Siavash Mostofi prayed on the morning of the Fourth. He then had a quiet breakfast. He glanced at his watch. His first appointment was with the Supreme Leader. Then, a TV interview.
‘Habib?’ he called his aide when he climbed into his vehicle. ‘What news from our man?’
‘He is in good spirits, agha. He has identified—’
‘Not on the phone. I will be late to the office, but you can brief me when I am there. But everything is progressing?’
‘Yes, agha.’
‘What about security at IICC?’
‘I am personally supervising it, agha. We will flood the conference center with a hundred people. No person can get through without our say so.’
‘Carter?’
‘Our people found something in a hotel in Sarhang Basti. Attack Shahriar Garrison. Attack the Presidential Building. Both written in Hebrew. They were stuck beneath the mattress.’
‘When was this found?’
‘I got the report only today, agha. The manager said the cleaners rarely turn over the mattress. They appointed a new company for the service and its staff found the note.’
‘It can only be Carter.’
‘Who else, agha? Meant to send us on a wild chase.’
‘Beef up security around this building, in any case.’
‘Yes, agha. And, we are hunting for Carter and his team, but they seem to have gone to ground.’
Mostofi grunted. He had a lot on his plate. He would focus on the American once the day was over.
‘CDC has got enough from Nazer’s paper,’ Clare briefed them when Zeb organized the conference call. ‘The formulas, the compounds, whatever scientists need.’
‘Enough for a vaccine?’ Chloe breathed.
‘Yes. In fact, the President’s authorized a DoD facility to start manufacturing this. No private sector firms will be involved initially. He doesn’t want profiteering. Only when we have a suitable stock, will we share it with them.’
‘What about our allies, ma’am?’ Bwana demanded.
‘After today, we will freely share the paper with the World Health Organization and the entire world. It’s not just our allies, anyone will have the vaccine.’
‘Now, what have you got planned for Nazer and that lab?’
‘Those students, they were willing to do that?’ she asked when Meghan finished outlining their plan.
‘Yes, ma’am. They are eager. How’s Dariush holding up?’
‘Jet lagged, still. That was a long flight. He will be going to the Washington Monument later in the day. He’s sticking to what Golzar confessed to you. There are enough drafts in that email account for him to learn the Quds’s communication style. We’ve got this sealed from our end. I am worried about you, however. Your attack on Mostofi … it’s high risk.’
‘There’s no other alternative, ma’am.’
‘There is. You can destroy the lab and get the heck out of there. Forget Mostofi.’
Mehdi Hosseini’s body came to Zeb’s mind. Zarhagi’s story. ‘No, ma’am. This ends today.’
His friends agreed in a loud chorus.
‘It’s time for America to mind its own business,’ Mostofi thundered at his interviewer. ‘It should keep out of Iran. We were a great nation once. We will be great again.’
He wiped his sweat once the lights were turned off and the camera stopped running. He had been careful not to use lines from his speech later in the evening.
‘Watch the news in the evening,’ he boasted when the host congratulated him. ‘This was nothing. The real fireworks will come later.’
Zeb watched the interview in Naeem’s private dining room. The owner had arranged a TV in the room and sent over an unending supply of beverages and food.
The Agency operatives had inspected their gear after Clare’s call and then set up office in the restaurant. Time moved slowest before an attack, but Mostofi provided ample entertainment.
‘He was subdued,’ Roger remarked when Meghan muted the TV.
‘He’s saving his best lines for the evening.’
‘We aren’t going to do a security run? Check out what he’ll have at the IICC?’
‘We won’t,’ Beth replied. ‘Scott will. He flies every day to Caton’s building on Modiriat. He will do several passes today and report back.’
She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes speculatively at Zeb. ‘Those wingsuits. They fit very well, considering that Levin didn’t know we might need them.’
He looked up and raised his hands in surrender when fourteen eyes turned on him accusingly. ‘I might have told him long ago, when we were back home, that we might need such equipment.’
‘You had this in your mind that long ago?’ Meghan, a dangerous note in her voice. ‘And you never thought of telling us?’
‘No,’ he said hastily. ‘I didn’t have this idea in mind. We knew we would take out Mostofi one day. Levin has the best access to this country. All he did was anticipate.’
‘It’s true,’ he insisted when they didn’t seem convinced.
‘Alright,’ Meghan snapped her fingers. ‘Let’s go over this again.’ She fiddled with her screen and projected it onto the TV. The conference center came up. ‘Quds people are bound to be everywhere. Armored vehicles too.’
‘They’ll be distracted by the Hellfire Rubin fires into those abandoned buildings,’ Beth pointed at a section to one side of Chamran Highway. A mile away from the conference center. ‘We double-checked. Developer ran out of funds, the city has revoked permission since then and they have remained unsold and unoccupied.’
‘Several of the Quds vehicles will peel off. If we are lucky,’ Roger elaborated, ‘some of those armored vehicles too.’
‘They won’t spot Scott since he will have fired from a distance away and will be in full stealth mode, with noise-reduction. There will be guards on the roof.’
‘Whom we will take out and once the roof is secure, that will be—’
‘My turn,’ Bwana cracked his knuckles. ‘To take out the university. Roger and I.’
‘But not until we message you,’ Zeb objected. ‘The two of you … do you need backup?’
‘Nope.’
‘It’ll just be you.’
‘Until you come to pick us up.’
‘It will be tight.’
‘These missions always are. We’ll be outfitted in military uniforms. We will give orders. No one will question us.’
‘And then we’ll be away,’ Meghan finished. ‘Hopefully with no casualties.’
‘And a lot of damage behind.’
Her phone buzzed just before noon, the Nargess one.
‘Yes?’ She listened and then thanked the caller profusely.
‘Packages are in place at MUT.’
Mostofi met the Supreme Leader and told him of the preparations.
‘Our weapon is in America, agha.’
‘Ready to go?’
‘Yes, agha. Late in the night, when we are asleep, our man will attack.’
The cleric’s eyes burned with passion. He drew a trembling breath. ‘The oil?’
Mostofi pulled out his phone. ‘Shall I?’
‘Yes.’
He dialed a number. ‘Bijan,’ he said authoritatively. ‘I am with the Supreme Leader. You are on speaker phone. It is time. Start the pumping.’
‘Yes, of course. Iran will rise again,’ the minister assured him. The Quds leader ended the call quickly. No one had more access to the cleric than him and he didn’t want any other minister to usurp that role. The less talk and face time they had, the better. He rang another number. ‘Salman, the Leader has ordered the attack. Bijan has started the dumping. Be prepared.’
‘Siavash,’ the cleric said when Mostofi had finished the calls.
The Quds leader looked up. It was the first time ever the leader had taken his first name.
‘Yes, agha?’
‘I saw you on TV. You were great. You will announce the other attack tonight?’
‘Not in so many words, agha, but America will get the message.’
‘Siavash, the future is bright for you. Come see me in two days’ time, when the results start coming in.’
‘Yes, agha. It will be my honor.’
Mostofi floated out of the Supreme Leader’s office, filled with joy.
Zeb got the message several hours later. He was snoozing when his phone buzzed. He fumbled in his pocket, squinted and turned on the speaker.
‘Ma’am?’
‘It’s started. We’ve gotten signs of increased activity at the terminals. Seismic sensors in the area are showing a greater flow of oil. The dumping has begun. We have spoken to the Saudis. They will be reducing their output. We will be producing less, too. Tomorrow. Let Mostofi have his win today.’
That will even out the supply.
‘I suspect they aren’t happy. The Saudis.’
‘They aren’t. We told them we’re taking a hit too.’
‘It won’t be for long.’
‘Yes.’
‘You shouldn’t miss Mostofi’s speech tonight, ma’am.’
‘We won’t.’
‘We?’
‘President Morgan has invited me and Catlyn to watch it at the White House.’
‘Well,’ Bear massaged a crick in his neck when the call ended. ‘We can’t let them down, can we?’