Page 23 of Soul on Fire
“Not the human rights violations, or the slaughter of villages, or the medical emergency?”
“Uganda, Rwanda, China, and all the other rebel factions are fighting to the death over one of the world’s wealthiest, most resource-rich countriesandthe world’s most broken. And now, here comes the ADF: central Africa’s Islamic State, poised to take over the east of the country and move on Goma, the capital of eastern Congo. From there, they could dig in and use the city for resources, then push south and west. Start taking over mines from the other rebel factions.
“We’ve been monitoring Chinese military movements. The Chinese navy has turned several of their ships toward the East African coast. Soon, we’ll be looking at a multi-front war in the Congo: Rwandan and Ugandan rebels versus ADF versus the Chinese, who won’t let their mines go, not to rebels and not to African Islamists. And there’s the UN, too.”
“Don’t forget about the African Standby Force,” Kline said. “They’re voting now on whether to send in forces.”
“Don’t hold your breath on that,” Haig said, scoffing. “The Congo belongs to theForce Multinationale de l’Afrique Centrale. That force is made up of all the broken central African nations. They’ve never even signed a memorandum of understanding for their standby force. There’s no framework for them to respond.”
“And the CIA is going to, what?” Elliot asked. “Respond?”
“All of that was background soyouunderstand your area of operations.”
“Sir?” Elliot shot a look to Kline. “Our part?”
“Finally, we can get back to Peter, who deserves your respect and your gratitude. Yes, he went undercover into the refugee camps and into the hospitals. He was looking for someone who’d survived the ADF attacks and who could identify who we caught on camera. We were certain we had found the leadership.” Haig nodded to the pictures of Majambu and Idrissa. “Those two passed a concealed camera we buried. Short term cameras with only a week’s worth of juice, and we mostly caught birds and monkeys and a whole lot of jungle, but it paid off in the end. Peter found a woman who could identify them. But not only identify them,” Haig said carefully.
“This woman told Peter she witnessed an exchange between Idrissa and Majambu and ‘two unknown non-African males,’ Peter says. Idrissa gave these men a bucket of body parts sawed off Ebola corpses. She was forced to open the bucket to provide proof to the buyers. That’s how she was infected.”
Kline straightened, his spine going rigid, steel running through his body. His knuckles clenched again, hands shaking against the display. “They gaveliveEbola virus to someone? In exchange for what?”
“She wasn’t able to find out. She escaped into the bush before she could hear. But she did hear that Majambu, that one—” Haig pointed to the lean man Elliot had studied earlier. “—had to do something first for the buyers before the ADF would get their payment for the bucket of virus they delivered.”
“What could be worth the risk of chopping up dead bodies infected with Ebola?” Elliot said. “That’s suicide.”
“They probably used prisoners to do it, then executed those prisoners.” Haig spoke as if he was discussing the weather, not butchery and savage murder. “But we think they bought some sort of WMD from Syria.” He pulled up another file markedTop Secretand downloaded the briefings for Kline and Elliot to read.
There was a cable from a CIA operating base in Syria.Emergency Alert: Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever in Syria. Three cases reported through HUMINT in Damascus. HUMINT Sources say governmental officials tested positive for EHF/EVD. Working to obtain test samples from treating hospital to identify strain of Ebola for similarity to current DR Congo outbreak.
Kline looked up first. “Looks like the Syrians weren’t so careful transporting their bucket back home.”
Haig nodded. “Syria possessing Ebola virus, even as crude as coming from a bucket of body parts, is deeply concerning. Syria has a robust chemical weapons program. Adding a biological weapons program to their arsenal is not difficult. Our analysts believe that’s what they’re attempting. And, to secure the samples, they had to offer the ADF either chemical weapons or…”
“Or what?” Elliot snapped.
“Syria possesses several nuclear devices. Small yields, one to five kilotons. They’ve never used them before, but—” Haig, for the first time, looked worried. “You asked it yourself: what would be worth the risk of collecting Ebola-infected human body parts? Would a tactical nuclear device be worth it?”
Kline exhaled. “Is this the official analysis from the Agency?”
“It’s what we’re operating with now. Intelligence is still coming in. As you can imagine, we’re all hands on deck with this one.”
“I believe it,” Kline said. “Why tell us? This gets out, there’s going to be panic across three continents. An Ebola outbreak in the Middle East would devastate the region. And a nuke in Africa?”
“IfAfrica is the target. ADF specifically hates the United States. If they get their hands on a nuclear device, we estimate they would most likely target US interests. Embassies, bases, tourist destinations. Nothing American would be safe.”
Kline cursed, running one hand over his face as he glared at the digital display, the photos, maps, and reports spread on screen like a messy desk of papers. “What is it you want from us, Mr. Haig?”
Haig’s gaze flicked to Elliot’s and held. “We need you to go back to the Congo and find Majambu. Talk to this woman if she’s still alive. She’s in a field hospital at the Sake camp run by a Doctor Ikolo Ngondu. It’s an African-run hospital and he’s a local. You need to find out everything you can. Maybe she’s remembered more about the exchange or what was said. But, more than anything, you have to find Majambu. We have to know what’s happening. We have to stop him and the ADF.”
Elliot’s gaze traced Majambu’s form in the photo, the lean muscles, the corded strength. The clench of his jaw. He saw a fanatic. He saw a man who would go down hard, who’d make them work for it. Maybe die for it. He could feel it, deep in his bones.
“You’re sending us into a mess. A four-front war zone and a red-hot medical emergency.”
“I’m sending you in to stop a devastating attack. This mission has priority, and that’s straight from the president.”
Kline’s gaze snapped up and bored into Haig. “I’ll need to see a copy of those orders for my men.”
“You can have them now.” Haig handed Kline an envelope from his jacket pocket. Kline whipped out the paper inside and studied.
