring his view of the main structure.
Srecko Hadzic, ruthless leader of the paramilitary Serbian Panther crime syndicate, had built the lodge for the sole purpose of hiding his brother, Pavle, from prying eyes. Rumors of NATO commando teams operating within Serbian borders had taken root among upper-level leadership, raising paranoia to near panic levels, and Hadzic feared Pavle's capture more than his own at this point. Unfortunately for Hadzic, the Vizic compound was one of the worst-kept secrets in Belgrade.
He took one more look over the top of the wall, just to make sure all four men were still on the porch. He spotted the bright orange glow of cigarettes through the nearly impenetrable rain squall. He didn't expect any of them to emerge from their cozy shelter, but he had to keep in mind that these men were all current or former Serbian Special Operations types, and despite the overindulgences often associated with paramilitary security details, all of these men had been hand-picked for their competence. Three more had accompanied Radovan Grahovac, Hadzic's chief of security, into the lodge to meet with Pavle.
They had all arrived dressed in civilian clothes, which suggested that the crew might head north for a night of prostitutes and drinking along the banks of the Danube River in Novi Sad. Despite their casual dress, however, each man carried a compact assault rifle and a pistol. Under normal circumstances, this was not a crew he would fuck with. Today, Marko would make a notable exception.
Satisfied that all four men were still in the same place, he picked up a long, thick, black nylon duffel bag and ran to a position along the wall that was completely obscured from the porch by the garage. He knew from two previous reconnaissance trips that Radovan didn't stay more than ten minutes, which meant he was already running out of time.
From his new vantage point, he glanced over the wall and saw one of two dark blue Range Rovers that had arrived at Pavle's hideaway a few minutes ago, depositing Radovan and his heavily-armed security detail. The other Range Rover was parked several meters behind the first, hidden from his view by the garage.
