Everything In Time
Chapter 9
Sunday, April 9, 2006
0652 Zulu
Prince Sultan Airbase
Saudi Arabia
As Saunders went through the photos from the SIM card, he saw a photo of Fahd made up like a Caucasian with Blond hair and a white complexion and a copy of his itinerary to DC. He was traveling as Harry Rehnquist."
"From True Lies?" Jack asked incredulously.
"Yeah, not very original. He better hope there are no Arnold Schwarzenegger fans at the TSA check-in point," Saunders replied. He continued, "He's boarding a British Airways flight at Heathrow as we speak. The flight is planned for Dulles."
"Do you think he's going to hijack it?" Kate askes.
Keeter shakes his head no as he responds, "Don't think so. He wants to get to Mac & Diane. They're his targets."
"Do you think he knows the colonel is teaching at the academy?" Victor asked.
"Unknown, the Navy Times article only gave Diane's bio," Kate replied.
"Still, we gotta call John and Harm. John needs to set up a welcome party for him at Dulles," Kate said.
"Yeah, he will. Still, we have to get ready to go ourselves. Jack, call the hangar and get the Lear ready," Kate commanded.
"Your wish is my command my lady," Keeter replied picking up the phone.
It wasn't long after that when they went to their quarters to dress for leaving.
Monday April 10, 2006
1650 Local Time
Dulles International Airport
As Khalid exited the jet way from the British Airways Boeing777, he was cautious about being observed. He knew that someone was looking for any Mid-eastern looking person very carefully, that is anyone with dark hair and a tanned complexion. Made up as he was Khalid was confident that he would escape close scrutiny. He went up to the TSA agent at the customs desk and showed his British passport. The photo was a duplicate of how he looked at that moment; dyed blond hair and light skin at his face and hands. He hoped the extra strength whitening repair bleaching cream product and bleaching soap he used were worth the money he paid. He knew that "pancake" make-up would be easily spotted by the TSA agents. He answered the usual questions in a perfunctory way.
"Welcome to America Mr. Rehnquist. What are you coming to America for?"
"To see some old friends," Khalid relied in a British accent.
"How long do you plan to be here?"
"About two weeks."
"Anything to declare?"
"No nothing to declare. I am a simple traveler."
He was relieved when the agent stamped his passport and instructed him, "Proceed through the gate. Enjoy your stay."
As he walked on, Khalid didn't know that Michelle Weatherly and Kate Larkin were watching him from the TSA video surveillance room. They watched him as he went past the door of the room. They got up and walked out into the terminal. They stayed far back from Khalid to avoid his seeing them. They watched as he went to the luggage carrousel and retrieved his single suit carrier, then as he exited the terminal and got into the taxi queue. When he got into the yellow cab, they took note of the cab number. Michelle used her wrist mic to radio, "Paris, our friend is in cab number 5824 with Virginia plate T3589647."
NCIS Red Team Agent Paris Summerskill was a passenger in a non-descript gray sedan with fellow Red Team Agent Michaela {Mike} Quinn as the driver. As they pulled into traffic Paris replied into her own wrist mic, "We're on him."
Michelle and Kate hurried to their own NCIS Dodge Intrepid, parked in the police parking area across from the terminal, to join in the pursuit.
They followed the cab as it made its way through Virginia to DC to in the North Michigan Park section of DC pulled up a 3 floor multi-apartment building on 8th Street NE; each apartment took up a floor of the building. They stayed a block behind and saw Khalid get out, pay the cabbie and walk into the building.
"Why didn't he go to the Arab part of town," Quinn said.
"Probably because of the way he's bleached his skin, he knew he wouldn't blend in. It makes me believe that he's been planning this for a while, being that he's got an apartment to go to instead of a hotel."
"I wonder who's living in that apartment he's going to." Quinn asked.
"We'll find out soon enough. Let's stay here and keep an eye on the front door. Kate and Michelle can watch the back door from the shared driveway alley."
Just then they saw the aforementioned agents' Intrepid pass them by and Michelle wave from the driver's side. Kate and Michelle took up station to look down an alley behind Khalid's apartment building.
In the 3rd floor apartment Khalid was greeted as the prodigal son by the men who lived there. They were Chechen.
"So, my brothers, are you certain that you are not under observation?" " Khalid asked, getting right to business.
"We are Caucasians, so we blend in with the general population. Being that DC is such an international city, even our accents don't arouse suspicion." one Chechen named Khasi responded,
"What have you found out about our quarry?"
"Well since we left Yemen and came here last year, we have found that one sister Diane, who we know from the Navy Times article is directing their NCIS, has a family. Her husband is still in their Navy as a captain. They and their five children have a security detail that shadows them where ever they go."
"And the other sister Sarah?"
"She is a colonel in the Marines and is teaching at their Naval Academy at Annapolis. She has four children. One is a student at that academy. The mother commutes between Annapolis and Washington every weekend with her youngest son in a caravan of Humvees driven by Marines. Her husband is an admiral and works in the Pentagon. We don't know what he does."
"So, who do we go after first?"
"I say we don't go after either sister, but their families, the children."
"Which family first?"
"The Rabbs. It was he who was with one sister in Paraguay. Sadiq just missed killing him before my brother's assassination. Their home is in Fairfax, away from the city. We take the children away from their parents, the way the parents took my brother away from me."
"Good, tomorrow Degi and I will gather our team that is watching the families and set a plan in motion."
Down in her car, as Mike Quinn drove by the front of the house and Paris said, "Park here pointing to a spot across the street."
She noted the address as she called back to the Navy Yard and got Tim McGee. "Tim, I need you to perform a property search for this address." She gave the address and continued, "It's the unit Khalid went into. She got back results from the real estate company that owned and building.
"Two brothers Degi and Khasi Tsarnayev are renting the 3rd floor apartment. The surname is Chechen. Abby Sciutto and Tim McGee are doing a search on their wanderings through the TSA data base."
"Any employment and known associates?" Mike asked.
"They're checking. Let's see if we can get into the apartment for rent across the street. See the vacancy sign on the building lawn sign. Let's hope it has the view we need."
Paris and Mike walked into the lobby's rental office to speak with the agent. Paris and Mike showed their credentials as Paris explained, "We need to rent an apartment for a couple of our new agents coming from out of town. Can you help us?"
The rental agent was a middle-aged female who's nameplated showed, Rosemary, dressed professional in a dark gray skirt suit with a cream-colored blouse buttoned at the neck. She smiled and said, "Well, we have some furnished apartments available. You also get a parking space in the garage in the basement. Let me look them up in my computer."
"Any in the front of the building with a nice view of the Capitol?" Mike asked.
"Sure, we have one on the 4th Floor. Do you want to go up and take a look?" Rosemary asked.
"Lead on," Paris replied letting Rose Mary lead them out.
As soon as the agents saw the view that looked onto the building across the street, Paris said, "We'll take it. Can we move our people in right away?"
"Come down to the office and we'll sign the rental agreements."
After the signatures were done, Paris called Michelle and Kate. They met her at the rental office where Rosemary handed over the keys.
"Let me get our overnight bags from the car and we can settle in. We'll have the rest of our stuff brought in later," Kate told Rosemary.
She and Michelle returned with their go bags that had their toilet kits and a couple of clothing changes as well as a briefcase containing their observation devices consisting of a parabolic microphone and a video camera connected to a laptop computer. They set up the mike and the camera so that they were pointed at the picture window of the 3rd floor apartment. Then they settled in to listen.
"Good thing Director Rabb got a warrant authorizing the bugging of Khalid's possible dwelling," Mike Quinn commented as she and Michelle set their equipment up. The four agents settled into observing and listening to what was being planned in the apartment.
Tuesday April 11, 2006
0930 Hours Local Time
NCIS Stakeout Apartment
8th Street NE
North Michigan Park, DC, NE
Throughout the night the four NCIS team members took turns at listening to the goings on in Khalid's present dwelling. They heard them celebrate his coming to America as well as his other plans for jihad.
After she relinquished the earphones to Michelle, Mike Quinn complained, "So far, we can prosecute him for conspiracy, but not who he's really after. The photo of the boss and her sister on his cellphone is really damning to us, but it won't hold up in court."
"Well maybe we'll hear something. There's a group of about six Caucasian guys getting out of a van and going into the apartment now," Michelle announced. She put the audio feed on the computer's speaker to hear them speak amongst themselves.
After hearing the greetings to the among the group, Khalid got down to business.
"So, after you have been watching the family, what can you conclude?"
"We can get to them as they come home from school. The teenager drives the little ones to their school and daycare center in the family minivan and then she goes to the Manassas Airport stays there for the day at the Grace Aviation hangar before she leaves and picks the children up at the end of the day. We can ambush their vehicle on the way from the school on the neighborhood streets where it is quiet. Then we will take them to where we can transport them out of the country where they will not be seen again by their parents."
"Do we take the boy out of the country as well?" Degi asked.
"No, we will only take the females out. They will fetch a better price on the international human trafficking market. The boy we will leave for the local market that is always scouring the dark web. We will put him up for sale there." Khalid replied
"What about the teenage girl?" one asked with a lascivious tone.
"She will be taken as well. She is just the right age and will make a delectable wife to a sheik I know in Yemen."
"But not until after we test the goods," the lascivious one added.
There was derisive laughter, wolf whistles and the sound of back slapping.
When it all died down one asked, "When do we move?"
"Tomorrow. We can get them on the way home. First, we get the teenager. We will stage a small fender bender accident as she drives along away from the airport. When she gets out to check we will take her. Then when we have her, we will drive up to the other children in the minivan. They will not suspect a thing until we are driving away with them. We will have drugs and syringes to incapacitate them."
There was much noise of agreement to the plan.
"Oh my God! They're talking about Mattie and the Rabb kids," Kate Larkin surmised, chilled at what they were planning.
"Let me call the boss," Paris said picking up and dialing her phone. The three others heard her end of the call.
"Hello Cynthia, can you connect me with the boss please. ~ Mrs. Rabb, we're in the apartment across from where Khalid is staying and we heard their plans. We're very sure your family is the target." ~ Yes, we're recording everything now. ~ Yes, Mike and Kate will trail them while, Michelle and I will get the SWAT team ready. ~ Yes, we'll try to take them alive. We'll want to know who else they're working with here. ~ Yes, boss we'll do our best. Goodbye."
"Well, you heard?" Paris told the others.
"Yeah, we did. Mike and I will follow the van with the six newcomers when they leave," Kate said. We'll find out where they're staying." At that she and Mike left the apartment. They just pulled out of the garage when they saw the van pull away right in front of them. They waited until it made a turn at the corner then they went into the tail behind it.
Wednesday April 12, 2006
0730 Local Time
Rabb Home
Ashby Place
Fairfax, VA
Mattie Rabb was waiting outside in the family's Chrysler Pacifica waiting for the four other Rabb children. She is delighted to see first Les, then Trey with Samantha and Natalie right behind run out of the house and scramble into the minivan and buckle up.
"We ready gang?" Mattie asks before she starts the car.
"Atomic batteries to power," Trey announces.
"Turbines to speed," Les replies.
"Okay bat kids, lets ride," Mattie announces as she turns the car on and backs out of the driveway.
She pulled up to the corner and turned toward Fairfax Villa Elementary School where the three older kids went. She pulled up and they piled out, but not before they each give her a kiss and hug. Mattie watches them go into the school yard and meet their teachers to line up to enter. Then she drives to Natalie's Daycare center down the block. She gets out and walks with her to the entrance and hands her off to the attendant inside. Then she set off for her thirty-minute ride to Manassas Airport.
Once she was recovered enough to drive, Diane and Harm gladly gave over the chore of driving the children to school and then her working at the Grace Aviation hangar with Beth and Carrie. The two pilots loved having her there as they ran the thriving business together. Mattie loved that she would have something waiting for her when she graduated Virginia Tech.
After spending the day at working with them, Mattie got ready to leave at about 2:30PM to pick up her siblings from school. Just as she turned onto Nokesville Road on her way to get onto the Prince William Parkway, she stopped at the red light. As she is waiting for the light to change, she is jolted as another car hit the back of her car in a low-speed collision. Mattie looked back to see a black commercial van out her rear window.
Before she could get out, she heard sirens and saw a number of marked Manassas Police and Virginia State Trooper Crown Victorias, an armored SWAT Van and two unmarked Intrepids with flashing grill lights, come from all directions to surround her Pacifica and the mystery van. Men and women police officers, the SWAT Team in tactical gear and NCIS agents in wind breakers and matching ballcaps emerge from the police vehicles with their weapons drawn.
As Kate Larkin got out of one Intrepid, she went over to Mattie's window and ordered, "Mattie stay in the car, lock the door, and get down on the floor!" Mattie wasted no time in complying.
The men in the van, eight in all, surrender without a fight. As they are being cuffed and put into the newly arrived police detention van, Diane pulled up in her own dark red Chevy Impala with her grill lights flashing. She went over to Mattie, who is now standing outside the Pacifica. As soon as she sees her mother, Mattie practically launched herself into her arms.
"Mom what the hell is going on?"
"Someone from our past is coming back to haunt us. Don't worry we've got it under control. You go home with Kate here. Your father already picked the younglings up from school. They'll be home waiting for you."
After Diane watched Kate and Mattie drive away, she turned to Mike Quinn and asked, "Is Khalid here?"
"Yes boss. Paris and I have him in our car. We're gonna take him to our office in Quantico to interview him. It's closer than the Navy Yard."
"Good, I'll follow you there. I want a piece of him,' Diane replied with venom.
"You got it boss," Mike replied before she went to her car. She and Diane set off.
1312 Zulu
NCIS Headquarters
27130 Telegraph Rd.
Quantico, VA 2213
Diane pulled up to her designated parking spot and marched into her headquarters. As they saw the determined and angry look on her beautiful face, the lobby security officers wisely let her in without any delay. She made her way to the detention area and prisoner interview rooms in the basement. She went into an observation room to see Jethro Gibbs waiting for her and she asked:
"Has Khalid said anything?"
"No, he's just sat there waiting."
"Hmm, well let me see if he'll speak with me."
Diane walked out of the observation room, into the interview room and sat at the chair across the table from Khalid's.
Diane sat and stared at Khalid for about five minutes. She finally began, "I don't take it very well when someone threatens my family."
"What do you know of family woman? You don't know of the struggle to survive in a retched royal regime that tortures and kills its citizens."
"Oh, like your brother tortured my friend in Paraguay."
"He was fighting the righteous cause of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. To bring the world to Allah. Your west is so decadent. You think freedom is living the way you want. You kill our babies and let our elderly die with your drone strikes."
"But it's alright to kill your son because he played soccer with infidels."
"How do you know of such lies woman?"
"Like any mother who sees when her children are threatened or killed. Your wife turned you in for killing her son. Right now, she is in protective custody with your infant son and daughter. We got her out of your retched camp in Yemen before we blew it up in a drone strike last night. You let your pride get in the way of your mission. You and your terrorist buddies should learn to stay off the internet. We've had you on our radar for a long time. That's how we found out about you. We've had you under observation since Heathrow Mr. Rehnquist."
Khalid's jaw practically hit the table he was so astonished at Diane's revelation of the surveillance on him. He fell into the usual lament that subjects go into when they know they are caught, "I refuse to answer any more questions on the ground that my answers will incriminate me."
"Oh, so you know of our 5th amendment. Unfortunately for you, that only applies to US citizens, which you are not. You my friend are an enemy combatant. You're going to tell us all about your network of friends here in America then you're going to be tried, found guilty and sent to the ADX Federal Prison in Florence, CO. It's also known as the Alcatraz of the Rockies. You'll rot in a concrete cell in solitary confinement. You can plan your jihad from there. I will not lose sleep even thinking about you. I have no remorse taking your brother out, so I'll have no remorse putting you away.
At that Diane got up and walked out of the room. She was very satisfied that the door slammed very loudly at her exit.