Apocalypse Burning (21 page)

Danielle thought about that. Her quick mind flew through the variables. “That leaves the army Rangers, the marines, and the American soldiers serving with the U.N. Peacekeeping effort.”

“And all of those chaps have been busy since the attack the night before.” Sid threw his cigarette out the window. “It’s interesting that you divided the Rangers and the marines. I hadn’t thought to do that. But I had thought of the American soldiers serving with the U.N.”

“The Rangers and marines have different agendas,” Danielle said. “Similar, but different. They still maintain their own gear and identity inside the Ranger temporary barracks.” She pointed at the corner ahead. “There’s Achmed’s.”

“So it is.” Sid pulled to a stop in the alley beside the marketplace. He killed the engine and waited.

“Uh-uh,” Danielle said.

“I was sleeping when you called,” Sid said in a grudging tone. “I don’t really feel like walking around the marketplace. Or trudging outside and getting drenched.”

“Sid.”

The British reporter threw his hands up in mock surrender. “All right. All right.” He got out and closed the door, pulling his jacket up over his head. The sound of the pouring rain invaded the Land Rover’s cab. “Would you like anything?”

Danielle had to read his lips through the rain-spattered window. “Bagel. Cream cheese. Coffee.”

“Can’t promise. We’ve had all those power outages. But I’ll see what I can do.” Sid turned and hurried away through the rain.

Working quickly, Danielle hooked up the satellite phone and the notebook computer. She brought the Internet online and scooted over to the mail drop she used to contact Mystic.

Muckraker:>R U THERE?

The cursor blinked at her.

Muckraker:>R U THERE?

She waited long minutes. Her breath started to fog up the window. Paranoia caused her to glance up several times as people hurried by. The marketplace was enclosed and the business was already brisk. The supply of fresh goods often didn’t meet the demands of the people living in the city.

A moment later the mail-drop screen shifted radically. Panicked, knowing that the change could have been caused by someone hacking into the transmission, Danielle almost shut the link down.

Then the cursor jerked into quick motion.

Mystic:>I’M HERE.

Muckraker:>YOU HAD ME WORRIED.

Mystic:>YOU HAD REASON TO BE WORRIED. WHOEVER THESE GUYS ARE, THEY’RE GOOD.

The statement screamed at Danielle, and for the first time she realized that she didn’t know who was at the other end of this connection. Someone had killed her friend Lizuca Carutasu in cold blood, stalking her through the cybercafé and shooting her down without remorse.

Muckraker:>HOW DO I KNOW YOU’RE WHO YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE?

Mystic:>LOL. PARANOIA. YOU GOTTA LOVE PARANOIA. IT’S ONE OF THE MOST ADDICTIVE THINGS OUT THERE WHEN YOU LIVE AND DIE ON THE NET.

Muckraker:>MAKE ME A BELIEVER.

Mystic:>NOW THERE’S A LOADED COMMAND. A BELIEVER IN WHAT?

Muckraker:>YOU.

Mystic:>HEY, I’M TIRED AND THINGS HAVEN’T GONE EXACTLY THE WAY I’D THOUGHT. THOSE GUYS YOU SENT ME AFTER FOUND ONE OF MY CUTOUTS. IF I WASN’T AS SMART AS I AM, THEY MIGHT HAVE HAD ME.

Muckraker:>IF I DON’T HAVE SOME CONFIRMATION IN THE NEXT TWO SECONDS, I’M GONE.

Mystic:>WOW. AND I THOUGHT I WAS THE PARANOID ONE.

Danielle made no reply. Tension built up in her. If it wasn’t Mystic at the other end of the connection, someone could already be tracking her back to Sid Wright’s computer. Granted, the sat phone made success at finding her improbable, but not impossible. All the trackers needed were two sets of gear so they could triangulate her position.

She thought about Sid’s story concerning Abu Alam, the black market dealer who might have been kidnapped by American soldiers. In a city full of strangers and warriors, whom was she supposed to trust? Not too surprisingly, Sergeant Goose Gander came to mind. Now he was a man she’d believe in, and she knew she didn’t want to do that unless she had to.

Mystic:>OK. YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST CARTOON I SENT YOU? THE ONE WITH THE WINTER THEME?

Muckraker:>YES.

Mystic:>NAME THE STRIP.

Muckraker:>YOU’RE THE ONE PROVING YOURSELF.

Mystic:>YOU NAME THE STRIP AND I’LL DESCRIBE THE SCENE.

Danielle hesitated only a moment:>CALVIN AND HOBBES.

Mystic:>AND THE SCENE WAS THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVOLVING THE SNOWMEN.

Danielle smiled a little in spite of the tension. The one-panel joke had been one of her favorite Calvin and Hobbes strips. The two characters had sculpted a group of surprised and frightened snowmen and snowwomen gathered around the parked family car, and another snowman lay on the ground partially under the car as if it had been run over.

Muckraker:>I GUESS WE’RE BOTH WHO WE SAY WE ARE. DID YOU GET THE INFORMATION ON THE GUY IN THE PICTURE?

Mystic:>YES. THIS GUY HAS A REAL HISTORY. AND HE’S DEFINITELY A BAD GUY. YOUR EMPLOYER HAD A TON OF INFORMATION ON HIM.

Muckraker:>YOU SAID YOU ALMOST GOT CAUGHT.

Mystic:>I’M GOOD. REAL GOOD. I WAS SNOOPING AROUND YOUR EMPLOYER’S FILES. SOMEONE WORKING INTERNET SECURITY TUMBLED TO ME, ALMOST GOT ME AND FRIED MY MACHINE. BEFORE I KNEW IT, SOMEONE WAS AT THE DOOR OF THE LOCATION OF THE CUTOUT I WAS USING. HE BROKE INSIDE AND HAD A GUN IN HIS HANDS.

The story immediately reminded Danielle of what had happened to Lizuca. How fast did these people operate?

Muckraker:>YOU’RE IN ROMANIA?

Mystic:>NO. I’M NOT TELLING YOU WHERE I AM. BUT THE CUTOUT WAS IN AUSTRALIA.

Muckraker:>WHAT’S A CUTOUT?

Mystic:>A FALSE ADDRESS. I’VE GOT A FEW OF THEM. IN AUSTRALIA, THE CUTOUT WAS AN APARTMENT I KEEP RENTED WITH A COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT I CAN ACCESS FROM OTHER PLACES. PEOPLE TRACE BACK WHAT I’M DOING. IF THEY’RE GOOD ENOUGH, THEY GO TO AUSTRALIA. OR WHEREVER THE CUTOUT IS THAT I’M USING FOR THAT PARTICULAR JOB. BEFORE THEY CAN TRACK ME FROM THERE, I’M GONE AND THE HARD DRIVE IS CHURNING ITS WAY INTO OBLIVION. I FIGURED AUSTRALIA WAS FAR ENOUGH AWAY NO ONE COULD GET THERE. I MAKE IT A HABIT TO WORK AT LEAST A HEMISPHERE AWAY FROM THE TARGET SITE. I WAS WRONG.

Danielle considered that.

Mystic:>IF THEY HAVE PEOPLE STATIONED IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, I HAVE TO START WONDERING WHERE THEY
DON’T
HAVE PEOPLE.

Danielle couldn’t believe the information. How big was Alexander Cody’s organization?

Muckraker:>GUY WHO BROKE INTO YOUR CUTOUT WAS CIA?

Mystic:>DON’T KNOW. HAVEN’T IDENTIFIED HIM YET. GOT A PICTURE, THOUGH.

Muckraker:>HOW’D YOU GET THE PIC?

Mystic:>GOT THE CUTOUT SET UP WITH A PC CAMERA. GUY BROKE IN AND I GOT HIM IN ACTION.

Muckraker:>NO ONE TRACKED YOU BACK FROM THAT COMPUTER?

Mystic:> NO. IF THEY HAD, I HONESTLY DON’T THINK I’D BE HERE NOW. THAT GUY IN SYDNEY CAME IN READY TO KILL SOMEBODY.

Muckraker:>ARE YOU GOING TO WORK ON IDENTIFYING THE GUY WHO BROKE INTO THE AUSTRALIA APARTMENT?

Mystic:> WE’LL SEE. LIKE I SAID, THESE GUYS ARE GOOD AND THEIR ORGANIZATION IS HUGE IF THEY’VE GOT PEOPLE ON THE PAYROLL IN AUSTRALIA. I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH OF THIS I WANT TO TAKE ON. WAIT. I TAKE THAT BACK. I ONLY WANT TO TAKE ON AS MUCH AS WHAT WON’T GET ME KILLED. I’M
REALLY
CURIOUS NOW. STILL GOTTA FIGURE OUT WHERE THE LINE IS ON THAT.

Muckraker:>WHO’S THE GUY IN THE PIC I SENT YOU?

Mystic:>HIS NAME IS ALEXANDER CODY. HE
IS
CIA. SECTION CHIEF. IN THAT CAPACITY HE HAS SOME FREEDOM TO MAKE CALLS OF HIS OWN AND NOBODY WATCHES TOO CLOSELY. THIS GUY IS SOME PIECE OF WORK, I HAVE TO TELL YOU. BAD, BAD MAN. YOU WANT TO STAY AWAY FROM HIM.

Danielle didn’t know if that was possible.

Mystic:>ALSO FOUND OUT CODY WORKS FOR YOUR EMPLOYER.

Muckraker:>???

Mystic:>FOUND PAYOFFS LISTED IN YOUR EMPLOYER’S FILES. THAT’S PROBABLY WHAT GOT YOUR FRIEND KILLED. SOMEONE IN YOUR EMPLOYER’S OFFICE WAS COVERING UP A TRAIL. GOT COPIES OF THE PAYOFFS, BUT EVEN AS I WAS DOWNLOADING THEM, SOMEONE WAS COMING RIGHT BEHIND ME TURNING THEM INTO WHIFFLE DUST.

Muckraker:>WHIFFLE DUST?

Mystic:>GEEK-SPEAK. WHIFFLE DUST = ELIMINATION. I’M SURE THE RECORDS DON’T EXIST ANYMORE. TWO OF THE BANKS USED TO HANDLE THE MONEY TRANSACTIONS ARE CONTROLLED BY YOUR EMPLOYER THROUGH INVESTMENTS AND SHARE HOLDINGS. RUSSIAN BANKS. LOTTA UNDER-THETABLE BUSINESS DEALINGS AND MONEY LAUNDERING FLOW THROUGH RUSSIAN BANKS BECAUSE YOU CAN’T SUBPOENA THE RECORDS FROM THE RUSSIANS. TURNED UP THE NAMES OF TWO MAJOR PLAYERS IN SHADY DEALINGS THAT ARE CONNECTED WITH YOUR EMPLOYER: JOSHUA TODD-COTHRAN AND JONATHAN STONAGAL.

Danielle knew both men from news stories. Todd-Cothran was a British financier. Stonagal was from old money America. Both Stonagal and Todd-Cothran had histories of questionable business practices that included allegations of strong-arm techniques and corporate spying.

Mystic:>THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE, BUT TODD-COTHRAN AND STONAGAL ARE THE BIG BOYS IN THE BUNCH.

Muckraker:>YOU HAVE COPIES OF THOSE REPORTS?

Mystic:>CAN’T PROVE THOSE REPORTS EVER EXISTED EVEN WITH WHAT I MIGHT HAVE HAD. THAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH DOWNLOADED FILES: YOU CAN’T PROVE THAT YOU DIDN’T CREATE THEM YOURSELF. GOTTA CATCH THE FILES AT THE SITE OR ON A HARD DRIVE OR ON A REDUNDANCY SYSTEM SOMEWHERE. AND THE FILES I WAS LOOKING AT WERE COPIED ONTO THE HARD DRIVE IN SYDNEY. I DIDN’T GET THE CHANCE TO MOVE THEM TO MY SYSTEM HERE WHEN I NUKED THAT SYSTEM.

Muckraker:>WHAT IS CODY DOING IN SANLIURFA NOW?

Mystic:>NOTHING IN THE FILES TO INDICATE THAT. THE CIA FILES—I BROKE INTO THEM TOO—SHOW CODY IS ON THE SCENE THERE TRYING TO TRACK DOWN A ROGUE AGENT.

Muckraker:>ROGUE AGENT?

Mystic:>SOME GUY CODE-NAMED ICARUS. DID UNDERCOVER STUFF. INFILTRATED THE PKK. A KURDISH TERRORIST GROUP. DIDN’T KNOW THAT TILL I SEARCHED THE NET.

Leaning back in the Land Rover’s bucket seat, Danielle thought about that. She remembered how she’d seen Goose guarding the room in the temporary hospital. Cody had confronted him; then Captain Remington had stepped in and taken charge from both of them. Cody hadn’t been happy about that.

Did Remington have the rogue CIA agent?

Then she also remembered how Sergeant Gander had spirited away one of the men from the building the terrorists had used as bait to attack the American soldiers. Who was that man?

Okay,
Danielle told herself,
take a deep breath. You’re obviously onto a huge story here.
Then, in the same moment, she realized the downside. One of the people she would be investigating was Nicolae Carpathia. If the story was legit and Carpathia was involved in illegal activities—and
if
she was able to break the story—her career at OneWorld NewsNet was finished.

It only took memory of Lizuca Carutasu’s coldblooded killing to remind Danielle that she was out for more than just a story.

Muckraker:>WHAT KIND OF WORK HAS CODY DONE FOR CARPATHIA?

Mystic:>FILES ARE KIND OF SPOTTY AT BEST. BUT I WAS READING BETWEEN THE LINES. IF I’M RIGHT, CODY HAS BEEN HELPING CARPATHIA FOR YEARS. DOING ODD JOBS. GETTING INFORMATION ON PEOPLE, BLACKMAILING PEOPLE. THERE’S EVEN THE POSSIBILITY THAT CARPATHIA, OR SOMEONE CLOSE TO HIM, HIRED CODY TO MURDER A BUSINESS RIVAL SEVEN YEARS AGO. I ALSO READ ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT CARPATHIA’S APPOINTMENT TO THE PRESIDENCY OF ROMANIA WASN’T AS EASY AS THE PRESS RELAYS THE STORY. A LOT OF THINGS WENT ON BEHIND THE SCENES THEN. REAL GUERRILLA TACTICS. PEOPLE VANISHED AND TURNED UP DEAD.

Muckraker:>CAN YOU GET THIS INFORMATION TO ME?

Mystic:>WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A BIG FILE HERE. YOU’RE ON DIAL-UP. I CAN TELL BY THE PING. IT WOULD TAKE HOURS, MAYBE DAYS, TO GET ALL OF THIS TO YOU.

Danielle thought about that. Sid wouldn’t let her have his computer and phone for hours. And she wouldn’t leave the computer alone while it was downloading if she took it. She also couldn’t be away from OneWorld NewsNet for that amount of time.

Other media agencies had satellite burst transmission capabilities. OneWorld NewsNet did, but she definitely couldn’t use their computers to receive the data Mystic had. Not if it implicated Nicolae Carpathia. And she wasn’t really happy about trusting other news agencies. If any of them, including Sid Wright, got an indication of the story she was sitting on, they would be all over it.

Muckraker:>LET ME GET BACK TO YOU. I MAY HAVE A WAY TO GET ACCESS TO A FASTER CONNECTION.

Mystic:>TIME FRAME?

Muckraker:>DON’T KNOW. I’VE GOT TO DO A LOT OF CONVINCING BEFORE I CAN SELL THIS.

Reluctantly, Danielle closed the computer down and disconnected the sat phone. She took a couple deep breaths and thought about Sergeant Gander. Goose already knew about the CIA angle, but did he know it all? Would he want to know?

If things got dangerous, she also knew that the first sergeant was one of those guys who would stick till the bitter end of something. She’d already seen him doing that.

She blew out her breath. On the other hand, if this story was as risky as she believed it was, did she have any right endangering him by telling him everything Mystic had discovered?