Viper Nine Read online

  President Williams leaned forward on the desk and buried his face in his hands. The room watched on for a full minute before Williams lifted his tired eyes from behind his fingers. ‘I’ve got some more bad news,’ he said. ‘I’ve just been informed that Viper Nine have stolen one of our warheads.’

  The situation room broke into murmurs of disbelief.

  ‘Where on earth from?’ Danbridge asked.

  ‘One of our secret stockpile facilities in the Belgian Ardennes,’ General Budge replied.

  Schneider nudged Gilmore and whispered, ‘How did you know?’

  ‘I told you,’ Gilmore said. ‘I still have contacts… That’s why you brought me in, right?’

  ‘I brought you in to save my ass,’ Schneider replied.

  ‘Then whatever I say next, just play along,’ Gilmore said under his breath.

  ‘What kind of device are we talking about?’ Ambassador Hill asked Budge.

  The butterball Four-Star General squirmed in his seat like a man sitting on a nail. ‘I’m led to believe it’s a, uh, B83,’ he coughed.

  ‘Which is?’ the President asked.

  ‘It’s one of a retired series of thermonuclear device,’ Admiral Benson explained.

  ‘It was one of a number waiting to be dismantled,’ Budge continued.

  ‘And how powerful is this B83?’ Williams asked.

  Budge cleared his throat. ‘It’s a one-point-two megaton maximum yield, Mr President. Seventy-five times the power of the Hiroshima bomb.’

  An ominous silence gripped the room.

  The Commander in Chief was the first to break it. ‘So, has anyone got any good news?’

  As the Joint Chiefs looked to each other for answers, Schneider raised an unsure hand. ‘I think we might have something.’

  The entire table turned to the CIA Director.

  Schneider signalled to the young man from the Watch Team. ‘Can we have that up on-screen?’

  The man nodded and pointed a remote at the big screen at the far end of the situation room.

  The screen remained blank. He shook the remote in embarrassment. ‘The batteries might be dead.’

  President Williams hid his face behind his hand. ‘Don’t tell me they hacked that, too.’

  The young man slapped the remote and tried again. This time, the screen filled with an image. Yet not the one Driver had texted Gilmore.

  This one was their friend, the man in the Viper Nine mask – another broadcast direct into the situation room. The man put a hand to his mask and pulled it off over his head.

  Gilmore compared the face on-screen to Driver’s image of the suspect from Belgium. It was the same craggy face and dark, narrow eyes.

  He glared into the camera and held up the mask. ‘Well, I’m sure you know who I am by now.’

  ‘Radovan Kovac,’ General Budge said. ‘Serbian special forces and ex-paramilitary. Served in Kosovo. Your pop was a General, killed in the conflict, right?’

  The Serb swelled with pride. ‘Yes, he died a hero.’

  ‘Funny, that’s not how I remember it,’ Budge growled.

  ‘Okay, Joe,’ Williams interrupted with a calming hand.

  Glad someone knew the man’s identity, Gilmore was relieved those around the table were smart enough to not act surprised.

  Kovac tossed the mask aside. ‘So, how is my ransom payment coming along?’

  ‘You expect us to pay when you’re stealing nuclear weapons?’ Williams asked.

  ‘Unless you want me to sell it to the highest bidder,’ Kovac replied. ‘If you’re not minded to pay, I’m sure many of your enemies will be.’ The Serb looked from left to right as if addressing multiple screens. ‘Because let’s face it, my dear world leaders, ‘you have a lot of enemies between you.’ After a moment’s silence, Kovac continued. ‘I don’t think I need to say any more, so I’ll bid you all a final farewell. The price is now one-point-two trillion. A billion for each kiloton in the device. And I’m taking three hours off the deadline for your little stunt in Belgium.’

  ‘We’ll need an hour to discuss it,’ Williams said.

  ‘You’ve got half an hour,’ Kovac replied. ‘After that, we sell the nuke. While you’re deciding, picture what damage it could do while your defences are down.’ Kovac pretended to shudder. ‘Unthinkable.’

  The Serbian killed the broadcast with a smile. Like any true psychopath, he was beginning to enjoy himself.

  President Williams turned to General Budge. ‘Radovan Kovac… Care to enlighten us?’

  ‘I’ve heard of him,’ Budge shrugged. ‘But that’s all.’

  ‘He’s a Serbian-Russian extremist,’ Russian President Utkin chimed in from the video call link from the Kremlin. ‘He fought in Kosovo as a young soldier. A right-wing agitator accused of war crimes. Kovac escaped charges and relocated to Russia. He’s been running his own criminal enterprise ever since. Drugs, weapons, vice…’

  ‘And you didn’t think to stop him?’ asked the British Prime Minister from her side of the call.

  ‘We can’t keep track of everyone,’ Utkin replied. ‘He’s been off the radar for a long time.’

  ‘Then what the hell is he doing tied up with a hacking group?’ Ambassador Hill asked.

  ‘Cyberattacks are big business now,’ said Schneider. ‘Blackmail, phishing, denial of service. It’s a multi-billion industry.’

  President Williams addressed his fellow world leaders on the big screen. ‘So what do we think? Surely there’s no alternative but to pay.’

  ‘President Williams is right,’ said British PM Chambers. ‘We’re left with little choice.’

  Utkin, the Russian, shook his head. ‘I agree with the Chinese President. It’s going to bankrupt us all. Besides, as we’ve already discussed, we don’t negotiate with terrorists.’

  ‘Except as we’ve already agreed, this isn’t a negotiation,’ Williams answered. ‘This is climbing out of the tar pits before we drown.’

  Gilmore listened in as the leaders went back and forth. He sensed the Chinese backing down now a B83 was in play, leaving Russia as the chief stumbling block.

  Utkin was already facing challenges to his grip on the Kremlin and appearances had always been his prime concern. Yet even he couldn’t argue with growing support for a payment.

  ‘Valeri,’ President Williams said after more than twenty minutes of further debate. ‘The longer this goes on, the weaker we all look. Do you think this reflects well on any of us?’

  ‘This is no time to be an ostrich,’ the Chinese President added. ‘We have to acknowledge the facts. If we pay, our political rivals will kill us. If we don’t pay, there will be no seat left to govern.’

  ‘But what guarantees do we have that they will stop the attacks?’ Utkin asked. ‘Once you feed a man liver, very soon he wants steak.’

  ‘I’d rather gamble with money than lives,’ said President Williams, checking his watch. ‘And Kovac is calling back in two minutes.’

  Utkin let out a huge sigh, shook his head and relented.

  ‘Good,’ President Williams continued. ‘Let’s get our treasuries talking and thrash out a deal.’

  Gilmore checked his watch as Kovac re-appeared – the man was punctual to the second.

  ‘Have we reached a decision?’ the Serb asked.

  President Williams straightened up in his chair. He puffed out his chest and lifted his head. ‘We have,’ he replied, in a calm, assured manner. ‘We’ll meet your demands. But we expect an immediate ceasing of all attacks. And full restoration of all services.’

  ‘See, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?’ Kovac replied.

  Gilmore sensed relief in the Serb’s body language. But his demands didn’t end there. ‘Of course, I also require full immunity, for myself and all members of my organisation.’

  ‘You have my personal guarantee,’ Williams said, like a man drinking a cup of poison. ‘But first, it will take us a few hours to prepare the money.’

  ‘The deadline is the d
eadline,’ Kovac replied.

  Gilmore watched the President’s reaction. Like any skilled diplomat, he bit down on his own anger for the sake of striking a deal.

  ‘We’ll need an account number from you,’ Williams continued. ‘To make the transfer.’

  ‘No,’ Kovac replied. ‘You will put the money in an account, then give me that number.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ Williams replied.

  ‘You don’t have to,’ said Kovac. ‘Just do as I say.’ The Serb paused and reached down to his left. ‘And one more thing…’ He held up a tablet and brought it close to the camera. ‘I want the account number delivered by hand, at the time specified, by this person.’

  Gilmore’s heart sunk at the sight of the image. It was Driver. A CCTV shot of her, it must have been captured in Berlin. ‘You will receive coordinates shortly. But she must come alone, unarmed, unwired, or the deal’s off.’

  Again, Kovac killed the video link.

  ‘Who’s the woman?’ General Budge asked the room.

  Schneider shared a confused look with Gilmore. He leaned forward to address the table. ‘That’s Samantha Driver.’

  ‘Who?’ Williams asked as Gilmore felt his worst fears about Wildcard coming true.

  ‘A former CIA Officer,’ Schneider continued. ‘She was captured by Nurian Serik on a black book mission and sold across the border.’

  ‘Sold?’ Helen Danbridge asked.

  Schneider glanced nervously at President Utkin, the video conference restored to the screen. ‘To the Russians.’

  ‘To a previous administration,’ Utkin countered. ‘Following an illegal and unsanctioned mission.’

  Schneider shrugged, not bothering to deny it. ‘We disavowed her, of course.’

  ‘And where is she now?’ Admiral Benson asked.

  ‘That’s the thing,’ Schneider replied. ‘We had confirmation of her death. She took her own life in her cell.’

  ‘Then what is she doing in Berlin, disabling a Viper Nine cell?’ enquired Danbridge.

  Gilmore looked along the row towards the head of the conference table. He caught Violetta Hill’s attention. She seemed as lost for a response as he was, but implored him with her eyes not to speak.

  Yet what alternative did he have? They had to deliver the ransom. And it had to be Driver. Kovac knew she was alive and any suggestion on their part that she was dead would only spark further repercussions. Besides, there was no arguing with the evidence.

  The ex-CIA chief cleared his throat. ‘Mr President, if I may explain…’

  On William’s quizzical expression, Schneider jumped in. ‘I should have mentioned, Mr President. Bryan used to head up our counterterrorism operations at Langley. The ones we don’t usually talk about. The kind Ms Driver was involved in.’

  Williams nodded. ‘I’m listening.’

  ‘Well the thing is,’ Gilmore continued as Hill sunk lower into her chair, ‘Samantha Driver isn’t dead.’ Sensing Schneider was about to argue the contrary, he put a firm hand on the Director’s arm. ‘Officer Driver’s capture and death was a cover story. As was my subsequent retirement from the Central Intelligence Agency.’

  ‘It was?’ Schneider whispered.

  ‘We’ve been operating under deep cover for some time now, Mr President. Only myself and Director Schneider had knowledge of the operation.’ Gilmore kept a firm grip on his old colleague’s arm. ‘We were the task force responsible for Rome.’

  There was an audible gasp around the room, and across continents courtesy of the video link.

  ‘That was you? I mean, us?’ Schneider asked, under his breath.

  ‘Now you don’t have to pretend to take the credit,’ Gilmore whispered back.

  ‘That was some damn fine work,’ Williams replied. ‘So why wasn’t I informed?’

  ‘Plausible deniability,’ Schneider said, playing along.

  ‘And what else have you been doing?’ President Utkin asked with suspicion.

  ‘Nothing against any party involved in this discussion,’ Gilmore replied. ‘We’re a counter-terror unit, that’s all. We were formed following the detection of moles in the agency on the payroll of Nurian Serik.’ Gilmore glanced at Schneider. ‘Before the existing Director’s tenure, of course.’

  ‘Well you’re not a secret any more,’ Williams replied, motioning towards his fellow leaders.

  ‘Believe me, sir. I wouldn’t be coming out and saying this if there were any alternative.’

  ‘If you’re so deep undercover,’ General Budge said. ‘How come Kovac has a mugshot of Officer Driver?’

  ‘Officer Driver was able to infiltrate the Berlin cell thanks to a deep web informant.’

  Williams was angry. ‘And you didn’t think to inform us?’

  ‘We thought Viper Nine could be watching, listening,’ Gilmore replied.

  ‘Anonymity, right?’ Ambassador Hill said, getting in on the lie.

  ‘Yes Madam Ambassador, it was the only weapon we had. After Viper Nine took control of the intelligence community, Director Schneider instructed us to do what we could.’

  ‘That’s why we infiltrated a cell in Berlin,’ Schneider added. ‘Caused them some damage.’

  ‘And your unit,’ Williams asked. ‘They were in Belgium?’

  ‘Yes, sir. We were close, but Kovac and his crew escaped with the warhead.’

  ‘So your Officer Driver,’ President Utkin remarked. ‘She’s the thorn in Kovac’s side. That explains why he wants her to deliver the payment.’

  Gilmore nodded. ‘He wants to take the one piece off the board he can’t control.’

  Secretary of Defense Danbridge sipped on a glass of water ‘But we’ve got other agents in this clandestine unit of yours.’

  ‘Besides,’ Williams said. ‘We deliver the ransom; we won’t need to rely on Officer Driver any more. We’ll have our world back.’

  Gilmore had been glad to see President Williams take office. He believed in the man and had credited him with more of a conscience. Surely he knew what this would mean. ‘All due respect, Mr President. If we send her in, we’re sending her to her death.’

  Williams motioned to his fellow leaders on-screen. ‘Mr Gilmore, as an operations chief, you’re responsible for the lives of a few. As Presidents and Prime Ministers, we’re accountable for the lives of millions.’ Williams stood out of his chair and placed both palms on the situation room table. ‘Gentlemen, make it happen.’

  Gilmore wasn’t in a position to refuse the President. And much as he tried, he couldn’t argue with circumstance.

  Driver had to go. And worst of all, the retired Langley man knew she’d want to. As the room emptied for a break, he prepared himself to make the call.

  Chapter 22

  Geneva, Switzerland

  ‘Talk about short straws,’ moaned Rios, sprawling forward with her arms on the meeting room table. ‘What are you gonna do?’

  ‘I’m going to go,’ Driver replied, thinking it a dumb question.

  Wells’ chair creaked as he leaned back and crossed his arms. ‘It’s a bad idea.’

  ‘I thought you’d be delighted at the prospect,’ Driver sniped, failing to bite her tongue in time.

  Wells brushed off the snark. ‘For one thing, there’s no guarantee Kovac will keep his end of the deal.’

  ‘And for another, it’s a suicide mission,’ added Lim, slow-pacing the far end of the room.

  ‘We don’t know that for sure,’ Driver replied. ‘And we’re not exactly flush with options.’

  ‘If I were you, I’d ask for more of the big bickies,’ Pope remarked, rubbing thumb and finger together. ‘Suicide money.’

  ‘Well, you’re not me. Thank god,’ Driver said. ‘And money’s not going to make it any less dangerous.’

  ‘If you’re going, I’m going too,’ Wells insisted.

  ‘Kovac wants me to deliver the ransom alone,’ Driver argued. ‘There’s too much at stake here. We can’t risk another attack.’

  �
��Blondie’s right,’ Rios yawned. ‘Not when the guy’s got a nuke.’

  ‘Then I’ll keep my distance,’ Wells continued. ‘Track you from afar.’

  Driver fixed her eyes on the table. ‘I guess it could work. You’re pretty good at being distant.’

  ‘Do I detect some tension here?’ Pope asked, biting the head off a chocolate bar.

  ‘Oh, he finally works it out,’ Lim said, checking her watch.

  Rios smiled and shook her head at the Australian, who ate some more of his chocolate bar.

  Driver preferred not to comment on her cold war with Wells. He didn’t appear minded to either. And she was relieved when Mo hurried into the room with a laptop under an arm.

  ‘We got something,’ he announced, giddy with excitement. Or was it the energy drinks?

  ‘What is it?’ Driver asked.

  ‘A whole lot,’ replied an excited Anna, taking a seat next to Mo.

  As Mo set his laptop down, Lim pulled up a chair and Rios straightened up.

  The floppy-haired German wore the late nights in front of a computer screen under his eyes. He looked as if he hadn’t washed, shaved or changed clothes in days. Such was the nature of the work. Yet it didn’t stop Anna appearing neat, tidy and fresh behind her large glasses and selection of librarian knitwear. She pulled her sleeves over her hands in the cool of the room, letting Mo take the lead.

  He flipped open the laptop and clapped his delicate hands. ‘So the decryption finally completed. I plugged it into Zeus—’

  ‘Your super-duper algorithm thing,’ Pope said, showing off the contents of his mouth.

  Mo regarded him with derision. ‘Yes, that’s the technical term. Have you any comprehension of the intricacies of—’

  ‘The files,’ Driver snapped, bringing Mo’s head back into the game.

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Turns out Berlin was only one of four cyberterrorist cells. Viper Nine are divided into dedicated teams, handling different regions around the world.’

  ‘And they’ve been talking to each other,’ added Anna. ‘We were able to pull together some of the chatter.’

  ‘What are they saying?’ Lim asked.