Resurrection Day by Glenn Meade Page A

had descended on the situation room once again. This time, total shock had stalled the proceedings. Those around the table had had to face many crises in the past. But never a situation in which the entire population of the nation's capital was being held hostage, including, for many present, their own families.
    The President addressed Douglas Stevens, the FBI Director.
    'Assuming al-Qaeda's got a large quantity of this chemical hidden somewhere in Washington, ready to be dispersed by some kind of explosive device — a bomb, a missile, whatever. And — again assuming — Abu Hasim's got the will to carry out his threat, what are our chances of finding the nerve gas and disarming the device?'
    The FBI Director was dreading the question. Ultimately, the job of trying to locate and neutralise the threat would be down to him and his men. 'Washington might not seem like a big city, sir. But we're talking about sixty-seven square miles. Searching an area of that magnitude would require many, many thousands of men. And we're assuming the nerve gas is already in Washington. There's always the possibility al-Queda's people may be hiding it in a surrounding state — Maryland, or Virginia, or even Pennsylvania. Which means an even greater search area — many thousands of square miles. That would take a mammoth amount of manpower.'
    'Don't worry about the manpower. Can it be done, discreetly?'
    'That's the problem, sir. I don't see how it could. That kind of massive activity is going to get noticed by the press and the public. The chemical could be stored almost anywhere. In a warehouse, a derelict building, in the basement or garage of a private home. We're talking about a huge, intrusive search that's going to get noticed, and people are going to ask questions.'
    The last prospect sent a shiver down the President's spine. If the press got the slightest inkling of what was going on, there would be pandemonium on the streets. People would try to flee the capital, which in turn could cause the terrorists themselves to panic and carry out their threat.
    'I want a blanket thrown over this — not a word gets out, not a damned whisper. You all realise the implications if it does. We'll need to think of a plausible excuse for the search, so I want you all to try and come up with something. And I don't want anyone moving their families out of the District, either, if they're already here. Life should go on as normal on the surface. You all attend whatever civil functions you're scheduled to attend, and carry out your usual duties with absolutely no hint of a crisis. I want to stress those points. Is that understood?'
    The faces around the table nodded. Katherine Ashmore, a slim, blonde, middle-aged Kansas-born attorney, who was the Counsel to the President — and the second woman on the NSC along with Rebecca Joyce — spoke up. 'What about Abu Hasim's warning that our police and FBI don't try to hunt down his followers or find the weapon? What about the consequences if we do that? Hasim says he's ordered his people to detonate the device if they're under dire threat.'
    'I take that on board, Kathy. And it's a grave risk, but it's one we've got to take.'
    'But what if these people are cornered and set off their device?'
    'I know, Kathy. We're caught between a rock and a hard place. But just to stand by and do nothing would be absolutely unthinkable. So we've got to try and find these people and their weapon stealthily.' The President turned to Stevens again. 'I presume you have lists of Arab terrorist suspects?'
    'Of course, sir. But the terrorists behind this may not even be on our lists — they may be sleepers who have never been active before now, or specially brought in for the job. Hasim has recruits and trained followers from pretty much every country you'd care to mention that's got an Islamic following, and that includes America. The Muslim provinces of the Russian Federation, like Chechnya, for example. Countries like Bosnia,