Sandstorm (35 page)

“I take it this is your handiwork?” asked Alex, trying to gauge which side, right or left, Mueller felt more comfortable with.

“Impressed?”

“Ask me again when I get out of here.”

“You assume that you will.”

“Something tells me you have an exit strategy.”

Mueller slowly turned around. “There are some things worth dying for.”

Alex looked into his eyes. “You don’t strike me as the martyr type.”

Mueller smiled. “Isn’t there something you’d die for?”

“Off the top of my head … nothing comes to mind.”

“And yet, here you are, Mr. McBride.”

“I never said I was smart. I’m just helping out a friend.”

“Must be one hell of a friend.”

“And what about you? Mossad wouldn’t trust this scale of an operation to just anybody. It’s all going to come crumbling down, and I don’t just mean this place. Senator Bryce Lipton helping to run a rogue operation with a foreign government…” Alex whistled. “The Justice Department and the media are going to have a field day with this one.”

“I seriously doubt it will get that far. Besides, how do you think the world will judge your country if it can be proven America is involved? And let me caution, what you think is an off-the-books operation could simply be above your pay grade.”

Alex saw something flicker in the man’s eye.

Mueller rotated his wrist to glance at his watch. “Time is what I don’t have, but it is time to end this.”

The move was so quick all Alex could do in response was angle his shoulders sideways. Mueller had produced a knife from the cuff of his shirt and thrown it with deadly force and accuracy. The only problem was that McBride had been a hair faster: the sharp blade sailed past, clanging against an instrument panel instead. With Alex slightly compromised, Mueller ducked behind him just enough to deliver a sideways kick just above the hip. Having braced for the blow, Alex recovered quickly and once again surprised Mueller, this time responding with a long step that maneuvered him in position to use his right hand. He sent Mueller a couple of steps back with a karate chop to the face. Alex readied himself for what he assumed was coming next. If Mueller was a Mossad-trained agent, odds were that he was proficient in the fighting style of Krav Maga—swift attacks aimed to inflict as much damage as possible to vulnerable body parts, the goal being to neutralize the opponent quickly. Alex was right. Mueller came back with a flurry of movement. Two kicks found Alex’s thigh, and he failed to block a series of blows to his neck, one connecting on each side. He was fortunate enough to turn and lower his jaw just enough to avoid a direct blow to his Adam’s apple. Sensing he had the upper hand, Mueller closed in, and Alex let him. The moment Mueller made his intention known, Alex dodged the lethal right hand. He shifted to his left, and carrying the majority of his weight with him, he rifled two sharp blows to Mueller’s midsection. His stomach was flat and strong, but the doctor definitely felt the impact. Alex locked Mueller’s right leg with his own and then rose to fire his left-hand palm hard into the doctor’s jaw. Mueller stumbled backward and fell to the floor. That strike would have left most men nearly unconscious, but Mueller was back on his feet, showing no sign of giving up. He charged at Alex, aiming for his midsection. Alex crouched and extended his arms as Mueller came at him. Rotating his hips, Alex tossed Mueller aside. There was a loud sigh as he crashed into a metal console. Once again, Mueller rebounded immediately. He came at Alex using his hands and feet in a furious attack. Alex blocked what he could, but a right hand had a clear path to his left kidney, and a series of kicks connected just above his groin. Alex’s knees buckled, and his back arched from a stinging sensation climbing upward. His reflexes deflected a blazing left fist to his nose. He managed to defend himself from a flurry of strikes, finally going on the offensive by thrusting his large frame into Mueller’s chest, creating space. In the blink of an eye, Alex delivered a direct kick to Mueller’s stomach, doubling him over. Alex was in the process of delivering a fluid roundhouse kick to the head when Mueller sprung to life, ducking to make the intended strike harmless. Mueller then lashed out, attacking the big thigh muscle of Alex’s firmly planted left leg. Next he sent Alex hard to the floor by sweeping his leg from under him. Mueller was on him in seconds, attacking the left side of his back with a series of well-placed, powerful jabs. Vulnerable and in tear-evoking pain, Alex tried to crawl away, cursing the fact that his skills were rusty for this kind of encounter. Dr. Mueller certainly had the upper hand.

When no finishing onslaught ensued, Alex turned his head to see Mueller walking away. At first Alex thought Mueller had designs on retrieving the knife, which was nearby, but there was something else that had captured the doctor’s attention instead. Mueller didn’t even seem to acknowledge Alex’s existence. Instead, he made a beeline to an instrument panel. He punched several buttons with purpose. For the first time since he’d been in Mueller’s company, Alex thought he recognized concern. There was a lost look on his face.

Recovering, Alex gingerly got to his feet. “What is it? You finally appear worried.”

“You aren’t as stupid as you look,” Mueller responded as he rushed to the large windows overlooking the reactor floor. He shook his head and ran to another control panel, frantically tapping more buttons. He moved to an adjacent computer screen, typing so hard on the keyboard that he nearly broke it.

“Anything I can do?” Alex asked, feeling totally helpless. He picked up and pocketed the knife in the process. He had no intention of leaving anything to chance.

“Not unless you have an advanced degree in nuclear engineering. The reactors were supposed to shut down. That they didn’t is troubling on several fronts.” Mueller considered his options. “I’m in a generous mood right now, so you need to get out of here.”

“Not until you tell me what the hell is going on.”

Mueller shook his head. “On second thought, maybe you are as stupid as you look. If those reactors aren’t shut down, they’ll make Chernobyl look like child’s play.”

“You’re telling me that wasn’t the purpose all along?”

“Not really,” said Mueller, going from instrument panel to instrument panel. “Who is the female friend you mentioned?”

“I didn’t say it was a woman.”

“You CIA?”

“Past tense.”

Mueller stopped what he was doing. “I need your help with something.” Without hesitation, Alex followed him to a door that led to a staging area. There were a number of protective suits hanging from a wall. They resembled astronaut gear. Mueller explained he needed help putting on one of the suits, since shutting down the reactors could only be done manually at this point.

“What should I really call you, McBride?” Mueller asked as he assembled the various items he needed as quickly as possible.

“Alex.”

“I’m Nathan.” They didn’t bother to shake hands. “I have to ask you something. There was a woman in Annapolis. Erica Janway. Was she a good person? Loyal to her country?”

It was a strange question but Alex was able to piece together its significance. “No question. She was a mentor and friend to the person I’m helping.”

“So your friend became a target as well.”

“Exactly.”

Yadin began stepping into the suit. “This operation has been in the works for a number of years. In the beginning, your country and mine covertly supplied the Iranians with faulty parts and materials, hoping that setback after setback would cause them to abandon the idea of achieving nuclear status. It succeeded in delaying their goal, but they were persistent. Once your country backed off, feeling enough had been accomplished, a decision was then made to start giving them legitimate parts in order to gain their trust. These parts were just enough to whet their appetite. They went on to spend billions. In order to build their program, they had to go through the fictitious Dr. Mueller. The stipulation was they had to trust me beyond question or their program would be dead. They were idealistic and desperate enough to accept the terms. As a result, we pretty much had total control in building this facility. We controlled the blueprints, the parts, and managed the go-betweens they had to deal with. All orchestrated.”

Alex checked the suit for any defects. “You built it to tear it down?”

“Precisely, and at a tremendous cost to the Iranians. What they had no way of knowing was that mixed in with legitimate materials were craftily altered items that would pass expert inspection. And since I normally ordered them, after a while, not even those got a second look. The materials were designed to work perfectly until they were triggered to malfunction.” Yadin had one arm in the suit and was about to insert the other when he showed Alex his watch. “This is a very special piece of equipment. It emits certain high-frequency signals and can be set much like an alarm clock to go off at different intervals. Some of these walls are made of a C4 base mold. The electrical wire going through them gets a charge, and boom! The centrifuges you inspected in Tbilisi were designed to malfunction and spin at uncontrollable rates when set off.”

“But now you’ve got a problem?”

“Yes, those reactors. The warning signals were supposed to just be a scare tactic. They were false notifications. There shouldn’t be a real meltdown in progress.”

“Well, you can see the irony. Faulty parts not responding?”

“There were numerous safeguards in place. The reactors were supposed to be shut down and buried in a deep grave. The potential disaster hopefully would have been enough of a deterrent to prevent further endeavors and give pause to other countries in the region.”

Yadin was outfitted with the entire suit except for the protective helmet. “I suspect others wanted to make more of a statement, which means I was deceived. At this point, I can’t trust anything that was arranged to ensure my safety. But you have to go. I’ve bought you a little time by delaying the next explosion. It’s going to be huge. The escape route won’t be open for long, so you’ve got to get to the surface. When you get out, pay attention to which direction the wind is blowing and go the opposite way. Even if I can’t shut this down, you might get lucky.”

Yadin explained the exact direction Alex needed to take. He doubted if anyone else knew the path existed. Alex walked Yadin to a nearby elevator that would take him down to the reactor floor. Yadin stepped in, fully insulated, a tool box in one hand. With the other he punched the appropriate button. Just as the doors were about to close, he held them in check.

He had to speak louder through the airtight helmet. “Tell your friend I’m sorry. They told me Janway was a threat, a cancer to the operation. Someone who had betrayed her country. You know about Senator Lipton, but the real puppet master is a billionaire named Roger Daniels. If your friend wants closure, don’t try to get it in a court of law. He has too much influence.”

Yadin released his grip, allowing the elevator door to slowly clamp shut. Alex took a deep breath before hauling ass as rapidly as he could.

CHAPTER
74

Alex had no choice but to trust the Mossad agent who called himself Nathan. As he sprinted down corridors, knocking bodies out of the way, Alex was aware he was taking the word of a man who’d tried to kill him just minutes before. The same man who’d killed Erica Janway. And yet, as the structure around him was on the verge of buckling, there was no other option except to follow the man’s instructions to the letter.

The door Alex was looking for was right where Nathan said it would be. It was down a narrow passage off a main hallway. The halls leading to it were obscured by shadows, so it was understandable that in a panic situation, no one would have thought an exit existed. He was about to punch in the last digit of the access code on the security panel when he heard the unmistakable sound of a pistol assembly slide being locked into place. He muttered an expletive under his breath and slowly turned to see the demure presence of Farid pointing a pistol at his head. What made Alex nervous was the assault weapon in the shaking hands of a Revolutionary Guard soldier flanking Farid.

“What are you doing, Mr. McBride, if that is indeed your real name?”

“Trying to get out like everyone else,” Alex hurriedly said, realizing there was no time for this.

“You arrive here for the first time today, and you’re familiar with a part of the building that is well hidden. And,” Farid motioned toward the security panel, “you know access codes as well.”

The Revolutionary Guard soldier seemed to be questioning the wisdom of being here. His eyes were darting from side to side, not liking this poorly lit area at all. Farid, however, was waiting on an answer.

“Dr. Mueller gave me the code and told me how to get here.”

“And where is he now?”

“Trying to shut down the reactor so that this doesn’t become our final resting place.” While Farid was measuring the merits of the situation, Alex reached in his pocket and brought the knife to rest on his shielded side. Just then, what little light there was flickered off and on as the ground moved. Chewed up pieces of concrete dislodged from above, adding to the mayhem. The soldier’s attention was diverted upward as he used his free hand to cover his head. Alex had the opening he needed. He grabbed Farid’s gun hand and wrenched it nearly to the point of breaking. He also kicked Farid’s left foot away to knock him off balance. Farid yelped with pain and had no choice but to let the gun fall from his hand. By the time the soldier realized what was happening, he couldn’t react. Alex started his right hand from well behind his head with blinding momentum. He didn’t stop until the weight of the guard stabilized. By then, though, his Adam’s apple was shattered. Alex followed up by stabbing him in the heart, removing the blade as he turned to catch Farid trying to retrieve his gun. Alex kicked the weapon away and thrust the knife into the back of Farid’s neck as he stepped over him to reach the security panel, where he once again entered the code.

Despite all that was going on around him, Alex was alone in a quiet, long corridor just wide enough for electric carts to travel in either direction. As promised, a cart was parked and waiting. Alex had it moving in seconds, his foot fully depressed on the pedal, willing it to go faster. Its speed was slowed by the upward climb, which resembled a paper clip in design. The hallway led to a dead end with one exit door. Alex entered the same pass code as before. The green light gave him access to a stairwell. It was difficult to judge how many flights there were, but the only way to go was up, and he didn’t think about it. He started off taking two stairs at a time. Six levels had been cleared when he heard a deafening explosion below him. It rattled the stairwell, and parts of the wall cracked open. There definitely was no going back. His lungs burning for air, Alex was grateful to see there were no stairs after two more levels. Not knowing what was on the other side, he took a couple of gulps of air before flinging open the exit door in front of him. The bright sun was blinding, forcing him to stop dead in his tracks. He raised his right arm as a shield, helping his eyes adjust as he pressed forward. There were frantic people running everywhere. He narrowly dodged a jeep that zoomed past him. Not even the blaring sirens could drown out screams of “Get out! Get out! Save yourselves!”