The Dragon File

Chapter 1

Base Operations, Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque New Mexico

"Airman! Call your command post; tell them a CIA agent told you terrorists are going to attack the Sandia nuclear storage sites. The attack will come from an old service station across the highway."

Quentin Grant snapped at the young twenty-something on duty as he ran by the operations desk. He hoped the security forces on the base could respond quickly and make the difference. The reply came without hesitation.

"They are already on it. But sir, that isn't where they are attacking. There are guys driving up and down the other side of the base throwing Molotov cocktails over the fence and flying drones with firebombs on to the base. The Security Police are in a gunfight with them now. The last radio call I heard was the truck they were driving hit a pole and they are using the truck as cover," the young man called after him.

Quentin heard the new information, but it didn't change his mind, he needed to get to the service station as fast as he could. He ran to the extremely large black SUV the CIA team left for him. The team left a full hour ago driving to a nearby ranch to intercept a group of terrorists, they must have not been successful. He turned the key and felt the vehicle roar to life; yanking it into drive he pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

NSA Headquarters, Ft Meade, Maryland

Now what?

The Director felt helpless. He knew the Grant kid, a civilian he sent into a hostile situation, took out a hacker from China and slowed the attack, but the CIA team must have missed the terrorists. He received a report only a moment earlier that the Air Base was under attack, and his stomach sank. He turned to an agent sitting along the wall with several phones on the table in front of him.

"Get the CIA team chief Balderamma on the phone. I need to know what we can do to help them."

He turned to the Operations Chief sitting on his right, he needed to be acting and making decisions; it was the only way he felt like he was helping. The Director spoke while wiping sweat beading just above his brow.

"Status Report! Chip, what do we know? "

"Yes Sir. Minutes ago, the CIA team reported two empty containers at the ranch. Our analysts believe the terrorists brought weapon storage casks with at least one small nuclear device. We assess they used one of the casks as storage for heavy weapons and other supplies."

Hanson paused, he knew the Director well enough to expect a follow up question as he processed the information. He opened his mouth to start again but stopped when a voice called out.

"Sir! Agent Balderamma on line one."

Mr. Booth whirled around and punched the lit button on his phone lifting the receiver to his ear with an impatient frown.

"This is Booth, what can you tell me about the terrorists?"

His face was impassive as he listened to the current status on the ground. He turned and scribbled something on the note pad on his desk. As he listened his head nodded up and down

"OK, Godspeed son."

He hung up the phone and looked at the map on the wall before addressing the entire room that had gone silent with anticipation.

"Charlie's son figured out the dragon file. In it, he found the schematic of a special type of nuclear weapon and also believes he found the target."

He turned toward a weapons expert with no other explanation.

"Arguello, if a nuke is detonated over a nuclear weapons storage site, could it cause weapons in storage to detonate?"

Agent Arguello definitely did not see this question coming, his mind raced as he searched through what he knew in his head. He didn't want to say something that turned out to be an exaggeration or a falsehood in front of the Director. He was acutely aware of the agents in the room looking at him. Arguello really wished he knew more about the situation on the ground. Slowly and tentatively he began to lay out the facts that he knew to be true.

"Sir that is a very scary thought. It depends on the proximity of the blast and the yield of the weapon. If a device is detonated within a mile or two, yes it could. The bunkers will help shield the stored weapons somewhat, but if a weapon is detonated over a storage site, it is a certainty there will be serious trouble that could possibly cause additional detonations."

Director Booth needed more.

"Define serious trouble."

"Well Sir, the nuclear devices in this case would detonate with several hundred times the power of the atomic bomb we dropped on Nagasaki."

The room was silent. Nobody moved.

Several hundred times Nagasaki!

Agents tried to wrap their minds around this startling new piece of information.

"Okay, so we know what they want to have happen, let's see what we can do to keep it from happening. Focus on these coordinates. The dragon file had a picture of an abandoned service station across the highway from one of Sandia's storage fields."

The room instantly erupted with activity. Chip Hanson barked commands to supplement the Director's tasking.

"Agent Hunt, get me a satellite view of these coordinates. I know we have a bird watching our nuclear storage sites 24/7. How long?"

"Sir, coming up in two minutes."

Hunt stood at the video command station speaking to the agent operating all the screens.

Director Booth sat alone with his head down focused on the piece of paper staring at the coordinates he copied. He was an island of calm surrounded by a raging sea of hyperactivity as every other person in the room focused on their piece of the mission. Still, the two minutes felt like a lifetime. The important fact he did not share with the room was that Quentin Grant was driving alone to the service station and would get there before the CIA team.

A civilian who he ordered into the fight would go one vs. many with a deadly band of terrorists and he was 100% responsible.