Read No Fortunate Son for Free Online

a picture of the missing person. Kurt saw the last name and picture, a smiling man in Air Force camouflage, and understood why the SECDEF had been so agitated when he’d entered. He caught George’s eye but said nothing.
    Jonathan Billings, the secretary of state, said, “So the vice president’s son is okay? That was bad intelligence?”
    Palmer said, “Unfortunately, no. That information is close-hold, so much so that nothing is being put on hard copy or electrons. Nick was an analyst at the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre at RAF Molesworth, England.” He paused for a moment, going eye to eye with the men in the room, then said, “He’s missing as well, and if that leaks, I swear I’m going to cut someone’s nuts off.”
    The D/CIA brushed aside the threat and said, “The NIFC? What did he do there?” He pronounced it
Nif-See
.
    Billings said, “What’s the NIFC?”
    “It’s the intelligence hub for NATO. They’re responsible for all operational targeting, both possible and actual.”
    Palmer said, “He’s an Air Force weatherman. He provided predictive analysis for operations.”
    “Shit. So he was read onto ongoing and planned missions?”
    “Yes. I guess.”
    “Well then, his being the vice president’s son may not be the worst of this. He’s like the guy in the mail room who knows everything going on in the corporation. He’s potentially got information in his head that could damage current operations worldwide, from Afghanistan to the Ukraine.” He leaned back into his chair and said, “What’s in that man’s head may be more important than who his father is.”

7
    A low murmur went through the room, then grew into a buzz. The young staffer remained silent. Alexander Palmer said, “Quiet. Let him continue. Give them what we think.”
    The bureaucrat clicked a slide and Kurt read:
    We value the sanctity of human life above all else, but the fact remains that if a person takes up arms against our nation, he becomes a threat to our way of life and will be dealt with, whether he’s a United States citizen or not. Rest assured, though, every operation is thoroughly reviewed and every person targeted is given the same due diligence whether he’s a foreign national or an American.
    Beneath that quote was another.
    I beg to differ. Not every life is the same. You kill people all over the world without any thought to the collateral damage. Farmers in Yemen, civilians in Pakistan, goat herders in Somalia, it’s all the same to you. What would it take to alter your behavior? Whose life is more valuable than the ones you target? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Perhaps we will see.
    The staffer said, “Eight months ago the administration hosted a virtual town hall on the website Reddit. The last question asked dealt with our armed UAV program. The top quote is from the administration, given eight months ago. The bottom rejoinder appeared yesterday.”
    The D/CIA said, “So you think this is connected?”
    Palmer said, “We’re assuming so, and before you ask, the NSA is doing everything it can to identify the location of the message. They’vecome up with nothing. Or more precisely, with about a hundred different possibilities. The sender covered his tracks well.”
    “So, given the topic of the Reddit thread, we’re assuming an Islamic group?”
    “Yes, for now.”
    The D/CIA leaned back and said, “I don’t see it. This scope is too big. Too much ground to cover. Too much overt work that had to be done. There’s no Islamic group out there with the capability to conduct synchronized operations that span the globe. For one, they stick out too much. How are a bunch of Arabs going to do operational work on Okinawa? They would have been compromised. For another, they’re too fractured, especially with all of the internal fighting going on. We would have heard something.”
    The SECDEF spoke up. “Well, there are two facts right now: One, they’re missing. Two, we
didn’t
hear