CHAPTER 16
Secure Comms Room
Clocktower Station HQ
Jakarta, Indonesia
Josh glanced at the red dots on the positioning screen. In the hour since David had left, the twenty-four red dots — representing all of Jakarta Station’s field operatives — had moved from Station HQ to locations across the city. Now the map showed four groups of six dots.
Josh knew three of the locations well: they were Jakarta Station’s safe houses. These eighteen agents must be on David’s suspect list. The dots at the safe houses moved about slowly, turning back when they reached the walls that held them, like an accused man pacing a holding cell, waiting to hear his fate.
The strategy was sound: David had divided the possible enemy forces and given himself time to see them coming if they did attack. When they attacked. Seeing the dots on the map had given Josh a sense of dread, had made the threat real. It was happening. The battle for Jakarta Station was only a matter of time. At some point, the dots would break free from the safe houses, descend on David’s group of six soldiers, then come back to HQ to take care of Josh.
David had simply bought them time. Time for Josh to sift the day’s local intel and work on the code — to find something. And he wasn’t sure if he had.
He watched the sat video again. It was all he had. What if he was wrong?
He ran his hand through his hair. It was certainly outside the box. But if it was nothing…
Intelligence work often came down to instinct. The van, the operation, it didn’t feel right to Josh.
He dialed David and said, “I think I have something.”
“Go ahead,” David said.
“A kidnapping — two kids from a medical clinic. Reported to Jakarta PD several hours ago. Clocktower flagged it as low-priority local incident. But — the van is a commercial vehicle registered to a Hong Kong-based dummy corporation that is a known Immari front. And frankly, it doesn’t look like locals, this was a professional kidnapping. Usually we’d file it under standard kidnapping and ransom, but Immari wouldn’t bother with a K&R. I’m still digging, but I’m 99% sure this is an Immari operation, and a high-priority one given how overt it was — grabbing the kids during the day and with a van they knew we would trace, it means they couldn’t wait.”
“So what does it mean?”
“I’m not sure yet. The strange thing is that it looks like another Immari company, Immari Research, funds the clinic. The money for the building and its monthly expenses is paid from a Jakarta-based holding corporation — Immari Jakarta. There are several references to it in your files. The company’s history dates back almost 200 years. It was a subsidiary of the Dutch East India Company before World War II. It could be Immari’s major operating center here in Southeast Asia.”
“Doesn’t make sense, why would one Immari unit take kids from another? Maybe an internal feud? What do we know about the staff at the clinic?”
“Not much. There aren’t many of them. A lab tech, Ben Adelson, killed during the incident. A rotating staff of nannies for the kids. Mostly locals, not connected. And the lead scientist,” Josh pulled up a file of Dr. Katherine Warner, “she arrived during the breach. Must have been incapacitated. No one left for over an hour. Local police have her now at a Jakarta substation.”
“Have they put out any inter-agency alerts on the kids?”
“No.”
“Public APBs?” David asked.
“Nope. But I have a theory. We have a source in the West Jakarta Police. He filed a report fifteen minutes ago, says the police chief is extorting an American national — female. I assume it’s Dr. Warner.”
“Hmm. What does the clinic do?”
“It’s a research facility, actually. Genetic research. They’re studying new therapies for autistic children, basically anyone with a developmental disorder.”
“Doesn’t exactly scream international terrorism.”
“I agree,” Josh said.
“So what’s the working theory, here, what are we looking at?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. I haven’t gotten too deep into the weeds on this one, but one thing jumps out: the study hasn’t filed any patents.”
“Why is that significant? You think they’re not doing research?”
“No, I’m pretty sure they are, just based on the equipment they’ve imported and the setup. But it’s not for the money. If they wanted to commercialize what they’re studying, they would patent it first; this is standard procedure for clinical trials. You find a compound in a lab, patent it, then test it. The patent prevents the competition from stealing a sample from a trial and patenting it first, cutting you off from the market. You would only test something without a patent if you didn’t want the world to know about it. And Jakarta makes sense to do that. A US-based trial with any patients would legally require an application to the FDA and disclosure of the trial therapy.”
“So they’re developing a bio weapon?”
“Maybe. But before today, the clinic hasn’t had any incidents. They’ve registered no fatalities, so if they are testing it on the kids, it would make it the least effective bio weapon of all time. Based on what I can see, the research is legit. And well-intentioned. In fact, if they did achieve their research goal, it would be a huge medical breakthrough.”
“Which would also make it a great cover. But one question: why steal from yourself? If Immari funds the clinic and runs the clinic, why would they need to use their own people to steal the kids? Maybe the researcher got cold feet about the weapon, about what they’re doing?” David said.
“Could be.”
“Does the source at Jakarta PD have the authority to release the doctor?”
“No, apparently he’s a little lower on the totem pole,” Josh said.
“Do we have a file on the Chief?”
“Stand by.” Josh searched Clocktower’s database, and when the Chief’s file appeared, he leaned back in his chair. “Yeah, we’ve got a file. Wow.”
“Send it to my mobile command center. Have you gone through all of the local intel yet?”
“Yeah, this was the only thing that really jumped out. There is something else.” Josh had debated whether to mention it, but like the video of the kidnapping, it didn’t feel right. “None of the other cells have reported being attacked, and Central hasn’t released any advisories. There’s been nothing in the news either — nothing since the fighting in Karachi, Cape Town, and Mar del Plata. All the cells are quiet, releasing routine reports as if nothing is going on.”
“Speculation?” David said.
“Two possibilities: either they’re waiting for something, maybe our next move, or…”
“The rest of the cells fell without a fight.”
“Yeah, we may be the last major cell,” Josh said.
“I want you to work on the code — as quickly as you can.”