Highest Order_An Action Thriller Novel Read online

  “I do,” Sarah said. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to just run off with Noah and just have a life of our own, but that would mean abandoning you and all the people who would be suffering if this happens. I don’t think I could live with myself if I felt like I was part of the reason that these people got away with what they were doing.”

  “I’ll just say ditto to that,” Jenny said. “Besides, we all know I’d go stir crazy trying to be normal. I’m in.”

  Everyone looked at Neil. “Oh, hell,” he said. “Where Noah goes, I go.”

  Noah looked at Allison. “That makes it unanimous,” he said. “How much information can you give me to start with?”

  “We’ve got the names of three senators: Richard Martin, James Lindemann, and Solomon Perkowski. There are five in the House of Representatives that we know of: David Anderson, Anthony Borden, Charlotte Willamette, Bob Majors, and Lisa Vincenzo. At the NSA, there’s Herschel Robinette, Ronald Pickering, Wilbur Benton, Harriet Morgenstern, and Tom Lewiston. At DHS, you got Edgar Mikesell, Simon Scheiber, Antonio Romano, and we’re not certain, but possibly Armando Rodriguez.” She waited for a moment as Noah committed the list to memory. “And there’s one more,” she said. “Noah, Jonathan Andrews is at the very tip of this thing. According to Solomon Perkowski, the whole damn thing may have been his idea.”

  Jenny’s mouth fell open. “President Andrews? Allison, forgive me, but are you sure?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Allison said. “Doc Parker was given a video taken by someone working in deep cover inside the organization. It showed the president, Lewiston, and Perkowski having what they thought was a completely private conversation, and I’ve seen it. Their plan is to put Andrews in charge of what they call the Ascension Council. From what I’ve been told, that refers to the fifty people who will control all of the United States, but I don’t think it had anything to do with how many states there are, or anything like that. The Ascension Council in the U.S. will partner up with a similar council that will be set up in Russia shortly after this one is in place. With the combined military forces of the United States and Russia under their control, it’s a pretty safe bet that they can handle anybody else. They even have plans to replace the United Nations, and let Andrews and somebody named Petrokov serve as joint chairmen of some sort of Supreme Council that will replace the UN and rule the entire world.”

  Noah sat quietly for a moment and looked at her, then turned to Molly. “How do you see this playing out?”

  Molly’s face twisted in a grimace of her own. “An organization like this, when we don’t have a full roster, is going to be very hard to put down. Unfortunately, you need to get more intelligence from the very people you also need to target. It’s going to be a nightmare, trying to get them to tell you who else is involved when they know they’re going to die. You can go at it from any of three different directions.”

  She pointed at her index finger. “First, you could take out the president. He has enough people who hate his guts that it would not be obvious that it was connected to this particular group. The problem is that any organization with any brains involved is going to have somebody ready to step in if the man they’ve chosen to lead is suddenly eliminated.”

  She touched her middle finger. “Second, you can abduct a few of the people whose names you know and try to get information out of them. I understand Jenny is particularly good at that, so you might want to let her give it a try. The only drawback is whether or not these people even know who else is involved. The fact that this organization has gone unknown for some time could indicate that they are using a cell system, or some other way of keeping identities under wraps.”

  She touched her ring finger. “Third, and the one I would least recommend, you can just start killing them off. We’ve got how many names? Nineteen, altogether? If half of them were to suddenly come up dead, there is a possibility the rest of them would scatter, drop the whole thing and disappear. That’s not likely, but it could happen. I’d think it more likely that they would close up their ranks and even step up their agenda.”

  Once again, Noah sat quietly for almost half a minute, then turned and looked at Allison.

  “I’ll do it,” he said. “Naturally, I’m going to need the whole team and Jenny. I’m also going to need money, and a lot of it. I don’t want to tie any of this to the identities we’re using now, so that means I can’t use any of these credit cards. I’m going to have to find another source of financing. Any ideas?”

  Allison chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m at a loss,” she said. “We’ve got accounts all over the world, but getting you access to the kind of money you’re talking about would be very difficult to do without leaving some kind of a trail. Hell, I don’t know, rob a bank?”

  “That’s exactly what I’ve got in mind,” Noah said. “Since we need to do this in such a way that it can’t be traced back to you, we may have to resort to the kind of secretive and criminal tactics an actual terrorist organization would use. One of the things they do is rob banks.”

  Sarah’s eyes were wide, and Neil was staring at Noah in shock.

  “We’re gonna rob a bank?” Neil asked. “You got a particular one in mind?”

  “No, not yet,” Noah said, “and only if there’s no other way. We’ll need to do a bit of research, but we can’t take too long before we get started. We’re also going to need other identities, passports, everything. We’re going to need weapons, transportation, all the things that the agency normally provides, but we’ve got to do it on our own. That’s going to take millions of dollars, and the easiest way to get it might be to steal it.”

  Neil rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine,” he said. “I’ll start doing some research when we get back to the house. There’s bound to be a bank around here somewhere we can rob.”

  “No, not here,” Noah said. “We promised the Queen we wouldn’t cause any problems in England, so we can’t do anything here. It needs to be in the U.S., but that gives us the problem of how to get there. Once again, I don’t want to compromise these identities. If this operation fails, we may need them just to survive.”

  “I might be able to help with IDs,” Allison said. “Every station chief has a list of solid identities that can be used for any of our agents that might need one in a hurry. Leon Kendall, back in London, he might be able to put together some that can be burned. You could use them to get into the States again, but after that, you might be on your own. I couldn’t guarantee they would get you back out.”

  “I’d rather find another way, something not connected to E & E or the U.S., but I’ll use them if we don’t have another choice. Neil, you start working on finding us a bank to hit. We do this the same way any other bank robbers would, a blitz attack that lets us get in and out in a hurry. We want the biggest possible yield with the lowest possible risk.”

  Neil nodded. “Okay, I’ll see what I can figure out. What about weapons and such?”

  Noah shrugged. “We steal them. Same for the getaway car, we steal it. The idea is to make it look like this is nothing but a run-of-the-mill crime, rather than a way to finance a series of high-profile assassinations.” He turned to Allison. “The hardest one is going to be the president. It’s nearly impossible to get close enough for a shot, and nowadays they clear an area so big that even the best sniper wouldn’t have a chance. It’s possible the only way to get him is going to involve a lot of collateral damage.”

  “Do you think I haven’t thought about that?” Allison asked. “Noah, if there was any other way, I’d never ask you to do this. The simple fact of the matter is that you are the only possible team that could hope to pull this off. I just don’t want to see you get yourselves killed in the process.”

  “I have no intention of dying,” Noah said, “nor of letting anything happen to my team. We’ll do this because it has to be done, but I’m not planning to lose anybody over it.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,�
�� Allison said. “Believe it or not, I’m rather fond of all of you, and that’s on a personal level. Professionally, I need you all because you’re the best. I don’t want anything happening to you, either.”

  “All right,” Noah said. “We know what we have to do. We’ll let Neil do his thing for a while, and talk again tomorrow. For tonight, we’re just a bunch of old friends having fun together. Who wants a sandwich?”

  “Geez, I thought you’d never ask,” Neil said.

  Chapter FOURTEEN

  Leon Kendall got back to his office at the embassy and finished his work day, completely forgetting the request Allison had made until it was after three o’clock. As soon as he remembered, he put in a call to Catherine Potts. Since she was E & E’s liaison to British intelligence, he had a special number that allowed him to reach her without going through MI6. It forwarded through several different VoIP servers and then finally rang through to her cell phone.

  “Catherine Potts,” she said as she answered.

  “Hey, sexy,” Kendall said. “How’s my favorite British girl?”

  “Grumpy and tired,” Catherine said. “There is something about you bloody Yanks that keeps me from getting any sleep at night, do you know that?”

  Kendall chuckled. “That’s because you lay there fantasizing about all the wonderful things I want to do to you.”

  “Oh, good Lord, what are you smoking? Seems to be a lot better than the stuff I get.” She giggled like a teenage girl. “So, what is it you want this time, Leon?”

  “Actually, I’ve got a bit of news. Are you secure on your end?”

  There was a beep in the line. “All set,” Catherine said. “What’s the gossip?”

  “The Dragon Lady is in town. It’s pretty hush-hush, since she’s still supposedly in custody, but I met with her at lunchtime. She was on her way out to see your friend from yesterday, but he happened to be coming into town and picked her up. She said she’d like to meet you while she’s here.”

  There was silence on the line for several seconds.

  “Catherine? Are you there?”

  “I’m here,” Catherine said. “I’m trying to figure out if you’re pulling a prank. I just saw an intelligence report thirty minutes ago that said she was being held in some sort of secure facility in Denver. According to our sources, she’s still there.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” Kendall said. “She’s doing something ultra-secret, actually gone into cover herself. I don’t blame you for being skeptical, if I hadn’t seen her, I wouldn’t believe it either.”

  “And she’s out at Feeney?”

  “Yep. Your buddy and his friends picked her up at Westfield Mall. They were coming in to do some shopping and just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Saved me a drive out to Guildford, anyway.”

  “If she’s here when every source we’ve got says she’s locked up, there has to be something pretty big going on. Leon, thank you. I think it’s time she and I got to know one another. Gotta go, luv, I’ll call you later.”

  Catherine ended the call and stared at her cell phone for a few seconds. Her thumb hovered over a button for a moment, but then she simply clicked it back onto her belt. She got up from her desk and walked out of her office, then left the building and went to the car park. She climbed into her BMW and started it up, and started working her way towards Guildford.

  Once she was out of the city, she opened the car up and let it run. She knew the road well enough that she didn’t worry about getting pulled over, and the speedometer was bouncing on a hundred and forty km/h for most of the way. She made it to Guildford in under thirty minutes, then turned on to Tuppence Lane, the road that led to Feeney Manor.

  She turned into the kilometer-long drive and followed it up to the house, parking behind the Bentley sedan she had seen the day before. She got out of the car and started toward the front steps, but then she heard a voice calling her name and turned to look for the source.

  Noah and his team were walking toward the house from out in the fields, and she saw a couple of extra women with them. Since they were coming her way, she simply stood and waited for them. It was only a matter of a minute or so before they were close enough for her to get a good look at the newcomers, and she recognized Allison from the photos she had seen just an hour earlier.

  She walked toward them, intercepting them about a hundred meters from the house.

  “Bob’s your bloody uncle,” she said. “You really are here, aren’t you? Oh, forgive me, I’m Catherine Potts.” She held out her hand, and Allison grasped it firmly.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Allison said with a smile. “I’ve seen your name in several reports, and I’m glad to have the opportunity at last to thank you in person for all that you do for us.”

  “Ha, there’s no need to thank me,” Catherine said. “I mean, you certainly pay me well enough, and it’s my job. I just got a call from Leon, who told me you were here and wanted to meet up. Since my other job happens to think you’re currently sitting in some kind of secret prison, I wanted to come and see for myself.”

  “I’m here on a very secret mission,” Allison said, “and, while I realize it might put you in a delicate position, I’m hoping you will keep my presence between us. I can assure you that I will only be here for a short time, and there will be no official activities of any kind involved. I’m simply here to brief our mutual friend on a situation going on back home.”

  Catherine looked her in the eye. “Does that situation pose any threat to the U.K.?”

  “I’m afraid that it will, if we are unsuccessful in stopping it. Unfortunately, I can’t give you any of the details. This thing is so big that we do not dare let the people involved find out that we know about them. While I consider you utterly trustworthy, I can’t always say the same about your other employers.”

  Catherine chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment. “And if you are successful?”

  “If we succeed, then the threat will be eliminated. I will tell you this: if it becomes obvious that we are going to fail, I will see to it that you are informed of the situation. That’s the best I can offer.”

  Catherine nodded. “Very well,” she said. “I know your reputation well enough to know that whatever you tell me will be the truth. I can accept that, for now.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the house, where Thomas was suddenly standing on the porch, and waved at him. She turned back to Allison. “The butler thinks I’m the estate agent that arranged the sale of the place,” she said. “I gave him the name of Catherine Beasley, so calling me Catherine in his presence is perfectly fine. Shall we go inside and get to know one another?”

  “I’d like that,” Allison said with a grin. “By the way, I’m Judy Walker. The girl with the lovely red hair is my daughter, Emily. We are so pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  Catherine looked at Molly closely, then grinned. “Judy, Emily, so good to meet you.”

  Noah, who had been watching the entire exchange, pointed toward the house and smiled. “Come on, let’s go inside. The way people are showing up today, we might end up with a party before the night’s over.”

  “Party?” Allison asked. “Is there a bar in the joint?”

  Thomas, who overheard the question, bowed slightly in her direction. “Why, yes, dear lady,” he said. “There is a fully stocked bar in the Great Hall. If you would fancy a cocktail, I am rather skilled at mixing them.”

  “Oh, I like this guy,” Allison said. “Can you make me a margarita?”

  Thomas smiled. “It will be my pleasure,” he said. He turned and walked toward the great hall, and they all followed. Marco carried the picnic basket back to the kitchen while the rest of them were getting drinks of their own and making themselves comfortable.

  Noah was delighted with the beer that Thomas produced for him, while Sarah and Jenny decided to join Allison and Molly with margaritas. Neil and Marco, like Noah, had settled for beer, though Neil thought it w
as a bit too bitter and cloudy.

  “I’ve got to admit,” Allison said, “you got quite a place here, Travis. It’s absolutely beautiful. If I ever got the chance to retire, I’d love to have something like this to call home.”

  “We like it,” Noah said. “Of course, we’re still getting used to it. We sort of bought it sight unseen, so it’s been a bit of an adventure.”

  Allison grinned. “I’ll bet,” she said.

  “I get a kick out of the armor,” Molly said. “Any idea who used to live here? I mean, back when there were knights and jousting and all that stuff?”

  “I don’t know,” Noah said. “Thomas?”

  “The house was originally built between 1070 and 1072, when it was the home of Lord Tristan Percy, a loyal servant of William the Conqueror. At that time, there were no knights as we think of them; knights were merely lawyers who fought in battle, and not considered to be any part of the nobility. According to legend, Lord Tristan actually wore the armor you see beside the main door into the great Hall when he went into battle. There are three cuts in the armor, and it is believed that they were the ones which finally ended his life.”

  “He died in battle?” Catherine asked. She had been sitting quietly, just enjoying the company.

  “Indeed. I’m afraid I don’t know which battle it might have been, but there were many during the time in which he lived.”

  Thomas, it turned out, was a wealth of information about the history of the house. He told them about several of its previous owners, recited the story of how half of the house had been burned down in 1559, explained the differences in architecture between the remnants of the original house and the restored portions, and even showed them the entrance to a tunnel that was dug under the house during World War Two, when children from several European countries that were under siege by the Nazis were smuggled into England and hidden until they could be adopted by local citizens. Feeney Manor had taken in more than a dozen children from Austria and Czechoslovakia during that time, and some of them—now elderly—still lived around the region.