Sanderson said.
"I don't envy your tightrope position over the FBI. One wrong step and you could find yourself back on the shit list," Berg said.
"Who's kidding who? My name is still on that shit list. They just won't admit it to my face. I just hope our covert assistance will be enough to help them stop this nightmare plot before it becomes a reality like Monchegorsk."
"Well, you're not on the CIA's shit list, I can guarantee that. Without your help, I'd still be trying to push a crazy theory up the chain-of-command, while our government remained blissfully unaware of the looming terrorist threat. Be careful with the feds, you can't afford a misstep with them. None of us can afford that misstep."
"Thanks for the warning, and the kind words. I'll watch my back with the FBI. Apparently, I've made the FBI director's personal enemy list again."
"Not a good list to be on. That man has a long memory," Berg said.
"Tell me about it. I'll keep you posted on our progress. Will you be able to leverage any more help from your contact in Moscow?" Sanderson said.
Berg didn't like hearing Sanderson casually reference his contact. It was no secret that someone on the inside had given them Reznikov's location, but he didn't like to hear any speculation or assumptions regarding Kaparov's identity.
"I'll reach out and see what they can do for us."
"Understood. One of these days, I hope we can sit down and sip a good scotch. We both lost good people in this fight," Sanderson said.
"I look forward to it. Watch your back, General," he said and disconnected the call.
He returned to his seat and met Erin Foley's suspicious gaze.
"How would you feel about taking a trip to Russia?" Berg said.
"I was afraid you'd ask me that. Do I have a choice in the matter?"
"There's always a choice, but I really need your help."
"What happened to the Zaslon group that would stop at nothing to find and kill me?" Foley said.
"We'll have to drastically change your look and give you a false identity. I think the work I have in mind will suit you," Berg said.
"Dare I ask?"
"You have no idea exactly how critical your actions were yesterday. Killing that Zaslon operative enabled a chain of events that could prevent one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in history. If you agree to help me with this, I'll give you the whole story. We still have a long flight ahead of us," Berg said.
"I'm in."
Chapter 8
4:27 PM
National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)
McLean, Virginia
Special Agent-in-Charge Ryan Sharpe stood ready to address Task Force Scorpion on the ground level of the National Counterterrorism Center's watch floor. NCTC's director, Joel Garrity, had made significant changes to the floor's configuration for the purpose of accommodating Sharpe's task force. Garrity integrated his own personnel into the task force to ensure a smooth transition for the multi-agency team working under Sharpe's direction, but still retained enough space and manpower to carry out the terrorist intelligence and analysis functions assigned to him by the director of National Intelligence. Given the scope of the potential terrorist threat posed by the Zulu virus, most of the center's energy and resources would be committed to Task Force Scorpion.
Sharpe looked up at the second-floor scaffolding that ringed the entire watch floor. The second floor mostly contained offices that would be occupied by the various liaisons assigned to the task force, giving each separate agency a reasonable modicum of privacy. Despite the overall spirit of cooperation and transparency fostered by the open NCTC layout, each liaison would be given the privacy to communicate freely with their parent organization. In addition to a massive FBI contingent, his task force was comprised of representatives from the Department of Defense, CIA, Homeland Security, White House, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, National Security Agency
"I don't envy your tightrope position over the FBI. One wrong step and you could find yourself back on the shit list," Berg said.
"Who's kidding who? My name is still on that shit list. They just won't admit it to my face. I just hope our covert assistance will be enough to help them stop this nightmare plot before it becomes a reality like Monchegorsk."
"Well, you're not on the CIA's shit list, I can guarantee that. Without your help, I'd still be trying to push a crazy theory up the chain-of-command, while our government remained blissfully unaware of the looming terrorist threat. Be careful with the feds, you can't afford a misstep with them. None of us can afford that misstep."
"Thanks for the warning, and the kind words. I'll watch my back with the FBI. Apparently, I've made the FBI director's personal enemy list again."
"Not a good list to be on. That man has a long memory," Berg said.
"Tell me about it. I'll keep you posted on our progress. Will you be able to leverage any more help from your contact in Moscow?" Sanderson said.
Berg didn't like hearing Sanderson casually reference his contact. It was no secret that someone on the inside had given them Reznikov's location, but he didn't like to hear any speculation or assumptions regarding Kaparov's identity.
"I'll reach out and see what they can do for us."
"Understood. One of these days, I hope we can sit down and sip a good scotch. We both lost good people in this fight," Sanderson said.
"I look forward to it. Watch your back, General," he said and disconnected the call.
He returned to his seat and met Erin Foley's suspicious gaze.
"How would you feel about taking a trip to Russia?" Berg said.
"I was afraid you'd ask me that. Do I have a choice in the matter?"
"There's always a choice, but I really need your help."
"What happened to the Zaslon group that would stop at nothing to find and kill me?" Foley said.
"We'll have to drastically change your look and give you a false identity. I think the work I have in mind will suit you," Berg said.
"Dare I ask?"
"You have no idea exactly how critical your actions were yesterday. Killing that Zaslon operative enabled a chain of events that could prevent one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in history. If you agree to help me with this, I'll give you the whole story. We still have a long flight ahead of us," Berg said.
"I'm in."
Chapter 8
4:27 PM
National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)
McLean, Virginia
Special Agent-in-Charge Ryan Sharpe stood ready to address Task Force Scorpion on the ground level of the National Counterterrorism Center's watch floor. NCTC's director, Joel Garrity, had made significant changes to the floor's configuration for the purpose of accommodating Sharpe's task force. Garrity integrated his own personnel into the task force to ensure a smooth transition for the multi-agency team working under Sharpe's direction, but still retained enough space and manpower to carry out the terrorist intelligence and analysis functions assigned to him by the director of National Intelligence. Given the scope of the potential terrorist threat posed by the Zulu virus, most of the center's energy and resources would be committed to Task Force Scorpion.
Sharpe looked up at the second-floor scaffolding that ringed the entire watch floor. The second floor mostly contained offices that would be occupied by the various liaisons assigned to the task force, giving each separate agency a reasonable modicum of privacy. Despite the overall spirit of cooperation and transparency fostered by the open NCTC layout, each liaison would be given the privacy to communicate freely with their parent organization. In addition to a massive FBI contingent, his task force was comprised of representatives from the Department of Defense, CIA, Homeland Security, White House, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, National Security Agency
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