Rogue Asset (Book 3 of the Wade Hanna Series) (10 page)

Jim Colby paused and looked at Mark Holsman to see if he had anything to add or he would prefer to continue. Mark signaled for Jim to continue.

“After several meetings at the highest level between the U.K. and U.S. intelligence groups, we decided that Sikes had to be stopped, and this mission should best be conducted off-the-books for both countries. We decided that the best man to run this operation was an independent operative that both countries have used in the past, Mr. Leopold. As most of you know, Leopold was a CIA operative for many years. He has been truly independent of the CIA for a long time and running his show.

Also, as most of you know he can be very demanding and difficult to work for. He demands complete control of his operations. He doesn’t take orders from either the U.S. or the U.K. In fact, other than a briefing we had on the overall objective at hand we don’t know what he plans to do or how he’s going to complete the operation. This way he keeps both of our countries out of things and thereby diverts any ramifications in case anything goes wrong.

We met several times with Mr. Leopold to discuss the problem. We will be providing him the intelligence we have gathered that he wants but beyond that this is his operation. We’re not involved.

We were not involved in any way in selecting any of you people. Leopold recruited each of you for specific reasons and skills. He wants both MI-6 and CIA volunteers. This is not a U.S. or U.K. assignment. I think all of you know what it means to work in an unofficial capacity or on an officially unsanctioned operation. You are a deniable asset operating on your own; if you are ever caught, discovered or anything goes wrong, no one here knows you. In fact, a deniable cover story is already being prepared that this operation is a Russian covert operation.”

Mark stepped to the podium, sharing the microphone with Jim. “Just let me add one thing from the U.S. side. This operation is not a joint operation with the U.K. either. No record of this operation will exist for it in either of our two countries.

Except for assisting in making this presentation and providing Leo with intelligence information after this meeting Jim and I are also out of the operation. You will be totally under Leo’s direction and control. We are just here to explain the mission. Off the record, this operation has the blessing of the top U.S. intelligence authority but only as a deniable assignment.”

Jim took the microphone from Mark for one last comment. “The same is also true for the U.K. and MI-6 agents here today. It won’t appear on any official or unofficial record. Even our director does not know the details of the assignment.”

Mark took the microphone back as Jim went back to his seat on the stage. “What we will be doing next is giving you a mission overview as directed by Leo. Before we start, are there any questions?”

“Are we technically working under our Agency while on this engagement?”

Mark answered quickly. “No. Not by assignment name or any reference to the assignment. For the American agents, your records will show that you are on a leave of absence rather than an undisclosed undercover assignment.”

Jim stood at his seat and interjected, “The same is true for the British agents involved.”

A British agent asked, “There seems to be a lot of mysticism around this Leopold character. Is he CIA, MI-6 or some other spy Agency?”

Marks fielded the question, “No. Leo is neither. He officially left the CIA seven years ago. You should think of him as a retired CIA agent who operates as a totally independent contractor who runs his own operation. All of his personnel records, even his name has been erased from CIA and American records. He rarely comes to the U.S. If he does appear in the U.S., he’s here on a diplomatic passport and visa from Switzerland. In the U.S. we know him only as Leo. In Europe he is known as Leopold. In Asia, India, and Russia, he is known as ‘The Leopard’ because of the way he operates. He’s a stickler for detail and plans everything out in minute detail.”

Colby came to the microphone to join Mark in the last comment.

“For you British agents, our senior MI-6 field operatives tell me there is no one better. We’ve been going at it for a while. Let’s take a 20-minute bathroom break. After we come back, we’ll go through details of the broad assignment and individual roles. Each of you will leave here with a detailed packet of information covering your specific assignment. That packet is to be studied, memorized this evening and returned to us in its entirety tomorrow morning. Your packet may contain the names of individuals, numbers, and locations of critical contacts that are purposely left blank until you are in Europe.”

Wade was feeling tense from listening to the presentation. The story of Sikes was interesting, but he needed more information before he was willing to sign up. Jim Colby resumed the presentation after the break.

“The arms deal Sikes struck with a rebel warlord in Sierra Leone involves delivery of arms in a bulk cargo ship with a Liberian registry. The ship will dock first in Libya to take on the Russian arms. It will then travel to Egypt to take on grain, its cover product. After loading its grain in Egypt the ship will travel to Tangier, North Africa, where it will unload most of its grain before proceeding to its final destination in Sierra Leone where it will unload the arms and the rest of the grain cargo. To avoid detection and get through customs in these different ports the ship has been outfitted with a modified cargo hole.

The arms are buried in secret compartments below the floorboards on the lower deck. There they modified the ship creating a double-bottom to the hull. Over a hundred tons of grain will be sitting on the floorboards of the lower deck to ensure the arms remain undetected.

The shipping company that owns this vessel is out of Tunisia. The vessel was registered in Liberia after the hull modification several years ago. Our research indicates that the same shipping company owns several ships involved in arms and the drug smuggling trade all over the world. The company is run by the son of an old shipping line and well-known Tunisian family. We have supplied all the details of the shipping company and its owners to Leo for the operation.

According to our intelligence gathered from phone taps, the exchange of money for the deal is to take place directly between Sikes and his contact from Sierra Leone in a Tangier restaurant just after the grain is unloaded and the arms inspected by a Sierra Leone representative. There will be Sierra Leone undercover military that will be stationed in Tangier during the vessel’s unloading.

The expected takedown of Sikes will be when the money is transferred in Tangier. There is a separate operation involving the shipping company and diversion of the vessel that will probably occur after the ship leaves Tangier. Leo is handling all the details of that operation, and we don’t have any further details to provide.”

Mark came forward to the podium to take the microphone for the next part of the presentation. “Leo has contract labor on the ground in Tangier. We think these agents are former intelligence or military people who have worked for him in the past. Each of you was picked by Leo for several reasons not the least of which is your skills as good covert agents. In fact, he hasn’t told us why he picked you, and we know from experience not to ask. Another thing Leo insisted on is he didn’t want people who were known to the European intelligence community. We think that was important because Sikes has lots of contacts in Europe. With his network of informants, Sikes can find out anything he wants to know about current operatives in Europe.

We estimate Sikes could have as many as 50 people working under him. Most are rogue assets like him with similar credentials. Don’t underestimate Sikes. The less you stand out in a crowd in Tangier the better. That means dress the part, act the part, and if you know the language, speak the part.”

Jim returned to the microphone and joined Mark at the podium adding to Mark’s last comment, “In Tunisia you have to operate assuming there is a spy behind every Oriental rug and tobacco merchant. Don’t assume anything about the locals. Virtually everyone sells information there. They suspect all foreigners, especially those from the west.

Use the local contacts Leo assigns to you as much as you can when dealing with locals. They know the culture and protocol as well as people and places to stay away from. A key I always use when in Tangier is to blend in like a poor student or merchant rather than a tourist, western press or government.

For your cover stories all of you are Canadian, not American or British. Tomorrow you will be given complete and untraceable identification packages. Before you leave for Europe, you will turn over your real identity information to us including passports, driver’s license, social security cards, and any other information on your person.

After you leave Canada, Leo has assigned someone physically to pick up your real identification package and return it to wherever you came from. The person returning the information will be assuming your identity so any traces of commercial flights, credit cards or belongings will end up coming back to your original home base.

You, on the other hand, will be going to Europe with only your new identity, new clothes, and toiletries. The information packet you will take with you this evening contains background information and photographs of Tangier. It includes photos of both tribal and modern dress worn in the country. The package also contains your cover identity, contacts, and specific mission assignment. You will have quite a bit of information to memorize this evening. At tomorrow’s session, we will pick up your packets.

For anyone deciding not to go forward with the mission we will need to know by tomorrow morning. You will be provided a ticket back home with no questions asked.

Chapter 10

Wade had a quick dinner alone at his hotel so he could get back to his room to study his information packet. He opened the thick sealed envelope, pulling out materials that he knew would keep him up most of the night.

He started with the history of Morocco and its culture, religion and the various sections that make up its geography. He tried pronouncing the names of food, cities, and common language phrases. When he got to the assignment section, Wade was pleasantly surprised.

His assignment had him following the money and observing the exchange transaction. Other aspects of his assignment focused on surveillance of the dock area, gathering intelligence on ship docking procedures and the unloading operations.

The local contact was a woman by the name of Angéle Dubois. He was to contact her within 24 hours after arriving in Tangier. The picture of her was stunning, giving little clue about her undercover experience described in the attached bio.

She was beautiful with long brown hair that flowed to her neckline. Wade quickly glanced back and forth between the resume and the picture. She was too young to be in this business. Something must be wrong. Her picture told the story of an innocent young college student just learning about life. Her bio told an entirely different story of an undercover operative who at a young age was working in the French intelligence movement with her father, followed by assignments as an independent contractor for Mossad, the CIA and MI-6. Several of her previous assignments had been in Tangier and hinted that she worked for Leo. Under occupational cover, she was listed as a “college student.”

Angéle’s wonderful smile and gorgeous dark brown eyes seemed incongruous with her intelligence background. She was fluent in four languages including English and French. She had worked for British, U.S., and French intelligence agencies since she was 16-years old. As a French undercover agent, she spent considerable time in Morocco. Her bio spoke of extensive weapons training including advanced sniper courses and that she had been involved in numerous firefights in both Morocco and Libya in previous assignments.

Wade memorized both Leo and Angéle’s phone numbers. He could tell by the extra set of digits they both were being routed through intermediary secured lines.

His assignment instructions had an odd reference noting that spending “social time” with one or more of your contacts before the assignment started would be beneficial. Wade thought spending social time with Angéle would be a pleasure. He had just never heard that before as a covert assignment instruction, but he liked the idea. Given her resume, he had better be on his best behavior.

Looking at the photographs of people in local dress gave Wade some ideas for wardrobes that might make good disguises. He decided to wait until he saw live people in that dress before making any final decision. He might stand out more in a contrived local costume than if he marched down the street in western dress.

Communication intercepts on Sikes suggested that the money drop was to be at a restaurant near the docks. Wade’s assignment called for him to stake out the restaurant, deciding on whether to be outside or inside with Angéle when the drop took place. He was to get approval from Leo before making any final decision on what his position would be at the drop.

Before the day of the drop, Wade was to be accompanied in his surveillance by British intelligence agent, Charles Graham. Wade’s instructions were to follow Sikes before the drop. Graham was designated to follow Sikes after the drop. Depending on which route Sikes took after leaving the restaurant he would give a signal to Graham, who would be wearing a green shirt. After the transfer had been made, Hanna was no longer responsible for Sikes. After the surveillance change, he was to take a cab back to the dock area and observe ship-unloading operations of the target vessel. Wade looked back at the list of attendees at the meeting and found Graham’s name.

Wade arrived early for the briefing the next day. Before the session started, he met the real Charles Graham of MI-6. They introduced themselves, exchanged greetings, and compared notes from their packets. The two agents seemed to connect on multiple levels and had similar intelligence experiences. They agreed to have dinner that evening.

The ID packages provided the evening before included new identities; cover names, life histories, passports, driver’s licenses, insurance cards, and credit cards. Wade’s packet also included a host of other personal items like family photos, photos of girlfriends, and snapshots of sports activities that had taken place to make up his cover story.

Before leaving Canada, each agent would be taken out for additional photo shoots to complete the cover package with “friends and relatives” provided by the Agency. The background of these photos would include appropriate Canadian landscapes with familiar background landmarks that had to be memorized. The background included several local monuments, bridges, rivers, mountains, stadiums, and buildings. Commonplace photos were taken in an unprofessional manner simply enhanced the realism of the agent’s cover story. The film and printing would all be handled by the Agency to ensure each photo was marked with the proper historical date stamp. The processing would show a sufficiently worn look further enhancing the story that the photo had been the person’s wallet or purse for some time.

All equipment and any weapons required would be provided in Europe after they arrived. Each agent had different routes and locations where they would arrive in Europe. Wade’s itinerary required him to fly into Heathrow Airport, and then travel via train to Zurich, Switzerland. There he would be briefed with Leo and get further instructions before making his way to Tangier, Morocco.

Wade considered the dangers and the few unknowns from reading his assignment file. At no time did he seriously consider not accepting the assignment and a chance to work with Leo. He couldn’t wait to start.

Impressed by the prior day’s briefing Wade felt his role was fairly well defined. It didn’t take him long to decide to take the assignment. Hidden in his decision was a desire to work with Leo. He didn’t know why, only that he could learn a lot in a short time working with him even though he would be on a dangerous unsanctioned Agency assignment.

The next morning’s briefing emphasized tight communication restrictions. Wade worried about how he was going to tell Megan and what her feelings would be. He knew inside what her response would be. Somehow, he had to find his way.

His last day in Canada was spent visiting sites for the cover photographs. Every break he looked for a pay phone. He decided to call Yari and had him set up a secure encrypted patch to Megan’s home phone.

He picked a time when he knew she would be at work to leave a strange message on her answer machine. The message was a poem he had written the night before. It contained lots of clues but no real information. Wade thought the poem would convey his sentiment even if she didn’t get all his assignment clues. He planned it so when Megan checked her messages there would be no greeting, just the sound of his voice and the following poem after the beep.

Over waves I fly to with beckon call.

I wander Earth to satisfy my search.

Where nymphs among the fountains play,

Under sea nets, I search for prey,

Where gold and silver chests on bottom lay,

I bide my time to love and pray,

To be in thy arms, I long not to stay.

Wade’s long flight to Europe was occupied reading a book on Morocco’s tumultuous history. He settled against the bulkhead wall for several hours of much-needed sleep. The long flight landed at Heathrow. Departing the plane Wade checked for airport tails as he followed directions to the train station and on to Zurich.

The next morning Wade and Leo met for breakfast at a restaurant not far from his hotel. After breakfast, Leo asked Wade to take a stroll with him. Both men turned up their coat collars to fend off the chilly morning air. Mist had settled over the concrete and stone pathway leading away from the restaurant.

It wasn’t long before Wade noticed two men in overcoats resting on both sides of the walkway leading from the restaurant. One was leaning against a wall smoking while the other leaned against a tree on the opposite side of the path. Both men were equal distances from him and Leo, forward about 20 yards away.

The two men’s eyes glanced back at Leo, who walked slightly in front of Wade. Wade’s eyes were squinted in concern as they approached closer to the men. There was no movement by the two men, but Wade knew a few more steps would bring them in a zone that could become dangerous. Wade saw the bulges in their coats and knew they were armed. He glanced at Leo. Leo read Wade’s concern. Before Wade commented, Leo spoke, “They’re with me.”

“I thought that might be the case.”

They walked past the men who came into line behind them following at a casual distance. Leo asked, “Do you have any questions about the assignment?”

“No. I’m just not sure how I stay in contact with you.”

“That will change as we move forward. I don’t want any transmitting or receiving devices on you when you’re in close surveillance range. Once you’re clear and out of range you’ll be provided any transmitting equipment you need by my people.”

Leo took his time pausing before he continued. “If you need to contact me use public payphones and the phone number you were provided. The nice thing about payphones is they’re all over Europe so carry enough change in your pocket in case you have to use them. There are not as many payphones in Morocco, but they’re still around. Identify ones in your neighborhood as soon as you get there.”

Leo paused as a cloud of warm moist air emerged as he exhaled. “You have a contact to meet when you get to Tangier – Angéle Dubois.”

Wade’s ears perked up when he heard Angéle’s name. “How much can I speak to her about the assignment?”

“Just what she needs to know. She’ll be briefed by the time she meets you but not much about the big picture.”

Leo looked into Wade’s eyes with a penetrating stare before issuing a warning. “Be careful; she’s very beautiful. You’ll fit into the crowd better if there’s a beautiful girl attached to your arm. Your cover is that you’re dating her. You can look into her eyes like the two of you are making love and everyone, including spies, will identify with you. Their mind goes somewhere else. Just make sure to make love to her with your eyes only.”

Wade blushed at Leo’s comment. He thought Leo might have seen his cheeks turn red. To Wade, that meant blowing your cover anytime your feelings were exposed. Leo let the thought of him revealing himself hang in the chilly air before he commented, “Get to know Angéle before the assignment starts. You won’t blush so much if something embarrassing comes up.”

Wade thought it would be a good time to try to change the subject. “Where will you be at the time of the money drop?”

“I’m all over. Don’t worry about where I am. You just concentrate on your job.”

Leo paused before walking over to a wooden bench on the side of the path. He took out a piece of paper from his overcoat and unfolded it.

“While you’re in Zurich I want you to go over to this bank and ask for Daniel Hersh. Tell him you want to open up a numbered account in your name. He will have you sign some papers and take your picture and fingerprints. Daniel’s okay; he works with us. You can use your real name or the assigned one. The account transactions go by a number and not the name anyway. Keep that number in a safe place.”

“What’s this for?”

“I’ll get into that some other time. I spoke to Hersh this morning. He’s expecting you to come by there tomorrow.”

Wade opened the numbered bank account in Zurich and picked up a few clothing items to supplement the meager belongings he had brought along. Leo told him to wait until he got to Morocco before buying more clothes. His contact would show him where to shop.