“If you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
–traditionally attributed to President Abraham Lincoln
History, Liam thinks. This nation is bloody with it.
He also thinks of how utterly alone they are. In the Army you had communications, contingency plans, and Air Force and other airborne assets one radio message away to save your ass if you got in trouble. That all changed when he joined the Agency, of course, but most times, there was an out. You were under some form of diplomatic protection or you were someplace where, if captured, you’d eventually be traded in some future spy swap. But not now. They were alone, in enemy territory, going in heavy, with no cavalry over the horizon, ready to ride in to rescue them. Liam shifts in his seat.
The president ordered him here, and that is good enough. Boyd says, “Funny how something so important is stuck out in the middle of the sticks, no razor wire, no guard towers.” “Hiding in plain sight,” Liam says. Boyd grins. “Gee, you Company fellas know all of the tricks of the trade, don’t you?” “You’d think,” he says. Liam waits, looks at his watch. Sixty seconds to go. In that unimpressive concrete structure before them, adjacent to a scrapyard, a gas station, three other warehouses, and a line of old green-and-white Avtobus vehicles—their tires missing—from the Saint Petersburg transit system, is a facility operated by the GRU, Russian Military Intelligence.
The military personnel inside that building belong to the GRU’s Twelfth Directorate, responsible for Information Warfare and more than a decade of cyberattacks and news bots spreading lies and disinformation without consequence. Until today. Liam recalls what he told his crew last night, in an Agency safe house in Imatra, Finland, less than ten miles from the Russian border and just over a two-hour drive away from Saint Petersburg. The military personnel in that building all have blood on their hands, Liam said. They’ve been responsible for disrupting elections, taking down governments, and stealing millions of dollars. They’ve taken the lead crippling the internet whenever they feel like it, and their internet postings have fostered tribal and ethnic cleansing resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people, all to fulfill their government’s strategic goals.
He checks his watch. Time. He calls behind him, “Tommy, do your work!” “Roger that,” comes a male voice from the rear, the cargo space back there hidden by a taut black curtain. A handful of seconds passes. “Done,” Tommy says. “No phone service going in and out of that building, electronic door locks disabled, as well as their surveillance equipment.” Liam says, “It’s a go, Boyd.” “Roger that,” he says, starting up the van’s engine, shifting it into Drive, and then speeds a hundred yards or so to the front parking lot of the GRU installation. Boyd parks the van as close as he can to the front door. He gets out, and so does Liam. Working calmly yet efficiently, they go to the rear of the van, which Boyd unlocks. He takes out a two-wheeled dolly, and with Liam’s help, loads up three black, hard plastic containers, ignoring what else is in the rear of the van. Boyd pushes the loaded dolly up the narrow concrete path and Liam joins him, holding a clipboard with some shipping documents fastened to it. He and Boyd are both wearing, among other items, black trousers and short jackets with black hems and orange shoulders, marking the work uniforms of TNT Express, the largest domestic shipper in Russia. Black baseball caps with the orange-and-white TNT logo are on their heads, the van also painted with the same TNT logo. Underneath the jackets are ballistic vests, not a typical part of the TNT dress code.
Boyd stops and Liam goes up, clipboard in hand, and rings the doorbell, ignoring the signs in Cyrillic lettering saying NO ADMITTANCE, KEEP OUT, and PROPERTY UNDER SURVEILLANCE. Once more. And once more. Boyd says, “I bet they’re distracted in there.” “I bet you’re right,” Liam says, pounding the metal door with his fist, calling out in Russian, “Hey, anybody in there?” He turns the doorknob. It freely moves. He looks to Boyd, raises an eyebrow, and then the door abruptly opens, with a young man, wearing jeans and a black turtleneck shirt, with shoulder holster, pistol, and one pissed-off look on his face. In Russian he says, “You clowns, you’ve got the wrong address.” “Sorry, sir,” Liam replies. “We’re here to make a delivery of twenty keyboards to Popov Associates.”
A curse from the GRU man, who says, “Morons, that building is over there.” He breaks his concentration for a moment, pointing over Liam’s shoulders to another squat building in the distance, and Liam takes out a 9mm Beretta pistol from a concealed waist holster and shoots him in the forehead.
~~~
Years ago I made a personal decision to forego reading top writers so that I could read and review those books that were written by lesser known writers. It was a payback, of sorts, for me... But, when I saw the subtitle of James Patterson's latest thriller, Blowback, I broke with that decision... And I was glad that I did. It's another fantastic Patterson thriller; however, I read it with prejudice. My hypothesis before reading was that the insane president would be exactly, or for most of the book, like Trump, the former president. I was right. Even the use of related characters from today's political world are recognizable. My guess is that Patterson had to allow readers the reality of what is happening in America, yet create a book that was publishable, without prejudice... I saw the president in the book being the same person that is now running for president in 2024. Each readers will decide whether they see what I did... No matter what, I fully recommend the book to all, especially James Patterson's fans... And, I believe since there are those who pointed out that it was related to Trump on Amazon and gave it a low ranking, I have the same right to state my viewpoint.
President Keegan Barrett was single and preferred working upstairs rather than the Oval Office in general. It was more private, which is what he wanted. His Chief of Staff was a figurehead who was only used when the President wanted something from him... Instead, this president chose to have his "fixer" with him at all times... In fact, he was the only individual who had been with Barrett before his presidency began.
Barrett began putting pressure on individuals almost immediately. One man was in Congress and he was charged with delaying the appointment process for the empty position of Director of the CIA. But she, too, had influence and she used it to work behind the scenes to get the director position filled. But, in the meantime, Barrett had already done his research and he had picked two CIA agents to serve and report directly to the president. While both of the individuals were concerned that they were not being placed in these highly classified positions without any form of required approval, they, nevertheless, felt that they had no choice...
Liam Grey was to create a team who would be operational across the world, in conducting black "hits" of those the president had identified who needed to be eliminated... While Noa Himel, who had been in the same training class was to work within the United States conducting the same type of kill jobs. Noa was the sane one and started asking lots of questions which Barrett easily sloughed off. Yes, the FBI was the appropriate group, but Barrett had chosen these two individuals for a specific reason, perhaps, he thought they could be manipulated? He'd be watching, though, because, of course, while doing his dirty work, Barrett would also be monitoring them to ensure they did exactly what was demanded.
Readers will see the action occurring--that's the thriller part of the book. But when people were being affected by these events, both of the individuals began to worry, especially, when one of Grey's crew died during one of the overseas jobs and Barrett explained that he would not be formally recognized for his loss, and, later, a friend who had been seen in contact with Barrett, was killed. That man was a doctor who had shared his opinion of Barrett as somebody who is a Cluster A personality disorder, presenting as paranoia.
Grey and Himel, who had now started meeting outside of the government facilities, began to realize that they, too, could be removed from the earth, without anybody knowing what had happened. They had to make some hard decisions as to what to do, especially when Himel shared that, in meeting with Barrett recently, she had tried to get out of the assignment and Barrett had immediately pointed out that he could attack Noa and rape her right there in his office and then arrange for her disappearance...
But who could they trust? Just how many people within this administration were also doing work behind the scenes that would not normally be sanctioned as approved and necessary for the continuation of democracy!
From the United States to locations, including China, across the world, illegally authorized, activities had been occurring and spreading... And it was quite clear that the foundation for World War III was being built if Barrett wasn't stopped!
GABixlerReviews
No comments:
Post a Comment