Craig Kreident #2 Fallout by Doug Beason Kevin J Anderson Read Free Book Online Page A

His suit and his shoes were already covered with mud, but he didn’t mind getting himself dirty.   Sweat glistened on his dark skin.
    Goldfarb stared at the smashed body as the rescue workers hauled it dripping out of the river; he walked quietly away, his skin pale and pasty.   Craig wondered if the dark-haired agent wanted to be sick privately, but instead he saw Goldfarb pull out his cellular phone.   The other agent took a few deep breaths, then punched in a number from memory.
    Craig looked down at the dead bomber, remembering how this man had been shooting at him not long ago.   He had stared the terrorist in the eyes, his gun drawn, holding the suspect backed up against the drop-off.   He had known the man was a fanatic.   He should have considered the possibility of self-sacrifice . . . but it was too late now.   The body lay crumpled and broken.   He hoped the militia group wouldn’t turn the man into a martyr.
    “We’ll get dental records,” Jackson said, then knelt to hold up the man’s mangled hands, inspecting the fingertips.   “And prints . . . most of them anyway.”
    Craig nodded.   “If this guy has any criminal record at all, we’ll ID him.”
    Goldfarb came up, his mood dramatically changed.   “I found something else that ties together,” he said excitedly.   “I called my wife back home.   She’s got one of those ‘This Day In History’ books.   Guess what significance October 24 holds?”
    Craig gave the other agent his full attention.   “So, what happened then?”
    “Well,” Goldfarb said, “in 1604 James I was proclaimed king of Great Britain, Ireland, and France . . . in 1964 the country Zambia was created out of Northern Rhodesia and Barotseland . . . in 1931 the George Washington Bridge opened in New York City and Al Capone was sentenced to prison for tax evasion.”   He raised his eyebrows as Craig waited patiently.   “And also, ready for the drum roll?   It’s the date the United Nations was founded.”
    Jackson nodded.   “The Eagle’s Claw hates the United Nations and anything that smacks of a world government, of interfering in national problems.”
    Craig tapped his fingers together, still pondering.   “But if they were blowing up the bomb today, why are they touting their victory on October 24th?   That’s not until Friday.”  
    Craig stopped as a cold shiver went down his spine.   “Unless they plan to escalate their reign of terror, climaxing on the anniversary.   And if this” — he thought of the gigantic dam, the power lines and the generators, imagining how much destruction would have been caused had they not caught the bomb in time — “if this is just the first step, what are they planning for the main event?”
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 6
    Tuesday, October 21
    11:30 A.M.
     
    Nevada Test Site
     
    With a drawn-out sigh, Paige hung up the phone in Uncle Mike’s DAF administrative office.   She stood in front of his gray government-issue desk.   “That’ll make the bureaucratic packrats back at DOE Headquarters scurry during their afternoon coffee breaks.”  
    “I take it DOE didn’t handle the call too well.”   Mike swiveled forlornly in his chair.
    “At least I got through to the Assistant Secretary’s office.   The case officer said they’d handle the fallout and disperse the news to the On-Site Inspection Agency, the Defense Nuclear Agency, and the State Department, who will pass it on to the Russian embassy to confirm Ursov’s own report.”   She pulled in a long, slow breath.   “They’re mostly concerned with how this is going to look on Friday.   You know the president had planed a short stopover in Las Vegas on his way to the summit in L.A. — now, they’re wondering if the president should even show.”
    In the front room, Mike’s hard-as-nails “moat dragon” Sally Montry rattled the keys on her word processor like machine-gun fire, filling out all the official forms for everyday business as