7
A low murmur went through the room, then grew into a buzz. The young staffer remained silent. Alexander Palmer said, “Quiet. Let him continue. Give them what we think.”
The bureaucrat clicked a slide and Kurt read:
We value the sanctity of human life above all else, but the fact remains that if a person takes up arms against our nation, he becomes a threat to our way of life and will be dealt with, whether he’s a United States citizen or not. Rest assured, though, every operation is thoroughly reviewed and every person targeted is given the same due diligence whether he’s a foreign national or an American.
Beneath that quote was another.
I beg to differ. Not every life is the same. You kill people all over the world without any thought to the collateral damage. Farmers in Yemen, civilians in Pakistan, goat herders in Somalia, it’s all the same to you. What would it take to alter your behavior? Whose life is more valuable than the ones you target? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Perhaps we will see.
The staffer said, “Eight months ago the administration hosted a virtual town hall on the website Reddit. The last question asked dealt with our armed UAV program. The top quote is from the administration, given eight months ago. The bottom rejoinder appeared yesterday.”
The D/CIA said, “So you think this is connected?”
Palmer said, “We’re assuming so, and before you ask, the NSA is doing everything it can to identify the location of the message. They’ve come up with nothing. Or more precisely, with about a hundred different possibilities. The sender covered his tracks well.”
“So, given the topic of the Reddit thread, we’re assuming an Islamic group?”
“Yes, for now.”
The D/CIA leaned back and said, “I don’t see it. This scope is too big. Too much ground to cover. Too much overt work that had to be done. There’s no Islamic group out there with the capability to conduct synchronized operations that span the globe. For one, they stick out too much. How are a bunch of Arabs going to do operational work on Okinawa? They would have been compromised. For another, they’re too fractured, especially with all of the internal fighting going on. We would have heard something.”
The SECDEF spoke up. “Well, there are two facts right now: One, they’re missing. Two, we didn’t hear anything. So what are we doing?”
His statement was calm and measured. Considering what was at stake for him personally, Kurt was impressed with the control.
“We’ve locked down anyone remotely believed to be a target, including redeploying two from the war zone in Afghanistan.”
Oglethorpe’s control fractured a smidgen. “Well, that’s great proactive work, but I meant, what the hell are we doing about the ones missing?”
Understanding the pressure, Palmer let the jibe go. “The president has made this priority number one for every single federal agency that might be of use. And that includes the Taskforce.”
Kurt popped his head up at the comment. Palmer saw the movement and said, “What?”
“Sir, that’s not what we do. We’re not a law enforcement investigative organization and we aren’t focused on hostage rescue. Our operations take months—sometimes years. This is going to be time sensitive, and forcing the issue will get us compromised. I understand the wish to do something, but you’re trying to use a flat-head screwdriver on a Phillips screw. It may do more harm than good.”
Palmer tapped his chin, then said, “What is your primary mission?”
“Counterterrorism. Preemptive activities against designated substate groups with an end state of preventing harm to the homeland through long-term analysis and disruption.”
“Don’t give me that official doctrinal crap. You know what I mean. What do you do?”
Kurt pursed his lips, seeing where his question was leading. “Manhunting.”
“Exactly.”
“Sir, you know we’re tracking two separate threats coming out of Syria.” Kurt looked at the SECDEF. “I understand completely the feelings here, but if I divert to this mission, it may mean we lose the thread. It may mean we miss the ability to stop an attack. We’re putting five people’s lives ahead of possibly many, many more.”
Palmer rubbed his eyes, saying nothing. The SECDEF said, “Don’t make a decision about the Taskforce because of me. I’m recusing myself from the vote on this.”
Palmer said, “There is no voting this time around. This briefing is for information only. The Taskforce is going to dedicate all assets to recovering the five hostages. That’s from the president of the United States. Anyone has an issue with it, take it up with him.”
Kurt heard the words and felt a little disquieted by them. He believed President Warren to be a good and trusted man, but in one fell swoop he had just castrated the very council that was designed to keep the Taskforce in check. Designed for oversight, as the name implied.
Palmer focused directly on Kurt. “You’ll brief just like any other operation, letting the Oversight Council know what’s going on and gaining concurrence for operational activity, but you’re doing the mission.”
Kurt nodded, and after a little more discussion about the absence of any leads, the meeting broke up, the various members returning to their day jobs. Kurt held his tongue until he and George were back in the car and outside the gate. With the White House in the rearview mirror, he said, “What the hell just happened?”
George said, “I’d say the president is a little fired up about assholes taking our people.”
“Yeah, I get that, but we’re proving the terrorist on Reddit to be right. We just put five lives ahead of everything else. Shit, they fired Pike for ignoring the Council, and now the president is ignoring the Council. It’s not good.”
“You’ve got his ear. You can talk to him.”
“No. Not yet. I’m not the neophyte you think I am in this world. He sent Palmer on purpose. He didn’t want to see me.”
George looked at him and smiled. “Very good, meat-eater. Perhaps there’s hope for you yet.”
Kurt felt his phone vibrate with a text. Call me. Please.
It was from Kathy, and his niece popped back in his mind, causing his stomach to sour. On the drive over he’d toyed with the idea of diverting Taskforce assets or maybe even a couple of Operators to England to see what they could find, but that was out of the question now.
George said, “Too bad we don’t have Pike in the lineup for this. He’s got a habit of stumbling into the heart of every bad thing.”
Kurt heard the words and dialed the phone.
“Who’re you calling?”
“Pike. I need someone to stumble onto some bad things.”