No Fortunate Son (Pike Logan, #7)(10)
He moved to the podium unnoticed, laying his computer on the desk next to it. He plugged it into the Proxima projector and looked for Alexander Palmer, the man who chaired the meetings in the absence of the president. He saw a heated argument between Mark Oglethorpe, the secretary of defense, and Kerry Bostwick, the director of the CIA, but no Palmer.
The conference room door opened and Palmer entered, followed by another man, a youngish-looking bureaucrat who appeared as scared as a rabbit cornered by a pack of wolves. The man moved to the front of the room, unplugged Kurt’s laptop, and plugged in his own. Palmer walked to Kurt.
“Hey, plans have changed. We aren’t going to hear about Pike’s status today. He’s inactive indefinitely.”
“What’s going on?”
“You heard about the missing military folks, right? This NSC staffer has the latest information.”
“How is that Taskforce business? Who gives a shit? I’m not going to let Pike rot because of some political crap.”
Palmer scowled at Kurt’s nonchalant attitude and said, “Everyone gives a shit. Pike’s done for now. Take a seat.”
Surprised at the ferocity of the reproach, Kurt nodded and joined George at the back of the room. The staffer turned on the projector and the room became silent. He waited a bit until the bulb settled and the computer had a signal, then cleared his throat, studiously avoiding the secretary of defense’s eyes. Palmer said, “Get it going. Give them the damage.”
The man cleared his throat again and said, “Gentlemen, it appears that our initial fears have been realized. This is not a coincidence or a random act. An organization has targeted military relatives of key members of the United States government. Currently, we know this.”
He clicked a slide, and Kurt grew cold at the two headings.
KIA:
Staff Sergeant Bryan Cransfield, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, nephew of Representative Duncan Cransfield, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee
MIA:
Lieutenant Colonel Travis Deleon, Brussels, Belgium, husband of Rachel Deleon, Governor of Texas
Captain McKinley Clute and Lieutenant Kaelyn Clute, Okinawa, Japan, son and daughter of Easton Beau Clute, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Airman First Class Curtis Oglethorpe, Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, son of Mark Oglethorpe, Secretary of Defense
Next to each bullet was a picture of the missing person. Kurt saw the last name and picture, a smiling man in Air Force camouflage, and understood why the SECDEF had been so agitated when he’d entered. He caught George’s eye but said nothing.
Jonathan Billings, the secretary of state, said, “So the vice president’s son is okay? That was bad intelligence?”
Palmer said, “Unfortunately, no. That information is close-hold, so much so that nothing is being put on hard copy or electrons. Nick was an analyst at the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre at RAF Molesworth, England.” He paused for a moment, going eye to eye with the men in the room, then said, “He’s missing as well, and if that leaks, I swear I’m going to cut someone’s nuts off.”
The D/CIA brushed aside the threat and said, “The NIFC? What did he do there?” He pronounced it Nif-See.
Billings said, “What’s the NIFC?”
“It’s the intelligence hub for NATO. They’re responsible for all operational targeting, both possible and actual.”
Palmer said, “He’s an Air Force weatherman. He provided predictive analysis for operations.”
“Shit. So he was read onto ongoing and planned missions?”
“Yes. I guess.”
“Well then, his being the vice president’s son may not be the worst of this. He’s like the guy in the mail room who knows everything going on in the corporation. He’s potentially got information in his head that could damage current operations worldwide, from Afghanistan to the Ukraine.” He leaned back into his chair and said, “What’s in that man’s head may be more important than who his father is.”
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.”