Odessa Strikes Page 5

  Chapter Seven

  The Den

  Fort Belvoir, Virginia

  Colonel Gregory Smith couldn’t recall the last time he’d been this stressed out throughout his entire adult life. He’d joined the Air Force after 9/11 as a sense of patriotism swept over much of the nation. America had been attacked by air, and he swore to fight back in the same manner. He became a highly decorated pilot, an expert at covert operational tactics, and then a mentor to hundreds who followed in his footsteps, including Gunner, Cam and Bear.

  Over time, his role within the nation’s military changed as his years of tactical experience, both in the field and behind the scenes when carrying out covert ops, earned him the respect of his commanders. He was now facing yet another challenge, perhaps his greatest yet.

  The nation was under attack by an unseen, previously unidentified organization with resources beyond any terrorist groups the U.S. intelligence agencies had ever encountered. Everyone who played a similar role in the defense of America felt a sense of guilt, but Ghost carried the burden especially hard because his team had sensed something more was coming following the discovery and subsequent pillaging of the German U-boat.

  They were on the trail of the new Odessa, descendants of the group of escaped Nazis from the end of World War II that most scholars and historians thought to be a matter of fantasy. The Gray Fox team was systematically following their slim leads to not only find out the truth, but to determine if there was a connection between the mysterious Odessa and the attack on Levi’s Stadium that killed tens of thousands.

  While Gunner, Cam and Bear traveled in Europe in search of Odessa’s leadership team, Ghost worked with former FBI Special Agent Theodora “Teddy” Cuccinelli, a cyber assassin capable of gaining access to virtually any server or computer system in the world, which earned her the moniker Jackal.

  The same three words were repeated silently in the minds of the entire Gray Fox team located in the Den at Fort Belvoir, their base of operations to coordinate field activities and research. Odessa. Rome. Knight.

  “How are they doin’?” Ghost asked nervously as he paced through the Den’s operations center. His analysts had remained at their desks virtually every hour since the attack on the stadium. The military had delivered cots, blankets and pillows to an empty conference room in the same building the Gray Fox team occupied at the base located in Fairfax County, Virginia, near Founding Father George Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon. Except for a quick trip home to kiss loved ones and pack several changes of clothing, each analyst and the members of the support staff pledged their time to finding the terrorists.

  They had limited information to go on, mostly derived from German professor von Zwick, who’d devoted the last stages of his life to hunting down Odessa. He paid the ultimate price but provided Gray Fox a treasure trove of evidence to continue the investigation.

  It was Gunner who insisted Rome be the starting point of the search abroad. His gut told him the professor’s dying words were his most important. Odessa, Rome, and Knight were meant to be bread crumbs to guide him. Soon, the Gray Fox team would know if their hunch to travel to Rome would pay off.

  “Sir, they’re in,” replied Jackal. “Bear is monitoring their movements, but as you know, due to the Italians’ ability to pick up surveillance operations within Rome, we are limited in our communications.”

  “I do know and I don’t like it,” Ghost said in frustration. He sighed before continuing. “I don’t like any of this. Operations take planning. Flying by the seat of our pants against an opponent as formidable as Odessa could get our people killed.”

  “Not Gunner, sir,” said Jackal. “Cam and Bear, either. Sir, they have a resiliency about them. Their personal bond protects them as well.”

  Ghost chuckled. “Gunner’s fallen out of the sky more times than I can count. Space, too. I’m sure he’ll fall into, or out of, something in Europe without a scratch.”

  “His first contact may be the most dangerous,” quipped Jackal as she provided Ghost an eight-by-ten color image of La Bambolina.

  “You think this young woman, Bianca Morosini, is the key?” he asked as he studied her photo.

  “Well, let’s look at her as the gatekeeper. Our intel shows a potential connection between her father and Knight Gruppe AG, the Austrian company believed to be the reference made by the dying professor. I have teams working multiple angles on this. Some are vetting the principal officers, directors, and shareholders of Knight. Others are exploring possible connections to governments and multinational concerns who do extensive business with Knight.”

  Ghost stopped to study the monitors that had tapped into security cameras outside the Teatro dell’Opera as well as the surrounding streets of Rome. “What about the immediate family? Other than her father, do we need to be looking at anyone else?”

  “I’ve assigned two analysts to pore over the public appearances of Morosini’s mother. Again, we’re looking for connections, however obscure, to anyone affiliated with Knight Gruppe or any South American business and social organizations of note.”

  “Brother? Sisters?”

  “No, sir,” replied Jackal. “Her grandfather is still alive. He’s a priest in the Vatican, assigned to the pontifical university system.”

  “Could he be connected to any of this?” asked Ghost.

  “Unknown at this time, sir. I’ll have the team investigating the family create a dossier on him as well.”

  Ghost thought for a moment. The entire American intelligence apparatus was at work chasing down leads. He’d been on a conference call with the director of Homeland Security, who urged everyone involved to share information with one another. As the director put it, now was not the time to be heroes or territorial. American lives were at risk.

  Ghost got the point, not that he planned on abiding by the mandate. Gunner and his team operated outside the lines. Beyond the accepted norms and rules of fair play. Laws didn’t matter. Results did. Therefore, Ghost would not put his people at risk as a result of an interagency spat over jurisdiction and tactics. He’d claim to have lost contact with his rogue operatives, as he’d label them, before he disclosed their activities in Europe or anywhere else.

  “Knight Gruppe is the key,” mumbled Ghost.

  “What was that, sir?” asked Jackal.

  Ghost cleared his throat and twisted his back to work out the kinks. He hadn’t slept in two days. He replied and issued a directive. “Knight Gruppe AG. One hour in the large conference room down the hall. I want a complete update. Jackal, get into their servers and dig around. Archived files. Deleted. Everything. You know the drill.”

  “Yes, sir. On it!”

  Chapter Eight

  Vatican City

  Saint Peter’s Square was bustling with tourists as Bianca led the Gray Fox team toward her grandfather’s office. All of the pontifical university campuses were located outside Vatican City in Rome due to restricted public access. All security checkpoints were monitored by the Swiss Guard, with assistance from the Italian police force.

  Her grandfather, Giovanni Colombo, held a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross located in Rome. He’d risen to the position of chief archivist and historian, in addition to headmaster, after forty-eight years of service.

  Gunner, Cam and Bear reverently walked beside Bianca, in awe of their surroundings. None of them were particularly religious, but all respected the immense impact the Catholic Church had on world history.

  Bianca, dressed in jeans and a light sweater, met Gunner and the team for coffee at a restaurant near her flat. Her natural beauty equaled the glamorous look she wore for the opera. She and Cam shared a laugh as they got to know one another. Cam explained how she’d disappeared during the second act, leaving her soccer-player boyfriend alone at the opera. Bianca explained how he’d sent her a flurry of angry text messages demanding to know where she went and what her intentions were towards him. Her response was simple. She si
mply responded, Bye.

  She stopped in front of the magnificent Apostolic Palace, also known as the Papal Palace, the residence of the pope.

  “His Holiness lives here. Most of the Vatican’s legal, business, and political dealings take place in this building as well. Most of the complex is off-limits to all visitors, except I received clearance via my grandfather to gain access to the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana.”

  “That’s a mouthful,” groaned Bear.

  “Yes, it is. The Vatican Library is one of the largest in the world. The treatises and books date back over twelve hundred years. There are thirty-five thousand volumes in the library’s catalogues, on eighty-five kilometers of shelving.”

  “Bianca, does your grandfather know why we need to see him?” asked Gunner.

  Before they walked up the stairs to enter the Papal Palace, she paused and nervously took in her surroundings. “Yes. You will find him to be an ally to the extent of his capabilities. I must warn you. The Vatican Library, like every other part of the Papal Palace, is closely monitored with video cameras and hidden microphones. Everything you say or do may be noticed by the Swiss Guard. They are fiercely loyal to the Vatican and will not hesitate to have us all removed.”

  Cam asked, “Will your grandfather be allowed to speak freely?”

  “Yes, sometimes. He is very much aware of the monitoring. Let me add, he knows the halls of the biblioteca like no other. Please just follow his lead.”

  Bianca led them through the security checkpoint. An armed security guard led them down a maze of hallways until they reached a solitary wooden door with a brass plate attached that read, in both English and Italian, Staff Entrance Only. The armed escort looked up at the camera and reached for a buzzer mounted adjacent to the door handle. Just as he pressed the buzzer, a loud metallic click preceded the door swinging open.

  The security guard waited to ensure Morosini and her guests remained in the reception area of the offices until their escort arrived. Gunner turned to watch the heavy wooden door close behind him, its steel bolts sliding effortlessly back into place within the two-foot-thick walls.

  Another burly, middle-aged member of the Swiss Guard arrived on the scene and stood quietly to the side. He didn’t engage the group as he stood a few feet away, with his elbow resting on the buttstock of his shouldered Uzi.

  A moment later, an older, short, slightly-hunched-over man appeared in the reception area. He was wearing the black cassock traditionally worn by the clergy. The white clerical collar hugged his slightly chubby neck, causing it to pinch his skin.

  “Buon giorno, caro,” he said with his hands clasped together in front of him. Good morning, dear. He easily switched languages to English for the benefit of his guests. “Greetings to all of you. Welcome to the bowels of the beast.” He laughed despite the disapproving look he received from the Swiss Guard, the first reaction the stoic man gave since his arrival.

  Bianca hugged her grandfather, and the two exchanged kisses on the cheek. “I’ve missed you, Nonno.” She affectionately referred to her grandfather in the Italian equivalent of grandpa.

  “Your social life is much busier than mine, La Bambolina.”

  Bianca blushed and averted her eyes. Gunner understood why. Obviously, her grandfather had either read the tabloid articles about his granddaughter, or perhaps there was some type of ethics watchdog within the Vatican that warned its personnel about potentially embarrassing activities of family members. She recovered from the awkwardness created by his statement and introduced the Gray Fox team to her grandfather.

  Gunner shook the old priest’s hand. “Father Colombo, it is an honor to meet you, and thank you for allowing us to interrupt your day.”

  “This will be my pleasure,” he replied. The wording of his statement seemed odd to Gunner. “Please follow me.”

  He scowled at the guard and led the group toward an empty elevator that awaited them. After they were inside, he pulled the cage doors closed. He took a deep breath and motioned for Bianca and Gunner to come closer to him.

  “I have things to show you, and you will have to discern their meaning without me speaking aloud. Do you understand?”

  Gunner nodded.

  “There will be one moment when a book will accidentally fall to the ground. Inside this book is an envelope. Bianca, I want you to pick up the book and casually tuck the envelope into your pants leg.”

  “Yes, Nonno.”

  A slight vibration indicated the elevator had arrived on the bottom floor of the Vatican Library. Considered one of the most formidable facilities in the world with its hand-carved tunnels dug deep into solid bedrock, the Papal Palace was as much a fortress as it was the pope’s residence. For hundreds of years, it had been a formidable deterrent for any enemy to penetrate.

  The group stepped into a brightly lit concrete hallway guarded by a single man sitting behind a desk. His eyes roved from one member of the group to the other, but seemed to rest the longest on Cam and Bianca.

  A laptop sitting in front of the man employed the Swiss Guard’s facial-recognition software. A camera mounted atop the computer continually scanned the new arrivals. Father Colombo’s and Bianca’s information came up readily. It took a few moments for the false identifications of the Gray Fox team to appear. Their covers, generated by the CIA, fit the description of a history professor and two graduate student assistants.

  As they walked, for the benefit of the watchers in the Vatican City Intelligence offices, Father Colombo helped Gunner perpetuate his false identity.

  “So, young man,” he began as he patted Gunner on the back, “I understand you have a doctorate in twentieth-century warfare. I imagine you are quite learned in the history of World War II. Or did your studies focus on the second half of the century?”

  “Father, I think you will agree there were far too many wars to study during the 1900s. Naturally, World War II is the focus of most scholars’ study.”

  Father Colombo continued to make casual conversation in an attempt to authenticate Gunner’s cover. He continued with leading questions.

  “Are you familiar with the war in Yugoslavia during 1941? It was a time when the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and their new ally, Hungary, bullied the Royal Yugoslav Army into submission in just ten days.”

  Gunner said authoritatively, “It was an easy and early victory in the war for Germany.”

  Inexplicably, Father Colombo halted the conversation and walked ahead of the group until they reached a doorway leading into another hallway. He opened the door and gestured for the group to walk through. He unnecessarily spoke loudly as the group passed him.

  “Very good. Let me introduce you to some important treatises about that battle.”

  Once they were inside a small entryway with two doors leading to the library stacks in the basement, he continued in a hushed tone. “Let me convey something that was mostly omitted from the history books because it was not considered of historic consequence. By 1945, the war was going poorly for the Germans, as we all know. The upper echelon of the Reich sought out a safe place to keep the looted gold from Yugoslavian Jews and the Yugoslavian treasury. The value was estimated to be half a billion dollars.

  “My research has proven that Himmler entered into a secret agreement with Pope Pius XII as part of his Odessa initiative. Our Holy Father was a compassionate man, and he cared deeply for the plight of the Jews. He secured Himmler’s agreement to protect the lives of the Jews in exchange for placing vast amounts of gold in the Vatican Bank’s vaults and providing safe passage for high-ranking Nazi officials through the Vatican. Are you aware of Odessa?”

  Gunner nodded his head. Dr. Kala Bale, professor of Nazi history at William & Mary University in Virginia, had raised this theory with them prior to their departure for Berlin. He now had confirmation of the connection from the leading historian and archivist at the Vatican’s library.

  Father Colombo raised a single finger to his lips and nodded toward the next door. He
was about to lead them into the public-access section of the Vatican’s Apostolic Archives.

  Chapter Nine

  Vatican Apostolic Archive

  Vatican City

  Shrouded in mystery and housed in the most iconic bastions of religion in the history of modern man, the Vatican Apostolic Archive preserved the documents and books the Catholic Church considered the most holy. Considered by scholars to be the most important historical research center in the world, it was only accessible to visitors who were seventy-five years old and cleared with a rigorous background check.

  Father Colombo had full access to the archives, naturally, and he was authorized to retrieve documents to share with visitors in the designated reading rooms only. Of particular interest to those who gained access to the archives was the trove of official paperwork and correspondence related to the activities of the pope over the thirteen centuries since the archives were kept.

  “Behind this secure door are not only documents that tell the story of the Church, but the entire world. One of the most notable artifacts is a letter from Mary Queen of Scots, who was sentence to death for conspiring to murder Queen Elizabeth I. Facing beheading, she wrote a heartfelt letter in despair to Pope Sixtus V, begging for her life. The pope did not intervene and she was beheaded.”

  Bear was about to add a comment, but Cam kicked him under the table. Now was not the time for jokes.

  Gunner steered the conversation toward the task at hand. He was feeling uneasy being in a highly secure location without their weapons or an easy means of escape.

  “Father Colombo, I admired the Church’s protection of the Jews and German refugees toward the end of World War II. I found it fascinating that the Vatican and the government of Switzerland were able to remain neutral during the conflict despite their close proximity to the battleground.”