Interdiction - W.Addison Gast (great novels TXT) 📗

like the other porters uniforms. He came up to the pile of baggage and loaded it all onto the cart and then went inside with Badra. She had instructed Haydar to wait with the group and watch her at the ticket counter for any signal that would mean trouble. The porter unloaded the baggage in front of the security check in machine and as Badra purchased tickets for the entire group, the porter picked up the baggage on the other side of the security machine and placed tags on each. Badra turned from the ticket counter and walked with the porter to the conveyor belt and as they loaded the checked bags onto the conveyor, Haydar saw the porter pull a baggage ticket from his jacket and place it around the handle on the wooden box Badra had given him. It also went onto the conveyor belt out to the waiting aircraft… Badra came out to the waiting group and handed each his passport and airline ticket. “Haydar keep this group together and sit over in the waiting area before we all go through the security together. I will be right back. As she turned her back Haydar noticed something about this lady that he had only caught a glimpse of in the past day. She had a large curvature in her back. It was something like an older woman with osteoporosis but larger. She was carrying a knapsack or package under her Burqa on her back!
“Where the hell is Actor?” Haydar suddenly missed the large Iraqi that was constantly causing problems in the training class. Haydar wished in many ways that this moron had not been assigned to his team.
“He is at the bookstore—over there. He said he wanted a newspaper.” Said Goat.
“Stay here-all of you. Do not leave this spot. I will be right back.” Haydar started not walking but marching over to the bookstore. He could hardly contain his anger when he came up to Actor who was just paying for the paper.
“Actor, if you ever leave this group again without my knowing where you are going, I will plunge a knife into your entrails and pull them out for the buzzards to feast upon. I mean this and I will not warn you again. You will be dead in a place unknown to you, your family or others, buried in a grave with no name. You understand the seriousness of this mistake you have made?
The face on the large Iraqi who was a head taller than Haydar indicated that he had read the meaning in Haydar’s eyes as he spoke those words.
“Come, return to the group.” Said Haydar.
As they walked across the terminal area where people were now starting to fill the ticketing area Haydar could see that his friends he had just left were violating one of the prime rules they had been trained on when they travel. Never speak to strangers or initiate a conversation. Here was Goat and Ali Baba talking to a girl in western dress except for a shawl. She had tight fitting Levis on like most infidel whores and a knapsack on her back. He could see Goat and Ali Baba actually smiling as they talked to her. This infraction would have to be dealt with when they were all alone. He would try to be calm as he approached the threesome. The girl had her back to Haydar but as she spoke, there was something familiar about her voice. He was thrown off somewhat by the smell of the western perfume. She turned as Haydar and Actor walked up with the precious newspaper in his hand.
“You have a discipline problem engineer. Your group has a problem remembering my instructions. That was to stay in this spot. No wandering”. Her eyes were narrow and looking into the heart of Haydar. He was astonished at her beauty. He had seen her eyes through the eyeholes in her burqa and knew that she was relatively small or slim but he never thought that under that Burqa there would be a body like this.
“I will remind my brothers of this infraction at another time Badra.” Haydar could see and tell from her action and voice combined with the way she looked coldly at him as he spoke, this was not to be considered a female. She was as dedicated and evil as any of his Mujahideen brothers.
Badra pulled the group together around a small table in the corner of the food area and asking the four to sit as close together as possible with their backs to the crowd so that people passing by could not see what she was working with on the table. . Each was given a small cell phone and a charging unit. On the keypad were several numbers keyed in as direct dial memory numbers. Badra went over each number on the keypad and how to use the phone with each of the young men. They had all seen these phones in their training and knew how to use them not only for communication but, if necessary as detonators for bombs. The scene at the terminal was the usual scurrying of businessmen and women pulling their carry-on baggage and briefcases through the terminal concourse. As the group remained in the corner of the coffee shop, Badra went over to the counter and purchased sandwiches and drinks for all. It was a pleasant surprise to Haydar when she handed him a large bottle of cold coke-a-cola. Haydar had not had a cold coke in over a year and thanked her graciously. Badra had been watching the security line for their Faisalabad flight and it appeared as now was a good time to move the group. She became more conversant with Haydar and smiled as the group entered the line and started processing through the sensors. She was at the last of the group with Haydar and he noticed she kept her scarf close on her face but was laughing and smiling as she spoke on her cell phone placed next to her ear. She never looked up, always at the knapsack on the conveyor belt and at the others in her group. All passed the security check and metal detectors smoothly until Badra was just entering the metal detector when a young man came running against the crowd through the security area with police close behind. The suspect was over six feet and heavy so when he hit Badra, who did not see him running toward her because her head was down, the two tumbled to the ground like a tight end being tackled in the end zone. Immediately the three police had the man restrained and was examining Badra to see if she was injured. She could not get away from them quick enough and rejoined the group.
“That was a scare, Badra. We thought sure they would want to take you to the first aid station to examine you.” Said Haydar.
“The idiot reeked of marijuana and crack. He was stupid enough to think he could get past the security dogs and electronic sniffers I guess. Anyway, I am fine, thanks.”
The group joined the other passengers bound for Faisalabad Pakistan without incident and managed to get some rest during the three hour flight. They would have a lay over in Pakistan before they could move from Faisalabad to Karachi where they would get a direct flight to Los Angeles California USA..

Chapter 15

In the Goldmine beneath the street

It was 103 degrees on the street in Mazar I
Sharif but closer to 115 in the tunnel and room beneath the street. Even with the fans blowing full force to get the smoke and tear gas evacuated, it was a nasty place to work. The smell alone would make the average person vomit and obviously, the inhabitants had not had much choice where to dump the daily garbage generated by the seven technicians manning the stronghold. Suddenly, the lights came back on and the tunnel became easier to navigate. As DJ entered the main room, Cowboy was up righting tables and chairs and generally cleaning up the area. The lights were on again in the room now as well as the tunnel. In addition to the main tunnel that came under the street from the house there, a second tunnel exited off the large room and to the East. This must have been the exit that the Tango that knifed DJ’s leg came out of Cowboy thought.
“What do you have sergeant?” Asked DJ looking over at Cowboy who was standing in the middle of the room with some files in his had while three of his specialists were attempting to reboot the three computers.
“I don’t know how this correlates with all the people coming and going from this hole Lieutenant, but it doesn’t look good.”
Cowboy was pointing at the map on the wall.
D J immediately saw that the map was in English and detailed a large metropolitan area complete with street names and parks and water reservoirs. The street drawings and outlines were in lighter print so that the underground structure that ran beneath the streets and to the water reservoirs stood out boldly. DJ removed his clear goggles and battle helmet and stepped closer and looked at the bottom of the title block on the drawing. He then said aloud as if it was impossible.
“Water distribution network for the city of Los Angeles and surrounding areas from Northern California and the Colorado river”. DJ moved closer to the map to see what the red ink pen marks indicated if possible. Each location of a filtering and pumping plant in the system was circled with a number beside it.
“Sergeant, get in touch with Scorpion and instruct him that the prisoners are to have a 24-7 eyeball to eyeball watch and their location on the base is to be known only to them and myself. Keep them hooded and do not let them talk to each other—pronto” DJ gave a second thought and added to his instructions. “Detail a watch on the Israeli group and their aircraft at the slightest indication of movement, I want to be advised.”
“Roger Lieutenant. You think this Israeli Colonel is going to try to get at these guys again?
“I’m not taking any chances, Cowboy until I get to question these characters. They have the story behind this map and if we lose them, we are toast. “
“Anything from the hard drives on the computers?
“No sir. We have just started to copy all the data and stream it to Arlington as instructed.” Replied one of the specialists to the open question to the group.
“I want a printout of the last ten minutes of transmission on that radio over there and the same from the computers.”
“Cowboy get head shed on the line and tell them we need priority task on Eagle to find that VW that left here last night with the gal in it. The one that was stopped by the patrol. Incidentally see if that army patrol vehicle has any capability for video used for stops and get the film in the system to see if we can ID her face with anything we have in the surveillance file.”
With those instructions to the group, DJ headed up from the subterranean room to the street. Suddenly, he stopped. Instead of walking through the tunnel to the house across the street and up and onto the street from there where anyone and everyone could watch his exit, DJ turned and left by the other tunnel to the back alley. When he surfaced and opened the door to the alley, there was a specialist on guard who was somewhat surprised to see the Lieutenant but served a