A Heartbeat Away - Michael Palmer [111]
Rappaport interrupted before Corum could reply. Clearly, the secretary had no interest in communicating with Griff’s associate.
“I asked Roger to accompany me here as a personal favor. I will allow him to explain our intentions.”
“Why don’t we all sit first,” Corum said, his speech gently Southern, and his manner much more agreeable than Rappaport’s.
“If it’s okay with you, I prefer to stand,” Griff said. “Because if we’re standing, this meeting will be shorter. And every second we’re not working is another second we’re not working.”
“Understood,” Corum said. “Secretary Rappaport is interested in monitoring the activities down below in real time. Since it is impractical for him to be physically present there, he has asked that Staghorn install state-of-the-art communications equipment to allow him, and through him, the president, to remain in constant voice and video contact with your team.”
“By my team you mean Mr. Forbush and myself. Because that’s all we have.”
Corum smiled genuinely at the image.
“I’ve worked with teams of a hundred that are probably not as effective or efficient as the two of you,” he said. “Dr. Rhodes, what we’ll do is replace some of our existing cameras and equipment with newer models that allow for encrypted, wireless streaming over a secure satellite network. That way we can broadcast your activity to any location on earth.”
“You won’t get a signal that far below ground,” Forbush said.
“True as things stand,” Corum replied. “Presently, the cameras are hardwired to the hub in the communications building here at the facility. We’ll replace that hub with our newer model as well. With the cameras connected to the new hub we’ll be able to transmit signal from the building to our satellite network. Which brings me to our next effort, videoconferencing.”
“We have that already,” Griff said.
“But you don’t have mobile conferencing.” Corum took out a device from his blazer pocket that was no bigger than a cell phone. “This is the TX-Mobile Communicator. We developed it for Uncle Sam. It’s a handheld, private networked videoconferencing system. Inside the casing is a stand-alone sophisticated GPS tracker, built into a disc that’s not much bigger than a silver dollar. It will allow us to pinpoint your exact location, even underground.”
“You want us to carry that gadget around like some sort of parolee ankle bracelet?”
Griff’s disgust was evident. Rappaport stepped forward.
“I expect you to do what you are told, Rhodes,” he said.
“Well, perhaps you’ve forgotten, Mr. Secretary, but what I’ve been told to do is save this country, not answer to you.”
“Don’t get so high on yourself,” Rappaport replied. “This country will continue on no matter the outcome of what you do. In a worst-case scenario, it will be incumbent on me to form an interim government. And I promise you, we’ll emerge from those ashes stronger and more resolved to combat terror than ever before.”
“By that do you mean all the personal freedoms you’re going to revoke?” Forbush blurted out. Griff shot his friend a stunned but simultaneously appreciative look. “I’ve read up on your policy positions,” Forbush then went on. “The walls and moats between the U.S. and Mexico. The wiretapping. The computer monitoring. The cameras. The profiling. The—”
“That is sheer nonsense,” Rappaport said, speaking at least as much to the others in the room as to Forbush. “I am not going to take away any freedoms granted by our Constitution. I am committed to protecting this country and the American way of life. And if doing so requires stronger security at the borders, more use of surveillance technology, photo ID cards, profiling, and an expansion of the Patriot Act in any way necessary to combat terrorists like Genesis, then that is exactly what I will do.”
“Excuse me if I don’t concur,” Griff said.
“Personally, Dr. Rhodes, I don’t care if you support my political philosophy or not. Now, you’ll both carry this device. And you will answer whenever I request a conference.”
“And if I refuse?” Griff asked.
“I shall inform the president of your subversive