Independence Day Plague (10 page)

As he leaned back into the chair, his leg kicked against a black soft-sided computer case tucked just inside the desk’s legs. Mitchell opened it up, removed the laptop computer and up ended the suitcase over the desk. Pens, memos, and an eyeglass case clattered across the leather pad. Mitchell secured the bills into an inside zippered compartment along with the lists and bag of IDs. As an afterthought, he also included Ray’s computer unit. Mitchell searched the desk drawers again but found little else of use except for an old version of the cell phones used before com-unit phones flooded the market. Taped to the top was a paper marked “pd. until August 2027, secured.” He added the phone to the case before zipping it closed.

Chapter 4

June 2, 2026

Charro and Taylor walked through the conference room’s glass doors at five after nine, quietly shutting out the outer noise. Dorado nodded a greeting. The small mass of printouts before him represented the latest list of possible threats complied by Olsen.

Taylor looked like the kind of man you didn’t want as an enemy. Six-four in height and broad shoulders made him look like he belonged on a football field knocking men down. However, he specialized in crime in the upper-class corporate world. Dorado thought the man’s intimidating size might work against him in that elitist world. But Taylor's handsomeness and his predator nature fit well in that world and he often turned on the charm when needed. Filled with similar predators, the corporate world easily embraced him as one of their own.

On the other side, Charro belonged to the streets. With an average size at five-six and sporting slick black hair, he was a product of generations of minority gang activity. His hair had grown for years, braided with crisscrossing leather thongs throughout, and then pulled to one side of his head, a style fashionable in many Latino gangs. Most of his monochrome tattoos hid underneath the black silk t-shirt and expensive metal studded black jeans. When he moved, the silver implant lines became visible behind his ear and down the side of his neck. They disappeared into the thick coil of hair. Gangs often included nihilist members and nihilists were the ultimate technophiles, trading looks and often health in exchange for more body piercings, tattoos, and surgically graphed implants. Charro fit the description perfectly. Different from the average drug-using thrill seeker, the nihilists dressed in black and metal while sporting long, sometimes elaborate hairstyles. They went for the ultimate thrill: sex, drugs, overloaded sensory power-rushes and wiring directly into the sensory nervous system. What little circuitry Charro showed looked real but probably was fake. Cops never used implants, legal or otherwise.

Olsen sat next to him, as different in looks as night was from day. Her frost blue blouse fit well into the white pantsuit. Her hair, pulled away from her face into a ponytail, made her features look more severe. She crossed one long leg over the other and tilted her head towards Dorado as he began the meeting.

“
Yesterday, I met again with members from the other local and federal task forces. We’ll have the cooperation of the other agencies because DCPD will be the lead agency in charge of crowds on the big day. We'll get manpower from the other local police agencies and they will patrol their jurisdictions but the command center runs through us."

Charro let out a low whistle. McAfee shifted his weight against the filing cabinet. “Shit, nothing like a little pressure.”

Dorado nodded, “Usually Park Police coordinate but DCPD takes the lead this year. The crowds will swell far beyond Park and Capitol Police borders. Hell, they’re expecting record crowds throughout Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince George counties at the smaller events too. Task forces in the suburbs will help us track down the threats as it crosses into their jurisdiction. It’s hoped that under the DCPD umbrella we can avoid jurisdiction issues. Of course, the Feds conduct their own investigations on anything out of the area or that connects to groups out of country. When we’re investigating perps with possible connections, we bring in the Feds on the bust but we question the suspects first. It’s our city folks and I don’t want to have any crap going on.”

Olsen spoke quietly. “What exactly are we looking for?”

“
Anything and everything,” Taylor answered. His deep voice rumbled with only a hint of a Georgian accent.

Dorado smiled grimly, “In a nutshell, yes. We’ve got to consider the possibility of small nukes, chemical bombs, biological weapons or the usual arsenal of semtex and guns. On the psychological front, we’ll look for suicide cults, nihilists with means and connections, gangs with an agenda or some dumb fool with a gun wanting to kill folks because his wife left him.”

Sighs and headshakes greeted the news. Charro watched him with empty brown eyes. “That’s impossible. The seven of us can’t do jack-shit against all of that.”

“
Well, it’s not going to be the seven of us. As I said, the other police jurisdictions are using their tasks forces in a combined effort with us. We’ll pull in more DC officers as needed. On the Fourth, we’ll have around a couple of hundred officers throughout the metropolis, mostly concentrated downtown on foot patrol and reporting to us. The Secret Service covers the threats against the Chinese delegation and foreign terrorists’ threats. We’re to pass on to them any hints we get related to that. FBI and Homeland Security will investigate American-based terrorist groups so it’s only the local people we’re concerned with.”

“
What kinds of crowds are expected?” Olsen looked up from her notepad.

“
If the weather stays in the nineties, we’re facing about one and half million in and around the Mall area, Capital steps and all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. Another million may fill the surrounding streets. In all of DC, probably around three million.”

“
No fucking way,” Charro pulled himself upright out of his slump, “and we’re suppose to body search everyone?”

Dorado leaned forward. “It’s all about controlled access. That area’s police will control each jurisdiction. Park Police covers the Mall and Memorials. Metro Police keep the subways flowing. Capitol Police take care of the crowd on their end and the Capitol steps show. The Smithsonian Metro Station closes by ten on Friday night and stays closed all the next day. Every street in a ten-block radius around this area will be closed down to vehicle traffic Friday night and stay closed. If people want in, they walk into the area from a distance or they come in on the subway through L’Enfant, Archives-Navy Memorial, Farragut, Gallery Place or the Union Station Metro stations.

“
DC uniforms will work crowd control on the bordering streets. Park Police are setting up the usual fence barrier around the monuments and the Mall to create a safe zone around the Smithsonian Folk Festival. All entry points include mobile metal detectors, Geiger counters and random bag checks. Patrol will use bomb-sniffing dogs brought in from all over Virginia and Maryland. If the dogs get a hit, police come in and take the person out of the area first, ask questions later. We'll talk more on this when the day is closer but the current plan is this. On that day, Taylor you’ll be the officer-in-charge on the Mall grounds to the Capitol. Charro, you’re OIC near at the Capitol area while Cardell works the area near the monuments and White House. Secret Service plans their own patrols around the White House and OEMB. Any trouble from anyone gets reported to me. Olsen is the communications liaison. She'll coordinate our movements and manpower needs. Anything big happens, you call me and as many officers as you need. Olsen will get the nearest ones of whatever precinct to you."

He paused to take a sip of coffee before continuing. "In the meantime, we get as proactive as possible. That means working to investigate possibilities, making arrests and driving troublemakers out of business. If we get a hint of home-based trouble, we investigate it and then work with Homeland Security and FBI to neutralize it. We, and that means you Sherrie, get full access to their resources hopefully without most of the bullshit paperwork. We’re asking for a liaison out of those offices for you to have quick access with.”

Olsen nodded, “Thanks. That makes my job easier. What about the Chinese?” She leaned back into her chair, making quick notes on the small yellow pad.

“
You mean the peace delegation or the protestors?”

“
Either, whatever." Olsen shrugged. "The Free Skies issue comes to a head two days after the Fourth when we launch the GlobalNet satellite system. The President isn’t backing down. Historically, first strikes on national holidays can be a pretty damn good idea. Just look at the Israeli Yom Kippur War.”

Dorado nodded. “I don't think we need to worry about the Chinese starting a war as much as a terrorist group attempting to precipitate one. Secret Service and FBI are handling the delegation’s movements. The FBI is doing what they can to discourage the groups expected to create protests.”

“
Discourage how?” McAfee leaned against the filing cabinet, twirling a pen through his fingers.

Dorado looked at him for a second before answering. “Officially, encouraging the city to give everyone a hard time on any official permits for assembly or parades. Unofficially, they plan to make some arrests of key opposition leaders by July second on any charges that'll probably range from unpaid parking tickets to illegal assembly.”

Taylor spoke in a deep rumble. “The police won’t hold them long on those issues. Most judges will kick that out.”

Dorado replied. “They don’t have to. The arrests occur late July second or third. The judge has left for the long holiday weekend. No arraignments occur until Monday morning. By then, I imagine most of the folks will be free to leave with the official apology of the FBI. It’s a tactic we’re going to use too.”

McAfee grinned, “That’s pretty shitty. Effective, but shitty none the less.”

Dorado didn’t return the grin. “It should stop anything escalating out of control. Meanwhile the DCPD help with crowd control at their hotel on the days before and after the Fourth. We're using street cops for that so it won't affect our work here. Cardell heads that effort. In the meantime, he’s working with us by going over the normal daily incidents.”

Olsen’s eyes narrowed, “Cardell?”

Dorado gestured with one hand up, palm outward. “He’s pushed Starker to be on this task force. We’ll keep him apexed working crowd control on the day. Before that, we’ll put him on reviewing all incoming police reports to see if he finds any patterns. He doesn’t get the right to hassle anyone. I’ll make sure of that.”

Taylor smiled, “That’s a lot of paperwork. Think he’ll find anything?”

Dorado shrugged, “I think that Sherrie’s computer work is far more likely to find something. You never know though. Wasn’t it one of the New York serial killer cases that got solved by checking parking tickets? Anyway, it’s a shit job that I don’t want and it keeps him out of my way.”

McAfee shifted around. “As an official task force member, shouldn’t he be here?”

Dorado grinned, “Guess I forgot to email him the notice.”

“
Still sounds like we’re suspecting every-fucking-one.” Charro growled.

Dorado paused. He shifted around to face everyone more fully. “We’ve got two issues to deal with.” He held up one finger, “Someone wants to take out a lot of property or do a lot of physical damage.” The second finger rose, “They want to kill a lot of people.” He leaned back in his chair. “Okay, let’s break it down by personalities. Traditionally, your basic corp-clone doesn’t self-destruct on a holiday. Statistics show they blow their microchips at the height of their stress, usually in the office, often taking out significant coworkers with them like bosses and secretaries. Eighty-five percent blow up there, the other thirteen percent in front of family members.”

Olsen spoke up, “The last two percent?”

McAfee answered, “On the street, in their car, the subway, basically impulsively, often in transit and usually very messy.”

Dorado nodded, “True, but less than ten percent occur on holidays and even then it’s money-oriented holidays like Christmas. I think we’re pretty safe from this type. Also, they’re not into property damage.

“
Next, your average greenie. The back-to-nature folks are far more likely to drug up on one of nature’s wonders rather than plan a terrorist event. Historically they’re all about property damage as it relates to high tech stuff. They raid nuclear plants, destroy computer systems, that sort of thing. Maybe they’ll look at blowing up the IRS building because of its new social security tracking system but that makes it a federal problem. We’re not dealing with a high tech event here so I don’t think they'll be a problem. Groups of the greenies want permits to sell foodstuff on the side streets but that's normal every year. We might get some protesters screaming their lungs out over some hot issues with the Chinese but they’re usually not killers. If protesters show up, Park Police are to arrest them immediately. Unofficially, no one, not even the local VFW groups are going to be given assembly permits. No protests allowed and no one enters the secure areas with signs or wooden poles. It's too easy to turn signs into blunt-force weapons.

“
Anyway, greenies don’t bomb unless someone's screwing with their heads. However, you can get the extremist type. If that’s the case, it will be a small, tightly organized group. Hopefully, they’ll have some website manifesto and Sherrie will find it. The other option is a lone crazy hell-bent on fixing the world's karma.”