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“No, but creating chaos in the Middle East would.”
“Oil prices,” Nash said, lacing his hands on top of his head and trying again to find a comfortable position in the chair. “I can see that crazy Russian bastard pulling something like that.”
“At this point, he has very little to lose.”
“How, though?”
“He’s already given us part of the answer: ISIS. They’ve proven their effectiveness against failed nations, but places like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE are different. They’re protected by either their stability, their military capability, or both.
“So nuke Dubai, Cairo, Riyadh, Tehran, and Jeddah. Throw in Tel Aviv, just to get the shit storm really rolling. Then ISIS moves in and oil prices spike to record levels. Krupin would have the money to pay off every corrupt bureaucrat from Moscow to Siberia and to drown the average citizen in new entitlements.”
Kennedy didn’t respond, instead pulling off her reading glasses and setting them on the desk.
“You don’t agree, Irene?”
“I don’t disagree. Anything is possible at this point. But Krupin is a sociopath, not a madman. He’s not motivated by God or illusions of world domination. He just wants to maintain power. Your scenario has so much potential for blowback. Retaliation from the West, unforeseen economic consequences. Even an increase in terrorist attacks inside Russia. It seems to me that he’d do as little as possible to get the effect he needs.”
“So Saudi Arabia. That’s where you get biggest bang for your buck.”
She nodded noncommittally.
“It’s frustrating, isn’t it, Irene? I have this nagging feeling that Mitch knows the answer to all our questions, but he has no way of getting us the information.”
She had the same feeling, though her confidence was beginning to falter. Earlier that day, she’d had a conversation with Joe Maslick in which he admitted to downplaying the beating he’d given Rapp. Further, analysis of satellite images depicting Rapp’s “rescue” from the transport van suggested that he’d fallen down a fairly steep incline. Whether that fall had been caused by a bullet to the back was a question of significant debate. The bottom line was that there was a very real possibility that Mitch Rapp was dead or incapacitated.
The phone on Kennedy’s desk buzzed and the voice of one of her assistants came over the speaker. “I have General Templeton retur
ning your call on a secure line.”
Nash’s eyebrows rose at the name of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
“Put him through.”
She pushed a button and put him on speaker. “Thank you for getting for getting back to me so quickly, James.”
“Not a problem, Irene. What can I do for you?”
“It’s my understanding that you’ve been briefed on the items that recently went missing from Pakistan?”
“Yes.”
“We have an operative who we believe has infiltrated ISIS and is now somewhere in territory held by them. It’s possible that he has information on those items and how they’re going to be used.”
“I see. And how does that involve me?”
“I want to recommend to the president that we shut down our electronic jamming operations in the area, and I’d like your support.”
There was a stunned silence over the line. “Let me get this straight, Irene . . . You want me to let the most technologically sophisticated terrorist group in history plug back into the grid because you think one of your guys might have infiltrated ISIS and could have useful information? Look, you know I have nothing but respect for you, but are you out of your mind?”
“The operative I’m talking about is Mitch, James.”
This time the silence went on for quite a bit longer. Finally, the general spoke again. “I’ll get behind eight hours, Irene. Not a minute more.”
CHAPTER 39
AL-SHIRQAT
IRAQ