Free Vektor by Steven Konkoly Page A

spiraling into utter chaos. They had sacrificed without hesitation, against near suicidal odds. General Sanderson may be a devious son of a bitch on many levels, but his loyalty and commitment to the United States remained untarnished, which was more than Berg could say for the men sitting across from him.
    “I understand, Mr. President. We’ll monitor the situation at Vektor closely. If a threat emerges, we’ll be in a position to offer a solution,” Director Copley said.
    The president stood up from the small conference table, along with Jacob Remy, signifying the end of their meeting. Berg stood respectfully and kept silent. A secret service agent escorted them past the security station inside the West Wing lobby, where Director Copley separated from Manning and Berg. He had arranged a few additional meetings to coincide with his trip to Capitol Hill, most likely to spare himself the discomfort of riding back to McLean with the two of them. This suited Berg fine, since he had no intention of dropping the issue of Vektor labs. The director didn’t reinforce the president’s decree while they weaved their way through the hectic hallways of the West Wing. They engaged in small talk about the White House and some of the historically significant pieces located throughout the living museum. Maybe that was Director Copley’s intention. Manning waited until they were safely behind the thick bullet-resistant glass and armored chassis of an agency Suburban before speaking.
    “That didn’t turn out like I expected,” Manning said.
    “Yes, it did,” Berg said, staring out of the window at the White House.
    “Maybe you’re right. The president left us some wiggle room, and Copley conveniently disappeared. I want you to contact Minkowitz and see what the Israelis can offer about the Iranians.”
    “We’ll need more than that. The Israelis whispering sweet nothings about Iranian WMD projects won’t sway the president or his National Security Council. I’ll take another trip to Vermont. Reznikov isn’t the type to give us everything up front. He never mentioned Iranians at the facility. Maybe he can verify one of these sweet nothings.”
    “If you can make that kind of connection, I’ll take this right back to Copley.”
    “And if Copley can’t convince the president?” Berg asked.
    “We need the president’s support to get Sanderson’s people out of there. With the president on board, I can put together a package that will give them a fighting chance to reach the Kazakhstan border. Two hundred plus miles is a long journey without help.”
    “Sanderson’s people will take the mission…regardless,” Berg said.
    “That’s his choice. Our job is to identify the threats and match them up with the appropriate solution,” Manning said.
    Berg sighed. “We owe Sanderson more than that.”
    “I agree,” Manning said, “which is why we need to find a way to gain the president’s approval.”
    “And if that fails?”
    “We go with Plan B.”
    “I wasn’t aware of a Plan B,” Berg replied.
    “Plan B is whatever we can cobble together using your vast network of friends and favors.”
    “Let’s hope it doesn’t come down to Plan B. The past month has exhausted my supply of favors.”
     

Chapter 13
    7:41 PM
    Starbucks, South Lakes Village Shopping Center
    Reston, Virginia
    Karl Berg carried two double espressos to a table in the back corner of the café and gently placed the saucers on the table in front of Wiljam Minkowitz. The serious-looking Mossad liaison regarded the small porcelain cup for a moment and stared up at him with a neutral expression until he sat down. The table was isolated enough from the other seating choices to allow a private conversation. Less than twenty minutes from closing, only one other table was occupied. As Berg had observed previously, the window table at this location was always the last to clear before the baristas locked the door. Aside from a few to-go orders, they would