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  interruption of your schedules, especially for you, Colonel

  Winfield. By the way, welcome back.

  “I also understand, Mrs. Winfield, how you might wonder

  why I asked you to accompany your husband to this meeting and

  why I didn’t see you all at Mather. My reasons will become

  clear as the meeting progresses. The answer to your colleagues

  should be that I wanted to thank you in person and take you out to one of the best restaurants in San Francisco for lunch…and

  that is true.

  “There is, however, a more compelling reason to meet with

  you today and I’ll get down to brass tacks after we take care of a

  little administrative business. Everything that is said during this

  meeting is, of course, strictly confidential and Justin will pass

  out nondisclosure agreements that I would like you to

  sign…The second copy is for you as a reminder of the serious

  nature of what we are about to discuss.”

  Justin gave each of them two copies of the form and pointed

  to the sticky-note arrow at the bottom. Bart looked at the

  solitary sheet of single-spaced text and realized the futility of

  trying to absorb the various United States Code of Law citations

  in a few minutes. He signed the form and the others followed

  his example. Justin collected the documents and the Director

  continued,

  “I see you are also accustomed to taking the title of

  government forms on faith…I learned a long time ago not to

  intrude too far into the realm of law, nor try to understand the

  language of lawyers. Now that we have that formality out of the

  way, I’ll ask Agent Benson to brief you on the nature of a

  mission that is dear to my heart and vital to the security of our

  nation…Agent Benson.”

  NSA SECURE FACILITY PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA

  “Sorry about the interruption, Bill…Let’s see, where were we? You were going to explain why you were brought here.” “Sure, whatever you want…Anyway, as I was saying, we took a crack at the Tahoe casinos and got caught by the mob. Imagine that, dumb enough to think the mob got chased outta the casinos years ago.

  “Anyway, they give us a month to come up with three hundred grand…A lousy month. Might as well’ve been three million, or three hundred million…‘cause we’re all totally tapped out…You know, gettin’ money together for the scam. Credit cards maxed out, bank accounts dry and all of us mortgaged right up to our as…I mean noses…Get the picture?…Our lives are over and there ain’t no two ways about it.

  “They say we don’t get the money, our body parts start showing up all over Northern California…We’re between a rock and a hard spot, know what I mean? Stone cold desperate, no doubt about it.”

  “I see, so what then?”

  “Well, some of us blame Jason and others blame Rick for screwing it all up. No matter who gets the blame, we’re dead men walking…plain and simple. Anyway, Rick comes up with this far-out plan to hijack a bomber on the alert pad at Mather. Figures the government’ll give up a boatload of money to get rid of us and keep it all hush-hush…Leastways, that’s how it’s supposed to work… and it pretty much did.

  “But then, all of a sudden, Rick gets all weird on us…Says the nukes on the plane ain’t safe…Something about the cops screwing everything up and setting one off by accident.

  “So we haul them all the way down the tunnel, outta the mine shaft and into the back of one of his construction company trucks. We’re just going back up to get our personal gear when he goes bat shit crazy…I mean, totally off the deep end. Starts out by shooting Jason in the face…So the rest of us hightail it back up the tunnel in order to get back to the plane. I’m first in line and halfway out of the tunnel when KABOOM, it explodes! Rick must a rigged some hidden stuff that freakin’ blows up the whole tunnel.

  “Anyways, I guess everybody's dead now except me and Rick…Course, wouldn’t you know, he’s long gone by the time Security Police get there. They dig me out and next thing you know, here I am.”

  “Speaking of here, what do you remember about your arrival?”

  “Not a whole lot…I wake up in this room only it’s different. Looks like an ordinary hospital room…You know, beige walls, tile floor and all that kinda stuff…Only with no table and stuffed chairs…Just a wooden chair and one of those tables for hospital beds that goes up and down.

  “There’s the hospital bed I’m laying in, but the built-in closet is empty…Not so much as a clothes hangar…Which is okay, since there ain’t no closet rod to hang ‘em on anyway.

  “Bathroom’s empty too…No shower rod, curtain or nothin’ else…Not even a toothbrush or bar of soap…and no toilet seat neither. Least they left me some toilet paper.”

  “You do understand all of that was necessary as a suicide prevention measure?”

  “Sure, Ray…Being as how I’m in, uh, was in law enforcement, I understand…Besides, I’m ready to do whatever it takes to get my ass outta this jam…I’m in a shi…I mean, a boatload of trouble and I know it.”

  “Yes, you were…But thanks to the intervention of some officials, you may come out of this in good shape. Have I adequately explained the terms of our agreement to you?”

  “Sure, Ray, I ain’t no dummy…‘though you can’t tell it by what happened.”

  “All right, then let’s move on…” The intercom buzzed again. “Pardon me again, Bill, I need to take that.”

  “No problem…I know I’m not your only patient.”

  “Client, I like to think of us as being on the same team.”

  “I like that…You know, us being on the same team and all…You better get that though…Might be important to our team.”

  ***

  CHAPTER 5

  SECURE CONFERENCE ROOM NSA WEST COAST OFFICE Mary Benson gripped each side of the lectern and began, “The key to nuclear security in the past has been the Personnel Reliability Program, or PRP. Extensive background checks, periodic physicals and drug testing insured that personnel with access to nuclear material were thoroughly vetted…The program served our country well with a few exceptions, such as last week at Mather.”

  Bart winced at the mention and Benson noticed. “That was not intended as a comment on your performance, Colonel…It’s difficult to protect yourself against treachery from within.

  “Information released to the press indicated the devices were conventional explosives and part of a scheme to extort money from the casino. The real motive is still not entirely clear.”

  “Well, with Eichner dead, I guess we’ll never know, unless he left a note or something.”

  “No, Colonel, he didn’t,” she said slowly and continued, “The existence of Operation Black Star is one of the most secretive operations in this country involving the security of nuclear weapons…Created in the mid-nineteen fifties by some of the founding members of the NSA, the original purpose was to provide cryptology services to government agencies and to protect highly-secure transmission capability.

  “The agency knew we might have a problem communicating with highly-classified assets outside our perimeter of security, so a plan was developed to allow secure fully encrypted communications on a global scale.”

  The Director looked at his watch and caught her attention. “Agent Benson, I know our guests appreciate the background information but we’re a little pressed for time…Perhaps you could give them the condensed version.”

  “Certainly, sir, I’ll speed things up.”

  She moved the slide-show up until she found one that showed the inside of the rear compartment of a B-52G bomber.

  An open cover in the bulkhead revealed a space that was large enough to contain the average desktop office photocopier. “Our agency soon took on a mission outside the scope of pure communicati
on that involved the military side of our agency, the Central Security Service, and the ability to insure the security of our devices onboard military aircraft.

  “National policy in the fifties and sixties dictated negotiating with a foreign government in the event US aircraft carrying nuclear weapons were forced down within their borders. Diplomatic treaties required the return of the personnel and equipment and it was usually done on a quid-pro-quo basis. That meant trading some of their spies and equipment for ours, which took time and negotiation. In the meantime, they had access to some of our most prized secrets.

  “The assumption was they would dismantle the weapons and attempt to reverse engineer them, which would give them a tremendous leg-up in the global arms race and negate more than twenty years of United States thermonuclear research.

  “Given that our country experienced unscheduled landings of aircraft within enemy borders during the fifties and early sixties, there was an obvious need for a viable solution to both the weapons problem and a potential communications security issue.

  “Aircraft carrying nuclear devices also contained our most sophisticated encryption equipment…years ahead of what our enemies possessed…It would have opened the door to our most guarded communications.

  “It was a situation the National Security Council could not tolerate, so Project Black Star was created by the NSA. We were generally thought of as a bunch of pretend intelligence geeks with access to university research labs and a lot of computing power…Our server-farms are legendary in this business. We were not taken seriously by most intelligence agencies, so we were able to accomplish what interagency bickering would slow down or block entirely…”

  Bart interrupted, “I see there was a problem, but I’m still curious as to what you want from us…Sure, we stumbled into the middle of this whole thing with Rick Eichner and the Thursday Night Mafia, but I figured our participation ended the moment we located the bombs…So why are we here? I’ve been out of this business for a while.”

  “You are here because I need your help.” The Director turned his chair toward Bart. “Black Star has always been an in-house operation…My predecessors felt the key to keeping complete control over it was to limit access to a few trusted aides…However, I have become increasing skeptical of that approach. Agents Benson and Johansen spoke highly of your teamwork in their report and I’ve had my people thoroughly vet all of you…including Mrs. Winfield. I have a proposal for you after this briefing is finished.”

  Mary continued, “After months of study, an NSA committee concluded that the only sure way to protect the material was the guaranteed destruction of the aircraft.”

  “You mean after the crew evacuated?” Bart spoke the words slowly.

  “If possible.”

  “And if not, the crew would be blown up?”

  “Unfortunately, collateral loss of the crew members might occur.”

  Bart’s face hardened. “I can’t believe we’d kill our own people.” His voice rose in volume and pitch, and Benson took a step back.

  The Director intervened, “I understand your dismay, but keep in mind the acquisition of nuclear weapons and classified communications material could have led to the death of millions of people…Even the implied threat could have changed the course of history. That is especially true today with increased terrorism from radical groups around the world.

  “Still, the thought of killing our own people is about as easy to swallow as ten pounds of broken glass.”

  “I agree, Colonel. But when you consider the consequences, the sacrifice of a handful of crew would by far be the lesser of two evils…” He nodded to Mary to continue.

  “Okay, let’s take a look at how Black Star keeps planes and ships out of the hands of unauthorized personnel…And yes, Navy and US Merchant Marine ships that carry thermonuclear weapons or have reactors on board are also equipped with Black Star systems.”

  “Glad to see it’s an equal opportunity program,” Bart noted with more than a touch of sarcasm.

  “It covers all sizable nuclear material that routinely travels outside our borders. Aircraft, ship or missile installations that fall into that category have Black Star installed. The style of device varies at times due to the size of the coverage area, but all have the same purpose of remotely detonating small-yield nuclear devices that vaporize the immediate area.”

  Jake Thomas raised his hand. “What about the nuclear inventory on the aircraft…wouldn’t it explode, too?”

  “Good question, Sergeant Thomas, and the answer is a qualified no. Most of the devices we’re discussing would simply burn up or be vaporized by the blast…There would be residual radiation in the area with a half-life of twenty-five thousand years that would render the affected area useless…However, it would be relatively small…a radius of about a thousand meters around an aircraft.

  “Public Affairs releases would place the blame solely on the group that held our resources hostage. As a matter of fact, it’s assumed the United States would receive a certain amount of sympathy from the international community, since we would be perceived as the victims of a hostage-taking…It might actually serve our national interests.”

  “Except our crew members would be dead.”

  “Possibly and regrettably, yes. However, there is a good chance they would die at the hands of their captors, no matter how the incident played out.”

  “Still, it’d be nice if there was some other way.”

  “Agreed, Colonel, but no one has come up with a more viable plan.”

  “Understood. Still brings me back to my original question… Why are you briefing us?

  “The answer is that I want you and your team to come work for me,” said the Director.

  NSA SECURE FACILITY PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA

  “Like I was saying, Ray, I’m ready to go along with the program, whatever it is.” “That’s good, Bill, but I need you to clearly state your understanding of the terms of the agreement for the record.”

  “No problem…First of all, I’m officially dead…right? Leastwise, that’s what everybody was told…Even had a nice funeral for me, from what I hear…Wish I could’ve been there to see it…Even if I couldn’t say a last good-bye…could’ve at least seen them.”

  “It was a simple ceremony with a few friends and family. They were told you died in a training accident.”

  “Makes sense…And thanks for letting them think I died on the job and not as a bad guy…Let me just grab a Kleenex, okay? There, that’s better.

  “Now back to business…They bring me here, wherever here is and I get checked out. Guess I’m doing okay, all things considered…You know, being blown up and all…Arms and legs got twisted up a little…But I gotta tell you, you got some real good people working here. A week later and I’m on track to be good as new. Started working on those lessons they give me, too…You know, computers and comm gear and such. Looks like I won’t have any problem…I’m zipping right along.”

  “Your progress has exceeded our expectations.”

  “Thanks…But long story short, I’m dead to everybody I used to know…So between me, you and the fence post, what happens now?”

  “Your final disposition will depend on a number of things. If you agree to abide strictly by our rules, one of two outcomes is possible. The first consists of you being entered into our version of the Witness Protection program…relocated with a completely new identity and a modest income.

  “The second possibility is more complicated in that it involves you being trained as an operative in a program that protects vital national interests. You would be given a number of false identities to use with the necessary paperwork to support them.”

  “That sounds like the way I’d like to go,” Bill replied.

  “I’ll note that. Of course, absolutely no contact with family or former acquaintances will be permitted, no matter which outcome is chosen. Your phone calls and mail will be closely monitored and you will have a tracking device implanted in y
our body. You can live out your life as a productive member of an ultra-secret organization.”

  “Do I have any say in the matter?”

  “Very little, and I should point out that whichever path you’re set on you can never reveal your existence to anybody in your former life…and I mean nobody…Is that clear?”

  “Sure, but what happens if I slip up or run into one of them accidentally.”

  “While that is unlikely we will take steps to help you. You’ll be subjected to cosmetic surgery that will greatly alter your appearance. You will also take part in a physical conditioning program to lose weight and tone your body.”

  “God knows I can use that…I’ll be the first to tell you the thirty pounds or so I put on since leaving the Air Force ain’t done me no good at all.”

  “Exactly. Our people will have you in prime condition in no time. You’re already familiar with most of the weapons we use and will be trained on others that may be needed in your new position.”

  “Sounds good…But still, what happens if I slip up and talk to somebody I used to know…What happens then?”

  “Quite simply, you’ll be terminated.”

  “You mean, like fired?”

  “No, Bill, I mean, like…dead. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal clear, Ray. Crystal clear.”

  SECURE CONFERENCE ROOM NSA WEST COAST OFFICE Bart was more than a little confused by what appeared to be a genuine job offer. He pointed to the silver oak leafs on his uniform and smiled at the Director. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m still in the Air Force and don’t intend on retiring for a few years.”

  The Director smiled. “Colonel, or Tupelo, if you prefer. I’m very familiar with your work history. Since you’ve all signed non-disclosures, I can speak freely. You’ve led some of the most successful cover operations in recent history. The fact that you chose Thomas and Davies to accompany you to Tahoe speaks volumes about their abilities. Yes, I’m aware of the uniform…it’s been a good cover story. And no, I don’t want you to quit your ‘day job’…at least not for appearances sake. What I desire is for you to switch your work location to our agency.