Evan stood and went to the TV. “Theycouldbe doing both.”
“There’d be no point in targeting the computer system if they planted bombs,” Mack said.
Evan tapped the image of the high bridge leading to the Glen Canyon Visitor Center and pointed to another bridge near theback of the dam. “If I planned to hack or even bomb this dam, I would want to make sure help couldn’t arrive to fix the hack.”
“You’d bomb the bridges,” Kiley said.
“Exactly. Keep emergency responders away.”
Kiley brought up a 3-D picture of the main bridge on the screen and used her mouse to review all angles. “How could anyone get under that bridge without being seen?”
“My question too,” Cam said, looking at his computer screen. “Says here the bridge is one of the tallest in the country, rising seven hundred feet above the river.”
Evan clenched his jaw. “Only two ways. They could be planning a suicide bomb in a vehicle. Or placing a device under the area of the bridge that’s accessible from the road. This would have to occur at night, and the bombers would likely need to have one person or more on the dam security team to act as a lookout or disable cameras if they exist.”
“If that’s the case,” Mack said, his tone grim, “then the bombs are already in place.”
Kiley’s stomach roiled at the thought. “We need to get there. Now!”
She tapped Eisenhower’s number on her phone and looked at the team as she waited for the call to connect. “Cam, gather the intel on the dam so we can review it on the plane. Sean, call Sam Olsen at the Cybercore Integration Center and pick his brain on the cyber vulnerabilities of this dam. Mack and Evan, get packing and load the vehicles. Eisenhower is sure to get us a military flight, and I want wheels up within the hour.”
CHAPTER 28
THE TEAM SCORED A MILITARY FLIGHT,followed by a helicopter ride to the dam. Problem was, a raging thunderstorm was tossing them all over the place. The pilot had hoped to arrive before the storm hit, but it rolled in fast thirty minutes ago. At least they were the only passengers, so with headsets they’d been able to talk through their plan.
The rolling and jerking motions didn’t bother Evan, but Mack’s face paled. Either he had motion sickness or issues with a prior chopper ride that hadn’t ended well. Knowing Mack used to be a Night Stalker, Evan wondered if the guy had been forced to leave the military due to PTSD.
A bolt of lightning cracked the air. Kiley jumped, then quickly settled. “So the local authorities have pictures of Nabi, Shah, Bilal, and the Waleeds, and the sheriff has set up roadblocks and stopped all incoming traffic. He’s also working on jamming cell signals to prevent them from setting off bombs on the bridges. Meanwhile, he’s getting the right equipment in place.”
“And he can’t jam Wi-Fi,” Cam said.
Everyone knew the danger facing them even without Cam’s statement, Evan more than the others. If there was a bomb on either bridge, he’d be in charge of rendering it safe. “And the dam evacuation?”
“The head of security took care of that. FYI, he works for the Bureau of Reclamation and manages a contracted staff of armed guards.”
“Rent-a-cops?” Mack scowled. “We have millions of people counting on rent-a-cops?”
Kiley gritted her teeth, and Evan wanted to deck Mack for pointing out something that only made things worse for Kiley.
“The sheriff is calling in additional help, but it’ll take time,” she said. “The visitor center is closed for the day, and dam security evacuated all nonessential personnel and locked the place down.”
“That’s a start,” Mack said grudgingly.
“Also, a few of the most trusted officers are sweeping the dam for bombs. They already confirmed the back bridge is clean.”
Evan imagined one of the rent-a-cops trying to be a hero. He didn’t want to comment but had to. “They know not to touch anything they find, right?”
She nodded. “The closest bomb squad and dog have been deployed too. They won’t arrive until after we put down.”
Kiley sat up straighter, her focus intense. “They’ll blow the bridge before the dam. Evan, I want you to start by sweeping the bridge for devices.”
“Depending on the timers I find, I can diffuse them, or we let them blow to make sure we’re on-site to get to the computers.”
“Right, we’ll have to play it by ear,” Kiley said. “And while you’re assessing the bridge, Cam and Sean will go straight to the server room. Mack, I want you with Evan to get him everything he needs. I’ll coordinate all our efforts and keep in touch with Eisenhower, who’s on his way.”
Everyone fell silent. The tension was so thick, Evan wondered how they were all sitting there so calmly, although he suspected their insides were churning in a tornado of acid just like his were doing. If the terrorists had set a bomb under the bridge, he would immediately be facing a life-threatening situation, not only from the bomb but also from a potential lightning strike.
People often thought bomb techs didn’t feel the intensity of the situation.Hah. Right. He felt it. Oh, how he felt it. He’djust learned to deal with it in a way that left his hands steady and his brain alert. Part of it came from his training, the other part from the sheer desire to help save others.
