Secret of the Oil: Prequel to the Donavan Chronicles (25 page)

BRIGADIER GENERAL MARY JEAN BERGERMEYER

MONDAY MORNING

The sun was shining brightly into Mary Jean Bergermeyer's office on this cool autumn day in the nation's capital. She sat behind her desk, contemplating exactly how to handle the situation with Matt and Bridget. Their actions had filled her thoughts over the entire weekend, and now it was time for her final assessment of their conduct during the mission in Saudi Arabia. She had cleared her desk of the paperwork; the only thing remaining on it was a picture of her pet cats and a coffee cup holding her steaming morning tea.

She had been at her desk for three hours taking care of the normal morning message traffic and important memos that needed to be routed to the appropriate sections under her command. She returned to staring out of the window overlooking the Kennedy Center and parts of Foggy Bottom. The office door opened at 0800 hours and Matt and Bridget walked in and reported.

“You two saved a city from a nuclear attack and probably saved the U.S. from experiencing a catastrophic economic collapse. For that, you have the admiration and gratitude of all who knew of your endeavor.” Mary Jean stood up and faced Matt and Bridget.

“There is the matter of the explosion in the desert that concerns me the most. I feel you were negligent in performing the order I gave you to terminate al-Hanbali as soon as possible. You took your time and even talked to him, according to your report. In my view that was a serious miscalculation. It allowed the terrorist to attempt a detonation of the bomb in the city, and to actually set off the device in the desert.” Mary Jean paused here to let her words sink in. She had not offered the two a seat and they were still standing in front of her desk. She saw the flash of anger in both as she prepared to continue her analysis of the mission.

“You were not aware that the cell phone Tewfik al-Hanbali tried to dial was actually the signal to detonate the bomb in the city,” Mary Jean said. “The Saudis blocked the signal. They had all cell phone calls in that area blocked with the help of some equipment from the NSA. That saved the city, or at least it might have, as we’re not sure if Sergeant O’Leary’s team had already disconnected the phone from the bomb at the exact moment Tewfik tried to detonate it. You, both of you, did not kill al-Hanbali on sight as ordered and he was able to set off the second device. What have you got to say?”

“No Excuse,” Matt said.

“Don’t give me that crap. Tell me what really went on,” demanded the general.

“We got close to him and I decided to try and take him. Even if we nailed him from our position at the time, he still would probably have fallen on the detonator. Bridget had him in her sights and he thought I was his own man in the disguise I had put on. He did not react to my presence until I was within ten feet. I thought I had him; that we could capture him. He would be valuable to interrogate. We could learn much from a guy like that.” Matt shifted back and forth but kept his eyes locked on hers.

“General, we thought the value of a live terrorist leader in our custody might outweigh a dead raghead,” Bridget added in a strong and clear voice.

“I have to commend you for you leadership in getting your team into position with very little assistance from us here. We were too far away and you saved a city and from what I am now told the second bomb did not do the damage the terrorists intended,” Mary Jean said.

“How is that?” they both said almost at the same time.

“Well, Admiral Kidd informs me that the nuclear evaluation team determined the explosion actually sealed the subterraneous cavern in which it detonated and collapsed the walls that would have let the contaminants spread to the entire oil reserves. Unfortunately, our helicopter and the men on it were killed. Those two atomic events could have brought the West to its proverbial knees if they had been successful. So, the only thing I am upset about in the end is your reluctance to take out al-Hanbali on sight. If that order is ever given to you two again, will I have to worry about you carrying it out?”

A single negative came from both of their mouths.

“You are dismissed.”

Matt started to turn, then stopped and said, “Err, General, Bridget and I have decided to put in the paperwork to resign as soon as possible.” Matt looked the general straight in the eye.

“Why, may I ask?”

“We want to set off on our own. We feel that it is time to move on and try new things.”

Mary Jean did not expect this development and she did not wish to give anything away. “I think you are doing this because we failed to support your team in the manner you thought we should have. I want you to rethink it today. I know the admiral’s car is waiting to pick you up downstairs. Come and see me after your meeting with the admiral.” Mary Jean came around from behind her desk, shook each of their hands, and escorted them to the door.

“From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you and your team for what you did. You two showed exemplary leadership and initiative skills. I hope that tomorrow you might think differently.”

THE WHITE HOUSE

MONDAY– 9:00 A.M.

Matt stood with Bridget outside the front entrance of the Center’s building and saw the official Navy car arrive. The admiral’s aide got out and greeted them. He escorted them into the car. Matt asked the aide where they were going and received no reply. He looked at Bridget and she shrugged her shoulders.

Matt decided to just sit back and enjoy the ride. It took only ten minutes to get from the center in Roslyn to the White House gate. After passing through the security gate, they got out of the car. Matt asked no questions as the aide escorted them to the basement of the White House, to the area called the White House Situation Room.

“What the hell is going on?” Bridget whispered.

“Beats me. Maybe we screwed up worse than we thought,” Matt said, just as the door to the situation room opened.

As the door swung fully open, Matt saw the Secretary of Defense, whom he had last seen on that fateful day in 2001.

“Come in, Captain. Sergeant. Matt, it has been some time since that dreadful day. You both did a great job in Saudi.” He shook Matt’s hand and then did the same to Bridget. Right behind him was the Secretary of State and she shook both of their hands. When the two Secretaries parted, Matt saw the President as he rose from behind the desk in the center of the room. There were two other people in the room, Admiral Kidd and General Bergermeyer.

“Welcome. Come on in,” President Christopher Brennan said in a slight Georgia drawl. He extended his hand to them, and they both shook hands with the President. “We have kept this meeting a classified event and the people here all know what you two, plus your team, did in the recent events in Saudi Arabia. I want to express my appreciation for your brave act and quick reaction in bringing the situation to a close. I’ll make sure there is a fitting entry in your military records. But before that, the Secretary of Defense has an award to present to you. Mr. Secretary.” The President gestured to the Secretary to go ahead with the presentation.

The Secretary of Defense read a short citation for both Matt and Bridget and presented them with the Department of Defense Meritorious Service Award. This medal was very high up in the order of military awards that could be presented.

“Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I didn’t know there was such an award.”

“It’s usually for senior officers and it is rare for it to be presented to a captain and never before to a sergeant. All here think you earned it.” The Secretary said that the three enlisted men on the team would receive their service’s commendation medal.

“Congratulations to both of you. As you might have noticed, the citation did not exactly refer to any action you really performed while in Saudi,” the President said. “I am sure you are wondering how I know about this and why I am interested in what you did. Well, first of all, I know about your exploits from my old college classmate and best man at my wedding, Admiral Kidd. We have been close friends for nigh on thirty years. He told me about you on Friday night in a close hold poker game.” The President had his vote-getting smile in full bloom beaming across his face.

“Let me say that you have the respect of all here and I am going to rip someone’s tail for not keeping me informed as this whole event was unfolding. That’s another story. Right now, I would like to have a private conversation with these two real national heroes. You both showed exemplary courage and devotion to duty and the United States owes you a great deal of thanks for what you accomplished. We could have suffered a catastrophic economic failure if their efforts had failed,” the President concluded and waited for the Secretaries to leave. He pointed to Admiral Kidd and Brigadier Bergermeyer to stay.

“Okay. Everybody is gone except us chickens,” the President said, “and I want to make sure you two know that what is going to be said here in the next few minutes has not been said. Do I make myself clear?” Matt saw the President’s eyes look directly at him and then at Bridget.

Matt shook his head in unison with Bridget. What was coming had to be extremely important. The President motioned for them to sit around the main conference table. They had stood since entering the White House Situation Room for the formal ceremony. Matt snuck a sideways glance at Bridget and saw she was just as puzzled as he was on this whole secret drama thing that was unfolding before them. What did the President have in mind? Matt was curious, but now his guard was going up. Something was going to happen; he sensed it. As he got comfortable sitting, he returned his focus to the President.

After looking around the room, the President sat back in his chair that bore the Presidential seal. He took a deep breath, and started to talk, looking at both Matt and Bridget.

“I am aware of your intentions to resign from the service, perhaps trying to do the same things you have been so superbly trained to do in the military. Have I been informed correctly?”

Matt looked at General Bergermeyer, knowing she had to be the one to reveal their intentions. She only looked at the President. Then Matt slowly nodded his head.

“Well, I have a proposition that may interest you, and it is the reason for all the secrecy.” The President rose from his high-backed chair and started to pace back and forth behind it. He was a man thinking things out. Matt observed the intensity in the eyes as the President turned to face him.

“I want you to do exactly what you plan.”

Matt’s jaw nearly dropped open.
What in the hell is he up to?

“There is a catch, but let me explain in detail before you make up your mind. I also extend this invitation to Sergeant Donavan. You see, I have been thinking the President needs a team of people he can call on to do things that he can’t call on anyone else to do. Not CIA, FBI, Homeland Security or any other organization. The fiction writers have had a field day over the years postulating all kinds of secret teams the President has at his disposal to solve all kinds of super secret operations to save the country. Well, you two actually did that in real life. So, why not be the President’s secret force to do that type of thing when I need someone I can tap who is outside of the normal operations of the government?” He stopped and sat back down.

Matt could tell he was not explaining it in depth and there were some holes in the offer. He decided to keep quiet even though it would be a great time to ask questions. If this offer was real, and he assumed it was, there would be time to take care of small details later. He looked at Bridget who was viewing him with her head toward the President but her eyes were hard over glancing at him. She made a shoulder gesture that Matt took as “let’s see what happens.”

“For the present, you will remain as serving members of the armed forces but will be removed from all active duty lists and will appear as if you are no longer in the service. Your pay and privileges will continue to accrue and your promotions will be on time. You will only report to the two officers in this room or to me personally. This offer is good as long as I am President and it might carry over to my successor depending on his or her wishes. You will be acting as a private contract security firm. Go ahead, set it up, and operate as any other private organization. You will do business as that entity unless you receive a contract from one of us to carry out a mission. Then you will have at your command all the government’s equipment, technology, communications, etc. that you require. You get the best of both worlds, continuing to serve your country and engaging in the fields you want to as private citizens. Once you are set up you can always fall back on that if future Presidents decide not to continue the program. What do you think?”

Matt could not believe it. This allowed them to do all they could ever want. It gave them access to all the resources of the government and none of the limiting control features that had hampered their operations in Saudi. Bridget was staring at him.

“Mr. President, does this mean the officers here will control any operation you decide to give us?” Matt had to know what controls or limitations would apply on the use of the government’s resources.

“Let me make this very plain. You will receive a mission and you will be in control. All assets of this government will be at your fingertips and these two will provide that support. Your job will be to get the task completed by whatever means and to send me the bill including your own compensation as a contractor.” The President sat back in his chair and waited for this to sink in.

Matt looked at Bridget who nodded.

“In that case, I accept your offer. We might need our two other team members.”

“That can be arranged,” said the President. “Anything else?”

“With the mandate you have given us and the resources you will make available there is nothing else we could ask for,” he said as he looked to Bridget.

“Mr. President, I’m afraid I must pass. I want to get out of the Army and go back to school to pursue a career in archeology. My enlistment is up in six months,” Bridget said.

“I may have to rethink the manner of your employment with me. Perhaps Matt might have to go to the FBI where another close friend of mine is the director. That might make it easier for him to operate in certain areas. I’ll decide later. Right now, young lady, as a personal favor to me could you help Matt here get set up?” the President asked.

“That I could do,” Bridget responded. “I would be willing to help get the rest of that gang, if we ever can.”

“Okay. Now we have settled that. It is time to fill you in on parts of your operation in Saudi that you were not aware. You went after the two devices that were scheduled by this guy, Tewfik al-Hanbali, to detonate in the city and the oil reserves. You do not know some things. One of the men who got away was al-Hanbali’s brother, at least we believe he is, and the other was a Russian.” The president moved to a map on the wall.

“What Russian?” Bridget said in open astonishment.

“We believe he is the one who is responsible for the actual construction of the weapons. The technical boys, who evaluated the weapon you brought back, think the methodology is consistent with the way the Russians construct their nuclear weapons.”

The President turned to Matt and said, “We think the Russian is the one who owned the computer Matt took at the gas station. It had some useful information on it, and we did recover an e-mail address on that computer, but unless he uses that same e-mail account on a new computer we have definitely lost him. Other than that, we now have lost any way to track them or perhaps communicate with him. Admiral Kidd will fill you in on the details of that after this meeting. You eliminated all but two members of that terrorist cell and destroyed it as an effective unit. Where the two that got away are, or what they intend to do, is unknown. We have to assume they will take some time to get operational again.”

The President took a moment to let his words sink in. “Your first mission, after you get set up, is to deal with it. Now that Bridget has agreed to work with you on this I have one directive: go get them.” The President rose from his chair to indicate the meeting was over. He walked over to them and said, “Good luck, good hunting, and keep in touch. They’ll tell you how for normal times but you may have a need to contact me. Here is my personal cell phone number.” He handed it to Matt and then left the room.

“Well, Mr. Higgins, since you are unofficially out of service, are you completely satisfied with this arrangement?” the admiral asked.

“We both thank you for what both did,” Matt said.

“You two now have a presidential directive and a specific mission from him. Why are you standing around here like two deer in the headlights?” The admiral smiled as he said this.

“We are on it,” they said together.

* * * *

At that exact moment, thousands of mile from Washington, Basam al-Hanbali and Yuri Marchanovich were driving across the southern Saudi Arabian desert toward the Yemen border. There they planned to disappear for some time in order to reorganize and rebuild their cell. They regretted they had lost that crucial computer in the trade for the car due to their need to get away quickly. They now continued without that item but they still had their prize. Yuri could reconstruct most of the data lost on the computer. That remained only a small secondary concern.

Strapped safely in the back seat rested the third atomic weapon.

THE END