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There was dead silence in the room. It wasn’t a surprise, exactly, since it’s been in the news, but Dane sure as hell was shocked that the Admiral was admitting the US had the capability.
“I’m sure you’ve read about it with the war between Ukraine and Russia. Both sides are using the technology, but what you don’t know is that Russian missiles rely on Western chips to work. With the sanctions, they should not be able to get these motherboards and chips, but unexploded warheads have turned up, and upon examination, they contain chips and motherboards from the West.”
“You think these motherboards that were stolen could be on the way to Russia?” Cain asked.
“Probably via China but, yes, it is a distinct possibility, which would be disastrous. Not only because these motherboards would be used to kill scores of Ukrainians, but it would also destroy the US’s political reputation on the global stage. I cannot stress enough how urgent it is we find these.”
Dane let out a breath. This was a different assignment altogether than he’d thought he’d be working on when he joined this team. He glanced around at his team members. They all looked as shell-shocked as he felt. All except Cain. He looked calm. Somehow, Dane was not surprised. Cain never said much, but Dane had always had the impression he’d been involved in a lot more than he’d ever owned up to.
“The Navy is all over this, and I don’t want you to get in their way, but we need to find these motherboards. Homeland Security is working with the NSA to see if they can locate the weapons. There’s an NSA outpost there on Oahu. They’re working on possible scenarios. I have offered you all as help if they need it.”
A sudden thought hit Dane. “Sir, this is Chief Petty Officer Dane Landry. May I ask a question?”
“Go ahead, Landry.”
“What kind of case are these motherboards carried in?”
“Why?” came the quick and cautious response.
Dane glanced at Cain. Recognition flashed on his face, and he nodded. Dane asked, “Could it be a black, square metal case, about eighteen inches all round?”
“Give me a minute. Walsh!” the Admiral bellowed. Then there was silence. Less than a minute later, Bertrand was back. “Yes, that’s exactly what they were in. Where did you see it?”
Cain motioned for Dane to take the lead, so he continued. “We were following up on a tip about drugs coming onto Oahu. We witnessed what looked like a drug buy take place, but the seller didn’t leave right away. After the buyers left, a drone showed up. The seller put a black hard-shell case into the basket the drone was carrying, and then it flew off.”
Bertrand swore prodigiously. “Find the seller pronto! I’ll alert the Navy. Walsh—”
“Um, sir?” Dane hated interrupting the admiral, but he had no choice.
“What is it, Landry?” he barked.
“The seller is dead, sir. We found his body this morning.”
The admiral swore again.
“The thing is, sir, he was one of us.”
Silence met his last words.
“Are you saying the man who put the case in the basket was Coast Guard?”
“Yes, sir. His name was Senior Petty Officer Craig Owens. He was my former team leader in the MSRT.”
Dane braced himself for a long line of swearing, but the silence was impenetrable and ominous. He glanced at Cain, who lifted one shoulder and then glanced at his phone screen with a frown.
“Okay, gentleman—excuse me—and ladies. Chief Petty Officer St. James, I meant no disrespect.” Bertrand’s tone was genial and contrite.
“None taken, sir,” Cass responded.
“This is what you’re going to do. As quietly as possible, you’re going to find those motherboards and bring them back. Not a word to anyone about seeing them. Not one word. You speak about this only to me. If the base commander, or anyone else, questions you or gives you any flack, tell him to speak with me. We have to keep this as quiet as possible.”
“Yes, sir,” Cain responded.
“We don’t know how high up the corruption goes. Trust no one outside your team. I can’t imagine a Senior Petty Officer could arrange this on his own. You don’t know who else could be involved.”
“Understood.” Cain frowned. “If we need resources—"
“Contact Walsh. He’ll get you whatever you need.”
