Mark Young - Off the grid

His uncle smiled and cocked his head. “You’ve been in combat many times, son. Are you saying a tiny ol’ house in England, protected by a handful of security guards, is going to stop you from saving the world?”

“Saving the world? You have no idea what he’s working on. For all we know, he could be working on a new pill that will make the world slim, trim, and attractive. Now, that is something people might kill over.”

Joe hit the power button and closed up the computer. “Kane would never have blown up your house and killed your friends and family if the stakes weren’t high enough. You might be right about one thing-we don’t know specifically what we’re looking at, which makes breaking in more challenging.”

“Not to mention, we’ll be outgunned. I saw some of the security in that place. It’s state of the art. Hidden shooters with elevated advantage, walls and doors all heavily enforced. I could go on.”

Joe raised an eyebrow. “Makes this operation even more challenging to plan. But first, we need to find out more about Project Megiddo.”

“And where we can find that out?”

“Where everything gets channeled through one way or the other. Washington, D.C.”

“And who is going to give up this information?”

Joe looked at Gerrit carefully. “The one person who has just realized how expendable he is.”

Gerrit suddenly knew where Joe was going in this conversation. “Senator John Summers.”

Joe nodded. “And you may be the only one who can make him talk.”

Another thought hit Gerrit. “Kane will find out I survived that bombing.”

“I believe Kane might already know you’re alive,” Joe said. “Remember when I said you have to trust someone?”

“Trust a politician? You’ve got to be joking.”

Stretching, Joe leaned back and raised his legs, flexing his feet. “Not a politician, Gerrit. A father. That man lost a daughter to Kane’s ambitions. He may still believe it was the work of those Russian gangsters, but sooner or later the truth will break free. You can help him see the truth. If you do that, you can unlock what we have been trying for years to uncover.”

Gerrit looked out the side window into the darkness beyond. He wondered about the senator and what the man valued most-power or family.

He’d just have to find out.

Washington, D.C.

New surveillance vehicles and new faces waited for them as the jet taxied into a private hangar. Gerrit saw a blacked-out Chevy Suburban, midnight blue, and a dirt-spattered white Ford van.

Joe emerged from the cockpit, leaving Redneck at the controls. Joe slid onto the seat next to Gerrit. “Willy did his thing on the computer and tracked Senator Summers to a restaurant just outside D.C. That means he is in town.”

“How did Willy…? Wait a minute. You tagged a senator?”

Joe grinned. “Tagging a senator is not all that hard. We snatched one of his credit cards, did a slight modification, and slipped it back into his wallet.”

Gerrit raised an eyebrow at Joe.

“Getting into a politician’s pocket is easy. We did the dirty deed while he was staying at a really nice hotel after his meeting with you at Dulles.” Joe’s mouth tightened. “Willy also tracked Kane to D.C. He arrived about an hour ago.”

“Kane’s here? You’re able to track him, too?”

“Thanks to your face-to-face with him, we got close enough to pin down his location and plant what we needed to track him.”

“You don’t think he might suspect?”

Joe shook his head. “The guy figures he is too untouchable for anyone to get close. What concerns me is that Kane’s here…now. Maybe he’s having second thoughts about the senator.”

“You think they might try to take out a senator? That’d be crazy.”

“I don’t know what they’re thinking. I’d guess he and Summers will have a few words. But if we’re lucky, we might get close enough to listen in on Kane’s conversation.”

“He must be traveling with a security detail. How are the four of us supposed to get close enough for that?”

“We generally never work alone on operations like this.” Joe nodded toward the parked vehicles outside. “Those guys only know that they’re supposed to report to me-no questions asked. I’ve been fortunate enough to marshal resources almost anywhere, even other countries, through contacts I’ve made. That’s what makes this whole thing work. We may not be able to be as direct as Kane-who allegedly works as a consultant for any number of federal agencies-but we have our own contacts, our own networks based on those with like-minded agendas.”

“Protecting the sovereignty of the United States?”

“And other allies of our government. Like Great Britain, Germany, and France. You can’t imagine the pressure on these countries to bend to a world rule. A one-world government mentality.”

Gerrit shook his head. “I’m sorry, Uncle Joe, but I just can’t buy this conspiracy theory. I’ve heard all these wingnuts talking about the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, and the super-secret Bilderberg Group, organizations supposedly trying to create control and dominance over the rest of the world. As far as I’m concerned, they’re a bunch of idiots. No one is going to let our country take orders from a world government. I think Kane and his people are a bubble off plumb if that is what they think will happen.”

Joe tapped his fingers on the counter next to him. “Gerrit, we don’t have time to go into all this right now. I believe you’re wrong…gravely wrong. I only mentioned these contacts so you might see where the lines are drawn. I can’t force you to believe that there’s a war going on within our own government. That’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself-if we survive. Until then, I’m going to do my best to keep you and the others alive.”

“You seriously believe that what happened to Mom and Dad-to all of us-is connected to efforts by these globalists to control the world? People like Kane?”

Joe stopped tapping his fingers and drew closer to Gerrit. “Not only do I believe it, but I believe you will soon see that I am right. Take a look at what’s happened so far. What do you think motivated Kane-and others like him-to take these chances? Bombings? Murder? Theft of technology? Simply to make a buck?” His uncle shook his head. “It’s much bigger. The stakes are greater. It’s about power and supremacy of a certain ideology. World order. World control.”

Joe stood, gazing down at Gerrit. “Just keep an open mind. At this moment, we need to talk with Summers and find out what Kane’s up to. Let’s get moving.”

Alena and the others were already off the aircraft, standing near the vehicles. Several men in casual clothing leaned against the vehicles, arms folded, looking at Redneck with some interest.

As they emerged from the hangar, Gerrit turned to his uncle. “I wonder what those guys think of our little group. Especially Redneck.”

Joe chuckled. “My Jewish ninja, my California gangster, and my Chicago head-slammer sure do raise eyebrows. Until they need to blend. Then they leave these surveillance guys in the dust.”

Gerrit smirked. “Jewish ninja? Alena? You’ve got to be kidding.”

Joe smiled. “Don’t get her mad, or you’ll find out the hard way.”

As they walked toward the vehicles, Gerrit looked at his uncle. “What’s the game plan?”

Joe walked over to the surveillance vehicles, beckoning to one of the men standing near the black Suburban. The man handed him a briefcase. “Our group takes point. These guys will back us up if needed. Otherwise, I want them to stay out of our way.”

“What do you want me to do?” Gerrit asked, eyeing the strangers.